CHAPTER XVI. COMMODORE TOM TOPOVER VISITS THE GOLDWING.
The cheers the Beech Hill students had heard before had evidently been given by the Chesterfields, and not by a picnic party. Dory was not pleased to see them after the experience of the day before; and their last words had been threats of vengeance. The fresh paint could be seen on the bow of the Dasher where the injury done by the Winooski had been repaired.
The Dasher appeared to be the leading boat, and Mad Twinker had changed from the other barge, and became her coxswain. Wash Barker was not in either craft, and his place in the Racer was filled by Jeff Monroe, who had been active in the affair of the day before.
As soon as the Goldwing appeared off the point, dragging the Gildrock after her, the Chesterfields set up a yell, and it was plain that they identified the Beech Hill students who had so thoroughly humiliated them on the day before. Their lusty cheers indicated that they were ready to take the vengeance they had promised to obtain. Mad Twinker headed the Dasher for the Goldwing, and the Racer followed.
It seemed to be a holiday at the Chesterfield Collegiate Institute, and the boats' crews had evidently been practising in the cove all the morning. There was a marked improvement in their rowing; they had observed the excellent discipline that prevailed on board of the Winooski, and they had doubtless learned a lesson from what they had seen. After the Chesterfields had given the three cheers, which did not appear to mean anything, unless they were cheering their enemy, there was no whooping or yelling as at the former meeting of the boats.
"Those fellows promised to get even with us when we parted last night," said Dory, after they had observed the movements of the Chesterfields for a few minutes. "I suppose they are ready to begin now."
"If they do begin now they will have a nice time of it," added Matt.
"They will never forgive us for compelling them to give up our clothes before they were ready to do so," continued the skipper. "They are in better discipline, and behave better this morning than they did yesterday. But they don't seem to know anything at all about a boat, and they think they can overhaul the Goldwing without any difficulty."
"If we run up this cove they will have us on the hips," replied Matt. "There are twenty-six of them, while we are only nine, and if they catch us they can have it all their own way."
"You are right, Matt, and we will not go up the cove. We will go up to Rock Harbor, and we can land the Topovers long before they can pull that distance."
The skipper let off the sheets, and headed the schooner to the south. She was almost before the wind, and the yacht flew like a locomotive on her course. In a few minutes the barges were a mile astern of her. At the mouth of Rock Harbor the wind had a fair sweep, and the sea was almost as rough as it had been in the middle of the lake.
As the Goldwing approached the south side of the inlet, Dory rounded to very carefully, so as not to swamp the Gildrock, though the terrified Topovers were well shaken up in the manœuvre. Running into the cove just far enough to escape the heaviest of the waves, Dory directed his crew to haul on the tow-line, and bring the Gildrock within talking distance. Spilling the sail, he allowed the yacht to drift towards the shore.
"We intend to put you on shore here," shouted Dory to the occupants of the Gildrock.
"We can never get home from here," yelled Nim Splugger.
"That's your look out. You must go ashore, or we will spill you all out into the water by the beach," replied the skipper.
Nim made no reply, for he saw that his captors were in earnest. Dory directed Matt and Oscar to land them three or four at a time in the tender. He explained what he meant to do to the prisoners, and threatened them with a ducking if they resisted. They did not resist, for they felt that the skipper could have his own way with them. Matt landed them in two trips; but Nim Splugger showed fight when they were all on the beach. He attempted to hold on to the tender, but Oscar pitched him out of the boat into the water. The moment he was out of it, Matt shoved it from the shore, and they pulled back to the Goldwing.
It had taken some time to land the Topovers, and by the time the Gildrock had been properly rigged for towing, the two barges of the Chesterfields, which had followed the schooner, were within a quarter of a mile of the point where the marauders had been put on shore. They made a sweep into the harbor, so as to avoid the rough water.
"Help! help!" yelled the Topovers on the land, when they saw the barges approaching them.
It was not probable that the Chesterfields knew anything about the Topovers; but they could not help seeing that they had been at war with the Beach Hill students, and had been defeated. For this reason, doubtless they sympathized with the ruffians; at any rate they were the enemies of the Beech Hillers, and this fact made them allies.
Dory headed the Goldwing out into the lake. The skipper and the crew watched the movements of the Chesterfields with interest. Possibly the curiosity of the latter was excited by the scene they had witnessed, and they wished to inquire into its meaning. At any rate they pulled for the point where the Topovers had been landed, and the heavy sea prevented them from following the schooner out into the lake.
The Chesterfield barges made a landing farther up the harbor, and three of the marauders were taken into one boat, and four into the other. They did not remain at the shore a moment after they had picked up their passengers, but followed the yacht by the inside route. The crews of the Dasher and Racer had not seen the capture of the Gildrock with the lasso, and could not have known that the Winooski was making for the New York shore, a mile or more to the north of them. Their passengers told them their story, and no doubt they were anxious to see the battle for the other boat, if not to take a hand in it.
The presence of the Chesterfields had considerably disturbed the arrangements of Dory, who had intended to tackle the marauders in the other barge as soon as he could get rid of the prisoners. It had taken some time to dispose of them, and it was possible that Tom Topover had reached the shore by this time.
"There are the two four-oar boats," said Matt, when they were off the point north of Rock Harbor.
"I am glad to see them, for the coming of the Chesterfields at just this time has mixed things," replied Dory. "We must get rid of the Gildrock, for we can't do anything dragging her after us. We may have a lively time of it yet."
"We can't turn her adrift," added Matt.
"Of course not; but we can put four of our fellows into her and send her home," said Dory.
It was promptly decided to dispose of her in this manner, and Dory selected the three members of the old Goldwing club who were on board, making Thad Glovering the temporary coxswain. Ben Ludlow was added to the number. They objected to leaving the Goldwing just as the battle was coming on.
"There will be no fight if I can avoid one," argued the skipper. "Probably we shall pick up the Winooski in about the same way we did the Gildrock. You need not hurry home, and you can see from the boat all there is to be seen. But we must be in a hurry, for the job must be done before the Chesterfields can get down here to meddle with the affair."
The objections were overcome, and the four oarsmen were to take the Gildrock as soon as the Winooski could be seen. Tom Topover had got his craft into the smooth water, as compared with the open lake, of one of the numerous inlets when the Gildrock was captured. When last seen, his crew were laying on their oars watching the operations of the Goldwing.
The schooner was now approaching this inlet, and the next minute or two would inform the skipper where she was. About half an hour had elapsed since she lost her consort. Tom Topover might have gone to the aid of the rest of his party, and it was strange that he had not done so. The fact was that he had been jawing with Kidd Digfield more than half the time in regard to what they should do. The crew did not like the idea of going out into the rough water again.
"There's the Winooski!" shouted Thad Glovering, who was lying on the half deck at the heel of the bowsprit.
Dory instantly threw the schooner up into the wind, and Matt hauled in the Gildrock. Thad and his crew were hurried into her, and the Goldwing filled away again. The Winooski was coming out of the cove, and was just striking into the rough water. Dory gave the tiller to Matt, and went forward himself. He had the lasso ready, but he had his doubts about being able to use it again.
The skipper directed Matt to tack at the proper moment, and the Goldwing rushed on her course in a direction to intercept the Winooski. When Tom Topover saw the schooner approaching, he called Kidd Digfield to the tiller-lines, and, taking a boathook in his hand, went forward himself.
"That fellow means fight," said Oscar Chester.
"No doubt of it; he means it every time, and for that reason you had better have a boathook in your hand, and be on the forward deck with me," answered Dory, as he picked up his lasso. "Keep her off a little more, if you please, Matt."
The oarsmen of the Winooski showed a disposition to abandon their oars, for a collision seemed to be inevitable to them. Tom stood in the bow of the barge with his boathook poised ready to strike. Dory saw that it would be impossible for him to lasso the boat, and he removed the stove cover from his line.
"Luff a little, Matt," called Dory; and the schooner rounded in upon the barge. This movement seemed to be too much for Tom's nerves, and instead of striking with the boathook, he used it to fend off. The moment he bent over, Dory threw his line, not at the stem of the boat, but at the body of the Topover. The noose went over his head, and dropped down upon his shoulders.
"Keep her off!" shouted Dory.
The instant Tom felt the rope, he dropped the boathook and tried to seize hold of the bow of the barge. The Goldwing fell off, and dashed ahead on her course. Dory let off his line a few feet, and then took a turn with it over a cleat. Tom Topover suddenly felt a smart jerk, which was irresistible, and he was twitched out of the boat as a fish is twitched out of the water.
"Tom Topover suddenly felt a smart jerk, which was irresistible."
—Page 168.
With Oscar's help, he was dragged alongside, and pulled on board of the yacht. It was found that he had the painter of the Winooski in his hands, which he had grasped in his effort to save himself. Matt had thrown the schooner up into the wind, and the painter was secured and made fast. The Winooski brought up at the stern of the Goldwing, captured by the aid of Tom Topover.