CHAPTER XIII. A RACE FOR THE DOCTOR.
"We'll switch to the motor, Persimmons."
The dawn comes up early so far north as the St. Lawrence. It was not yetthree o'clock in the morning, yet there was a faint gray lightillumining the river.
They had been waiting for this. In the darkness, and with the manywhirlpools and rapids that occur in that part of the river, it wouldhave been dangerous to do anything more than wait about for daylight. Asthe light grew stronger the little motor began to crackle and bang, andthe tender moved swiftly off through the water in the direction of Dr.Chadwick's island.
"How is our patient getting along, Ralph?" asked Harry, who wassteering.
"Breathing easily, but still unconscious. Give us all the speed you canget, Percy. This boy's life may be the reward of a few extra milescoaxed out of the engine."
"I'll do my best," young Simmons assured him.
With Persimmons making good his promise, it was not long before thetender's headway was checked off Dr. Chadwick's island, a pretty, woodedspot with a bungalow showing amid the trees. The bungalow stood backfrom the water up a steep, grassy slope. The first rays of the risingsun were gleaming on this when the little tender came to a stop at aneat stone dock.
"Blow the whistle," ordered Ralph. "I guess somebody is up. Anyhow,there is smoke coming from the chimney."
Obediently, Percy Simmons began sounding the pneumatic whistle.
Toot-toot-toot-toot-toot!
At the fifth blast the figure of a servant appeared from the bungalow atthe top of the slope.
Ralph snatched up the tender's megaphone.
"Dr. Chadwick at home?" he shouted.
The servant nodded in reply.
"Then please ask him to hurry down here as soon as possible. We've got abadly injured boy with us. Ask him to make all the haste he can. It's aserious case."
The man gave a wave of his hand to show he understood and vanished. Itdid not take long for Dr. Chadwick to appear. He was evidently up earlyto go on a fishing expedition, for he wore outing clothes. He was amiddle-aged but active man. He came down the slope quickly, carrying ablack surgical case in one hand. As he saw the boys he broke into a run.Speedily he was on the dock looking down into the tender.
"Well, well," he exclaimed, "you young men are early callers. What isthe trouble? Ah! that lad there! Cut on the head, eh? Bring him ashoreand I'll examine him."
The injured lad was carefully lifted to the dock by the boys and laiddown on the crib-work, while the physician bent over him sympathizingly.He removed the bandage that bound the boy's head. As he saw the wound hewhistled.
"Pretty bad cut, this. How did it happen?"
As the boys explained the case to him, he worked on the wound, applyingantiseptics and carefully bandaging it.
"Is the skull fractured?" inquired Ralph.
"That is impossible to say. I cannot do more than examine it now."
"What had better be done?"
"I'd recommend a hospital," said the doctor.
"Is there one near here?" inquired Ralph.
"Yes, at Cardinal, on the Canadian shore."
"We had better take him there?"
"I should strongly advise it. In fact, it may be his only chance ofpulling through. It was a good thing you came to me so early. I am goingdown the river to-day and may be gone for some time. Otherwise I shouldbe glad to help you out in elucidating the mystery of that island."
"Thank you," rejoined Ralph; "we mean to try and do something in thatway ourselves."
"Well, you look capable enough," said the doctor dryly, with a twinklein his eye.
Not long after, for the doctor had cautioned them not to delay, thetender shot out from the dock. In the rush of events it had hardlyoccurred to the boys to talk over the disappearance of the _RiverSwallow_. Now, however, that they had done almost all they could for theboy, and the tender was headed for Cardinal, not more than six milesoff, the talk swung naturally enough to that topic.
Indignation against Malvin was the ruling feeling, although Ralph warnedthem not to prejudge the man.
"He may have had some good reason for what he did," he said.
"He'll have a good excuse, anyhow. I'll bet my head on that," said HarryWare, with emphasis.
They were swinging between the North Twin and the South Twin Island asthe lad spoke. As they shot around a promontory on the latter's easterlyend, Percy Simmons, who had relieved Harry at the wheel, checked theirtalk by an abrupt shout.
"Motor craft ahead!" he cried.
"Where?" demanded Ralph.
"Right over our bow. By hickory," the boy's voice became surcharged withsudden excitement, "it's--it's the _River Swallow_!"
"By all that's wonderful, so it is!" and Ralph echoed the other's shout.
"Hail her!" suggested Harry, "it won't be long now before we squeezesome sort of an explanation out of that wiggly Malvin."
The tender was urged to top speed. The _River Swallow_ was bound downthe river, apparently headed for Dexter Island. She was making goodspeed, but, aided by the current between the two islands, the tenderbade fair to intercept her. Harry Ware opened a locker and snatched outa flag. He waved it energetically above his head.
Before long the _River Swallow's_ way was checked. She swerved from hercourse and headed for the little tender. As she came alongside, Malvin'sface appeared on the bridge. His countenance beamed with what appearedto be genuine relief as he met the boys' eyes unflinchingly.
"Thank heaven you're safe, young gentlemen!" he cried. "I fearedsomething had happened to you."
"Humph," muttered Harry to himself, as some steps were lowered and theyprepared to board the _River Swallow_, "I've got more than half anotion, my friend, that you weren't half as worried as you would like usto think."
Malvin and Hansen helped to get the injured lad on deck, where he waslaid out in the cockpit. Had Ralph not been preoccupied he would havenoticed Malvin give a perceptible start as his eyes fell upon the lad'spallid face.
"It's Henderson Hawke's boy, Jim Whey," he muttered to himself. "So it_was_ these brats of Border Boys who landed on Windmill Island lastnight. I thought so from the description Hawke gave me of his visitors."
After seeing the wounded lad comfortably disposed, Ralph ordered fullspeed ahead. Cardinal was reached after a swift run and the lad hurriedto the hospital in an ambulance summoned from the dock.
"I think we may hope for the best," said the house surgeon in answer tothe boys' inquiries. "What is the lad's name?"
"We--we don't know; but I'll be responsible for him," rejoined Ralph.
"Humph! Queer sort of lads," muttered the surgeon, as he turned to givesome orders and the boys returned to their fast motor craft.