Page:Rover Boys Down East.djvu/270

258 and the flickering rays from the campfire beyond were too faint for them to see much.

"Dick! Dick! Where are you?" called out Tom.

"To the left!" was the faint reply. "Turn to the left!"

The voice sounded muffled, as if the speaker was being strangled, and with their hearts in their throats, Tom and Sam advanced and at a break in the rocky wall, turned to the left. Hardly had they gone a dozen steps when they plunged downward into space.

"Oh!" came from both, and then followed a mighty splash, as the pair struck the water. Each went down over his head, and on coming up had to strike out to keep from drowning.

"Sam! Sam!" cried Tom.

"I'm here!" was the spluttered-out reply. "Are you hurt?"

"Not much, but I went over my head in water!"

"So did I."

"Where is Dick?"

"I don't know."

"Can he be drowned?"

"Oh, don't say that!"

It was pitch dark, and only by calling to each other did the two lads manage to get together. Both swam around until their feet touched a rock