CHAPTER XIX
ON THE WAY
How the motor boys got into their clothes they hardly knew at the time,and afterward there was so much to talk about that they did not go intothose details.
Jerry echoed Ned’s cry with:
“Lively, fellows! We’ve got to get down there in jig style, and put herout in the river!”
“We’re with you!” exclaimed Bob, whose recent injury was now only inevidence in a small bandage around his head.
“And be careful of yourself!” cautioned Ned.
Out of their rooms, the doors of which opened one into the other, theboys rushed, half dressed. It was no time for ceremony, and the factthat the fire was so near the hotel had aroused most of the guests.
Many of them were running about as though the place itself were onfire, but sufficient notice had been given to quell any possible panic.Those going out did so for the reason that they wanted to view thefire.
That the blaze was a large one was evidenced as soon as the boysreached the street, for they could see the reflection in the sky of theruddy, leaping flames.
“Some fire!” gasped Ned.
“That’s what!” responded Jerry. “Come on!”
Some of the fire apparatus of Waydell was already at the scene, andother engines were on the way. The place boasted of three, and it wassoon seen that all would be needed.
“And more, too!” panted a half-dressed man who rushed along with theboys. “I reckon they’d better telephone over to Lafayette, and get whatapparatus they can. It’s going to be a hummer, all right!”
And, as Jerry, Ned and Bob turned a corner, and sped down a streetthat led to Silver River they saw that the blaze was in a large lumberyard, adjoining the house where their boat was stored. The piles of dryboards were rapidly being licked up by the advancing flames. While theboathouse had not yet caught it was evident that it soon would go, forthe wind was driving the tongues of fire in its direction.
“It hasn’t caught yet,” panted Bob, as he raced on beside Jerry. “Falsealarm for us!”
“Not much!” snapped the tall lad. “We’ve got to get busy. It’ll go upin short order.”
“That’s what!” agreed Ned.
So hot was the blaze, and so fiercely was it eating up the lumber thatthe firemen made no attempt to save the board-piles that had alreadycaught. They were devoting their energies to saving the surroundingproperty.
There was a big crowd already on hand, and it was growing larger everyminute. The boys managed to push their way through, after some hardwork, gaining a place where they could see the fire more plainly. Andas they gained a vantage point they saw that which made them cry out inalarm.
For the side of the boathouse, nearest the lumber yard, which side hadbeen smoking from the heat, now burst into flame.
“Look!” cried Ned.
“There she goes!” supplemented Bob.
“Come on, fellows! That’s our cue!” yelled Jerry. “We’ve got to get ourboat out!”
The crowd, surprised by the sudden turn of the fire, gave way for amoment, and this presented to the boys just the advantage they wanted.There was an opening through which they slipped, running on toward theblazing boat house.
“Hey! Come back here!” called one of the firemen, for fire lines hadbeen stretched.
“Don’t mind him!” advised Jerry. “We know what we’re about!”
And he and his chums ran on, unheeding.
As they reached the doors on the shore side of the structure anotherfireman, hurrying up with an axe called to them:
“What are you doing here? Get back! You’re not allowed here!”
“We’re going to get out our boat,” said Jerry sharply. “It won’t take aminute to run it out of the boathouse now, and we don’t want to standby and see it burn.”
“That’s right,” the fireman agreed. “I’ll help you. No use standing onceremony.”
He gave a glance at the doors. They were locked and there was no timeto look for the key.
“Stand aside!” the fighter of the flames called. The boys drew back,and, with a few blows of his axe, the man shattered the fastening ofthe door.
“There you go!” he cried, as Jerry, Ned and Bob rushed into thestructure. The flames without, shining in through the shattered door,made it light enough to see. Their boat, as yet, was unharmed, butalready the flames were eating through the thin side of the boathousewhich had first caught.
“Lively, boys!” yelled Jerry. “You and Bob cast off the mooring ropes,Ned, and I’ll start the motor. Lucky she’s in shape to run.”
“We’ve got to open those other doors, Jerry!” Ned cried, pointingto those which were on the river side. They were big, double ones,swinging on hinges instead of raising up like a window sash.
“We’ll ram ’em!” Jerry shouted. “We haven’t time to try the axe on ’em!”
In fact, there was no axe to use, for the fireman, as soon as he hadsmashed open the shore doors for the boys, had set off to join hiscomrades.
The _Scud_ lay in the basin of the boathouse with her bow pointedoutward, for she had been backed in after her final trial the eveningbefore. And the basin was sufficiently long to enable her to getheadway enough to gain considerable power.
“All ready?” cried Jerry to his chums, as he bent over the motor.
“All ready,” answered Ned. “Let her go.”
Jerry thrust over the switch of the self-starter. There was a whineof the generator, and then came the hum and throb as the motor itselfstarted.
“Here we go, boys! Be ready to duck!” Jerry yelled, as he pulled on thegear handle, and the motor meshed in the cogs of the propeller shaft.There was a boiling and bubbling under the stern, and the powerfulcraft surged forward.
“Down in front!” Jerry cried, for Ned and Bob were standing in the bowas unconcernedly as though they were on a pleasure jaunt, whereas, inanother moment, the boat would ram the locked doors.
The fire had now eaten a large hole in the side of the boathouse, sothat the interior was well lighted. The boys could hear the crackle offlames, and the shouts of men mingled with the puffing of the steamers.The whistle of boats approaching to do battle with the flames from theriver front, was also heard.
“Low bridge!” cried Jerry, as the bow of the _Scud_ rammed the doubledoors. There was a crash, and a splintering of wood, but the portalsheld, and did not swing open. The shock sent the boat back in thewater, and the boys were almost thrown off their feet.
“Got to try again!” Jerry cried. He had put the propeller out of gearas soon as the boat hit, and now he reversed the screw. The _Scud_ drewback to the limit of the water in the boathouse.
Once more she came rushing at the double doors. It must be now ornever, for by this time the interior of the structure was beginning toblaze.
“Crash!” went the bow, aimed full at the dividing line between thedoors. And this time, weakened as they were by the previous assault,they gave way. The _Scud_ shot out into the stream.
THE SCUD SHOT OUT INTO THE STREAM.]
“Hurray!” cried Bob. “We’ve saved her!”
“But it was a close call,” observed Jerry.
“And those other boats in there are goners,” remarked Ned. “Too bad!”
“Maybe we can save one or two,” suggested Jerry, for there were anumber of fine motor craft in the place.
It was rather dangerous turning back, for the house was now halfenveloped in flames. But the _Scud_ was under control, and the boyswell knew how to handle her. Accordingly her bow was pushed back intothe boathouse long enough for the boys to cast off the mooring lines oftwo other boats, which they shoved out into the river.
“Better pull out! It’s getting too hot here,” panted Ned.
“Guess you’re right,” agreed Jerry. He sent their boat out into themiddle of the stream, and the cool night air was grateful to the boys.
From this vantage point they watched the progress of the flames. Thefire would have t
o be left to burn itself out, for, after the lumberyard and the boathouse were consumed, there was no other material nearfor the flames to feed on. The firemen could do but little, as theconflagration was beyond control when discovered.
Some time after midnight the fire had nearly burned itself out, and theboys, finding another boathouse, where they could leave their craft,went back to the hotel. They found Andy Rush there waiting for them.
“Where have you fellows been? I was looking all over for you! Bigfire!” panted Andy.
“We’ve been saving the boat,” said Jerry coolly. “What happened to you?”
And then it developed that they had forgotten all about Andy in theexcitement. His room was farther down the corridor, and they had notremembered to call him.
“Huh!” exclaimed Andy, when explanations were made. “You might havecalled me!”
“There was excitement enough without you,” spoke Ned drily.
There was little more sleep for our friends that night, though theydozed fitfully. A careful examination in the morning showed no damageto the _Scud_, beyond a little paint scratched from her bow.
“That won’t delay us,” decided Jerry. Their baggage and stores were putaboard, a goodly supply of provisions was laid in, and, steaming uppast the burned lumber yard, our friends were soon on their way by boatto locate Professor Snodgrass.