ver the water to the
island beyond.

As the afternoon wore away he became quite restless and watched the
river most anxiously. A wind had sprung up, which, gentle at first,
increased steadily into a gale. The water soon became rough and great
white-caps rolled up-stream, especially heavy where the tide was
strongest.

At length, leaving his men he went to the shore and stood close to the
watery edge. He looked more down the river than formerly, as if
expecting some one from that direction. But occasionally he cast his
eyes off toward the island and breathed more freely after each look.
He often consulted his watch as he now paced up and down the beach.

"What can be keeping that fellow?" he muttered. "He should have been
here an hour ago. Surely he's not tied up on account of the wind. I
gave him strict instructions to come back as soon as possible. If he
does not----Hello, there he is now," and his face brightened as he gave
a sigh of relief.

Coming up the river was a big boat used for rafting purposes containing
one man. Volumes of spray leaped high as she surged through the water
driven by a seven horse-power engine. This craft was used for towing
logs and poles, and for the carrying of supplies to the various camps.

"You're late, Tom," Jasper remarked as the boat's bow touched the shore
where he was standing. "I expected you an hour ago."

"It was the wind, sir," was the reply. "A number of logs broke loose
from the raft and I had a hard time to collect them. There's a heavy
sea runnin' below the Bar."

"It's bad out there, too," and Jasper pointed off toward the island.

"Sure thing," the man replied, turning partly around. "There's a boat
leavin' the island now. Surely it's not goin' to try to run over."

"Where is it?" Jasper demanded.

"Look," and Tom stretched out his long right arm, "ye kin just see it.
There, it's plainer now."

The only answer Jasper made was to give the boat a vigorous push from
the shore, leap aboard, seize the wheel and order Tom to start the
engine. In a few seconds they were cutting their way rapidly through
the water straight for the big white-caps beyond. Tom asked no
questions, but attended to the engine. It was all in the day's work to
him, and this was much easier than towing logs.

From the moment he had seized the wheel Jasper had not taken his eyes
off of the little boat away in the distance. He could see that it was
in the rough water and was