Part 46 (1/2)

”We might have stayed here,” was Buster's comment. ”It didn't hurt the big tree.”

”But we didn't know how bad it was going to be,” answered Ben. ”It might have washed away the whole island.”

”Let us go up to the high ground and look for Phil,” suggested Dave.

”Maybe he went to the highest spot he could find.”

The others agreed, and leaving the camp-worker at the cabin, the boys, led by Buster, tramped through the wet and mud to a little hill. Again they set up their calls, but, as before, no answer came back.

”I don't believe he came here,” said Ben, at last. ”If he was here he would surely hear us.”

”Unless he was hurt and couldn't answer,” returned Dave.

From the top of the little hill they could see both ends of Moosetail Island and also both sh.o.r.es of the river. As they gazed about them, Dave suddenly gave a shout.

”Look! look!” he cried, pointing to the sh.o.r.e which they had left but a short while before. ”There is somebody waving a handkerchief at us!”

”It's Phil!” returned Ben.

”Are you sure?” questioned Buster. ”I can see it is a man or a boy, but that is all.”

”It looks like Phil,” said Dave. ”Oh, I hope it is!”

CHAPTER XXVI

BACK TO THE SCHOOL

They waved frantically to the person on the sh.o.r.e, and he waved frantically in return, and at last all were convinced that it must really be their missing chum.

”He must think I am Jerry,” said Dave. ”Won't he be surprised to see me!”

”He will be, unless he was at the cabin last night and read the note,”

returned Buster.

”The note wasn't touched,” said Ben. ”I noticed that it was exactly as we left it.”

All gave a parting wave and pointed to the sh.o.r.e, and then left the hill. They made their way down to the cabin, and told the camp-worker what they had seen.

”It must be Lawrence,” said Jerry Blutt. ”Maybe he'll come over here, instead of waiting for us to go to him.”

”Gracious, I never thought of that!” cried Buster.

”We'll be like the men in one of Shadow's stories,” said Ben. ”One was upstairs in a big office building and one downstairs. The man upstairs went down, and the downstairs man went up, and they kept that up until both stopped, tired out, one upstairs and one down.” And the others had to smile at the brief yarn.

All journeyed to the lower sh.o.r.e of the island, where they could get a better view of the spot where the person they thought was Phil had been. They saw the party walking up the river bank, looking for a good place to ford. All shouted loudly and waved their hands to keep him where he was, and he nodded his head deeply, to show that he understand.

”It must be Phil,” said Dave. ”Oh, how thankful I am that he wasn't carried away by the flood!”

The boys were impatient to get back to the sh.o.r.e, and Jerry Blutt did not blame them. To carry any of the stuff over was still out of the question, and they did not attempt it.