"An' thar hain't ary boat thet I kin see, 'cept thet one sort o' settin' aroun' 'way out thar." Mollie pointed to where the police boat, "Mary Ann," was drifting with the current out in the middle of the river. The children withdrew more and more to the side of the road where berries were growing along the fence and they could eat as they went. They were inclined to loiter. The tots were all so worn out by the events of the morning that any one of them could have dropped down in the grass and fallen asleep in less than five minutes. A strange noise in the distance made them turn their heads to look back in the direction whence they had come. Instantly every one of the little band, even Mollie, scurried for cover with as much speed as if the farm bell were ringing and they were climbing into the loft. "Hit's an injine--an injine--Hit's runnin' away!" shrieked Bobbie. "Injine nawthin'," retorted Willie. "Whur d'y live 'fore yo' all come hyar. Hain't yo' ever seed an autymobile?" Before the question could be answered the speeding car was sufficiently near for bright eyes peeping from between the leaves of the blackberry bushes and rhododendron to recognize the tall man clinging to the running board. "'Sh! Hit's Pete!" "Hit's Pete!" "'Sh! Keep still." "Oh, Mollie, will he see us? Will he kotch us?" "'Sh! No. Shet up. D'y want him ter hyar yo'?" It was a near panic but Mollie averted it, and not a leaf stirred nor a whisper sounded as the car tore past, carrying with it Messrs. Bailey, Swazey and Grimes. "Didja seed him?--Didja seed him?" whispered the children, excitedly. "He war a-hangin' on like he war afeared he'd fall off." "I wisht he would." "Oh, Johnnie! Doan say thet." "Well, I do," persisted the boy. "He hurted me awful." Willie, who had been following the car with his eyes, suddenly extended his arm, pointing to where another car, tearing along at even greater speed, was coming down a slight incline almost at right angles with the road along which the Grimes and Bailey car was traveling. "Golly!" he exclaimed in great excitement. "Lookit--Lookit! They'll smash--shore es shootin'--jes' whar them roads cross. Come on--Let's we-uns run back o' th' bushes hyar an' see does he git killed." Thrilled by any diversion, the newly emancipated little farm laborers hurried as fast as they could toward the point where it seemed the two cars must collide. To their amazement, the men in the car coming down hill were standing up. Suddenly they commenced shooting at the other car. Then the men with Grimes began to shoot back. The children cowered on the ground. "Lawdy!" gasped Mollie, "hit's a fight!" Her eagerness to see automobiles wrecked had vanished. "Git back thar--git back--run--over thar ter th' edge o' th' river, whar they won't see us."