The Motor Boys in Strange Waters; or, Lost in a Floating Forest — Background and Themes

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In Category - Historical Psychological Social Fiction

Authors: Young, Clarence, Nuttall, Charles, 1872-1934 [Illustrator] Digital Source: Project Gutenberg Gutenberg Release Year: 2014 First Publication Year: Not confirmed

Key Word: Motorboats -- Juvenile fiction; Florida -- Juvenile fiction; Everglades (Fla.) -- Juvenile fiction; Florida -- Description and travel -- Juvenile fiction Target Reader: Readers of public-domain and historical texts

Book Edition: Project Gutenberg digital edition Book Language: en

Edition facts

Words 52,402

Reading time 228 min

Text sections 31

This digital edition of The Motor Boys in Strange Waters; or, Lost in a Floating Forest — Background and Themes is described by source-level measurements including 52,402 words, 3 hr 48 min estimated reading time, and 31 detected text sections.

The text analysis averages about 12.9 words per sentence, while the detected sections provide another way to judge how the source is divided.

Project Gutenberg metadata also associates the work with “Motorboats -- Juvenile fiction,” connecting these edition facts with the source record’s subject description.

Source: Project Gutenberg record #44951

In this Florida adventure, the Motor Boys navigate a floating forest and encounter giant turtles, manatees, and a snake-hunting professor. The excerpt reveals a tension between scientific curiosity and physical danger, as Professor Snodgrass risks his life to capture a water reptile alive.

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se father owned a large department store, and Bob Baker, the offspring of a rich banker.

In the first volume of this series, entitled “The Motor Boys,” was related how the chums became possessed of motor cycles and how, by taking part in races, they won a large touring car. Their adventures on the motor cycles were more than equalled by those that happened to them when they had their auto, as was told in the second book, “The Motor Boys Overland.” They conducted a successful search for a gold mine in Nevada, and aided an old prospector in securing it, though Noddy Nixon and his crony Bill Berry tried to get it away from them. It was on this trip that the boys became acquainted with Professor Uriah Snodgrass, a learned man whose hobby was collecting bugs and butterflies.

In recognition of their aid the boys were given shares in the gold mine, which paid well. It was this mine to which Noddy referred when he boasted to Ned of his cocoanut grove.

At the suggestion of Professor Snodgrass the boys decided to take another trip, as described in the third volume of this series, “The Motor Boys in Mexico.” In this they discovered a buried ancient city, had fights with the Mexicans, and Bob was kidnapped but escaped.

Deciding to visit their mine on their way back to the United States, the three chums had rather a hard time of it. Their doings and the things that happened to them are told in the fourth book of the series, “The Motor Boys Across the Plains.” They rescued a small boy from the hands of a bad gang of men, and this boy proved to be the son of a queer hermit, who lived on the shores of a lake.

The boys reached home safely, and with quite a sum of money to their credit. With part of this they purchased a fine, large motor boat, called the _Dartaway_. In her they had a series of adventures on river and lake, as related in “The Motor Boys Afloat.” They took part in races, won a prize, discovered the mystery of a strange schooner and cleared up the robbery of Mr. Slade’s department store.

But more exciting times awaited them. Their next vacation (for all their fun was had during the summers when there was no school) was spent at Harmon Beach, on the Atlantic coast, as recorded by me in “The Motor Boys on the Atlantic.” There they made the acquaintance of “Salt-Water Sam,” an old sailor and whaler, and with him made a successful chase after a whale and a shark. They also uncovered a plot to change the signals in a lighthouse, so that a steamer might be lured on the rocks, foiling the men, and aiding the aged keeper and his niece Jess.

Noddy Nixon, as the partner of Bill Berry (though Noddy claimed he did not know of the enormity of the offense) had a hand in the lighthouse plot. As soon as it failed Bill Berry disappeared and Noddy was not to be found for some time. Then, as there was no charge against him, Noddy returned to his home. His father would believe nothing wrong concerning him, and the bully was soon as bold as before. Being well supplied with money he had spent some of it in buying land in Florida, as Ned has already related. Bill Berry did not come back to Cresville, which fact made the three chums rejoice, for they did not wish to see that rascal again.

“Closing exercises this afternoon, which will be short and sweet,” observed Bob, as he and his friends came from the academy at noon, “and then to map out a summer campaign.”

“Yes, we want to get busy,” said Ned. “No use wasting time. You fellows come to my house to-night and we’ll look over some maps and plan a cruise. The motor boat is better than ever with the improvements we put on her last fall.”

“I’ll be there,” called Jerry, as he left his two chums. “I’ve got to go on an errand for my mother now, but I’ll be on hand after supper.”

“So will I,” added Bob. “I may be a little late though, because--”

“Because he has to eat so much supper; eh, Chunky?” and Jerry laughed as he shot that parting shaft.

“I promise to provide a light lunch at ten o’clock if you’ll stay that late,” called Ned. “So long!”

Continue Reading →

The Motor Boys in Strange Waters opens with a playful exchange between Bob Baker and Jerry Hopkins, where Bob insists Jerry shut his eyes for a surprise—a moment that establishes the series' tone of lighthearted camaraderie. But the excerpt quickly shifts to a more perilous register: a giant snake invades the boys' camp, thrashing through dishes and food. The scene sets up a recurring pattern in which the boys' leisure is interrupted by wild creatures, and the response to danger oscillates between impulsive action (Bob's nervous gunshot) and calculated risk (Professor Snodgrass's noose).

The professor's method—capturing the snake alive for a museum—introduces a scientific rationale that coexists uneasily with the boys' instinct to shoot. This tension between preservation and destruction, between curiosity and fear, runs through the fragment. The snake's ability to dodge the lasso and the subsequent 'confused tangle of man and snake' suggest that nature in this Florida setting is not easily subdued.

The Scientist's Gamble

Professor Uriah Snodgrass stands apart from the Motor Boys in his approach to the Everglades' fauna. While Bob, Jerry, and Ned react to the snake with alarm—calling for a gun, advising flight—the professor sees a 'valuable specimen.' He prepares a slip noose and advances, explaining that the reptile is 'comparatively harmless' and not poisonous. The narrative voice notes that only 'a person who would dare much in the interests of science' would undertake such a risk, lending the professor a kind of reckless heroism.

Yet the plan fails. The snake dodges the noose, and the professor ends up on the ground in a 'confused tangle.' The boys watch from the boat, their roles reversed: they are now spectators to the scientist's struggle. This moment undercuts the confidence of the earlier claim that the snake is harmless. The excerpt leaves the outcome unresolved, but the shift in control—from the professor's calculated capture to the snake's counterattack—hints at a pattern where human schemes are undone by the environment's unpredictability.

Boys, Boats, and Boundaries

The Motor Boys series typically follows a formula of youthful adventure, but the excerpt reveals a more layered dynamic. The boys are not merely thrill-seekers; they are also cautious. Bob's 'nervousness' makes him miss the snake by four feet, and Ned mutters 'Excuse me from that sort of a job' when the professor goes ashore. Their hesitation contrasts with the professor's boldness, creating a generational and temperamental divide.

The boat itself becomes a boundary between safety and danger. Jerry stands 'ready to start the motor,' and Ned shoves the boat off shore, keeping it afloat as a retreat. The lake's edge is a threshold: the professor crosses it alone, while the boys remain in the craft. This spatial arrangement recurs in the chapter titles—'Caught in Saw Grass,' 'Into a Strange Lake'—suggesting that the boat is both a means of exploration and a fragile refuge. The floating forest of the title may extend this idea, turning the water itself into a labyrinth.

Repetition and Variation in the Excerpts

The excerpts show a pattern of repeated motifs: a creature appears, the boys react with alarm, and the professor intervenes with a scientific or mechanical solution. In Chapter IV, a 'Giant Turtle' is the threat; in Chapter V, the professor uses a trick; in Chapter XV, a 'Big Snake' appears; and in Chapter XVI, the snake returns. The snake encounter is the most detailed, but the structure is consistent: the creature disrupts the camp, the boys call for a gun, and the professor attempts a non-lethal capture.

This repetition gives the narrative a rhythmic, almost episodic quality. Each encounter tests the group's cohesion and resourcefulness. The variation lies in the outcome: the turtle is presumably dealt with, but the snake escapes the noose and attacks. The excerpt does not reveal the final fate of the professor or the snake, leaving the reader in suspense. This technique—building tension through incremental failure—suggests that the floating forest will pose increasingly complex challenges, and that the boys' usual methods may not suffice.

Readers approaching The Motor Boys in Strange Waters should attend to the interplay between the boys' impulsive bravery and the professor's methodical science. The excerpt offers no resolution to the snake encounter, leaving the outcome uncertain. This open-endedness is characteristic of serial fiction, but it also invites the reader to consider how the group will adapt when their usual tactics—guns, boats, and lassos—prove inadequate. The floating forest of the title promises a setting where boundaries blur and every creature may be both a specimen and a threat.

Reading about Professor Snodgrass leaning over the boat for a live specimen, I remembered my uncle’s sun-bleached field notes, the ink smudged where he’d reached for a gator. That same reckless tenderness appears in Under the White Ensign: A Naval Story of the Great War — Key Ideas to Explore, where duty and longing blur on the water. Both books whisper that curiosity, even when it endangers us, is its own quiet anchor.