Favored by this foresight, and stimulated by the apprehension
of discovery, Floating Tom and his two athletic companions hauled
the ark ahead with quite as much rapidity as comported with the
strength of the line. At every turn in the stream, a stone was
raised from the bottom, when the direction of the scow changed to
one that pointed towards the stone that lay above. In this manner,
with the channel buoyed out for him, as a sailor might term it,
did Hutter move forward, occasionally urging his friends, in a low
and guarded voice, to increase their exertions, and then, as occasions
offered, warning them against efforts that might, at particular
moments, endanger all by too much zeal. In spite of their long
familiarity with the woods, the gloomy character of the shaded river
added to the uneasiness that each felt; and when the ark reached
the first bend in the Susquehannah, and the eye caught a glimpse
of the broader expanse of the lake, all felt a relief, that perhaps
none would have been willing to confess. Here the last stone
was raised from the bottom, and the line led directly towards the
grapnel, which, as Hutter had explained, was dropped above the
suction of the current.
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