y from us!" cried Tom, as the _Venus_ disappeared
from view.

"Don't you dare to follow us any further," called out a voice from
the darkness. "If you do, it will be at your peril!"

"It doesn't look as if we were going to follow them right away."
grumbled Tom.

"Vos dose rascallions gone alretty?" questioned Hans, coming cautiously
from the cabin.

"Yes."

"Dot's goot!"

The lanterns were lowered over the side of the houseboat, and after
several minutes of inspection our friends located the source of the
trouble.

"If we had the power to back away from that tree we'd be all right,"
observed Dick. "But as we haven't such power I do not know what we
are going to do."

"Maybe we'll have to wait until morning," said Tom. "Then some passing
boat can pull us away."

"And in the meantime those rascals will have a good chance to outwit
us," said Sam, bitterly. "It's a shame!"

"Let us try to get the sweeps between the tree limbs and the houseboat,"
suggested Harold Bird. "Perhaps we can thus pry ourselves loose."

All were willing to try the plan, and while the young Southerner took
one sweep Dick took another, with Sam and Tom to help them.

It was no easy matter to get the sweeps into position, for there was
danger of one or another slipping overboard. To protect themselves
each of the workers wound a rope around his waist and made the end
fast to a stanchion.

"Now then, all together!" cried Dick, when the sweeps were finally
in proper position, and they strained with all their might. Then came
a crack, as one sweep broke, and Harold Bird and Sam were hurled flat
on their backs on the deck.

"Never mind, better luck next time," said Songbird, as he brought
another sweep forward.

They adjusted the new sweep with care and pulled on it gradually. At
first the houseboat refused to budge, but presently it swung around
a little and then more and more.

"Hurrah! we are getting her!" yelled Tom. "Now then, all together,
as the tomcat said to the boy's with the brickbats."

They strained and the houseboat came loose, but alas! at that moment
both sweeps slipped and slowly but surely the _Dora_ swung into her
former position and became jammed tighter than before.

"Another failure," sighed Dick.

"I'm about out of breath," said Sam, with a gasp.

"Let me try it," said Fred, and he, Hans, and Songbird set to work,
with the others helping. But it was of no avail, the houseboat could
not be moved sufficient