That's when it happened! They were almost in the center of the stream, where the water ran the fastest, and deepest. The current pushed the boat hard, trying to push it down stream. But, all of a sudden, the boat stopped! I mean . . . it just stopped!
Like a giant hand had reached out, grabbed it, and held it motionless! Mr. Sails reached out and pushed the engine control even more. The engine noise began to hurt their ears, it was so loud. But, they were stuck! Right there, in the middle of the swift stream!
[Picture of the Ferry Boat arriving on the other side, with the road going into the dark woods.]
"Oh no!," cried Mr. Sails, "What's the matter with this boat? It won't move! Something's wrong!"
Mr. neigh! looked out of the driver's window of the Green Hornet, right at Mr. Sails. "What's the problem?", he shouted above the roaring engine. "Did we hit something?" (Mr. Neigh! and Mr. Sails had lost their business voices). Both the horse chauffer and the old boat driver looked very worried. But, Little Red Riding wolffe had a big smile on her face! They didn't see it, though.
The horse opened the door and stepped out (Now, for horses to step out of a car, especially the Green Hornet, well, it is very, very hilarious to see! Just imagine a horse sitting behind a car steering wheel! See what I mean?!) onto the boat deck. The little boat shook from his weight shifting from the car to the deck.
"Come!," he said to the boat driver (Boat drivers are actually called "navigators, but we'll just say "driver"), "let's look in front."
The nose of the little boat went deeper into the stream as they walked to the front. Then, the spinning propeller blades in back lifted clean out of the water! Quickly Mr. Neigh! stepped back! But, the boat was still stuck.
That's when Mr. Neigh! saw Little Red Riding Wolffe. "What are you laughing about!" he almost shouted. "We're stuck fact, and in the middle of this stream! I'd think you'd be worried, like we are!"
"Oh, Mr. Neigh!" she laughed. And laughed.
"Hey! You're not telling me something?," he said. "Are you playing another game with me?" (Little Miss wolffe had played some "surprise!" games with Mr. Neigh! before, and he usually 'was' surprised, too!).
"Ha, ha, ha!, " she laughed, and couldn't stop. "You're so funny when you're surprised! You looked very funny when you tipped the boat up, too! Your feet were going faster than the boat's propellers! Oh, oh, Oh!" She tried to stop.
"Well . . .?" he said, waiting.
"Well, what?," she said. I just saw two families of salmon, with their little fingerling kids, swimming right in front of the boat, so I said to our creator above,"
[Picture of Mr. Neigh! scrambling to get away from the tipping front of the boat, with the propeller out of the water]
"Please keep the Salmon Family safe, dear friend." "That's when the boat just stopped. Didn't you see them swim by? Papa Salmon was so cheery and bright colored - - like flashing rainbows with the sun shinning through!" (She was so happy, how could the horse chauffer and boat driver be angry? So, they weren't.)
"I was so worried," Mr. Sails said. "I forgot that you care for all Creator's family, Miss Riding Wolffe. I'm glad you saved the Salmon, especially the little ones! Thank you!" He was smiling a BIG smile.
"Oh," said Miss Riding Wolffe, "really it was Creator Who saved the Salmon. I just saw the danger, and asked Him to save them. He did it all."
When he stepped back up to the big, "helm," Mr. Sails saw that the little boat was almost up to the other side - and right where it needed to be! "Wow!" he cried. "Creator even steered us straight up to the landing!
"I know," Miss Riding Wolffe said, "that's what He always does if we trust Him!" She was beaming, almost like a rainbow, herself!
Soon they were up on the other side, and Mr. Neigh! was whistling a merry tune (Ever listen to a sound of a whinny - you know - "EEENNNNYYYY, EEEENNNNYYYY, EEENNNNYYYYEEEEE . . .!" - but, Mr. Neigh's "whistling" was more wheezy-sounding than it was real whistling sound, which is really more like what a mocking bird sings like!)
He had Green Hornet sounding like a whole nest of swarming hornets!
They were in the tall trees of the dark forest by now, and the car's sounds echoed in the silent woods. Behind one huge tree they saw a family of deer, which had just crossed the road. Just then Little Riding Wolffe saw a deep-blue Blue Jay flying past them.
"Oh! Stop!" She cried. "I'll tell Blue Jay to go tell Grandma we're coming!"
"Well," said Mr. Neigh! (He was back to his business voice), "Blue Jay 'would' get there barely ahead of us. I think that Grandma will be home for us, little one." He had a bright twinkle in his eye, again.
[Picture of Green Hornet, with Mr. Neigh! driving, and Blue Jay flying over, on the road through the forest.]
But, neither the little girl nor the horse chauffer knew that a very big, very scary surprise was waiting for them, just around the next big curve in the dark road through the forest! A surprise so very big that they would have . . . well, we'll just have to wait and find out!
But, first, there's something I just have to tell you! It's all about . . . Grandma! The "Big Bush Landing" will just have to wait!
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