CHAPTER XXVIII
THE CRY ACROSS THE WATERS
The words of George struck Alvin and Chester like "the knell of doom."They looked in each other's faces, white and silent for a brief spell;then Alvin whispered:
"He must have fallen overboard."
"And he couldn't swim a stroke," added Chester, in the same huskyundertone.
They said no more, but, keeping their feet, stared at the _Deerfoot_wallowing in the gentle sea, like a helpless wreck. A faint hope sprangup in their hearts that, after all, Mike might have been overcome bysleep and would be found curled up in the cockpit. They could not seethe bottom of the compartment until quite near. Then a single searchingglance told them it was empty. He might have crept under the deckforward or aft, but it was hardly possible he had done so.
George ran the _Shark_ with skill close beside the other boat. Themoment it was within reach Alvin leaped across, landing on the stern,from which he bounded down into the cockpit and peered into theobscurity in front. That too was devoid of a sign of life. He and hischum were the only ones on the motor boat.
Now that their worst fears seemed to be confirmed a strange calmnesscame over both. Their voices were low but even, as are those of peoplein the presence of death.
"What do you think stopped the boat?" asked Chester.
"It is easy to find out."
His first action answered the question. A glance into the gasoline tankshowed that it was empty of all fluid. The source of power had been usedup.
"There may have been other causes, but that was enough," remarked Alvin."I'll look into things on our way back."
His first plan was to borrow enough gasoline from George to run the_Deerfoot_ on the homeward trip, but George thought he had none tospare.
"I can tow you to town," he added.
"That will do as well."
The tow-line was passed over the bow and George made it fast to a cleaton the stern deck of the _Shark_. Then he resumed his moderate speedtoward Boothbay Harbor. It was not a long run and Alvin spent much ofthe time in inspecting the mechanism of his motor boat. To repress sofar as he could his profound grief, he kept up a running commentary orexplanation to Chester, who really did not require it, for he knew agood deal about motor boats. But he listened as if it were all new tohim, and asked questions. His purpose was the same as his friend's: theytalked about everything else in the vain effort to keep their minds fromthe awful theme that bowed them both with a sorrow they had never knownbefore.
"If when the ignition system is in good order, the carburettor properlyadjusted and the compression cocks closed, there is a lack of power, itmay be due to carbon or some foreign substance on the seats of theexhaust or inlet valves. Even so small a thing as a flake of metal or ofemery left from a former grinding may lodge on the valve seat or underthe valve stem and cause loss of power, or a crack in the head of thepiston or cylinder or a broken or worn piston ring may give the sameresult."
"I have heard of those and other causes," said Chester, as the two satside by side, "but what is the most common one?"
"The valves, when they need grinding. I have not had that trouble yetwith the _Deerfoot_, and when I do I shall not try to do the grindingmyself. The work is so delicate that it should be done only by an expertmechanic."
"What causes backfiring, through the carburettor, Alvin?"
"The ignition of the gas in the inlet pipe by a flame in the cylinderleft over from a former explosion after the inlet valve opens, or by tooweak a mixture, by dirt in the carburettor, a leaky inlet valve, or toosmall a fuel pipe. I have known an open throttle and late spark to causebackfiring. If with low speed and a little more feeding of fuel thebackfiring continues, you must look for carbon deposits in thecombustion chamber."
"Many persons are puzzled by explosions in the muffler. Are you?"
"I learned from my instructor that they are produced by an unignitedcharge entering the muffler and being fired by the hot gases from thenext explosion in the cylinder. This does no harm, and if the muffler isstrong is a good thing, for it blows out the smoke and dirt that haveaccumulated."
"The trouble with--with--_him_, you say, was the lack of fuel."
"Yes, but he might have had plenty of gasoline and found the engine deadon his hands. Water or dirt in the carburettor plays the mischief."
And so the questions and answers went on--so many of them that you wouldfind their reading tedious. The pitiful part of the whole business wasthat, as I have said, Chester could have made clear everything asked aswell as his chum and the chum knew it. It was a pathetic attempt to holdtheir minds from the one gruesome, oppressive truth.
But they were too manly to shirk their duty. Nothing was to be gained byturning from that which sooner or later must be faced. Two of thesaddest calls upon them must be answered.
"Shall we search for the body before letting his father and motherknow?" asked Chester, when they had passed McKown Point and wereentering the harbor of Boothbay.
"I don't know what is best. They will soon hear of it and will befrantic until the body is found."
"It is not likely to come up and float for several days, and there's nosaying where the currents will take it. A few years ago a fisherman wasdrowned off the eastern side of Squirrel and was found a week laterseveral miles up the Damariscotta. Some one will come upon poor Mikesooner or later, when not looking for him."
"Our search may be a short one, for I don't think the body will driftfar for some time to come. We must not stop until it is found."
"Now no one beside ourselves knows what has happened except George, whois towing us. We will get him to say nothing about it, until he haspermission from us. In that way the secret will be safe for a few days."
George gave his promise, and the boys decided not to make the woefultruth known to the parents until all hope of recovering the body throughtheir efforts was gone.
For years a huge box-like structure has floated in the harbor ofBoothbay, upon which is painted in big letters the announcement that ithas gasoline for sale. Towed beside this, Alvin speedily had his tankfilled with the fuel. The inspection which he had made of his launchshowed that nothing was the matter with it, and when put to the test theengine ran with its usual ease and smoothness. He paid George for hisservices, taking the occasion to remind him of his pledge to say nothingabout their unfortunate friend until he received permission. Then,without going to the float or wharf, where many landings are made, Alvinwhirled over the wheel, turned the boat round and headed southwardtoward the Atlantic Ocean.
Naturally it seemed to them that their search should begin in theneighborhood of where the drifting _Deerfoot_ was discovered. It wasstrange that with vessels of all kinds passing at no great distance noneof them had noticed the plight of the motor boat. Had it not been takenin tow by the runabout, it could not have remained an estray muchlonger.
Passing to the eastward of Squirrel Island, Alvin continued southwarduntil he had rounded Fisherman, when he diverged so as to leave theHypocrites on his left and the upper of the White Islands on his right.This brought him into the section where the derelict had been sighted.
"Now," said Chester, who sat directly behind his chum and close enoughfor both to talk freely, "if poor Mike had known how to swim there mightbe a faint hope that he had reached one of the small islands not faroff."
"I can't understand how he could have fallen overboard; it would seemthat when he found himself going, he would have grasped something. Hemight have seized hold of one of the propeller blades."
"To do that he would have had to keep himself afloat for a brief time,and we know he could not do that."
Alvin always carried a pair of binoculars on the boat, though they werenot the equal in excellence of those belonging on the runabout. Chestermade continual use of these, while the Captain depended upon hisunassisted eyes to scan the waste of waters. He held the _Deerfoot_ to alow speed, for he meant to make the search as thorough as he could.
"There's no sayi
ng how far out to sea Mike went before turning back----"
"_Hark!_" gasped Alvin, almost leaping from his seat.
And then through the soft still air they heard the call:
"_Arrah, now, ye spalpeens! Come to me arms and obsarve me give animitation of a gintleman starving to death!_"