The two continued to row about, but for a long while saw nothing but bits of wreckage.
Then our hero beheld a form floating just to their right.
“Take both oars, Harry,” he said, “and be careful, for that is Wash Crosby’s body.”
Harry took the oars and began to row slowly.
At that instant a strange thing happened. Si Peters came up under the boat, giving it such a shove that Jerry was hurled overboard.
Then, with a swiftness that was really surprising, Si Peters clambered into the row-boat.
In his hand he held part of a broken oar.
“Jump out after Jerry Upton!” he growled as he advanced upon Harry.
Without replying, Harry leaped up to defend himself. As he did this he saw that Jerry and Wash Crosby were fighting in the water.
Neither Crosby nor Peters had been hurt by the collision, both having left their craft before the steamboat struck it.
Their one thought now was to get the good row-boat away from our two heroes.
Jerry, thinking Wash Crosby seriously hurt, was taken completely by surprise.
Crosby caught him by the shoulder and forced him far under the water, and then did his best to hold him there.
Crosby was a powerful fellow, and he well understood what defeat and capture meant—a term in prison.
But, as we know, Jerry’s muscles were like iron, and his first surprise over, he went for Crosby tooth and nail.
With a powerful twist he freed himself from the rascal’s grasp and swam some distance away.
Then coming up behind Crosby, the young oarsman let out with his right fist.
The blow took the Rockpoint bully behind the ear, and Crosby let out a wild yell of pain, broken by a gasp for air, as he went under the bosom of the ocean.
As he went down, our hero gave him an extra shove and then swam with all speed for the row-boat, which had drifted several yards away.
He saw Harry and Si Peters standing up in the boat. Peters had just struck at his chum, and Harry had partly dodged the vicious blow.
But the broken oar landed on Harry’s arm, causing him to cry out from pain.
The command, coming so unexpectedly, startled Peters. He turned, to find Jerry at the gunwale directly behind him.
Again Harry sprang away, and now armed himself with an oar.
“You can’t frighten me, you fool!” shouted Peters. “Don’t you dare to put your hand on the boat!”