“That is where we are going,” came from Sam.
“What are you doing just traveling around?”
“Yes; we thought we’d put in time until the Hall opens again.”
“I heard it had been closed. Too bad! If you are going to Santa Barbara, you must call and see me by all means,” went on Bob Sutter.
“To be sure we will,” said Tom, and his brothers nodded.
“We were going down there now to call on the Stanhopes,” said Dick. “They have come here for the benefit of Mrs. Stanhope’s health, and Nellie and Grace Laning are with them. I guess you know them all.”
“I know the Laning girls, and I think I did meet Miss Stanhope once—at a football game. I’ll be glad to meet them again. But tell me about yourselves.”
Bob Sutter sat down, and soon all were talking at a lively rate. The newcomer was astonished to hear of the doings of Dan Baxter.
“The Baxters always were a hard crowd,” he said. “I hope you’ll get back your stuff some time.”
It was late at night when Santa Barbara was reached, yet many of the hotels were a blaze of light from top to bottom. At the depot the Rover boys parted with Bob Sutter, but promised to call upon him in a day or two.
“I’ve got a fine yacht,” said Bob Sutter. “Some time I want to take you for a trip.”
“Just what we were wishing for!” cried Tom. “Just name your time, that’s all.”
“How will next Monday suit?”
“Will your yacht hold us?” asked Sam.
“The Old Glory will hold ten passengers on a pinch,” answered Bob Sutter.
“Then you don’t sail the craft alone.”
“I can sail her in fair weather. But father makes me take an old sailor named Jerry Tolman along with me. Jerry is a character—a regular old salt, and I love to have his company. And that makes me think! Why can’t we make up a party and go out? You can bring the three girls you are going to visit, and I can bring my cousin, Mary Parloe.”
“Now you are talking!” shouted Sam. “What a jolly trip it will be!”
The proposal met with immediate approval, and it was decided that the boys should meet not later than Saturday afternoon to complete arrangements.
The Rover boys had received word that Mrs. Stanhope had rented a furnished cottage not far from one of the leading hotels. The lady was very nervous, and did not like too much noise and confusion about her. Meals were brought in from the hotel, which made it very pleasant.
When the three boys drove up in a carriage from the depot, three girls came rushing out to greet them. The three were Dora Stanhope and her two cousins, Nellie and Grace Laning.
“So here you are at last!” cried Dora Stanhope, as she gave Dick’s hand a tight squeeze.
“We almost made up our mind you had missed the train,” said Nellie Laning to Tom, giving him a bright smile as she spoke.
“How fine you are looking,” said Grace to Sam. “Traveling must agree with you.”
“Traveling does agree with us,” said Sam.
“We would have been here sooner, only we stopped to talk to an old schoolmate,” said Dick, and then he told about Bob Sutter.
“Oh, I remember Bob Sutter,” said Nellie. “We went on a straw-ride together once—before you came to Putnam Hall,” she added, to Tom.
“I know him, too,” put in Grace. “He’s a nice boy.”
“Of course he is,” said Sam pointedly.
“But he isn’t as nice as some boys,” went on Grace in a lower tone, and giving Sam an arch smile that made him feel very happy.
They were soon in the cottage and greeting Mrs. Stanhope, who had been lying on a couch. The lady greeted them in a motherly way that made them feel more at home than ever. She thought a great deal of the Rover boys, and especially of Dick, and did not object in the least to the marked attention Dick bestowed upon her only child. As my old readers know, the Rover boys had, in the past, done mother and daughter more than one valuable service.
The boys were fortunate in obtaining rooms in the hotel close to the cottage, which would make it possible for them to run in and out as they pleased.
“It’s like old times to be together again,” said Tom, when he and his brothers were retiring that night. “And, as Mrs. Stanhope is feeling so well, I guess we can have lots of fun.”
And fun they did have. There were bathing in the surf, and lawn tennis, and dancing at the hotel in the evening, and also lovely walks and drives, and once they went out on horseback to a large fruit farm some miles away, and were royally entertained by some of Bob Sutter’s friends. Bob Sutter and his cousin, Mary Parloe, went along, and proved first-class company.
The idea of a trip on Bob’s yacht suited everybody, and it was decided that the whole party should go out early Monday morning, taking old Jerry Tolman with them. They were to load down well with provisions and visit not only several points along the coast, but also one or two of the islands lying twenty-five to thirty miles south of Santa Barbara.
The Rover boys had already inspected the Old Glory and found her to be a first-class yacht in every respect. The craft was about sixty feet in length and correspondingly broad of beam. She carried a tall mast, but the lead in her keel was amply sufficient to keep her from going over unless under full sail in a very heavy wind. The cabin was fairly large and richly furnished, for the Sutters were a family of means, and desired everything of the best.
If the boys liked the yacht they also liked the man who had charge of her, bluff and hearty Jerry Tolman—Captain Jerry, as Bob Sutter called him. He was truly an old salt, having sailed the ocean since his tenth year, on both whalers and merchantmen. Captain Jerry lacked a book education, but he was naturally shrewd, and far from being a fool.
“Downright glad to meet ye, my hearties,” he said, when the boys were brought on board. And he gave each hand a grip like that of iron. “Want to look over my lady, eh? Well, she’s a putty one to inspect, take my word on’t.” And he showed them over the craft with pleasure. They found the yacht clean “as a whistle,” and each particular bit of brasswork polished like a mirror.
By Saturday evening all was ready for the trip. On Sunday morning the Rover boys went to church with the Stanhopes and the Lanings, and rested in the afternoon.
They were just about to go to supper, when a note came for Dick. It was from Bob Sutter, and ran as follows:
“MY DEAR DICK:
My cousin and I have been in an accident. We went driving to church this morning and the horse ran away and threw us both out on the rocks. Miss Parloe had her collar bone broken, and I broke my left ankle. Kindly come and see me if you can.”
“An accident!” cried Tom. “That is too bad.”
“Let us all go and see him,” suggested Sam, and this plan was carried out.
They found that Bob Sutter was resting easily on his bed. The doctor had set the broken ankle, and put it in plaster, and he had told Bob that he must keep quiet for several weeks.
“This ends that yacht trip, so far as I am concerned,” said Bob ruefully.
“Never mind, we can wait until you get well,” said Dick cheerfully, although he did not expect’ to remain at Santa Barbara more than ten days longer.
“No, I don’t want you to wait,” answered Bob Sutter. “My cousin won’t be well, so they tell me, for several months, and I won’t want to go without her. I’ve been thinking that you had better take the trip without us. Captain Jerry can easily run the yacht with your aid.”
“That’s very kind of you,” said Tom. “But we’d rather have you along.”
The matter was talked over for an hour. The Rover boys knew that Dora, Nellie, and Grace would be sorely disappointed if the yacht trip was given up. At last they decided to accept Bob Sutter’s kind suggestion and make the trip without the company of the young owner and his cou
sin; and then they withdrew, wishing Bob a speedy recovery.
CHAPTER V
ON BOARD OF THE YACHT
“What a glorious day for the trip!”
“We are going to turn real sailors, aren’t we?”
“Can’t I help pull up a sail or something, Tom?”
Such were the remarks of Dora, Nellie, and Grace as they boarded the Old Glory early on Monday morning.
The boys and Captain Jerry were there to receive them, having arrived an hour before, to see that all the provisions were stowed away, and that the craft was in prime condition for sailing. By a curious combination of circumstances Bob Sutter had ordered far more provisions than were necessary for such a short trip, but Captain Jerry had found a place for everything, remarking that they might come in useful after all, but never dreaming how useful, as later events were to prove.
Mrs. Stanhope had come down in a carriage to see them off. She kissed all of the girls an affectionate good-by.
“Have a good time,” she said. “And be sure and come back safe and sound.”
“Don’t ye worry but what I’ll bring ‘em back safe enough, ma’am,” said Captain Jerry, as he tipped his cap respectfully.
When the girls were safe on board, the boys waved an adieu to Mrs. Stanhope. Then they ranged up in a row in front of old Jerry and each touched his forelock and gave a hitch to his trowser leg.
“Ready for orders, cap’n,” they said, in unison, having practiced this little by-play in secret.
“Wh—what?” stammered Captain Jerry, gazing at them in bewilderment.
“Ready for orders, sir,” they said.
“Shall we shake out the mainsail?” asked Dick.
“Shall I hoist the jib?” came from Tom.
“Can I set the topsail, captain?” put in Sam.
“Well, by the son o’ Neptune!” gasped Captain Jerry. “Got a real, generwine crew, aint I? All right, my hearties, I’ll set ye to work fast enough.” And then followed a string of orders in true nautical style, and the Rover boys flew in one direction and another to execute them. Up went the mainsail and the jib, and the top-sail followed, and soon the Old Glory was standing off into Santa Barbara Channel, with Mrs. Stanhope in the carriage waving them an adieu, and the girls and the boys waving their handkerchiefs in return.
It certainly was a glorious day, as Dora had said, and after the sails were set, there was nothing to do but to take it easy on the cushions of the rail seats. Captain Jerry was at the wheel, but he promised to let each of them “take a trick” in his place before the trip should come to an end.
“I jest wish we had another yacht to race with,” said the old sailor. “Then I could show ye what sort o’ a clean pair o’ heels the Old Glory could show the other craft.”
“It is easy to see the yacht is speedy,” replied Dick. “She cuts the water like a thing of life. And you know just how to get her best speed out of her,” he went on, a remark that pleased old Jerry very much.
“Will we have more breeze, do you think?” asked Tom, later on, as he observed some in clouds to the westward.
“Can’t say as to that, lad. Those clouds may come this way and they may blow north’ard. If they come down here, we’ll catch it putty lively.”
“I like a good, stiff breeze,” came from Sam.
“Oh, don’t run us into a storm,” cried Grace in alarm. “We might all get seasick.”
“Don’t be alarmed,” said Dick. “We are a very long way from a storm, to my way of thinking.”
The morning passed quickly enough, and at noon they ran into a small harbor on one of the islands and had dinner in true picnic style. At one o’clock they packed up once more, went on board of the Old Glory, and stood off to the westward, for all wanted a run “right on the ocean,” as Tom expressed it.
Captain Jerry was just a bit doubtful of the trip, for the clouds in the western sky had grown considerably larger than when first noticed. Not that he did not think the yacht could weather a blow, but he was afraid the young ladies would get seasick. However, as he did not wish to put a damper on their fun, he said nothing, resolved to turn back at the first sign of any “inward upsettin’,” as he expressed it.
The breeze had increased, and as it was directly from off shore the Old Glory bowled along merrily over the waves. Nobody showed the least sign of seasickness, and they talked, laughed, and sang as if they had not a care in the world. Tom also did some fishing, and caught a string of the finny tribe, of which he was justly proud.
“You can bake them for us when we get back,” he said to Nellie. “And then we can all have a fish party.”
“I could go on sailing like this for a week,” said Dick to Dora, as they moved forward. “I mean if you were along with me,” he added, in a lower tone, and she gave him a look that meant a good deal.
When three o’clock came Captain Jerry announced that they must turn back. They were far out of sight of land, with nothing but the blue ocean around them. Overhead the sky was still clear, but the clouds on the horizon were rapidly increasing.
“Oh, let us keep on a while longer,” pleaded Tom. “This is just glorious!” And the others said the same.
So they kept on, although somewhat against Captain Jerry’s better judgment. The old sailor was watching the clouds. Presently there came an extra heavy puff of wind, and then the clouds seemed to rush up with lightning-like rapidity.
“Got to go back, now,” said the sailor. “Going to have a big blow afore night.” And he threw over the tiller and gave the necessary commands to change the sails.
“By Jove, but those clouds are coming up fast!” exclaimed Dick, after a careful survey. “I ever saw them come up like that on the Atlantic, or on the Great Lakes.”
“It’s unusual,” replied Captain Jerry, with a shake of his head. “Never seen it afore myself. The wind is coming around, too. It’s goin’ to be a different storm from what we generally git around these waters.”
The black clouds soon obscured the sun, and the wind began to blow stronger than ever, sending the whitecaps rolling over the ocean, and causing the spray to fly over the deck of the yacht. Nellie clutched Tom by the arm.
“Oh, Tom, what does this mean?” she asked in a trembling voice.
“It means that we are going to have a storm, that’s all,” he answered as lightly as he could.
“But—but will it hurt us?” came from Grace.
“I don’t think so,” put in Sam. “But we may get wet, unless we go into the cabin.”
“I vote the girls all go into the cabin,” said Dick. “Sam can go with them if he wants to. Tom, you and I can stay on deck to look after the sails.”
“I’m going to do my duty on deck, too,” came from Sam promptly.
Another rush of wind now sent the spray flying in all directions, and to keep from being drenched the girls retired to the tiny cabin, or, rather, cuddy, of which the Old Glory boasted.
“I am sure it is going to be an awful storm,” said Dora. “I wish we were safe on land once more.”
“Oh, dear! do you think we’ll go to the bottom?” asked Nellie.
“The boys won’t let the yacht go down,” answered Dora. “They are all good sailors, and Captain Jerry must know all about handling this craft. But we may have a very bad time of it before we get back to Santa Barbara.”
It was dark in the cabin, but the yacht pitched and plunged so violently that they were afraid to light the lantern. So they huddled together, each holding another’s hand.
On deck Captain Jerry gave orders to lower the topsail and haul in the jib. Several reefs were also taken in the mainsail, and the boys stood ready to bring down the rest of the sheet with a rush at the first word from the old sailor.
“It’s a re-markable storm—re-markable,” said Captain Jerry, chewing vigorously on the quid of tobacco in
his cheek. “Aint never seen no sech storm here afore. Puts me in mind o’ a blow I stood out in onct off the coast o’ Alaska when I was in a whaler. Thet storm caught us same time as this an’ ripped our mast out in a jiffy and drowned two o’ the sailors.”
“I hope nothing like that happens to us,” said Dick, with a shudder. He was not thinking of himself, but of the three girls in the cabin.
“Well, lad, it aint goin’ to be no easy blow, I kin tell ye that,” responded Captain Jerry.
Soon the wind began to whistle shrilly through the air, and the sky became so black they could scarcely see a hundred yards in any direction, Then came some distant flashes of lightning and rolling thunder, and soon the patter of rain.
“Now we are going to catch it,” said Tom, and he was right. Ten minutes later it was pouring in torrents, and the rain continued to keep coming down as if there was to be no end of it.
“Boys, aren’t you most drowned?” asked Nellie, peeping out of the cabin door.
“No, but you’ll be if you come out here,” called back Tom.
“We can’t stand up and we can’t sit still,” came from Grace.
“Sorry, but you’ll have to make the best of it,” answered Sam.
“Oh, we won’t mind, if only we reach shore in safety,” put in Dora, and then the door was closed again.
On and on swept the Old Glory, through the wind, the rain, and the darkness. As there was no land near, Captain Jerry paid his whole attention to making the yacht ride easily, an almost impossible task in such a sea as was now raging.
Suddenly from somewhere out of the air came a humming sound. It grew louder and louder, and the boys felt a strange suction of wind which made them hold tightly to the rail for fear of being pulled overboard by some uncanny force. There followed a loud snap and a crash, and the mast began to come down.
“Look out for the mast!” screamed Captain Jerry, and all jumped just in the nick of time. Down came the stick, to strike the rail and shatter it like a pipe stem, and then lay over the deck and over the waves beyond.
CHAPTER VI
ADRIFT ON THE PACIFIC OCEAN
The Rover Boys Megapack Page 93