Part 16 (2/2)

Barwaithe ”The line broke, and that started the whole thing”

”Well, boys is boys, andhappen!”

snapped the captain ”See yere, I wantsupper ”No lukewarive it to you as hot as the fire will make it; I can't do any more,” was Randy's short answer He was as much out of sorts as any one

Then the captain turned to Earl, and found fault with the timber in the boat; and by the tihly put out

The doctor tried to enliven e, and he even gave theer with a sweet tenor voice All enjoyed the singing, but the captain looked as glueon along,” said Earl, as he and Randy turned in together, on the rubber blanket ”Gracious, I never iruot to put up with his!”

The tent had been pitched in the shelter of a nuh rocks and at some distance from the lake front The _Wild Goose_ rested in a tiny cove, secured by a painter attached to a stake driven deeply into the sandy shore There was a little swell on the water, caused by the rising wind, but no one supposed this would prove sufficient to do the craft any harht only, a single tent had been erected for the entire party, so all hands were huddled closely together It was not long before they were all asleep

When Earl awoke it was still dark He roused up with a start, to find the wind blowing violently Outside it was raining and snowing together, and it was some snow on his face which had caused hiet up, when Randy called to him

”What's up?”

”There's a storuess we'll have to look to the fastenings of the tent,” answered Earl

The talking awoke the others The as increasing rapidly, and already the front left end of the tent was flapping violently, torn loose fro Earl donned his overcoat and ran outside to hold it dohile he called to Randy to bring the haht; I'll take a look after the boat!” cried Captain Zoss, and rushed off in the darkness, followed by Foster Portney By this tian the task of securing the shelter A heavy gust of wind cah in the air, held down only by the pegs on one side To secure the cloth was no mean work, and they had to wait for fully a minute in the rain and snow, until the wind abated

”This is going to the gold diggings with a vengeance,” murmured Dr

Barwaithe

”A fellow could 'most fly there in this wind!” panted Randy ”Earl, have you a peg handy?”

”Not a one”

”Neither have I, and it's as dark as pitch”

”Here are two pegs,” said the doctor ”I wonder if I can stir up that fire,” he added, starting to where the campfire had been The fire was out, and the sheet-iron stove lay over on its side, with a ht a new fire under existing circumstances was out of the question, and the medical man went back to assist the boys

The tent had hardly been secured when there careat flurry of snohich al down to the lake, but now he crawled under the canvas and hesitated In the meantime Dr

Barwaithe set the stove up once more and tried to rescue such of the beans as orth it

”The rain is giving way to snow--” began Earl, when he stopped short, as a faint shout reached the wind ”It's Uncle's voice! We are wanted down there!” he added, and started off on a run As the cry was repeated Randy followed A minute's run and they reached the beach a hundred feet above where Captain Zoss and Foster Portney were standing

”What's the one,” was his uncle's alar reply ”She has drifted off in the storht of her anywhere!”