‘We-ell, I’m not absolutely――Yes, I am, too! There’s Peacher’s Bend right up there where the two tall pines stick up, and Fish-Hawk Creek’s a quarter of a mile below that. My, weren’t we stupid to go by it?’ ‘Weren’t _we_ stupid!’ echoed Pud disgustedly. ‘I thought you were going to tell us when we got to it! Gee, I never saw a girl yet who was any good in a pinch! What’ll we do now? Is there another creek anywhere near?’ ‘No, there isn’t. Not for more than two miles, I guess. And I don’t think you’re very polite to your guests to talk like that! I’m sure if I was running this boat――’ ‘Well, you aren’t,’ snapped Pud crossly. ‘And I’m going to turn back,’ he added defiantly. ‘We-ell,’ muttered Tim, ‘if you think we’d ought to――’ ‘Well, gee, if we don’t those fellows will catch us easy, won’t they? _Some one’s_ got to decide _something_, I should think! We can’t _all_ spend our time just _talking_! You take the engine and I’ll see if we can turn around without hitting the bank.’ They could and did and then Pud ran the launch as close as he dared to the left-hand bank and went slowly back downstream in search of the mouth of Fish-Hawk Creek. It was too dark now to see anything distinctly save the steely ribbon of river where the last of the daylight reached it through the walls of forest. Pud’s spirits were getting very low. They usually did get low if he went much beyond his accustomed time for food. He was taking some slight pleasure in a mental picture of Gladys Ermintrude walking the plank when something leaped into his vision far down the stream. More than once already he had imagined just such an object, but this time it wasn’t imagination. Harmon saw it, too, and remarked the fact with melancholy alacrity. And then they all saw it and for a moment nothing was said aboard the launch. Then it was the girl who broke the eloquent silence. ‘Sakes alive!’ she giggled. ‘Isn’t this just too dramatic?’ ‘If you weren’t a girl,’ began Pud between his teeth. ‘Gosh,’ murmured Tim, ‘I guess we’re in for it!’ ‘Can’ do nothin’ to me,’ announced Harmon defiantly. ‘I ain’ kidnup nobody!’ ‘If we could only find that creek!’ muttered Pud. The other boat was coming fast, fairly eating up the space between, and now they could hear very plainly the steady _plup-plup_ of her exhaust. Pud desperately wondered if, should they stop and huddle close to the bank in the shadows, they could escape being seen. Then a wiser plan came to him and his spirits rose buoyantly.