"What's this? See who's come!" yelled Billy Long.

"The Barnacle!" quoth Chet, bursting into a roar of laughter.

Even Lily Pendleton could not forbear giving vent to her amus.e.m.e.nt, and she laughed with the others. Down the dock tore the ragged coated dog, with a fathom of rope tied to his collar.

He leaped aboard the _Bonnie La.s.s_ and then, with a glad yelp, sprang to the decked-over part of the _d.u.c.h.ess_.

Purt Sweet looked up with a cry of amazement and received the delighted dog full in his chest. They rolled together in the c.o.c.kpit of the boat, the dog eagerly lapping Purt's face, while the boy tried to beat him off with his fists.

"The Barnacle!" yelled Chet again, and that name stuck.

So did the dog. He refused to leave. The party left Lumberton with the foolish beast sitting up in the prow of the _d.u.c.h.ess_, wagging his ridiculous tail and barking a last farewell to the amused spectators gathered along the edge of the dock.

CHAPTER VIII

UP ROCKY RIVER

The second start of the flotilla--that from Lumberton--was a hilarious start indeed. Poor Prettyman Sweet was the b.u.t.t of everybody's laughter. The glare of rage he threw now and then at the ridiculous dog in the bow of the _d.u.c.h.ess_ sent the boys into spasms of laughter.

The girls in the other motorboat--even Bobby--seeing that their laughter quite offended Lily Pendleton, began talking about something else and ignored the Barnacle, as the dog had been so aptly named.

Reddy b.u.t.ts and Art Hobbs, however, loved to annoy the Central High dude. They told Purt that the Barnacle possessed a family resemblance to the Sweets that could not be denied.

"He smiles just like you do, Pretty," said Arthur. "I declare I wouldn't deny the relationship."

"You fellows think you are funny," snarled the dude, losing his temper at last. "I'll fix that beast!"

"How you going to do it?" demanded Reddy, grinning.

"You come here and take the wheel," commanded the dude. "See that you steer right and keep in the channel, right behind Chet's boat and his tow."

"All right," said b.u.t.ts, and took the spokes in hand.

Purt, shooting an inquiring glance forward to see if the girls were watching, began to creep up on the dog. The beast was looking over the bow, his tongue hanging out, and evidently enjoying the rapid sail up Rocky River.

Somebody had removed the rope from his collar since he had come aboard the _d.u.c.h.ess_. There was nothing for Purt to grab had the dog observed his approach and sought to get away.

However, the dog remained unconscious of the attempt on his peace of mind. Purt crept nearer and nearer, while the giggling boys in the c.o.c.kpit watched him narrowly.

Reddy looked knowingly at Arthur, and the latter pulled off his jacket and kicked off his sneakers. The water was warm and Arthur was a good swimmer.

The dude, earnestly striving to move softly, got within hand's reach of the dog. Suddenly he threw himself forward. At the same moment Reddy twisted the wheel ever so little to starboard.

The _d.u.c.h.ess_ was traveling at a good clip. The wave at her nose was foam-streaked and spreading broadly. The water in her wake boiled.

The sudden thrust Purt gave the dog cast the surprised brute overboard; with a yelp of amazement he sank beneath the foam-streaked surface as the motorboat rushed on.

But another yelp echoed the dog's; when Reddy b.u.t.ts swerved the boat's nose, the move was quite unexpected by Purt.

He dove forward, yelled loudly, and was cast over the edge of the deck just as sprawlingly as the Barnacle himself!

"Man overboard!" yelled Reddy, scarcely able to say it for laughter.

The crowd on the other powerboat heard the shout, if they had not all seen Purt's exhibition of diving. The dude went under just as deep as the dog, and did not come to the surface anywhere near as quickly.

The Barnacle, whether he was a water-dog, or not, was a good swimmer.

When his head shot above the stream he yelped, started to paddle after the _d.u.c.h.ess_ and her tow, saw that that was useless, and turned toward the southerly bank of the stream.

The river was half a mile wide at this place, and the Barnacle left a wake like a motorboat behind him. He was going to reach the sh.o.r.e all right.

How about the master he had adopted? Purt came to the surface more slowly, but when he got there he emitted a shriek like a steam whistle.

The _d.u.c.h.ess_ had gone ahead of him. Arthur Hobbs was poised to leap overboard; but there swept close to the dude one of the trailing canoes, and just by raising an arm Purt reached it.

He clung to the gunwale and was dragged on behind the _d.u.c.h.ess_. At first the canoe tipped and threatened to turn over; Purt slipped along to the stern, and there got a grip on both sides, and so trailed on behind, getting his breath.

"He's all right," said Reddy, chuckling. "Let him cool off a little, Art."

The girls aboard the _Bonnie La.s.s_ were somewhat worried over Purt Sweet's predicament. "He'll be drowned!" Lily Pendeton declared, first of all.

"I'm not afraid of that," Bobby said. "But if that suit of his shrinks, what a sight he'll be!"

"This is no time for light talk," declared Jess Morse. "Purt isn't a very good swimmer."

"Well!" exclaimed Nellie, rather tartly for her, "how did he know whether that poor dog could swim, or not?"

"Looks as though he had finally gotten rid of the Barnacle, just the same," laughed Laura.

"We'll see about that," responded her brother, darkly. "That dog has the stick-to-it-iveness of fish-glue. Wait and see."

Meanwhile Arthur Hobbs drew in the canoe Purt was clinging to, and soon helped the gasping dude into the large boat.

"Oh! oh!" cried Purt. "I might have known that horrid dog was bad luck."

Having seen the exquisite dragged aboard the _d.u.c.h.ess_, most of the girls on the other powerboat gave their attention to the dog. Indeed, his fate all the time had attracted more attention from Lizzie Bean, than had the trouble Purt Sweet was in.

"Why! he might have been drowned!" Lily exclaimed in answer to something Bobby said.

"That's right. And it would be too mean," spoke up Lonesome Liz, as Billy Long secretly called the sad-faced girl. "He's a smart dog."

"Mercy! who cares about that horrid dog?" snapped Lily.

"I do, for one," said Nellie Agnew.