“Don’t let him.  He will upset us.”

Jane yelled at the man in the launch, who—­not daring to brave the seas any longer, was slowly turning his launch about.  He shook his head, evidently thinking she was ordering him to continue.  Seeing that her words were of no avail, Crazy Jane leaped down to the forward deck and casting the tow line from the cleat, flung it out on the water.

“Hook on the other end and tow us back if you want to.  Don’t you know better than to turn us around in all this storm?” she yelled.

The boatman ran up to the stern where Harriet was doing her best to keep the boat’s head to the wind, but was slowly losing ground.  She motioned to him to keep off and beckoned to him to cast the tow line to her so she could make it fast at that end.  Harriet had forgotten that there was no rudder at the other end.  But the boatman persisted in getting up close to the houseboat.  All at once what Harriet had feared did happen.  The launch was picked up on a heavy swell and hurled against the houseboat.  There followed the sound of crunching woodwork.  The launch began to fill with water.

“Jump!” shouted Captain Harriet.  “You’re sinking.”

The boatman clung to his craft a moment longer, then leaped into the lake.  He was not a good swimmer, but fortunately the waves were rolling toward the houseboat, carrying him in that direction.  Harriet had dropped the tiller and was watching him narrowly.  There was no rope ready, the one that usually lay at hand having been lost with the launch, which slowly settled in the water, then disappeared.

The girl saw that the man was likely to be hurled against the side of the houseboat.  She snatched up a boathook and when he came within reach thrust it out to him.

“Hold steady until that wave passes, then I’ll pull you in,” she called.  The blow from the waves took nearly all the breath out of the man, but as soon as it had passed, Harriet hauled him quickly aboard.

Miss Elting reported that the “Red Rover” was leaking, that the launch had crushed in a plank on the side.

“Stuff clothing in the hole,” ordered Jane.  “Here you, Mr. Man, please go in there and see if you can’t nail up the broken place.  You’ve got to do something or you’ll never set foot on land again.”

Off in the camp of the Tramp Club there was great excitement.  The boys had discovered the craft laboring in the heavy sea, and as it drew nearer to their side of the lake, they discovered that it was none other than the “Red Rover.”

“They’re in trouble, boys.  Billy, will your boat stand it?” asked George.

“As long as we can keep the water out of her.”

“Then let’s get aboard.  No, you fellows stay here.  There’s a load of them out there to fetch back if we ever get close enough to take them off.”

The motors were working, but no sooner had the two boys gotten clear of the little pier at their camp than the engines suddenly stopped and the boat drifted back.