Having taken in all the details of the scene, the lieutenant
passed the word for the mate to leave his own boat and join him.
When he did so, he whispered to him: "I thought it was as well that
you should have a view of these fellows' position too, Morrison, as
it would be of use to you if you have to take a boat in to attack
them."
Two minutes later the boats were drawn back again to the open water
in their rear, and rowed as noiselessly as before down the creek,
no word being spoken until they were half a mile away from the
pool.
"That is a snug hiding place, Mr. Morrison," the lieutenant said.
"It is indeed, sir. Who would have thought the scoundrels were so
close to us, or that they lay up this narrow creek, which I have
passed half a dozen times and never thought worth examining? I
should not have dreamt that one of those craft could have passed
through."
"I doubt whether they did pass through. They hardly could have
done so without breaking down a good many of these branches, and
we must have seen signs of that. I think they must have got into
that pool by some creek coming in on the opposite side. You see
four out of the six boats were anchored in line so as to bring
their broadsides to bear on some point opposite to them, while the
other two guarded them against any attack from this side.
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