A RACE
Even then they were none too quick, for as they were swinging the boat
to the davits the squall struck the _Sea Eagle_, heeling her well
over, and there was a rush and roar of wind and flying spray from the
yeasty seas. It was fun while it lasted. The prow of the ship was
turned eastward once more, leaving the whale, but not alone.
Already the birds were gathering to their feast, and from all
directions cut the dark-finned sharks to get their share. In a short
time all was turmoil about the whale, fluttering wings and whirling
foamy water. This was too good a target for the boys, so they decided
to give the crazy cannibal crew a surprise.
"Let's give those beggars a farewell salute, Juarez," cried Jim.
"I'm with you," he replied.
"What's the distance?" inquired Jo.
"Quarter of a mile," hazarded Tom.
"It's nearer a half," replied Jim.
"It don't look it," put in Jo.
"That's because objects on the ocean seem nearer than they do on
land."
"Why is that so?" inquired the ever inquisitive Tom.
Jim was clearly stumped by this inquiry, but he did not let on that he
was puzzled in the least.
"No time to tell you now. That gun is about ready to fire."
"You don't know," jeered Tom, "that's just an excuse."
"Show you later if you can't study it out for yourself," remarked Jim
nonchalantly.
Juarez now had the cannon loaded and ready to fire. The _Sea Eagle_
was moving obliquely away from the storm-center and it was a very
difficult shot, but still a possible one on account of the size of the
target. The old captain took much interest in the skill of his protege
Jim, whom he considered worthy to be enrolled in the straight-shooting
American navy. He stood with his sturdy figure well braced and the
glass in hand ready to mark a successful shot.
"Don't you think you have got that weepin' raised a leetle too high?"
he inquired anxiously of Jim.
"I'm aiming a little over, sir," replied Jim, "because I think the
shell will fall a little in that distance."
"I guess you know your business better than I do, Skipper," replied
the captain. "I was no shot 'cept with a blunderbuss that would
scatter."
"Make a bull's-eye, Jim," urged Juarez.
"You mean a whale's eye," put in Jo.
"Humph!" said Jim, "don't talk that way; you will make me miss."
"You mean----" Jo got no further, for Jim held up a cautionary hand.
"Ready now," he cried.
The captain clapped the spy-glass to his eye, there was a roar and the
quarter deck shook under their feet, then the captain shook the glass
above his head.
"Yer struck into the shark gang, Skipper," he cried, "I said you would
be a recruit for John Paul Jones."
"Let me have a chance," said Jo.
"All right," agreed Jim, "I don't want to be a hog."
So Jo took his turn. With due deliberation he aimed the shining little
cannon aft toward the distant fray. Then he fired, but the shot sent
up a spurt from a wave some distance short.
"We are getting too far away," said Jim, "to get in an accurate shot."
"Say, Jim," put in Tom, "you haven't told me why things seem closer on
the ocean than they do on land." If pertinacity meant success in life,
Tom Darlington would no doubt reach the top of the ladder. Jim was
somewhat surprised, and he did not want to admit ignorance, so he
sparred for time.
"Now, Thomas," said James, "I am not paid to do your thinking for you,
but if you will sit down and think for ten minutes and if at the end
of that time you have not reached a logical conclusion, I will explain
the matter to you."
"Ho! Professor!" railed Tom, pulling out his silver timepiece, which
was so heavy that it would be a dangerous weapon if thrown, "if you
ain't ready with your explanation you will lose your place."
Jim took this warning with perfect nonchalance, but his mind was very
active just the same trying to solve this problem, because Tom would
never let up on him if he found out that he was bluffing. But why was
an object nearer, anyway, in appearance on the ocean than on land?
Why? Perhaps it was the difference in atmosphere. No, for in high
altitudes things appeared closer on account of the clarity of the air
than they did at sea level.
Six minutes passed, still no answer had come to Jim, yet he was
perfectly calm and contained as though he were the perfection of
wisdom. He folded his arms across his chest and regarded Tom serenely
as he sat on the opposite side of the deck on a coil of rope,
regarding his big brother skeptically. Eight minutes had passed, and
Tom, taking out his watch, recorded the fact with quiet triumph.
"Eight minutes and a quarter," he declared, "and no land in sight
yet."
"Eight and a half," he tolled, "nine!" Jim was apparently entirely
composed, but his mind had not yet reached a complete explanation. It
was, however, on the right track, but the time was short.
"Ten," cried Tom. "Speak up, Professor."
"It's your place first," he replied.
"Give it up."
"Now listen carefully," began Jim in a magisterial manner, "and if
there is anything you don't quite understand, raise your hand."
"Humph!" grunted Tom, "I guess that I can understand anything you can
tell me."
"Well, children, it's this way," continued Jim. "When you are upon
the land and you look at something in the distance your eyesight is
stretched from point to point by intervening objects, while on the
ocean your vision instead of being stretched out collapses as it were
because there is a monotonous level between your eye and the object.
Now I hope you will remember what I have just told you, children.
School is dismissed."
Jo seemed to be unduly impressed with the idea that he was a schoolboy
again, so he grabbed Tom's hat and made as if he was going to throw it
overboard. Tom made a grab for Jo and missed, then there was a great
chase around the main deck. Jo was very fleet of foot and gained on
his pursuer, until Tom saw that he must resort to stratagem; so no
sooner had Jo disappeared around the corner of the quarter deck than
Tom doubled back on his own trail, to the cook's galley, that had a
door opening on either side, so that one could step into either
passageway.
Tom leaped into the galley, and was quick to the other door, that he
opened a wee bit; he saw that Jo had just swerved into the passageway
and down he came full tilt toward where Tom lay in ambush, swinging
the latter's captured hat in his hand. Tom watched him eagerly, then
he sprang out from his hiding place directly in front of the flying
Jo, who was utterly surprised, but he was under such headway that he
could not stop.
Tom met him squarely and down they went in a heap, the lurch of the
ship sending Jo's head heavily against an iron stanchion. His body
gave a jerk and quiver, then he stretched out unconscious. We all know
that skylarking of that kind sometimes produces the worst accidents.
Naturally Tom was terribly frightened, for he thought Jo was killed,
and he did look it, stretched out, with his eyes closed.
"Jim!" cried Tom, "Jim! come here quick."
There was something in Tom's voice that made Jim appear in a hurry.
"Get the brandy," he said. Tom lost no time in getting the bottle out
of a locker in the main cabin. When he returned he found Juarez and
Jeems standing near looking very sober, while the old captain and Jim
worked over him.
The Frontier Boys had gone through many dangers unscathed, and it
seemed terrible that Jo should be so badly hurt in a moment of play.
In fifteen minutes' time, however, Jo was partially himself, but he
could not walk and had to be helped to his cabin, and that night he
had a high fever, but next day he was quite himself, due mainly to a
rugged constitution.
A few days later the weather began to change. The sea became rough and
boisterous, with head winds and decidedly colder, but the boys did not
complain, in fact they rather liked it, as they were strong and hardy
and enjoyed battling with the elements.
"It's the sweaters for us now," said Jo, coming out on deck, to find
the nasty gray sea swept by rain squalls, and the deck sodden and the
sky sullen.
"I like it," declared Juarez, "the tropics are all right for a few
weeks, but I couldn't stand it for long."
"That's because you lads are stormy petrels," remarked Jeems.
"If by that poetic symbol you mean that we are always in trouble,"
replied Jim, "you certainly have struck it."
Then the boys went below to get their respective sweaters, the colors
being chosen according to their individual taste. Tom's was black,
which is no insinuation against his character; Jim's was blue; Juarez
the same color and Jo's red. As for hats, they still wore their
weather-beaten sombreros. They were just the hats for this kind of
weather.
The evening came on dark and blustery and with a steady beating rain
from the northwest. All about, the seas were humping through the
darkness. But the _Sea Eagle_ was a staunch boat, well built, and well
ballasted, and though she shipped a few seas and the spray flew high
over her bridge, she did not roll or plunge unduly.
"Sort of a nasty night, Jim," remarked Jo, as their dark forms emerged
on deck from the companionway.
"It's dark and threatening," replied Jim, "and looks fierce, but for
real high rolling give me that first night in the channel between Maui
and Hawaii."
Jo made some remark, but a sudden gust of wind took it out of his
mouth and anyone to leeward would have got the benefit of it. The only
light forward was a glow that came from the engine-room. Jim and Jo
stepped inside out of the storm and found Juarez there as usual, and
Tom was seated on a step. He was watching the two men moving around
the shining engine, which worked smoothly and unceasingly, and its
condition showed how carefully it was tended.
"Gosh! but it is good to get inside here out of the storm," exclaimed
Jim. The engineer nodded pleasantly, as he was a man of few words.