Hark! was it the ripple again?
He rose half to his feet, and instantly his eye caught a glimpse of something brown upon the edge of the boat.

It was a human hand, the brown, powerful hand of a savage.
The glance of Shif'less Sol followed the hand and saw a brown face emerging from the water and fog.

Quick as a flash he fired.

There was a terrible, unearthly cry, the hand slipped from the boat and the head sank from view.
"Up! up! boys!" cried Sol in thunderous tones.

"We're attacked by swimmin' savages!" He snatched up one of the double-barreled pistols and fired at another head on the water.