h the current rippling just
about his thigh.

"Are you coming back!" cried the keeper, looking round about him and
pretending to pick up a big stone.

"No! Come arter us if you want us," cried Bob, while Dexter crouched
down watching the man's hand, ready to dodge the missile he expected to
see launched at them.

"If you don't come back I'll--"

The man did not finish his speech, but threw himself back as if about to
hurl the stone.

"Yah!" cried Bob. "Y'ain't got no stone."

"No, but I've got a boat up yonder."

"Go and fetch it, then," cried Bob derisively.

"You young scoundrels! Landing here and destroying our plantations.
I'll send the police after you, and have you before the magistrates, you
poaching young vagabonds!"

"So are you!" cried Bob.

"Hush, don't!" whispered Dexter.

"Who cares for them?" cried Bob. "We weren't doing no harm."

"Here, come out, Digges, and you run across and send the men with a boat
that way. I'll go and get ours. We'll soon have 'em!"

The man slowly waded out while the keeper trampled on the fire, stamping
all over it, to extinguish the last spark, so that it should not spread,
and then they separated, going in different directions.

"Row, Bob; row hard," cried Dexter, who was in agony.

"Well, I am a-rowing, ain't I? We warn't doing no harm."

"Let me have an oar."

"Ketch hold, then," cried Bob; and as soon as Dexter was seated they
began to row as if for their lives, watching in turn the side of the
river and the reach they were leaving behind in expectation of seeing
the pursuers and the party who were to cut them off.

Dexter's horror increased. He pictured himself seized and taken before
a magistrate, charged with damaging, burning, and trespassing. The
perspiration began to stand out in beads upon each side of his nose, his
hair grew wet, and his cap stuck to his forehead as he toiled away at
his oar, trying hard to obey the injunctions of his companion to pull
steady--to keep time--not to dip his scull so deep, and the like.

As for Bob, as he rowed he was constantly uttering derisive and defiant
remarks; but all the same his grubby face was rather ashy, and he too
grew tremendously hot as he worked away at his scull for quite an hour,
during which time they had not seen anything more formidable than half a
dozen red oxen standing knee-deep in the water, and swinging their tails
to and fro to drive away the tormenting flies.

"They hadn't go