CHAPTER XVII
A BRAVE EXPLOIT
The danger with Dick Halliard was, that his anger was likely toovermaster his judgment, and lead him to attempt something that wouldcause his own disastrous overthrow.
The knowledge that the young man had just asked the privilege ofdestroying his bicycle was exasperating to a degree, but he might havereflected that, since the method chosen was by sinking it in themill-pond, he had only to wait and watch where the submersion tookplace, when it could be readily recovered without injury.
"I won't stand it," muttered the wrathful lad, stealing after them;"if they undertake that business somebody is going to get hurt."
It was but a short distance to the pond. Dick was walking dangerouslynear the couple, who were liable at any moment to turn and discoverhim. He saw the gleam of the water in the faint moonlight, but justbefore the pond was reached the path divided. While one encircled theextensive sheet of water, the other turned to the left, and ledfarther into the woods and among the mountainous regions beyond.
It was as this point the pair stopped for a moment and exchanged a fewwords. The youth who had stolen the bicycle was the first to speak.
"Jim, you're so anxious to drown the wheel, and I'm willing, butthere's no need of waiting to see you do it."
"What's your hurry, Tom?"
"I'm anxious to see how Bob made out. I'll turn off the path righthere and go to camp; you'll be along in a few minutes, and ifeverything is right, Bob ought to be there very soon, if he hasn'tarrived before this."
The matter was of no moment, and, as his companion took the pathleading deeper into the woods, Jim kept on in the direction of themill-pond, where the bicycle was leaning against a tree near the edgeof the water.
This little circumstance, however, encouraged the angry Dick, for henow had but one person to contend with, though the second was near athand.
Jim, as he had been called, spent several minutes in searching for thebicycle, though he was close to it all the time. This, too, wasfortunate, since Tom was walking rapidly away and was likely soon tobe beyond call.
"Ah, here it is!" muttered Jim, a moment later, "I thought Tom wasfooling me, but I'll soon fix it now."
He took hold of the wheel, and as it assumed the perpendicular, beganshoving it toward the water. The path was so narrow that somedifficulty was caused, and Dick heard him muttering angrily to himselfagain.
"_I guess you had better drop that!_"
Dick uttered the words in the most guttural bass he could assume, andthey were startling enough in the gloomy stillness of the place.
Jim was on the very edge of the pond at the moment, balancing thebicycle, and about to shove it out into the deep water at his feet,where it would instantly drop from sight. The hiss of a serpentbeneath his feet could not have given him a greater shock.
He turned so abruptly that the machine fell over on its side with therim touching the pond, which just there was at its deepest. Seeing afigure advancing from the darkness, he recoiled a step and faced theintruder.
In his fright he stepped a few inches too far and fell backward with aloud splash.
"It would serve you right if you were half drowned," said Dick, movingforward to pick up his wheel.
He had it erect in a twinkling, and started to push it along the path,when the terrified Jim shouted:
"Help! help! I can't swim! I'm drowning!"
This put a new and serious face on the business. Dick let his bicycletumble sideways again and ran to the edge of the pond to give help tothe unfortunate youth.
As has been stated the water at this part of the mill-pond was deeperthan anywhere else. The instant Jim went off the land, he was where atwenty-foot pole would not have reached bottom. Furthermore, he toldthe truth when he called that he could not swim. He was unable tosustain himself for a single stroke.
Quick as was Dick Halliard in dashing over the brief interveningspace, he saw the head of the fellow disappear under the surface, thedisturbed waters bubbling over him.
But he knew he would come up again, and hurriedly looked around for apole or stick to extend to him. None was within reach and the secondswere of too momentous value to allow him a further hunt.
Knowing the endangered youth was in a panic, Dick now strove to reachhim without leaving the land. Remembering where he had gone down, heessayed to step as far out from the edge as he could, in the hope thathe might give him his hand.
But, familiar as he was with the big mill-pond and its surroundings,he forgot that the shore at that place went downward as sheer as theside of a stone wall.
As a consequence, the instant he bore the least weight on the extendedfoot, down he went with a force that carried him below the surface.
But Dick was one of the most skillful of swimmers, and though thewater was chilly, he came up like a duck.
He was so prompt in doing this that he and Jim rose simultaneously,and within arm's length of each other.
"Keep still! don't move, and I'll take you ashore!"
He might as well have appealed to the whirlwind. The instant hegrasped the hair of the big fellow the latter turned and flung botharms about his neck, and despite all his rescuer could do the twodisappeared again.
The young rescuer knew that unless the desperate lock was broken bothmust drown, and the coolness with which he decided on the right andonly thing to do and did it, was one of the most striking exhibitionsour hero ever gave, or, for that matter, that any one could havegiven.
While holding his breath below, the death-lock of the drowning youthwas slightly relaxed, but not sufficiently for his hold to bereleased. Our body is slightly less in specific gravity than water,and, aided by the exertions of Dick, the two quickly rose to thesurface again.
The crisis came the instant they readied fresh air. It was then thedrowning Jim would strive fiercely to gather his rescuer closer tohim, and nothing less than the power of Hercules could shake him off.Dick knew it and acted accordingly.
At the moment he gasped for breath he let drive with his right fist,landing directly between Jim's eyes. It was the strongest blow Dickcould deliver, and like a flash he repeated it.
It did the business. Poor Jim was in a dazed condition already. Thetwo blows of Dick stunned him and he became a dead weight on hisrescuer.
Fortunately for the latter they were close to shore, else his attemptto save the other might have resulted most seriously to himself. Thelarger boy was likely to recover from the stunning blow in a fewseconds, and the instant he did so would become frantic again, whileDick's strength must speedily succumb.
The cry of the drowning youth rang through the wood and reached theears of Tom Wagstaff, who dashed back to learn what it meant. At themoment he arrived Dick had reached one hand up on the planking whichran along the edge of the pond, and, with his other arm under theshoulders of Jim, kept his head in the air, but was unable to help himfurther until he should recover his senses.
Dick knew who the second party was that suddenly appeared on themargin.
"He's all right," he said, alluding to Jim; "reach down and give himyour hand; he's coming to."
The hand grasped by Tom was limp at first, but it suddenly gripped theother with desperate force, and putting forth all his power, Tom gavea pull which dragged out the half-drowned Jim, and stretched him onhis face, where he showed signs of speedily recovering his bewilderedsenses.
"How did this happen?" asked the puzzled Tom, looking at Dick as heemerged from the water.
"He was about to push my bicycle that you stole into the pond, when hefell in himself; he called out that he couldn't swim, so I jumped inafter him; and now, if you have no objection, I'll take my wheelhome."
As he spoke he advanced to where the bicycle was lying, stood it up,and moved down the path.
And as for Jim and Tom they spake never a word.