Dan Carter Cub Scout Part 32

Dan eagerly pulled off his shoes and divested himself of his outer garments. Carefully the Cub leader then tied the rope about his waist and tested the knot to make certain it would hold.

"Wade out as far as you can into the river," he instructed the boy. "When you have to, swim. If you can't make it, Brad and I will pull you in fast."

"I'll make it," Dan said grimly.

Brad and the Cub leader removed their own shoes and socks, rolled up their trousers, and waded out a short distance into the flood.

"Now be careful," Mr. Hatfield warned as Dan prepared to start on alone.

"If you find yourself in trouble, signal with a quick tug of the rope."

"I'll be all right," the boy replied confidently.

While Mr. Hatfield and Brad held one end of the rope, he waded on alone, picking his way cautiously. The muddy water washed to his knees, then to his waist, and finally came to shoulder depth.

The next moment the swift current swept him from his feet. Dan began to stroke smoothly only to discover that the river was carrying him downstream much too fast. Unless he exerted every ounce of his strength, he would be carried beyond his goal.

Dan dug in. His arms dipped and swept downward to his sides in powerful drives. His legs, churning in the steady six-beat crawl, gave him added propulsion.

The bush and the lodge boat loomed directly ahead. But the current, bent on carrying him with it, seemed to take on perverse strength. Despite his best efforts, he saw that he would be carried past his goal.

"Swim, Dan!" Mr. Hatfield shouted. "Swim hard!"

Dan heard and made a supreme effort. Though his breath was coming hard, his muscles offering painful complaint, he deliberately forced himself into a faster rhythm. The current swung him, but as he pa.s.sed the bush, the boy lunged for it.

Achieving a handhold, he clung fast. The river swung his feet from beneath him, tugging and jerking. But still Dan held on as he struggled to regain his breath.

"The boat, Dan!" he heard Brad shout. "Get it quick! It's drifting away!"

The boy's weight on the bush had dislodged the craft, which now was moving slowly off down river.

With an indignant snort, Dan plunged downstream in pursuit. Two strokes enabled him to grasp the craft by its trailing painter.

But the next instant, both he and the boat were brought up with a hard jerk. A sharp pain shot through his waist where the rope had been tied.

"Hold fast to the boat!" Mr. Hatfield instructed. "We'll pull you in."

Against the current, the Cub leader and Brad slowly pulled hand over hand until Dan was in shallow, quiet water. There he was able to get to his feet and drag the boat to sh.o.r.e.

"Good work, Dan!" Mr. Hatfield praised, reaching out to help him. "For a minute I thought you were going to be swept past the bush."

"So did I," grinned Dan. "Lucky you insisted I tie that rope around my waist. Otherwise, I'd have had a hard time of it."

"How about the Indian headdress?" Brad demanded. "Is it safe in the boat?"

Mr. Hatfield turned the beam of his flashlight on the craft's seat. The feather piece lay exactly where Chips had dropped it, undamaged by water.

"The Cubs will be glad to hear this," Brad said in relief, retrieving the handicraft article. "We're mighty lucky tonight."

Dan untied the rope from his waist and began to put on his clothes. Brad and Mr. Hatfield debated what to do with the boat now that it had been recovered.

"It's too large to be taken into the car," the Cub leader decided. "I guess the best we can do tonight is to hide it in the weeds well back from the river's edge."

While Dan finished dressing, he and Brad carried the craft far back from the rising water, overturning it in a patch of high gra.s.s.

"I'll come for it in a trailer the first thing tomorrow," Mr. Hatfield said. "During the next few hours, the river shouldn't rise much higher."

Feeling well repaid for their exertion, the three wiped the mud from their shoes and presently drove on through the area of shallow water to a clear stretch of pavement.

However, they had gone less than a quarter of a mile, when directly ahead they sighted still another flooded section of roadway.

"Oh! Oh!" said Mr. Hatfield, pulling up just before he reached the sheet of water. "This time, I'm afraid we're stuck."

The flooded area extended perhaps seventy-five yards. At the deepest point of the water a station wagon had stalled. Two men were endeavoring without much success to push the vehicle.

"We might lend them a hand," Mr. Hatfield suggested. "No chance of getting through here ourselves. We'll have to turn back."

Dan had been staring fixedly at the station wagon. "Mr. Hatfield!" he exclaimed excitedly. "Isn't that the same car that's been going in and out of Mr. Silverton's place?"

"It sure looks like Freeze and Bauer!" added Brad before the Cub leader could speak. "They're stuck like a couple of whales in a puddle!"

"Mr. Silverton intends to swear out a warrant for their arrest," Dan said. "I'll bet an Indian head cent they're driving out of town and intend to skip!"

"Unless we can stop them," said Brad, looking hopefully at the Cub leader.

"We can't start a fight without good cause," Mr. Hatfield replied. "If Mr. Silverton were here, or the police-"

Brad had noticed a lighted dwelling only a short distance from the roadway.

"Say, why can't I sneak over there and telephone Mr. Silverton!" he proposed. "If I get in touch with him, maybe he'll decide to have those men arrested right now."

"Go ahead, Brad," Mr. Hatfield urged, swinging open the car door for him.

"Dan and I will stay here and keep watch."

Without attracting the attention of the two men, Brad darted up the hill and was lost to view. Dan and the Cub leader remained in the car, watching.

The pair in the station wagon had pushed the vehicle for a short distance. There encountering deeper water, they gave up in disgust.

"I think they've about decided to start off afoot now," Mr. Hatfield observed. "In that case, they may elude us."

"Can't we try to stop them?"

"We can try, Dan. But without an arrest warrant or proof that the men are guilty of any crime, there's very little we can do."

Just then Brad came hurrying down the hillside to the car.

"I reached Silverton and he's called police!" he reported breathlessly.

"A cruiser or patrol car should come along in a few minutes. Silverton and Dobbs are driving over too. They're ready to swear out a warrant."

"Good!" Mr. Hatfield exclaimed. "But will we be able to hold the pair until help gets here?"