They could hear the life saving corps yelling orders and the storm bell sounding out constantly in the distance. It was as they came to the street that cut down past the National, that Frank and his friends paused to survey a scene of great excitement. The street, as has been already noted, dropped away from the boardwalk to a depression fully twenty feet below its level. This made it a natural outlet, not only for the waves that beat up over the boardwalk, but also for what drained laterally on both sides. “Why, it’s like a regular water course,” declared Frank. “I say, there’s someone needing help.” “Just look at the National!” exclaimed Pep, as they returned from carrying some crying children away from the menace of the flood. The rival playhouse stood at the lowest part of the depression. A long platform ran to its entrance. This was fully four feet under water and the lower story of the place was two steps lower down. Here the surplus water had gathered, growing deeper every minute. The street in front was impassable, and running two ways a veritable river, which cut off the National as if it was an island. “I hope no one is in it,” said Frank. “But there is!” cried Randy. “Look, Frank--that window at the side. Someone is clinging to the window frame.” The flashes of lightning, indeed showed a forlorn figure at the spot Randy indicated. And then Vincent, after staring hard, cut in with the sharp announcement: “It’s certainly Jack Beavers!” “Hey, you!” yelled Pep, making a speaking trumpet of his hands and signalling Peter Carrington’s partner. “Help me fellows,” and Pep sprang upon a platform that had drifted away from its original place in front of some store. Frank was beside him in a moment. Randy had got Jolly to help him tear loose a scantling from a step protection. He joined the others, using the board to push their unstable float along. The water was over six feet deep and the scantling was not much help. A great gust of wind whirled them ten feet nearer to the playhouse building. At the same time it blew over the chimney on its top. The boys saw the loosened bricks shower down past the clinging form in the window. “He’s hit!” shouted Pep. “He’s gone down!” Jack Beavers fell forward like a clod and disappeared under the swirling flood. In an instant the motion picture chums acted on a common impulse and leaped into the water after him. CHAPTER XXV CONCLUSION It was a moment of great suspense for Ben Jolly and the ventriloquist as, without a moment’s hesitation, the three motion picture chums dived from their frail raft. The surface of the flood was so strewn with pieces of floating wreckage--the bottom and sides of the newly formed water way so treacherous--that it was a tremendous risk to get into that swirling vortex.