The three boys found Frank waiting for them at the ditch, at which they arrived at dark. It was raining again, harder than before, but they managed to find a clump of trees with thick leaves that served as a partial shelter.
"Did you have any trouble getting here with the boat?" asked Ned of Frank.
"None at all. I came faster than I ever had before, as the water was high from the rain. The current is swift, and that will make it hard going back."
"Maybe one of us could go with you," suggested Bart. "The canoe will hold three on a pinch."
"I think it would be a good plan," Frank replied.
"Then I'll go," Bart went on. The other boys did not dispute his right, as he was the best paddler.
It seemed that the time would never come for the attempt to be made. In the darkness and rain the boys waited, for Frank had said it would not be safe to try until ten o'clock. At that hour the night watch went on, and the sanitarium was more quiet.
"Let's get the ladder out and lay it along the edge of the grass plot," suggested Ned. "No one can see us, and it will be something to do."
They followed this advice, and the ladder was placed in readiness at the edge of the asylum grounds. Once more they resumed their waiting. How the rain pelted down! The wind too, had increased, and it blew through the trees with a mournful sound. It was dark and chilly in the woods, and, in spite of their raincoats, the boys were anything but comfortable. It seemed as though ten o'clock would never come.
Frank had a small pocket electric light with him, run by a dry battery, and, by pressing a button, a faint glow could be had. By means of this the boys frequently glanced at their watches.