He got into his own boat, and towed the other out of the creek and down the river, disappointed, of course, but, on the whole, glad that it was no worse, and that he had not lost his boat.
He met Percival and some of the boys on his way back, the boys questioning him excitedly as they came up.
"Did you get him, Jack?"
"You have got your own boat back anyhow. Did you catch him?"
"How did he get away, Jack?" asked Percival. "Did he put up a fight?"
"No, he ran into the kill, and as soon as he got out of sight around a bend tied up my boat and skipped out," said Jack in a tone of disgust.
"That's too bad. I hoped that you would catch him"
"Young J.W. will think all the more of his boat after this," said
Billy Manners. "You made it go, Jack."
"Haven't I told him that he could get speed out of a canal-boat?"
Percival retorted with a laugh.
"No one will want to race with Jesse W. after this," remarked
Arthur. "They won't make fun of his boat now, nor of him either."