CHAPTER 6 Stranded
Three days elapsed during which Brad, Dan and the other Cubs spent muchtime at the "Y" and at the river practicing for the final swimming meetof the year with Den 1.
Annoyed by the manner in which they had been treated by Paper Bag Eddieand his friend "Frisk," the two Cubs interested themselves in making afew inquiries along the waterfront.
They learned that a sailor by the last name of Fagan frequently was seenwith Eddie. Although known to have no employment, he was reported alwayswith enough money in his pocket.
"I'm as sure as anything Fagan was in the motorboat that struck us," Danrepeated to Brad one afternoon when the two boys were at the riverpreparing for a swim. "I suspect that was why he acted so sore in thecafe. He was afraid we'd accuse him."
Since their meeting with Paper Bag Eddie and the sailor, the two Cubs hadnot seen either of them again. Nor had they glimpsed Mr. Manheim's boator any that resembled it.
On this particular afternoon, Mr. Holloway had promised to take Brad, Danand Midge for a sail. Four o'clock, the hour appointed for their meetingat the Yacht Club dock, came and went. Finally, Mr. Holloway telephonedfrom his office to say that he had been held up and would be unable tomake the excursion.
"There's no reason why you boys can't take the boat by yourselves," heurged. "You're both experienced at handling the tiller, and goodswimmers. Go ahead! Only don't go too far from the Yacht Club. A stormcould kick up before dusk."
Fortifying themselves with bottles of pop, Dan and Brad hoisted sail andcast off. With Brad at the tiller, they sailed down the channel, pastFish Island, and on toward Skeleton Island. They had been anxious toexplore this island for some time.
Dan lounged in the bottom of the boat, lazily sipping his drink.
"Let's sail all the way around Skeleton Island," he proposed. "Okay?"
"Sure, if we have time," Brad agreed, glancing at the darkening sky."Those clouds are rolling up rather fast though. We might have rain in acouple of hours."
"We'll make it back before then," Dan replied, stretching luxuriously."The breeze is just right now."
In a long tack, they crossed to the far shore of the river and cameabout, pointing toward Skeleton Island.
As Dan dropped an empty pop bottle overboard, he noticed a mahoganymotorboat almost directly opposite the island.
The craft had pulled up along shore, its motor idle. The boy was unableto see the occupants or to obtain a clear view of the boat itself, for itlay half-hidden in a clump of bushes.
"That boat looks a little like Mr. Manheim's," he remarked, callingBrad's attention to it. "Wonder what it's doing over there? No oneappears to be fishing."
Holding the sailboat to its course, the two Cubs kept watch of the idlemotorboat. Though they were too far away to be certain the craft was Mr.Manheim's, they thought it bore a marked resemblance to the craftoperated by Wilson Jabowski.
Presently, as the boys watched, they saw someone aboard the motorboatlower and raise a red flag three times in succession.
"What's the idea of that?" Dan demanded, all attention. "They'resignaling!"
"To someone on Skeleton Island," Brad added quietly.
Dan turned his gaze toward the island beach. A man stood there,apparently focusing his attention upon the motorboat. In answer to thesignal, he raised and lowered his arm three times.
"What goes?" Brad muttered.
For awhile, the Cubs witnessed nothing more of interest. The man on thebeach vanished from their range of vision, while the motorboat remainedin the clump of bushes.
"Guess there's nothing more to see," Dan remarked in disappointment.
"Yes, there is!" Brad corrected, bringing the sailboat closer into thewind. "Listen!"
The two boys distinctly could hear the putt-putt-putt of a gasolineengine. For a minute they could not localize the sound. Then, from thefar shoulder of the island, they saw a flat gasoline-propelled raftscooting across the river.
"That looks like Jabowski," Dan observed. "And he's heading straighttoward the motorboat! Can we get closer, Brad?"
"Unless the breeze shifts it will take us two or three tacks to come evenwith the island."
"And by that time, there may be nothing to see," Dan grumbled. "I surewish we had a pair of binoculars!"
Dividing their attention between pressing more speed out of their owncraft, and watching the raft, the boys begrudged the time it took to makethe long tack.
The raft, they noted, moved directly to the waiting motorboat. Whattranspired at the meeting place, they were unable to see.
So intent were the Cubs on watching the boat and raft, that they paidscant heed to the low cumulus clouds which had gathered close to thehorizon.
Black underneath and hard-edged, they were moving up fast from theleeward!
The Cubs, however, were elated because a stiffening breeze rapidly borethem toward Skeleton Island. Now they could discern two men aboard themotorboat. Though they could not see the face of the man on the raft,they were convinced he was Jabowski.
"What do you figure they're doing?" Dan speculated. "And who are thosemen that have Mr. Manheim's speedboat?"
"Maybe it isn't his," Brad replied. "I'd say it's the same length andmake though."
Apparently observing the approach of the sailboat, the raft began to pullaway from the motor craft.
At that same moment, a dead calm fell upon the river. Startled, Bradraised his eye to the sail which had been drawing well. Now it hadslumped into listless, discouraged folds.
"Just our luck!" Dan muttered in disgust. "The breeze plays out!"
"It's worse than that," Brad said, thoroughly alarmed. "We're in the calmthat precedes a bad thunderstorm!"
Both the sky and the water had taken on a dark cast. Although not abreath of air stirred, heavy waves pounded against the drifting boat.
"Gosh, we're a long ways from shore too!" Dan said in dismay. "SkeletonIsland is the closest point of land. Think we can make it before thestorm breaks?"
"Not a chance," Brad muttered. "She's coming now!"
Across the water they could see a misty sheet of water descending.
"There will be wind in a minute! Plenty of it! Dan! Help me get the saildown before it strikes us."
Working with all speed, the boys lowered the sail from the mast. Beforethey could furl it, the wind struck, throwing the boat far over on itsside.
Dan's Cub cap was lifted from his head, and carried far down river. For amoment it floated on the surface, and then slowly sank out of sight.
Dan scrambled to fasten down all other loose objects. Rain now was comingdown in a torrent. Unable to see many feet ahead of them, the boys lostsight of the raft and the motorboat. For a time they could hear thechug-chug of the raft's engine, and then all sound except the howl of thewind died away.
"This is awful!" Dan exclaimed as a vivid streak of lightning cut acrossthe dark sky. "Let's strike for Skeleton Island. We can find shelterthere, at least."
He reached for the paddle. Already the strong wind was propelling theboat in the general direction of the island.
At the tiller, Brad guided the craft more by instinct than sight. Windand rain had blotted out all view of the shore.
Finally, the shadowy island loomed up. Worn out from hard paddling, Danput on a last burst of energy which drove the boat onto the sandy beach.
Leaping out, he and Brad pulled the craft high up on the sand beyondreach of the waves. Then they raced for the shelter of a heavily woodedsection some distance back from the beach.
"Jabowski lives in the caretaker's quarters at the other end of theisland," Brad remarked, huddling against the trunk of a sheltering oak."We might go there."
"I'd rather wait here, Brad. This storm shouldn't last long. Then we canhoist canvas and sail back to the clubhouse."
Already the rain had slackened. The Cubs waited twenty minutes under thetrees. By that time the downpour had dwind
led to a drizzle. Then theymade their way back through the dripping bushes to the beach.
"Hey! Where's our boat?" Dan demanded, stopping short.
The stretch of beach where the craft had been left less than thirtyminutes before, now was deserted.
"But the boat can't be gone!" Brad exclaimed, refusing to believe hiseyes. "We pulled it well up on the sand before we took shelter! The wavesweren't high enough to have washed it away!"
"Well, it's gone all right. And there it is, Brad."
Dan pointed two hundred yards from shore where the empty sailboat driftedaimlessly. Slowly the craft was being carried downstream by the current.
The Cubs stared at it in stunned dismay. Without the sailboat, they werestranded on Skeleton Island!
Dan Carter, Cub Scout, and the River Camp Page 6
