ted the scout-master, readily enough;
"there's only one drawback to it, that I can see."

"And what might that be?" asked the one who had conceived the brilliant
thought, and who seemed to be disappointed because his chief had not
immediately declared it to be a marvel of ingenuity.

"Well, you're not much of a swimmer, and couldn't make any headway
against the wind and the waves. Consequently you'd just have to let them
carry you along with them. That would take a lot of time; and even if
you did get ashore safely it'd be at the far end of the lake. You know
the country is pretty rough between there and the camp. By sticking to
the beach, where there is any, you might make it in a couple of hours;
but altogether it'd be well into afternoon before you got in touch with
Allan and the rest."

"All right, I'm willing to make the try, if only you give the word,
Thad," the Jones boy went on, with a vein of urgency in his voice. "Just
the idea seems to tickle me more'n I c'n tell you. And if I kept on the
other side of the log, why you see, these fellers wouldn't know a thing
about it. They'd think it was just an old log that had drifted around,
and was going wherever the wind wanted."

"Well, such talk would convince anybody, I guess," laughed Thad.

"Then you're goin' to let me try it, I hope?" ventured Davy, joyfully.

"Perhaps I may a little later," the other admitted. "After we've talked
it over some more. And first of all, I think Smithy and myself had
better arm ourselves in the same way you have, with a good stout club.
If the worst comes, it's a jolly good thing to have in your hand."

"Well, I should say, yes," Davy went on; "more'n once I've stood off a
savage dog with a stick like this, and dared him to tackle me. But here,
if I'm going to take that little swim with the log, I won't need my
club. S'pose I hand it over to Smithy?"

There was a method in his madness; and Thad, who could read between the
lines, understood it easily enough. If allowed to give Smithy his
weapon of offense and defense, such permission would really be setting
the seal of approval on his proposition to swim ashore. And Davy was
shrewd enough to figure on that.

"All right, give it to Smithy," said Thad; making up his mind that since
one of them ought to make the effort to get in touch with the balance of
the patrol, it were better to allow Davy to go than that he leave the
two boys on the island; for that might look strange in a