On Time; or, Bound to Get There

by Oliver Optic

After seeing the boat, and discussing the matter with my father, I had the conscience to fix the price of her at seven dollars a day, which included my own services. When a gentleman spoke of engaging her for a week or more, I told him he should have her for five dollars a day for any longer period than three days.

The weather was very warm and pleasant for October, and my first trip to the fishing-grounds was a great success. My party were delighted with the boat, and I did all I could to make them comfortable. The gentlemen had a good time, and spoke so favorably of the Belle and of me, that the person who proposed to go for a week closed the bargain with me, and I was engaged to start on Monday morning. I was in a fair way to get back, before the season closed, what I had paid for the boat.

On Saturday I had no engagement; but I found it quite impossible to keep out of the Belle. I intended to go on an exploring expedition up the lake, in order to find some good landing-places. I went after Tom Walton, to give him an invitation to accompany me; but I found he was at work for a day or two in one of the stores. The wind blew quite fresh from the northwest, and the lake was tolerably rough, which made me the more desirous of testing the qualities of the Belle.

While I was reefing down the mainsail, I saw the Highflyer pass the Narrows, headed up the lake. This was Waddie Wimpleton’s boat. She was about the size of the Belle, and I could not see why the young gentleman wanted the latter. The Highflyer would certainly have satisfied me, though in the course of the day I was better informed in regard to his motives. Waddie had reefed his mainsail, and was going at a rapid rate up the lake.

I had no wish to come into collision with him, though I was rather anxious to know which boat could make the best time. He was alone; indeed, I had often noticed that he sailed without any company; and, as neither of the institutes was in session on Saturdays, I had often seen him bound up the lake on that day. He had the reputation of being a good boatman, and certainly he had had experience enough to qualify him to act in that capacity.

I cast off the moorings of the Belle, and stood out into the lake, where I could get the full benefit of the wind. Waddie was some distance ahead of me; but I soon saw that his eye was upon me. I intended to keep well over on the west side of the lake, so as to avoid him. I needed not the express declaration he had made to assure me that he hated me, and that he would use all possible means to annoy and punish me. Although I was not afraid of him, I did not wish to afford him any opportunity to gratify his malignity upon me.

He sailed the Highflyer very well. Every minute he glanced at the Belle, to ascertain what progress she was making. Probably he supposed that I had put off for the sole purpose of racing with him, which, however, was not true, though I was very glad of a chance to measure paces with him. Neither of us was obliged to wait long for a decided result, for in half an hour from the time I started, the two boats were abreast of each other, though still half a mile apart. Then the reason why he wished to purchase the Belle was apparent. She was faster than the Highflyer; and Waddie did not enjoy being beaten by any boat on the lake.

Though I was not near enough to observe the effect upon him, I had no doubt he was foaming and fuming with wrath at the audacity of a poor boy like me, who ventured to beat him. While I was walking by him with perfect ease, he threw his boat up into the wind, and turned out the reef in the mainsail. The wind was freshening every hour, and I regarded this as a very imprudent step on his part. In fact, I began to feel that I might, in some way, be held responsible for any disaster which should happen to him, if by racing with him I goaded him on to any rashness. I therefore came about, and began to beat down the lake, to assure him that I was not inclined to race under whole sail in such a blow.

When he had shaken out his reef, however, he gave chase to me. The Highflyer labored heavily in the rough waves, and I was not sure that the duty of rescuing her rash skipper from a watery grave would not soon devolve upon me. He followed, and having all sail on his boat, he gained upon me on the wind. At this rate he would soon be crowing over me, and, the reputation of the Belle would be injured. I was averse to being beaten, even under a reefed mainsail. I let out my sheet, and stood over toward the eastern shore. Waddie followed me, and as I could not now decline the race on his terms, I soon headed the Belle up the lake.

By the time I had laid my course, the Highflyer was abreast of me. Now both of us had the wind on the quarter. A boat on the wind, with all sail set, can be better handled than when going before it. I saw the Highflyer plunging down deep into the waves; but I suppose Waddie had not learned that a boat overpressed in a blow does not make any better time than one carrying just sail enough to make her go comfortably, without wasting her headway in dives and plunges. On this tack he no longer gained upon me. On the contrary, it was soon evident that the Belle was running away from him. My boat was good for at least one more mile in five than the Highflyer.