“How’d they know we were here?” said Bennie, as they both shouted back, and stumbled on more rapidly toward the light.
A moment later they were beside Uncle Billy and Mr. Stone, and out of his pack Uncle Billy was taking a thermos bottle of hot tea, and the boys were drinking it. Around his shoulder, they saw, the doctor had his alpine rope.
“I guess that doesn’t go to the spot!” Bennie exclaimed.
“Never knew tea was so good,” said Spider.
And now followed rapid questions and answers, as the tramp to camp was resumed. No trouble about finding the road now! They had a lantern, and the back tracks of Uncle Billy and Mr. Stone.
“How’d you know where we were?” the boys demanded.
“Watched you with a glass,” said the doctor. “I saw the lake getting rough, after you started across, and I saw that cloud coming. Stone went down the trail to send the launch for you, but the launch was out with a party. Finally it got in under the lee of Wizard Island, and everybody tried to signal it to come across, but it didn’t come, and finally somebody rowed over from it and reported the engine had gone dead and they couldn’t start it. They’re bringing the passengers back now, when the lake’s got quieter.
“By that time, we’d seen you land at Llao Rock, so we planned to row over and get you just as soon as we could, if they didn’t get the launch started up. But then you began to climb.”
The doctor paused.
“Well,” he finally went on, “I had a bad five minutes then, I can tell you. But there was nothing to do about it, so we watched to make sure you were really going to try to make the rim, and then we beat it over here. You made better time up than I thought you could. We expected to get to the rock before you got up. I brought the rope to—to help you.”