IN WHICH ERNEST PILOTS THE ADIENO TO "THE SISTERS."
"There comes the Champion!" exclaimed Bob Hale, pointing to the
steamer that regularly made her trip round the lake every day, as she
came out from behind a point of land on the north shore, beyond which
she made a landing.
"We must give her a wide berth," I replied.
"Why so? Her people will not know that it isn't all right with the
Adieno."
"We are in no immediate danger; but suppose the captain of this boat
should find means to get to Cannondale before the Champion does, he
might engage her to go in pursuit of us."
"That would be jolly!" said Tom Rush. "We should have a glorious
race!"
"But the chances are against us in a race," I replied, confounded by
the temerity of Tom in thinking of such a thing as contending with the
steamboat men on their own ground.
"Not a bit of it, Ernest. The Adieno is the faster boat of the
two--that has been tried a dozen times," added Tom, as much excited as
though the race had actually commenced.
"We must not attempt to beard the lion in his den."
"Why not? We might as well be hung for an old sheep as a lamb. We are
in a scrape, and even Vallington thinks it is a bad one by this time.
The more advantage we gain, the better terms we can make."
"I don't know about it, Tom. I feel as though we had carried this
thing about far enough, and the sooner we get out of the scrape, the
better it will be for us."
"Those are my sentiments. My father is part owner in this boat, and I
think he will not enjoy the idea of our going off on a cruise in her,"
added Bob Hale.
"Pooh! we won't hurt her," replied Tom.
"We don't intend to hurt her; but we are following a business just now
that we don't know much about."
"Don't you know the lake, and don't Vallington know all about the
engine?"
"Neither of us has had any experience."
"That's so," added Bob. "In my opinion breaking away is about played
out. We have made up our minds that we can't have anything more to do
with Mr. Parasyte, and we may as well return to Parkville, and go to
work in a more reasonable way. We can send the circulars to our
parents, and dig out of the difficulty the best way we can."
"I agree to that," I answered. Not that I cared for myself, for my
"breaking away" was a much more serious matter than that of my
fellow-students; but I thought it better for them to get out of the
mud before they sank any deeper into the mire.
"I am willing to do as the rest of the fellows do; but I don't want to
be whipped round a stump when there is no need of it," continued Tom.
"If the Champion chases us, I go for keeping out of the way till we
can retire from the field without any broken heads."
"So far I shall agree with you, Tom," I replied. "I am not in favor of
surrendering, to be kicked and cuffed by these steamboat men, who are
not exactly lambs in their dispositions."
"What's the use of talking?" interposed Bob Hale. "The Champion is not
after us, and it does not appear that she will be."
"It appears so to me," I answered. "I have no idea that the captain of
the Adieno will stay on Pine Island all day. I found a way to get
ashore this morning, and I think he will be able to do so."
"Perhaps he will."
"I am perfectly satisfied that he will reach the shore by one o'clock,
if he has not already done so. No doubt he thinks his boat will be
smashed to pieces, or blown up, if he does not recover her soon. He
isn't going to sit down and bite his finger nails."
"He may not be able to get the Champion," replied Bob Hale, who
evidently did not wish to believe that there would be a contest for
superiority between the two steamers.
"I don't profess to be a prophet, Bob, but I can see through a
millstone when the hole is big enough. I will tell you just how I
_think_ it will be. The captain of the Adieno will make a raft, and
get to Cannondale. Then he will take the Champion for Parkville,
arriving about half past one. The boat does not start on her trip down
the lake till five o'clock, and that will give her three hours and a
half to spare. You may take my word for it, that time will be used in
chasing us."
"Very likely you are right, Ernest; we shall see. It is twelve o'clock
now, and we haven't much time to consider what we shall do," said Bob
Hale, looking very serious; and it was evident now, if it had not been
before, that he had strong objections to any steamboat enterprises.
"It's nearly dinner time," added Tom; "and I must go and see about the
provender."
Bob Hale went below to have a talk with Vallington, and the commissary
left for the kitchen, to provide our noon rations. I was left alone in
the wheel-house. I enjoyed my occupation very much; but the talk of
my friends had filled me with doubts and fears, so that my situation
was not so delightful as before. I could not help asking myself what
was to come out of this scrape, and it seemed to me that it could
result in nothing but defeat and disaster.
The Adieno was approaching The Sisters, at one of which there was a
pier, like that at Pine Island, which had been erected for the use of
the scows employed in the transportation of the wood cut on the
island. I knew that the water around it was deep enough for the
steamer, for I had seen her land there. Between the two islands there
was a channel not more than twenty rods wide, by which alone the wood
pier could be reached.
The channel had barely depth enough in the middle to permit the
passage of the Adieno; but as it was perfectly straight, and the water
high in the lake, I considered myself competent to take her through.
The boat minded her helm very prettily, and there was no current in
the channel to interfere with my calculations, so that I did not
regard the place as very difficult navigation. I had been through the
channel twenty times in the Splash. The pier ran out from the island
to the deep water, so that I had only to run the bow up to it, and
make fast to the ring. The steamer would be safe here, and, being
concealed between the islands, could only be seen from one point above
and one below; and here we could have our dinner, and hold our
important consultation without the danger of interruption.
I had another and stronger motive for entering this channel, and
without which, perhaps, I might not have had the confidence to run
even the slight risk which the navigation of the passage involved. It
was so fully ground into my bones that the Champion would be after us
about three o'clock, or as soon as she had landed her passengers at
Parkville, that I wished to be fully prepared for any emergency. To
the north of the "North Sister," and to the south of the "South
Sister," the water was shoal for a mile in each direction, while the
channel between the islands seemed to have been kept open by the
strong south-west and north-east winds, as they forced the waters
through. At any rate, there was a channel with five feet of water in
it, though I was not entirely certain in regard to the explanation of
the fact.
The Champion was a larger boat, drawing one foot more water aft than
the Adieno, and therefore could not pass through the channel, or come
within half a mile of the wood pier. My idea was, that in this
position we could not be approached by our anticipated pursuer, as we
lay moored at the wharf. If chased, I might be able to gain on the
Champion by running through The Sisters Channel, which would enable me
to come out two or three miles ahead of her on the opposite side, as
she would be obliged to go a mile, north or south, to get round the
shoal water.
I was so pleased with the calculation I had made, that I could not
help wishing I was employed in a better cause than in fighting the
battle of a parcel of runaway students,--it would have been so
exciting to play the game of strategy in real earnest, and in a good
cause. I plumed myself just then on being a great navigator, and a
shrewd calculator, and I wished to test my plans. It so happened,
however, that they were tested, as the sequel will show.
The Adieno approached the narrow channel, which was just as clearly
defined in my mind as though the bottom of the lake had been laid bare
to me; for I had always been obliged to keep in the deep water even
when I went through in the Splash. As the wind, though not so strong
as it had been in the morning, still came fresh from the north-west, I
hugged the weather side of the channel, and, with the boat at full
speed, went on my course. I was just on the point of ringing one bell
to slow down, when the steamer's wheels suddenly stopped.
"What are you about, Thornton?" shouted Vallington, rushing out of the
engine-room to the forward deck, both excited and angry.
"I'm all right!" I replied, provoked at his singular conduct in
stopping the boat at such a critical point.
"Where are you going? Do you want to run us all ashore?"
"_I_ don't, but I think _you_ do. Go ahead, or we shall be aground in
a moment," I added, as the Adieno was losing her headway, and we were
not yet sheltered by the North Sister from the force of the wind.
"I'm not going any farther into this hole," replied he, sternly. "I
think you are crazy, Thornton, to take the boat into such a place."
"I know what I am about," I answered, rather sharply; "and if you will
take care of the engine, I will look out for the helm."
"You'll smash the boat all to pieces--going into a little, narrow,
dirty channel at full speed."
"I know the channel as well as I know my own name. If you will go
ahead, we shall be all right!" I shouted.
"I won't go ahead any farther into this hole," said he, decidedly.
"O, yes, go ahead," interposed Bob Hale. "Ernest knows what he is
about."
"Perhaps he does; but I want to know what he is about too. I don't
want the steamer smashed or injured."
It was of no use for me to say anything more, and I held my tongue.
The Adieno had now entirely lost her headway, and as the strong wind
began to act on her top works, she drifted over to the lee side of the
channel. She grated a moment on the bottom, and then stuck fast, hard
aground, so far as I could judge.
"There! now do you see what you have done?" shouted Vallington,
stamping his foot angrily upon the deck.
"I see what _you_ have done," I replied, as calmly as I could; and
that was not saying much, for I was very indignant at being charged
with what was plainly his doing.
And there we were, hard and fast aground, with a tempest brewing
between the general and the commodore.