The Meadow-Brook Girls Afloat Part 9

"Now hand out the cots," directed Harriet.

As this was being done, Harriet worked standing in water most of the time. She placed the cots on edge across the doorway until three of them had been set in place. Directing Jane to try to hold them in place, Harriet grasped the table. This she braced against the cots. The table held them in place.

"Hurrah! We've done it. See if you can find some blankets in there. One will do."

After some searching about Jane announced that she had found a heavy blanket. Acting under Harriet's directions Jane carried the blanket to the upper deck and lowered it over the barricade of cots, weighting it with heavy stones from the beach so that the end would remain on the upper deck.

Harriet was unable to get either to the upper deck or into the boat, without danger of pulling down her barricade, so she promptly jumped into the lake and waded ash.o.r.e. She fell down several times before reaching dry land, knocked over by waves that overtook her and laid her low. She sat down on the beach gasping.

"Come over here and rest a moment, Harriet," urged the guardian.

"I am all right, thank you. I haven't time to think about resting. I am going to try to get our belongings out of the boat. We aren't so badly off as we might be."

"If I had thome dry clotheth on I gueth I'd be all right," observed a lisping voice from the darkness. "My kimono is thoaking wet."

"Now, Jane, I'm ready," finally announced Harriet. "Let's get that stove out first of all. I fear it is ruined."

"Set the girls at it with dry leaves. They can wipe it dry and the exercise will do them good," suggested Jane McCarthy.

"Fine! Come!"

The stove was carried out to the beach and stood up. Jane and Harriet gathered leaves from weeds and bushes, together with such dry gra.s.s as they were able to find in the darkness, heaping their plunder on the canvas and directing the girls to polish the stove, hoping thereby to keep it from rusting very badly. The occupation did Tommy, Hazel and Margery good. They almost forgot their troubles for the time being.

The bedding and the clothing were next carried out and spread on the ground to dry. This, too, gave the girls on sh.o.r.e something to do. They wrung the water out of the bedding and clothing as thoroughly as possible. The clothing was then hung on nearby bushes.

"I do not believe your clothing will be dry enough to wear until after the sun s.h.i.+nes on it," decided Miss Elting.

The girls groaned dismally. They did not relish the idea of going about in kimonos for the better part of the next forenoon. Harriet and Jane paid little attention to their own discomfort, however, for there were still many things to be done. The cabin had held quite a stock of supplies. Cans of provisions lay all about the floor. The two girls were unable to gather up their supplies in the darkness. The water would not damage the canned goods, so they decided to let these remain where they were for the time being.

"I'll tell you what!" said Harriet, after pondering over the best course to follow. "Let's take pails and go to bailing. Of course some water will still leak in around the bottom cot, but we can bail out down to that point. The water must come out. We might as well bail now as after daylight. We won't get any wetter, and we don't mind lame backs, do we?"

"We don't, if you say not," agreed Jane. "What the captain of the 'Red Rover' orders, is to be done. Where are the pails?"

"I think I remember having carried one outside."

"Here's the other," called Crazy Jane, who, at that moment, fell over the missing pail and went sprawling in the water. She rose to her feet, dripping, but in great good humor.

The two plucky girls set to work bailing. They did not wish to call in their companions to help them, as they believed they could accomplish more by themselves. Bailing out the boat was back-breaking work, and there was so much water in the hold of the "Red Rover," that at first their bailing seemed to have no effect whatever. Now and then they would go ash.o.r.e and throw themselves down for a brief rest. Miss Elting begged them to do no more, but both Jane and Harriet were deaf to her entreaties. They alternately bailed and rested until early in the morning, when utterly exhausted from the strain of the past few hours'

work they were glad to throw themselves down on the canvas beside their friends for a little rest.

By this time the dawn had begun to break and soon after the sun shone brightly. The wind had died down and the lake lay smooth and gla.s.sy in the morning sunlight.

"I'm going to try to get into that big chest that holds our clothes,"

announced Harriet. "If it really is water tight, then we shall not have to worry long about dry garments."

"I'll go with you," said Miss Elting.

The two women made their way to the cabin of the houseboat, where they were soon joined by Jane. By their united efforts the barricade was removed from the door, and as the water had almost subsided Harriet had little difficulty in getting at the chest.

"Hurrah!" she exclaimed as she turned the key which had been allowed to stand in the lock, and lifted the lid. "Everything is all right. These things are scarcely damp! Jane will you call the girls? We ought to dress as quickly as possible."

Fifteen minutes later the Meadow-Brook Girls and Miss Elting were enjoying the luxury of clean, dry clothing. Their hasty toilets were scarcely completed, however, when they heard the steady chug! chug of an approaching motor boat. Harriet climbed to the upper deck and shading her hands with her eyes looked out over the waters. Suddenly she exclaimed: "Girls, girls! Look at that boat!"

CHAPTER VI

CAPTAIN GEORGE MAKES A FIND

"Well, well, if it isn't the Meadow-Brook Girls."

"It's Captain George Baker," cried Harriet, really overjoyed to meet their old friend whom, last season, they had beaten in a cross country contest of endurance and cleverness.

The girls left the boat and ran down to the sh.o.r.e to welcome the newcomers. The boys were calling their welcome before they had fairly landed. With Captain Baker were his friends Dill Dodd and Sam Crocker, and two other lads, whom Captain Baker introduced as Larry Goheen and Billy Gordon.

"Where are the rest of the tramps?" asked Miss Elting laughingly, hurrying down to the beach to greet the boys.

"In camp about two miles below here."

"I believe we have met Mr. Gordon and Mr. Goheen before," said the guardian. "They were good enough to give us a tow."

"Yes," answered George. "They told us about that. Somehow, I half suspected it to be you folks. After the storm of last night I wondered how the houseboat with its crew of girls had fared, so we set out to look for you this morning. We found you. Well, you are in a mess, aren't you?"

"Harriet and Jane were bailing water out of the boat nearly all night, Captain Baker," Miss Elting informed him.

"You certainly must have had a bad night," returned George Baker sympathetically.

The guardian related briefly the experience of the night.

"Once more I take off my hat to you," said Captain Baker admiringly.

"And I take off my coat too. Fellows, all off with your coats! There's work to be done here. How is your boat?"

At this juncture Billy Gordon, who had been looking about the deck of the houseboat, stepped ash.o.r.e.

"I don't think the hull is damaged at all. One door is smashed in and things are pretty well soaked up. If you will permit it, we fellows will clean up. There's a ton or more of sand and gravel in the after c.o.c.kpit.

Have you a shovel?"

The girls shook their heads.

"We have a dutht pan," Tommy answered.

"We will use that and a pail, if you have one."

The lads started for the boat, having discarded their coats.

"Oh, by the way, have you any matches?" asked Harriet. "We need some coffee this morning, but we have nothing with which to build a fire."