NEAR Market Street Ferry, in the city of Philadelphia, is located the shipping and commission house of Gilman & Baker; and lying at the pier directly opposite, on a certain day this summer, was a jaunty but odd-looking yacht, thirty-five feet in length, with the name Restless in gilt letters on her bow.
In general design she was not different from the ordinary steam yacht; but the short smokestack rising from the hurricane deck aft caused her to appear, as the cook of a tugboat nearby expressed it, "like she had been stripped half naked." Every one who saw her stopped for a moment at least, and several, on learning that she was what is known as a "naphtha launch," pronounced most emphatically against the use of such power.
"It's bad enough to run the risk of bein' blowed up by a reg'lar steam craft," the cook of the tug said musingly; "but after it comes to sailin' with what's worse'n a powder magazine aboard, I'm ready to stay ashore. When two or three barrels of oil are where a match will send the whole craft flyin' like a sky rocket, it's mightily near temptin' of Providence to run her from here to Camden."
The cook had no further opportunity to express his opinion regarding the Restless, for just then his own craft steamed off to answer the signal of a brig in the stream, and the approaching owners of the yacht were spared the pain of hearing her supposed defects commented upon.
Philip Gilman and Harry Baker were the two boys who believed themselves particularly fortunate in possessing such a steamer, and they had left their fathers' place of business to join a friend, Nat Hinkle, who had this moment made his appearance on the pier.
"We've been waiting nearly an hour for you," Harry said petulantly. "Father insists that we can't make the voyage unless it shall be possible to get an outfit for one hundred dollars, and with the list which we made out last night that doesn't seem probable."
"Why not leave off some of the articles?" Nat asked cheerily. "I'd be willing to get along almost any way for the sake of running the Restless from here to the St. Lawrence River. I'm sorry you have been waiting, but it hasn't been ten minutes since father consented to the scheme. He doesn't think a naphtha boat is safe."
"If he took a run down the river in this one I fancy he would think differently. Since he has consented, however, let's attend to the outfit at once, in order to start to-morrow if possible, for everything depends upon how much we can buy for a hundred dollars."
"Where is the list?"
"Here; and we are going to Wanamaker's first. In case of a failure there, we will strike out the tent and fishing material, although I dislike to go without them."
The boys lost no time in deciding the important question. Upon arriving at the store they set about pricing each particular thing needed, a method which might have prolonged this portion of the task until all three were discouraged, and but a small assortment had been selected, when one of the salesmen said:
"I've been on such cruises myself, therefore have a pretty good idea of what will be actually needed. Give me the list and I promise to select such an outfit as will be necessary, without exceeding your limit."
"We're making a dismal failure of the job," Phil replied, with a sigh of relief, "and unless you succeed, the scheme of a long voyage will fall through, for three fellows can't get through without considerable stuff."
Half an hour later the sympathetic clerk handed them a bill, in which nothing essential had been omitted, and a number of necessary articles were added, the whole forming a very complete sea and shore equipment; but yet the total cost was nearly twelve dollars less than the amount specified.
"That will help us out on the tender we want to buy," Phil said in a tone of satisfaction, as he glanced over the items; and then he produced an order from the firm of Gilman & Baker, authorizing the delivery of the outfit on board the yacht Restless.
The work of provisioning the craft was to be performed by Mr. Gilman himself, therefore the boys had nothing more to do but receive and stow away the goods, a task which was not finished until late that evening.
A space of about three feet long directly abaft the cabin and forward of the engine was to be used as a kitchen, and here the cooking utensils were packed in a locker. The tent, cot beds and hammocks were stored in the standing room, while the remainder of the outfit, together with the wardrobe, was distributed among the many receptacles in the cabin. The extreme bow was occupied by the oil tank, therefore it became necessary to put the provisions wherever they could best be kept clean and dry.
Both Philip and Harry owned double-barreled fowling pieces, and, as a matter of course, these, together with a generous supply of ammunition, were added to the outfit.
It was not until ten o'clock on Friday morning that all the preparations were completed, and the boys wanted to begin the cruise at once, paying but little attention to the warnings of an old shipmaster who contended that it was "unlucky" to weigh anchor on that day.
"Better hold over till Monday," he said, with a prophetic shake of the head. "I've known more trouble to come of a Friday sailin' than could be told in a year's time. When I was in the China trade we left Hong Kong—"
The boys left the would-be story-teller just as he was "clearing deck for action," because time was too valuable just then to be wasted listening to yarns. Their belongings were all on board the Restless, and there appeared to be no good reason why even an hour should be spent in any other manner than journeying toward the proposed destination.
"If you really want to leave port on what sailors call an unlucky day, I see no particular argument against it." Mr. Gilman said, in reply to Phil's urgent request that they be allowed to depart without loss of time. "Who is to be captain?"
"Phil," Harry and Nat replied in chorus,
"Then it shall be as he says. And now, in case of any trouble, remember that it is better to follow one poor plan to the end rather than half execute three thoroughly good ones. Obey orders until the majority are firmly convinced that the safety of all demands a change, when you are at liberty to depose the leader. In event of dissensions, and some will arise before the voyage of four months is ended, consult with us at home before proceeding to extreme measures, unless the matter should be so urgent that there is no time to be lost. You are almost men and, I believe, can govern yourselves; consequently there is nothing more for me to say. If the captain believes it is well to begin the cruise in defiance of all superstition, I will make no objection, since you are the ones who must gain or lose by the result."
The boys hesitated no longer. In anticipation of leaving port on this morning, all the good-byes had been spoken, and it only remained to take leave of Mr. Gilman, who represented Messrs. Baker and Hinkle in the matter of attending to the details of the voyage.
As a common fund the young yachtsmen had one hundred dollars, and after this had been paid to them by Gilman & Baker's book-keeper, they went on board the Restless, which was dancing about on the swell caused by a ferry-boat as if to prove her right to the name.
The city clocks were striking the hour of twelve when the hawsers were finally cast off, and under full pressure of naphtha vapor the yacht left her dock, bound for the St. Lawrence River and beyond.
There was no attempt made to "speed" the little craft during the run up the river; it was sufficient for the voyagers that they were under way, and the yacht steamed leisurely on until Bordentown was reached late in the afternoon. Here she was made fast at the most convenient point for entering the canal at an early hour next morning, and the boys set about prepping their first meal on shipboard.
The alcohol stove worked like a charm, and Nat, who had assumed the duties of cook, declared that it would be no more than sport to provide the party with three "square" meals each day. When the time for washing the dishes arrived, however, his position did not appear quite so pleasant, and but for the assistance rendered by the other members of the crew, his labors would have been prolonged until a very late hour in the evening.
Tired though the boys were, sleep did not come at their bidding. The novelty of the situation was sufficient to keep all eyes open until past midnight, and when they awakened next morning the fleet of boats which had arrived during the evening were being hauled toward the lock, the captain of each doing his best to get in first.
"We can't stop for breakfast now," Phil said as he made a hurried toilet. "If we wait for all these clumsy crafts to go through, it will be nine o'clock before it is possible to get under way."
Harry went on shore to pay the toll of ten dollars while Phil and Nat warped the Restless toward the lock, it not being deemed advisable to start the engine until she was inside the gates.
Until this moment the yacht's captain had not fancied there could be any difficulty in navigating his craft on a canal; but as the lock tenders insisted on his pulling the little boat between two unwieldy barges, either one of which would have crushed her like an egg shell had it swung down upon her, he began to have serious misgivings as to the chances of reaching New York without an accident. It was useless to shout to those near by, for not a man paid the slightest attention to his fears, and when the water was let in, the huge hulks swayed from side to side with many a resounding bump against the light timbers of the yacht.
"Phil, you and Nat stand by with the fenders while I get up steam so that we'll have a show of slipping past these boats at the first opportunity. Keep your eyes open, for if they jam us too hard this cruise will be ended before it has really begun."
"If they swing in toward us, it's precious little we can do to prevent it," Nat said apprehensively, and then he shouted to the skipper of the nearest boat:
"Can't you take in the slack of that bow line? Our craft won't stand much of this kind of squeezing."
"That's your lookout," the man replied gruffly, and in a manner which proclaimed unmistakably the fact that with him it had been "two pulls at the whisky flask and one on the hawsers," while the crew of the other boat appeared to think the request very comical.
"There won't be anything to laugh about if you stave two or three timbers for us," Phil called out sharply.
"Why didn't you stay back till the big boats got through, if you're so much afraid?"
"Because we had the right to come in ahead of the others," Phil replied angrily, and after assuring himself that there was no immediate danger, he turned once more to the engine.
Meanwhile the canal boatmen were making preparations for leaving the lock, and the crew of the Restless were so busily engaged in caring for their craft that neither took note of the fact that the men had passed a tow line directly under the yacht's stern.
The one great advantage of naphtha for both fuel and power is the celerity with which the necessary pressure can be obtained. Before the gates of the lock were opened Phil had everything in readiness for the start, and calling Harry to stand by the engine, he went to the wheel.
Once the barriers were opened, the skippers of both barges were eager to get out; the lock tender shouted for Phil to go ahead in order that the steamer waiting in the canal might enter without loss of time, and every one in the vicinity seemed to think it necessary he should add to the general din by shouting at the full strength of his lungs,
Phil rang the bell for the engineer to open the injector, and the Restless darted forward, as if rejoicing at escaping from such undesirable company.
She had hardly cleared the gates, and the freight steamer outside was heading directly for her, when the onward motion suddenly ceased, even though the screw continued to revolve at full speed. At the same time it appeared as if a series of heavy blows were dealt the hull, causing the little craft to quiver from stem to stern.
"Hold on!" Harry shouted frantically. "The screw has caught up the canal-boat's tow line, and you'll have the timbers stove if the propeller isn't stopped!"
"Close the injector!" Phil cried. "You are handling the engine, not me."
For a few seconds it seemed as if the Restless would come to grief between the steamer and the barges, for her crew had "lost their heads," and the end of the tow line was beating against the hull with a force that could be felt very perceptibly.
It was Nat who proved himself to be a valuable member of the party in such an emergency. While Phil and Harry were shouting to each other, he dropped the fender, ran aft and closed the injector, shut off the supply, and reached the bow again in time to do his share toward averting the impending collision.
During these few seconds the unwieldy boat, propelled by two-mule power, had forged out of the lock, and was now pulling the Restless around stern foremost, while a chorus of cries from the loungers or boatmen in the immediate vicinity, as each gave orders at the same time to the nearly bewildered boys, only served to make the confusion greater.
"Cut the rope!" Phil shouted as he did his best to push the yacht's bow from the steamer, and the boatman who was the cause of all the trouble cried angrily:
"I'll knock the head off the first one who puts a knife to that tow line! I don't count on buyin' sich things for every greenhorn who comes along to whittle."
"If you'd kept it where it belonged, there wouldn't have been any trouble," Nat retorted. "Now that our screw has picked it up through your own foolishness I'll use a knife or something, so take good care not to be in the way."
It appeared very much as if there would be a rough and tumble fight, for the skipper of the boat, having armed himself with a stout club, was preparing to leap on board the Restless; but the impatience of those in the rear caused them to insist that something definite should be done without delay, and Nat had plenty of assistance in his work of severing the rope.
The little craft had been released none too soon; already was the steamer crowding down upon the second boat, and in a few seconds the result might have been disastrous.
The drunken captain was using very forcible language as he threatened Nat, and the latter, believing discretion to be the better part of valor, started the engine once more.
Fortunately Phil had not left the wheel, and after describing a full circle at the expense of rubbing in a very unpleasant manner over the shallow side of the canal, the Restless darted ahead with the end of the tow line thumping and pounding against the counter in a manner which told of serious damage to be inflicted in case the obstruction was not speedily removed.
"We can't stop here, or the whole fleet will be on top of us," Phil said, in reply to Harry's proposition to shut off the steam. "It is against the rules to tie up at a bulkhead, so we shall have to run until we come to a basin, and if the timbers are stove we can't help it. Slow down a little, Nat, so's to make it as easy for her as possible."
The cook obeyed orders; but the thumping was not decreased materially, and the crew of the Restless felt quite positive she would not long be in condition to continue the voyage.