Gladys Ermintrude arose with a very red countenance and sneezed several times. ‘I don’t see,’ she announced vindictively, ‘what you had to do that for. I guess my――those awful men saw the name on this boat, and I guess Pete Minger saw it, too. So what sense was there in putting me under that horrid, smelly old tent, I just wish you’d please tell me?’ ‘Gosh, that’s so,’ agreed Tim. Pud, feeling rather foolish, merely looked haughty and made no answer. Tim went on, a tone of uneasiness in his voice, ‘Look here, Pud, suppose those men――those uncles, you know――I mean those one uncle and――’ ‘Oh, get on with it,’ interrupted Pud. ‘Well, suppose they get this fellow, Pete Something, to take them in his launch and come after us?’ ‘Suppose they do?’ ‘Well, my goodness, it’s a heap faster than this boat! They’d catch us in no time! And, gosh, Pud, if they did catch us, I guess they’d be pretty mad and I don’t know what would happen!’ ‘No more do I,’ said Pud gloomily. ‘But it was your idea, this rescue business. _I_ didn’t want to do it. _I_ didn’t――’ ‘I do believe that’s just what they’ll do,’ broke in the girl excitedly. ‘Isn’t it just thrilling? That launch of Pete Minger’s is the fastest thing on the river, I guess!’ ‘You seem mighty pleased about it,’ said Pud bitterly. ‘I dare say you don’t care a bean if we get plugged full of bullets!’ ‘I do, too, but they haven’t got any bullets. It’s just bird-shot. Anyway, they probably won’t catch us.’ ‘Why won’t they?’ demanded Tim eagerly. ‘Because it’s getting pretty dark, and if we go up Fish-Hawk Creek and hide under the bushes, I guess they won’t find us.’ ‘Fish-Hawk Creek?’ inquired Pud. ‘Where’s that?’ ‘Just a short distance. It’s the first creek you find. I think I can tell when we get to it. I’ve been there lots of times with my――with friends.’ ‘Kidnaped, I suppose,’ said Pud sarcastically. ‘Aw, Pud!’ begged Tim. Just then came a pathetic voice from the shadowy figure of Harmon in the stern. ‘Ain’ we goin’ have no supper?’ he asked. It came to Pud and Tim instantly that they were very, very hungry, but Pud shook his head. ‘Got to wait till we land,’ he declared. Tim sighed deeply and Harmon relapsed into a melancholy silence. Pud yielded the wheel to Tim and tried to add to the boat’s speed, but no amount of oiling or coaxing made any difference. The _Vengance_ plodded doggedly along at some four miles through the growing darkness while Pud, gazing back down the dim stream, watched for pursuers. Presently he broke into a conversation between Tim and Gladys Ermintrude with: ‘How much farther’s this creek?’ The girl, recalled to her responsibilities, looked about her a moment. Then, ‘Sakes alive,’ she exclaimed in surprise, ‘I do believe we’ve gone by it! Didn’t you see a little opening on that side a few minutes ago?’ ‘No, I didn’t!’ answered Pud shortly. ‘Are you sure we’ve passed it?’