CHAPTER XIV. THE WORK OF AN INCOMPETENT SKIPPER.
The removal of the six ladies made the Silver Moon a little more buoyant; but she was in hardly less peril than before, for she rolled even worse than when her passengers were on board. Dory formed a very unfavorable opinion of the seamanship of Bissell almost as soon as he had put his foot over the gunwale of the sloop. Nothing at all was the matter with the Silver Moon. Her rudder was not disabled, and the halyards on the mainsail were in working condition. The craft had lost nothing, but the skipper had lost his head.
But the Beech Hiller did not utter a word of rebuke, or even a critical comment on the management of the sloop. He saw how it was, and understood the situation perfectly, but he did not feel called upon to censure the action which had been taken, or the steps which had been neglected. The craft was in the trough of the sea, and half full of water. He looked about him, and discovered a pair of oars stowed away under the seats in the large room.
"As you are tired out, Mr. Bissell, Paul will bale for a while till you get rested," said Dory, as soon as the passengers had been transferred to the barges, and without any of the delay indicated by the printed page.
"I can do that first-rate," replied Paul, who had wondered what he could do in a sailboat, in the management of which he was comparatively ignorant.
Paul took the bucket; and it is safe to say that he threw out more water than the skipper could have done in his exhausted condition. But the baling appeared to have little or no effect on the large quantity of water in the standing room.
"I am about tuckered out, but what do you think I had better do?" asked the skipper, as he gave up the bucket to the fresh hand.
"I think you had better rest yourself," replied Dory, as he drew out the oars from under the seats. "I will look out for the boat, and I think she will come out of the scrape all right."
"What are you going to do? Do you mean to row her over to Westport?" asked Bissell, panting with his last exertions.
"No; I don't think we should make much trying to row this boat nearly four miles against a head sea," answered Dory.
"But you can't land over on this side of the lake. Just see the waves breaking on the shore in Button Bay. The Silver Moon would be smashed into a thousand pieces," protested the skipper.
"Of course we can't make a landing on a lee shore in this weather," answered Dory, as he went forward.
Bissell could not make anything of Dory, and he looked at him only to wonder what he was going to do. The skipper had always believed that he knew all about sailing a boat; and in a moderate, or even a fresh breeze, he could do very well when everything went along smoothly. But he had never been trained, as the students at Beech Hill had, for seasons of emergency.
The Silver Moon miss-stayed probably because she had not a "good full," had fallen off into the trough of the sea, and rolled herself half full of water before the skipper thought of doing anything to overcome the difficulty. Under these trying circumstances, he was not instructed either by precept or actual trial what to do.
The throat halyard of the sail, Dory found when he went forward, had not been cast off. He got hold of the peak halyard and hauled on it till he got a good set on the mainsail.
"What are you about?" cried Bissell. "You will upset her as sure as you live! I let that part of the sail down because it blowed so hard. I was going to lower the whole sail, but I hadn't time. I was afraid the boat would sink if I didn't bale with all my might."
Dory secured the peak halyard without paying any attention to the shout of the skipper. When he had put on the half hitch, he went aft again.
"Let the sail down just as quick as you can!" yelled Bissell.
"I think not," replied Dory quietly.
"If you don't, I shall lower it myself. I can't stand this!" added the frightened skipper.
"This boat belongs to you, Mr. Bissell, and you can do what you please with her, and I shall not quarrel with you about it. If you don't want any assistance, Paul and I will return to the barge."
"But I don't want anybody to sink her," protested the skipper.
"I shall not sink her; but it is all nonsense to think of baling her out while she is in the trough of the sea, shipping water as fast or faster than you can throw it out. I am not willing that Paul should wear himself out for nothing."
"That's the only way to keep her from sinking."
"You have a perfect right to your own opinion, as I have to mine. I am confident that I can get the sloop out of this scrape, if you will allow me to do it; if not, Paul and I will return to the barges."
"But I want you to help bale out the boat. She will sink if the water rises any higher in her," the skipper insisted.
At that moment, a heavier wave than usual struck her, and rolled the boat over till she took in at least a barrel of water. Bissell sprang from his seat as though he expected the Silver Moon to go to the bottom at that instant. But she did not sink, though her floating power seemed to be very nearly exhausted.
"Do you see that?" demanded the skipper, as though he regarded the water just shipped as a triumphant vindication of his opinion.
"I see it; and I should say she will go down after she has done that thing once or twice more," replied Dory calmly. "Say quick whether I am to get the sloop under way, or whether I am to leave her! Do as you please about it. The barges will save you when she sinks."
"I will see what you are going to do," replied Bissell doggedly; and he was by no means convinced, though he was satisfied that he could do nothing alone to save the craft.
Dory made no reply, for he was rather disgusted with the obstinacy and nautical ignorance of the skipper. Taking one of the oars in his hand, he went to the side of the boat and hailed the commodore of the barge-fleet.
"I am going to get under way now, for there is nothing the matter with the boat," said Dory.
"All right, Dory," replied Oscar, as he looked about him to determine the best way to separate the barges, and get them clear of the Silver Moon.
They were all lying close together, the Gildrock being nearest to the bow of the sloop. The commodore ordered the Winooski to cast off first. With her port oars she kept her head up to the sea till those on the other side of the boat were clear of the Marian, which was next to her. When her twelve oars were in the water, the boys backed her clear of the other boats, and then the crew were ordered to lay on their oars. In the same manner the other two boats backed into safe positions. The barges pitched tremendously, and the ladies were inclined to "squeal." When any of them attempted to stand up, the gallant coxswains pulled them back into their seats.
"Are they going to quit us?" asked Bissell, as he looked with something like dismay upon the movements of the barges.
"We could not get the sloop under way with all those boats hanging to her," replied Dory. "They will be here quick enough if they are wanted. But we are not going to ship any more water; we shall leave the rest of it in the lake."
"I don't see how you are going to help taking in all the water that rolls in," growled the skipper.
"If you keep your eyes wide open tight for one minute more, I will show you that the Silver Moon is the mistress of the situation, and Lake Champlain will have to stay out in the cold," replied Dory, as he shipped his oar between a couple of thole-pins on the quarter.
"There is another oar under the seats," added Bissell.
"One is enough to do the business," said Dory, as he began to pull with all his might.
The water-logged craft moved as though it had been fastened to the bottom. The boom was still hanging out at right angles with the keel, and the main sheet was flopping about in the water.
"Can't I help you?" asked Bissell.
"You may take the other oar, if you please."
The skipper pulled out the oars, and was about to ship it on the weather side when Dory interposed, and, shifting his own blade to the fore rigging, directed his companion to ship his between the thole-pins he had left.
"On this side? Who ever heard of rowing in that way?" blustered Bissell. "Both oars on the same side!"
"We have no time to argue the question now, if you want to keep your boat on the top of the water instead of the bottom," said Dory sharply.
Bissell did as he was told, though he had no faith in rowing with two oars on one side of the boat. The united strength of the two was immediately seen in the motion of the boat. Her bow was soon thrown up to the wind, and then the boom swung in over the standing room. This was the acting skipper's object, and as soon as he could reach the main sheet, he dropped his oar. Grasping the rope, he carried it aft, and got a turn with it over the cleat above the rudder head.
The sail filled as soon as he hauled in the sheet, and Dory got hold of the tiller. The sloop heeled over till Bissell declared that the new skipper would upset her. Paul continued to bale with all his might. Dory trimmed the sail down as flat as he could, and soon had perfect control of the craft, heavy as her movements were in her water-logged condition. He was obliged to touch her up in the fierce blasts which struck her, but he had her well balanced, and she did not realize any of the evil predictions of her incompetent skipper. On the other hand, she did not dip up any more water over her gunwale, and all that came into her was in the form of spray.
At Dory's suggestion, Bissell got out a firkin in which the lunch for the party had been brought on board, and assisted Paul in the work of baling. But there were hogsheads of water in her, and the process of relieving her was very slow. The three barges were still laying on their oars, watching the movements of the Silver Moon. Dory ran for Button Island, which was separated from the main land only by a narrow channel. Slacking off the sheet, he ran her aground in the sand behind the point, where the water was as smooth as the lake in a calm.
"She is aground!" exclaimed Bissell, as the keel grated on the bottom.
"I know it; and that is where I intended to have her," replied Dory, as he left the tiller.
Bissell began to protest that he would not have the boat aground; but the new skipper paid no attention to him. Taking the bucket from Paul, he told him to rest. Dory worked hard at baling for half an hour, and Bissell did his part as soon as he found that his protest was not heeded. By this time the water had dropped so it had to be dipped out of the well. It was all out at last, and the well sponged dry. To the stupid astonishment of Bissell, the Silver Moon was again afloat.