top of his lungs. "This way!
This way!" and he swung the lantern to the right and left.

"Did you say 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."