CHAPTER XVII. THE CHESTERFIELDS AND THEIR ALLIES RENEW THE BATTLE.
Commodore Topover was bewildered by the sharp practice of the skipper of the Goldwing. While he was expecting an assault in another direction, he had been suddenly dragged out of the Winooski into the water, and then on board of the schooner. The painter of the barge was made fast astern, and Dory relieved the prisoner from the noose with which he had been captured.
Kidd Digfield and his companions in the boat seemed to be almost as much astonished as the commodore. They were paralyzed by the unexpected onslaught, and the successor of Tom needed a little time to enable him to determine what to do. Both craft had come to a standstill, the sails of the Goldwing shaking in the wind.
Tom Topover was the first to recover his wits. He had been thoroughly ducked, but he had not been injured in the operation of taking him out of the Winooski. He looked about him, and it did not require much time to enable him to take in the situation. He was a prisoner in the hands of the students. He was in the same boat with Dory, who had knocked him over with a single blow of his fist; and the remembrance of this fact was the first idea that came to him.
Before Kidd had decided to do anything the wind had driven the barge astern of the schooner, and whirled her about. In this position there were only two things Tom's successor could do; one was to haul the boat alongside the yacht by the painter, board her, and fight it out; and the other was to cut the painter, and thus recover possession of the barge. But Tom Topover considered himself as still the commodore of the fleet, even in the misfortunes which had befallen it, and he proceeded to use his authority.
"Kidd Digfield!" called Tom, as soon as he comprehended the situation. "Haul in on the painter, and fetch her alongside!"
"I think your fellows had better not try to do that," interposed Dory.
"I give you two minutes to put me back in that boat," replied Tom, with a savage glance at the skipper.
"What if I don't do it?" asked Dory, laughing.
"I'll give you the biggest licking you ever had in your life. I'll pound you till you can't see out of your eyes," blustered Tom.
"You needn't wait two minutes before you begin, for I shall not put you into the boat," replied the skipper lightly. "Fill away, Matt, if you please."
Dory had seated himself in the standing-room opposite the place where he had deposited Tom when he hauled him on board. As Matt put the helm up, Tom made a spring at the skipper; but Dory was on his feet in an instant, warded off the blow of the Topover, and hit him square in the face. The yacht heeled over at this moment under the pressure of the wind, and Tom fell back into his seat.
"We won't have any fight in the boat," said Dory, picking up a reef pendant. "We will tie his hands behind him, and keep him quiet till we get rid of him."
"No you won't tie my hands behind me!" yelled Tom, boiling over with wrath.
Oscar Chester sprang upon him, and in spite of his struggles bore him down upon his back. Dory then assisted him, and between them they had no difficulty in putting the commodore in a position of non-interference.
"The fellows in the boat are hauling in on the painter," said Matt, when Dory and Oscar had disposed of the obstreperous prisoner.
"Let them haul on it," replied the skipper laughing. "They will have a nice time of it. Keep her away a little more, if you please."
Kidd had got hold of the painter, and Pell Sankland was trying to help him; but the former could not haul in enough of the line to afford him a chance to assist. The schooner had got under full headway, and there was considerable strain on the rope. Three of the Topovers had repaired to the bow while the other three were about in the middle of the barge. She was loaded by the head, and as soon as the Goldwing began to force her through the water at her own pace, the craft scooped up about half a barrel of water.
Kidd was sailor enough to see what the matter was, and he hastily retreated to the stern of the boat, followed by his companions. Not more than one of them at a time could get hold of the painter, and there was no danger that the marauders would haul the boat alongside the schooner. But Kidd soon went forward again, after he had stationed his crew as far aft as he could get them, and began to saw away with his knife at the painter.
Matt let off the sheets, and kept the Goldwing away several points at once. As he did so, Dory slacked off the painter as much as its length would permit. When the schooner straightened the line again, she did it with a violent jerk, at an angle with the length of the barge. The effect was to tip the boat until her gunwale at the bow went under, and she shipped another half barrel of water.
Kidd's nerves were not strong enough to stand this kind of treatment, and he dreaded what might come next. He retreated to the stern; but not till he had found that it would have taken him half an hour at least to saw off the painter with his dull jack-knife. He realized that there was nothing more he could do.
The four-oar boats were now within a short distance of the scene of the strife. The crews had laid upon their oars most of the time, watching the progress of the action. The Winooski had been taken, and the battle was finished. It only remained to dispose of the prisoners. Dory had given the order to head the schooner to the nearest land. The four-oar boats reached the point off which the yacht had just come up into the wind. Tom was handed into the boat with Mr. Jepson, who was greatly amused at the exploits of the boys. He was put ashore, but the reef pendant was removed from his arms only when he was safe on the beach.
The tender and the other four-oar boat landed the prisoners from the Winooski, who had concluded not to make any resistance. As the boats left the discomfited ruffians on the shore, Tom cast a large stone at one of them, and the rest proceeded to follow his example. But no harm was done, and the boats were soon out of the way of their missiles.
"Homeward bound!" shouted Dory, as soon as he had taken his crew from the tender on board.
Two oarsmen were taken from each of the small boats, for the remaining two could easily pull them across the lake with the wind, and transferred to the Winooski. Thad Glovering in the Gildrock was close by, for his party had no idea of leaving the scene while there was any fun in prospect. The whole squadron, consisting of the Goldwing and the four row-boats, were within talking distance of each other. The battle had been fought and won, and there was nothing to do but go home. The Gildrock was farthest out on the lake, and she led the way. All the fleet were in the smoother water of the cove.
"The Chesterfields!" shouted Oscar Chester, when the Goldwing was fairly under way. "They are just coming around the point; and they have half the Topovers on board."
"We need not bother our heads any more about the Chesterfields or the Topovers," replied Dory. "We have got our boats, and that was all I wanted."
"All right," added Oscar, as he settled himself in his seat.
But the skipper soon came to the conclusions that it was not all right. The Chesterfield barges had changed their course, and were headed for the four Beech Hill boats which had just started for home. The Dasher and the Racer were fully manned, while the Gildrock and Winooski had each only one-third of a crew.
"That's bad," said Dory, who began to be very anxious for the safety of the recaptured barges.
"I thought it might be," replied Oscar. "But I think we can give them enough of it to satisfy them in a very few minutes."
"Do you mean a fight?" asked the skipper.
"Not a hand-to-hand fight, but if either of those barges attempts to meddle with the Gildrock or the Winooski, I should run her down," answered Oscar, with a good deal of vim in his tones.
"I don't like to do anything of that kind," replied Dory, seriously. "When we smashed the Dasher yesterday, I did not intend to give her such a rap."
"I should say it would be for the Chesterfields and their new allies to elect whether you smash them or not. But they are making for the Gildrock, and of course they can easily take her from the four fellows in charge of her."
"Of course I don't mean to let them take her from our fellows," added Dory. "Keep her away; run for the Gildrock, if you please, Matt."
Thad Glovering pulled the stroke oar of the Gildrock, and he had already discovered the danger that menaced him in the approach of the Chesterfield barges. He was making his crew do their utmost; but the barge had been headed off by the enemy, who were not seen until they came around the point of land.
The improvement in the rowing of the Chesterfields was not very manifest. They had evidently being practising since they obtained their smashed barge from the builder who had repaired it, and it was just as plain that they had adopted the stroke of the Beach Hill barges.
"The Topovers are helping them," said Oscar, who watched the Dasher with the closest attention.
"I see they are," replied Dory; "and they are making very good headway."
A Topover had been placed on the thwart with each student as far as their number would permit. Mad Twinker was in charge of the head boat, and he was driving his crew to the limit of their power. But the Goldwing, even in the higher wind near the weather shore, could make two miles to the Dasher's one. Matt was directed to run close to the quarter of the Gildrock; and the schooner came up with her not a moment too soon, for in spite of Thad's best efforts, the Dasher was all ready to pounce upon her intended victim. The Racer had continued on her former course, and was making for the Winooski. It was clear that they intended to capture both boats. When they had done this probably the Chesterfields would be satisfied that they had got even with the Beech-Hillers for the humiliation of the day before.
The Goldwing was almost before the wind, and she was surging down upon the Dasher with tremendous speed and power. The Chesterfields did not look behind them, and they could not have failed to take notice of the Winooski's drill on the preceding day. Mad Twinker had no little nerve, but he was appalled at the rushing, surging, roaring approach of the Goldwing.
"Sheer off, or I shall run into you!" shouted Dory, on the half deck of the schooner. "If you meddle with the Gildrock I'll smash your boat."
Mad could stand it no longer, and he let go one tiller line, and pulled on the other with all his might. The Dasher whirled around in obedience to her helm. The Goldwing came about; Dory hove his long line to the Gildrock, and she was dragged out into the rough sea, out of the way of her assailant. But the Winooski was by this time in the same peril, and the schooner hastened to her assistance.