Wait till he comes out of it."
"Why, the boat is moving backwards," cried Phil.
"No!"
"Yes, it is."
"Maybe January has kicked the machinery out of gear."
The circus people were by this time on deck, and, like Teddy and
Phil, many of them were in their pajamas. They had heard the
cry, "the animals have escaped," and many of the people were
gazing apprehensively about.
"It's all right," shouted Teddy. "It is only January, taking his
morning exercise."
About that time Phil, who had run around to the other side of
the pilot house, discovered that it was empty. There was no
pilot there.
Understanding came to him instantly. January had either kicked
or frightened Cummings out.
"The boat is running wild!" he called. "Find the pilot or we
shall be on the shore before we know it."
Phil did not wait for them to find the pilot. Instead, he
climbed in through one of the broken windows and grasped
the wheel.
"I've got to stop this going astern first of all," he decided.
He could see the banks now, and they seemed perilously near in
the faint morning light.
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