The Rover Boys on the Great Lakes | Page 5

the end of the lifeline to the stern, Tom ran down into the
cabin and brought forth several rockets. With trembling hands he set
off first one and then another. The blaze was a short one, yet it revealed
to them a large mass of lumber rising and falling on the bosom of the
turbulent waters.
"A lumber raft. It is going to pieces in the storm."
"Did you see Dick?"
"I saw two persons on the lumber, but I don't know who they were.
They looked more dead than alive."
"Oh, I hope Dick isn't dead!" burst out Sam, and the tears stood in his
eyes as he spoke.
"Wot's dat you dun said?" came from out of the darkness.

"Dick's overboard," answered Tom.
"No!" A groan of genuine regret came from Aleck Pop. "How it dun
happen?"
"We must have struck a lumber raft and the shock knocked him over,"
answered Sam. "Oh, Tom, what shall we do?"
"I'll try another rocket, Sam--I don't know of anything else."
It took fully a minute to obtain another rocket, and some red fire as
well. The red fire made quite an illumination, in spite of the storm.
"I don't see nuffin," said Pop.
"Nor I," added Tom. "The raft has disappeared."
As the light died out all set up a loud shout. But only the howling wind
answered them. And now Sam noticed that the lifeline was drifting idly
at the stern, and there was nothing to do but to haul it in again.
The hours which followed were full of agony to Tom and Sam, and the
warm-hearted colored man was scarcely less affected.
"What if Dick is drowned?" whispered the youngest Rover. "Father
will never forgive us for coming on this trip."
"Let us hope for the best," was his brother's answer. "Dick has been in a
tight fix before. He'll come out all right, if he has any show at all."
"Nobuddy kin lib in sech a storm as dis!" put in Pop. "Why, it's 'most as
bad as dat dar hurricane we 'perienced in Africa. Jest see how it's
beginnin' to rain."
Pop was right; so far the rain had held off for the most part, but now it
came down steadily and soon turned into little short of a deluge. All
were speedily soaked to the skin, but this was a discomfort to which,
under the circumstances, no one paid attention.

The Swallow heaved and pitched, and fearful that Sam would be lost
overboard, Tom told him he had better go below again.
"You can do nothing up here," he said. "If anything turns up, I'll call
you."
"But you must be careful," pleaded Sam. "If I were you, I'd tie myself
to the wheel," and this is what Tom did.
Slowly the night wore away, and with the coming of morning the storm
abated somewhat, although the waves still lashed angrily around the
Swallow. With the first streak of dawn all were on deck, watching
anxiously for some sign of the lumber raft or of Dick.
"Nothing in sight!" groaned Sam, and he was right. The raft had
disappeared completely, and all around them was a dreary waste of
water, with a cloudy sky overhead.
Feeling that he must do something, Aleck Pop prepared a breakfast of
broiled fish and hot coffee, but, when summoned to the repast, both of
the Rovers shook their heads.
"I couldn't eat a mouthful," sighed Sam. "It would choke me."
"We must find Dick first, Aleck," said Tom. "Go ahead yourself and
have breakfast. Don't mind us."
"'Deed, I aint no hungrier dan youse is," replied the colored man
soberly. "But youse had bettah drink sum ob dat coffee, or youse might
cotch a chill." And he made each sip some of the beverage, bringing it
on deck for that purpose.
At half-past seven Tom espied a cloud of smoke on the horizon. "I
think it's a lake steamer," he said to his brother, and he proved to be
right. It was a freighter known as the Captain Rallow, running between
Detroit and Buffalo. Soon the steamer came closer and they hailed her.
"Seen anything of a lumber wreck, with some men on it?" questioned

Tom eagerly.
"Haven't seen any wreck," was the answer, from the captain of the
freighter. "Whose raft was it?"
"I don't know. The raft hit us in the darkness and a young man on our
yacht was knocked overboard. We lit some red fire and saw two people
on the raft, which seemed to be going to pieces."
This news interested the owner of the freight steamer greatly, since he
had a brother who was in the business of rafting lumber, and he asked
Tom to give him the particulars of the affair.
"We can't give