MAROONED
"Hurrrah!" shouted Bumpus, who had been so worked up during this
struggle between his comrades and the greed of the elements, that he had
hardly taken time to breathe.
Davy, and Step Hen too, seemed ready to throw up their hats, and cheer
with exultation because of their wonderful deliverance from continued
perils.
All of them were pretty well soaked, though it had not rained at all; so
that their bedraggled condition must have come from the water that was
in the air, and an occasional wave that slapped over the boat when it
broke.
Although they had apparently secured a firm grip on an anchorage, and it
would seem as though their present troubles were over, Thad did not sink
down like his two fellow laborers, to pant, and rest up.
He proceeded to scramble aft, for he had made an alarming discovery, and
wished to start an investigation at once.
The boat sat much lower in the water than he had ever known it to do;
and this circumstance seemed alarming. One look into the cabin told him
the reason, nor was Thad very much surprised to find that it was already
knee deep in water.
"How did this come in here, fellows?" he asked Davy and Step Hen, who
from their positions might be expected to know; "did you notice many
waves pour over the stern of the boat?"
"N-no, hardly any water at all came in, Thad," replied Step Hen,
astonished when he came to look into the partly submerged cabin for
himself.
"She kept riding like a duck, and was ahead of the waves most all the
time," was the testimony Davy added; which might be set down as the
first words of praise given to the little craft thus far during the
cruise.
"Why, goodness gracious, Thad, we must be sinking!" bellowed the amazed
Bumpus, also craning his fat neck the best way he could, in order to
peer into the cabin.
"Just what she is doing," replied the scoutmaster, composedly; because
they were now in comparatively shallow water, out of the reach of the
storm; and it did not matter so much what happened after this.
"Sprung a leak, mebbe?" suggested Giraffe, joining the group.
"Wouldn't be surprised if that was what happened," Allan added, as, he
too took a survey of the flooded interior.
"Then, like as not she'll go down right under us, after a bit, Thad!"
exclaimed Bumpus, in new excitement, as he contemplated the distance
still separating them from the point of the island, and mentally figured
whether he could float to safety with that life preserver on, and one of
his chums towing him.
"She will, and that's a dead sure thing," Giraffe told him.
"We ought to get her in closer before that happens, hadn't, we,
fellows?" Step Hen wanted to know.
"We've got to try that same, and right away!" declared Thad, as he
stooped to once more; pick up a push-pole.
"Here, you Step, Hen and Davy, take hold in our place, because you're
fresh, and ought to do better work," Giraffe remarked, as he thrust his
pole into the hands of the former.
Now, under ordinary conditions Step Hen might have wanted to know by
what authority the lengthy, scout presumed to order him around, when
they were of the same rank in the patrol; but he realized the force of
what Giraffe had said, and hence accepted the pole without a murmur,
starting to work immediately; while, Davy did the same with the one Thad
allowed him to take.
"When you get the boat part way up toward where the anchor holds,"
observed the scout-master, "we'll drag the mudhook in, and stand ready
to throw it out again. By pulling on the cable after the anchor gets a
firm hold on bottom, it's possible to claw the boat along foot by foot.
I've done that same many a time; and it'll help out more than a little."
They speedily found that Thad spoke truly, and under the influence of
poles as well as the anchor drag the Chippeway Belle began to approach
the shore, much to the delight of Bumpus. When the fat scout, closely
observing the setting poles as they were dipped repeatedly into the
water, discovered that they struck bottom in a depth of not more than
four feet, he was ready to shout with joy. That meant it could not be
over his head; and if the worst came, he might wade to land.
Despite the fact that their vessel was a wreck, and about to sink, the
boys had no desire to complain just then. Their escape from threatening
danger had been too recent for them to feel ungrateful. Later on the
grumblers would no doubt start to work in their customary way, and find
cause for venting their disgust because things did not come out as they
might have wished; but even Giraffe was bubbling over with satisfaction
when he realized that they had actually managed to cheat the storm after
all.
It had been a close shave, however, and only for that bright thought on
the part of Thad, they might at that very moment have been drifting far
away, with their boat slowly but purely sinking, despite all the baling
they could accomplish.
But then, what was the good of scout-masters if they were not able to do
the thinking for the crowd, the reckless Giraffe would possibly have
said, if the question had been put up to him.
Everybody was working like the busy bees; even Bumpus tried to assist in
hauling at the cable, having moved forward when the boat no longer
pranced and bobbed on the agitated sea like a skittish horse.
Of course, as the water was coming in so fast, the cruiser was bound to
presently strike bottom; but it was the design of Thad to work her in
just as far as possible, for as they had a block and tackle aboard he
hoped they would be able to make some sort of rude "ways," where she
might be hauled out later on, patched up, and their interrupted cruise
continued.
"Stuck fast, Thad; she's on bottom, and no use straining to try and get
her another inch toward the shore!" announced Allan, presently; and all
of them realized that he spoke the absolute truth when he said this.
"Well," remarked Bumpus, complacently, "we are on the wreck of our noble
ship, and close enough to shore to salvage all our possessions; which I
consider the greatest of good luck. Who'll carry me on his shoulders,
now?"
Strange to say, nobody offered to undertake this task, where Bumpus
pretended to feel very much hurt, though in reality quite merry.
"I was afraid you'd all speak at once, and have a quarrel over the
honor; but looks now like I might have to do the grand wading act
myself, holding up my clothes-bag and blanket, to keep from getting the
same more soaked than they are now. If we could only make a raft like
old Robinson Crusoe did, it would be fine. Can we get this cabin roof
off, and would it float, do you think, Thad?"
"We'll wade!" replied the scout-master, grimly, and that settled it.
"The sooner the better," remarked Giraffe, "because night's going to
drop down on us right early to-day, and we ought to have a warm fire
started somehow, so's to dry us off," for Giraffe had the utmost faith
in a fire being able to do about nearly everything necessary to the good
cheer of mankind, because he fairly worshipped a jolly blaze.
Indeed, as most of them had commenced to shiver already, owing to their
wet condition, and the stress of excitement under which they had been
recently laboring, the thought of sitting before a comfortable fire did
seem to buoy up their spirits amazingly.
"Get ready to slip over, and go ashore!" ordered Thad, "I'll take the
anchor cable with me, and see that it's made fast to a rock or a tree.
We may find a chance to mend the boat, and anyway it's just as well that
we try and keep her here; though if the wind whips around no cable would
hold her, I reckon."
Giraffe was the first to drop over. The water hardly came above his
waist; but then his height was responsible for this, and cautious Bumpus
did not deceive himself on that account. Still he found that he could
easily wade, and in a short time all of them had reached the friendly
rocks.
Here Thad made the rope secure.
"I'm going back for a few more things, and you might come along with me,
Allan," the scout-master remarked.
"I reckon you think there's a pretty good possibility that the wind will
veer around, sooner or later, and that the old tub won't be in sight
when morning comes?" Allan remarked, as he pushed out alongside his
chum.
"Chances tend that way," was the replied Thad, "and anyhow, it's better
that we get all the supplies we have ashore. Then if 'we have to play
Crusoe for a while we'll have something to go on with."
"Our stock happens to be pretty low," remarked Allan; "and Giraffe was
only this morning complaining that he didn't get enough to eat, and that
we'd better stop off somewhere to buy more bacon and bread and such
things. Too bad we didn't think of that when near Duluth, which place
you wanted to avoid because of certain reasons."
They made the trip without accident. Then it was considered that about
all had been taken from the stranded and half sunken cruiser that was
worth salving.
Already was Giraffe hunting for some good place where they might find
shelter, and start a fire; for while it had not rained as yet, strange
to say, a flood was likely to come down at any moment, so long as the
heavens remained as dark as they were still.
Bumpus was looking all around him. He did not wander away from the
rest, because it seemed as though that mysterious island on which they
had been cast might be inhabited by wild beasts of prey, for all they
knew, ready to spring upon a nice, juicy morsel like him, and make a
meal. That was one of the disadvantages in being plump, Bumpus always
insisted, because envious eyes were won't to fall upon him first of all.
About that time Giraffe hove in sight again, and from his happy manner
it was evident that he had important news to communicate.
"Just shoulder your packs, fellows, and come with me," he hastened to
tell them. "I've run across the boss place for us to keep under
shelter; and there's aplenty of nice dry wood handy, so we can lay in a
supply before it rains. After all it strikes me that with our troubles
we ought to be thankful things ain't worse'n they are. With a fire a
fellow can do nigh anything to make you feel good. Come on!"