"Once more!" yelled McGlory, as Matt pointed the Sprite straight for the Stella and flung her onward.
The man rapidly coiled the rope in his hands. Another man stepped forward and took the rope to make the next cast himself. He was a more powerfully built man than the one who had attempted the first cast.
"This will tell the story," cried George. "If this throw fails the Stella will be smashed to pieces on the bluff."
Matt and McGlory knew that fully as well as Lorry; and those on the Stella must have realized it.
The man with the rope was cool and deliberate. It was plain he was not going to waste any valuable chances by undue haste; then, as he was whirling the rope to let it fly, Matt again turned the Sprite broadside on.
For an instant it looked as though the rope was again to fall short; but Lorry, stretching far out from the side of the Sprite, snatched the end of the rope out of the air with convulsive fingers, and fell with it to the bottom of the boat.
A faint cheer went up from those on the Stella.
But the battle was not yet won. McGlory went to the assistance of Lorry, and the slack of the cable was jerked out of the water. This gave sufficient rope for a half-hitch around the stanchion and a firm hand hold. The cowboy and his cousin lay back on the line, bracing their feet against the thwarts and clinging with all their strength.
Motor Matt, meanwhile, had been busy with his part of the work. The instant the rope was made fast, he had shifted the bow of the Sprite, switching off the power for a moment in order to lessen the shock when the launch should begin to feel the pull.