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 BSAVA Manual of
BSAVA Manual of Canine and Feline Abdominal Imaging

Canine and Feline

Abdominal
Imaging

Edited by
Robert O’Brien
and Frances Barr

Covers Placed.indd 1 29/06/2017 10:15

7/1/09 15:28:32
 BSAVA Manual of
Canine and Feline
Abdominal Imaging
Editors:

Robert O’Brien
DVM MS Dip.ACVR
Department of Veterinary Clinical Medicine,
University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign,
1008 West Hazelwood Drive, Urbana,
IL 61802, USA

and

Frances Barr
MA VetMB PhD DVR Dip.ECVDI MRCVS
Department of Clinical Veterinary Science,
University of Bristol, Langford House,
Langford, Bristol BS40 5DU, UK

Published by:

British Small Animal Veterinary Association

Woodrow House, 1 Telford Way, Waterwells
Business Park, Quedgeley, Gloucester GL2 2AB

A Company Limited by Guarantee in England.

Registered Company No. 2837793.
Registered as a Charity.

Copyright © 2012 BSAVA

First published 2009
Reprinted 2012

All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced,

stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted, in form or by any means,
electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording or otherwise without
prior written permission of the copyright holder.

Illustrations 7.1, 9.5, 9.6, 10.4, 10.31, 12.1 and 13.1 were drawn
by S.J. Elmhurst BA Hons (www.livingart.org.uk) and are printed with
her permission.

A catalogue record for this book is available from the British Library.

ISBN 978 1 905319 10 7

e-ISBN 978 1 905319 71 8

The publishers, editors and contributors cannot take responsibility for

information provided on dosages and methods of application of drugs
mentioned or referred to in this publication. Details of this kind must
be verified in each case by individual users from up to date literature
published by the manufacturers or suppliers of those drugs. Veterinary
surgeons are reminded that in each case they must follow all appropriate
national legislation and regulations (for example, in the United Kingdom,
the prescribing cascade) from time to time in force.

Printed by: Replika Press Pvt. Ltd, India

Printed on ECF paper made from sustainable forests

Page i Abdo Imaging.indd 1 29/06/2017 10:13

 Other titles in the
BSAVA Manuals series:
Manual of Canine & Feline Abdominal Surgery
Manual of Canine & Feline Advanced Veterinary Nursing
Manual of Canine & Feline Anaesthesia and Analgesia
Manual of Canine & Feline Behavioural Medicine
Manual of Canine & Feline Cardiorespiratory Medicine
Manual of Canine & Feline Clinical Pathology
Manual of Canine & Feline Dentistry
Manual of Canine & Feline Dermatology
Manual of Canine & Feline Emergency and Critical Care
Manual of Canine & Feline Endocrinology
Manual of Canine & Feline Endoscopy and Endosurgery
Manual of Canine & Feline Gastroenterology
Manual of Canine & Feline Haematology and Transfusion Medicine
Manual of Canine & Feline Head, Neck and Thoracic Surgery
Manual of Canine & Feline Infectious Diseases
Manual of Canine & Feline Musculoskeletal Disorders
Manual of Canine & Feline Musculoskeletal Imaging
Manual of Canine & Feline Nephrology and Urology
Manual of Canine & Feline Neurology
Manual of Canine & Feline Oncology
Manual of Canine & Feline Ophthalmology
Manual of Canine & Feline Practice Management and Development
Manual of Canine & Feline Rehabilitation, Supportive and Palliative Care: Case Studies in Practice
Management
Manual of Canine & Feline Reproduction and Neonatology
Manual of Canine & Feline Surgical Principles: A Foundation Manual
Manual of Canine & Feline Thoracic Imaging
Manual of Canine & Feline Ultrasonography
Manual of Canine & Feline Wound Management and Reconstruction
Manual of Exotic Pets
Manual of Ornamental Fish
Manual of Practical Animal Care
Manual of Practical Veterinary Nursing
Manual of Psittacine Birds
Manual of Rabbit Medicine and Surgery
Manual of Raptors, Pigeons and Passerine Birds
Manual of Reptiles
Manual of Rodents and Ferrets
Manual of Small Animal Fracture Repair and Management
Manual of Wildlife Casualties

For information on these and all BSAVA publications please visit our website: www.bsava.com

ii

Prelims Abdo.indd 2 31/10/2012 09:25

 Contents

List of contributors v
Foreword vii
Preface viii

1 Approach to abdominal imaging 1

Frances Barr and Robert O’Brien

2 Abdominal radiography 5
J. Fraser McConnell

3 Abdominal ultrasonography 18
Juliette Besso

4 The peritoneal cavity 29

Elizabeth A. Baines

5 The retroperitoneum 40
Francisco Llabrés-Díaz

6 Abdominal vessels 49
Francisco Llabrés-Díaz

7 Abdominal lymph nodes 59

Helena Nyman

8 Abdominal masses 76
Nicolette Hayward

9 The stomach 87
Gabriela Seiler and Wilfried Maï

10 The small intestine 110

Kate Bradley

11 The large intestine and perianal region 132

Lorrie Gaschen

iii

Prelims Abdo.indd 3 31/10/2012 09:25

 12 The liver and gallbladder 144
Tobias Schwarz

13 The pancreas 157

Federica Morandi

14 The spleen 167

Laura Armbrust

15 The adrenal glands 177

Paul Mahoney

16 The kidneys and ureters 185

Martha Moon Larson

17 The bladder and urethra 205

Alasdair Hotston Moore

18 The female reproductive system 222

Gawain Hammond

19 The male reproductive system 237

Margaret Costello

Index 246

iv

Prelims Abdo.indd 4 31/10/2012 09:25

 Contributors

Laura Armbrust DVM Dip.ACVR

College of Veterinary Medicine, Kansas State University, Manhattan, KS 66506, USA

Elizabeth Baines MA VetMB DVR Dip.ECVDI MRCVS

The Royal eterinary ollege, niversity of ondon, Haw shead ane, orth ymms, Hatfield,
Hertfordshire AL9 7TA, UK

Frances Barr MA VetMB PhD DVR Dip.ECVDI MRCVS

Department of Clinical Veterinary Science, University of Bristol, Langford House, Langford,
Bristol BS40 5DU, UK

Juliette Besso DEDV Dip.ECVDI Eligible ACVR

97 Rue Monge, 75005 Paris, France

Kate Bradley MA VetMB PhD DVR Dip.ECVDI MRCVS

Department of Clinical Veterinary Science, University of Bristol, Langford House, Langford,
Bristol BS40 5DU, UK

Margaret Costello MVB DVR Dip.ECVDI MRCVS

Diagnostic Imaging Service, Culver House, High Street, Arlingham, Gloucestershire GL2 7JN, UK

Lorrie Gaschen PhD Dr.habil DVM DrMedVet Dip.ECVDI

School of Veterinary Medicine, Louisiana State University, Baton Rouge, Louisiana, LO 70803, USA

Gawain Hammond MA VetMB MVM CertVDI Dip.ECVDI MRCVS

Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, University of Glasgow, Glasgow G61 1QH, UK

Nicolette Hayward BVM&S DVR Dip.ECVDI MRCVS

Veterinary Diagnostic Imaging Ltd, Baytree Cottage, Dyrham, Chippenham SN14 8EX, UK

Alasdair Hotston Moore MA VetMB CertSAC CertVR CertSAS MRCVS

Department of Clinical Veterinary Science, University of Bristol, Langford House, Langford,
Bristol BS40 5DU, UK

Francisco Llabrés-Díaz DVM DVR Dip.ECVDI MRCVS

Davies Veterinary Specialists, Manor Farm Business Park, Higham Gobion,
Hertfordshire SG5 3HR, UK

Paul Mahoney BVSc DVR Dip.ECVDI CertVC MRCVS FHEA

The Royal eterinary ollege, niversity of ondon, Haw shead ane, orth ymms, Hatfield,
Hertfordshire AL9 7TA, UK

Wilfried Maï DVM MS PhD Dip.ACVR Dip.ECVDI

School of Veterinary Medicine, University of Pennsylvania, 3900 Delancey Street, Philadelphia,
PA 19104, USA

Prelims Abdo.indd 5 31/10/2012 09:25

 J. Fraser McConnell BVM&S DVR Dip.ECVDI CertSAM MRCVS
Small Animal Teaching Hospital, University of Liverpool, Leahurst Faculty, Neston,
Wirral CH64 7TE, UK

Martha Moon Larson DVM MS Dip.ACVR

Department of Small Animal Clinical Sciences, VA-MD Regional College of Veterinary Medicine,
Virginia Tech, Blacksburg, VA 24061, USA

Federica Morandi DrMedVet MS Dip.ECVDI Dip.ACVR

Radiology Section, Department of Small Animal Clinical Sciences, University of Tennessee,
Knoxville, TN 37996, USA

Helena Nyman DVM MSc PhD

The University Animal Hospital, Section of Diagnostic Imaging, Box 7040,
750 07 Uppsala, Sweden

Robert O’Brien DVM MS Dip.ACVR

Department of Veterinary Clinical Medicine, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign,
1008 West Hazelwood Drive, Urbana, IL 61802, USA

Tobias Schwarz MA DrMedVet DVR Dip.ECVDI Dip.ACVR MRCVS

Department of Veterinary Clinical Studies, Royal (Dick) School of Veterinary Studies,
Easter Bush Veterinary Centre, Easter Bush, Roslin, Midlothian EH25 9RG, UK

Gabriela Seiler DrMedVet Dip.ECVDI Dip.ACVR

School of Veterinary Medicine, University of Pennsylvania, 3900 Delancey Street, Philadelphia,
PA 19104, USA

vi

Prelims Abdo.indd 6 31/10/2012 09:25

 This BSAVA Manual of Canine and Feline Abdominal Imaging follows those
devoted to the musculoskeletal system and thorax to complete a trio of
publications which cover comprehensively all body systems. With its A4
format and quality radiographic illustrations, it is a far cry from the compilation
of brief notes and line drawings which comprised the first BSAVA manual of
radiography that appeared in the 1970s.

This huge increase in material represents not only advances in knowledge, but
also the progress in technology which permits rapid and detailed reproduction
of digital images. The introduction of ultrasonography reflects the increasing
use of this modality in general practice, but the editors and authors are to
be commended for recognising that the skill of radiographic interpretation
remains the cornerstone of abdominal imaging for the general practitioner.
Nevertheless, the value of integration of imaging modalities is emphasized
throughout.

In the 245 pages, the experienced contributors have been given the luxury
of covering their allotted topics in considerable detail, with generous use of
illustrations. This Manual therefore compares favourably with the recognized
reference texts and will be of value to those undertaking specialized training
as well as finding an essential place in practice libraries.

Congratulations to the authors, editors and the BSAVA for adding this publication
to the expanding list of practice Manuals. It will be much appreciated.

Christine Gibbs BVSc PhD DVR Dip.ECVDI FRCVS

January 2009

vii

Prelims Abdo.indd 7 31/10/2012 09:25

 Preface

I’m a great believer in luck, and I find the harder

I work the more I have of it

Thomas Jefferson

Imaging plays a vital role in the evaluation of a sick patient. First and foremost
images are a data set. The information is there. The clever and methodical
evaluator can glean a vast amount of information from images. Integration
into the work up of the patient requires insight and an abundance of skill and
experience. Perseverance and dedication have no equal for the acquisition
of a suitable skill set.

In assembling the chapters for the BSAVA Manual of Canine and Feline
Abdominal Imaging we were fortunate in acquiring the services of many
authors. These world experts contributed well written information, wonderful
images and a spirit of enthusiasm and competence to this project. Often
the contributions were outstanding and truly world-class. We hope that you
appreciate their efforts.

We have included many forms of imaging in this text. While the emphasis
remains radiography, we included as wide a spectrum as reasonable.
Radiography is extremely important and will remain so in the near future. No
other modality provides the overview of large portions of the body in such a
quick time for most general practices.

Ultrasound imaging has been expanding concomitant with increased

prevalence and expertise in general practice. No longer the exclusive realm
of academia or referral private practice, ultrasound imaging has now become
firmly entrenched in the day-to-day imaging of most practices.

Finally, we hope that this text projects our love of imaging and devotion to the
sub ect material. We hope that you en oy the te t and find it useful. We fully
expect that you will accept learning as a life-long mission. This mission helps
our patients, their owners and the veterinary profession.

Bob O’Brien
Frances Barr

December 2008

Acknowledgements
I wish to acknowledge the unwavering support of my family. To Mo, Niallan,
Aidan and Tom. Thanks for the help [ROB].

viii

Prelims Abdo.indd 8 31/10/2012 09:25

 Chapter 1 Approach to abdominal imaging

Approach to abdominal imaging

Frances Barr and Robert O’Brien

Overview of image interpretation

Radiographs should always be examined under opti-
mal viewing conditions; dim surroundings are prefer-
able. Conventional radiographs should be displayed
on an X-ray viewer, which provides even illumination
over the whole field of view. A small film should be
surrounded by black card or the illuminated area
restricted by shutters. A ‘hot light’ can be useful for
examination of small, relatively overexposed areas.
Digital radiographs should be displayed on a high-
resolution screen.
Each radiograph should be examined systemati-
cally. Some advocate a zonal system, where each
section of the radiograph is examined in turn, before
considering the radiographic findings in light of the Lateral radiograph of the mid-dorsal abdomen
1.1
presenting clinical signs. Others prefer an integrated of a bitch. Note the rounded soft tissue structure
approach, where knowledge of the presenting signs (white arrow) lying just caudal to the two superimposed
informs and directs the order in which tissues and kidneys (black arrows), giving the illusion of three kidneys.
organs are inspected. Whichever approach is pre- This soft tissue structure was confirmed as an ovarian
neoplasm.
ferred, it is vital to ensure that all organs and the entire
abdominal cavity, including its boundaries, are evalu-
ated. Orthogonal views (lateral and ventrodorsal) are
usually required in order to derive the maximum lack of intra-abdominal fat to delineate the
amount of information from an image. organs. Alternatively, a lack of abdominal detail
Image interpretation relies on evaluation of the may indicate fluid within the peritoneal cavity.
Röntgen signs for each organ. These signs are: • An organ may not be present. It may never have
developed (aplasia) or may have been surgically
• Number removed.
• Size • An organ may have changed in shape and or
• Shape position due to disease in that or an adjacent
• Location organ, such that it is no longer recognizable.
• Opacity.
Size
Number It is important to be familiar with normal parameters
of size for each organ in the abdomen. These are
Increase in number usually related to the other structures visible on the
• Another normal structure is mistaken for the radiograph, since absolute measurements depend
organ in question, e.g. the head of the spleen in on the size of the animal and the degree of radio-
the dorsocranial abdomen is sometimes taken to graphic magnification (for example, small intestinal
be a third kidney. diameter may be related to vertebral body depth or
• A lesion mimics another organ, e.g. a to rib thickness). It is also important to appreciate the
paraprostatic cyst may look like a second influence of enlargement of an organ on adjacent
bladder, or a mass in the mid-dorsal abdomen structures (for example, enlargement of the prostate
may look like a third kidney (Figure 1.1). gland may produce elevation and compression of
the rectum). On occasion, an increase in organ size
Reduction in number will result in a structure which is not normally
visible becoming apparent (for example, abdominal
• An organ may be present but not seen. It may be lymph nodes are not usually visible unless
obscured by gas or ingesta, or there may be a enlarged).

Ch01 Abdo.indd 1 7 1 09 1 :34:40

 Chapter 1 Approach to abdominal imaging

Increase in size Location

• An apparent increase in size due to surrounding • May be due to individual variation and of no
fluid or to an adjacent structure with border clinical consequence, e.g. the colon and bladder
effacement, e.g. a perirenal pseudocyst gives the are quite variable in position.
illusion of renal enlargement (Figure 1.2). • May reflect a pathological process in an ad acent
• A true increase in size due to compensatory structure, e.g. enlargement of the liver commonly
hypertrophy or disease. results in caudal displacement of the stomach, or
rupture of the abdominal wall may allow
displacement of viscera (Figure 1.4).
• The change in position may be, of itself,
important, e.g. gastric dilatation and volvulus.

1.2 Lateral abdominal radiograph of an adult cat.

The kidneys are superimposed but one (black
arrows) appears much larger than the other (white
arrows). This is due to a unilateral perirenal pseudocyst.

Decrease in size Lateral radiograph of the caudal abdomen and

1.4
pelvis of an adult cat after a road traffic
• An artefactual decrease in size due to obli ue accident. Contrast medium has been introduced into the
view of the organ with resultant foreshortening. urethra and bladder, confirming that the bladder has
This can be confirmed by examining the become displaced ventrally and caudally through a
orthogonal view. rupture in the abdominal wall.
• A true decrease in size due to hypoplasia or
disease. Opacity
The opacity of the organ or tissue in question should
Shape always be compared with that of adjacent structures
to ensure that any change in opacity is real and not an
• An artefactual change in shape due to obli ue effect of exposure.
view of an organ, leading to geometric distortion.
This can be confirmed by examining the Increase in opacity
orthogonal view.
• A true change in shape due to in ury or disease • Accumulation of ingesta or faecal material. This
(Figure 1.3). may be due to recent feeding or a lack of
opportunity to defecate. Abnormal accumulation
of ingesta faeces can be due to impaired
gastrointestinal function or a physical obstruction.
• Foreign material.
• rinary tract calculi and choleliths.
• Contrast medium.
• Mineralization of soft tissues, e.g. dystrophic
calcification of the gastric wall in chronic renal
failure or calcification of the wall of a
paraprostatic cyst (Figure 1. ).

Decrease in opacity
• This may be due to fat, which is less radiopa ue
than other soft tissues.
1.3 Lateral abdominal radiograph of an adult dog • A marked decrease in opacity is usually due to
taken a few minutes after administration of gas. It is important to determine whether this is
barium. The barium outlines the position of stomach,
emphasizing the change in shape of the liver. The normal
contained with the gastrointestinal tract, is free in
triangular shape of the liver has been replaced by an the peritoneal cavity, or is within soft tissues
irregularly rounded mass. The final diagnosis was a (which may indicate a cavitating lesion, tissue
hepatic carcinoma. necrosis or air embolization).

Ch01 Abdo.indd 2 7 1 09 1 :34:40

 Chapter 1 Approach to abdominal imaging

defect in the abdominal wall (Figure 1.6; see

Chapter 4)
• Mottled or streaky gas lucencies within
abdominal organs indicative of soft tissue
emphysema and necrosis
• An overall loss of abdominal detail which may be
mottled or granular in appearance, sometimes in
association with intestinal ileus or corrugation, is
suggestive of an inflammatory or diffuse
neoplastic process involving the peritoneal cavity.
This should be confirmed by collecting and
analysing a sample of abdominal fluid before
proceeding to surgery unless the clinical
evidence is overwhelming.

1.5 Lateral abdominal radiograph of the caudal

abdomen of a dog. Note the mineralized,
thin-walled, oval structure (arrowed), which is highly
suggestive of a paraprostatic cyst.

Correlation with clinical signs

Having evaluated the radiograph carefully and
systematically, it is then vitally important to consider 1.6 Lateral abdominal radiograph of a cat taken
the radiographic findings in the light of the clinical approximately 30 minutes after administration of
contrast medium. Large volumes of air lie free within the
signs. There may be abnormal findings which are of
peritoneal cavity, especially dorsocranially (black arrows).
no clinical significance or of no significance at the There has also been leakage of the contrast medium into
current time (e.g. an enlarged prostate gland in an the peritoneal cavity, especially caudoventrally (white
entire male dog with no signs referable to the urinary arrows). These findings confirm gastrointestinal
or lower gastrointestinal tract). There may be abnormal perforation; if this condition had been suspected prior to
findings which were not expected in the light of the contrast medium administration, the use of barium would
presenting signs but which warrant further investiga- have been contraindicated.
tion (e.g. a small splenic mass in a dog presented for
urinary tract signs). Finally, there may be abnormal
findings which can be linked wholly or in part to the Contrast radiography
presenting problems, and either allow a definitive
diagnosis to be made or inform further investigations. Careful consideration of the findings on plain radio-
graphy in conjunction with the clinical signs may, in
some cases, not be sufficient to allow a definitive
The ‘surgical’ abdomen diagnosis to be made. Contrast techniques may then
be one consideration in the further investigation of
There are clinical situations where it is important to the case. Contrast procedures allow the further
make a rapid, yet informed, decision that surgery is evaluation of:
required immediately or as soon as the patient can
• Hollow organs such as the gastrointestinal tract,
be stabilized, rather than further diagnostic tests.
bladder and urethra
Equally, it is not in the best interests of the patient for
• The great vessels (abdominal aorta, caudal vena
exploratory laparotomy to be considered a routine
cava)
means of investigating unexplained signs. Radio-
• ascular supply to organs such as the liver and
graphic features which can indicate the need for
kidneys
urgent surgery include:
• Perfusion and excretion of the kidneys
• Distension and volvulus of the stomach (see • Sinus tracts and fistulae.
Chapter 9)
• Abnormal small intestinal distension in the When planning a contrast procedure it is important
presence of normal electrolyte levels (see to select the appropriate procedure, to be thoroughly
Chapter 10) familiar with the technique, and to make sure that the
• Free air in the peritoneal cavity appropriate contrast medium and any ancillary
(pneumoperitoneum), which cannot be explained equipment is available. (Details of individual pro-
by recent laparotomy, abdominocentesis or a cedures are given in the relevant Chapters.)

Ch01 Abdo.indd 3 7 1 09 1 :34:40

 Chapter 1 Approach to abdominal imaging

Overview of additional imaging

modalities
The clinician often has additional imaging modalities
available and these may be chosen in preference to a
contrast study for further investigation of some cases.
Diagnostic ultrasonography is now widely available
and offers great potential in the evaluation of
abdominal disorders. Not only can ultrasonography
allow the internal architecture of tissues to be seen,
but very small structures (such as the adrenal glands
and lymph nodes) can be identified and assessed.
ascular structures can also be evaluated with
Doppler techniques allowing the velocity, direction
and nature (laminar or turbulent) of blood flow to be (a)
determined. Some therefore advocate the routine use
of abdominal ultrasonography in preference to
abdominal radiography. However, radiography and
ultrasonography should be considered as comple-
mentary and it is often useful to obtain information
from both modalities (Figure 1.7). There are clinical
situations where one modality clearly offers more
information than the other, so an informed decision
should be made to use only one imaging technique,
e.g. an ascitic abdomen will yield little information on
plain radiography, so abdominal ultrasonography may
be preferred. Conversely, free gas in the abdomen
post laparotomy may limit the value of ultrasonography
in inexperienced hands.
Where available, computed tomography (CT),
magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) and scintigraphy
may also provide useful diagnostic information (see (b)
individual Chapters for further details).
1.7 (a) Lateral abdominal radiograph of an adult
male dog, presented with collapse and
abdominal pain. There is a marked reduction in abdominal
References and further reading detail with corrugation of the small intestinal loops
Coulson A and Lewis N (2008) An Atlas of Interpretative Radiographic
caudally, suggesting peritonitis. In addition, there is the
Anatomy of the Dog and Cat, 2nd edition. Blackwell Science, impression of an ill defined mass in the mid-ventral
Oxford abdomen (arrowed). (b) An ultrasound examination of this
Lamb CR, Kleine LJ and McMillan MC (1991) Diagnosis of calcification dog confirmed the presence of a mass. The mass was
on abdominal radiographs, Veterinary Radiology and Ultrasound 32, rounded in cross section and largely hypoechoic with an
211–220
eccentrically positioned hyperechoic region within. This is
Lee R and Leowi uk C (1982) Normal parameters in abdominal radiology
of the dog and cat. Journal of Small Animal Practice 23, 2 1 2 9 typical of a mass of intestinal origin. The final diagnosis
Miles K (1997) Imaging abdominal masses. Veterinary Clinics of North was small intestinal carcinoma with perforation and
America: Small Animal Practice 27, 1403 1431 peritonitis.

Ch01 Abdo.indd 4 7 1 09 1 :34:41

 Chapter 2 Abdominal radiography

Abdominal radiography
J. Fraser McConnell

Indications for radiography

The indications for plain abdominal radiography are
numerous. However, for some conditions (especially
urinary and gastrointestinal disorders) contrast
studies may be required to show abnormalities.
Radiography is indicated for most conditions where
abdominal involvement is suspected, including:

• Abdominal distension
• Organomegaly
• Investigation of palpable masses
• Body wall swellings hernias
• eight loss
• Abdominal pain
• Fever of unknown origin
• Investigation of biochemical abnormalities
• Screening for primary or secondary neoplasia
• Screening following trauma
• Gastrointestinal signs:
2.1 Lateral radiograph of a dog with a wet coat. The
– Vomiting streaky appearance to the caudal abdomen is
– Diarrhoea due to wet hair and can be mistaken for a small volume of
– Tenesmus abdominal fluid. Note the streaking extends beyond the
– Dyschezia boundaries of the abdomen.
Suspected foreign body.
• rinary signs:
– Polyuria Radiography
– Dysuria
Anuria stranguria Types of radiography
rinary incontinence
– Monitoring response to medical treatment for Conventional film–screen radiography
urolithiasis. ith conventional (analogue) systems, information is
• Reproductive tract: recorded using a continuously variable physical
Determination of number of fetuses quantity such as time, position or voltage. Conventional
pregnancy (in late stages) film-based radiographs are an example of an analogue
– Vaginal discharge. system because the degree of film blackening is
continuous (without steps).
ith conventional film screen systems, the radio­
Patient preparation graphic image is created by the pattern of photons or
For elective studies the animal should be fasted for light reaching the film. The shade of grey on a
12–24 hours and allowed the opportunity to urinate particular part of the film is largely determined by the
and defecate prior to radiography. If the size of the number of photons reaching the film. This relationship
gastrointestinal tract and bladder can be reduced in between the radiographic exposure (number of
this way there will be less superimposition of the photons) and optical density (blackness) of the film is
abdominal viscera. The animal’s coat should be dry known as the characteristic curve and is sigmoidal
and free of dirt. et hair results in a streaky (S­shaped) (Figure 2.2). If there are too few (under­
appearance that can be mistaken for small volumes exposure) or too many (overexposure) photons, the
of peritoneal fluid (Figure 2.1) or peritonitis. Flecks of information given by the pattern of photons is lost.
dirt on the coat may be mistaken for soft tissue ithin the useful (straight) part of the characteristic
mineralization and calculi. curve there is a continuous (but logarithmic) linear

Ch02 Abdo.indd 7 1 09 1 :34:1

 Chapter 2 Abdominal radiography

• Expense and problems with processing

• Film is bulky and difficult to archive
• Distribution of images is time­consuming and
expensive.
Optical density

To overcome some of these problems digital

B radiographic systems were developed.

Digital radiography
The term digital comes from the same source as digit
(finger) and a useful analogy is that digital information
is similar to counting on fingers. There is a limited
A
number of potential (discontinuous) values that can
be measured with a digital system. In digital radio­
Log Exposure graphy, the amount of photons light reaching the
detector is converted into a range of discrete values.
2.2 Characteristic curve for radiographic film. Useful In contrast, an analogue system can measure an
radiographic densities lie between the ‘toe’ (A)
almost infinite (continuous) range of values. ith dig-
and ‘shoulder’ (B) regions of the curve. The regions on the
curve below A and above B contain no useful information ital radiography, the production of the X-ray beam and
due to underexposure and overexposure, respectively, interaction of the X-ray photons with the tissues is the
where no useful information is present on the film. same as conventional (analogue) radiography. The
Radiographic exposures should be chosen to use the difference is in the detection of the X-ray photons and
relatively straight part of the curve (between A and B) the production of the image.
where density is proportional to log exposure. The The digital radiographic image is created from a
steepness of the slope is known as the film ‘gamma’, which
determines the inherent contrast of the film and also how number of small rectangular picture elements (pixels)
much latitude there is in choice of exposure. arranged in a grid (Figure 2.3). The resolution of the
image is determined mainly by the size of the pixels
relationship between the number of photons and the used to make the image. The smaller the pixel the
density of the film. hen taking conventional radio­
graphs the exposure should be set to use the straight
part of the characteristic curve.
Once the film is processed the brightness and
contrast of the image are fixed. Although there are
potentially hundreds of shades of grey on the film
image, the ability of the human eye to differentiate
between the shades of grey is limited to around 60.
Once the image is formed and the film has been pro­
cessed there can be no further manipulation of the
image. Thus, the radiographic technique must be opti-
mized to give a diagnostic radiograph. One problem
with analogue systems is that repeated recording or
copying of data often results in deterioration in quality.
Therefore, the quality of copy radiographs is usually
less than that of the original.
The resolution of the film is dependent upon the (a)
crystal size within the emulsion and the intensifying
screen. Faster film screen combinations have larger
crystals that require less exposure but have poorer
resolution compared with slower (detail) combinations.
Detail film–screen combinations should be used for
abdominal radiographs in cats and small dogs. For
larger dogs rapid film–screen combinations are
normally used.
The main disadvantages of conventional film-
based systems are:

• Information stored on the film is fixed and cannot

be manipulated following the exposure (b)
• There is a limited range of useful exposures that
will produce a diagnostic radiograph (narrow 2.3 (a) Digital radiographic image of the lumbar
vertebrae of a dog. (b) At high magnification
dynamic range). If mistakes are made in the the pixels (small squares) that form the image can be
choice of exposure or if there are marked seen. With some cheap or poor quality digital radiography
differences in the thickness of the tissue being systems even small degrees of magnification may result
radiographed, then information may be lost in pixellation.

Ch02 Abdo.indd 7 1 09 1 :34:1

Other documents randomly have
different content
by an elderly man, whose grizzled, tanned face gave evidence of
many days spent on the water under a hot sun.
“Where you boys bound fer now?” the sailor demanded.
“Oh, we’re just going out for a little sail, Captain Trent,” replied
Andy.
“Better not,” was the quick advice.
“Why?” Frank wanted to know.
“It’s coming on to blow, and it’s going to blow hard. Hear that
wind?” and the captain, whose son Bob was quite a chum of the
Racer boys, inclined his grizzled head toward the quarter whence the
breeze came.
“Oh, that’s only a cat’s paw,” declared Andy.
“You’ll find it’ll turn out to be a reg’lar tomcat ’fore you’re through
with it,” predicted the old salt. “But what happened to your boat,
Andy? I see you’ve got a hole stove in her. Did you run on the
rocks?”
“No, something ran into us,” replied Frank quickly. “Don’t say
anything to him about the whale,” he remarked to his brother in a
low voice.
“What’s that about a sail?” demanded the captain, catching some
of Frank’s words.
“We’re going for a sail,” spoke Andy quickly. “Come on, Frank.”
“Better not!” again cautioned Captain Trent. But our heroes were
no different from other boys, and did not heed the warning. Had
they done so perhaps this story would not have been written, for the
events following their sail that day were unusual, and had a far-
reaching effect.
“Come on!” called Andy sharply to his brother, as he saw the
captain making ready to start a discussion about the weather. Mr.
Trent might also ask more questions about the damaged boat, and
neither Andy nor his brother wanted to answer—just yet.
Five minutes later saw the two brothers sailing away from the
pier. The breeze was getting stronger every moment, until the rail of
their trim boat was under water part of the time.
 “Say, it is blowing!” declared Frank.
“Oh, what of it? The Gull can stand more than this. Besides we’re
safe in the harbor, and we may soon sight the whale. Keep a good
lookout!”
For some time they sailed on, each one scanning the expanse of
the bay, which was now dotted here and there with whitecaps. The
boat was heeling over almost too much for comfort.
“Hadn’t we better turn back?” asked Frank, after a period of
silence, broken only by the swish of the water.
“Of course not,” declared the more daring Andy. “It was about
here that my boat was stove in. The whale may be around these
diggings looking for us.”
“Likely—not!” exclaimed Frank decidedly.
There came a fiercer gust of wind, and it fairly howled through
the rigging. The waters whitened with spray and foam.
“It’s a squall!” yelled Frank. “Better turn back.”
“We can’t now,” shouted Andy at the top of his voice, to make
himself heard above the howling of the wind. “We’d better keep on
to Seabright. We can lay over there until this blows by. See anything
of the whale?”
“No. It’s useless to look for him. I’m going to take a reef in the
sail.”
“That’s right. I guess you’d better shorten some of our canvas. I’ll
hold her as steady as I can while you’re doing it. Or shall I lash the
helm and help you?”
“No, you stay there. I can manage it.”
The storm increased in sudden fury, and it was no easy task to
shorten sail with the pressure of the wind on it. But Frank Racer had
considerable skill in handling boats, and with his brother at the helm,
to ease off when he gave the word, he managed to cast off the
throat and peak lines, lower the gaff and sail, and then take a
double reef in the canvas.
Even under the smaller spread the Gull shot along over the foam-
crested waves like some speeding motor boat. Andy was so taken up
with watching his brother, and in aiding him as much as he could by
shifting the helm as was needful, that he did not look ahead for
several minutes. He was recalled to this necessary duty by a sudden,
frightened cry from Frank.
“The rocks! Look out for the rocks!” shouted the older lad. “We’ll
be on ’em in a second! Port your helm! Port!”
Andy desperately threw over the tiller, and with fear-blanched face
he looked to where his brother pointed. Amid a smother of white
foam, almost dead ahead and scarcely two cable lengths away there
showed the black and jagged points of rocks, known locally as the
“Shark’s Teeth.” The Gull was headed straight for them.
Anxiously, and with strained eyes, the brothers looked to see if
their boat would answer her rudder. For a moment or two she hung
in the balance, the howling wind driving her nearer the rocks, to
strike upon which meant sure destruction in the now boiling sea.
Then, with a feeling of relief, Andy saw that they were sheering
off, but very slowly. Could they make it? They were near to death,
for no one—not even the strongest swimmer—could live long
unaided in that boiling sea that would pound him upon the sharp
rocks.
Suddenly Frank uttered a cry, and pointed to a spot at the left of
the rocks, in a space of water comparatively calm.
“There! Look! Look!” he shouted.
“What is it? The whale?” demanded Andy.
“No, a boat—a motor boat! It’s disabled—drifting! It must have
been on the rocks. It’s a large one, too. Look out you don’t hit it.”
“It’s on fire!” cried Andy. “See the smoke—the flame! It’s burning
up!”
The Gull was now far enough from the Shark’s Teeth to warrant
her safety, and the boys could look at the motor craft, that was
bobbing helplessly about in the spume and spray, being tossed
hither and thither by the heaving waves.
“See anybody on her?” yelled Andy.
“No—not a soul,” answered Frank, who had made his way
forward, and was standing up, clinging to the mast.
 Suddenly, amid the howling of the storm, there came a sharp
explosion. There was a puff of flame, and a cloud of smoke hovered
over the hapless motor boat, which, strange to say, still remained
intact and afloat.
“She’s blown up! Exploded!” yelled Andy.
“Yes, and there’s a boy in the water! Look!” fairly screamed Frank.
“He was on the boat! The explosion must have blown him out! He’s
floating! We must save him, Andy!”
“Sure! Jupiter’s lobsters! but things are happening to us to-day!
Look out! I’m going to put about!”
Frank scrambled back to join his brother. The big boom with its
shortened sail swung over, and, heeling under the force of the
shrieking wind, the Gull darted toward the dangerous rocks once
more. Toward the wrecked motorboat, toward the figure of the boy
floating in the smother of foaming and storm-torn waves she swept.
Could they reach the helpless lad in time? It was the question
uppermost in the hearts of Frank and Andy Racer.
 CHAPTER III
THE BOY’S RESCUE

“Can we make it, Frank?” questioned Andy desperately.

“We’ve got to,” came the quick answer. “Ease her off a little until I
get the lay of things.”
“Is he swimming?” demanded the younger lad.
“Yes, but only with one hand. He must be injured. He can just
manage to keep afloat. Put in a little closer. We’ve passed the worst
of the Teeth. It’s deep water here, isn’t it?”
“Yes, as near as I can tell. I haven’t been here very often. It’s too
dangerous, even in calm weather, to say nothing of a storm.”
The wind was now a gale, but the boys had their sailboat well in
hand and were managing her skillfully. They came nearer to the
feebly swimming lad.
“There he goes—he’s sunk—he’s under!” yelled Andy, peering
beneath the boom.
“Too bad!” muttered Frank. “We’re too late!”
Eagerly he looked into the tumult of waters. Then he uttered a
joyful cry.
“There he is again! He’s a plucky one. We must get him, Andy!”
“But how? I daren’t steer in any closer or I’ll have a hole in us and
we’ll go down.”
“We’ve got to save the poor fellow. I wonder who he is?”
“It’s tough,” murmured Andy. “See, the fire on the motor boat
seems to be out.”
“Yes, probably the explosion blew it out. The boat floats well.
Maybe we can save that.”
“Got to get this poor boy first. Oh, if he could only swim out a
little farther we could throw him a line. Hey there!” he called to the
lad, “we’re coming! Can you make your way over here? We daren’t
come in any closer.”
There was no answer, but the desperately struggling lad waved
his one good arm to show that he had heard. Then he resumed his
battle with the sea—an unequal battle.
“Plucky boy!” murmured Frank. “I’m going to save him. He can
never swim out this far.”
Andy had thrown the boat up in the wind, and had lowered the
sail so that she was now riding the waves comparatively motionless,
for there came a lull in the gale.
Then, even as Frank spoke, the unfortunate lad again disappeared
from sight.
“He’s gone—for good this time I guess,” spoke Andy, and there
was a solemn note in his faltering voice.
“No! There he is again!” fairly yelled Frank. “I’m going overboard
for him.”
“You can’t swim in this sea!” objected his brother. “There’ll be two
drowned instead of one.”
“I can do it!” firmly declared the older lad. He began to take off
his shoes, and divest himself of his heavier garments.
“You’re crazy!” cried Andy. “You can’t do it!”
“Just you watch,” spoke Frank calmly. “I can’t stand by and see a
lad drown like that. Have we a spare line aboard?”
“Yes, plenty. It’s up forward in the port locker under the deck.”
“Good. Now I’m going to tie a line around my waist, and go
overboard. I’ll swim to that chap and get a good hold on him. Then
it will be up to you to pull us both in, if I can’t swim with him, and
I’m afraid I can’t do much in this sea. Can you haul us in, and
manage the boat?”
“I’ve just got to!” cried Andy, shutting his teeth in grim
determination. “The boat will ride all right out here. The wind isn’t
quite so bad now. Take care of yourself.”
“I will. Shake!”
 The brothers clasped hands. Frank well knew the peril of his
undertaking, no less than did Andy. They stood on the heaving,
sloping deck of the Gull, and looked into each other’s eyes. They
understood.
“Watch close, and pull when you see me wave to you,” ordered
the older lad, as he fastened the rope about his waist.
“All right,” answered Andy, in a low voice.
With a quick glance about him, noting that the wounded lad was
still struggling feebly in the water, Frank dived overboard. He
disappeared beneath the green waves with their crests of foam, and
for a moment Andy anxiously watched for his brother. Then he saw
him reappear, and strike out strongly toward the other youth. Frank
was an excellent swimmer.
“That’s the way to do it!” murmured Andy admiringly. “If anybody
can save him, Frank can.”
The younger lad was braced against the tiller, standing in a
slanting position, his feet planted firmly in the cockpit, while he
payed out the rope, one end of which was about Frank’s waist, and
the other made fast to a deck cleat.
“To the left. To the left!” yelled Andy suddenly, as he saw his
brother taking a slightly wrong course. The spume in his eyes, and
the bobbing waves which now and then hid the wounded lad from
sight, had confused Frank. The latter made no reply, but his hand,
raised above the water, and waved to Andy, told that he understood
the hail.
Frank changed his course, still swimming strongly. The wind had
again begun to blow hard, and the Gull was drifting nearer the
rocks, yet Andy dared not send her out for fear of pulling Frank with
him. He must stand by until—
Carefully he payed out the line. He could see it slipping through
the green water. Then he caught a glimpse of his brother on the
crest of a wave. The next moment he saw how close he was to the
lad he had so bravely set out to save.
“Tread water! Don’t swim! Tread water and save your strength!”
cried Andy to the injured one. The boy heard and obeyed.
 In another moment Frank was near enough to clasp the almost
exhausted lad in his strong right arm. Andy saw this and there was
no need for the signal which his brother gave an instant later. Frank
was on his guard lest the youth he was rescuing might clasp him in a
death grip. But the latter evidently knew something about life
saving, for he placed his uninjured hand on his rescuer’s shoulder
and let Frank do as he would.
Andy began to haul in on the rope. It was hard work to do this,
and manage the boat at the same time, but he did it somehow—how
he never could really tell afterward. But he had something of his
brother’s grim determination and that was just what was needed in
this emergency.
Slowly the rope came in, pulling the rescuer and the rescued one.
Without it that life could never have been saved, for the waves were
running high, and there was a current setting in toward the sharp,
black rocks.
Foot by foot Frank and his almost unconscious burden were pulled
toward the Gull.
“Can you keep up?” asked the elder Racer lad.
“I—I guess—so,” was the faint reply.
“We’ll be there in a minute now. You’ll soon be all right!”
The other did not answer. Valiantly Andy hauled in, until his
brother’s head was right under the rail.
“I’ll take him now,” called Andy, as he let go of the tiller, and
reached for the lad Frank had saved. With a strong heave Andy got
him over the side. He slumped down into the cockpit, unconscious. A
moment later Frank clambered on board and quickly untied the rope
from his waist.
“Quick, Andy!” he cried. “Mind your helm! We’re drifting on the
rocks again!”
“Look out for this lad. I’ll steer clear!” yelled his brother in reply,
as he sprang back to the tiller, after hoisting the sail.
Frank lifted the unconscious form in his arms, and moved the
wounded lad over to a pile of tarpaulins. With all his strength Andy
forced over the tiller, for the wind was strong on the sail, and the
waves were running high, their salty crests filling the atmosphere
with spume, while a fine spray drenched those aboard the Gull.
Suddenly there was a scraping sound, and the little craft shivered
from stem to stern.
“The rocks! The rocks! We’re on the rocks!” cried Frank, as with
blanched face he looked up from where he was kneeling over the
silent form of the lad he had rescued from the sea and the gale.
 CHAPTER IV
“WHO ARE YOU?”

For a moment terror held the Racer boys motionless. The danger
had come so suddenly that it deprived them of the power to think.
Then came the reaction, and they were themselves once more.
“Quick! Throw your helm over! We can just make it!” yelled Frank.
“I’ll attend to the sheet—you manage the tiller! Lively now!”
Andy needed no second command. He fairly threw himself at the
helm, and with all his strength forced it hard over. The shortened sail
rounded out with the pressure of the wind on it, and the Gull heeled
over at dangerous angle. Under her keel came that ominous
scraping sound that told of her passage over part of the Shark’s
Teeth.
“It’s a submerged rock!” shouted Andy. “We may scrape over it!”
“Let’s hope so!” murmured Frank, as he looked hastily down at
the unconscious form of the strange lad. Then he gave all his
attention to the rope that controlled the end of the swinging boom.
With the same suddenness that it had come upon them, the
danger was past. The Gull slid into deep water, and the hearts of the
boys beat in glad relief. Rapidly the craft paid off until she was well
away from the ugly black points that could be seen, now and then,
rearing up amid a smother of foam.
“Round about and beat for home!” yelled Frank. “Whoever this
fellow is, he needs a doctor right away. I hope the wind holds out.”
“Did you learn who he was?” asked Andy, as he gave his attention
to putting the boat on the proper course.
“No. How could I? He was as weak as a cat when I got to him,
but he had sense enough not to grab me. He knows how to swim all
right, but something is the matter with his left arm.”
“Think it’s broken?”
 “I don’t know. It’s a wonder he wasn’t killed when that boat blew
up. He must have been hurt in some way, or he wouldn’t be
unconscious.”
“Maybe it’s because he’s nearly drowned. He may be half full of
water.”
“That’s so,” agreed Frank. “I’ll see what I can do for him while you
steer. Make all you can on each tack.”
They were fast leaving behind them the wrecked motor boat
which bobbed about on the waves. It was no longer on fire, and the
brothers would liked to have towed it to the pier, but this was
impossible in the storm.
Then, as his brother skillfully managed the sailboat, Frank once
more bent over the unconscious form. He knew what to do in giving
first aid to partly drowned persons, and lost no time in going
through the motions designed to rid the lungs of water.
Frank did succeed in getting some fluid from the system of the
stranger, but the lad still remained unconscious, with such a pale
face, with tightly closed eyes, and showing such apparent weakness,
that Andy remarked:
“I guess he’s done for, poor fellow!”
“I’m not so sure of that,” responded Frank. “He’s still breathing,
and there’s a spark of life in him yet. We must get him to our house,
and have a doctor right away. Oh! now’s the time I wish we had a
motor boat!”
“We’re doing pretty well,” declared Andy. And indeed the Gull was
skimming along at a rapid rate. She was quartering the wind, until a
sudden lull in the gale came. They hung there for a moment or two,
and the brothers looked anxiously at each other. Were they to be
becalmed when it was so vitally necessary to get the stranger to a
doctor immediately?
But once more the sail swelled out, and with joy the Racer boys
noticed that the wind was now right astern and that they could run
down to the dock on the wings of it, making an almost straight
course.
 “This is the stuff!” cried Frank, as he made a sort of pillow from
some sail cloth for the sufferer’s head.
“It sure is. We’ll be there soon. You’d better get some of your
clothes on before we land.”
Frank slipped on his garments over his wet underwear and trusted
to the wind to dry him before reaching home.
“I wonder who he can be?” mused Andy. “He wears good clothes,
and if he owns that wrecked motor boat he must have money, for it
was a big one, and cost a lot.”
“It sure did. Well, we may find out who he is when he comes to,
after the doctor has seen him. We’ll take him up to our house.”
“Of course. There’s no other place for him in Harbor View. We’ll
be at the dock in five minutes more.”
The rest of the trip was quickly covered, and, a little later, the two
brothers had run their craft right up to the float, made her fast and
began lifting out the unconscious form of the lad they had saved.
“Avast there! What ye got?” cried the hearty voice of Captain
Trent. “Is he dead? Who is he?” He peered down over the pier
railing.
“We don’t know,” answered Frank to both questions. “He was in a
motor boat—wrecked—it blew up—we saved him.”
“By Davy Jones! Ye don’t mean it! Wa’al, I’ll give you a hand.”
With the old salt’s aid the boy was soon lifted up to the pier. Then
Frank asked:
“Where’s your horse and wagon, Captain? We can never carry him
to our house without something like that. Where’s the wagon?”
“Bob jest got back from delivering clams in it. I’ll go clean it out—
the hoss is hitched to it yet, an’—”
“Don’t bother to clean it!” interrupted Andy. “Just put some sail
cloth in the bottom. It doesn’t matter if it’s dirty. Every second
counts now. Get the wagon.”
“Right away!” cried the old sailor, who did a general clamming and
fish business. He hurried off in the direction of his store and stable,
impressed by the words and energetic actions of the Racer boys. “Hi
there, Bob!” the captain called to his son, whom he saw
approaching. “Bring Dolly an’ the rig here as quick as you can! Frank
an’ Andy Racer went out an’ brought back a dead motor boat—
leastways I mean a fellow that was nearly killed in one. Bring up the
rig jest as she is! Lively!”
“Aye, aye!” answered Bob, seaman fashion.
A minute later a nondescript vehicle, drawn by a big but bony
horse rattled up, driven by the captain’s son.
“What’s up?” asked Bob Trent of the lads, with whom he was
quite friendly. “Who is he?”
“That’s what we’d like to know,” spoke Frank. “We may find out if
he doesn’t die. We’ve no time to spare.”
They lifted the unconscious form into the wagon, on the bottom
of which had been spread a number of old sails.
“I’ll drive,” said Bob briefly. “I can get more out of Dolly than most
folks. You’ve got to do your best now, old girl,” he called to the
horse. The animal pricked up her ears.
“I’ll ride in back and hold his head,” volunteered Frank. “Andy, you
go telephone for Dr. Martin. Tell him to get to our house as soon as
possible—explain why. Have him there by the time we arrive, if
possible.”
“Right!” cried Andy sharply, and he raced off toward the nearest
telephone, there being a few of the instruments in Harbor View.
“Wa’al, I’ll be jib-boomed!” exclaimed Captain Trent, as his son
drove off, the horse making good time. “Them Racer boys is allers
up to suthin’ or other.”
Bob spoke the truth when he said he could do better with Dolly
than most drivers, for the steed started out at a fast pace, and kept
it up until the rickety vehicle turned into the drive that led to the
handsome cottage owned by Mr. Racer. Mrs. Racer hurried to the
door as she heard the sound of wheels, and at the sight of Frank
sitting in the wagon, holding the head of another lad in his lap, Mrs.
Racer cried out:
“Oh, Frank! What has happened? Is—is it—Andy? Is he—is he—?”
she could say no more, and began crying.
 “It’s all right, mother!” shouted Frank heartily. “We rescued an
unknown lad. Andy has gone to telephone for Dr. Martin. He ought
to be here now. Tell Mary to get some hot water ready. We may
need it. Lay out some blankets. Get a bed ready, mother.”
Frank issued his requests as if he had been used to saving
drowned persons every day. His crisp words had the effect of
restoring Mrs. Racer to her usual calmness.
“I’ll attend to everything,” she said. “Oh, the poor fellow! Bring
him right in here. Can you and Bob lift him?”
“I think so,” answered the captain’s sturdy son.
“Oh, why doesn’t Dr. Martin come?” cried Mrs. Racer.
“That sounds like his auto now!” exclaimed Frank, as he and Bob
carried the unknown lad into the house. “Yes,” he added a moment
later, “here he comes.”
“And Andy’s with him,” added Bob. “The doctor must have picked
him up on the way here.”
It was the work of but a few moments to get most of the
unconscious youth’s clothes off and place him in bed. By that time
the physician was ready to begin his ministrations.
“I don’t know,” mused Dr. Martin, as he felt of the feeble,
flickering pulse, and listened to the scarcely audible breathing. “He’s
pretty far gone. Hurt internally, I imagine. But we’ll see if we can
save him.”
With the eager and able assistance of the Racer boys, their
mother and Bob Trent, Dr. Martin labored hard to restore the lad to
consciousness. At first his efforts seemed of no avail. His eyes
remained closed, and the pulse and breathing seemed to grow more
feeble.
“I think I’ll try the electric battery,” said the doctor finally. “If one
of you will bring it in from my auto, I’ll see what effect that has.”
“I’ll get it!” cried Andy, and he fairly ran out and back.
For a time it looked as if even the powerful current would be
useless, but when the doctor turned it on full strength there was a
convulsive shudder of the body. Then, suddenly the eyes opened,
and the voice of the rescued lad murmured:
 “It’s cold—the water—Oh! The gasolene tank! It will explode! I
can’t get away now! I must jump!”
He raised himself in bed, but the doctor gently pressed him back.
“There, there now,” spoke the physician soothingly. “You are all
right. Don’t worry. You’ll be all right.”
“He’s going to live,” said Andy softly.
Once more the tired eyes closed, and then opened again.
“Where—where am I?” asked the lad wildly.
He looked about the room in amazement, and once more tried to
get out of bed, but was restrained.
“You’re with friends,” said Mrs. Racer softly. “You will be well
taken care of.”
“What—what place is this?” gasped the lad.
“Harbor View,” replied Frank promptly. “Who are you?”
Eagerly they all leaned forward, for they wanted to solve the
mystery of the identity of the rescued lad. He gazed at them all in
turn. A half smile played about his face. Then he said weakly:
“I am—”
He sank back upon the bed unconscious, his name unspoken.
 CHAPTER V
SEEKING THE WRECK

For a moment there was silence in the room, and something like a
disappointed sigh came from Frank and his brother. Andy leaned
over the bed.
“Who are you?” he asked, placing his hand on the head of the lad.
“Can’t you tell us who you are, or where you live? We want to help
you. How did you come to be in the boat alone? How did it get on
fire?”
There was no response.
“It is useless to question him,” said Dr. Martin. “I will give him
some medicine, now that he is partially restored to consciousness,
and perhaps when he is stronger he can tell who he is. In the
meanwhile it will be best not to bother him.”
The boys took this as a hint that they had better leave the room,
so the three of them filed silently out to permit of the physician and
Mrs. Racer continuing their efforts to bring the lad out of the stupor
into which he had fallen.
“It’s a queer case,” mused Frank.
“It sure is,” agreed his brother. “I hope he doesn’t die before we
find out who he is, or where he belongs.”
“I hope he doesn’t die at all,” put in his brother quickly.
“Oh, of course,” assented Frank. “So do I.”
“Could you make out any name on the motor boat?” inquired Bob.
“Didn’t have a chance,” answered the older Racer lad. “Andy and I
had our hands full managing our boat, and, when I went overboard
I had to depend on Andy to pull that lad and me back. The sea was
fierce and it was blowing great guns. All I know is that it was a fine
boat, and it’s a shame it was wrecked on the Shark’s Teeth.”
 “She’ll go to pieces if she stays there long,” was Bob’s opinion.
“The bottom will be pounded out of her and she’ll go down.”
“Your father was right about the storm coming up,” said Frank,
after a pause. “I never saw it blow so hard in such a short time.”
“Oh, dad can generally be depended on for a weather guess,” said
the son proudly. “Well, I must be getting back. Got to put on another
load of clams before supper. Let me know how that chap makes out,
will you?”
“Sure,” assented Frank. “And if you see or hear anything of that
motor boat up or down the coast, let us know. Maybe we can save
it, and find out something about this boy from it, in case he isn’t
able to tell.”
“I’ll do it,” promised the captain’s son.
“And if you see a wounded whale, it belongs to us,” added Andy.
“A wounded whale?” gasped Bob. “Are you stuffing me? This isn’t
Thanksgiving.”
“It was a whale all right,” went on Andy, playfully poking his
brother in the ribs, “and it stove in my boat. If I could catch the
beggar I’d sell his hide or oil or whatever is valuable about him, and
get a new boat.”
“Does he mean it?” asked Bob, turning to Frank, for the younger
Racer lad was well known for his practical jokes and his fun-loving
characteristics.
“Yes, we did get rammed by one just before we went out in the
Gull,” said Frank, a bit solemnly, for the events of the past few hours
had made quite an impression on him. Then he briefly told the story
of the monster’s attack.
“We didn’t say anything to your father about it when we came in,”
explained Andy, “as we didn’t want to be delayed. But if you see or
hear of that whale, don’t forget he belongs to us.”
“I won’t,” declared Bob. “Now I’ve got to hustle, as it’s almost
supper time.”
“Supper!” cried Andy. “That reminds me, we haven’t had dinner
yet, Frank.”
 “My stomach reminded me of that some time ago,” declared the
brother. “We had such a strenuous time that it slipped our minds, I
guess. But I’m going to make up for it now. So long, Bob; see you
later.”
“So long.”
Then, as the rickety wagon was driven away Frank and Andy went
in the house to change their wet garments.
The two brothers were tiptoeing their way to the room where the
wounded lad lay, having first ascertained from Mary, the cook, that
supper would soon be ready, when they saw Dr. Martin coming from
the apartment.
“Is he better?” asked Frank in a whisper.
“Yes,” and the doctor smiled. “I succeeded in fully restoring him to
consciousness, and he is now sleeping quietly. I have given him a
powder and it will be some time before he awakens. He is worn out,
in addition to being injured.”
“Is he badly hurt?” Andy wanted to know. “Is his arm broken?”
“No, only severely sprained. In addition, he has several big
bruises and a number of cuts where he must have been tossed
against the rocks. His hands are burned slightly, but there is nothing
dangerous, and with care he ought soon to recover.”
“He must have gotten burned trying to put out the fire on the
boat,” commented Frank. “But, Dr. Martin, did you learn anything
about him? What’s his name? Where does he belong? What was he
doing near the Shark’s Teeth in a gale?”
“I can’t answer any of your questions,” replied the physician
gravely. “I asked the lad who he was, thinking that his people would
be worried, and that I might be able to send some word to them.
But, though he was fully in his senses, and seemed to realize what
he had gone through, I couldn’t get a word out of him about his
name.
“When I asked him, as I did several times, and as also did your
mother, he would begin, ‘I am—’ Then he would stop, pass his hand
across his forehead, and look puzzled. He did this a number of
times, and it seemed to pain him to try to think. So I gave it up.”
 “How do you account for that?” asked Andy.
“Well, the fright and injuries he received may have caused a
temporary loss of memory,” replied the doctor. “Or there may be
some injury to the brain. I can’t decide yet. But I’ll look in again this
evening. He’ll be much improved by then, I am sure.”
“It’s getting queerer and more queer,” commented Andy, as the
physician hastened away in his car. “Think of forgetting who you are,
Frank!”
“It sure is too bad. We must try to help him. That motor boat
would be a clue, I think. As soon as the weather gets better, and this
storm blows over, we’ll have a search for it.”
“Yes, we’re in for a hard blow, I think. It’s a worse gale now than
when we were out.”
The wind, which had momentarily died out, had sprung up again
with the approach of night, and it began to rain. Out on the bay, a
view of which could be had from their house, the boys could see big
tumbling billows.
“It’s a good night to be home,” mused Frank. “I’m afraid we’ll
never see that wrecked motor boat again. It will pound to pieces on
the Shark’s Teeth.”
“Very likely. Well, let’s go in and see how much nearer supper is
ready. Dad’s home now.”
It was rather a long and dreary night, with the storm howling
outside, and Frank, who had the last watch, was not sorry when the
gray daylight came stealing in. The unidentified lad had slept
soundly, only arousing slightly once or twice.
“We must have a nurse for him,” Mrs. Racer decided, when she
and her husband, together with the boys, had talked the case over
at the breakfast table. “Poor lad, he needs care. He looks as if he
came from good people—a refined family—don’t you think so, Dick?”
and she turned to her husband.
“Oh, yes, he seems like a nice lad. Get a nurse if you can, and
have the best of everything. And I don’t want you boys tackling any
more whales,” Mr. Racer added decidedly, as he gazed at his sons a
bit sternly.
 “No, indeed!” their mother hastened to add. “I should have died
of nervousness if I had known they went out again, after that
dreadful fish smashed Andy’s boat.”
“A whale’s an animal, not a fish, mother,” said the younger lad as
he gave her a kiss. “We are going to capture that one and sell its
oil.”
“Don’t you dare venture whale-hunting again, or we’ll go straight
back to New York, and that will be the end of your vacation,” she
threatened.
“That’s right,” added Mr. Racer. “Don’t forget. Well, I must be off
or I’ll miss my boat,” and he hurried away to his New York office.
There was quite an improvement in the condition of the
mysterious youth that day, and, with the arrival of the nurse, the
Racer boys and their mother were relieved from the care of him,
though one or the other of them paid frequent visits to the sick
room.
“He’s doing nicely,” said Dr. Martin on the third day. “He is out of
danger now.”
“And still not a word to tell who he is?” spoke Frank.
“No,” said the doctor musingly, “he talks intelligently on every
subject but that. He remembers nothing of his past, however. He
doesn’t even seem to know that he was out in a motor boat. All he
can recall is that he was in some kind of trouble and danger, and
that he was saved. He knows that you boys saved him, and he is
very grateful.”
“And he doesn’t know a thing about himself?” asked Andy
wonderingly.
“Not a thing. It is as if he was just born, or as if he came to life
right after the wreck. He has some dim memory of being in a big
city, and of looking for some man, but who this man is seems to be
as mysterious as who he himself is. So I have given up questioning
him for the present as it distresses him.”
“Will he ever recover his mind?” asked Mrs. Racer anxiously.
“Well, such cases have been known,” replied the doctor. “Perhaps
in time, with rest and quietness, it may all come back to him as
suddenly as it left him. But what are your plans in regard to him?”
“He is to stay here, of course, until he recalls something of
himself,” said Mrs. Racer decidedly. “Then he may be able to tell us
who his people are.”
“And if that should take—say all summer?” The doctor looked at
her questioningly.
“If we have to take him back to New York with us in the fall, we’ll
do it,” went on the mother of Frank and Andy.
“Perhaps the city sights may recall him to himself,” suggested
Frank.
“Perhaps,” agreed Dr. Martin. “Well, I’ll stop in again to-morrow.”
The next day, and the next, however, saw very little change. The
lad grew much stronger, so that he could sit up in bed, but that was
all. The past remained as dark as before. Yet he was intelligent, and
could talk on ordinary topics with ease, and with a knowledge that
showed he had been well educated. But even his name was lost to
him. They looked in the newspapers but saw no mention of a lost
boy.
Meanwhile Frank and Andy had made diligent inquiries about the
wrecked boat, but had heard nothing. Nor was there any news of
the whale.
“Of course I don’t intend to go out after him, when dad and mom
don’t want us to,” Andy carefully explained to his brother, “but it
does no harm to ask; does it?” and he laughed joyously.
“No, I suppose not,” assented Frank.
It was about a week after the rescue of the mysterious lad, and
his physical condition had continued to improve. He would soon be
able to get around, the doctor said. Frank and Andy, who never grew
tired of discussing the problem, and of wondering when the lad’s
mind would come back, were strolling along the beach of Harbor
View. The weather had cleared and they were thinking of going for a
sail, mainly on pleasure but incidentally to look for the wrecked
motor boat.
“It’s queer no one has sighted her, or heard of her,” remarked
Andy, gazing off to sea, as if he might pick up the disabled craft on
the horizon.
“Yes,” agreed Frank. “I guess she’s sunk all right.”
They walked on in silence, and were about to turn back toward
where their boat was moored, when they noticed a man walking
rapidly along the sands of the beach toward them.
“He seems to be in a hurry,” observed Frank, in a low voice.
“Yes,” agreed his brother. “He looks as if he wanted to speak to
us.”
“He’s a stranger around here,” went on Andy.
A moment later the man hailed them.
“I beg your pardon,” he began, striding up to the two brothers,
and shifting his gaze rapidly from one to the other. “But have you
seen or heard of a large motor boat going ashore around here? I’m
looking for one. There would be a boy in it perhaps—a lad of about
your size. Perhaps he put in here to get out of the storm. I’ve
inquired all along the coast, but I can’t get any word of him. You
haven’t happened to have heard anything, have you?”
Frank and Andy looked at each other quickly. At last they seemed
on the track of the mystery.
“Was he a tall, dark lad, with black hair?” asked Frank.
“Yes—yes, that’s the boy I’m looking for!” exclaimed the man
quickly.
“And was the motor boat a long one, painted white with a green
water line, and with the engines forward under a hood?” added
Andy.
“Yes!” eagerly cried the man, in his excitement taking hold of
Andy’s coat. “That’s the boat! Where is it? I must have it!”
“She’s wrecked,” said Frank quickly. “We saw her on the Shark’s
Teeth, going to pieces, and we’ve been looking for her since, but the
boy—”
“Yes—yes! The boy—the boy! What of him? Where is Paul—?”
The man stopped suddenly, and fairly clapped his hand over his
own lips to keep back the next word. He seemed strangely confused.
 “We rescued the boy, and he is up at our house,” said Frank
quickly. “We have been trying to pick up the wreck of the boat and
learn who the boy is. He has lost his memory.”
“Lost his memory!” the man exclaimed, and he actually appeared
glad of it.
“Yes, he doesn’t remember even his name,” explained the elder
Racer lad. “But now we can solve the mystery as you know him. You
say his name is Paul. What is his other name? Who are you? Don’t
you want to see him? We can take you to him—to Paul.”
The brothers eyed the man eagerly. On his part he seemed to
shrink away.
“I—I made a mistake,” he said, biting his nails. “I know no one
named Paul. I—I—it was an error. That is not the boy I want. I must
hurry on. Perhaps I shall get some news at the next settlement. I
am—obliged to you.”
His shifty eyes gazed at the brothers by turns. Then the man
suddenly turned away muttering something under his breath.
“But you seemed to know him!” insisted Frank, feeling that the
mystery was deepening.
“No—no! I—I made a mistake. His name is not Paul. I am wrong.
That is—well, never mind, I’m sorry to have troubled you.”
He was about to hurry away.
“Won’t you come and see him?” urged Frank. “It is not far up to
our house. My mother would be glad to meet you. Perhaps, after all,
this lad may be the one you seek. His name may be Paul.”
“No—no! I must go! I must go. I—I don’t know any Paul,” and
before the Racer boys could have stopped him, had they been so
inclined, the man wheeled about and walked rapidly down the
beach.
 CHAPTER VI
CHET SEDLEY’S STYLE

“Well, wouldn’t that frazzle you!” exclaimed Andy.

“It certainly is queer,” agreed his brother.
They stood looking down the beach after the figure of the strange
man who had seemed to know the lad whom they had rescued from
the sea, but who, on learning of his location, had shown a desire to
get away without calling on the unfortunate youth.
Andy set out on a run.
“Here, where you going?” his brother demanded quickly.
“I’m going after that man, and make him tell what he knows!”
declared the impulsive youth. “It’s a shame to let him get away in
this fashion, just when we were on the verge of learning something,”
Andy called back over his shoulder.
“You come right back here!” exclaimed the older lad, sprinting
after his brother and catching him by the arm.
“But he’ll get away, and we’ll never solve the mystery!”
“That may be, but we can’t take this means of finding out. We
don’t know who that man is. He may be a dangerous chap, who
would make trouble if you interfered with him. You stay here.”
“But how are we ever going to find out, Frank?”
“If this boy is the one whom that man wants he’ll show his hand
sooner or later. He was taken by surprise when he found that we
had him, and he didn’t know what to say. But he won’t disappear
altogether—not while the lad is with us. He’ll come around again.
Now you stay with me.”
“All right,” assented Andy, but with no very good grace. “I’m going
to holler after him, anyhow.”
Then, before Frank could stop him, had he been minded to do so,
Andy raised his voice in a shout:
 “Hey, where are you going? Don’t you want to send some word to
that boy we rescued?”
The man turned half around, and for a moment Andy and Frank
hoped he would come back. Instead he shouted something that
sounded like:
“Important business—see—later—don’t bother me.”
“Humph!” exclaimed Andy, as the man resumed his rapid walk.
“We’re not going to bother you. But we’ll solve that mystery,
whether you want us to or not,” he added firmly. “Won’t we, Frank?”
“If it’s possible. I’m almost ready to go out now and have a search
for the motor boat, but I think we’d better go back and tell him what
happened.”
“Tell who, the doctor?”
“No, this lad—the one who’s at our house. He may know the man
when we describe him.”
“That’s so. Paul, the man said his name was. Wonder what the
other half was?”
“Guess you’ll have to take it out in wondering. Come on back to
the house.”
It was a great disappointment to Frank and Andy when, after
detailing their adventure with the queer man, and describing him
minutely, to have the rescued lad say:
“I’m sorry, boys, but I can’t recall any such man.”
“Try hard,” suggested Frank.
“I am trying,” and the youth frowned and endeavored hard to
concentrate his thoughts. “No, it’s useless,” he added with a sigh.
“My memory on that point, if I ever had any, has gone with the rest
of the past. It’s too bad. I wish I could remember.”
“Well, don’t try any more now,” said Frank quickly, as he saw that
the youth was much distressed. “We’ll do our best to help you out.
And the first thing we’ll do will be to look for that motor boat—that
is, if she’s still floating.”
“Does the name Paul mean anything to you?” asked Andy. “That’s
what the man called you before he thought.”
 “Paul—Paul,” mused the lad. “No, it doesn’t seem to be my name.
Did he mention any other?”
“No, he cut himself off short. But what’s the matter with us calling
you Paul, until we find out your right name? It’s a bit awkward to
refer to you as ‘he’ or ‘him’ all the while. How does Paul suit you?”
“Fine! I like it.”
“But what about his other name?” asked Frank.
“Gale!” suddenly shouted Andy.
“Gale?” repeated his brother wonderingly.
“Yes, don’t you see,” and Andy laughed. “We picked him up in a
gale. His first name’s Paul, I’m sure, and Paul Gale would be a good
name. How about it, Paul?”
“It will do first rate until I can find my real one. Paul Gale—Paul
Gale—it sounds good.”
“Then Paul Gale it shall be,” declared Andy, and when he
suggested it to his father and mother that night they agreed with
him. So the rescued lad became Paul Gale.
As the days passed he gained in health and strength until he was
able to walk out. Then the wonderful sea air of Harbor View
practically completed the recovery, until Dr. Martin declared that
there was no further use for medicine, and only nourishing food was
needed.
“But about his mind,” the physician went on, “time alone can heal
that. We must be patient. Take him out with you, Andy and Frank,
when he is able to go, and let him have a good time. That will help
as much as anything.”
In the meanwhile, pending the gaining of complete strength on
the part of Paul Gale, as he was now called, the two Racer boys
made many trips around the Shark’s Teeth in their sailboat, looking
for the wrecked motor craft. But they could not locate it. Nor were
their inquiries any more successful. Sailors and fishermen who went
far out to sea were questioned but could give no trace of the wreck.
“Guess we’ll have to give it up,” said Andy with a sigh one day.
“It’s like the mysterious man,” added his brother.
 Mr. Racer was much interested in the efforts his sons were making
to solve the mystery of Paul Gale. He even advertised in a number of
papers, giving details of the rescue, and asking any persons who
might possibly know the history of such a youth as he described, to
call on him at his New York office. But none came.
Paul had not yet ventured far from the house, for he was still
rather weak. His arm, too, was very painful, and he could not yet
accompany his two friends on any of their rowing or sailing trips.
“But I’ll go soon,” he said one day, when Frank and Andy started
off for the beach, with the intention of interviewing some lobstermen
who were due to arrive from a long cruise out to sea. “Some time I’ll
surprise you by coming along.”
“Glad of it,” called Frank, linking his arm in that of his brother.
Together they strolled down on the sands, to await the arrival of the
lobstermen. They found Bob Trent there, loading up his wagon with
soft clams, which he had just dug.
As Bob tossed in shovelful after shovelful of the bivalves, the two
Racer boys saw approaching the vehicle a youth of about their own
age but of entirely different appearance. For, whereas the Racer
boys dressed well they made no pretense of style, especially when
they were away on their vacation. But the lad approaching the
wagon was “dressed to kill clams,” as Andy laughingly expressed it.
“Look at Chet Sedley!” exclaimed the younger lad to his brother.
“Talk about style!”
“I should boil a lobster; yes!” agreed Frank, laughing.
And well he might, for Chet, who was a native of Harbor View,
had donned his “best” that afternoon. He wore an extremely light
suit, with new tan ties of a light shade, and his purple and green
striped hose could be seen a long distance off.
“You can hear those socks as far as you can get a glimpse of
them,” remarked Andy.
“And look at his hat,” observed Frank. It was a straw affair, of
rough braid, and the brim was in three thicknesses or “layers” so
that it looked not unlike one of those cocoanut custard cakes with
the cocoanut put in extremely thick. In addition to this Chet’s tie was
of vivid blue with yellowish dots in it, and he carried a little cane,
which he swung jauntily.
As Chet passed the clam wagon, manned by Bob, who was
dressed in his oldest garments, as befitted his occupation, one of the
bivalves slipped from the shovel, and hit on the immaculate tan ties
of the Harbor View dude. It left a salt water mark.
“Look here, Bob Trent! What do you mean by that?” demanded
Chet indignantly as he took out a handkerchief covered with large
green checks and wiped off his shoe. “How dare you do such a
thing?”
“What did I do?” asked the clammer innocently, for he had not
seen the accident.
“What did you do? I’ll show you! I’ll teach you to spoil a pair of
new shoes that cost me two dollars and thirty-five cents! I’ll have
you arrested if that spot doesn’t come out, and you’ll have to pay for
having them cleaned, too.”
“I—I—” began Bob, who was a lad never looking for trouble, “I’m
sorry—I—”
“Say, it’s you who ought to be arrested, Chet!” broke in Andy,
coming to the relief of his chum.
“Me? What for, I’d like to know?” asked the dude, as he finished
polishing the tan ties with the brilliant handkerchief.
“Why you’re dressed so ‘loud’ that you’re disturbing the peace,”
was the laughing reply. “You’d better look out.”
“Such—er—jokes are in very bad taste,” sneered Chet, whose
parents were in humble circumstances, not at all in keeping with his
dress. In fact, though Chet thought himself very stylish, it was a
“style” affected only by the very vain, and was several years behind
the season at that.
“You’re a joke yourself,” murmured Frank. “It wasn’t Bob’s fault
that the clam fell on you, Chet,” he added in louder tones.
“Why not, I’d like to know?”
“Because you are so brilliant in those togs that you blinded his
eyes, and he couldn’t see to shovel straight; eh, Bob?”
 “I—I guess that’s it. I didn’t mean to,” murmured Bob.
“Well, you’ll pay for having my shoes shined just the same,”
snapped Chet, as he restored his handkerchief to his pocket with a
grand flourish.
“Whew! What’s that smell?” cried Andy, pretending to be horrified.
“I didn’t know you could smell the fish fertilizer factory when the
wind was in this direction.”
“Me either,” added Frank, entering into the joke. “It sure is an
awful smell. Whew!”
“I—I don’t smell anything,” said Chet, blankly.
“Maybe it’s your handkerchief,” went on Andy. “Give us a whiff,”
and before the dude could stop him the younger Racer boy had
snatched it from his pocket. “Whew! Yes, this is it!” he cried, holding
his nose as he handed the gaudy linen back. “How did it happen,
Chet? Did you drop it somewhere? It’s awful!” and he pretended to
stagger back. “Better have it disinfected.”
“That smell! On my handkerchief!” fairly roared Chet. “That’s the
best perfumery they have at Davidson’s Emporium. I paid fifteen
cents a bottle for it. Give me my handkerchief.”
“Fifteen cents a bottle?” cried Andy. “Say, you got badly stuck all
right! Fifteen cents! Whew! Get on the other side, where the wind
doesn’t blow, please, Chet.”
“Oh, you fellows think you are mighty funny,” sneered the dude.
“I’ll get even with you yet. Are you going to pay for shining my
shoes, Bob?”
“I—er—” began the captain’s son.
“Sit down and let’s talk it over,” suggested Andy, as he flopped
down on the sand. “Have a chair, Chet. You must be tired standing,”
he went on.
“What? Sit there with—with my good clothes on?” demanded the
dude in accents of horror. “Never!”
“A clam might bite you, of course. I forgot that,” continued the
fun-loving Andy. Then, as Chet continued to face Bob, and make
demands on him for the price of having his tan shoes polished, the
younger Racer lad conceived another scheme.
 In accordance with what he thought were the dictates of
“fashion,” Chet wore his trousers very much turned up at the
bottoms. They formed a sort of “pockets,” and these pockets Andy
industriously proceeded to fill with sand. Soon both trouser legs
bulged with the white particles.
“Well, are you going to pay me?” demanded Chet of Bob finally.
“I—I didn’t mean to do it, and I haven’t any change to pay you
now,” said the captain’s son.
“Pay him in clams,” suggested Frank.
“No, I want the money,” insisted the dude. He took a step after
Bob, who walked around to get on the seat of the wagon. At his first
movement Chet was made aware of the sand in the bottoms of his
trousers.
The dude looked down, half frightened. Then he made a leap
forward. The sand was scattered all about, a good portion of it going
into the low shoes Chet wore. This filled them so that they were
hard to walk in, and the next moment the stylishly dressed youth
lurched, stepped into a hollow, and fell flat on the sand, his slender
cane breaking off short at the handle as it caught between his legs.
“Come here and I’ll pick you up!” shouted Andy, who had
scrambled away as he saw Chet start out.
“You—you—who did this? Who pushed me?” stammered Chet, as
he got up spluttering, for some sand had gotten in his mouth. “I’ll
have revenge for this—on some one! Who knocked me down?”
“It was the strong perfumery on your handkerchief,” suggested
Andy. “It went to your head, Chet.”
“It was you, Bob Trent; you did it!” yelled the dude, making a rush
for the captain’s son. “I’ll give you a thrashing for this!”
 CHAPTER VII
A LIVELY CARGO

“Hold on there, Chet!” cried Andy, as he saw Bob about to suffer

for the trick he himself had played. The dude had hauled back his
fist to strike the captain’s son, who put himself in a position of
defense.
“You can’t stop me!” yelled Chet, making rapid motions with his
fists. Bob Trent shrank back.
“Stop, I say!” shouted Andy again, making a rush to get between
the prospective combatants.
“Now you see what your fooling did,” spoke Frank, in a low voice
to his brother. “Why can’t you cut it out?”
“Can’t seem to,” answered the fun-loving lad. “But I won’t let ’em
fight. I’ll own up to Chet, and he can take it out of me if he likes.”
“There!” suddenly cried Chet, as he landed a light blow on Bob’s
chest “That’ll teach you to dirty up my shoes, fill my pants full of
sand and trip me up. There’s another for you!”
He tried to strike the captain’s son again, but Bob, though he was
not a fighting lad, was a manly chap, who would stand up for his
rights. Suddenly his fist shot forward and landed with no little force
on the nose of the dude.
Once more Chet went down, not so gently as before, measuring
his length in the sand. When he arose his face was red with anger,
and his former immaculate attire was sadly ruffled.
“I—I—I’ll have you all arrested for this!” he yelled. “I’ll make a
complaint against you, Bob Trent, and sue you for damages.”
Chet made another rush for the driver of the clam wagon as soon
as he could arise, but this time Andy had stepped in between them
and blocked the impending blows.
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