“Oh, we get the idea all right,” Jack assured him.
“Well, dust or no dust, they’re certainly getting that log through the water at a faster rate of speed than I would have believed possible,” Rex insisted.
For some time after this no one spoke but all kept their eyes fixed on the two men ahead. The distance was too great for them to see much except that they seemed to be making strenuous efforts to get the utmost speed possible out of their primitive craft, and the distance was, of course steadily increasing.
“There must be something the matter with that boom,” Jack insisted as he shaded his eyes with his hand, “They wouldn’t break their necks to get there so quick if it was all right.”
“Well, I hope they will be able to get it fixed, whatever it is, before we arrive,” Bob declared. “They’ll have just about twenty minutes I should judge,” he added a moment later.
It was about ten minutes later when Jack declared that the two Frenchmen had arrived at their destination.
“They’ve found something wrong,” he announced a little later as he shifted his position to another log.
By this time both Bob and Rex could see that Jack was right. It was plainly evident that the two men were busily engaged in repairing the boom.
“I told you it would be broken,” Jack said. “And what’s more I’ll bet my last year’s straw hat that I can name the party who is responsible for it. Any takers?”
“Nothing like betting on a sure thing,” Bob laughed. “I haven’t a mite of doubt, but that you are right, but we’ll hope that Jean and Pierre get it fixed in time. They certainly are doing their best all right.”