Part 31 (1/2)
”Is she wide open?” he shrieked
Bronson directed his gaze to the position of the throttle device and Gregory saith a gasp of astonishment that the throttle was only half open
On they sped, the hull rising fro the crest of the waves, tossing the spray Could it be possible that the propeller was still in the water?
Suddenly he felt the _Richard_ collapse and drop sullenly into the sea
The ” him with a smile The boat
”How about it?” he asked ”Do you think Barrows ory recovered his breath, he observed: ”Yes I wanted a hed
”Easier to go through the air than the water,” he said ”That's e made your boat plane It takes a lot of power to put her on her 'high horse' But once she's there, she makes her speed on a minimum of horse-power That's e bank on the _Richard_ to beat the _Fuor d'Italia_ Your boat is heavier than Mascola's, closer ribbed, but you have ainst his in any weather and the rougher it is the better it will suit us”
Gregory gloith satisfaction The _Richard_ was all boat He noticed that she did not tremble like Mascola's boat, but did her work in a businesslike ith no ostentation He ad had said and he was beginning to find out, boats were very much like people
For some time Bronson instructed him in the proper operation of the craft Then he slowed down and threw up the hood, disclosing two co's double,” he explained ”You can cut it all in or halve it as you please And if anything goes wrong with oneup You can always li speed, the talk gradually drifted to Mascola
”The way things are going now,” Bronson observed, ”it won't be long before we're building a new boat for Mascola”
”What do you mean by that? Has he seen this one?”
The boatman shook his head
”You needn't be afraid of that,” he answered ”What Ithe _Fuor d'Italia_ to pieces with his trips to Diablo in that rough water”
”Does Mascola go often to Diablo?” Gregory questioned quickly
Bronson shrugged his shoulders non-committally
”Can't say,” he answered ”Don't kno often he goes out there But I do know that he brags that his boat can make it in two hours and a half
Diablo's a bad place for the _Fuor d'Italia_ She's built too light to stand the gaff”
The ride to Port Angeles proved all too short Bronson was coaled hi which was the Italian's recent order to a fire fishi+ng launches of theto Bronson, were of sufficient tonnage and fuel capacity to enable them to cruise far down into Mexican waters
As they rounded the light-house point anda choppy sea before it Then it was that the _Richard_ rose to the occasion and demonstrated her natural ability to cope with a head-on sea
Arriving at the ory pro and hurried away to attend to his business He had a real boat all right Just what he wanted Now all that reet a few orders which he could convert into cash to pay for the _Richard_