“Oh! I’ll hug the fire, all right; don’t you worry about me, Josh Purdue,” was the fat boy’s reply, as he made off, the water still oozing from his soaked garments in streams.
Jack wisely put in the balance of the morning fishing, and with abundant success, as was evidenced from the fact that they had another delightful fish dinner that noon, Josh serving the trout in his usual tempting manner, crisp and brown.
As his clothes had meantime dried, through the action of combined sun and camp fire, Nick gradually became himself again. It took considerable to upset his good nature; and the boys never could fully decide whether he had been in earnest concerning that episode of the “great splash,” or simply pretending to be indignant.
“And now, what’s the programme?” asked Jack, as, having eaten until they could no longer be tempted, they sat back to talk over the future activities of the motor boat club.
“Fellows,” remarked George, seriously. “I’ve come to the conclusion that we’re making a mistake in cruising over such big water as this.”
“Hear! hear!” called Nick, clapping his hands.
“Boats as small as ours seem out of their element on an ocean,” continued the skipper of the Wireless, steadily. “They’re all right in such places as the Thousand Islands, where plenty of harbors are in sight all the time. But just think what might happen up here. Suppose the wind had chopped around the other night, instead of kindly holding off till morning. What would have happened to us?”
“Oh! well,” remarked Herb; “we all know the answer to that riddle, George. Since we couldn’t well make out into the open lake in the storm during darkness, why, every boat must have been smashed against the rocks. Makes me shiver to just think of it; and that’s right, fellows.”
“Perhaps one or more of us might have gone under.” George went on. “Now, when we got permission to make this cruise we promised not to take unnecessary risks—am I right, fellows?”
“Sure you are, George. Hit up the pace, will you? Buster here is getting sleepy, waiting for the verdict,” Josh said, after his customary fashion.