“He made it!” Doug yelled, dancing in excitement. “It’s Sandy! He’s all right!”
Suddenly Mike was laughing. Despite the dirty trick at the end, Sandy had won out. It was the other boy who had fallen in—not Sandy. It was a lucky thing he escaped with nothing worse than a thorough soaking.
“Come on!” Mike yelled. “He’s coming in for a landing!” Together, Mike and Doug sprinted down the bank of the river to meet the raft before it touched shore.
“Hey!” yelled Doug, breaking stride for a moment. “What’s he got in his hand?”
As Sandy guided his raft toward them Mike saw him grin and wave something in the air. Then all at once he knew what it was.
“It’s your paddle, Doug,” he chuckled. “Sandy picked it up out of the water. Don’t you remember? That’s what this whole thing was supposed to be about. Your paddle!”
Laughing as they ran, the two of them splashed out into the river to welcome Sandy.
“Well, Mike,” Mr. Cook said as he settled down on a porch chair in front of the cabin the Hendersons had rented them. “Think you can last till dinner?”
Mike, who was stretched out contentedly on a hammock slung between corner posts, opened one eye sleepily. “Depends on what day,” he said.
Mike held up a hand in protest. “Oh no, please! I won’t be able to touch a bite till next Tuesday.” He sighed happily. “You know, it’s a real pleasure to meet a woman like Mrs. Henderson. She never batted an eye when I asked for thirds.”
“You sent her into a state of shock, most likely,” Sandy ventured. “She couldn’t believe it after what you packed away.”
“I couldn’t believe it myself,” Mike agreed, stretching lazily. “I must have lost my head. Oh, well,” he said, smothering a yawn, “I’m just a poor kid who didn’t know the ropes. Give me another chance, officer. I’ll go straight.”
“All right,” Sandy said severely. “Bread and water for three days. Next case.”
“Oh, thank you, sir. Thank you. I’ll never forget you for this.”
“Say,” interrupted Mike’s father, putting his long legs up on the porch railing. “If I can break into your act for a moment, I’d like to find out how things went this morning. We were so busy talking about hunting at lunch that I forgot to find out if you got your feet wet in some white water.”