Now they could see that both men were in the water up to their waists, pulling the logs of the broken boom into place and fastening them with bits of rope which they had had the presence of mind to take with them.
“They’re not going to get it done in time,” Jack groaned.
“I’m afraid you’re right,” Bob agreed. “They’ve only got about five minutes more at the most.”
Unfortunately the river narrowed slightly just opposite the head of the island, so that, should the logs catch in the island, a jam would be inevitable. Jean and Pierre were working as rapidly as possible, but much still remained to be done and the head of the drive was now close upon them.
“Eet is no go,” Jean declared as he finished tying two logs together.
He was correct for, before he could fasten the peak of the boom to the tying post, the front of the drive struck.
“Never mind, fellows,” Bob shouted as he sprang to the shore. “You did the best you could.”
“Oui, we try ver’ hard, but some man cut most all the tie pieces and we no have time to geet all feexed.”
Fortunately the current at this point is not swift and there was no piling up of the logs. They came to a stop, being wedged into the two channels on either side of the island, as gently as a feather, as Jack described it.
“It’ll simply be a case of picking them out one by one until we get a space big enough to string that boom,” Bob explained to Rex, as they stood looking up the river.