CHAPTER VII
STUCK FAST IN THE MUD
"About three mile's below Stanhope now; aren't we, Paul?" asked JudElderkin, the leader of the second patrol, who, with Bluff, Nuthin,Joe Clausin, Gusty Bellows, Old Dan Tucker, Phil Towns and LittleBillie, constituted the crew of the _Comfort_, commanded by the scoutmaster himself.
Jack had been given charge of the other boat, because Frank Savage wasnot feeling any too well, though probably he had not let his folks knowabout it, lest he be kept at home.
"More than that, Jud," answered the other; "and in the most ticklish partof the river, too. I ought to signal the other boat to slow up some more.You see, while there are no rocks around here, the eddies form sandbarsthat keep changing, just as I understand they do away out in the bigMississippi, so that a pilot on his way up-river finds a new channel cutout, and bars that were never there when he went down a week before."
"And notice, too, that Jack's given over the wheel to Bobolink, while heis back looking after the motor. Now, Bobolink is a cracker-jack of afellow to get up all sorts of clever schemes for sprinkling creepers inthe night; but he's a little apt to be flighty when it comes to running aboat. There! what did I tell you, Paul; they've run aground, as sure asyou live!"
"You're right, Jud; and it looks like the _Speedwell_ might go over onher beam-ends, the way she's tilted now. Good for Jack; he's orderingthem all over on the upper side! That may keep her from toppling over!"Paul exclaimed, as he gave the wheel a little turn, and headed straightfor the boat in peril.
"Wow! that was a right smart trick of Jack's!" cried Jud, in admiration."If he'd lost his head, like some fellows I know might have done,nothing'd ever kept that boat on her keel. And just to think what a nastyjob we'd have on our hands, trying to right her again, and before ourgreat trip had hardly started."
"Yes," added Old Dan Tucker, who happened to be close to them, "thatain't the worst of it. You know the main part of the grub's aboard theother boat Think of those juicy hams floatin' off down the Bushkill, withnot a single tooth ever bein' put in 'em; and all that bread and stuffsoaked. Oh! it gives me a cold shiver to even think of it," for Dan lovedthe bugle call that announced dining time better than any other music.
The greatest excitement prevailed aboard both boats. Jack seemed to bekeeping his crew perched along the upper rail, where their weight had theeffect of holding the boat with the narrower beam from toppling over onher side. It looked like a close shave, as Jud Elderkin said, with thatswift current rushing past on the port quarter, and almost lapping therim of the cockpit.
Of course, as soon as she struck Jack had shut off power, so that theboat was now lying like a stranded little whale.
Paul brought up alongside, looking out that he did not strike the sameunseen sandbar.
"Take this rope, some of you, and make fast to that cleat at the stern,"Paul called out, giving a whirl that sent it aboard the tilted motorboat.
"What are you meaning to do, Paul; give us a pull back?" asked Jack, whodid not seem to be one-half so "rattled" by the mishap as some of theother fellows; simply because he had the faculty of keeping his witsabout him in an emergency.
"That's the only way I can see," came the reply. "And as the sternis under water, Jack, what's the matter with backing when we startto pulling?"
"Not a thing, that I can see," answered the skipper of the _Speedwell_;"But I hope she slides off all right."
"Have your crew get as far aft as they can," continued Paul. "That willlighten the bow, more or less. And keep them all on the side they're on;only as soon as she drops back on an even keel, they must get over, soshe won't swing to starboard too much. All ready, now?"
"Yes, the rope's tied fast to the cleat, and unless you yank that out bythe roots, the boat's just _got_ to move! Say when, Paul," with whichJack again bent over the three horse-power motor with which the fasterboat was equipped.
Paul took one look around before giving the word. He wanted to make surethat everything was in readiness, so there might be no hitch. A mistakeat that critical stage might result in bringing about the very accidentthey were striving to avoid, and as a consequence it was wise to makehaste slowly. That is always a rule good scout masters lay down to theboys under their charge. "Slow but sure" is a motto that many a boy wouldbe wise to take to himself through life.
And when Paul had made certain that everything was in readiness hestarted the motor of the _Comfort_, reversing his lever; so that everyounce of force was exerted to drag the companion boat off its sandy bed.
Jack complied with the requirements of the situation by also startinghis motor the same way; and with the happiest results.
"Hurrah! she's moving!" cried little Nuthin, who was not in danger, butjust as much excited as though the reverse had been the case.
"There she comes!" yelled several of the anxious scouts, as the_Speedwell_ was seen to start backward.
"One good pull deserves another; eh, fellows?" cried the delightedBobolink, who was wondering whether Jack would ever entrust the wheel tohis care again, after that accident; but he need not have worried, forsomehow the skipper did not seem to feel that it was his fault.
And Bobolink, when he was again placed in charge of the wheel, felt thathe had had a lesson that would last him some time. In this sort of workthere could be no telling what was going to happen; hence, each scoutwould be wise to remember the rule by which they were supposed to alwaysbe guided, and "be prepared." That meant being watchful, wakeful,earnest, and looking for signs to indicate trouble, so that should itcome they would not be caught napping.
After a little while they came in sight of Manchester, with its smokingstacks, and its busy mills. Possibly the news of the expedition of theStanhope Troop had been carried to the boys down here. At any rate, therewas a group of several fellows wearing the well known khaki-uniform, whowaved to them from the bank and acted as though wishing the expeditionsuccess. They were pretty good fellows, those Manchester scouts, and theStanhope boys liked them much more than they did the members of theAldine troop up the river. Everybody knows there is a vast difference inboys; and sometimes even the fellows in various towns will seem, to bebuilt along certain lines, having pretty much the same leadingcharacteristics. The Manchester lads had proven a straight-forward set inwhat competitions the several troops had had so far. And hence everyfellow aboard the two boats swung his hat, and sent back hearty cheers.
"What's the matter with Manchester? She's all right!" they called, inunison, as Gusty Bellows took upon himself the duties which, on the ballfield, made him invaluable as the "cheer captain."
His name was really Gustavus Bellows; but that was easily corrupted intoGusty when the fellows learned on his first coming to Stanhope what atremendous voice he had.
About a mile or so below Manchester, Paul had said, the mouth of whathad once been Jackson Creek, might be found. Several of the boyscould remember having heard more or less about that abandoned canal;perhaps the Manchester lads knew about it, since it was closer totheir home town.
Everybody, then, was anxiously scanning the shore on the left, becausethey knew it must lie somewhere along there.
"I see the mouth!" exclaimed Phil Towns, who had very keen eyesight."Just look on the other side of that crooked tree, and you'll glimpsea little bar that juts out. That must be on the upper side of thecreek's mouth; because Paul said bars nearly always form there. Howabout that, Paul?"
"Go up head, Phil; you've struck the bull's eye," replied the other, witha laugh, as he began to head in toward the crooked tree mentioned, andwhich doubtless he took for his landmark when in search of the creek.
The _Comfort_ was in the lead now. Jack was content to play "secondfiddle," as he called it. As Paul had gone through the disused canal inhis canoe, exploring it pretty thoroughly, he must act as pilot.
Once they had pushed past the mouth of the creek they found a ratherdisheartening prospect. The water seemed very low, so that they could seebottom everywhere. Even Paul fro
wned, and shook his head.
"It surely must have lowered several inches since I was here yesterday,"he declared, in dismay.
"Think we'll get through safely?" queried Jud Elderkin, anxiously.
"I hope we may," replied the scout master; "but we've just got to creepalong, and be mighty careful. You see, most of the bed of this canal ismud, and not sand. Once the sharp bow starts to rooting in that, there'sno telling how far we'll explore before letting up. And it's surprisinghow that same mud clings. I could hardly work my light canoe loose two orthree times. Just seemed like ten pair of hands had hold of her, and weregripping tight. Easy there, Jack, take another notch in your speed, oldfellow! Crawl along, if you can. And have the poles ready to fend off, ifwe get into any bad hole."
The boys were strung along the sides of the slowly moving motorboats.Every fellow came near holding his breath with nervousness.
"Excuse me from getting stuck here in this nasty mess," remarked NatSmith, on board the roomier boat with Jack, Bobolink, Tom Betts, AndyFlinn, Curly Baxter, Spider Sexton, Frank Savage and Bob Tice.
"Why, we might stay here a week," observed the last mentioned, in a voicethat told plainly how little he would relish such a mishap, when they hadplanned such splendid times ahead.
"All summer, if it didn't rain, because the creek would get lower allthe time." Paul himself observed, with emphasis, wishing to make everyscout resolve to avoid this catastrophe, if it were at all possible.
"Who'd ever think," remarked Jud, "that there was such a queer oldplace as this not more'n seven miles away from home? And not one of usever poked a boat's nose up this same creek before Paul came down, tospy out things."
"Oh! well, there's a reason for that," replied Phil Towns, who knew allabout everything that had ever happened in and around Stanhope. "Untillately, when the scouts organized in these three towns, the boys ofStanhope and those of Manchester never had much to do with each other.Many's the stone fight I've been in with those big mill chaps. Sometimeswe whipped them; and then again they chased us right home. So no Stanhopeboy ever dared go far down the river in the old days. That's the reason,I guess, why none of us ever tried to explore this place. Say, we seem tobe getting in worse and worse, Paul. It isn't more'n a foot deep overthere on the right, and less'n ten inches here on the left."
"I know it, Phil, and I'm beginning to be afraid we'll have to back outof this the best way we can," replied the scout master, reluctantly; forhis heart had been set on carrying out this plan, and he hated to becompelled to give it up.
Hardly had he spoken than the boat brought up with a jolt that came nearthrowing several of the scouts into the water and mud. They had runaground after all! Paul turned the motor to the reverse, and the littlepropeller fairly sizzled in its mad efforts to drag the craft back intoclear water, but it was just as Paul had said--there seemed to beinnumerable hands clinging fore and aft that refused to let go. And inspite of all the work of the motor they did not move an inch.
"Rotten luck!" exploded Jud Elderkin, as he looked helplessly around, asif to see whether a fellow could at least jump ashore; but since ten feetof that ooze lay on either side, he failed to get much encouragement.
"Ahoy, _Speedwell_, you'll have to give us a lift!" called Paul, making amegaphone out of his hands.
"Y-y-yes, t-t-turn about's f-f-fair p-p-play," added Bluff, waving hisbugle. "We p-p-pulled you off, and n-n-now you g-g-got to return thef-f-favor."
"Listen!" said Paul, sharply; "Jack's calling something."
And as they all lined up along the side of the _Comfort_ they heardJack's voice come across the forty feet of water and mud, saying:
"Only wish we could, Commodore; but sad to say, we're stuck about as fastin this lovely mess as you are, and can't budge her an inch!"
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