The Kennewick courier-reporter. [volume] (Kennewick, Wash.) 1914-1938, 1937-01-28
By JAMES J. MONTAGUE

+ BILL hadn't fallen overheard,
everything would have been all
right. When a man takes his
friends out in a boat that only
he knows how to run, ii is his busi-
ness to stay aboard and run her.
Moreover, il he must fall overheard,
he ought to stand by, and not get ex-
cited and swim for the nearest
shore. 1t was his boat, and we
were his invited guests. As a mat
ter of fact he had to do lot OF
persuading TO get US to go out with
him at all. But when he almost
wept on our shoulders as he begged
us to see what the new craft could
do-not only once-but every time
he met us for two weeks-well we
didn't want to hurt his feelings, did
we? ".
And as long as he had insisted so
pathetically, he might at least have
stayed on board. He knew that we
knew nothing about motor boats.
He knew that none Of Us could swim
more than few strokes. DELHI
erately to risk the lives Of three ut
ter novices at INCORPORATING was
nothing short Of criminal Bill
knows that now. We've told him.
We've told him not once but every
time we met him after the unfortu-
nate occurrence. That's probably
why he doesn't speak to US any
more.
He'd had the boat for about a
week when he began his campaign
to take us out for ride in her. Not
only had he run her in wide circles
around the harbor, her nose tilted
up at an angle of SIS degrees and
two big swaths of water piling up
astern of her, but he'd taken a bay
man out with him to show him
where all the rocks were. He al.
ways insisted that the rock that
wrecked us must have been rolled
there by a big wave after he had
concluded his studies in navigation.
But Charley and Harold and Aleck
and know very well that rocks big
enough to shoot boat that weighs
half ton up into the air like a sky.
rocket would not pay the slightes'
attention to the biggest wave in the
biggest ocean no matter how 1t ca
vorted. No sir, that rock was there
all the time, just lying in wait for US.
We were all sitting close behind
Bill when the trouble happened
that is the first installment of the
trouble. He was shouting at US about
what a wonderful boat she was. and
how she would split the waves when
he got outside and let her out. AS
he was talking there came bump
underneath as if sea serpent hao
let go at her with the tip Of his tail
I was confused by the wallop, but
not SO much so that I couldn't see
Bill describe a parabola over the
rail and land head first in the water
about six feet away from the boat.
By the time his head came up, and
he had coughed out a quart or sc
of water, he was SO or GO feet
astern. "Put her around!" he CUR.
gled, "put her head around, and
head for the harbor."
I grabbed the wheel and turned
il sharply. but the nose Of the boat
headed for the open water.
switched it the other way as quick
as could. She careened till the
water began to pour over the gun
vale, headed toward big rocky
island. Just then Harold yelled:
Look at Bill. he's swimming for
shore" g..
I didn't dare to look, ] was sc
busy keeping the cookie shell of q
craft from humping the island. ]
am sorry did that one. At the
rate we were going she would have
leaped right up on the middle of that
island, and we would have all beer
safe, even if we were bruised a lit
tie. My rage at Bill for deserving us
in that cowardly fashion, when he
had lured us out in this man killer
of boat was SO great that mus
have neglected my job to give his
diminishing head dirty look. Any
way, we zig-zagged, careened and
nearly capsized before could ge'
her on an even keel again.
When ! did, ] saw that we were
making straight for an excursion
boat and knew we were cut In
deep water and must be careful
For a minute my hands seemed par
alyzed. No matter which way
turned the wheel we seemed to head
straight for that boat. The side
nearest to us was lined with passen'