As time slipped by and still there was no sign of the missing boys and no word came by radio, Mr. Pauling became terribly worried and even Rawlins’ optimism became shaken.
Finally, as the afternoon shadows lengthened, Tom’s father could stand it no longer and he told Bancroft to call their names and see if he could get in touch with them. But when, after fifteen minutes, the operator reported that no response had been received Mr. Pauling grew frantic.
“Something’s happened,” he declared. “They’ve either gone too far to hear or to reply or they’ve been drowned or have met with some accident. We must set out on a search at once.”
Accordingly, the boat was manned, a radio set was placed in it and Mr. Pauling, Rawlins and Bancroft embarked, leaving Mr. Henderson, who was the only remaining member of the party who understood radio, in charge of the submarine. Sam also went along, for, as Rawlins explained, he had eyes like a cat and at Mr. Henderson’s suggestion Smernoff was included.
“You may hear those rascals talking,” he said, “and if you do you’ll need him.”
Rawlins remembered hearing the boys speak of the island they wished to explore and knew more or less the direction they had gone. It was no easy matter to find an island in the swamp largely by guesswork, but luck favored and just before dark they sighted the higher trees and firm land of the island where the boys had lunched. Calling frequently, both by voice and by radio, the searching party pulled around the island and came to the beach. Something white upon the sand attracted Rawlins’ attention and landing they found the paper wrappings of the boys’ lunch.
“They stopped here to eat,” announced the diver. “Now the question is in which direction they went. They might have gone up any one of these creeks or they might have started for the mainland. It’s all guesswork.”
It was now dusk and the swamp was black with impenetrable shadows, but as they circled around the swamp in vague hopes of finding some clue or of hearing the boys by the radio instruments, Sam’s sharp eyes caught sight of a bunch of water plants.
“Tha’ boat parsed by here, Chief,” he announced, pointing to the bruised and bent stems. “Ah’m sure of that, Chief.”
Rawlins examined the plants carefully. “Yes, either their boat or some other,” he agreed. “We’ll follow up this channel.”