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.

Naturally, they thought it unlikely that any boat would come up here, and so directed their main attention to the other opening.