"Some non-eating ones would be better," said Mollie, with a laugh. "Justthe kind you look at, you know."
"I don't think that's funny," spoke Grace, slightly elevating her prettynose.
Finally they got started, after repeated injunctions from Mrs.Stonington to "be careful," to all of which they dutifully promisedobedience.
The trip was a delightful one, and no accidents marred it. They swepton up the river, which had hardly current enough to be noticeable. Theypaused to admire pretty spots, and stopped for lunch in a "perfectfairyland of a grove," to quote Amy. The _Gem_ was anchored near anoverhanging tree which served to permit the girls to go ashore dry-shod.
Merry indeed was the luncheon. Grace was passing the olives, when shehappened to glance toward the boat. Her surprise caused her to drop thebottle in the box of crackers, as she cried:
"Betty--look, your boat is adrift!"
"So it is!" agreed the Little Captain, standing up. "I thought weanchored it securely."
"And look!" added Mollie, as she pointed. "It's going up stream! Can theengine have started of itself?"
"No, the clutch is out," said Betty, running down to the shore."Something is towing the boat up stream. See, the anchor rope isextended out in front!"
CHAPTER XIV
THE TATTERED YOUTH
Betty Nelson reached the bank of the river and stopped. She could go nofarther for the muddy water stretched itself at her feet. But herboat--the trim little _Gem_--was moving slowly up the stream under theinfluence of the mysterious something that was towing it away from thegirls.
"Oh!" cried Grace. "What can we do? Betty--Mollie! We must stop it."
"Yes; but how?" asked Mollie. She and the others had followed Betty tothe shore.
"We must find another boat, and catch the _Gem_!" cried Amy. "It isn'tgoing very fast."
"If we only could!" murmured Betty, looking helplessly around. But noother boat was in sight. "We must do something," she went on. "We'll bemarooned if we stay here!"
"But what can be towing our boat?" asked Mollie. She stood on the bank,nervously twining her fingers in and out, weaving them back and forthas she always did when puzzled or alarmed. "Is it the current taking itaway, Betty?"
"But it's going against the current," Grace pointed out. "Some animalmust have become entangled in the anchor or painter, Betty. Analligator, perhaps."
"That's it!" cried Mollie. "An alligator is running away with our boat.Oh, Betty!"
"It may be that," admitted the Little Captain, as she gazed after hercraft. "I didn't think of it, but that's probably what it is. I don'tsee the beast above the water, though. Do you, girls?"
There was nothing visible except part of the anchor rope that extendedfrom the ring-bolt in the forward deck, over the stem and slanting downinto the water.
"The alligator may be swimming just below the surface," was Mollie'sopinion. "He may come up pretty soon, and we can throw stones at it.That's it, Betty. We must stone the creature and make it let go. Comeon!"
Betty laughed. The others looked at Mollie curiously.
"She--she's hysterical," murmured Grace.
"I am not!" protested Mollie indignantly.
"But the idea of throwing stones at an alligator!" cried Grace. "Why,its hide will turn a bullet!"
"Oh!" exclaimed Amy blankly. "Then what can we do? We have no bullets!"
"It isn't going very fast," observed Mollie as she watched the boatmoving slowly up the river. "We can run along the bank after it, andmaybe the beast will let go, or run ashore with the _Gem_. Then we couldget it."
"Who--the boat or the alligator?" asked Betty, who seemed to be inbetter spirits now, even in the face of trouble.
"The boat, of course."
"Then speak of the _Gem_ as 'her' and the alligator as 'it,'" Bettydirected. "But I believe Mollie's plan is the only one we can adopt. Wemust follow along the bank. Only I hope, if the alligator does let go,it won't be in the middle of the river, for then our boat would floatdown, and it might lodge on the other shore. Then we would be as badlyoff as we are now. Oh, what a predicament! We seem to be getting intonothing but trouble of late."
"Never mind," consoled Amy. "Maybe this will be the last."
"It's a comfort to think so, anyhow," agreed Grace. "I wonder why analligator ran off with our boat?"
"A mere accident," was Betty's opinion. "Probably the creature wasswimming along shore, and became entangled in our anchor rope. It maybe as much frightened as we are distressed. But come on, if we're goingto try to get the boat."
Stumbling over the uneven way, the girls raced along the river bank.Sometimes the boat appeared to be coming close in shore, and again itwould veer out.
"I've just thought of something!" exclaimed Amy as they came up nearlyopposite the boat, for it was being towed more slowly now, as though thecreature having it in charge found it harder work.
"Then do, for goodness sake, tell us what it is," demanded Mollie. "I'mabout played out."
"If we threw stones on the other side of the alligator--I mean across,between him and the other shore--it might scare him over this way."
"Oh!" screamed Grace. "Don't you dare scare him over here!"
"I didn't mean right here," went on Amy. "I only meant farther in towardthis shore. Then he might run aground and we could wade out and get theboat."
"Wade in the water that has an alligator in it!" cried Grace with ashudder. "Never!"
"Well, it might be a good plan to try," spoke Betty. "I see what Amymeans. When we were little, and used to play with toy boats, if onewent out too far we used to throw stones in the water beyond it, and thewaves would sometimes send it ashore. Now, if we did that, the alligatormight think someone on the other bank was throwing things at him, and hewould come over here. It's worth trying."
"I am certain I can't throw straight," complained Grace.
"Oh, well, this isn't a ball game," said Mollie. "Any sort of throwingwill do for an alligator. Come on, now, all together."
In spite of her protest, Grace managed to do fairly at thestone-throwing. In fact the outdoor girls were what their nameimplied--they could do many things that outdoor boys could do, andthrowing stones was one of their accomplishments. They had not playedbasket ball for nothing.
A shower of missiles fell into the water on the far side of whatevercreature was towing the _Gem_. For a few minutes no effect was produced,and then the creature under water did seem to veer over toward the shorewhere the girls were slowly walking along.
"Gracious! If he really comes here!" cried Grace, getting ready to beata retreat.
"I'm afraid there's not much danger," spoke Betty, in a low tone. "Heseems too fond of our boat."
"Throw more stones!" directed Mollie, and another shower of small rockssailed through the air to fall with many splashes into the turbid water.
There was a swirl in the river just in front of the _Gem_, as though thecreature towing it objected to the treatment it was receiving. And then,as the girls, anxiously watching, prepared to send another volley ofstones, Amy uttered a cry, and pointed up the river toward a small pointof land that jutted out into the stream.
"Look!" she cried. "A man in a boat!"
They all gazed to where she indicated, and beheld not a man, but aragged youth standing up in a broad bottomed scow, poling himself downstream. He was headed directly for the _Gem_.
"Oh, he is just in time!" cried Mollie. "He'll get our boat for us!"
"Call to him!" directed Grace. "I'm so nervous that I can't speak abovea whisper."
Mollie raised her voice in an appeal for help.
"Hello, there!" she called. "Our boat! Right in front of you! Can youget it? Scare away the alligator! It's towing our boat off! Please getit!"
The ragged youth looked up, startled, and glanced from the boat,seemingly moving up stream without any visible propelling agency, to thefour girls on the shore. He seemed much surprised, and acted, as Bettysaid afterward, as though he would like to run
away. She called to him:
"Look out for the alligator! Don't get into danger!"
The ragged youth now seemed to comprehend what was wanted of him. Hepoled his clumsy craft toward the _Gem_ and peered down into the waterto see what manner of creature was at the other end of the anchor rope.Then he waved his pole at the girls, as though to reassure them, andedged nearer the motor boat.
"All right!" he called, in a quick, nervous manner. "I see him. I'll gethim for you."
"Gracious--I wonder if he means the boat or the alligator?" said Mollie."I hope he understands that we don't want both--only the boat."
"Oh, he'll know," declared Betty. She was eagerly watching the actionsof the ragged youth in the scow.
Suddenly he drew something from his pocket and held it close to thewater, leaning over the edge of his craft.
There was a puff of smoke, a flash of fire, and a report that soundedvery loudly to the girls.
"Oh!" cried Grace, covering her ears with her hands.
"Be quiet, silly!" exclaimed Betty. "It was the only thing he could do.He shot at the alligator."
Again the revolver of the ragged youth sounded loudly and, a littlecloud of smoke floated over his boat. Then he shouted:
"I hit him! I hit him!"
He was seen to reach over with his pole, and fish for something in thewater.
"I hope he isn't going to bring it ashore--the alligator, I mean!" criedMollie. "We want the boat. Get the boat!" she called to the raggedyouth.
CHAPTER XV
THE TWO MEN
The girls need have had no fears. The youth in the boat seemed to knowwhat he was doing. He was pulling up the anchor rope now, and a momentlater he had the grapple in his scow. Then he let his craft slip downstream until he was below the _Gem_ and in a position to tow it.
As he did this there was a swirl in the water just above him, and aqueerly-shaped body half arose, falling back with a splash.
The girls had a glimpse of something like a seal, with a queer head, notunlike that of a small hippopotamus.
"Look!" cried Mollie. "That was no alligator! What in the world is it?"
"That's a manatee--a sea-cow, some folks call 'em!" answered the raggedyouth, as he poled his boat toward them, towing the _Gem_. "They'reharmless, but I had to shoot this one to make him let go. I didn't hurthim much. I never see one so far inland as this, though. I'll have yourboat there in a minute."
"Don't hurry," said Betty kindly. "As long as she's safe we are allright. It's awfully kind of you to get her for us. We thought analligator had her."
"It was rather queer," said the ragged youth. "I never see a boat towedby a manatee before. I'll be ashore in a minute."
He was poling his scow over toward the girls, towing their boat in,aided by the current. A little later he had leaped ashore with the rope,pulling the anchor after him.
"We're a thousand times obliged to you!" exclaimed Mollie, impulsively."We never should have known what to do without our boat. We're fromBentonville."
"Yes? That's quite a ways down." The youth, in spite of his rags, had agood-looking face and a pleasant manner. He seemed restless and afraid,and was constantly glancing about him, as though in fear of seeingsomeone or something he did not care to encounter.
"Would you--I mean, can we do anything for you?" half stammered Betty.She wanted to offer him money, but she did not quite know how he wouldaccept it. "If you are going down stream," she went on, "we could takeyou as far as we are going. If you would come with us, perhaps----"
"Oh, no, I couldn't think of it!" the youth cried--cried out in veryfear, it seemed to Mollie, who was observing him narrowly. "I must goon--go on alone. I am going for help!"
"For help!" exclaimed Betty. "What is the trouble? Perhaps we can helpyou. We are from Mr. Stonington's orange grove, and if we told him youneeded help----"
"No, no!" interrupted the youth, glancing about him nervously. "It isn'tthat kind of help. I am trying to help someone else. I--I can't tellyou. But I must be getting on. And will you do me a favor?" he askedsuddenly.
"Of course!" cried Betty. "We will be only too glad to, since you did somuch for us. Only for you our boat might be far up the river now. Whatcan we do for you?"
"Don't tell anyone you saw me," begged the youth, earnestly. "There arethose who would stop me--take me back where I came from. They are afterme--they may be below me, trying to head me off. If you meet them--meetany rough-looking men who ask for me--don't tell them about me. Don'tset them after me, please."
"You may be sure we will not!" exclaimed Betty, warmly. "Are youfrom----"
"Please don't ask me!" he exclaimed. "It is so much easier to throwthem off the trail if you really know nothing. So don't question me."
"Very well, we won't. But if you are escaping, perhaps you needmoney----"
"No, I have some, thank you," and he showed a small roll of bills. "Hegave it to me," and he seemed to indicate, by a nod, someone farther upthe stream.
"Then do you think you will be all right?" asked Mollie. Amy and Gracehad taken no part in the talk. They seemed to be content to look at thestrange youth who had rendered the outdoor girls such a service.
"Oh, yes, I'll be all right," was the answer, but the ragged youthlooked about him apprehensively. "I must be getting on now, afterhelp--for him. Don't say you saw me--don't tell them anything about me."
"We won't," promised Betty. "You may rely on us."
"Thank you--good-bye!" He stepped into his skiff and quickly poled outfrom shore, dropping down with the current. The girls gazed after himfor a moment. Strangely had he come into their lives, and as strangelygone out, without revealing his identity. And he had done them such aservice, too.
"Well, we have our boat back," remarked Betty, with a sigh ofthankfulness. "I wonder what possessed that sea cow to swim off withit?"
"Probably it was only an accident," said Mollie. "Well, we certainlyhave had a day of it. Now let's get back before anything else happens.Gracious, how swiftly he is poling along!"
She pointed to the youth, who was almost out of sight at a bend in theriver.
"He wants to get away from those who are after him," observed Grace. "Iwonder if he is a desperate criminal?"
"He didn't look at all like a criminal," spoke Amy. "I think he had anice face."
"He wasn't bad looking," admitted Betty. "Poor fellow, he was verynervous, though."
"And no wonder--meeting four girls at once!" laughed Mollie.
"What shall we do if we meet those men who are after him?" asked Grace."I shall be so frightened!"
"We won't meet them!" declared Betty. "If we do we need not speak tothem. But if they insist we can say truthfully that we don't know whothat young fellow was, nor where he went."
"He's out of sight now, at all events," spoke Amy. "I wonder whom he isgoing to get help for? I wish he had told us more."
"I don't," answered Betty, promptly. "The less we know the less we cantell if any men question us. Now let's get aboard and get back. No moremanatees for me!"
The _Gem_ was none the worse for her queer tow, and soon, with the girlsaboard, was dropping down stream again. The strange youth was not insight, even when the turn of the river was made, but he may have poledoff into one of the many little bayous, or tributary streams, thatjoined the main one.
"I'm glad he's out of sight," murmured Grace. "If those men should comeafter him----"
She stopped suddenly, and stared ahead. There, coming around a turn inthe river, was a small motor boat containing two men, who, at the sightof the _Gem_, headed directly for her, at the same time indicating bygestures that they wished to speak to those aboard.
CHAPTER XVI
SUSPICIOUS CHARACTERS
"What shall we do?" whispered Grace, glancing at Betty, who stood at thewheel, seemingly as calm and unperturbed as though she had the _Gem_ outfor a little run on Rainbow Lake. "Oh, what shall we do?"
"Do?" echoed Mollie. "Wait until there's something to be done
, ofcourse."
"But those men--they are heading right for us, and we don't know them!"
"And we didn't know Mr. Belton when he came to our rescue," repliedMollie. "So that doesn't count."
"But neither of these men is Mr. Belton," went on Grace. "Oh, I don'tlike Florida as much as I thought I would!"
"I'm sorry," spoke Amy gently.
"I--I didn't mean just that, my dear," answered Grace impulsively. "Butthey are heading for us, Betty."
"Of course they are," said the Little Captain.
"But that doesn't mean I am going to stop for them."
"Betty Nelson! Do you mean that you aren't going to stop?" gasped Grace.
"That's what I do mean. I don't see why we should halt our boat justbecause two strange men signal us. Indeed I'm not going to!" and Bettyturned on more power. She gazed straight ahead as though she did not seethe men in the approaching craft, who were now wildly waving theirhands, and turning their rather disreputable-looking craft in thedirection of the _Gem_.
"Betty Nelson! You're just splendid!" cried Grace impulsively as shemoved forward and threw her arms about her chum. "I wish I had yourcourage!"
"Don't hug me too tightly," begged Betty with a laugh. "I may have tosteer out of their way."
Indeed it did seem so, for the other craft was coming about so as toalmost cross the bows of the boat of the outdoor girls. Then one of themen called: