s."

"Just so," Frank continued, his one desire being to convince the
anxious chum that Bluff and Jerry could be in no real peril. "And the
people of the village, you see, would urge them to hold over, telling
them it was too risky to try to row an old leaky boat all those miles
with such a storm coming up."

"Then you believe they are still there in the village, do you, Frank?"

"I really and truly do," came the steady answer; "and, even at the
worst, if the boys were foolish enough to make the start you can
depend on it they'd hurry to get ashore long before the storm broke."

"Well," concluded Will, "nothing could have tempted me to stay out on
the lake a minute, once that thunder started to crash, and I knew the
wind must soon come tearing along. I guess Jerry wouldn't take too
many chances, even if Bluff wanted to keep rowing on."

"Another thing you've got reason to be satisfied about is your
camera," suggested Frank, knowing what store his comrade set by his
treasured instrument.

"Yes, for it hasn't been wet even a little bit!" Will declared. "I've
always been pretty lucky that way. In fact the only streak of
misfortune that ever struck me was the loss of those Maine films. I
even dream about them, Frank; and I certainly do hope that Gilbert
brings them back, if he comes this way."

"He may turn up any time now," Frank assured him. "The golf tournament
must have been played before this, and if Gilbert lives around this
part of the country you'll see him coming after those golf balls of
his. They look extra fine to me."

"And my films would be worth next door to nothing to him; just as I
look on his silly old golf balls. Queer how one man's food is another
man's poison, isn't it?"

A dozen times Frank had to scratch a match at the request of his mate
in order to take a glance at his watch. The time seemed actually to
drag along.

"I've read about the minutes passing on leaden wings," said Will, with
a long-drawn sigh, "but now I know just what that means. Eleven
o'clock you said, didn't you, Frank? That means six more to bring us
to five in the morning; and I suppose we couldn't think of making a
start any earlier than that."

"As soon as it's broad daylight we'll get a move on us," promised the
other. "We only want to make sure we can see how to avoid pitfalls and
fallen trees."

"How far are we from camp, do you reckon, Frank?"

Will asked this last question rather drowsily; for in spite of his