“Positive!” Teddy declared. “I saw him as plain as I see you now. He was on our bronc, facing the river. Probably just watered the horse. Then, when he saw us he turned and beat it--disappeared like a shadow. Pop, you saw him, didn’t you?” The old puncher nodded forcibly. “Sure did,” he agreed. “But I was too blame busy to say anything. I had all I could do to try an’ keep this fool boat straight, an’ I didn’t make out so well at that. We’re a bunch of dubs, I reckon,” he admitted reluctantly. “Well, if yo’re sure you saw him, why don’t you land an’ have a look?” Bug Eye inquired eagerly. Teddy snorted. “What for? Just to see the scenery? Marino is gone by now. We haven’t as much of a chance as a fish on a desert of finding him.” “Let’s see! Ain’t that what some one said a while ago?” came from Bug Eye. “Seems to me I heard a voice say he would try fer the Border, an’ that this part of the country would see him no more,” and he looked quizzically at Pop. “Dry up,” Pop said succinctly. “We all make mistakes. But if you want to, Roy, we’ll land an’ take a look. Think it would do any good?” “Not a bit,” Roy decided. “We’d only waste our time. I wonder if that waddy could have been following us?” “Hardly, if he didn’t know we were here,” Teddy replied. “And it’s a cinch we surprised him, because he ducked like a scared rabbit. Nope, we just happened to run across him, that’s all. If we had only been on land!” “If the cow hadn’t stopped to chase a fly off her back, the train wouldn’t have hit her,” Roy retorted facetiously. “Suppose we had caught The Pup? What would we have done with him?” “Plenty,” Teddy answered. “Gotten some of dad’s four hundred smackies back, anyway. He can’t have spent it all this soon. Chances are, he’s got most of it with him.” “What he ain’t spent fer booze,” Bug Eye interjected contemptuously. “The Pup ain’t worth the powder to blow him up, though I’d chip in my little bit to stand part of the expense if any one wanted to try it,” he chuckled. “Well, I guess you can kiss the money goodbye, Roy. An’ the bronc too. Whatever you say about The Pup, he sure can ride, an’ he’ll be ridin’ fer election by now. You boys tired paddlin’? I’ll spell one of yuh, if yuh wants me to.” Pop accepted his offer, and once more the canoe slid on toward the rapids, still many miles downstream. There was much talk of the possibility of seeing The Pup again, and Teddy was in favor of unlimbering one of the rifles that lay in the bottom of the boat on the chance. But Roy vetoed this idea, saying it was very necessary that they keep the guns dry and clean. “Those rifles are our dinner-checks, you know,” he added. “When we land, we’ve got to look lively and do a bit of hunting if we want to eat. Sun’s almost down. We ought to make camp shortly. Soon as you see a likely spot, Bug Eye, head for it.”