“There’s a boat comin’ up the river,” she said, “and of course it’s your’n. Now you fellers lie low, and she’s bound to land on the beach down thar. I’ll go up on the high ground and keep a lookout,” and away she ran. It was growing dark in the woods, but in the cleared space around the Brown’s cabin it was light enough for the girl to see the boat come up the river, and steer directly for the sandy beach. When she returned and told the waiting party that the boat was about to make a landing, Chap, who had been much excited by the news that there was a sail in sight, seized the club he had cut in the woods, and addressed the Indians: “We must get along now to that landing-place, and the minute the boat touches the shore, we must make a rush at her and capture her.” “No, no,” said The Talker; “that won’t do. If they hear us while they’re in boat, they push off, up sail, and we never see ’em ag’in. Wait till they come ashore, then we fix ’em. No hurry.” Chap was obliged to acknowledge that this was good advice, but he contented himself with the determination that when the decisive moment came he would not let the Indians do all the fighting. “We will move quietly down toward the river,” he said, “and then, when we are sure the boat is tied up, and they are on shore, we’ll make a rush for them.” “All right,” said The Talker. And slowly and cautiously the party, followed at a little distance by Mary Brown, made its way in the direction of the river. [Illustration] CHAPTER XIII. ADAM LEADS HIS PARTY. Adam and the two boys had not sailed very far in the dirty little boat, when they found out why the persons who had been using her had left her and taken The Rolling Stone in her place. This little boat, on the stern of which was painted the name “Maggie,” was very leaky, and required continual bailing. Her sailing tackle was out of order, and she was a very undesirable boat. But Phœnix and Phil bailed away bravely with a couple of tin cans which they found on board, and Adam, having steered into the mouth of the smaller river, put the boat before the wind and sailed along at a good rate. The stream they were now in twisted and wound a good deal, and they could not see very far ahead, but every moment they hoped to come in sight of The Rolling Stone. “I cannot imagine,” said Phil, “why Chap should have gone off in that boat. If it was taken away from him, or borrowed, I should have supposed he would stay behind to tell us what had become of her.” “If it was took by unfair means,” said Adam, “he’d be very likely to think he ought to stick by her to the last, and if they took her they’d have to take him. P’raps they were only goin’ a little way up this river, and he’s undertook to bring her back.” “If he does, he’ll upset her,” said Phœnix. “If that’s so,” said Adam, “we’ll come across her bottom up, and the young chap sittin’ on her keel.” “And all our things in the river,” said Phil.