Finding the perch that seemed to answer his purpose best, Thad broke off
a few small dead branches that threatened to interfere with the free use
of his arm. After that he gave the whistle to let Smithy know the
signalman was fixed, and that he had better go back to the beach to
wait.

As yet he had seen nothing of Allan. The bald top of the hill was in
plain sight from where the scout-master sat, perched aloft, but he
scanned it in vain. Thad would not allow himself to doubt that presently
the second in command of the patrol would show up there. He knew Allan
was a stickler for obeying orders to the very letter, and if his
superior had said that he should reach the crown of that hill at exactly
seven minutes after ten, the chances were fifty to one Allan would make
his appearance on the second; or there would be trouble in the camp.

So, to amuse himself while waiting Thad turned partly around, and
looked after Davy. At first he was astonished not to see the floating
log on the troubled surface of the lake to leeward, where it had been
moving at a pretty fast clip when the scout-messenger left the island.

He experienced a sudden sensation of alarm, but immediately took a fresh
grip on himself. Surely the waves were not so very boisterous now, for
the wind seemed to be diminishing, if anything. And Davy was a pretty
fair swimmer, all things considered.

Thad presently gave expression to a little sigh of relief; for far away,
just under the fringe of trees bordering the extreme end of Lake Omega,
he had discovered a moving object. It was the flash of a breaking wave
over the same that had attracted his attention first; and he now made
out the floating log.

Then Davy must have made much better time than he, Thad, had expected
would be the case. No doubt he had assisted the progress of his novel
craft by swimming, being desirous of reaching land as soon as possible.

So Thad divided his time between the bald top of the signal station
hill, and the log that as he knew concealed the swimming scout.

"There he goes, creeping through the shallow water and heading for the
bank," he presently muttered to himself in a pleased way. "And I can
give a pretty good guess that right now Davy is the happiest fellow in
the county; because he just loves adventure of any kind, and he's sure
getting his fill. There, he pulls himself up on the shore, and ducks
behind that bunch of brush! Good boy, Davy; that ought to count for a
m