“I wish I might make answer in proper fashion,” he said, with the ghost of a smile; “but it is a matter of chance. If it so be that Leon arouses the suspicion of our enemies, instead of leading them on a false scent, we are undone. But there yet remains the possibility that being convinced he has deceived them, whether wittingly or not, they will return without much search to the point at which he interrupted them, and in such case we may go free for the time being. My only hope now is of finding a craft of some kind.” It was on the end of my tongue to say that it would be foolish to make an attempt at crossing the lake in a common skiff; but I realized that anything was preferable to the certainty which awaited us if we remained on the Foreland, and held my peace. We set out again, proceeding in the direction of Leon’s home as nearly as might be; but meanwhile keeping within sight of the shore, and before another ten minutes had passed we saw, hauled up among the bushes as if with some attempt at concealment, a bateau in which were two paddles. “That boat was left here by Leon,” Alec said in a positive tone. “He brought her around from his home in the hope of gaining our hiding-place before the soldiers could arrive, and it only remains for us to push off, taking the chances that the weather holds good until we reach Presque Isle.” “That is little less than madness,” I said decidedly, clutching him by the arm as if it was my purpose to prevent his carrying into execution any such plan as was intimated. “With half a gale of wind between here and the opposite shore we should be swamped to a certainty.” “And whether the wind blows high or low we are doomed if we stay here, for it is not likely we shall be so fortunate as to escape the searchers the second time.” I would have protested, even though conscious of the fact that we had best run any risk rather than remain, but he gave me no opportunity. “We shall make the venture,” he said, and laying hold of my shoulders pushed me on in front of him as he ran speedily to the water’s edge. That we might set out from the shore and escape being seen by those on board the vessels lying near at hand, I did not believe, and left to myself I should have remained to take the poor chances on shore. It was my comrade who saved me. Literally forced to do his bidding, I pushed the bateau off from the land, leaping into her as she was water-borne, and in another moment we two lads were paddling for dear life, following the line of shore in that direction which would lead us around the point of the Foreland, from which place we might lay a straight course toward the American side of the lake. Lest I make too many words of this harmless although disagreeable adventure, it is necessary I hasten over what at the time seemed to Alec and I like a most thrilling experience, although, as in other cases, we came to look upon it as something of but little moment.