Boy Scouts of the Air on Lost Island

it was all a horrible dream, or at least only an impossible scene from a motion picture. Where a b

e flood he raced, almost losing his balance and toppling in. At a dang

precious moment was lost in rescuing him. When, both safe on the rocky ledge, they turned to scan the depths o

dly. "Didn't it look like something

the fall. He's drowned, I tell you! What shall we do? W

anion. "We've got to get to the mill and have them turn the water

s of course no way of reaching the mill itself across that raging torrent. There was a telephone at the house, but it seemed hours after Jerry reached it before he finally got a gruff "Hello" fr

lace. Barely waiting for the panting Dave to tumble in, he pushed off, exultingly noting as he strained at the oars that alread

, but there was little else to do. Again and again he plunged under, coming up each time nearly spent but desperately determined to try again. Two boats put out from the mill si

of men appeared from Watertown itself. The water was black with boats and alive with diving bodies. Hastily constructed grappling hooks raked the narrow stream f

ersoaked logs or mud-filled wreckage. Once they were all electrified at a black-haired body dislodged by a clam-rake, that came heavily to

e said nothing, but his hopeless silence was more depressing than any words of grief could have been. Jerry and Dave and Fra

eir lunches had gone over with the boat, and, anyway, they would not have had the heart to swallow a bite. Lanky, good-natured Tod Fulton-drowned! It simply couldn't be. But the fast

s under water. Only thing we can hope for is to find the body. I'm

detonating caps. In the meanwhile a powerful electric searchlight had been brought over from the interurban tracks a scant mile west of the

ile watchers lined the shores, sharp-eyed in the hope of catching sight of the body whe

. Up and down the river combed the dynamiters, and glare and crash rent the night for a mile down the stream. It began to look as if other means would have to be resorted to-the saddest of all, perhaps-t

phed?" asked a bystander, of the mayor

sed to abandon the search, and Mr. Aikens kindly offered to bear him company till daybreak brought others to take h

kind of despairing eagerness, "tha

. "Not a chance in th

nterrupted by Mr. Aikens, who finally

Aikens, moved by some impulse of kindliness, for he could hard

ught wha

but when she popped up, it looked like t

and over a dozen times down there in that whirlpool, even if he

rry, but witho

robably was by the terrific force of the fall and the tons of water plunging on top of him. Mind you, I

e body, then?" obje

at question, don't expect me to. Look here, lad, I know you fe

kes me feel as if it

r's a treacherous dame-she smiles at you in the sunshine, and the little waves kiss each other and play around your boat, but the shadows lurk deep and they're waiting, waiting

sudden impulse made the boy go over and stand for awhile, silent, beside the grief-stricken man. He wanted to say something, but the words woul

arked Frank as Jerry se

e ans

nd and not move a finge

s if there ought to be

I've been trying to remember what we left in the boat that could have looked like-like what I saw

ld have stayed in

else. But tell me what else it could have b

t," admitted Dave, slowly. "We didn'

. "Everybody'd have blamed us if we'd gone on a wil

d him in the bottom of a boat everybody else th

for every hundred yards!" It was Frank who took up Jerry's thought. "Besides, it would be different if we hadn

hard to mask the trembling of his tones. "I know it, but-but-I want to do so

ed both boys, but

find th

nk. "Our folks'll cane

ng, Dave-

s drifted by now, Jerry?" asked

r a snag, anywhere from five to twenty-five mile

home with me,

ong, Jerry?" queri

I don't. Mr. Ful

arted slowly off in the faint moonlig

" called Frank.

ead and reluctantly followe

e, old man; I'll