CHAPTER IX
THE BOY WHO COULDN’T TALK
The Speedwells were busy boys these days. The excitable Billy had somany irons in the fire (so he said) that he could barely keep all ofthem hot.
Then, there was the secret building of the new iceboat. Dan and Billyhad said little of their scheme outside the family; but it was known inRiverdale that the Speedwells proposed to rig a “new-fangled” racingmachine that would “just burn up the ice” when the midwinter ice raceswere held.
“What’s she going to be driven by, Billy?” asked Biff Hardy, meeting theSpeedwells one afternoon at the edge of the Boat Club Cove.“Steam—gas—or nitroglycerin? Pa says you’ve brought him some patternsfor things that he believes belong to a combination aeroplane and motormowing machine. How about it?”
“Never you mind,” returned Billy, grinning, for Bill Hardy, who workedin the Darringford Machine Shops, was one of the Speedwells’ staunchestfriends. “I don’t just understand all about the plans myself. But Danknows.”
“You bet he does!” rejoined the admiring Biff. “But I’m not going to askDan. If it’s a secret I know very well I couldn’t get at it even if Ihypnotized him!”
The _Fly-up-the-Creek_ was very popular, whether the boys built aspeedier craft, or not. If Mildred and Lettie didn’t care to accompanyDan and Billy whenever they had time to skim the ice in the big craft,there were plenty of their schoolmates ready to enjoy such trips as theSpeedwells were willing to give them.
And almost always when Dan and Billy were on the ice, the _WhiteAlbatross_ made its appearance. Barrington Spink was forever tryingconclusions with the bigger iceboat, and was never willing to admitdefeat by her.
It was always “by a fluke,” or because something broke on his own craft,when Dan and Billy chanced to leave the _White Albatross_ behind. Therewas something “bull-doggy” about Barrington Spink. He never knew when hewas beaten.
There was by this time quite a fleet of iceboats on the river, besidesthose of the Speedwell boys, Monroe Stevens, and Spink. Fisher Greeneand his cousin had produced the _Flying Squirrel_. Jim Stetson and AlfHolloway had bought a boat, too, and named it the _Curlew_.
There were, besides, other iceboats appearing on the Colasha, built andowned by some of the adult members of the boat club. There were a goodmany men devoted to sports in Riverdale, and the condition of the icethis season spurred them into joining the game.
The Oldest Inhabitant could not remember when there had been a winter sosteadily cold. And, fortunately for the ice sports, there was littlesnow during these early weeks of the season.
“There are going to be great old times on this river before the winter’sover, Dan,” declared Billy, confidently.
“Providing the frost continues—eh?”
“It’s bound to! Look at the almanac.”
“Humph!” returned Dan, “I’ve heard of such a thing as an almanac beingmistaken.”
“That’s all right,” said Billy, not at all shaken. “Everybody believesthis will be a great old winter. Robert Darringford is going in foriceboating, too. He’s having a boat built in the shops—and he says it’sgoing to be a wonder.”
“Let ’em all rave,” grunted Dan. “You’ll see, Billy. There won’t one of’em get the speed out of their craft that we will out of ours.”
“Where’s those plans, Dannie?” asked his brother.
“Right in my pocket,” returned Dan, promptly. “I’m not running the riskof having them picked up somewhere and so find their way into the handsof somebody who might catch on to our idea.”
This was on a Saturday when Mildred and Lettie had expressed a desire totake a long trip in the _Fly-up-the-Creek_.
“We’ve never gone as far as Karnac Lake yet,” Lettie pouted. “Alwayssomething happens before we get there. If you don’t take us this time,boys, we’ll go over to the enemy in a body!”
“What enemy?” demanded Billy.
“Barrington Spink. He’s always asking us to accompany him on the _WhiteAlbatross_.”
“Why don’t you go with him, then?” snapped Billy. “Nobody’s holdingyou.”
“Now, children!” admonished the doctor’s daughter. “Don’t quarrel.”
Dan and Mildred only laughed over the bickerings of the other couple.Soon the Speedwells’ boat was made ready and the girls got aboard, whileDan and Billy pushed her out from the landing.
There was no gale blowing, but a good, stiff breeze—and it was fair. Thehuge sail of the _Fly-up-the-Creek_ filled almost immediately, and theymoved steadily out of the cove.
Outside, the _White Albatross_ was maneuvering, Spink evidently waitingas usual to try a brush with the Speedwells’ craft. Barry shot the whiteiceboat down toward them as they came out of the cove, and shouted:
“Better come aboard here, girls, if you want to reach the lake. I’m onmy way!”
“Who’s going to tow you?” demanded Billy.
“I don’t need any towing,” returned Spink, sharply. “There’s one thingsure, I can beat that old milkwagon of yours. Better take up my offer,girls!” he added, grinning impudently.
He _did_ shoot away in advance at a good pace, and Lettie cried, underher breath: “Oh! don’t you dare to let him beat us, Dan Speedwell!”
“The race is not always to the swift,” returned Dan, smiling.
“I really wouldn’t pay any attention to that fellow,” said Mildred. “Heis not worth noticing. And I don’t see any reason why he should be somean to us.”
“Looks to me as though he wanted to cut Dan and me out with you girls,”chuckled Billy.
“Well!” said Lettie Parker, in earnest for once, “that might be, too.But the particular reason why he dislikes you boys is because you don’t‘make much’ of him as some of the others do. You know, Barry’s mother isrich.”
“Seems to me I’ve heard something about that before,” said Dan,laughing.
“He got in bad with you boys at the start. Billy only charged him anickel for saving his life—isn’t that so, Billy?” asked Lettie, with agiggle.
“I didn’t want to overcharge the poor chap,” returned Billy, with ananswering grin.
“Well, you can’t expect him to feel very kindly towards you, then,” saidLettie.
“He’s going to build a wonderful boat to beat anything you boys can puton the river,” sighed Mildred. “He’s going to win all the ice races atthe regatta Mr. Darringford is arranging. Oh! I heard him telling allabout it the other evening at Mary Greene’s.”
“Don’t let that worry you for a little minute,” Billy broke in, withsome excitement. “Dan’s got the plans of a boat right in his pocket nowthat will knock the eye out of any craft that will be on the ice _this_winter.”
“I admire your slang!” exclaimed Lettie, with scorn.
“I bet I caught it from you,” returned Billy, ready to “scrap” on theinstant.
“Be good! be good!” cried Mildred. “Oh, Dannie! you are overtaking thatwhite boat.”
“That’s what we’re here for,” returned the older boy, who had beenattending strictly to business since Spink had challenged them.
The _Fly-up-the-Creek_ was making good its name. They were rushing upthe river at a terrific pace. The _White Albatross_, whenever shetacked, lost ground. And finally when they came to the lower end ofIsland Number One, she had to make a long leg towards the farther sideof the river, and so get to the leeward of the island.
Billy was staring at the island all the time they were passing.
“What’s the matter, Billy?” demanded Lettie Parker. “What do you expectto see over yonder?”
“Billy’s looking for Robinson Crusoe,” chuckled Dan. “He believesthere’s a fellow living over there.”
“Oh! you told us before,” cried Lettie. “And, do you know, I told fatherand he said Sheriff Kimball ought to know about that.”
“About _what_?” queried Mildred.
“Not t
hat poor dummy?” cried Billy. “There isn’t an ounce of harm inthat fellow, I am sure.”
“No. About there being something buried on the island. I don’t know justwhat father meant. But you know, he is very friendly with the sheriff.”
“Say! we don’t want to get that poor chap into trouble,” Billy urged.“Just like a girl—telling everything she knows!”
Before Miss Parker could “flare up” at this statement and speak hermind, Mildred gave a little shriek.
“What’s the matter?” demanded Dan, flashing a look around, too.
“See him? There!”
“It’s Dummy!” yelled Billy, who was out on the crossbeam at his usualstation and could see behind the bellowing sail.
There, upon a high rock on the shore of the island stood the figure ofthe boy Billy and Dan had knocked over in the snowstorm, weeks before.They could not be mistaken.
He was gazing across the end of the island toward the open ice on thefar side. Suddenly he turned about and waved both arms madly at the_Fly-up-the-Creek_ and her crew. But although he opened his mouth andbabbled something or other, neither the boys nor their guests couldunderstand what he said.
“He wants something of us!” cried Lettie.
“He’s warning us!” gasped Mildred.
Dan swerved the helm and in a moment the iceboat came up into the windand lost headway. They drifted past the end of the island, which washeavily wooded. And at that moment the _White Albatross_ swooped aroundthe head of the island, aimed directly for the Speedwells’ craft.
“Look out!” yelled Billy, leaping up and waving his hand.
The girls screamed, too. There was not enough headway on the_Fly-up-the-Creek_ for Dan to swerve her out of the track of the otherboat.
There was a crash. The bow of the _White Albatross_ struck the othercraft a glancing blow and the latter whirled in a complete circle.Fortunately Dan had let go the halyards and the sail came down with arush. But it went over the side, tangled in the runners, and the iceboatstopped dead, while Barry Spink and his companion, both grinning overtheir shoulders at their rivals, shot on up the river.
“Guess you know who’ll reach Karnac first this time!” called Spink,waving his hand.
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