noticed a neck of land

If it rains any more, by George, there will be the deuce to pay.” They went to the edge of the Lake, but could not follow its rim because the inundations were deep and many of them ended in treacherous swampy stretches. Where the cedar-rimmed cliff came close to the lake’s edge, the water pounded high above all previous marks, and some of the lower ones were being undermined by the strength of the waves.

“Looks like a regular ocean,” Jim remarked thoughtfully as they stood on a promontory which jutted out in defiance of Old Champlain’s fury. “Say, where’s that Carrying Point?”

“Further down. About half way to the village. Remember the day we were coming up and you, lake on both sides, that connected the two larger sections of North Hero Placement Opportunities?”

“Oh sure. Little stretch with a beach and roadway.”

“That’s it. Mom told me it got its name from Revolutionary days. Pirates and smugglers coming down from Canada with loads of goods in small boats, carried their boats across this piece and would get away from the officers, or whoever happened to be chasing them. It’s quite historic. A bigger craft coming along would have to go all the way around and by that time the smugglers could lose them plenty. They’d hide among some of the lower, islands, or even go on straight .”

“Great old place. Obliging of Champlain to arrange itself so conveniently. Smashing guns, look at that water. It’s hammering in all directions. Too bad if it spoils crops, but it sure looks as if it is going to. Did you hear your Aunt say whether the turkeys are dying off because of the dampness?”

“Hezzy reported a hundred have turned up their toes.”

“Rotten. Why don’t they have a good warm place to keep them when the weather is had?” Jim exclaimed wrathfully.

“That’s the funny part of it, Buddy, they have got a real up-to-the-minute house, brooders and everything,” Bob replied soberly, then added, “Gosh, I do wish we could do something about it.”

“Well, we can’t keep them from dying off, that’s a cinch,” Jim answered. “Let’s take Her Highness and have a look over the place.”

“Right-O, old man.” They turned about away from the destructive waters and hurried as fast as the clumsy boots would permit, to the carriage house, where they floated the plane out, closed the door after them, and piled into the cock-pit. “Got enough gas?”

“Plenty.”

Presently Her Highness was thundering above the lake and after a few circles over the land, which gave the boys an idea of the havoc being wrought among the islands, Jim headed her toward the end of Isle La Motte and in a few minutes they were cruising at low speed above the turkey farm. It too had suffered from the rain, but its buildings were located on high ground which was well drained so that even now it was drying rapidly. The boys could see the turkeys in the run-ways and they knew that until the vicinity was no longer drenched, the delicate birds could not be allowed to roam in the larger pens. As there seemed to be nothing special they could learn, they proceeded to fly across the property, and soon they were above the section where they had seen the men hiking the first day they had attempted to visit Hezzy. Just beyond the strip of forest, which was quite dense, they saw a long, comparatively bare slope toward the opposite side of the Isle and they easily discerned several men moving about as if they were working.