The Gallants were returning; and apparently flushed with victory, since between the strokes she could hear their distant shouts of laughter.
At one moment she fancied they must be descending through the woods: for a crackling of the undergrowth, some way up the slope, startled and brought her to a halt.

But no; the noise passed along the ridge towards the village.

The crackling sound must have come from some woodland beast disturbed in his night's lair.
She retraced her way slowly to the spot where she had disembarked; but when she reached it, Cai and the boat had vanished.

No matter; Cai was a trustworthy fellow, and doubtless would be back ere long.
Likely enough he had pulled across to the farther shore to bear a hand in what Troy euphemistically called the "salvage" of the long-boats' cargoes.

Happy in her solitude, rejoicing in her extended liberty, Miss Marty strolled on, now gazing up into the green dappled shadows, now pausing on the brink to watch the water as it swirled by her feet, smooth and deep and flawed in its depths with arrow-lights of sunshine.
She came by and by to a point where the cart-track turned inland to climb the woods and a foot-path branched off from it, skirting a small recess in the shore.