He had mapped out a course with his eye, and proceeded slowly and cautiously. Once away from the shore, they felt the full force of the onrushing waters and were all but swept from their feet. It was well that they were a good distance above Moosetail Island, for to reach this spot by going straight out in the stream would have been impossible.
It was a long, hard, and dangerous trip, and all drew a deep breath of relief when they finally set foot on the island. At times they had been in water up to their waists and it had looked as if they must surely be swept away. Once a tree branch, coming swiftly along, had caught Dave and literally carried him off his feet for several yards.
They landed at one end of the island, at a point where the bushes were still two feet under water. The evidences of the flood were on every hand, and the water was muddy and filled with broken-away brushwood and trees.
"I guess we had better strike out for the camp," said Dave. "Phil would go there if he went anywhere."
As they advanced one or another gave a loud call. But no answer came back, and this made them look gravely at each other. Was the perilous trip to the island to prove a vain one?
In a quarter of an hour they came in sight of the camp. The cove had been blotted out, and the water was eddying around the cabin to a depth of several inches. Mud was everywhere, inside the place and out, and this showed that the flood had swept the spot at a height of several feet.
"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 shores of the river. As they gazed about them, Dave suddenly gave a shout.
"Look! look!" he cried, pointing to the shore 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 shore, 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 shore, 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 shore 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 shore, 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.
"You can come and get it some day, Jerry," said Buster. "You can ship it to us by express, and we'll pay you for your trouble;" and so it was arranged.
It was as hard to gain the shore as it had been to reach the island, and all were well-nigh exhausted when they finally left the water, not to return again. Phil saw them coming, and when he made out Dave he was almost dumfounded.
"Where in the world did you come from?" he demanded, as he caught our hero by the hand.
"From Oakdale, Phil."
"Did you run away, too?" demanded the shipowner's son.
"Hardly," answered Dave, with a grin. "I came to bring you fellows back. But first tell us, how did you get out of the flood last night?"
"Oh, I had a fierce time of it. I tried to get back to the camp, but stumbled over some tree-roots and went down in a hole and hurt my ankle. When I got up I couldn't see the others, and I must have lost my way. Then it began to rain and get dark, and I didn't know which way to turn. I yelled dozens of times, but I didn't hear any answer. I tried to locate the cabin, but I must have been completely turned around, for I came out on the shore. Then the flood came along, and before I knew it I was floating down the river. I hit a tree and clung to that, and we drifted a mile or more before the tree got stuck on a sandbar. I stayed there, in the rain and darkness, until morning and then waded and swam ashore. I was so tired out I had to rest for awhile, and then I came up here, to try to find out something about our crowd. I was thinking of getting over to the island again when I saw you on the top of the hill. Of course, I thought Dave was Jerry."
"We were scared to death, thinking you had been drowned," said Ben.
"Well, I came pretty close to it," was the serious reply. "No more such flood for me!"
All turned towards the cabin where four of the party had spent the night, and there Jerry was called on to prepare the best meal their limited stores afforded. On the river-bank they had picked up some fish cast up by the flood, and these were broiled, making a welcome addition to the meal.
While the meal was being prepared, and after it had been eaten, Dave had a serious talk with Phil and the others, and all realized the folly they had committed in running away from Oak Hall. Phil in particular, was much disturbed and said he had been thinking of coming back.
"But we saw that article in the newspaper, and it scared us," went on the shipowner's son. "Of course, it didn't mention any names, but we knew it was meant for us. I know now, just as well as the others, that it was a mistake to run away."
"Then, you'll go back with me?" questioned Dave, eagerly.
"Yes."
"And you'll go back, too, Ben and Buster?"
"Yes."
"I am mighty glad to hear it--and I feel that this thing will come out all right in the end," returned Dave.
"By the way, there is one thing I haven't told you, Dave," said Buster, a minute later. "The general excitement drove