John Brown parked the car by the roadside, not far from the dock, and asked Alice Brown to wait in the car. Alice was quite worried and suggested going with John, but John dismissed the idea with a single sentence, "You'd just be a burden to me if you came, stay here."
Alice Brown was sensible enough to understand the weight of John's words, but she felt extremely regretful at not being able to witness John Brown demonstrate his prowess firsthand. In the end, she could only obediently wait in the car.
There was a hill near the dock, with quite a few trees on it. Though not very tall, it was early September, and the foliage was dense, making John hard to spot as he hid among them.
