Being short of breath Dick jerked out these sentences, but his reassuring words were like balm to the disturbed mind of the boy at his side.
Presently they began to draw nearer the land, a fact that gave the observers the first hint as to what Dick’s plan had been. Cries of alarm changed to ringing huzzas, and several boys could be seen waving their soaked hats in triumph as they pushed through the wet undergrowth to be in a position to meet the others when they landed.
Asa began to recover in a measure from his state of fear. Dick understanding just how he must be feeling, talked confidently to him.
“I must say you did your part well, Asa,” was the way he spoke. “You’re bound to make your mark if you keep on trying. It’s in you I can see well enough. I wouldn’t want a better and pluckier comrade in a boat than you proved to be.”
When the two lads finally drew in to land the thunder was muttering in the distance, the wind had begun to die down, and there was a rift in the clouds overhead. Like many summer squalls, the storm had been of brief duration, and was already of the past.
Still Asa shuddered as he cast a look out toward the main lake, and thought of what might have happened to them except for Dick’s clever handling of the situation.
CHAPTER VIII
THE FIRST NIGHT OUT
Asa was very thankful to be on land again after his recent adventure. He was shivering with cold, and Mr. Rowland realized that the first thing to be done was to push around to the place where the tents had been raised, and get some fires under way.
“Here, everybody turn in and make for the camp!” he called out, when he could get the happy boys to stop shaking hands with Dick and the shivering Asa. “We want warmth, and we want it right away, too. Fire brigade to the fore. Show us what you can do about getting a blaze started.”
Laughing and joking, now that all danger was past, the boys hastened toward the spot where they had pitched their camp. This was at the place used by the berry pickers and what few fishermen came to the lake for sport.