“Let’s go,” called Garry, and away they started. They had made less than fifty yards, when borne on the breeze came the sound of Dick’s voice.
Garry stopped swimming for a moment, and began to tread water, while he looked toward the spot that had been Dick’s goal when he swam away. Dick could be seen standing on the bank beckoning wildly to them.
“Guess it’s nothing serious, Garry,” said Phil, who had followed Garry’s lead and stopped swimming long enough to see what the cause of the call was. “It looks as though he had made a discovery of some sort.”
The chums put on an extra burst of speed, and soon had reached the spot where Dick was standing.
“What’s all the commotion about?” inquired Garry half breathlessly, as they clambered up on to the bank. “We thought you were calling for help.”
“I am truly sorry I frightened you, but I just found something that we may need before our stay at the camp is done,” and Dick led the way into the woods for a few feet. “I got out on the bank to rest a bit, and thought I saw signs of a camp having been here at one time or another, so I nosed around and tucked away in the brush I found this,” and displacing some of the debris that had fallen around the object, Dick disclosed a birch-bark canoe, made after Indian fashion.
“I should say that was a find,” exclaimed Garry. “Now we can do all the exploring around here that we want to, and if we find nothing here we can portage the canoe across the woods to Dutton Lake and continue our investigation.”
They were disappointed, however, for on dragging out the canoe, they found that a great hole had been torn in the bottom.
“Now wouldn’t that jar you. I wish I had looked at it more carefully before I called to you,” said Dick in a disappointed tone.
“Let your Uncle Dudley take a look,” ordered Garry. After a few moment’s investigation, he straightened up. “It can be repaired easily with what simple tools we have and a little help from old Mother Nature. Our only trouble will be a swim of about four miles. Two across to the point that I noted when I looked through my glasses, and two back to where we want to do our work, which had better be here.”
“I think I begin to see faint glimmerings of what you intend to do,” said Phil, as he scanned the end of the lake that came within his vision. Phil had abnormally keen eyes, and could often see things that the other boys required a glass to discern.