The two unfortunate victims had caught sight of the cadets, who had by this time come as close to them as the rocks on the bank permitted. The man waved his arm frantically toward them.
"Can't you swim?" yelled Jack, to make himself heard above the wind and the rushing of the water.
"I'm caught fast!" the man gasped out. "And my son is caught fast too."
"Both of my feet are fast!" screamed the boy. "Oh, please help us! Don't leave us here to be drowned!"
"It's a couple of logs of wood that are holding us," went on the man in a hoarser tone than ever. "They are jammed in between us and some rocks and a floating tree. If you can only start the tree, maybe we can get out of here."
Both the man and the boy were in the rushing water up to their armpits, and occasionally the dashing element would fly over them in a spray that hid them completely from view.
"Oh, boys, this is awful!" groaned Fred. "Can't we do something for them?"
"We've got to do something," answered Jack. "We can't leave them there to drown."
"But what are we going to do?" demanded Andy soberly.
"He said something about loosening the tree that has drifted up alongside them," came from Randy. "Do you think we can do it, Jack?"