CHAPTER XVII
THE NEWS ADOLPHUS BROUGHT
When Frank reappeared on the surface he was a third of the way out towhere his chum was struggling so desperately in the water.
With powerful strokes he swam swiftly onward. Bluff saw him coming, andstretched out his hands appealingly, as though he realized now the perilhe was in.
"Help me--Frank--cramp got me!" he gurgled.
Then he went under again, despite his struggles. Frank pushed on, hiseyes on the lookout for the upcoming of the drowning lad. He seemed toknow that Bluff had not yet lost every atom of his vitality, and wascapable of another tussle at least.
When Bluff came fighting to the surface Frank was there. He avoided thefrenzied clutch of the other, knowing how fatal such a thing would be.The only hope of saving Bluff was to catch him from behind. Then, ifthere was danger of his trying to wrap his arms about his would-berescuer, even more desperate tactics must be employed to stop such amove, and in some cases it seems necessary to strike the drowning personover the head to make him desist.
Of course, Bluff did not know what he was doing now. He had reached thatpoint where he would clutch frantically at a straw, in the hope that itwould bear him up. To him, Frank was only as much as a plank would havebeen.
Watching his opportunity, ere the boy could sink again Frank managed toget a firm grip on the back of his neck. The fact that Bluff wore hishair rather long aided him in this maneuver, he afterward confessed.
Then he worked hard to swim toward the shore, towing Bluff along. It wasa difficult task to keep the face of the other above the surface and atthe same time fight off his hands when he sought to clutch the swimmer'sarms. Such a catastrophe would have possibly been the means of a doubletragedy.
Meanwhile, the rest of the party had waded in, holding to each other'shands. Even Jed was at the end of the chain, on the side nearest theshore, but just as eager to lend a hand toward the rescue of thedrowning lad as any of the others. Bluff had been kind to the boundboy, and the heart of the waif was full of gratitude toward thesefriends who had been suddenly raised up for him.
Foot by foot Frank worked his way in, while Jerry held out an eager handto assist when he came within reach.
Frank remained perfectly cool through it all. It was marvelous how thisboy seemed to know just what should be done in any emergency, and how todo it. Bluff did not struggle to get at him so much now. This was notbecause he knew better; the truth was, he had become partiallyunconscious.
Still Frank did not lose hope, for he knew matters had not gone so farbut what the other could be readily resuscitated by the ordinary means.
Now he reached the outstretched hand of Jerry, who had insisted uponbeing at the outer end of the chain, he having an inch or so morestature than Will. Then they all got safely to shore, and Frank laidBluff down on the ground.
"Turn him over, the first thing, with his head down the bank. Draw hisarms back and forth with a regular motion, as if he were breathing; anddon't be frightened, any of you. He will be all right in a jiffy. I'veseen men brought back when they had sunk for the last time, and therescuer had to dive twice before he got his man. There! You see!" ForBluff had actually sighed.
In five minutes he was looking up at them and trying to smile, althoughit was a mighty pitiful attempt. In twice that time they had him by thefire, and two were rubbing him vigorously with coarse towels, underFrank's directions.
"I'm all right, fellows," said Bluff, with a look of gratitude in hiseyes, as he squeezed Frank's hand.
"Only for Frank, here, just think where you'd be right now," said Willin an awed tone, looking out on the water and shuddering.
"Here, none of that now! Won't allow it! Get up a brisk circulation, andthen he must dress. The balance of you fellows had better be thinking ofdrying yourselves somewhat. I can see you are pretty wet," laughedFrank.
"And for once, Will didn't think of getting his camera!" said Bluffwhimsically.
"Talk to me about that, will you! It would have been just like him tohave sung out to Frank to please wait there a minute while he ran up onthe bank and got a focus on the two," sang out Jerry.
Will gave him a reproachful look.
"I'll admit that I'm keen on getting a picture nearly every time, butreally I hope I'm not quite so much of a heathen as all that," he said.
"What's the racket I hear?" asked Bluff just then.
"That is old Adolphus coming along the road, and whooping at his horsesto beat the band!" exclaimed Jerry exultantly.
He thought a great deal of Bluff, and his heart swelled with gratitudeover the recent rescue of the imperilled swimmer. Nor was Jerry in theleast jealous because it had fallen to Frank to save their mutual chum.Jerry could be generous, and even broad, in his way of looking atthings.
Closer came the shouts. Then around the bend appeared a strange movingspectacle, with the three canoes piled up, and secured on the wagon thatwas pulled by the two stout horses.
The boys broke out into loud cheers. It seemed almost like a miracle tosee the beloved mosquito craft away up here in the Sunset Mountains.
No sooner had the wagon arrived than they were as busy as beavers. Thecanoes that had only a few hours back been calmly reposing on the watersof Camalot Lake were quickly wedded to those of Lake Surprise.
"Say, don't they look fine, though? Did you ever see a prettier picturethan our camp, right now, with the forest for a background, the lake infront, and those dandy little craft bobbing up and down like corks? Mefor a paddle!"
So saying, Jerry leaped into one of the single canoes and went swiftlyup the lake, followed by Will in the other. Bluff looked after themwishfully.
"Not to-night, I guess. You must be feeling a little weak after all yourlabor out there, old chap," said Frank, smiling.
Bluff caught his hand again and squeezed it. Though he said not a wordjust then, it was evident that his heart was full.
"And another thing bothers me," he remarked presently, as humor followedclose on the heels of tragedy. "I won't be in decent condition to matchJerry to-night, and he's already one inning ahead on lung capacity."
"Well, for this night, then, we'll declare the match off. Some of therest of us will take a turn at blowing up those rubber mattresses. Saveyourself for to-morrow," said Frank, glad to know that Bluff could puthis recent experience out of his mind, for he had heard of cases whereit had proved a haunting fear for a long time, men even waking out of asound sleep with loud cries, as they imagined they were once more goingthrough all the horrors of drowning.
Will soon came back with the canoe, while Jerry kept on further,desirous of exploring the shores of the lake while about it.
"I saw a likely-looking rocky glen a short distance above where we camein, and as the sun is just right for a good picture of it, I think I'llmeander over that way and have a look in," he remarked.
Saying which, he picked up his camera and sauntered off. Everybody beingbusily engaged, they paid little attention to him. Adolphus was puttingout his horses near where good old Peter was cropping the grass, beingheld by a long rope to keep him from straying away.
"Dis 'pears tuh be a mighty fine place up hyar, sah," the old darky wassaying to Frank, who worked near him, doing something connected with thecoming supper.
"We think so, Adolphus, and expect to enjoy our stay immensely. Glad youcan keep us company. You say that they're all well at home? Seems asthough we had been away for a couple of weeks, instead of a few days,"Frank went on.
"Everybody well, I done reckons, Mars Frank, sah. Libely times along disyer Oak Ridge, dey sez, wat wid dat ghostses, an' now de sheriff he amon de track ob a man he wants tuh git mighty bad, him an' his possum."
Frank knew that what old Adolphus meant to say was "posse," and atanother time he might have laughed at the comical blunder, for evidently"all possums looked alike" to Adolphus. Just then, however, Frank wasstartled by what he had heard.
"Hunting for a man, did you say, Adolphus," he
asked quickly.
"Yes, sah. An' it are a bad man that 'scaped from de jail sum time ergo.Dey done kotched one, but dis critter he erludes 'em like er fox. Butdey got er clue, dey sez, an' dey turned out 'bout two mile back,leabin' me de hull road," the colored man chattered on, never dreamingthat Frank was deeply interested in what he was saying.
Frank's thoughts flew like lightning. Then, after all, what he and Jerryhad suspected bade fair to prove true--the escaped convict was hiding inSunset Mountains, and Andy had come up to join him, for some strangepurpose or other.
It began to look as though the chains might be tightening aroundThaddeus Lasher, and that before long he would find himself once more inthe clutches of the law.
"There's Will shouting again, I declare! Wonder what is up now? He can'tbe trusted to go off by himself alone any more. You don't think he's inanother quicksand, do you, Frank?" exclaimed Bluff just then.
"No. This time he doesn't call for help, but wants us to come up thereand see something strange. Will you come along, Bluff? I wonder what hehas found?"