When the boat at last touched the shore, it was still light by the river, and Chap and the Indians were well concealed in the dusky recesses of the forest, not far from the water; and over the underbrush and between the trees Chap could catch sight of the little red pennant, made from an old handkerchief which he himself had hoisted to the topmast of The Rolling Stone. The sight made him furious to rush down and recapture his boat; but the others restrained him. It was not time yet. The fellows must have no chance to push off and get away. “Look here,” said Mary Brown, who had closely followed Chap’s party, “I wish there wasn’t goin’ to be a fight. I’d hate to see people killed so near our house. I’ve been thinkin’ of a good thing to do, and I’ll tell you what it is. I’ll go down and talk to them fellers. They won’t be scared off when they see a girl comin’, and then I’ll just tell ’em the whole thing. I’ll tell ’em there are five of you here, and you’re bound to have the boat back, and they might as well give it up first as last, and not have nobody shot.” “And as soon as you began to talk that way,” said Chap, “they’d all jump aboard and push off.” “No, they wouldn’t,” said the girl; “for I wouldn’t talk to ’em if they wasn’t all ashore, and the minute any of ’em started to go aboard, I’d give a scream, and then you all could come peltin’ down.” “And what would we do with them,” asked Chap, a little contemptuously, “if they agreed to all that? Let them walk off, scot-free?” “There ain’t no use a-doin’ anythin’ to ’em,” said Mary Brown, “when you’ve got your boat. That’s all you want.” The Indians, who understood all that Mary Brown said, and had listened to her with great attention, now expressed themselves as well satisfied with the plan she proposed. If the men would give up the boat without fighting, what was the good of fighting? But this did not satisfy Chap. “I want the rascals punished,” he said. “Humph!” said The Talker. “S’pose you first one shot. Won’t do you no good then to lick ’em.” “They won’t believe you,” said Chap to Mary, “when you tell them there are five of us. They’ll think it a trick.” “That’s their lookout,” said the girl. “If they don’t believe me, you can pitch into ’em; but you oughter try first to do without fightin’.” Finding that his companions were very unwilling to resort to violence, if the boat could be regained peacefully, Chap was obliged to submit, and Mary Brown started off to treat for a surrender of The Rolling Stone. “Mind,” she said, as she left, “if they cut up, or try to get back into their boat, I’ll scream, and then you all come.” “Oh, we’ll come quick enough!” said Chap, clutching his club. “You needn’t be afraid of that.”