will have to strip and go after her," said Thad. "And if
you were a better swimmer, I'd say it ought to be you, Bumpus."

"You'll have to excuse me this time, Thad," declared the other,
earnestly. "But are you sure it was only the wind that carried her off?"

"You can see for yourself that there's no one in the boat, using the
paddle," the scout-master replied.

"That's so, Thad, but seems as if I c'd see somethin' in the water under
her bow; and it looks like two hands holding on to the gunnel above,
just as if somebody might be swimmin' along and dragging the boat after
him."

Both the others broke out into a laugh at that.

"I see that imagination of yours is working overtime, Bumpus," remarked
Thad; and then turning to the Southern boy he went on: "Shall it be you
or I, Bob?"

"I hope you'll let me go after her, suh," said the other, quickly,
beginning to throw off some of his clothes, as if anticipating a
favorable decision on the part of his superior officer in the Silver Fox
Patrol.

"Go then, if you want to, Bob," suggested Thad, smiling; for he was
being drawn closer to this gallant son of the Sunny South every day; and
constantly found new causes for admiring the other's self sacrificing
disposition.

Inside of three minutes Bob White went in from the headland with a
splash, and swam toward the floating boat like a water spaniel. Reaching
the runaway he was seen to clamber aboard, after which he picked up the
paddle, and started to urge the boat toward the shore again.

Not until then did Bumpus seem to heave a sigh of relief. Evidently the
poor fellow had really expected to see some dreadful enemy clasp Bob
around the neck as he started to slip over the side of the boat.

After Bob had resumed his clothes, they entered the boat, and left the
vicinity of the island. Thad kept looking it over as they gradually
moved further away, as if not satisfied, by any means, with what little
he had seen of the place.

"Yes," he remarked, "I'm pretty much of a mind to put it to the fellows;
and if the majority favors, we'll change our camp to-morrow, for a try
on the island. There's _something_ about that place that seems to draw
me."

"Well, I'm sorry to hear that," declared Bumpus, dolefully; "because I
just know they'll want to ferry over--Allan because he's ready to do
anything you say; Step-hen, for he wants to meet up with all sorts of
adventures, and says he means to get away out in the Rockies some