"Now you've done it!" cried Billy Raynor.
"I--er--it was an accident," cried Donald, as the two boats swung apart, and there was some justification for this plea, as the _Speedaway_ was also damaged, though not badly.
"It was no accident," cried Jack, but he said no more just then. He was too busy examining the rent in the _Curlew's_ side.
Still shivering, like a wounded creature, from the shock of the impact, the _Curlew_, with the water pouring into the jagged rip in her side, began slowly to sink!
Silence, except for the inrush of water into the damaged side of the _Curlew_, followed the collision. The three lads on the sinking craft gazed helplessly at each other for a few seconds.
"Get away as quick as you can," whispered Donald's father to the boy who had wrought the damage, and now looked rather scared. The _Speedaway_ swung out and her big mainsail began to fill.
"We are going to the bottom," choked out Billy, the first of the party to recover the use of his vocal organs.
"I'm afraid there's no doubt of that," said Jack. "Donald Judson," he shouted, raising his voice and throwing it across the appreciable distance that now separated the two craft, "you'll pay for this."
"It was an accident, I tell you," yelled back the other lad, but in a rather shaky voice.
"You'll do no good by abusing us," chimed in his father.
"What'll we do, Jack?" demanded Noddy, tugging at Jack's sleeve.
"Steer for the shore. There's just a chance we can make it, or at least shallow water," was the reply.
"Doesn't look much as if we could make it," said Billy dubiously, shaking his head and regarding the big leak ruefully, "but I suppose we can try."
The wounded _Curlew_ began to struggle along with a motion very unlike her usual swift, smooth glide. She staggered and reeled heavily.
"Put her on the other tack," said Jack. Noddy followed his orders with the result that the _Curlew_ heeled over on the side opposite to that which had been injured, and thus raised her wound above the water line. Billy began bailing, frantically, with a bucket, at the water that had already come in.
"No, we don't want your help," answered Jack shortly. "We'll thresh all this out in court later on," he added.
"I'm a witness that it was an accident," shouted the elder Judson.