THE BOOK OF THE TARPON 



thing movable, even carrying the little canoe into 

 the cabin, and hauled the bow of the baby motor 

 boat under the counter of the Irene. The 

 Camera-man started the motor and then taking a 

 pole went forward, for the captain told him there 

 would be no hurry about stopping the engine 

 since the order wouldn't be given till the peril 

 was past and we were hard and fast on a bank. 

 For a hundred yards the course was straight, 

 then came a sharp turn to the left, followed by 

 one yet sharper to the right. 



I stood beside the captain as our speed in- 

 creased with every turn of the wheel, and as we 

 neared the first bend in the stream I was glad 

 that his was the guiding hand. He stood like a 

 graven image while the bushes on the right bank 

 swept the side of the cabin, until at the first turn 

 I thought the bowsprit would be buried in the 

 woods. But the wheel rolled to port, and rudder 

 and current swept us clear of the bank. While 

 the boat was still swinging, the wheel flew to 

 starboard and I held my breath as the Irene 

 slowly swung to the right away from the bank 

 toward which she was surging. One instant the 

 motor boat in tow swung against the right bank 



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