Cheer Boys Cheer: The Boys' Journal, No. 62 — page 15: what you’re looking at

Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.

36 PAGES. EVERY. TUESDAY. - ONE PENNY. ve) remembered. Both he and Silver had slept the deep sleep of utter physical exhaustion, and it was scarcely sur- prising that all Bob’s faculties did not return to him simultaneously with the return of consciousness. The pair had sunk to sleep beside each other, not even the crash and hubbub of the storm contriving to keep them awake. They had eaten the food provided for them, and Bob remembered that they had discussed their predicament in the drifting boat; and then Tony had fallen fast asleep, stretched on the deck. The recollection stirred Bob, and he sat up, rubbing his eyes. To his astonishment the floor of the cabin was covered an inch deep in water, icy cold, that swirled lazily from side to side. It was the water that had chilled him, and he scrambled to his feet, and looked out through the tiny square of glass. The storm had passed and the sun shone brightly. The ecel-boat had grounded upon a little spit of mud and sand, and, for as far as his-eyes could see, there stretched a sheet of water, broken here and there with rush-grown islets, and backed in the distance, to his left, by the hilly ground of the shore. To his right, the water spread broad to the open sea. Bob realised as he saw it that they had touched on the spit in the nick of time. Driven by the gale and the tide, had they missed it nothing could have saved them from being carried out fq sea in the midst of the storm! It was with something like a prayer of thankfulness that he bent and woke Tony. In a few words he told the sailor how they lay, and Tony sprang up and peered long and earnestly out of the window. Sud- denly a sharp ejaculation broke from him. “Odd!” he exclaimed, staring “sea- ward. “See here, Bob. The tide’s ebbing again; that means that while we've been sleeping the tide’s been up and down again. Yet here we are, still aground.” “You mean we should have floated off at high water?’ said Bob wonderingly. “Sure! We came down with the last of the ebb.. We grounded on this spit, praised be Providence for it! Well, now, why didn’t we float off again at high tide and get swept out to sea?” Bob shook his head. He had not the seaman’s training which had already set Silver’s quick brain to. work to unravel this simple phenomenon. He _ stepped back, shivering as the icy chill of his wet clothing struck through to his bones. The movement answered Tony’s question. “By gum?” cried the sailor, bring- ing his hand down upon the sill of the little window. ‘“That’s it, Bob! The water! Why, lad, look at our clothes! We've been lying in it all night; we're wet almost all over. The craft’s sprung a leak!” “Well?” said Bob doubtfully. f Well! Can't you see? Look down at the deck. See, there!. The water’s been up in the night to about six inches deep. You can see the marks. What is it now? A bare inch. That means that it’s drained away with the fall of the tide. That’s why we didn’t float off. As the tide rose, so the water rose and kept her fast. Bob Manley, there’s a sort of Providence watchin’ us! Tf we hadn’t struck this yer spit we'd be dead meat at this moment at the bottom o’ the creek! We'd have sunk like a stone, boy!” Tony Silver spoke the last words with quiet solemnity, and as Bob looked into his eyes and realised the truth he felt a thrill of horror run through him at their peril. How near they had been to death while they slept! They had been saved as by a miracle. Tony took another through the window. “Yes,” he said grimly; “ but for this touch we’d ha’ bin swept clean out to sea! It was the gale started the leak, I guess, or else made it worse.” “Do they know, d’you think?’ asked Bob, as a thought struck him. Tony turned sharply. This aspect of their case had not occurred to him. But now his eyes lit up with sudden excitement. “Do they know?’ he cried. “By jimminy! I wonder? See here, it’s as like as not they’re searching for us over the marshes now.” “Tt’s afterncon—must be past three o’clock, Tony. Surely they would have found us by now! A thing like this boat must be visible for miles on the marsh !”’ “Ay, lad, you’re right there,” said Tony, drawing his brows down into a perplexed frown. “That's odd, too. That blackguard would be watching last night. He must have seen us break adrift, too.” “He wouldn’t see much in the storm, remember. The lightning long look | NEW Circus Story By H. Escott Inman, a magnificent holiday cartoon, long instalments of five thrilling serials, nine complete stories, dozens of amusing holiday anecdotes contributed by readers, and § other good things too numerous to mention will be found in TO-DAY’S Boys’ Friend 2d. Summer Double Number 2d. would show us to him one minute, the next we would be gone.” “By gum, that’s it! Don’t you see Bob? The blackguard saw we were gone—broken adrift, and let us go, the skunk! He knew we'd be swept out to sea, and it’s my belief he knew the old tub was leaking. Oh, gee-hokey! And they’re pattin’ themselves on the back at this mo- ment, thinkin’ we're down wi’ Davy Jones, drowned and done for. By _gum, won’t we surprise em!” " Tony chuckled grimly. He might or might not be right in his surmise. At any rate, the absence of any sigz of a search seemed to show that their enemies regarded them as dead. Bob shuddered as he realised the meaning of Tony’s quick deductions. “But would they dare to let us rown under their eyes?”’ he said. Dare!’ Tony turned upon him with a flash of anger. “ Boy, they’l! dare anything! See here, look what they did to me the other night, te make me talk, the blackguards!” _ He ripped down his shirt, and, turning, exposed his back to Bob as he spoke. Bob saw a great livid weal stretching across the shoulder blades, and a cry of horror broke from him. “Ay, lad,” said Tony. “ Him they call Budd—’twas he that did it, with the iron bar. Wait till I get my fingers on him! Dare! What won't they dare? But we'll win yet! Lend a hand here.” He pulled on his shirt again, anc crossed the cabin quickly, Bob fol- lowing, his heart swelling with sym- pathy and anger at his friend’s crue! suffering. Tony dropped upon his knees on the deck, searching for some crack or cranny between the rotten planks. At last he got his fingers through, and tugged at a board, wincing as the weal upon his shoulders throbbed with the exertion. Bob was quick to help him. Theiz long sleep had given them both re- newed strength, and, as they pulled and tugged, suddenly the plank gave with a crack, and splintered cross- ways. Tony plunged his hand into the gap, and Bob watched him, mystified. Tony saw the expression and laughed. His quick brain had been working: even while they discussed their position, and resource had noi failed him. “Tt’s the ballast I’m after, lad,” he said simply. “If it’s only shingle, we're done; but if it’s pig-iron—— AY A cry of triumph broke from him, and the next instant he had hauled up a rough iron bar, some ten inches long and three thick, weighing per- haps four-and-twenty pounds. “Pig!” cried Tony. ‘I guessed it. She’s been a well-found craft in her time, I could see. No doubt they bought her for a mere song, pig- ballast and all. Here’s another for you, boy! Now for those bolts and the lock!’ He sprang to his feet, passing Bob a second pig of iron, and the == im nn (Ao) (> aw’ @ Va a COMIEIVOO >) ™~ ONO KRS) oS (AI?) (0) m a