“I wonder what mischief these little rogues are up to now?”

Several people who were crossing the bridge now noticed the perilous situation of the boys, and stopped to look at them.  As soon as Alfred noticed them, he cried out slowly, at the top of his voice: 

“Halloo, there! send us a boat, will you? we ’re sinking!”

[Illustration:  Afloat on the Ice.]

There was some doubt whether the people on the bridge understood the cry, and the other boys repeated it as loud as they could, in the meantime also trying to manifest their want by signs and gestures.  Some of the spectators upon the bridge, who were now quite numerous, shouted back in reply; but the boys, being to their windward, could not understand what they said.  Their frail support was now moving rapidly along, and whirling about in the eddies more alarmingly than ever.  It had sunk so low that they were all standing in the water, and they expected it would shortly break to pieces and precipitate them all into the river.  There were four of them upon the cake, besides the dog.  The two youngest boys began to cry with fright; but Oscar and Alfred, though they were as much alarmed as the others, did not manifest it in this way, but were looking anxiously towards the bridge and the shore for relief.

The boys were not long kept in this dreadful state of suspense; for pretty soon they discovered a boat putting out towards them from the end of the bridge.  There were two men in it, each of whom was plying an oar.  They called out to the boys not to be frightened, and in a few minutes they were alongside the fugitive ice-cake, whose living freight was safely transferred to the boat.  The boatmen then pulled for the wharf from which they came, and the rescued party had the pleasure of standing once more upon firm ground.  They were so overjoyed at their escape that they forgot to thank the men who had taken so much trouble to rescue them.  They were not ungrateful however; though it would have been better if their words as well as their looks had expressed the sentiment they felt.  As soon as they reached the wharf, the men advised them to run home and dry themselves, which they proceeded to do.

When Oscar reached home, he was so hoarse, from hallooing, that he could not speak aloud.  When his mother heard of his exposure, and saw how wet he was, she was much concerned for him.  She wished him to change his damp clothing, but he did not think it necessary, and instead of complying with her desire, he sat down to the fire and dried himself.  He had but little appetite for supper; and a headache coming on in the evening, he retired to bed early.  Before dong so, however, he took a dose of medicine which his mother had prepared, to “throw off” his cold.