750-foot-tall tower with a revolving restaurant at the top. As they left the tower, he said, âI love the view from the top! Too bad the restaurant wasnât open yet. Letâs take another riverboat ride, then get some lunch. I never get tired of riding those little boats!â
Now, as Elizabeth sat in a River City Cruise boat watching the bridges and sidewalks for any signs of the boy with the red cap, she heard a strange noise.
Puâpuâpuâput, puput, puâpuâ¦rrrrrrâ¦rrrrrrâ¦puâ¦putâ¦pu
. The engine of the small riverboat groaned and sputtered. Then it died, as concerned tourists looked at each other in confusion.
âThatâs nice. I fork out ten bucks to ride this heap of junk, and now weâre stranded,â called a tall, thin, middle-aged man from the back of the boat.
âIâm very sorry for the inconvenience, folks,â replied the frustrated boat captain. âAll of your money will be refunded, as soon as I push this boat to shore. Just report to the ticket office and tell them what happened.â
Elizabeth felt sorry for the captain. The crowd gasped in surprise as he suddenly jumped overboard! Their surprise turned to laughter, however, as he stood up. The water of the famous San Antonio Riverwalk only came to the manâs waist.
Another riverboat passed but didnât stop to help. Its captain looked long and hard at the stranded group. The man leaned forward, one foot propped on the boatâs railing, and the sun glinted off his polished shoe.
Is he smiling? thought Elizabeth. Why doesnât he offer to help us? She noticed the competing companyâs logo on the side of the boatâSanta Anna Tours. Maybe they have rules about helping the competition or somethingâ¦
.
âHere, let me give you a hand,â said Elizabethâs father, leaping into the water. Together, the two men pushed the boat to the edge of the water and secured it to the cement siding with ropes.
The riverboat captain hefted himself onto the sidewalk then held out a hand to help Mr. Anderson. âThank you, sir. Iâll make sure your family gets free rides for the rest of your visit here in San Antonio.â
âThat wonât be necessary,â said Robert Anderson. âI was happy to help.â
The captain helped his passengers disembark. The tall, grumbly man from the back row stepped off. In a loud voice, he said, âIâd rather have a refund than a free ride. From now on, Iâll take my business to Santa Anna Tours. Now
thatâs
a boat you can count on.â
The rude man walked away, continuing his tirade as he went. The riverboat captain kept a polite smile pasted on his face, but Elizabeth wasnât fooled. The man was concerned about his business.
âHey, can I jump in before I get out?â asked James. Elizabethâs little brother loved an adventure. And he loved to get wet.
âNo, you canât,â replied Sue Anderson, helping the six-year-old off the boat. âOne wet male in the family is enough for now.â
Elizabeth helped her mother step across to the sidewalk. âIâll go swimming with you when we get back to the hotel,â she told James. Moving close to her father, she listened to the conversation between him and the captain.
âI donât understand what could have happened,â the man said. âWe service the motors every week. But this is the third time this has happened in two weeks!â
âThat is strange,â replied Elizabethâs dad. âWho services your boats? Perhaps theyâve started doing something differentâ¦ordering parts from a new company or something.â
âMaybe soâ¦,â said the man. âThank you again for your help.â
âNo problem,â replied Elizabethâs dad. He was sopping wet from the waist down, and he looked pretty funny. âLetâs go eat Mexican food!â he said to his