"There," said Budd, panting with his exertions; "I wish I could find the under-gear, and then I could return the whole vehicle to its owner, safe and sound."
"Possibly we might find it if we searched for it," replied Judd, walking down to the roadway between "The Hummocks" and where his comrade had been swept off. Turning about, he looked off toward the island. "There," he said, with a wave of his hand--"a straight line from here touches the open end of the dock. Along that line somewhere you were thrown into the cart-bed, probably as it came to the surface; and beneath that spot, or somewhere near it, lies the wheels. How far off shore were you when that happened?"
"I can't tell," answered Budd. "It seemed to me a terrible long distance, and yet it may not have been. If we only had a water-glass we might row over to the island from this point, examining the bottom of the bay the whole distance."
"What is a water-glass?" asked his chum, with interest.
"I think I can make one," replied Budd, with energy. "You want a board tube about eighteen inches deep, with a glass set in at one end. You then put your face at the other and put the glass end a little beneath the surface, and the bottom of the sea for some distance around can be seen."
"We'll make one right away and try it," declared Judd, with enthusiasm. "If it works well, we can use it for a good many purposes. There is an eight-by-ten pane of glass over at the house. Is that large enough?"
"I think so--come on," responded his companion; and the next moment the yawl was on its way back to the island with a speed that fairly made the water foam at its bow.
It took but a half-hour to make the glass. Four boards of the requisite length were nailed together, forming a tube of just the size to take in the pane of glass at one end. A half-inch inside of this end a row of tacks were driven nearly to their head; then the glass was carefully dropped down until it rested upon them. Another row of tacks driven just outside of the glass completed the arrangement for holding it in place, and the instrument was finished. It now only remained to try it, and Budd ran down to the yawl, followed by his chum. They pushed the boat forty or fifty feet off shore, and put the water-glass to its test. To their delight it proved a perfect success, and through it the tiniest objects on the sea-bottom were clearly discernible.
"We had better go over to the point where the cart was swept off into the bay, to begin our search. Doubtless the under-gear is nearer that shore than this," suggested Budd.
His companion made no objection, and for the second time that morning they crossed to "The Hummocks."