CHAPTER VII
WHEN THE STORM CAME
As Buster had taken a survey of the situation before darkness camealong, he knew of a promising point close at hand. Here they could tosstheir lines out, and let the current drag them partly down-stream.
It was not the kind of fishing that the boys preferred, because theywere accustomed to using jointed rods, and even casting artificial flieswith which to lure the frisky trout or the hard-pulling black bass totheir destruction. But as Buster wisely declared, "When you're fishhungry you've just got to shut your eyes and get 'em any old way;results are what count then, not methods."
Presently Buster had a savage bite, and drew in a squirming victim. Heeyed this in the light of the rising moon and then remarked:
"I don't know the species that fellow belongs to, but he looks good tome, and all I hope is there are a lot of his uncles and his cousins andhis aunts hanging around, anxious for grub bait. Hello! Got one, haveyou, Josh? Bully for you! Whew! He's a scrapper in the bargain, I tellyou. I hope he doesn't break loose, and give us the grand laugh!"
Buster's interest was so taken up with what was going on near him thathe forgot his own line for the time being, until a quick summons at theother end announced that one of the said finny relations seemed anxiousto follow the first victim to the shore.
Then both boys were kept busy pulling in hand over hand. They succeededin landing both prizes, which fact made them very joyful.
"Only needs one more to complete the first circle, though I think I'dlike two for my share, Josh, and so might all the rest. You see there'sa heap of waste when you come to take off the head and tail. Let's hurryup and get 'em while the bitin's good. You never can tell when fish willquit takin' hold."
It was certainly less than half an hour after they first started offwhen the two sportsmen came strolling back to the bright camp firedangling a pretty string of still lively fish between them on a littlepole.
"Two apiece, and one left for luck!" announced Buster, triumphantly, asthe other fellows jumped to their feet with expressions of pleasure tolook the catch over.
"They ought to be cleaned right away, and a little salt rubbed inside sothey'll keep nice and fresh over night," said Josh, "so let's get busy,Buster."
"But don't you think that ought to be our part of the business?" askedGeorge, although there was not very much animation in his manner, forGeorge hated to handle the job of cleaning fish, though when it came toeating them no one ever knew him to make any objection.
"Now that's kind of you, George, to offer to do the thing for us,"observed Buster, sweetly; "especially since we know how you detest thejob. Thank you, but as our hands are in, Josh and me can attend to themall right."
Josh, however, did not look overly well pleased when he heard Buster saythis. Truth to tell, he had already arranged it in his wicked heart thatGeorge should be trapped into "doing something for his keep."
"We'll let you off this time, George," he remarked, pointedly, "but thevery next batch of fish we haul in you can tackle the job."
George only chuckled, and drew a sigh of relief. Perhaps he may havesaid to himself that sometimes people count their chickens before theyare hatched, and that possibly there might never be another "batch;"remembering the story of the small boy who while eating an apple, uponbeing appealed to by an envious comrade to give him the core, told him"there ain't a-goin' to be any core, Jimmy."
In due time the fish were laid away in a safe place where no rovinganimal was apt to discover and appropriate them. Buster might in hishappy-go-lucky fashion have been careless in this particular, but shrewdJosh was far too smart to take unnecessary chances.
"We don't know anything about the country around here," he told theothers. "They may have wild animals, and again p'raps there's nothing ofthe kind to be feared. But it's best to lock the stable _before_ thehorse is stolen."
So the fish were kept aboard the boat, although from time to time Georgemight have been observed to sniff the air suggestively as he prepared tosleep, plainly indicating that he disliked the fishy smell. But thenGeorge always was what Josh called "finicky" in his habits, and therest seemed to pay little or no attention to things that annoyed theparticular one.
When morning came, without any untoward happening, Buster took particularpains to cook that mess of fish to a beautiful brown color. He followedthe old and well known camp method of first throwing several slices offat salt pork into the skillet and rendering it down. Then when it wasboiling hot he placed as many of the fish as it would accommodate in thepan, first rolling them in cracker dust. Turning them back and forth aswas necessary he finally had them looking so appetizing that the othersrefused to wait a minute longer, but made a raid on the lot.
The breakfast was a pronounced success. Even George was heard to saythat he did not care how soon it was repeated; which was quite recklesson his part, since he had been given due warning as to his duties nexttime.
The sun was well up and shining brightly when they left the scene oftheir camp. It promised to be a rather warm day, Josh predicted, aftertaking a look around at the sky, and sizing up the breeze. Joshpretended to be something of a weather sharp, though hardly callinghimself a prophet along those lines.
"And," said he, as they started down the river again, "it wouldn'tsurprise me a bit if we ran into a squall before we see that old sun godown tonight."
"Do you really mean that, Josh?" asked Buster.
"All humbug," muttered George, disdainfully, as though he never pinnedany faith on "signs," and considered all weather predictions as foundedon mere guess work.
Josh shrugged his shoulders as he went on to say:
"Oh! very well, just wait and see if I know beans or not, that's all.They have some pretty lively thunder storms along the Danube, I'm told,and if that's so what better time than in August could you expect to runacross one? Course I may be mistaken, because I'm only a tenderfoot of aweather sharp; but wait and see."
"Oh! we will, Josh, we will," replied George, in his tantalizing way.
The morning passed pleasantly enough, though as noon came on it might benoticed that everybody showed signs of being hot. The sun certainly didblaze down upon them, and it was even warmer inside the cabin of thepowerboat than outside, so it seemed useless trying to get any relief byseeking the shade.
They drew in at a place where there were trees, just to lie around forpossibly an hour under their shelter, while they ate a cold "snack." Itwas too furiously hot to dream of building a fire and making a pot ofcoffee.
Then once again they embarked for another run down-stream. Jack figuredthey had covered more distance that morning by five miles than on theother day. This fact cheered them up immensely, and as they continued togo with the current they took their customary interest in what was to beseen along the eastern shore, where they would not have the bright raysof the declining sun in their eyes.
Many were the odd sights they beheld from time to time. First it wasthis thing that attracted them, and hardly had their exclamations ofdelight ceased than something else would be discovered further down thatchained their attention until they were close enough to make out itscharacter.
One thing Jack called their attention to, and this was the fact thatthey were meeting with more evidences of mobilization than ever, as theyproceeded further from the Hungarian capital.
The news may have been belated in reaching many of these interiorhamlets and pretty little towns along the Danube; but it must havearrived at last, and no end of excitement had followed.
They saw scores and even hundreds of men in uniform, some marching insquads as if hurrying to join the colors; others guarding bridges, orother vulnerable structures, the latter doubtless being old men whocould not go to the front, though still possessing the military spirit,and desirous of doing something for the country of his birth.
Jack was delighted with this chance to see things he had often readabout but never really expected to set eyes on.
"I used to
believe that it was a terrible crime to have every youngfellow serve a couple of years in the army before he could go intobusiness, and then be reckoned as belonging to the reserves, but I'mchanging my mind some, let me tell you," was what he said later in theafternoon.
"How's that, Jack?" asked Buster.
"Well," continued the other, obligingly, "in the first place it makesfor a love for their country when they know they represent a unit in herdefense. Then again it goes to make the young fellows amenable todiscipline, something millions of boys in our country are lacking in. Itteaches them to be frugal, and the life outdoors makes them a lot morehealthy."
"Sounds good to me, Jack," assented Josh.
"I know we've done a heap of talking over in America about the mad follyof Germany in making every young man serve a term in the army, andboasted that our boys needn't ever fear of being forced to join thecolors; but perhaps, fellows, after this world war is over, we'll bedoing the same thing. Preparedness is what is going to count for awhole lot, let me tell you; and both Great Britain and the States willlearn a lesson before they're through."
At the time of course Jack was only taking a vague peep into the future;but events that have happened since then show he had a wise head on hisyoung shoulders. When these words are being penned camps are springingup all over the States where business men can have a month's training inmilitary ways; and those who come back home admit that they have takenon a new lease of life, such are the great benefits to be obtained inthat fashion.
It must have been past the middle of the hot afternoon, when the boyswere lolling about, almost panting for breath, and taking things as easyas possible, that a sudden sound startled them.
"Thunder!" ejaculated Buster, as he popped up his head to look around.
Black clouds were sweeping swiftly down back of them, and even as theylooked a flash of vivid lighting resembling a forked dagger shot towardthe earth, almost immediately succeeded by another deep-toned burst ofthunder.
"What do you say to that, George?" demanded Josh, turning a triumphantface on the other.
"Oh! seems like you hit the mark with that guess," admitted the other,"but then anybody might one out of three. Besides, we haven't got thestorm yet, have we? It may go around us."
"No danger of that," declared Josh; "these summer storms nearly alwaysfollow the channel of a river. I've known 'em to pour down pitchforksfor half an hour on the water and the other bank, and never a drop fallon me. But we'll get all the rain you want to see right soon now."
"I do hope it'll cool the air some then," complained Buster, who beingstouter than any of his chums, must have suffered more in proportionfrom the heat.
"What had we better do, Jack?" asked George, surveying the black cloudsuneasily.
"It's too bad that we don't happen to see any cove where we could run inand stay," replied the pilot; "so on the whole I think we'd better makea turn and head into the storm that's coming down the river."
"That sounds good to me!" declared Josh, instantly understanding thebenefit such a course would likely bring to them; "our cabin is partlyopen in the rear, but well protected forward. We can use that tarpaulinto cover the well back here, and after all the storm won't last long.Swing her around, Jack, and edge in a bit closer to the shore whileyou're about it. The river is pretty wide right here."
It seemed three times as wide to Buster just then, as at any timebefore; but of course this came from his suddenly awakened fears.
"How deep do you think it can be out here, Josh?" he asked after anotherfearful rolling crash of thunder had passed into rumblings in thedistance.
"Oh! a mile or so," replied Josh, carelessly.
"Whee! then all I hope is we don't get blown over on our beam-ends, andhave to swim for it," Buster was heard to say.
They had just managed to get the boat headed up-stream when the squallstruck them with almost hurricane force. The water was lifted and flungagainst the little boat with terrific violence. Indeed, the boys workingenergetically could hardly manage to fasten the stout tarpaulin to thehooks by which it was meant to be secured in an emergency like this, soas to cover the open well at the stern.
The rain began to come down in wild gusts, the wind howled around them,the boat rose and fell frantically, and Jack had all he could do to keepthe plunging craft headed into the furious storm.
It grew almost dark around them. Water found entrance despite the cover,and the boys prepared to take a soaking. As they were not made of salt,and had undergone many privations and discomforts during other days,they uttered no complaint. Indeed, Buster was telling himself that itwould be all right if they only got through in safety; clothes could beeasily dried, but it was another thing to be wrecked out on a ragingriver in a storm like this.
The waves were mounting pretty high, so that with every plunge theycould tell that the propeller was fighting the air, as it was hoistedabove the resisting water. This was what alarmed Jack, for he knew thedanger attending such a sudden and constant change of speed.
He tried the best he could to ease the strain each time they rose andfell; but it was always with an anxious heart that he listened to hearif the propeller still continued to do its duty after every mad plunge.
Minutes had passed, just how long a time since the beginning of thestorm none of the boys could tell. Then all at once every one noticedthat they had ceased to progress steadily. The noise of the churningpropeller had also ceased.
"We're turning broadside to the blow, Jack!" shouted Buster, althoughthat was hardly the case as yet, his fears magnifying the danger.
"What happened, Jack?" roared Josh.
"Engine's broken down, and we're at the mercy of the storm!" came thestaggering reply.