the danger with dick halliard was, that his anger was likely to overmaster his judgment, and lead him to attempt something that would cause his own disastrous overthrow.
the knowledge that the young man had just asked the privilege of destroying his bicycle was exasperating to a degree, but he might have reflected that, since the method chosen was by sinking it in the mill-pond, he had only to wait and watch where the submersion took place, when it could be readily recovered without injury.
“i won’t stand it,” muttered the wrathful lad, stealing after them; “if they undertake that business somebody is going to get hurt.”
it was but a short distance to the pond. dick was walking dangerously near the couple, who were liable at any moment to turn and discover him. he saw the gleam of the water in the faint moonlight, but just before the pond was reached the path divided. while one encircled the extensive sheet of water, the other turned to the left, and led farther into the woods and among the mountainous regions beyond.
it was as this point the pair stopped for a moment and exchanged a few words. the youth who had stolen the bicycle was the first to speak.
“jim, you’re so anxious to drown the wheel, and i’m willing, but there’s no need of waiting to see you do it.”
“what’s your hurry, tom?”
“i’m anxious to see how bob made out. i’ll turn off the path right here and go to camp; you’ll be along in a few minutes, and if everything is right, bob ought to be there very soon, if he hasn’t arrived before this.”
the matter was of no moment, and, as his companion took the path leading deeper into the woods, jim kept on in the direction of the mill-pond, where the bicycle was leaning against a tree near the edge of the water.
this little circumstance, however, encouraged the angry dick, for he now had but one person to contend with, though the second was near at hand.
jim, as he had been called, spent several minutes in searching for the bicycle, though he was close to it all the time. this, too, was fortunate, since tom was walking rapidly away and was likely soon to be beyond call.
“ah, here it is!” muttered jim, a moment later, “i thought tom was fooling me, but i’ll soon fix it now.”
he took hold of the wheel, and as it assumed the perpendicular, began shoving it toward the water. the path was so narrow that some difficulty was caused, and dick heard him muttering angrily to himself again.
“i guess you had better drop that!”
dick uttered the words in the most guttural bass he could assume, and they were startling enough in the gloomy stillness of the place.
jim was on the very edge of the pond at the moment, balancing the bicycle, and about to shove it out into the deep water at his feet, where it would instantly drop from sight. the hiss of a serpent beneath his feet could not have given him a greater shock.
he turned so abruptly that the machine fell over on its side with the rim touching the pond, which just there was at its deepest. seeing a figure advancing from the darkness, he recoiled a step and faced the intruder.
in his fright he stepped a few inches too far and fell backward with a loud splash.
“it would serve you right if you were half drowned,” said dick, moving forward to pick up his wheel.
he had it erect in a twinkling, and started to push it along the path, when the terrified jim shouted:
“help! help! i can’t swim! i’m drowning!”
this put a new and serious face on the business. dick let his bicycle tumble sideways again and ran to the edge of the pond to give help to the unfortunate youth.
as has been stated the water at this part of the mill-pond was deeper than anywhere else. the instant jim went off the land, he was where a twenty-foot pole would not have reached bottom. furthermore, he told the truth when he called that he could not swim. he was unable to sustain himself for a single stroke.
quick as was dick halliard in dashing over the brief intervening space, he saw the head of the fellow disappear under the surface, the disturbed waters bubbling over him.
but he knew he would come up again, and hurriedly looked around for a pole or stick to extend to him. none was within reach and the seconds were of too momentous value to allow him a further hunt.
knowing the endangered youth was in a panic, dick now strove to reach him without leaving the land. remembering where he had gone down, he essayed to step as far out from the edge as he could, in the hope that he might give him his hand.
but, familiar as he was with the big mill-pond and its surroundings, he forgot that the shore at that place went downward as sheer as the side of a stone wall.
as a consequence, the instant he bore the least weight on the extended foot, down he went with a force that carried him below the surface.
but dick was one of the most skillful of swimmers, and though the water was chilly, he came up like a duck.
he was so prompt in doing this that he and jim rose simultaneously, and within arm’s length of each other.
“keep still! don’t move, and i’ll take you ashore!”
he might as well have appealed to the whirlwind. the instant he grasped the hair of the big fellow the latter turned and flung both arms about his neck, and despite all his rescuer could do the two disappeared again.
the young rescuer knew that unless the desperate lock was broken both must drown, and the coolness with which he decided on the right and only thing to do and did it, was one of the most striking exhibitions our hero ever gave, or, for that matter, that any one could have given.
while holding his breath below, the death-lock of the drowning youth was slightly relaxed, but not sufficiently for his hold to be released. our body is slightly less in specific gravity than water, and, aided by the exertions of dick, the two quickly rose to the surface again.
the crisis came the instant they readied fresh air. it was then the drowning jim would strive fiercely to gather his rescuer closer to him, and nothing less than the power of hercules could shake him off. dick knew it and acted accordingly.
at the moment he gasped for breath he let drive with his right fist, landing directly between jim’s eyes. it was the strongest blow dick could deliver, and like a flash he repeated it.
it did the business. poor jim was in a dazed condition already. the two blows of dick stunned him and he became a dead weight on his rescuer.
fortunately for the latter they were close to shore, else his attempt to save the other might have resulted most seriously to himself. the larger boy was likely to recover from the stunning blow in a few seconds, and the instant he did so would become frantic again, while dick’s strength must speedily succumb.
the cry of the drowning youth rang through the wood and reached the ears of tom wagstaff, who dashed back to learn what it meant. at the moment he arrived dick had reached one hand up on the planking which ran along the edge of the pond, and, with his other arm under the shoulders of jim, kept his head in the air, but was unable to help him further until he should recover his senses.
dick knew who the second party was that suddenly appeared on the margin.
“he’s all right,” he said, alluding to jim; “reach down and give him your hand; he’s coming to.”
the hand grasped by tom was limp at first, but it suddenly gripped the other with desperate force, and putting forth all his power, tom gave a pull which dragged out the half-drowned jim, and stretched him on his face, where he showed signs of speedily recovering his bewildered senses.
“how did this happen?” asked the puzzled tom, looking at dick as he emerged from the water.
“he was about to push my bicycle that you stole into the pond, when he fell in himself; he called out that he couldn’t swim, so i jumped in after him; and now, if you have no objection, i’ll take my wheel home.”
as he spoke he advanced to where the bicycle was lying, stood it up, and moved down the path.
and as for jim and tom they spake never a word.
