Chapter 8 7.sailing regatta

When people in Central Park learned that one of the toy sailboats was driven by a mouse in a sailor suit, they all came to see it.Soon the banks of the pond were so crowded that a policeman was sent from the police headquarters to announce that no one should push any further, but he was ignored.People in Central Park love to jostle each other, and the most excited of them all is the boy who owns the Lillian B. Worrall.He was a fat, depressed twelve-year-old boy named Leroy.He was wearing a blue silk jacket and a white tie with orange juice splashed on it. "Come back here!" he called to Stuart. "Come back on my boat. I want you to steer my boat. I'll pay you five dollars a week, and you'll have Thursday afternoons off, listening to the radio in your bedroom."

"Thank you for all the good things you've done for me," replied Stuart, "but I'm happy aboard the Wasp—much happier than I've been anywhere else in my life." Stuart said, turning the wheel very deftly, and turned his schooner towards the starting point, where Leroy was poking his boat with a long stick to make her turn to the starting point of the race. place. "I'll be the referee," said a man in a pale green uniform. "Is the Wasp ready?" "Ready, sir!" cried Stuart, touching his hat. "Is the Lillian B. Worrall ready?" asked the judge.

"Of course, ready," Leroy said. "Drive toward the northern end of the pond and turn back when you get there!" the referee shouted. "Get ready, set sail!" "Set sail!" The people on the shore shouted together. "Set sail!" shouted the Wasp's owner. "Let's sail!" the policeman yelled. The two sailboats sailed toward the north of the pond, and the gulls followed, hooting overhead.The taxis coming from 72nd Street kept honking their horns (they all drove halfway across the United States to reach Central Park), and the westerly wind sang, splashing spray on the deck and blowing Fragments of peanut shells thrown into the water as much foam rolled up and hit Stuart on the cheek. "This is the life I want!" Stuart said to himself. "What a sail! What a day! What a race!"

Before the two ships sailed away, an accident occurred on the shore.Desperate to see the game, people pushed harder and harder, so although they didn't want to do it, they pushed the policeman hard from the concrete wall into the pond, and he landed in a sitting position. In the water, the water was up to the third button of his coat.He was almost completely soaked. This policeman is not very tall and fat, but he just had a very rich meal, and his fall also caused very high waves, so many small boats were overturned, and the owners of the boats on the shore First surprised, then laughed happily.

When Stuart saw the huge waves approaching, he jumped to the stays of the sail, but it was too late.The mountain-high waves pouring over the Wasp hit the deck in a surge that swept Stuart aside and into the water again, where everyone thought he was drowned.Stuart had no intention of being drowned.He beat the water hard with his feet, tried to balance himself on his tail, and in a minute or two he was aboard the schooner again, cold and wet, but unscathed.As he sat back at the wheel, he could hear the people cheering for him, "Good mouse, Stuart, good mouse!" Looking back, he saw that the waves had taken the Lillian B. Worrall away. Overturned, but she was up again quickly, and came towards his boat.So he pulled the boat aside and waited until the other boat came and joined him to the north end of the pond.Stuart turned the Wasp around, and Leroy turned the Lillian with his stick, and the two boats headed back to the destination together.

"The game isn't over yet," thought Stuart. Here comes the first trouble.He glanced at the cabin of the Wasp, and found that the index on the barometer inside was dropping rapidly.This situation can only mean one thing when sailing - a storm is coming.Suddenly, a black cloud swept towards the sun, covering it and casting a shadow over the earth.Stuart shivered in his wet suit, pushing his sailor shirt up to his neck.He caught a glimpse of the Wasp's owner among the crowd on the shore, and waving his hat to him, he shouted: "A storm is coming, sir! The wind is turning to the southwest, the sea is beginning to roll, and the barometer is dropping!"

"Never mind the weather!" shouted the captain. "Let's pay attention to the wreckage of the ship floating in front of you first!" Stuart checked ahead for signs of a storm, but saw nothing but gray water with white tops.The world seemed to grow cold and full of bad omens.He looked back again and saw a sloop approaching, her bow bobbing violently in the spray. "Watch out, Stuart! Watch out for what you're doing!" Stuart tried to keep his eyes open, and suddenly, just to the right of the Wasp, he saw a huge paper bag floating across the water of the pond.The paper bag was empty, blown high by the wind, with its mouth gaping open like a cave.Stuart turned the helm hastily, but it was too late: the Wasp had already tucked her bowsail into the paper bag.With a terrible hiss, the schooner slowed, and all sails were whipped violently by the wind.Just then Stuart heard a ripping sound, saw the bow of the Lillian crashing against the ship's stays, and felt a terrible force strike from bow to stern.

"Crash!" shouted the people on the shore. In an instant the two ships were terribly entangled.The boys on the shore jumped up and screamed there.At the same time, the paper bag suddenly leaked and water began to pour into it. The Wasp was immobilized because of the paper bag, and so was the Lillian B. Worrall, because her prow lug was lodged in the Wasp's stays. Stuart ran to his cannon, arms waving, and fired.Then he heard shouts from the shore, including the voice of the Wasp's master.He was giving instructions aloud what to do. "Stuart! Stuart! Lower the jib! Lower the staysail!"

Stuart ran for the halyards and lowered the jib and forestay. "Tear off the paper bags!" shouted the captain. Stuart drew his pocket knife and hacked bravely at the sodden paper bag until it disappeared from the deck. "Go back to the forestays now, and keep the sails full!" cried the Wasp's master. Stuart took hold of the staysail by the shroud and hauled it as far as he could.Slowly the schooner regained its balance and began to move forward.When the lower parts of her sails were raised against the breeze, and her rails freed from the Lillian's bow nose, she was free to sail south.There was a burst of applause from the shore.Stuart responded loudly while turning the steering wheel.When he looked back again, he was pleasantly surprised to find that the Lillian twisted wildly and then exploded, and everyone on the shore was shouting.

Under Stewart's driving, the Wasp drove straight forward and soon crossed the finish line.Stuart anchored her against the wall while he himself was brought ashore, overwhelmed by praise for his seamanship and bravery.The owner said excitedly that this was the happiest day in his life.He introduced himself to Stuart as Paul Carey, a dentist.He said he was fond of model boats and would welcome Stuart to drive his boat anytime.Everyone came to shake Stuart's hand--everyone except the policeman.Because he was wet and gassy and not in the mood to shake hands with a mouse. When Stuart came home that evening, his brother George asked him where he had been all day.

"Oh, walking around town," Stuart replied.