ve you, Dave?" questioned the senator's son.

"Yes, Roger."

"It's a wild kind of a spot, so Buster told me."

"I am not afraid of that--if only I can locate the boys," answered our
hero.

"How are you going to look for them?"

"I don't know yet--I'll find out after I get there."

It must be confessed that Dave slept but little that night. His mind
was filled with what was before him. He felt that he had quite a
mission to perform, first in locating the runaways and then in
persuading them to return to Oak Hall to face the music.

He had an early breakfast, Roger eating with him, and then the buggy,
driven by Horsehair, was brought around and he got in, and a minute
later he was off, the senator's son waving him an adieu from the porch
of the school.

Dave found the first train he rode on but half filled with passengers,
and he had a double seat to himself. He changed at the Junction, and
about noon reached Lumberport, where he was to take the train on the
little side-line for Camptown Falls. At Lumberport he got dinner, at a
hotel frequented by lumbermen. He sat at a long table with half a
dozen men and listened to their talk with interest when he heard
Camptown Falls mentioned.

"Yes, they tell me there is great danger of the dam giving way just
above Camptown Falls," one of the men said. "Doxey reported it hasn't
been safe for a week."

"Say, if that dam gave way it would do a lot of damage below the
Falls," said another.

"It certainly would," replied a tall lumberman. "It would wipe out
some of those camps on Moosetail Island. I rather guess the water
would cover the whole island."

"Somebody ought to warn the campers," said another.

"Oh, I guess they know it already," was the answer.

Dave arose from the table feeling very uneasy. He remembered the name,
Moosetail Island, now. Buster had once mentioned it, stating he had
camped there and would like to go again. Were the runaways there now,
and in danger of the dam, should it break?

CHAPTER XXIII

AT THE CAMP

At last the train came that was to take our hero to the railroad
station of Camptown Falls. It was merely a flag station, but the
conductor said he would stop there for any passenger who might wish to
get off. The railroad was a single-track affair, running through the
woods and across the country stretches, and the train consisted of one
passenger car and several freights.

Dave looked at the passengers and counted them. Th