SHIPWRECK
"Hold her, boys!" called out Uncle Dick. "Overboard! Hold her up!"
Even as he spoke he had plunged overboard on the upstream side, throwing
his weight on the rail. The water caught him nearly waist deep, for the
treacherous bar shelved rapidly.
It was not so deep where Rob went in, but Jesse and John, thoughtlessly
plunging in on the lower side, were swept under the boat, which all the
strength of the other two could not hold back against the combined power
of the current and the wind.
Without warning they were cast into an accident which in nine cases out
of ten would have meant death to some or all of them.
The boat was filling fast, and the great weight of the outboard motors
buried her stern, so she was about to swamp in midstream. Uncle Dick in
horror saw the set faces of two of his young friends at the rail beyond
him, their legs under the boat, which was swinging on them, their terror
showing in their eyes. He made one grasp across the boat, and luckily
caught Jesse's hand. Their combined weight held the boat down by the
bow, and she swung downstream, half full but not sinking.
"Swim for it, John, as soon as we reach the island!"
The voice of Uncle Dick rose high and clear. A willow-clad island lay
below, toward which the boat now was setting. He knew the boys all could
swim, and they were all lightly dressed, with canvas sneakers and no
coat.
"All right!" replied John, confidently, now getting his legs free. "I
can make it." Indeed, it did not seem the boat could carry another
pound. Rob was swimming on the upstream side, one hand on the stern.
Keeping low in the water, they floated on down in the black squall of
wind and rain which now came on them. Their course downstream was very
rapid.
"Now, John!" Uncle Dick gave the word, and John, without one instant's
hesitation, struck out for the island, now not over forty yards away
over the choppy, rain-whipped water. His head was seen bobbing over the
waves, but gaining distance. Uncle Dick hardly breathed as he watched.
The boat was lightened a little. Rob took a chance, climbed in over the
stern, and, catching up a setting pole, began to reach for bottom on the
upstream side. He caught it and, putting in all his strength, swung the
bow across stream, repeating again and again, until the boat was not far
back of John's bobbing head. Then all at once Uncle Dick gave a shout.
His feet had struck bottom on the shelving sand once more. Between them
they now could guide and drag the boat till they made a landing, with
Jesse on top the cargo, only about fifty yards below where John was
headed. They saw him scramble up the bank, lie for an instant half
exhausted, and then come running down the shore to them. They all
dragged at the water-logged boat until they had her ashore so she would
hold.
"And that's that!" panted John, coolly and slangily enough.
Till then no one had spoken. Uncle Dick couldn't speak at first. He only
drew Jesse and John to him, one to each arm, wet as they all were, and
in the rain now pouring down. "Fine, boys!" said he.
"The closest squeak we've ever had," said Rob, at last. "Right here in
the settlements! There's the city of Leavenworth just around the bend."
"Close enough!" said Uncle Dick. "And my compliments to you all, every
one. If it had been a lot of chaps less cool and ready, we'd none of us
have been saved. Rob, who taught you to paddle on the up side when
crossing a current?"
"I learned it of Moise Richard, on the Peace River, sir," replied Rob.
"Right! Most people try to hold her nose against the current by working
on the lower side. Upstream is right--and I must say the setting pole
saved the day. But, John, you'll never know how I dreaded to tell you to
cast free and swim for it. I thought it was safest for you."
"Oh, that's nothing," said John. But at the same time he was very proud
of his feat.
They were wet to the skin and the rain was cold, their boat was full of
water and their stores wet. At last, surely, they had an adventure on
their hands. But they were not downhearted over it at all.
"All hands lay to for camp!" called Uncle Dick.
[Illustration: THEY SAW HIM SCRAMBLE UP THE BANK, LIE FOR AN INSTANT
HALF EXHAUSTED, AND THEN COME RUNNING DOWN THE SHORE TO THEM]
They began to unload the heavier stuff, so they could cant the boat and
spill the bilge water out of her. The tarpaulin was thrown over some
willow bushes for a shelter, and under this they piled their grub
boxes and dunnage rolls. The beds were all in watertight canvas bags,
and so were their spare clothes, so matters might have been worse. The
guns could be dried, and the tarpaulin had kept the lighter articles
from washing away. In a little while they got the tent up, and then they
folded the wet tarpaulin for a floor and hurried their outfit inside,
damp but yet not ruined.
"Get some boughs to put inside," suggested their leader. "Get out that
little forced-draught oil stove and let's see if we can dry out. It's
going to be hard to get a fire on this island in this rain, for there's
nothing but willows. They're wet. Get the little stove going and pull
shut the flaps. When it gets a little warmer we'll open the bags and
change our clothes. And as John would say, that'll be that! But it's
only by mercy that we're here. You are right, Rob, this is the most
serious accident we have ever had together."
"Let's open a can of soup, and issue an extra gill of tea," said Rob.
They broke into a roar of laughter. Inside of half an hour the little
hut was steaming and they all were sitting on boxes eating their evening
meal. The storm, which had culminated in a fierce thunder gust, now was
muttering itself away.
Jesse went out and brought in the Flag from its staff on the boat.
"We'll have to dry her," he said. "She's silk, and fast colors."
"And I think my expeditionary force is all true blue!" added Uncle Dick,
quietly.
In the night Jesse waked them all by suddenly crying out in a nightmare.
Rob shook him awake.
"What's wrong, old top?" he asked.
"I guess I was scared," admitted Jesse, frankly, and pulled the covers
over his head.