“This suits me better than what’s waiting for us outside,” he said, and dropped to his old place on the floor.
Paul joined him.
“Whew!” said the city youth, after a little. “Tell you, I never knew before what a comfort a fire could be!”
CHAPTER XVI
BLIND TRAILS
From closets and sheds and attics Mrs. Grant produced an amazing supply of rubber coats and boots, oilskins and sou’westers.
“Here, now, boys, fit yourselves out,” she directed. “Or, if you can’t fit yourselves, come the nearest you can. Most of these things Mr. Grant has used one time or another, but they’ll turn water more or less. And looks won’t count—there’ll be nobody to see you. And you’ll find the other boys, of course, and when you do, bring ’em right here. And then we’ll have a good, hot supper, and everybody’ll feel better.”
This was spoken bravely enough; but it was clear that Mrs. Grant was worried, if not greatly alarmed, by the absence of Varley and the Shark. Sam and his friends made haste to equip themselves. In two or three cases high overshoes were esteemed sufficient protection for the feet, but the other boys were glad to turn to boots. Every boy found something in the shape of a rain-coat; for the downpour out-of-doors made all possible covering desirable. Some of the garments were grotesquely large for the wearers, but nobody made a joke of this. In fact, the club was quite of opinion that real work lay before the searchers.
Sam noticed that while Mr. Grant sent a farm-hand to the barn with orders to harness a horse, the farmer himself proposed to accompany the party on foot. There was a little consultation on the porch.
“We ought to scatter, of course,” Mr. Grant declared. “Some can scout up the road, and some down. Others can strike across lots to the sugar camp and spread out from there. Then, if need be, I can send down to the foot of the valley for news. A rig’ll be ready to go.”
Nobody made answer for a moment. A trip to the foot of the valley would mean that there was reason to believe the Shark and Varley had fallen into the river and been carried down-stream.