CHAPTER XXIV.

LOST ON LAKE OKECHOBEE.

THERE was no word spoken by those on theboat save now and then as Captain Sammy

uttered an order in a sharp, quick tone, that toldquite as plainly as did the surroundings the perilin which they were placed.

Bobby was kept bailing steadily, and eventhen the water would have increased faster thanit could have been disposed of if the little cap-tain had not assisted from time to time.

The wind was fast increasing in violence, untilthe waves in that inland sea appeared almost ashigh as on the ocean, and all the skill of thehelmsman could not prevent them from break-ing over the frail craft every few moments.

The boys labored manfully at the oars, butmuch of their strength was spent in vain, owingto the fact that at least half of the time theoaken blades were too high out of the water, ortoo deep in, because of the violence and heightof the waves.

For nearly an hour this useless struggle wascontinued, and nothing had been seen of the

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Pearl. Owing to the fact that he had no meansof directing his course it was very probablethat they were headed in any other than theright direction, and Captain Sammy also knewvery well that they might have run within adozen yards of her without being aware of thefact.

It had begun to rain, and, if the gale continuedto increase, as indeed it promised to, the littleboat could not ride another hour.

Captain Sammy would have put about andlet the wind drive them on to the shore sometime before he did, if it had not been for thedanger that would attend the turning of the boat;their only safety had been to keep her right inthe teeth of the wind, but now that it was cer-tain that they would be swamped very soon asthey were going, the little man decided that theattempt must be made.

It was the only chance to save their lives, andhe gave the order to cease rowing.

"I am going to try to get her around," heshouted, "so be ready with your oars the instantI give the word."

Not one of the boys there, with the possibleexception of Bobby, was ignorant of the dangerattending this attempt, and they knew that theirlives depended upon the promptness with whichthey obeyed the orders.

For a few moments the wind forced the little

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craft directly backward, and then, as her bowrose on the wave, it swung her around, flingingher down into the chasm of waters sideways.

"Pull, Charleyl Back water, Dare!" criedCaptain Sammy, sharply, knowing only too wellthat, if she was not turned while in the troughof the sea, she would almost certainly beswamped as she rose on the next wave, and at thesame time he leaned over, helping Dare with hisoar.

The manoeuvre was successful, but it was notaccomplished a second too soon, since almost theinstant it was done the little craft came up onthe crest of the wave and the wind howledaround around them in a gust that was almostlike a hurricane.

"Now row just enough to keep steerage-wayon, and don't put out too much strength," saidthe little man, as he devoted all his attention tokeeping the boat full before the wind.

There was nothing more that could be done,and the party waited in terrible suspense for theshock which should tell them they had reachedthe land while the little craft scudded beforethe gale as if she had a sail set.

Of course Captain Sammy knew that if theyshould strike the shore of the lake where therewas a hard beach the boat would be stove, butagainst such an accident he could take no pre-cautions, and it was far better to wreck their

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boat where they could gain the land than try tosave the craft and be swamped.

The rain seemed to descend in torrents, andTommy was obliged to help Bobby in his workof bailing, or they might have been swampedby the weight of rain-water that poured into her.

"Of course you know that we're running forthe shore?" said Captain Sammy, after they haddashed along in silence for some time, "andwhen we strike it will be with great force, sokeep yourself prepared for it. After the firstshock tells that she is fast, make for the land ifyou can see it; if not, stand by the boat untilI've made the attempt."

From that time for fully an hour-and in theirsuspense it seemed as though it must be nearlymorning-the party waited for the boat to strikethe beach, all knowing only too well that, if theychanced to come upon some one of the tiny is-lands instead of the shore, there was every dan-ger of their being washed entirely over it.

When at last the shock did come every one,save Captain Sammy, was hurled from his seat,and it was impossible to distinguish anythingwhich told that they were near the land.

The boat's bow was stove in such a way thatshe filled with water almost immediately, andit was as if they had been thrown into the lake.

Captain Sammy was about to leap over theside, to attempt to make his way to the land, if

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indeed they were on the shore of the lake, whenTommy scrambled toward him and said, almostimploringly,

"I can swim better than you can, an' it won'tmake so much difference if I should be drowned,so let me go first;" and then, without waitingfor an answer, he plunged over the side, beingimmediately lost to view.

It would have been useless for Tommy to havewaited for a reply, for Captain Sammy madenone; it seemed as if it was impossible for himto speak; and when he passed his hand over hiseyes it was not all fresh water that he wipedaway.

Clinging to the sides of their shattered boat,the party waited for some sound which shouldcome from Tommy, telling that he had gainedthe shore in safety, or for the long silence whichwould proclaim the horrible fact that he hadlost his life in trying to save others.

The waves were making a clean sweep overthem, and it seemed as if each minute of thatwaiting was fully an hour long.

Then Dare fancied he could hear some onecalling, and, as he raised himself up to listen,he saw Tommy close beside him, the wind caus-ing his voice to sound as if he was a long distanceaway.

"We are on a good hard beach," he shouted,"and all you'll have to do is to wade ashore."

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At this news, which told that they had beenwaiting in dread within twenty feet of the main-land, the boys jumped out, and Captain Sammyordered them to drag the wreck of the boat upwith them, that the surf might not entirelydestroy her.

On the beach it was no more possible to dis-tinguish objects than when they had been onthe water, but Captain Sammy led the waystraight ahead, that they might gain some shelterfrom the storm in the woods.

But the gale was so furious that it was impos-sible to find any shelter deserving of the name,and as they stood beside the enormous trees,which bent before the storm like reeds, they hadeven a better idea of the force of the wind thanwhen they were scudding before it on the lake.

While they were standing there, and beforethey had done anything toward trying to bettertheir condition, Captain Sammy bethought him-self of another and still more serious troublewhich might have befallen them.

"You let go the anchor to-night, Tommy,didn't you?"

"Yes, sir.""Which one did you use?""The smallest one; it had been used the night

before, and so I let it go to-night.""Then there is every chance that the Pearl

is a greater wreck by this time than the boat is,"

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said Captain Sammy, solemnly; "for it doesn'tseem possible that one anchor, even if it hadbeen the heavy one, could hold her against thisgale."

There was no reply made to this ominous sug-gestion. Each one of the party knew of thedangers and privations which would be theirs,even though they did succeed in getting out ofthe Everglades, in case the Pearl had beenwrecked, and to their present misery was addedthe horrible fear that they were, in truth, hope-lessly wrecked on the shores of that inlandsea.

Their two days' voyage of discovery had takenthem just as much farther from the Caloosahat-chee River, down which they must go to thecoast, and they were that distance farther in theEverglades, through which it might be impos-sible to make their way on foot.

Their situation was a desperate one, whetherthe Pearl was safe or not; and they were farfrom bettering it by standing there in the stormthinking of the dreadful fate the future mighthave in store for them.

"Come," said the little man, who was the firstto arouse from the stupor of dread and fear intowhich all had fallen, "standing here shiveringwon't mend matters, and what we've got to do isto try to get up some kind of a shelter, or we shallall be dissolved before morning."

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He had tried to speak in a cheery tone, andit had a good effect, for the boys began to movearound, which was far better than standing idle,even if they could not better their condition.

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