CHAPTER III.
PING PONG OBJECTS.
Motor Matt's first intention was to fish the China boy out of thewater. He had barely started in the lad's direction, however, when hesaw McGlory teetering on the edge of the wharf and throwing a rope.
"Whoosh!" gulped the China boy, as he bobbed to the surface and laidhold of the rope. "No likee boatee! My gottee, no wantee. Whoosh!"
Seeing that the lad was as good as rescued, Matt turned his attentionto the runaway launch. By some freak of the steering gear the boat wascutting away in a straight line.
The rowboat Matt had secured for the occasion had been tied well to thesouth of the piles into which the Chinese had run the _Sprite_. Thelaunch, describing a turn before she struck into a straightaway course,would have to pass a point directly abreast of Matt.
By quick work with the oars he could reach the point in time to layhold of the launch.
Under his strong arms the rowboat leaped out across the water, andthen, with a quick push on one oar and an equally quick pull on theother, the boat was laid broadside on to the course the runaway_Sprite_ was taking.
Not a second too soon was this accomplished. Hardly had Matt droppedthe oars when the _Sprite_ came plunging up beside him.
Leaning out over the side of the rowboat, he grabbed the gunwale of the_Sprite_. Both boats were hauled together, and the rowboat was towedalong at a fierce clip--but only for a moment.
Out of one boat and into the other Matt scrambled, deftly avoiding theswamping of either craft. A minute later he was at the steering wheeland the levers, and had slowed down and turned the _Sprite_ back.
Yells and cheers greeted his successful manoeuvre; and when he regainedthe wharf, towing the rowboat, a dozen willing hands reached down tocatch and secure the painters.
"A dandy piece of work, you hear _me_!" bellowed one of the crowd.
"You didn't expect Motor Matt to play lame duck while pullin' off atrick like that, did you?" came the voice of McGlory. "Shucks! that wasas easy for him as sitting in at grub pile."
"Say," cried the blear-eyed person, "is he the young thunderbolt asbrought that submarine around from the Atlantic?"
"He's the chap."
This piece of information caused the crowd to develop a tremendousamount of interest in the king of the motor boys--more interest than hecared to claim.
"Where's the Chinaman, Joe?" he asked, with difficulty extricatinghimself from the crowd, and making his way to McGlory's side.
"Right here, Matt," answered the cowboy, leading the way to a pileof old timber on which the dejected Celestial was sitting. "He ain'tfeelin' quite as chipper as he was a spell ago. 'Melican man's boateedidn't set well, and he's got a bad attack of the blues."
"Hello, Charley!" exclaimed Matt, leaning forward and slapping theyellow boy on his wet shoulder. "Where do you want that boat? I'll takeit across the bay for you if that's where you want it to go."
"No wantee," was the doleful reply. "Him debble boat; gosizz-sizz-sizzle, mebby so sendee China boy topside."
"But you've won it, and it's yours."
"No wantee," was the decided response. "My givee you fi' dol you takee."
McGlory exploded a laugh and fell down the timbers.
"Speak to me about that, will you?" he gasped. "He's willing to giveyou five dollars, Matt, to take the boat off his hands."
The blear-eyed man pushed closer.
"See here, chink," said he, "don't you be a fool jest because you got achanst. What's the use of givin' a feller money to take the boat? I'llgive you a ten-dollar bill for it, if that's the way you feel."
McGlory pulled himself off the pile of timber and stepped in front ofthe man.
"I wonder if you wouldn't?" he scoffed.
"What's it to you, anyhow?" growled the man. "Who give you any right tobutt in? If the chink wants to sell the boat I got a right to buy it."
"You ain't got a right to rob him, howsumever, and I'm not going toloaf around with my hands in my pockets and see you do it."
"Blather! What's a chink, anyhow?"
"A chap's got to be treated square," spoke up Matt, "no matter whetherhis skin's white, black, or yellow."
"Look here, Charley," persisted the man, "I'll give you fifty colddollars for that boat."
"I'll give him seventy-five," put in another man. "If the launch isgoing at a bargain I might as well hand over a bid. What do you say,Charley?"
The China boy's little eyes began to snap and sparkle as the idea ofprofit drifted through his head.
"Let them bid, Charley," said Matt. "I'll give you ten dollars morethan the highest bid they make."
This headed off any further attempt to get the better of the Chinaman.After lingering in the vicinity for a few minutes, the last of thecrowd departed in the direction of the ferry house.
"You takee boat," said the Chinaman to Matt. "You ketchee, you takee.Huh?"
"For how much?" queried Matt. "I haven't any use for the craft,Charley, and I was merely bidding to keep those other fellows fromrobbing you."
"Wisht I had some money," muttered McGlory. "I'll get a letter fromTucson in a day or two, and I reckon it'll have a wad of _dinero_ in itfor me. Lend me enough to buy that boat, Matt, and I'll fork over assoon as I make the raise."
"I'd be glad to lend you money, Joe, for anything but that," answeredMatt. "You don't need the _Sprite_ any more than I do, so, if I don'tlend you any funds you can't buy the boat."
"That's just like a hired man, Matt, and not like a real pard," mumbledMcGlory. "But you're doing the right thing, at that."
"Me allee same Ping Pong," piped up the Celestial, picking up theslack of his kimono and wringing the water out of it. "Ah Choo makeelun launly, fire Ping Pong, you savvy? Whoosh! My no gottee job alleemo'."
"That's rough," commiserated the cowboy, with a wink in Matt'sdirection. "Little Ping Pong here worked for Ah Choo, and the oldsneeze pulled the pin on him. What was that for, Ping?"
"My takee ticket flom 'Melican man fol washee-washee," explained theChina boy. "Ah Choo no likee; him tellee Ping Pong makee skip, nevelcome back allee mo'."
"Listen to that!" went on McGlory. "A flat-faced swatty owin' Ah Choo adollar for the week's wash, blows into the laundry emporium and tradesa ticket on the raffle with Ping Pong here for the amount of his debt.When Ah Choo hears the particulars, he ditches Ping. Ping comes overto Tiburon, wins the boat, and tries to make it do a handspring over aclump of piles. Between you and me, Matt, we pull him out of the brinyand save the boat, and here he is, worryin' because he's out of a joband never thinking about the eighty-five _pesos_ that are bound to dropinto his yellow palms!"
"China boy workee fo' you," chirped Ping Pong, reaching out to grabMatt's hand. "You takee boat, givee Ping Pong job."
"There's your chance," grinned McGlory. "Take on the chink, Matt, andyou corral the boat. It's no rhinecaboo he's running in, either. Hemeans every word of it."
Matt's eyes wandered in the direction of the ferry house.
"The next boat is about to leave," said he hurriedly. "You take Pingand go on the boat, Joe, and I'll follow you with the _Sprite_. You'llfind me on the water front near the foot of Clay Street. When we getback there we'll find some way out of this difficulty. I haven't anymore use for the Chinaman than I have for the boat, but I should thinkwe could sell the boat for somewhere near what she's worth and thenturn the proceeds over to Ping. That ought to keep him going until hefinds a job that suits him."
"Keno!" agreed McGlory, grabbing the Celestial by the arm. "Come on,Ping, and we'll strike a bee line for the ferry."
As they hurried off, Motor Matt returned to the landing and to the_Sprite_. He was only a few moments casting off and starting across thebay.
Destiny was lying in wait for him. Fate knows her business, and neverjuggles events into such a state as they were then without having awell-defined object in view.