CHAPTER II

Building the “Bird”

Flossie and Freddie, anxious to win the skating race, were bending over with heads down, as all skaters do who wish to go fast and keep the wind from blowing on them too hard.  So they did not see the ice-boat coming toward them, for the craft, blown by the wind, made hardly any noise, and what little it did make was taken up by the clicking of the skates of the smaller twins.

“Oh, Bert!  Do something!” cried Nan.

“Yes, yes!  I will—­of course!”

Bert shook off Nan’s hand, for it was still on his arm, and started to skate toward the twins as fast as he could.  He hoped to reach them in time to stop them from skating right into the path of the oncoming ice-boat.

But he soon saw that he was not going to be able to do this.  The ice-boat was coming toward the small twins faster than Bert could ever hope to skate and reach them.

“Yell at them!” shouted Nan.  “That’s the only way to stop them!  Yell and tell them to look out!”

Bert himself had decided this was the best thing to do.  He stopped skating and, making a sort of funnel, or megaphone, of his hands, he cried out: 

“Flossie!  Freddie!  Look out!  Danger—­the ice-boat!”

Just at this moment, whether it was because of Bert’s shouts or because they were tired of going so fast and wanted a rest, the two children leading the skating race stood up straight and looked back.  They saw Bert pointing toward them and then they glanced at the ice-boat.  It was very close, and Flossie screamed.

At the same time the man who was steering the boat saw the children.  With a shout that echoed the one given by Bert, and the screams of Nan and Flossie, the man steered his boat to one side.  But he made such a sudden change that, though he steered out of the way of Flossie and Freddie, he nearly ran into Tommy Todd.  That small boy, however, was a good skater and stopped just in time, for he had seen the ice-boat coming.

Then with a whizz and a clink of ice, as the runners of the boat scraped big chips from the frozen lake, the skimming boat shot past Nan and Bert, not doing a bit of harm, but scaring all five children very much.

“Sorry!  Didn’t see you!  Next time——­”

This was what the man in the ice-boat shouted as he whizzed by.  His last words seemed whipped away by the wind and the children did not know what he meant.

“Maybe he meant next time he’d be sure to run into us,” said Tommy Todd.

“Oh, he wouldn’t do that!” declared Bert “That was Mr. Watson.  He buys lumber from my father.  I guess he meant that next time he’d give us a ride.”

“Oh, my!” exclaimed Nan.  “Would you ride in one of those dangerous things, Bert Bobbsey?”

“Would I?  Well, just give me the chance!  How about you, Tommy?”