"
CHAPTER VIII.
DISAPPEARANCE OF THE RAFT.
When Winn and his new acquaintance stepped outside of the "shanty," it
did not seem to the boy that the river was falling, or that the raft
was in a particularly dangerous position. He would have liked to
examine more closely into its condition, but his companion so occupied
his attention by describing the manner in which he proposed to remove
the wheat, and so hurried him into the waiting skiff, that he had no
opportunity to do so.
The "river-traders'" camp was not visible from the raft, nor did Mr.
Gilder, who handled the oars, head the skiff in its direction. He
rowed diagonally up-stream instead, so as to land at some distance
above it. There he asked Winn to wait a few minutes until he should
discover in which direction his partners had gone. He explained that
one of them had been left in camp at a considerable distance from that
point, while he and the third had been rowing along the shore of the
island in opposite directions, searching for drift-logs. Thus he alone
had discovered the stranded raft. Now he wished to bring them to that
point, that they might see it for themselves before he explained the
proposed wheat deal. With this Mr. Gilder plunged directly into the
tall timber, leaving Winn alone on the river-bank.
Pages:
42
43
44
45
46
47
48
49
50
51
52
53
54
55
56
57
58
59
60
61
62
63
64
65
66