Then, as the other wheel
also became disabled and ceased its mad churnings, the boat lay with
her head up-stream, drifting helplessly with the current. The packet
was not more than a couple of hundred feet from the raft when its wild
progress was thus checked, and now the barkings of the dog, that had
already attracted the boy's attention, were heard more plainly than
before.
All at once Billy Brackett, who had regained the wave-washed deck of
the raft, called out, "It's Bim! I know his voice!"
With this he again sprang into the skiff, with the evident intention of
attempting to rescue his four-footed comrade. Winn Caspar was just in
time to scramble in over the stern as the skiff shot away. "I may be
of some help," he said.
As they neared the burning boat, they saw that the dog was indeed Bim.
He answered their calls with frantic barks of joy, but refused to leap
into the skiff or into the water, as they urged him to.
He would run back out of their sight instead, and then reappear,
barking frantically all the while. Once he seemed to be dragging
something, and trying to hold it up for their inspection.
"The dear old dog has some good reason for acting in that way," said
Billy Brackett, "and I must go to him."
Winn had not the heart to remonstrate against an attempt to aid Bim,
even though its extreme danger was obvious.
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