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Rh frugal repast, but it was really no joke. Fortunately the coffee held out, and they knew they could live on that for some time.

"If we could only work the raft to shore, or signal for help to some steamer, we'd be all right," complained C. C. "But we can't do it."

The great flood had caused an almost complete cessation of river navigation, at least in the stretches where they now were. They had seen no craft of any kind since being obliged to take to the raft, and the river was so wide that they could not communicate with towns on shore. They passed several small hamlets that were deserted, for the water was up to the second stories of the houses. The inhabitants had fled back to higher ground.

"Well, we've got to do something," said Blake, when noon came, and the pangs of hunger were felt. "I wonder if we couldn't build a signal fire, or raise a flag of distress, or something like that. It might bring help."

"We could try," agreed Joe. "Let's hoist a blanket up on the lantern pole, and make a smudge fire. It'll be safe, for there's so much water around us that we can put it out easily enough. It might do some good."

A ragged blanket was nailed up as high on the pole, amidships, as they could reach, by