Page:Young Hunters of the Lake.djvu/93

Rh I did—my dream was so unnatural. Come to think of it, the boat had wings and flew away. Now, that couldn't happen."

"Not unless some wizard turned the craft into an airship," answered Whopper.

All were soon at the water's edge and looking in all directions for the missing rowboat. What had been left of the outfit had been stored in the stern and tied down with a rubber cloth, to keep off the heavy dew. They stirred up the campfire still more, and each provided himself with a firebrand as a torch.

"This is the worst luck yet," observed the doctor's son, with something like a groan. "Supposing we can't get our boat and outfit back—"

"Oh, we've got to get 'em back!" burst out Whopper. "We'll do it if we have to scrape the lake with a fine-tooth comb."

"I wish it was morning—we can't see much in the dark, even with the torches," said Shep.

Giant was examining the shore, for the possible discovery of strange footprints. But he could discover none that looked different from their own.

"If I was an Indian I might distinguish them, but to me they all look alike," he said.

What to do next the young hunters did not know. Had they had a second boat they might