The Putnam Hall Champions; or, Bound to Win Out Page 4

  CHAPTER III ABOUT A GYMNASTIC CONTEST

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

  "Sa--save m--me!" sputtered the Pornell Academy youth, after blowing somewater 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 wascaught in a loop and it was no easy thing to loosen it. The PornellAcademy 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 likemany others in danger of drowning Will Carey now grew frantic, andscarcely realizing his actions he caught Jack by the neck and clung sofast that the young major was in danger of being choked to death.

  The wind had now veered around, sending the _Alice_ some distance awayfrom the _Ajax_, so that Pepper and the others could offer noassistance. Such being the case, and realizing the seriousness of hisposition, 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 otherboy in the chin. It was a stiff, hard blow and it dazed Will Carey andrendered him all but insensible. At once his hold on Jack relaxed, andhe lay like a log in the young major's arm.

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

  "Jack! Jack!" came the call above the wind, and turning slightly he sawthe _Alice_ coming toward him. A line with one of the life-preserversattached was flung to him and he grasped it. Then he was hauled up tothe stern of the sloop and finally dragged on board, with Will still inhis 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 couldscarcely 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 otherlads 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 blowfrom a distance. "It was a mean thing to do when he was struggling forhis life."

  "I had to do it--he had me by the throat. If I had not done it both of usmight 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 youdeserve a good deal of credit for what you did," he added, with a warmlook 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 hadrescued. Clearly he was not one to give his rival any credit.

  By this time the squall--for it was little else--was going down. Thewhitecaps still ruffled the bosom of Cayuga Lake, but the wind haddwindled 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 think I'd feel better myself with dry clothing," came from FredCentury, with a weak smile. He gazed anxiously at his capsized craft. "Imust say, I don't know what to do with my boat."

  "You certainly can't right her out here," said Pepper.

  "I know that."

  "All we can do is to tow her in as she is," continued Jack. "We'll dothat willingly; eh, fellows?"

  "Sure," came the prompt answer.

  "If you'll do that I'll be much obliged. Our race didn't turn out justas I anticipated," went on Fred.

  "You kept your sails up too long," said Pepper.

  "I know that--now. But I thought the _Ajax_ would stand the blow until Ireached the Cove. How are you, Will?" he continued, turning to the boywho had come so close to drowning.

  Will Carey had little to say. He mumbled in a low tone and looked ratherdarkly at Jack.

  "He is angry because you hit him," whispered Paul to Jack.

  "I can't help it if he is, Stuffer," was the answer. "I simply had to dosomething or go down with him."

  "I know it, and he ought to be thankful he was saved. But some fellowsdon't know what gratitude is."

  Not without considerable difficulty a line was made fast to the bow ofthe capsized sloop and the task of towing the _Ajax_ was begun.

  "If we had time I think we could right that craft," observed Pepper.

  "How?" demanded Bat Sedley.

  "By taking her over to yonder point, where the tall trees overhang thewater. We could run a rope up over a tall tree limb and then fasten itto the mast of the _Ajax_. By pulling on the end of the rope I thinkwe'd bring her up."

  "Yes--and sink her, too."

  "Not if we watched out and kept bailing as she righted."

  "I'd like to try that," said Fred Century. "If you'll take us over tothe point and lend us some ropes I'll do it," he added, after turningthe project over in his mind.

  "Certainly I'll take you over," answered Jack. "And we'll help all wecan. But we've got to get back to Putnam Hall by six o'clock, you know."

  "Say!" ejaculated Will Carey, leaping to his feet with great suddenness."Did anybody see my box?"

  "Box? What box?" asked several.

  "The little blue, tin box I was carrying in my coat-pocket."

  "I am sure I haven't seen any blue box," answered Pepper, and lookedaround the standing-room of the _Alice_.

  "What did you have in it, Will?" asked Fred Century.

  "Why--I--er--oh, not much, but I didn't want to lose the box, that's all,"stammered the youth who had come close to drowning.

  "Did you have it in your pocket when you went overboard?" questioned theyoung major.

  "Yes, and I had my hand on it, too," was the reply. "I suppose it's atthe bottom of the lake now," added Will Carey. His face showed a look ofpositive worry. "How deep is it where the _Ajax_ went over?"

  "Must be ten or twelve feet at least," answered Dale.

  "Did you think you might go fishing for it?" questioned Fred.

  "Yes--but not now." And that was all Will Carey said about the blue, tinbox. But that he was very much worried was plainly evident. And he hadgood cause to worry, as we shall learn later.

  The point of land mentioned having been gained, the _Ajax_ was towedaround as Fred Century desired, and then the young owner was loaned anumber of ropes and a pail for bailing.

  "If I can't right her I'll tie her fast and send some boat builder afterher," he announced. "I am much obliged for what you've done. Some dayI'll race you again."

  "Willingly!" cried Jack.

  "I still think the _Ajax_ a better boat than the _Alice_."

  "She certainly isn't a bad boat," put in Pepper. "A real race to afinish will have to decide which is the better of the two."

  "Oh, we'll beat you out of your boots," said Bat Sedley. Will Carey saidnothing. He was still thinking about the loss of his blue, tin box.

  As it was getting late, the Putnam Hall cadets lost no time in steeringas straight a course as possible for the school dock. But the breeze wasagainst them, so they were not able to reach the dock until nearlyhalf-past six.

  "It's fortunate old Crabtree is away on business," was Pepper's comment."He'd be sure to haul us over the coals for being late, even if we didmeet with an accident."

  "Late again, eh?" cried a voice from the boathouse, and Peleg Snuggers,the general utility man around the Hall, stepped into view. "The captaindon't allow sech doin's, and you y
oung gents know it."

  "Couldn't be helped, Peleg," answered Pepper. "Blew so hard the windturned our sails inside out."

  "You don't tell me?" The hired man looked perplexed for a moment."Inside out? How could that be? I reckon you're joking. Oh, Major Jack,you're all wet!"

  "He wanted a swim and was too lazy to take off his clothes," put inDale.

  "The uniform will be ruined. Better take it off now."

  "Oh, Jack wants to go to bed in it," said Pepper, lightly. He loved totease Peleg.

  "Ha! ha! you must have your joke. I reckon he won't go to bed in no wetclothes, 'less he wants to git rheumatism an' lumbago, an' a few otherthings," answered Peleg Snuggers, and walked away.

  Without loss of time Jack slipped up to his dormitory and changed hiswet uniform for a dry suit. Then the wet clothing was sent to thelaundry to be dried and pressed. In the meantime the other lads hastenedto the mess-room for supper. There they told Captain Putnam of what hadoccurred.

  "You must be more careful in the future," said the master of the school."A squall is a nasty thing to be out in--I know that from personalexperience. I must see Major Ruddy and have a talk with him," and hehastened off to Jack's room. He could not help but praise the youngmajor for his heroism.

  It soon became noised about the Hall that the new sloop from PornellAcademy had met Jack's craft, and more of the cadets were interested inthe outcome of the race than they were in the rescue that had takenplace.

  "Of course it was a great thing to pull those chaps out of the water,"was Andy Snow's comment. "But I do wish you had beaten them by about amile, Pep."

  "Well, when the squall came we simply had to call it off--with the othersloop capsized."

  "Oh, I know that."

  "By the way, Andy," went on Pepper. "I understand that you have a littlecontest of your own coming off at the gym."

  "So I have," answered the acrobatic youth of Putnam Hall.

  "Who are you going to meet this time?"

  "Gus Coulter."

  "What, that bully! I thought you were done with Coulter, Ritter, andthat crowd."

  "I thought I was," said Andy. "But Coulter said I was afraid to meet himin a hand-walking and chinning-the-bar contest, and bragged to all theothers what he could do, so I had to take him up."

  "Is he so good at lifting his own weight?"

  "I don't know. Henry Lee told me he saw him chinning the bar ninetimes."

  "Well, I hope you can do better than that."

  "Perhaps I can. But we are to do some walking on our hands first," wenton Andy. "I'd rather do some stunts on the bars and rings--it is more inmy line," he added. "I wish he would challenge me to do the giant'sswing against him--then I'd feel sure I could beat him."