human
Well, then, I was rattled. I plunged about in the woods till I got all ripped up as you see and shouted for Ben till I thought my throat would crack, but I didn't get a trace or a sign of him. Then I recovered my wits a bit and got out my compass. I headed for camp, and when I judged I was near enough for you to hear me, I fired the danger signal--you answered it, and here I am.
gpt
Oh, Billy, what are we going to do?
human
Make the best of it till we are certain Ben is lost, and then communicate with the _Tarantula_ and Frank and Harry, said the practical Billy.
gpt
Cheer up, we don't know yet that any actual harm has befallen him, it's the mystery of the thing that worries me.
human
I must send a wireless to Frank and Harry at once,
gpt
You will do no such thing, young fellow, rejoined Billy.
human
In the first place they have got troubles enough of their own right now; and, in the second, a man is never lost till you've sent out a general alarm for him, and he is still missing.
gpt
A general alarm?
human
Yes, that's reporter's slang for advertising for a missing man. Well, we can't advertise here unless the herons and mocassins get out a gazette, but we can take the canoes to-morrow and make a thorough circuit of the island.