All Adrift Part 16

"You don't seem to be doing any thing, Dory," added Thad, as his body followed his head out at the door.

"Don't disturb me, please, but call the fellows. I want them in the standing-room, so as to trim the boat, and make her sail better,"

answered the skipper, as he went on with his calculation.

He had time to make only a mile before the steamer would be down upon him. He was about abreast of Stave Island now. Less than a mile south of it were two ledges, on which the water was not more than six feet deep.

Going to the southward, vessels must keep Juniper Light open to the westward of Colchester Reef Light, in order to avoid these reefs. There were no buoys on them, for they lay outside of any usual course of vessels bound up and down the lake.

The experience of the Missisquoi in getting aground the day before would render her pilot wary about following the Goldwing. The two reefs were half a mile apart; and the pursuer must either keep away from them, or run the risk of getting aground on one of them. The Goldwing could go over either of them in perfect safety, for she drew only three feet with her board up.

Dory was satisfied with his calculation, and he was reasonably confident that the Missisquoi would not get within a quarter of a mile of the Goldwing; but, if this expedient failed, he had another to which he intended to resort.

The other members of the club had come out into the standing-room, and seated themselves as they had been required to do the day before. They were all wide awake; but they had been cautioned by Thad not to disturb the skipper, and they were silent till he spoke to them.

"You have come to life again, fellows," said he when he had fully arranged his plan.

"So have you, Dory," replied Corny. "Thad said we were not to speak to you, or we should bust your calculations. We all thought you had the blues."

"I suppose you know the steamer that is following the Goldwing," replied Dory. "It is the Missisquoi, and she is after us again to-day. I have been thinking how we should keep out of her way."

"How are you going to do it?" asked Corny. "We may enjoy the fun if we know something about it."

The skipper explained his plan in full, and his companions were quite interested in it. There was no chance for a race while only a four-knot breeze favored the Goldwing. With a good stiff breeze the skipper believed he could beat the steamer; but, in the absence of such a wind, he must resort to strategy. But strategy was quite as exciting to his companions as a race. It afforded the opportunity for one craft to come out better than the other.

The wind was sensibly freshening, but the Goldwing did not need any more wind just then. She was almost up with Stave Island Ledge, and her skipper was disposed to wait and see what his pursuer would do. As he approached the dangerous reef,--dangerous to any craft drawing more than five feet,--he started his sheets, and stood to the eastward of the rocks.

The Missisquoi was within an eighth of a mile of the Goldwing, and the skipper saw that Captain Vesey was at the wheel. He seemed to know about the reef, and sheered off. Probably he had discovered by this time that Pearl Hawlinshed knew even less than he did about the difficulties of navigation in Lake Champlain.

CHAPTER XV.

THE STRATEGY OF THE CHASE.

Dory Dornwood had accomplished all that he intended by his plan. The pilot of the Missisquoi would not dare to cross the ledges, and it would be necessary for her to go nearly a mile to the southward to get around them. Dory calculated that his manoeuvre had given him two miles the start of the steamer.

Captain Vesey and Pearl Hawlinshed seemed to be holding a consultation.

Dory imagined that Pearl was trying to persuade the captain to venture in among the rocks. If so, he was not successful; for the Missisquoi did not come any nearer to the ledge.

"What is she going to do next, Dory?" asked Corny Minkfield, while the boys were waiting for the next move of the steamer.

"That's more than I know," replied Dory, chuckling at the success of his plan. "I think Captain Vesey had enough of getting aground yesterday, and he don't want to spend the day laid up on one of these ledges. I believe the steamer would go over Champion Rock all right; but her captain is shy, and I don't think he will come any nearer than he is now."

Dory had headed the Goldwing to the east. As he had predicted, the wind was increasing, and the schooner carried quite a bone in her teeth. It looked a little like a game of chess, where each player has to wait a long time for the other to make his move. The captain and his pa.s.senger appeared to be still engaged in the discussion in the bow of the boat.

Dory thought he could quicken their movements; and, hauling in his sheets, he stood to the south.

"There she goes!" exclaimed Thad, as the steamer started her propeller again.

"I think we can keep her moving," replied Dory. "She will go to the southward as fast as we do, to head us off. We can play this game as long as she can."

"But who wants to stay here all day fooling with that steamer?" said Corny.

"I don't know that we have any thing better to do," added d.i.c.k Short.

"We have got enough to eat to last us all day."

"I think we shall have some variety in this thing. Captain Vesey has to deliver the Missisquoi to her new owner to-night, and he can't stay here much after noon," replied Dory.

In fifteen minutes the steamer was well to the southward of Champion Rock, and began to turn to the eastward.

"She is coming around to pick us up on this side of the rocks," said Thad.

"That's all right, but she won't pick us up," answered Dory. "I am afraid it will get very monotonous before she overhauls us by her present tactics."

Dory put the boat about, and stood to the north. He continued on this tack until the Missisquoi was directly south of Stave Island, and of both ledges, which were in a line with the island. She had gone half a mile farther to the southward than was necessary to avoid Champion Rock; but her pilots were not well posted, and they seemed to be determined to keep on the safe side.

The skipper waited until the steamer was half a mile to the eastward of the ledges, and then he proceeded to beat across the dangerous ground.

He took a southerly tack first, so as to bother the pilot of the steamer as to his intentions. The Missisquoi kept on her course, and Pearl was evidently bothered.

The pursuer had not thought there could be any difficulty in capturing the owner of the Goldwing when he had a steamer to use in chasing her.

He had found out his mistake. The captain and engineer had not earned their five dollars apiece yet, for they had not put the pa.s.senger on board of the schooner. Doubtless they were continuing the chase for the purpose of obtaining their money, for the boys were satisfied that Captain Vesey had no other interest in the pursuit.

As the Missisquoi put her helm to starboard, in order to run to the north, Dory tacked the schooner, and stood off to the north-east. This course would carry him directly over Stave Island Ledge. The effect of this move was soon apparent, for the steamer stopped her screw again.

Her pilots could see that it was useless to go any farther on her present course. By the time she got a mile farther, the Goldwing would be on the other side of the ledges. Another discussion seemed to be in progress between the captain and the pa.s.senger. But it was not continued long; for the Missisquoi put about, and stood to the westward.

"She has got enough of that," said Thad. "I don't believe she will keep it up much longer."

"It is cool and comfortable here, and I think we can stand this sort of thing as long as she can," added Dory.

"Of course we can; but the game is ended, and the Missisquoi is going back to Plattsburgh," suggested Corny.

"The game is not ended yet," replied Dory: "in fact, it has but just begun."

"What's the reason it isn't ended?" demanded Corny, who did not like to have his conclusions disputed. "What is the steamer going off in that direction for, if there is to be any more fun?"

"Is that the way to Plattsburgh, Corny?" asked Dory quietly.

"She has gone off and left us, whether she is bound to Plattsburgh or not. If she means to catch us, why don't she stick to it?" continued Corny.

"She is sticking to it. The way to catch a pigeon is to put salt on his tail, you know," answered Dory, laughing. "She is beginning to play her game now. If she had gone to the north-west, instead of to the west, I might believe she had given it up; and I should be ready to head the Goldwing for Burlington as soon as I saw her to the eastward of Valcour's Island."

"What do you think she means to do, Dory?" asked Thad.

"I am very clear what she means to do. I wouldn't give anybody two cents to write it down for me," replied the skipper confidently. "She has gone to the west so that she can coax us out from these ledges. If she could get us away from these dangers, where she could chase us, she would soon be up with us."

"There are plenty of rocks and shoals south of us," suggested Thad.

"But there are buoys on them, and a hundred feet of water between them.

Very likely Captain Vesey knows his way among them. We can very soon see whether she has given up the chase or not," said Dory, as he put the boat about, and headed her to the south.