Page:The Missing Chums.djvu/54

48 ing villages up the coast, but none of them had seen anything of the boat."

Iola turned pale.

"They hadn't seen the boat at all?"

Frank shook his head.

"Either the boys were wrecked or they were swept out to sea," said the girl. She turned away and dabbled at her eyes with a handkerchief. She was on the verge of breaking down. "Oh, can't something be done to find trace of them?"

"It's time we were getting busy," Frank agreed. "I think we'd better organize a searching party."

"With the motorboats?" asked Joe.

"Yes. We can take our boat. Perhaps Tony Prito will be able to come along with the Napoli and we'll get the rest of the fellows. We can cruise along the bay and up the coast and perhaps we'll find some trace."

"Will you do that?" asked Iola, brightening up. "Oh, if you only will! At least we'll know that some one is searching for them."

"I've been thinking that possibly their boat got wrecked and they were washed up on an island or on some part of the coast a long way from any village," Frank observed. "I don't think they've been drowned. They are both good swimmers and it would take a lot to kill either of them."