She disappeared into the shanty-boat and Tim sprang to the fly-wheel. Pud stared irresolutely after the girl and then uneasily toward the leisurely approaching men. The engine came to life and Pud reached a decision. He didn’t like that silly girl, and there was something mighty funny about the whole business, but here was real adventure! ‘Stand ready to cast off!’ he ordered briskly. ‘Er-huh,’ replied Harmon. Then they waited. From within the shanty-boat came faint sounds, but no Gladys Ermintrude. Pud looked apprehensively at the approaching kidnapers. They were walking more briskly now, even, he thought, hurriedly. Doubtless they had caught sight of the launch. A sunbeam glinted on the barrel of a gun and Pud felt suddenly chilly at the back of his neck. He called hoarsely. ‘Hey there! Gladys Whatyoucall it! Get a move on, can’t you?’ ‘Just a minute!’ called the girl. ‘No, sir, not a half a minute! If you ain’t out here before I count five I’m going to leave you! One――’ ‘Maybe we’d better start along,’ said Tim uneasily. ‘We could come back later, I guess, and get her, Pud.’ ‘Mighty fierce-lookin’ men, they is,’ declared Harmon cheerfully. ‘Four,’ counted Pud, his intervals shortening perceptibly. ‘_Five!_ Back her up, Tim!’ ‘Here I am,’ announced Gladys Ermintrude triumphantly. ‘Will you please take my bag?’ ‘No, I won’t,’ growled Pud. ‘Throw it in and jump quick! Let’s go, Tim! Give her gas!’ Gladys Ermintrude landed somewhat inelegantly in the launch just as that craft churned away from the shanty-boat and just as a stentorian hail came across the clearing. ‘_Hey! Where you goin’?_’ shouted a voice. Pud swung the wheel hard, the _Vengance_ pushed her nose into the current, and Gladys Ermintrude, jumping to a seat, waved defiantly toward shore. ‘Ha, ha!’ she cried. ‘At last, villains, I am out of your clutches! Before dawn the hand of Justice――’ Unceremoniously Pud grabbed a skinny ankle and Gladys Ermintrude collapsed in a heap. ‘You shut up!’ sputtered Pud. ‘Want us to get shot? You get down and stay down!’ He was obeying his own order as well as he could, and so were Tim and Harmon. The launch was picking up speed now and the shanty-boat was already a length behind, shutting out of sight the kidnapers for the moment. ‘Give her all there is, Tim!’ called Pud. ‘She’s got it,’ answered Tim. ‘Reckon they’ll shoot?’ ‘I don’t know! Keep down, you’d better.’ Pud put his own head up and looked back. The two men, roughly clothed and bearded desperadoes indeed, were running hard now, were almost at the bank. As long as they kept on running, Pud reflected, they couldn’t shoot, and even if they did shoot they couldn’t do more than pepper the boat as long as they all kept below the gunwale and―― ‘Come back here!’ called an angry voice. ‘Where are you taking that girl? I’ll have the Law on you!’ ‘Oh,’ exclaimed Gladys Ermintrude despairingly, ‘that he should speak of the Law!’