hunting a fugitive."

"And I wonder what they want of him?" asked Grace. "He seemed harmless
enough."

"They said he had their boat," supplied Amy.

"Yes, that was probably to escape in," suggested Grace. "He was going
for help for someone. Maybe a friend of his was hurt. I wish someone
could take help to my brother. Oh, it's dreadful to think he may be in
need of it, and that we are unable to get to him."

"It certainly is," agreed Betty. "But fretting will do no good. We may
have news of him any time now."

A little later the girls tied up at the orange grove dock. They made
light of their adventures, even the one with the sea cow, and did not
mention the ragged youth at all, except to say a stranger had recovered
their boat for them.

"For there is no need of telling too many persons that we saw him," said
Betty later. "Some of the hands might hear of it and, without meaning
to, betray his secret."

"But we don't know where he went," said Grace.

"No, and I don't want to--then we can't tell under any circumstances.
We'll just keep quiet about it."

For a day or so the girls did not venture far from the bungalow on the
river, but soon they tired of comparative inactivity and planned a
little cruise, down stream this time, past Lake Chad, and up another
river that emptied into it.

"But you'd better take one of my young helpers along," suggested Mr.
Hammond, when the girls made known their plan. "There have been a couple
of suspicious characters hanging around of late, and I don't want you to
take any chances. I'll give you a young fellow you can depend on."

CHAPTER XVII

IN DANGER

The girls looked at one another on hearing Mr. Hammond's warning. The
same thought was in the mind of each.

"What--what kind of suspicious characters were they?" asked Betty.

"Oh, just the usual kind," replied the overseer. "I don't want to alarm
you, and you needn't be afraid. They're mostly a cowardly set that
always congregate around where a lot of work is going on, hoping to get
money without labor, either by some form of chance game, or by
deliberately taking advantage of some of the simple-minded colored
hands. I ordered these two away a couple of times, and I'll do more than
that the next time I see 'em."

"Did they--did they come in a motor boat?" faltered Mollie.

"I didn't notice. But they weren't the kind of fellows I want hanging
around here, especially when pay-day comes. But don't think any mo