Part 40 (1/2)
”No, I'ue and bale,” said Vince fiercely
”Keep it down”
Mike worked as he had never worked before, but he could not get the water an inch lower than Vince had left it Still he never slackened his pace, though he felt sure that it was gaining upon hiin to sink
At last he could contain hiasp he cried:
”It's of no use, Vince; she's going down”
”No, she isn't,” said the boy quietly; ”and she can't go down if we pitch out those two big pieces of iron ballast She'll go over on her side, and we shall have to hold on if it comes to the worst; but I think I can send her in, Ladle, if you can keep on baling”
”Yes, I can keep on,” said Mike faintly
”Tell ain”
Mike nodded
”But keep on till you're ready to drop, so as to give me all the rest you can, for ain, and the water went on flying out, looking like a shower of gold in the late afternoon sunshi+ne, till Vince shouted to his coular nautical parlance, to stand by with the sail
Mike sprang up and loosened the sheet, standing ready to swing the yard over to the other side Vince threw the boat up in the wind, the sail swung over, filled for the other tack, and they both began to breathe freely as they glided noard the south point of the island, where a jutting-updim in the distance, shohere the archway and tunnel lay which led into old Joe's little natural dock
”Shall we do it, Cinder?” said Mike faintly, as he made fast the sheet on the other side
”Do it?--yes, of course,” cried Vince stoutly ”There, my arms are not so numb and full of pins and needles now Come here and steer”
”No, I can do a little more,” said Mike
”No, you can't Obey orders always at sea,” cried Vince fiercely; and the exchange of position was made; but there was a full two inches an to bale he did so fro iron and tilt them over In fact, several ti a last resource, and from dread lest the act should in any way interfere with the boat's speed
Over went the water in the sunshi+ne; and as the boy baled, froe tint, and sparkled gloriously, but a deadly feeling of weakness fixed more and more upon Vince's arive up to his coh it was more and more slowly; and the despair that he had kept to hiradually grew nearer, and he had the satisfaction of feeling that he could e a boat at sea, and well too, for the course they were steering was dead for the tunnel rock, and, could he keep the boat afloat for another twenty minutes or half an hour, they would be safe
”Corunted out; and Vince baled away till the pot dropped fro it to his chest, and steering by the weight of his body
Oncea spurt, and his arroan, he said feebly:
”I can't do it any longer”
Vincethe jutting-up rock as if through a h the leak, and rose, and rose, without an effort being made to lower it now
Would she float till they were close in?--would she float till they were close in?--would she float till they were close in? It was as if so this in Vince's ears, as they rushed on, with the rock nearer and nearer, as if co sunlight, and theof exultation which surged through the steersman's breast
For all at once it see the boat head to wind, she glided slowly up to the opening in the rock, while the sail flapped and the two boys quickly lowered and furled it, unstepped thethe little dock as if in a drearanite stones to make the boat fast, and Mike was in little better condition; but by degrees the suffocating sensation which oppressed therew less painful, and they slowly and laboriously carried oars, spars and sail up to their place of stowage Then Vince returned to the boat, thrust down his hand and drew out his jersey, Mike taking hold of one end to help hi it out
They had neither of them spoken for some time; but at last Vince said: ”We shall have to pay old Joe for theof the boat”
”I say, Vince,” said Mike, in a low, husky tone, ”oughtn't we to be thinking about so else? It was very near, wasn't it?”