“Well, of all the mean—” began Jim, and then he stopped. He realized that Larry and Tony were in no particular danger, but he felt that they should be taken into his boat. However, he wanted to earn the ten dollars Peter had promised him.
“Are you going to leave us?” called Tony.
“It ain’t my doings,” called back Jim. “He won’t let me stop.”
“Then he’ll get his stuff to the telegraph office first,” said Larry. “He’ll beat me!”
He and Tony were clinging to the keel of their overturned boat.
“Maybe we can get this right side up and catch them,” suggested Tony.
“No, it’s too late,” said Larry sorrowfully. “They have too much of a start.”
It seemed so, for Peter’s boat was now about a quarter of a mile from shore, and Jim was rowing fast.
“Shall we swim in or wait until someone comes out and picks us up?” asked Tony.
“Might as well stay here,” replied Larry. “It’s hard swimming in your clothes.”