THE CHESTERFIELDS AND THEIR ALLIES RENEW THE BATTLE.
Commodore Topover was bewildered by the sharp practice of the skipper of
the Goldwing. While he was expecting an assault in another direction, he
had been suddenly dragged out of the Winooski into the water, and then
on board of the schooner. The painter of the barge was made fast astern,
and Dory relieved the prisoner from the noose with which he had been
captured.
Kidd Digfield and his companions in the boat seemed to be almost as much
astonished as the commodore. They were paralyzed by the unexpected
onslaught, and the successor of Tom needed a little time to enable him
to determine what to do. Both craft had come to a standstill, the sails
of the Goldwing shaking in the wind.
Tom Topover was the first to recover his wits. He had been thoroughly
ducked, but he had not been injured in the operation of taking him out
of the Winooski. He looked about him, and it did not require much time
to enable him to take in the situation. He was a prisoner in the hands
of the students. He was in the same boat with Dory, who had knocked him
over with a single blow of his fist; and the remembrance of this fact
was the first idea that came to him.
Before Kidd had decided to do anything the wind had driven the barge
astern of the schooner, and whirled her about. In this position there
were only two things Tom's successor could do; one was to haul the boat
alongside the yacht by the painter, board her, and fight it out; and the
other was to cut the painter, and thus recover possession of the barge.
But Tom Topover considered himself as still the commodore of the fleet,
even in the misfortunes which had befallen it, and he proceeded to use
his authority.
"Kidd Digfield!" called Tom, as soon as he comprehended the situation.
"Haul in on the painter, and fetch her alongside!"
"I think your fellows had better not try to do that," interposed Dory.
"I give you two minutes to put me back in that boat," replied Tom, with
a savage glance at the skipper.
"What if I don't do it?" asked Dory, laughing.
"I'll give you the biggest licking you ever had in your life. I'll pound
you till you can't see out of your eyes," blustered Tom.
"You needn't wait two minutes before you begin, for I shall not put you
into the boat," replied the skipper lightly. "Fill away, Matt, if you
please."
Dory had seated himself in the standing-room opposite the place where he
had deposited Tom when he hauled him on board. As Matt put the helm up,
Tom made a spring at the skipper; but Dory was on his feet in an
instant, warded off the blow of the Topover, and hit him square in the
face. The yacht heeled over at this moment under the pressure of the
wind, and Tom fell back into his seat.
"We won't have any fight in the boat," said Dory, picking up a reef
pendant. "We will tie his hands behind him, and keep him quiet till we
get rid of him."
"No you won't tie my hands behind me!" yelled Tom, boiling over with
wrath.
Oscar Chester sprang upon him, and in spite of his struggles bore him
down upon his back. Dory then assisted him, and between them they had
no difficulty in putting the commodore in a position of
non-interference.
"The fellows in the boat are hauling in on the painter," said Matt, when
Dory and Oscar had disposed of the obstreperous prisoner.
"Let them haul on it," replied the skipper laughing. "They will have a
nice time of it. Keep her away a little more, if you please."
Kidd had got hold of the painter, and Pell Sankland was trying to help
him; but the former could not haul in enough of the line to afford him a
chance to assist. The schooner had got under full headway, and there was
considerable strain on the rope. Three of the Topovers had repaired to
the bow while the other three were about in the middle of the barge. She
was loaded by the head, and as soon as the Goldwing began to force her
through the water at her own pace, the craft scooped up about half a
barrel of water.
Kidd was sailor enough to see what the matter was, and he hastily
retreated to the stern of the boat, followed by his companions. Not more
than one of them at a time could get hold of the painter, and there was
no danger that the marauders would haul the boat alongside the schooner.
But Kidd soon went forward again, after he had stationed his crew as
far aft as he could get them, and began to saw away with his knife at
the painter.
Matt let off the sheets, and kept the Goldwing away several points at
once. As he did so, Dory slacked off the painter as much as its length
would permit. When the schooner straightened the line again, she did it
with a violent jerk, at an angle with the length of the barge. The
effect was to tip the boat until her gunwale at the bow went under, and
she shipped another half barrel of water.
Kidd's nerves were not strong enough to stand this kind of treatment,
and he dreaded what might come next. He retreated to the stern; but not
till he had found that it would have taken him half an hour at least to
saw off the painter with his dull jack-knife. He realized that there was
nothing more he could do.
The four-oar boats were now within a short distance of the scene of the
strife. The crews had laid upon their oars most of the time, watching
the progress of the action. The Winooski had been taken, and the battle
was finished. It only remained to dispose of the prisoners. Dory had
given the order to head the schooner to the nearest land. The four-oar
boats reached the point off which the yacht had just come up into the
wind. Tom was handed into the boat with Mr. Jepson, who was greatly
amused at the exploits of the boys. He was put ashore, but the reef
pendant was removed from his arms only when he was safe on the beach.
The tender and the other four-oar boat landed the prisoners from the
Winooski, who had concluded not to make any resistance. As the boats
left the discomfited ruffians on the shore, Tom cast a large stone at
one of them, and the rest proceeded to follow his example. But no harm
was done, and the boats were soon out of the way of their missiles.
"Homeward bound!" shouted Dory, as soon as he had taken his crew from
the tender on board.
Two oarsmen were taken from each of the small boats, for the remaining
two could easily pull them across the lake with the wind, and
transferred to the Winooski. Thad Glovering in the Gildrock was close
by, for his party had no idea of leaving the scene while there was any
fun in prospect. The whole squadron, consisting of the Goldwing and the
four row-boats, were within talking distance of each other. The battle
had been fought and won, and there was nothing to do but go home. The
Gildrock was farthest out on the lake, and she led the way. All the
fleet were in the smoother water of the cove.
"The Chesterfields!" shouted Oscar Chester, when the Goldwing was fairly
under way. "They are just coming around the point; and they have half
the Topovers on board."
"We need not bother our heads any more about the Chesterfields or the
Topovers," replied Dory. "We have got our boats, and that was all I
wanted."
"All right," added Oscar, as he settled himself in his seat.
But the skipper soon came to the conclusions that it was not all right.
The Chesterfield barges had changed their course, and were headed for
the four Beech Hill boats which had just started for home. The Dasher
and the Racer were fully manned, while the Gildrock and Winooski had
each only one-third of a crew.
"That's bad," said Dory, who began to be very anxious for the safety of
the recaptured barges.
"I thought it might be," replied Oscar. "But I think we can give them
enough of it to satisfy them in a very few minutes."
"Do you mean a fight?" asked the skipper.
"Not a hand-to-hand fight, but if either of those barges attempts to
meddle with the Gildrock or the Winooski, I should run her down,"
answered Oscar, with a good deal of vim in his tones.
"I don't like to do anything of that kind," replied Dory, seriously.
"When we smashed the Dasher yesterday, I did not intend to give her such
a rap."
"I should say it would be for the Chesterfields and their new allies to
elect whether you smash them or not. But they are making for the
Gildrock, and of course they can easily take her from the four fellows
in charge of her."
"Of course I don't mean to let them take her from our fellows," added
Dory. "Keep her away; run for the Gildrock, if you please, Matt."
Thad Glovering pulled the stroke oar of the Gildrock, and he had already
discovered the danger that menaced him in the approach of the
Chesterfield barges. He was making his crew do their utmost; but the
barge had been headed off by the enemy, who were not seen until they
came around the point of land.
The improvement in the rowing of the Chesterfields was not very
manifest. They had evidently being practising since they obtained their
smashed barge from the builder who had repaired it, and it was just as
plain that they had adopted the stroke of the Beach Hill barges.
"The Topovers are helping them," said Oscar, who watched the Dasher with
the closest attention.
"I see they are," replied Dory; "and they are making very good headway."
A Topover had been placed on the thwart with each student as far as
their number would permit. Mad Twinker was in charge of the head boat,
and he was driving his crew to the limit of their power. But the
Goldwing, even in the higher wind near the weather shore, could make two
miles to the Dasher's one. Matt was directed to run close to the quarter
of the Gildrock; and the schooner came up with her not a moment too
soon, for in spite of Thad's best efforts, the Dasher was all ready to
pounce upon her intended victim. The Racer had continued on her former
course, and was making for the Winooski. It was clear that they intended
to capture both boats. When they had done this probably the
Chesterfields would be satisfied that they had got even with the
Beech-Hillers for the humiliation of the day before.
The Goldwing was almost before the wind, and she was surging down upon
the Dasher with tremendous speed and power. The Chesterfields did not
look behind them, and they could not have failed to take notice of the
Winooski's drill on the preceding day. Mad Twinker had no little nerve,
but he was appalled at the rushing, surging, roaring approach of the
Goldwing.
"Sheer off, or I shall run into you!" shouted Dory, on the half deck of
the schooner. "If you meddle with the Gildrock I'll smash your boat."
Mad could stand it no longer, and he let go one tiller line, and pulled
on the other with all his might. The Dasher whirled around in obedience
to her helm. The Goldwing came about; Dory hove his long line to the
Gildrock, and she was dragged out into the rough sea, out of the way of
her assailant. But the Winooski was by this time in the same peril, and
the schooner hastened to her assistance.