By this time the wind was blowing more furiously than ever and the cadets found it all they could do to get to shore. Fortunately they found a small inlet where, among the bushes, it was comparatively quiet. In the meanwhile the upturned boat drifted away and was lost to sight in the darkness.
“Is Randy all right?” questioned Gif anxiously, flashing a searchlight he carried.
“He’s pretty well used up,” returned Fred. “But I think he’ll come around.”
An instant later Randy gave a deep gasp and then opened his eyes. Then he commenced to cough and presently sat up.
By this time it had begun to rain and the boys could see that they were in for a sudden summer storm. At first the rain came down gently, but soon there was a heavy downpour and all were glad to seek the shelter of some overhanging trees.
In the meanwhile several of the boys did what they could for poor Randy. He felt rather weak from his thrilling experience, and had little to say. But they knew he would get over it, and for this they were exceedingly thankful.
“Gee! if he’d been drowned I don’t know what we should have done,” Jack said, with a shudder.
“Please don’t mention it, Jack!” returned Andy. “If anything like that had happened to Randy I’d never have been able to go home and face mother and father.”
“It shows how careful we’ve got to be when we’re out on this lake,” came from Fred. “Gif warned us about those snags.”
“This is the only part of the lake where those snags exist,” said Gif. “The rest of the lake is perfectly clear and deep enough for any ordinary boat. Father used to warn us against coming up along this shore. He always said it was much safer to go outside, even if one rowed around some of those islands.”