The Go Ahead Boys in the Island Camp Part 9

The four boys looked at one another and could not help laughing. Every one of them was drenched through to the skin and no one had a dry st.i.tch of clothes on. The rain pelted them mercilessly and the water ran off their faces in streams. All huddled together, they made a forlorn looking party.

"This is what all campers get I suppose," remarked George.

"They certainly do," agreed Grant. "Some of them get it worse than this too."

"Do you suppose our tent is still there?" inquired John.

"Let's hope so," exclaimed George fervently. "We'd be in a nice fix if we found it blown away when we got back."

"If we do get back," said Fred dolefully.

"What's the matter with you, Fred?" demanded Grant. "You don't think we're all going to die or be killed, do you?"

"I don't know. This is a bad storm and we can't see where we are."

"But the anch-"

There was a sudden jolt. Every boy was almost thrown from his seat as the boat came to a quick stop. Then the bow swung slowly around and a moment later the Balsam was pointed straight into the wind, her anchor chain taut.

"We're aground," cried George.

"Not at all," corrected Grant. "The anchor chain has caught, that's all."

"Where are we?"

"I can't see."

"We must be somewhere near sh.o.r.e," said John.

"We might be on a shoal."

"No, there's land," cried John. "I can see it."

"Maybe it's on our island," said George. "Wouldn't that be queer."

"Well, I wish the old storm would be over so we can see just where we are located," exclaimed Fred. "I've had enough of this."

"You'd better be thankful the anchor holds and not worry about anything else," observed Grant. "So far we can't complain."

"It's stopping," said George suddenly. "The sun will be out in a minute."

"If it comes out it had better bring an umbrella, that's all I can say,"

observed John.

"A pretty poor joke, String," said George. "Try another one; it might be better."

"The sun is coming out," cried Grant. "The storm is almost over, I guess."

"Thank goodness!" exclaimed Fred. "Now we can see where we are."

Little by little the rain abated, the wind died down and the thunder melted away in the distance. Before many moments had pa.s.sed the sun broke forth from behind a cloud and blue sky appeared.

"Do they have many of these squalls around here, I wonder?" said George.

"I don't think very highly of them myself."

"Nor I," agreed Grant. "Just look where it carried us."

"There's our island," exclaimed Fred. "I thought it was in the other direction though."

"So it was," said John. "We traveled the whole length of the lake, I guess."

"Right past our camp?"

"It looks so."

"Suppose we had hit one of those big rocks where I fell in," said George. "Our anchor wouldn't have done us very much good there."

"I should say not," agreed Grant. "Isn't that a camp over there?"

His three companions gazed in the direction he indicated and sure enough a big white tent very similar to their own appeared on sh.o.r.e, a short distance from the spot where the Balsam lay at anchor.

"I don't see anybody around," remarked Fred. "Do you suppose they're all away?"

"The best way to find out is to go and see for ourselves," exclaimed Grant.

"That's right," observed George. "Let's get the anchor up and sail in."

"There's a dock there too, where we can land," said Fred. "Perhaps the people who are camping here have been caught out in the storm."

"We'll soon know anyway," said Grant, making his way forward to a.s.sist George in getting up the anchor.

CHAPTER VII-AN UNEXPECTED MEETING

A few moments later the Balsam was making its way towards the tiny wharf in the little harbor. Two canoes lay bottom up on the sh.o.r.e but no sign of any living being appeared.

"Perhaps they've gone to the ball game," remarked George.

"Ball game!" exclaimed Fred. "What are you talking about?"

"I was just fooling and trying to get a rise out of somebody. Of course I knew I could make somebody bite with you on board."

"Huh," snorted Fred. "I thought you'd gone crazy, talking about ball games up here in the woods."

"You two are always wrangling," exclaimed Grant. "Stop it."