CHAPTER III COLLEGE BOYS TO THE RESCUE
"Oh, Dick! do you think the steamer will really blow up?" gasped Sam, asthe two small boats ranged up beside the larger vessel.
"Perhaps--if they can't get at the boilers to let off steam," was Dick'sanswer. "But they ought to have safety valves."
"Maybe the man is so excited he doesn't know what he is talking about,"put in Tom.
Fortunately the Thistle was not a high boat, but broad and shallow, sothe rail of the vessel was but a few feet above that of the launch andthe rowboat.
"Come, Dora, and Nellie and Grace!" called out Dick. "We'll help youdown." He turned to Stanley. "Can you hold her?"
"Sure! But what are you going to do?"
"Climb up to the rail and help them down."
"I'll do the same!" cried Tom. "Steady the rowboat, Sam!"
In a few seconds Dick and Tom were at the rail of the Thistle. All of thegirls who had been out for a picnic were in a bunch, and many of themwere still screaming for help. But Dora and the Laning girls were nowquiet, realizing that aid was close at hand. Another gasolene launch wascoming up, dragging behind it nearly every rowboat Brill possessed.
It did not take Dick long to assist Dora over the rail and into thelaunch, and Nellie and Grace and several other girls followed. In themeantime Sam rescued a teacher and two girls. By this time the otherlaunch was at hand, with the additional rowboats, and in a very fewminutes all of the passengers of the Thistle had been transferred. In theexcitement one of the college boys and one of the seminary girls felloverboard, but the other Brill lads promptly came to the rescue.
"Let us land the girls on the shore and then try to save the steamer,"suggested Dick.
"That's the talk!" cried Stanley.
"Be careful--if she is ready to blow up!" warned Spud. "I don't want tobe blown into the middle of next year!"
"She won't blow up!" cried the captain, who was still trying to directhis men as to what to do. "Don't you hear the steam going off?"
"Then we'll do what we can for you," answered several of the collegeyouths.
One after another the small boats landed on the shore, which was but ahundred yards away.
"Sam, you stay with the girls," said Dick to his youngest brother. "Theymay want you to do something for them."
"Oh, Dick, don't get into trouble!" begged Dora, and bent her tender eyesfull upon him.
"Don't worry, Dora."
"And, Tom, you be careful, too," added Nellie.
"I will, Nellie," he answered.
Both of the gasolene launches, with eight of the college boys on board,returned to the Thistle. The thick smoke of the burning oil was stillrolling up the companionways and hatchways. But, with the deck cleared ofpassengers, the crew had a better chance to fight the flames.
"Captain, what can we do?" demanded Dick, as he climbed on deck, followedby Stanley and by Allen Charter, who owned the second launch.
"I don't know," answered the master of the vessel, almost helplessly."That oil burns like fury."
"Wouldn't sand be good for the flames?" questioned Allen.
"Yes--but I ain't got none--that is, not more'n a shovelful or two."
"There is sand up at the boat dock!" cried Stanley. "They are going touse it for the new garage foundation."
"Maybe we can haul the steamer up there," suggested another student.
"We can try it," answered Allen Charter. "What do you say, Captain?"
"I'm willing--if you can budge her."
"She can't be stuck very fast," said Tom.
The college boys got into the two launches once more, and as speedily aspossible ropes were fastened to the Thistle. Then the launches werestarted up and all power was turned on. At first the big vessel refusedto budge.
"Don't seem to be making any headway," observed Frank Holden.
"Here we go!" cried Dick, and he was right. Slowly the Thistle moved offthe mud shoal and commenced to turn. Then as slowly the vessel followedthe two launches in the direction of the dock.
"We want sand!" yelled some of the boys on board. "Get the sand ready!"
The cries were understood, and by the time the Thistle was brought closeto the dock, fully a score of boys stood ready with boxes and pails ofsand to come on board. A gangplank was thrown out, and on deck hurriedthe sand carriers.
"That's the stuff!" cried the captain, and his face brightened with hope."Just give that sand to me and the engineer. We know where to put it."
Boxes and pails were passed over with great rapidity, and the sand wastaken below and thrown on the burning oil. It was hard and dangerous workand some of the men were all but overcome. While the work was going onDoctor Wallington arrived, followed by the college janitor and someothers, all carrying fire extinguishers.
"Here, use these!" cried the master of the institution, and the fireextinguishers were soon brought into play. Dick got one and Tom anotherand with them succeeded in putting out the flames that had reached oneend of the cabin.
All of the men and the boys worked like Trojans, and before long it couldbe seen that they were getting the best of the conflagration. The smokewas growing thinner and only an occasional spurt of flames showed itself.
"Hurrah! we'll have it out soon!" cried Tom, enthusiastically.
"Yes, and I'll be mighty glad of it," muttered the captain of the vessel.
"I hope you are insured, Captain," said Dick.
"I am--but a fire is always a loss, anyhow."
"That is true."
The boys and the men continued their labors, and inside of half an hourthe fire was under control. Some of the men went below to make anexamination.
"It's mostly around the boilers," said the engineer. "It's a great mess."
The hands of the Thistle continued to labor and in a short while the lastspark of fire was put out. Then a tug was telephoned for to tow thevessel down the river to the town.
In the meanwhile Dick and Tom rejoined their brother and the girls. Thestudents from Hope, with their teacher, had been invited to makethemselves at home in the reception rooms of the college, and word of thedisaster to the Thistle had been telephoned to the seminary. Word wasalso sent to the town, and a large number of persons came out to learnthe extent of the disaster.
"The newspapers will make a spread of this," was Tom's comment. "We'dbetter send word home that everybody is safe."
"Yes, do!" cried Nellie. "Mamma will be so worried when she hears aboutit."
"Yes, we must send word at once," added Dora. "Mamma can't stand anyexcitement. She has had more than enough lately."
"You mean because of this affair about the fortune, I suppose," returnedDick. "It was an outrage for Tad Sobber to hold up the money the way hedid."
"Yes, Dick, but that is not all," answered Dora. "I was going to tell youof something else the first chance I got." She looked around, to see ifanybody else was listening.
"About what, Dora?" he questioned, quickly.
"About old Josiah Crabtree."
"Crabtree!" exclaimed the eldest Rover boy in astonishment. "What abouthim."
The person mentioned will be well remembered by my old readers. JosiahCrabtree had once been a teacher at Putnam Hall and had caused the Roverboys a good deal of trouble. When Crabtree had discovered that the widowStanhope was holding some money in trust for Dora, and also had quitesome money of her own, he had done his best to get the widow to marryhim. At that time Mrs. Stanhope had been sickly and easily led, andCrabtree had exercised a sort of hypnotic influence over her and all butforced her into a marriage. But his plot had been thwarted by the Rovers,and later on, Josiah Crabtree had been caught doing something that wasagainst the law and had been sent to prison for it.
"He has been bothering mamma again," went on Dora.
"Been bothering your mother! How can that be, since he is in prison?"
"He is out again. It seems that while he was in prison he acted so wellthat some
folks took pity on him and got up a petition to have himpardoned. Now he is out, and almost the first thing he did was to call onmamma."
"What did he have to say?"
"I don't know, exactly. But I do know that mamma was greatly frightened,almost as much so as when Tad Sobber called and said he was going to getthe fortune."
"Did your mother think that Crabtree had reformed?"
"She wasn't sure about that. What scared her was the fact that he calledat all. She expected never to see him again."
"Why didn't she order him to keep away? That is what she ought to do."
"I know it. But you know how mamma is, rather weak and not wanting tomake trouble for anybody. She said she wished he wouldn't call again, andshe was greatly upset."
"Then it's a good thing you are going home soon, Dora. You'll have tostay with her this summer."
"Yes, we and the Lanings are going to stay altogether."
"I wish we were going off on another trip together, Dora," said Dick, ina lower voice. "Wasn't our trip to Treasure Isle great?"
"Perfectly lovely--in spite of the troubles we had," answered the girl.
"That's the kind of a trip I am going to take again--when we go off onour honeymoon, Dora."
"Oh, Dick!" And Dora flushed prettily. "How can you say such things, andin a crowd! Somebody may hear you!"
"Oh, I only want you to know----" began Dick, but just then Tom and Sambrushed up with Nellie and Grace, so the sentence was not finished. Doragave him a meaning look and he held her arm considerably tighter than wasnecessary.
"Well, the picnic is off, and they are going to tow the steamer back,"explained Tom.
"And the young ladies are to be taken back to the seminary in the collegecarryall and carriages," added Sam.
"What a shame!" murmured Tom innocently. "Now they are here I thoughtthey'd stay till we went home."
"Tom Rover! what an idea!" shrieked Nellie. "Why, we've got to go backfor our last examination, and to pack."
"Remember, we are to go East on the same train," warned Dick. "Let meknow just when you can start and I'll arrange for the tickets."
"We are to leave Hope on Wednesday," said Grace.
"That will suit us," answered Tom. "We might leave Tuesday afternoon, butit won't hurt to stay here one night more."
"It will give us time to rest up from the last day's fun," added Dick.
"Do you expect any fun on the last day?" questioned Dora.
"Do we?" cried Tom. "Just you wait and see, that's all! We'll turn oldBrill inside out and upside down!" he added, with emphasis.