“But Frank, we don’t mean to head across?” cried Andy, getting up on his knees, the better to see.

“To be sure we don’t.  That was all settled long ago; and you notice that our good Felipe is still keeping her nose headed straight upstream.  Now out goes the searchlight, just as we arranged.  Wonder what they’ll think that means!”

“Perhaps they’ll believe they knocked it overboard with that shot!” suggested Andy, who could joke, even when facing troubles as thick as a sea fog.

“Listen!” Frank exclaimed, “there’s a chap with a pair of leather lungs, shouting a lot of gibberish.  I suppose he’s demanding our surrender, and threatening to blow us to smithereens if we decline to believe him.”

“One good thing is that each minute takes us further up the river, and every foot counts in this game of runaway.  Already we’re past where the gun stands; and those fellows are working like fun to get her turned around, so as to point after us.  While they load we’re doing more stunts.  Yes, and Frank, we’re leaving ’em in the lurch, I do believe.”

“Sure thing,” returned Frank, composedly, “only both of us want to duck when it looks time for the blamed old gun to bang again.  They mean business from the word go, now, and will shoot to hit!  By some accident it might run afoul of the boat, and splinters fly.  There, get ready to drop, Andy!  It’s coming!”

It certainly was, for immediately another flash sprang up, accompanied by the same deep bellow, as the fieldpiece was discharged.  No doubt, while it may have been rather out of date in pattern, the cannon was good enough to have done savage execution, handled by expert German or French gunners.

But there did not seem to be any such among the rag-and-bobtail army of the new aspirant for the presidency of Colombia.  At any rate, the missile whizzed and whined past the retreating boat, missing her by yards.

“Bully!” shouted Andy, jumping up and cutting a few pigeon wings on the deck to illustrate just how pleased he was.  “By the time they’re ready to let her off again we’ll be nearly out of range.  And from the looks of the bank I feel pretty sure they never can catch up with us, toting their old gun along.”

Three minutes later there came the third report, and they heard the ball pass high overhead, proving that the marksmen had entirely lost all traces of the boat and simply fired at random.

“That settles it,” said Frank, decisively.

“Do you think so?” asked his chum, joyously.

“No question about it, Andy.  Like the government official on the wharf at Barranquila, they realize that the game didn’t work, and if they want to get us they’ll have to lay some new plans when we come back again.  But we’re not bothering our heads about that, you know.”

“Never even cut a chip off our boat!” declared Andy.

“Well, I’m going back and get the rest of my nap.  Wake me up at four, remember.  I want the last watch,” and Frank dove within his stateroom with as much seeming indifference as though this thing of being fired upon with fieldpieces might be an everyday occurrence in his experience.