CHAPTER VIII

PLOTTING

With a turn of the steering wheel Bob sent the _Dartaway_ toward where the girls were making frantic efforts to reach their overturned craft.

“Slow down, Chunky!” called Jerry. “You stand by and Ned and I will get the girls. Watch out you don’t run us down. There, they’ve both sunk! We’ll have to dive for ’em!”

Jerry had followed Ned’s example in divesting himself of his heaviest clothing. The two boys stood on the gunwale of the motor boat, and, as the craft slowly circled to where the girls had disappeared, guided by Bob, Ned and Jerry leaped overboard.

As they sank beneath the surface Bob swung the _Dartaway_ in a half curve to avoid the possibility of striking the rescuers or the girls. He watched the surface of the water with anxious eyes as he made a big circle about the place.

Though it seemed several minutes it was only a few seconds before Jerry came up. In one arm he held the unconscious form of a girl, and he struck out for the _Dartaway_. Bob headed for him, taking care to steer so that he could come broadside on. A few seconds later Ned appeared, but he had not found the second girl.

“I can’t--find--her--” he gasped, blowing the water from his mouth. “I’m going--down--again.”

Jerry swam to the motor boat, and, still keeping the engine going, but throwing out the clutch, Bob helped lift the unconscious girl over the side.

As she was placed on the cushions she opened her eyes.

“She’s all right,” said Jerry. “I’m going back to help Ned find the other one. Stand by, Bob.”

Plunging over the side once more Jerry struck out for the swirling eddies that indicated where Ned had gone down again in his search.

Ducking his head under the water, and opening his eyes, Jerry peered down on the bottom of the river to see if he could discern where the body was. He saw it in a tangle of weeds.

At the same instant Ned caught sight of it, and made another dive, having come to the surface to breathe. Ned was the first to reach the girl. He brought her to the surface, though it was hard work, as she was much heavier than her companion.

Between them Ned and Jerry swam with the girl to the motor boat, and lifted her over the side. Then they climbed in themselves.

“Now speed her up, Bob!” cried Jerry as he donned some of his clothes. “We’ll have to get to a doctor mighty quick with this last one. She’s pretty far gone.”

“Shall we head straight for shore?” he asked.

“No; down to that dock,” replied Jerry, indicating one quite a distance down the river, from which it was evident the girls had come in their boat. There was quite a crowd on the wharf, and several small craft were putting out toward the scene of the accident.

In a few minutes the _Dartaway_ was lying alongside the dock, and willing hands helped the boys to lift the unconscious girl out, while the one Jerry had rescued assisted herself.

There was a scene of confusion. Scores of people demanded to know what had happened, when, where and all the particulars.

“Look here!” exclaimed Jerry. “You can hear all about it later. The main thing is to get this girl to a doctor and see if we can’t save her life.”

“That’s right!” exclaimed the proprietor of the boat pavilion. “Get out the way there, you folks that are so anxious to know what’s going on. Here’s a doctor now.”

A tall man, carrying a small valise, shouldered his way through the crowd.

“Let me pass, I am a physician,” he said.

Taking off his coat he began working over the unconscious girl. He was assisted by several women, and in a few minutes the boys, who had been looking on, saw the maiden open her eyes.

“I guess she’s all right,” said Jerry. “Come on, let’s get out of this. I don’t want to answer a lot of questions. We’ve got a good chance to skip while the crowd is all in a bunch.”

The boys, after talking the matter over as the boat sped away decided they would say nothing to their folks about the rescue.

“If we do they’ll get all excited and think an accident happens every time we take the boat out,” said Jerry.

“Suppose they ask us what makes us so wet?” asked Ned.

“Well, we’ll not lie about it, of course,” said Jerry. “Only I hate to have a fuss made.”

There was no need to answer questions about their wet clothes. It was dusk when the boys got back to Cresville, and they were able to get into their homes unobserved.

But if they hoped to have the incident go unnoticed they were doomed to disappointment. Two days later, when they were preparing for a spin one afternoon, Andy Rush came leaping down to the dock, waving a paper aloft.

“So that’s how you do it!” he exclaimed. “Brave rescuers--save lives--right on the job--dive under water--rush ashore--rush away again--say nothing--modest--but it’s all found out!”

“What’s the matter now, Andy?” asked Jerry.

“Nothing at all--everything--lots of things--look there!” and Andy held out a copy of the copy of the Cresville weekly.

There, on the first page, under big headlines the boys saw an account of their rescue of the two girls. The reporter had spared no language. It was a chance that seldom came to the little paper and it was made the most of.

“Well if that isn’t the limit,” said Ned. “I wonder they didn’t want personal interviews with us, and all our pictures, besides a story of our experiences under water.”

“Say, you’re heroes all right--all right!” exclaimed Andy. “Everybody in Cresville is talking about it. The paper is selling like hot cakes--million copies--all talking about you--Gee Whiz! I wish I was you fellers! You can get a job in a dime museum now!”

“Oh, dry up!” said Jerry in a good-natured voice. “Here, jump in Andy and we’ll give you a ride. That will make you forget all about the rescues and the hero business. Mind, if you ever refer to it again, you’ll never go on another trip.”

“I’ll keep quiet, but it’s bound to be talked about,” said Andy.

They kept on up the river for several miles to a little summer resort, where there was an ice cream stand. Bob proposed they go ashore and have something to eat.

The boys found seats in a quiet corner and were soon enjoying their refreshments. After the first plate of cream had vanished Bob proposed more.

For some minutes past the boys had been hearing the low sound of voices in the room back of them, where it seemed, were more chairs and tables.

At first the boys paid no attention to the conversation. But finally it grew louder and they could hear two voices in dispute.

“If that isn’t Noddy Nixon I’ll eat my hat,” said Ned in a whisper. “I’d know his voice anywhere. But who’s the other?”

“Let’s see what it’s all about?” suggested Bob. “It isn’t spying on them. They are talking so loud they can’t help being heard all over.”

“Hush!” cautioned Jerry.

A second later there came to the ears of the boys these words:

“I’ve given you all the cash I can afford to. You must think I’m a millionaire, Bill.”

“Pretty near it, I guess,” was the answer in a low rumble. “All I know is, I’ve got to have money.”

“I tell you I’m broke,” persisted the one whom the boys had decided was Noddy. “I might allow you a little something if you helped me out.”

“What is it now? Some more of your tricks on those motor boys?”

“Hush!” exclaimed Noddy. “Not so loud. Do you want to have the police after us? Now I’ll tell you what I want you to do.” His voice sunk to a whisper, but the walls were so thin that the boys could distinguish a word here and there.

“Motor boat--do ’em brown--fix ’em for me--I’ll pay you well,” were some expressions overheard.

“I wonder if he’s referring to us,” said Jerry. “I’d like to hear a little more of this.”

The next words came more distinctly though the sentence was broken here and there by intervening silences.

“Make it hot--pay you--have a good time soon,” was what came to their ears.

“Well, it’s a good thing to know this in advance, that is if it’s us they’re referring to,” said Ned. “We can be on the watch.”

Having finished their cream, even Bob voting he had enough, the boys started to leave. As they walked past the room whence the voices had come, the door opened and two figures emerged. They were Bill Berry and Noddy Nixon.