CAUGHT BY THE STORM
"I wonder if they know we are camping in this place right now?" Josh
ventured.
"The chances are, they do," replied Jack. "Both of those chaps possess
eyes as sharp as they make them. And there's another reason why I think
that way."
"Then let's hear it, old fellow," begged Nick.
"This is a nice, attractive place to haul in, and spend the night, when
cruising along in a small motor boat. As evening has come, not one in
ten would think of passing the cove by; and you know it, boys," Jack
went on, with emphasis.
"But they deliberately did that same thing," ventured Herb. "Yes, I get
on to what you mean, Jack. They'd rather boom along, and take chances of
being caught out on the open lake in the night, even with a storm in
prospect, to stopping over near the camp of the motor boat club. Is that
it?"
"Just what I meant, Herb," nodded the other.
"And I guess you struck it, all right," commented Josh.
"But if they didn't want to say us agin, what in the dickens did they
iver kim up this way for, I doan't know?" remarked Jimmie, helplessly.
At that George laughed out loud.
"Wake up, Jimmie!" he exclaimed. "You're asleep, you know. Why, don't
you understand that Clarence Macklin never yet took a beat like a fair
and square man? He won't rest easy till he's tried it again with the
_Wireless_. I happen to know that he hurried his poor old boat to a
builder, and had him work on the engine, hoping to stir it up a peg or
two. And now he's going to sneak around till he gets the chance to
challenge me again."
"And," went on Nick, following up the idea, "he didn't want to drop in
here with us, because in the first place he hates us like fun; and then
he was afraid George might ask questions about his bally old boat."
"He wants to spring a surprise!" declared Josh. "That's his play all the
time. When we had snowball battles, Clarence was forever hiding with a
bunch of his men, and jumping out suddenly at us. That's where he got
his name of Sneaky Clarence."
"Well," remarked Jack, "I hope George gets a chance to show him up again
for the fraud that he is; but at the same time I don't want Clarence
and Bully Joe bothering us right along. We didn't come up here just to
chase around after them."
"Or have the gossoons chasing around afther us, by the same token,"
laughed the Irish lad.
They sat around the fire, and carried on in their usual jolly way,
telling stories, laughing, and singing many of the dear old school
songs. Six voices, and some of them wonderfully good ones too, made
a volume of sound that must have carried far across the bay to the
cottages, where the summer residents were doubtless sitting out in the
beautiful moonlight.
The boys began to think of retiring about ten or after. A couple of
tents had been purchased after coming to the St. Lawrence river country;
for somehow all of them became tired of sleeping aboard the boats, since
there was little of comfort about it.
These tents had been erected under the supervision of Jack, who knew all
about how a camp should be constructed, so that in case of wind or rain
no damage was likely to result.
They made a pretty sight now, with the moonlight falling upon them, and
the flickering fire adding to the picture.
Jack had wandered down to the edge of the water. The three motor boats
were all anchored close by, and everything had been made snug; but of
course it was not the intention of the boys to leave things unguarded.
The chances of trouble were too positive to think of such foolishness.
"Too bad, Jack, that the wind has gone down," said a voice at his elbow;
and turning Jack saw the grinning countenance of George.
"Oh! I don't know," remarked the other, slowly and cautiously, as if
wondering whether George could read his secret thoughts, and know that
he was just then thinking of the pretty little girl whose hat he had
rescued from the hungry maw of the lake that afternoon.
"Why, I think I hear voices over yonder where they landed, and girls at
that," George continued, wickedly. "No doubt the little darlings are
about embarking on the return trip to the _Mermaid_. Now, if the wind
would only suddenly swoop along, perhaps a boat might be upset. But
Jack, with your clothes on, you'd have a tough time swimming out there
and saving Rita's life, like you did her bonnet."
"Oh! let up on that, will you?" laughed Jack, good naturedly; for he was
used to such joking and joshing on the part of his mates, and ready to
take it in the same spirit of fun that it was meant. "I was thinking
about our boats here. Seems to me that whoever is on guard should take
up a position where he can keep an eye on the whole outfit. At the first
sign of danger he must wake up the bunch of us. Isn't that right,
George?"
"Sure it is; but see here, you don't really think anything _will_
happen, do you?" the other demanded, uneasily. "Because if I had
any idea that way, I'd feel like going aboard, and sleeping there,
uncomfortable as a narrow speed boat is. Why, it'd nearly break my heart
if anything knocked my _Wireless_ just now, and spoiled the rest of my
vacation."
"Oh! I guess there's no real danger," said Jack, quickly; "but you know
my way of being cautious. An ounce of prevention, they say, George, is
better than a pound of cure. We insure our boats against explosion and
loss; why not do the same about our chances for a jolly good time?"
"Right you are, Jack. That's a long head you carry on your shoulders,"
admitted the skipper of the speed craft. "But there they come. I can see
the boat, and the white dresses of the girls. She is a little angel,
Jack, and seriously I don't blame you for wanting to see more of Miss
Rita Andrews; but the chances are against you, old fellow."
"Well, girls were the last thing we had in mind when we started on this
trip," remarked Jack. "We left lots of pretty ones at home, you know;
and we're getting letters from some of them right along. There, they've
made the big power boat all right, and are getting aboard."
"And you can go to sleep with an easy mind," laughed George, "because
the young lady wasn't wrecked in port. But perhaps we might happen to
catch up with 'em at the Soo, Jack. No doubt you had thought of that?"
"We expect to be at Mackinac first, and people generally stop off there
a day or two," remarked the pilot of the _Tramp_, falling into the
little trap shrewd lawyer George had set for him; whereat the other gave
him a dig in the ribs, and ran off to the camp to get his blankets ready
for his first nap.
But nothing out of the way did happen that night, though the motor boat
boys kept faithful watch and ward, one of them being on duty an hour or
more at a time up to dawn.
With the coming of the sun over the water all were awake, and
preparations for breakfast underway. Jack, Nick and Josh concluded to
take a morning dip, while the rest were looking after the cooking of a
heap of delicious flapjacks done to a brown turn as only the wonderful
Josh could coax them.
Smoke rising slowly from the big power boat's cook's galley pipe
announced that preparations were underway there for an early start.
Indeed, the vessel started to leave the harbor even while Jack and his
mates were still sitting around the fire, disposing of the appetizing
mess that had been so skillfully prepared for the crowd.
"Jack, it's all right!" laughed George.
"Yes," chimed in Nick, innocently, with a sigh of relief, "they're
heading north, sure as anything."
"Oh! we forgot there was a pair of 'em, sighing like furnaces," jeered
Josh.
But Jack and the fat boy only laughed.
"Rank jealousy, Nick; don't you bother your head about such cruel
remarks," said the former, winking to the stout youth.
"Well, everybody get busy now," said George, jumping to his feet. "It
looks like we might have a fairly decent day, if that blessed old wind
keeps away. My boat rolls like fun when in a wash, and I don't like it a
bit. Hope we'll have the air out of the southwest today, so we'll be
shielded by the shore."
He hurried off to get aboard. The others were not far behind, for tents
had been taken down, and blankets stowed, while breakfast was being
cooked; so that there was not a great deal to do now.
Then, after a last survey of the late camp had been taken by cautious
Jack, in order to make sure that nothing was forgotten and the fire
dead, he too stepped into his little dinky, paddled out to where Jimmie
awaited him aboard the _Tramp_; and five minutes later the little
flotilla started, amid a tremendous popping of motors, and much calling
back and forth on the part of skippers and crews.
Once outside the protecting cape they headed due nor'-east by north, and
kept just a certain distance away from the shore.
It was a lovely morning, and gave promise of a fine day; but these
cruisers had learned through bitter experience never to wholly trust
such signs. In summer at any rate, storms can develop with suddenness on
the big lakes, and a squall start to blowing without warning. Hence they
had adopted as a motto, the slogan of the Boy Scouts: "Be Prepared!"
George called out to the skipper of the _Tramp_, and pointed ahead,
where, several miles to the north could be seen the dim shape of the big
power boat, rapidly covering the distance that intervened between the
cove and charming Mackinac Island.
"They'll be at Mackinac tonight, all right, Jack!" shouted George, who
led the little procession in his speed boat.
Jack made no attempt at a reply; but Jimmie took up the cudgels at once.
"Sure we'll make it by tomorry night, if all goes well," he said; "and
begorra, not wan of our boats is in the same class wid the big wan. Take
the three togither and they'd be only a bite for the _Mermaid_. So we
bate thim aisy now."
So they chugged along as time passed. In an hour all signs of the larger
craft had passed from their sight. At noon they opened up Thunder Bay;
and thinking to make the dangerous crossing of its broad mouth before
having lunch, they kept on.
It was rather rough traveling, especially for the narrow _Wireless_; and
acting upon Jack's suggestion George hovered close to the others, so as
to have help in case of trouble, and be partly sheltered from the
rollers by keeping in their lee.
But the passage was made in safety; and after that their course changed
to some extent. The shore turned more toward the northwest, so that they
headed into the wind, which was creating some sea, in which the small
craft wallowed considerably.
An hour later Jack began to cast anxious glances toward the shore,
hoping to discover an opening of some sort, in which the fleet might
take refuge. For the sky was darkening by degrees, and he fancied he
caught the muttering of thunder in the distance.
On their starboard quarter nothing could be seen but a vast heaving
expanse of water; for Lake Huron at this point stretches more than fifty
miles, before Grand Manitoulin Island is reached to the northeast.
It would be a bad place for such small craft to be caught in a storm.
Still, the shore looked strangely devoid of any indentation, and Jack's
fears increased as the minutes passed without any change for the better
cropping up. But he did not express these aloud, and even his boatmate
Jimmie, although often casting a look of anxious inquiry at the face of
his skipper, could not tell what was passing in his mind.
And then, without any warning, there suddenly came a vivid flash of
lightning over in the west, almost immediately followed by an ominous
clap of thunder that seemed to make the very air quiver.
"Say, that looks bad!" called out Josh; who was in the cranky speed
boat, and had more reason to be alarmed than most of his comrades.
"What shall we do, Jack?" asked Herb, whose _Comfort_ was keeping close
on the port side of the boat Jack had charge of.
"Push on for all we're worth," answered the other. "I think I see a
harbor, if only we can make it before the storm breaks. George, you
leave us, and drive ahead; for the danger is greater with you than the
rest. But don't worry fellows; it's all right, we've just got to make
that bay where the point sticks out, and we're going to do it too."