DICK & CO.  SHOW SOME TEAM WORK

So suddenly and heavily did he break through the thin ice that Dick went underneath the surface.

“Help!” roared Fred, in a frenzy, as he came to the surface.

The skates on his feet clogged all his movements, and acted like lead.

“There’s Ripley, but where’s Prescott?” shouted several.

“A-a-ah!”

That last cry went up as a sound of relief, when Prescott’s brown-haired pate, hatless, bobbed up close to where he had gone down.

“Good boy, Prescott!”

“Go in and get Ripley.”

“Save yourself, anyway!  Don’t be over-foolish!”

A dozen more cries went up from cove and shore.

Yet it is doubtful if Prescott heard any of them.

In the first instant that his eyes came above the level of the water, Dick took in the details of Ripley’s whereabouts.

Dick had to calculate at lightning speed.

“O Prescott,” gasped Fred, when he saw his would-be rescuer, “can’t you break the ice between us?  I can’t keep up much longer.”

“Get hold of the edge of the ice, Ripley,” called Dick.  “Just rest lightly on it.  Don’t try to make it bear your weight—–­it won’t!  It’ll help hold you up, though, if you keep cool.”

“Cool?” groaned Fred.  “I’m freezing.  In pity’s name get to me quickly.”

Fred was so wholly self-centered that it didn’t occur to him that the freshman must be just as chilled as he himself was.

Dick’s legs ached with the cold chill of the icy water.  He was free of the weight of skates, however, and he trod water during the few seconds that he needed for making up his mind what it was best to do.

Much depended upon the help that those on shore gave, but Dick had left his orders with Dave Darrin, and he trusted the shore end to his capable lieutenant.

Fred, though hardly more than able to keep himself afloat, managed to reach the nearest edge of ice.

He clutched at it eagerly, then, disregarding excellent advice, he tried to climb out upon it.

There was another crash.  With another yell, Ripley sank again, to the horror of those on shore.

But Prescott did not see this.  The freshman, after trying to calculate the exact distance across the intervening ice, dived below the glassy surface.  He was swimming, now, under the ice.  As he swam the freshman kept his eyes open, swimming close to the ice, yet not touching it.

So he came up, in the open.  But where was Fred?

“Ripley just sank!” came the hoarse chorus from shore and cove.

This was serious enough.  He who sinks for the second time in icy waters, especially when hampered by skates, may very likely not come up again.

“It must have been about here that he went down,” calculated Prescott, deliberately, as he swam through the open water.  “Now, then!”