On looking toward the office, he saw his uncle coming out of the door in the rear of it, and walking toward the house.  Marco immediately reflected that it would not answer for him to meet his uncle, and he descended from the fence again on the same side with the boys, until his uncle should go back.  The boys thought he came back because he was undecided whether to go with them or not, and they renewed their invitations with redoubled urgency.  Marco did not reply, but looked steadily toward the house.  He saw a man standing in the yard with a small ladder in his hand.  A moment afterward, Marco’s uncle came out of the house, and, to Marco’s great consternation, he perceived that he had a saw and a hatchet in his hand, and then he recollected that his uncle had been intending to prune some trees that forenoon.  The trees were situated in various positions about the yard, so that Marco could neither go in at the front door of the office, nor climb in at the window, without being discovered.  He did not know what to do.

In the mean time, the boys urged him to go with them.  They did not know any thing about his studies, and supposed that his hesitation was only owing to his want of interest in the object of the expedition.  Finally, Marco concluded to go.  He supposed that he should not be able to get back into his study till noon, as he recollected that his uncle expected to be employed all the forenoon about his pruning.  He thought, therefore, that his chance of detection would not be increased by staying out an hour or two longer, and so he told the boys that he would go.

When they had procured sufficient bait, they went toward the river.  Their way led them not very far from the house, and they were several times in situations where they were exposed to view, in case Marco’s uncle had looked toward them.  Marco, however, contrived to walk by these places in such a manner as to cover himself as much as possible from view by the other boys; and besides, he hoped that his uncle was too much occupied with his pruning, to notice what boys were prowling about the village.  They passed across the street in this manner, and then went down over the intervales toward the river.  Marco felt quite relieved at seeing that his uncle kept steadily at his work, holding the ladder for the other man to mount by, or sawing off low branches himself, without appearing to notice the boys at all.

The river was circuitous in its course, and its banks were in some places steep, and in others low and sandy.  The water was generally shallow, but in some places it was deep,—­especially under the high banks.  In many places there were willows and elms, overhanging the water.  It was in one of these places that the boys were going to fish for eels.  It was a point where the river took a sudden turn, forming a sort of angle in the stream, where the water was very dark and deep.  The bank was high at that place, and it was covered with trees and bushes.