"But why? It seems to me a very natural thing that Bender should use the boat to come over in."
"He never does come over. He always goes to the Neck for his supplies. Cap'n Ben told me so. Come, please come."
She was so evidently anxious that Kenneth said not another word of dissent, but led the shortest way back and before long they had arrived at Cap'n Ben's door. Two or three men were standing outside talking excitedly. Gwen went up to one of them. "What is the matter, Ned?" she asked, for it was Ned Symington whom she questioned.
"Bad news, Miss Gwen," he replied, shaking his head. "Mr. Williams—"
"Not dead"—cried Gwen, clutching his arm, "Please don't say he is dead."
"No, but badly hurt."
Cap'n Ben at this moment came dashing by in his buggy, urging his old horse to its utmost speed. He was on his way to the end of the island, from which point he would be quickly rowed across to the next, and would bring back the physician who lived there, for Fielding's did not boast of a doctor among its winter residents.
"Cap'n Ben's going for the doctor," said Kenneth, who had been speaking to one of the other men. "We can't do anything yet."
"Tell me about it." Gwen turned again to Ned.
"He went over to take some tobaccy to John Bender. They was on the rawks together, John says, looking at some ducks off shore. John took a crack at 'em, and the rawk he was standing on gave way. Soon as Mr. Williams saw him go, he reached out and tried to haul him back, but more rawks had got loose, and he went down, too, with the rawks on top of him. Fortunate for John he'd kind of slid, and wasn't hurt any to speak of, but Mr. Williams got the worst of it."