There was a swirl in the river just in front of the _Gem_, as though the
creature towing it objected to the treatment it was receiving. And then,
as the girls, anxiously watching, prepared to send another volley of
stones, Amy uttered a cry, and pointed up the river toward a small point
of 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 a
ragged youth standing up in a broad bottomed scow, poling himself down
stream. 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 above
a whisper."

Mollie raised her voice in an appeal for help.

"Hello, there!" she called. "Our boat! Right in front of you! Can you
get it? Scare away the alligator! It's towing our boat off! Please get
it!"

The ragged youth looked up, startled, and glanced from the boat,
seemingly moving up stream without any visible propelling agency, to the
four girls on the shore. He seemed much surprised, and acted, as Betty
said 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. He
poled his clumsy craft toward the _Gem_ and peered down into the water
to 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, and
edged nearer the motor boat.

"All right!" he called, in a quick, nervous manner. "I see him. I'll get
him 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 actions
of the ragged youth in the scow.

Suddenly he drew something from his pocket and held it close to the
water, leaning over the edge of his craft.

There was a puff of smoke, a flash of fire, and a report that sounded
very 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 little
cloud of smoke floated over his boat. Then he shouted:

"I hit him! I hit him!"

He was seen to reach over with his pole, an