ut," Steve told him, "and it's this way
it looks like to me. The current will sweep us across the river when
we swing around that same bend, won't it?"

"Pretty far, for a fact, Steve, because it's apt to run the same way
even if the river is far out of its regular channel now."

"Well, don't you see that's going to bring us pretty close to where the
French house used to lie?" Steve remarked, inquiringly.

"Yes, it might, just as you say," Max replied; "but why do you speak of
it in that way--used to lie?"

"Because," said Steve, moodily, "I'm scared to think what might have
happened to that same house by now, and wondering if it's been swept
clean away; though it was a strongly built place, and ought to stand a
heap of pounding before it went down."

"But even if it isn't in sight, Steve, that doesn't mean the girls have
been carried away on the flood, or else drowned. Of course Asa French
would be warned long enough ahead to hitch up his horses, and pull-out
for higher ground with everybody in his family. They're all right, the
chances are ten to one that way."

Max said this for a purpose. He saw that Steve was feeling dreadfully
about it, and knew the discovery would be doubly hard should they come
upon the place where the French farm house had stood, to find it
missing; and so he wanted to prepare the other chum against a shock.

"It's kind of you to say that, Max," Steve faltered, swallowing a lump
that seemed to be choking him; "and I'm going to try and believe what
you tell me. We ought to know the worst soon, now, because we're just
above that bend, and already I can see how the current sets in as swift
as anything toward the other shore."

All of them fell silent after that. They were watching the way the
floating timbers of the lost bridge were being steadily swept toward
the west shore, or rather where that bank had once been, because a
great sea of water now covered the fertile farmland for a distance of a
mile or so, to where the hills began.

Shack Beggs had recovered his usual ability to look after himself, and
while he did not say anything, there was a look on his face that set
Max to thinking, as he thrust the strap into the hand of his rescuer,
as though he would have no further need of it, and disliked appearing
weaker than the rest in that he had to be fastened to the railing.

Shack had just passed through a thrilling experience that was fated to
make a decided impression on his mi