CHAPTER XV
THE CHUMS IN PERIL
Even the epicurean Tubby Hopkins voted dinner that day a great success,and Hiram, with becoming modesty, took his congratulations blushingly.In mid-afternoon, after seeing that the camp was in good working order,the scout masters started for the home shore in Captain Hudgins's boat,which was also to bring back some additional supplies for the next day.
After dinner Rob had assigned Merritt and Tubby to form a "fishingsquad," to range seaward in the Flying Fish and "halt and detain" allthe bluefish they could apprehend. The others were given the afternoonto range the island and practice up their woodcraft and landmark work,while Rob busied himself in his tent, which was equipped with a smallfolding camp table, in filling out his pink blank reports which were tobe forwarded to Commodore Wingate and dispatched by him to theheadquarters of the Boy Scouts in New York.
Merritt and Tubby were both ardent fishermen, and in response toHiram's pleadings, they allowed him to accompany them on theirexpedition. The fish were running well, and the boys cast and pulledin some time without particularly noticing how far out to sea they hadgone.
Suddenly the stout youth, who was fishing with an unusually heavy lineand hook, felt a hard tug on his apparatus, so powerful a tweak, infact, that it almost pulled him overboard. He tried to haul in, butthe resistance on the other end of his line was so great that he wascompelled to twist it about a cleat in order to avoid either letting goor being dragged into the sea.
"What in the name of Sam Hill have you hooked?" gasped Merritt, as theFlying Fish began to move through the water faster than even her enginecould propel her.
"I've not the least idea," remarked Tubby placidly, "but I rather thinkit must be a whale."
"Whale nothing!" exclaimed Merritt scornfully and with superior wisdom."Whales sound, don't they?"
"Well, there's not been a sound out of this one so far," truthfullyobserved Hiram.
"What kind of a sound do they make, corporal?"
"Oh, you chump," responded Merritt good-naturedly, "you've lived by thesea all your life, and you don't know how a whale sounds. Sound meanswhen a whale blows, spouts, sends up a big fountain of water."
"Oh, I see," responded Hiram, much enlightened. "But see here,Merritt, whatever we are fast to is beginning to pick up speed prettyrapidly. Don't you think we'd better cut the line or try to haul in?"
"Haul in! Not much!" exclaimed Tubby indignantly. "We'll just hang ontill we tire him out, that's what we'll do, and then haul in."
"But we're getting a good way out from shore," objected Hiram, who,however much at home he was at the key of a wireless apparatus, had nogreat relish for blue water in a small motor boat.
"Don't you worry, sonny," put in Merritt patronizingly. "We'll be allright. My, that was a plunge!"
As he spoke the bow of the Flying Fish dipped till she shipped a fewgallons of green water.
"I'll pay out some more line," said the unperturbed Tubby. "I guesswhatever we're onto begins to believe that he has swallowed somethingpretty indigestible."
Faster and faster the Flying Fish began to cut through the sea. Thewater sprayed out from both sides of her cutwater in a steady stream.
"She's doing as well as she did the day of the race," said Merritt,with a laugh, gazing at Hiram's rather pale face. The wireless youthwas casting longing glances at the shore.
"Well, I wish Mr. Whale, or whatever he is, would come up and let ushave a look at him!" exclaimed Tubby suddenly. "This is getting prettymonotonous."
As he spoke the boy paid nut a little more line. He had only just timeto belay it round the cleat to avoid its being jerked out of his hand,so fast was the creature they had hooked now traveling.
"Say, Tubby," spoke Merritt at length, "I'm beginning to think myselfthat it might not be a bad idea to put back. Those clouds over thereon the horizon look as if they meant trouble."
"Oh, let's keep it on a little while longer pleaded Tubby; cuttingthrough the water like this, without any expenditure of gasoline orpower, is the real luxurious way of ocean traveling. It beats theMauretania. Just think if liners could hitch a whole team of thingslike whatever has got hold of us to their bows! Why, the Atlantic wouldbe crossed in four days."
For some time longer the boat shot along over the waves, towed by itsinvisible force. The boys, with the exception of Tubby, began to getanxious. The shores of the mainland were dim in the distance behindthem, and Topsail Island itself only showed as a dark blue dot.
Suddenly the motion ceased.
"He's free of the line!" shouted Hiram, inwardly much relieved to thinkthey had got rid of what to him was an alarming situation.
"No, he's not," replied Tubby, bending over the line. "He's still fastto us. The line's as tight as a fiddle string."
He was standing up as he spoke, and as the Flying Fish gave a sudden,crazy jerk forward, he was almost thrown overboard. In fact, he wouldhave toppled into the sea if Merritt had not bounded forward andgrabbed the fleshy lad just as he was losing his balance.
"We're off again!" exclaimed Hiram, as the Flying Fish once more beganto move through the water.
But now the creature that had seized Tubby's big hook started to movein circles. Round and round the Flying Fish was towed in dizzy swingsthat made the heads of her young occupants swim.
"Start the engine on the reverse, and see if that will do any good,"said Tubby, bending anxiously over his line.
Merritt brought the reverse gear to "neutral," and then started it up,gradually bringing back the lever governing the reversing wheel tillthe Flying Fish was going second speed astern, and finally at her fullgait backward.
The tug thus exercised seemed to have no effect on the monster that hadcaught Tubby's bait, however. With the exception that the speed wasdiminished a trifle, the Flying Fish was still powerless to shake offher opponent.
Suddenly, and without the slightest warning, a huge, shiny, wet bodyshot out of the water almost directly in front of the amazed andstartled boys, and settled back with a mighty splash that sent thespray flying in a salt-water shower bath over their heads.
"Whatever was it?" gasped Hiram in awed tones.
"A shark," replied Merritt, "and a whopper, too. What are we going todo, Tubby--keep on or cut loose?"
"Just a little longer," pleaded the other. "He must be tiring by thistime. If we can only wear him out, we can tow him ashore and make alittle money out of him. You know shark skin is valuable."
"I'd rather have a whole skin of my own," quavered Hiram, who had beenconsiderably alarmed by the momentary glimpse he had had of Tubby'squarry.
"He's off again!" shouted Merritt, as the sea tiger started straightahead once more.
Suddenly the line slackened again.
"Look out!" Tubby had just time to shriek the warning before a mightyshock threw them all off their feet in a heap on the bottom of the boat.
"Zan-g-g-g!"
The line twanged and snapped under the sudden strain, and a great rushseaward showed the boys, as soon as they recovered their senses, thatthey had lost their shark.
"And a good line," moaned Tubby.
"What are you kicking about?" demanded Merritt. "It's a lucky thingthe beast didn't start some plank of the boat when it charged; but asfar as I can see, the Flying Fish stood the shock all right."
"It felt like an earthquake," murmured Hiram, whose face was white andeyes frightened.
"Well, I suppose we'd better head for home," said Tubby at length."Those bluefish will go fine for supper."
"Spoken like a Tubby," laughed Merritt. "All right, I'll start up.Hullo--" he looked up with a puzzled face from the reverse lever. "Ican't get her on the forward speed."
"What's the matter?" gasped Hiram.
"I don't know. Something's stuck. Shut off that engine, will you,Tubby, while I see?"
Tubby promptly shut down the motor, and Merritt struggled with therefractory lever. It was all in vain, however; he co
uld not get it onthe forward speed.
"I've got to investigate," puffed the perspiring corporal; "somethingmust be wrong with the reversible propeller."
"Well, whatever you are going to do, hurry up about it," spoke Tubby,with unwonted sharpness in his tones.
"Why, what's the--" began Merritt.
Tubby checked him with a finger on his lips.
"Don't scare the kid," he whispered, leaning forward, "but we're in fora storm."
He pointed seaward.
Rolling toward them was a spreading wall of heavy clouds traveling atseemingly great speed, while below the wrack the water darkenedominously and became flecked with "white horses."