"SPEEDAWAY" VS. "CURLEW."
But at the critical moment the lad at the helm of the other craft, which
bore the name _Speedaway_, appeared to lose his nerve. He sheered off
and merely grazed the _Curlew's_ side, scraping off a lot of paint.
"Hi, there! What do you mean by doing such a thing?" demanded Jack,
directly the danger of a head-on collision was seen to have been
averted.
The other lad broke into a laugh. It was echoed by the man with him,
whom he had addressed as "pop."
"Just thought I'd see how much you fellows knew about handling a boat,"
he sneered. "It's just as I thought, you're a bunch of scare-cats. You
needn't have been afraid that I couldn't keep the _Speedaway_ out of
danger."
"You risked the lives of us all by running so close," cried Billy
indignantly.
"Never attempt such a thing again," said Jack angrily, "or----"
"Or what, my nervous young friend?" taunted the elderly man.
"Yes," said the lad, with an unpleasant grin, "what will you do?"
"I shall feel sorely tempted to come on board your boat and give you the
same sort of a thrashing I gave you the other day when I found you
tormenting that poor dog," said Jack, referring to the incident Billy
Raynor had already hinted at when he first recognized the occupants of
the _Speedaway_.
"You'll never set foot on my boat," cried Donald Judson, with what he
meant to be dangerous emphasis; but his face had suddenly become very
pale. "You think you got the best of me the other day, but I'll fix you
yet."
The two craft were out of earshot almost by this time, and none of the
three lads on the _Curlew_ thought it worth while to answer Donald
Judson. The millionaire and his son occupied an island not far from the
Pine Island Hotel. A few days before the incident we have just recorded,
Jack, who hated cruelty in any form, had found Donald Judson, who often
visited the hotel to display his extensive assortment of clothes,
amusing himself by torturing a dog. When Jack told him to stop it the
millionaire's son started to fight, and Jack, finding a quarrel forced
upon him, ended it in the quickest way--by knocking the boy flat.
Donald slunk off, swearing to be revenged. But Jack had only laughed at
him and advised him to forget the incident except as a lesson in
kindness to animals. It appeared, however, that, far from forgetting his
humiliation, Donald Judson was determined to avenge it even at the risk
of placing his own life in danger.
"I wonder if he followed us up to-day on purpose to try to ram us or
force us on a sandbar?" mused Noddy, as they sailed on.
"Looks like it," said Billy.
"I believe he is actually sore enough to sink our boat if he could, even
if he damaged his own in doing it," said Jack.
"To my mind his father is as bad he is," said Noddy; "he made no attempt
to stop him. If I----Look, they've put their boat about and are
following us."
"There's no doubt that they are," said Jack, after a moment's scrutiny
of the latest maneuver of the _Speedaway_. The Judsons' boat, which was
larger, and carried more sail and was consequently faster than the
_Curlew_, gained rapidly on the boys. Soon she was within hailing
distance.
"What are you following us for? Want to have another collision?" cried
Jack.
"Do you own the water hereabouts?" asked Donald. "I didn't know I was
following you."
"We've a right to sail where we please," shouted Judson.
"Yes, if you don't imperil other folks' boats," agreed Jack. "If you've
got any scheme in mind to injure us I'd advise you to forget it," he
added.
"Huh! What scheme would I have in mind? Think I'd bother with
insignificant chaps like you and your little toy boat?"
"You keep out of our way," added the man.
"Yes, just do that little thing if you know what's healthy for you,"
chimed in Donald Judson.
His insulting tone aroused Jack's ire.
"It'll be the worse for you if you try any of your tricks," he roared.
"What tricks would I have, Ready?" demanded the other.
"Some trick that may turn out badly for you!"
"I guess I don't need you to tell me what I will or what I won't do."
"All right, only keep clear of us. That's fair warning. You'll get the
worst of it if you don't."
"So, young man, you are going to play the part of bully, are you?"
shouted Donald's father. "That fits in with what I've heard of you from
him. You've been prying around our boat for several days. I don't like
it."
"Well, keep away from us," cried Billy.
"Yes, your room's a lot better than your company," sputtered Noddy. "We
don't care if you never come back."
"Really, what nice language," sneered Donald. "I congratulate you on
your gentlemanly friend, Ready. He----"
"Look out there," warned Jack, for Noddy, in his indignation, had sprung
to his feet, entirely forgetting the tiller. The _Curlew_ broached to
and heeled over, losing "way." The _Speedaway_ came swiftly on. In an
instant there was a ripping, tearing sound and a concerted shout of
dismay from the boys as the sharp bow of Judson's larger, heavier craft
cut deep into the _Curlew's_ quarter.
"Now you've done it!" cried Billy Raynor.
"I--er--it was an accident," cried Donald, as the two boats swung apart,
and there was some justification for this plea, as the _Speedaway_ was
also damaged, though not badly.
"It was no accident," cried Jack, but he said no more just then. He was
too busy examining the rent in the _Curlew's_ side.
Still shivering, like a wounded creature, from the shock of the impact,
the _Curlew_, with the water pouring into the jagged rip in her side,
began slowly to sink!