Focusing their eyes upon it, the boys plunged on through the loose sand. In the semi-darkness Dan paid scant heed to his footing. He stumbled, and then suddenly halted, staring ahead.
A dark object lay half hidden behind a little mound of sand. Unmistakably, the form was human.
“Jeepers!” he whispered. “Jeepers!”
Brad too had seen the figure in the sand and had halted with a jerk.
“What’s this?” he muttered. “Not a joke the Den Dads are pulling on us?”
The form at their feet was that of a boy no older than Dan. One arm outstretched, he lay in a posture of complete exhaustion. His clothing was water-soaked, his dark hair damp.
“This is no joke,” Brad said soberly. “Whoever this youngster is, he’s in bad shape.”
CHAPTER 2
A Coded Message
The dark, curly-haired boy who lay on the sand stirred slightly as Dan and Brad bent down to shake his arm.
Seeing their faces above him, he pulled himself up on an elbow, staring at them with blank expression.