Four Afloat Part 11

It was found and spread out on the cabin roof. Tom held the lantern and Nelson and Bob studied it for a moment.

"I think the best thing to do," said Bob finally, "is to keep on for Coha.s.set. It isn't much farther, and looks like an easy harbor."

"I guess you're right," Nelson replied. "Yes, that's the best thing to do. Then we want to swing in now or we'll never get there until about ten o'clock. There's Minot's Light over there. Make for that, Bob."

"All right!" Bob turned the wheel and the _Vagabond_ swung to starboard and crossed ahead of the launch which had hailed them. Beyond, in the darkness, the lights of the other racers gleamed and swung as the boats tossed slowly in the long seas. As they pa.s.sed the _Sizz_-if it was the _Sizz_-a cheery "good night" reached them, and the four answered it. A few minutes later they were all alone, and the lights of the racers, headed for Highland Light, showed but dimly across the dark waters. Tom sighed.

"Seems kind of lonesome, doesn't it?" he asked, with a glance at the surrounding gloom. He s.h.i.+vered as he looked.

"You go down and get that dinner you talked so much about," said Bob.

"I'm starving to death."

"All right," replied Tom uneasily. "But if anything happens--"

"We'll call on you for advice, Tommy," finished Dan. "Get a move on, now; and when you make the coffee, don't forget the coffee."

So Tom descended, rather mournfully, lighted the lanterns in the engine room and cabin, and set about his task.

The _Vagabond_ was a good twelve miles away from Coha.s.set, and that meant a full hour and a half's run, for Nelson had slowed down the boat's speed to eight miles. He began to wish that he hadn't gone so far. To be sure, the _Vagabond_ was the stanchest sort of a craft, and the weather was of the calmest; also there were no dangerous rocks nor bars between them and the harbor. But it was awfully dark and rather cold, and there was a whole lot of water around them. For a moment he wished that he had kept company with the racers until the Cape was reached; then he could have put in to Provincetown. But after a moment, when the odor of Tom's coffee stole up on deck, the qualm of uneasiness pa.s.sed. He took his place beside Bob, who, at the wheel, was staring intently ahead into the night.

"Can't see much, can you?" asked Bob. "I suppose most of the sailing craft carry lights, don't they?"

"All of them," answered Nelson. "Keep on; you're all right. There isn't a rock between here and Minot's Ledge. Let me take the wheel awhile; you go down and get something warmer on."

"I guess I will; I hadn't realized that it was so cold."

Bob had just reached the lowest step, when he turned and thrust his head out again with a shout to Nelson. But Nelson had already called Dan to take the wheel, and was hurrying down. The engine had stopped!

CHAPTER VII-IN WHICH NELSON DISCOVERS A STOWAWAY

For a moment the silence was startling. For an hour and a half the hum and whir of the busy engine had filled the boat until it had long since grown unnoticeable. And now to have it suddenly cease without warning seemed a veritable catastrophe. The silence which ensued while Nelson went anxiously over the motor seemed unnatural and fraught with disaster. On the stove, Tom's viands stood forgotten while the _chef_ watched with worried countenance the captain's efforts to locate the trouble. Bob stood silently by and Dan peered down from the hatch, for there was no use in holding the wheel. The _Vagabond_ drifted silently, rolling a little from side to side as the swells took her.

Finally Nelson stood up and scowled impatiently.

"I can't see where the trouble is. The spark's all right, she doesn't seem hot, and the gasoline c.o.c.k is wide open. The only thing--"

He seized a wrench and began to unfasten the vaporizer.

"This thing may possibly be stopped up," he muttered.

He cleaned it out, turned the gasoline on again, and whistled.

"What is it?" asked Bob.

"She doesn't get any gasoline," said Nelson thoughtfully. "It surely hasn't been shut off at the tank! No one has been trying any fool tricks like that, have they?"

There was a prompt and sober denial from each.

"Then," said Nelson, "either the supply pipe is stopped up or the tank's empty, and I don't see how either is possible. Bring that light, Bob, will you? I'm going to measure."

A moment later, when the measuring stick had been pulled out of the tank for the third time, perfectly dry, Nelson gave in.

"That's it," he said quietly. "The tank's as dry as punk."

"But I thought we had something like ninety gallons aboard," said Bob.

"So did I. Either there's a big leak in the tank or else they only gave us about ten gallons at the wharf. I wasn't looking. Did anyone notice how much gasoline was put in?"

"Why, it couldn't have been much," answered Dan. "The young fellow that was doing it was only at it three or four minutes."

"That's it, then," said Nelson. "It couldn't be a leak. If it was, we'd smell it easily. Well, we can't run the engine without gasoline. I ought to have seen to the filling of the tank, I suppose; but you'd think they could be trusted to do that, wouldn't you? They'll hear about it, all right!"

"Wh-wh-what are we gu-going to do?" asked Tom.

"Well, there are three things we can do," was the answer. "We can get into the tender and tow the launch, for one thing. But we're a good ten or eleven miles from the harbor, and that's an all-night job. Or we can let her drift as long as she keeps near the sh.o.r.e. Or we can drop her anchor and ride here until morning."

"Let's do that," said Dan. "It-it's perfectly safe, isn't it?"

"Yes, safe as you like while this sort of weather lasts. Only I don't know for certain whether we've got cable enough to the anchor. It depends on how much water there is here."

"Well, we can soon find out," said Bob cheerfully. "Come on and let's get it over."

There was an anxious moment or two following the splash of the anchor, and while the cable paid out into the dark water.

"How's she coming?" asked Nelson.

"Plenty left yet," answered Dan.

"All right!" called Nelson. "Make her fast. It isn't nearly as deep as I feared it would be."

The _Vagabond_ swung her nose seaward and tugged at the cable, but the anchor held fast. Nelson and Bob examined the lanterns carefully, took in the flags, which had been forgotten, and came back to the c.o.c.kpit.

Barry, who seemed to scent trouble, followed Dan's heels at every step.

"If the weather stays like this," observed Dan, "we'll do pretty well."

"Yes, and I don't see any sign of a change," answered Nelson.

"Barometer's behaving well and the wind's clean from the west. All we've got to do now is to have our dinner, turn in, and sleep until morning.

But we've got to keep watch on deck. I'll take it for two hours and then you fellows can take it for two each. That'll bring us to daylight. Then we'll have to find some one to give us a tow. How about dinner, Tommy?"

"I'm afraid it's all cooked away," said Tommy sadly.

But it wasn't, and Bob, Dan, and Tom sat down to the table and ate hungrily, while Nelson kept watch above, putting his head in the doorway now and then to beg some one to keep an eye on Tommy. The coffee was hot and Tom had not forgotten to "put the coffee in," and before the repast was half finished everyone's spirits had risen to normal once more. The catastrophe began to take on the guise of an interesting adventure, and the prospect of keeping watch on deck was quite exciting. Presently Dan relieved Nelson, and the latter took his place at table.

It was decided that the first watch should commence at nine o'clock, with Nelson on duty; that Tom should relieve him at eleven, and be followed by Bob and Dan in order. But when nine came, those who were off duty refused to go to bed in spite of Nelson's protests. Instead, they wrapped themselves up and snuggled down in the c.o.c.kpit out of the wind, which seemed to be freshening gradually and was quite chill, and talked and stared up at the stars or across the black void to where Minot's flashed its signal. Once lights, a white and a green, pa.s.sed them to the eastward, but there was no telling how far distant the craft was, and Nelson decided that it would be a waste of breath to try and make those on board of her hear. The novelty of the situation added its spice of enjoyment, and it was long after ten when Tom announced sleepily that he was going to turn in.