They are taking their positions." The boys remained silent, and the suppressed murmur of voices, the strokes of muffled oars, and, now and then, a gentle splashing in the water, as of an anchor dropped carefully overboard, could be distinctly heard.
"I am still of the opinion," said Ben, "that we could run the blockade before they could catch us." "And I still think that we should get caught," said Frank.

"If we should attempt to hoist a sail, it could be heard across the river; besides, there is no breeze." "Then, try the oars." "They would overtake us before we had gone twenty rods.

You must remember that they outnumber us, six to one, and could easily tire us out, or cut us off from the island.

Wait until the breeze springs up, and then we will see what we can do." "Listen," whispered Ben, suddenly; "some of the boats are coming down this way.

They are sending a division of the fleet to guard Ducks' Creek." And so it proved.