CHAPTER V.
THE RACE.
"Hurrah; hurrah!" shouted the crowd, "They're off."
Down the lake swept the ten boats, the Winner taking the lead, closelyfollowed by the Eagle, then came the Chum, the Rocket and the Sprite,the other boats bringing up the rear. By each buoy a boat wasstationed to see that there was no cutting of corners. The boatspassed the first buoy, about half a mile from the start, in the ordernamed, the Winner being then about fifty feet ahead of the Sprite.
"Say, Bob," asked Jack, "how much power you got on?"
"Only about two-thirds," replied Bob. "But I don't believe the Winneris doing her best yet."
"Well don't let her get any farther ahead if you can help it," advisedJack.
"I won't," replied Bob grimly. "I'm going to try to close up a littlenow."
Throwing the switch over another notch, the boys were gratified tofind that they were creeping up on the Rocket, and by the time theyhad passed the second buoy at the foot of the lake, they had passedboth the Rocket and the Chum, and only a half-length separated themfrom the Eagle, while the Winner was only a length ahead of itsnearest rival.
"I'm going to keep her like this," whispered Bob, "unless they gofaster, and I think they are doing pretty near their best."
All the way up the east side of the lake the three leading boats keptat about the same relative distance, while the rest of the fleet washopelessly out of the race. As they passed the last buoy, about a milefrom the end, Fred Jenkins turned and shouted, "Now we're going toshow you some speed."
The boys saw him turn his timer and almost immediately the Winnerbegan to forge ahead of the others.
"Look out, Bob," whispered excited Jack, "Don't let her get away fromyou."
Bob's answer was to turn the switch another notch and in a very shorttime the Sprite had passed the Eagle and only a length separated thetwo leading boats.
"I've still got two more notches," whispered Bob, "and I think they'redoing their best, and we're gaining on them."
Foot by foot the Sprite crept up on the Winner till, when they wereabout a half mile from the finish, the two boats were racing side byside.
"Let her out another notch," urged Jack, and as Bob complied, Jack,delighted to see that they were drawing away from the Winner, couldnot keep from shouting, "Goodby, see you later." But only angry looksanswered him.
Just then they passed a small rowboat carrying a lady and two littlegirls, and a moment later the two boys were startled to hear a wildshriek. Turning they were just in time to see the Winner strike thesmall boat a glancing blow. The blow was not hard enough to cause theWinner to swerve from her course or to upset the boat, but it threwthe girls into a panic, and standing up in the boat, it almostimmediately capsized.
"Quick, reverse her," shouted Jack and forgetful of the race Bobpushed back the switch and shot in the reverse, at the same timeturning the tiller wheel to its full limit. It took but a moment forthe boat to turn and start back full speed, while the Winner shotpast, her course unchanged.
"The miserable cowards," muttered Bob, "they aren't going to stop."
In almost less time than it takes to tell it, the Sprite was back bythe overturned boat. The woman was clinging to the end, but the twogirls were nowhere to be seen. Quickly shutting off the power, Bobshouted: "Dive, Jack, dive." Over the side went Jack, followed asecond later by Bob. The water was about twenty feet deep and veryclear, and opening his eyes Bob saw something white about ten feetaway and a few strokes enabled him to grasp it. Kicking out lustily hewas soon above water, holding one of the little girls by the hair.Glancing about he soon spied Jack with the other girl swimming towardthe Sprite, which had floated some distance away. However, it tookthem but a short time to reach her, and they soon had the two girls inthe boat. They had not been in the water long, but both wereunconscious.
"Now, Jack, roll them on the bottom of the boat while I start her upand get the woman."
Quickly she was pulled into the boat almost exhausted. "My girls, arethey dead?" she moaned.
"I don't think so," replied Bob, heading the Sprite full speed for thewharf, about a quarter of a mile distant.
As the Sprite swung in toward the dock, she was greeted with atremendous cheer by the crowd, which had watched the rescue, and asthe boat struck, eager hands lifted the little girls, who had as yetshown no signs of life, from the boat. It happened that two doctorswere present, and they at once set to work to bring back the lives sonearly gone. In a few moments, to the joy of the crowd, one of thembegan to show signs of life and a little later the other opened hereyes. When told that they would live, the joy and enthusiasm of thepeople knew no bounds, and Bob and Jack were nearly overwhelmed withpraise. Among the first to reach them were Mr. and Mrs. Golden.
"That was worth more, my boys, than winning all the races in theworld," was Mr. Golden's greeting, as he took them in his arms, whilethe tears ran down the cheeks of their mother as she silently kissedthem.
"Where are those boys?" shouted a tall, broad-shouldered man as hepushed his way through the crowd, and then, as he saw them, "That wasmy wife and those were my little girls," and his eyes glistened as hetried to thank them. The boys tried to tell him that it was nothing,but he wouldn't have it so. It developed that he was a rich merchantfrom Philadelphia, by name, Samuel Wright, who had that summerpurchased a cottage at the lake. Before he would let them go he hadmade them promise that they would call on him the next day or Monday.
"Well, boys, I guess we had better be getting over to the 'Roost,'"said Mr. Golden, as soon as they could get away from the crowd. "Yourmother has finished her canning and we are going to stay at thecottage a few weeks."
As the boys stepped on the wharf, they were startled to see two men inthe Sprite. They were bending over the motor, but straightened up asthe boys approached.
"Fine boat you have here," said the older of the two, a man aboutfifty years old, thick set and wearing a full beard. His companion wasabout five years younger, of rather slight build and smooth face.
"Yes, she's pretty fair," returned Bob rather dryly, for he did notlike the looks of the two men and did not relish the idea of themgetting into the boat without permission. However, he did not want toappear too churlish.
"Jack," said Bob, "you run up to the hotel and help bring down thestuff while I clean up the boat, will you?" A wink told Jack that Bobdid not want to leave the boat alone, so he turned back to the hotelwhile Bob, seizing the painter, pulled the Sprite up to the wharf. Thetwo men at once got out and, with an apology for their intrusion,turned away.
In about ten minutes the Golden family, including Edna, appeared, wellladen with suit cases and bundles.
"Say, Bob," asked Mr. Golden, "do you think you can get us all over inone load? May is going too," May Brown was Edna's chum, of about herage and often spent several weeks at a time at the Golden cottage. Shewas a very jolly girl, and the Goldens were always glad to have herwith them.
"Sure thing," replied Bob, "lots of room."
"Let's hurry then," said his mother, "I'm afraid you boys will catchcold in those wet clothes."
"No danger of that," laughed Jack, "It isn't the first time we've beenwet, eh, Bob?"
Soon they were all aboard, bag and baggage and the Sprite's bow washeaded up the lake.
But what of the winners of the great race? As the Winner shot over thefinish line, not a cheer greeted her, and her owners, seeing onlyhostile looks on the faces of the crowd, never stopped, but kept ondown the lake.
"Confound it," muttered Fred, "I guess we've botched things again."
"Well, it's all your fault," growled Will, "I told you to stop."
"I know you did, but I thought some of the other boats behind would benear enough to pick them up, and I didn't want to lose the race."
"It seems, though, that we didn't exactly cover ourselves with gloryby winning," said Will grimly.
"I don't know why it is," argued Fred, "but it seems to me that thoseGolden boys are a
lways getting the better of us. I wonder why it isthat they are so much more popular than we? We have just as muchmoney, if not more, than they."
As is usually the case, these boys could not see that it was theirown selfish dispositions which was the cause of their unpopularity.
In a little over twenty minutes the Sprite was at the "Roost's"boathouse, and soon the merry party had landed and carried the baggageto the cottage. The boys, having put on dry clothing, proposed to thegirls that a game of tennis would be a good way to pass the time whilesupper was being prepared, and soon Bob and May were contesting everypoint with Jack and Edna.
That night, after the rest of the family had retired, the two boys satby the window, in their room, talking over the events of the day.
"Say, old man," Bob suddenly said, "I didn't like the looks of thosefellows we caught in the Sprite this afternoon. Sure as guns they weretrying to find out all they could about that motor. They didn't actright when they saw us."
"Well, I guess you're right," returned Jack. "I think we had betterget that cell patented as soon as possible, before some one stealsit."
"No, I don't want to do that yet. I have had something in mind forquite a while and I want to keep the construction of that cell asecret for at least a year."
"What's your idea?"
"Well, you remember reading, a while ago, in the Boston paper, that aprize of fifty thousand dollars had been offered to the first one tofly across the Atlantic. The difficulty has been," he continued, asJack nodded assent, "that an airship can't carry enough gasoline, butwe could take enough of those cylinders to send an aeroplane aroundthe world."
"Gee, wouldn't that be great? Do you suppose father would let us tryit?"
"I don't know, but I mean to ask him and if he gives his consent we'llhave a try at it next summer. Now you see why I don't want to patentthe cell. If the secret is known, even if it is patented, some onemight get round it in some way and beat us."
"Great head you've got, old man, and we'll do it, take my word for it,but I'm sleepy, so here goes for bed."
In a short time both boys were sound asleep, but if they had known ofthe exciting events and dangers they were to pass through during thenext few days, it is doubtful if their dreams would have been aspleasant.