by Oliver Optic
CHAPTER XIII.
SAFE UNDER A LEE.
"How do you know she is aground, Dory?" asked Corny, after a carefulexamination of the position of the Missisquoi.
"She wouldn't have stopped there if she hadn't got aground. She has donethe very thing I wanted her to do, and the very thing I did my best tohave her do," replied Dory triumphantly.
"Do you mean to say that you did it, Dory?" asked Thad, still pumpingaway with all his might.
"I don't mean to say that I got the steamer aground. I saw that neitherCaptain Vesey nor the other fellow knew much about the lake; for theMissisquoi followed the Goldwing wherever she went," Dory explained. "Iran close to the island, hoping the steamer would follow me, as she hasbeen doing, because there is not more than four feet of water close upto the land where I went. She had either to follow us in a straightline, or to go to the southward of the shoal. I was sure to makesomething in getting away from her."
"What will she do now?" inquired Dick Short.
"She must either work off the shoal, or stay there; and I am sure Idon't care what she does," added Dory, as he looked ahead at the savagewaves that were piling up in the path of the schooner.
The Goldwing was more than half way across the lake: and, the farthershe went, the rougher the lake was; for the longer was the sweep of thewind. But Dory was not in a hurry when he found the steamer could nolonger follow him. He had been very careful not to lose any thing byletting off the main-sheet, except when it was absolutely necessary todo so in order to keep the boat right side up.
Going nearly before the wind, it took a long sweep to reduce thepressure on the mainsail; and the water flowed in over the lee sideabout as fast as Thad could pump it out. The boys looked at each other,and there is no doubt that they all wished they were on shore. They keptan eye on the skipper's face, to note any anxiety or alarm on his part.Dory was confident the boat would not take in water enough to swamp herwhile he could control her with the helm; but he felt that he had hishands full, and that he should be very fortunate if nothing happened tocripple the boat.
"I have got about enough of this thing," said Thad.
"Nat, you take Thad's place at the pump," interposed Dory. "One handneedn't do all the hard work."
"All right! I am ready to do my share of the work," replied Nat, as hetook Thad's place at the pump.
"I didn't mean that. I am not tired," added Thad. "The farther we go theworse it is, Dory; and I have had about enough of this sort of sailing."
"Well, what are you going to do about it?" asked Dory pleasantly. "Areyou going to get out, and walk the rest of the way? Or will you swimashore? I don't think you will find it is any easier walking orswimming, or any safer."
"Can't we turn about and go back?" inquired Thad, looking with dismayat the waves ahead, and at the water that poured in over both rails.
"We are more than half way over, and it is hardly worth while to goabout," replied Dory. "If we return, we shall have to beat back; but weare in no hurry now, and perhaps we can ease off a little more."
"I don't see how you are going to ease off, Dory," said Thad. "Here weare right in the thick of it; and we must take it as it comes, unlessyou go back."
"Do you see those cleats on the mainmast, Thad?" asked Dory, makingready to do something,--"one on each side of the mast, with a ropeleading up? Do you see them?"
"I don't know what cleats are," answered Thad.
"Those brass things, with ropes around them."
"I see them. These are what you hoist the sail with," added Thad, as hegrasped the ropes.
"Now let go both ropes together when I give the word. Not yet! All therest of you, grab the sail when it comes down, and mind the gaff don'thit you in the head."
"What are you going to do, Dory?" asked Thad. "I have the ropes in myhands."
"I am going to take in the mainsail. That will ease her off; and I canwork her before it with the jib alone."
At this moment a tremendous gust struck the mainsail, and Dory crowdedthe helm down; but the schooner took in a large quantity of water overthe lee side as she careened.
"Let go the halyards, Thad!" shouted the skipper as the boat sweptaround. "Look out for the sail, all of you!"
But the sail did not readily come down, the pressure upon it causing itto bind. But Dory continued to luff until it was released.
"Haul down the sail lively!" called Dory with energy, when the canvasbegan to thrash and beat about as though it was bound to tear itselfinto shreds.
Under the direction of the skipper the sail was secured after a greatdeal of difficulty. Dory let her off again under the jib alone. Thisproved to be a decided change for the better. The Goldwing kept on atolerably even keel, and drove ahead almost as fast as she did before.
"She's doing a good deal better," said Thad, who began to breathe freerthan he had since the boat went into the worst of it. "Why didn't we dothat before?"
"Because we were trying to keep out of the way of the Missisquoibefore," replied Dory.
But it was not baby play, even with nothing but the jib set. Themainsail had steadied the boat to some extent; but now she began to rolltremendously, and was not so readily controlled by the helm. The wavesbroke over her on the weather side, but she did not scoop up the wateron the lee side.
The Goldwing had taken in so much water that it was swashing about inthe standing-room. Dory directed Nat to keep pumping. Dick Short wastold to take a pail which belonged to the boat, and Corny was armed witha tin dipper. The members of the club were glad to have something to do,as almost any nervous person is; and they worked with tremendous zeal.In a short time the pump sucked, and not another dipperful of watercould be taken up in the well.
"Now we are all right," said Dory. "We can take it easy now."
"We are almost over to Providence Island," added Corny.
"We shall be in smooth water in ten minutes more."
"But we are a long way from Burlington," suggested Thad.
"At least a dozen miles," said the skipper. "Of course you know that wecan't get there, fellows, without going outside of Colchester Point. Allthe rest of the way is quite as bad as, if not worse than, we have beenhaving for the last twenty minutes."
"Are we going right along to Burlington, Dory?" asked Thad in dismay atthe information given by the skipper.
"I think not at present," replied Dory. "But you have been through thisonce before to-day."
"It wasn't half so bad as it is now," protested Corny. "It didn't beginto blow very hard until we got to Valcour's Island."
"Did the Missisquoi make better weather of it than the Goldwing?" askedDory.
"The lake didn't begin to be as rough as it was a little while ago,"replied Corny. "The steamer pitched tremendously, and we all had to pumpafter we got beyond Valcour's."
"Do you see any thing of the Missisquoi?" asked Dory, who had been toobusy to give any attention to the steamer.
"I can just see her at the south of the island. She has not got offyet," replied Corny.
"She is under the lee of the two islands; and they can be verycomfortable on board of her for the rest of the day,--a great deal morecomfortable than they would be out in the lake where we have been,"added Dory.
The Goldwing was abreast of Providence Island by this time. The wavesswept furiously along the south-west shore of the land.
As soon as she reached the south-east point, the skipper luffed up; butthe boat was not inclined to make any headway on the new course.
"Let off the centre-board, Thad," said the skipper, as the boat began tomake more leeway than headway.
Thad had got the hang of this rope; and, as the centre-board went down,the boat came up to the work. With the help of an oar and a great dealof coaxing, the skipper got her close up to the shore in seven feet ofwater. He had instructed Corny how to get the anchor overboard. The boatwas entirely out of the heavy sea, though the water rose and fell underthe influence of the waves which were rolling along the other side
ofthe island.
"Here we are as safe as though we had the boat on the top of MansfieldMountain," said Dory, after he had secured the cable, and stowed thejib.
"I never expected to come out of it alive," said Thad, as the skipperseated himself in the standing-room to recover from the excitement ofthe perilous run across the lake.
"Nor I either," added Nat Long.
"It looked very shaky," said Corny; "but I didn't give it up at anytime."
"Now, really, Dory, did you expect to get out of that scrape?" askedThad. "Be honest about it, and tell us what you actually thought."
"Of course I knew that something might break, just as I know that ahorse may run away with me when I'm out riding. The wagon or the harnessmight break, and that would spoil the best calculation," replied Dory.
"But, without any thing breaking, didn't you expect the boat would go tothe bottom?" urged Thad.
"I didn't expect any thing of the kind. I have been out in a sailboatwhen it was as bad or worse than it is to-day. If nothing broke, I knewwe should come out of it all right; and I never thought of such a thingas going to the bottom. It looks a good deal worse to you fellows whowere never out in a sailboat when it blew hard than it really is. Ididn't think there was any great danger when we started out: if I had, Ishouldn't have come over," said Dory quietly.
The members of the Goldwing Club had the idea that they had had a narrowescape, and the skipper was not inclined to allow them to make heroes ofthemselves. The motion of a boat in a heavy sea seems terrible to thosewho are not accustomed to it, and the boys were disposed to make theworst of it.
"I wouldn't try it again if you would give me the Goldwing," said Thadwith emphasis.
"After you have been through that sort of thing a few times, you willnot mind it at all. It was what I call a lively time: that's all," addedDory. "I went down to St. John with Bill Pitts in a sailboat, and we hada rougher time than this all one day."
Dory thought he should like the rest of his dinner by this time.