A Vain Search
When Teddy felt the dark waters close over his head, his first
thought was that now, after their long journey, they were to fail.
He did not fear for his own safety, unless it was that his absence
would cause his father and mother worry. The rushing current swept
him out of reach of the rock which had been their Scylla, and, in
one vivid flash, Teddy saw Roy clinging to its ebony sides with arms
that seemed almost lifeless.
“Hang on, Roy!” Teddy gasped, and then he was borne out of hearing.
Weighted down as he was by heavy clothes, Teddy had hard work
keeping his head above the water long enough to take a full breath
before being forced below the surface again. Luckily, there were no
sharp-pointed rocks in his path.
With desperation, Teddy struck out for the shore he saw looming in
front of him. But it was impossible to make much headway against the
fierce current that pulled him onward and tumbled him over like a
basket in a waterfall. Finally, exhausted by his struggles, he
contented himself with keeping afloat, and was promptly spilled upon
the bank.
So surprising was the transition from water to land that, for a
moment, the boy could not realize it. One second he had been
floating down a darkened, turbulent stream and the next he was
tossed upon the shore, his breath almost driven from his body by the
suddenness of it.
“The--ole river--is full of tricks!” he gasped, and sat up.
“Good-bye, canoe! I’ll bet there’s a hole in her big enough to drive
a steer through!” He cleared the water from his eyes, pulled himself
farther from the edge, and peered into the night.
“Roy!” he yelled. “Where are you? Hey, Roy!”
For a long moment he waited, then fear stole darkly upon him.
Breathing quickly, he shouted once more.
When there was no answer to this hail, he sprang to his feet and
started to run back along the bank, calling as he ran. He saw that
he had landed on the same shore they had put out from, and hoped
that his brother might have done the same and perhaps have started
back for their camp. But this hope was dispelled when Teddy came
upon two bedraggled and forlorn wanderers--Bug Eye and Pop. They
were staggering around aimlessly, now and then letting out a weak
call for Teddy and Roy.
“Did you see Roy?” Teddy asked them anxiously, as he ran up,
breathless.
“Teddy!” Pop gasped. “Yo’re safe! Boy, I was afraid! Where’s Roy?”
“I don’t know!” Teddy answered frantically. “I thought he might have
come ashore with you! Didn’t you see him?”
“Not--not me!” Bug Eye stuttered, shivering and resting one hand
against a tree to steady himself. “I thought--”
“Never mind about that!” Teddy cried tensely, fully aroused now to
the dangers of the situation. “We’ve got to hunt for him! Bug Eye,
you go downstream! Pop, you come with me!”
“I seen him hanging on to that rock we hit,” Pop declared, craning
his neck forward and seeking to pierce the blackness. To add to
their troubles the moon had disappeared behind clouds and the night
was as dark as pitch.
“I saw that, too!” Teddy exclaimed, opening and closing his hands.
“You two--for heaven’s sake don’t stand there gaping! Roy is
lost--maybe--”
“Now, maybe nothin’,” Pop Burns interrupted. “If you want to help
him most, Teddy, just take it easy an’ don’t waste none of yore
energy in boilin’ over. We’ll find Roy all right. He just came
ashore at another place.”
“I sure hope so!” Teddy breathed. “It’s so blamed dark here! The
moon is gone--we haven’t a dog’s chance of seeing him. But we can
yell.” He raised his voice once more in a shout. “Roy! Yay-y-y,
Roy!”
“That won’t do no good,” Pop said gently. “We got to hunt. He may be
hurt, an’ lyin’ on the shore somewheres. We’ll get him, sure, when
daylight comes.”
“We’ll get him before that!” Teddy said determinedly, and started to
run along the bank.
“You go the other way,” Pop directed in a low voice to Bug Eye.
“I’ll follow Teddy--I don’t like the way he’s talkin’. Roy may be
pretty badly hurt after all, an’ Teddy feels it. I seen Roy go
head-on to that rock, but I wouldn’t tell Ted that. We’ll meet you
at camp. If you find Roy, give a good loud yell--that is, if
he’s--not hurt too bad.” And Pop swallowed quickly. Then he turned
and followed Teddy.
The boy was a good distance ahead, and Pop had to hurry to catch
him. He located him by the crashing of the bushes as Teddy ran
along, almost blindly, calling Roy every five yards.
“Son, son,” the veteran puncher admonished, laying a hand on Teddy’s
shoulder, “don’t take it so hard. We’ll find Roy, sure as shootin’!
Yuh can’t down him with a little spill in the river! Like as not
he’s laughin’ over it now an’ bettin’ he could have made the shore
with the one paddle if we hadn’t hit that rock. Shake yore stumps,
Teddy, an’ get a hold on yore liver. Roy ain’t hurt!”
Teddy took a deep breath and slowed down to a walk.
“Can’t tell, Pop,” he declared gloomily. “I’m afraid of--I don’t
know what. Why didn’t Roy come right ashore if he could?”
“But great snakes, boy, he may be on the other side, or he may have
been washed far downstream!” Pop exploded. “Just because he ain’t
here, don’t say he’s still sittin’ out there on that bloomin’ rock!”
“That’s right, too!” Teddy agreed, and brightened. “I’ll bet he’s
across from us! If we only had that canoe now, we could--”
“Oh, no we couldn’t,” Pop interrupted grimly. “That current is too
blame strong. I reckon we can find the canoe all right, come
mornin’. She’ll probably need patchin’, but I can fix her if she
ain’t too bad.”
It was just this sort of talk that Teddy needed, and when he spoke
again his voice was stronger and more spirited.
“Do you really think we can mend the canoe, Pop?”
“Sure we can! Won’t be nothin’ to it. Now, Teddy, we better give up
lookin’ for Roy until she gets light. We’re only wastin’ time this
way, an’ I got an idea he’s over on the other bank. If that’s so, we
got to find the boat first an’ go get him. Let’s hit for camp,
Teddy.”
For a moment the boy hesitated, and Pop feared he was going to
insist on continuing. But at last the boy sighed, and turned.
“You’re the doctor,” he said dully. “Camp it is.”
Had Teddy known the real reason for Pop’s insistence upon returning,
he would have slept little that night. The fact is that the veteran
rancher feared the worst. He had seen Roy dashed head foremost upon
the rock, then go limp. At that moment the moon was blotted out, and
he lost sight of the boy. But he had seen enough to feel that there
was little hope for Roy.
There had never been for a moment the question of rescue. It had all
happened too quickly--the rock, then the crash, and then that
horrible drop. They had been swept apart in a flash, and were not
near enough to offer each other assistance. Pop knew that ordinarily
Roy would have made the shore safely. But injured, perhaps
unconscious--The old man shook his head sadly and was thankful for
the darkness that hid the tragedy even for a little.
Their fire was still going well when they reached camp, and half
heartedly they set about drying themselves. None of them talked
much. Their hearts were too heavy. Pop made an effort at
conversation, but did not meet with much success, and at last
decided that it would be best to leave Teddy alone with his
thoughts. Perhaps the boy might find inward comfort as the night
wore on. Pop hoped so, fervently.
The hours passed slowly, as none of the three even attempted to
sleep.
As soon as the gray dawn lightened into brightness, Teddy sprang to
his feet.
“Now,” he said sharply, “we can start. We won’t stop--” his eyes
narrowed and he clenched his fists. “We’ll find Roy if we have to
stay here a week! Come on!”
“No breakfast, son?” Pop expostulated questioningly, thinking that
unless Teddy kept up his strength he might collapse when he learned
the truth. For Pop was firmly convinced that they would see Roy
alive no more. Yet, even with this weight on his heart, he presented
to Teddy a face that had nothing in it but hope.
“Eat?” Teddy asked contemptuously. “Not me! I’ve eaten my last meal
until Roy comes back and eats with me!”
“Keep yore nerve, kid,” Pop muttered. “I’m afraid this day’s gonna
be a tough one. Poor Roy!” and with leaden steps he followed Teddy.