"After the shore reaches me," continued Otto, "I turns around free,
four times to find where I ain't. I see de colt going down stream
as fast as if two Indians was on his back sitting and paddling him
mit paddles. I called to him to come back and explained dot he
would cotch him cold if he didn't stay too long in de vater, but he
makes belief he don't hears me, and I bothers him no more."

"There will be trouble at home when your father finds out the colt
is lost," said Jack Carleton, who knew how harsh the parent of Otto
was; "it must be he returned to land further down."

"Yes; bimeby he comes ashore."

"Why didn't you recover him?"

"'Cause he swims out on de oder side and he would not wait till I
could go back mit de settlenients and got mine frens to come and
build one boat. I vos gone so long dot it vos night ven I comes
back, and ven I sees you I dinks you vos an Indian or maybe some
other loafer."

Jack Carleton was about to reply to this remark when both he and his
friend caught sight the same moment of the star-like twinkle of a
point of light.

While there was nothing specially noteworthy in this, yet both were
impressed by the fact that the light was not only on the river, but
was serving as a signal to some one standing on the same shore with
them.