CHAPTER XXIX
THE RESCUE ON THE RIVER
It did not take long to run the automobiles down the road and up a side lane leading to the farmer's house. Here the ladies got out, and then the machines were placed in a barn.
"You will do all you can to find my brother?" wailed Ada Waltham, anxiously.
"Yes, we'll do our level best," answered Dick; and Tom and Sam said practically the same.
The Rovers consulted with Mr. Barlow and his son, James, and all five walked down as close to the edge of the river as the effects of the cloudburst would allow. They saw bushes, trees, and parts of buildings coming down the swiftly-flowing stream, the waters of which were now thick with mud.
"Here is my rowboat," announced the farmer, pointing to where the craft was tied fast to a large tree. "You can use it if you want to, but it looks to me like rather a hopeless matter to try to do anything while the river is raging like this. You had better wait until it calms down a little."
"The trouble of it is, it may then be too late," answered Tom. He looked at his brothers. "I think we can manage it," he added.
The matter was discussed for fully a quarter of an hour, and during that time the storm seemed to let up a little. The first awful effects of the cloudburst were passing, and the water was going down slowly but surely.
"We'll try it," announced Dick, at last. "If we can't manage the rowboat we'll come ashore farther down the stream."