It was midnight by Clay’s watch when the boy heard Captain Joe making a great argument out on the deck of the motor boat. He hastily drew on his trousers and a thick coat and stepped out of the cabin.
As he did so the boat rocked frightfully, nearly throwing him from his feet. Seizing hold of the railing, he switched on the prow lamp and sprang to the motors.
There was no doubt in his mind as to what had taken place. The anchor chain had either broken or been cut, and the Rambler was swinging down into the rapids. He called excitedly to the sleepers and set the craft in motion.
The motors responded nobly, but the full power of the machines was not sufficient to change the direction. Stern first, the Rambler was drifting with the swift current He could see the waters on either side foaming over rocks, feel the grating of the sides and bottom of the boat on obstructions beneath the boiling surface.
Case and Alex came bounding out, their eyes half-closed from sleep, their automatics in their hands. For an instant, in a quieter stretch of river, Clay felt the boat spring up stream in answer to the powerful motors, but directly the motion shifted again.
“Put up your guns,” the boy shouted to the others. “You, Case, come here and keep the motors in full action. You, Alex get a pole and stand at the prow. Do the best you can to keep the boat off rocks. She is bound to go down, and we’ve got a fight on our hands. Steady, now.”
“What is it all about?” asked Case, his voice only dimly heard above the rush of waters. “The chain must have been cut!”
Clay did not answer, but took the helm and managed to swing the boat into a smoother bit of water near the east shore. The current swept against the upper side, nearly tipping her over, as she swung, but in an instant the prow turned down stream and the boat righted a little.
“Keep her to the shore!” shouted Case, frantically. “We can never ride those rocks. Keep her toward the east bank, Clay, for heaven’s sake, or it will be all over with us. What are you doing?”
“Full speed ahead!” roared Clay. “If we should strike a rock while headed for either bank we’d go over in a flash! Our only hope is to keep her dead with the current and fight her through!”