A HANDICAP AT THE FIRST STATION.
"We've got to pull up here, Jimmie!"
"Sure; and what time have ye, Jack?"
"Just eleven. We've been booming along for three hours today, besides
the whole eight yesterday, and without a single breakdown, too," and
Jack looked proudly at the little motor which he was bending over and
petting.
"Thims the houses of Clinton we say away ahead there, thin?" asked
Jimmie, as he shaded his eyes with a palm, and stared toward the south.
"Yes, on the Illinois shore; and across the way lies Clinton in Iowa.
I used the marine glass which every boat carries, and there isn't a
sign of either the _Wireless_ or the _Comfort_ ahead. That means,
Jimmie, we're the first to arrive at the initial bag or station."
The Irish boy grinned as though tickled. "Sure I can understand why
Herb and Josh are held back by a slow boat; but by the powers where can
that speed boy be? By the way he wint off he might be bringing up in
New Orleans just now," he remarked, humorously.
"If I gave a guess I'd say he was up in some creek, tinkering at that
twenty horsepower engine of his that shakes the whole frame of his boat
whenever he opens the throttle wide," Jack replied.
"Right ye are," declared Jimmie, nodding his head. "And by the toime
we get to the journey's ind I belave on me sowl George and Buster will
know the location of ivery creek along the river."
"Well," remarked the pilot of the boat, as he turned shoreward, "if a
fellow is daft enough to sacrifice everything else for speed, on a long
cruise like this, he must expect to put up with all sorts of trouble.
But I'm sorry for Buster, though."
"Sure he can afford to lose twinty pounds, and not fale it," declared
the Irish boy, sagely. "And so long as the provisions howld out,
Buster won't kick too harrd."
When they had arrived at a certain point not far from the shore the
engine was shut off.
"Now!" sang out Jack, "drop it! Quick, Jimmie!"
With a splash the anchor fell into the water, and presently the jaunty
little motor boat was riding restlessly at the end of her cable; while
the two boys started to get something ready to eat.
Jimmie was to act as cook most of the time, since the other inmate of
the _Tramp_ had plenty of things to hold his attention in managing the
engine, and figuring out the course.
First of all Jimmie placed on a firm foundation a neat little
contraption made of brass, and which seemed to be a kerosene stove,
capable of manufacturing gas. It was the pet of the skipper, and had
served him many a time under conditions when a camp fire was out of the
question, on account of pouring rain, or from some other reason.
This Juwel kerosene-burning stove was of German origin. It was primed
with a little alcohol, and when the heat had thus been applied to the
plate a few pumps started the oil to moving, and it was turned into
blue flame gas, very powerful in its capacity for boiling water
speedily.
When the stove was going it made a little crackling, hissing noise, but
nothing to cause annoyance. And its convenience on a cruise of this
sort outweighed any minor faults.
The other boats were equipped with other cooking appliances, the
_Wireless_ having a battery of three lamps, and the _Comfort_ a genuine
gasoline affair, of course of generous proportions as became so big a
craft, on which a dinner for the crowd might have been prepared if
necessary.
Jimmie heated some Boston baked beans left over from the preceding
night's supper, and made a pot of coffee. A loaf of bread and some
cheese afforded ample substantial, as Jimmie declared when he could eat
no more.
Still there were no signs of either of the other boats above. They
could see various river craft moving about, but though Jack used his
glasses diligently up to two o'clock he had discovered nothing of the
others.
"Say, this looks bad for a beginning," he observed, as three o'clock
came, and he took the glasses again to sweep the upper river. "Already
we have a start of four hours on both our rivals. Perhaps after all
George may have to explore some of those cut-offs Nick dreads so much,
in order to make up for time lost while tinkering with that blessed old
engine of his, that breaks down once in so often."
He had hardly applied the glasses to his eyes than he gave an
exclamation.
"I wager now that's the bully ould _Comfort_ splashing along in the
middle of the river!" cried Jimmie, who had good eyes of his own and
had been using them to some advantage meanwhile.
"Go up head, Jimmie," said Jack; "for that's just what it is. And as
sure as you live I think I sight the rushing _Wireless_ away back
there, booming along, and cutting through the water like a knife, while
the broad bow of Herb's boat throws the spray flying with every dip!
It's a race for second honors, that's what it is, Jimmie!"
"Whirra! and we're the spectators, so we are!" cried the delighted
Irish lad, as he eagerly reached for the glasses and clapped them to
his eyes. "Yis, ye're right, Jack, it's the speed boat all the same;
and my sowl, how she's rushing things! By the powers, don't I hope the
ould _Comfort_ draws in here ahead. Won't it make George feel down in
the mouth to be last at the stake?"
"Oh! this is only a beginning," remarked Jack. "Nobody can tell what
is going to happen before we bring up at New Orleans. Depend on it,
Jimmie, all of us will know a heap more by then than we do now."
"Herb sees us," observed Jimmie. "Josh is wavin' a flag. And the boat
heads this way, too, makin' better time than I iver saw her do. Hurrah
for thim! Look at the coffin nail gainin'; but I do believe the tub
will win out afther all, I do that."
And so it proved; for, although George evidently risked considerable,
and shoved on every horsepower his engine was rated at, he could not
quite overtake the big clumsy craft he had affected to despise; so that
the _Comfort_ was alongside before the speed boat was more than within
hailing distance.
Jack himself timed the coming of each craft, as was the duty of the one
first at a station. Thus he knew just what a handicap the other boats
labored under as the result of the initial run.
It was already late in the day, and as they were prohibited from
running after the hour of four, a start was out of the question until
another morning.
Accordingly the three craft made preparations for stopping over another
night. A place was found where they could go ashore and camp, though
meaning to sleep aboard their several boats; a necessity that caused
poor Nick many a groan.
"Why, fellows," he grunted, rubbing himself in various places, "I'm
just covered with bruises after one night of it. No room to turn
without the bally old boat heaving and rolling. I give you my word
there were lots of times I really made up my mind the blessed thing
wanted to turn us both out into the creek. And would you believe it, I
haven't yet been able to find those bully water wings anywhere. Seen
anything of 'em, boys? Oh! I hope you have, because half the fun will
be lost to me if I've gone and left my wings behind."
But no one remembered seeing the articles in question after the last
time the owner had been holding them up for admiration, and which was
on the Saturday before the start.
"So, you did pass the night in a creek, then?" asked Jack.
"That's what we did," admitted George, with a shrug of his shoulders.
"Engine began to give trouble before two o'clock, and as we were near
the shore we found a convenient creek, where we pushed in; and I've
been working on that motor pretty much all the time since."
"We saw you both go past this morning," remarked Nick. "But George
wouldn't let me give a toot on my horn. All I did was to cook while he
worked."
"And eat. Don't forget to mention that, please," grumbled the
aforesaid George. "Why, fellows, if he keeps on the way he's started,
I sure don't know how we'll ever get enough grub aboard to keep going.
And besides, such cooking you never saw."
"Here, no complaining," declared Jack. "You knew what you were up
against before you started. And Buster is a willing chap, even if he
has his faults. I've got a man aboard who's in training to equal
Buster's record before this trip ends," and he nodded his head toward
Jimmie, who grinned and answered:
"Indade an' I begin to belave that same mesilf, fellers. I'm hungry
all the time, so I be. It must be in the air. Jack himself is no
slouch whin it comes to stowing away things."
"That's all right," laughed Josh, seeing a chance to get in one of his
favorite digs at Nick; "but I can feel for poor old George. He's
tucked in with a cemetery, that devours everything, and keeps yawning
for more."
And so they talked as they made a fire and prepared supper for the
crowd just as the sun hovered over the distant shore to the west. No
one came to bother them, for the place was isolated. A railroad ran
near by, and during the night they heard numerous trains passing along.
But snugly tucked away in their respective boats--much too snugly, Nick
believed--they found little cause for complaint.
Another dawn found them facing a proposition that offered new
possibilities.
"Hey! it's raining!" shouted Josh, he being the first one in the little
fleet to get outside that morning.
But Jack had known this for some time, since he had been awake and
heard the patter of the falling drops on the taut canvas awning that
covered the main part of the _Tramp_.
After a while the boats were allowed to come closer together, while the
pilots conferred as to the program for the day.
There were one or two feeble protests against starting in the wet; but
on putting it to a vote the decision was reached that they must go on.
"We're not made of sugar or salt," declared Jack; "and besides, haven't
we anticipated just such weather by providing waterproof garments.
Everybody get into their oilskins right away, and slap a real old
sou'wester on their heads. We can afford to laugh at this poor little
storm. Wait till we strike something worth while later on, and then
duck."
"Yes," put in George, a little maliciously; "we've just got to be
moving right along, fellows. Satan always finds mischief for idle
hands to do. Buster is supposed to be the deck hand aboard this boat,
and when he hasn't anything else to do his mind keeps wandering in the
line of eating. Suppose we did get really cleaned out some fine day,
am I bound to begin on him for chops?"
All this while they were busy dressing, and Nick made the narrow speed
boat wabble fearfully with his movements as he drew on his oilskins.
"Oh! I tell you I'm just going to be a complete nervous wreck before
we get done with this fool race," he complained when he had finally
succeeded in donning the wide trousers, the legs of which persisted in
sticking together.
"Get out and walk then," said George, promptly.
"I would if the walking was good," replied Nick; "but it's wet both
above and below; and besides I want to give another look around for my
precious white wings."
At eight o'clock another start was made. As before, the fleet boat
shot ahead, with the _Tramp_ a good second, and the wallowing _Comfort_
in the rear, Herb and Josh in no way disconcerted because of the poor
beginning. History had a way of repeating itself; and they believed
that the accident to George's cranky engine was only a specimen of many
other troubles and tribulations that would be apt to befall the
ambitious pilot during the progress of the race.
But hardly had the _Wireless_ gone two hundred yards before there was a
tremendous splash heard.
"Arrah now!" burst out Jimmie, who had happened to be looking at the
time, "it's happened just as I knowed it would!"
"What is it?" asked Jack, bobbing up from the engine, which had been
taking all of his attention.
"He falled overboard, so he did, just like a sack of corn!" continued
Jimmie.
"Who did----oh! look at all the splashing back of the _Wireless_! Why
it's Buster and he's holding on to a rope or something! Stop the boat,
George; stop her!"