Page:Young Hunters of the Lake.djvu/202

186 "That can't be—the middle is far too deep for any sand bars," answered Whopper.

"Well, you can hunt around if you want to," said the doctor's son, rather shortly. The paddling had made him very tired.

Snap and Whopper now got into the canoe, and they went twice as far as Shep had been. At last they struck a point of land in a direction they had imagined was far out in the lake. They followed this up and soon came to the shore, but where they did not know.

"I think we are either above or below our camp," said Snap.

"Or else on the same side of the lake that we started from," said Whopper. "It would be just our luck to get completely twisted In this teetotal darkness. It's worse than a pocket in a coal mine!"

They paddled back to the others and told them of what they had discovered. Then a portion of the outfit was transferred to the empty rowboat, and another effort was made to float both craft. At last the rowboats slid off the sand bar, and then they pulled to the point of land without further mishap.

No one could tell where they were, but Snap,