"Say, I'm going down to the lake front to see what's doing," declared Randy, a little later. "Perhaps we can be of some a.s.sistance."

"That's the talk! We can't do anything more here," returned his twin.

"Let's all go down!" cried Jack. "We ought to be able to do something for those poor workmen who have been hurt." And then, turning to Ruth, he continued: "If there are any more big explosions and this place seems to be in danger, we'll be back."

"Oh, Jack! I don't want you to run into any danger down at the lake sh.o.r.e," said the girl, looking at him pleadingly with her big brown eyes.

"I guess we'll be able to take care of ourselves," he answered lightly. But it pleased him a great deal to have Ruth so full of consideration for him.

Leaving their automobiles in the school grounds, the Rovers and their chums left the place, crossed the highway, and followed the footpath leading down to the Clearwater Hall boathouse. Here they found only a few people congregated, the heavy-rolling clouds of smoke keeping a good many away.

"Not very pleasant here," was Gif Garrison's comment, after the smoke had made him cough. "I don't think I'm going to stay."

"Neither am I," said Spouter. And presently he and quite a few others left, leaving the four Rovers to themselves.

"You know what I've got an idea of doing?" declared Jack. "Why not get out one of the Clearwater Hall boats and row over a little closer to that place? We may be able to be of some a.s.sistance to some of the workmen."

The others were willing, and soon a large rowboat was brought out, with two pairs of oars, and the four Rovers manned it and sent it well out into the lake.

"We've got to keep our eyes open in this smoke," declared Jack. "It's worse than a fog."

"You're right there," returned Randy. "If some of those poor chaps----"

_Boom!_

Another terrific explosion cut short what he was saying. The very water under the rowboat seemed to shake, and the air presently was filled with flying missiles dropping all around them. Then, as Andy stood up in an endeavor to get a better view of the situation, something came flying through the air, hit him on the shoulder, and hurled him overboard!

CHAPTER IV

A RESCUE ON THE LAKE

"Andy's overboard!"

"Grab him, somebody!"

"Wow! what is this anyway--a bombardment?"

Such were the cries coming from the three Rovers when they saw the luckless Andy lose his balance and go over into the lake with a splash.

"It's fire coming down! We've got to get out of this!" cried Fred, a few seconds later.

The youngest of the Rovers was right. It was indeed a rain of fire that had suddenly descended upon them through the pall of yellowish-black smoke. It was falling into the boat and on their persons. Where it struck the lake it sent out a curious hissing sound.

"Come--let us get Andy aboard again and row out of this as quickly as possible!" gasped Jack.

Andy had disappeared from view, but only for a few seconds. He came up, thrashing around wildly, for he had been almost stunned by the thing which had struck him, a block of wood carried up from the ammunition plant by one of the explosions.

"Steady, Andy, steady! We'll save you!" called out his twin, and as Fred and Jack sent the rowboat in the luckless one's direction, Randy bent over and grabbed his brother by the hand. Then, taking care that the craft should not tip over, Fred and Randy pulled Andy aboard.

"Are you much hurt?" questioned Randy anxiously.

"I--I don't know," was the gasped-out reply. "I--I don't think so, though. What did you slam me in the back for?" Andy demanded of Jack, who had been behind him.

"I didn't hit you. It was a block of wood which came sailing over from the ammunition factory," was the quick reply. "Come on--we've got to get out of here, or the first thing you know we'll be on fire."

"Better wet your clothing," said Andy. "It may help a whole lot."

This was good advice, and the others lost no time in filling their baseball caps with water, which they sprinkled over their shoulders and the other portions of their baseball outfits. They also wet down the bow and stern seats of the rowboat. Then they grabbed up their oars and commenced to row up the lake, trying to get out of the range of both the fire and the smoke.

"Here is what the fire consists of," declared Fred presently, when he caught a whisp of it on his arm. "It's nothing but oil-soaked waste.

They must have had a whole lot of it at that plant, and one of the explosions sent it high into the air and scattered it in every direction."

The boys continued on their way for a few minutes, and then ran into another cloud of smoke. This was of a peculiar bluish-green cast, and seemed so sulphurous they were nearly choked by it.

"Listen!" burst out Andy. "I think I heard somebody calling."

He held up one hand for silence, and all listened attentively. In spite of the roaring of the flames, which were now devouring several of the buildings at the sh.e.l.l-loading plant, and the continual popping of some of the smaller sh.e.l.ls, all heard a frantic cry for a.s.sistance.

"It's somebody calling for help!"

"Where is he?"

"I think the cry came from over yonder," said Jack, in answer to the latter question. "Let's pull over there and see."

All were willing, and the four once more bent to their oars, sending the rowboat through the bluish-green smoke, which almost choked and blinded them.

"h.e.l.lo there!" yelled Fred. "Where are you?"

"Help! Help!" came the cry from off to their left. "Help! Save me!"

The rowboat was turned in that direction, and a few seconds later the Rover boys caught sight through the smoke of a water-logged rowboat to which an elderly man, dressed in the garb of a workman, was clinging.

"Help me! Help me! I can't hang on much longer!" gasped the man, as soon as he saw the boys.

"Sure, we'll help you," declared Jack. "Go slow now," he cautioned his cousins. "We don't want to knock him off into the water."

With care the rowboat was brought around so that they came up alongside of the elderly man. He was glad enough to turn from his water-logged craft to the other boat. But he was well-nigh exhausted, and the Rovers had not a little trouble in getting him on board.

"Tell you what--I'm mighty glad you lads came along," panted the old man, when he was safe. "I couldn't have held out much longer. This is something terrible, ain't it? Say, would you mind hooking that boat fast and pulling it to sh.o.r.e? It belongs to me, and I ain't so wealthy that I can afford to lose it. Besides, it's got some of my things in it."

"We'll take it along unless it keeps us back too much," answered Jack.

And then he bent down, got hold of the bowline of the craft, and tied it fast to their stern. Fortunately the other boat was a small one, so they had not much difficulty in towing it along.

"I'm a dockman over at the ammunition factory," explained the old man.

"And when things began to go off I thought it was high time to get out. I tried to save a few of my things and dumped 'em into my boat and began to pull for the sh.o.r.e. But then one of the big explosions went off, and I got caught in a lot of smoke and a rain of I don't know what, and was nearly rendered senseless. When I came to, I had drifted along to near where you found me. Something must have hit the boat and gone through the bottom, for she was filling with water fast.