Beyond the
black cruiser lay the long yellow beach, dazzling in the noonday
sunlight. Suddenly the _Follow Me's_ bow turned straight for the
breakers and Steve gave a cry.
CHAPTER XV
SURRENDER
"They're going to run her ashore!" shouted Steve.
He slid out the clutch, throttled down the engine and swung the boat's
nose to starboard as the others piled back to the deck. The _Adventurer_
swept around in a long circle while the _Follow Me_, churning the
shoaling water into white froth, ran straight for the shore.
"Gosh, what a mess!" groaned Harry Corwin. "We'll never get her off
there!"
Steve made no answer, nor did the others. They were all watching that
wild rush of the black cruiser. On and on she went, rising and falling
with the gentle swells, until it looked as though she must surely be
churning the sand with her hurrying screw. Suddenly the cabin doors flew
open and three men, one hatless and with a white towel bound around his
head, leaped out and scampered along the roof to the bow. Wink raised
his revolver, but Steve pulled his arm down.
"Don't!" he said. "Let them go if they will."
At that instant the _Follow Me_ faltered, stopped, and went on again for
another yard or so as a breaking wave rushed under her keel, and then
rolled over to starboard and subsided so, her propeller still beating
and her stern slowly working around.
Pages:
141
142
143
144
145
146
147
148
149
150
151
152
153
154
155
156
157
158
159
160
161
162
163
164
165