"
"Poor Singing Bird," murmured Stella. "If she has really fallen into the
hands of that brute, it's a sure thing that she'll be killed this time,
and now we're bound to follow her and get her."
"That's interfering between a man and his wife," said Kit.
"I don't care. She's mine now, for I saved her life. She said so."
"All right, Stella, we'll find her if we swaller our chewin' gum.
Forward!" Bud led the way, always with his eyes on the ground.
After traversing a few hundred yards he stopped.
"Here they're walkin' side by side again," he said, "and they're going
toward the river."
They hastened on to the bank of the river, and there all trace of them
was lost at the water's edge.
"They've crossed over, but not in a boat," said Bud. "I don't see how
they could do it if they didn't swim. There isn't the sign o' a boat
around here."
"Then over the river we go," said Stella. "But the question is, how?"
"I'll swim it," said Bud. "And if I find any trace of them over there,
I'll holler."
Bud threw his guns on the bank and plunged into the water, and in a few
minutes was across, for so near the headwaters it was not wide.
They saw him scouting along the shore, and presently he waved his hand
at them, and pointed to the ground.
"He's found them," said Kit.
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