CHAPTER XXIV
RIDING THE SURF
The words were spoken in jest, but they bade fair before long to turn toearnest.
Although the wind had died down, the waves were still running high fromthe effects of the storm. Lester, however, handled the oars like theskilled waterman he was, and Fred was not far behind him, so that theoccupants of the boat felt that they could not be in safer hands. Asthey got farther out from under the lee of the lighthouse rocks,however, they felt the force of the waves more and more, and Lester hadto draw on all his knowledge to keep the boat headed before the bigrollers. As one wave followed another, it would shoot the boat ahead asthough propelled by some invisible motor, and while this was veryexhilarating, it also had a strong element of danger. As long as theywent before the waves they were safe enough, but Lester knew that ifthey broached to, broadside to the waves, they would be swamped in thetwinkling of an eye. The water was pretty shoal where they were, andwhile not actually surf was still near enough like it to keep them alltense and expectant.
As the boys approached the shore, they could see that there was a bigsurf breaking on the sands. Lester scanned it closely.
"I think we can get through all right, fellows," he said, "but if weshould be swamped going in, it won't mean anything more than a goodwetting. When I say the word, Fred, we want to act fast and together. Ifwe can get a wave just right, we'll shoot in like an arrow."
"All right, say when, and I'll pull my arms out," promised Fred, takinga firm grip on the oars. "Let her go."
"Look out you don't pull the boat apart," admonished Teddy. "Remember,I'm in the stern, and I don't want to be left behind."
His more serious brother rebuked Teddy's frivolity with a glance, andthen turned his eyes toward the line of thundering surf they wererapidly approaching. Lester was absorbed in the problem before him,glancing now at the line of breakers and then at the big waves chasingthe boat, each one looking as though it must surely overwhelm it. Atlast, when they were not more than a hundred feet from the beach, Lesterbent to the oars with all his strength, calling:
"Now, Fred, pull! Pull for all you're worth!"
An involuntary exclamation broke from Bill as he glanced astern. Closebehind was a gigantic roller, its foaming crest already starting to bendover. As he gazed, fascinated, the crest broke and rushed at the littleboat with a seething hiss. Up, up went the stern and the bow dug deepinto the water.
"Pull, pull!" yelled Lester.
His oars and Fred's bent beneath the force of their straining backs. Fora moment it seemed as though the wave must surely break into the boatand swamp it. But suddenly they felt the boat leap forward, as thoughsome giant of the deep had seized it and thrown it from him. With thewhite water boiling under the stern the boat raced on, caught in thegrip of the breaker and traveling inshore with the same speed at whichthe wave itself moved. The bow cut through the water, curling up a bowwave on each side that at times came into the boat.
Suddenly the little craft started to turn to starboard.
"Pull on the starboard side," shouted Lester, suiting the action to theword.
Fred promptly obeyed, and after a few straining strokes, the boatreturned to a straight path before the roller and the next moment hadrushed up on the sand, propelled by the last force of the breaker whichwent seething and hissing up the beach.
"Out! Get out! Quick!" shouted Fred. "Let's lift the boat up higherbefore the next wave comes. Lively's the word!"
The boys leaped out and rapidly dragged the boat up past the high watermark, just as another wave, even larger than the one that had carriedthem in, came sweeping over the place where they had landed.
They were a little white and shaken at the danger they had passedthrough, but at the same time were wildly exhilarated by the excitementof it.
"Whew!" exclaimed Teddy. "It seemed to me that we were traveling fasterthan the Twentieth Century Limited just then. Why, we were fairlyflying. While we were going through I was scared to death, but now Ithink I'd like to go out and try it again."
"Not while I'm still in my right mind," protested Lester. "Surf ridingis good sport sometimes, but not when there's the kind of sea runningthat there is to-day. It's possible to have too much of a good thing,you know."
"Oh, I suppose so," said the incorrigible Teddy. "But you fellows didn'thave anything to worry about, anyway. I was in the stern, and if a wavehad come aboard, I'd have been the one to get wet first."
"Yes, by about one-tenth of a second," laughed Bill. "However, all'swell that ends well. I think we all owe a vote of thanks to Teddy fortaking us through the way he did. Nobody could have sat there andwatched others work better than Teddy did. I think he deserves all sortsof credit."
"Well, you see, I was neutral," explained Teddy. "If I didn't help you,you'll have to admit that I didn't help the wave, either."
"Ted wins," declared Lester. "Anybody who wants to prove anythingagainst him has got to get up early."
"If he's ever accused of a crime, he'll be able to argue his way outwithout half trying," affirmed Ross.
"He could probably get off by giving the judge and jury a bad attack ofbrain fever," sniffed Fred. "But what do you say; shall we bail the boatout? We shipped quite a good deal of water."
"Not so much, considering what we came through," replied Lester. "Let'sturn the boat over and save the trouble of bailing."
They turned it over on one side and soon had all the water drained out.Then they left it to dry out in the sun until they should be ready toreturn.
"Get a wiggle on now," enjoined Lester. "We've got a lot to do and we'dbetter get going at once."
The boys started off at a brisk pace and soon found themselves in thepart of the village where the stores were located. They made the rounds,Lester making the purchases and having them wrapped up for him and hisfriends to call for and carry back later on. They met several ofLester's friends and the time passed so quickly that they were surprisedwhen they found that it was past noon.
"Time to eat!" exclaimed Teddy. "Think of me passing up lunch time likethat! I must be sick or something."
"It is rather a bad sign," admitted his brother. "Still I guess you'renot going to die just yet. Only the good die young, and that lets youout. But what do you say to stopping in somewhere and getting a bite,Lester? Now that it's brought to my attention, I find that I'm almost ashungry as Ted usually is. And I can't put it much stronger than that."
"Well," replied Lester, "I was thinking that it might be fun to buysomething here and eat it on the way back. We can get some sandwichesand other things and have a regular picnic after we get out of town."
"Great!" pronounced Bill.
"And the sooner the better," added Ross.
The lads stopped at the nearest store that promised to supply theirneeds. As they gazed in the window, trying to make up their minds whatto buy, Teddy exclaimed:
"What a nuisance it is to choose! You always have to leave behind morethan you take away. If I had plenty of money, I'd buy out the wholestore. Wait till we unearth that fortune of Ross' and then----"
"Sh-h, keep quiet," warned Fred in a low tone. "You don't want to tellthe whole town all you know, do you?"
"That was a slip of the tongue for fair," confessed Teddy ruefully, "butI won't do it again, honest. Besides, nobody could have heard me."