"Oars!" "Hold water!" "Stern all!" were the next commands of the coxswain of the Winooski, after he had set the Dasher to whirling in the waves.
The Chesterfield boat turned half around, so that she faced to the southward again. As soon as the Winooski had drawn back from her opponent, the crew lay upon their oars, the coxswain waiting for the issue of his last piece of strategy. He was evidently ready to do the same thing again, and Wash Barker began to look discouraged. His crew had held on to their oars when the boat was in the trough of the sea, but they had pulled them out of the water, or were trailing them alongside. At any rate they were in confusion, and the commodore could not extricate them from the dilemma.
Dory was patient, and his crew were in the highest state of enjoyment when they realized that the gentlemen from the collegiate institute were completely "euchred." After a great deal of loud talking, and talking back,—for every rower appeared to be a voluntary coxswain, the crew of the Dasher got their oars into position in the water. They were ready to pull again; but the commander of the fleet was in doubt and dismay. He was headed for the open lake. His boats were pitching at a lively rate in the waves.
He could not go ahead, for that led him into the dashing sea. He could not come about, for the Winooski was sure to give him another whirl, and might smash his craft the next time. His crew were jawing and gesticulating at him; one telling him to do this, and another to do that. Dory gave his crew permission to witness the scene; and they could not help realizing the benefit, not to say the blessing, of good discipline. The bow of the Winooski was not more than a length from the stern of the Dasher, and the bowman of the Racer had fastened his boathook to the bow of her consort. The dismay of Mad Twinker in the other boat seemed to be as deep as that of his fellow officer, and he had no counsel to give.
There was a multitude of counsellors in the Dasher. Several of them advised the coxswain to run into the Winooski, and about all that could be heard in the snarl wanted to smash her. Wash Barker had brains, and he seemed to be aware that he could do nothing of the sort, for the reason that the cool coxswain of the enemy would not let him.
"I say, Tinkers!" shouted Wash, who had evidently concluded what to do.
Dory was as dignified as George Washington when his title was ignored, and he refused to answer while he and his companions were called by an offensive name. Wash hailed several times in the same strain without getting a reply. His crew seemed to be tired of yelling at him, and there was a silence in the barge after the coxswain had called a dozen times to his opponent.
"Winooski, ahoy!" shouted some one in the boat, who had perhaps learned from some sea novel how to hail another craft.
"On board the Dasher!" replied Dory.