  Now, as Billy loved horses, he was ready to applaud the plan suggested by Hugh. “It ought to be easy to open the door of the stable,” he observed. “Like as not the horses have broken loose from their mangers long before now, with the place filling with water and giving them a scare. But if they haven’t, why I’ll guarantee to get in there some way and cut them free.” “That must be the stable yonder,” called out Stallings, who had heard what was passing between his friends. “Yes,” Hugh assented, “it’s got a stone basement, he told me, which would be apt to hold out for quite some time against the water, because there’s little current up here, and only the sweep of the wind to fear.” The launch was steered so as to come up alongside that part of the stable where they could see the door was situated. This was now half under water, and if found to be locked Hugh would have to use the key the farmer had thought to put in his hand before they left the land. “First time a boat ever called at their door, I bet you!” said Tip. “I know the folks, and have been here at their place more than once.” He and Monkey Stallings held the launch steady while Billy tried the door. “Locked, Hugh, and here’s the padlock six inches under water,” he remarked, in a disgusted tone. “We’ll have to try and break in, I reckon.” “No, take this key the owner gave me,” Hugh explained. “Be careful not to let it slip out of your grip, or we will be in a hole.” Billy promised to be cautious, and after a little fumbling managed to undo the big padlock. “Wait and we’ll get the boat out of the way so the door can be drawn back,” Tip Lange told him. “Then the poor animals can wade or swim out as they please, if it happens they’re loose.” A number of whinnies had come from inside the stable, showing that the imprisoned horses recognized the presence of human beings, and perhaps understood that a way would be opened for their exit. “I can hear them thrashing about a good deal,” Monkey announced, “which I would take to mean they might be free from their halters and hitching ropes.” Billy maintained his grip on the door, and as the others pushed the launch slowly along an opening began to appear. Hardly had the door swung halfway open before a horse’s head appeared in sight, and out came an animal, swimming like a muskrat, only its head, neck, and a small portion of its back being visible. “There’s the second old chap, all right!” exclaimed Billy, as another head followed the tail of the first horse. “Did he say there were only two of them, Hugh?” “That’s the extent of the misery here,” came the prompt reply. “But look over yonder, will you, at the chickens perched on that coop; yes, and turkeys, too. Poor things, they’re apt to be pretty hungry before they get a meal again.” “Oh! what’s that swimming around over there?” demanded Tip. “I do believe it’s a dog; yes, and Farmer Jones did have a fine watch dog. I remember he had him chained to a kennel somewhere about there.” “We can’t pass by without trying to give the poor fellow a chance for his life,” Hugh declared, as he headed toward the spot where the moving object had been observed. “He sees us now,” said Tip. “But, say, the poor fellow is so rank tired swimming that he just can’t give even a yelp, let alone a joyful bark. Chances are he sat on top of his kennel till the water got so deep he had to swim; and as he’s fastened with a chain he’d soon have been drowned if we hadn’t come along.” When they came up to the dog Tip spoke kindly to him, calling him Carlo. Then he took hold and managed in some way to unfasten the animal’s collar. Of course this freed Carlo from the detaining chain that had come very near being his death. Tip and Monkey Stallings assisted the big dog to clamber over the side. The very first thing Carlo did was to scatter showers of drops all around him, which called for loud protestations from the boys. But after that the rescued dog seemed to want to show his affection by licking any one of the boys’ hands he could find. What better proof could they have of his gratitude than that? “There are those horses swimming after us,” said Billy. “If we keep on, we’ll be like a traveling circus coming to town, with all the queer things we rescue. I suppose now the next job is to gather in all those fowls there, eh, Hugh?” “Well, we’ll have to forego that pleasure just now, Billy. There may be human beings in need of our coming. I’m afraid the chickens and turkeys will have to take their chances.” “If any hungry coons happen along this way, the chickens won’t be apt to die a lingering death, or one by drowning either. A twist of the neck would see their finish,” said Billy. “I don’t like the way those horses keep swimming after us, Hugh,” protested Tip. “Oh! they want to be sociable,” laughed Billy, “but we’re leaving them in the lurch faster now, and soon they’ll give it up. When that happens they’ll most likely swim to the nearest shore, eh, Hugh?” “No question about it,” the pilot assured him. “Horses and cows have some sense about them. Even on a black night they’d know where the shore lay. It must be what we call intuition, and which takes the place of reasoning powers with animals and birds.” “Yes, and with frogs and toads, too,” said Billy. “I’ve picked up a toad many a time and thrown him as far out in the lake as I could; but let me tell you I never yet saw him strike out; he’d head for the shore every time, swimming for all he was worth, like he thought a black bass would snap him up.” “What time do you think it is?” asked Monkey Stallings from up in the bow where he was keeping a lookout—he called it the “crow’s nest,” because he had read that on board a ship that is where a man is stationed to sweep the horizon with his marine glasses from time to time. “Just three o’clock,” replied Hugh, and as there was no sun to tell him, he must have glanced at his watch in order to say it so positively. “We’ve got two hours or so more of daylight to work in,” Tip remarked. “Then we’ll have the time of our lives crawling back home in the dark, without any of us knowing our bearings in the night.” “Oh, it isn’t going to be quite that bad,” sang out Monkey. “Uncle always keeps plenty of lights aboard. There’s even a reflector that can be hung up here in the bow. It is one of those acetylene gas affairs, and makes a dazzling white light.” “Good enough!” cried Billy. “If we’re hard pushed we can keep up our rescue work into the night. I’d hate to think we’d left a single poor chap to drown when we might exert ourselves a little extra and save him.” “There, the horses have given us up as a bad job, and they’ve turned toward the land, you see!” announced Tip triumphantly. As he patted the head of Carlo, the dog pushed up close alongside him. “Sorry to say, it’s raining again,” added Billy. “You can see it on the water.” “That’s a bad thing all around for those who are without a shelter,” Hugh observed. “Of course it matters very little to us, because we have a canopy overhead, and curtains if we want to use them. I’m afraid the end is a long way off still.” “But from now on the rise isn’t apt to be so rapid, you see,” Tip continued. “It takes a lot more water to make an inch when it’s spread over such a big lot of territory. Here are miles and miles covered, and it’s the same way in other low places. Half of the country up in this region must be afloat.” Pushing on, they approached what seemed to be a nest of houses and outbuildings built for sociability’s sake at the adjoining corners of the farms, so as to make a little community in the dull winter time. “Looks like there are some people left there, because I saw a signal flutter!” announced Monkey Stallings. “It’s unusually low ground around here,” said Tip. “I remember the place well, and they have the finest garden and truck patches of any about town when things are going on naturally. But the whole place looks now like it had been struck by lightning, and then by a cloudburst. The Williams live in the near house, and you can see that the water is up over the top of the lower story. There’s some one on the rooftree waving to us.” “But I saw a white thing moving in that tree nearby,” declared Billy, “and if you listen you’ll hear them screeching right now.” “Help! help! we’re all drowning! Oh! hurry and come to save us!” Tip was seen to be smiling. “Say, I know who that is, all right,” he told the others. “There’s a queer little old woman at the Williams house, the sassiest and quickest with her tongue you ever did hear, and they say she’s that set in her ways nobody ever can make her do a thing she’d opposed to. Yes, that must be Miss Maria screeching, and she’s perched up in that tree, all right, like a guinea hen. We’re going to have a fine time of it getting her down, let me tell you, if she happens to be afraid of the limb breaking.” When the launch drew up alongside the house it was found that three persons had perched on the ridgepole of the roof, and were clinging there in great distress of body and mind. One of them was a brawny farm hand, another a heavy-set woman, while the third was a small negro. The last immediately slipped down the slope of the roof and managed to squirm aboard the boat, as though not meaning to let this fine chance escape him. It was something of a task to get the big woman safely down; but Monkey Stallings volunteered to climb up with a clothes line and make some sort of a “check,” so that with the help of the strong hired man she was finally successfully taken aboard. “Is that Miss Maria in the tree there?” Tip asked the man, after Hugh had learned that there were no others about the house needing assistance. “Jest who it is,” was the answer of the hired man. “She got skeered ’baout the house right in the start, an’ sez it was apt to be kerried away, which a tree wouldn’t because it’s got roots. I helped her get up among the branches, but they hain’t be’n a minute sense thet she hain’t kept whoopin’ it up. And haow she’s a-goin’ to be took daown beats me.” The launch was soon under the tree, and sure enough trouble began immediately. The little old woman was perched fairly high up, though even at that she doubtless often imagined the rising flood was touching her dangling feet. She declared she was afraid to move so as to come down. Monkey went up to assist her, but she continued to cling desperately to her limb and say she was afraid. At Hugh’s suggestion Monkey even carried up the rope, and, passing it over a limb above her head, fastened a loop under her arms. This was to inspire her with confidence; but she kept her grip, and gave them all manner of trouble. “I warned you what you’d run up against,” chuckled Tip. “I know the lady of old. When she sets her mind it sticks! Serve her right if we sailed away and left her up there in her old tree to camp out.” “Well, we can’t do that,” said Hugh, frowning. “They say that if the mountain won’t come to you, it’s up to you to go to the mountain. We’re going to get her down, and that right away. And, Billy, I’m going to leave that part of the job to you. The rest hang on to the rope, and keep it taut, so she won’t fall and get hurt. We’ll remove her support, which is the only way. Here, Billy, you’re a good hand with a hatchet; climb up there and cut that limb close to the tree. Never mind what she says to you. Some people don’t know what’s good for them, and even have to be saved against their will. Now, up with you, and get busy, Billy boy.” |
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