near tumbling over the heads of the fellows on the lee side, for they had bent forward as the schooner heeled over.
“Sit down! Keep your seat, Oscar Chester!” shouted Dory. But it was no part of the rebel’s nature to obey an order of any kind after what had happened. The inside of the boat was rather crowded, except on each side of the tiller, where the space had been reserved for the helmsman.
Making a lively spring for the open space on the lee side of the rudder-head, he brought up on the seat, just as the skipper put the helm down to bring the boat back to her former course. The Goldwing was jumping on the waves; and the rebel did not fetch up just as he intended, for the motion of the boat interfered with his calculations. He grasped the main-sheet, and finally came down on the bit of deck astern of the standing-room.
Oscar evidently wanted to prove that he “always came down-stairs that way;” for he let go the sheet, and tried to stand up straight. His pride was still in the ascendency. Dory had put the helm over so far that the sails were spilled, and this set the schooner to pitching. Oscar had
hardly let go the sheet, when he lost his balance, and pitched into the lake, disappearing beneath the surface. Dory tried to catch him before he went over, but failed to do so.
“He has fallen over into the water!” screamed some of the boys, terribly frightened by this time.
“He will be drowned!” yelled others.
The only one who had not entirely lost his head was the skipper. Dory was as cool as though he had been up to his neck in ice-water. He had been in all sorts of scrapes, though he had never encountered a bully under such unfavorable circumstances. He had put the helm down before, and the Goldwing had lost her headway. Of course she would not answer her helm when she had lost her steerage-way.
Oscar Chester came to the top of the water, and all the boys shouted. Dory did not even look at him, for he was busy with the boat. He filled away, and came about as soon as he got steerage-way. Oscar was floundering about in the most unreasonable manner, with a better chance of being drowned than of being saved.