“Hooray!” Peanut cried, “they’re there! They’re flashing a mirror at us!”
“More likely the bottom of a tin plate,” said Rob. “Where’d they get a mirror? Out with your signals!”
Peanut tied a white towel to the end of each staff, and standing as high on the topmost rock as he could, held them out. Against the blue sky, on the peak of Adams, the two boys saw two tiny white specks break out in answer. They were so far away that it was very hard to follow them, to keep the two apart.
“Oh, for a pair of field-glasses!” Rob cried. “Do you think they can get us?”
“If we can get them, they can,” Peanut answered. “Here goes!”
“Woman hurt, bring help, Gulf Side,” he signaled, very slowly.
They both watched, breathless, for the answer, but it was impossible to make out whether they were understood or not.
“Here, you take one flag, and stand up here; you’re taller,” Peanut said, jumping off the rock. “I’ll stand below you. That’ll separate the two more. Now, again!”
Very slowly, holding each letter a long time, and running a few steps to left or right with their flags, they signaled once more, the same message.
This time they saw the answering flags change position. “Good old Lou, he’s done the same trick,” Peanut cried. “Look, I can read it now!”