CHAPTER XXVI. THE RESULT OF THE BATTLE ON THE CAISSON.
Commodore Mad Twinker could not help seeing the preparations on board of the caisson for the reception of his party. He saw the pike-poles, but he could not know that the ends were armed with spikes. Doubtless he supposed the weapons were simply to be used in shoving the barges away from the tow.
Oscar Chester saw at a glance, when the party on the caisson picked up the pikes, that the captain of the Sylph was likely to make bad work with the boats of the enemy. He walked forward to the pilot-house and reported to Dory the state of things, for the first pilot had not yet looked astern.
"Will Orwell's party can stave their boats all to pieces in less than two minutes," added Oscar, somewhat excited still.
"I hope he will not have occasion to do that," added Dory. "The Chesterfields can see for themselves that the iron points will go through the cedar planking as if it were nothing but paper."
"I don't think they know that the poles are armed with spikes."
"They can see what they are in season to back out," added Dory, as Oscar returned to the stern of the steamer to watch the proceedings, and take a part in them, if required.
"Keep off! keep off!" shouted Will Orwell, as the Dasher approached the caisson.
Instead of heeding this warning, the Chesterfields gave three cheers, as though the victory were already won, and they had possession of the caisson. The commodore quickened the movements of his oarsmen, and the Topovers in the bows of the boat were all ready to spring upon the prize.
"Keep off, or we will stave your boats all to pieces!" shouted the first officer, louder and more vigorously than before.
A yell of derision greeted him, and the barges still advanced to the destruction that awaited them.
"These poles have an iron spike in the end, and they will go through your boats every time! Keep off, or your boats will be spoiled!" shouted Will Orwell; and certainly the Chesterfields could not complain that they had not had sufficient warning.
The first officer was very reluctant to do any damage if the enemy could be repulsed in any other way. He placed himself at the point where the Dasher was likely to come in contact with the caisson, and held up his pike-pole so that the reckless assailants could see what it was.
"Hold on!" shouted Mad Twinker, when his craft came within a short distance of the intended prize. "Drop oars!"
Without the action that followed these orders they would not have been intelligible to those on the tow. It was evident that the Chesterfields did not follow any known system, but had invented their own commands. The first order meant for the crew to cease rowing, and the second to hold water. These were followed by an order to back her. Will hoped that the assailants had discovered the wicked nature of the pikes, and were intending to save their boats; but it was soon evident that the speed of the barges had been checked so as not to stave the boats in the collision.
"All ready forward there!" shouted the coxswain of the Dasher. "Tumble them overboard if they don't get out of your way."
"Let her went!" screamed Tom Topover, as he stepped on the bow rails of the boat, where he balanced himself so that he could leap readily upon the caisson.
The order of the commodore indicated no sign of relenting, and Will Orwell realized that all his warning and explanations had done no good in opening the eyes of the Chesterfields and their allies. The Dasher was coming slowly up to the raft, for her speed had not been fully checked. When it was within ten feet of the point where he stood, the first officer saw that the time for action had come. With a well-directed lunge with his pike-pole, he drove the end of it entirely through the bow planking of the barge, about on the water line.
The thin boards snapped and splintered, and the pikeman had some difficulty in withdrawing his weapon from the wound he had made. The force of the blow had overcome what little momentum the barge had, and brought her to a standstill. Four more pikes were ready to complete the work of destruction the instant the first officer gave the order.
"There is a hole stove in the bow!" yelled the bowman of the barge.
"Shove her ahead again!" added Tom Topover, mad with excitement.
"Row again!" shouted Mad Twinker to his crew; and this order made it clear that he did not intend to retire from the contest.
"Punch her, Lew!" said Will, as the barge began to advance again. "Hit her a little lower than I did."
Lew Shoreham was a stout fellow, and he rammed his pike through the other side of the bow, just below the water line. The wound he made was a more ragged one than the first, and the water poured into the barge like a young cataract. But Mad promptly checked the movement of the boat so as to strike the tow gently, for the safety of his own craft.
The stem of the barge had come within three feet of the caisson, and Tom Topover made a flying leap. He was followed by two others; but the last one fell a little short of the mark, and went into the water, though he caught hold of the tow with his hands.
"'Punch her again,' added Will; and, as he did not indicate who
was to act, all four of his party obeyed the order."—Page 263.
"Punch her again!" added Will; and as he did not indicate who was to act, all four of his party obeyed the order, the other four being at the stern to receive the assailants of the other boat, which had not yet come within punching distance of the caisson.
The effect of all these blows was to riddle the bows of the Dasher, and crowd her away from the tow. As the latter was now making at least three miles an hour, the shattered barge fell astern of her prey. The water was pouring in at the bow of the boat through half a dozen ragged holes, and the craft was settling rapidly.
"We are sinking!" cried one of the Chesterfields.
Mad Twinker seemed to realize the situation by this time, and all his warlike energy evaporated. He called the remaining Topovers from the bow, and several of his crew from the forward thwarts. As the boat had been well down by the head on account of the weight of the five boarders who had been stationed there, the order of the coxswain relieved the boat from her peril immediately. But she seemed to be half full of water.
Three of the Topovers had secured a footing on the caisson. All of them struck on their faces, and Will could easily have rolled them into the water; but no attention was given to them, and they crawled out from under the pikes of the victorious defenders of the craft. They made their way to the forward end of the tow; but the disaster to the Dasher disturbed their calculations, and suddenly cooled their warlike enthusiasm.
"That boat has had enough of it for to-day," said Will Orwell, as he glanced at the Racer approaching at the stern of the caisson.
"She can't do anything more if she tries," replied Lew Shoreham. "We can make short work of the other barge."
But Jeff Monroe, the coxswain of the Racer, was not blind. He had been watching the onslaught of the Dasher, and had seen her bow riddled by the pikes of the defenders of the caisson. He could see her settled down in the water almost to her gunwale. Four pikes were poised ready to inflict the same chastisement upon his own craft, and against such weapons he was powerless to contend. He gave the order to hold water when the Racer was within ten feet of the caisson, and then to back her.
"He has concluded not to take his punching," said Will Orwell, who had reinforced the stern with his party.
"He would be a fool if he did not back out, after what he has seen," added Lew Shoreham. "There won't be any more music to-day."
"I think not; and the band may put up their instruments," continued the first officer, as he dropped his pike-pole on the timbers. "Halloo, there! What are you about?"
This sudden change of tone on the part of the officer was caused by the movements of the Topovers on the tow. Tom had appeared to be somewhat bewildered by the failure of the expedition of the Chesterfields, and stood quietly on the forward end until the Racer backed out and pulled for her battered consort. While Will and his companions were watching the movements of the second barge, Tom had made a sudden dive at the cleat on the starboard side, and Nim Splugger rushed to the port one.
Tom had succeeded in casting the tow line on his side loose, though one fold of the rope still lay under the cleat. Nim had not yet been able to loosen the other, the securing of which had been finished with a half-hitch. Will and his force rushed forward to prevent the tow-lines from dragging overboard. Lew Shoreham seized Nim Splugger by the collar of his coat while he was still at work on the rope.
"What are you goin' to do about it?" demanded Tom Topover, springing to his feet, and putting himself into a fighting attitude. "I can lick the whole of you."
Will Orwell was no match for such a fellow as the leader of the Topovers, but he rushed upon him, and got a heavy blow in the face. The second officer was not a fighting man, and, instead of hitting back with his fist, he threw himself upon his antagonist. Phil Gawner went behind him, and clasped his arms around the neck of the chief marauder, while Dick Short went for the legs of the bully. Two others got hold where they could, and all of them succeeded in crowding Tom down upon the timbers.
Lew Shoreham had got his victim under him, and he was strong enough to hold him there. The third Topover, who had been pressing the water out of his wet clothes, attempted to help Nim, but three of the steamer's party went for him.
"That's no way to fight," puffed Tom Topover, as he lay wriggling under the four deck hands. "Let me up, and I'll wallop the whole of you."
"We don't want to be walloped, and you had better stay where you are. Don't let him up, fellows."
They did not, and Will hastened to secure the hawser, which was running overboard. At this moment the steamer stopped, for Captain Glovering had closely observed all that happened on the caisson. The starboard quarter-boat of the Sylph was lowered into the water. Will was thinking what he should do with his prisoners, when a boat from the steamer came alongside. Oscar Chester was in charge of it, with four of the crew at the oars.
As the boat came alongside, Oscar threw a handful of small line on the timbers, saying it was the order of the captain that the arms of the prisoners should be bound behind them. The second pilot sprang on board, and was happy to take a hand in the ceremony, as he called it, though it would have pleased him better to stand up alone with the chief ruffian.
As the three Topovers were held down, there was no difficulty in executing the order of the captain. Tom swore, and was furious in his wrath. Nim Splugger struggled to escape, but all of them were secured.
"I am directed by the captain to land them on the point," said Oscar, when the operation was completed.
Tom protested. He should have to walk two miles; but no time was wasted on him, and he was put on shore.