Kitabı oku: «Motor Boat Boys on the Great Lakes; or, Exploring the Mystic Isle of Mackinac», sayfa 9

CHAPTER XX
PAYING THE PENALTY

Immediately the little fleet of motor boats had taken up a course leading directly for the floating wreck. It looked like the height of folly for such miniature craft to thus put boldly out upon the bosom of that great inland sea; and nothing save a call to duty would ever have influenced Jack to make the venture.

They were strangely quiet as they continued to buffet the oncoming waves. Once in a while some one would ask the wielder of the marine glasses what he could see, and in this way all were kept informed.

Nick was trembling, so that there were times when he could hardly hold the glasses to his eyes.

“I see her!” he suddenly shouted in rapture. “Sallie’s still there, fellows! I can tell her among the lot. There, she sees me, I think, for the darling is waving her handkerchief! She wants me to hurry along, fellows; perhaps the blessed waterlogged power boat is getting ready to dip under! Can’t you throw on just a little more speed, Herb? Please do, to oblige me.”

No one thought to laugh, nor did Josh come up true to his name just then; for somehow they seemed to understand that it was a grave matter, and no time for joking.

Jack could see the figures on the partly submerged boat with the naked eye now, they were getting so close.

“Do you see the other girl, Rita Andrews?” he asked Jimmie; and was more pleased than he cared to show when the Irish boy answered in the affirmative.

“Oh! I only hope we get there in time!” groaned Nick, as he fumbled at the cork life preserver, as though intending to put it on again.

“What are you going to do with that thing, Buster?” demanded Herb, sharply.

“Get it around me,” the other replied, unblushingly.

“But you won’t need it; there’s not the least chance of our upsetting now.”

“All the same,” Nick responded, calmly; “how do I know but I may have to jump overboard after Sallie? She might slip in her great joy at seeing her preserver so near. And a pretty fellow I’d be not to keep myself ready to do the hero act. Besides, Herb, how do we know that the bally old boat mayn’t take a notion to duck under, just when we get close by? I believe in being prepared.”

“You’re right, Buster,” nodded the skipper. “Take my cork jacket too if so be you think you’ll need it. But please don’t go to jumping over just to show off. You might drown before her very eyes.”

“Oh! I’ll be careful, Herb. But since you say so, I believe I will keep your cork affair handy. She might need it; because you see, Sallie is no light weight, any more than me.”

He crouched there waiting, doubtless counting the seconds as they passed, and anxiously taking note of all that went on in the quarter whence they were headed.

Jack himself grew more nervous the closer they drew to the wreck. He realized that those on board were in extreme peril; for the powerboat seemed to be gradually sinking lower, inch by inch. At almost any time now it might give one tremendous heave, and then plunge, bow first, down in many fathoms of water, perhaps dragging some of the people aboard to death.

But at the same time Jack was figuring just how he and Herb must approach the wreck on the leeward side, where it would in a measure protect the small motor boats from the sweep of the seas. Here they would be able to take aboard as many of the imperiled ones as the rescuing craft could reasonably hold.

Jack also noted that there was a large lifeboat on the sinking craft. Possibly the oars had been swept away, rendering the craft helpless and useless. But if it could only be launched, the crew might occupy this, and be towed to safety by one of the little motor boats.

He fashioned his hands into a megaphone, while Jimmie tended the engine for a minute, and in this way called out:

“Have that boat launched. It will hold the crew, and we will give them a tow to the shore. Quick, sir; you have no time to lose!”

He saw the captain of the powerboat, still wearing his uniform, though without the jaunty blue cap that had once been a part of his makeup, give hurried orders. Then the lifeboat was shoved off the low deck, being held with a rope.

And a few minutes later the Tramp and the Comfort hauled in close under the lee of the big powerboat.

“Ladies first!” sang out Nick, as he balanced himself so as to be able to render any needed assistance.

Greatly to his joy Sallie seemed to choose the Comfort as her refuge. Perhaps she recognized the fact that it was by all odds the largest of the three motor boats, and hence more suitable to her heft. But it would be hard to convince Nick that this was the true reason. She saw him, and was willing to entrust herself in the charge of one who bore himself so gallantly.

Jack meanwhile had the pleasure of assisting the pretty and vivacious little Miss Andrews, whose first name was Rita, into his boat; to be followed by another lady passenger, and then the banker himself. The balance of the passengers managed to embark on the Comfort. George stood by, and offered to take one or two; but no one seemed to particularly care to entrust themselves on such a wobbly craft.

The captain and his little crew entered the lifeboat.

“Now, everybody get away as quick as you can!” called the man in uniform, “because she’s going down any minute. Make haste, or we may be drawn under by the suction.”

George had taken the long rope attached to the bow of the lifeboat, and fastened it securely to a ringbolt at the stern of his Wireless. He now started away, as did the other rescuing craft.

And none too soon was this manœuvre accomplished. Hardly had they gone ten boat lengths before a little shriek from Sallie announced that the final catastrophe was about to take place.

There was an upheaval of the sinking powerboat, a tremendous surge, and then only bubbles and foam on the surface told where the unlucky pleasure craft had vanished.

Little Miss Andrews cried a bit, perhaps because of the nervous excitement; but her father cheered her up.

“Never mind, Rita,” he said. “The boat was insured, and we can get another and better one when we want it. But for this season I think we’ve had about enough of the water. I tell you we ought to think ourselves fortunate to have these fine fellows come out to us just in the nick of time. We’ll never forget it, will we, girlie?”

Whereupon Jack was delighted to see the tears give way to a bright smile, as Rita looked at him, and nodded.

“How queer it seems,” she remarked demurely, a little later. “First Jack had to save my hat from a watery grave; and now he has rescued poor little me. Yes, I mean that he won’t forget us, dad. And I hope that we’ll see him some time at our Oak Park home, don’t you?”

“We’ll try and influence him, and also his brave chums, in whom I find myself deeply interested. Come to think of it, I fancy I already have something of an acquaintance with a Mr. Harvey Stormways, belonging in the town Jack calls his home. The one I met in Chicago was a banker, and a very clever gentleman.”

“That is my father,” said Jack, rosy with pleasure to think that his parent already knew Rita’s father.

Later on they discovered a landing place and managed to get ashore. All of them were delighted to once more set foot on solid land after their recent harrowing experiences.

And such a night they made of it. The captain had wisely secured a lot of stores before leaving the wreck of the Mermaid, so that there was little danger of any famine. Besides, as George said, aside, any camp that had been able to withstand the raids and assaults of a Buster all this while, would not be caught without plenty of eatables in the larder.

Around the camp fire they even made merry, since no lives had been lost in the wreck. Mr. Andrews told how they had escaped the first storm, only to be caught in the second, and rammed by some floating object, the nature of which they could only guess.

The pumps were manned, but by slow degrees the water had gained on them in spite of all their herculean efforts. And as we have seen, only for the coming of the motor boat boys a tragedy might have followed.

In the morning Jack promised to take them out to the first steamer that could be signalled, the crew in the lifeboat being towed behind the Comfort.

This he did, assisted by Herb.

And the balance of the young cruisers stood on the wooded bank, waving their hats and cheering as long as they could make their voices heard.

Nick was as happy as any one had ever seen him. Sallie had seemed to be fairly smitten with the charms of the fat boy, or else fancied having some girlish fun out of the meeting and their one trait in common; for she certainly had hovered near Buster since breakfast time, “making goo goo eyes at him,” as Josh declared. And now Nick, wishing to be in a position to see better than his chums, took the trouble to laboriously climb a tree that hung far out over the water.

Here, high above the heads of the rest, he sat and waved his red sweater, as an object that must attract the sparkling eyes of Miss Sallie longer than an ordinary hat, or white handkerchief.

“Hurray! hurray!” he shouted at the top of his voice; but perhaps Buster may have been too violent in his gestures, or else neglected to maintain his grasp on the limb; for suddenly there was an awful splash, and the fat boy vanished out of sight in the lake, which happened to be fairly deep close up to the shore.

CHAPTER XXI
ANOTHER SURPRISE

“Help! help!”

“What’s all the row about?”

“Buster’s fallen in again! Somebody get a rope, and lasso him!”

“There he comes up! My! what a floundering time! He may be drowned, Jack!”

But Jack knew better, and only laughed as he replied to Herb:

“You forget that he’s still wearing that lovely cork life preserver. It gives him such a manly look; and Buster thinks it adds to the admiration of a certain young lady.”

Meantime there was a tremendous lot of splashing going on in that little basin just under the big tree, where Nick had been perched at the time of his tumble.

Both arms were working overtime, like a couple of flails in a thrashing bee; while his chubby legs shot back and forth after the manner of an energetic frog. All the while Buster was spouting water like a miniature geyser; for his mouth had happened to be wide open at the time of his unexpected submersion.

“Throw me a rope, somebody!” he spluttered, as he continued to make manful efforts to keep from sinking. “What d’ye stand there gaping for? Can’t you see I’m in danger of drowning? Hurry up your cakes, you sillies!”

There was no doubt but that Nick believed every word he spoke; for he was making a tremendous display of energy that would long remain a topic for wonder among his comrades.

Herb started to scurry around to find something that would be available in the rescue line.

“Jack, the poor fellow may be partly stunned, and unable to keep up much longer. Help me find a rope, won’t you?” he cried, as he passed the other.

“Hold on, Herb, now watch how easy it is to save a drowning man,” and as Jack said this he turned to where Nick was making a young Niagara Whirlpool Rapids of himself, and called sternly:

“Buster, stand up!”

Lo; and behold, when the imperiled fat boy proceeded to obey this command the water barely reached to his chest. Looking rather crest-fallen and sheepish he started to wade out of the lake; while the boys burst into a roar that must have even been heard by those on board the steamer.

Nick was in a rather pugnacious humor, for him, as he arrived dripping on the bank. Perhaps the merriment of his mates had something to do with it; but the chances are he dreaded lest a pair of laughing blue eyes on the departing steamer may have witnessed his ridiculous upset.

“Who pushed me in?” he demanded, as he gave vent to another upheaval of water. “Tell me that, will you? It was a mean trick, and he ought to be ducked just as bad as I was. Seems like a pity a fellow can’t just sit up on the limb of a tree to wave good-bye to a pretty girl without some envious rival putting up a game on him. Who did it? I dare him to tell!”

“Rats! you’re away off your base, Buster!” cried George.

“Quit raising the lake that way, can’t you?” complained Josh. “Want to flood us out of our camp, do you?”

“Buster, nobody was near you when you fell,” said Jack. “I don’t think there was one of us within ten feet of the tree. And besides, you were up out of reach. You let go both hands and slipped. It was your own fault. And we didn’t help you out because I knew you had on that cork thing; besides, the water wasn’t over your head, as I found out some time ago. So don’t accuse anybody of being mean.”

“And next time you want to take the middle of the stage just let us know. You gave us an awful jolt,” remarked George.

“Why, if I’d had heart disease I’d have dropped flat,” vowed Josh.

“Oh! let up on me, can’t you, and don’t rub it in so hard?” grumbled the dripping Nick. “Now I’ve got to go and get these duds off. And it’ll take a long while for ’em to dry. Nice way to use a new suit, ain’t it?”

“Well, it’s lucky for the trade that you’ve come up here.” Herb put in. “The clothing business will take on a boom soon. What with Canada pussies, and upsets into the lake, you can get away with more suits than the rest of us.”

“But I haven’t got another bunch of clothes along,” whimpered Nick, “and it’s sure too chilly to run around without anything on. Jack won’t you help me out?”

“I guess I can lend you a pair of trousers, Buster, if you can get into them. Don’t forget that fine red sweater you possess. Josh, pull it down from that branch, will you? So you see, you’ll get along till these duds dry out,” replied the one addressed.

“But stick to the camp while you’re wearing that sweater, Buster,” warned Josh. “Perhaps there ain’t any cows around here; but even a bull moose would want to boost you up in a tree if he ever saw that rag.”

“Oh! I’ll hug the fire, all right; don’t you worry about me, Josh Purdue,” was the fat boy’s reply, as he made off, the water still oozing from his soaked garments in streams.

Jack wisely put in the balance of the morning fishing, and with abundant success, as was evidenced from the fact that they had another delightful fish dinner that noon, Josh serving the trout in his usual tempting manner, crisp and brown.

As his clothes had meantime dried, through the action of combined sun and camp fire, Nick gradually became himself again. It took considerable to upset his good nature; and the boys never could fully decide whether he had been in earnest concerning that episode of the “great splash,” or simply pretending to be indignant.

“And now, what’s the programme?” asked Jack, as, having eaten until they could no longer be tempted, they sat back to talk over the future activities of the motor boat club.

“Fellows,” remarked George, seriously. “I’ve come to the conclusion that we’re making a mistake in cruising over such big water as this.”

“Hear! hear!” called Nick, clapping his hands.

“Boats as small as ours seem out of their element on an ocean,” continued the skipper of the Wireless, steadily. “They’re all right in such places as the Thousand Islands, where plenty of harbors are in sight all the time. But just think what might happen up here. Suppose the wind had chopped around the other night, instead of kindly holding off till morning. What would have happened to us?”

“Oh! well,” remarked Herb; “we all know the answer to that riddle, George. Since we couldn’t well make out into the open lake in the storm during darkness, why, every boat must have been smashed against the rocks. Makes me shiver to just think of it; and that’s right, fellows.”

“Perhaps one or more of us might have gone under.” George went on. “Now, when we got permission to make this cruise we promised not to take unnecessary risks – am I right, fellows?”

“Sure you are, George. Hit up the pace, will you? Buster here is getting sleepy, waiting for the verdict,” Josh said, after his customary fashion.

“Then I’m going to offer a suggestion; and if Jack says so, I’ll put it in the form of a motion,” George continued.

“Make it a motion without all this fuss and feathers,” observed Herb.

“I move, then, that we abandon our original intention of knocking along this north shore of Superior till we arrive at Duluth, where we could ship our boats home. It wouldn’t pay us for the trouble and the danger. It’s a barren country. If we had an accident there’s no place to have repairs done short of several hundred miles. In a word, fellows, this is no hunting ground for little motor boats. Besides,” with a sly glance toward Nick, “what if our grub gives out, as it’s likely to do at any time, once Buster gets to feeling himself again; why, we might starve to death, fellows, in the midst of plenty.”

“You’ve heard the motion, fellows – that we change our programme, and give up this Lake Superior trip. All in favor say aye!” Jack remarked.

A chorus of assents followed.

“Contrary, no!” went on the commodore; but only silence followed.

“Motion is carried unanimously,” Jack went on. “And now, let’s consider what is to take the place of this trip. We’ve still got some weeks ahead of us, the fishing’s fine, and we’re a long way from Milwaukee. Somebody suggest something.”

George and Jack had of course talked this thing over more than once recently. So no one was surprised when the former immediately jumped up, and began:

“For one, I’m of the opinion we couldn’t do better than return over part of the way we came. Between the Soo and Mackinac Island there’s fine cruising ground to be explored. We can take a different route part of the way back through the St. Mary’s River, and perhaps find new mud banks, with a few more strange animals on the Canada side. Besides Jack says the bass fishing is just great in some places they told him about at the Soo.”

“Hurrah! Me for the St. Mary’s then,” Nick shouted, to hide his confusion at mention of strange beasts, for of course he knew what that referred to.

“The prospect of the merry bass frizzling over the coals coaxes Buster,” declared Josh; “but on general principles, fellows, I don’t see how we could improve on that programme. Count me in on it, George.”

“Any other suggestions?” asked Jack. “If there are, now is the time to speak up, before we decide our plans. We can settle on just the day we ought to leave Mackinac for the run down Michigan to Milwaukee, and so get home on the dot. How is it, fellows? Do I hear another scheme offered?”

“Make it unanimous, Jack,” said Herb. “You know we’re pretty much of one mind; and we ought to get all the fun going out of that programme.”

“Then we start back tomorrow?” said Jack.

“Right after breakfast,” Josh added.

“Good gracious!” exclaimed Nick. “I hope none of you would be silly enough to ever think of leaving here before breakfast!”

“Oh! that will never happen, so long as we have an alarm clock in the bunch. We depend on you, Buster, to warn us when it’s time to eat our three meals a day,” George said blandly.

“Now, I didn’t expect that of you George,” remarked Nick. “But if you really mean it, thank you! I’m glad to know I’m of some use to the crowd.”

“Why, Buster, we wouldn’t know how to keep house without you,” remarked Jack.

“What would we be after doing with the leftovers?” ventured Jimmie.

“And how would I keep my big boat evenly balanced?” demanded Herb. “Sure you fill a place in the circle, Buster, and a very important one. We’d miss you if you ever gave up the ship, and took the train back home.”

“Well, I promise you I won’t,” smiled Nick; “at least so long as you keep up the same sort of bill of fare we’ve had today. Yum! yum! what’s the use of wasting a fine piece of browned trout like that? I call it a wicked shame. Here, Josh, don’t you dare throw that away. Set it aside on that nice clean piece of birch bark. Somebody might get hungry later on, and enjoy a bite.”

This standing joke of Nick’s clamorous appetite seemed never to lose its edge. The rest of the boys could always enjoy seeing him make way with his share of the meal. In fact, had a change come over the fat boy, they would have felt anxious, believing him sick.

So Jack went back to his fishing, of which he seemed never to tire, and the others found something to employ their time and attention while the afternoon sun dropped lower toward the western horizon.

By now the Big Lake looked like a lookingglass, so still had the waves become. A haze prevented them from seeing any great distance away – one of those mid-summer atmospheric happenings that are apt to develop at any time when the weather is exceedingly warm.

Evening came at last, and they sat as usual around the camp fire, having enjoyed the meal Josh and his willing assistants, Jimmie and Nick, had placed before them. Everything looked favorable for getting off in the morning; and should the lake remain calm Jack believed they might be able to make the Soo by another night.

Suddenly, and without the slightest warning a disturbing factor was injected into this quiet restful camp. Jack thought he heard a sound like a groan near by, and raised his head to listen. Yes, there was certainly a movement at the west side of the camp, as though something was advancing. And as he stared, his hand unconsciously creeping out toward the faithful little Marlin shotgun, a figure arose and came staggering toward the group.

Loud cries broke out as the boys scrambled to their feet. And there was a good excuse for their consternation; for in this ragged, dirty, and altogether disreputable figure they recognized, not a wandering hobo, but Bully Joe, the crony of Clarence Macklin!