Barry settled the question in an instant, plunging in beside Dan and swimming about excitedly in circles and biting at the floating twigs and leaves. The water was quite warm and, as Dan said, reminded them of Lake Chicora, by whose shore they had all spent the preceding summer. But it wasn’t deep enough for Dan, to whom bathing meant diving, and he set off along the shore in search of deeper water. The others followed, Barry retiring to the shore and barking joyfully as he trotted along. There were some residences on the opposite side of the lake, almost half a mile away, and Bob pointed them out.
“Maybe they don’t allow bathing here,” he said.
“Maybe they don’t,” laughed Nelson; “but it’s too late now. There goes Dan; he’s found a tree trunk to dive off of.”
They had a fine time for half an hour and then swam back in search of the place they had left.
“I don’t see anything that looks like it,” said Tom.
“Nor I,” said Dan. “Say, wouldn’t it be a joke if we couldn’t find our clothes?”
“A mighty poor one,” answered Bob. “We’d ought to have made Barry stay and look after them. Then we’d known where they were.”
“Oh, they’re right along here somewhere,” said Nelson. “We went in opposite that big white house over there, the one with the high chimney on the outside.”
“Huh!” said Dan. “That’s a half mile away. Any place over here is opposite. Let’s go out here and look around.”
They did, and they looked a long time. But finally there was a shout from Tommy, who had meandered off on his own hook.