CHAPTER VI
BAD NEWS
“What’s the matter, Bob?” yelled Jerry, when his stout chum was nearenough to hear above the roar of the wind. “You look worried!”
“I am!” was the answer. “She’s adrift! Come on down and make her fastor she’ll pound to pieces on the rocks!”
“Are you talking about that ship your uncle is supposed to be comingover on?” asked Ned in surprise.
“No! I never thought of them until just now!” panted Bob, coming to apause. “They _are_ out in this storm, though; aren’t they? I wonder ifthey’re safe?”
“Then you didn’t mean them?” asked Jerry, who had, by this time,managed to slip the leader pipe into place.
“No, I was speaking about our motor boat!” cried Bob. “Sud Snufflesjust yelled at me, as he rushed past our house, that she had chafedthrough the mooring ropes and was going down stream. Isn’t this anawful storm, though?”
“I should say so!” cried Jerry. “But we’ve got to get busy! Come on,fellows. We don’t want our boat smashed!”
Calling to his mother to let her know where he was going, Jerry ledthe way, Bob and Ned following through the storm. They had recentlypurchased a new racing motor boat, in addition to the larger one theyused for cruising and general work, and as Bob splashed through the mudand water beside Jerry he informed his tall chum that it was this boat,according to the hasty description of Sud Snuffles (a curious towncharacter), that had gone adrift in the storm.
“That’s too bad!” cried Jerry. “She’s not built for much rough work,and it won’t take much to damage her. I hope she hasn’t gone too fardown stream.”
As the motor boys turned out of Jerry’s yard into the street, the threechums almost collided with a small chap, enveloped in a big raincoat,who was coming from the opposite direction.
“Look out!” cried Jerry, catching hold of the small lad so as not toknock him over. Then the newcomer, after a glance into the faces of thethree, cried out, gaspingly, and in veritable spasms of words:
“Awful--terrible! Worst storm I ever see! A thousand chimneys blowndown! Two houses with no roofs! Whoop! Almost blew me--up a tree! Won’tbe any water left in the river! Hear that wind! Great guns! One mancaught in barn--it blew down on him--all the ships at sea are sunk!Look out! Hear that rain! Whoop!”
The small lad had to pause for breath, after this outburst, which gaveJerry a chance to say:
“Now then, Andy Rush! Hold on a minute. We’ve got something else to dobeside listening to you--at least just now. Our racing boat’s adriftand we’ve got to go after her!”
“Is that so?” cried Andy, who was surely the most easily excited chapin Cresville, or for miles around. “Is that so? Too bad--I’ll goalong--I can tie knots well--boat adrift--hundred people drowned--mayupset--catch on fire--bang into the dock--knock the dock down--go up onland--blow out a spark plug--what a storm--awful ain’t it! Whoop!”
“Hold him, somebody, and stuff a handkerchief in his mouth,” advisedNed. “Come on, fellows, every second counts!”
“I’ll be good--won’t talk any more--please let me help you!” beggedAndy in slower tones. Indeed he had to talk more slowly for his breathwas about expended.
“All right, come along,” said Jerry good-naturedly. He and his chumsliked Andy Rush, but he sometimes got on their nerves with his rapid,disjointed talking. Occasionally they took him on trips with them.
The four boys hurried on toward the river through the storm, whichseemed to be getting worse instead of diminishing. The rain came downin torrents, and, in spite of their waterproof coats the boys were soondrenched.
“Let’s take to the middle of the street,” suggested Ned, when a brokenshutter, crashing down, narrowly missed Bob.
“Guess that will be a good idea,” commented Jerry. “It will be a littlesafer there.”
“Unless a tree falls on us!” put in Andy. “That would be fierce! Smashdown--crack your head--pin you fast--make you----”
“Andy!” cried Jerry warningly, “that will do.”
“Oh, yes. I forgot. I’ll remember. I----”
Ned gently, but firmly, placed his hand over the small lad’s mouth asthey hurried on.
On every side were evidences of the raging storm. The streets werelittered with debris, some thoroughfares being almost blocked. Manychimneys had been blown down, and one or two small frame houses hadcollapsed. The persons in them had barely escaped with their lives, andseveral had been injured.
There were pitiful scenes, and the boys made up their minds that theywould come back and lend what aid they could to the unfortunates assoon as they had caught and made fast their fine boat.
“This certainly is fierce!” gasped Jerry, as they turned down a streetleading to the river and felt the full force of the wind, which, for aspace, had been broken by a row of houses. “I’m afraid we’ll never getthat boat in time.”
“Oh, yes we will,” asserted Ned, confidently. “Don’t you dare say wewon’t, Jerry Hopkins!”
“Well, I don’t want her to smash any more than you do, but just feelthat wind, and think what it is out on the river! Even a low motorboat, without any sails, would scud along before it at easily twentymiles an hour. It’s awful!”
“That about describes it,” agreed Bob. “Say, but I’m wet. We’ll allneed hot coffee after this.”
The rain and wind were chilling, and this time Bob’s reference tosomething to eat--or, rather something to drink--passed unnoticed.
A little later the boys were at the river, and soon had taken out theirlarge motor boat, which, fortunately, was all ready to run, and withplenty of gasoline in the tank.
“Now for a chase!” cried Jerry.
“Yes, and a hard one, too,” added Ned. “I wonder which way the _Scud_went?”
“She could only go one way--that is, with the wind,” declared the talllad, who had taken his place at the wheel. “No boat, even under power,could make much headway against this gale. Turn her over, boys, andwe’ll see what happens.”
With the four lads aboard the staunch motor boat started out on thesearch, going with the wind. So fierce was the gale, and so swiftly didit send the boat along, that there was hardly need for the propeller,but Jerry kept it going at top speed, for he wanted to make the besttime he could, and save the _Scud_, which was the name of the racingboat, before she pounded herself to pieces on the rocks.
The river was deserted by other craft, and the boys realized the riskthey were taking in being out on the water in such a storm. But theywere used to taking chances, and they simply had to try to save theirfine craft.
In a short time they had covered several miles, and they had looked,unavailingly, all along the way for a sight of the _Scud_.
“I’m afraid she’s sunk,” said Bob.
“Too bad,” murmured Andy Rush.
“Look! What’s that?” suddenly cried Ned, pointing through the mist ofrain to something afloat ahead of them. “That’s some sort of a boat!”
“She’s the _Scud_!” shouted Bob. “And she’s all right, so far. Hurryup, Jerry!”
“SHE’S THE SCUD!” SHOUTED BOB.]
The tall steersman threw the throttle full over and the motor craftshot ahead, aided by the wind. A little later they were alongside the_Scud_, and had made her fast to the other boat. The racing craft wassomewhat scratched from having come in contact with floating debris, orthe rocks in the river, but the damage was comparatively slight.
“It’s good to get her back again!” cried Bob. “Good old _Scud_!”
“And we didn’t get her any too soon!” exclaimed Jerry. “A little moreand she’d have been on those rocks, and she’d have been a wreck when wegot her off,” and he pointed to a menacing ledge of stone just ahead.Indeed it required skillful navigating for the boys themselves to getpast the danger point, with the strong wind urging them on.
“We’d better not try to work back against this gale,” said Bob. “Can’twe tie the boats up somewhere
along here, and go back in a car ortrain? We can get them later.”
“Good idea,” said Jerry. “We’ll do it.”
They obtained permission from a friendly boatman to leave their twolaunches tied at his dock, and making sure they were well fastened, theboys set off on their way to Cresville.
They were fortunate in catching a train, for they had come severalmiles from home, but in due time they were again trudging the streetsof their town.
The storm was still at its height, and considerable more damage hadbeen done to the various buildings. A relief corps had been organized,and the boys were about to offer their services when Bob, who had goneover to look at the bulletin in front of the newspaper office, cameback with a serious look on his face.
“What is it?” cried Ned.
“Bad news, fellows. There’s a wireless message there, from Boston. Itsays that several large steamers are in distress, and that a number ofsmall boats have foundered. But that isn’t the worst. The _Hassen_,with my uncle and cousin on board, has sunk, so the dispatch says,” andthe tears came into poor Bob’s eyes.