"You mind your own business and steer the boat," retorted Jimmy. "I've got lots of courage to sing at all with you steering us. You'll likely run us onto a rock or a sandbar before we fairly get started."

"Leave that to me," said Joe. "The nearest sandbar is about half a mile away now-straight down."

"Well, that isn't any too far for safety when you're the pilot," said Jimmy. "Anyway, I'm going up on top of that cabin and have a sun bath.

Please don't wreck us until I have a chance to rest up a little, will you? It looks like a long swim to sh.o.r.e."

"Go ahead then, you blooming landlubber," grinned Joe. "Leave the running of the ship to a real salty old mariner like me."

With a grunt that might mean anything, Jimmy clambered up on the low cabin, and in a few minutes, lulled by the gentle motion of the boat, was sound asleep. Herb propped himself comfortably against the side of the cabin and gazed dreamily out over the bright expanse of the bay. Bob opened the throttle a little, and the boat picked up speed, her sharp bows cutting through the water in fine style, with a slow rise and fall as they went further from sh.o.r.e and began to feel the ocean swell. White clouds flecked the deep blue sky, and sea gulls wheeled and soared overhead, calling to one another and ever and anon swooping swiftly downward to seize some unfortunate fish that had ventured too near the surface.

The splash and gurgle of the water alongside was beginning to make the boys feel drowsy when they suddenly noticed another boat ahead of them.

This craft was holding a course diagonal to their own, so that the two boats were drawing slowly together, although at present they were perhaps a mile apart.

"There are some other people out enjoying themselves," said Bob. "Wonder if they're anybody we know."

"We'll soon be close enough to tell," said Joe. "By Jimmy!" he exclaimed, a few moments later. "I believe we do know 'em, Bob, worse luck. Don't you recognize that big fellow that's steering?"

Bob shaded his eyes with his hand and gazed steadily for a few seconds.

"Buck Looker!" he exclaimed finally. "And if I'm not much mistaken, his whole gang is with him."

"Yes, I can see Carl Lutz and that little beast, Terry Mooney," said Joe. "And I guess they've recognized us, too. See how they're pointing in this direction?"

The motor boats were drawing closer together, and their occupants could now see each other plainly. Looker and his friends were in a freakish looking craft. It looked as though it might have been a speed boat once, but now wore a shabby and dilapidated air.

CHAPTER XVI-A THANKLESS RESCUE

The two motor boats by now had drawn close together and were holding parallel courses.

"Hey, you fellows!" yelled Buck Looker. "I suppose you think you've got a fine, fancy boat there, don't you?"

"That's just about what we think, all right," called back Bob. "It looks it, doesn't it?"

"Looks ain't much," said Buck.

"The looks of that tub of yours aren't, anyway," said Herb sarcastically. "A few gallons of paint would make it look more like a real boat."

"Oh, is that so?" said Buck, with a sneer. "Well, let me tell you, this is a fast boat. We can make circles around that thing you've got there."

"Open her up, Buck, and run away from them," urged Lutz. "Show them what speed looks like."

"We'll have to admit you fellows are good at running away," commented Joe. "But this time it may not be as easy as you think."

"We'll show you!" squeaked Terry Mooney. "Open 'er up, Buck."

His amiable friend did "open 'er up," and, with a terrific noise from the exhaust and a cloud of smoke, their boat darted ahead.

But Bob opened the throttle of the _Sea Bird_ a little, and their boat surged forward, apparently without an effort, until they were again abreast of the Looker coterie.

"What's the matter, Buck?" queried Joe, with mock solicitude. "Won't it go any faster to-day?"

Both boats were hitting a pretty speedy clip, and this question seemed to infuriate Buck.

"You bet it can go faster!" he yelled. "Pump some more oil into that engine, Carl."

His friend did as directed, and Buck juggled the spark and throttle controls until his craft attained a speed that would have been sufficient to have left the average cruising motor boat far in the rear.

But the _Sea Bird_ was built both for long distance cruising and for speed, and the faster Buck's craft went, the faster went the Harvey craft.

Straight out to sea the boats headed, diving into the rollers and throwing showers of spray over their occupants. Crouching low in the engine c.o.c.k-pit, Bob nursed the motor lovingly, an oil can in one hand and a bunch of greasy waste in the other. He was mottled with oil and grease, and the perspiration trickled down his face in little rivulets, but he had never been happier in his life. The engine was running like clockwork, and he knew there was plenty of power and speed in reserve if he needed them.

Buck, on the other hand, was fussing and fuming over his engine, trying to make it go a little faster. But it was working up to its limit, and do what he would, he could not coax an extra revolution out of it.

Joe, who was steering the _Sea Bird_, looked back at Bob, a question in his eyes. He yelled something that Bob could not hear above the whistle of the wind and the throb of the engine, but he knew what Joe meant, and nodded his head.

The time had come to show Looker and his friends what speed really was.

Bob opened the throttle to the limit. The engine responded instantly, and the _Sea Bird_ leapt forward, gathering more speed every second.

Leaping from wave to wave, it seemed to be trying to live up to its name, and actually fly. Buck Looker's craft dropped away as though standing still, and there was soon a long strip of swirling white water between the two boats.

All four radio boys laughed and shouted exultantly, and Jimmy and Herb pounded each other madly on the back in the excess of their joy.

"This is some little through express!" screamed Jimmy into his companion's ear. "Can't she hit it up, though?"

But now Buck Looker and his friends were quite a way astern, and Bob was forced to slow down, as they were plunging into the waves at a dangerous speed. One big wave swept over the boat and left them dripping, and for the first time they realized how high the seas were running. They were now well outside the bay, and a stiff southwest wind had arisen and was kicking up a nasty chop. Bob slowed down to half speed, after which they took the big seas more easily, but they all judged it was high time to start back. In the excitement of the race they had gone much further than they had intended, and Joe made haste to swing the bow around and head back for quieter waters.

"I wonder how Buck is making out," shouted Bob to Joe. "Can you see them yet?"

"Yes, I can see them. But they seem to be having trouble of some sort,"

replied Joe. "They're rolling around in the trough of the waves, and I can only see them when they come up on top of one."

"If they're in trouble, I suppose we'll have to help them out," said Bob, and as there could be no question about this, the radio boys directed their course toward their erstwhile compet.i.tors.

Buck and his cronies were indeed in a bad plight, for their engine had stalled and they were unable to get it going again. This left them at the mercy of the waves, as they had not even an oar aboard. Their boat had not been designed for rough weather, and now it rolled dangerously broadside on to the waves, threatening at any moment to capsize.

As the radio boys approached the helpless craft Terry and Carl stopped long enough in their frantic bailing to shout wildly for help. Buck was still tinkering with the engine, but without result. Their boat was drifting out to sea, and altogether they were in a sorry plight.

Joe approached the helpless craft cautiously, while Bob throttled the engine down until they had only steerage way.

"You'll have to jump for it!" yelled Joe. "We'll come as close as we can, and then you can jump aboard."

Terry Mooney was the first to make ready to jump. He gave a wild leap, but fell short, and would have fallen into the ocean, had not Herb and Jimmy grasped him as he fell and dragged him aboard. Buck and Carl had better luck, and landed safely on the deck of the _Sea Bird_. They left their craft none too soon, for one of its seams had started to leak, and it was rapidly filling with water. At first the radio boys thought they might be able to tow the disabled craft in with them, but it soon became apparent that it would not stay afloat long enough for this. It settled lower and lower, and even as the _Sea Bird_ picked up speed for the run home the unfortunate craft dived under as an unusually large wave broke over it, filling it with water.

"We got you off just in the nick of time," said Bob. "If we hadn't been around, it looks as though you would have had a long swim home."

"Oh, somebody else would have picked us up if you hadn't," said Buck ungraciously. "This boat isn't the only one at Ocean Point, you know."