There was a splash in the water, and the sound of rapidly receding oars, but there was no one at the landing.

“What has become of Gerald?” asked Rand, looking around.

“He can’t be far off,” replied Donald, “Give him a call.”

“Hello-o-o, Gerald!” shouted Rand, but Gerald did not answer.

“Hello, there!  What’s ail the noise about?” demanded Colonel Snow, who had followed Pepper onto the landing.  “Why, boys, what are you doing here?”

“We can’t find Gerald,” explained Donald, who was looking in ail kinds of impossible places.

“I shouldn’t think you would in such a place as that,” said the colonel, as Donald turned over some small boxes.  “What is it now, hide and seek, or has Gerald been losing himself?”

“I don’t know,” replied Rand.  “We heard that Monkey Rae was going to smash the shell tonight, so we came down to catch him, but he got away from us.”

“Monkey Rae again!” exclaimed the colonel.  “I should think there was at least half a dozen of him the way he gets around.  But what has that got to do with Gerald?”

“Why, Gerald was out here on the landing, and now we can’t find him.  I don’t know what has become of him, or if he is just hiding for fun,” explained Rand; “though I don’t see where he could hide here,” he added.

“Sure of that?” questioned the colonel.  “Let’s take another look around.”  Lighting a lantern from the boathouse they made a thorough search of the place without finding anything of their missing comrade.

“Perhaps he got tired of waiting and went home,” suggested the colonel.

“That wouldn’t be Gerald,” averred Rand and Donald.  “He wouldn’t go off and leave us without saying anything and, besides, he was here when they came, for he gave us the signal.”

“Well, he isn’t here now,” decided the colonel after another look around.  “Hello, Gerald!” he called, and the boys sounded the call on their bugles.

“He ought to answer that if he is anywhere around,” said Rand.

“Do you think they could have carried him off?” asked Pepper.

“I don’t know what to think,” replied the colonel.  “It’s queer.  You boys certainly have an amazing faculty for getting into trouble.”

“But how did you get here?” asked Rand.

“I was just taking a stroll,” replied the colonel, “when I heard the noise and came down to see what it was.”

CHAPTER XXI

A SURPRISE

“W-W-what was that?” stammered Pepper.  “I t-thought I heard a cry.  T-t-there it is again,” as a faint call came from the river.

The three boys were standing on the landing with Colonel Snow, still discussing the mysterious disappearance of Gerald.

“T-that you, Gerald?” shouted Pepper.

“Where are you?” cried Donald; but, without waiting for a reply, he threw off his coat and shoes and plunged into the river, swimming in the direction from which the cry had come,