Part 24 (2/2)
He had his ca away at the crank, Mr Alcando standing ready to assist when necessary
”Take her a while,” suggested Blake, inded” fro portion of the slide seeave a look tohere Joe had gone At that moment, with a roar like a blast of dynamite a whole section of the hill see earth on which Joe stood, and where he had planted the tripod of his camera, went out froht
CHAPTER XX
AT GATUN DAM
”Look!” cried Mr Alcando He would have said more--have uttered soh his mind, but he could not speak the words He could only look and point
But Blake, as well as the Spaniard, had seen what had happened, and with Blake to see was to act
”Quick!” he cried ”We've got to get him out before he smothers!
Pack up this stuff!”
As he spoke he folded the tripod legs of his ca rock, that seeh i beside it the spare boxes of filht, Blake began to run across the side of the hill toward the place where Joe had last been seen
”Come on!” cried Blake to Mr Alcando, but the Spaniard needed no urging He had laid with Blake's the boxes of fil to the rescue
”Go get help!” cried Joe to an Indian worker fros if needed ”Go quick! Bringhim out,” he added to Mr
Alcando
”If--if we can find him,” replied the other in low tones
”Go on--run!” cried Joe, for the Indian did not see and need of haste occurred to hio--_pronto_!” he exclaimed, and he was off on a run
Fortunately for Blake and Mr Alcando, the worst of the slide see ht, had slid down into the Canal It was the outer edge of this that had engulfed Joe and his camera Had he been directly in the path of the avalanche, nothing could have saved hi at his heart that, after all, it et hiet hiet hi buried up to their knees in the soft round, or shelf of shale, that offered good footing, Blake and the Spaniard struggled on through the rain It was still co down, but not as hard as before
”Here's the place!” cried Blake, coh circle ”He's under here”
”No, farther on, I think,” said the Spaniard
Blake looked about him His mind was in a turmoil He could not be certain as to the exact spot where Joe had been engulfed in the slide, and yet hein many places, one after the other, to find his chum Every second was vital
”Don't you think it's here?” Blake asked, ”Try to think!”
”I am!” the Spaniard replied ”And it seems to me that it was farther on If there was only some e could tell--”