as it was for him to take
all the credit when success came along.

Some of those who clung to the wreck were, however, not averse to
accepting assistance from the regulars of the Boat Club. Brad directed
them how to hang on, and in this way towed them close to the shore.

When the water shoaled enough to admit of their standing up, with it
only waist high he stopped the boat.

"That'll do for you, fellows," Brad said, pleasantly; "and we'll go
back now for the other pair."

"Aw! you needn't bother yourselves about them," broke out Buck, who had
managed, with the assistance of Whitey and Oscar, to get the weak-kneed
Clem Shooks in the shallow water; "they're on the way right now."

It turned out to be as Buck said. The last pair, realizing that they
would be apt to incur the anger of their leader if they waited to
accept favors from those Buck hated so bitterly, had indeed abandoned
the wreck, and were even then swimming toward the shore.

None of Brad's crew laughed, though the aspect of the wrecked ones was
most forlorn, and doubtless they wanted to make merry.

"We're sorry for your accident, Buck," Brad ventured to say, in as
pleasant a tone as he could ever use when addressing the boy he
detested so much deep down in his heart.

"Nobody wants you to be sorry!" grated the other, in an ugly humor.

"We've been talking about that race your bunch gave us yesterday, and
honestly we hoped it would be repeated," Brad went on to remark; for he
fancied he could understand how such a disaster must upset any fellow;
and he tried to make excuses for the surly temper Buck was displaying.

"Oh! let up on that sort of talk; won't you?" growled the other. "I
s'pose you'd just want to use us as a practice crew; hey? Well, it's
off, anyhow; and all owin' to Clem Shooks here taking a crab, just when
I was starting to steer clear of that nasty snag!"

"Why, I nev----" the astonished Clem started to exclaim, though he had
swallowed so much water that it was difficult for him to get his breath
as yet; when the irate bully turned on him like a flash, and shook his
big fist threateningly.

"Don't you go to denyin' it, now, Clem Shooks!" he roared, furiously.
"I ought to know, hadn't I, when I saw the whole thing? And didn't you
get throwed further than any of the rest? That was because you didn't
have any oar left to hold on to. You ought to be made to pay for the
boat, that's what. No back talk now, or else I'll show you who'