"Digby Morton's clothes are on the bank," cried Aleck Fraser, excitedly, "but we can't see him anywhere."
Mr. Featherstone had all his wits about him. He knew the rough stepping-places up to the head of the Blackrock, from which he could scan the river up and down. In a moment he was standing on the rock, carefully taking within his view every yard of ground within range; but he could see nothing of Digby.
"Martin Venables," he shouted from the rock, "run to the house, and ask the Doctor to come here at once. Howard and Aleck hurry down to the boat-house, and inquire about Morton. Send the boatman up at once with boats and men. McDonald and Marsden, go up to the meadow-dell and search. Look sharp, all of you!"
Swiftly sped the boys on their exciting errands, while Mr. Featherstone remained upon the rock, and the other boys with hushed whispers talked together in little groups, or looked into the water-holes with half-averted eyes.
Howard and Martin were the first to return, both flushed with anxious excitement. Then came the Doctor, sadly out of breath, and much distressed.
"But Digby is a good swimmer, is he not?" asked the Doctor.
"Few better in the school," answered Mr. Featherstone. "I don't like to think of the worst, but there are strong eddies in the pool this morning, and the river runs at a furious rate after the heavy rain. My fear is that he left the pool, and was caught by an eddy, and swung upon the rocks. In that case he may have been rendered insensible, and so have been drowned."
The boys returned one after another, and each unsuccessful. The boatmen soon arrived.
"Have you heard or seen anything this morning of Mr. Digby?" asked the Doctor of Mason, the manager of all the boating arrangements of the school.
"No, sir; but my man, who was agoing out to see after his lines, about six this morning, said as how he see something dark floating down the river, but he didn't pay much heed to it, till he called it to mind when the young gentlemen came down just now, and said as how Mr. Digby were missing."
"Then, should we not commence the search low down the river?" asked the Doctor.
"'Taint no manner of use," answered Mason; "with the current runnin' like this, he'd be ten mile away and more, by this time, if it was him, or more likely out at sea, as the tide would have met the river by this time. But you see, sir, it mightn't have been him after all, for there's lots o' snags and things floating down this morning after last night's rain."