Budd Boyd's Triumph; or, The Boy-Firm of Fox Island by John Kendrick Bangs

  CHAPTER XXIII.--A MANLY RESCUE.

  Fortunately for Budd, he was thrown by the terrible lunge of theporpoise more than ten feet out into the dashing waves, and he had thepresence of mind, the moment he rose to the surface of the water, tostrike boldly off shore. In this way he soon placed himself beyond anyfear of being dashed back upon the rocks.

  He could see, also, that the sloop had already left the fish-trap andwas bearing down toward him, but was yet a long distance away. Heresolved, therefore, to swim up to the old wharf where he had left theyawl.

  Burdened as he was with his water-soaked clothing, it is doubtful thathe could have done this, short as the distance was, had not both windand tide been in his favor. As it was, he only reached the yawl after ahard struggle, and crawled into it quite out of breath.

  When the sloop, from which he had, ever since his sudden and unexpectedbath, been watched with anxiety, came in near the wharf, however, he wassufficiently recovered to pull slowly off to her.

  "Are you hurt, Budd?" Mr. Boyd asked, anxiously, as he helped the lad onboard.

  "Oh! no," Budd replied, with a laugh--"a little uncomfortable from mycold bath and tired with my long swim in the rough sea is all; soon as Iput on dry clothing I shall be all right."

  "How came you to fall off of the cliff?" asked Judd, hardly able tosuppress his merriment at the ridiculous figure his chum presented inhis dripping clothing. "We were too far off to see just how ithappened."

  "I'll tell you as soon as I have changed these duds for something morecomfortable," replied Budd, good-naturedly, and descending to the cabin,where he knew there were some old clothes kept for just such anemergency as that into which his adventure with the porpoise had broughthim.

  He was soon, with his father's help, comfortably clad, and back onto thedeck of the sloop. With a good deal of _eclat_ he then related all thedetails of his adventure, ending with the wish that he might havesecured the cetacean.

  "We can get him, for there he is," said Judd.

  While Budd had been telling his story, the sloop had been slowly broughtdown opposite the cliff, and, as Judd had declared, the porpoise wasstill lying at its base. The thrust that Budd had given it just beforehis involuntary bath had evidently been a fatal one, for the water allabout the cetacean was dyed with blood, and though the monsterstruggled, it was but feebly.

  "How would you get him?" asked Budd, quickly, watching the porpoise inits dying struggles.

  "If your father will look out for the sloop I'll get you to set meashore at the wharf," explained Judd. "I'll take a coil of rope and theboat-hook with me, and I don't believe but what I can in some way fastena line on to the fellow and throw the other end off here to you, for assoon as you have landed me you will want to row back here with the yawl.After picking up the end of the line you want to carry it on board thesloop, and then return to the wharf for me. Meantime your father canrun up along the shore with the sloop, towing the porpoise after her,and when we have got back on board we'll find some way to take thefellow on to the island with us."

  "But is he worth all that trouble?" asked Mr. Boyd.

  "Oh, yes," both lads quickly answered. "What oil we shall get out ofhim will more than pay for our trouble and the damage he has done to thefish-trap."

  Judd's plan was therefore carried out in every important detail. Thelad succeeded in hooking up the piece of rope still remaining on theharpoon, and to this spliced one end of the coil he had carried withhim. He then threw the balance of the rope off to his waiting partner,and the work of attaching it to the stern of the sloop was speedilydone.

  Then, when back on the sloop, Judd skillfully passed a stout ropethrough the strong jaws of the cetacean, and brought him close up underthe stern of the vessel and alongside of the yawl; then, with both intow, the Sea Witch rapidly filled away for the opposite side of the bay.

  The wind had already increased to such violence that before the passageacross was fully made it was found necessary to take a large reef in themainsail of the sloop; and the waves were rolling so high that, but forthe fact that the fish-trap was directly under the lee of CanonicutIsland, it could not have been attended to.

  Indeed, Mr. Boyd thought it wiser to remain in the sloop while the ladsdrew and reset the net from the yawl, and when their task was finished,and they had returned to the Sea Witch, he remarked:

  "You told me I would see all the rough weather I cared to before ourreturn home, Judd, and I freely confess you were right. I shall be gladwhen we reach the island."

  "That will be in a very short time, now," responded Judd, as he assistedhis chum in getting the sloop ready for her home trip. "We shan't haveto carry anything but our jib, either."

  The speed with which the sloop darted off before the heavy windwarranted his assertion. Their course led them near enough to PlumBeach Point for them to see that Mr. Benton had filled his flatboat withsand, and was now trying to work the craft off around the point.

  He had one of his huge sweeps braced against the side of the boat, andthus pushed it off shore, while he, step by step, worked it along towardthe extreme end of the sandy beach. His object was clear. If he couldonly get the craft around the point, it was evidently his intention toembark upon it and attempt to run up the bay.

  The rapidity with which the Sea Witch was running soon carried heroccupants out of sight of the man and brought them near their islandhome. Fortunately their wharf was at the northwest end of the island,and thus in a measure sheltered from the high sea, if not from the sweepof the wind, and they made their landing in safety.

  The sloop was moored in the most sheltered nook the island afforded, thefish, porpoise and yawl were brought on shore, and all was in readinessfor the trio to seek the shelter of the house. Bracing themselvesagainst the strong, piercing wind, they started along the path that ledto their dwelling, when a sudden call from Judd, who was in the rear,caused his companions to stop.

  "Look!" the lad exclaimed; "Benton has actually got his boat around thepoint, and is now driving helplessly before the gale!"

  Budd and his father looked off in the direction that Judd had indicated,and saw that his declaration was only too true. A mile or so away wasthe flatboat, sunk nearly to her gunwales in the water, while her onesail flapped loosely in the wind. Mr. Benton was making no attempt toguide the craft, but stood near the swaying mast, clutching it,evidently in sheer desperation. One look told the horrified spectatorswhat had happened. The boat had sprung a leak, and was settling beneaththe angry waves.

  Mr. Boyd and the lads watched anxiously the boat's progress. A fewminutes later it had arrived near enough for them to distinguish Mr.Benton's face, as he clung, pale and terrified, to the slender mast.Certainly he now realized the danger he was in, and knew that he waspowerless to avert it.

  Three minutes more and the boat would reach the island, for which it wasdirectly coming. Would it keep afloat so long? No! for at that instanta powerful gust of wind swept down upon it, causing it to tremble fromstem to stern. For a moment the ill-fated craft seemed to try to shakeoff the blow, and then, as a tremendous wave dashed over it, itcareened, struggled to right itself, then sunk beneath the dashingwaves.

  Through the heavy rain that now began to fall, the anxious watcherslooked for the unfortunate man, and they soon discovered him battlingwith the angry sea. Another moment and Budd had sprung into the yawlthat was moored at the wharf, and before he could be prevented hadseized the oars and was pulling off toward the struggling man.

  The wind was against him, and the boat was tossed like a bit of corkupon the waves; still he slowly approached the spot where he had lastseen his old employer. It was evidently a hard struggle, but with barehead and resolute face the heroic lad pulled on. At length he reachedMr. Benton, and with great difficulty drew him into the little boat.

  The wind lulled for an instant, and, laying his exhausted companion downin the yawl, Budd took advantage of the circumstance and turned thetossing boat for the island.<
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  Half the distance, under his vigorous stroke, was gained, when the windswept down in greater fury upon him. It is seldom such a gust of windis experienced in northern latitudes. Trees were overturned, the waterwas dashed high in the air, and even houses were unroofed by thatterrible blast.

  When it had passed, Mr. Boyd and Judd arose from the ground to whichthey had fallen and looked for the yawl. It lay capsized a few rodsaway, while Budd, with one arm supporting the unconscious form of Mr.Benton, was struggling to reach the shore. But his strength soonfailed, and the huge waves rolled within the reach of the waiting manand boy--for both had rushed into the angry waters--two unconsciousforms.

  As soon as possible, first Budd, and then Mr. Benton, was carried intothe house, and with haste their wet clothing was removed, and their coldlimbs chafed until the returning warmth told that their sluggish bloodwas again in circulation, and their lives were spared.

  Then a fire was built, blankets warmed, and coffee made. Wrapped up inone, and thoroughly dosed with the other, the man and boy were then putin bed, and were soon quietly sleeping.

  It was night when Mr. Benton aroused and found Judd sitting by hisbedside.

  "How came I here?" he asked.

  "Well, I suppose the chief reason you are here," replied Judd, bluntly,"is because Budd, at the risk of his own life, went off in the yawlafter you;" and he then briefly told the story of the man's rescue.

  "Budd is all right, then?" the man asked, with some show of feeling.

  "Yes, his father is with him; and when I was in there, a short time ago,he was sleeping nicely," answered Judd, shortly.

  Mr. Benton said no more, and after taking the food and warm drink Juddbrought him, he soon went to sleep again.

  It was morning when he awoke and found his clothes nicely dried by hisbedside. Dressing himself, he went out to the kitchen, where he foundMr. Boyd and the two lads. Budd, with the exception of a littlepaleness, seemed quite like himself.

  Mr. Benton made no allusion to his rescue whatever, and the inmates ofthe house did not speak of it. After breakfast, however, the man turnedto Judd and asked if he could be set ashore.

  "Not while it storms so," replied Judd, in surprise. "A small boatcouldn't live in this sea, and even with the sloop there would be agrave risk. You will have to wait until the storm is over, Mr. Benton."

  The man made no reply, but Budd asked:

  "Did the yawl come ashore all right?"

  "It was stove up a little before I could get out and attend to it,"replied Judd; "but we can fix it easily as soon as the weather willpermit."

  There was no cessation of the storm until night, and on account of theneedful repairs to the yawl, Mr. Benton was obliged to remain on theisland until another morning.

  During the whole time he in no way mentioned the great risk Budd hadundergone in his behalf, but just before his departure on the secondmorning he remarked:

  "I 'spose ye don't hate me no longer, Budd?"

  "I have never hated you, Mr. Benton," Budd promptly replied.

  "I dunno as ye have," he assented; "ye don't act as though ye did,anyway, an' I'll be friends, if ye will."

  Budd shook the hand which was offered him, and without another word Mr.Benton took his departure. Knowing the man as he did, the lad was almostsurprised that he should have shown as much feeling as he had; but hewas greatly surprised at what soon followed.

  Meeting Mr. Wright a few days later, that gentleman accosted him withthe question:

  "I say, Budd, what have you been doing to Mr. Benton?"

  "Nothing bad, I hope," responded the boy, with a laugh.

  "I guess not, either," said Mr. Wright; "but I tell you I was takenaback when he came over to my house the other day and actually asked myforgiveness for whatever wrong he had done me, and promised to be a goodneighbor from this time forward. Little by little I got the whole storyof how you rescued him, and then I knew the cause of the change in him.I tell you, the day of the impossible hasn't come yet."

  And Budd thought so a few days later when he received from Mr. Bentonhimself a fine gold watch as a token of gratitude for the noble favor hehad done him.

  On one of the inside cases was Budd's name, and the date of his braveact. The outside cases were plain, with a single exception. The upperlid was engraved with an olive-leaf--emblematic of the peace that wasnow fully assured between the lad and himself.

  "Who would have thought the old miser would have been so generous!"exclaimed Judd, as he looked the watch over.

  "Or possessed so much poetic sentiment," added Mr. Boyd, laughingly.

  "He must have had some good in him, with all his faults, or ho wouldnever have so quickly changed," said Budd, thoughtfully.

  A declaration his companions readily accepted.