CHAPTER XI
UPSIDE DOWN
"Say, there's a lot more stuff coming down the river than has at anytime yet," remarked Blake, as he and his friends sat in the cabin of the_Clytie_, while she made her way in the flooded stream. "Look at thosebig logs, and parts of houses!"
"Yes, and we've got to be careful," said Mr. Ringold, who hadrelinquished the wheel to Joe. "First thing we know we may bump into alog, and have a hole stove into us. Then we will have trouble!"
"Oh, I guess----" began C. C., when there came a bump on the port bow ofthe craft.
"What's that?" cried the manager, leaping to his feet.
"Only a little log," answered Joe. "I didn't see it until I was right ontop of it, or I could have steered out of the way."
"I was going to say I guessed nothing would happen," went on C. C., "butI reckon I was a bit mistaken."
"If it's nothing worse than that we won't kick," murmured Blake. "Stillyou never can tell. I'll come up there, Joe, and help you keep a lookoutfor big bits of wreckage."
"It would be a good idea to have two at the wheel," said Mr. Ringold."We'll do that after this, and we won't try to do any nighttravel--we'll just tie up at dark, wherever we can."
"There must be a worse flood up above, than there was at first, to bringall this stuff down," observed Joe, when he and Blake were on duty."Whole villages must have been swept away, to judge by the pieces ofhouses I've seen."
"Yes, and farm-places, too," added Blake, as he pointed to a part of awrecked barn swirling around in the water.
A little later they passed a village, partly submerged, and as theyswung in close to it Mr. Ringold shouted questions as to the possiblewhereabouts of his lost players. No one, however, knew anything aboutthem. They seemed to have disappeared.
Whenever Blake and Joe saw interesting sights they used the movingpicture cameras to advantage. But much of the desolate scenery along theflooded river was of the same character, and they wanted to save theirfilms for more dramatic situations.
Though the river was higher, the rain, which had ceased that morning,did not commence again, and the skies seemed much brighter.
"I don't know much about the weather conditions out here," said Mr.Ringold, "but it looks to me as though it were going to clear."
"I hope so," murmured Mr. Piper. "It feels as if I'd never get driedout."
It was indeed damp, muggy and sticky. The moving picture boys, too,found difficulty in getting satisfactory results under such weatherconditions, but they did the best they could.
"What are you doing?" asked Joe of Blake, on the afternoon of the daythey had left the levee.
"Making some waterproof covers for the exposed film," was the answer.
"To keep it dry from the rain?"
"No, to keep it dry in case we--well, in case anything happens, as Mr.Piper would say."
"What do you mean?" Joe wanted to know.
"I mean we may have an accident at any time. While this motor boat is agood one, she may be wrecked, especially when we get down to the lowerriver, where the flood is sure to be worse. There'll be more debristhere, and we may easily be stove in, crushed or upset."
"Say, you're worse than he is, lately," cried Joe, with a nod at Mr.Piper, who was out on the stern deck.
"No, I only want to take all precautions," Blake went on. "We've gotsome valuable films here, and if they fall into the water they'll bespoiled. It was bad enough for Munson, or whoever it was, to take ourother films, and I don't want to lose these in the flood. So I'm goingto stow them away in water-tight boxes, as fast as we expose them."
In anticipation of water troubles the boys had brought along some sheetsof rubberized cloth, and this was now used to line, and wrap about andseal up, small boxes, in which the exposed films could be packed. Thusit was hoped to save them.
Dinner had been eaten aboard the boat, and then, as they proceeded, theystopped at several places along the flooded Mississippi, to makeinquiries for the missing ones.
But so many persons had either been carried away by the great flood, ordriven from their homes, and so many unfortunate occurrences filled theminds of the people, that no one could remember, or tell about, anymissing moving picture players.
Then, too, at several of the towns, the levees were in danger, and allavailable help was engaged in making them stronger. It was a time ofstress and trouble for all.
After leaving one small city, that was threatened by the rising river,our friends proceeded well out in the stream, as they had been informeda dangerous "cut-off" had formed just below, and they might be drawninto it, and stranded in a big swamp.
"We'll avoid that, if we can," said Mr. Ringold, as they came withinsight of the "cut-off," and saw where the stream had divided.
The manager was at the wheel, and, as he put it hard over, so as to givethe dangerous current an extra wide berth, the motor unexpectedlystopped.
"What's the matter?" cried Mr. Ringold, as he noticed, with alarm, thatthey were being drawn into the "cut-off."
"Motor's gone dead!" cried Blake, as he sprang toward it. "I will see ifI can start it."
But though he turned and turned again the flywheel, the machine wouldnot go. It was rather an old-fashioned one, and worked hard.
"Got plenty of gasoline?" asked Joe, coming up to the help of his chum.
"There was half an hour ago, and we can't have used up all in the tankyet. Besides, we've got a barrel in reserve."
"I'll put some in, anyhow!" cried Joe. But, when this was done, themotor still refused to go, and they were being carried by the currentnearer and nearer to the dangerous place.
"Let me try," suggested Mr. Ringold. "Here, you boys steer, though youcan't really do much without power to give us more headway than we'vegot."
Again and again he spun the wheel, but it seemed of no use. The motorremained dead. Then, as Mr. Piper came up to see if he could lend anyaid, he saw a small dangling wire, that no one appeared to have noticed,or attended to.
"Is that the trouble?" he asked. "That loose wire?"
"That's it--the ignition!" cried Mr. Ringold. "I'll have it fixed in ajiffy now. Though I don't know as we can make it," he added, as henoticed how near they were to the treacherous "cut-off."
But he was not one to give up easily, nor were his companions. Thebroken wire was hastily joined, and then, with the electric current inproper shape, when the flywheel was spun again, the motor responded witha welcome roar and throb.
"Now see if we can make it!" cried Mr. Ringold, as he took the wheel."It's a bare chance!"
It was, and how slender the boys did not realize until later. Thepowerful current pulled and tugged at them, to force them off thecourse, and into a branch of the stream that ended in a dismal swamp.
But the _Clytie_ was a stanch craft, and was in good hands. Slowly butsurely she fought her way against the cross-current, pulling away fromdanger.
"I'm giving her all the gas she can take," murmured Mr. Ringold, as headvanced the throttle to its limit, and set the spark timer at its mostadvantageous position. "She can't do any more!"
Blake and Joe stood ready to do all possible, but it was not much. Theyhad to depend on the motor. And that machine made good. The propeller,beating the muddy water to foam, slowly shoved the craft ahead, and toone side, until, finally, the pull of the cross-current was lessened.Then, gathering speed, the boat made her way into the main channel.
"Safe--for a while at least!" cried Mr. Ringold.
The danger to which they had been exposed rather unnerved them for thetime being. All that afternoon they kept on down the great river, theboys taking occasional pictures. The rain still held off, for which theywere very thankful.
"And now we'd better look for a good place at which to tie up for thenight," remarked Mr. Ringold, when preparations for supper were underway.
"That looks like a good place, just around that bend," spoke Blake,pointing to it.
As they went along they found that the bend was caused by a "cut-off"having made a new channel for itself, to the left of the main stream.This "cut-off" was larger and deeper than any they had yet encountered.It was bringing down a mass of debris, too, and some care had to be usedin navigating near it.
"That will do for a place to spend the night," decided Mr. Ringold, ashe shifted his course slightly. They were behind a wooded point, and, asthey rounded it, the two boys uttered cries of astonishment.
For, coming straight toward them, was a small house, turned completelyupside down in the water.
The Moving Picture Boys and the Flood; Or, Perilous Days on the Mississippi Page 12