Suddenly a canoe appeared through it and then a
second.
A bullet, fired from the first canoe, whizzed dangerously near the head of
Shif'less Sol. He replied instantly, but the light was so uncertain and
tricky that he missed the savage at whom he had aimed. The heavy bullet
instead ploughed through the side and bottom of the bark canoe, which
rapidly filled and sank, leaving its occupants struggling in the water. A
bullet had come from the second canoe, also, but it flew wild, and then
the whitish fog, thick and impenetrable, caught by a contrary current of
wind, closed in again.
"Did you hit anything, Sol?" asked Henry.
"Only a canoe, but I busted it all up, an' they're swimmin' from tree to
tree until they get to the bank."
"Now, boys, pull with all your might!" exclaimed Henry, "and, Paul, you
steer us clear of trees, brush, logs, and snags. They know where we are
and we must get out into the stream, where there's a chance for our
escape."
Then ensued a flight and running combat in a tricky fog that lifted and
closed down over and over again. Henry put down his oars presently and
took up his rifle, but Jim Hart and Tom Ross continued to pull, and Paul
kept a steady hand on the tiller.
Paul's task was the most trying of all.
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