CHAPTER XXII
THE RECEDING WATER
Jerry started off early the next morning. The rain had ceased but therewas a thick fog and, because of the moist vegetation of the tropics,water fairly dripped from the trees, festooned as they were with longstreamers of moss and vines.
"I hate to leave you, Ned," Jerry remarked as he shouldered his gunand put some bread and pieces of bacon into his pocket. "But it can'tbe helped. I'll try and get back by night, even if I don't find theprofessor."
"Do the best you can, Jerry. I'll look after Bob."
It was with no small sense of loneliness that Ned watched Jerrydisappear into the forest. The trees soon hid him from sight andthen Ned set about getting the camp in some sort of order, for theyhad rather neglected it of late. Bob turned and tossed on his couch.The fever still burned within him but he was much weaker and did notneed to be so closely watched. For want of something better Nedadministered more nitre, and Bob no longer fought against taking it.
"Poor Bob!" said Ned with a sigh. "I'd rather you'd kick up a fuss. I'dknow then you had some life left in you."
But Bob meekly swallowed the mixture, and when Ned took his arm fromunder his chum's head it fell back listlessly on the pillow.
Ned thought the day would never end. He had not the heart to cookanything and ate the remainder of the cold food. He sat in front of thetent gloomily looking at the lake and wondering whether Jerry wouldfind the professor.
Now and then Bob would call out but when Ned hurried in he wouldfind his chum murmuring in delirium. All he could do was to wet thefever-parched lips with water, and renew the damp cloths on thesufferer's head and chest.
"Poor Bob," said Ned with a sigh. "I wish you hadn't eaten that strangefruit."
As the afternoon wore away Ned listened anxiously for the sound ofJerry's returning footsteps. For want of something better to do towhile away the time he began cleaning the engine of the _Dartaway_.
It was while doing this that he happened to look at the edge of thelake. Something queer about it attracted his attention.
"If I didn't know differently," he said to himself, "I'd say the tidewas falling. It looks just as if the water was lower."
Feeling sure that such a thing was impossible, Ned went on working atthe engine. A little later he again gazed over the side of the boat.This time he started in surprise.
"I'm positive that stone wasn't so far out of water the last timeI looked," he said, speaking aloud. "I wonder if this lake can beconnected with the ocean in some manner, and is affected by the tide?No, it can't be, or we'd have noticed it before. Yet the water issurely running away."
He got out of the _Dartaway_. He was much alarmed to see that nearlyhalf of the craft was now out of the lake, whereas a while before onlythe bow-end had rested on the sandy beach.
"The lake is surely lowering," Ned went on. "I must watch and see howfast it is falling."
He marked where the water came on shore and sat down to wait. He wastoo much worried to be able to go on working. Bob called, and he wentin to see what was wanted. He gave his chum a drink and administeredsome more medicine. He was in the tent a half hour, and when he cameout he was surprised to see that the water was half an inch from themark.
"It's falling at the rate of an inch an hour," said Ned. "This isgetting serious. I wish Jerry and the professor would come back."
Ned watched the lake. There was no mistake about it, the water wasslowly falling. More and more of the _Dartaway's_ keel was exposed.
"This'll never do!" exclaimed Ned. "In a short time the boat will beaground and we'll have a hard time getting it afloat again. I mustshove it further into the lake."
He tried to do it but found the task was beyond his strength. Pull,push and tug as he did he could not stir the boat. The stern, withthe screw, was still in deep water and he started the engine on thereverse, hoping to be able to have the craft move out further into thelake under its own power. But though the propeller churned the waterthe craft did not budge.
"It's no use," remarked Ned. "I'll have to wait until Jerry and theprofessor come back. I wonder what makes the water flow away? It can'tbe the tide."
He was much puzzled, and the more he thought of it the more he wasalarmed. Suppose the lake should suddenly go dry? It would beimpossible to get the _Dartaway_ to Lake Okeechobee in that case andthey would have to abandon the craft in the everglades. Worse thanthat they would have hard work in leaving Florida, as they were in anuninhabited part.
"We certainly are up against it!" exclaimed Ned, as he shut off theengine after his fruitless attempt. "What in the world am I going todo?"
There was no one to answer his question, and once more he sat downdespondently in front of the tent and gazed at the receding water.
It was beginning to get dusk and Ned knew it would soon be dark asthere was practically no twilight in this semi-tropical land.
"I wish Jerry would come back," he murmured. "I don't like the idea ofstaying here alone with Bob all night."
He went into the tent to give the patient a drink. As he was comingout he heard the crackling of underbrush. It indicated the approachof some one. Ned hurried to the flap of the tent. He saw through thesemi-darkness a figure approaching.
"Jerry!" he called.
"Yes, it's me, Ned. How's Bob?"
"No better. Did you find the professor?"
"No. I went as far as I could. The path ended in a deep swamp and Icouldn't see any way to get across. I had to come back. Is everythingall right?"
"No, Jerry. I'm afraid we're in for a streak of bad luck."
"How so?"
"Butterfly Lake is lowering."
"The lake lowering! What do you mean?"
"I hardly know myself. Either it's connected with the ocean and thetide is falling, or the bottom has dropped out."
"This lake isn't connected with the tide."
"Then there's a leak in it."
"Are you sure, Ned?"
"Take a look."
The two youths hurried down to the edge of the water. Ned pointed tothe _Dartaway_. The water had receded so much that the propellor waspart way out.
"You know how it was when we left it," said Ned. "Now look at it. Itried to get the boat off into deeper water but I couldn't. Queer,isn't it?"
"More than queer," responded Jerry in tired accents, for he was veryweary. "This is serious, Ned. We'll have to do something."
"Better have something to eat first," suggested Ned. "You're playedout. I'll make some coffee."
He lighted the fire and soon had some of the steaming beverage ready.He took some and so did Jerry. Then they looked at Bob. The poor chapwas no better, but the boys were a little encouraged that he was noworse.
"He's holding his own," remarked Ned.
"Yes, but if the fever doesn't break up soon he'll--"
Jerry didn't finish, and Ned did not ask him what he meant.
"The nitre is all gone," went on Ned. "I don't know what to give himnow."
"We'll bathe him in witch hazel," suggested Jerry. "That has alcohol init, and I've heard that's what they wash fever patients in. It may dohim some good."
Bob did seem a little more comfortable after Ned and Jerry had spongedhim with the witch hazel, of which they had a large bottle. But thefever was soon raging again, and poor Bob tossed more restlessly thanbefore, while he murmured in his delirium of ice water and othercooling drinks.
Morning came at last. As soon as it was light Jerry hurried down to thelake. What he saw caused him to cry out in surprise. The _Dartaway_was now ten feet from the edge.
"There's only thing to do!" exclaimed Jerry.
"What is that?" asked Ned.
"We've got to get the boat into the deep water. Otherwise it will soonbe so far away we can't float her."
"How are you going to do it?"
"We'll have to cut down some small trees for rollers and edge it alongthat way."
"But what about Bob?"
"We'll have t
o put him on board first."