"No."
As he spoke, Dave Darrin brought the boat slightly around. They were now close enough to see that Tom Foss was supporting dead weight in the person of Susie, who was unconscious.
"Waiting the word from you on the sheet, Davy," nodded Dan, as the boat drew close to the only pair of survivors now visible.
"Let go the sheet!" called Dave an instant later, and Dan let it run off clear, handing the end of the rope to Darrin.
"Can you head Susie this way, Foss?" Dalzell called.
"I"d rather have help," came the faint answer. Tom Foss was evidently well spent by his exertions in keeping up the girl so long.
Splash! Dan Dalzell was in the water, without waiting to hear more. The athletic young midshipman swam with a steadiness and speed that was glorious to see. Many an excellent swimmer, in smooth water, would dread buffeting with such waves as were now rolling.
Dave Darrin, meanwhile, held on to the tiller and the paid-out sheet, ready to manoeuvre the now pitching, rolling boat at an instant"s notice.
It took all his seamanship to keep the craft afloat, though the sailboat was far better modeled for such water than the motor launch had been.
"Give her over to me, and save yourself," commanded Dalzell cheerily, as he reached Tom Foss. "Think you can make it, old fellow?"
"If I can"t, I ought to drown," retorted Tom Foss, as he struck out, none too strongly. "This is all my fault. You fellows gave me better advice than I had sense to follow."
Dan, with a skill that he had acquired directly from the excellent instruction given him by the swimming master at the Naval Academy, was now piloting the unconscious form of Susie Danes toward the sailboat.
Even enc.u.mbered as he was, Dan made the boat before Tom Foss could accomplish that feat alone. Truth to tell, Foss was very nearly "all in."
Had rescue been delayed a few moments longer, Foss and his fair companion must have sunk.
"Get hold of her, Davy," called Dan, as he ranged up on the weather side of the tossing boat.
Darrin promptly leaned over and lifted the unconscious girl into the boat. By the time he had done that Tom Foss reached up both hands, seizing the boat"s stern.
"Going to help me in?" he called.
"I don"t know," Dave answered dubiously.
"If we can find Ella Wright there may not be room. With such a sea running, this boat won"t hold many."
"No matter about me, then," muttered Tom. "If Ella isn"t found right away I don"t believe I care about going back to Gridley."
Dave"s response was swiftly to knot a noose and let it down over Tom"s shoulders. The other end of the line he made fast astern. Dalzell, in the meantime, had swum back again. Susie Danes lay as still as death in the bottom of the boat.
As Dalzell got back where he had first reached Foss and Susie, he espied the head of Ab Canty some distance away.
"Ab!" called Dan.
"Here!"
"What has become of Ella?"
"Oh, I wish I knew!"
"Was she afloat at all!" demanded Dan, swimming nearer.
"Yes; I kept her up for a couple of minutes, maybe. Then she got more scared, wound her arms tight around me, and we both sank. We had a struggle under water. I freed myself, but when I came to the top I found that my hand was clutching nothing but her empty jersey. There it is now," chattered Ab, his teeth, knocking against each other, as he pointed to the garment in question on the top of a distant wave. Then Ab sank.
For just an instant Dalzell thought Canty had gone below on purpose. Dan swam closer, to be of a.s.sistance. Then he saw the bubbles of air coming up rapidly.
"Cantys given out--he"s going to drown!" gasped Midshipman Dan, with horror.
Like a flash Dan dived below, found and clutched at Canty. The young man returned the grip with interest, but Midshipman Dalzell struggled to the surface with him. Ab Canty was exhausted, out of his head and altogether past reasoning. Dan hated to do it, but he had to strike the young man in the forehead. Canty gave a gasp and ceased to resist.
Dave Darrin, watching, had run the boat up close alongside as soon as the struggling pair appeared above the waves.
"You"ll have to take him in, Davy," announced Midshipman Dalzell. "Canty isn"t strong enough to tow behind. And I"m coming aboard for a fresh look before I dive for Miss Wright."
"You"re going to stay aboard and manage the boat," retorted Darrin quietly. "I"m going in next."
"Oh, all right, if you want to," half grumbled Dan. "But I"m just beginning to get used to it and to like it."
Dan, however, followed orders and took his seat by tiller and sheet as soon as they had towed Canty safely in the boat. Tom Foss, lied and holding on at the stern, was beginning to chatter hard, but said he was all right.
A brief instant of consultation the two midshipmen held. Then Dave Darrin, holding his hands before him, dived hard and deep into the water.
After nearly a minute he came up again, but only to take an observation.
Then he sank, to explore more of the s.p.a.ce under water.
For five minutes Darrin continued this, making four dives in all, and sinking twice without diving.
"I can"t give this up, and abandon a girl," he muttered. "Dan, I"ve got to take more account of the current, and work gradually downstream."
A little later Dave rose with a whoop the instant that his head showed above the water.
"I"ve got her," Dave announced, though his voice was hoa.r.s.e and panting.
"Hurrah!" came from Dan, as he saw the girl"s head show above the surface. Dalzell, hauling on the sheet, ran the boat in close. Dave grasped at the rail on the weather quarter, while Dan bent over him, hauling hard. And so Ella Wright was dragged unconscious into the boat.
"I"d stay here in the water with you, Tom," explained Dave, "but I"ve got to be in the boat to do my share of handling her."
"Th-th-that"s all r-r-r-r-right," chattered poor Foss, "I"m d-d-d-doing f-f-f-fine here--c-c-c-couldn"t h-help in the b-b-b-boat"
While lying to, it had taken some fine management on the part of the midshipmen to keep the sailboat from capsizing. And now, on this rough, wave-strewn river, they had to tack back against a nearly head wind.
"Look at the crowd on the clubhouse float," gasped Dan as soon as the Naval chums had gotten their craft under way.
"Good thing," muttered Darrin. "We"ll need plenty of help."
"I wonder how the crowd got wind of the thing in such short time?"
"You forget," nudged Darrin, "that there"s a telephone in the clubhouse.
Laura and Belle are not given to losing their heads. Undoubtedly they"ve been "phoning to Gridley."