“A foot under water!” murmured the camp-worker. “Say, we better git out! First thing you know this hull island will be under! An’ if thet dam breaks––”
“Oh, the dam!” gasped Buster. “I forgot about that! They say it isn’t safe at all! That is why all the other campers got out! Yes, we 234 must leave the island and go to the shore.” He turned to Dave. “Did you come alone?”
“Yes, Buster. I’ll tell you all about it later. But now we must find Phil.”
“I thought he was right behind me,” came from Ben. He looked greatly distressed. “I wonder if anything happened to him? Maybe he slipped off the rocks into the river!”
“We must look for him!” cried Dave, and reached for his coat and cap. “Show me the way you came, Ben.”
Ben was nothing loath, and side by side the two chums ran outside into the storm, and in the direction of the upper end of the island. They had gone but a short distance when they reached a low spot and here suddenly found themselves in water several inches deep.
“Hello, you are taking me into the river!” cried Dave.
“This isn’t the river!” answered Ben, with a gasp. “Gosh! how the water is rising! This was dry when I came over it before!”
“Dry!” ejaculated our hero. “Ben, are you sure?”
“Positive! Say, the water is rising to beat the band! I guess we had better get out! If we don’t we’ll have to swim for it!”