isa-normaladvance-1913-00176

Description:	176THE NORMAL ADVANCEto send a crank. He filled the oil cups, turnedon the gasoline, and threw over the wheel. Noresponse from the engine. Oh! I forgot toprime it, be apologized, growing red in theface. It rather peeved him not to have it startright off. He primed it, and assuring himselfthat everything else was all right he commencedthrowing over the wheel as if he had a spiteat it.I lost count a little, but I think it was aboutthe twenty-fourth time he threw over the Avheel,he was puffing like a steam tractor, and just ashe was straightening up to rest a little the engine gave an unresponsive hollow chug, a tiredpish and again lapsed into silence.Confound the luck anyhow, I forgot to readjust the spark plug after priming, stormedBone. His face was so red that if comparedto a newly painted red barn, it would make thebarn look a pale pink.He primed it again and again, and threwover the wheel. There was a sputtering roar.The two would be joy riders in the rear seatturned pale with fright, I shook my fist at thefool on the wharf who had been holding thePirate by a rope, and had thrown that rope tome. AVhat good could that rope do now ? Whyhad he not held us safe and secure against thatwharf? Something wTas wrong. This was no-silent-under-water exhaust. The roar grewlouder and the Pirate shot through the waterlike a , but just then just as suddenly asit had started the engine stopped. I certainlyfelt thankful.That dreadful roar having stopped I summoned courage to peer about and see how manymiles we had left the wharf behind. Then 1made a discovery. In fact I made two of them.First, that fool, cantankerous boat had in someway headed down stream and the fellows backon the wharf looked like small, dancing pigmies, they were so far away. Second, Bonewas still working at the engine. I do not believe to this day that he had ever looked up tosee whether we were going or not. Bone hadbeen weaned on gasoline and had cut his teethon a spark plug. He was an authority on gasoline engines among all the boys, but I nevertook any of that into consideration then.You confounded, half-witted, sawed-off,missing link you, wake up, I bellowed. Doyou know that in tinkering around that engineyou have shot us about a mile down stream, andthat the current is helping us right on in thesame direction?Bone looked up not only with a hurt expression, but a decidedly peeved one.Say, he roared, what the deuce is thatsteering wheel on there for ? Why didnt youguide it? Do you expect me to do all thework?I wilted. I had quite forgotten the steeringwheel.To relate all that happened on the first eventful voyage would make an article in itself. Wewere finally forced to use the backs of thechairs in the boat as paddles, and after muchexpenditure of energy on our part succeeded inlanding the Pirate some five miles below thewharf. Here we tied it up for the night,hoofed it home, and by devious means succeededin running it back to the wharf the followingafternoon. I forget exactly what was wrongwith the engine. As I remember it, Bone saidthat it was a combination of newish tightness,together with a slight ailment of the carbureter.AVe roped the Pirate securely to the dockuntil vacation. After a few ages, the vacationarrived.Now was time for action and experiment.AVe were going to have exploration and adventure. AVe decided to take a few days at firstand become acquainted with the Pirate.If we could only persuade him not to be sostrenuous to begin with and not so sulky whenhe balks, we would have an excellent cruiser,remarked Bone.This remark fitted the case exactly. ThePirate was entirely too robust to begin with andtoo pouty when quitting. We decided that wemust know the Pirate more thoroughly. Wemust become better acquainted. Consequently,we removed the propeller from the shaft, roped
Source:	http://indstate.contentdm.oclc.org/cdm/ref/collection/isuarchive/id/34621
Collection:	Indiana State University Archives

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