ce-boat turned the bend and they could begin to see the
wider stretch of the Mohunk, both boys eagerly waited to discover what
the cause of all that screaming could be.

CHAPTER IV

THE RESCUE, AND A MYSTERY

"Look there, Fred!" cried Bristles, "over nearer the shore, to the left!"

"I see them!" replied the other, almost instantly.

"It's a girl, and she acts as if she might be trying to get at somebody
in the water," the skipper of the ice-boat shouted, as he headed the
flying craft straight toward the spot.

"Be ready to bring up in the wind, so we can tumble off, Bristles!"
advised Fred, taking in the whole situation at a glance, in his
comprehensive way.

Bristles was already so excited that he came near upsetting the ice-boat
by being too speedy about making the turn. Both boys scrambled to their
feet as soon as they possibly could, and hurried toward the place where a
girl of about ten years of age was wringing her poor little hands, and
trying to reach a boy who was clinging to the crumbling edge of the ice.
He was up to his neck in the cold water of the river.

"Hold fast, and we'll get you out of that!" cried Fred, as they drew
near. His quick eye had already taken note of the fact that a rail fence
came down close to the water's edge just beyond, and it was straight
toward this that he was now hurrying. Bristles knew what he was going
for, and he kept near the heels of his chum.

The frightened girl thought they were deserting her, and redoubled her
cries.

"Help! Oh! help us! Please don't go away! My poor brother will be
drowned! He can't hold on much longer! Oh! come back and help get him
out!"

By that time Fred had reached the end of the fence, which ran into the
water so as to keep the cows from straying out of their pasture. He
struggled with one of the rails, and managed to break it loose.

"Get another, and chase after me, Bristles!" he shouted, as he once more
turned and hastened toward the hole in the rotten ice, where the boy, who
could not be more than twelve years of age, was trying as best he could
to keep from being drawn under by the sucking force of the strong
current.

Once close up, Fred dropped on his knees, shoving the rail ahead of him.
In this fashion he was able to push it directly to the imperiled boy.
Bristles had been so rapid in his actions that he was hardly ten seconds
behind the leader. He immediately copied Fred's example, so that there
were n