Sam advanced
cautiously from off the log to the shore, and began to anxiously scan
the ground, beating back and forth through the underbrush. After
watching him a moment my gaze settled on the strange boat, and I crept
along the log curious to examine it more closely. It had the
appearance of being newly built, the paint unscratched, and exhibiting
few marks of usage. A single pair of oars lay crossed in the bottom
and beside these was an old coat and some ordinary fishing tackle--but
nothing to arouse any interest. Without doubt it belonged to Amos
Shrunk, and had been left here after the return from some excursion
either up or down the river. I was still staring at these things, and
speculating about them, when the negro called out from a distance that
he had found the path. Rene answered his hail, standing up in the
boat, and I hastened back to help her ashore.

We had scarcely exchanged words during the entire night, but now she
accepted my proffered hand gladly, and with a smile, springing lightly
from the deck to the insecure footing of the log.

"I do not intend that you shall leave me behind," she said, glancing
about with a shudder. "This is such a horrid place."

"The way before us looks scarcely better," I answered, vainly
endeavoring to locate Sam. "Friend Shrunk evidently is not eager for
callers. Where is that fellow?"

"Somewhere over in that thicket, I think. At least his voice sounded
from there. You discovered nothing in the boat?"

"Only a rag and some fishing tackle. Come; we'll have to plunge in
somewhere."

She followed closely as I pushed a passage through the obstructing
underbrush, finally locating Sam at the edge of a small opening, where
the light was sufficiently strong to enable us to distinguish marks of
a little-used trail leading along the bottom of a shallow gully
bisecting the sidehill. The way was obstructed by roots and rotten
tree trunks, and so densely shaded as to be in places almost
imperceptible, but Sam managed to find its windings, while we held
close enough behind to keep him safely in sight. Once we came into
view of the river, but the larger part of the way lay along a hollow,
heavily overshadowed by trees, where we could see only a few feet in
any direction.

At the crossing of a small stream we noticed the imprint of several
feet in the soft mud of the shore. One plainly enough was small and
narrow, beyond all question that of a woman, but the othe