by Oliver Optic
CHAPTER XII.
A ROUGH TIME OF IT.
The instant the helm was put down, the head of the boat promptly swungup in the direction of the wind. Both of the sails began to flap andbang in the fierce gale.
"Now haul in, Corny!" said Dory, as he did the same by the main-sheet."No, Thad! He don't want any help. Let him alone! Take a turn on thecleat," added the skipper, when one of the party wanted to help.
It was necessary only to take in the slack line of the sheet, and nohard pulling was required. The boat was now headed to the westward,which was the opposite course from that which she had been sailing whenhe headed her to the southward.
"Now we are on the wind, which is said to be the dangerous course in theGoldwing's sailing," added the skipper; and this was the first time hehad her close-hauled.
He watched her with the most intense interest, but he had no fault tofind with the boat. It took all his strength at the long tiller to keepher from coming up into the wind. There was no lee helm now, with only ajib and mainsail; though she might exhibit this failing when she had allsail on. In fact, she carried too much weather helm; for it impeded herprogress.
"She works like a lady!" exclaimed Dory with enthusiasm.
Having satisfied himself in regard to the working of the boat, he turnedhis attention to the Missisquoi again. He saw that Pearl Hawlinshed wasat the wheel of the steamer. He had evidently learned wisdom from themovements of the Goldwing. He had turned the helm of the steamer, sothat she was now headed to the westward.
Probably Pearl had begun to do some reasoning by this time. Instead ofrunning directly for the schooner, he had taken a course to intercepther when she attempted to go to the northward, as he doubtless believedshe intended to do.
The Goldwing was now on the starboard tack; and the Missisquoi wasrunning abreast of her, towards the west shore of the lake. Dorycontrived to cramp her so that she did not make much headway, and thesteamer gained so rapidly on her that she was soon a considerabledistance ahead of her.
"Now, Dick Short, we are going about. When Corny lets go of the weatherjib-sheet, I want you to haul on the lee-sheet," said the skipper whenhe was ready for the next move.
"Where are we going next, Dory?" asked Thad, confused by the manymovements of the skipper.
"No questions now, Thad. Keep your eyes wide open, and you will see foryourself. Let go, and haul! Let go the sheet, Corny! Haul in, Dick! Belively about it! You must get the sheet in while the sail is shaking, oryou can't do it at all," said Dory sharply, as he put the helm down.
The Goldwing whirled around like a top, when her helm went down. Thehands in charge of the jib-sheets were zealous to do their dutypromptly, and in an instant the sails were drawing on the port tack.
But this did not give the course the skipper wanted. He handled theboat very cautiously on account of her bad reputation.
Gradually he let off the main-sheet, while Dick was directed to do thesame with the jib-sheet. At the same time Dory kept the helm up, and theboat fell off until she was headed for the southern side of GardenIsland. She took the wind over her port quarter. It came in heavy gusts,the Goldwing careening until her gunwale went under at every flaw.
"I don't know about this," said Thad.
"About what, Thad?" asked Dory quietly.
"We are about half under water. This is shaky sailing, in my opinion,"added Thad, as a wave broke against the side of the boat, and drenchedmost of the members of the club to the skin.
"We may get wholly under water before we get through with this trip,"replied Dory. "But she will come up every time she goes down. For mypart, I never saw a boat work any better than the Goldwing is doing."
"But you will drown the whole of us, Dory!" protested Thad.
"She is working first-rate, Thad; and this isn't more than half aslively as it will be before we get across the lake."
"Are you going across the lake now, Dory?" asked Corny.
"Certainly I am. We are bound for Burlington, aren't we? Didn't you wantme to take you home?"
"But we don't want you to drown us, and this boat has a bad habit of notkeeping on the top of the water."
"She will keep on the top of the water most of the time, and the worstyou have to fear is a wet jacket."
Just as the schooner was going in under the lee of Garden Island,another wave broke against her side, and about half a barrel of waterdropped into the standing-room.
"There it is again!" exclaimed Thad.
"That's all right," added Dory. "No boat can keep all the water on theoutside of her in such a sea as this. But she is working beautifully. Doyou see that rope, Thad?" continued the skipper, pointing to the line bywhich the centre-board was handled.
"I see it, but I haven't the least idea what it is for."
"I want you and Nat to haul up the centre-board, for we don't need quiteso much of it while we are going free."
The two boys named cast off the line, and pulled with all their might;but they could not start the board, as Dory did not suppose they couldwhile the whole force of the wind was acting against it. The two handsat the line did not know what the centre-board was, or where it was; butthe skipper thought, as they seemed to be a little concerned about theirsafety, that it was better for them to be employed.
"It's no use!" cried Thad. "I don't know what we are pulling at; but,whatever it is, it won't come."
"What is there down there?" asked Nat Long, looking into the pump, whichwas at the end of the centre-board casing.
"Now try it once more, fellows," said Dory, as he luffed the boat up,and thus relieved the centre-board from the pressure.
"Now it comes," added Thad. "Shall we haul the thing through that hole?"
"No: that will do. Make the line fast to the cleat, as you found it."
"But what does all that mean? I never saw a boat that had a thing likethat in it," inquired Nat Long.
"You will learn all about it by and by. I have no time now to explainany thing," answered Dory, looking behind him to ascertain the positionof the Missisquoi.
The steamer had come about. Pearl had found that he had been reckoningwrong in regard to the movements of the Goldwing. Judging from hispresent career, he was disgusted with strategy; for he was again runningdirectly for the schooner. The Missisquoi was laboring heavily in thebig waves, and her pilot did not appear to know how to favor her. At anyrate, he followed the schooner without regard to the wind or the waves.
"She is after us," said Corny, as the Goldwing went into thecomparatively smooth water under the lee of Garden Island. "She is goingto catch us, too, in the course of the next fifteen minutes."
"When she catches us, you tell me of it: will you, Corny?" added Dory.
"I think you will know it as well as I do, Dory. What's the use ofkeeping this thing up? Let us hold on, and see what the fellow wants ofyou," replied Corny.
"We will have the fun of the race if we don't have any thing more," saidDory. "This is smooth sailing just here, but we shall have it roughenough in about two minutes more. If any of you fellows don't want to goback to Burlington, I will put you on shore at Garden Island."
"We might have to stay there a week," suggested Corny.
"I couldn't help that," answered Dory. "I told you not to come with meif you were afraid of the boat."
"She is as safe for us as she is for Dory," added Dick Short.
"We shall get under the lee of Providence Island in about twentyminutes. If you can stand it for that time, you will be all right,"continued the skipper, who did not wish to waste his time, and lose therace, by putting any of his crew on shore.
"I don't want to go ashore," said Nat Long. "I can stand it as long asDory can, and I shall not back out."
This exhibition of pluck had its effect on the others, and no one waswilling to admit that he wished to go ashore. But the appearance of thelake ahead was appalling to most of them, though they had crossed itthat day in the little steamer. The bad reputation of the Goldwing waswhat
made it look so dubious. Dory had been as doubtful about crossingas any of them; but he had tested the boat under her present sail, andall his doubts had been removed. For a boy of his age he had had a greatdeal of experience in sailing a boat; and he knew by the feeling, ratherthan by any thing he could see, that the schooner was working well. Hebelieved that she was entirely safe.
He had ascertained the draught of the Goldwing at the wharf, and he wasperfectly familiar with every part of the lake. When the boat came upwith the island, he ran within a few rods of it. He looked astern at theMissisquoi as he came into the still water under the lee of the island.She had been gaining rapidly upon him; and, if his strategy failed,Pearl Hawlinshed would soon be alongside of the Goldwing.
But he could hardly conceive of such a thing as its failing. He watchedthe steamer with the most intense interest as he increased his distancefrom the island. The schooner passed out into the open lake. The gustsof wind increased in fury, and even the reefed mainsail seemed to bemore sail than she could carry.
More than once, under the pressure of the savage gusts, the boat heeleddown till the water rolled in over the lee gunwale. The heavy wavesbroke continually over the other side; and, before the Goldwing was halfway across the open part of the lake, the water rose above her bottomboards.
"This is awful, Dory," said Thad. "I don't believe we shall ever get tothe other side of the lake. If I had thought it was half as bad as this,I wouldn't have come."
"It is very wet; and that is the worst you can say of it," replied Dory."We are going over all right, but we must keep more of this water on theoutside of the boat. Thad, you may man the pump; for it is gettingrather damp in the standing-room."
The members of the Goldwing Club looked decidedly shaky, with theexception of the skipper. No one responded to the timid sentiment ofThad; but probably all of them felt it, and wished they were on shore,though that shore were the one they had just left.
"The Missisquoi has stopped!" cried Corny, when the Goldwing was abouthalf way over to Providence Island. "She has chosen a quiet place underthe lee of that little island."
"She has stopped, that's a fact," added Thad.
"I thought she would," replied Dory, as he let off the sheet when aheavy gust struck the sails. "The Missisquoi is aground."