Then suddenly there came a shriek from some boy left on the other side of the island as a sentinel. He came flying, yelling his distress.
"Into the boats, boys!" Fred Martin commanded. "Bobby's got them."
They pushed off the two remaining boats and jumped in. At that moment the absent Rockledge boat appeared around the end of the island, and strung behind it, in one, two, three, four order were the boats belonging to the Belden boys. The latter were marooned.
"We've beaten them this time!" yelled Howell Purdy, with delight.
"You bet!" agreed Pee Wee. "We've been more'n a year getting them fixed just right. 'Member, Ginger, I told you and Bobby how those Bedlamites stole all our boats once? How about it now?"
There was great hilarity indeed. The boys from Rockledge manned the Belden boats and the whole flotilla pulled toward the south shore. At this place the lake was quite five miles wide and the island was in the middle. So the pull was quite arduous.
Besides, the wind had come up and there was a threatening black cloud mounting the sky. Soon thunder began to mutter in the distance, and the lightning tinged the lower edge of this cloud.
The first heavy thunder shower of the season was approaching.
As they rowed to the mainland, the Rockledge boys could see their enemies standing disconsolately on the shore, and wistfully looking after their boats.
"They'll get a nice soaking," declared Shiner. "Oh! maybe I'm not glad!"