But he had misjudged the distance. As the motorboat swung, its stern grazed the mid-section of the sailing craft. Though the blow was a glancing one, mahogany splintered with a grinding crash.
Choppy waves flung the sailboat far over on its beam. Water began to seep in through a break in the over-lap.
Instead of throttling down, the motorboat sped away into the darkness.
“Why, that dirty crook!” Midge exclaimed furiously. “He’s wrecked our boat, and he doesn’t even intend to stop! Hey, you!”
The man at the wheel turned slightly. In the moment before he raised his hand to cover the exposed lower part of his face, Dan obtained a fleeting but clear view of him. Two others in the boat crouched low and kept their backs turned.
Mr. Holloway leaped to his feet in the teetering sailboat. Flashing his light on the disappearing craft, he tried to discern the license number. None was visible.
Despite the shouts of Mr. Holloway and the Cubs, the boat did not slacken speed. Soon it was nearly out of sight, still running without lights.
“Those men should be arrested!” Midge declared. “They struck us on purpose!”
Dan had noticed that his feet were resting in an inch of water.
“Say, we’ve sprung a leak!” he cried, scrambling for a bailing can which was kept under the seat. “Now we are in a jam!”