CHAPTER VI
COMRADES IN DISTRESS
It was all a confused nightmare to the boys who went down with thebridge that the rising flood had finally carried away. Theyinvoluntarily gripped the railing tenaciously, because they had thelast words of Max ringing in their ears; and no doubt it was this morethan anything else that enabled them to come through the adventure withfair chances.
Max with his other hand had seized hold of Toby's arm, because theyhappened to be close together at the time. So it was that when hecould catch his breath, after swallowing a gulp or two of muddy water,he called out:
"Are you all right, Toby?"
"Y-y-yep, s-s-seems so, Max!" he heard close to his ear in reply.
"What about the others? Steve, Bandy-legs, how is it with you?"continued Max, unable to see as yet, for his eyes were full of thespray that had dashed around them at the time the bridge carried themdown.
Faint replies came to his ears, one from the left, and the otherwelling up in the opposite direction; but they cheered the heart of theleader greatly. It seemed almost like a miracle that all of themshould have come through with so little damage. Looking backafterwards Max was of the opinion that much of this wonderful luckresulted from the fact that when the bridge swung around and alloweditself to be carried away it did not actually turn over.
They were being swept down-stream at a tremendous pace. Their strangecraft rose and fell on the heaving flood with a sensation that mightcause one to believe he had taken passage on the ocean itself, and wasabout to endure the discomforts of sea sickness.
Turning to look toward the shore Max realized for the first time howrapid was their passage; for when his eyes remained fixed on the wateritself, which was making exactly the same speed as their craft, heseemed to be standing still.
"Max, oh! Max!" came in Steve's voice, a minute later.
"Hello! there, that you, Steve? Can't you make your way over herecloser to us?" was the answer Max sent back; for now he could manage toglimpse the crouching figure from which the excited hail proceeded.
"Sure I can, easy as anything," Steve told him, and immediatelyproceeded to work along the railing, which fortunately remained abovethe water.
Bandy-legs had heard what was said, and from the other side he too camecrawling along, moving like a crab backward, for he wished to keep hisface toward the danger, since every dip of the whirling raft threatenedto allow the waves to overwhelm him, as his position was not so secureas that of the others.
In this fashion, then, they gathered in a clump, gripping the railingwith desperate zeal. Somehow or other the mere fact of gettingtogether seemed to give each of the chums renewed courage.
"Ain't this a fierce deal, though?" Steve was saying, as drenched fromhead to foot he clung there, and looked at the swirling flood by whichthey found themselves surrounded, with the shore far away on eitherhand.
"B-b-beats anything I ever s-s-struck!" chattered Toby, whose teethwere apparently rattling like castanets, either from cold orexcitement, possibly a little of both.
"We're in a tight hole, that's a fact," Max admitted, "but we ought tobe thankful it's no worse than it is. One of us might have been sweptloose, and drowned, or had a hard time getting around. We're alltogether, and it'll be queer if we can't figure out some way to getashore, sooner or later."
"That's the ticket, Max; 'never give up the ship,' as Lawrence saidlong ago," was the way Steve backed the leader up.
"Huh!" grunted Bandy-legs, who had bumped his head, and because it feltsore he was not in the happiest mood possible; "that's just what we'rewantin' to do, if you c'n call this turnin' twistin' raft a ship.Makes me dizzy the way she reels and cavorts; just like she might betrying one of them new fangled dance steps."
"Listen! what was that?" exclaimed Max, breaking in on Bandy-legs'complaint.
"What did you think you heard?" asked Steve, eagerly; "we're too faraway from either shore right here to hope for anything, because youremember the banks of the Evergreen are low after passing our town, andthe water's had a chance to spread itself. Whew! it must be half amile across here, and then some."
"There it came again," said Max. "And seems to me it sounded like ahalf-drowned shout for help."
"What, away out here?" cried Steve; "who under the sun could be wantingus to give him a helping hand, d'ye think, Max?"
"I don't know, but at a time like this you can look for anything tohappen. Perhaps there were other people carried away on the flood.Look around, and see if you can glimpse anything."
The water was not quite so riotous now, since it spread over a widerterritory; and the boys had succeeded in getting their eyes clear; sothat almost immediately Bandy-legs was heard to give a shout.
"I see him, fellers!" he announced, excitedly; "over yonder, andswimmin' to beat the band! He's tryin' to make the floating bridgewe're on, but seems like the current keeps agrippin' him, and holdin'him back. Looks like he's mighty near played out in the bargain."
"Why, however could he have got there, and who is he, d'ye reckon,Max?" Steve inquired, turning as usual to the leader when a knottyproblem was to be solved.
"I think I know," replied Max, without hesitation; "you seem to haveforgotten that we weren't alone on the bridge when it fell."
"Oh! shucks! yes, you mean that Shack Beggs!" Bandy-legs suggested, andthere was a vein of disappointment and indifference in his voice thatMax did not like.
True, that same Shack Beggs had been one of the most aggressive oftheir foes in Carson. From away back he in company with a few otherchoice spirits of like mean disposition had never let an opportunityfor annoying the chums pass. On numerous occasions he had plannedmiserable schemes whereby Max, or some of his best friends, would beseriously annoyed.
All the same that could be no excuse for their turning a deaf ear tothe wild appeal for help which the wretched Shack was now sendingforth. He was human like themselves, though built on different lines;and they could never hold their own respect if they refused to hold outa helping hand to an enemy in dire distress.
"We've just _got_ to try to get Shack up here with us, boys, if thechance comes our way," said Max, firmly.
"S'pose we have," muttered Bandy-legs, moodily; and his manner was asmuch as to say that in his opinion the young scoundrel struggling therein the water was only getting something he richly deserved; and that ifit rested with him he would feel inclined to let Shack stay there untilthe extreme limit.
"But how can we do anything for him, Max?" asked Steve, who was not sobitter as Bandy-legs, and already began to feel a little compassiontoward the wretched boy struggling so desperately in the agitatedwater, and nearly exhausted by his efforts.
"There's a small chance," said Max, who had been looking more closelythan any of his chums. "You see this piece of the broken bridge keepson turning around in the water all the while. Now we've got the westshore on our right hand, and pretty soon we'll have the east side thatway. Well, perhaps we'll swing around next time far enough for us tostretch out and give Shack a helping hand."
"I believe you're right, Max," admitted Steve; "yes, she's swingingright along, and if he's wise he'll work in this way as much as he can.But, Max, if we do pass him by without being able to reach him, it'sgoing to be hard on Shack, because he looks like he's nearly all in,and won't be on top when we come around again."
"Then we've just got to reach him, you see!" returned Max, with thatglow in his eyes the others knew so well, for it generally meantsuccess to follow.
The fragment of the broken bridge continued to move around as the swirlof the waters kept turning it. Max was watching eagerly, and makinghis calculations with as much earnestness as though it were one of hischums in peril instead of their most bitter enemy.
He believed there was a good chance for him to reach Shack, if he couldmanage in some way to stretch out from the end of the railing justbeyond where Toby clung. And acting on this inspiration he hastilyclambered past the other.
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br /> "What's doing, Max?" demanded Toby, immediately.
"If I can reach him at all it's got to be from the end of the rafthere, the further point, don't you see?" Max replied, still pushingalong, with Toby close at his heels, ready now to assist to the best ofhis ability.
So Max, on reaching the extreme tip of the uneasy raft, climbed out asfar as he could go, and called back to Toby to grip him by the legs sothat he might have both hands free to work with when the criticalmoment arrived.
It could not be long delayed, for as they swung slowly in the grip ofthe swirling current he could see the swimming Shack's head close by.Once the almost exhausted boy disappeared, and Max felt his heart givea great throb as he thought it was the very last he would ever see ofShack; but almost immediately afterwards the head came in sight again,for Shack was a stout fellow, and desperation had nerved him toaccomplish wonders.
Presently Max gritted his teeth together for the effort he meant to putforth, and upon which so much depended.
"Swim this way as hard as you can, Shack!" he had shouted again andagain, and the boy in the river was evidently bent on doing what he wastold, though hardly able to sustain himself on account of completeexhaustion, added to a severe case of fright.
Then the crisis came. Max had figured nicely, and knew to a fractionof a second just when he must make his clutch for the swimmer. Shacksaw what was coming, and as though ready to give up and sink if thiseffort to save him failed, he threw out one of his hands despairinglytoward Max.
As he managed to clutch the swimmer's wrist Max braced himself, andgradually drew Shack toward the woodwork of the floating bridge, aninch as it were at a time, but constantly coming.
Presently he had him close enough for Steve, who with Bandy-legs wasnear by, to get a frenzied grip on the other arm of the exhausted boy;and then together they managed to help him aboard.
It was necessary that they change their position quickly, since theircombined weight at one end of the wreckage of the bridge was causing itto sink in an ominous way.
"Move along there, Bandy-legs and Steve!" called Max; "or we'll beunder water!"
Fortunately the other boys realized what was meant, and they hurriedaway, constantly clinging to the friendly railing which had proven sovaluable all the while, in keeping them from being washed overboard.
Max helped Shack crawl along, for the boy was panting for breath, andalmost choked with the vast quantities of water he had swallowed.
In this way they presently reached their old positions about the middleof the floating timbers. It was a wild picture that confronted them asthey now took the time to look around them. The river was narrowingsomewhat again and of course the current became considerably swifter onthis account, so that the bridge raft rocked violently back and forth,sometimes even threatening them with a fresh disaster in the shape of ajam, and consequent overturn.
"My stars! what's the answer going to be to this thing?" Steve calledout, after one of these exciting experiences, during which it was withconsiderable difficulty that the whole of them maintained their hold.
Max had seen to it that the tired Shack was fastened to the rail with astrap he chanced to have in his pocket at the time; only for thatpossibly the other might have lost his weakened grip, and been carriedoff.
"Oh! don't think of giving up yet, Steve," Max sang out cheerily; "thefurther we get downstream the more chances there are that we'll eitherbe rescued by men in boats, or else find a way ourselves to get ashore.We've got so much to be thankful for that it seems as if we'd soon hiton a way out. Keep watching, and if some eddy in the current happensto throw us on a bar close to the shore, we'll hustle to reach land thebest we know how, no matter where it is, or how far from home."
"T-t-that's what I s-s-say," stammered Toby; "all I w-w-want is to feelthe g-g-good old g-g-ground under my f-f-feet again. I never thoughtit could be so n-nice as it seems right now."
"You never miss the water till the well runs dry!" chanted Bandy-legs,now getting over his fit of depression, and beginning to pluck up newcourage and spirits.
"We are whooping it up at a mile a minute clip, ain't we, Max?" Steveasked, a short time later.
"Well, I'd hardly like to say that, Steve," answered the other; "butwe're certainly making pretty swift time, twenty miles an hour, perhapsnearer thirty, I'd say. And that's going some, considering that wehaven't any motor to push us along."
"And didn't they tell me it was about twenty miles down the valley thatAsa French lived?" Steve went on to say, showing that even in thedreadful grip of the flood he had remembered that Bessie French wassomewhere down below, and possibly also exposed to the perils thatthreatened all who lived along the banks of the furious Evergreen River.
Max too had given more than a few thoughts to this fact during theearlier part of that eventful day.
"The way we're going," he told Steve, "we ought to be down there beforea great while; and let's hope we'll strike luck, and get a chance to goashore."
"And also find the girls all right," added Steve, who had apparentlyquite forgotten how Bessie had recently cut him cruelly, whilesuffering from an unfortunate misunderstanding.
"But what ails Toby there; he seems to be excited over something?" Maxwent on to exclaim; for Toby was bending forward, and showed plainevidences of growing interest.
"Hey! fellers!" he now burst out with, "just looky there, will you?We're in for a f-f-fresh lot of t-t-trouble seems like. W-w-watch himp-p-pop up again, would you? Whew! but he's a b-b-bouncer, too,biggest I ever saw in my born days, and must be twenty feet long. Max,it's a s-s-sure enough s-s-sea serpent, ain't it, now?"
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