SWIMMING, AND WHAT FOLLOWED
Lane's Cove was situated almost a mile from Fairview, but the four
boys did not think anything of walking that distance. All were
good pedestrians, for their numerous outings had hardened their
muscles and given them good lung power. Even little Giant trudged
along as swiftly as the rest and even suggested a race when they
came in sight of the spot selected by Snap for the afternoon's fun.
"No, don't run---you'll get overheated," said Whopper. "When
I run I sweat like a house afire."
"Sweating like a house afire is good!" murmured Giant, with a
grin. "Now if you had only said sweat like a stone, or a piece
of iron, all of us would have known what you meant. As it is---"
And then he stopped and ducked, to escape the piece of dried mud
Whopper playfully shied at him.
The cove reached, the boys speedily found a spot that suited them.
It was at a point where some overhanging bushes and trees sheltered
a strip of sandy shore. At one point a rock ran out into the river,
making an excellent place from which to dive.
The lads hustled into the bushes and in a very few minutes Snap
appeared in his bathing outfit and was followed by Shep.
"Beat you in!" cried the doctor's son, but hardly had he spoken
when Snap made a leap and landed into the river with a loud splash.
Shep came after him, and both disappeared under the surface, to come
up a second later, thrashing around wildly.
"Whew! it isn't so warm as I thought!" ejaculated Shep. "No Turkish
bath about this!" And he gave a slight shiver.
"You'll soon get used to it," replied Snap. "It's always the first
plunge that takes the breath out of a fellow."
Giant came in next, diving from the rock. Whopper followed more
slowly, putting in first one foot and then the other.
"Moses in the bulrushes!" he gasped. "Say, this water is about
half ice, isn't it?" And he drew back again.
"Whopper, you know better than to go in that way," remonstrated Snap.
"Wet your face and then go in head first---it's the only right way.
If you go in by inches you'll gasp fit to turn your liver over."
Very gingerly Whopper wet his face. As the water ran down his
backbone he let out another yell.
"Don't know as I'll go in," he observed. "I thought it would be
much warmer."
"Oh, yes, come in," urged Snap.
In the meantime Shep had come to shore and crawled out, behind
some bushes. Softly he crept up behind Whopper. Then came a
sudden shove, and over went Frank with a loud yell and a splash
that sent the spray in all directions. Before he came up Shep was
out of sight behind a tree.
"Say, wh---who---" spluttered Whopper, as he came up and gazed
around half angrily. Then he caught sight of a shoulder back of
the tree. "Come out of that, and let me give you something to
remember me by!" And he struck out for shore.
But Shep had no intention of being caught, and as Whopper came out
he sprang in. Then Frank came after him, and a race ensued, in
which Snap and Giant joined. The rapid swimming warmed all the
boys, and then they declared the water "just O.K.," as Snap expressed
it. Whopper watched his chance to get even with Shep, and when the
other was not looking, dove down and caught the doctor's son by
the foot. Shep was just shouting to Giant and had his mouth wide
open, and as a consequence swallowed a lot of water. When he and
Whopper came up they indulged in a splashing contest lasting several
minutes.
"What's the matter with swimming across the river?" suggested Snap,
presently.
"It's a pretty good distance," answered Giant. "And you must
remember the current is rather swift."
"I'll go, Snap," said Shep, who was always ready to follow his "twin."
"I don't think I'll try it to-day," put in Whopper. "I'll stay on
this side with Giant. If you find anything good to eat over there
bring it along," he added.
"Might find some berries," said Snap.
At this point the river, from the outer edge of the cove, was
about a hundred yards wide. The boys had frequently swum across,
so Snap's proposal to go over was nothing unusual. Side by side
the boys started out and took their time. They did not attempt
to stem the current but allowed it to carry them down the river
for several hundred feet. They landed where there was an old
orchard, backed up by a large strawberry patch.
"No apples ripe around here," said Snap, as he and his chum walked
up the river bank, to a point opposite where they had left Giant
and Whopper.
"Let us go over to the strawberry patch," suggested Shep. "We
may find some strawberries worth eating."
As nobody was in sight, the proposition was readily accepted,
and the boys picked their way carefully along, for they had no
desire to hurt their bare feet. Reaching the patch, they began
a hunt and soon discovered a corner where the berries were thick
and sweet.
"Say, this is prime!" observed the doctor's son, smacking his lips.
"This would suit Giant and Whopper to a T!"
"Wonder if we can carry any over to them, Shep?"
"I don't see why not. A little water won't hurt them. In fact
they ought to be washed, they are that full of sand."
"Who owns this patch?"
"Old Tom Ashenbury."
"Well, we had better keep out of his sight, or he'll be after us with
his gun. Don't you remember how he chased us once, when we were
walking through his peach orchard?"
"Indeed I do. But we are doing little harm here. In a few days
all these berries will be rotten. I guess he has given up picking
them."
In moving around the boys had found a couple of old berry baskets,
and these they now proceeded to fill. The task was about half
completed when Snap suddenly straightened up.
"What was that?" he asked.
"What?" demanded his chum.
"I thought I heard a cry from across the river."
Both listened, but nothing came to their ears.
"You must have been mistaken," said the doctor's son, and resumed
his work of picking strawberries.
"No use of picking more," said Snap, a few minutes later. "We'll
be lucky to get over with these. Perhaps we'll drop half of them,
trying to swim."
"Hi, look there!" shouted his companion, and pointed across the field
in the direction of the river.
A flock of sheep had suddenly appeared, some fifteen or twenty in
number. At the head was a large ram, who gazed in wonder at the two
boys in their bathing outfits.
"Say, that ram means business!" ejaculated Snap, an instant later.
"We had better clear out of here."
"Come on, I'm willing," responded the doctor's son, and started
for the stream, carrying the basket of strawberries in one hand.
"Let us go up the stream," went on Snap. "No use of getting too
close to him. I don't like his looks."
Both boys had good cause to feel alarmed, for the ram was coming
toward them on a trot. Once or twice he stopped and pawed the
ground, but then he came on, and they could see he meant to attack
them.
"He's coming for us!"
"Can we reach the river!"
"We must reach it!"
Then the two boys broke into a run, giving no further heed to the
fact that the ground was uneven and that their feet were bare. They
had heard stories of vicious rams many times, and knew that only the
year before a girl had been almost mauled to death by such an animal.
They had still fifty yards to cover when Snap went into a hole and
pitched headlong. Shep was directly behind him, and over he went
on top of his chum, crushing one of the baskets of strawberries
between them. The other basket was scattered in all directions over
the ground.
"There go our berries," grumbled Snap. "Too bad!"
"Get up!" roared Shep, scrambling to his feet. "Here comes the ram,
and he's as wild as they make 'em!"
He caught his chum by the arm, and both tried to go on. But Snap's
ankle had received a bad wrench and he was forced to limp.
The boys had to pass a low shed, used occasionally for the storage of
fruit and baskets. As they reached this the ram came up and lowered
his head.
"Jump for the shed!" yelled Shep, and caught hold of the roof of the
structure. He scrambled to the top and gave his chum a hand. Then
on came the ram and hit the side of the frail building a resounding
whack with his head. Snap escaped by less than a foot; and then
both boys stood upright on the top of the shed wondering what they
had best do next.