SNAGGED AND WRECKED
"What in the world's that?" exclaimed Dave Hanshaw.
"Sounds like some fellows might be in a pickle. Listen to 'em howl;
would you?" cried Corney Shays.
"Isn't one of the lot whooping it up for help?" asked Fred.
"You're right, Fred; and we've got to get a move on, and turn that bend
yonder, when we can see what's what. Ready, boys!" called out Brad, at
which every young oarsman dropped back into his place; for they had
been turning half around at the time, desirous of seeing what it all
meant.
"Must be that Buck Lemington bunch!" sang out Sid, who perhaps had
recognized one of the loud voices; for he and the bully of Riverport
had been in conflict so often in the last twelve years, that it would
be very strange if the excited tones of the other might not be known
when heard.
"Then it's good-bye to that old college shell," declared Corney.
"You're right," asserted Dick Hendricks; "because that smash must have
ended its days of usefulness forever."
As the signal to drop oars and pull was given, the boat once more took
on new life, and rushed down upon the nearby bend. When they shot
around this, of course the coxswain was the only one who immediately
saw the exciting scene presented. And it certainly spoke well for the
discipline under which that novice crew labored that not a single one
of them tried to twist his head around, in order to gain advance
information.
They left details to Brad, knowing that they would quickly be upon the
scene, and able to see for themselves, without a breach of discipline.
What Brad saw was just what he anticipated, but all the same it must
have given the boy a thrill. Sure enough, the delicate boat which had
once won a big college race, and had been kept for some years by the
gentleman over in Grafton, simply because his dead son had rowed on the
winning crew, was piled up on some sort of a hidden snag, or concealed
rock, at a point where the swirling water must have warned any cautious
coxswain to keep away.
Several boys were clinging to the wreck. Others were swimming around
like rats deserting a sinking ship, two being already on the way to the
nearest shore. And about every fellow was letting his lungs give full
vent to his feelings; so that the racket was tremendous.
"Help! help! I can't keep up much longer! This way, fellers! Get hold
of me!" one of those in the river shouted; spluttering over the words,
as though he might already have swallowed a considerable quantity of
water.
"Aw! let up on that squawk, Clem Shooks; can't you?" shouted Buck
angrily, as he swam toward the fellow who declared that he was
exhausted, and sinking. "Want any of that bunch to give you a hand? I'd
see myself asking favors of Brad Morton or his crowd. We'll get you
ashore, all right, never fear. Hi! there, Whitey, this way, and you
too, Oscar. Give this ninny a helpin' hand and tow him to dry land."
Apparently Buck was in a towering rage. He had been steering the boat
when it struck the snag, and hence must be held responsible for the
accident that would deprive the outlaw crew of a racing craft for the
remainder of the season.
There was not one of Brad's chums, however, but who felt sure that
sooner or later the bully would try to put the blame on one of his
companions. That seemed to be the natural way with him; a scapegoat was
as necessary to Buck's manner of doing things as it was for him to take
all the credit when success came along.
Some of those who clung to the wreck were, however, not averse to
accepting assistance from the regulars of the Boat Club. Brad directed
them how to hang on, and in this way towed them close to the shore.
When the water shoaled enough to admit of their standing up, with it
only waist high he stopped the boat.
"That'll do for you, fellows," Brad said, pleasantly; "and we'll go
back now for the other pair."
"Aw! you needn't bother yourselves about them," broke out Buck, who had
managed, with the assistance of Whitey and Oscar, to get the weak-kneed
Clem Shooks in the shallow water; "they're on the way right now."
It turned out to be as Buck said. The last pair, realizing that they
would be apt to incur the anger of their leader if they waited to
accept favors from those Buck hated so bitterly, had indeed abandoned
the wreck, and were even then swimming toward the shore.
None of Brad's crew laughed, though the aspect of the wrecked ones was
most forlorn, and doubtless they wanted to make merry.
"We're sorry for your accident, Buck," Brad ventured to say, in as
pleasant a tone as he could ever use when addressing the boy he
detested so much deep down in his heart.
"Nobody wants you to be sorry!" grated the other, in an ugly humor.
"We've been talking about that race your bunch gave us yesterday, and
honestly we hoped it would be repeated," Brad went on to remark; for he
fancied he could understand how such a disaster must upset any fellow;
and he tried to make excuses for the surly temper Buck was displaying.
"Oh! let up on that sort of talk; won't you?" growled the other. "I
s'pose you'd just want to use us as a practice crew; hey? Well, it's
off, anyhow; and all owin' to Clem Shooks here taking a crab, just when
I was starting to steer clear of that nasty snag!"
"Why, I nev----" the astonished Clem started to exclaim, though he had
swallowed so much water that it was difficult for him to get his breath
as yet; when the irate bully turned on him like a flash, and shook his
big fist threateningly.
"Don't you go to denyin' it, now, Clem Shooks!" he roared, furiously.
"I ought to know, hadn't I, when I saw the whole thing? And didn't you
get throwed further than any of the rest? That was because you didn't
have any oar left to hold on to. You ought to be made to pay for the
boat, that's what. No back talk now, or else I'll show you who's boss
here. Button up your lips, d'you hear, Clem Shooks?"
And poor Clem, who was doubtless as innocent as he claimed, dared not
speak further. By degrees the blame would be settled on his shoulders,
without his venturing to protest in the hearing of the bully.
Fred and his chums exchanged significant looks. It was as much as
saying: "Didn't I tell you Buck would fix it all right?" They knew the
ways of the bully to perfection. And if Buck noticed the nods and sly
grins, he thought it good policy to pay no attention to them just then.
"Well, since we're not wanted here any longer, let's be going, boys,"
remarked Sid, as usual thoroughly disgusted with the actions of the
bully.
"Good-bye then!" sneered Buck, and Bristles noticed with a sudden
thrill that he looked at the trim boat belonging to the regulars with a
malicious gleam in those black eyes of his.
They once more backed into the deeper water, and were soon alongside
the wreck.
"Shall we tow it ashore for them, boys?" Asked Dick.
"What say?" Brad remarked.
"Better leave it alone, if you know what's good for you," Sid spoke up.
"Once you touch it, and there's no telling what Buck will try to tell
people. Perhaps he'd even say we ran into him, and did the damage. But
I reckon some people ashore saw it all; for there's Judge Colon's auto,
standing up yonder; and they've got their field-glass leveled this way.
It's Flo Temple, too, who's doing the looking."
"Better leave it alone then, fellows," Brad went on to say, being
convinced by the logic of Sid that it was dangerous business meddling
with anything belonging to Buck Lemington, even in a spirit of sporting
fairness. "It's so smashed anyway, that it'll never again be worth
fixing up. Too bad, too, for it was a boat with a history."
"How d'you reckon it happened?" asked Colon; "for of course Clem Shocks
never caught that crab, or some of the other fellows would have jumped
on him? Didn't you all see how silly they looked when Buck was accusing
Clem? They knew, as well as he did, that it wasn't so, but not a single
fellow had the grit to declare the truth."
"Oh!" Brad went on to remark, "Buck may have heard us coming around the
bend, and forgot for a few seconds to keep as bright a lookout for
snags as he ought. So they ran on this one at full speed. Say, wasn't
that a fierce crash, though?"
Once more rounding the bend that shut out all sight of the wreck, and
the forlorn members of the outlaw crew, who would have a walk of five
miles and more before they could get to town with their sad news, the
regulars put in some time in diligent practice.
"You're rounding out in fine shape, fellows," Brad declared
enthusiastically, as they finally started up-river, bound for home.
"To-morrow we're promised the valuable assistance of Mr. Shays, who
knows the ropes from beginning to end. He'll be apt to give us a heap
of valuable information, and correct a lot of our blunders; for I know
we can do better work than this, once we get on to the right swing."
It was in this happy frame of mind that they came in to the little
float that had been made by using a number of empty water-tight oil
barrels; and from which the boat was to be launched, as well as taken
from the water.
Every one of them felt thankful it had not been their craft that had
met with disaster on this sunny afternoon.
Of course, when the startling news was told to the crowd that lingered
around the boat shed, it created a big sensation. As Buck really had no
admirers present, few felt very sorry for him. He had long been the
terror of the town, and every decent boy and girl went in his company
as little as possible.