Over and over, he repeated the message. Whether or not the flags could be correctly interpreted from above, those on the ground had no way of knowing. The plane, however, kept circling. Finally, the pilot dipped the wings in signal.
“They got it!” Ken cried.
The watchers expected the plane to turn and head back toward its base. Instead, it kept circling.
“The pilot is going to try a landing on the lake!”
Warner exclaimed. “He can get in, all right, but will he ever be able to take off again?”
The seaplane came in low, skimmed above the willows, and made a smooth landing. Jack, Ken, and the two men waded out to meet their rescuers.
“You read my wigwag!” Mr. Livingston exclaimed, embracing first Willie and then War, who splashed out into the shallow water.
“Couldn’t get a reading except on one word—‘HELP’,” Willie admitted. “We knew something was really wrong, though, so we risked a landing.”
“Why did you turn back on your first trip here?” Ken demanded.
“Engine trouble,” War explained briefly. “Just as we came in sight of the pass, we had to turn and go back to the base. What’s wrong here?”