Part 13 (2/2)

”Now, don't expect me to go into particulars, because there ain't any need of more'n one weather sharp in our crowd. And say, just cast your eye over there to the southwest; don't you see that low bank of clouds along the horizon? Well, when they get to moving up on us, we're bound to have, high winds, and p'raps a regular howler of a storm.”

b.u.mpus' face a.s.sumed a serious look as he turned quickly to the scout-master.

”What do you say, Thad?” he queried, for it was never possible to know whether Giraffe were working off one of his little practical jokes or not, he had such a way of looking very solemn, even while chuckling inwardly.

”I don't count much on his knowledge of telling in the morning what sort of a day it's going to be,” replied the other, with a shake of the head; ”but what he says about those clouds is as near facts as Giraffe ever gets.”

”Then there is a storm bound to swoop down on us?” demanded b.u.mpus, as he cast a nervous glance around at the watery expanse; for they were far out on the lake.

”I'm afraid we'll have a rough night of it,” Thad confessed; ”but if we're only safe in a harbor by evening, we won't need to bother our heads any about that.”

”Then we won't have any trouble about making that safe harbor, will we?”

continued b.u.mpus, who could be very positive and persistent whenever he wanted to know anything, so that it was a difficult thing to shunt him aside.

”If the engine holds out we ought to be there by five, I expect,” Thad answered.

b.u.mpus transferred his attention to the working motor; and his look of anxiety increased.

”Seems to me you've been pottering more'n a little with that thing today, Thad,” he went on to say.

”Yes, and right now it don't work decent,” observed Step Hen. ”It misses an explosion every third one, and acts like it might go out of business any minute on us, that's right, fellows.”

Some of the rest began to look sober at this. Giraffe, who had thought to have a joke at the expense of his plump rival, no longer lay there, sprawled upon the roof of the hunting cabin of the launch; but sat up to observe the singular actions of the engine for himself. Nor did he, appear to get much consolation from what he discovered.

”I declare now if it ain't a fact, boys,” he said, seriously. ”She acts mighty like she wanted to throw up the sponge, and let us hustle to get ash.o.r.e the best way we could. Of all the contrary things commend me to a balky engine on a cruiser. And Dr. Hobbs was thinkin' his friend was doing us the greatest favor going to loan him this old trap, that like's not he keeps heavily insured, in the hopes that some fine day she'll go down, when he can buy a newer and better, model with the money he collects.”

”Oh! I wouldn't say that, if I were you, Giraffe,”' remarked Thad.

”From the way the gentleman wrote to Dr. Hobbs I'm sure he thought he was doing us a favor; and you know it's bad manners to look a gift horse in the mouth. If he was charging us a round sum for the use of the boat we, might say something; but outside of the gasoline we consume we don't have to put out a cent.”

”But do you really expect the rickety old engine'll go back on us before we get to that harbor you're heading for?” demanded b.u.mpus.

”How can I tell?” Thad replied. ”I'm doing everything I know of to coax it to be good. If anybody has a scheme for helping along, the rest of us would be glad to listen to the same, and take it up too, if there was a ghost of a show that we could profit by doing that.”

Apparently n.o.body did have any idea of bettering conditions as they now prevailed; for not a word came in reply, to Thad's request for several minutes. During this time the boys sat there and watched the queer actions of the engine that Thad was bending over, now doing this and again that in order to see whether he could not obtain more profitable results from the laboring motor.

”I s'pose now,” b.u.mpus finally did muster up courage enough to say, ”if it came to the worst, and you saw we couldn't make that harbor, why, you might head her on to the beach, so that we could get ash.o.r.e, no matter what, happened to the old s.h.i.+p?”

”Yes, how about that, Thad?” questioned Step Hen, as though somehow a thought along the same lines might have been pa.s.sing through his mind just then.

Thad shook his head in the negative.

”That would be a risky proceeding, at any time,” he observed, ”when you consider that the sh.o.r.e along here is composed of sharp-pointed rocks, and that if there was any sea on at all we'd probably be wrecked long before we could land. That must mean we'd all be thrown into the surf, and perhaps lose our lives trying to swim ash.o.r.e among the rocks. No we'll have to try some other plan than that, or else stick to the boat, and hope the storm won't be so very bad after all.”

”Well, one thing sure,” said Davy Jones, who had not taken any part in this conversation thus far, ”the clouds are coming along right speedy.

Since I first took note they've crept up till they look twice as big now.”

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