“I know it—and that will keep us from reporting Ritter and his cronies. Just the same, we ought to let the others know of this—I don’t mean Jack alone, but every one in our crowd.”
“We will let them know it. See, here is one of the files they brought along.”
“And here is the pot of stuff they were going to put on the rudder, and the drag for the keel. This drag alone would have been enough to make the boat lose—in a close race.”
The boys, while talking, had hoisted the mainsail of the Alice, and now they tacked and stood back in the direction of the school dock. They did not go close to shore, however, but anchored at a point quite a distance from the boathouse. They had towed the two rowboats along and left them floating at the stern.
“Do you think they’ll dare to come back?” asked Andy, after his excitement had died down.
“I don’t think so. If they do we can fight them off, or sail the boat away.”
The boys lit a lantern that was on board and by its light inspected the damage done to the cuddy door. Fortunately the hinges had given way and these could be renewed with but little cost. The craft had been mussed up a little, but that was all. Where Ritter and his cronies had gone to work on the ropes the damage was slight.
“They struck on the rocks just in time,” was Pepper’s decision. “Had they kept on, these ropes would soon have been ruined, and it would have been too late to refit the Alice for that race.”
At last the boys settled down for the remainder of the night. They took turns at sleeping and each got a good nap if nothing more. As soon as the first bell rang Andy went ashore, sneaked into the school, and up to his dormitory.
“Any alarm?” asked Jack, who was just getting up.