“Out o’ where—the cave?” inquired the older boy.
“No, out o’ the water.”
“Out o’ the water? I wasn’t in the water.”
“You wasn’t?” Frank’s eyes opened very wide again. He had been assured of this before, but it was as incredible from Hal. Still with a wondering look in his eyes and disbelief in his voice, he continued, putting one hand on his friend’s left arm:
“Hal, I saw you fall. You went down, down. I saw you, oh, I did.”
The other laughed outright. The laugh was so merry and hearty that presently Frank wasn’t so sure of what he had seen as he thought he had been. Then Hal gave his delusion a further jar by saying:
“No you didn’t do any such thing, Frank. I didn’t fall at all. Is that what made you run away so fast? It was getting dark, you know, and maybe there was a shadow in the water that looked like me falling.”
“That must have been it,” declared Frank with a big sigh of relief. Then he laughed hysterically, for the picture in his memory had changed. Instead of a falling boy, he saw a shadow, or a dark-colored patch of water, in the tumbling flood.
That settled it. Frank recovered his nerve, but he was a much quieter boy for several days after. He was fourteen years old, his voice had already “changed,” and he was begging permission from his parents to wear long trousers on “dress” occasions; hence, it was no wonder that such an experience as he had recently gone through should convince him that it was about time for him to mend his ways.
Lakefarm was a comparatively tame place for several days following the happenings in Mummy Cañon. After the affair had been thoroughly discussed by the boys and nothing more of interest could be found, the subject was laid aside and picked up only now and then. The bag of specimens was returned to its owner and little more was heard concerning that for some time. But the aviator, Mr. Miles, continued to be of interest, for the boys looked eagerly forward to the time when his broken bones would be sufficiently mended to enable him to be among them and tell them stories of his adventures.