For some time after this no one spoke but all kept their eyes fixed on the two men ahead. The distance was too great for them to see much except that they seemed to be making strenuous efforts to get the utmost speed possible out of their primitive craft, and the distance was, of course steadily increasing. “There must be something the matter with that boom,” Jack insisted as he shaded his eyes with his hand, “They wouldn’t break their necks to get there so quick if it was all right.” “Well, I hope they will be able to get it fixed, whatever it is, before we arrive,” Bob declared. “They’ll have just about twenty minutes I should judge,” he added a moment later. It was about ten minutes later when Jack declared that the two Frenchmen had arrived at their destination. “They’ve found something wrong,” he announced a little later as he shifted his position to another log. By this time both Bob and Rex could see that Jack was right. It was plainly evident that the two men were busily engaged in repairing the boom. “I told you it would be broken,” Jack said. “And what’s more I’ll bet my last year’s straw hat that I can name the party who is responsible for it. Any takers?” “Nothing like betting on a sure thing,” Bob laughed. “I haven’t a mite of doubt, but that you are right, but we’ll hope that Jean and Pierre get it fixed in time. They certainly are doing their best all right.” Now they could see that both men were in the water up to their waists, pulling the logs of the broken boom into place and fastening them with bits of rope which they had had the presence of mind to take with them. “They’re not going to get it done in time,” Jack groaned. “I’m afraid you’re right,” Bob agreed. “They’ve only got about five minutes more at the most.” Unfortunately the river narrowed slightly just opposite the head of the island, so that, should the logs catch in the island, a jam would be inevitable. Jean and Pierre were working as rapidly as possible, but much still remained to be done and the head of the drive was now close upon them. “Eet is no go,” Jean declared as he finished tying two logs together. He was correct for, before he could fasten the peak of the boom to the tying post, the front of the drive struck. “Never mind, fellows,” Bob shouted as he sprang to the shore. “You did the best you could.” “Oui, we try ver’ hard, but some man cut most all the tie pieces and we no have time to geet all feexed.” Fortunately the current at this point is not swift and there was no piling up of the logs. They came to a stop, being wedged into the two channels on either side of the island, as gently as a feather, as Jack described it. “It’ll simply be a case of picking them out one by one until we get a space big enough to string that boom,” Bob explained to Rex, as they stood looking up the river. “Some job,” the latter declared. “Oh, it won’t take so long as you’d think when we get thirty or forty men at it,” Jack said as he joined them.