Ordinarily this hand over hand climb would have been an easy feat for the Circus Boy. As it was, however, the lad was forced to pause every foot or so, and, twisting the rope about an arm and a leg, hang there between sky and water, gasping for breath, every nerve and muscle in his body a-quiver.
Few men, no matter how strong nor how great their endurance, could have gone through what Phil Forest had endured that night.
He was glad to be out of the water, where he was in imminent danger of being drowned as the boat jerked him along. Of course he was not obliged to cling to the rope, but the chances of his reaching sh.o.r.e, were he to let go, he felt were very remote.
"I am glad Teddy is not here," muttered Phil with a half smile as he thought of his companion back on the "Marie" fast asleep.
"I wonder what he will think when he finds that I am missing?
I hope they do not turn about and come back to look for me, for I hardly think they will be able to do that and make their next stand in time."
Once more the lad began pulling himself up the rope. At last, to his great relief, his fingers closed over the stern rail of the river boat. Phil pulled himself up as if he were chinning the bar, though in this case he chinned it only once.
Elbows were braced on the rail, then the right leg was thrown over and Phil Forrest was high and dry on the deck of a great river steamer, after an experience that perhaps never had befallen a human being on the Mississippi before.
He found himself standing face to face with an officer of the boat, who proved to be the mate. The man was so astonished at the dripping figure that had come over the stern, that, for the moment, he did not speak.
"Good evening," greeted Phil politely.
"Who are you?" demanded the mate sternly.
"I guess I am Old Neptune himself. Maybe I am a mermaid.
At least I have just risen from the sea, and mighty glad I am that I have risen."
The officer seized Phil. Leading the boy to where the light shone from the main cabin window, he peered into the lad"s face.
Evidently fairly well satisfied by his brief glance into the honest eyes of the Circus Boy, the officer quickly turned and led Phil to the forward end of the boat, where he summoned the captain, who was lying down in the pilot house.
"What"s this? Whom have you here?"
"I don"t know, sir," answered the officer. "He came over the side half a mile above here."
"What--what"s this--came over the side?"
"Yes, sir."
"Impossible!"
"I saw him. I was standing astern when he climbed over the rail."
"See here, young man, what does this mean?"
"I fell from a boat, sir, further up the river. I was trying to swim ash.o.r.e when you nearly ran me down. You see, I did not know you were going to make that sharp turn and I did not have time to get out of the way."
"That is not a likely story, young man. How did you get aboard this boat? That is what I want to know."
Phil explained that he had caught hold of a rope.
"Is there a rope trailing, mate?"
"I don"t know, sir."
"Find out."
The mate returned a few moments later with the information that a hawser was dragging astern.
"Wonderful!" breathed the captain. "How did you ever do it, and you only a boy?"
"I am pretty strong, even if I am a boy," smiled Phil.
"What is your name?"
Phil gave it.
"How did you happen to get in the river?"
"I told you I fell in, or something of the sort, from the "Fat Marie.""
"Never heard of her."
"I think she was called the "Mary Jane.""
"Oh, that"s that circus boat--the Sparling Circus?"
"Yes, sir."
"Do you belong to the circus?"
"Yes. I am a bareback rider and a trapeze performer."
Both men gazed at him with new interest.
"Well, you beat anything that I ever heard of. You certainly must be a performer if you did a thing like that. I remember the pilot"s telling me he thought he heard someone cry out from the river, but as the call was not repeated, he thought he must have been mistaken. Come in, and we will put you to bed."
"I have no money with me, sir," said the lad. "If you will extend the courtesies of your craft to me, I will see that you are well paid after I reach my show once more."
"We will take care of you. Never mind about the pay."
"By the way, where is your next landing place?"
"Memphis."
Phil gave a low whistle.
"Where do you want to go?"
"Corinth, I believe is the stand we show at tomorrow."
"That"s not far from Memphis. We will land you at Memphis in the morning and you can take a train back, getting you to Corinth in plenty of time for your show. I will see that you have a ticket."
"Thank you ever so much. You are very kind."