FUN ON THE RIVER
That day a number of the boys from the camp down the river came up
on the invitation of the Hilltop boys to pay them a visit, and to
compete for various prizes offered by the doctor, and some of the
people of the neighborhood who had gone to the other camp on the
occasion of the regatta.
"Some of our boys took away prizes from you the other day," said
Percival who received the visitors, "and it is only fair that we
should give you a chance to capture something from us."
"We won't from you or Sheldon," replied one of the visitors, "but we
will try to compete with the rest of your boys. There is no use
trying to beat you, however."
"You won't if you don't try, at any rate," said Dick. "We are glad
to see you, at any rate, and we will endeavor to make you enjoy
yourselves."
Percival arranged a program, and at the suggestion of the leader
of the visitors, although he would have liked not to do so, included
Herring in an exhibition of swimming, and a match with four or five
others, boys from both camps.
There was a three-legged race between Billy Manners and Seymour as
one set of three legs, and two of the Rocky Hill boys as the other,
which caused considerable amusement.
Billy's left leg was strapped to his partner's right so that they
had really to run out of step in order to keep step, which seemed a
paradox, but it was really the only way in which they could get
along at all.
"When I put out my right leg do you put out your left," Billy
cautioned his partner, "and put out the tied legs together. Keep
out of step, in fact, and don't try to go too fast. This is the
sort of race where you cannot be too quick if you want to win."
The efforts of the two teams, the funny mistakes they made, the many
narrow escapes from tumbling, and the serious manner in which they
took things, made a lot of laughter, and when finally Billy and his
partner came in first there was a loud applause from every one.
"That makes a lot of fun for the rest of you," said Billy, in a
lugubrious tone, as he rubbed the leg that had been bound to that of
his partner, "but it is not so funny for the legs."
This remark made more laughter and then there was a flat race
between teams from both camps, at least a dozen boys competing,
which caused a good deal of excitement.
The race was won by Herring, Merritt, and two of the boys from the
other camp, these four coming out in the lead and later the final
was to be run, Herring expecting to win it.
In the meantime, he gave an exhibition of swimming, and a little
later swam against two of the Rocky Hill boys.
As they were nearing the end of the course, Herring forging ahead
and rapidly gaining on his opponents, intending to beat at the
finish, one of the other boys was seen to throw up his hands and
sink.
Herring would have kept on, claiming that this was only a trick
of the boy to give his mate a chance to win the match, but a loud
shout from the boys on the bank compelled him to stop.
Jack Sheldon happened to be at the shore in his boat, ready to
start in the next event, when the shout arose.
In a moment he started his engine to going, and glided rapidly out
upon the river toward where the boy had gone down.
He was confident that the boy would speedily rise, although not
just where he went down, and he kept his eyes on the water so as
to determine the spot at which he would come up.
He presently detected a certain motion of the water at a point a
little to one side of his course, and in a moment steered his boat
for that place, but not at too great speed.
He had calculated right, for when the boy came up Jack was within
two feet of him and quickly made up the distance, reached out,
caught him under the arms, and, by a dexterous move, lifted him
into the boat.
The boy was nearly exhausted, but upon Jack's speaking cheerily
to him, he revived sufficiently to assist his rescuer, and his
getting into the boat was attended with no accident.
He collapsed when he was in, however, and Jack put for the shore
at a rapid pace, a number of the boys being ready to take the
fainting boy out as they came up the shelving beach.
"Why didn't you go to the boy's aid, Herring?" asked Percival,
as the bully came in. "Couldn't you see that he had a cramp?"
"I have had that trick played on me before," retorted Herring in
a surly tone. "How was I to know that it was real?"
"Our boys do not resort to such tricks?" declared the leader of the
visiting team warmly, "and I do not think that the Hilltop boys in
general can be accused of doing so."
"I don't know what you fellows do," said the other in the same
surly tone, "because I have seen very little of you, but I know
that that trick has been worked on me before, and I was prepared
for anything. That's why I did not go to help him. Why didn't his
own chum do it?"
"You were nearer," said Dick, and then he went away to see how the
other boy was coming along.
Fortunately, he was out of danger, and was doing very well so that
it was not necessary to stop the games, but Herring did not again
have anything to do and shortly left the camp, and went off into
the woods with Holt, leaving Merritt to finish the final of the flat
race, losing to the boys from the other camp.
Jack won the race for motor-boats against a considerable fleet, and
was the most popular boy in camp, not only on this account, but
because of his timely action at the moment of danger whereby a
catastrophe was averted.
"That's only another time when Jack Sheldon has shown his nerve,"
declared Harry warmly. "Why, the very first time I met him he saved
a mighty bad situation by his coolness, and he has been doing
those things ever since. Talk about nerve! Why, he is full of it!"
"Somehow he never seems to lose his head when it is most required,"
added Percival, "although to look at him you would not suppose that
he had such a command over himself. It's when you get to know him
that you find these things out."
"Why, he would as soon jump into a flying machine as get in a
motor-boat," said Billy, "provided there was something to be done.
He is a bird as well as a fish, and just as good at either."
The sports were closed by a tub race, every one being desirous of
seeing Billy Manners in another of these amusing contests.
There were a dozen or more boys in the race, all prepared for a spill
in the water, which seemed to be the inevitable end of such affairs.
Billy had a bathing suit of the Hilltop colors, and said as he got
into his tub:
"This is the great race of the submersibles. Mine is the I.O.U.---99,
the fastest tub on the river. If she were fast I couldn't go---fast
to the bank, I mean."
"She'll be fast on the bottom, at any rate, Billy," said Harry.
Jack, Percival, and a number of the boys who did not usually take
part in such sports, went into this for the sake of making more fun,
but the visitors were not asked to enter, as they had not brought
their bathing suits, and could not very well get along without them.
The tubs started out, the boys propelling them rapidly with their
hands, avoiding collisions when they could, and doing their best to
keep afloat as long as possible.
"You are not going to win this race, Billy," laughed Percival, as he
spun ahead. "You can't take all the prizes, my boy, and I am going
to beat you this time."
"Maybe not!" chuckled Billy, using both hands and making the water
fly. "This is a U.S., not a U-boat, and I'm bound to win."
Jack was full of the spirit of the thing, and pushed the acknowledged
rivals hard, presently passing Percival, and shouting to Billy:
"Look out, my boy, I am coming after you! Don't take in too much
water. It isn't good."
"Come on, Jack!" shouted Billy. "I am not going to the bottom
yet, my-----"
Just then young Smith collided with him, and his tub filled in an
instant, forcing him to swim for the shore in a hurry.
"You have a submarine now, at any rate!" laughed the younger boy, who
went on a few feet farther, and then had to swim for it.
Jack and Percival were now in the lead, and the nearest to the goal,
all the rest having had to swim for it by this time, and there was
considerable excitement.
Both boys were great favorites and the fact of their entering such
a novel contest just for the fun of it, and to please the boys and
their visitors, was admired by everybody.
There was an even chance for each of the boys, but the odds were in
favor of Jack, although Percival was no less liked by the Hilltop
boys.
"Keep her up, Jack!" roared forty boys.
"Go ahead, Dick!" shouted as many more.
Percival had to take to the water a second or two ahead of Jack,
who won the race, much to the delight of all the boys, Dick included.