Breaking Away; or, The Fortunes of a Student

by Oliver Optic

  CHAPTER XXII.

  IN WHICH ERNEST PILOTS THE ADIENO TO "THE SISTERS."

  "There comes the Champion!" exclaimed Bob Hale, pointing to thesteamer that regularly made her trip round the lake every day, as shecame out from behind a point of land on the north shore, beyond whichshe made a landing.

  "We must give her a wide berth," I replied.

  "Why so? Her people will not know that it isn't all right with theAdieno."

  "We are in no immediate danger; but suppose the captain of this boatshould find means to get to Cannondale before the Champion does, hemight engage her to go in pursuit of us."

  "That would be jolly!" said Tom Rush. "We should have a gloriousrace!"

  "But the chances are against us in a race," I replied, confounded bythe temerity of Tom in thinking of such a thing as contending with thesteamboat men on their own ground.

  "Not a bit of it, Ernest. The Adieno is the faster boat of thetwo--that has been tried a dozen times," added Tom, as much excited asthough the race had actually commenced.

  "We must not attempt to beard the lion in his den."

  "Why not? We might as well be hung for an old sheep as a lamb. We arein a scrape, and even Vallington thinks it is a bad one by this time.The more advantage we gain, the better terms we can make."

  "I don't know about it, Tom. I feel as though we had carried thisthing about far enough, and the sooner we get out of the scrape, thebetter it will be for us."

  "Those are my sentiments. My father is part owner in this boat, and Ithink he will not enjoy the idea of our going off on a cruise in her,"added Bob Hale.

  "Pooh! we won't hurt her," replied Tom.

  "We don't intend to hurt her; but we are following a business just nowthat we don't know much about."

  "Don't you know the lake, and don't Vallington know all about theengine?"

  "Neither of us has had any experience."

  "That's so," added Bob. "In my opinion breaking away is about playedout. We have made up our minds that we can't have anything more to dowith Mr. Parasyte, and we may as well return to Parkville, and go towork in a more reasonable way. We can send the circulars to ourparents, and dig out of the difficulty the best way we can."

  "I agree to that," I answered. Not that I cared for myself, for my"breaking away" was a much more serious matter than that of myfellow-students; but I thought it better for them to get out of themud before they sank any deeper into the mire.

  "I am willing to do as the rest of the fellows do; but I don't want tobe whipped round a stump when there is no need of it," continued Tom."If the Champion chases us, I go for keeping out of the way till wecan retire from the field without any broken heads."

  "So far I shall agree with you, Tom," I replied. "I am not in favor ofsurrendering, to be kicked and cuffed by these steamboat men, who arenot exactly lambs in their dispositions."

  "What's the use of talking?" interposed Bob Hale. "The Champion is notafter us, and it does not appear that she will be."

  "It appears so to me," I answered. "I have no idea that the captain ofthe Adieno will stay on Pine Island all day. I found a way to getashore this morning, and I think he will be able to do so."

  "Perhaps he will."

  "I am perfectly satisfied that he will reach the shore by one o'clock,if he has not already done so. No doubt he thinks his boat will besmashed to pieces, or blown up, if he does not recover her soon. Heisn't going to sit down and bite his finger nails."

  "He may not be able to get the Champion," replied Bob Hale, whoevidently did not wish to believe that there would be a contest forsuperiority between the two steamers.

  "I don't profess to be a prophet, Bob, but I can see through amillstone when the hole is big enough. I will tell you just how I_think_ it will be. The captain of the Adieno will make a raft, andget to Cannondale. Then he will take the Champion for Parkville,arriving about half past one. The boat does not start on her trip downthe lake till five o'clock, and that will give her three hours and ahalf to spare. You may take my word for it, that time will be used inchasing us."

  "Very likely you are right, Ernest; we shall see. It is twelve o'clocknow, and we haven't much time to consider what we shall do," said BobHale, looking very serious; and it was evident now, if it had not beenbefore, that he had strong objections to any steamboat enterprises.

  "It's nearly dinner time," added Tom; "and I must go and see about theprovender."

  Bob Hale went below to have a talk with Vallington, and the commissaryleft for the kitchen, to provide our noon rations. I was left alone inthe wheel-house. I enjoyed my occupation very much; but the talk ofmy friends had filled me with doubts and fears, so that my situationwas not so delightful as before. I could not help asking myself whatwas to come out of this scrape, and it seemed to me that it couldresult in nothing but defeat and disaster.

  The Adieno was approaching The Sisters, at one of which there was apier, like that at Pine Island, which had been erected for the use ofthe scows employed in the transportation of the wood cut on theisland. I knew that the water around it was deep enough for thesteamer, for I had seen her land there. Between the two islands therewas a channel not more than twenty rods wide, by which alone the woodpier could be reached.

  The channel had barely depth enough in the middle to permit thepassage of the Adieno; but as it was perfectly straight, and the waterhigh in the lake, I considered myself competent to take her through.The boat minded her helm very prettily, and there was no current inthe channel to interfere with my calculations, so that I did notregard the place as very difficult navigation. I had been through thechannel twenty times in the Splash. The pier ran out from the islandto the deep water, so that I had only to run the bow up to it, andmake fast to the ring. The steamer would be safe here, and, beingconcealed between the islands, could only be seen from one point aboveand one below; and here we could have our dinner, and hold ourimportant consultation without the danger of interruption.

  I had another and stronger motive for entering this channel, andwithout which, perhaps, I might not have had the confidence to runeven the slight risk which the navigation of the passage involved. Itwas so fully ground into my bones that the Champion would be after usabout three o'clock, or as soon as she had landed her passengers atParkville, that I wished to be fully prepared for any emergency. Tothe north of the "North Sister," and to the south of the "SouthSister," the water was shoal for a mile in each direction, while thechannel between the islands seemed to have been kept open by thestrong south-west and north-east winds, as they forced the watersthrough. At any rate, there was a channel with five feet of water init, though I was not entirely certain in regard to the explanation ofthe fact.

  The Champion was a larger boat, drawing one foot more water aft thanthe Adieno, and therefore could not pass through the channel, or comewithin half a mile of the wood pier. My idea was, that in thisposition we could not be approached by our anticipated pursuer, as welay moored at the wharf. If chased, I might be able to gain on theChampion by running through The Sisters Channel, which would enable meto come out two or three miles ahead of her on the opposite side, asshe would be obliged to go a mile, north or south, to get round theshoal water.

  I was so pleased with the calculation I had made, that I could nothelp wishing I was employed in a better cause than in fighting thebattle of a parcel of runaway students,--it would have been soexciting to play the game of strategy in real earnest, and in a goodcause. I plumed myself just then on being a great navigator, and ashrewd calculator, and I wished to test my plans. It so happened,however, that they were tested, as the sequel will show.

  The Adieno approached the narrow channel, which was just as clearlydefined in my mind as though the bottom of the lake had been laid bareto me; for I had always been obliged to keep in the deep water evenwhen I went through in the Splash. As the wind, though not so strongas it had been in the morning, still came fresh from the north-west, Ihugged the weather side of the channel, and, with the boat at fullspeed
, went on my course. I was just on the point of ringing one bellto slow down, when the steamer's wheels suddenly stopped.

  "What are you about, Thornton?" shouted Vallington, rushing out of theengine-room to the forward deck, both excited and angry.

  "I'm all right!" I replied, provoked at his singular conduct instopping the boat at such a critical point.

  "Where are you going? Do you want to run us all ashore?"

  "_I_ don't, but I think _you_ do. Go ahead, or we shall be aground ina moment," I added, as the Adieno was losing her headway, and we werenot yet sheltered by the North Sister from the force of the wind.

  "I'm not going any farther into this hole," replied he, sternly. "Ithink you are crazy, Thornton, to take the boat into such a place."

  "I know what I am about," I answered, rather sharply; "and if you willtake care of the engine, I will look out for the helm."

  "You'll smash the boat all to pieces--going into a little, narrow,dirty channel at full speed."

  "I know the channel as well as I know my own name. If you will goahead, we shall be all right!" I shouted.

  "I won't go ahead any farther into this hole," said he, decidedly.

  "O, yes, go ahead," interposed Bob Hale. "Ernest knows what he isabout."

  "Perhaps he does; but I want to know what he is about too. I don'twant the steamer smashed or injured."

  It was of no use for me to say anything more, and I held my tongue.The Adieno had now entirely lost her headway, and as the strong windbegan to act on her top works, she drifted over to the lee side of thechannel. She grated a moment on the bottom, and then stuck fast, hardaground, so far as I could judge.

  "There! now do you see what you have done?" shouted Vallington,stamping his foot angrily upon the deck.

  "I see what _you_ have done," I replied, as calmly as I could; andthat was not saying much, for I was very indignant at being chargedwith what was plainly his doing.

  And there we were, hard and fast aground, with a tempest brewingbetween the general and the commodore.