"here comes the dart," announced jack, as a hoarse whistle sounded down the river. the anchor had, by this time, been lifted into the boat and they had started to row toward the shore. "she has a whistle like an ocean liner."
"you want to look out for the swell," warned pepper, "she kicks up a bigger swell than any other boat on the river."
"as big as the hudson or fulton?" asked donald. "why, they are half a dozen times as big as she is."
"she isn't one-eighth their size," replied jack, "but she has got more power, for her size, than any of them. she has three smokestacks like the fulton. just see her come!"
the dart, a long, low, white yacht, was coming up the river at full speed, the water curling away from her bow in a miniature cascade, the powerful engines driving her through the water with the speed of an express train.
"gee!" cried pepper, "look at her come. say, she'd make fulton with the clermont think he was traveling backward if he was here. she is sure some boat."
"who owns her?" asked donald.
"she belongs to mr. whilden," replied jack. "he is president of the dart motor-cycle company, you know."
"gee!" cried pepper, "i wish he was my uncle, or something."
"what for, pepper?" queried rand. "want him to invite you to go yachting?"
"that wouldn't be bad," affirmed pepper, "and maybe if he liked my looks he might take a fancy to me and give me a cycle. say, fellows, wouldn't it be great if we all had motor-cycles!"
"in my opinion," interjected donald, "'tis just a waste of time wishing for what ye'll no get."
"oh, there is no harm in wishing," returned pepper. "you might just as well wish for a big thing as a little one."
"just look at the wave following her," interrupted jack. "it must be more than five feet higher than the level of the river. we will have to keep head on if we don't want to be swamped."
"see that canoe over there," broke in pepper, and pointing to another boat. "they will be in trouble pretty soon if they don't watch out."
"where away?" asked rand.
"over there by the other shore," replied pepper. "they will turn turtle sure, if that wave catches them sideways."
the boys were resting on their oars, watching the rapidly-approaching boat.
"maybe we had better row over that way," suggested donald. "there are a couple of girls in the canoe and they may need some help."
"that chap is all right," concluded rand, after he had watched the canoe for a little while. "he knows how to handle it. he is doing fine. see, he is just touching the water with his paddle, so as to keep it head-on. maybe he thinks we will need some help."
nevertheless, the boys kept on a course that would bring them near enough to the canoe to aid its occupants if they should need it.
"now look at that!" cried donald suddenly, when the boys were a hundred yards from the canoe. "did you ever see such a fool trick as that? just when he was coming out all right, too. pull for ail you are worth, boys!"
even as he spoke the boys had gripped their oars and sent their boat at racing speed for the canoe.
what had called forth donald's exclamation was, that just as the dart was passing the canoe one of the girls, who was seated in the stern, had suddenly risen to her feet to wave her handkerchief at some one on the yacht. as she stood up the swell from the yacht caught the light craft, rolling it from side to side, and the girl losing her balance pitched headlong over the side of the boat, capsizing it. in a moment they were all struggling in the river. as the canoe went over the man caught the girl nearest to him and helped her to the boat and then turned to aid the other girl, but she had disappeared.
"nellie!" he called, striking out in the direction he had last seen her. "nellie, nellie! where are you?"
by this time the boys had reached the scene of the upset.
"keep up your courage," shouted rand, "we'll pick you up!"
"never mind me!" called the young man as they came near. "see if you can't save my sister. she doesn't know how to swim."
"all right," called rand, "we'll find her."
"where has she gone?" asked donald.
"i don't see anything of her," said rand, who was standing in the bow of the boat intently watching for any sign of the girl. "yes, there she is." a pale face had appeared for a moment on the surface. "straight ahead, boys!"
as the boat came to the spot where he had seen her rand made a long dive overboard, coming up a moment later with the inanimate body of the girl. he was joined almost immediately by donald, who had followed him overboard, and so aided him in supporting her until pepper and jack had reached them with the boat.
it required no little effort on the part of the boys to get the helpless girl into the boat, but it was finally done, and they rowed back to the assistance of the others. the other girl was helped from the overturned canoe, to which she was clinging, into their boat which was now loaded to its full capacity.
"never mind me," called the man, who was about twenty-two or three years old, "i can hold on behind until we get ashore!"
"is she alive?" asked the other girl, as she was helped into the boat, looking fearfully at the girl lying in the stern. "very much so," answered pepper, who had been feeling her pulse. "the first thing to do is to get some of the water out of her lungs, if there is any there. hold her with her head down. that's all right! now, then, let's get ashore as fast as we can."
as the canoe had overturned the captain of the dart, who was in the pilot house, seeing the accident, had rung for slow speed and, putting the yacht about, hurried back to the place. but, except for the fortunate presence of the boys, it is doubtful if he would have arrived in time to be of any assistance.
"can we help you in any way?" called mr. whilden, the owner of the yacht, who was standing at the gangway as it ran down close to the boat. "i was afraid we wouldn't get here in time."
"there is an unconscious girl here that would be better on your boat," replied rand.
"all right," responded mr. whilden, "we'll take her on board. can you come alongside?" this end was shortly accomplished, then, lifting the girl up in their arms, donald and rand passed her to mr. whilden and the captain.
"have you a doctor on board?" called pepper. "she needs attention right away."
"yes," responded a gentleman who was standing by. "i am a physician, i will take care of her."
at this moment there was a scream from a lady on the yacht as she caught sight of the girl. "why it is nellie! she is dead!" she cried, and would have fallen to the deck if she had not been caught by mr. whilden.
"impossible!" he exclaimed. "how in the world could nellie get here?" adding a moment later as he looked more closely: "surely it is she. is there any hope for her, doctor?"
"of course there is," replied the physician. "she is coming around all right, thanks to these young men, who rescued her."
"and where are they?" asked mr. whilden. "i had almost forgotten them in the excitement," turning to the boys, who had come on board to learn as to the fate of the girl. shaking hands with them again and again, he explained: "she is my daughter. i hadn't any idea she was anywhere near, and i don't see how it happened yet. why, hello, frank!" addressing the young man who had been in the canoe, and who was now wringing the water from his clothes. "what in the world were you doing here?"
"why, nellie and i," explained frank, agitatedly--he had not yet recovered from the shock of his experience--"came down to visit mabel, and we went out for a cruise on the river."
"but how did it happen?" interrupted mr. whilden, "i thought you knew how to handle a canoe."
"i thought i did, too," replied frank, "but nellie saw you on the deck and, forgetting where she was, attempted to stand up to wave her handkerchief to you, and, the next thing we knew we were all in the water."
"i can't thank you enough," began mr. whilden, again turning to the boys.
"not at all," protested rand, "we are very glad we were in time. come on, boys, it is time we were getting along."
"now," went on mr. whilden, "isn't there something i can do for you?"
"nothing, thank you," replied donald. "now that miss nellie is all right--i see that she is herself again--we will say good-by and go on."
"good-by, then, and good luck," said mr. whilden, "and if i can ever do anything for you, be sure and let me know."
"i want to thank you and to know you, too," added frank.
"all right," replied the boys as they pulled away from the yacht, "we shall be glad to see you anytime."
giving three blasts of her whistle as a farewell salute the dart resumed her course up the river,
"who were the boys?" asked mrs. whilden a little later. "i want to reward them."
"why i don't know," replied mr. whilden. "i clear forgot to get their names, after all."
"well, i mean to find out for my own account," said frank. "they are worth knowing."
