"That's so, Don," said Joe. "I wish we were all safe out of this scrape."
Some of the boys had taken the precaution to throw their rods well up on the rocks, and with these they tried to rescue the floating baskets and rods, but with a limited success; only a few could be recovered.
It was a great temptation to Joe and Dave, knowing of the look-out on the edge of the cliff and yet keeping away from it; but they understood too well the risk that would be run by a crowd of careless, venturesome boys, who would never believe that they could come to harm by just looking over the edge of the cliff, however steep it might be.
The time seemed very long as they waited for Mr. Kramer's return, or some tidings from the missing boys.
"Pretty near high tide," exclaimed Joe soberly, as he held his watch for Dave to see.
"The boat is around there by this time, and the question is now whether they are to be taken off that way or left to wait for the tide to get as low as it was when they dodged around that place."
"Why, isn't Mr. Kramer going to take them off anyway?" asked Lewis Germaine.
"Not if he finds they are safe without it. He won't risk his boat in there if they can be saved any other way. The water rushes in there like a mill-race, and sweeps out again the same way."
"Then we may have to wait two or three hours yet before we can see the boys!" exclaimed Don.
"Yes," said Joe, "all that time."