LITMIR.BIZ

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the river is rising?" demanded Jerry Blutt. "How high is it? Over the White Bar yet?"

      "Yes, the Bar is a foot under water," answered Ben. "Oh, this is a great storm!"

      "A foot under water!" murmured the camp-worker. "Say, we better git out! First thing you know this hull island will be under! An' if thet dam breaks----"

      "Oh, the dam!" gasped Buster. "I forgot about that! They say it isn't safe at all! That is why all the other campers got out! Yes, we must leave the island and go to the shore." He turned to Dave. "Did you come alone?"

      "Yes, Buster. I'll tell you all about it later. But now we must find Phil."

      "I thought he was right behind me," came from Ben. He looked greatly distressed. "I wonder if anything happened to him? Maybe he slipped off the rocks into the river!"

      "We must look for him!" cried Dave, and reached for his coat and cap. "Show me the way you came, Ben."

      Ben was nothing loath, and side by side the two chums ran outside into the storm, and in the direction of the upper end of the island. They had gone but a short distance when they reached a low spot and here suddenly found themselves in water several inches deep.

      "Hello, you are taking me into the river!" cried Dave.

      "This isn't the river!" answered Ben, with a gasp. "Gosh! how the water is rising! This was dry when I came over it before!"

      "Dry!" ejaculated our hero. "Ben, are you sure?"

      "Positive! Say, the water is rising to beat the band! I guess we had better get out! If we don't we'll have to swim for it!"

      "Phil! Phil! Where are you?"

      Standing in water up to his ankles, our hero called again and again, and Ben joined in the cry. The lantern was flashed in all directions. But nothing was seen or heard of the missing student.

      "I am sure he started to follow us across the river," said Ben. "Buster was in front, I came next, and Phil was in the rear. I asked him twice if he was all right and he said he was. Then it blew so hard, and the rain got so heavy, none of us said any more. Oh, Dave, what shall we do?"

      "I don't know Ben--wish I did."

      "Do you think he slipped off the rocks and was--was--drowned?"

      "I hope not."

      "If he was, wouldn't it be terrible?"

      "Yes."

      A cry came from behind them, and Buster appeared, followed by Jerry Blutt.

      "Where is Phil?" demanded the stout youth.

      "We don't know."

      "The water is terribly high, and Jerry thinks we had better move to the shore. He says we might be drowned if that dam should break."

      "Don't you think we ought to find Phil first?"

      "Sure--if we can. Maybe he went back, when he found out how the water was rising," went on the stout youth, hopefully.

      "I don't think he'd desert us," answered Ben. "That isn't Phil's style."

      "You're right, Ben," said Dave.

      All splashed around in the water for several minutes, but without making any discovery of importance. The river was now rising more rapidly than ever, and the camp-worker showed increased nervousness.

      "Ain't no two ways about it--the dam's bust!" he cried, at last. "I'm goin' to git out, an' I advise all o' you to do the same. If you want me to carry anything to shore I'll do it."

      "We can't carry any trunks in such a hurry," said Buster.

      "Let us carry our suit-cases and bundles," said Ben.

      With heavy hearts, Dave and the others returned to the cabin. The water in the cove had now risen so high that it swept the edge of the lean-to.

      "Can we get to shore?" asked Buster. "We haven't any boat," he added, turning to Dave.

      "We can if you'll hurry," replied Jerry Blutt. "Every minit lost makes it jest so much more dangerous."

      In great haste Ben and Buster and the camp-worker gathered together such belongings as they could conveniently carry. The other things were placed in a trunk and hoisted by ropes into a big tree. Then a lantern was tied on a post in front of the cabin and to it was fastened a brief note, for Phil's benefit, stating they had gone to the shore.

      "Oh, I hope he is safe!" murmured Dave, anxiously.

      "So do I," added his chums.

      Jerry Blutt led the way along the shore of the island and then out into the stream. They had the second camp lantern with them, one belonging to Jerry. He led the way from rock to rock, and they followed in single file, Dave bringing up the rear. Ever and anon our hero looked back for some sign of Phil, but without avail.

      Once out in the river, all were certain that the dam above Camptown Falls had burst. The water ran with great rapidity and was filled with dirt and dbris of various kinds. On the rocks that were low they had all they could do to keep their footing.

      The most dangerous part of the river had yet to be passed--a section close to the shore, where the water was deep and the rocks for fording few.

      "Mind your footin' here!" sang out the camp-worker. "An' if you slip, look out thet you don't hurt yourselves!"

      He was splashing along in water up to his knees, sometimes on the rocks and then again on a sandbar running in that direction. Then he had to make a turn, to avoid a deep portion of the stream, where the current was rapid.

      Ben was behind the man and Buster was just ahead of Dave. As all struggled along, there came an extra heavy blast of wind, followed by a perfect deluge of rain.

      "Oh!" screamed Buster, an instant later, and peering through the rain, Dave saw him suddenly throw up his arms and slip from a rock. There was a splash, and poor Buster disappeared from view.

      "Buster is in the river!" yelled our hero, and then he leaped for the rock from which the stout youth had fallen. He looked down and saw an arm and a head come up.

      "Help! hel----" came from the unfortunate one, and then the swift current caught him and turned him over, out of sight.

      "Help!" yelled Dave, to attract the attention of those ahead. And then, as he saw Ben turn back, he slipped down on the rock and into the swirling river and struck out after Buster.

      CHAPTER XXV

      PERILS OF THE FLOOD

      "Dave! Dave!" yelled Ben, as he saw our hero disappear into the swiftly-flowing river. "Look out, or you'll both be drowned!"

      "What's the trouble?" yelled Jerry Blutt, as he turned back for the first time since leaving the island.

      "Buster slipped in, and Dave went after him," answered Ben. "Oh, what shall we do?" he went on, despairingly.

      "Here--we'll throw out the rope!" answered the camp-worker, and took from his shoulder a rope he carried.

      In the meantime Dave had come up and was striking out with might and main for his chum. Our hero realized that Buster must be hurt, otherwise he would swim to save himself.

      "Must have struck on his head, when he went over," he thought, and he was right, poor Buster had done just that and now lay half-unconscious as the current swept him further and further from his friends.

      It was too dark to see much, and Dave had all he could do to keep in sight of the unfortunate one. But presently the stout youth's body struck against a rock and was held

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