To all appearances she was uninjured. On board
were two men, plainly belonging to the region.
"What's the matter with you?" called one of the men on the other
boat.
"What's the matter with YOU?" retorted Fred. "Why didn't you
whistle before you turned the end of the island?"
"How were we to know anything was there if you didn't let us
know? You, yourself, ought to have whistled."
The damage to the Black Growler, however, was not to be explained
away by abuse or questions. Sam, already in the skiff, had
brought it along-side and was inspecting the damage on the
outside. As yet he had not made any suggestions and how serious
the collision might prove to have been was not yet known.
Meanwhile the other boat hastily withdrew and when the Go Ahead
boys again looked up to discover where it was, not one of them
was able to find it.
"That's a great note!" exclaimed George in disgust. "They not
merely ram us, but they don't wait nor even offer to help us."
"They didn't want to help," grumbled Sam. "The sooner they could
get away from here, the better."
"What do you mean?" said Grant, abruptly turning to face Sam as
he spoke.
"It seems to me," spoke up John, "that Nature doesn't have to
make every fellow seven stories high to leave his topknot vacant.
Sam thinks those fellows ran into us purposely."
For a moment the Go Ahead boys stared blankly at one another.
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