Hardly had they secured possession of the two long and stout poles than the end of the island hove in sight. They were very close to it now; indeed, it almost seemed as though an agile fellow might have made a flying leap, and with half-way decent luck manage to alight on the sentinel rock that guarded this point.
But no one tried that desperate game; in fact, it was doubtful whether it even occurred to Davy or Step Hen before they had been carried past, and the widening gulf rendered such a movement impossible of accomplishment.
But the three lads toward the bow of the drifting boat were desperately engaged in trying to swerve the cruiser more and more behind the island, ere they got so far that they would lose the benefits of the half-way calm condition existing in the lee of the sh.o.r.e.
Fortunately the water did prove to be fairly shallow at this point, just as the scout-master had predicted; for vast quant.i.ties of sand had been deposited there from time to time through such storms as the present one, and also the melting of the ice that drifted there during each breaking-up season for ages past.
The poles easily reached bottom and secured a firm hold there, so that the boys were enabled to throw their full strength upon the other ends.
And the Chippeway Bell was thus shoved around, so that the anchor, which was watched by Step Hen and Davy Jones, could be easily thrown ahead, thus preventing their drifting further away from the friendly sh.o.r.e.
And this having been accomplished the three scouts were almost ready to drop down with fatigue, for they had worked strenuously.
CHAPTER XVI
MAROONED
"Hurrrah!" shouted b.u.mpus, who had been so worked up during this struggle between his comrades and the greed of the elements, that he had hardly taken time to breathe.
Davy, and Step Hen too, seemed ready to throw up their hats, and cheer with exultation because of their wonderful deliverance from continued perils.
All of them were pretty well soaked, though it had not rained at all; so that their bedraggled condition must have come from the water that was in the air, and an occasional wave that slapped over the boat when it broke.
Although they had apparently secured a firm grip on an anchorage, and it would seem as though their present troubles were over, Thad did not sink down like his two fellow laborers, to pant, and rest up.
He proceeded to scramble aft, for he had made an alarming discovery, and wished to start an investigation at once.
The boat sat much lower in the water than he had ever known it to do; and this circ.u.mstance seemed alarming. One look into the cabin told him the reason, nor was Thad very much surprised to find that it was already knee deep in water.
"How did this come in here, fellows?" he asked Davy and Step Hen, who from their positions might be expected to know; "did you notice many waves pour over the stern of the boat?"
"N-no, hardly any water at all came in, Thad," replied Step Hen, astonished when he came to look into the partly submerged cabin for himself.
"She kept riding like a duck, and was ahead of the waves most all the time," was the testimony Davy added; which might be set down as the first words of praise given to the little craft thus far during the cruise.
"Why, goodness gracious, Thad, we must be sinking!" bellowed the amazed b.u.mpus, also craning his fat neck the best way he could, in order to peer into the cabin.
"Just what she is doing," replied the scoutmaster, composedly; because they were now in comparatively shallow water, out of the reach of the storm; and it did not matter so much what happened after this.
"Sprung a leak, mebbe?" suggested Giraffe, joining the group.
"Wouldn"t be surprised if that was what happened," Allan added, as, he too took a survey of the flooded interior.
"Then, like as not she"ll go down right under us, after a bit, Thad!"
exclaimed b.u.mpus, in new excitement, as he contemplated the distance still separating them from the point of the island, and mentally figured whether he could float to safety with that life preserver on, and one of his chums towing him.
"She will, and that"s a dead sure thing," Giraffe told him.
"We ought to get her in closer before that happens, hadn"t, we, fellows?" Step Hen wanted to know.
"We"ve got to try that same, and right away!" declared Thad, as he stooped to once more; pick up a push-pole.
"Here, you Step, Hen and Davy, take hold in our place, because you"re fresh, and ought to do better work," Giraffe remarked, as he thrust his pole into the hands of the former.
Now, under ordinary conditions Step Hen might have wanted to know by what authority the lengthy, scout presumed to order him around, when they were of the same rank in the patrol; but he realized the force of what Giraffe had said, and hence accepted the pole without a murmur, starting to work immediately; while, Davy did the same with the one Thad allowed him to take.
"When you get the boat part way up toward where the anchor holds,"
observed the scout-master, "we"ll drag the mudhook in, and stand ready to throw it out again. By pulling on the cable after the anchor gets a firm hold on bottom, it"s possible to claw the boat along foot by foot.
I"ve done that same many a time; and it"ll help out more than a little."
They speedily found that Thad spoke truly, and under the influence of poles as well as the anchor drag the Chippeway Belle began to approach the sh.o.r.e, much to the delight of b.u.mpus. When the fat scout, closely observing the setting poles as they were dipped repeatedly into the water, discovered that they struck bottom in a depth of not more than four feet, he was ready to shout with joy. That meant it could not be over his head; and if the worst came, he might wade to land.
Despite the fact that their vessel was a wreck, and about to sink, the boys had no desire to complain just then. Their escape from threatening danger had been too recent for them to feel ungrateful. Later on the grumblers would no doubt start to work in their customary way, and find cause for venting their disgust because things did not come out as they might have wished; but even Giraffe was bubbling over with satisfaction when he realized that they had actually managed to cheat the storm after all.
It had been a close shave, however, and only for that bright thought on the part of Thad, they might at that very moment have been drifting far away, with their boat slowly but purely sinking, despite all the baling they could accomplish.
But then, what was the good of scout-masters if they were not able to do the thinking for the crowd, the reckless Giraffe would possibly have said, if the question had been put up to him.
Everybody was working like the busy bees; even b.u.mpus tried to a.s.sist in hauling at the cable, having moved forward when the boat no longer pranced and bobbed on the agitated sea like a skittish horse.
Of course, as the water was coming in so fast, the cruiser was bound to presently strike bottom; but it was the design of Thad to work her in just as far as possible, for as they had a block and tackle aboard he hoped they would be able to make some sort of rude "ways," where she might be hauled out later on, patched up, and their interrupted cruise continued.
"Stuck fast, Thad; she"s on bottom, and no use straining to try and get her another inch toward the sh.o.r.e!" announced Allan, presently; and all of them realized that he spoke the absolute truth when he said this.
"Well," remarked b.u.mpus, complacently, "we are on the wreck of our n.o.ble ship, and close enough to sh.o.r.e to salvage all our possessions; which I consider the greatest of good luck. Who"ll carry me on his shoulders, now?"
Strange to say, n.o.body offered to undertake this task, where b.u.mpus pretended to feel very much hurt, though in reality quite merry.
"I was afraid you"d all speak at once, and have a quarrel over the honor; but looks now like I might have to do the grand wading act myself, holding up my clothes-bag and blanket, to keep from getting the same more soaked than they are now. If we could only make a raft like old Robinson Crusoe did, it would be fine. Can we get this cabin roof off, and would it float, do you think, Thad?"
"We"ll wade!" replied the scout-master, grimly, and that settled it.
"The sooner the better," remarked Giraffe, "because night"s going to drop down on us right early to-day, and we ought to have a warm fire started somehow, so"s to dry us off," for Giraffe had the utmost faith in a fire being able to do about nearly everything necessary to the good cheer of mankind, because he fairly worshipped a jolly blaze.
Indeed, as most of them had commenced to shiver already, owing to their wet condition, and the stress of excitement under which they had been recently laboring, the thought of sitting before a comfortable fire did seem to buoy up their spirits amazingly.
"Get ready to slip over, and go ash.o.r.e!" ordered Thad, "I"ll take the anchor cable with me, and see that it"s made fast to a rock or a tree.
We may find a chance to mend the boat, and anyway it"s just as well that we try and keep her here; though if the wind whips around no cable would hold her, I reckon."
Giraffe was the first to drop over. The water hardly came above his waist; but then his height was responsible for this, and cautious b.u.mpus did not deceive himself on that account. Still he found that he could easily wade, and in a short time all of them had reached the friendly rocks.
Here Thad made the rope secure.
"I"m going back for a few more things, and you might come along with me, Allan," the scout-master remarked.
"I reckon you think there"s a pretty good possibility that the wind will veer around, sooner or later, and that the old tub won"t be in sight when morning comes?" Allan remarked, as he pushed out alongside his chum.