CHAPTER XX
STUCK
“Well, this is something like living!”
“It sure is! The weather man is good to us!”
“This beats the auto!”
Jerry, Ned, Bob and Andy were taking their ease in the _Scud_, whichwas making her way down Silver River toward Lake Mogan, which layfifty miles to the south. I say taking their ease, for they were nottrying to make speed, but going along at a comfortable rate. Theyplanned to spend two days on the river, and about three days more onthe lake, though by urging their motor to higher power they could verymuch shorten this time. But, even though Jerry was anxious to have aconsultation with Professor Snodgrass, he did not feel the need ofgreat haste.
“Well, the auto’s all right when you want it,” commented Jerry, inanswer to Bob’s last remark. “It came in very handy the night you werehurt.”
“That’s right,” agreed Bob, touching the place on his head where Dr.Wright had taken the stitches.
“I like an auto!” exclaimed Andy. “It goes so much faster--zip!Away you go! Up hill and down! Never stop! Faster and faster! Get apuncture! Fix her up! Away you go!”
“Yes, and away you’ll go, if you’re not careful!” cried Ned, for thesmall chap, in his excitement, nearly slipped overboard. He occupieda rather perilous position on the bow, and Ned pulled him into theenclosed cabin.
“Andy likes an auto because it’s easier to hide in,” remarked Bob, witha smile at the stowaway. “And, by the way, Andy, you promised to workyour passage, you know. You might holystone the deck for practice.”
“Shall I?” asked Andy of Jerry. The boy was really in earnest in hisdesire to do whatever tasks were required of him, and he had been ajolly companion since he had been allowed to make the journey.
“No, I guess not this morning,” was Jerry’s answer. “The decks will dovery well.”
“Then you can help me get dinner,” suggested Bob.
“Dinner!” cried Ned. “Why, we just had breakfast!”
“Huh! That was an hour ago!” declared Bob. “You’ve got to plan dinnerahead, I guess. If I’m going to be cook I want to know what I’ve gotto get ready.”
“Go ahead and be cook,” granted Ned. “Nobody wants your job, Chunky.”
“I’ll help,” volunteered Andy, and the two were soon busy calculatingwhat sort of a meal to serve. It would be the first one aboard the boatthat trip.
Their craft had been stored, for the remainder of the night followingthe fire, at a house farther up the river than the destroyed lumberyard. And now, as they steamed past it, they saw men at work, trying tosee if anything had been saved from the flames. Some of the piles werestill smouldering, and on these the firemen were playing streams ofwater.
“That was a lucky escape for us,” Jerry reminded his chums.
“It sure was,” they agreed.
The weather was fine, their boat was running to perfection, there wasplenty to eat aboard, and the boys could enjoy their vacation to thefull. The only matter that worried Jerry was the financial status ofhis mother. And that could not be helped--at least just at present.
“But if we can get back that swamp land, and work the yellow claydeposits ourselves,” mused the tall lad, “it will make a bigdifference. I can’t understand Professor Snodgrass. It doesn’t seempossible that he would go back on us that way, and yet he did. But, asmother says, I’ll give him a ‘show for his white alley.’”
They had decided to do no night traveling, as they were on uncertainwaters, and there was no special need for haste. So, as the afternoonwaned they began looking for a good river town where they could tie upfor the night. They passed through one called Birchville about fiveo’clock, and learning there was a good restaurant not far from theriver they decided to get supper there, rather than cook aboard the_Scud_ again. They would, however, sleep in the cabin bunks, as therewere a number of comfortable beds arranged.
“And I think I’ll just stop at the post-office and send mother back acard,” Jerry decided. “We’ll probably get some mail from home, at MasonJunction, which we’ll reach in the morning.”
The boys had asked their folks to write to them at this place, andthere was a letter for each one of them except Andy when they arrivedabout ten o’clock the next morning. Andy, coming away in such a hurry,and in such a surreptitious manner, had not been able to give any maildirections.
“But your folks are all right,” said Bob, reading his own letter. “Mymother says your mother called on her the other day, Andy, and theyspoke of you.”
“That’s good,” said the small chap. “As long as they’re all right Iwon’t worry.”
“I never knew him to worry anyhow,” observed Jerry, who was deep inhis own correspondence. There was not much news from Cresville. Mrs.Hopkins wrote that the men were still taking out large quantities ofclay from the swamp.
“But, whatever you do, Jerry,” she penned, “don’t run into trouble onaccount of the swamp land. It isn’t worth it.”
“Well, I’m not going to give it up without a struggle,” Jerry declared.“If the professor comes over to our side after all we may be able tobeat those fellows yet.”
“Well, we’ll be on Lake Mogan to-morrow morning,” announced the talllad as they tied up, the second night on the river. “We’re at Ralstonnow, and an hour’s travel after breakfast will bring us to the lake.”
“Is it much of a lake?” Bob wanted to know.
“Pretty fair size. We won’t see much of it this trip, if we head forthe professor’s camp.”
“Oh, well, we’ve seen plenty of lakes,” remarked Ned. “We had quite atime on Lost Lake, you remember.”
“We sure did--with that old hermit,” assented Jerry.
The second night aboard the boat passed off quietly enough, thoughabout midnight Andy roused and excitedly whispered:
“Hey, fellows!”
“Huh! What’s matter?” sleepily asked Bob.
“I--I hear something,” murmured Andy.
“Ned snoring, I guess,” answered Bob, turning over to resume his nap.
“No, it’s somebody trying to get aboard the boat!” insisted Andy.
“What’s that?” cried Jerry, suddenly sitting up in his bunk.
“Andy had the nightmare and thought a horse was coming aboard, Iguess,” chuckled Bob.
“I did not!” indignantly denied Andy. “But I heard something, allright.”
And, unmistakably there did come, just then, a bumping sound at oneside of the craft.
“Keep still,” advised Jerry in a whisper, as he cautiously slipped fromhis bunk. He went outside, and, a moment later there was a blindingflash, as Jerry switched on the searchlight. Then the tall lad laughed.
“What is it?” asked Bob.
“Nothing but a big muskrat. He was swimming alongside. I guess we musthave tied up in front of his nest. Well, we won’t bother you, oldfellow,” and Jerry came back to bed.
After breakfast they went on again, and, in about an hour’s time theysaw, shining before them, at the mouth of the river, the sparklingwaters of Lake Mogan.
“There she is!” cried Bob.
“The last half of our trip!” added Ned.
“And Professor Snodgrass is at the end of this lake--or, at least Ihope he is,” said Jerry, looking ahead as he stood at the wheel.
“Speed her up!” cried Andy, who liked swift motion.
“All right,” assented Jerry, as he opened wider the gasoline throttle.The _Scud_ shot ahead for a few feet and then the boys were almostthrown from their feet as the craft struck some obstruction under water.
“What’s that?” cried Ned, as Jerry quickly shut off the power.
“Back water!” called Bob.
Jerry had thrown in the reverse gear, but it was too late. The _Scud_was as if anchored at the junction of lake and river. The obstructionwhich she had struck held her fast.