Jerry shuddered.

"It looks like it," he replied.

The captain of the steamboat did not dare to move his craft for fear he would do more harm than good.

The mother of the girl continued to struggle to free herself.

But now a cry was heard. It came from the stern of the steamboat.

"There they are!"

"The girl is safe and so is that brave young man."

Jerry and Jack Broxton heard the cry, and immediately put about in their yacht.

Harry was swimming along on his side. The girl was too weak to support herself, and he was holding her up well out of the water.

It took the Whistler but a moment to run up alongside of the pair. Jerry reached over and caught hold of the girl and placed her on deck.

In the meantime Harry secured a rope thrown by Jack Broxton and pulled himself up.

A cheer arose from those on the excursion boat.

"She is safe now, sure!"

The girl was too exhausted to move, and both boys rubbed her hands and did what they could for her.

Jack Broxton ran up alongside of the steamboat and a little later the girl was placed on board.

The mother clasped her child to her breast.

"Go ahead, Jack," said Harry in a low voice. "I don't want the crowd to stare at me."

"But the mother wants to thank you," began Jerry.

But Harry would not listen. He was too modest, and made Jack Broxton actually run away from the excursion boat.

But five hundred people cheered Harry and waved their handkerchiefs.

"How did you escape the steamboat?" asked Jerry, when the excitement was over.

"We went under part of her," was the reply. "I swam for all I knew how, but it was a close call."

After this Harry retired to the cabin and changed his clothing. He drank several cups of hot coffee, and half an hour later declared that he felt as well as ever.

The remainder of the run down the lake was uneventful. They dropped anchor near the mouth of the Poplar River and started in to fish.

They had all the necessary tackle on board, and procured bait at a boathouse near by.

The yacht was anch.o.r.ed at a well-known spot, and then the sport began.

"I've a bite!" cried Harry

And sure enough he had something. He began to reel in with great rapidity.

"First fish," said Jerry.

Scarcely had Harry landed his haul than click, click, click went Jerry's reel. The line went off like a flash.

Jerry began to reel in. That something big was on his hook was certain.

The fish darted in every direction and Jerry had his hands full playing him.

"You'll lose him!" cried Harry, excitedly.

"I'll do my best with him," responded Jerry, quietly.

After playing the fish for nearly five minutes he reeled him in rapidly.

"Get the landing net, Jack," he said, and the old tar stood ready the moment the fish came into view.

"A ba.s.s! A three-pounder!" cried Harry. "By jinks! but that's a haul worth making!"

It was indeed a beautiful catch, and Jerry was justly proud of it.

After this nothing was caught for twenty minutes. Then Harry landed a fine fat perch weighing a pound. Jack was not fishing, but smoked and looked on contentedly.

Evening found them with a fine mess of ba.s.s and perch.

"Not a bad haul," said Jerry, as he surveyed the lot.

"I reckon it's about time to be gitting back," observed Jack Broxton. "We want ter make Lakeview afore dark."

So the anchor was hoisted and away they went before a nine-knot breeze.

The return was made along the north sh.o.r.e. Here there were numerous little islands, separated from the mainland by a series of channels, some shallow and others deep enough to admit of the pa.s.sage of a good-sized yacht.

The Whistler was just pa.s.sing one of these channels, and Jerry and Harry were at the side, cleaning their fish, when suddenly old Jack Broxton uttered a cry.

"What is it, Jack?" asked the young oarsman, quickly, while Harry also raised up.

"There's a boat over yonder, back of that island, and I'm certain I saw Si Peters and Wash Crosby on board," was the old boatman's interesting answer.

CHAPTER XL.

A STRUGGLE IN THE DARK.