Part 25 (1/2)

”I--I don't reasped out

Consternation showed on every face Already the air was getting worse and worse

The ensign bent over the boundweakly

”You must remember, man You must, I say!” he snapped, in tones that cut like the crack of a whip ”Think! think! our lives depend upon it!”

”If I kneould tell you,” murmured the man; ”but I don't I don't remember”

A stillness like death itself settled on the occupants of the cabin

Barton had accomplished his insane purpose only too well, it seemed

CHAPTER XXVI

WHICH WILL WIN?

Rob's idea was a sih one With his knife he would cut bundles of branches and then bind them to the sides of the boat with the rope

This would at least keep the crazy craft afloat and offer hi the shore

He set to work at once with great enthusias boat was ready to be launched By placing round branches under it for rollers and using another branch as a lever, he soon succeeded in getting it into the water But it was hard work, and he paused to eat so any further

To his huge delight the boat, though lopsided and half full of water, was buoyed up by the branches, and he had no doubt that he could navigate her with the oars As soon as he had finished his unappetizing meal, Rob clambered on board his ”ark,” as he mentally called her, and thrust the oars into the rowlocks The boat was very heavy, and owing to her waterlogged condition pulled very hard Worse still, Rob encountered a current that carried hi; and even worse, a fact he presently perceived, his craft was being carried around a point, on the opposite side of which he could see the glow of a fire against the night sky; for by this tilad that this was the case, for he knew that the fire must be that of the rascals who had abducted hiht slip by them unnoticed

Luckily the current set a bit froh the boy could hear the three rascals carousing around their fire over a keg of spirits, and singing and shouting at the top of their voices, they could not see him, partly because of their condition, and partly because of the firelight

Past the ca inmates, the boy was carried, and suddenly his boat was buht he had struck a rock Instead he saw before hireen motor boat

Like a flash an inspiration came to him He clambered on board, and not till he was fairly on deck did he recollect that he had neglected to tie his ark to the side

He looked over the stern rail In the di up and down on the tide

”Well, I've burned es behind me now,” he exclaih, I'll be cold ”

Just at thaton the beach

Keener-eyed than his cohoff had spied a dark forainst the thickly sprinkled stars

”There's so our boat After him, boys!” Rob heard the fellow roar