Jetty

“ A light through the open door of the house was reflected on the surface of the lake. To his joy he saw that De Mello's little sailing yacht lay at the jetty. He had feared it might have been removed. Creeping along by the front wall of the stables he came to a spot whence he could see the door. A sentry was sitting on the ground, leaning against the wall, his head bent forward as in slumber. It might be possible to get to the jetty without waking him. Will returned to the men, and whispering "Remember!" to Machado, he led the way towards the terrace whence a few steps led down to the jetty. ”

“ Jetties at Entrances to Jetty Harbours.—The approach channel to some ports situated on sandy coasts is guided and protected across the beach by parallel jetties, made solid up to a little above low water of neap tides, on which open timber-work is erected, provided with a planked platform at the top raised above the highest tides. The channel between the jetties was originally maintained by tidal scour from low-lying areas close to the coast, and subsequently by the current from sluicing basins; but it is now often considerably deepened by sand-pump dredging. ”

“ The advantages of a Jetty are considerable, and previously to the erection of the one we refer to, there was a constant outcry against the government for not affording the public the accommodation, strange to say, now the relief is at hand, there is a fresh bone of contention, and the absurd and frivoulous objection raised, that it is a private Jetty. ”

“ With respect to the question of the Jetty, which has arisen out of this dispute, we must allow it is a serious evil, that a private individual should have it in his power by agreement with the Captain, provided he is compelled to land goods, to insure the Jetty dues on the whole of the cargo. ”

“ I hope he doesn’t meet that jet plane!”
“Be a swell fight. Ted is really good. I’d like to see that fight.” Stew’s eyes shone.
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“Yes, Ted is good, all right,” Jack admitted. “But something tells me that jet plane is a natural for fighting. It’s got amazing speed. Besides, I’ll bet it’s as easy to handle as a bicycle.”
Three minutes later they went racing for the rocky beach. The silence of their island had been torn to bits by the rasping rat—tat—tat of machine-gun fire. Since it came from the sea they guessed that Ted had met the jet plane. ”

“ Jeter hesitated for a long time. There was a distinct and almost nauseating vibration throughout all the space ship. And was there not something happening to the rind over a wide area, directly above the Jeter-Eyer plane?
They could fancy the snapping of ice on a forest lake in mid-winter.
They couldn't hear, in their suits. They could only feel. But all at once the outer rind, above their plane, vanished. At the same instant the plane itself, propeller still spinning, rose swiftly up through the hole in the rind. The air inside the globe was going out in a great rush. ”

“ I asked eagerly.
“You see Shell-heap now, layin' 'way out beyond Black Island there,” answered the captain, pointing with outstretched arm as he stood, and holding the rudder with his knee.
“I should like very much to go there,” said I, and the captain, without comment, changed his course a little more to the eastward and let the reef out of his mainsail.
“I don't know's we can make an easy landin' for ye,” he remarked doubtfully. “May get your feet wet; bad place to land. Trouble is I ought to have brought a tag-boat; but they clutch on to the water so, an' I do love to sail free. ”

“ Even though the stem of the yacht seems likely to run both of them down, she will neither dive nor fly until she has piloted the young one out of danger.
Then a sudden cry startles the Laird from his heresy-case and Mary Avon from her canvas. A sound far away has turned all eyes to the north; though there is nothing visible there, over the shining calm of the sea, but a small cloud of white spray that slowly sinks. In a second or two, however, we see another jet of white water arise; and then a great brown mass heave slowly over; and then we hear the spouting of the whale. ”

“ The old Black Bee had been tied to the repair dock at Pearl Harbor for three days. Ted, who was practically himself again, and Mary, who was enjoying a new lease on life, had been making good use of the Hawaiian moonlight. One morning Jack and Stew were taking in the sights, when Jack was called back to the ship by his commander.
“Get your things together,” the Commander ordered. “You’re going back to the States by plane.”
“What’s that, sir?” Jack stared. “What have I done now?”
“Plenty!” The Commander smiled. “It happens you’re the only living man who has flown a jet plane in actual combat! ”

“ In the small boat crouched the woman and girl, while on board the sailing yacht a man was vainly reaching out with [112] a landing hook, endeavoring to pull the little craft out of danger.
“Now!” suddenly shouted Jerry as if he was calling to some one, and he yanked the elevation rudder lever toward him.
Like a thing alive the Comet seemed to lift herself from the surface of the water. The front end was elevated, the forward hydroplanes emerging dripping from the liquid element. ”

“ Jet was taken so completely by surprise that he did not struggle for an instant, and then the humiliating truth began to dawn upon him.
"Where is the rope you brought to tie him with?" the man who was holding Jet asked, and after a moment's pause the other said with a curse:
"It has slipped out of my pocket while we were coming through the woods. Now, what shall we do?"
"You can manage to spoil a good thing quicker than any fellow I ever knew. ”

“ The Maas is encumbered with shoals, and the navigation is difficult for a stranger.
"Now, how much you give me, captain?"
The solicitor mentioned a moderate sum.
"Ah, you rich man with yacht to be hard on [Pg 35] poor pilot! Now, I pilot you for the middle price."
"Come on board, then," said Carew.
The pilot leapt on to the yacht's deck, and the other three pulled away in their boat.
"Now, captain. Tide in river running strong, wind is light; so we want all sail, or else we no move. Call up your hands and hoist topsail."
"There are no hands below. I am alone," replied Carew. ”

“ The boy started off at full speed; and Jet congratulated himself on having made the arrangement.
"That fellow can do a good deal to help me, and since he lives around here, Bob won't recognize me so quick, because he'll be apt to take me for one of the natives."
Jet's guide returned in a very short time.
He brought with him several fishing-lines, an old muzzle-loading gun, some cooking utensils, and a small bundle of provisions.
"Now, you've got to buy a lot of grub, an' then we'll have so much to carry that a team will be needed to haul 'em. I know where we can get a boat." ”

“ She was the finest vessel we had in the fleet.
She was built out of a toy lifeboat, with a lead keel fastened on, and she had paper sails and a rudder.
[Pg 22]
The “New Corinthian” sailed in the nicest way, but we were too proud of her, after we had rigged her, to let her go down the big river, so we sailed her on a small pond called Mystery Bay; we called it that name because it looked so terribly deep, but was really only about three feet deep.
The “New Corinthian” did not have any adventurous voyages, but she had as good a time as she could have, sailing round and round Mystery Bay. ”

“ Two boats were rowing back and forth on the lake, with bright lights at stern and prow; and loud shouts filled the air. No answer; no clew: at last, from the island, came a pistol shot,—the signal agreed on. Every man stood still and listened. Slowly the boats came back to shore, drawing behind them Hetty's boat; bringing one of the oars, and also Hetty's shawl, which they had found, just where Raby had told them they would, in the wild-grape thicket. ”

“ Sail was made upon the boat, and we soon had the satisfaction of finding ourselves sliding along before the wind at a speed of between four and five knots. I took the yoke-lines, believing that I could steer a truer course than Ned, while he maintained a sharp look-out for a sail. Hour after hour dragged wearily by however, and still the ocean remained deserted, save for our own tiny sail; and meanwhile our hunger and thirst grew apace, until [283] there were times when my torment was so exquisitely keen that I felt sorely tempted to follow Joey's example, and end it all. ”

“ I’ve heard they’re hard on fuel. We’ll have the boys rig up a belly tank on your jet plane. Then you and I will give the ship a good tryout together.”
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“That’s okay with me, sir,” said Jack.
“It’s not just for fun, or to try out a new toy. I want to warn you,” said the Commander, “that if this jet plane has enough range she’ll be the first scout sent out over Mindanao. It’s going to be very important that we have accurate information regarding ships in the harbor. With this plane you should be able to get that information and come back alive.” ”

“ The owners of this small merchant fleet had nowhere else handy to float their vessels in than the small and winding Gara river and a very small pond; the vessels when upon the river drove along with the stream, their sails, when they had any, only being of use to get them out of bad places, except occasionally when the current ran slowly; then, with a fair wind, the “Pasear” and the “Monte,” at any rate, would walk along at a fine pace.
Long, light sticks were carried to steer the ships round dangerous corners, and through narrow and difficult channels like the Two Snags ”

“ The jet plane began its predawn song. Jack and Stew were off.
The fog was gone, and the moon bright. Jack was astonished as he climbed into the sky. As far as he could see there were white dots telling of ships plowing their way through the dark sea.
“More fighting ships than the world has ever seen in one place,” he said to Stew.
“Sure—carriers, probably a dozen of them; big battle wagons, cruisers, destroyers, cargo vessels, transports, oilers, tankers, repair ships, PT boats—everything. We’re going back to the Philippines, boy! And we’re going back to stay.” ”

“ Jetties at the Outlet of Tideless Rivers.—Jetties have been constructed on each side of the outlet of some of the rivers flowing into the Baltic, with the objects of prolonging the scour of the river and protecting the channel from being shoaled by the littoral drift along the shore. The most interesting application of parallel jetties is in lowering the bar in front of one of the mouths of a deltaic river flowing into a tideless sea, by extending the scour of the river out to the bar by a virtual prolongation of its banks. ”

“ Then he loaded the gun with ball cartridge, and put half a dozen in his pocket. The bacon rind was also used with good effect, and, Jet said, as he slipped a couple of crackers in his coat:
"Now come on, Jim. We may as well sit there as here, and we shall know if he leaves the place."
"He can't unless he swims, for the other fellow has got the boat."
"I forgot that; but anyhow it won't do any harm to be ready. We'll carry the boat down to the bushes on the bank, and that will take some time." ”

“ On gaining the deck I found the crew clustered along the lee bulwarks, gazing intently upon a small craft barely a hundred yards away. It was a yacht, apparently, of about three or four tons, with a large rent in her mainsail, her storm-jib in ribbons, and only her foresail intact.
As she fell into the trough of the huge seas she lost the wind, but the moment she rose on the crest of a wave she was caught by the furious gusts and heeled till we could almost see her keel and as she heeled a long dark line showed on her white side close to her chain plates.
"She's done for!" shouted the bos'n. ”

“ The first person to reach the plane was Mary. She had seen it all. There was a look on her face that Jack had never seen there before as she called, “Ted! Is he badly injured?”
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“He’ll pull through,” Jack admitted. “But why only Ted? Can’t you give another fellow a smile?”
“Jack, I could kiss you for saving Ted,” she exclaimed. And that was just what she did.
In landing on the sea, and again on the deck of the Black Bee, Jack had experienced unusual difficulty in controlling the jet plane, but was at the time too excited to think much about it. ”

“ Now you see why I'm keen on your flying. Obviously, I couldn't experiment upon a machine in charge of a Rioguayan pilot. He'd smell a rat. But I can try it in a flying-boat piloted by you, even if there is a crew on board. There would be no danger, since I can control the rays before you are obliged to make a forced landing. I'll see Jaurez in the morning and ask him when you will be sufficiently trained to take charge. We'll give you a week's practice from then and by that time I'll be ready for the big test. Are you game?"
"Rather!" replied Peter. ”

“ Meanwhile we’ll turn this ship about and sail for home.”
“And when—when shall we make the—attack?” asked Jerry.
“As soon as he gives an order to send this boat any deeper in the ocean,” answered Ted promptly. “That will be the signal. She is now running as deep as is safe,” and he glanced at the gage on the wall of the engine room. “The minute he signals to fill the ballast tanks more, and send her down, [210] we’ll attack him in the pilot house. Better go tell your friends what our plan is,” he concluded to Jerry. ”

“ Jack sighed and opened his eyes.
"Let's get him on board the yacht at once," exclaimed the captain.
First, however, he passed his hand along each limb, and then felt Jack's ribs.
The patient winced at the last experiment and uttered a low cry.
"Legs and arms all right," muttered the captain, as he with our hero's help carried the boy to the small boat; "so, if a rib's broken, he must consider himself well out of a bad scrape."
Bob again pulled his hardest, and when alongside the yacht his comrade with some difficulty was got on board. ”