CHAPTER XX
PAYING THE PENALTY
Immediately the little fleet of motor boats had taken up a courseleading directly for the floating wreck. It looked like the height offolly for such miniature craft to thus put boldly out upon the bosom ofthat great inland sea; and nothing save a call to duty would ever haveinfluenced Jack to make the venture.
They were strangely quiet as they continued to buffet the oncomingwaves. Once in a while some one would ask the wielder of the marineglasses what he could see, and in this way all were kept informed.
Nick was trembling, so that there were times when he could hardly holdthe 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, forthe darling is waving her handkerchief! She wants me to hurry along,fellows; perhaps the blessed waterlogged power boat is getting ready todip under! Can't you throw on just a little more speed, Herb? Pleasedo, to oblige me."
No one thought to laugh, nor did Josh come up true to his name justthen; 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 nakedeye now, they were getting so close.
"Do you see the other girl, Rita Andrews?" he asked Jimmie; and wasmore pleased than he cared to show when the Irish boy answered in theaffirmative.
"Oh! I only hope we get there in time!" groaned Nick, as he fumbled atthe 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 upsettingnow."
"All the same," Nick responded, calmly; "how do I know but I may have tojump overboard after Sallie? She might slip in her great joy at seeingher preserver so near. And a pretty fellow I'd be not to keep myselfready to do the hero act. Besides, Herb, how do we know that the ballyold 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 ifso be you think you'll need it. But please don't go to jumping over justto show off. You might drown before her very eyes."
"Oh! I'll be careful, Herb. But since you say so, I believe I will keepyour cork affair handy. She might need it; because you see, Sallie is nolight weight, any more than me."
He crouched there waiting, doubtless counting the seconds as theypassed, and anxiously taking note of all that went on in the quarterwhence they were headed.
Jack himself grew more nervous the closer they drew to the wreck. Herealized that those on board were in extreme peril; for the powerboatseemed to be gradually sinking lower, inch by inch. At almost any timenow it might give one tremendous heave, and then plunge, bow first, downin many fathoms of water, perhaps dragging some of the people aboard todeath.
But at the same time Jack was figuring just how he and Herb mustapproach the wreck on the leeward side, where it would in a measureprotect the small motor boats from the sweep of the seas. Here theywould be able to take aboard as many of the imperiled ones as therescuing 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 anduseless. 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 enginefor a minute, and in this way called out:
"Have that boat launched. It will hold the crew, and we will give them atow to the shore. Quick, sir; you have no time to lose!"
He saw the captain of the powerboat, still wearing his uniform, thoughwithout 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 closeunder the lee of the big powerboat.
"Ladies first!" sang out Nick, as he balanced himself so as to be ableto 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 ofthe three motor boats, and hence more suitable to her heft. But it wouldbe 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 borehimself so gallantly.
Jack meanwhile had the pleasure of assisting the pretty and vivaciouslittle Miss Andrews, whose first name was Rita, into his boat; to befollowed by another lady passenger, and then the banker himself. Thebalance of the passengers managed to embark on the _Comfort_. Georgestood by, and offered to take one or two; but no one seemed toparticularly 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 inuniform, "because she's going down any minute. Make haste, or we maybe drawn under by the suction."
George had taken the long rope attached to the bow of the lifeboat, andfastened it securely to a ringbolt at the stern of his _Wireless_. Henow started away, as did the other rescuing craft.
And none too soon was this manoeuvre accomplished. Hardly had they goneten boat lengths before a little shriek from Sallie announced that thefinal catastrophe was about to take place.
There was an upheaval of the sinking powerboat, a tremendous surge, andthen only bubbles and foam on the surface told where the unluckypleasure craft had vanished.
Little Miss Andrews cried a bit, perhaps because of the nervousexcitement; but her father cheered her up.
"Never mind, Rita," he said. "The boat was insured, and we can getanother and better one when we want it. But for this season I thinkwe've had about enough of the water. I tell you we ought to thinkourselves fortunate to have these fine fellows come out to us just inthe nick of time. We'll never forget it, will we, girlie?"
Whereupon Jack was delighted to see the tears give way to a brightsmile, as Rita looked at him, and nodded.
"How queer it seems," she remarked demurely, a little later. "First Jackhad to save my hat from a watery grave; and now he has rescued poorlittle me. Yes, I mean that he won't forget us, dad. And I hope thatwe'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 findmyself deeply interested. Come to think of it, I fancy I already havesomething of an acquaintance with a Mr. Harvey Stormways, belonging inthe town Jack calls his home. The one I met in Chicago was a banker, anda very clever gentleman."
"That is my father," said Jack, rosy with pleasure to think that hisparent already knew Rita's father.
Later on they discovered a landing place and managed to get ashore. Allof them were delighted to once more set foot on solid land after theirrecent harrowing experiences.
And such a night they made of it. The captain had wisely secured a lotof stores before leaving the wreck of the _Mermaid_, so that there waslittle danger of any famine. Besides, as George said, aside, any campthat had been able to withstand the raids and assaults of a Buster allthis while, would not be caught without plenty of eatables in thelarder.
Around the camp fire they even made merry, since no lives had been lostin 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, thenature of which they could only guess.
The pumps were manned, but by slow degrees the water had gained on themin spite of all their herculean efforts. And as we have seen, only forthe coming of the motor boat boys a tragedy might have followed.
In the morning Jack promised to take them out to the first steamer thatcould be signalled, the crew in the lifeboat being towed behind the_Comfort_.
This he did, assisted by H
erb.
And the balance of the young cruisers stood on the wooded bank, wavingtheir 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 befairly smitten with the charms of the fat boy, or else fancied havingsome girlish fun out of the meeting and their one trait in common; forshe certainly had hovered near Buster since breakfast time, "making googoo eyes at him," as Josh declared. And now Nick, wishing to be in aposition to see better than his chums, took the trouble to laboriouslyclimb a tree that hung far out over the water.
Here, high above the heads of the rest, he sat and waved his redsweater, as an object that must attract the sparkling eyes of MissSallie longer than an ordinary hat, or white handkerchief.
"Hurray! hurray!" he shouted at the top of his voice; but perhaps Bustermay have been too violent in his gestures, or else neglected to maintainhis grasp on the limb; for suddenly there was an awful splash, and thefat boy vanished out of sight in the lake, which happened to be fairlydeep close up to the shore.