The Putnam Hall Champions. Stratemeyer Edward

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СКАЧАТЬ Putnam Hall cadets were greatly alarmed, and with good reason. They had no desire to see any of their rivals drowned, and they felt it was more than likely one or another had gone overboard. Indeed, as they looked back, they saw one youth struggling in the water near the toppled-over mast, while another was trailing behind, clutching some broken cordage. The third lad was nowhere to be seen.

      “What shall we do?” yelled Paul, to make himself heard above the wind.

      “I’ll try to bring the sloop around,” answered Jack. “Stand ready to throw them some ropes and those life-preservers.”

      As well as the squall would permit, the young major sent the Alice around. Even with only the jib set this was a dangerous operation, and he would not have undertaken it had he not thought it a case of life or death. As the sloop came broadside to the squall a wave struck her and broke over the deck. The full force of this landed on Pepper, carrying him off his feet in a twinkling. As he slid around Paul made a clutch for him and held fast.

      “Goo – good for you, Stuffer!” gasped Pepper, when he could speak. “Say, but that was something awful!” And he took a better hold than before.

      “I am afraid some of those fellows will go down before we can reach them,” answered Paul. “My, what a blow this is! And it looked to be a perfect afternoon when we started out!”

      The sloop boasted of two life-preservers, with lines attached, and as well as they were able the cadets got these in readiness for use. In the meanwhile Jack, having brought the craft up in the wind, was now “jockeying” to get close to the overturned craft without crashing into the wreck or running anybody down. This was a delicate task, and would have been practically impossible had not the breeze just then died down a little.

      “Save us! Save us!” came from the water, as the Alice drew closer.

      “We’ll do it!” yelled back the boys from Putnam Hall.

      “Here, catch the life-preserver!” called out Paul, and flung the preserver in question toward Bat Sedley, who was floundering around near the half-submerged mast. The Pornell Academy lad saw it coming and made a dive for it, catching it with one hand. Pepper threw the second life-preserver to Fred Century, who was trying to pull himself toward his wrecked craft by some loose ropes.

      “Where is the third boy?” was asked, but for the moment nobody could answer that question. Bat Sedley had seen him hanging fast to some ropes as the Ajax went over, but had not seen him since.

      “He must have gone down – ” began Pepper, when Jack set up a shout.

      “There he is, under the edge of that sail,” and he pointed to where the broad mainsail of the Ajax rose and fell on the waves. True enough, Will Carey was there, one arm and one leg caught fast in the sheeting and some ropes. He had been struggling, but now he fell back and went under, out of sight.

      “We have got to save him!” cried Jack. “Here, Pepper, take the tiller.”

      “What are you going to do?”

      “Go overboard after him.”

      As he spoke the youthful owner of the Alice pulled off his cadet coat and cap. The next instant he was at the side of the sloop. He poised himself for a dive, and then cut the water like a knife and disappeared from view.

      CHAPTER III

      ABOUT A GYMNASTIC CONTEST

      Major Jack Ruddy was a good swimmer, and felt perfectly at home in the water. He did not go down deep, but he made a long “fetch,” and when he came up he was close beside Will Carey. He caught that youth by the arm and dragged him clear of the sail.

      “Sa – save m – me!” sputtered the Pornell Academy youth, after blowing some water from his mouth.

      “I will,” answered Jack. “But keep quiet.”

      “M – my foot is – is fast!”

      “So I see.”

      A piece of rope had become entwined around Will Carey’s ankle. It was caught in a loop and it was no easy thing to loosen it. The Pornell Academy lad thrashed around wildly and tried to get Jack by the throat.

      “Don’t do that!” cried the young major. “Hold on easy-like.” But like many others in danger of drowning Will Carey now grew frantic, and scarcely realizing his actions he caught Jack by the neck and clung so fast that the young major was in danger of being choked to death.

      The wind had now veered around, sending the Alice some distance away from the Ajax, so that Pepper and the others could offer no assistance. Such being the case, and realizing the seriousness of his position, Jack did what appeared to be cruel, but was fully justified. As well as he could he hauled back with his fist and struck the other boy in the chin. It was a stiff, hard blow and it dazed Will Carey and rendered him all but insensible. At once his hold on Jack relaxed, and he lay like a log in the young major’s arm.

      With his free hand Jack worked with all possible haste on the rope which held the other boy a prisoner and soon managed to loosen the loop and slip Will’s foot through it. Then, with the Pornell Academy lad on his shoulder, he swam away from the capsized sloop.

      “Jack! Jack!” came the call above the wind, and turning slightly he saw the Alice coming toward him. A line with one of the life-preservers attached was flung to him and he grasped it. Then he was hauled up to the stern of the sloop and finally dragged on board, with Will still in his grasp. The sufferer was just opening his eyes again.

      “Don – don’t hi – hit me ag – again!” he gasped. “Please do – don’t!”

      “You’re all right now,” answered Jack. He was so exhausted he could scarcely speak.

      “Oh!” gasped Will Carey, and that was all he said for several minutes. Jack placed him on a seat and sank down beside him. All of the other lads but Pepper, who was at the tiller, surrounded the pair.

      “It was a brave thing to do, Jack,” was Dale’s comment.

      “What did you hit him for?” demanded Bat Sedley, who had seen the blow from a distance. “It was a mean thing to do when he was struggling for his life.”

      “I had to do it – he had me by the throat. If I had not done it both of us might have been drowned.”

      “Humph! I never heard of hitting a drowning person,” sneered Bat.

      “I have heard of such a thing,” put in Fred Century. “I think you deserve a good deal of credit for what you did,” he added, with a warm look at the young major.

      “I reckon he could have saved Will without trying to break his jaw,” grumbled Bat Sedley, and then turned his attention to the youth Jack had rescued. Clearly he was not one to give his rival any credit.

      By this time the squall – for it was little else – was going down. The whitecaps still ruffled the bosom of Cayuga Lake, but the wind had dwindled to a gentle breeze, just enough to fill the sails of the Alice and no more.

      “Are you all right, Jack?” questioned Paul.

      “Yes,” was the reply. “I’d feel a little better with a dry uniform on, but that can’t be helped.”

      “I СКАЧАТЬ