COMMODORE TOM TOPOVER VISITS THE GOLDWING.
The cheers the Beech Hill students had heard before had evidently been
given by the Chesterfields, and not by a picnic party. Dory was not
pleased to see them after the experience of the day before; and their
last words had been threats of vengeance. The fresh paint could be seen
on the bow of the Dasher where the injury done by the Winooski had been
repaired.
The Dasher appeared to be the leading boat, and Mad Twinker had changed
from the other barge, and became her coxswain. Wash Barker was not in
either craft, and his place in the Racer was filled by Jeff Monroe, who
had been active in the affair of the day before.
As soon as the Goldwing appeared off the point, dragging the Gildrock
after her, the Chesterfields set up a yell, and it was plain that they
identified the Beech Hill students who had so thoroughly humiliated them
on the day before. Their lusty cheers indicated that they were ready to
take the vengeance they had promised to obtain. Mad Twinker headed the
Dasher for the Goldwing, and the Racer followed.
It seemed to be a holiday at the Chesterfield Collegiate Institute, and
the boats' crews had evidently been practising in the cove all the
morning. There was a marked improvement in their rowing; they had
observed the excellent discipline that prevailed on board of the
Winooski, and they had doubtless learned a lesson from what they had
seen. After the Chesterfields had given the three cheers, which did not
appear to mean anything, unless they were cheering their enemy, there
was no whooping or yelling as at the former meeting of the boats.
"Those fellows promised to get even with us when we parted last night,"
said Dory, after they had observed the movements of the Chesterfields
for a few minutes. "I suppose they are ready to begin now."
"If they do begin now they will have a nice time of it," added Matt.
"They will never forgive us for compelling them to give up our clothes
before they were ready to do so," continued the skipper. "They are in
better discipline, and behave better this morning than they did
yesterday. But they don't seem to know anything at all about a boat, and
they think they can overhaul the Goldwing without any difficulty."
"If we run up this cove they will have us on the hips," replied Matt.
"There are twenty-six of them, while we are only nine, and if they catch
us they can have it all their own way."
"You are right, Matt, and we will not go up the cove. We will go up to
Rock Harbor, and we can land the Topovers long before they can pull that
distance."
The skipper let off the sheets, and headed the schooner to the south.
She was almost before the wind, and the yacht flew like a locomotive on
her course. In a few minutes the barges were a mile astern of her. At
the mouth of Rock Harbor the wind had a fair sweep, and the sea was
almost as rough as it had been in the middle of the lake.
As the Goldwing approached the south side of the inlet, Dory rounded to
very carefully, so as not to swamp the Gildrock, though the terrified
Topovers were well shaken up in the manoeuvre. Running into the cove
just far enough to escape the heaviest of the waves, Dory directed his
crew to haul on the tow-line, and bring the Gildrock within talking
distance. Spilling the sail, he allowed the yacht to drift towards the
shore.
"We intend to put you on shore here," shouted Dory to the occupants of
the Gildrock.
"We can never get home from here," yelled Nim Splugger.
"That's your look out. You must go ashore, or we will spill you all out
into the water by the beach," replied the skipper.
Nim made no reply, for he saw that his captors were in earnest. Dory
directed Matt and Oscar to land them three or four at a time in the
tender. He explained what he meant to do to the prisoners, and
threatened them with a ducking if they resisted. They did not resist,
for they felt that the skipper could have his own way with them. Matt
landed them in two trips; but Nim Splugger showed fight when they were
all on the beach. He attempted to hold on to the tender, but Oscar
pitched him out of the boat into the water. The moment he was out of it,
Matt shoved it from the shore, and they pulled back to the Goldwing.
It had taken some time to land the Topovers, and by the time the
Gildrock had been properly rigged for towing, the two barges of the
Chesterfields, which had followed the schooner, were within a quarter
of a mile of the point where the marauders had been put on shore. They
made a sweep into the harbor, so as to avoid the rough water.
"Help! help!" yelled the Topovers on the land, when they saw the barges
approaching them.
It was not probable that the Chesterfields knew anything about the
Topovers; but they could not help seeing that they had been at war with
the Beach Hill students, and had been defeated. For this reason,
doubtless they sympathized with the ruffians; at any rate they were the
enemies of the Beech Hillers, and this fact made them allies.
Dory headed the Goldwing out into the lake. The skipper and the crew
watched the movements of the Chesterfields with interest. Possibly the
curiosity of the latter was excited by the scene they had witnessed, and
they wished to inquire into its meaning. At any rate they pulled for the
point where the Topovers had been landed, and the heavy sea prevented
them from following the schooner out into the lake.
The Chesterfield barges made a landing farther up the harbor, and three
of the marauders were taken into one boat, and four into the other.
They did not remain at the shore a moment after they had picked up their
passengers, but followed the yacht by the inside route. The crews of the
Dasher and Racer had not seen the capture of the Gildrock with the
lasso, and could not have known that the Winooski was making for the New
York shore, a mile or more to the north of them. Their passengers told
them their story, and no doubt they were anxious to see the battle for
the other boat, if not to take a hand in it.
The presence of the Chesterfields had considerably disturbed the
arrangements of Dory, who had intended to tackle the marauders in the
other barge as soon as he could get rid of the prisoners. It had taken
some time to dispose of them, and it was possible that Tom Topover had
reached the shore by this time.
"There are the two four-oar boats," said Matt, when they were off the
point north of Rock Harbor.
"I am glad to see them, for the coming of the Chesterfields at just this
time has mixed things," replied Dory. "We must get rid of the Gildrock,
for we can't do anything dragging her after us. We may have a lively
time of it yet."
"We can't turn her adrift," added Matt.
"Of course not; but we can put four of our fellows into her and send
her home," said Dory.
It was promptly decided to dispose of her in this manner, and Dory
selected the three members of the old Goldwing club who were on board,
making Thad Glovering the temporary coxswain. Ben Ludlow was added to
the number. They objected to leaving the Goldwing just as the battle was
coming on.
"There will be no fight if I can avoid one," argued the skipper.
"Probably we shall pick up the Winooski in about the same way we did the
Gildrock. You need not hurry home, and you can see from the boat all
there is to be seen. But we must be in a hurry, for the job must be done
before the Chesterfields can get down here to meddle with the affair."
The objections were overcome, and the four oarsmen were to take the
Gildrock as soon as the Winooski could be seen. Tom Topover had got his
craft into the smooth water, as compared with the open lake, of one of
the numerous inlets when the Gildrock was captured. When last seen, his
crew were laying on their oars watching the operations of the Goldwing.
The schooner was now approaching this inlet, and the next minute or two
would inform the skipper where she was. About half an hour had elapsed
since she lost her consort. Tom Topover might have gone to the aid of
the rest of his party, and it was strange that he had not done so. The
fact was that he had been jawing with Kidd Digfield more than half the
time in regard to what they should do. The crew did not like the idea of
going out into the rough water again.
"There's the Winooski!" shouted Thad Glovering, who was lying on the
half deck at the heel of the bowsprit.
Dory instantly threw the schooner up into the wind, and Matt hauled in
the Gildrock. Thad and his crew were hurried into her, and the Goldwing
filled away again. The Winooski was coming out of the cove, and was just
striking into the rough water. Dory gave the tiller to Matt, and went
forward himself. He had the lasso ready, but he had his doubts about
being able to use it again.
The skipper directed Matt to tack at the proper moment, and the Goldwing
rushed on her course in a direction to intercept the Winooski. When Tom
Topover saw the schooner approaching, he called Kidd Digfield to the
tiller-lines, and, taking a boathook in his hand, went forward himself.
"That fellow means fight," said Oscar Chester.
"No doubt of it; he means it every time, and for that reason you had
better have a boathook in your hand, and be on the forward deck with
me," answered Dory, as he picked up his lasso. "Keep her off a little
more, if you please, Matt."
The oarsmen of the Winooski showed a disposition to abandon their oars,
for a collision seemed to be inevitable to them. Tom stood in the bow of
the barge with his boathook poised ready to strike. Dory saw that it
would be impossible for him to lasso the boat, and he removed the stove
cover from his line.
"Luff a little, Matt," called Dory; and the schooner rounded in upon the
barge. This movement seemed to be too much for Tom's nerves, and instead
of striking with the boathook, he used it to fend off. The moment he
bent over, Dory threw his line, not at the stem of the boat, but at the
body of the Topover. The noose went over his head, and dropped down upon
his shoulders.
"Keep her off!" shouted Dory.
The instant Tom felt the rope, he dropped the boathook and tried to
seize hold of the bow of the barge. The Goldwing fell off, and dashed
ahead on her course. Dory let off his line a few feet, and then took a
turn with it over a cleat. Tom Topover suddenly felt a smart jerk, which
was irresistible, and he was twitched out of the boat as a fish is
twitched out of the water.
[Illustration: "Tom Topover suddenly felt a smart jerk, which was
irresistible."--Page 168.]
With Oscar's help, he was dragged alongside, and pulled on board of the
yacht. It was found that he had the painter of the Winooski in his
hands, which he had grasped in his effort to save himself. Matt had
thrown the schooner up into the wind, and the painter was secured and
made fast. The Winooski brought up at the stern of the Goldwing,
captured by the aid of Tom Topover.