"Right here, old man!" Bart encouragingly called.
"I'm coming!" Merriwell shouted, and his tones did not show exhausting
fatigue.
Then he swam up to the raft, and Bart helped him to climb upon it.
"What was the matter with those scoundrels?"
"Deaf!"
"What?"
"Deaf as posts, both of them!" Merriwell explained, resting on the
boards and panting from his exertions. "They didn't look this way simply
because they didn't hear us. I'm sure of that, from the way they acted.
I began to think so when I told you to hang to the raft. I believed that
if I could overtake the sloop, and could climb aboard and make myself
known, or knock them down, as my intention was, I could then release
Inza and sail the sloop over here and get you. But I couldn't swim fast
enough."
"You went through the water like a fish!"
"But the sloop went faster. If that breeze hadn't sprung up, I think I
could have made it."
"And what are they doing with Inza?"
"I don't know. But I'm glad of one thing. She isn't dead."
"Deaf!" muttered Bart. "Deaf as posts! Well, that does make the thing a
bit clearer."
The reaction from the tremendous exertions which Merriwell had put forth
made itself felt now. The excitement having passed, he felt almost
exhausted. He climbed up as high as he could on the boards, and Bart,
who was terribly benumbed and chilled from long exposure to the cold
water, held him thus while he rested.
Pages:
225
226
227
228
229
230
231
232
233
234
235
236
237
238
239
240
241
242
243
244
245
246
247
248
249