Ready About; or, Sailing the Boat

by Oliver Optic

They did not live in the same moral atmosphere, in the first place; and the leader of the robbers had heard something of the prowess of Dory from Matt Randolph. By taking him in the rear, he had twice overcome him, and tied his arms behind him. Perhaps the fact that he had been able to do so was the most direct source of his contempt. He went to Sunday school, as Angy described his general character; and he did not believe that a lamb of this sort could be a lion when the occasion required.

Angy had been perfectly sure that the exhibition of his revolver would reduce the prisoner to complete subjection if he proved to be refractory after he had released him. He had not intended to shoot him, when he snapped the weapon at him, for he knew something of the consequences of such a murderous act. But Dory did not "scare" as readily as he had supposed he would, and the fact that he was a Sunday-school scholar did not make a coward of him.

As soon as the revolver missed fire, Dory decided not to wait for a dryer cartridge to explode. The boat was jumping on the waves at a furious rate, and was in the act of falling off into the trough of the sea when Angy made his demonstration with the pistol. To prevent this, he had attempted to use his oars. Dory made a long spring, and threw himself on the chief of the burglars.

He came down upon him like a heavy body dropped from some point overhead. The thwart on which Angy was seated slipped out of its place under the concussion, and the two combatants came down in the bottom of the boat. Dory seized his intended victim by the throat, and contrived to get his legs on the arms of the fallen leader. Then he choked him with all his might as he struggled to free himself from this fierce embrace.

The boat fell off into the trough of the sea, and the water poured in upon them. Dory saw, that, if the affair was not finished very quickly, the conclusion of it would have to be reached in the water, with no boat under him. But no human being could stand the amount of choking inflicted upon Angy, and he soon weakened under the punishment. With a sudden movement, Dory turned him over on his face, and crowded his head down into the water in the bottom of the boat.

The rope with which Dory had been bound was within his reach; and, as soon as the resistance under him would permit, he grasped it with one hand, while he held the victim with the other. Angy realized what he was doing, even while his breath was bubbling in the water under him; and he made his last effort to shake off the Sunday-school scholar. But he was too weak to accomplish any thing, and he had to give up the battle.

It was the work of but a moment for Dory to tie his arms behind him, though he did it in the most thorough manner. He picked up the revolver, and put it in his pocket. Then he dragged the fallen chief to the stern-sheets, and dumped him in the bottom. The tables had turned, and the leading spirit of the Nautifelers Club was the prisoner. He was utterly exhausted by his choking and his useless struggles, and he lay catching his breath where his conqueror had thrown him.

Dory realized that he had no time to spare, if he intended to get the boat to the shore right side up. He sprang to the oars, and brought the tender around before the wind. He was too tired himself to row, and he simply kept the craft from getting into any dangerous situation. With one hand he bailed out the boat, while he used an oar with the other.

Angy was rapidly recovering from the effects of the battle, and he worked himself into a sitting position. Then he looked about him, and especially at the stalwart young man in front of him, whose prowess he had held in contempt. He did what Dory had done a dozen times while he was a prisoner,--he essayed to test the strength of his bonds; but they had been adjusted by one who was skilled in handling rigging. He said nothing, but the situation looked very bad to him. The Sunday-school scholar was not an infant, and Angy was willing now to believe what Matt Randolph had told him about the paragon of the school.

Dory bailed out the boat till it was comfortable in her, and then he hastened the progress of the craft by the use of the oars. It still rained in torrents, but there was a light in the east which indicated that it was the "clearing-up shower." Looking behind him, Dory discovered the land, and felt something like Columbus on another occasion. He knew just where he was; and he changed the course of the tender, in order to make a little cove.