Four Afloat Part 32

"Tommy, you're a sybarite," said Bob, as he climbed onto the launch.

"I don't know what that is," grumbled Tom as he followed, "but if it's something that likes a decent bed I'm it."

They kept the fire going until bedtime and watched its flames leap and writhe in the purple darkness. Then the moon came up and dimmed the firelight and showed them the _Vagabond_ floating quietly at anchor a little way off. Tom looked toward it longingly.

"Wish I was there," he murmured. And, after a moment, "What's a sybilite, Dan?" he asked. Bob laughed.

"A 'sybilite,' Tommy," he said, "is a person who'd rather sleep on a launch than on the ground."

"That's me," sighed Tom. "I thought, though, it was a fellow who told fortunes, or something like that."

"Oh, no," said Dan, "that's a gypsyite."

"Hope you choke," muttered Tom. "I'm going to bed, although I don't suppose I'll be able to sleep any."

"Only about twelve hours," jeered Dan.

When they awoke in the morning it was to a gray, wet world. A fine mist was falling, everything outside the improvised tent was sopping and the other side of the river was shut from view.

"There's no use trying to make a fire with this wood," yawned Bob. "I vote we go on board."

Dan and Nelson agreed. Tom was silent, for after one disgusted look at the outside world he had turned over and promptly gone to sleep again.

"Let's leave him," whispered Dan.

"But we need the awning," Nelson demurred. Dan chuckled.

"Sure, and we'll take it. He'll never wake up."

So very quietly they gathered the things together and bore them to the landing. Two trips of the tender were sufficient, and on the second one they took the awning. Back at the edge of the woods, with the mist falling gently on his upturned face, slept Tom.

Barry seemed to appreciate the change of quarters as much as anyone and was soon curled up in a corner of Bob's bunk. The dampness had got into their bones and all were stiff and full of queer little aches when they stretched their muscles.

"What we need," said Nelson, "is some hot coffee and lots of it."

"And right away quick," added Dan.

So Bob got busy at the stove while the others put the awning back over the c.o.c.kpit. While they were doing it they cast many amused glances across at the sh.o.r.e where Tom still slumbered under his gray blanket.

"I tell you what," said Dan presently. "Let's go on down the river around that point. Then when Tom wakes up he'll think we've gone off without him. What do you say?"

Nelson laughed and agreed. So they pulled up the anchor, started the engine, and went slowly downstream until a point of woods hid them from the cove. Here they let down the anchor again and had breakfast. They were intensely hungry and spent the better part of half an hour at table.

"We'll keep something hot for Tommy," said Bob. "I'd just like to see his face when he wakes up and finds us gone!"

"So would I!" said Dan with a chuckle. "Poor old Tommy! Won't he be fine and damp?"

"Don't suppose he will catch cold and have rheumatism, do you?" asked Nelson doubtfully.

"Tommy? Catch anything? He'd never move fast enough," laughed Dan. "I wonder what he will do, though, when he finds the launch gone."

"Hope he doesn't go hunting upstream instead of down," said Nelson.

"Thunder! That would be awkward," said Dan. "I say, maybe we'd better go back, eh? He ought to be awake by this time, and looking for us. And if he gets it into his silly head that we've gone up the river instead of down--!"

"I don't believe he's awake yet," said Bob. "If he was we'd have heard him yelling for us."

"I don't know about that," answered Nelson. "We must have come a good third of a mile downstream."

"Anyway," insisted Dan uneasily, "I think we'd ought to go back."

"All right," said Nelson. "Come on and we'll hoist anchor. It seems to me we don't do anything else nowadays; I'm getting a crick in my back over it."

They went across the engine room and stepped out into the c.o.c.kpit. Then they stared about them in surprise. There was nothing to be seen. The fog had crept up since they had gone below and was now stealing silently past them, blown landward before a tiny southeast breeze. Nelson and Dan looked at each other inquiringly.

"Isn't this the d.i.c.kens?" asked Dan.

"It surely is," was the reply. "O Bob! Come out here!"

Bob appeared. After a moment of surprise he asked:

"Where's the sh.o.r.e?" Nelson pointed off to starboard.

"Sure?" asked Bob.

"Yes, pretty certain. The tide's still running in and so we can't have swung around."

"Hang these old fogs, anyhow!" growled Dan. "What are we going to do now?"

"Go back for Tommy," answered Nelson. Bob looked doubtful.

"Can we do it?" he asked. "Aren't you afraid of running into something?"

"No, I guess not. We'll keep the whistle going, you can take the wheel, I'll stand at the engine, and Dan can keep a lookout from the bow. We don't draw much water and there weren't any shallows as far as I could see coming down here. Besides, we ought to be able to see the sh.o.r.e at least ten feet away. If Dan keeps a good lookout and yells quickly, and you pa.s.s the word on down to me we'll manage all right, I guess. Let's get the mud-hook up."

That done, Bob took the wheel, Dan perched himself in the bow, and Nelson started the engine at the slowest speed. The _Vagabond_, with a shrill screech from her whistle that so surprised Dan that he nearly tumbled off the bow, pushed the fog aside and crept through the silence.

All went well for a moment. Then came a quick warning from Dan.

"Back her!" he yelled. "Land dead ahead!"

"Back her!" called Bob, swirling the wheel around. There was a sudden commotion under the launch's stern as the propeller was reversed and, at the same instant, a tiny jar as her bow settled on to the sandy bottom.

Dan ran back and seized the boat hook.

"Tell Nel to keep her backing," he called, "and I'll see if I can't shove her off."

But it was a five minutes' task, and had not the tide been coming in instead of running out it is likely that the _Vagabond_ would have stayed where she was for a good twelve hours. But finally her bow was free once more and Dan shoved and panted over the boat hook until the launch was headed away and the dim line of sh.o.r.e was gone from sight again.

"All right now," he called, and Nelson again threw the clutch forward.