"She's hit us!" yelled Bart. "Everybody jump!"
The boys made a rush for the rail, intending to trust to their swimming abilities rather than to chance remaining on the steamer after the grain barge had hit her.
But their plans were suddenly frustrated for, as they reached the rail, something that towered away above their heads loomed up, and the grain vessel came sliding along side of the _Modoc_, just as if the two craft were about to tie up together for loading purposes.
The grain barge only bumped gently against the side of the steamer. The shrill whistles ceased. The jangling bells were silent. By the narrowest of margins a bad collision had been avoided.
Out of the pilot house came Captain Wiggs, running along the rail until he came opposite the pilot house of the grain barge. Then, standing on a signal flag locker the commander addressing the man in charge of the vessel which had given them all such a scare, exclaimed:
"Say, what in the name of the Sacred Cow are you trying to do, anyhow? Don't you know how to steer, you inconsiderate slab-sided specimen of an isosceles triangle!"
"Sure I know how to steer," replied the man, who was as cool as the captain was excited. "I was steering boats when you was a baby. But I'd like to know how in the name of Billy Hochswatter's mud-turtle any one can manage a boat when the steam steering gear breaks just as another vessel gets in front of me."
"Oh, then that's different," replied Captain Wiggs, with an understanding of the difficulties of the situation.
"Yes, I guess it is," retorted the other.
"Why didn't you use the hand gear?" asked the commander of the _Modoc_.
"That got jammed just as they were swinging my boat around, and all I could do was to signal for a clear course."
"Well, I gave it to you, but I almost had to rip my engines off the bed plates to do it," retorted Captain Wiggs. "I reversed at full speed, and swung that wheel around until it looked like a spinning top. Only for that we'd be on the bottom of the lake by now."
"That's right," agreed the other pilot. "You had your nerve with you. Well, as long as there's no damage done I s'pose you can go ahead. I'll have to lay-to for repairs."
"Um," was all Captain Wiggs replied, for he had not quite gotten over his scare, used as he was to narrow escapes from danger. Slowly the _Modoc_ was backed away from the side of the grain barge, and, when at the proper distance, she was sent ahead again, the other craft coming to anchor.