pairingly
toward Max.

As he managed to clutch the swimmer's wrist Max braced himself, and
gradually drew Shack toward the woodwork of the floating bridge, an
inch as it were at a time, but constantly coming.

Presently he had him close enough for Steve, who with Bandy-legs was
near by, to get a frenzied grip on the other arm of the exhausted boy;
and then together they managed to help him aboard.

It was necessary that they change their position quickly, since their
combined weight at one end of the wreckage of the bridge was causing it
to sink in an ominous way.

"Move along there, Bandy-legs and Steve!" called Max; "or we'll be
under water!"

Fortunately the other boys realized what was meant, and they hurried
away, constantly clinging to the friendly railing which had proven so
valuable all the while, in keeping them from being washed overboard.

Max helped Shack crawl along, for the boy was panting for breath, and
almost choked with the vast quantities of water he had swallowed.

In this way they presently reached their old positions about the middle
of the floating timbers. It was a wild picture that confronted them as
they now took the time to look around them. The river was narrowing
somewhat again and of course the current became considerably swifter on
this account, so that the bridge raft rocked violently back and forth,
sometimes even threatening them with a fresh disaster in the shape of a
jam, and consequent overturn.

"My stars! what's the answer going to be to this thing?" Steve called
out, after one of these exciting experiences, during which it was with
considerable difficulty that the whole of them maintained their hold.

Max had seen to it that the tired Shack was fastened to the rail with a
strap he chanced to have in his pocket at the time; only for that
possibly the other might have lost his weakened grip, and been carried
off.

"Oh! don't think of giving up yet, Steve," Max sang out cheerily; "the
further we get downstream the more chances there are that we'll either
be rescued by men in boats, or else find a way ourselves to get ashore.
We've got so much to be thankful for that it seems as if we'd soon hit
on a way out. Keep watching, and if some eddy in the current happens
to throw us on a bar close to the shore, we'll hustle to reach land the
best we know how, no matter where it is, or how far from home."

"T-t-that's what I s-s-say," stammered Toby; "all I w-w-want is to feel