Its head swung straight, and then, very
gradually, toward the other side. Yes, there was no doubt about it. He
had found a way of influencing their direction.

"I am going to take you over to the other shore," he announced
proudly.

And now, laboring in a keen excitement, he set himself to carry out
his boast. First he so overdid it that he made the raft turn clean
about and head upstream. He puzzled over this for a time, but at
length got it once more headed in the direction which he wished it to
take. Then he found that he could keep it to this direction--more or
less--by taking a few strokes on one side, then hurriedly crossing to
take a few strokes on the other. And in this way they began once more
to approach the other bank. The process, however, was slow; and Grom
presently concluded that it was wasteful. He hit upon the idea of
setting A-ya and Loob together to stroking with their spears on one
side, while he, with his great strength, balanced their effort on the
other. Whereupon the sluggish craft woke up a little and began to make
perceptible progress, on a slant across the current toward shore.

"I have found it!" he exclaimed in exultation. "On this thing we can
travel over the water where we will."

"But not against the current," objected A-ya, whose enthusiasm was a
little damped by the fact that she did not like the look of that
further shore.

"That will come in time," declared Grom confidently.

"Here's something coming now," announced Loob, springing to his feet
and grabbing his bow. At the same moment the flat, villainous head of
a big crocodile shot up over the edge of the raft, and its owner, with
enormous jaws half open, started to scramble aboard.

A-ya's bow was bent as swiftly as Loob's, and the two arrows sped
together, both into the monster's gaping gullet. Amazed at this
reception it shut its jaws with a loud snap, halted and came on again.
Then a stab of Grom's great spear caught it full in the eye, and this
wound struck fear into its dull mind. It rolled back hastily into the
water and sank, leaving a foamy wake of blood behind it.

By this time they were getting nearer the other shore. But on close
view, Grom was bound to admit that it was not alluring. It was so low
as to be all awash, and fringed deep with towering reeds, which were
traversed by narrow lanes of water. Of dry land there was none to be
seen.

"Oh, we don't want to go ashore there!" protested A-ya fervently. As