At the same moment, some dry branches broke off above, and the leaves rustled--a rider bounded forward, heedless of the closely interwoven branches, and severing them with a sharp hunting-knife only when they actually stopped his passage, nearly to the edge of the bank, and, bending forward, gazed up and down the stream. "Do you see nothing, Wolfgang?" the anxious voice of Pastor Hehrmann was now heard to ask--"can you discover nothing of my children?" Bertha, hearing the voice of her father close above her, made a desperate exertion of strength to free her mouth, but Turner held her with an iron grasp, so that she was hindered from making any movement whatever; whilst Normann applied the same restraint to the younger sister, and in addition, pointed a knife at her breast. Although not a syllable escaped him in this action, yet his eyes betrayed the devil that was lurking within. "Nothing!--nothing at all to be seen or heard!" said young Wolfgang, with a sigh. "And yet it appeared to me, just before we reached the bank, as though I heard the sound of an oar; but I must have deceived myself." A contemptuous smile played round the corners of Turner's mouth. "And are you quite certain that they had a boat above here?" asked Herbold's voice. "I can pledge my neck for it!" Wolfgang answered him; "the tracks were plain enough to be seen." "Perhaps they are not so far yet," said Becher, who had now also arrived. "As you say yourself, the river hereabouts makes great bends, all of which we have cut off, and I should think, therefore----" "Perhaps--but perhaps not," Wolfgang interrupted him. "But we must consider this, above all things--that in case they should have passed, we are wasting valuable time in a most inexcusable manner, for we give them more and more the start; and if they once reach the Mississippi, little hope remains of our overtaking them." The mulatto, in the boat below, nodded his head, with a grin that disclosed two rows of dazzling white teeth. "How would it be if we were to gallop along the banks of the water-course?" asked Mr. Hehrmann. "Yes, if we could do that," said Wolfgang; "then they should not escape from us--I know that; but scarce half a mile from this, a deep slough empties itself into this little river, and that with such steep banks, that riding through it is out of the question: those on foot might make the attempt, for, if I am not mistaken, there are some cypresses fallen across it, which permit of a passage." Turner looked interrogatively at the mulatto, who confirmed the statement by a silent nod. "But how are we to get on, then?" demanded Hehrmann, anxiously. "We must ride back almost the same way that we came with the wagon," said Wolfgang. "'Tis true that it is several miles round, but it can't be helped." "Suppose we were to station men along the banks? Then they couldn't slip by, anyhow."