"Here!" called Fred, who had left the wheel and was standing in the bow holding a rope in his hand. "Catch this!" He had hastily tied a noose in the end and as he threw this toward the struggling boy, Grant fortunately grasped it.
By a supreme effort he managed to slip one arm through the noose and as soon as this had been done Fred instantly began to pull. Several times in spite of all the care Fred was exercising, the heads of Grant and his companion were drawn beneath the water. Still Grant managed to maintain his hold upon the girl and in a brief time they were drawn alongside the Black Growler.
"I can't pull you both up," called Fred in his excitement.
"No," gasped Grant. "I don't think you can pull either one of us."
While he was speaking he had contrived to slip the noose over the shoulders and under the arms of his companion. As soon as this had been done, he released his hold and said to Fred, "You can keep her head out of the water anyway. If your noose holds she's all right."
"What are you going to do?" demanded Fred.
"I'm all right," responded Grant as turning himself upon his back he floated with the current and obtained a brief rest.
Meanwhile John and George had drawn Miss Susie Stevens to the canoe and seized her by her hands. John had been seated in the stern but now he stretched himself upon the bottom of the little craft and reached over with his hands, one on each side of the canoe, and held the girl up so that she was able to breathe, although he did not attempt to draw her out of the water. "Take your paddle," he called to George. "I've got her all right, but make for the Black Growler. There's no knowing what will happen."
In this manner the canoe slowly was paddled toward the motor-boat, but Fred was holding the rope by which the second girl was held and consequently was unable to respond to the appeal of his friends to come to their aid.
Meanwhile the motor-boat was drifting with the current and there was grave danger that she might run aground on some one of the numerous islands.