o," said Sir Humphrey calmly, and he closed his eyes once more,
while Brace turned his upon his companion with a look full of wild
anxiety, but only to receive a quiet nod and a reassuring smile in
return.

"I don't think there are any more near," said Briscoe, "and I don't want
to have the unpleasant feeling upon my conscience that I've killed a
fellow-creature; but if any more of them send arrows in this direction,
Dan and I will shoot at sight, and we're uncommonly good shots."

He had hardly uttered the last words when there was a sharp whirr as if
a beetle had darted by the speaker's ear, and they could see an arrow
stuck quivering in a tree the boat was just passing, while Dan
immediately sent a charge of buckshot crashing among the leaves.

"That was a bad aim," said the American, facing sharply round, "and I
can't see who sent it. Can you make out a bit of dark skin anywhere
among the bushes, Dan?"

The man shook his head as he quickly reloaded his weapon, and there was
a grumbling murmur in the negative.

The rustling, washing sound of the water beneath the boat as the men
urged it along with all their might, everyone giving a thrust with his
oar whenever he could reach a tree, was now the only thing that
disturbed the silence.

But the opening out of the creek into the river seemed as far off as
ever, and Brace's agony increased as he kept watching for the bright
sunshine flashing from the water, but only to turn his eyes back to
where his brother lay with his face looking very hard and drawn.

"Can't get a glimpse of anyone," said Briscoe; "and I don't think it's
of any use to fire to scare 'em. Whoever fired that last shot must be
on the land, for there's no sign of a boat. Does anyone of you hear
paddling?"

"No, no. We can't hear anything moving," came in chorus.

Then Brace spoke out excitedly: "Surely we ought to be back in the river
by this time! Have we missed our way?"

"Well, I don't like to say we have," replied the American; "but it does
seem a very long time before we get out of this watery swamp. Hold hard
a minute, my lads, and try and make out how the stream runs."

The men ceased thrusting at the tree-trunks as soon as Briscoe had given
the word, and by slow degrees the boat came to a stand, and then began
to float back in the opposite direction to that in which they had been
forcing it.

"Why, we're going wrong," cried one of the men excitedly, springing up.

"Well, neve