“There he is!” was the cry.

“Pull, boys, pull!” called out Snap.

They did pull, and soon came closer to the craft ahead.  Then the negro chanced to look back and saw them.  He was evidently chagrined, and with out delay turned in toward shore, close to where the trees grew thick.

“Stop!” cried Shep.  “Stop, you rascal!”

But the negro paid no attention, excepting to renew his efforts to reach the river bank.  He sent the rowboat in among the bushes with a loud swish, and hopped ashore.  Then the other boat came up.

“Stop!” roared Simon Lundy.  Give me back my watch!”

“Don’t yo’ dar to follow me!” yelled the negro, and showed a big horse-pistol.  “If yo’ do, somebody is dun gwine to git shot.”

“Don’t!” yelled the farmer, and fell flat in the rowboat.

The boys were also alarmed, and for the moment knew not what to do.  In that space of time the negro darted back of some trees and was lost to view.

“Look out, boys, he’ll shoot ye sure!” said Simon Lundy, in a voice full of fear.

“He has gone,” announced Snap.

“Are all of our things safe?” asked Shep, anxiously.

“We’ll soon find out,” put in Whopper, and leaped from one boat into the other.  All made a hasty examination and found everything intact.  Even their weapons had not been touched, for which they were exceedingly thankful.

“He wasn’t expecting us,” explained Giant.  “He thought he’d get time later to go through our belongings.”  And the others concluded that Giant had spoken the truth.

What to do next was a question.  Simon Lundy said he did not want to follow the negro, since the rascal was armed and evidently full of fight.

“I’ll go after him if the others will,” said Shep, and the upshot of the matter was that the four boys went on a hunt, leaving the cowardly farmer to watch the two boats.  The boys went deep into the woods and even to the road beyond, but saw nothing of the rascal that had disappeared.

“He will be on his guard now and keep out of sight,” said Whopper.  “I’ll bet he don’t show himself again in two years.”

“Make it ten years while you are at it, Whopper,” said Snap, drily.

“Well, do you think he will show up?”

“No.  But we may see him some day.”

When the four young hunters returned to the boats they found Simon Lundy had hidden himself behind some bushes.  He came out rather shamefacedly and asked if they had met the negro.

“Yes; and he said he was coming to chew you up,” answered Whopper, with a wink at his chums.

“H-he did!” quaked Simon Lundy.  “Sa-say, hadn’t we better be a-goin’?”

“We are not going to bother to look for him any more,” said Snap, who was disgusted with the cowardly and miserly farmer.  “We are going on our way.”

“An’ what be I a-goin’ tew do?”