“Let me have a whack at it,” said Chub cheerfully, getting up. “I have an irresistible way with engines, Dick.”
“You!” snorted Dick. “All you can do is to lie around and make a fool of yourself. You’re about as much help as a—a—”
“Book of directions,” said Chub cheerfully. “Where’s the handle? Thank you.” Inserting the handle in the rim of the wheel, our hero, with a superhuman effort, spun—
Puff! Puff! Puff!
“It’s going!” yelled Roy.
“What’ll I do with the rope?” shouted the man on the wharf, holding on to it for dear life.
“Let go!” cried Dick, jumping for the wheel. He reached it just in time to turn the bow away from a spile, and with a grazing bump the launch swung into the stream, pulling the canoe after it.
“Good-by!” called the freight-handler. They waved to him as the boat’s bow turned up-stream.
“Puff, puff, puff!” went the engine.