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diff --git a/old/54367-h/54367-h.htm b/old/54367-h/54367-h.htm deleted file mode 100644 index b8b7e92..0000000 --- a/old/54367-h/54367-h.htm +++ /dev/null @@ -1,20000 +0,0 @@ -<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Strict//EN" - "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-strict.dtd"> -<html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml"> -<head> -<meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=UTF-8" /> -<title>The Project Gutenberg eBook of A Blundering Boy, by Bruce Weston Munro</title> -<link rel="coverpage" href="images/cover.jpg" /> -<style type="text/css"> - -a { - text-decoration: none; -} - -body { - margin-left: 10%; - margin-right: 10%; -} - -h1,h3,h4 { - text-align: center; - clear: both; -} - -h2 { - text-align: center; - clear: both; - font-style: italic; -} - -hr { - margin-top: 2em; - margin-bottom: 2em; - clear: both; -} - -hr.tb { - width: 45%; - margin-left: 27.5%; - margin-right: 27.5%; -} - -hr.chap { - width: 65%; - margin-left: 17.5%; - margin-right: 17.5%; -} - -p { - margin-top: 0.5em; - text-align: justify; - margin-bottom: 0.5em; - text-indent: 1em; -} - -table { - margin: 1em auto 1em auto; - max-width: 40em; - border-collapse: collapse; -} - -td { - padding-left: 2.25em; - padding-right: 0.25em; - vertical-align: top; - text-indent: -2em; -} - -.blockquote { - margin-left: 10%; - margin-right: 10%; -} - -.center { - text-align: center; - text-indent: 0em; -} - -.noindent { - text-indent: 0em; -} - -.larger { - font-size: 150%; -} - -.pagenum { - position: absolute; - right: 4%; - font-size: smaller; - text-align: right; - font-style: normal; -} - -.poetry-container { - text-align: center; - margin: 1em; -} - -.poetry { - display: inline-block; - text-align: left; -} - -.poetry .verse { - text-indent: -3em; - padding-left: 3em; -} - -.poetry .indent1 { - text-indent: -2em; -} - -.right { - text-align: right; -} - -.smaller { - font-size: 80%; -} - -.smcap { - font-variant: small-caps; - font-style: normal; -} - -.smcapuc { - font-variant: small-caps; - font-style: normal; - text-transform: lowercase; -} - -.tdr { - text-align: right; -} - -.titlepage { - text-align: center; - margin-top: 3em; - text-indent: 0em; -} - -.transnote { - background-color: #E6E6FA; - color: black; - text-align: center; - font-size: smaller; - padding: 0.5em; - margin-bottom: 5em; -} - -@media handheld { - -img { - max-width: 100%; - width: auto; - height: auto; -} - -.poetry { - display: block; - margin-left: 1.5em; -} - -.blockquote { - margin-left: 5%; - margin-right: 5%; -} -} - - h2.pg { font-style: normal; } - hr.full { width: 100%; - margin-top: 3em; - margin-bottom: 0em; - margin-left: auto; - margin-right: auto; - height: 4px; - border-width: 4px 0 0 0; /* remove all borders except the top one */ - border-style: solid; - border-color: #000000; - clear: both; } - </style> -</head> -<body> -<h1>The Project Gutenberg eBook, A Blundering Boy, by Bruce Weston Munro</h1> -<p>This eBook is for the use of anyone anywhere in the United States -and most other parts of the world at no cost and with almost no -restrictions whatsoever. You may copy it, give it away or re-use it -under the terms of the Project Gutenberg License included with this -eBook or online at <a -href="http://www.gutenberg.org">www.gutenberg.org</a>. If you are not -located in the United States, you'll have to check the laws of the -country where you are located before using this ebook.</p> -<p>Title: A Blundering Boy</p> -<p> A Humorous Story</p> -<p>Author: Bruce Weston Munro</p> -<p>Release Date: March 15, 2017 [eBook #54367]</p> -<p>Language: English</p> -<p>Character set encoding: UTF-8</p> -<p>***START OF THE PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK A BLUNDERING BOY***</p> -<p> </p> -<h4>E-text prepared by Richard Hulse<br /> - and the Online Distributed Proofreading Team<br /> - (<a href="http://www.pgdp.net">http://www.pgdp.net</a>)<br /> - from page images generously made available by<br /> - Internet Archive<br /> - (<a href="https://archive.org">https://archive.org</a>)</h4> -<p> </p> -<table border="0" style="background-color: #ccccff;margin: 0 auto;" cellpadding="10"> - <tr> - <td valign="top"> - Note: - </td> - <td> - Images of the original pages are available through - Internet Archive. See - <a href="https://archive.org/details/blunderingboyhum00munr"> - https://archive.org/details/blunderingboyhum00munr</a> - </td> - </tr> -</table> -<p> </p> -<hr class="full" /> -<p> </p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_i" id="Page_i">[i]</a></span></p> - -<p class="titlepage larger">A BLUNDERING BOY.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_ii" id="Page_ii">[ii]</a></span></p> - -<hr class="chap" /> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_iii" id="Page_iii">[iii]</a></span></p> - -<p class="titlepage larger">A BLUNDERING BOY.</p> - -<p class="titlepage">A Humorous Story.</p> - -<p class="titlepage larger"><span class="smaller">BY</span><br /> -BRUCE W. MUNRO.</p> - -<p> </p> -<p class="titlepage smaller">PUBLISHED BY<br /> -<span class="larger">BRUCE W. MUNRO,</span><br /> -TORONTO.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_iv" id="Page_iv">[iv]</a></span></p> - -<hr class="chap" /> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_v" id="Page_v">[v]</a></span></p> - -<p class="center">Entered according to Act of Parliament of Canada, in the year one<br /> -thousand eight hundred and eighty-seven, by <span class="smcap">Bruce W. Munro</span>,<br /> -in the office of the Minister of Agriculture.</p> - -<hr class="chap" /> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_vi" id="Page_vi">[vi]</a></span></p> - -<p class="titlepage">TO THAT SUPREME AUTOCRAT,<br /> -THE SMALL BOY OF NORTH AMERICA,<br /> -THIS BOOK IS, WITHOUT PERMISSION, MOST<br /> -RESPECTFULLY DEDICATED.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_vii" id="Page_vii">[vii]</a><br /> -<a name="Page_viii" id="Page_viii">[viii]</a></span></p> - -<hr class="chap" /> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_ix" id="Page_ix">[ix]</a></span></p> - -<h2>CONTENTS.</h2> - -<table summary="Contents"> - <tr> - <td colspan="2">Preface</td> - <td class="tdr"><a href="#PREFACE"><span class="smcapuc">XI.</span></a></td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td class="tdr"><span class="smcap">Chapter.</span></td> - <td></td> - <td class="tdr"><span class="smcap">Page.</span></td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td class="tdr">I.</td> - <td>The Story Opened</td> - <td class="tdr"><a href="#Chapter_I">17</a></td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td class="tdr">II.</td> - <td>Will’s Lucky Blunder</td> - <td class="tdr"><a href="#Chapter_II">23</a></td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td class="tdr">III.</td> - <td>Will’s Native Village</td> - <td class="tdr"><a href="#Chapter_III">33</a></td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td class="tdr">IV.</td> - <td>The Heroes of this History</td> - <td class="tdr"><a href="#Chapter_IV">39</a></td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td class="tdr">V.</td> - <td>An Unpleasant Ride for Will</td> - <td class="tdr"><a href="#Chapter_V">44</a></td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td class="tdr">VI.</td> - <td>Steve’s Retaliation</td> - <td class="tdr"><a href="#Chapter_VI">54</a></td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td class="tdr">VII.</td> - <td>The Young Moralist.—A Clever Scheme</td> - <td class="tdr"><a href="#Chapter_VII">66</a></td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td class="tdr">VIII.</td> - <td>George Comes Out Ahead</td> - <td class="tdr"><a href="#Chapter_VIII">75</a></td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td class="tdr">IX.</td> - <td>“Three Wise Men Went to Sea in a Bowl.”</td> - <td class="tdr"><a href="#Chapter_IX">88</a></td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td class="tdr">X.</td> - <td>The “Bowl” Comes to Grief</td> - <td class="tdr"><a href="#Chapter_X">96</a></td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td class="tdr">XI.</td> - <td>A Talented Lecturer</td> - <td class="tdr"><a href="#Chapter_XI">106</a></td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td class="tdr">XII.</td> - <td>An Extraordinary Mad Dog</td> - <td class="tdr"><a href="#Chapter_XII">112</a></td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td class="tdr">XIII.</td> - <td>The Six go to a Picnic</td> - <td class="tdr"><a href="#Chapter_XIII">126</a></td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td class="tdr">XIV.</td> - <td>Disaster Rather Than Fun</td> - <td class="tdr"><a href="#Chapter_XIV">137</a></td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td class="tdr">XV.</td> - <td>A Lesson in Ballooning</td> - <td class="tdr"><a href="#Chapter_XV">149</a></td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td class="tdr">XVI.</td> - <td>Unheard-of Adventures with Balloons</td> - <td class="tdr"><a href="#Chapter_XVI">156</a></td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td class="tdr">XVII.</td> - <td>They Prepare to “Giantize”</td> - <td class="tdr"><a href="#Chapter_XVII">163</a></td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td class="tdr">XVIII.</td> - <td>The Cousins See More Than They Bargained for</td> - <td class="tdr"><a href="#Chapter_XVIII">169</a></td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td class="tdr">XIX.</td> - <td>Within and Without the Demon’s Cave</td> - <td class="tdr"><a href="#Chapter_XIX">178</a></td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td class="tdr">XX.</td> - <td>A Glorious Triumph</td> - <td class="tdr"><a href="#Chapter_XX">186</a></td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td class="tdr">XXI.</td> - <td>Uncle Dick Himself Again</td> - <td class="tdr"><a href="#Chapter_XXI">197</a></td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td class="tdr">XXII.</td> - <td>Uncle Dick Evolves His Story</td> - <td class="tdr"><a href="#Chapter_XXII">204</a></td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td class="tdr">XXIII.</td> - <td>The Sage’s Experiment</td> - <td class="tdr"><a href="#Chapter_XXIII">212</a></td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td class="tdr">XXIV.</td> - <td>The Sage Unearths a Treasure</td> - <td class="tdr"><a href="#Chapter_XXIV">220</a></td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td class="tdr">XXV.</td> - <td>The Bitten Boy Takes Revenge</td> - <td class="tdr"><a href="#Chapter_XXV">229</a></td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td class="tdr"><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_x" id="Page_x">[x]</a></span>XXVI.</td> - <td>Bob’s Downfall</td> - <td class="tdr"><a href="#Chapter_XXVI">240</a></td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td class="tdr">XXVII.</td> - <td>They Propose to Turn the Tables</td> - <td class="tdr"><a href="#Chapter_XXVII">245</a></td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td class="tdr">XXVIII.</td> - <td>The Tables Turned with a Vengeance</td> - <td class="tdr"><a href="#Chapter_XXVIII">251</a></td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td class="tdr">XXIX.</td> - <td>A Horrible Plot.—The Haunted House</td> - <td class="tdr"><a href="#Chapter_XXIX">260</a></td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td class="tdr">XXX.</td> - <td>The Blunderer at Work Again</td> - <td class="tdr"><a href="#Chapter_XXX">271</a></td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td class="tdr">XXXI.</td> - <td>Will Mends His Ways</td> - <td class="tdr"><a href="#Chapter_XXXI">276</a></td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td class="tdr">XXXII.</td> - <td>The Arch-Plotter Arrives</td> - <td class="tdr"><a href="#Chapter_XXXII">282</a></td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td class="tdr">XXXIII.</td> - <td>“A Lesson in French”</td> - <td class="tdr"><a href="#Chapter_XXXIII">287</a></td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td class="tdr">XXXIV.</td> - <td>Henry Takes His Bearings.—A Stampede</td> - <td class="tdr"><a href="#Chapter_XXXIV">298</a></td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td class="tdr">XXXV.</td> - <td>Marmaduke Grasps the Situation</td> - <td class="tdr"><a href="#Chapter_XXXV">307</a></td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td class="tdr">XXXVI.</td> - <td>To the Rescue!</td> - <td class="tdr"><a href="#Chapter_XXXVI">319</a></td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td class="tdr">XXXVII.</td> - <td>Marmaduke Struggles with Romance</td> - <td class="tdr"><a href="#Chapter_XXXVII">325</a></td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td class="tdr">XXXVIII.</td> - <td>The Startlers Themselves are Startled</td> - <td class="tdr"><a href="#Chapter_XXXVIII">335</a></td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td class="tdr">XXXIX.</td> - <td>Repentant Plotters.—The Heroes Re-united</td> - <td class="tdr"><a href="#Chapter_XXXIX">342</a></td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td class="tdr">XL.</td> - <td>The Heroes Figure as Hunters</td> - <td class="tdr"><a href="#Chapter_XL">348</a></td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td class="tdr">XLI.</td> - <td>How Will Lost His Deer</td> - <td class="tdr"><a href="#Chapter_XLI">355</a></td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td class="tdr">XLII.</td> - <td>What Curiosity Cost the Hunters</td> - <td class="tdr"><a href="#Chapter_XLII">362</a></td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td class="tdr">XLIII.</td> - <td>Things Begin to Get Interesting</td> - <td class="tdr"><a href="#Chapter_XLIII">370</a></td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td class="tdr">XLIV.</td> - <td>Is the Mystery Solved?</td> - <td class="tdr"><a href="#Chapter_XLIV">377</a></td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td class="tdr">XLV.</td> - <td>The Last Blunder.—A Last Conversation</td> - <td class="tdr"><a href="#Chapter_XLV">382</a></td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td class="tdr">XLVI.</td> - <td>The Story Closed</td> - <td class="tdr"><a href="#Chapter_XLVI">390</a></td> - </tr> -</table> - -<hr class="chap" /> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_xi" id="Page_xi">[xi]</a></span></p> - -<h2 id="PREFACE">PREFACE.</h2> - -<p>Silly as this story may seem, there is a fixed purpose in -writing it; and, like water in a goose-pond, it is deeper than -it at first appears.</p> - -<p>The intention chiefly is to be absurd; to cast ridicule -on certain pedants and romancers; and to jeer at the ridiculous -solemnity, mystery, and villainy, that hedge in works of fiction. -Disgusted with tales which cause exceedingly good heroes and -heroines to live a life of torture, only to find a haven of peace -and security in the last line of the last chapter, the writer -determined to go over the old ground in a different way. Now -that the story is written, however, he has a horrible suspicion -that in some measure he has totally failed in his design, and -that more often than he cares to own, he has overshot the -mark.</p> - -<p>Having endeavored to make the intention tolerably clear, -the reader may now be able to get more enjoyment from this -tale.</p> - -<p>The tale aims to attack so-called “vagaries,” as well as great -and contemptible follies. It attacks the frailties of the school-boy -with as much gusto as it attacks the foibles of the -romancer. In fact, from first to last, in almost every chapter, -the writer rushes gallantly to attack something. Not satisfied -with attempting to ridicule other people’s tales, he often indirectly, -but not the less insultingly, attacks this one, as the -careful reader will doubtless observe. This was begun in jest, -perhaps; but it soon became a fixed purpose, carried out in -earnest. Even a boy can generally see the drift of our narrative; -but it is often hard for the writer himself to see its true -meaning—harder still to appreciate it. Nevertheless, there is -a good deal to be seen in the story; and doubtless there are<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_xii" id="Page_xii">[xii]</a></span> -some who will see more in it than was designed to be put -there.</p> - -<p>Again, the story is not written to instruct studious and -solemn boys, who mope about the house with grave biographies -and heavy ancient histories in their hands, while without, the -sun is shining bright, birds are warbling their extempore -melodies in the fruit-trees, squirrels are frisking across the -garden-walks, and all Nature is smiling. Such people are not -<em>boys</em>; they are but figure-heads in creation, who, though they -may, perhaps, find a place in so-called “literature,” will never -find one in the history of nations. This story does not inform -those who crave for knowledge, and yet more knowledge, that -the elephant is a pachydermatous native of Asia and Africa, nor -that the monkey is a quadrumanous animal, with prehensile tail, -whose habitat is in tropical regions. Still, the attentive reader -will, in all probability, gather from it that an ass brays, that a -punt leaks, that a school-boy’s pets are mortal, and that gunpowder -is liable to explode when fire is applied to it. It is not written -as a guide and instructor to youth. Its heroes are deplorably -depraved; they love to plot mischief. Yet a boy may possibly -learn something from our work. He may learn that the boy -who plays practical jokes on his school-fellows generally “gets -the worst of it,” that he often suffers more than the intended -victim. He may learn, also, that a boy’s wickedness brings its -own punishment. (The writer takes great pains to correct the -culprits—in fact, he never fails to do so after each offence.) -Of course every boy has learned all this before; probably, in -every book he ever read; but as it is a fundamental principle -in romance to enforce this doctrine, it is here enforced.</p> - -<p>Many a writer wishes to make assertions for which he does -not always choose to be responsible. In such cases, he puts -the assertion into the mouth of one of his characters, an -“honorable gentleman” fathering it sometimes, a “consummate -villain” at other times. In some instances we have -followed this example.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_xiii" id="Page_xiii">[xiii]</a></span></p> - -<p>The writer here modestly lays claim to a rare, an almost -antiquated virtue: though he excels in Wegotism, he never -calls himself an author! Yet if he were writing an elementary -grammar, he might indulge in such expressions as “The author -here begs to differ from Mr. Murray;” or, “The author’s list -of adjectives may be increased by the teacher, <i lang="la">ad libitum</i>.” But -this story is intended for youths of a reasoning age. In writing -for juveniles of tender years, it is well to weigh carefully one’s -expressions, and to use only choice and elegant expletives.</p> - -<p>Understand, gentle reader, that man only is attacked in this -story. Though the fair sex are occasionally and incidentally -introduced, the writer has too much respect for them to go -beyond the introduction, in this book. Even when Henry -personates “Sauterelle” the motive is good. Understand all -this, and read accordingly.</p> - -<p>The moral of this story is intended to be good; but in a -story of its light and fickle nature, the less said about a moral -the better.</p> - -<p>The writer has great affection for boys; he respects them, -and loves to see them enjoy themselves, but he is not prepared -to say that he fully understands them. A BOY is a credit to -a neighborhood—till he hangs a battle-scarred cat to the -chief citizen’s flag-staff, or destroys a mill-dam by tunnelling a -hole through it, when, of course, he is a disgrace to the race. -Though it is uncertain who is the hero of this story, Steve and -Henry are the favorites. Steve is more or less a <em>boy</em>; but as the -story advances the reader will perceive that he improves in -both wit and wisdom. George is one of the boys who “love -books;” but he tempered common sense with study, and never -refused to join with his companions in their frolics or “expeditions.” -With little or no benefit to himself, or, for that -matter, to anybody else, George, like most studious youths of -his age, read books entirely beyond his comprehension. In -one hundred pages of scientific reading, he probably understood -and retained one fact; the other facts were either<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_xiv" id="Page_xiv">[xiv]</a></span> -misunderstood or forgotten, or might better have been. Years -ago, when the writer used to wear out his pockets with bulky -jack-knives, and quarrel with other youngsters about the -sagacity of his own dog, he knew a boy who, like Jim, was -subject to “the chills.” But the writer was probably too young -at that time to have an insight into another’s character, and -the only affinity between that boy and Jim is that both were -a prey to “the chills.” It may be objected that it is strange -that Charles should be able to work on the other boys’ feelings -so well. Very true; so it is. Still, he could not have slain a -robber-knight, nor outwitted an Indian scout. Henry is not -one of the original heroes, but as he is necessary to the story -he is introduced.</p> - -<p>The writer, disgusted with books in which the heroes are -treated with much respect, endeavours to heap every indignity -upon these foolish boys. In a word, he has no apparent respect -for any one, big or little, old or young, in this volume. To go -still further, he has no respect for himself.</p> - -<p>In the case of the blue-eyed heroine and each boy’s mother, -however, there is an exception, and exceptions prove the rule.</p> - -<p>As for Mr. Lawrence’s “mystery,” it does not amount to -much, though it is intended, like everything else, to serve a -purpose. Look at it as it appears, and in ten minutes a bill-sticker -could hatch a better plot. Look at it as it appears, and -it is idiotic, yet perfectly harmless; look at it in its figurative -meaning, and, though it is not so good as was intended, it -yet—but we are too discreet to say more on this head.</p> - -<p>The writer respectfully observes that his maniac is not -drawn from nature, but from romance. He never informed -himself of the habits of those unfortunate people—never had -the pleasure of even a slight acquaintance with them—but -drew Uncle Dick’s history blindly from romance.</p> - -<p>As for the villain’s confession, it is thrown in gratuitously, -as ballast to the story, and to pacify the readers of heavy -romance.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_xv" id="Page_xv">[xv]</a></span></p> - -<div class="poetry-container"> -<div class="poetry"> -<div class="verse">“Oh, what a tangled web we weave,</div> -<div class="verse">When first we practise to deceive,”</div> -</div> -</div> - -<p class="noindent">as many a writer’s confused plot bears witness. Having many -objects in view in writing this story, the reader must make the -best of it, if it sometimes seems disjointed. Still, if the astute -reader thinks he detects a place where this history does not -hang together, let him not be too much elated, for the writer -believes he could point out several such places himself.</p> - -<p>Of course, no boy will read this preface; it would, therefore, -be a waste of time to address a discourse to boys in it. Reader, -did you ever observe the manner in which a boy ignores the -preface in his school-books? If not, you do not know how -much scorn a boy’s face is capable of displaying.</p> - -<p>Nevertheless, this preface may be of use to a boy. Suppose -that an indulgent uncle should be jockeyed into buying a copy -of this book for his little nephew. In such a case, would not -this preface make an admirable “flier” for the little nephew’s -dart? Certainly it would; and the next morning the little -nephew’s mamma would find a picturesque dart, with this -elaborate preface fluttering at the end, adorning a panel of the -parlour door.</p> - -<p>“Perhaps,” sneers the reader of mature years, “you think -to have a fling at the almost antiquated custom of writing -prefaces?”</p> - -<p>Perhaps so, kind reader, and why not?</p> - -<p>It seems natural for some writers to wish to display their -wisdom: some make a show of hammering out tropes that no -one can appreciate; others, in coining new compound words -that won’t find a place in the dictionaries of the future; still -others, in inserting such foreign words and phrases as may be -found in the back of a school-boy’s pocket dictionary. (To do -them justice, however, the latter geniuses, careful not to offend -our noble English, considerately write such words and phrases -in italics.) This writer, on the contrary, displays his <em>foolishness</em><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_xvi" id="Page_xvi">[xvi]</a></span> -by tackling things that he afterwards learns are out of his -reach.</p> - -<p>The writer seems most at home when attempting to poke fun -at romance; yet he is tormented night and day, so much -so that he has no peace, with romance. In fact, gentle reader, -if any human being suffers more in that way than he, pity him -with all your heart, for he must be a wretch indeed.</p> - -<p>Cannot this be explained logically? Perhaps so; but it isn’t -worth anybody’s while to do it.</p> - -<p>Notwithstanding that our preface is so grandiloquent, the -story opens, the reader will observe, very modestly. But if he -should persevere a little way, he will find that the writer soon -strikes out boldly.</p> - -<p>Of course this preface was written after the story; but, let -the reader be entreated, if he will excuse the Hibernicism, to -read it first. If he does not, we are only too confident he will -never read it. This is not prophecy, but intuition.</p> - -<p class="right">BRUCE W. MUNRO.</p> - -<hr class="chap" /> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_17" id="Page_17">[17]</a></span></p> - -<h1>A BLUNDERING BOY.</h1> - -<h2 id="Chapter_I">Chapter I.<br /> -<span class="smcap">The Story Opened.</span></h2> - -<p>William, baptized William, but always called Will, -was a boy who had a habit of committing blunders—a -habit which, as will be seen, occasionally led him -into deep disgrace. When a mere boy, his blunders were -of little consequence; but when older they assumed a -more serious form. Most of them arose from want of -care, as he did everything without considering what the -end might be. Doubtless, he ought to have been reproved -for this; but as he was only a boy, and as many of his -blunders partook of the ludicrous, his parents laughed at -him, but seldom took pains to correct him.</p> - -<p>Will’s father owned a highly cultivated farm, near one -of the great lakes, and was a man of means. He indulged -freely in dignified language, in illustrated magazines and -weeklies, in frequent pleasure trips by land and water, -and in gilded agricultural machines, fragile and complicated, -but quite as useful as ornamental.</p> - -<p>Will’s mother was an amiable lady, who accompanied -her husband on every alternate pleasure trip, and who, by -the help of an able housekeeper and a fire-proof cook, -spread a table that excited the admiration or envy of all -who knew her, the housekeeper, or the cook.</p> - -<p>Such were Will’s father and mother, who generally, as -he was their only child, suffered him to have his own -way, took notice of all his sayings and doings, and occasionally -jotted them down in a disused diary. But he -was not the kind of boy to be spoiled by such usage; -on the contrary he was a very good boy.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_18" id="Page_18">[18]</a></span></p> - -<p>He was an athletic little fellow, able to undergo great -fatigue, and endowed with so much perseverance and -hope that he would fish all day for trout, and return at -dusk with nothing but a few expiring mud-pouts and -two or three forlorn fish worms. He was known to all -the villagers, respected by all his school fellows, and was -involved in all their troubles. But his school fellows did -not regard him as a hero; in their expeditions he was -seldom chosen leader; in their “trials by jury” he was -frequently a juryman—in time of need the entire jury—but -only occasionally the judge.</p> - -<p>Will attended school regularly and learned his lessons -carefully, whether he understood them or not. His -appetite for learning was keen, but his appetite for sport -was insatiable; no boy, on being set loose from school, -was more demonstrative than he.</p> - -<p>When old enough to be out with his father, he followed -him constantly. About the whole farm there was not a -hole into which he had not fallen, not a stone of any size -over which he had not stumbled, and no danger of any -kind, from animals or machines, from which he had not -narrowly escaped. He was often carried bruised, wet and -tearful into the presence of his terrified mother, who -vowed that he should never again leave her sight. But -as soon as his wounds were dressed and his wet, muddy, -and sometimes blood-stained garments were changed, he -would slip away, to invite new dangers and contend with -old ones. Even when sitting quiet in the house, learning -his lessons, his ink-bottle would unaccountably pour its -contents over his books, his papers, or on the carpet. -Yet Will’s father declared that the boy was neither awkward -nor stupid, but only “inconsiderate” and “headlong.” -In proportion as he grew older, Mr. Lawrence -hoped that he would grow wiser, and less “headlong.”</p> - -<p>Having thus touched upon Will’s characteristics, it is -now in order to begin at the beginning, when he was a -small boy.</p> - -<p>One day, when the boy had arrived at the age of seven -years, a strolling and struggling newspaper genius was -invited to spend the afternoon and evening at the farm-house.<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_19" id="Page_19">[19]</a></span> -At the supper table this gentleman interested -himself particularly in the boy, and the mother, pleased -with this attention, began to enlarge upon her darling’s -talents and cleverness, till, warming with maternal pride, -she became quite eloquent.</p> - -<p>“What do you suppose he did the other day?” she -asked.</p> - -<p>Will’s face suddenly became red. His mother did not -notice this, but the newspaper genius did; and while he -answered politely, he muttered to himself, “Hanged somebody’s -cat, I should infer from his looks.”</p> - -<p>“Why, he—” began the mother, when she was suddenly -interrupted by Will’s saying, “Please don’t tell, -mother!”</p> - -<p>This remark, of course, drew the attention of all -three to the boy, and they saw that he appeared ill at -ease, and that his face was painfully flushed.</p> - -<p>Mrs. Lawrence looked surprised. “Why, Will,” she -said, “I’m sure its greatly to your credit.” Then turning -to the guest: “Mr. Sargent, the other day he gave his -papa the boundaries of every country and continent on -the globe; and he did it all from memory, not looking -once at a map!” Mr. Sargent was a polite man; he -now expressed the liveliest astonishment.</p> - -<p>“Oh!” burst from Will’s lips, followed by a sigh of -relief, “Is <em>that</em> what you wanted to tell?”</p> - -<p>“What did you suppose your mamma intended to tell -me?” basely inquired the newspaper man, quickly recovering -from his astonishment.</p> - -<p>Will hesitated, but finally answered, “I thought it was -about the fire-crackers.”</p> - -<p>The guest’s curiosity was awakened. “What about the -fire-crackers?” he inquired, so courteously that no one -could take offence.</p> - -<p>“Oh, he had a bad time with them; that’s all;” said -Mrs. Lawrence, coming to the rescue.</p> - -<p>But Will, who was plainly dissatisfied with his mother’s -version of the affair, explained, with an effort that proved -him to be a hero, “I had some fire-crackers, and they set -the chip yard on fire, and nearly burnt up a cow in the -cow-house!”</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_20" id="Page_20">[20]</a></span></p> - -<p>Having thus eased his conscience, he relapsed into -silence. But it was evident that his nerves were quite -unstrung; the visitor was therefore not taken wholly -unawares when Will, in passing him the “preserves,” spilt -them on his pants.</p> - -<p>With a sigh of resignation the unfortunate took the -mishap as a joke, and asked, as they rose from the table, -if Will would bring out some of his toys.</p> - -<p>“Get out the gun you made yourself,” Mr. Lawrence -suggested.</p> - -<p>The boy left the room but soon came in with a rude -weapon—which boys would call a squirt-gun, but which -Mr. and Mrs. Lawrence, from ignorance or flattery, called -a gun. But time is precious to some people; perhaps -they called it a gun to save breath.</p> - -<p>The errant newspaper man took up the squirt-gun, to -examine it at his convenience, but lo! another mishap! -The infernal machine, or whatever one may call it, had -discharged a black and muddy fluid over his spotless -shirt front.</p> - -<p>Another involuntary “Oh!” broke from poor Will’s -lips. “It must be the poison we had for the red currant -bugs!” he groaned. “I thought I had squirted every -drop out of the gun, but—”</p> - -<p>“This is an extraordinary little gun, I’ve no doubt,” -said the unhappy man, in a pet, “but I don’t wish to -experiment with it at present. I should prefer to see -some harmless toy, such as a wooden top or a horse-hair -watch-chain. It is always dangerous for me to meddle -with guns, anyway.”</p> - -<p>For once, the newspaper man’s suavity had failed him.</p> - -<p>But Mrs. Lawrence, in her heart, thought that a judgment -had overtaken him for ferreting out Will’s secret.</p> - -<p>The owner of the gun took it and gladly left the room. -He did not return with his wooden tops, but climbed up -on the roof of the stable, where he whiled away the rest -of the evening with his new jack-knife and a piece of -cedar. He did not cut his fingers very badly, however.</p> - -<p>The distressed parents were placed in a very embarrassing -situation, but the sufferer’s equanimity soon returned, -and the conversation again flowed on smoothly.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_21" id="Page_21">[21]</a></span></p> - -<p>When the visitor took leave, it is to be hoped that he -took with him a due appreciation of Will’s talents and -cleverness.</p> - -<p>Next morning Mr. Lawrence called his son and addressed -him thus: “My son, you are a very heedless boy. -Reflect on the sad results of your heedlessness, and endeavor -to use the faculty of reason before you act in any -matter. Think of the annoyance you gave us last night! -You ought never to interrupt your mother, for you may -be sure that she would never tell a stranger anything to -your discredit. Will you bear this in mind?”</p> - -<p>“Yes, sir,” muttered the boy, trying to understand the -meaning of the big words. “But,” anxiously, “will he be -scolded and whipped, as Jim was when he got his clothes -spoiled?”</p> - -<p>“Are you speaking of the gentleman who passed the -evening with us?”</p> - -<p>“Yes, sir.”</p> - -<p>“Then don’t grieve about that, for his parents will not -harm him,” Mr. Lawrence replied with a smile.</p> - -<p>A short time after this occurrence, Will informed his -father that a muskrat had built itself a home by a stream -which ran through their farm.</p> - -<p>“Should you like to catch it in a trap?” Mr. Lawrence -asked.</p> - -<p>The boy, of course, said yes. Immediately the fond -father bought a strong little trap and presented it to the -would-be trapper. The trap cost ninety cents; a wandering -tin-peddler might perhaps be generous enough to give -Will fifteen cents for the pelt of the muskrat. In that -event everybody would be satisfied. But the home of -the muskrat would be made desolate.</p> - -<p>Mrs. Lawrence beheld this trap with horror, and not -without reason, for, within the next two hours, Will contrived -to imprison in it several of his fingers.</p> - -<p>After repeated warnings from his parents, the young -hero set out for the stream, trap in hand. Having successfully -achieved the feat of setting it, he returned and gave -his father the particulars.</p> - -<p>“I fear that some more historical animal than a muskrat<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_22" id="Page_22">[22]</a></span> -will come to an untimely end in that trap,” Mr. Lawrence -said dolorously.</p> - -<p>His words were prophetic.</p> - -<p>In the morning, full of hope, Will hurried to the home -of the muskrat. Beyond a doubt, the trap held an -animal. But it was neither a musk nor any other kind -of rat; it was a beautiful little greyhound, fast in the -jaws of the trap, and stone dead.</p> - -<p>Will’s tears flowed freely at this pitiable sight, and -fear was added to his grief, when, in the greyhound, he -recognized the constant companion of Senator Murdock.</p> - -<p>“Poor little Pet! How often you have played with -me!” the trapper said, in the interval of his sobs. “Oh, -what shall I do, and what will Mr. Murdock say to me!”</p> - -<p>Just as the boy spoke, the Senator was approaching in -his search of the dog.</p> - -<p>“Ah, my little man,” he said, as he drew near the -sorrowing trapper, “can you tell me where to look for -Pet? I’ve lost him this morning, and I thought you could -help me to find him, if any one could. We live so near -that you and Pet are always together. Why, what is the -matter?” he asked, seeing that the boy was crying bitterly.</p> - -<p>“Oh, sir!” was all Will could say.</p> - -<p>But the Senator was now beside him, and, taking in -the matter at a glance, he exclaimed angrily, “What is -this I see? Have you, whom I always considered a moral -little boy, have <em>you</em> entrapped my dog! I am amazed! -Poor Pet! Poor little dog!”</p> - -<p>“I didn’t mean to catch <em>him</em>,” Will pleaded, “and I -am very sorry.”</p> - -<p>“Well, I shall not blame you,” the Senator said slowly. -“Your father ought not to let you set traps so recklessly, -and I lay the blame upon him.”</p> - -<p>“Don’t blame my father, for it is my own fault,” Will -replied, ready, at all times, to defend his father. “I will -never do it again, Mr. Murdock; indeed I won’t.”</p> - -<p>“Hardly, seeing that the poor beast is dead. But help -me to get it out of trap, and I shall take it home and -bury it.”</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_23" id="Page_23">[23]</a></span></p> - -<p>Then the two, man and boy, legislator and trapper, fell -to work, and soon liberated the dog from his prison.</p> - -<p>If the Senator could have known what danger his white -and dainty fingers were incurring, that is, how narrowly -they escaped being pinched, he would have kept them -away from that trap. In fact, considering the state of -excitement into which any mishap threw Will, it is strange -that they were not cruelly mangled. But they escaped -without a scratch.</p> - -<p>Mr. Lawrence was deeply grieved when he heard the -ignominious fate of the Senator’s dog. Probably he felt -that he himself was blamable.</p> - -<p>But the affair was soon all but forgotten by Will, because, -at his age, such misdemeanors are generally forgotten -as soon as the offender repents of them and is pardoned -by the sufferers.</p> - -<p>This chapter, like all the others, is intended to serve a -purpose; yet, lest the reader should fancy that we are -writing for the entertainment of juveniles, we shall relate -but two more incidents of Will’s childhood.</p> - -<hr class="chap" /> - -<h2 id="Chapter_II">Chapter II.<br /> -<span class="smcap">Will’s Lucky Blunder.</span></h2> - -<p>Some two years after this incident, when Will’s parents -announced one fair morning that he was to accompany -them on a trip to the city, many miles distant, far from -being in the mood to remember his father’s injunctions, -he was in the humor to commit the most atrocious -blunders.</p> - -<p>He was full of eagerness to be off, and his beaming -face bespoke his joy. At his tender age, all the help he -could give was of little moment; but yet, in his eagerness -to get ready for the journey, he threw the household into -such confusion that he and his harassed parents barely -reached the platform in time for the train.</p> - -<p>The day was fair, and the prospect from the car window -delightful. The scent of new mown hay (it was the<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_24" id="Page_24">[24]</a></span> -month of June) rendered the trip as pleasant as an eastern -ruler’s dream. (The deeds of eastern rulers, however, -should not always be provocative of pleasant dreams.)</p> - -<p>It was morally impossible for Will to sit still in his seat. -For once the good little boy was regardless of his parents’ -wishes; and in spite of mamma’s entreaties and papa’s -commands, he persisted in thrusting his head out of the -window.</p> - -<p>How fortunate it is that wrong doing inevitably leads -to punishment! On this occasion, however, the boy’s -punishment was so long delayed that the sanguinary -sword of justice seemed to be rusted fast in its sheath. -But that sword was drawn at last.</p> - -<p>After riding for ten minutes with his head far out of -the car, with an involuntary “oh” he abruptly drew it -in, but—hatless.</p> - -<p>The boy’s gestures of excitement and his parents’ evident -vexation attracted every one’s attention. Truly, the -parents suffered equally with the child. It is always -thus.</p> - -<p>“I’d put my present for Henry in it, and now it’s gone!” -groaned Will, unmindful of the fact that every one in the -car could hear him.</p> - -<p>“It serves you right, little boy,” observed a pious but -melancholy looking old lady, who occupied an adjacent -seat. “Now you’ll have to ride bareheaded,” she muttered. -“That’s what comes from disobeying your parents!”</p> - -<p>“For shame!” whispered a humane, but characteristically -lank, Down-easterner to this meddlesome dame. -“Just you let the poor little fellow alone.”</p> - -<p>Then, noticing Will’s sad condition, he began to search -his pockets. Will saw this and guessed what was coming, -for he had often remarked that that movement on the -part of those interested in him was usually followed by -the bestowal of sweetmeats or other good gifts.</p> - -<p>It may here be boldly stated that our hero was not -above eating candy, which he divined was what was -coming.</p> - -<p>Will was not mistaken in this instance, for his humane -friend soon approached him and put something round and<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_25" id="Page_25">[25]</a></span> -hard into his hand, saying, “Don’t fret, little man; here’s -a bull’s-eye for you.”</p> - -<p>Quietly as this kind action was done, it did not escape -the old lady’s sharp eyes, and she thus gave vent to her -indignation: “O dear, what are we coming to! Here’s a -man rewarding, actually <em>rewarding</em>, a boy for being -wicked!”</p> - -<p>However, neither Will nor his parents overheard her -virtuous comments. Will was wholly engrossed with his -bull’s-eye, which was about the size of a ten-year-old -boy’s marble. Though originally white and striped with -red bands, it was now more or less discoloured and very -sticky.</p> - -<p>Will slipped the bull’s-eye into his mouth, but immediately -spat it out.</p> - -<p>“All covered with dirt and sweat, and as hard as an -iron button,” he muttered. “It was kind of the man to -give it to me, but I can’t eat it.”</p> - -<p>But what should he do with it? Clearly, the floor -would be the best place for it; and so, while his father’s -attention was engaged with a cartoon, and his mother’s -with a wayside chapel, he stooped and laid it softly on -the floor, unseen and unheard.</p> - -<p>Then he chuckled, admiring his great sagacity, not -knowing that an ordinary bull’s-eye may be dropped in -almost any part of a railway carriage in motion without -arresting attention.</p> - -<p>Would that a novelist who regularly “anticipates” -were here! How he might expatiate! Beginning thus, -he might go on exhausting ink-bottles and filling pages -at pleasure:—</p> - -<p>“Ah! little could Will dream, little could any one -present dream, what destiny had in store for that bull’s-eye! -How different was its fate from that which the -benevolent gentleman supposed it would be!”</p> - -<p>But it is cowardly and wicked in a writer to anticipate.</p> - -<p>The kind hearted Yankee left the car soon after giving -Will the bull’s-eye, so that he was not a witness of what -was to happen.</p> - -<p>The rejected bull’s-eye, set in motion by the car, gradually<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_26" id="Page_26">[26]</a></span> -made its way into the middle of the passage between -the two rows of seats, here it stopped. If noticed by -any person, it was not coveted, but was suffered to lie -there in peace.</p> - -<p>Yes, there it lay; its locomotion arrested; its wanderings -brought to a close.</p> - -<p>But hist! who enters?</p> - -<p>It is the “Student of Human Nature.”</p> - -<p>A gaunt yet spiritual-looking man opens the door, and -slowly and pompously, he marches towards the other end -of the car.</p> - -<p>His air, his gait, his costume, even to his boots, his -cane—all were peculiar.</p> - -<p>His object in life was to rove hither and thither, studying -that grand theme, Human Nature. Although above -conversing with his fellow creatures, excepting when -obliged to do so, his delight was to find some quiet spot -from which he might form opinions of them without being -disturbed. Whether he makes this employment “pay” -by writing treatises on the subject, is a question which -only he himself can answer. What he pretends to comprehend -may be, and doubtless is, a noble science; but in -his hands it is only a mockery.</p> - -<p>Only two or three persons in the railway carriage -knew the man or his employment, but his demeanor could -not fail strongly to impress the looker-on.</p> - -<p>His intention, on this occasion, was to take a seat in -some dark corner, from which he might observe the occupants -of the car. With stately tread he approached that -bull’s-eye, placed his foot on it in such a way that it -rolled, and with a crash the student fell headlong, with -anything but “studied grace.”</p> - -<p>He was on his feet again before assistance could be -offered—this, however, was not remarkable, as nearly -every one present was convulsed by laughter—and, after -glancing malignantly at the cause of his fall, he scowled -horribly on two or three of the loudest laughers, and -then tore his handkerchief out of his pocket. Too late! -A flow of blood was streaming fast from his nose, which -organ had apparently been bruised in his fall.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_27" id="Page_27">[27]</a></span></p> - -<p>A boy with the “nosebleed” is an object alike of -laughter and pity; but a man with a bleeding nostril! -Certainly his situation is ignominious. And the situation -of the student on this occasion was more than ordinarily -ludicrous.</p> - -<p>How blind and wilful, how paradoxical men are! What -a favorable opportunity now offered for observing the -various emotions depicted on the faces of those people! -Some were expressing their feelings by their rapidly-working -features; others by their waggish gesticulations; -still others by half suppressed interjections. While some -looked merely amused, others looked awe-struck: only -two persons seemed sympathetic. The more solemn -passengers looked on with dignified serenity; but a smile -of savage delight, indicative of innate depravity or blasted -hopes and bitterness of heart, played over the wan faces -of certain jaded and woebegone book agents. A few -paid no attention whatever, while a great many made -praiseworthy endeavors to keep their facial muscles from -twitching.</p> - -<p>But the Student of Human Nature left this vast mine -unexplored, and hurried out of the car, hiding his bleeding -nose in his handkerchief.</p> - -<p>The now notable bull’s-eye was still in sight, and it -was plain to all that it had caused the mishap. The old -lady looked at it intently, and was heard to mutter that -she knew no good would come from rewarding the boy -for his wickedness.</p> - -<p>A tender-hearted person is severely punished when his -own wrong-doing subjects another to pain or annoyance. -Now Will was tender-hearted: he lay nestled in a corner -of his seat, almost hidden from the occupants of the car, -doing penance by heaving dolorous sighs and shedding a -few remorseful tears.</p> - -<p>His father and mother seemed ill at ease. Presently -the former stooped over him with awful solemnity, and -whispered, “Oh, Will! why did you drop that on the -floor, when you could just as well have thrown it out of -the window! Your blunders are sufficiently bad when -they affect yourself alone; but they are lamentable when<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_28" id="Page_28">[28]</a></span> -their results are disastrous to others. You are old enough -now to behave like a little gentleman; promise me that -you will be a good boy.”</p> - -<p>On the instant Will ceased both to heave sighs and to -shed tears, and he earnestly promised to do better for the -future.</p> - -<p>In his way, Mr. Lawrence was a philosopher. He -knew that any boy on being addressed in such terms and -forgiven, instantly dries his tears, breaks into smiles, and -promises to do great things. He reflected on this, and -spoke as he did because he did not wish his son’s eyes to -be red and swollen with crying when he should reach his -destination.</p> - -<p>Soon after the train slowed into the station at which -they were to alight. The good old lady softened so far -as to bid the bareheaded boy good-bye as he stumbled -out of the car. The first thing to be done was to buy -him a hat, since his parents had not been so provident as -to take along an extra one. This was managed by leaving -him and his father at the depot, while Mrs. Lawrence -went to the nearest hat store. The good soul also bought -some sugar-plums to replace the present which Will had -lost.</p> - -<p>As soon as the novelty of Will’s new hat had worn off, so -far, at least, as to allow it to remain quietly on his head, -he and his mother went to spend the rest of the day at -the house of a relative, while Mr. Lawrence made his way -to a law office.</p> - -<p>About nightfall the three returned to the depot, took -passage by the cars, and were soon on their way homeward.</p> - -<p>It was still early in the evening, but the family party -did not expect to reach home till past midnight.</p> - -<p>Will was thinking—not of his latest blunders, but of -some second-hand presents that he had received from his -cousin, Henry. Mr. Lawrence, who was accustomed to -travel, seemed inclined to fall asleep—in fact, they had -not proceeded far on their way when a gentle snoring -evinced that he was indeed asleep. Will fancied that his -mother also seemed tired and drowsy, and he hastily<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_29" id="Page_29">[29]</a></span> -concluded that his parents would have to depend upon -him to be awakened when the train reached their station.</p> - -<p>This thought kept the boy on the alert, and he took -pride in the confidence thus placed in him. To him, however, -the time passed much more slowly than when going -to the city in the morning. This was only to be expected. -Then, the sun was shining bright, the car was full of -people, and his parents were wide-awake and in a humor -to talk to him; now, it was night,—calm and starlit, but -night,—the three were almost entirely alone in the car, -and his parents were tired, sleepy, and silent.</p> - -<p>Nevertheless, much as he wished to keep awake, he at -last fell into a doze, from which he was aroused by the -train’s coming to a stop and the brakesman’s shouting out -the name of a station. The name seemed familiar, and -Will, rubbing his eyes and yawning, at once began to -reason, aloud: “Our station! I must wake pa and ma, or -the train will go on.”</p> - -<p>Both were awakened without delay.</p> - -<p>“What! is this our station already?” Mr. Lawrence -asked, with some surprise. “You must be mistaken, -Will—or have I really been asleep?”</p> - -<p>“Yes, sir, you have been asleep: and this is our -station.”</p> - -<p>“Then there’s no time to be lost, I suppose;” and Mr. -Lawrence snatched up his valise and started towards the -door, followed by his wife and son.</p> - -<p>“I almost wish we had stayed at Aunt Eleanor’s,” he -muttered, as he helped them off the train. “But I <em>must</em> -attend to that business in the morning; and, fortunately, -our house is not far from the depot.”</p> - -<p>They stepped out on the platform and the train was off -on the instant. Mr. Lawrence went into the ticket-office, -to speak to the night operator, and, to his consternation, -found that instead of being his own village, he was at -another, full twenty miles away.</p> - -<p>His first act was to rush outside and make a vain attempt -to signal the engineer to stop the train. Too late! -It had already left the station, and was moving faster -and faster.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_30" id="Page_30">[30]</a></span></p> - -<p>That hope blasted, the unhappy man did not know -what course to take, and he strode up and down the platform -like a mad man; while his wife and son stood meekly -by, the one filled with deep displeasure, the other with -agonizing grief and despair.</p> - -<p>Presently Mr. Lawrence halted before the boy, with -these words: “Oh, Will! How could you have made such -a blunder? I fail to trace a striking resemblance between -the name of this place and that of our own. You, -who know so much about geography, <em>you</em> to be so grossly -ignorant respecting your own county! In an hour from -this time we should have been at home.—Never mind, -Will,” he added in softer tones. “Come, don’t cry; I -suppose you, too, were asleep.”</p> - -<p>“Yes, I must have been asleep,” Will acknowledged.</p> - -<p>The writer does not entertain much respect for Mr. -Lawrence, because he was a man who alternately checked -and indulged his son. But, on the whole, he was a discreet -and affectionate parent—at all events, Will loved -and honored him.</p> - -<p>“I say,” Mr. Lawrence cried to a man with a lantern, -“I say, when will the next train going west be due?”</p> - -<p>“Next train for you, sir? In just three hours,” was the -cheering answer.</p> - -<p>“Then my business is ruined!” groaned the unhappy -man.</p> - -<p>However, this fretfulness at length wore away, and the -three resigned themselves to wait, as patiently as might -be, for the arrival of the next train. Mrs. Lawrence went -into the waiting room, while Mr. Lawrence and Will -spent most of the time out on the platform, gazing at the -stars and the signals along the railway-track.</p> - -<p>After Mr. Lawrence had talked himself hoarse about -the signs of the zodiac, the perfection of signals used on -the railways, and the stupendous power of steam, he determined -to improve the remaining time by reasoning -with his son on the sin of carelessness. Will—whose -ears were ringing with such terms as <em>spherical bodies</em>, -<em>solar immensity</em>, <em>eternal revolutions</em>, <em>average momentum</em>, -<em>preternatural velocity</em>, <em>lunar cycles</em>, <em>semaphorical<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_31" id="Page_31">[31]</a></span> -warnings</em>, and <em>planetary systems</em>—sighed on this -change in the conversation, for he loved sonorous phraseology, -but listened humbly. After a long lecture, in -which he touched upon various matters not pertinent to -his subject, Mr. Lawrence made a dark allusion to his -“ruined business,” and then wound up with these words:</p> - -<p>“Will, if you continue in your present course, I am -afraid your end will be as terrible as your uncle Dick’s.”</p> - -<p>“What became of Uncle Dick, pa?” eagerly inquired -the boy, thinking that the subject would again be -changed.</p> - -<p>Poor boy! he felt his guilt, but he winced under his -father’s polysyllabic reprimands.</p> - -<p>“Listen, Will,” said Mr. Lawrence, “and I will give you -a short account of your uncle. Uncle Dick, my brother, -was an eccentric man; good-natured, but credulous, and -always making blunders. In that particular, he was not -unlike you; but his blunders were far more serious in -their results than yours. Early in life he made a large -fortune by lucky speculations. One day he drew all his -money from the banks and collected all that he could -from his debtors—for what purpose I never knew; for, -no sooner did he get his wealth into his own hands, than -both he and it vanished, and nothing has since been seen or -heard of either. Some suppose that he was robbed and -murdered in the approved way; others, that he left the -country, to return unawares at some future time; while -a few unprincipled barbarians maintain that he has lost -his mind. I, myself, think that by some great blunder, -or unlucky speculation, he lost all his wealth, and prefers -to stay away till he can return worth as much as, or more -than, he was before. Poor Dick! his fate is wrapped in -awful mystery.”</p> - -<p>Mr. Lawrence considered himself an apt story-teller, -and delighted in his own narratives. But Will, to whom -this story was new and almost unintelligible, strove to -discern even the faintest resemblance between Uncle -Dick’s doings and his own.</p> - -<p>“I do not often speak of my poor brother,” Mr. Lawrence -said sadly, “but I think of him and dream of him,<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_32" id="Page_32">[32]</a></span> -always. But, Will, I know you are good and sincere in -your heart of heart; this misfortune was only a blunder; -and so let us think no more of the matter.”</p> - -<p>Gentle reader, observe that the mournful story of Will’s -uncle is told on the thirty-first page. Observe this carefully, -as in the future you may wish to read it again.</p> - -<p>At that instant, news that nearly made Will a hero -was flashed along the wires.</p> - -<p>Voices, loud and eager, were heard in the office. Mr. -Lawrence went in to make inquiries, and learned that an -accident had happened to the train from which he had -been so abruptly hurried by his son.</p> - -<p>The car in which they had been riding had broken -loose, been hurled down an embankment, and wrecked. -Only two or three men were in the car at the time, and -they, being awake, had sprung nimbly and saved themselves, -though almost by a miracle. A few persons in -another car were jolted and disconcerted, but no one was -hurt. The train was thrown into disorder, and part of -the track torn up; so that the railway would not be -passable for a few hours.</p> - -<p>It was evident to Mr. Lawrence that, had he been in -the car with his wife and child at the time of the accident, -they must have suffered a cruel death, or else have escaped -horribly mangled. Suppose that they had not been -asleep, he would still have met with great difficulty in -saving them before the doomed car went to destruction.</p> - -<p>They owed their preservation then, first, to Divine -Providence; secondly, to Will’s blunder.</p> - -<p>Mr. and Mrs. Lawrence were not slow to acknowledge -this, and the boy perceived that, at last, his worth was -appreciated.</p> - -<p>In process of time the night wore away; the road was -repaired; and father, mother, and son, pursuing their -journey, reached home early in the morning.</p> - -<p>Mr. Lawrence’s business was not “ruined,” after all; -for the man whom he wished to see was also detained by -the accident, but finally made his appearance; and the -business, which was really of importance, was soon concluded.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_33" id="Page_33">[33]</a></span></p> - -<p>The three slept peacefully and soundly afterwards, for -the occurrences of the last twenty-four hours had exhausted -them.</p> - -<p>From that time forward Mr. Lawrence generally passed -by Will’s blunders without rebuke; for he had determined -not to reprove the boy again, unless it should be a -vital necessity.</p> - -<p>In this way it chanced that Will’s childish blunder -happened for the best, after all.</p> - -<p>Whereas these two chapters are merely expletive,—that -is, are as useful as the word <em>it</em> in the following -verse:</p> - -<div class="poetry-container"> -<div class="poetry"> -<div class="verse">“For the deck it was their field of fame,”—</div> -</div> -</div> - -<p class="noindent">it would be better to say no more about this blunder of -Will’s, but commence the story proper.</p> - -<hr class="chap" /> - -<h2 id="Chapter_III">Chapter III.<br /> -<span class="smcap">Will’s Native Village.</span></h2> - -<p>Another period in Will’s life has come. He is no -longer a little boy, but an agile, robust, crop-headed -youngster of fourteen. He has by no means outgrown -the errors of his childhood: on the contrary, they stick -to him more closely than ever; and to speak of Will -without referring to them is—well, is merely a matter of -courtesy. His parents have given up all hope of his ever -ceasing to make blunders—in fact, they have come to expect -nothing but blunders from him. They are no longer -surprised at whatever he does, or at whatever happens to -him; they would be more surprised to see him live without -making blunders than at whatever might befall; and -remembering how fortunate was his blunder on the train -a few years before, they no longer find fault with him.</p> - -<p>It would be foolish, however, to detail all the minor -adventures through which he passed—foolish and tiresome -to the reader. Still, it must not be taken for<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_34" id="Page_34">[34]</a></span> -granted that all Will’s troubles rose from blunders, as -many of them rose from such mishaps as might happen -to any boy.</p> - -<p>In order to make the incidents related in this story -perfectly intelligible, it will be necessary to give a rambling -description of the neighborhood in which they took -place.</p> - -<p>Mr. Lawrence’s farm was a short distance out of a busy -and flourishing village, built on one of the great lakes of -America. His home, as well as a few cottages belonging -to him, was within the limits of this village. His farm -was highly cultivated and full stocked, and a railway -ran through it and then on through the village. To -these natural advantages add that Mr. Lawrence was an -intelligent man and practical farmer, knowing how to -improve his opportunities, and it will be seen that he was -well situated.</p> - -<p>As for the village itself, it contained the ordinary number -of inhabitants and hotels. Here lived “the most -skilful dentist in the state;” but so modest was he that -what was formerly a barrister’s office (this will define the -size of the apartment) served him admirably for a -“dentistry;” while an upper room in the same building, -“artistically fitted up,” served him for a “photographic -gallery.” Here lived “the most expert ball-player out of -New York.” But his business was not to play ball;—rather, -he did not follow it as a profession;—he kept a -“Yankee notions store,” with a hanging aquarium in the -window, and brewed soda-water and ice-cream. In this -gentleman’s “salon” many a rustic indulged with his first -dish of ice cream, eating it at the rate of two exceedingly -small spoonfuls a minute. His actions and the expression -of his countenance declared that it was monotonous, cold, -and doubtful enjoyment; but the village papers, the -expert ball-player, and public opinion, told him that it is -an extraordinary delicacy, and he tried hard to believe -so. The rustic would sometimes bring along his sweetheart. -Then he ate his ice cream still more slowly; but -probably it tasted better. Two newspapers (so-called) -were printed here, and the villagers could tell you that<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_35" id="Page_35">[35]</a></span> -each one had been the pecuniary ruin of six or seven -editors. These ex-editors still lived in the neighborhood,—some -as bookkeepers, others as insurance agents,—a -warning to all right-minded men to soar higher (or lower) -than the editorship of a village newspaper. But no one -heeded the warning, and no sooner did an editor become insolvent -or entangled in a libel suit than somebody else was -ready to “assume the arduous duty of conducting the -publication.” So long as the new editor had means, excelled -in bombast and calumny, was sound in his political -creed and could make vigorous attacks on his “contemporary,” -who supported the doctrines of the other party, -all went well for a time; but sooner or later the end -came and then one more ex-editor was thrown upon the -people of the village.</p> - -<p>The principal buildings were the bank, the churches, -the town-hall, the livery stable, the fulling-mill, the chair-factory, -the fork-factory, the Columbia foundry, the -hotels, and several private residences. The village had -also its harbor, where vessels plying their trade on the -lakes might worry through the roughest gale that the -most talented writer of nautical romances ever conjured -up.</p> - -<p>But there was nothing remarkable respecting either -its site, its size, the regularity or magnificence of its -buildings, its commercial importance, or its antiquity. -Further, it was not known to history.</p> - -<p>A very large stream, or small river, flowed through the -village, emptying into the lake. (To be still more accurate: -the people of this particular village customarily -called it “<em>the</em> river;” while the base and envious inhabitants -of the neighboring villages—through which flowed -no such stream—took special pains to call it “<em>a</em> creek.”) -Several mills of different kinds bordered this river, -adding to the credit and vigor of the place. About three -miles up from its mouth there was a large and natural -waterfall, a favorite resort of the villagers and country -people. The current above these falls was not very swift, -but it would be perilous indeed to be swept over them. -Shrubs, and at intervals, trees; gay little boat-houses,<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_36" id="Page_36">[36]</a></span> -where the ground sloped gradually to the water’s edge; -in the background commodious, ornamental, and pretentious -dwelling houses, habitations, or villas;—such dotted -the right bank of the river above the falls, presenting a -fine appearance from the left bank.</p> - -<p>This stream affording good fishing, sportsmen often -came to it from a distance. But they generally lost more -in cuticle, clothing, and valuables, than they gained in fish, -sport, or glory; and it was remarked that they never -returned after the third time.</p> - -<p>There were many considerations why the water below -the falls was not the principal play-ground of the juveniles. -Being within the village, swimming was out of the -question; on account of sundry sunken logs and other -obstructions, they could not paddle about secure and -tranquil on the crazy old rafts and scows; and lastly, -almost the whole stretch of water below the falls lay -open to the mothers’ watchful eyes, and the boys did not -feel inclined to jeopard their lives within sight of those -mothers. To some fastidious youths the water, perhaps, -was too dirty, or “roily.”</p> - -<p>Above the falls, however, all was different. On the -upper part of the river no one ever molested the youngsters, -unless they did something atrocious; here they -might swim and paddle up and down the river as much -as they pleased; for, in general, the banks were high, and -bushes, rank grass and reeds and other screens intervened, -shutting them off from outsiders.</p> - -<p>The river was wide and deep at the falls, but above -them it grew narrow and shallow little by little. Five -miles up it was a mere brook. Throughout this long -stretch the water was so clear that the most fastidious -did not hesitate even to drink it; and there were secluded -places that as swimming-places could not be equalled. -At the falls the water was so deep as easily to float over -any log or brush-wood that might come into the river -from its banks, its source, or other streams.</p> - -<p>One particular spot—a clump of evergreens, where -forget-me-nots sprang up in all their beauty, and where -Nature was seen at her best—was held sacred to lovers.<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_37" id="Page_37">[37]</a></span> -But there were many parts of the river to which the -boys stoutly maintained their claim and of which no one -was so hard-hearted as to dispossess them. And oh! -crowning joy! there was an island in the river!</p> - -<p>At this the reader may think that we are trifling with -his feelings; imposing on his credulity;—he may even -refuse to believe in the existence of so extraordinary a -river. Never mind. But if the reader wishes to enjoy -these pages he will refuse to listen to the dictates of -reason, and look on this story as an orthodox romance.</p> - -<p>In winter there was another attraction, that of skating, -the danger of which was a continual source of -uneasiness to parents whose youth, agility, and frolicsomeness -had long before given place to gray hairs, -clumsiness, and sober-mindedness.</p> - -<p>As the proprietors of the land along the river were -generous-hearted men, the river was free to all people, -and was an actual paradise for boys and picnickers.</p> - -<p>Although further remarks might be made about this -river, it is not necessary to make them here. It is sufficient -to add that as the reader proceeds, he will observe -how admirably this river is adapted to the exigencies of -the story.</p> - -<p>This was the state of affairs in Will’s boyhood. But, -alas! all has changed since that time. A foreign aristocrat -has bought up all the land along the river, which he -has fenced in, stocked with fish and beautified—perhaps, -<em>disfigured</em>—with sundry little wharfs, capes, bays, -stretches of “pebbly beach,” and floating islands. In -conspicuous places notices may be seen, beginning with -“No Trespassing” and winding up with the amount of -the fine imposed on all persons “caught lurking within -the limits.” Consequently, the urchins of to-day, despoiled -of this haunt, have to content themselves with -damaging the notices and slinging stones at the swans -that sail gracefully up and down the river.</p> - -<p>There were also smaller streams in the neighborhood, -one being in Mr. Lawrence’s farm.</p> - -<p>To the left of the village stood an extensive grove, -swarming with squirrels, birds, insects, and, of course,<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_38" id="Page_38">[38]</a></span> -mosquitoes. In this grove the heroes of this story whiled -away many a happy hour; and when not on the river -they might generally be found here.</p> - -<p>The lake also was a favorite resort, and on its broad -surface they sailed or rowed hither and thither; always -getting wet, often narrowly escaping death. Sometimes -their joyous hearts were elated with a ride on a tug; -but when hard pressed they made almost anything serve -them for a boat. As naturally as a duck takes to water, -Will and his associates took to making little ships, which -excited the admiration of all beholders—sometimes on -account of their beauty, but generally on account of their -liability to float stern foremost, with the masts at an -angle of twenty degrees.</p> - -<p>Then there was the school-house,—a fanciful, yet imposing -edifice, the grained and polished jambs of whose -mullioned windows had suffered from the ravages rather -of jack-knives than of time,—built in a retired quarter -of the village, and to the boys’ entire satisfaction, quite -close to the river.</p> - -<p>If Will wished to go to the wharf he could walk thither -in less than half-an-hour; to the depot in ten minutes; -to the school,—well, in from twenty to forty minutes. -To Mrs. Lawrence’s delight, it was nearly two miles from -their house to the falls. She had not the heart to forbid -Will’s going thither, but she fondly hoped that the distance -would not permit him to go very often; for, -according to her view of the matter, water and danger -are synonymous.</p> - -<p>But what are two miles to a boy, when a waterfall, a -limpid and gleaming river, boats, crazy rafts, plenty of -fish, and other boys, are the attractions? In fact, the -time was never known, not even to that venerable personage, -“the oldest inhabitant,” in which a boy might -not be seen about those falls.</p> - -<p>It is not strange that the youth of this village were -happy, when Nature had done so much for them.</p> - -<hr class="chap" /> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_39" id="Page_39">[39]</a></span></p> - -<h2 id="Chapter_IV">Chapter IV.<br /> -<span class="smcap">The Heroes of this History</span></h2> - -<p>Having given this slight and imperfect description of -Will’s native place, his school-fellows must now be introduced.</p> - -<p>The boy whom he liked best was Charles Growler; a -youth of his own age, but possessed with greater abilities, -and a universal favorite in the village. Charles was -nimble, strong, and good-natured; ready for any adventure -or exploit, and the very soul of drollery. No matter -what might happen he never lost his temper, his presence -of mind, or his keen humor. He was a very brave boy, -rushing headlong into every kind of danger. In fact, the -boys admitted that they had never known him to be -afraid.</p> - -<p>He and Will entered school at the same time and had -kept together in all their studies. There was no jealousy -or rivalry between them, nothing but a quiet and laudable -competition, which stimulated each one to do his -best. When one could assist the other he did so willingly -and gladly. No boy ever had a more sincere friend than -Will in Charles or Charles in Will. And yet this boy -Charles was nicknamed “Buffoon.” Not, however, on -account of clownishness or monkey tricks, but simply on -account of his love of fun.</p> - -<p>George Andrews was another boy of the village, associated -with Will and Charles. He was a good boy, smart -and shrewd, but too much disposed to display his abilities -and his knowledge. In his tender childhood he had -overheard a weak-headed fellow drawl out, “Yes, George -will make an excellent scholard; I guess he’s a good -scholard a’ready.” This so filled the young hero with -self-conceit that he really believed that he, a mere boy, -was indeed a scholar! Firm in this belief, he never let -slip an opportunity in which he might avail himself of -his superior knowledge; and having read a great deal in<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_40" id="Page_40">[40]</a></span> -all sorts of books,—particularly in certain musty and -ponderous volumes that treated of everything under the -sun—he was able to have his say, it made no difference -what subject was being discussed. But, alas! he was -just as apt to be wrong as to be right; and worse still, -his information, like the Dutchman’s wit, generally came -too late to be duly appreciated. He was a few months -older than Will and Charles, and outstripped them both -in his studies. The boys always rejoiced to have him -accompany them—partly because of his actual cleverness, -partly because of his immoderate self-conceit, as it was -very amusing to hear him hold forth on a subject of -which he really was totally ignorant. Not at all to his -disinclination this boy was dubbed “the Sage.”</p> - -<p>Marmaduke Baldwin Alphonso Fitz-Williams was a -youth, the grandeur of whose name drove abashed Johns -and Thomases almost to phrensy. But the name befitted -the boy, for even at his tender age his mind was occupied -with strange thoughts. He delighted in the romantic; -indeed, he had lived in an atmosphere of romance from -his baptism. This heavy cloud of romance obscured the -boy’s ideas, and sometimes caused him to speak and act -more like a hero of fiction than was seemly. When alone -he would slide his hand into his bosom over his heart, -whenever the weight of romance and mystery was more -than ordinarily oppressive, and if his heart beat fast he -was satisfied with himself.</p> - -<p>The boy who detects the conception of a nocturnal -robbery or murder in a stranger’s eye, simply because he -[the cautious stranger] slips his hand stealthily into his -“pistol pocket,”—in this case the breast pocket—to assure -himself that his watch is still there, is a remarkably -shrewd member of the human race, whose genius and -acuteness should be diligently fostered. And such a boy -was Marmaduke. But it was neither fear nor idiocy that -caused him to think thus; it was only an extravagant -imagination.</p> - -<p>Marmaduke and George resembled each other in many -particulars: each one was prompt to arrive at startling -conclusions; each one believed himself equal to any<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_41" id="Page_41">[41]</a></span> -emergency; but George was far more practical than -Marmaduke. Each of these boys took pleasure in learning, -and each one manifested a puerile eagerness to let -people see how well informed he was. For instance, -they flattered themselves that they were accomplished -grammarians, and when any reference was made to -grammar both looked very knowing, as much as to say -that <em>they</em> apprehended what was meant.</p> - -<p>Marmaduke had a strong will of his own, but, by -manœuvring artfully, Charles could generally make him -look at things from his point of view. The boys took -advantage of his love for the marvellous to play mean -tricks on him; but when he found that they were making -game of him, he flew into a passion, and made himself -ridiculous.</p> - -<p>Poor boy! Though he is called Marmaduke in this -book, his poetic names were too long for everybody -except his parents; and while his teachers called him -Mark, the school-boys called him “Marmalade,” or -“Dreamer,” or something else quite as appropriate and -scurrilous. Some envious little Smiths and Greens did -not scruple to call him “Fitty.”</p> - -<p>Next on the list is Stephen Goodfellow, one of the -most important characters in the tale. He was a -fun-loving fellow, fertile in devices, an adept at repartee, -and too light-hearted to be serious for more than five -consecutive minutes. In a word, he was the most nimble, -sprightly, ingenious and good-natured boy in the village. -At the same time he was the most reckless of all boys, -taking pride in rushing blindly into danger. Indeed, he -affected a stoical contempt for every kind of danger; -jumped backwards off empty schooners with his eyes -shut; made friends with the most unamiable and untractable -bull-dogs in the place; lowered himself into deep, -dismal, and unsafe old wells to wake the echoes with his -bellowing voice, and busied himself about the punching -and shearing machine, the steam engine, and the circular -saws in the Columbia foundry. He knew every sailor -of all the vessels that put into the harbor; knew every -engineer and brakeman on all the trains that passed<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_42" id="Page_42">[42]</a></span> -through the village; knew the name and disposition of -every respectable dog within the corporation; knew just -where to look for the best raspberries and the most desirable -fish-worms; but he <em>didn’t</em> know an adversative conjunction -from an iambic pentameter.</p> - -<p>To be acquainted with this boy was to like him. By -Will and Charles he was actually beloved, and there was -a mutual and lasting affection between him and all our -heroes. He was always ready to lend them his counsel -and assistance when agitating their dark schemes, and -when any waggish trick was in view, or when anything -ludicrous was going on, his approval and support were -the first consideration. Some of the urchins tried to -equal Stephen’s feats of dexterity and to ape his sallies -and whimsicalness; but it could not be done, and they -only exposed themselves to his derision and made themselves -more envious and unhappy than before. Stephen -was familiarly known as “Stunner;” which, being offensively -vulgar, we, out of respect for the reader’s feelings, -have transposed into Steve.</p> - -<p>If this were the history of a sailor-boy, Steve would -assuredly be the hero; and we should eulogize him so -unweariedly and enthusiastically that the heroes of -romance, goaded to frenzy by the praise thus lavished on -him, would commission their ghosts to haunt us. But -Steve has nothing to do with sailor-boys; and as we do -not wish to incur the displeasure of such heroes,—much -less the displeasure of their ghosts,—or to compel anybody -to fall in love with him, it will be the wisest course -to leave it for impartial readers to praise him or to condemn -him, to love him or to detest him, as their judgment -may determine.</p> - -<p>George and Marmaduke, to the best of their ability, cultivated -the <em>science of grammar</em>; Stephen cultivated the -<em>art of dismembering grammars</em>, and of blazoning their -fly-leaves with hideous designs of frolicsome sea-serpents; -wrecked schooners; what seemed to be superb pagan -temples suffering from the effects of an earthquake; crazy -old jades painfully drawing along glittering circus vans, -with coatless little boys—some took them for monkeys,<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_43" id="Page_43">[43]</a></span> -but probably they were circus prodigies—sitting <em>in</em> the -roof and driving; and all sorts of monstrosities. We say -<em>grammars</em>: Stephen’s designs were to be found chiefly in -them. But he was no niggard of his illustrations; for, -to his noble nature, it mattered little whether the book -which he illuminated belonged—so long as it was old and -dilapidated—to himself or to somebody else.</p> - -<p>Last and least was James Horner. He was an infamous -coward—in fact, so infamous that although fifteen -years old, even a sudden and loud sound would unstring -his nerves and twitch his facial muscles. As a natural -consequence, he very often heard sudden and loud sounds—in -fact, he heard all sorts of hideous and unaccountable -sounds. But the boy was by no means an entire fool; -and he made greater progress at school than might be -expected. It is a lamentable fact—which, however, must -be chronicled—that his playfellows studied to excite his -fears, and played off some of their most farcical, sly, and -atrocious tricks on him. Will and Charles had too much -self-respect and sound moral principle to snub the boy; -but Steve seemed to take a savage delight in snubbing -him and in turning him into ridicule. But, though many -a sportive trick was played on him, his confidence in mankind -was still so great that he was very easily deceived, -it made no difference how often he was mocked. In this -confidence the others might well have copied after him. -On the other hand, his disposition was unamiable, and -under undue provocation he was a dangerous boy, who -could harbour revenge. Nevertheless, he hardly ever -ventured to interfere with the boys’ schemes, but blindly -and humbly followed wherever they might lead. Why -our heroes tolerated his company can be explained on -only two grounds: first, because they liked to play tricks -on him; secondly, because this history requires such a -character. When not called Jim, this abused lad was -branded “Timor,” which shows how notorious he was for -cowardice. But in process of time this classical gem -became corrupted by the ignorant into “Tim.”</p> - -<p>These five were the school-fellows and associates of -Will, and generally the six might be found together. It<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_44" id="Page_44">[44]</a></span> -was only natural that they should quarrel sometimes; -but, for the most part, they were at peace with themselves -and all other boys. They were all full of mischievousness, -but taking everything into consideration, were as -free from sin as boys can be.</p> - -<p>There is another youth that figures in this tale—Will’s -cousin Henry. He is perhaps the most distinguished -hero. However, it is not yet time for him; and as it is -dogmatically and impolitically observed a few pages back -that it is cowardly and wicked in a writer to anticipate, -he must not yet be introduced.</p> - -<hr class="chap" /> - -<h2 id="Chapter_V">Chapter V.<br /> -<span class="smcap">An Unpleasant Ride for Will.</span></h2> - -<p>One bright morning Will mounted a frisky little pony -which had been reared on the farm, and had always been -considered Will’s own—not till Mr. Lawrence might see -fit to sell it, but for all time. The pony was young and -unaccustomed to a rider; but Will and his father thought -it would be prudent to ride it on the road.</p> - -<p>In this belief, however, they were mistaken, for the -horse no sooner found himself on the open road than he -set forward on a wild gallop. At first this was very -pleasant, and Will enjoyed it heartily; but when he attempted -to check the animal’s speed a little, he became -aware that it was past his control.</p> - -<p>“Whoa, Go It! Whoa! Whoa! Whoa!” Will screamed -beseechingly.</p> - -<p>This only incited Go It to greater efforts, and he redoubled -his speed; while Will collected his wits, stopped -shouting at the refractory animal, and exerted all his -strength and dexterity to maintain his equilibrium in the -saddle. The mettlesome horse was soon galloping at a -furious rate; and the luckless rider seeing no one to whom -he could appeal for help, gave himself up as lost, and -endeavored to prepare for the worst.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_45" id="Page_45">[45]</a></span></p> - -<p>Very soon he drew near a company of little ragged -orphan boys, squatting in the imperfect shade of a rail -fence that boarded the road, gingerly sticking pins into -their ears and assiduously polishing their war-worn jack-knives -in the soil. These heroic little ones involuntarily -dropped their instruments of torture and diversion, and -beheld horseman and horse with ecstatic admiration and -delight. Then they collected themselves and cheered—cheered -so lustily that the horse snorted with fright, -wheeled to the left, and vaulted over the fence at a single -bound—a feat which called forth a roar of acclamation -from the delighted juveniles.</p> - -<p>“Can’t he jump!” chuckled the sharpest one.</p> - -<p>“Jump?” echoed another. “Guess he can; beats a -circus horse all hollow!”</p> - -<p>“I wish he’d jump again,” sighed the smallest one.</p> - -<p>“Ah,” exclaims the punctilious penman of romances -which have lofty and sonorous titles, becoming solemnity, -inflated and funereal style, and blood-freezing adventures—which, -alas! too often end in smoke, or at most, in a -marriage that any fool could have foreseen—“Ah, how -can this paltry scribbler, this ‘we,’ discourse with this -shameless levity, when his hero is face to face with -death!”</p> - -<p>Instead of evading the penman’s intended question, the -following significant and sapient comments are offered for -his leisurely consideration:</p> - -<p>It is sheer nonsense for a writer to work himself up -into a state of mad excitement about the “imminent -dangers” that continually dog the foot-steps of his persecuted -heroes. So long as the hero is of the surviving -kind, he will survive every “imminent danger,” no matter -how thick and fast such dangers may crowd upon him. -No assassin was ever hired that could kill him for any -great length of time; no vessel ever foundered that could -effectively swallow him up; no bullet was ever run that -could be prevailed on to extinguish the spark of his life.</p> - -<p>After making such comments, for the reader’s peace of -mind we deliberately affirm that every man, woman, and -child figuring in this tale, is equally imperishable. Having<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_46" id="Page_46">[46]</a></span> -made this candid remark, the reader cannot impute -it to us if he spend a sleepless night while perusing this -tale.</p> - -<p>But it would be wiser to drop idle declamation for the -present, and return to Will and his frisky pony.</p> - -<p>When the horse so nimbly cleared the fence, Will’s feet -were torn out of the stirrup, and he was thrown violently -off the animal’s back. As he lay sprawling on the ground, -he looked as little like a hero as can be imagined. As -may be supposed, however, when he struggled to his feet -he was as sound as ever. On casting a glance around -him, he found himself in a field of ripe grain, through -which the riderless pony was rushing madly.</p> - -<p>Perhaps a good romancer, regardless of reason and -effect, would have made the boy “heroically” stick to his -horse through thick and thin. But a more careful -romancer, like a good physician, would have an eye to -the boy’s system and feelings, and not suffer him to be -tortured any longer.</p> - -<p>Will carefully rubbed the dirt off his clothes with the -palm of his trembling right hand, while his eyes darted -fierce glances at the gaping and grinning juveniles outside -of the fence, and despairing glances at his horse -within the field. This nice operation consumed three -minutes, and might have consumed many more; but a man -who was at hand flew to the rescue.</p> - -<p>A blustering old harvester, the man who worked the -field, saw the forlorn young cavalier standing dejectedly -by the fence, and the frolicsome pony plunging through -the ripe grain, and straightway fumed with awful indignation. -His first proceeding was to catch and stop the -pony, after which he turned his attention to Will. Will -advanced a step or so to meet the puffing farmer and the -quaking horse, and was about to mumble his thanks, -when the farmer snappishly cut him short, crying -hoarsely:</p> - -<p>“You miserable scamp! How dare you jump into my -fields like this? See, will you, what damage your beast -has done!”</p> - -<p>“But, sir,” said Will, “it is not my fault at all; it is an<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_47" id="Page_47">[47]</a></span> -accident. The pony ran away with me, as you yourself -can see.”</p> - -<p>“Accident? What have I to do with your accidents? -Don’t you know better than to ride runaway horses? -Don’t you——”</p> - -<p>“Course he don’t; don’t know beans;” yelled one of -the little gamins, encouraged by the farmer’s bullying -words to speak his mind. Or perhaps he thought to win -favor with the farmer by reviling the hapless horseman.</p> - -<p>“Course,” chimed in the one who lost and found the -most jack-knives. “Course, what business did he want -to git on to a runaway horse for anyway?”</p> - -<p>“I wish I had a horse, too,” whined the most “ingenuous” -one.</p> - -<p>“Guess he ain’t—”</p> - -<p>“Stop that!” thundered the farmer. “Stop that, and -get away from this!”</p> - -<p>The little coves snatched up their jack-knives, but did -not stop to look for their pins, and darted off without a -word. They ran a few yards and then squatted in the -shade of another fence corner.</p> - -<p>The incensed farmer, also, meekly followed by Will -leading the horse, moved farther up the border of the -field.</p> - -<p>When they halted, Will a second time said it was all an -accident.</p> - -<p>“Accident or not, I’ll put the law on your track, I will -you awful sneak! See here, how old are you!”</p> - -<p>“I shall be fifteen in September,” said Will, with boyish -eagerness to appear as old as possible.</p> - -<p>“I didn’t ask how old you would be in the future, nor -how young you were in the past,” snapped the furrow-faced -chuff.</p> - -<p>Will always kept a careful account of his age, and -consequently was able to answer promptly: “My age, -then, is fourteen years, ten months, and seven days.”</p> - -<p>“Very good,” said the farmer. “Well, I am only -calculating,” he added slowly and coolly, “whether you -are old enough to be sent to jail.”</p> - -<p>Doubtless, the hard-hearted wretch expected to see<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_48" id="Page_48">[48]</a></span> -Will blanch at this implied threat. But, if so, he was -wofully disappointed, Will having his own motives for -maintaining his equanimity.</p> - -<p>“You shall be punished, that is certain,” continued the -farmer. “Come along, now; don’t stand there like a -stationary scarecrow; come along.”</p> - -<p>Even as the violent old fellow spoke, he made a movement -to seize Will by the coat-collar. But this was more -than human nature could bear; and with a nimbleness -that defied capture, Will sprang back, stood his ground -within nine feet of his persecutor, and began boldly:</p> - -<p>“If you mean for me to leave this field, sir, I am quite -willing to do it; but it is not necessary for you to be so -rough with me. Because my horse jumped over the fence -and trampled the grain a little, you needn’t treat me like -a convict. You yourself have trampled nearly as much -as my horse; and the whole put together doesn’t amount -to much.”</p> - -<p>“Stop there!” cried the farmer. “I was obliged to -tramp the grain to catch your horse. I didn’t wait for -<em>you</em> to do it,” insultingly.</p> - -<p>“Yes, sir,” Will said humbly, “my head was bumped -pretty hard. My father will settle your account, but -if you would like to put me into prison, don’t let my -youth interfere with that.”</p> - -<p>Meanwhile, Will was leading his pony towards a gate -in the fence, which he reached as he finished speaking.</p> - -<p>The farmer, who followed close behind, said sharply, -“You are a pretty fellow to use such language as all this -to me; and it is only a waste of breath for you to speak -at all. According to you, it was great bravery to jump -my fences and rush through my oats; but the law will -think otherwise, and as certainly as I live, you shall be -clapped into prison, or else pay whatever sum I may -choose to fine you. I swear it.”</p> - -<p>“That is only what I can expect,” Will said resignedly.</p> - -<p>“Oh, you think I am not in earnest, perhaps, but you -will soon find that I mean exactly what I say. What’s -your name?” he asked, abruptly and uneasily, as if struck -with a sudden suspicion.</p> - -<p>“William Lawrence.”</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_49" id="Page_49">[49]</a></span></p> - -<p>The questioner was literally stupified. A look of dismay -overspread his grim visage, and he stared helplessly -at Will, as if the boy had been metamorphosed into a -devouring monster.</p> - -<p>For a full minute the jurist was mute, and when he did -speak, meekness had entirely taken the place of bravado. -“You’ll excuse my little jest, won’t you, Mr. Lawrence? -It is a shabby trick to joke so seriously, I know; but it -was only an idle joke, and doesn’t signify anything. I -<em>was</em> some vexed to see the horse racing through the grain, -but only for an instant. How thankful we ought to be -that you escaped unhurt! To be sure, it was rather -venturesome for me to rush forward and stop the furious -horse,” he said, guilefully, “but that is nothing compared -with your gallantry in keeping your seat so heroically. -In fact, Mr. Lawrence, I may say, without flattery, that -you are a real hero, and that this agile little pony of yours -is the most spirited that I ever saw. Indeed, he’s worth -his weight in gold! Why, he vaulted over this fence like—like—like -a bird!”</p> - -<p>In spite of himself, Will, nearly laughed at this labored -simile. But he was a strange boy, and enjoyed the faculty -of suppressing his laughter till he pleased to discharge it. -Then he would laugh so uproariously that whoever -chanced to overhear him took him for a merry lunatic.</p> - -<p>But there were other considerations why Will did not -laugh at the suppliant joker. In his turn he was astonished, -astonished at the reckless indifference with which -the man could lie. But he was not to be cajoled so easily; -boy though he was, such oratory made no impression on -him, and he continued unmoved, even when deferentially -addressed as “Mr. Lawrence.”</p> - -<p>Seeing that Will made no reply, the depraved wretch -pursued in the following strain: “I should like you not -to mention this joke of mine, for already I have the name -of being an incorrigible practical joker. Besides,” subtilely, -“you would not like the boys to taunt you about -this runaway.”</p> - -<p>“Oh, I think I saw several boys looking at me as I -flew along,” Will, replied carelessly, “and before this they<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_50" id="Page_50">[50]</a></span> -must know all about the runaway. Very likely the little -boys that moved up towards the village have spread the -news, and perhaps they have told the beginning of your -joke,” artlessly. “At any rate, I must tell my father of -this capital joke, Mr. Jackson, for he likes nothing better -than a good joke.”</p> - -<p>The farmer now began to suspect that Will was nearly -as shrewd as he himself; and seeing how useless it was -to palm off his threats as a little joke, he abruptly took a -different course, and said, with marked and significant -emphasis, “See here, Mr. Lawrence, I do not wish to -frighten you; but promise not to mention this, and I will -let the matter drop.”</p> - -<p>Will believed that he, also, could use emphasis, and said, -with what he meant to be great significance: “You have -not frightened me, Mr. Jackson, because I knew you as -soon as you came up to me. It isn’t worth while for me -to promise anything, for there is my father climbing the -fence up near the little boys, and they’re speaking to him. -This way, pa,” the poor boy shouted, with exultant and -heartfelt thankfulness.</p> - -<p>Mr. Jackson looked hopelessly in the direction pointed -out by Will, and muttered doggedly, “Baffled by a boy! -He didn’t believe in that kind of a joke, eh! Yes, that’s -where I overshot the mark.”</p> - -<p>How it was that Mr. Lawrence so seasonably hove in -sight will be explained further on. The writer, in common -with all staunch romancers, bears a rooted and virulent -hatred to villains, and wishes to dismiss this one as soon -as possible, though he (this villain) is to appear again in -the next chapter.</p> - -<p>Mr. Jackson blanched when Will gave his name, but -now he grew black, and seemed to be overwhelmed with -consternation. He felt too cowardly even to run away.</p> - -<p>Mr. Lawrence soon joined them, and his first question -was, “Will, are you hurt?”</p> - -<p>“Only a very little, pa,” said Will.</p> - -<p>“How thankful I am for that!” Mr. Lawrence exclaimed -fervently. “You must have had a narrow escape, -however.”</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_51" id="Page_51">[51]</a></span></p> - -<p>“A very narrow escape,” Mr. Jackson echoed tremulously.</p> - -<p>Mr. Lawrence, assured of his son’s safety, now directed -his attention to the farmer. “Well, Mr. Jackson,” he said -suddenly, “what seems to be the matter?”</p> - -<p>This blunt question so unsettled the practical joker’s -mind that he faltered, and at last said, with much emotion: -“Matter, Mr. Lawrence?—Why, it, it was—you see—I -mean, he came,—that is, the horse—the horse—the horse, -the horse, the horse, the horse——”</p> - -<p>Seeing that the embarrassed man was likely to continue -repeating these two words till delirium set in, or till his -tongue whizzed equal to the fly-wheel of a powerful steam-engine, -Will cut him short by saying, with pardonable -spite: “Pa, he’s trying to tell you that he wants pay for -the damage that <em>Go It</em> did.”</p> - -<p>To many persons this might have been unintelligible, -but not so to Mr. Lawrence. Gathering a hint from the -little boys’ gibberish, at a single glance he had taken in -all that had happened, and knowing the violence of Jackson’s -temper, he could guess at what had passed between -him and Will.</p> - -<p>“Let us have a settlement, Mr. Jackson,” he said.</p> - -<p>The farmer seemed to have lost his wits; he could not -carry it high, as he had done with Will. Mistaking the -tone in which Mr. Lawrence spoke, and impelled by a -guilty conscience, he dropped on his knees and said pleadingly, -“Oh, don’t turn us all out; don’t turn us all out! -Don’t sue me; I’ll—I’ll pay all the rent!”</p> - -<p>Further comment is needless; the reader will now -readily understand why Mr. Jackson’s roughness gave -place to humbleness and wheedling when he heard Will’s -name, and why he so dreaded an interview with Mr. -Lawrence.</p> - -<p>The latter gentleman spoke kindly to the supplicant. -“Come, come, Jackson,” he said, “don’t behave like that. -In this free country you shouldn’t play the spaniel to any -man. I promise that I will not bring an action yet; I -will grant you one more chance. But come to the house -to-morrow, and we can talk over the matter at leisure.<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_52" id="Page_52">[52]</a></span> -Don’t explain; I see just what has happened to my headlong -boy: but so long as he is not hurt, I am satisfied. As -you hardly know him, I can, from your looks and his, -figure the scene you have had. Now, I don’t like him to -be abused by—but no; never mind that; it can be pocketed. -As for the actual damage done, I think you will -admit that ten dollars will settle your claims, and I am -going to pay it to you.”</p> - -<p>Mr. Jackson gathered himself up, looking crestfallen -and foolish, and was so penetrated with gratitude that he -refused the money, till forced to receive it. According to -Mr. Lawrence’s notions the man would now be induced to -make strenuous exertions to pay all that he owed.</p> - -<p>Father, son, and pony, now started for home. Having -made their way out of the gate into the road, Will found -the forlorn little gamins, hungering for even a glimpse -of the frolicsome leaper, still lingering in their second -position. Poor little fellows, they had not ventured even -to climb the fence. They knew Mr. Jackson—and Mr. -Jackson knew them. They cast reverent glances at Go It, -but they beheld Will as one might behold a traveller returned -in safety from a voyage to the planets.</p> - -<p>“I’ll bet he ketched it!” muttered a light-legged -member of the group, with a chuckle that disclosed he -spoke from bitter experience. “Won’t the rest of ’em -wish they’d seen this show!”</p> - -<p>The horse Mr. Lawrence had ridden was tied near -these urchins. Both mounted him, and then, leading the -runaway and headstrong horse, the picturesque cavalcade -set off.</p> - -<p>“Pa,” said Will, “I’m sorry this happened, and that you -had to pay out that money.”</p> - -<p>“No, Will: say nothing about that. I blame myself -for letting you mount the half-broken nag; I should -have had more prudence. But tell me how it all was, -and just what Jackson said to you.”</p> - -<p>Will did so; and in the recital he waxed so eloquent -that the rogue was set forth in his true colors, and appeared -so frightful a monster that Will himself shivered -with horror.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_53" id="Page_53">[53]</a></span></p> - -<p>Mr. Lawrence groaned, but, with great presence of -mind, said instantly: “Don’t shake so, Will, or you will -lose your balance. Oh, if I had known this sooner, I -should have done differently! But it is too late now to -punish the unprincipled wretch.”</p> - -<p>The reader, perhaps, is curious to know how it was that -Mr. Lawrence arrived so opportunely. When too late to -call him back, he saw that Will was utterly unable to -manage the pony. Not stopping to answer any questions, -he hastened to the stable, threw himself on the fastest -horse, and gave chase. Will, of course, was far in advance, -but Mr. Lawrence easily ran him down, and found -him in Jackson’s field, as related.</p> - -<p>Mr. Jackson made his appearance at the time appointed; -and although he brought only a part of the rent due, -his deportment was so humble and respectful; his promises -were so fair and encouraging; and his apologies were -so ingenious, yet in reality so hollow and ridiculous, that -Mr. Lawrence’s indignation was softened; and the wretch -was heard and dismissed with a mock and stiff politeness -that galled him.</p> - -<p>Mr. Lawrence was very forbearing with such of his -tenants as were hard pressed; but this man’s threats to -Will had provoked him extremely, and now, as he brooded -over his wrongs, he determined, as soon as the change -could be effected, to lease the farm to a more honorable -man.</p> - -<p>When a romancer reaches the colophon of his book, he -is the most virtuous of men, the most impartial of judges, -parcelling out reward and judgment with superhuman -justice. Now, according to the laws of romance, Mr. -Jackson, in cutting that field of oats, ought to be thrown -from his reaping machine, and so cruelly mangled that -his most implacable foe would melt into tears of anguish.</p> - -<p>But, alas! it cannot be, as unkind fate compels us to -bring him once more before the reader.</p> - -<hr class="chap" /> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_54" id="Page_54">[54]</a></span></p> - -<h2 id="Chapter_VI">Chapter VI.<br /> -<span class="smcap">Steve’s Retaliation.</span></h2> - -<p>The news of this, Will’s latest exploit, spread among -the village boys, and reached Steve’s ears. This worthy -felt sorry for Will—so sorry that a bright idea struck -him.</p> - -<p>“Here’s a fine chance to show Will how much I think -of him!” he mused radiantly. “Yes, I’ll get a whole -gang of us boys together, and we’ll swoop down on the -old villain, and we’ll do it! Oh! what roaring fun it -will be! I guess it’ll teach the old loon to leave honest -boys alone!”</p> - -<p>Steve began to work with a will, and soon mustered a -squad of idle and saucy little wretches, who sported Guy -Fawkes’ head-pieces, and were not overstocked with -either virtue or clothing. Nevertheless, their apparel had -at least one merit—it could be slipped on or stripped off -in a trice.</p> - -<p>Moonlight would be too bright for his dark schemes, -and he waited impatiently for a starlight night. Three -days passed with unheard of slowness. Then Steve convoked -a council of his satellites; and after having enjoined -a promise of secrecy, he laid bare his plot in all its -details, and asked if they would stand by him.</p> - -<p>“Guess we will!” they chorused, mad with delight; -and Steve needed no further assurance of their co-operation -and fidelity.</p> - -<p>About seven o’clock this worthy young avenger set -out, his “gang” at his heels, and one of the heroes who -had seen Will taken over Jackson’s fence bringing up the -rear. This warlike company had no drums, but their -fast-beating hearts served instead; and they marched intrepidly -onward, measuring three miles an hour. Some -were burdened with sundry stout cords, ropes and straps; -others were sweating under armfuls of pine and cedar -boughs, which Steve had gathered that afternoon; one<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_55" id="Page_55">[55]</a></span> -lank stripling was poising a couple of wooden levers on -his grimy palms; Stephen himself was freighted with a -clumsy engine, which he fondly imagined was a piece of -wondrous mechanism—in fact, one of the six mechanical -powers.</p> - -<p>Having left the village, they struck out for a pasturage -about a mile and a half to the right. Captain Stephen -directed his forces to march in single file. In vain: they -were but raw levies, and in spite of all his discipline, would -persist in straggling or in huddling together. But in -good time they drew up at the seat of war, with every -regiment intact, and eager to engage the enemy.</p> - -<p>As the atrocities they practiced there are unworthy -of the most abandoned renegate, it would be more seemly -to lay aside martial idioms,—particularly, as we do -not wish to commit ourself,—and speak of them as Steve’s -minions.</p> - -<p>They peered warily—perhaps, <em>quakingly</em>—to the -right and left, but not seeing any bugbears, human or -otherwise, they boldly and jauntily flung themselves over -the fence of the pasture field.</p> - -<p>Steve advanced a few steps, then halted, laid his burden -gently on the ground, and whistled a sigh of relief. -His followers threw down their burdens; and, after having -ejected a great deal of spittle—purposely on their -hands, accidently on the ground,—they raised a grating -“ye-oh-heave ’er,” that reminded the “mournful whip-poor-will” -of a rooster’s first crow. Now they were -ready to go to work.</p> - -<p>In front of them was an old well; disused, perfectly -dry, and partly filled with rubbish. The top was covered -with two layers of bulky and heavy planks, so that the -well was safe. Notwithstanding the number of workers, -it was no easy task to remove these planks; but the -avenger and his “gang” griped their handspikes, and -toiled, groaned, and puffed with a will.</p> - -<p>What is toil to a boy when mischief is on foot? In -play there are no difficulties that a boy cannot surmount. -Ah! if he would only do his duty as willingly and efficiently -as he builds a dam, how much happier he and -others would be!</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_56" id="Page_56">[56]</a></span></p> - -<p>As soon as the planks were removed, the boughs were -dropped one by one, so evenly that they formed a soft -couch, only twenty feet from the mouth of the well.</p> - -<p>Then Steve took up the engine he had constructed, and -set it up over the well. This engine was neither more -nor less than a thick and roundish bar of tough wood, -with each end playing in the apex of a rude and frail -scalene triangle. To impart strength and dignity to this -contrivance, the triangles were connected at their base by -a long and stout fork-handle; but whether this fork-handle -served to keep the triangles apart or to hold them -together, Steve did not know. A triangle was placed on -each side of the wells mouth, over which the bar and -fork-handle directly passed. Steve pinned his triangles -fast to the ground, but finding them still unsteady, he -had them propped with the planks. Then he announced -that it was ready for use. The bar revolved, it is true; -but somewhat reluctantly, and, alas! it wobbled!</p> - -<p>We have said that Steve considered his contrivance -one of the six mechanical powers. Let us examine it -further and see if he was right. It might have been intended -for the wheel and axle; but, if so, it lacked the -wheel. Or perhaps it was the pulley, with an extremely -elongated wheelless axle, the triangles taking the place of -the block.</p> - -<p>“Now, boys,” said the deviser of this novel engine, “see -what comes from knowing science! I learnt how to make -this from George’s Philosophy. It tells you all about -powerful mechanics—no, mechanics powerful—no,—well, -I guess it’s all one in meaning. Now let us go to work.”</p> - -<p>With a Zulu holloa they rushed towards a couple of -donkeys that were grazing peaceably in the inclosure.</p> - -<p>It will not require a particularly long-headed reader -to guess that these boys were trespassing on Mr. Jackson’s -domains, or that the avenger sought to retaliate on -him by means of the innocent donkeys.</p> - -<p>Steve endeavored to ward off the stings of conscience -by telling himself that he was avenging Will; while in -reality he was indulging his love of fun and mischief. -His warty and freckle-faced followers were actuated by -the same motive.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_57" id="Page_57">[57]</a></span></p> - -<p>They surrounded the donkey nearest them, resolved to -take it prisoner. After a violent conflict and four or five -barked and bruised shins,—for the beast was agile, as -well as headstrong, and resented this nocturnal abduction,—the -seizure was effected, and Stephen adroitly -slipped on a halter. While some tugged at this halter, -others pushed warily and perhaps bootlessly; still others -noisily threatened; one entreated; but, in compliance -with their leaders instructions, none belabored. The -school-boy avenger did not wish the poor animal to suffer -“more than was necessary!”</p> - -<p>In a short time the donkey was brought close to the -abandoned well. Then the cords, straps, and ropes were -picked up, and so securely bound on the poor animal that -it was utterly helpless, and at the mercy of Steve’s youthful -desperadoes. This was a hazardous attempt, considering -all things; but again, what does a properly -organized boy care for danger, when bent on mischief?</p> - -<p>Stephen, weltering in sweat and already smarting from -blisters and bruises, then called a halt and addressed his -“accomplices” in the following approved strain: “Well, -boys, we’ve nearly done it! Oh! won’t Mr. Jackson be -mad when he finds his donkey in the well! Won’t he -dance and holler! I know it’s a scurvy trick; but then -he is so scurvy a man, it serves him just right. I guess -he won’t know what to say to himself when he sees the -ass here! At any rate, it will take him all the forenoon -to get him out!”</p> - -<p>Gentle reader, please to observe how rich that harangue -is in notes of exclamation, and ask yourself if they were -not invented as a safety-valve for the emotions of overjoyed -schoolboys and bloody-minded or weak-headed -romancers.</p> - -<p>While speaking, Steve had run his hands into the -pockets of his most serviceable garment. He now drew -his hands out of those pockets and took up a strong rope, -one end of which he made fast to the donkey, and the -other end he passed over the bar of his engine. Then, -the rest helping him, the donkey was slowly and carefully -lowered into the well. Poor beast, how foully it -was degraded!</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_58" id="Page_58">[58]</a></span></p> - -<p>Then those wicked boys laughed—laughed till the tears -came.</p> - -<p>All but Steve. He could not laugh. The core of an -apple that he had eaten seven years before rose in his -throat and choked him—him! the most uproarious and -unconscionable laugher in the village!</p> - -<p>But the truth is, Stephen was beginning to relent. -Now that the deed was actually done, he saw his trick in -a different light and conjured up all sorts of horrors. -What if a frightful thunderstorm should come on during -the night, and the donkey should be struck by lightning? -What if the sides of the well should cave in and -fossilize it? Or, what if Jackson should discover the -guilty ones and transport him, as “ringleader,” to Botany -Bay?</p> - -<p>These and many other disquieting thoughts rose in the -boys mind. He bitterly repented of his folly, and no -longer considered himself a hero. He pitied the donkey -with all his heart; and if he had not shrunk from -provoking the derision of his uncivil and hard-hearted -minions, he would have drawn it out of the well and -turned it loose.</p> - -<p>Thus we get an insight into Stephen’s nature. His -love of fun often ran away with his better judgment; -but as soon as the mischief was done, he suffered, more -than any one believed, from the agony of remorse.</p> - -<p>But he roused himself and said, “Now, who will slide -down on the rope and set the donkey free? Of course -we mus’n’t go away and leave the poor beast tied fast; -for it might get sick and die if it couldn’t move. You -agreed to do it, Pat Murphy.”</p> - -<p>“I reckon we want our ropes and things back again, -anyway,” growled a practical strap owner.</p> - -<p>“Certainly,” Stephen assented, with a faint smile. -“Well, Pat?”</p> - -<p>“Shure an’ I’m willin’ to stick to my bargain; only -make haste, for mebby the old feller ’ll be after prowlin’ -around to look to his beasts.”</p> - -<p>This was enough to disquiet every member of the -“gang.” One excitable boy, a famous seer of ghosts,<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_59" id="Page_59">[59]</a></span> -instantly beheld a myriad of Jacksons, hobgoblins, and -banshees, hovering dangerously near. In his terror he -uttered a cry of deprecation—which so dismayed little -Pat, who was then in the act of descending, that he lost -his hold on the rope and had a fall of several feet. But -the soft boughs and the ass so broke his fall that he received -no hurt.</p> - -<p>Honest Pat’s mind must have been disturbed by a -presentiment; for, just at this conjuncture, Mr. Jackson, -who was taking a by-path to the village, entered the -field from another direction. Being still at a distance, he -could not make out the boys clearly, but he could hear -their voices. Now, this Mr. Jackson was not famed for -his discretion; and instead of creeping upon them -slyly, he hallooed at them from the place where he stood.</p> - -<p>Then, for the first time, the boys caught sight of him, -and a panic, which soon became a stampede, ensued. -Setting up a dismal shriek of consternation, the whole -“gang” dashed to the fence, squeezed through it, and ingloriously -fled.</p> - -<p>Little Pat heard the hurly-burly, and, clutching the -rope, attempted to scramble out of his narrow quarters. -But, alas! no one was holding the upper end of this rope, -and it had not been made fast; consequently, it rattled down -into the well, leaving Pat a prisoner. Poor little Pat! Believing -he was deserted, he gave way to despair, yelled -like a fish peddler, and frisked about like an untutored -dancer, now on the boughs, now on the donkey, beating -time to his piteous yet horrible screams for mercy. This -loosened the strap round the donkey’s snout; and an -horrisonous bray of righteous indignation smote upon the -night air, lending variety to a scene already sufficiently -ludicrous. But one bray was not enough to relieve the -donkey’s pent-up emotion, and between its bellowing -groans Pat might be heard vociferating shrilly, “Tain’t -me! I ain’t done nothin’! I never did! It’s him! It’s -Steve! It’s Ste-e-e-ve!”</p> - -<p>A swarm of outraged hornets could not have hastened -the flight of Steve’s redoubtable desperadoes more than -the united exertions of Pat and the donkey. They flew<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_60" id="Page_60">[60]</a></span> -towards the village as if hounded by demons, and were -speedily out of sight and earshot.</p> - -<p>But where was Stephen! On the impulse of the moment -he also took to his heels; but when he reached the -fence his native courage and honor returned. He stopped, -sighed profoundly, and nervously broke a splinter off -a loose rail. He did not know whether this splinter -would be of any service to him, but he mechanically carried -it in his hand as he slunk back to the well. There -he sank down in a heap, and awaited Mr. Jackson’s coming -with much perturbation. However, he retained sufficient -presence of mind to pluck a tawdry feather out of his -hat band, and then set the hat fairly on his head. Wretched -trickster! he did not consider how dusk it was, or that -Mr. Jackson would probably be more concerned about the -donkey than about a rattle-pated schoolboy’s headgear.</p> - -<p>Now, if ever, he should have indulged in laughter, for -the scene was risible in the extreme. Ah! if he had -been an innocent bystander, he would have overnoised -even Pat and the donkey. Alas! he felt his guilt, and -was more inclined to cry than to laugh.</p> - -<p>“Oh,” he groaned, “why did I mix myself with such a -pack of nasty little cowards? I knew all the time that -I had no business to meddle with that ass. Ass?—why, -I’ve made an ass of myself! Where will it all end, and -what will Mr. Jackson say to me or do with me?—Well,” -with a sigh of relief, “there’s one good thing: -the ass will be let loose again!”</p> - -<p>Stephen’s gloomy surmises were cut short by Jackson -himself. “What does all this mean, you scoundrel?” he -roared. “What are you doing here? Where are those -boys? have they all gone and left you?”</p> - -<p>At that instant another hideous bray, followed by a -moan of mortal terror, reverberated in the well, and the -new-comer turned and looked in. A boisterous laugh -burst from his lips when he discerned the occupants of -the well. “Oh! this is rich!” he exclaimed, so jubilantly -that Stephen was stupified with amazement.</p> - -<p>Encouraged by Mr. Jackson’s merriment, timorous Pat -began with redoubled energy. “It’s him! I hain’t done<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_61" id="Page_61">[61]</a></span> -nothin’; so don’t tetch me, Mr. Jackson, for I ain’t had -nothin’ to do with it. Lemme go, <em>please</em>!”</p> - -<p>Turning to Stephen, Jackson again demanded an explanation. -Stephen did not give a “succinct account of -the whole proceeding;” but Jackson gathered from his -faltering confession that a trick lay at the bottom of the -affair.</p> - -<p>“Yes, I understand it all,” Jackson replied; “but I -don’t see your motive. Well, little boy, I might put you -to considerable inconvenience; but it’s so capital a joke—so -deep, so surprising, so silly—that I will let you off. -The grudge I owe Lawrence is paid now; paid in full.”</p> - -<p>This last expression was probably not intended for -Steve’s ears; but he overheard it, and asked, with a start, -“What about Mr. Lawrence, sir?”</p> - -<p>“‘Lawrence,’ eh? Nothing about him; except that <em>he</em> -must settle with you. That’s one reason why I’m letting -you off. Yes, just take your bill and your story to him; -for its his place to deal with you.”</p> - -<p>“I—I don’t know what you mean,” Steve made answer, -becoming more and more perplexed.</p> - -<p>“I see that we don’t understand each other very well. -<em>I</em> don’t know <em>why</em> you put his donkey into this well; -and <em>you</em> don’t know—well, what? You seem puzzled -about something; but when I refer the matter to Mr. -Lawrence, I think you’ll find that he will understand it -well enough to send for a magistrate. Then come a lawsuit -and all sorts of good things.”</p> - -<p>When a youthful offender or an ignorant person was -the object of his resentment, this man loved to enlarge -on the terrors of the law; but when he himself was the -culprit, he shrank from the bare mention of the word.</p> - -<p>“<em>His</em> donkey, did you say?” Steve said, utterly confounded. -“Oh! please to tell me what you mean!”</p> - -<p>“I mean what I’m talking about. You know, of course, -the donkey in that well belongs to Mr. Lawrence; you -know, of course, he pastures both donkeys in this field, -which is leased to me. He will show you that you can’t -make a plaything of his donkeys, and to-morrow you -will be wanted. If this maltreated beast belonged to me, -I would have ample satisfaction!” savagely.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_62" id="Page_62">[62]</a></span></p> - -<p>“I see your mates have left you,” he continued. -“Well, I hope you will enjoy yourself here with the -donkeys. I should like to stop and see the sport; but I -can’t, I must go on. You had better haul the donkey -out—if you can. Of course, <em>I’ve</em> no time to help you; -and it’s no concern of mine, anyway; so, good night! -Hurrah! your rope is out of your reach! This is an -interesting case indeed! Well, you and your little friend -there can amuse yourselves by endeavoring to adjust -matters. You won’t be entirely alone; for the quadrupeds -grazing in this field will occasionally come and gape -at you. The moon will soon be up; appeal to it!”</p> - -<p>Then, with a mocking bow, he turned on his heel and -made off, leaving Stephen alone with his troubles.</p> - -<p>And this was the retaliation which Steve had planned -so craftily! How wretchedly his scheme had failed! -Instead of imprisoning Jackson’s donkey, he had imprisoned -that of his friend Mr. Lawrence. Truly, here -was a case that called for many interjections—for more, -in fact, than hapless Steve could muster.</p> - -<p>And he had been detected in the very act. What -would be the consequences? Would those dark threats -of Jackson’s be put into execution? What penalties -might the law inflict on him? What did the <span class="smcap">Law</span> say -about feloniously dumping another man’s donkey into a -disused well, anyway? Alas! Steve did not know.</p> - -<p>But, oh! comforting thought! Jackson plainly did not -suspect anybody of playing a trick on <em>him</em>. And it was -well for Stephen that it was so, as a suspicion of the truth -would have stirred up the waspish old blusterer’s fury.</p> - -<p>“O dear!” groaned Steve, “I wish I was at home! -I wish I hadn’t done it! I wish—O dear! Well, I will -never have anything more to do with those mean sneaks. -Why couldn’t they have stuck by me? Now they’ll go -and spread it all over, and what will people think of me? -What will become of me? Well, I shall be laughed at -for a month, that’s very certain.”</p> - -<p>This doleful soliloquy manifests that Stephen was but -a boy, and that he was but human. A man’s great care -is (or should be) to guard his reputation: a boy’s great<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_63" id="Page_63">[63]</a></span> -care is to keep from becoming a laughing-stock. This is -a bug-bear which haunts him (the boy) from the day -when masculine apparel is first girded on him, and which -prompts him to do many things that, to his elders, are -foolish and incomprehensible. It is for this reason that -a well-organized boy, however learned he may be, prefers -to use simple words of Anglo-Saxon origin, when he -knows he could make his meaning clearer by using Latin -polysyllables.</p> - -<p>But Steve’s disquieting speculations were interrupted -by Pat, who whispered warily, “Is he gone?”</p> - -<p>Now, Steve did not know that this is a polite expression, -and he answered snappishly, “Yes, he <em>has</em> gone.”</p> - -<p>This was good news to little Pat. Forgetting that he -had just been accusing Stephen to Mr. Jackson, he began -beseechingly: “Lemme out, Steve! Lemme out, that’s a -good boy. I al’ays knowed you was a good boy, Steve, -didn’t I? Lemme out now, and I’ll do anythin’ fur you.”</p> - -<p>This reminded Stephen of the labor that lay before -him. How was he to get hold of the rope? The one -could not climb up the sides of the well; the other could -not climb down; all the cords were bound on the ass.</p> - -<p>However, Stephen searched his pockets carefully, and -lighted on a new and strong fish-line, with a fish-hook -affixed. The fish-line was not long enough to reach down -to Pat; but by noosing the end to one of the handspikes -that difficulty was removed. There was now direct communication -between the two boys. Pat was rather -fidgety when he saw the fish-hook dangling under his -nose, but he caught it fast to the rope, which Stephen -carefully and fearfully drew up.</p> - -<p>If that fish line had parted, those boys and the writer -would have been placed in a sorry plight.</p> - -<p>The rope was no sooner made fast than Pat scrambled -up it, caught up his shabby coat, and exercised his limbs -of locomotion so nimbly that he was nearly out of sight -before Steve could recover from his amazement. This -was a whimsical way of manifesting gratitude!</p> - -<p>“How he scampers!” Steve muttered. “What a pack -of little wretches, and what a mean man Jackson is! I<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_64" id="Page_64">[64]</a></span> -wanted to slide down into the well myself; and those -boys know I agreed to let Pat do it on purpose to please -him. Well, I’ve done with ragamuffins!—I say,” he bellowed -to the nimble runaway, “you needn’t run so fast; -<em>I</em> don’t want you: you’re no good, anyway.”</p> - -<p>Pat knew that Stephen longed for his help; he knew -that a boy, when left in the lurch, speaks somewhat as -Stephen had spoken, and yet Pat hurried on.</p> - -<p>Poor Pat! he was not aware that his unique and valued -button ring, the fruit of several hours’ toil with boiling -water, a broken-bladed knife, and a spoilt file, had been -fractured in the well. Unconscious of his loss, he clapped -his hands over his mouth, and bleated playfully and -hideously.</p> - -<p>Stephen now racked his brains to hit upon some -feasible plan of taking the donkey out of the well. Suddenly -a happy thought struck him. His eyes sparkled -with joy. “My stars!” he exclaimed, “I see the very -way to do it! I can manage it after all.”</p> - -<p>Then he mused on Jackson’s behavior, and another -thought occurred to him. “I suppose he believed I -couldn’t get either of ’em out of the well. Yes, of course -he did; and he thought I should have to go to the village -for help. And then I wonder if he’d have set the -magistrate and folks after me! Ten to one. Well, I can -beat ’em all, and keep out of trouble, too.”</p> - -<p>Yes, that was the point. If he had been necessitated -to seek help, he would have been taught a wholesome -lesson; but when his own precocity suggested a way out -of the difficulty, he was only hardened in his mischievousness, -and he admired his great cleverness.</p> - -<p>Without further deliberation the deserted and frustrated -avenger slid down the rope, took the halter and a -few straps off the donkey, coiled them around his own -neck, and then clambered up.</p> - -<p>This was a foolhardy thing for him to do; for if the -fastenings of the rope had given way, he and the donkey -world have been left to their own resources. But the -generality of boys delight in doing such things. With a -careless “I’ll risk it,” they rush headlong into danger, day -after day.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_65" id="Page_65">[65]</a></span></p> - -<p>Then Steve set about carrying his plans into effect. -He sidled up to the other donkey and chased it over the -pasturage till the moon rose. This was weary work for -him, but at length he caught the donkey, slipped the -halter over its head, and led—or rather coaxed—it up to -the well.</p> - -<p>“Well, old fellow,” he said, addressing his first captive, -“I didn’t make any preparations to haul you out, but so -much the better. Now, keep your mouth shut, and don’t -be afraid, and you’ll be kicking around this field before -no time. Now, heave away, boys! Ho! Heave ’er!”</p> - -<p>He then pitched on the two lightest planks, exerted all -his remaining strength, and placed them so as to form a -floor or platform, extending from the transverse bars of -his engine to the curb of the well. Thus half the well’s -mouth was covered.</p> - -<p>Next, the donkey last caught was hitched to the rope, -and by dint of entreaty, induced to draw its yoke-fellow -out of the gloomy prison.</p> - -<p>“Saved!” cried Stephen, in tragic accents, as he turned -both donkeys loose. “Saved! And I have saved you!”</p> - -<p>And then he fell to turning summersets, chuckling, and -disporting himself like a noodle. “<em>Oh! this is fun!</em>” -he said.</p> - -<p>A heavy fall brought the boy to his senses; and without -more ado he gathered up his belongings and began to -whistle “Yankee Doodle,” as only a boy whose conscience -is tranquillized can whistle it.</p> - -<p>The would-be avenger had expended so much of his -strength that he was not in a condition to attempt to -replace the rest of the planks, or to carry home his beloved -pulley.</p> - -<p>“Mr. Jackson may arrange those planks himself,” he -muttered. “As for the pulley—well,” with a last fond -backward glance, “I suppose he’ll knock it up into -kindling-wood.”</p> - -<p>It was late when Stephen reached home that night. -Notwithstanding his proneness to be mischievous and to -play monkey tricks, he was free from deceit and he was -not deficient in moral courage. As soon as he and his<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_66" id="Page_66">[66]</a></span> -mother were alone, he made a clean breast of it, then -walked off to bed, with tears in his eyes, but loving his -mother better than ever.</p> - -<p>Although Mr. Jackson, while returning through the -field that night, should have precipitated himself into the -half-open well, there to perish miserably, yet he did not. -The writer does not thirst for the blood of his villains; -but—lest he should be accounted utterly devoid of common -sense—the following statement is offered, by way of -consolation, for the punctilious readers perusal:—</p> - -<p>Whilst replacing the planks, which were permeated -with humidity, he contracted a catarrhal cold, which did -not yield to the apothecary’s patent medicines till the -next spring.</p> - -<p>When Mr. Lawrence heard the particulars of Stephen’s -prank, and the “motive,” he laughed heartily.</p> - -<p>Of course the peace-officers did not gain or lose by the -affair; and Steve observed oracularly, “I knew he was -only fooling. He didn’t scare me a bit!”</p> - -<p>It is not necessary to waste time in tracing Jackson’s -career further—in fact, as he never annoyed our heroes -again, he may as well be formally thrown overboard now.</p> - -<p>It was hoped that this experience would have a wholesome -and lasting effect on Stephen. Alas, no! Stephen -Goodfellow was one of the many irrepressible incorrigibles -that flourish in this country.</p> - -<hr class="chap" /> - -<h2 id="Chapter_VII">Chapter VII.<br /> -<span class="smcap">The Young Moralist.—A Clever Scheme.</span></h2> - -<p>As the school was now closed for “summer holidays,” -the boys were free to do whatever they pleased.</p> - -<p>One bright forenoon the heroic six, full of merry jokes, -set out on a stroll to the woods. Charles and Will led -the way, and <em>why</em> they made for the woods will be seen -further on.</p> - -<p>“Now, boys,” said Charley, “wouldn’t it be fun if we -should have a real adventure to-day? something romantic; -something worth while—eh, Marmaduke?”</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_67" id="Page_67">[67]</a></span></p> - -<p>Marmaduke’s eyes flashed like a persecuted hero’s -whose case appears hopeless. However, he did nothing -desperate, he simply said, “Boys, some day or another we -shall light on something romantic—something awful! -I’ve always felt it. Then we will pry into the mystery -until we unravel it.”</p> - -<p>Will, Charles, and Stephen, furtively exchanged glances. -If their designs should succeed, Marmaduke would have -a mystery to pry into sooner than he bargained for.</p> - -<p>Just as they entered the woods they heard voices; and -on looking about they caught sight of three little boys -sitting astride of a decayed log. One seemed to have a -paper of raisins, from which he was helping himself and -the other two.</p> - -<p>“Hush!” Charley whispered. “They haven’t seen us -yet; so hide behind the bushes, and I’ll play a pretty trick -on them.”</p> - -<p>Without the least hesitation, without looking to see -whether they were sitting on grass or thorns, they crouched -down. Charley “knew himself,” and the boys obeyed -him promptly.</p> - -<p>Seeing that they were all concealed, he advanced boldly -towards the three small boys.</p> - -<p>“Hollo, Tim!” he exclaimed. “What have you got -there?”</p> - -<p>“Raisins,” Tim answered laconically.</p> - -<p>“Where did you get them?” was the next question.</p> - -<p>“Maw sent me fur ’em.”</p> - -<p>“Oh, I thought so. Now I can go to work,” Charley -muttered, in a theatrical “aside.”</p> - -<p>“What do you want of me, and what are you a-saying -to yourself?” demanded Tim, becoming questioner in his -turn.</p> - -<p>“I’ll give you a whistle for one of them, Tim,” Charley -said, so eagerly that the boys in hiding wondered. Why -should such a boy as Charley wish to purchase a single -raisin? Was <em>this</em> a mystery? It seemed so mysterious -that they pricked up their ears, and impatiently waited -for further developments.</p> - -<p>Tim’s thoughts are unknown. He replied indifferently,<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_68" id="Page_68">[68]</a></span> -“Well, if your whistle’s a good one, I guess I don’t mind; -but I’ve give these here boys so many raisins that Maw’ll -think that there new store-keeper cheats worse’n the old -ones. Let’s see yer whistle, anyway.”</p> - -<p>Charles turned his back to Tim, and searched his -pockets for the whistle, a scrap of paper, and a forlorn -lead pencil that had once done duty as the bullet of a -popgun. Having found these articles, he scrawled a few -words on the scrap of paper.</p> - -<p>“Can’t you find the whistle?” Tim inquired unsuspectingly.</p> - -<p>“I’m coming,” was the answer.</p> - -<p>Then the gaping ambushed five saw him slip the battered -pencil into his pocket, take the paper in one hand -and the whistle in the other, and step briskly up to Tim.</p> - -<p>Tim reached out the bag, and Charley ran his hand -which secreted the paper far into it. Then he drew out -his hand—empty.</p> - -<p>“No, Tim,” he said, “I think you have given away -enough already. But here’s the whistle, all the same. -Now, run home, like a good boy.”</p> - -<p>Young Tim tried his whistle somewhat doubtfully, for -he was at a loss to know why it should be given to him -for nothing. Big boys did not make a practice of throwing -away good whistles on him, unless they looked for -some return. Generosity so lavish astounded him.</p> - -<p>But the first toot assured him of the soundness of the -gift; a smile of pleasure flitted over his grimy face; and -he exclaimed joyously, “Man! It’s bully, ain’t it?”</p> - -<p>“Oh, it’s a good one,” Charley averred.</p> - -<p>“I—I was afraid p’r’aps it was busted,” Tim acknowledged.</p> - -<p>Then young Tim rose to his feet and wended his way -homeward, piping melodiously on his whistle, unconscious -of the bomb-shell hidden in the bag; while hard behind -him, licking their daubed lips as they went, trotted the -two parasitical boys who had been junketing on his -mother’s raisins.</p> - -<p>Charley, grinning and chuckling, hurried back to his -comrades.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_69" id="Page_69">[69]</a></span></p> - -<p>“I hope I’ve taught that thieving little sneak-thief a -lesson he will remember,” he said, with a smile intended -to be exceedingly moral.</p> - -<p>“Why, what did you do? What on earth’s the matter? -Tell us all about it,” cried a chorus of voices; “we could -see something was up, but we didn’t know what.”</p> - -<p>“Well, boys,” Charles began, “I have often caught that -rascal feeding little boys, and big ones, too, from parcels -of raisins, sugar, and other things; and I thought I would -make him smart for it some day. So to-day, when I saw -him at it again, I thought of writing something on a scrap -of paper, and getting a chance to slip it into his bag. -You saw me do that, perhaps. What I wrote was, ‘O, -mother! please to forgive me! I stole your raisins and -things, but I won’t do it no more.’ When his mother -empties out the raisins, she will find that, and it will be -enough for her. Then she’ll put two and two together, -and then, most likely, she’ll put Tim and his skate-straps -together. That is all, boys.”</p> - -<p>“Good for you, Buffoon!” exclaimed Stephen, to whom -this knavish trick was highly amusing. “Mr. Tim will -‘pay dear for his whistle’ this time—unless your confession -should slip out of the bag!”</p> - -<p>“No, I put it down nearly to the bottom,” Charley replied. -“He won’t be likely to open his bag again, either, -for he has eaten and given away about half of the raisins.”</p> - -<p>“I say, boys,” said Stephen, “isn’t that what they call -<em>philanthropy</em>?”</p> - -<p>“What?” Charles asked eagerly.</p> - -<p>“Teaching a boy that it’s wicked to steal.”</p> - -<p>“No; it’s the vice of perfidy!” George replied, so -promptly that a keen observer would have said, “This -boy is impelled by envy; he wishes he had been guilty of -the same vice.”</p> - -<p>But George was in the right; Charley’s trick was inhumanly -treacherous.</p> - -<p>“Did you intend to take one of his raisins?” Jim -faltered, a wolfish look in his eyes.</p> - -<p>Charles’ lips curled with disdain; his nostrils dilated; -virtuous indignation strove for utterance. But he knew<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_70" id="Page_70">[70]</a></span> -that he could not look so injured that the boy would hang -his head in shame; so he resolved to annihilate him by a -single word. To gain time to hit on an expression sufficiently -awful, he demanded threateningly:</p> - -<p>“What do you mean, Sir?”</p> - -<p>Jim’s nerves were always weak, and this jeering question -so unstrung them that he spoke the first words that -occurred to him. (By the way, the phrase was a favorite -one of his, one that he used on all occasions; and according -to the tone in which he said it, it implied either doubt, -indifference, petulance, fear, or <em>profanity</em>!)</p> - -<p>“I don’t know, I’m sure,” is what he said.</p> - -<p>“You hadn’t better!” Stephen thundered with lowering -brow.</p> - -<p>The reason why Steve espoused Charley’s cause so -readily was because the boys still teased him about the -donkey; and he rejoiced to find that another—that other -his schoolfellow Charles—could be guilty of the misdemeanor -of playing tricks. Truly, the abusive adage, -“Misery loves company,” is right.</p> - -<p>“It is bad enough for the store-keeper to handle the -poor woman’s raisins; and Charley’s fingers don’t look so -clean as a store-keeper’s, even;” George observed tauntingly.</p> - -<p>“I guess Charley’s fingers are cleaner than Tim’s” -retorted Stephen, always eager to play the part of champion -to some aggrieved wight, especially so now.</p> - -<p>But Charles perceived that his joke was not appreciated -as it should have been; and he turned beseechingly to -Will, his firm upholder in all things. “Will,” he said, -“what do <em>you</em> think about it? Did I do wrong?”</p> - -<p>Thus appealed to, Will made answer: “Capital joke, -Charley; but you have begun your career as a reformer -rather early in life.”</p> - -<p>This did not satisfy Charley, and he took to his last -expedient.</p> - -<p>When a renowned general becomes entangled in a -snare which he himself has spread; when he is caricatured -and lampooned in all the newspapers, and without a friend -in all the world, he makes an impassioned and well-punctuated<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_71" id="Page_71">[71]</a></span> -declamation in his defence, in which he sums -up the difficulties that lay in his way so eloquently; sets -forth the rightfulness of his cause so manfully; represents -the disinterestedness of his actions so carefully; -discourses on the purity of his designs so volubly; harrows -up the feelings of the audience, and the disguised -editors so subtly; exposes the fallacies under which his -defamers labor so jocosely; and reiterates his asservations -so persistingly, that all except the most malevolent and -perverse are brought to coincide with his views.</p> - -<p>Charles was now “on his defence.”</p> - -<p>“‘The end justifies the means,’ you know. Now,—”</p> - -<p>“That’s what the Jesuits profess, and they are—” -George interrupted. But, not knowing exactly what the -Jesuits are, he stopped short, and Charley went on without -further interruption.</p> - -<p>“Now, that Tim was a rascal, but this will reclaim him. -He has been cheating his mother on a small scale for -more than a year. She has sent him to all the different -stores for her groceries, but with the same results. He is -the only one she has to send, and he has a chance to steal -at his leisure. Now, if I had informed her that her son -does the cheating, what would have become of me? Ten -to one, she would have called me a sneaking talebearer, -and told me to march off home and get my father to belabor -me. As it is, <em>Tim</em> will probably get the drubbing. -There now, wasn’t my ‘confession’ plan just the thing? -Of course it was. You boys must be blind, or crazy, or -silly.”</p> - -<p>No oratory here, gentle reader. But the speaker was -only a boy; if he had been older and more experienced, -he would not have omitted to remark, incidentally, that -he had acted “on the impulse of the moment.”</p> - -<p>However, his reasoning, especially the latter part of it, -was conclusive. “Quite right;” said all the boys. Then, -as time is <em>very</em> precious to a schoolboy during the holidays, -Stephen added, “Now let us go on; we’ve fooled -away too much time doing nothing.”</p> - -<p>Will and Charles taking the lead, the explorers advanced -deeper into the woods; and taking an obscure pathway,<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_72" id="Page_72">[72]</a></span> -soon found themselves in a quarter scarcely known to -some of the boys. Heaps of brush-wood blocked up the -way, making their progress very slow. But this only -exhilarated their adventurous spirit; and they tore -through the brush with smiling contempt for sundry -bruises and scratches.</p> - -<p>All except George, whose mind was still exercised -about Charley’s “vice,” and who took no interest in -squeezing through underwood, and stumbling over heaps -of loose and rough brush-wood.</p> - -<p>“Look here, boys,” he said, “why should we overstrain -our limbs and muscles here, when a little way to the -north there is a capital spot to rest? We can learn nothing -here, and by floundering about like top-heavy -goblins we shall improve neither our minds, nor our -morals, nor our garments. At any rate, <em>I</em> am going back; -<em>I</em> am not going to make an Amazon of myself.”</p> - -<p>Sooner or later, the most inattentive of readers will be -struck with admiration at the artifice which Charles displays -in working on the feelings of his comrades.</p> - -<p>In this instance, though George had actually turned -back, he paused irresolute on hearing Charles exclaim -sarcastically, “George, I’m afraid you will never become -an explorer. Why, if you only knew it, we are penetrating -a jungle now! Think of that! <em>We</em> in a jungle!”</p> - -<p>Though coaxing would not have influenced the sage, this -happy expression did. He cast a sweeping glance in -search of Charley’s “jungle,” and then went on with the -others.</p> - -<p>Charles was satisfied, for he knew that however much -the boy might grumble, he would not turn back again.</p> - -<p>A certain word George had spoken, excited Steve’s -curiosity. False pride never restrained Stephen from -asking for information, and he said eagerly, “George, -what’s a namazon?”</p> - -<p>George’s smiling face discovered that the right cord had -been struck at last, and, always willing to enlighten the -ignorant, he answered benignly, “Steve, an Amazon is a -West African woman warrior, who fights instead of men. -And she fights with a vengeance—harder than a sea-serpent<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_73" id="Page_73">[73]</a></span> -that I read about the other day. Why, she wears -a sword called a razor, and it’s so strong and heavy that -she can chop off an elephant’s head at one blow with it!—At -least” truth obliged him to add, “I guess she could, if -she chose. And she will scale a rampart of briers and -thorns,—no, <em>brambles</em> the book said,—of brambles, all in -her bare feet, and come back all covered with blood and -chunks of bramble, but with her arms full of skulls!”</p> - -<p>Steve’s look of horror only encouraged George to make -greater exertions. But he was forced to pause for want -of breath, and his hearer inquired in alarm, “Where do -they get the skulls? Do they kill folks for them?”</p> - -<p>Now, it was very inconsiderate, very disrespectful, -very <em>wrong</em> in Stephen to put such a question. George -was wholly unprepared for it; and it rather befogged his -loquacity. After a doubtful pause, he began blunderingly: -“Why, as I told you, they scale a rampart of bri—<em>brambles</em>,—sixty -feet high, sometimes—and come off with -those skulls. I—I believe they are put there beforehand; -and the feat is to pounce on them.—I mean, the feat is to -scramble over the brambles barefooted. It is a valiant -achievement!”</p> - -<p>Then a bright idea occurred to him, and he continued -impetuously, “Why, Steve, you must be crazy, crazy as an -organ-grinder! You don’t know what a skull is; you -don’t know a skull from a dead-head. Why, I’m astonished -at you!”</p> - -<p>“Oh, of course. I see what you mean now; yes, of -course they do;” Stephen assented with alacrity.</p> - -<p>“I might lend you my book about all these things,” -George graciously observed.</p> - -<p>“Oh, thank you!” said Stephen with sparkling eyes.</p> - -<p>Meanwhile, the heroes had been pressing deeper and -deeper into the “jungle,” and would soon be at their journey’s -end. But at this critical juncture the sage’s evil -genius again preyed upon his spirits, and he muttered with -filial concern: “A boy’s first duty ought to be to take care -of his clothes, and—”</p> - -<p>“But it never is!” Steve broke in.</p> - -<p>“—and here we are destroying ours!” the sage continued, -disregarding Steve’s impertinent interruption.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_74" id="Page_74">[74]</a></span></p> - -<p>“Never mind the ‘garments,’ George,” Charles replied. -“Your old coat looks as if it might survive the frolics of -a hurricane; so, ‘banish care and grim despair,’ as the second -page of our new copy-book says.”</p> - -<p>This was indiscreet in Charles. The aggrieved George -was but a boy, and, naturally, he was angered. “Look -here,” he exclaimed, “what is your object in dragging us -through this dismal place? Where are we going? If you -should lead the way to a python’s lair, should I be bound -to tag blindly after you?”</p> - -<p>This reasoning was forcible, and for a schoolboy, poetical. -Will—knowing that their scheme would be disconcerted -if George should turn back, and fearing that he -would—bounded forward a little way, and then flung -himself plump into a certain pile of brush.</p> - -<p>“Oh!” he screamed. “Come here! Boys, hurry! Something -rattles all around under me!”</p> - -<p>The others quickly urged their way towards him, some -in real, some in pretended alarm.</p> - -<p>George now proved himself a hero. The vigour of his -intellect overawed the others, and they made way for him -respectfully. At length he was about to derive some advantage -from the ponderous tomes whose pages his grimy -thumbs had soiled so often.</p> - -<p>“Yes,” he said, “I know just what you heard. Don’t -be excited, Will; keep very cool. <em>It’s a rattlesnake!</em> -The great naturalist says they skulk around brush-heaps -and tangled bushes, ready to pounce on their prey. I -know, for I’ve read all about it; and luckily, I am prepared -for the worst. Now, where are you bitten, and I’ll -cauterize it.”</p> - -<p>And the speaker busied himself by stripping his pockets -of their treasures, which he dropped on the ground at -random.</p> - -<p>Jim, however, did not view the matter so philosophically. -At the bare mention of the word <em>rattlesnake</em>, he -turned and tore wildly through the “jungle,” crying -piteously: “Oh! I’ve got the chills! I’ve got the chills! -the chills! the chills! awful chills!”</p> - -<hr class="chap" /> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_75" id="Page_75">[75]</a></span></p> - -<h2 id="Chapter_VIII">Chapter VIII.<br /> -<span class="smcap">George Comes Out Ahead.</span></h2> - -<p>Meanwhile, Will stepped out of the pile of brushwood -and said, somewhat foolishly, “Now, George, don’t be -foolish; you know well enough there are no rattle-snakes -in this part of the country. Put up your instruments of -cauterization, and let us all take a squint under these -‘brambles.’”</p> - -<p>Poor George looked so crestfallen that Will almost relented. -“Didn’t you get bitten?” the former asked -blankly.</p> - -<p>“What could bite me, George!” Will asked mildly.</p> - -<p>“Well, <em>I</em> don’t know what,” George said savagely, “But -Charles Goodfellow declares this is a jungle; and we all -know, I hope, that poisonous lizards, and reptiles, and -centipedes, and tarantulas, and all hideous creatures, live -in just such a place as this—I mean in jungles. So, <em>what</em> -disturbed you in that brush-heap! Answer that question!—Botheration!” -he continued furiously, “here you’ve -led me into this horrible place, made fun of me, and contradicted -me—you, who have no practical knowledge. -And now, to cap it all, I’ve lost my jack-knife, the best -jack-knife in these regions, and I got it only yesterday!”</p> - -<p>Poor George! One thing after another had happened to -irritate him, and he was now in a savage mood. In fact, -he was really angry, and the boys had never seen him -angry before.</p> - -<p>Charles felt a pang in the region of his heart, and -Stephen was very uneasy.</p> - -<p>“Never mind George,” Will said soothingly. “I’ll help -you to look for your knife as soon as we see what is under -the brush.”</p> - -<p>He stooped over the brush-heap, groping, and then said -with awe, as <em>he</em> supposed: “Boys, here are bones! It was -bones that rattled under me!—George,” conciliatingly, -“what does that mean?”</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_76" id="Page_76">[76]</a></span></p> - -<p>“Well, I don’t care what it means. My knife is -worth more than all the bones you can find in a whole -summer; and I intend to look for it in spite of everything. -You boys may squabble over those bones till—till—any -time you choose.”</p> - -<p>Charley was dismayed. George was too sullen to catch -at the bait, and their little scheme seemed likely to end -ingloriously. Was it for this that they had toiled and -plotted?</p> - -<p>But Marmaduke, who had hitherto held his tongue, now -came to the front, saying eagerly, “Bones! Bones! Let -me see!”</p> - -<p>He rummaged among the branches, and while Will, -Charles, and Stephen, crowded around him, George looked -on “askance.”</p> - -<p>“O-o-h!” gasped Marmaduke, “what a horrible discovery -we have made! Bones! Bones of a mortal! -Boys,” with emotion, “<span class="smcap">Some one was Foully Murdered -Here</span>.”</p> - -<p>“O-o-h!” echoed all the boys, as in duty bound.</p> - -<p>But Steve gave a horrible chuckle, and whispered to -Charles, “It works already with <em>him</em>; and,” pointing his -elbow at George, “<em>he’ll</em> come around.”</p> - -<p>The pain in Charley’s heart was not very deep-seated, -and it now made room for exultation. The searcher was -left to his own musings, and the rest were absorbed in the -discovery.</p> - -<p>Marmaduke paused a moment, to realize the awfulness -of the word <em>murder</em>; then, snatching up the branches, he -nervously tossed them out of the way.</p> - -<p>A little heap of white substances was disclosed which—to -Marmaduke’s heated imagination—were all that -remained of a human skeleton.</p> - -<p>Now, the writer has so much respect for the feelings -of his readers that he herewith warns them, in all honesty, -that what is immediately to follow, borders upon the -grisly; and that consequently it would be well for the -queasy reader of fashionable fiction to skip the rest of -this chapter and all of chapter the twelfth.</p> - -<p>Marmaduke was now in his element; he felt somewhat<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_77" id="Page_77">[77]</a></span> -as a philosopher does when a new theory in science -bursts upon him; he was happy. All boyish bashfulness -forsook him, and he began rapturously:—</p> - -<p>“Yes, boys, we have made a great, an <em>appalling</em>, discovery! -We have certainly stumbled on a dreadful -mystery! It now remains for us to solve this great problem, -and gain immortal renown. In the near future, -I see us sitting in the courts of law, with the ferret-eyed -reporters; the grim lawyers; the shrill-voiced foreman -keeping order among the honest and eager jury; the -gaping multitude; the venerable judge; and the quaking -murderer, found at last, and his crime unearthed and -fastened on him by <em>us</em>. Then the grand old judge, in -solemn tones, will turn to us and say, “You are now -called upon to give your conclusive evidence, and charge -the crime—long hidden, but brought to light at last—upon -the trembling, cringing wretch—this murderer!” -Oh! what a proud day it will be for us! Now, boys, an -unpleasant duty lies before us, and if any of you wish to -withdraw, do so at once. As for me, I will not drop the -matter till the mystery is cleared up, and the murderer -gibbeted. But who ever wishes to take a bold part with -me, must continue in it till justice is satisfied. Then -together we shall reap the fruits of our zeal.”</p> - -<p>This neat little speech amply repaid the boys for all -the perils they had encountered in penetrating into -Charley’s jungle. Their delight is beyond our description. -Charley, Will, and Steve, exchanged winks most -recklessly.</p> - -<p>Marmaduke, however, paid no attention to them, but -drew a scrap of paper and a lead-pencil, which he always -carried, from his pocket.</p> - -<p>“What are you going to do now?” Steve queried of -the romance-stricken boy.</p> - -<p>“I am going to make a memorandum of this affair,” -was the answer.</p> - -<p>“Where is Jim?” Will asked, thinking that youth -would enjoy the scene.</p> - -<p>“Oh,” said Steve, “his old and convenient disorder -seized him when George spoke of rattle-snakes, and he -skedaddled.”</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_78" id="Page_78">[78]</a></span></p> - -<p>“Yes,” supplemented George, who was recovering his -temper, “there is a good deal of philosophy in his complaint; -for, like most things cold, it vanishes away when -heat is applied; and, to generate heat, Jim sets out on a -run.”</p> - -<p>“Good for you!” Charley said promptly, hoping to -induce the boy to examine and pass an opinion on the -bones.</p> - -<p>But George still felt too sore—perhaps, too obstinate—to -yield.</p> - -<p>“Look here, Marmaduke,” he said, “how are you going -to prove that somebody was <em>murdered</em> here? Perhaps -he was gobbled up by an unprincipled and broken-down -quadruped—say, a shipwrecked gorilla.”</p> - -<p>“Yes,” chimed in Steve, “perhaps a devouring monster -of a famished sea-cow fell on him, and gnawed him, and -wallowed him around, and extinguished him!”</p> - -<p>Marmaduke was now being jeered in his turn. Considering -that he was only a boy, he put up with their -banter with stoical unconcernedness; but his quivering -lips and humid eyes betrayed that he felt it, and turning -to Will, he said, “In such a case as this, you always find -something to discover the guilty one,—a pet dog’s collar, -a monogrammed metal tooth-pick, an old card case, a -seal-ring, a gold watch-key, a book-mark, a—a—or -something else.”</p> - -<p>“Why, have you found anything?” Steve asked -quickly.</p> - -<p>No answer. Silence, in this instance, was peculiarly -golden; more, it was sufficient.</p> - -<p>“Then how do you know, and how are you going to -prove it was murder?”</p> - -<p>Then Marmaduke’s indignation was roused, and he -scowled upon Stephen so malignantly that this worthy -quailed, unable to bear up under that “steady gaze of -calm contempt.”</p> - -<p>Turning to Will and Charles, the persecuted boy thus -explained himself: “Not long ago, I read in a story how -an awful murder was cleared up, simply because a cast-off -wig, that had fallen into the murderer’s pocket by<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_79" id="Page_79">[79]</a></span> -accident, and belonged to nobody in particular, fell out -again at the fatal moment, and proved the whole crime. -You boys might read about such things from to-day till -your hair turns gray; and you would find that some -little trinket, some trifle, turns the evidence one way or -the other, and decides the verdict. Why, where would -the romance of romances be, if it wasn’t so?” excitedly. -“I mean to hunt for that lost trinket when I get ready; -it has been here all this time, and it isn’t going to disappear -forever now.”</p> - -<p>“How long has it been here?” asked George, laying -stress on the word <em>how</em>.</p> - -<p>“When we stumbled on this mystery,” pursued Marmaduke, -too much absorbed to regard George’s incivilities, -“it was about ten o’clock.”</p> - -<p>Having made a note of this, he went on, “the scene -was a tangled glade in a thick jungle.”</p> - -<p>Another note.</p> - -<p>“Fit scene for such a tragedy!” Charles commented.</p> - -<p>“The bones were hidden under brush-wood, which <em>I</em> -removed,” and again his pencil was heard to scribble a -note.</p> - -<p>We say, <em>scribble</em>. The boy intended to “polish” his -notes at a more convenient season.</p> - -<p>“I say,” interrupted Stephen, “it isn’t <em>your</em> place to -take all these notes; you ought to inform a constable, or, -a bailiff,—or, better still, a detective!”</p> - -<p>Marmaduke scowled at him again, but held his peace.</p> - -<p>“Oh, I see,” continued Stephen, bent on teasing the -poor boy; “you’ll hand your notes over to some detective, -so that he’ll see how clever you are.”</p> - -<p>Then Marmaduke spoke. “Boys,” he said, “I’m astonished -at your levity and indifference in such a case -as this.”</p> - -<p>With that, he laid down his pencil and paper, and -again examined the bones, handling them with reverence, -and muttering what he supposed to be their names.</p> - -<p>For some time a fierce conflict had been raging in -George’s mind—curiosity battling with wounded vanity. -Which would triumph?</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_80" id="Page_80">[80]</a></span></p> - -<p>While Marmaduke mumbled, George took mental notes. -Soon a broad grin spread over the latter’s face, and he -said, “Look here, boys; Marmaduke has named five -thigh-bones, and thirty-one ribs! I know, for I’ve kept -count. Now, the skeleton of a common man has no -business with so many thighs and ribs; and Marmaduke -isn’t supposed to know the name of a bone as soon as he -sees it. Now, I’ve studied into the matter, and I ought -to know something about it. I’m just going to see them -for myself.”</p> - -<p>Curiosity had triumphed!</p> - -<p>This disconcerted poor Marmaduke. He made room -for George, and sat down beside Charles. A look of dismay -appeared in his face, and he pondered deeply. -“Boys,” he said, “did you ever hear that anybody was -ever murdered in this neighborhood?”</p> - -<p>“Never!” shouted all four in a breath.</p> - -<p>“I don’t care; it <em>is</em> a skeleton!” doggedly. “I know -as much about it as <em>he</em> does,” glaring at George, “and -I will stick to it, it was a skeleton.”</p> - -<p>“Whatever it <em>was</em> it’s not a skeleton <em>now</em>!” roared -George.</p> - -<p>Do not take alarm, gentle reader: this history is not -the register of any squabbles among savants: the writer -is too tender-hearted to inflict such a punishment on you.</p> - -<p>George resumed: “That is a foolish conclusion; for -there are no human bones here at all! Not a skull, nor -a radius, nor a—, a—”</p> - -<p>At this point Charley interrupted the osteologist by -saying, “George, don’t tell off the parts of a skeleton -with such disgusting gusto; have a little respect, even -for bones.”</p> - -<p>“Well, I will;” George assented—the more willingly -because he found himself less versed in the matter than -he had imagined. “But it was very foolish to think of -murder. Boys, do you want to know what it is? <em>I</em> -know; <em>I’ve</em> solved your mystery: <em>I’ll</em> reap all the -glory!” he cried, so excited that he lost control of his -voice.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_81" id="Page_81">[81]</a></span></p> - -<p>“Well, what is it?” Will asked sharply, perhaps afraid -that George had detected the fraud.</p> - -<p>Groundless fear; George was quite as credulous as -Marmaduke.</p> - -<p>Wild with excitement, his voice rang out loud and discordant. -He shouted, at the top of his voice, “Boys, <em>it’s -a fossil</em>!”</p> - -<p>“A <em>what</em>?” Charley demanded.</p> - -<p>“A <em>fossil</em>! An <em>extinct animal</em>! A <em>mastodon</em>! A <em>gyasticütûs</em>! -(If this word is new to the reader, let him raise -his voice and pronounce it according to the accents.) -Yes; here is a field for a geologist or naturalist; not for -a humdrum, cigar-puffing, bejewelled detective!”</p> - -<p>And the Sage’s form dilated with pride and complacency. -His day had come. He could have it all his own -way now; for what did the others know about geology?</p> - -<p>Poor George! his imagination was as powerful as Marmaduke’s; -but he could not equal him in oratory.</p> - -<p>As for the boys, they were thunder-struck; this exceeded -their utmost expectations.</p> - -<p>Steve was the first to speak. “Don’t yell so loudly, -George; there are no geologists near to hear you;” he said.</p> - -<p>Then again the boys, Marmaduke excepted, huddled -around the bones, and expressed unqualified astonishment.</p> - -<p>“What will you do about it, George?” Will inquired.</p> - -<p>“Travel them around the country for a show;” Marmaduke -sneered.</p> - -<p>But George was too much elated to regard such gross -indignities. Let the envious little simpleton rave; hadn’t -he read that every great man has his enemies and detractors? -He would ignore the mean wretch and his insulting -words.</p> - -<p>But for all his philosophy, the words did rankle in his -breast.</p> - -<p>“Well, what will you do?” Will inquired again.</p> - -<p>“Ship them to a geologist, I suppose;” George said -jocosely.</p> - -<p>“Excuse me, George,” Charles broke in, “but I always -used to think they found those old mastodons under -ground; and these bones are <em>on</em> the ground.”</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_82" id="Page_82">[82]</a></span></p> - -<p>“EH?”</p> - -<p>“Yes; don’t they dig all those horrid old telegraph poles -of bones out of the ground?”</p> - -<p>George rose, looking very black and wretched. That -important fact had escaped him. His castle in the air -toppled down as Marmaduke’s had done, and all his grand -ideas were buried in its ruins.</p> - -<p>“Perhaps I’m wrong,” Charles continued; “but,” -proudly, “I’ve read a little about such things, and I believe -they come out of the ground. But you know better -than I do, George; so, which way is it? Which of us is -right?”</p> - -<p>It was cruel for him to ask such a question. George, -however, was not a boy obstinately to persist that he was -right, when common sense said that he was not. In justice -to the boy, it must be observed that, although he was fully -aware of his own cleverness, he did not consider himself -infallible, but was at all times open to reason. To be still -more explicit, he was apt to change his opinions very -abruptly.</p> - -<p>“No, Charley,” he said, “you are right enough. But -I’m astonished to think we should take those paltry bones -for a fossil! Why—”</p> - -<p>“I never did!” Marmaduke interrupted furiously.</p> - -<p>“Why,” he continued, “of course not! A real fossil -would be ashamed to look at such bones; they would be -to him what a minnow’s bones are to ours. I—I didn’t -think, boys; I know what a fossil is, of course.”</p> - -<p>George was miserable if he fancied any one thought -him ignorant in any matter; and he was about to give -the natural history of the mastodon, when Steve diverted -the train of his thoughts by asking, “If it ain’t a fossil, -what is it?”</p> - -<p>“Well, it’s part of the remains of some very rare animal, -I should say,—a bison; or a wolverine; or a jackal; -or—or——”</p> - -<p>It is the needle that breaks the camel’s back. Will, -Charles, and Stephen could suppress their laughter no -longer; they shouted and guffawed like a desperate villain -who fancies that he has married the heroine and -lodged a bullet in the hero’s heart.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_83" id="Page_83">[83]</a></span></p> - -<p>“What’s the matter?” George asked in astonishment.</p> - -<p>Another roar of laughter was the only answer vouchsafed. -Steve lay on the ground, and enjoyed the joke -heartily; Charles and Will endeavoured to take it more -moderately.</p> - -<p>Then George’s suspicions were excited. “You boys are -fooling me!” he cried angrily. “Why did you coax -Marmaduke and me to look at these bones? Why did you -make us speak about them? Why didn’t <em>you</em> have anything -to say about it? Boys, <em>why</em> did we come here at -all?”</p> - -<p>After these direct questions an explanation could be -delayed no longer. The three looked guilty and ceased -from laughing. “We never coaxed you to look at them; -and you arrived at your own conclusions. You know -you did, George,” said Charles.</p> - -<p>Will explained as follows: “George, we fixed those -bones ourselves, on purpose to draw you and Marmaduke -out. We gathered up a heap of bones of all kinds, from -all over, and brought them here, and covered them up -with boughs. Then we six came here to explore the -jungle—we found them—and you did the rest.”</p> - -<p>The victimized boys did not swoon away, but they -were more or less exasperated. That was the worst -feature in the “trick”—it provoked anger in George and -Marmaduke, and lessened their faith in human nature.</p> - -<p>“What a mean, hateful, nasty set of fellows!” was -George’s natural comment. “They must be fond of -prowling around bone-heaps; and handling them; and -carrying them up and down the country; eh, Marmaduke? -They ought to be told off—clapper-clawed—bastinadoed—soused -in hot water! We’ll fix them some -day; won’t we?”</p> - -<p>“Only,” Steve observed, “<em>we</em> didn’t finger the bones -as you two did; <em>we</em> put them into a basket, and then -brought ’em here, and dumped ’em out—without <em>once</em> -touching ’em! Therefore, I advise you both to lather and -scrub your paws with all the soap you can find. Scrub -’em hard, boys, if you know what is good for ’em.”</p> - -<p>“Yes,” put in Will, “it is polite to handle skeletons and -fossils, but not vulgar bones like these.”</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_84" id="Page_84">[84]</a></span></p> - -<p>“Oh! what scurvy boys!” was all poor George could -say.</p> - -<p>As for Marmaduke, he held his tongue, being too sulky, -too horrified, to do more than gurgle out a few dismal -moans.</p> - -<p>“Well, boys,” said Charley, “it will soon be dinnertime; -so let us cover up these mysterious old bones, and -start for home and the soap-barrel.”</p> - -<p>But George was recovering his equilibrium, and he -thirsted for revenge. A light that boded no good to his -deceivers shone in his eyes; he was bent on mischief.</p> - -<p>“Look here, boys,” he began, “how do you know these -are the same bones you accumulated? We stumbled -around in the woods just as it happened; we found ourselves -here; and Will suddenly found himself floundering -in this brush-heap. Can you <em>prove</em> this is the place you -think it is?”</p> - -<p>“It is not likely that there are bones under all these -bushes, George;” said Charley. “Besides, we took notice -where we were going, and we’ve often been here. I’m -certain its the place.”</p> - -<p>“No; you can’t be <em>certain</em>; absolutely <em>certain</em>;” -George replied, so positively that Will, who lacked firmness, -wavered, and helped George’s cause by saying, “Well, the -place has a different look, I believe! But these <em>must</em> be -the bones, surely!”</p> - -<p>“It looks different, because we generally came in from -the south;” Steve returned. “Any boy with two eyes -isn’t going to get so far astray in these woods.”</p> - -<p>“Well, what if it isn’t the place we think it is?” Will -asked.</p> - -<p>“Oh, you will have to give in that it’s murder,” Marmaduke -said. “I knew it was murder all the time. How -do you know that nobody was ever murdered here? You -don’t know anything about bones; George is most likely -right.”</p> - -<p>“Don’t make a fool of yourself again, Marmaduke; let -us go home,” Steve growled, and he had taken a step -homeward, when a long and doleful cry, followed by a -hideous and piercing scream, electrified all the boys.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_85" id="Page_85">[85]</a></span></p> - -<p>They conjured up all sorts of horrors, and the bravest -turned pale with fright. Suddenly the “glade” became -gloomy and awful; bugbears lurked in the shadows; -ghost stories flitted through their heads; the “Phantom -Ship” loomed before them.</p> - -<p>“Don’t talk about murder, boys; I can’t stand it so -coolly as you can,” Will entreated, with a quavering -voice that told of abject terror.</p> - -<p>“Oh, what is the matter?” Steve gasped. “What could -yell like that?”</p> - -<p>At that instant another shriek, more appalling than the -first, rang out, rose and fell in grating discord, and then -died away in the distance.</p> - -<p>It was sufficient; Charley himself believed that they -had made a mistake, and had been desecrating a human -skeleton. Was this the ghost of the murdered one, or was -it the perpetrator of the deed?</p> - -<p>Instinctively the demoralized heroes huddled together, -and Marmaduke found comfort in whispering hoarsely, -“Now the mystery is going to be solved. I knew it was -mur—”</p> - -<p>One more shriek! The ghost was very near them now, -and its lungs were strong. But it labored under the disadvantage -of a cracked voice; or perhaps it was not “in -practice.” At all events, the sound was so wild, so awful, -that they shuddered with horror—they felt their flesh -crawl—cold chills ran down their back.</p> - -<p>This is not exaggeration; the boys were not easily -frightened; but the ghost—who was at an age at which -the voice is subject to changeable and discordant utterance—was -exerting himself to the utmost.</p> - -<p>“I won’t budge, no matter what happens!” Steve declared -heroically.</p> - -<p>“No, we must stick by each other, boys,” Will added.</p> - -<p>Once again the ghost found voice This time, however, -it spoke—spoke in tones of fury. “Who dares to -say there was not murder here!” was thundered forth. -“Who dares to touch my bones! Let—him—be—ware!”</p> - -<p>This was too much. With a yell of horror and dismay, -four boys started to their feet and tore out of the<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_86" id="Page_86">[86]</a></span> -“jungle,” morally certain that a band of furious demons -was hard behind them.</p> - -<p>“Its dangerous to stay,” Marmaduke said, “for that -is poetry!”</p> - -<p><em>Four</em> boys fled; George lagged behind. “They’ve -caught Jim’s disease!” he chuckled ecstatically. “I’ll -teach ’em not to palm off old bones on me! Perhaps -they’ll find that I can play a trick that knocks theirs all -hollow!”</p> - -<p>He performed a jig, and then set out in mad pursuit of -his comrades.</p> - -<p>We assign no reason for this act; but if the reader was -ever a boy, he will understand.</p> - -<p>George gave a yell of triumph; but it savoured so -strongly of fear that Will, who had gained an open space, -called out cheerily, “Don’t be afraid, George, if it’s you. -Come straight ahead; here we are.”</p> - -<p>“What on earth made such a rumpus?” demanded -Stephen, already recovered from his fright.</p> - -<p>“It must have been something; but of course we were -not frightened;” said the others, whose fears the bright -sunshine and the twittering birds had dispelled.</p> - -<p>“The idea of saying I was afraid!” George roared. “I -did that myself.”</p> - -<p>“You made that noise?” gasped the four, in one -breath.</p> - -<p>“Yes, boys; I was the ghost;” George said complacently.</p> - -<p>“And the murder—?” Marmaduke began.</p> - -<p>“Never was!” George declared. “Boys, last night I -was reading about ventriloquism; and I set to work and -practised it. The man that wrote it said, ‘After five -minutes’ practice, the veriest tyro will find himself able to -rout a coward;’ and I guess he was right.”</p> - -<p>“Botheration! we are sold!” Charles exclaimed, in surprise -and mortification.</p> - -<p>“Yes; you fooled me, and I fooled you all. We’re -even now.”</p> - -<p>Steve winced when the Sage again made reference to -the learned ventriloquist’s weighty observation, and demanded<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_87" id="Page_87">[87]</a></span> -indignantly, “Why didn’t you tell us all that -before? Why didn’t you ventriloquism as we came -along?”</p> - -<p>“I was only waiting; I intended to do it before night,” -George said honestly.</p> - -<p>“You read too much, George;” Will commented sorrowfully. -“We won’t try to fool you any more.”</p> - -<p>“The worst of it is,” Charles said, with a droll smile, -“is that one of us can’t make fun of another, for we all -made fools of ourselves.”</p> - -<p>“There’s Jim,” Steve suggested.</p> - -<p>“So there is! Well, what about the murder?”</p> - -<p>“It certainly is a skeleton,” Marmaduke said grimly.</p> - -<p>“Well, to please you, let us call it an ‘open question,’” -George, who was now in jubilant spirits, observed.</p> - -<p>“Let us go back and look for the lost trinket; that will -solve the problem;” Stephen proposed.</p> - -<p>“Never mind the trinket, boys;” said Charley; “it -will keep till another day. But give me a scrap of paper -and a more respectable pencil than my own ruinous one, -and I’ll write something worth while.”</p> - -<p>Wonderingly, Marmaduke handed out the articles asked -for, and Charley wrote as follows:—</p> - -<div class="blockquote"> - -<p class="center">ONE SLATE PENCIL REWARD.</p> - -<p class="center">DEAD OR ALIVE!</p> - -<p>This reward will be given to anybody who revives a -ghost, dead or alive, to claim these bones and solve this -mystery.</p> - -<p class="right"><span class="smcap">C. Goodfellow.</span></p> - -</div> - -<p>Then, to prove his fearlessness, he retraced his steps to -the bones, looking as brave as the hero of an orthodox -love story, and pinned his notice to a scrubby tree hard by.</p> - -<p>Tracking his way back to his schoolfellows, he said, -“Boys, I’m hungry.”</p> - -<p>Without more ado the heroes turned their faces homewards, -each one except Marmaduke satisfied with his own -exploits. Marmaduke jogged on ahead in sullen silence; -and while the sage held forth, with schoolboy oratory, on<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_88" id="Page_88">[88]</a></span> -anatomy, astronomy, geology, navigation, jugglery, -osteology, whale-fishing, and ventriloquism, the other -three amused themselves by carving baskets out of peach-stones, -and wounding their index fingers in the hazardous -attempt.</p> - -<hr class="chap" /> - -<h2 id="Chapter_IX">Chapter IX.<br /> -<span class="smcap">“Three Wise Men Went to Sea in a Bowl.”</span></h2> - -<p>A few days later the boys gathered together and -strolled down to the beach, hoping something there would -turn up to amuse them.</p> - -<p>Two or three schooners and a steamboat were moored -at the wharf; but to-day they excited only a languid interest -in the boys.</p> - -<p>“If we could only go out on the lake,” Will murmured, -“it would be fun.”</p> - -<p>“Why, where should we go?” inquired one.</p> - -<p>“Oh, just out on the lake for a mile or so; or perhaps -we might round the point and have a swim in our swimming-place.”</p> - -<p>“Well, then,” said Jim, always with an eye to safety -and comfort, “why not get out your father’s boat? -Wouldn’t it float us all? And it’s so safe!”</p> - -<p>“Yes,” said Will, “it’s pretty safe—very safe in the -boat-house. And the key of the boat-house is safer still, -at home! That’s the way it goes, boys; and when I want -a boat ride, I generally struggle around the best I can. -It isn’t worth while to trudge home for it; because, most -likely, we should find something else to do when we got -there. But I think we can light on a craft of some sort -if we scratch around a little.”</p> - -<p>Although Will’s father owned a boat, the key of his -boat-house was always kept at home; and poor Will was -about as much benefited as are most boys whose fathers -own boats, and ponies, and carriages.</p> - -<p>“I hanker for a boat ride,” Charley said. “Let us take -the punt.”</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_89" id="Page_89">[89]</a></span></p> - -<p>“The punt, of course!” Steve chimed in. “The punt -is just what we want.”</p> - -<p>“Oh,” groaned Jim, “the punt is dirty and worn out; -and it leaks; and it tips over; and it won’t go; and an -awful storm is going to come up!”</p> - -<p>“Look here, boys,” the Sage began, “Jim’s half-way -right about that punt; it’s vulgar! And besides, it isn’t -so safe as it ought to be. Only the other day, I read about -some boys that went out in a cockle-shell of a boat,—I -suppose it meant a punt; only, as I told you, punt is very -vulgar, too vulgar for this author, at any rate,—and all -got drowned! And another thing; I’ve been reading -about the weather lately, and I understand just how it -goes now.”</p> - -<p>And the Sage looked so knowing that it was difficult -for the boys to suppress their laughter. He was now -casting intelligent glances at the sky, the birds, the -grasshoppers, the lake, and even the ground. Soon he -spoke.</p> - -<p>“Boys,” he said, as impressively as he knew how, “I’m -saying nothing rashly, but deliberately and—and—<em>correctly</em>. -I’ve observed the weather indicators, and <em>a -dreadful storm is coming up fast</em>! A storm that will -stun an equinoctial, and tear Germany all to pieces.”</p> - -<p>And the meteorologist’s form swelled with science and -satisfaction.</p> - -<p>“Whereas, on account of these gloomy auguries, resolved: -that we go home and hide in the cellar hatchway till the -storm is over,” Charles commented.</p> - -<p>“No, boys; I’m in earnest, and I don’t care to go out -in the punt,” George said firmly.</p> - -<p>“I want to inquire into this drowning affair,” Steve said, -“Didn’t you read about it in a little gilt-edged story-book?”</p> - -<p>“Well, yes, I did,” George reluctantly acknowledged. -“But, what of that?”</p> - -<p>“Only this, were they all bad boys?”</p> - -<p>“Come to think, they were.”</p> - -<p>“That accounts for it then. They always put those -solemn tales in books for little boys that get sick, and<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_90" id="Page_90">[90]</a></span> -can’t get out doors, to make ’em think that a sound boy is -always bad, and that it’s better to be sick. But somehow -the superintendent always make a muddle of it, and give -all those books to little girls. My little sisters have got a -big cigar box chock-full of ’em, endwise up, and I never -got one!”</p> - -<p>“Yes, I know them; each nine chapters and a preface -long,” said Charley.</p> - -<p>“They’re the ones,” said Steve.</p> - -<p>“What do your sisters do with them?” Will asked.</p> - -<p>“Oh, they mostly build houses with ’em on rainy days,” -Steve answered. “Now, we are not bad boys—never -were. We are a first-rate crew, so let us go. But to -please you, George, I’ll go and ask that sailor about the -weather. I guess he ought to know, if anybody’s going -to.”</p> - -<p>Without loss of time, Steve went up to a sailor a little -way off, and inquired, “Bill, what sort of weather are we -going to have to-day?”</p> - -<p>“Weather,” echoed Bill, grinning good-humoredly. -“Well, look out for a rough gale; pretty rough and pretty -long. Yes, there’ll be an awful blow—a hurricane—a -typhoon!” he added, remarking Steve’s dissatisfied looks, -and mistaking their cause. “Why, who knows but that -there’ll be a zephyr that’ll swoop the hold clean out of -a vessel and carry a door-knob clean over a flag staff.”</p> - -<p>Stephen appeared more dissatisfied than ever; and the -jocose sailor, who wished to please him, was about to give -a startling account of what the weather <em>might</em> be; but -more than satisfied, Steve thanked him, and returned to -the expectant five.</p> - -<p>“Well, what does he say?” Will demanded.</p> - -<p>Stephen dejectedly repeated what the sailor had told -him.</p> - -<p>George was not in a humor to say, “I told you so!” On -the contrary, he was furious against the sailor. He allowed -his indignation to boil for a few moments, and then -exclaimed, haughtily, “What does that man know about -the weather? Why, he doesn’t know any more about it -than a caged dromedary. Why, he’s nothing but a lubber—a -fresh-water sailor—a stone-boater—a—a—”</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_91" id="Page_91">[91]</a></span></p> - -<p>“And, besides,” chimed in Marmaduke, “that isn’t the -way a genuine sailor talks. He must be some disguised—”</p> - -<p>“Yes, of course it isn’t; of course he is;” George broke -in. “He is some disguised vagabond, trying to humbug -us fellows. Come along, boys; I’m going with you in -that punt, through thick and thin, in the teeth of every -lubberly sailor, and wishy-washy weather indicator, -and high toned thunder-storm, that ever astonished anybody!”</p> - -<p>This strikes the key-note to the Sage’s character.</p> - -<p>But Stephen was angered. “See here, George,” he exclaimed, -“that man is an honest sailor and a decent fellow, -and you just let him alone!”</p> - -<p>The boys, thinking time enough had been fooled away, -then made a rush for the punt. This punt was an old -derelict, heavy, unwieldy, full of chinks, and boasting of -only two crazy poles, called “oars,” or “paddles,” or -“sculls,” according to the humor of the wretch who gallanted -them. No one could step into this craft without -getting wet; and why it was kept there, or what use it -was to the community, was unknown; for no one, except -a few freckled and grimy street urchins, ever shoved off -in it. Perhaps it was kept for them!</p> - -<p>The six, however, had urged their way round the -wharf in it.</p> - -<p>“Come along, Jim!” Steve shouted, seeing that Timor -lagged behind.</p> - -<p>“Such a dirty boat to get into!” Jim objected. “And -I’ve got my good clothes on, too!”</p> - -<p>“Come, now, Jim, you and George are altogether too -careful of your clothes. If they are so new and good, or -so old and rotten, that you can’t go with us, then stay -at home. Hurry up, you’ve got to go with us,” and -Steve forced him in—an unwilling passenger.</p> - -<p>And so the adventurous boys embarked in this dirty -and dilapidated craft, with which Time, so to speak, had -worked wonders.</p> - -<p>“How are we to make the crazy thing go?” Will -asked, when fairly afloat, looking around in vain for any -motive power.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_92" id="Page_92">[92]</a></span></p> - -<p>It is always thus with boys. Not till their own imprudence -plunges them into difficulties, do they pause to -consider what it all means, and what they had better do. -When a boy is small he clambers upon the roof of his -father’s barn, enjoys the perspective for one brief moment, -and then ruminates as to how he shall get down. -His mother sees him, and with tears in her eyes and dismay -at her heart, tears out of the house, and exclaims, -“Oh, Johnnie, why did you get up there?” Then the -little innocent answers stoutly, “Well, ma, I reckoned if I -could get up, I could get down again. Now, you jest -watch, and I’ll climb down like a spider. Don’t be afraid, -ma, it’s nice up here; I can see Mr. Morley’s shed,” (the -object which bounds his view.) When older, he “volunteers;” -girds on his uniform with swelling heart; breathes -the word <em>patriotism</em> with lover-like tenderness,—and -then! Ah! then he fears to confront his father.</p> - -<p>“Botheration!” cried Stephen, “we’ve left those oars -on shore! There they are; behind Reichter’s boat-house. -Back her up, boys, and I’ll jump out and get ’em.”</p> - -<p>Poor sea-farers! In their eagerness to be off they had -“set sail” without the “oars.” After a great struggle, -they succeeded in urging the punt back so that Steve -could jump ashore. Then the dauntless young voyagers -told off the crew, and struck out gallantly.</p> - -<p>“Now, Tim,” said Stephen, “if you’ll take that old -oyster-can, and bale out this vessel, you’ll feel so much -at home that you’ll be happy; and bye-and-bye I’ll help -you.”</p> - -<p>“It has no business to leak,” Jim grumbled. “But I -told you it did!” he added, triumphantly.</p> - -<p>“Of course it does; what’s a boat, if it doesn’t leak?” -Steve snorted.</p> - -<p>On they went; drifting, paddling, and sculling; laughing -and joking. It seemed so joyous and secure that -even Timor lost his uneasiness. Before they had determined -whither they were going, the abutments of the -wharf were passed, and they were fairly out on the lake. -The farther they went, the higher their spirits rose, and -the more jocose they became. Not one of them troubled -himself about a storm.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_93" id="Page_93">[93]</a></span></p> - -<p>“Well, boys, we can round the point, and have our swim -right along. Let us do it,” said Will.</p> - -<p>“Yes, I haven’t had a swim in the lake for three weeks!” -Jim solemnly declared, as he rested a few minutes from -baling out the punt.</p> - -<p>The others were duly astonished at this (we say it -boldly) neglect of duty.</p> - -<p>Steve, who was tugging lustily at his oar, called out to -George, the helmsman: “Fetch her around, there, old -fellow; brace about for the shore, will you? Don’t be so -lubberly, now, or you’ll keel her over. Hug her up for -the shore, I tell you!”</p> - -<p>“Look here, Stephen Goodfellow, I can navigate this -dingy without so many orders; so, let me alone!” the -helmsman retorted, indignantly.</p> - -<p>“Now, boys,” said Will, “if we are mariners, let us behave -ourselves. A captain and his crew always act in -harmony, like a drummer’s drum and a tooter’s horn.”</p> - -<p>“Of course,” chimed in Charley. “They don’t wrangle -like a couple of bumpkins of boys in their collarless shirt -sleeves.”</p> - -<p>“What’s a dingey?” asked Jim.</p> - -<p>“I—I believe it isn’t in my dictionary; but it’s a good-for-nothing -craft, that is always an eyesore to the noodle -that harbors it,” said George.</p> - -<p>The punt was headed for the beach; but a decided -swell, which had hitherto been in their favor, was now -against them, and progress was slow. By dint of exertion -however, in the course of time, they grounded their craft -at the water’s edge, and sprang out to enjoy their bath. -The gloomy speculations about the weather were forgotten, -and not one noticed the threatening clouds looming up in -the west.</p> - -<p>The old sailor had not trifled with them; a storm was -brewing.</p> - -<p>Although their swimming-place was somewhat difficult -of approach, it was retired and delightful, the great resort -of all the swimmers in the neighborhood. That was the -only drawback; it was too much resorted to by swimmers. -But to-day the boys had it all to themselves.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_94" id="Page_94">[94]</a></span></p> - -<p>“Well,” said Marmaduke, as he plunged into the water, -“we boys and the rest of the folks are acquainted with a -good place to swim in, as the Frenchman would say.”</p> - -<p>“Never mind the Frenchman now, Marmaduke;” replied -Will; “English will float you through the world.”</p> - -<p>Jim had hardly stepped into the water when he cried -out, “Oh, boys, the water is too cold and nasty; I’m shi-i-ivering!”</p> - -<p>“Well, then,” sang out Steve, whose head was bobbing -up and down some thirty yards from the shore, “bundle -on your clothes, and play the anchor to that punt. It’ll -drift across the lake, if somebody doesn’t take charge -of it.”</p> - -<p>But it <em>was</em> cold and disagreeable, and their swimming -was of short duration. They waded ashore with chattering -teeth, and huddled on their clothes as quickly as their -shivering limbs would permit.</p> - -<p>“Boys, suppose that we go home by land?” Steve proposed. -“It wouldn’t be so very far, and then it would -be a change.”</p> - -<p>“That’s a capital idea, Steve; but what would become -of the dingey? We mus’n’t leave it here,” said Will.</p> - -<p>“Then let us make off.”</p> - -<p>Without delay the six took their places in the punt, -and shoved off.</p> - -<p>There was now not only a perceivable swell, but also -a perceivable breeze. In a word, the scullers found that -it was unnecessary to handle their sculls, for the punt -drifted merrily seaward without a stroke from them.</p> - -<p>“Look here, boys,” cried the Sage, prefacing his remarks, -as usual, with his darling expression, “we could -hardly make the shore a while ago; and now just see -how fast we are drifting out! I don’t believe we could -get back to our swimming place; let us try it.”</p> - -<p>“Let us be glad that we are getting a boat-ride without -work,” was Steve’s foolish comment.</p> - -<p>But his fellow-voyagers considered the matter in a -different light, and tried to back the oars. They could -still do so, but only by putting forth all their strength. -Their situation was now so critical that they turned pale -with dread.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_95" id="Page_95">[95]</a></span></p> - -<p>“O dear!” gasped Timor, too frightened to say more.</p> - -<p>“Why didn’t we go home by land!” Steve ejaculated.</p> - -<p>“Pity we didn’t do that,” Will said. “Before we could -row ashore, the swell would be too much for us, wouldn’t -it?”</p> - -<p>“Of course it would,” George answered.</p> - -<p>“And we’re almost too far from shore to swim to it,” -Charles asked, rather than said.</p> - -<p>“Couldn’t swim there without getting the cramps, -Charley,” Will replied, in a hoarse whisper.</p> - -<p>“Look to the west!” Jim cried in terror. “Oh, boys! -I’ve got ’em! got the chills! dreadful chills! awful chills! -O boys! we shall all be drowned! We’ll perish! We’ll be -drownded! drownded to death! Oh! what a dreadful -storm!”</p> - -<p>All looked towards the west, and saw that a storm -was almost upon them. The black clouds piling up were -certainly ominous; the breeze was getting stiffer every -minute; the lake was getting rougher.</p> - -<p>“Well boys we’re caught!” Stephen said gravely. -Poor boy! all his mirth had forsaken him.</p> - -<p>But it was now convenient for George to remember -that he had prognosticated a storm; and, forgetting the -incident of the “disguised” sailor, he exclaimed, “Yes -Steve, we’re in a tight place. But I was right about -the storm, boys.”</p> - -<p>Steve was too much flurried to remind the boy that he -had arrived at a different conclusion, scouted the idea of -a storm, and determined to accompany them.</p> - -<p>“Well, boys,” said Marmaduke, “this is a storm at sea: -let us enjoy it while it lasts.”</p> - -<p>“No, Marmaduke, let us be thankful that it is <em>not</em> a -storm at sea,” Will replied. “As for enjoying it, that -would be pretty hard work. Don’t you know that we -are in danger?”</p> - -<p>“O dear! what will become of us!” Jim groaned.</p> - -<p>The shock was wearing off now; and Charley found -courage to ask, jocularly, “Is that all you have to say, -Marmaduke? I expected something better from you.”</p> - -<p>Steve put in promptly, though he was still very much<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_96" id="Page_96">[96]</a></span> -discomposed: “Oh, Marmaduke’s mouth is full of words; -he’s only puzzling which to say first.”</p> - -<p>“Look here, boys,” said the Sage, “how far astray was -I about the weather?”</p> - -<p>“Very far, George; nearly as far as that miserable -stone-boater,” Steve answered maliciously.</p> - -<p>This nettled George, and he asked testily in a grum -voice, “What about the little books now, Steve? Don’t -you think they were right enough?”</p> - -<p>“Well, George, it seems like it, surely enough,” Steve -acknowledged.</p> - -<p>“Don’t say spiteful things when we are in such -danger,” Charles here interposed. “And besides,” he -added, “we are all in the same scrape, and no one is to -blame for it. So, let us lay our wise heads together, and -try to save ourselves.”</p> - -<hr class="chap" /> - -<h2 id="Chapter_X">Chapter X.<br /> -<span class="smcap">The “Bowl” Comes to Grief.</span></h2> - -<p>The first shock had now passed away, and the foolhardy -scullers were beginning to recover their spirits. Although -each one was still almost quaking with dread, -yet each one believed that they would be rescued; and -each one—except, perhaps, Jim—had a theory of his -own as to how it would be effected. They viewed the -matter logically. To them, it did not seem possible that -six clever boys, determined, true, and good, (the writer -and the reader may not agree to this) could perish so -near home. They searched their minds diligently, conscience -helping them, and many little things that made -them uneasy were remembered; still: <em>they would be -rescued, they knew it</em>.</p> - -<p>The punt was now a long way out on the lake; the -point was passed; looking longingly towards home they -could discern the vessels at anchor, the wharf, and several -buildings in the village.</p> - -<p>In the confusion of the moment, they had left off bailing<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_97" id="Page_97">[97]</a></span> -out the ramshackle punt, in which there were, -consequently, three or four inches of water. A dead fish -and half a dozen emaciated fish-worms—abandoned, a -few days before, by an amateur angler of ten years—were -carried hither and thither over the bottom of the -punt, adding to the ghastliness of the scene.</p> - -<p>Jim was the first to discover the water washing over -his boots. Here was a new source of distress. Forgetting -the storm, which was still more or less in the distance, -his attention was centred upon that water. To -him, in his “good clothes,” it was more to be dreaded -than the bellowing waves, or the approaching storm. -Thus, gentle reader, we get an insight into the boy’s -character.</p> - -<p>“O dear!” he said piteously, “my feet are soaking -wet in the bottom of this nasty boat; and I’m cold; and -I’m catching cold; and I’ve got the chills.”</p> - -<p>“Well, then, set on to your feet and bale her out,” Steve -growled. “I guess we don’t want to drown in this old -coal-slide of a punt.”</p> - -<p>Heaving an agonizing sigh, Jim snatched up the floating -oyster-can, and fell to work. Poor boy! his toil was -monotonous and painful.</p> - -<p>“Is it worth while to row?” Charley asked, not hopelessly, -but speculatively.</p> - -<p>“Perhaps not, but it will keep up our spirits, anyway,” -Will said. “Steer it, George,” he added. “It would -seem like giving up all hope, if we don’t do something to -help ourselves.”</p> - -<p>Foolish fellow! he could not realize that it was out of -their power to help themselves.</p> - -<p>“This is a sorry ending for our little trip, and things -look pretty black for us,” George observed, “Charley, -how do you suppose we can be rescued?”</p> - -<p>Thus appealed to, Charles assumed an air of importance, -and said knowingly, “If this wind should get much -worse, we shall be driven away out into the lake, and -perhaps lost; unless—” here he hesitated.</p> - -<p>“Unless what?” Jim demanded, with much emotion.</p> - -<p>“Well, a passing schooner might pick us up, but there -is none in sight.”</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_98" id="Page_98">[98]</a></span></p> - -<p>This was <em>his</em> theory. Nothing would have pleased -the young Argonaut more than to be picked up by a passing -sailing-vessel; and for this reason, he was morally certain -that, sooner or later, such would be the case. Why -he chose to speak so doubtfully about it, is best known -to himself. Probably the sharp young reader can guess.</p> - -<p>“Or, they might send for us from home; but I can’t -see anybody coming along in a life-boat,” Will said, giving -his particular theory.</p> - -<p>“Haven’t any life-boat to send; and I guess they -won’t telegraph for one!” Steve exclaimed rudely.</p> - -<p>“Oh, you mean fellow!” Jim broke in, apostrophizing -unpoetic Stephen. “You made me come, and you’ve got -to get me home!”</p> - -<p>“The truth is, we may as well prepare for the worst!” -George said, deliberately and with seeming sincerity. -But the grin on his face belied his words. He was only -waiting for a fit time to pronounce his opinion—the most -extravagant of all.</p> - -<p>“George, how long could a fellow live on the water -without any food?” Steve inquired, not at all awed by -George’s lugubrious asseveration.</p> - -<p>“Oh, how long?” said George, so pleased to have an -opportunity of drawing on his extensive and miscellaneous -reading that he lost track of his own pet theory. -“Well, boys, a shipwrecked sailor once lived twenty-two -days without food; but he was a fat old fellow—a captain, -I think he was. Now, in our case—”</p> - -<p>“Don’t talk nonsense, George;” Will interrupted at -this point. “We are not going to experiment in that -way; for <em>on the lake</em>,” with significant emphasis, “we -shall not have a chance to see how long we can live -without food, as it’s either saving or drowning with us. -Look at those clouds again. It will rain in a few minutes. -But cheer up! I think we shall be safe at home -within three hours; and then this storm will be an episode -in our lives as long as we live. If we could only -let the folks on shore know, they’d soon come along.”</p> - -<p>“Yes, if we could open up communication with the -people at home!” Charley sighed.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_99" id="Page_99">[99]</a></span></p> - -<p>“Boys,” said Marmaduke, with great animation, “I -can tell you how to do that; tie a handkerchief, or something -else, to one of the sculls!”</p> - -<p>“Good for you, Marmaduke!” Charles cried, with delight. -“You are a genius!”</p> - -<p>“Yes, Marmaduke, you’ve hit on the very thing!” said -Steve. “Now, whose is the largest?—Mine is;” and -two minutes later Steve’s handkerchief was fluttering as -a flag.</p> - -<p>“I—I was just thinking about that, too;” Jim stammered.</p> - -<p>A hearty laugh—the first since they had left their -swimming-place—burst from the boys at this.</p> - -<p>The little white flag on the oar was romantic; it inspired -hope in them; they became fearless, even merry. -Each one was sufficiently susceptible of romance to place -the greatest confidence in the saving powers of that little -handkerchief. It was medicine to Jim’s troublesome disorder, -while to Marmaduke it was everything. He sat -bolt upright, devouring it with his eyes, his heart going -at high pressure. Environed with romance, with danger -on every side, he made an idol of the little square of -linen, which, but for his sapience, would not have left its -owner’s pocket. What did he care for danger? Though -they should float for hours, this would eventually save -them. Thus he sat, gazing eloquently and lovingly on -the white flag.</p> - -<p>Did we say <em>white</em>? Alas! it was not white! Two days -previous to this, Steve had made it serve him for a towel.</p> - -<p>Meanwhile, the breeze increased to a gale, and the punt -was tossed about in a manner to make even Steve fidgety, -while it made pigeon-hearted Jim draw groans expressive -of unutterable agony. The sinking sun was hidden by -black clouds; the storm was upon them. In fact, their -situation was really becoming desperate.</p> - -<p>“Why is it so dark, boys?” Jim articulated faintly.</p> - -<p>“Why, surely enough, it’s so dusk, so <em>hazy</em>, that we -can hardly see the harbor!” George said.</p> - -<p>“My stars, boys, it’s an eclipse!” cried Steve, forgetting -his peril in the excitement of his astounding discovery.<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_100" id="Page_100">[100]</a></span> -“An eclipse! The down-rightest eclipse that -ever was! George,” banteringly, “don’t you wish you’d -brought in something about this eclipse when you were -foretelling the weather!”</p> - -<p>The Sage experienced some of the emotions of a huffish -philosopher when floored by a hulking lout from the -copper regions.</p> - -<p>George’s words had directed Charley’s attention towards -the harbor. “Oh! Look! look!” he cried. -“They’re coming! coming at last!”</p> - -<p>“Where? where?” cried the others eagerly, stretching -over the gunwale of their crazy craft and peering into the -darkness.</p> - -<p>The water-loving boatmen soon descried a long-boat -drawing towards them.</p> - -<p>“Help at last!” Will ejaculated thankfully. “And it -will reach us barely in time to save us.”</p> - -<p>“The signal has done it, boys,” Marmaduke observed -with complacency.</p> - -<p>“Let us yell!” said Will.</p> - -<p>How they shouted! Their pent-up woes found vent, -and they shouted till hoarseness necessitated them to forbear.</p> - -<p>But the manager of the signal had not shouted, and -when the voices of the others finally died away in a discordant -murmur, he said snappishly, “You needn’t yell -like an hobomokko; this flag will guide them to us.”</p> - -<p>“Yes; but it’s better to yell,” Steve panted. “In fact, -I couldn’t help it!”</p> - -<p>“I wish we could stop this punt till they come up with -us,” Will said, “for we are drifting farther from them all -the time,” sighing to hear the water plunk against the -punt with remorseless and dreary monotony.</p> - -<p>“Well, we can’t anchor; but they’re rowing hard and -coming fast,” Charles replied.</p> - -<p>“Will, it’s your fault that we came; you proposed it;” -Jim said.</p> - -<p>“That may be, Jim,” the standard-bearer replied; “but -I think we all had a hand in it—except, of course, you. -But <em>I</em> am the one who has saved you, and saved us all.<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_101" id="Page_101">[101]</a></span> -This signal of distress has been sighted, and then immediately -they made ready to rescue us,” and he looked triumphantly -at the boys, defying a denial.</p> - -<p>“Oh, yes; I know it’s all right; I ain’t afraid;” Jim -said quickly.</p> - -<p>Stephen spoke next. “How everybody will laugh at -us!” he said, elaborating a dolorous sigh and putting on a -hideous grimace.</p> - -<p>Now that succor was at hand, this thought began to -depress his mind.</p> - -<p>The approaching long-boat was a fascinating sight to -all, to Marmaduke especially. As it drew nearer, the -latter suddenly and most unwarrantably struck the improvised -flag and stuffed it into Stephen’s coat-pocket. Had -he become ashamed of it? Could he be so base? No! -no! but it was not needed now!</p> - -<p>In good time the long-boat came within hailing -distance.</p> - -<p>“Hollo there, you lubbers!” a voice bellowed. “You’re -a pretty lot of fellers, ain’t you?”</p> - -<p>“Why didn’t he say, ‘Ship, ahoy!’ or ‘Boat, ahoy!’” -Marmaduke murmured.</p> - -<p>“You mean, why didn’t he say, ‘Punters, ahoy!’” -Steve corrected.</p> - -<p>George felt it incumbent on him to make some reply, -so he called back feebly, “All right!”</p> - -<p>Each boy now began to “feel like an idiot,” as Steve -put it. Each one experienced the feeling that any boy, -caught in a similar predicament, would experience. The -writer has suffered in that way, and consequently knows -how to pity those miserable boys.</p> - -<p>The long-boat was soon alongside. It contained several -men,—among them, Will’s and Jim’s father, overjoyed at -this happy meeting,—and the sailor whom Steve had -questioned concerning the weather appeared to be leader.</p> - -<p>The rescue came about in this way: When the storm -was seen approaching, the boys were found to be missing, -and inquiries for them were at once instituted. For some -time these were fruitless; but at length Mr. Lawrence, -guessing shrewdly that they would be on the water at<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_102" id="Page_102">[102]</a></span> -such a time as this, went down to the wharf, and came -upon and interrogated the old sailor. “Well,” said the -latter, “one of ’em asked me about the weather, and I -expect they all went off on the lake, but I don’t know; I -saw ’em poking around for a boat, I guess it was, and -then I went into the hold of the schooner, and didn’t see -’em any more. We can overhaul them, Sir, but it will be -a long and hard pull.”</p> - -<p>This clue was sufficient; a good glass was procured, -and the boys were descried far out on the lake. Then a -boat was manned in hot haste, and put off to the rescue.</p> - -<p>“Well, younkers,” said the old sailor, “you must hurry -up, for there’s no time to be idled away.” Then, with a -sportive wink, (which the gloom made invisible) he added, -“I guess you fellers will believe me next time I warn you -to look out for blows.”</p> - -<p>“Yes, boys, you’ve done a foolish thing, but your -mothers will be so glad to see you that they’ll forgive -you,” a good-natured sailor observed.</p> - -<p>The transfer from the punt to the long-boat was soon -made, and then one of the rescuers demanded, “What -about this craft? Shall we cast it off, or tow it into harbor -for another set of boys to drown in?”</p> - -<p>But a practical man, who made it an established principle -of his life never to lose anything that came in his -way, passed his dictum that the punt must be preserved -at all risks.</p> - -<p>“Of course this will be a warning to all the boys,” he -said, “and it would be a sin to lose a ship-shape craft like -this. Just see how well it floated them! No boy is so -wrong-headed that he won’t profit by experience.”</p> - -<p>So, much to the chagrin of the boys, who now regarded -the punt with deadly hatred, it was hitched to the long-boat, -and the flotilla set sail for home.</p> - -<p>“Speaking of experience,” spoke up a furrow-faced -rower, who plied his oars lustily, “I never knew but one -boy that profited by experience, and he never did it but -once, when he couldn’t help himself, so to speak.”</p> - -<p>“What are the details of the particulars, Tom?” asked -one.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_103" id="Page_103">[103]</a></span></p> - -<p>“Well, the boy went fishing with a tinker, against -orders.”</p> - -<p>“And he profited—?”</p> - -<p>“’Cause he caught cold, and died of too much cough-syrup -and remorse.”</p> - -<p>“Boys,” said Mr. Lawrence, seriously, “you have risked -your lives for a moment’s pleasure, and even yet we are -in some peril. I do hope, I sincerely hope, that <em>you</em> will -profit by this lesson.”</p> - -<p>The boys turned pale. A second time they realized -their danger, and they breathed a silent prayer of thankfulness -for their deliverance.</p> - -<p>“What were you doing to help yourselves?” Mr. -Horner inquired.</p> - -<p>“We were trying to steer the punt as well as we could,” -Will answered.</p> - -<p>“What?” cried the furrow-faced sailor in astonishment. -“Steering? how? where? why? whew! where -on earth were you steering to?”</p> - -<p>“Well, we thought we’d keep it as straight as we -could,” Will said, apologetically.</p> - -<p>“Well,” gasped the sailor, not at all awed by the presence -of Messrs. Lawrence and Horner, “that beats me! To -think of a pack of noodles trying to save themselves by -steering, when their craft is going the wrong way!”</p> - -<p>To return to the punt. When Jim saw help approaching, -he did not bale the punt so carefully; consequently, -at the time of starting for home, there was considerable -water in it. Fuller and fuller it became; not only did -the water leak in through the cracks, but volumes of it -poured in over the stern. When almost filled, the lumbering -and water-soaked craft quivered a moment on the -surface of the waters, then suddenly sank, snapped the -rope by which it was tacked to the long-boat, and disappeared -forever.</p> - -<p>The practical man sighed meekly: the sailors grinned; -the rescued heroes chuckled audibly.</p> - -<p>So trifling an incident may seem a blot on these well-written -pages, but it is related because it discovers the -characteristics of boys.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_104" id="Page_104">[104]</a></span></p> - -<p>Will and Jim, awed by the parental presence, said but -little during the voyage homewards. Stephen, however,—whose -spirits neither strange gentlemen, nor blustering -seamen, nor chilling rains, nor raging seas, could damp,—soon -recovered his sprightliness, and demanded:—</p> - -<p>“Why didn’t you come for us in the steamboat there -at the wharf? It would have taken so much less time to -reach us.”</p> - -<p>“The steamboat!” echoed a sailor, wondering more -than ever at these boys. “Well, that beats all! A steamboat! -You must be a goose! You live beside the lake, -and I’ve seen you poking about the vessels and steamers, -as smart and pert as a homeless peanut boy; and -yet you ask me such a question! Don’t you know, from -watching the engineers, how long it takes to get on a -good head of steam? And, s’pose we had come for you -in the steamboat—why, it would have knocked you and -your ragamuffin’s punt endwise!”</p> - -<p>Steve fetched a hollow and piteous sigh, and mumbled -something about knowing something.</p> - -<p>“Yes, of course; but if you had brought along a few -gallons of oil,” suggested the sage, rejoicing in the opportunity -afforded for holding up his knowledge, even in so -hopeless a cause, “you could have calmed the water, -stopped the steamer, and picked us up without any -trouble.</p> - -<p>“Exactly—<em>if you had been worth a few gallons of oil</em>!” -was the crusty blue-jacket’s cutting reply.</p> - -<p>“The life-boat is the right thing to go and save people -in,” Marmaduke commented.</p> - -<p>“Yes, of course it is;” the sage hastened to observe. “I -only made the remark.”</p> - -<p>“I think you are very remark-able boys,” put in Mr. -Lawrence.</p> - -<p>“What made you think we were on the lake?” Will inquired.</p> - -<p>“I suppose you caught sight of my—<em>our</em>, I mean,—signal -of distress?” Marmaduke said placidly.</p> - -<p>“Your what? ‘Signal of distress?’ Well, that knocks -everything else on head: that is most extraordinary!” -the scandalized tar ejaculated.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_105" id="Page_105">[105]</a></span></p> - -<p>Poor fellow! The boys’ observations and inquiries had -kept him in a state of continual bewilderedness. It was -he who had expressed his astonishment so huffishly -every time.</p> - -<p>“Yes,” rejoined Marmaduke, “the handkerchief on the -oar. That brought you, didn’t it?”</p> - -<p>“I don’t know anything about any handkerchief on any -oar; and you must be crazy to think we could see one in -this darkness,” was the depressing answer. “But, to be -sure,” the sailor added, “I did notice that a pole with a -rag on it seemed to be lowered just before we came up to -you; was that the signal?”</p> - -<p>“Boys, I knew how fond you are of endangering your -lives, and when you were nowhere to be found, I shrewdly -suspected that you had found your way out into the -storm—and surely enough, you had!” Mr. Lawrence explained.</p> - -<p>“Marmaduke, don’t meddle with romance again!” -Charles whispered.</p> - -<p>“I never did like sailors, except in stories,” Marmaduke -muttered; “they are always a mean and sneering set of -fellows, except on the ocean.”</p> - -<p>“I never knew such fellows,” muttered the sage; “I—I -shouldn’t be surprised if they turn out to be ex-pirates!”</p> - -<p>“I’ll bet they are!” said Steve, who took kindly to this -brilliant idea. “Jim, I say, Jim,” he whispered slyly, -“it’s too bad you’re in your good clothes; for you’ll have -to change ’em for the old ones! Now, <em>we</em> can change for -our best.”</p> - -<p>“Let me row!” he said suddenly to the furrow-faced -rower, so coaxingly that the row-locks creaked in sympathy.</p> - -<p>“No, I came to save you, and I’ll be hanged if I don’t,” -the man said roughly. “You did the punting; just leave -me alone for the rowing.”</p> - -<p>Poor Stephen! He longed to take a turn with the -sailors in rowing, but this crushed him, and he was mute.</p> - -<p>“They’re not a bit like sailors,” he mumbled to himself, -drawing his water-soaked hat down over his gleaming -eye-balls.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_106" id="Page_106">[106]</a></span></p> - -<p>The men’s surliness, on this occasion, was because they -were disgusted with the worthies whom they had come so -far to save.</p> - -<p>Soon afterwards they reached the wharf, where a knot -of people had assembled to welcome them. A hearty hand-shaking -followed, and then the six, mighty heroes, in <em>their</em> -eyes, were marched off home in triumph.</p> - -<p>At least six families were made happy and thankful -that night, for the boys had had a narrow escape.</p> - -<hr class="chap" /> - -<h2 id="Chapter_XI">Chapter XI.<br /> -<span class="smcap">A Talented Lecturer.</span></h2> - -<p>A few weeks later, the holidays, like all other good -things, came to an end, and the six returned to school.</p> - -<p>On the opening day a certain great man—great in -his own estimation, at least—was to deliver a speech to -the school children. This notable gentleman bristled with -facts and figures; but, alas! he had acquired so much -erudition that he had lost all sense of the fitness of things. -Having learned all that is possible for one mortal to -know, and yet live, he now made it his pursuit to journey -through the country, delivering lectures at the different -colleges, and sometimes, as in this instance, at the public -schools. There was nothing wicked about this most peculiar -man; but, with all his learning, he lacked one thing—practical -wisdom.</p> - -<p>He was of “slender bulk,”—that is, short and gaunt—saffron-faced, -and had a pugilistic and threatening manner -of poising himself while speaking, his hands, meantime, -describing geometrical curves that were picturesque -in the extreme. His eyes were sharp and prominent; his -nose followed suit: and his cane, which was stout and -elaborately ornamented, was worth, to descend to a hackneyed -comparison, an emperor’s ransom.</p> - -<p>He employed the same technical terms that he did when -addressing the most polished audiences; and, for that<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_107" id="Page_107">[107]</a></span> -reason, the younger children looked upon him as a sort of -hero, while to George and Marmaduke he was a full-fledged -demi-god. The former (George) listened attentively -to the lecture, and took mental note of the big -words, with a view to explain their import to his less -learned schoolfellows, should an opportunity offer for doing -so without too much ostentation. But, alas! poor -youth, many words which were strange to him rolled -glibly from the professors tongue.</p> - -<p>Here we pause—not to make a “digression,” but a vulgar -harangue.</p> - -<p>The writer has the temerity to hazard the assertion -that there might be, in some lone corner of the world, an -English-speaking romancer, as familiar with a foreign language -as with his own, who could write a tale about people -speaking that language, and yet have his tale so purely -and thoroughly English that the most neuralgic critic -could not cavil or repine. But this is only a rash surmise, -and is probably fanciful.</p> - -<p>Or is it only those who have acquired a smattering of -another language that are so eager to lug in words and -phrases peculiar to that language?</p> - -<p>When will the mediocre writer of English come to understand -that his meanest, as well as his sublimest ideas, -may be manifested with as much force in English as in -any other language? Alas, never! Instead of saying -“such a man is a sharper,” he says, “such a man is a -<i lang="fr">chevalier d’industrie</i>.” What could be more expressive -than “he is a devil of a fellow?” And yet our learned -penmen prefer to say, “he is <i lang="it">uomo stupendo</i>!” It is a -notorious fact, that whatever language a writer is most -conversant in, he draws upon oftenest. Happily, the -reading public are not much bored with scraps from the -Esquimau.</p> - -<p>But, protests the reader, there are certain terms, and -entire phrases, that are not yet Anglicized, but that are -in everybody’s mouth.</p> - -<p>Very true; against the proper use of such terms and -phrases, <em>in moderation</em>, no objections can be raised.</p> - -<p>Having thus prated nonsense enough to incur the<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_108" id="Page_108">[108]</a></span> -deadly hatred of every sentimental scribbler to the -weeklies of rural towns, this interesting argument may be -dropped, particularly as it only heads up to the following -observation:—</p> - -<p>Our circumforaneous holderforth was one of those who -cannot make a speech without “borrowing from the classics;” -but (for the best of reasons, gentle reader) we kindly -suppress his redundancies in that respect.</p> - -<p>After a few introductory remarks, he cleared his throat, -and in sonorous tones began to speak of—hydrophobia! -Why he should pitch on that as a subject of discussion is -as great a marvel as the man himself. Possibly, he had -been bitten by an exasperated mad dog at some period in -his life, and could not overcome the temptation of speaking -of it now. But the probability is that he considered -himself the fountain-head of all sciences and theories, of -physics and etiology. At all events, whatever the wiseacre’s -motive may have been, it is certain that he spoke of -hydrophobia.</p> - -<p>“My dear little children,” he began, affectionately, “it -is of the utmost importance that you should be made acquainted -with the latest discoveries that science has made -with regard to that most subtle distemper, learnedly called -lycanthropy. To those among you who intend to become -physicians on attaining majority, this subject will be absorbingly -interesting. It is not my purpose to trace this -dread distemper from the first mention we have of it down -to the present time, but merely to give you a concise description -of its operations in the human system, from its -incipient stages to the final paroxysms, and also to touch -upon the various methods of treatment in repute among -those who have conquered immortality by their researches -in that field.</p> - -<p>“Probably none of you ever beheld a rabid canine. -When fleshed in the blood of his victims, he presents one -of the most appalling sights that the imagination can -conjure up, and rivals in ferocity the fabulous monsters -of the ancients. But in good time I shall discourse more -at large on his appearance; for the present it is sufficient -that I make apparent the—But,” breaking off abruptly,<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_109" id="Page_109">[109]</a></span> -“it is well that there should be a thorough understanding -between a speaker and his auditors.”</p> - -<p>Then, with that benevolent smile, peculiar to instructors -of juveniles when propounding their knotty questions, -he demanded, “Little ones, can you define <em>hydrophobia</em> -for me?”</p> - -<p>The “little ones” stared stolidly and helplessly, but -said nothing. The teacher, Mr. Meadows, looking encouraging—then, -beseeching—then, mortified—then, irritated—then, -wicked. Still the “little ones” maintained -silence, both the scholastic and his lecture being unintelligible -to them.</p> - -<p>He repeated his question; and George—who, although -he did not wish to be ranked with the “little ones,” yet -feared that the learned man might consider him equally -ignorant if he did not speak—rose prepared to give a -precise and lengthy definition.</p> - -<p>This strikes the key-note to the Sages character.</p> - -<p>But a mischievous little gum-chewer, who doubtless -could have answered with tolerable correctness, if he -had chosen to do so, forestalled him by shouting, at the -top of his voice: “Burnt matches and water, Sir!”</p> - -<p>Now, it is probable that the juveniles had a chaotic -idea of the signification of the word, though unable to -define it; and as the youngster just cited was generally -correct in his answers, they jumped to the conclusion -that he was correct this time; therefore, with a deafening -shout, some fifty “little ones” yelled: “BURNT -MATCHES and WATER, SIR!!!”</p> - -<p>Poor Teacher Meadows! The emotions with which his -bosom glowed, were written on his face; and he hitched -uneasily in his seat, with that look of grave displeasure -supposed to be peculiar to aggrieved persons.</p> - -<p>The professor, probably seasoned to such rebuffs, soon -recovered his equanimity, and turning to the older -scholars, asked, “Cannot <em>you</em> give me a satisfactory -answer? Come! Anyone! What is hydrophobia?”</p> - -<p>Again an answer quivered on Georges lips; but now -Charles forestalled him. Taking his cue from the gum-chewer, -Charley said, “Excuse me, sir, but you addressed<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_110" id="Page_110">[110]</a></span> -the little folk, and we, quite politely, left it for -them to answer. We know what it means, sir. Hysterphostia -is a sort of influenza that yellow dogs catch when -they’re fed on too much picnic victuals and spoilt -molasses. Then they’re turned loose, with tin cans on -their tails, for policemen to shoot at; and everybody that -sees them rushing along the street is sure to inhale -quinine hyster—”</p> - -<p>At this point the speaker’s voice was drowned by roars -of laughter from the astonished and delighted boys -and girls, and he sat down “amid thunders of applause.”</p> - -<p>They, at least, appreciated his absurd reply, his pretended -ignorance, and his unblushing effrontery in thus -wantonly insulting the august professor. They had -evidently taken a dislike to the scientific gentleman, who -was altogether too knowing for them, and, idiot-like, -rejoiced to see him thus grossly insulted.</p> - -<p>The teacher looked stern and furious, and endeavored -in vain to stop the hubbub. Was his noble patron -to be thus shamefully treated by a mob of ignorant and -good-for-nothing school-children, supposed to be under -his training and control? Must not the offenders be -made to smart for it?</p> - -<p>The professor himself was electrified. However, he -had too much self-respect to regard anything that a -school-boy might say, and after shooting Charles a look -of calm contempt, he resumed his discourse, and proceeded -to enlighten Teacher Meadows’ brazen-faced -blockheads. He spoke long and earnestly on all things -relevant to canine madness, and mad dogs, and at length -ventured to propose another question.</p> - -<p>“What should you do,” he asked, “if a mad dog -should burst into this apartment—his bloody eyes starting -from their sockets—his mouth wide open, reeking -with its lethal venom, and disclosing his cruel, hideous -fangs—he himself dashing headlong hither and thither, -in his ungovernable fury remorselessly laying low victim -upon victim—we ourselves imprisoned here, utterly unable -to extricate ourselves?—Ah! you may well shudder -at the frightful picture! I forbear. But I repeat, what -should you do? Boys and girls, listen:—</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_111" id="Page_111">[111]</a></span></p> - -<p>“All that is necessary is sufficient presence of mind, -together with firm reliance on your nerves, and you will -always be able to face and avert the most appalling -dangers. And this is the precept that I wish to impress -upon you: <em>Strive to acquire the habit of self-reliance, for -no habit is more important.</em>”</p> - -<p>“Yes, yes, boys and girls; mark that; always remember -that precept;” good Teacher Meadows cried, rising from -his seat, and smiling approval.</p> - -<p>But the darkened intellect of the juveniles could not -take in the weight of such a precept, and a faint murmur -of resentment passed from mouth to mouth. In the -momentary interruption that ensued, Steve, who sat -near an outside door, rose and slipped out quietly. “I -guess I’ll show the professor and the rest of the folks -what a <em>rabid canine</em> is like!” he chuckled sardonically.</p> - -<p>But the scene still lies within the school-house.</p> - -<p>The professor was in earnest, and he certainly seemed -capable of making personal application of his precepts, -though, alas! he had never been put to the test!</p> - -<p>“What should you do in such an emergency?” he -again demanded.</p> - -<p>But he did not wish for an answer, and now he had -the goodness to tell the gaping children what he should -do. “Without a moment’s deliberation,” he said, “I -should, almost mechanically, muster my strength, and -prepare to ward off the danger. Knife in hand, I should -calmly await his murderous onslaught, and when almost -upon me I should disarm his fury by ruthlessly -stabbing him to the heart.”</p> - -<p>To add force and illustration to his words, and to gain -credit with his hearers, the orator whipped out of his -pocket a treasure of a knife,—a knife, the possession of -which would have shot a thrill of happiness through any -understanding boy’s heart,—and brandished it wildly, -yet gracefully, slaying myriads of imaginary mad dogs.</p> - -<p>Certainly, he seemed master of the situation; but in -an actual attack of a mad dog he might have experienced -some difficulty in getting his knife out of his pocket, -and opened, in time.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_112" id="Page_112">[112]</a></span></p> - -<p>But where was the professor’s dignity? Why should -he make himself ridiculous for the pastime of idiotic -school-children?</p> - -<p>Although his spirit revolted at the thought of thus -sacrificing himself, yet his benevolence prompted him to -do many strange things for the instruction of the ignorant; -and on this occasion, he labored not to amuse, but -to discipline them.</p> - -<p>“Most magnanimous soul! most disinterested savant!” -breaks in the reader, struck with admiration for our -noble-minded professor.</p> - -<p>But when an audible titter ran round the company, the -philanthropist hastily pocketed his weapon. Not to be -turned from his purpose, however, he resumed his discourse, -and artfully harrowed up the feelings of his victims, -pausing occasionally to pronounce, and amplify on, -some wise and weighty precept.</p> - -<p>Teacher Meadows nodded his approbation; the tired -school-children became restless and thirsty; their feet -went to sleep; they rolled their watery eyes pleadingly. -Still the strong-lunged enthusiast continued to hold -forth, seemingly taking a malicious pleasure in preying -upon their emotions.</p> - -<p>Suddenly a distracted boy beheld an object that utterly -demoralized him. A piercing shriek of agony burst -from his lips, and his eye-balls gleamed like those of an -ambushed highwayman.</p> - -<hr class="chap" /> - -<h2 id="Chapter_XII">Chapter XII.<br /> -<span class="smcap">An Extraordinary Mad Dog.</span></h2> - -<p>It is now in order to follow up giddy-headed Stephen, -and see what mad plot had been hatched in his fertile -brain.</p> - -<p>By turning back a little way, the reader will find -that that hero left the audience-chamber immediately -after the professor had so vividly drawn the onslaught -of an imaginary mad dog.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_113" id="Page_113">[113]</a></span></p> - -<p>“It would serve the crazy old shouter right to test his -courage,” he muttered. “What business have people to -let such a man speak to chicken-hearted little young-muns, -all full of weak nerves, and awful to bellow? -He might scare some of ’em into fits! I know I’m fond -of ‘boorish tricks,’ as George calls them; but if Charley -can talk that way about hydrophobia and yellow dogs, -I guess I can safely play this one nice little trick. Why, -this would only be in the interests of common sense! -And,” cheerfully, “<em>how Jim would yell!!!</em>”</p> - -<p>Stephen’s mode of reasoning was exceedingly subtile—in -fact, like the speech of the philosopher on whom he contemplated -playing a trick, it is too subtile for our -comprehension. But so long as it removed his scruples, -he cared not a goose-quill what others might think.</p> - -<p>“Now,” he said to himself, “let me strike out my -plans. First is, to find my dog Tip; then, to white-wash -him and paint him. But,” doubtfully, “I’m afraid -I can’t get any white-wash or any paint. Anyway, it -would be better and more natural if I could get him on -the trail of some animal. Poor Tip! It’s too bad to treat -him so; but then it won’t hurt him any, and if the professor -keeps on working up their feelings, I guess there’ll -be a stunning howl when Tip bounces into the room, -the very picture of a ‘rabid canine’!”</p> - -<p>If Steve had tarried a little longer in the school, and -seen the professor as he flourished his murderous weapon, -he would have thought better of having Tip play the mad -dog.</p> - -<p>Hurrying along through the school-grounds, he finally -halted under a venerable and wide-spreading shade-tree, -beloved by all the girls and boys of the school. There -before him, rolled up in a ball, lay a vivacious-looking -dog, sleeping soundly.</p> - -<p>“Eh, Tip!” Steve said. “Good old boy! here you are, -just as I hoped.”</p> - -<p>At the first words the dog hopped up briskly, and began -to caress his master, frisking and barking to express -his delight, and disporting himself as only a pet dog can.</p> - -<p>It is conjectured that our young readers may be curious<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_114" id="Page_114">[114]</a></span> -to know what species of dog this was. Alas! it is impossible -to inform them. Neither his master Stephen nor -any other person in the village could affirm positively to -what particular species Tip belonged, but all agreed that -he was a dog of some sort. This much, however, is known -concerning him: He was of medium size and of divers -colors, black and white predominating, a universal favorite -with all the heroes and heroines of this history.</p> - -<p>“Eh, Tip, are you glad to see me? Shall we have -some sport? What do you say to a run in the road?”</p> - -<p>By way of answer, the dog seized his master’s pants -with his sharp teeth, and tugged playfully at them, his -way of angling for sport.</p> - -<p>“I guess you’ll do, Tip. You’ve got lots of fun in you, -if I can keep you going;” and Steve swung open the -gate of the school-grounds and passed out with a chuckle, -Tip hard at his heels.</p> - -<p>Then this giddy-headed boy and his unsuspecting dog -turned a corner of the fence, found themselves in a dusty -and unfrequented lane, and prepared for action.</p> - -<p>“Now, Tip,” said the young rascal, “if we can make -you run up and down this lane till you get all covered -with dust, and dirt, and slobber, our fortune’ll be made! -Come on, Tip; we shan’t need any white-wash nor any -paint. Eh, Tip?”</p> - -<p>Going on a little farther, till they reached the river, -this wicked boy incited his dog to plunge headlong into -the water after sticks and stones. Then, returning to the -lane, he urged the wet dog to course up and down in the -midst of the dust—sometimes after sticks, sometimes after -himself. The playful dog enjoyed the sport, and entered -into it fully. Soon he presented a woful appearance, but -Steve unpityingly spurred him on till he began to pant -hard.</p> - -<p>“Good!” cried he. “Pant away, Tip, and get yourself -well covered with slobber. That’s it! Run, now,—fetch -him, Tip; go for him. There, roll in the dust!”</p> - -<p>Thus he continued, till the poor dog was fagged out. -Then Stephen, even Stephen, relented, and thought seriously -of giving up his proposed experiment.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_115" id="Page_115">[115]</a></span></p> - -<p>But, ah! the reason was—</p> - -<p>“I’m afraid, Tip, that if you <em>run</em> back to school, you’ll -be too tired to scare them much, and if you <em>walk</em> back, -you’ll lose most of your foam and slobber. And perhaps -we might be too late, anyhow. Upon my word,” he cried -suddenly, “I never planned how I am to get you into the -building! I can’t go with you, and you can’t get in -alone!”</p> - -<p>In his indecision, Stephen retraced his steps to the gate -of the school-grounds, opened it, and with his eyes tried -to measure the distance from that place to the castellated -school-house—Tip, meanwhile, recovering his strength -and sportiveness.</p> - -<p>On a sudden, Fate interposed in the form of a muscular -and war-worn cat, which appeared leisurely crossing the -school-grounds. Tip saw it, and forgetting his weariness, -furiously gave chase.</p> - -<p>“Sic it, Tip! Sic it!” cried Steve, who, in the excitement -of the moment, apparently forgot his trick, and -eagerly joined in pursuit.</p> - -<p>Tip soon came up with his hereditary enemy, and a -frightful combat ensued. Instinct or the force of habit -impelled warlike puss to fight stoutly for escape, and he -rained blows and execrations, (in the cat language,) that -would have done credit to a battle-scarred pirate, upon -his assailant.</p> - -<p>Tip fought because of his “liking for the thing,” and -because his master was pricking him on to victory by -such spirit-stirring exclamations as: “Oh, sic it, Tip! Go -for him! Beat ’em! Maul ’em! Sh! sh! sh!”</p> - -<p>Rabid canine and outraged feline! Would that the -professor could have beheld the combat between them!</p> - -<p>Presently the dog, with a piteous howl, ceased to fight, -and rubbed his head vigorously on the ground; whilst -the cat, seizing its opportunity, scampered away towards -the school-house.</p> - -<p>“Poor little Tip!” said Steve remorsefully, as he observed -that his dog was reeking with dust, froth, wounds, -and <em>blood</em>.</p> - -<p>In a moment, however, Tip was up again and in hot<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_116" id="Page_116">[116]</a></span> -pursuit of the persecuted feline, but, not wishing to risk -another engagement, that redoubtable warrior found -refuge somewhere about the school. Not so Tip. He -dashed straight ahead, and made his way into the very -room in which were all the school-children, together with -Professor Rhadamanthus and Teacher Meadows.</p> - -<p>Steve was close on the dogs heels; but on seeing this, -he turned back and shot off in despair.</p> - -<p>“Oh!” he groaned, “this is worse than I meant it to -be! Every one’ll think that Tip is stark staring mad! O -dear me! What shall I do! what shall I do!”</p> - -<p>Tips arrival was most opportune. Thanks to the professor’s -vivid imagery, all the scholars were perspiring -with racking excitement, and so blood-stained an apparition -as Tip could not fail to create a commotion. Tip -still retained sufficient strength and agility to burst impetuously -into the room, and the sudden appearance of an -animated mass of slaver, wounds, and blood, was enough -to unhinge the mind of any school boy in the Union.</p> - -<p>There were more than one hundred boys in the school; -more than forty had a stout jack-knife in their left-hand -trowsers pocket; more than thirty had one in their right -hand trowsers pocket; some five had both a penknife and -a jack-knife about their person; about twenty phlegmatic -and chuckle-headed cubs—who took only a languid interest -in anything but peppermint candy, circus serpent-charmers, -and noisy fireworks—had their jack-knives -out, and were trying to while away the time by rounding -off the sharp angles of their brand-new lesson-books. As -for the others, they had lost their jack-knives on their -way to school, and consequently had none. Alas, professor! -your golden precept was lost on those youths! -Not one, <em>not one</em>, drew his knife to “stab the beast to its -heart.”</p> - -<p>An awful yell of consternation smote upon the air, as -the demoralized and panic-stricken boys and girls struggled -to escape. The young ladies were too prudent to -faint, but they screamed with a voice as shrill and discordant -as their brothers’. It fared worst with the little -girls, who were jostled about and shoved aside without<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_117" id="Page_117">[117]</a></span> -ceremony. Not a spark of gallantry animated the bosom -of those youths; each one strove to save himself, himself -only, and took no thought for the weaker and less active -girls. Rough and lubberly boys, in their struggle to -escape, brutally trod hats and bonnets, books and slates, -foot-stools and benches, and school-mates’ toes, under -foot. Such commotion had never been known in that -school. Suddenly a boy stepped heavily on the dog, and -poor Tip howled so lustily that he was heard above all -the tumult. This, of course, added to the panic, and a -perfect Babel ensued.</p> - -<p>Then, with a roar of horror and agony, a bouncing boy -cried out that he was bitten!</p> - -<p>What wonder that poor Tip should bite, when he was -bedewed with grimy tears of honor, yanked this way -and that way, stumbled over, jammed against desks, -pelted now and then with a stone ink-bottle, and trampled -nearly to death?</p> - -<p>At length the apartment was cleared of all save a few. -As it has been emphatically stated that most of the six -were brimming with noble heroism, perhaps it would be -better to say nothing about how they behaved. Let the -reader imagine how <em>he</em> would behave under similar circumstances.</p> - -<p>By the way, it was very rash and foolish in the writer -to speak of their bravery at all; and it has cost him (or -her) no little annoyance—instance chapter the eighth. -In fact, on mature deliberation, the writer recants all that -has been said of their bravery.</p> - -<p>As Will was tearing out of the room,—it may be remarked -incidentally that it happened he was almost the -last to do so,—Tip hobbled past him to get out. Quick as -thought, Will caught up a heavy chair, and brained him -on the spot.</p> - -<p>“There,” Will said joyously, “the danger is over now; -the dog is dead.” On giving the dog closer examination, -he exclaimed, in surprise: “Why, it’s Steve’s dog Tip! -Poor Tip! Surely he wasn’t mad!”</p> - -<p>Meanwhile, where was the great authority on all -things in general, rabid canines in particular? Where -was he with his knife?</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_118" id="Page_118">[118]</a></span></p> - -<p>At the first note of danger, he, being nearest the front-door, -had leaped to his feet and ingloriously shown his -heels; but not being so familiar with the internal arrangement -of the building as he thought, he fell heavily down -the four steps of the entry. The fall stunned him, and -for a few minutes he lay insensible. Where was the -wonderful knife that was to disarm the fury of all mad -dogs? Alas! it was safe in his pocket!</p> - -<p>Before the learned man could grapple with the situation -and gather himself up, the horrified school children -were swarming out of the door, and—over him! Awful -magnate that he was, not one among them hesitated to -make him a stepping-stone in this time of fancied danger. -In fact, the next day an immoral boy was heard to say -that the professor made a better door-step than speaker; -“for,” as he phrased it, “we slid down over him at top -speed, and got outside all the sooner.”</p> - -<p>As for Teacher Meadows, he had perceived that the -peroration was at hand; and when the dog appeared, he -was carefully digesting an “extempore” little speech, in -which he intended to express his gratitude to the learned -man for the very lucid and forcible manner in which the -absorbing topic of hydrophobia had been presented to the -“students.” But the advent of the dog diverted the -train of his thoughts, and his nice little speech was never -made. After a vain attempt to stem the hubbub and find -where the mad dog was, he followed the example set by -the noble speaker, and hurried out of the school; for, -though naturally brave, he saw that it was useless to remain.</p> - -<p>Although the dog was slain, it was some time before -the quaking children could be brought to understand that -the danger past, and when at last their fears were quieted, -it was found that a great many were missing—among -them, the boy who had been bitten. What a startling report -they spread in the village about that mad dog! As -may be imagined, the strange orator’s name was so much -mixed up in their incoherent and “artless” story, that -most of the villagers laid all the blame of the affair on -him.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_119" id="Page_119">[119]</a></span></p> - -<p>Let us return to him, the precept-giving sage, the gifted -declaimer. As soon as he recovered himself, and found an -opportunity to do so, he made good his escape—without -even making his adieux to Teacher Meadows! He reached -the depot without molestation; but instead of taking the -train for the next seminary, to rant on his darling -themes, he took the first train for his home, in Boston.</p> - -<p>There he lamented the degeneracy of American youth, -and trembled for the integrity of the Union if those boys -should ever usurp the right of running the machinery of -government.</p> - -<p>Now, our wondrous-wise philosopher firmly believed -the heart to be the seat of courage. Being aware that he -had played the poltroon on the occasion of the struggle -with the “mad dog,” he became alarmed about the state -of that organ, and consulted one of the most eminent -physicians of Boston, who gravely informed him that the -left ventricle was affected.</p> - -<p>Hence you perceive, gentle reader, that the professor -must not be censured for deserting his post as he did; -for had his heart been in its normal condition, he would -have proved a far more formidable antagonist to Tip than -the pugnacious grimalkin.</p> - -<p>But Teacher Meadows probably suffered most acutely, -and he should be pitied most. Let us return to him. -After mustering the remaining school children, he demanded -threateningly. “Can any of you throw any -light on this mysterious affair?”</p> - -<p>There was silence—unbroken, except occasionally, by -an hysterical “Ah!” or “Oh!” from some tender and -cream-faced child, who still quaked with fear.</p> - -<p>Soon Will spoke. “The dog is dead, Mr. Meadows,” he -said. “I killed him,” with boyish pride, “and I don’t -believe he was mad at all; for he was Stephen Goodfellow’s -dog.”</p> - -<p>“Oh, the dog is dead? Well, let me see it; where is -it?” Mr. Meadows said eagerly.</p> - -<p>Will led the way to the place where Tip lay dead, and -good Mr. Meadows vainly tried to determine whether the -dog had been mad or not. Poor man! he was better -versed in Latin verbs than in “lycanthropy.”</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_120" id="Page_120">[120]</a></span></p> - -<p>“Can any one explain this?” he again demanded. “I -never before saw a dog in so pitiable and unnatural a condition, -but as to his being mad—” and he stopped short, -nodding his head in great perplexity.</p> - -<p>“I guess I saw him first,” piped up the chubby hobbledehoy -who had been the first to cry out in terror on the -dog’s arrival. “I saw him bolt in through the winder.”</p> - -<p>“You did not!” exclaimed another. “He came in -through the door.”</p> - -<p>“I know it; I only said I saw him bolt in through the -winder,” screamed the first speaker, who was blissfully -ignorant of syntactical constructions.</p> - -<p>“Well?”—</p> - -<p>“Well?” mockingly. “Don’t you wish you’d seen -him bolt in, too?”</p> - -<p>“Oh, you!” furiously.</p> - -<p>“Stop that noise!” cried the teacher, authoritatively. -“You must say, ‘burst in.’” Then, swelling with pettishness, -he said vehemently, “I demand an explanation! -Some one must know how and where this originated.”</p> - -<p>“I can explain it—mostly,” said Jim (our Jim), stepping -forward.</p> - -<p>Poor Jim! It had fared hardly with him; for, besides -having his weak mind nearly thrown off its balance, -he had been clawed and pommelled cruelly in his struggles -to escape, and was now suffering with an agonizing attack -of his peculiar disease—“the chills.”</p> - -<p>“<em>You</em> can explain it?” said Teacher Meadows. -“Then, wherefore have you withheld your communication -so long?”</p> - -<p>He, at least, had profited by the professor’s discourse; -he had caught that long-winded gentleman’s scholastic -phraseology.</p> - -<p>“I—I—was afraid to speak; I—I ain’t well;” Jim -stammered.</p> - -<p>“Pray begin your version of it,” said Mr. Meadows, -with a weary look, that told of an aching head and a sore -heart.</p> - -<p>“Yes, Mr. Meadows,” Jim said hastily. “While Mr. -Rhadamanthus was speaking, I saw Steve slip out of<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_121" id="Page_121">[121]</a></span> -school and go to the far end of the grounds, where his -dog was sleeping; and then they both got up and they -went outside of the gates; but the fence hid them from -me, and so I can’t tell you what they did outside of the -gates.”</p> - -<p>Here the narrator paused to take breath, and Teacher -Meadows said, sharply, “Yes, very good; but why didn’t -you pay attention to the speaker? Instead of idly gaping -out of the window at a boy and his dog, why didn’t -you listen to that spirited dissertation on hydrophobia, -and assiduously take notes of the learned remarks? So -distinguished a speaker may never visit our town again; -and—”</p> - -<p>“Yes, sir,” interrupted Jim, “but if I hadn’t looked -out of the window, I shouldn’t have known how it all -happened.”</p> - -<p>Teacher Meadows was nonplussed. With a zigzag -wave of the hand, he simply said, “Resume; I will not -argue the point.”</p> - -<p>Jim resumed. “I was sitting by the window, and I -watched until they came back to the gates. They were -too far away for me to see what they had been doing; -but I watched, and pretty soon I seen Tip chasing a -whopping big old striped used-up cat like—like—like—”</p> - -<p>“Like <em>what</em>?” angrily asked the teacher.</p> - -<p>Jim started, hesitated, and said, desperately, “I don’t -know, I’m sure.”</p> - -<p>“Go on!” said the wearied listener, with a sinister -frown.</p> - -<p>“Yes, sir. Well, he caught the cat, and they had an -awful fight! I expect Tip got used up in the fight, Mr. -Meadows. Then the cat got away—then Tip chased -after it towards the school—and then the next thing I -knew, Tip was right in the school! That’s all I know -about it, sir.”</p> - -<p>“A most succinct relation, James,” commented Mr. -Meadows, with a reckless disregard for the rules of grammar -as regulated by logic in his octavo grammar. “But -when you knew all about it, why didn’t you warn us -in time? Then this misfortune would not have happened.”</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_122" id="Page_122">[122]</a></span></p> - -<p>“I—I was frightened myself, sir,” Jim acknowledged.</p> - -<p>“Where was Stephen? You left him at the gate,” said -the teacher.</p> - -<p>“No, sir; I wasn’t with him; I didn’t do anything to -him;” Jim said innocently.</p> - -<p>“I guess he ran off after the fight,” ventured a boy.</p> - -<p>“Here comes Steve now,” a scholar announced.</p> - -<p>And a minute later the boy under discussion hove in -sight, but so changed in appearance that he seemed another -boy. Light-hearted and light-headed Steve was -now a haggard, woebegone wretch, who looked as if his -conscience had goaded him over the verge of frenzy. From -a distance he had heard and seen the uproar at the school; -and, far from felicitating himself on the “success” of his -trick, he had undergone torments. In fact, the thought -had been forced home to him that there is a higher purpose -in life than that of playing coarse practical jokes, -and that he had frightened the children more than even -the orator, Mr. Rhadamanthus.</p> - -<p>Yet the boy had at least one good quality; he was always -ready to shoulder the blame of his misdoings, and -he never tried to take refuge by telling a lie or by distorting -the truth.</p> - -<p>“Stephen Goodfellow,” began Mr. Meadows, severely, -“let me hear you in your defence. According to all accounts, -<em>you alone</em> are the guilty one; so give me your -version of this scandalous affair.”</p> - -<p>“Yes, sir; I did it all;” Steve said, meekly. “It was -my dog Tip; but he wasn’t no madder than I was.”</p> - -<p>“Then he must have been remarkably sane!” commented -the teacher.</p> - -<p>We need not weary the reader by detailing the trickster’s -“version.” When he had rehearsed his story -from beginning to end, Teacher Meadows said, in deliberate -and awful tones that cut Steve to the quick, and -fairly made his hair stand on end: “I have a few remarks -to make, but I will not detain you long. Your -‘trick’ may have been strikingly novel and daring, the -inspiration of a genius; but that it was dishonorable<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_123" id="Page_123">[123]</a></span> -and brutal, unworthy of a citizen of this glorious republic, -I presume no one will attempt to deny. You -have created a great sensation in our peaceful little -village, but what you have done will not redound to -your credit; you have forfeited the esteem and friendship -of your school-fellows; you have, I doubt not, -mortally wounded the feelings of Professor Rhadamanthus, -the great philosopher and able speaker, as well as -cast opprobrium upon our school; you have terrorized -the children, and even fatal results might have ensued; -and by sequestering yourself from the scene of conflict, -you have laid yourself open to the stigma of cowardliness. -Though great harm has been done, I will not -punish you, for the odium of this affair and the prickings -of your conscience will be sufficient punishment. Your -dog, the sportive Tip, is dead, as I suppose you know. -You will acknowledge that no one except yourself is to -be blamed for that. But one word more: I advise you -all to hasten to your homes, to try to forget this shameful -occurrence, and never to practice cowardly tricks.”</p> - -<p>Steve did not know that Tip was dead, and he gave a -convulsive gasp and then burst into a flood of tears, for -he loved his dog. Poor fellow, his heart was so full of -grief and remorse that his eyes mechanically pumped the -tears cut of their reservoir. And that reproof! His -former misdemeanors had generally been overlooked by -the kind-hearted teacher, and this oratorical reproof -stung him to the quick.</p> - -<p>As for the teacher himself, his own eloquence had a -wonderfully soothing effect on him. No one, except a -few gaping, trembling school-children, was there to hear -him, it is true; but for all that, he was pleased with his -little speech, and—surprised at it! In fact, it did his -headache as much good as an application of hartshorn -and alcohol.</p> - -<p>Fearing, perhaps, that the teacher might change his -mind and re-open school, the juveniles set off for home -at a round pace. Steve was not wholly avoided by the -boys; on the contrary, several gathered round him, to -condole with him or to blame him, as the case might be.<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_124" id="Page_124">[124]</a></span> -Not a few envied him the “notoriety” to which he had -attained.</p> - -<p>“Well, Steve, are you a ‘citizen of this republic’ or -not?” Charles anxiously inquired. “I couldn’t settle -that point from what Mr. Meadows said.”</p> - -<p>The unworthy citizen smiled mournfully, but said -nothing.</p> - -<p>“Steve,” Charley pursued, “I hope that between the -phenomenon Mr. Prof. Rhadamanthus, yourself, and your -dog, the ‘little ones,’ ‘big ones,’ and every one present, -will have a tolerably clear idea of hydrophobia and mad -dogs.”</p> - -<p>“Please don’t speak of Tip, boys,” Steve said pleadingly.</p> - -<p>“No, Steve, we won’t,” George replied. “But really, -now,” he added, “I wasn’t so flurried as the rest of them; -and I took it coolly; and I doubted all the time whether -the dog was mad. You see, I’ve read a good deal on the -subject lately, and he hadn’t the build of a dog that -would go mad. Mad dogs always look—”</p> - -<p>At this point the Sage was interrupted by a burst of -laughter, in which even Stephen joined feebly.</p> - -<p>“Then, George, I suppose you understood that lecture?” -Will asked.</p> - -<p>“Y-e-s,” George said, with some hesitation.</p> - -<p>“Steve, it was me that killed your dog;” Will said -doubtfully. [Though the writer has heard hundreds of -boys say, “it’s me,” “it’s him,” etc., he never knew but -one boy to say, “it is I.” That boy did not say it because -he knew it to be correct, but because necessity compelled -him to do so. The phrase occurred in a sentence which -he was reading.] “It was me that killed your dog; but -I thought I was killing a mad dog at the time. I’m -sorry for it, Steve.”</p> - -<p>“No, Will; you did all right: I don’t blame you a -bit;” Steve replied.</p> - -<p>“Don’t!” said Marmaduke, softly. “Respect Steve’s -grief, and talk about something else.”</p> - -<p>The excitement in the village was appeased at last; -but great indignation was felt towards Stephen when it -became known that he was the author of it all.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_125" id="Page_125">[125]</a></span></p> - -<p>The poor boy who had been bitten was in great terror, -and his parents sent for the doctor in hot haste. That -worthy—who had a theory of his own about hydrophobia, -and was only waiting and longing for an opportunity to -put it into practice—chipperly trod his way to the -rescue with a case of surgical instruments, and was about -to perform some horrible operation on the hapless -youth, when the news came that the dog was not mad. -Then he applied a soothing poultice to the bite, and -wearily plodded his way back to his office, full of bitterness -because he had not been able to try his little experiment.</p> - -<p>The bitten boy, however, was of a malicious disposition, -and he vowed to take dire revenge for the indignities -heaped upon him.</p> - -<p>Stephen’s position was not one to be envied. He was -so thoroughly ashamed of himself that he latibulized in -the house for four livelong days; and, for a boy of his -restless disposition, that was unheard-of penance. What -passed between him and his scandalized parents would -not benefit or interest the reader, consequently it is not -recorded here. He mustered his resolution and took to -reading his sisters’ “little books,” which he had always -abhorred and eschewed with the unreasonable and implacable -hatred of boyhood, and gladdened his mother’s -heart with his staidness and meekness. For one whole -month he refrained from playing off or studying up any -trick, and those most interested in him began to hope -that his reformation in that respect was sincere.</p> - -<p>Alas! such hopes were built on quicksands! His father, -taking pity on the <em>dogless</em> boy, had bought him a frisky -Newfoundland pup, which he cared for lovingly and -almost idolized; and as the memory of poor Tip gradually -faded from his mind, he forgot the many morals -and precepts that had been held up to him by his well-meaning -parents. In a merry moment Steve named this -pup “Thomas Henry;” but as this provoked the -laughter of his school-fellows, in sheer desperation he -nicknamed it “Carlo.”</p> - -<p>At the end of that one month, the street urchins got<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_126" id="Page_126">[126]</a></span> -tired of teasing him about mad dogs, and he recovered -his spirits and his love of mischief, and returned to his -former pursuits with gusto. In a word, Stephen became -himself again.</p> - -<hr class="chap" /> - -<h2 id="Chapter_XIII">Chapter XIII.<br /> -<span class="smcap">The Six go to a Picnic.</span></h2> - -<p>About this time a picnic was planned by the villagers, -to be held in a grove beside the river. Everything was -arranged beforehand, so that no hitch might occur; -but, for all that, a hitch <em>did</em> occur, since seventeen -plum-cakes and five hundred and nine tarts were baked. -A fire was to be lighted on an “island” in the river, -and another on the shore; and over those fires, something, -no one could have told exactly what, was to be -boiled. Boats were to be provided to ferry the picnickers -to and from the said island. By the way, this pigmy -island was prettily clothed with grass and flowers, and -presented a fine appearance from the river; therefore, -by the poetical, it was appropriately named “The Conservatory.” -It was also roundish in shape, and therefore, -from the vulgar, it received the unique nickname of -“The Saucer.” Our heroes generally gave it the latter -name.</p> - -<p>The children of the school, of course, to be present in -all their finery, with their elders in attendance, to keep -them from destroying themselves.</p> - -<p>Now, Stephen knew all the plans that had been formed, -and it occurred to him that it would be a capital joke if -he should take a bunch of fire-crackers along with him, -and introduce it secretly into one of the two fires.</p> - -<p>“Of course,” he said to himself, “I wouldn’t poke ’em -in while any of the ladies or little youngsters were -around; I’d do it while none but boys were there. No; -for I don’t want to get mixed up in any more tricks!”</p> - -<p>The longer Steve meditated this, the more determined -he was to do it; for he had not yet learned that an action,<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_127" id="Page_127">[127]</a></span> -harmless in itself, may lead to unpleasant, if not -serious, results.</p> - -<p>On the day before the picnic, he applied to a shop-keeper -for the crackers. In vain; the “Glorious Fourth” -was passed too long. “But, to accommodate you, I can -get some in a few days, I suppose,” the shop-keeper said, -with great benevolence. “How many bunches do you -want?”</p> - -<p>“No, I want them to-day, or not at all;” Steve said, as -he turned to leave the shop.</p> - -<p>But he did not give up hope yet. He thought of Will, -and the next minute was on his way to see him. By -what fatality was he sent there?</p> - -<p>“Oh, yes, Steve; I happen to have a whole bunch of -them;” said Will. “You see, I had more than I wanted -last Fourth, so I was saving these, but you can have them -all.”</p> - -<p>“Yes,” said Stephen; “but I guess you’re the only boy -I ever heard of that couldn’t fire off all his crackers. -Why, I could make use of a barn-yard full of them!”</p> - -<p>“So could I, Steve; but I scorched my hand, and <em>had</em> -to stop firing them.”</p> - -<p>“Yes, I remember it, Will; that’s the reason I came to -you. But I don’t see why you didn’t fire ’em when -your hand got well.” Then to himself: “Just like Will; -wonder he didn’t scorch his head off.”</p> - -<p>“Well, Steve, let us look for those same crackers,” said -Will.</p> - -<p>But they had been mislaid, and the two boys conducted -the search almost at random. In length of time they -came upon a little wooden box.</p> - -<p>“Here they are, Steve!” Will exclaimed. “This is the -very box I put them in; but I don’t know how they got -here, among father’s guns. But then I wasn’t keeping -track of them—in fact, I had forgotten that I had them -till you spoke about them.”</p> - -<p>“Thank you, Will!” said Steve, with a broad grin, as -he took the box.</p> - -<p>Then, with thumb and forefinger, he tried to open it, to -take out the crackers and gloat over them. But he could<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_128" id="Page_128">[128]</a></span> -not force it open. “What’s the matter with this box, -Will?” he asked. “I can’t open it at all.”</p> - -<p>“That’s queer,” said Will; “likely the lid has swollen. -Well, take them, box and all, Steve; and if you break it -in opening it, it won’t be any great loss.”</p> - -<p>Steve mumbled a feeble remonstrance, but pocketed the -box and turned to go.</p> - -<p>“But what are you going to do with the fire-crackers?” -Will suddenly asked, as a dread suspicion entered his mind.</p> - -<p>Steve looked disconcerted, and said something like, -“Oh, you’ll see.”</p> - -<p>Now, when a boy falters and says, “you’ll see,” it is -generally safe to infer that he is plotting mischief.</p> - -<p>Will evidently thought so, for as Steve whisked out of -the house and over the gate, he said to himself, “I believe -Steve is working up some trick again. And to-morrow -is the picnic! Well, Stunner, I’ll just keep an eye on -you!”</p> - -<p>On reaching home, Stephen found that he could not -open the box without tearing it to pieces, and he decided -that he would put the fire-crackers, box and all, into the -fire.</p> - -<p>“That’ll be the easiest way to open the pesky old box,” -he said. “Of course the crackers won’t go off till it is -burnt, but a rousing old fire will soon burn it.”</p> - -<p>Having formed this determination, the boy’s mind was -at rest. If, however, he had succeeded in opening the -box, he would have found not fire-crackers, but <em>gunpowder</em>; -for Will had made another blunder, and given -him a box filled with powder. This box belonged to Mr. -Lawrence; he having bought it a few days before, filled -it with powder, and put it away among his guns. The -reader now understands that it was not the box Will -thought it was. The reason why Steve could not open it, -was because the lid caught with a hidden spring.</p> - -<p>If that box should be introduced into the fire, it would -make more of a “stir” than fire-crackers, and give somebody -a little employment in setting things to rights.</p> - -<p>The next day was the picnic. The sun shone bright, -and promised a peerless September day. This was agreeable;<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_129" id="Page_129">[129]</a></span> -and the juveniles flocked to the scene in good time, -with a hungry look in their eyes—a look that always -plays over a boys visage when pursuing his way to a picnic, -or “anniversary.” Stephen, of course, was there; -full of animal spirits, and with the box straining the -lining of his coat-pocket.</p> - -<p>A fire was soon lighted on the island, but Steve did not -find an opportunity to put his crackers into it so soon as -he expected; for, warm as the day was, the little boys -crowded eagerly around it, discovering their delight in -exultant shouts, and heaping on more brush with never-ending -amusement.</p> - -<p>Steve idled about patiently a few minutes, and then -determined to leave the island for awhile, till the youngsters -had either sought some newer source of pleasure, or -else burnt their fingers or scorched their garments.</p> - -<p>Unknown to Steve, Will, who had guessed how and -when the boy intended to use the fire-crackers, was -watching him sharply. Will had also discovered the -mistake that had been made, and consequently was all -the more anxious to keep a watchful eye on Steve. He -had planned, moreover, to turn the tables, and play a -knavish trick of his own on incorrigible Stephen.</p> - -<p>Mr. Lawrence had said to him, “Now, Will, seeing that -Steve is preying on my valuables, you must make the -best of it, and teach the idleheaded fellow a lesson. You -may do whatever you please; but don’t let an explosion -take place. The powder, I think, got damp the other day, -and so it wouldn’t explode for some time—even if he -should drop the box plump into the fire. In fact, unless -he has succeeded in opening it, which is doubtful, he will -probably put it into the fire. Let him do it; you can -snatch it out again. If, on the other hand, he has forced -the box open, both his trick and your trick will be spoiled. -Perhaps that would be best. Now, Will, above all, <em>do -not frighten other people</em>.”</p> - -<p>It will be seen that Mr. Lawrence had guessed Steve’s -intention. But he was wrong in permitting his son to -meddle in the trick. The straightforward way would -have been to tell Stephen what the box really held, and -then he would have given it up directly.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_130" id="Page_130">[130]</a></span></p> - -<p>No doubt, gentle reader, you are tired of these beggarly -little “tricks.” But have patience a little longer, O -reader, for when this last trick is finished, we shall wing -our way along smoothly throughout the rest of the book -without any tricks whatever.</p> - -<p>When Will saw Stephen leave “Conservatory Isle” he -thought himself at liberty to take his ease for awhile, and -coolly taking possession of an unoccupied boat, rowed -over to the shore.</p> - -<p>While drifting along the shore, a spruce gentleman -hailed him, and asked to be ferried across the river.</p> - -<p>“Yes, sir,” said Will, placing the boat in a favorable -position for the gentleman to enter it. He sprang in -lightly, saying, “I’ve forgotten something over there: -take me as fast as you can.”</p> - -<p>In nervous haste to do his best, Will gave the boat a -vigorous shove, and then looked his passenger full in the -face. The latter also looked at Will. The recognition -was mutual; for if Will recognized the peculiar features -of the newspaper genius whom he had shot with poison -in his youth, the newspaper genius likewise recognized -the remarkably talented son of the lady who had been -his hostess when he visited the neighborhood some years -previously.</p> - -<p>Letting his emotions get the better of his principles, -the man uttered a cry of horror, mechanically rose to his -feet, and fetched a random leap for the shore. But the -motion that Will had communicated to the boat had -placed it some distance from the shore, and the impetus -of the leap adding to that distance, the leaper found himself -in deep water, in the exact position the boat had -occupied a moment before. Any boy at all acquainted -with the navigation of boats, rafts, or anything floatable, -can substantiate this.</p> - -<p>Then the unfortunate man said something very wicked—too -wicked, in fact, to be set down in a story like this. -Then he struggled to reach the shore, but Will said, -politely, “Don’t try to get ashore, sir, or you will get -covered with mud. The best thing to do is to climb into -the boat again; I’ll help you.”</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_131" id="Page_131">[131]</a></span></p> - -<p>This was clearly the wiser proceeding of the two, and -the man, feeling very foolish, scrambled out of the water -into the boat.</p> - -<p>Bending a ferocious gaze on the innocent boatman, he -asked roughly, “Can you row?”</p> - -<p>Will proudly answered in the affirmative, and the disgusted -picnicker—elaborating a dolorous sigh as he flirted -his eyes over his tousled and mud-spattered garments, -and experiencing an emotion of regret as he thought of -a new cabinet photograph of himself, that was tucked -away in his coat-tail pocket—said snappishly:—</p> - -<p>“Then take me to some sheltered place where I can -wring out my clothes a little, and afterwards I’ll find my -way to the fire on the island. Can I get dry there in -peace, and alone?”</p> - -<p>“I think so, after a few minutes,” said Will, tugging -stoutly at his oars.</p> - -<p>“Well,” mused the dripping newspaper man, as he sat -dejectedly in the boat, with his head resting on his -disordered cravat, “I—I—was very foolish to jump -overboard; but it is strange that I should encounter this -wretch when I least expected it. Much amusement I -shall have to-day, in these wet clothes. Well,” firmly, -“I will never return to this village while this bane of my -life inhabits it!”</p> - -<p>After landing the luckless Mr. Sarjent at a sequestered -spot, Will pointed his way back to the island, to look -after Stephen. He arrived just in time. Steve and a -choice band of his school-fellows were grouped about the -fire, and the little folk had sought other quarters.</p> - -<p>At first Will feared that he was too late; but he was -reassured on seeing Stephen dodging around the fire, -evidently trying to shove the box into it without being -observed.</p> - -<p>Keeping a vigilant look-out, Will soon had the pleasure -of seeing Steve poke the box into the extreme edge of the -fire.</p> - -<p>“Good!” Will chuckled. “Pa was right—and so was -I. I can snatch it out without any trouble, and then -won’t Steve wonder what has become of it! Just wait -till I play my little trick on him!”</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_132" id="Page_132">[132]</a></span></p> - -<p>As soon as Steve looked in another direction, Will -sidled up to the fire, adroitly drew out the box, and -slipped it into his pocket.</p> - -<p>He had scarcely done so when Steve whirled around -and saw him.</p> - -<p>“Will!” he cried excitedly, “come away, or you’ll be -burned!—The—the fire is very hot, you know,” he -added, by way of explaining his solicitude.</p> - -<p>“So it is,” Will assented, stepping back. To himself -he added, “Poor Steve! you thought I should be blown -up by the fire-crackers, did you? Well, it is a good thing -you don’t know it is gunpowder, and it’s a good thing -I am here to prevent a catastrophe!”</p> - -<p>Stephen waited eagerly and anxiously for the supposed -crackers to go off. He imagined that the boys would be -struck with amazement and horror to see the fire suddenly -snap, and hiss, and roar, and vomit forth ashes and coals. -Then he would explain how it was done, and the boys -would cheer, and laugh, and say, “That’s a bully trick, -Steve!” And then they would saunter off, filled with -admiration and envy, forced to admit that in originality -and daring Steve had no equal in the county.</p> - -<p>But as no explosion took place, Steve became uneasy. -He was of a restless disposition, and a trifle was sufficient -to make him fidgety. He had not observed that the box -was fabricated of wood that would not readily take fire, -and he expected to hear the crackers detonate almost -immediately.</p> - -<p>“Surely it ought to be burnt clear through by this -time!” he mumbled to himself. “What in the world is -the matter? O dear! I hope they will go off before the -people come here to see to things! Why didn’t I at least -see how thick the pesky box was!”</p> - -<p>“Oh, come along, boys, there’s no fun here, and it’s as -hot as pain-killer,” an owl-eyed booby exclaimed. “Come -along, boys; let’s leave this here Saucer.”</p> - -<p>The others coincided with him, and they were actually -getting into an old boat, to punt their way across the -river, when Steve said imploringly, “Oh, don’t go, boys! -Stay just a little longer, and you’ll see sport.”</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_133" id="Page_133">[133]</a></span></p> - -<p>“‘See sport’?” sneered one. “Sho! I guess all the -‘sport’ you’ll see here, will be to see yourself sun-struck! -No; it’s too hot here.”</p> - -<p>And before the trick-player could give them a hint as -to what the “sport” would be, he experienced the vexation -of seeing them leave the island in a body! It was -hard to be cheated thus! But the worst was yet to come. -A man was descried rapidly drawing near the island, in a -gay little boat decked in holiday attire. A few minutes -later this man made the island, and Steve recognized Mr. -Lawrence. Good man, he came to see that the powder -was in safety.</p> - -<p>Will, who was the only one left, except Steve, stepped -into the boat as his father stepped out, and whispering, -“All right, Pa,” rowed lightly away, with a wicked -chuckle of triumph.</p> - -<p>Mr. Lawrence inclined his head in token of approval, -and edged his way up to Stephen. “Good morning, -Stephen,” he said. “I see you have a fire lighted early in -the day.”</p> - -<p>“Yes, sir,” Steve quavered. “O dear!” he groaned, -“if people are going to keep on coming here like this, the -fire-crackers will go off right before them! And then,” -drawing an abysmal sigh, “there would have to be an -explanation.”</p> - -<p>Mr. Lawrence walked round the fire two or three times—so -close to it that poor Steve shuddered. “If they -should go off now,” he groaned, “Mr. Lawrence would be -scorched and hurt!”</p> - -<p>Stephen became very uneasy. His heated imagination -magnified the power of fire-crackers, and he feared that -there would ultimately be a deafening explosion. Indeed, -it seemed to him that they must be gaining strength with -each succeeding minute.</p> - -<p>“Well, Steve,” said Mr. Lawrence, familiarly and -pleasantly, “I hear you are quite an expert in playing -tricks. Your adventure with my donkeys, now, was -amusing, it is true; but, Steve, if you would keep clear of -such scrapes, it would be better for you. For instance, -that experience with the dog—that must have been very -distressing to you, wasn’t it?”</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_134" id="Page_134">[134]</a></span></p> - -<p>“Yes, sir,” Steve acknowledged; “it was.”</p> - -<p>“But I am pleased to hear of your good behaviour -since that time, and I hope that your reformation is real. -I do not wish to vex you, Steve; I take the liberty of -speaking to you thus because I know you are good at -heart, and because you have always been a loyal friend to -my son.”</p> - -<p>Such “advice” had been dinned into the sufferer’s ears -so incessantly lately that he had come to expect it and to -endure it with fortitude. Still, he could not but see that -Mr. Lawrence meant well, and he mumbled “Yes, sir,” -very meekly.</p> - -<p>But his mind was filled with great dread. “If they -should pop off now,” he ruminated, “what would Mr. -Lawrence think of me? He would think it was all my -doings, of course, and that I am as bad a boy as ever! -How mad he would be! Oh, why didn’t I leave those fire-crackers -alone!”</p> - -<p>“It is very warm on this island, Mr. Lawrence,” he -said.</p> - -<p>Mr. Lawrence, however, was in no humor to take hints -from a school-boy, and he simply said, “So it is, Stephen. -Why do you stay here, in solitude and misery? Why -don’t you get up and enjoy yourself with the other boys? -Surely you find no amusement in keeping up this useless -little fire!”</p> - -<p>Steve looked confused, but contrived to say, “It needs -some one to watch the fire, sir; it might do a great deal -of harm.”</p> - -<p>“Oh, no, Stephen; it wouldn’t be any great loss if the -fire should burn up the whole island, and all the brush -and firewood piled up on it. It couldn’t spread any -farther, of course. Come, come, Stephen; don’t make a -martyr of yourself by staying here and broiling your face. -The face looks better bronzed by the sun and the fresh -air than by fire, anyway; though some ladies are not -aware of it.”</p> - -<p>“Yes, sir; but the fire might go out.”</p> - -<p>“I wish it would, Steve; I wish it would; for no one -would light it again. It was a downright shame to make<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_135" id="Page_135">[135]</a></span> -a fire on this little gem of an island; but some picnickers -have more romance than poetry. Well, I am going, anyway; -good-bye.”</p> - -<p>A good look at Steve’s face showed Mr. Lawrence that -the graceless trickster desired to be left alone. “I think -this will be a lesson to the poor boy,” he said in himself -“for he is evidently suffering torments.”</p> - -<p>Steve’s relief was great when he found himself alone. -“Let me think how it was,” he muttered. “Will didn’t -know where the box was. He found a box like his own, -but was it the same? He didn’t open it, and I couldn’t; -so perhaps there were no fire-crackers in it, after all!”</p> - -<p>A gleam of hope shot through his wrung heart; but -that gleam was soon effectually put out by this appalling -thought:</p> - -<p>“He found the box among his father’s guns—what if -there is powder in it!”</p> - -<p>He started up in horror. “But no,” he reflected, “if -it had been powder, it would have exploded as soon as -the box got hot, or on fire. Now, was Will playing a -trick on me? No, for he didn’t know anything about it -till I asked him for the fire-crackers; and I followed him -around while he looked for the box. Oh, it must be -some blunder of his.”</p> - -<p>Steve could not shake off his doubts and fears, and his -excited imagination conjured up all sorts of horrors.</p> - -<p>He had just resolved to find the hateful box, or scatter -the fire to the several winds, when a melancholy-looking -individual, whose approach he had not perceived, landed -on the island, made his way hurriedly to the fire, and sat -down close beside it.</p> - -<p>Stephen drew back in desperation, while the new-comer -snatched up a stick and savagely stirred up the -rather dull fire.</p> - -<p>“Sir,” Stephen began hesitatingly, “don’t sit so close -to the fire; you might get burnt.”</p> - -<p>“Hold your tongue and let me alone, if you please! -Can’t you see I’m all wet?” fiercely shouted the new-comer.</p> - -<p>Stephen now observed that the man’s pants were clinging<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_136" id="Page_136">[136]</a></span> -unnaturally close to his legs, as though he had been -fording the river for scientific or other purposes, and that -his entire appearance was woebegone. He waited a few -minutes, and then ventured to accost the intruder again. -“This is a miserable fire, sir,” he said, “and I think there -is a good big bright one on shore.”</p> - -<p>“<em>Can’t</em> you let me alone! There is no one here except -<em>you</em>, and I <em>must</em> dry these clothes.”</p> - -<p>“If it’s powder, I suppose it might explode yet, and -he’d be killed or badly wounded,” Steve thought, in -agony. “Shall I tell him? No, he would laugh at me, -and take me for a downright fool. If he would only -move away, I’d poke that fire till I was satisfied. What -a day of suffering this has been for me! The women will -soon be coming to the island—if it should explode -then!”</p> - -<p>Once more he warned the shivering picnicker. “Sir,” -beseechingly, “it is dangerous to sit there; I—”</p> - -<p>“Dangerous!” cried the stranger, his face showing -surprise and contempt. “Do you take me for an ass, or -are you one?” furiously. “A few years ago, I was very -indulgent in my dealings with boys; but the more I see -of this evil—this curse of civilization—the more impatient -and exasperated I become. I don’t want to -corrupt your morals, bub, or I would swear! But say one -word more to me, throw out any more insinuations about -this fire’s being dangerous, and I will begin the assassination -of every boy under twenty by making you the -first victim! So, be careful! I tell you, my patience is -exhausted!”</p> - -<p>Of course the reader recognizes the speaker as the man -who jumped out of Will’s boat. But it will not be easy -to recognize him as the polished gentleman who dined -with Mr. and Mrs. Lawrence in days gone by. Nevertheless, -we assure the reader that we are positive he is -the very same.</p> - -<p>This murderous threat seemed to amuse and comfort -Mr. Sarjent, but Steve quailed beneath it. “Shall I make -a confidant of any one?” he asked himself. “Not of -George, for he would investigate matters, and maybe get<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_137" id="Page_137">[137]</a></span> -burnt. Charley would tell me the box holds some horrible, -new-fangled explosive, that will stay in the fire a -long time, and get stronger and stronger, and then go off -like a blowed-up pirate, and tear this island out by the -roots! Perhaps it is! Who knows? Perhaps its some -terrible poison that will suddenly strike us all dead, or -else make us all idiotic for life! Oh! I shall go crazy! -Shall I speak to Will? I—I’d be ashamed to do that. -Pshaw! I couldn’t speak to anybody, if I would, for -there’s no one near, except <em>him</em>.”</p> - -<p>Stephen’s brain was now in a whirl; the strain on his -nerves was too great to last long.</p> - -<hr class="chap" /> - -<h2 id="Chapter_XIV">Chapter XIV.<br /> -<span class="smcap">Disaster Rather Than Fun</span></h2> - -<p>Leaving the newspaper man and the player of tricks -to their different trains of thought,—the former enveloped -in steam arising from his pants, the latter environed with -gloom, and doubt, and mute despair, arising from his own -misdeeds,—we shall shift the scene to Will paddling away -in his boat.</p> - -<p>“I can safely leave Steve now, while I look up Charley -and the other boys,” Will thought, as he plied his oars.</p> - -<p>Charley was soon found, and Will told him all about -Stephen and the fire-crackers. Charley, of course, was -delighted with Will’s artifice; and together the two -planned to torment poor Stephen still further. With the -co-operation of the other boys, they determined -to execute the following programme: First, to -bury the gunpowder under a large stone, on the shore -farthest from the picknickers, with a boy in charge to -fire the train at the proper time; secondly, to lure -Stephen into a boat, row him down past the “arsenal,”—the -sounding name Charles gave to the place where the -powder was to be buried,—and when the explosion took -place, let him infer that a catastrophe was the upshot -of his trick.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_138" id="Page_138">[138]</a></span></p> - -<p>In fiendish atrocity, this little plot probably outherods -anything ever planned by boys. Their only hopes of success -was that Steve would prove an easy victim. But they -need not have been afraid; they were destined to carry -their scheme.</p> - -<p>Truly, as the ancient Romans used to say, “Fortune -favors the brave.” Only, the ancient Romans probably -said it in Latin.</p> - -<p>“We can do it, Will,” Charles said, confidently, “and it -will do poor deluded and misguided Stunner a good turn, -if it teaches him to leave tricks to you and me. All that -is necessary is, to lay our plans well, keep Steve’s back to -the place where the explosion will come from, and play -our parts with sober and horrified faces. The hole in the -ground will be gazed at and admired about the time the -picnic folks get the feast spread, and our little game will -sharpen our appetites like a whet-stone. Now, let us go -and find George, and Jim, and Marmaduke, and go to -work.”</p> - -<p>These worthies were hunted out forthwith; and when -the plot was unfolded to them, they signified their readiness -to take part in so good a trick against Stephen.</p> - -<p>Jim threatened to do his best; but, in his own mind, -determined to keep at a safe distance when proceedings -actually began, though he locked this wise determination -in his breast—which was capacious enough, if not strong -enough, to keep it.</p> - -<p>“It won’t amount to much, boys,” George observed, -“because, you know, wet gunpowder has lost most of its -virtue.”</p> - -<p>“Why, how’s that?” Charles demanded. “Where did -you find out that? Why, gunpowder hasn’t any virtue, -anyhow.”</p> - -<p>“No, of course not, what has powder to do with virtue?” -Will chimed in.</p> - -<p>“I tell you it has; don’t contradict folks that know!” -the sage indignantly retorted. “Don’t you remember, -John Hoyt, on that island, wasn’t afraid of being blown -up, because he knew the powder had lost its virtue?”</p> - -<p>“Y-e-s,” Charles reluctantly assented, “but I never<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_139" id="Page_139">[139]</a></span> -could understand how John knew that, when he’d always -lived on that island, and never seen or heard of -powder before.”</p> - -<p>“I don’t understand that, either,” said George; “but -John was right; he knew—or if he didn’t, the man that -wrote the book did!”</p> - -<p>That settled the question; the Sage had triumphed.</p> - -<p>At length everything was arranged to the plotters’ -satisfaction, and the Sage was detailed to fire the train.</p> - -<p>“You won’t see much of the fun, George,” said -Charles; “but you will understand the business. I -never knew you to bungle anything; don’t bungle this.”</p> - -<p>“You can’t expect much from wet gunpowder, but if you -do your part as well as I intend to do mine, <em>all right</em>!” -George replied with spirit.</p> - -<p>They picked out a very good place to fire the powder, -so far away from the scene of the picnic that no one would -be likely to intrude on them.</p> - -<p>“The boats are wanted very much just now,” said -Will; “I wonder whether we can get one or not.”</p> - -<p>Now, those boys knew that they were doing wrong, and -the writer ventures to assert that they all cherished a -secret hope that they would not succeed in carrying their -little game.</p> - -<p>But presently a bulky old gentleman (bulky is not -used in contempt, but because it is well known that -bulkiness and generosity are twin brothers), who owned -a staunch little boat, told them to use his boat as much as -they pleased. He did not suspect, however, that a party -of dare-devil boys wanted it for their own exclusive use, -but supposed that one or two of them purposed rowing -indolent pleasure-seekers up and down the river. Had -he guessed their nefarious designs, he would have moderated -his generosity, and set out in quest of a peace-officer.</p> - -<p>Thus put in possession, the four pulled stoutly for the -island. They were in some doubt as to whether Steve -would still be there, for not one dreamed that he had -taken the matter so much to heart.</p> - -<p>“Steve was a little uneasy when I left him,” said Will; -“how do you suppose he feels about it now?”</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_140" id="Page_140">[140]</a></span></p> - -<p>“Oh!” said Charles, “he’s all right, I’ll wager. You -may depend he hasn’t been moping over those fire-crackers -all this time. No, he’s as lively as a baulky horse by -this time; but our explosion will muddle his wits, all the -same.”</p> - -<p>“He’ll get his dander up when he finds it out,” Jim -observed.</p> - -<p>“I wonder if the boats are all gone, and he’s fast on -the island,” Marmaduke speculated.</p> - -<p>“Boys,” said Will, “if that wet and muddy fellow that -I told you about, went back to the island, as he said he -should, perhaps he has kept Steve from finding out -that—”</p> - -<p>“Pshaw! I tell you, Steve is all right!” Charles reiterated.</p> - -<p>“Then, if the boy is all right, what is the use of our -trick?” Will demanded. “We can’t scare him worthy a -cent, if he’s all right.”</p> - -<p>“I don’t make out what you’re driving at, Will. At -first, you were eager to scare him; and now, you are -talking in riddles.”</p> - -<p>“I—I’m beginning to relent,” said Will, sheepishly.</p> - -<p>“Well, we’ll see how he is, and settle that accordingly.”</p> - -<p>“There they are!” said Marmaduke, sighting Steve and -the ireful newspaper genius.</p> - -<p>The boys recklessly waved their oars, and enthusiastically -chorused a stentorian hollo.</p> - -<p>Stephen, hearing his schoolfellows’ greeting, quickly -turned round, and returned a faint, but joyous, hollo.</p> - -<p>“How kind they are to come!” he said to himself. -“Now, I guess it will be all serene; for they can soon -tell me what to do. Well, the boys always were better to -me than I deserved. I’ll tell them just how it is, and I -don’t believe they’ll laugh at me a bit.”</p> - -<p>“More boys!” groaned the steaming Mr. Sarjent. -“More boys coming to torment me.”</p> - -<p>The plotters soon landed, and crowded around -Stephen.</p> - -<p>“What a fire, Steve,” said Charley. “It smells as if -you’d been burning a witch.”</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_141" id="Page_141">[141]</a></span></p> - -<p>“Come on, Steve,” said Will; “we’ve got a good boat, -and we’re off for a cruise before they set the tables.”</p> - -<p>Steve’s face brightened, then clouded, and he said, hopelessly, -“I can’t go.”</p> - -<p>“Can’t go?” echoed Charley. “Why, Stunner, what’s -the matter with you? You look like a phantom, and -here you sit, like an Indian idol; taking no exercise, having -no fun, and doing nothing! Come now, you’ve got to -go with us.”</p> - -<p>“Charley,” Steve whispered, “don’t joke with me, nor -make fun of me, for I can’t stand it. Charley, if you -should have some old fire-crackers done up in a box, and -you should put ’em into a fire, what do you suppose they -would do?”</p> - -<p>“Do?” said Charley. “Why, if they were <em>old</em>, as you -say, they might be mildewed, for all you or I know, and -burn up with the box, like so much solid wood—or else -squib and hiss a little, and then go out.”</p> - -<p>This novel and striking idea was too much for Steve’s -fevered brain. Mildewed fire-crackers! His head swam; -but with an effort he recovered himself, and flashed -Charles such a look of gratitude that the plot came within -an inch of crumbling into a woeful ruin.</p> - -<p>“Poor fellow!” thought Charles. “Here he is fretting -about those crackers yet! It is mean to play this trick -on him, when he is so worried and excited. But then -he is <em>male-spirited</em>, as my father says, and I know he -would like to get hold of as good a trick himself.”</p> - -<p>“Well, Steve, will you go?” Will asked impatiently.</p> - -<p>“’Pon my word, I believe Steve has been afraid to get -into a boat ever since we were out on the lake!” Jim -exclaimed maliciously.</p> - -<p>“Don’t stay on <em>my</em> account, bub,” sneered the man in -the water-soaked garments. “I shall not be lonely without -you.”</p> - -<p>Stephen had been recovering his spirits ever since the -boys arrived; and Jim’s taunt roused him to anger, while -these last outrageous words stung him to the quick.</p> - -<p>“Bub!” he repeated to himself. “That’s twice he -called me <em>bub</em>! I can’t stand being called that; I never<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_142" id="Page_142">[142]</a></span> -knew a boy that could. Botheration! I’ve a great mind -to go with them, after all! <em>They</em> will treat me well, -and not bother me, nor call me—no, I won’t say that -horrid word again. Well, surely, whatever was in the -box, is burnt up now!”</p> - -<p>Seeing that Stephen still hesitated, Mr. Sarjent took -in the situation, bent a gorgon look on him, and again -acted the huffer. “I made a blood-curdling threat a while -ago,” he said; “I see I shall have to put it into execution, -or else you will have to leave. Go, all of you!”</p> - -<p>“My stars, Timor! I’ll show you whether I’m afraid -to get into that boat, or to do anything else!” Steve -cried, in desperation.</p> - -<p>Then he caught up a stick and thrust it into the fire -here and there, in spite of the peevish and browbeating -stranger’s remonstrances. Of course he saw nothing of -the box. Though not quite satisfied,—for it was impossible -to get entirely over his uneasiness so quickly,—he -stopped with a sharp—</p> - -<p>“Boys, I’ll go!”</p> - -<p>Jim, as recorded above, had no burning desire to go -with the boys; but, for all that, he found himself in the -boat, and the boat on its way from the island. Then he -became alarmed, but seeing no help for it, determined to -make the best of it. Two facts are well-established: -first, he who accuses another of cowardice is commonly -a downright coward himself; second, no right-minded -boy can be called a coward without doing some foolhardy -thing to prove the contrary.</p> - -<p>Poor Steve! The artful boys had quietly had him sit -with his face towards the island, and he stole uneasy -glances towards it, as if still fearing an explosion. By -degrees he became calmer; the fresh, sparkling water -revived him; and at length he became even merry. Yet -his gaiety was more assumed than real, though the others -did not know it. They were delighted with the success -of their plot, and thought that he would be as pleased as -anybody when the shock of the explosion should be -over.</p> - -<p>“Let me row,” he said suddenly.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_143" id="Page_143">[143]</a></span></p> - -<p>“No, no!” Charles said hastily. “We are going to -give you a free ride, Steve; so, sit where you are, with -your back against the gunwale, and watch the picnickers.”</p> - -<p>Steve complied with this request, little knowing why -it was made.</p> - -<p>The boat glided along smoothly and swiftly, and presently -a bend in the river hid the island from sight, and -soon afterwards the merry-makers. Stephen still lolled -comfortably in the same position. But as the distance -between them and the island increased, he became restless -again.</p> - -<p>They were now approaching the falls, and would soon -be opposite to George and his mine—the “arsenal,” as -Charley called it.</p> - -<p>Charley was afraid that Stephen might ask embarrassing -questions about the fire-crackers, or their course, and -he kept up so lively a flow of conversation that the poor -boy could not edge in a word.</p> - -<p>It was downright cruelty to humbug the boy in this -deliberate and underhand way, and we do not wish to -palliate their guilt. The reader, however, must bear in -mind that these boys are not the sinless and noble-hearted -youths who generally figure in stories, but are at all times -mischievous, though rarely cruel or wicked.</p> - -<p>As they neared the falls, Charles suddenly ceased to -talk, and Steve seized the opportunity to ask eagerly, -“Will, can you tell me what was in that box? I almost -concluded that some mistake had been made, and that -perhaps you had found it out since. <em>Were</em> they fire-crackers?”</p> - -<p>Will answered hesitatingly, as though ashamed of himself: -“Why, yes, Steve, sure enough, a mistake was made. -This morning I discovered that instead of fire-crackers, -I gave you a box of my father’s, full of wet gunpowder.”</p> - -<p>Steve’s face blanched. Not being so learned as -George, it seemed to him, in his present state of mind, -that wet gunpowder must be more dangerous than any -other kind.</p> - -<p>“That’s why it didn’t go off; but, if it’s there, it will -go off yet!” he muttered.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_144" id="Page_144">[144]</a></span></p> - -<p>Will observed the look of dismay on the boy’s face, -and said soothingly, “Pshaw, Steve! Don’t be frightened; -<em>wet gunpowder</em> has no virtue; don’t trouble about it or -the fire.”</p> - -<p>Charles and Will, having thus eased their conscience, -and Steve’s anxiety, felt that all the warning that duty -required had been given; and unshipping their oars, let -the boat drift with the stream—taking care, however, to -keep close to the bank where George lurked in ambush.</p> - -<p>But Stephen, in his awakened uneasiness, did not -heed Will’s comforting remark, nor did he wonder how -Will could know anything about what had been done -with the box.</p> - -<p>“Boys, we’re near the falls!” Jim cried, in terror. -“Stop the boat!”</p> - -<p>But this warning was disregarded, and Charley struck -up “Yankee Doodle,” the signal agreed upon with George.</p> - -<p>Stephen, of course, did not know what this meant; -but Jim did, and he was oppressed with gloomy forebodings.</p> - -<p>Mark this: Stephen faced the <em>right</em> bank of the river, -while George was on the <em>left</em> bank. The island was hidden -by a bend in the river. Consequently, if an explosion -should take place, Stephen would naturally jump to the -conclusion that it had taken place on the island.</p> - -<p>The boat slowly but steadily neared the falls. It certainly -would have been prudent to stop their downward -course, but no one, except Jim, appeared to be aware of -this. Charley whistled bravely, though he wondered -why no sign came from George, whom the high bank, -fringed with bushes, effectually concealed.</p> - -<p>Then the archplotters themselves became uneasy; and -concluding that the powder had no virtue whatever they -shipped their oars in mournful silence.</p> - -<p>What was George doing meanwhile? As soon as the -boys left him, he set about digging his mine. “Now,” -he mused, “I shall not be so foolish as Stephen; I shall -pry the box open, and see what is in it. It may be only -a paint box, for all I know.”</p> - -<p>By means of his jack-knife he forced off the lid, and<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_145" id="Page_145">[145]</a></span> -found that it was powder—genuine powder—perfectly -dry. But alas! the tried and trusty business blade of his -knife was snapped off short!</p> - -<p>Now, as the reader knows, George was a philosopher, -and he took his good fortune and mishap philosophically. -“By the end of the week,” he said, “I may be sorry -about this knife, but I can’t be now!”</p> - -<p>Then, picking up and gloating over the box: “Dry as -the sun! How capital! Won’t I make the most of it! -But what a blundering family those Lawrences are! -Even Mr. Lawrence himself has made a mistake; he -thought the powder had got wet. Well, they beat all -the folks to blunder that I ever saw; it must run in the -family.”</p> - -<p>With a chuckle of ineffable satisfaction, he sat down -to map out his mode of procedure. “I understand how -to make the most of good gunpowder,” he mused; “what -fun it would be to have a loud explosion—one that would -stun even Will and Charley! I can do it, <em>and I will</em>!”</p> - -<p>He arose and began to work as only a boy whose mind -is bent on mischief can work, gathering up heaps of -stones and rubbish; that soiled his picnic clothes, almost -beyond restoration. Then he laid the box of powder in -the bottom of his mine, placed a heavy stone on the -wrenched-off lid, and piled the accumulated stones and -rubbish over it so scientifically that a warlike explosion -would be a foregone conclusion. The “train” was very -simple—only a little pile of chips, twigs, and shavings, -and a cotton string that led down to the powder.</p> - -<p>When he heard the signal, he set fire to the train; but -it took the fire some time to burn its way down to the -powder. In his anxiety to see whether it would ignite, -he neglected to place sufficient space between himself and -his mine; therefore—but the consequence may be -guessed; it is sufficient to say that he was neither killed -nor seriously wounded.</p> - -<p>Charles and Will had taken only a few strokes with -the oars, when suddenly a tremendous explosion took -place. With a roar like that of St. George’s Dragon the -mine had sprung, and a cloud of stones and sundry other<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_146" id="Page_146">[146]</a></span> -things rushed up into the air, only to descend with fury -on the surrounding regions. Its effects were startling. -Charles and Will were wholly unprepared for such a -finale, and their faces showed the liveliest amazement as -they stared blankly at each other, struck dumb with -consternation.</p> - -<p>Before they had time to think, the stones came whistling -down all around them—the larger ones striking the -water with a heavy and sonorous thud—the smaller ones -singing and hissing like bullets.</p> - -<p>There was no help for it; they were obliged to sit still -and take their chances. Jim screamed himself black in -the face, while Marmaduke vainly attempted to realize -grandeur or romance in their perilous situation. Poor -Stephen! with a ghastly face he kept his seat, apparently -unable to move or speak.</p> - -<p>All excepting Stephen escaped injury. He, poor fellow, -had his arm broken by a falling piece of stone. The -boat, however, did not come off so well; two stones bored -two large holes through the bottom of it.</p> - -<p>The water poured in through these holes, and Jim, -boohooing and fearing he knew not what, jumped overboard. -This roused the two plotters, Charles and Will, -and they shouted, “The oars are gone—we can’t row! -Jump out and swim for the shore, or we’ll all be taken -over! Come, Steve, <em>don’t</em> be frightened; <em>don’t</em> mind. We -did it all, Steve; we did it, and George fired it.”</p> - -<p>But Stephen’s brain was in a whirl, and he did not -understand them.</p> - -<p>“Save Jim! He’ll be too frightened to swim,” Will -cried. “Steve and Marmaduke can swim well enough. -Hurry! we’re near the falls!”</p> - -<p>Will and Charles sprang out of the boat for Jim, grappled -him, and, after a violent struggle with the current, -towed him ashore, safe, but perilously near the brink of -the falls. All three had nearly been swept over! Marmaduke -joined them a moment later. They did not -know that Stephen’s arm was broken, and believing that -he was safe on shore above them, their first thought was -for George.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_147" id="Page_147">[147]</a></span></p> - -<p>“Oh! he must have been blown to atoms!” Will -groaned.</p> - -<p>His agony far exceeded Stephen’s on the island—in -fact, the tables had been turned in an unlooked-for -manner.</p> - -<p>“Yes, we must see about him,” said Charles, with pale -face and unsteady voice, a gnawing pain in the region of -his heart—a sensation that is experienced only when a -person is strongly moved.</p> - -<p>Scrambling up the bank, they saw George—bruised -and bleeding, but looking supremely happy—peering -into a jagged hole in the ground.</p> - -<p>“Hallo, George!” Will called out. “Are you hurt?”</p> - -<p>“Oh, a little,” said George. “Yes,” he added, “I—I’m -pretty sore.”</p> - -<p>“We were afraid you were destroyed.”</p> - -<p>“Well, I never thought of the stones flying about so; -I only thought of the noise;” George avowed. “But,” -with a self-satisfied smile, “how did you like it?”</p> - -<p>“Like it?” said Charles. “Why, it was awful! I’d -no idea that gunpowder is such strong stuff: this must -have been pretty virtuous, after all!”</p> - -<p>“Well, boys, I opened the box, and the powder was as -dry as a bonfire. So I fixed things to make a noise; but -I never thought the stones would shoot so—I mean, I -knew it, of course; but I didn’t <em>calculate</em> for it. It was -a fine sight, though, to see them shoot up into the air. -How did it appear to you?”</p> - -<p>“‘<em>Appear!</em>’ Well, the stones broke two holes through -the boat!” Will growled. “But where is Steve? haven’t -you seen him?”</p> - -<p>“Seen him? No, where can he be? How did he take -it, anyway?”</p> - -<p>“I think he was very much frightened, he looked so -queer,” said Charles. “Oh, boys! where is he? Perhaps -he was hurt!”</p> - -<p>Then they flew to the bank. But the most searching -glances failed to discover either the boat or Stephen.</p> - -<p>“Steve! Steve!” they shouted, in convulsive grief.</p> - -<p>“Oh, who saw him last?” Will asked. “Was he in the -boat, or swimming?”</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_148" id="Page_148">[148]</a></span></p> - -<p>No one could answer the question, and the boys’ pale -faces betrayed how their conscience was reproaching -them.</p> - -<p>In truth, Stephen’s broken arm, together with the -shock of the explosion, had rendered him helpless, and -he had been swept over the falls in the boat.</p> - -<p>It would be dramatic to break off here, leaving the -reader a prey to fruitless inquiries as to Stephen’s fate, -drop down among the hungry-eyed little picnickers in the -grove that bordered the river, and give a glowing description -of what was going on. But as this story has very -little to do with the picnic, and as most readers would a -little rather hear about Stephen, I will deliberately transgress -the laws of romance, and tell how it fared with him.</p> - -<p>The explosion was distinctly heard by the merry-makers, -and the picnic broke up in confusion. Crowds -of excited people were soon skirting the winding banks -of the river, and Stephen was found and fished out of the -water, more dead than alive. He was immediately taken -to his home, and a surgeon was called in. The surgeon -set the broken arm, and after examining the boy carefully, -said that although severely bruised, he was not hurt -internally. But Stephen’s sufferings were not over yet. -The fright and the shock proved too much for him; fever -set in; and it was long before he rejoined his school-fellows, -and several months before he recovered his health -and strength.</p> - -<p>Mr. Lawrence, “a sadder and a wiser man,” blamed -himself for having indirectly contributed to the disaster. -He reproved his son in these words: “I must say, Will, -that you and your companions showed a deplorable want -of honor in your dealings with poor Stephen this day.”</p> - -<p>The man in whose field the explosion had taken effect -set up a howl of righteous indignation on seeing the -“chasm” in the ground; and did not stop to consider -that the youngsters had only altered the physical features -of a little plot of stony and untilled ground by changing -the position of a few ancient stones, and by removing a -few others into the bed of the river.</p> - -<p>The portly and benevolent old gentleman said sadly, as<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_149" id="Page_149">[149]</a></span> -he gazed upon the wreck of his sometime gay little boat, -“Well, it is now manifested that a boat cannot be taken -over these falls without being shattered to flinders. But, -of course, nothing can kill a modern <em>boy</em>; <em>he</em> is indestructible.”</p> - -<p>The observing reader of this history will remark that -whatever these boys meddled with generally came to a -dishonorable end.</p> - -<p>And the “reformers” themselves, what of them? Probably, -in the whole United States there could not have -been found three more miserable boys than Will, Charles, -and George, as they trudged home that day from the -scene of their exploits—the clothing of the first two -uncomfortably wet—the frame of the other smarting with -pain. But their forlorn and dilapidated appearance -excited no pity from the horrified villagers.</p> - -<p>Mr. and Mrs. Lawrence, in despair, sent their son to his -aunt Eleanor’s, to spend a few days, hoping that he would -there reflect on the folly of his doings, and amend. He -and the others suffered tenfold more shame than Stephen -after the scandal about the “mad dog.”</p> - -<p>Boys, listen to the moral of this unconscionably dreary -chapter:</p> - -<p>It is quite right and desirable that you should, under -proper tuition, learn the uses and the usefulness of gunpowder; -but, if you know of any <em>trick</em> in which it is to -be an agent, think of Stephen, and hang back.</p> - -<hr class="chap" /> - -<h2 id="Chapter_XV">Chapter XV.<br /> -<span class="smcap">A Lesson in Ballooning.</span></h2> - -<p>Perhaps no one will be able to take in the moral -lurking in the following chapters—except, it may be, -some atramental old critic, who can discern a “hidden -meaning” where no meaning, “hidden” or otherwise, is -intended. Our only hope of escape from such critics is -that they will consider this story entirely beneath their -notice, and so pass it by in silence and contempt.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_150" id="Page_150">[150]</a></span></p> - -<p>Will was sent to his aunt’s. This would have been, -perhaps, a wise proceeding, if his aunt had been a severe -old maid—but she was not. She was, on the contrary, a -loving and cheerful woman, with a mettlesome, rattle-headed, -yet resolute, son, Will’s “Cousin Henry.”</p> - -<p>Will’s rueful mien excited the compassion of the entire -family to such an extent that they did their utmost to -divert him. Cousin Henry, with a noble disregard of -self, gave up his school for two weeks, and devoted himself -wholly to Will’s services. The sequel was, the two -were soon sworn bosom-friends, pledged to stand by each -other to the close of life.</p> - -<p>Now, as this Henry was a hare-brained sort of fellow, -permitted to do as he pleased, it may readily be supposed -that he and Will were not long in getting into trouble.</p> - -<p>“Will, did you see my balloon when you were here -last?” Henry asked one day.</p> - -<p>“Balloon? No; can you make a balloon?” Will -inquired, in some surprise.</p> - -<p>“Of course I can. American boys can make or do anything. -All we want is some tissue paper for the cover; -whalebone or cane for the ribs; a piece of wire; and a -piece of cotton batten dipped in alcohol to make the gas.”</p> - -<p>“I never heard of such a balloon,” Will replied. “<em>How</em> -do you make the gas?”</p> - -<p>“Why, just set fire to the batten,—that will be fastened -under the mouth of the balloon by a bit of wire, you -know,—and that’ll soon make the gas. Then away it -goes, like a rocket.”</p> - -<p>“I should think it might set something on fire,” said -Will.</p> - -<p>“Well, let it set. There are fire-engines enough in the -town to put it out,” Henry replied, with easy indifference. -“But, Will,” he added, “don’t be afraid; I’ve rigged lots -of them, and they never set anything on fire yet.”</p> - -<p>Ah, Henry! You did not observe that your balloons -were generally fabricated so fragilely that it was impossible -for them to do any harm!</p> - -<p>“Then let us make one!” Will rejoined with alacrity.</p> - -<p>The cousins, without delay, repaired to Mrs. Mortimer’s<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_151" id="Page_151">[151]</a></span> -apartments, to look for some of the things required. -Henry rummaged in a careless way that quite shocked -poor Will, and at last issued from the room, leaving everything -in appalling disorder. Next, Mr. Mortimer’s valuables -were overhauled, and last of all, the hero’s own.</p> - -<p>“Now we’ve found everything we need, Will, even to -the tools,” he said. “Let us go to work.”</p> - -<p>“Won’t you straighten up things, Henry?” Will ventured -to ask.</p> - -<p>“Straighten! Creation, no! Don’t you know it’s fall -house-cleaning time? I don’t fool away <em>my</em> time in -straightening!” with virtuous indignation.</p> - -<p>Choosing Henry’s room for a workshop, the two fell to -work. Notwithstanding the fact that the science of -aëronautics was entirely new to him, Will suggested so -many improvements that Henry was both astonished and -delighted.</p> - -<p>“We shall have a famous balloon!” he exclaimed.</p> - -<p>“Why shouldn’t it be as good as any you ever made?” -Will asked mildly.</p> - -<p>“Why, yes, of course; why shouldn’t it. <em>I</em> don’t see,” -Henry answered, not at all disconcerted.</p> - -<p>“Will, would you like to go with me to the Demon’s -Cave some day?” he asked abruptly.</p> - -<p>“I never heard of the ‘Demon’s Cave.’ Where is it, -and what is the Demon?”</p> - -<p>“Then I can tell you all about it while we work. The -‘demon,’ Will, isn’t a ‘what’ but a ‘who;’ and a terrible -sort of a fellow he is. Everybody around these parts -knows all about him; some foolish people are afraid of -him, some even pretend that he is a ghost! Some people -that ought to know better say he’s an escaped criminal; -but,” in a positive tone, “my father always knows what -he is talking about, and he says the poor fellow is more -or less crazy. He lives in a queer sort of a cave, or hovel, -or hole, in a bank of earth. I’ve heard lots of the boys -say that there are several rooms inside; but <em>they</em> don’t -know; how should they?”</p> - -<p>“Did you ever see him?” Will asked eagerly.</p> - -<p>“I never got a good look at him, because he stays<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_152" id="Page_152">[152]</a></span> -denned up like a bear in winter; but one night, a long -time ago, some of us boys went howling and yelling -around his cave, and he came out at us and chased us like -a hungry wolf. The boys ran away like velocipedes, and -I—I ran too. The demon was as fierce as a humbugged -pirate [Henry was fond of comparison], and he caught -one boy, and mauled him like a Spanish blood-hound. -That was the only time I ever saw the demon; but that -was enough for me.”</p> - -<p>Will became interested in the man, and he inquired: -“What did he look like?”</p> - -<p>“Look! How can I tell? I was only a little boy then, -or I shouldn’t have ran away. Well, let me think. Will,” -suddenly, “did you ever see a correct picture of Satan?”</p> - -<p>“No!” Will said, with horror.</p> - -<p>“Well, <em>I</em> have, and it wasn’t half so ugly as the demon. -That’s enough to say about his looks, isn’t it? And his -clothes! Why, Will, they set him off so well that he -looked like a shipwrecked Turk, dressed up in a savage’s -stolen spoil!”</p> - -<p>Will endeavored to grasp the meaning of this, but -Henry hurried on.</p> - -<p>“Well, Will, at any rate, he lives there all alone, and -has for years. Some folks say he has lots of money; and -likely they are right, for what else can he live on?”</p> - -<p>“Why, does he buy food at the market?” Will asked.</p> - -<p>“No; didn’t I tell you that he keeps shut up like a -nun in a coffin? They say a friend of his goes there -every once in a while with victuals and things; and -likely the demon pays him for them. All the boys say -that he has a poultry-yard full of hens and chickens -somewhere in his cave. I’ve heard, though, that he -prowls around at night, and gets his living that way. -Very likely a little of both; for he is often seen out in -the night. For all you or I know, Will, he may have a -chest full of gold, like a hermit in a story-book for little -girls.”</p> - -<p>“Then it’s a wonder he doesn’t get robbed,” Will -observed.</p> - -<p>“You’ve hit it, Will!” said Henry. “A whole gang of<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_153" id="Page_153">[153]</a></span> -thieves broke into his cave once, so the story goes, thinking -they would carry off his money, if he had any. But -the demon was too clever for them. He hid himself in a -dark corner, and frightened the robbers nearly to death. -They rushed out of the cave like bumble-bees on a -holiday.”</p> - -<p>“And didn’t they steal anything?”</p> - -<p>“They didn’t see anything to steal, Will. The demon -had either put his treasures out of sight, or else he hadn’t -any. But I don’t know whether the story is true or not; -perhaps it is only a concocted one.”</p> - -<p>“Why do the people let him stay there?” was Will’s -next question. “Why don’t they take him out of his -cave, and take care of him?”</p> - -<p>“For several reasons. He is harmless when he is not -molested; he lives there quietly, and likely wouldn’t leave -his cave unless taken away by force; and no one likes to -interfere with his affairs. Of course the people keep an -eye on him, and won’t let him suffer.”</p> - -<p>“Why do they call him ‘the Demon?’”</p> - -<p>“Oh, that’s only a nickname he got. Didn’t you ever -notice, Will, how people like to give outlandish nicknames? -They’ll pick up the silliest old hunks they can -find,—a man that doesn’t know enough to put on his own -hat, even,—and ornament him with the name of some -vanquished hero. Don’t you see, the ‘Demon of the -Cave’ sounds pretty strong; it’s sure to make a stranger -turn around and look over his left shoulder, as if he was -afraid of himself. Yes, the people in this country like to -give big nicknames; they nickname even the Evil One!”</p> - -<p>“And doesn’t any person know where this man came -from, nor who he is?”</p> - -<p>“No, the people here don’t seem to know anything -about him before he came to these parts; but there are -all kinds of stories about him.”</p> - -<p>“Poor fellow!” Will said, softly. “He must have a -miserable life there, all alone. Does he have any fires in -his cave?”</p> - -<p>“Oh, yes; I believe he keeps a good fire all day long; -but it must be cold there in winter. I think he gets his<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_154" id="Page_154">[154]</a></span> -firewood prowling around in the night,—not that he -<em>steals</em>, but he gathers up rubbish and old boards. They -say he cooks his food nicely over his fire. There is a -spring, or underground well, of some kind in his cave, so -that he does not suffer from want of fresh water. But, -Will, I could go on talking about him for hours. There -are all kinds of stories about him, stories that would make -you turn black and blue, and shiver all over. When we -go to bed to-night, I’ll tell you some of the worst.”</p> - -<p>“You can’t scare me that way, Henry; so you might -as well tell them now.”</p> - -<p>“Oh, well, they don’t amount to very much, anyway. -All the boys say he’s a cannibal, and every few weeks he -steals somebody, and eats him up. There was a man -missed here once, Will, and he never came back again; -so, of course, they say he was taken off by the demon. -The man never came back again to say where he had -been; and so the story got going, and it’s going yet. The -boys say that sometimes he has awful fits of madness, -and tears everybody that he meets all to pieces. Oh, there -are lots of stories, Will; but if they don’t frighten you, -what’s the good of telling them? They’ll scare some boys, -though. There’s one little boy that goes to school that -the boys make a habit of frightening very often, by saying -that they’ll take him to the Demon’s Cave. Then he -bellows, and rams his fists into his eyes, and punches ’em -nearly out, and swears he’ll shoot all the boys when he -gets big enough.”</p> - -<p>“And do you tease him, too?” asked Will.</p> - -<p>“No, Will; I don’t. I hate to see a boy with the -nosebleed, and this little fellow bellows so hard, and -pommels himself so much, that he nearly always gets it. -You see, one attack of nosebleed doesn’t get rightly cured -before another comes on.”</p> - -<p>“I see,” said Will.</p> - -<p>“Well, Will,” after a pause, “would you like to go and -see this cave and the demon some day?”</p> - -<p>“Yes, Henry, I should like nothing better;” Will said, -with boyish eagerness. “How far away is it, and when -shall we go?”</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_155" id="Page_155">[155]</a></span></p> - -<p>“Well, it’s about three or four miles from our house, -and we can go to-morrow night, if it should be pleasant. -I’ve always wanted to get inside of that cave, Will, to see -whether any of the stories about it are true. We will get -into it when we go, or perish on the spot, won’t we?”</p> - -<p>Will was quite willing to go and see the place where -the demon lived; but, “to beard the lion in his den!” -that was asking too much; especially, as he had resolved -not to get into any mischief during his stay at his aunt’s.</p> - -<p>“Come, Will; <em>you</em> are the only boy I would ask to go -with me. I’ve always wanted to go, but I could never -find the right boy to have along. <em>You</em> are the very chap; -<em>you</em> have nerve; <em>you</em> wouldn’t run away, if the demon -should be in one of his fits of fury. And you would -enjoy it; you would have it to think of and dream of -when you were an old man!”</p> - -<p>This last argument, not proving conclusive, Henry continued: -“Just think how the boys would envy us! You -could tell the boys at home, and make ’em jealous of us -for life; and I could stir up the boys that I know, and -make them so mad that they would chew India rubber -and think it was gum!”</p> - -<p>Will was only a boy, and he could, not withstand so -seductive an argument. “Well, Henry,” he said slowly, -“<em>I’ll go.</em>”</p> - -<p>“Of course; you would always be sorry if you didn’t.”</p> - -<p>Now that he had secured Will’s promise to go, he ventured -to hint at the propriety of taking pistols.</p> - -<p>“Pistols!” Will exclaimed, with horror. “Surely, we -don’t want pistols! Why, we might as well turn highwaymen, -and be done with it!”</p> - -<p>But Henry was a year older than Will, accustomed to -have his own way, and he would not yield to the boy’s -entreaties. His stronger nature soon overruled Will’s -scruples, and he consented to do whatever Henry thought -best, though feeling ill at ease.</p> - -<p>“Of course, Will, we don’t think of shooting at anything—not -for all the world;—but the plan is to get -behind an old tree near the cave, fire a pistol to draw the -demon out, and then rush in while he is looking to see<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_156" id="Page_156">[156]</a></span> -what made the noise. Don’t you see? Perhaps we shan’t -need to fire a pistol at all; but it will be best to have -them.”</p> - -<p>“Why should we take more than one, and why should -we put in a ball?” Will asked uneasily.</p> - -<p>“One apiece, Will; and we must have both loaded, for -we don’t know what might happen. Now, don’t be -frightened; we won’t do any harm, nor break any laws; -I know how to manage things too well for that.”</p> - -<p>“I promised to keep out of mischief,” Will said, dolefully.</p> - -<p>“I know it, Will; and I’m going to help you keep your -promise. We can be very careful, and what fun it will -be!”</p> - -<p>“I’m afraid somebody will get shot,” mournfully replied -the assistant balloonist. He was beginning to repent -of his promises to Henry; and in his heart of heart he -knew it would be extremely ridiculous, not to say wrong, -for two hare-brained youths to set out on a nocturnal expedition, -with loaded pistols.</p> - -<hr class="chap" /> - -<h2 id="Chapter_XVI">Chapter XVI.<br /> -<span class="smcap">Unheard-of Adventures with Balloons.</span></h2> - -<p>The little balloon was now completed, and the -demon and his affairs were forgotten. The balloon was -rather clumsily constructed, it is true; but it promised -to float well, and the cousins were enchanted with it. -They bore it tenderly out into the back-yard, arranged it -for flight, and were about to fire the prepared cotton -batten, when Henry cried excitedly: “Wait, Will! Wait -a minute! I’m going to fix a car under it! I see a little old -straw-hat of the baby’s here in the yard, and I’ll just -hitch it on for a car. Of course; what’s a balloon without -a car?”</p> - -<p>Henry hastened to do so, and the little bonnet was tied -fast to the balloon, immediately under the gas-producing -apparatus. Then he set fire to the batten; very soon the<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_157" id="Page_157">[157]</a></span> -balloon quivered; and then up it rose, a really pretty -sight. The boys shouted, cheered, and flung out their -arms in wild delight.</p> - -<p>It rushed up like a rocket—it flew along—it soared—it -became smaller and smaller—the “car” took fire—the -whole balloon blazed—it wavered—it fell headlong—it -lit on the roof of a public building—it set it on fire!</p> - -<p>The boys had watched its ascent with enthusiasm, -cheering lustily; but when it took fire, their enthusiasm -cooled, and in proportion as the balloon burned brighter, -their hearts grew heavier. When it fell, their spirits -fell with it. They grew sick with fear on seeing flames -burst forth on the roof of the building, and looked at each -other in utter helplessness. Henry was the first to collect -himself, and he gave the alarm by shouting “Fire!” in -thundering tones.</p> - -<p>Several householders, Mrs. Mortimer among them, flew -to their doors at the dreadful cry of <em>fire</em>, to see whether -their own buildings were the ones menaced. The fire was -soon pointed out; the fire-engines rushed gallantly to the -rescue; the hoses were adjusted; and the firemen sprang -to their work. The two boys got over their terror sufficiently -to throng to the scene of action. To Henry it -was a familiar sight; but to Will it was entirely new, and -he enjoyed it, in spite of himself.</p> - -<p>The fire was soon extinguished, and but little harm was -done to the building. The whole affair, from the time -when Henry attached the “car” to his balloon till the last -spark was extinguished, took up only a few minutes.</p> - -<p>As the cousins returned to the house, they felt that all -was not over yet.</p> - -<p>“That’s the worst thing, almost, that ever happened to -me,” said Will.</p> - -<p>“Never mind it, Will; its over now, and not much -harm done. I wouldn’t let that trouble me a minute. We -boys in the city, don’t count <em>that</em> as much; we’re used to -all sorts of horrible things happening to us; we get -hardened to it; we expect it. But it was all that dismal -straw-hat; <em>that</em> did the mischief. If I hadn’t flung it into -the back-yard the other day, our balloon might be soaring<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_158" id="Page_158">[158]</a></span> -around yet! Well, it’s burnt up now, from stem to stern.”</p> - -<p>“Yes, Henry; but it isn’t a very good way to keep out -of mischief; it—it makes me feel very miserable. George -would say we are <em>incendiaries</em>.”</p> - -<p>“Who’s George? Somebody that is nobody, I guess. -Well, at any rate, that isn’t the word. <em>Giantize</em> is a great -deal better. <em>To giantize</em>, Will, is to eat like a giant; to do -big things; to astonish the natives; to be a hero; to -rescue captives. We’ll <em>giantize</em> to-morrow night when -we rescue the man—if there <em>is</em> a man—in the Demon’s -Cave. Some day, Will, I’ll take you to a bookstore, and -show you a weekly paper with continued stories in it, -and continual heroes in the stories. These heroes are -very, <em>very</em> strong, and good, and brave, and handsome; -and they make it a settled business to giantize.”</p> - -<p>“Oh, I know what those papers are, Henry; I know a -Mr. Horner that takes two or three of them; and he gets -so excited over the stories that sometimes he can’t sleep -at night. But his boy Jim—Timor we call him—is the -biggest coward that ever ran away from a lapdog.”</p> - -<p>The boys sat down to dinner with little appetite. Mr. -Mortimer made inquiries about the fire, and they acknowledged -their share in it. To say that Mr. Mortimer was -vexed would hardly express the state of his feelings. In -the afternoon a deputation of the City Fathers waited on -him, and he and the two cousins were closeted with them -some time. What passed between them was never made -known; but as they took their departure one of them -observed: “Yes, that makes it all right. Well, I never -realized before that a straw-bonnet would set fire to a -roof. I must tell my boys never to make balloons; or, at -least, to make them without cars. By the way, what was -it that you dipped in alcohol to make the gas?”</p> - -<p>Will was too confused to make a reply. Not so Henry. -“Cotton batten, sir, is what we used,” he said, “but a -sponge is better still.”</p> - -<p>After they had gone, he said to Will: “Now he’ll get -himself into trouble! His boys are always trying experiments; -and if he tells them about our balloon, they’ll go -to work and make one that’ll set the whole place on fire!<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_159" id="Page_159">[159]</a></span> -Oh, they’re awful boys! Only a few days ago they -poisoned off a dog with some dangerous gas, and drove -the house-keeper’s cat into hysteric fits. Why, Will, their -mother can’t keep a tea-kettle three weeks before they -swoop down on it; and turn on a full head of steam; -and plug up the spout; and batten down the lid; and -blow it all to nothing. Oh, that man will have his hands -full of sorrow before long.”</p> - -<p>“But what does their mother say about it? Surely, -she doesn’t like to keep on buying new tea-kettles! And -their father,—doesn’t he get mad?”</p> - -<p>“Oh, as long as the boys don’t get hurt, their parents -think they are smart; and they tell everybody that goes -into the house that when the boys grow up, they will -revolutionize chemistry and remodel the steam-engine.”</p> - -<p>Then the two talked of exploits that they had achieved; -adventures that had befallen them; and perils through -which they had passed. Henry said that he had had the -mumps, the measles, and the small-pox; Will said he had -had the sore throat, the chicken-pox, seven boils, lots and -lots of warts, and the measles, too. Henry said a circus -horse once kicked him hard, and a circus monkey once -stole his handkerchief; Will said he once shot a cat with -his father’s gun, and it fled away and lived all winter with -the bullet in its heart. Henry said that was nothing; he -once shot a deer, and if somebody else hadn’t come along -and killed it, he believed his ball would have killed it. -Will said he could beat that, for he was nearly drowned -once. Then Henry said he one day drank so much water -that he nearly died; and the next day those smart boys -that he had spoken of set him on fire, and scorched his -coat till he couldn’t recognize it.</p> - -<p>Then they talked of other things, and Will told his -cousin all about his school-fellows. Then Henry again -referred to the demon and his wickedness.</p> - -<p>Judging by the performances of the last few hours, -Henry would be a strange companion to visit the Demon’s -Cave with, at night, and armed with loaded pistols, -“ready,” as he phrased it, “to defend themselves in case -of danger.”</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_160" id="Page_160">[160]</a></span></p> - -<hr class="tb" /> - -<p>It was morning. The cousins were standing in the -commons. A crowd of people was assembled. In the -centre of the inclosure a colossal balloon (do not smile, -gentle reader) towered up into the air. Its manager, -Prof. Ranteleau, was haranguing the people. In a few -minutes he would ascend in his balloon—who wished to -accompany him? He was an adept in the science of -aëronautics, and would insure every one a safe, novel, and -delightful voyage through the aërial regions. When they -had sailed among the clouds to their satisfaction, he would -return and descend on the common.</p> - -<p>A few people said “good-bye” to their friends, and -climbed into the car. The cousins did likewise. The -fastenings were cast loose; the professor seated himself -with a complacent smile; and with a great lurch the -balloon began to ascend.</p> - -<p>The people began to make poetical remarks upon the -“sublimity,” the “immensity,” the “profundity” of the -scene, before the car was fifty feet above the ground.</p> - -<p>Will and Henry sat still and looked on; for to their -untutored minds the scene did yet seem particularly -sublime.</p> - -<p>But the balloon rapidly gained in speed, and soon -whirled its occupants along at an astonishing rate. Things -below became more and more indistinct, and were gradually -lost to view. Then the balloonists felt in their -pockets for sundry barometers and thermometers; buttoned -their over-coats up to their ears; and prepared to -enjoy themselves.</p> - -<p>The professor reached out his hand to adjust some part -of the mechanism. But a valve refused to open, the bulky -monster gave a great lurch forward, and he perceived -that it had become unmanageable! His benign countenance -assumed an air of woe, but he hoped that all was -not yet lost. He was deceived.</p> - -<p>Suddenly the balloon careened over, and sailed through -the air in a horizontal position, very unpleasant to the -balloonists. Striking a certain parallel of latitude, it<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_161" id="Page_161">[161]</a></span> -circled round this world of ours like a beam of light. In -vain the professor attempted to get control of the unwieldy -monster. Dropping their barometers and thermometers, -the unhappy æronauts clutched the sides of the -car with an agonized grip. Nothing was now said about -the “sublimity” of things below; for no one durst cast his -eyes to the ground.</p> - -<p>Soon they were circumnavigating the world in the -twinkling of an eye; and the balloon increased in speed -till it exceeded the wildest calculations made by man respecting -motion. The wretched travelers of the sky -could no longer maintain their hold, and were one by one -flung from the fated balloon like missiles from a catapult. -They went whirling through space with a rotary -motion, like balls from a rifle; while, from a peculiarity -in the way in which they were flung, they took a different -course from that taken by the balloon, more downward -and southward.</p> - -<p>Thus the pedagogue’s question, whether anything can -be discharged from a motive power in motion, is set at -rest forever.</p> - -<p>In spite of the awfulness of his situation, Will could -not help pitying whatever obstacle they should bring up -against, for there would be a frightful collision.</p> - -<p>For the thirtieth time the Rocky Mountains rose before -them, and a large man, built on the approved Dicken’s -model, was shot from the balloon. To the spectator’s -horror, he went right through one of the loftiest mountains, -just below the limit of perpetual snow, tearing a -hole eight feet in circumference through the solid rock. -When the “hardy mountaineer” comes upon that hole, -he will call it a “freak of nature,” and be at a loss to account -for its usefulness. “Ah! he didn’t ought to come!” -the professor managed to articulate. But he was not -heard, for in an instant an ocean of ether rolled between -him and his words.</p> - -<p>One by one the unfortunates were hurled from the -balloon, till out of thirteen only the professor and the two -cousins remained. The monster circumnavigated the -globe one hundred times; then quivered, hesitated, slackened<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_162" id="Page_162">[162]</a></span> -its speed, and finally, taking a new start, it left the -earth entirely behind, and swiftly drew near one of the -planets. It redoubled its exertions, and soon exceeded its -former velocity. The air became warmer and warmer, -nearer and nearer they came to the planet. The professor -determined to make one more effort to check their -wild flight, and took his right hand from the support it -clutched, to pull a rope leading to a valve.</p> - -<p>That movement was fatal: the professor himself was -shot out of the balloon. He, however, took an upward -course. The balloon seemed to know that he was gone; -and quivering with joy and relief, it once more assumed -a perpendicular position. The boys relaxed their hold, -and gladly stretched their stiffened limbs. But its velocity -seemed only to increase.</p> - -<p>Six seconds later, the boys felt an awful crash above -them. The balloon had overtaken its latest projectile, -the professor, and a great collision was the result. Then -the gas coming from the professor’s throat, and the gas -inside of the balloon, met; and an explosion that jarred -the planet they were drawing near,—though it was still -three thousand miles away,—took place.</p> - -<p>The balloon immediately collapsed, and then a strange -thing happened. Will dilated till he reached the -dimensions of the last exhumed New Jersey fossil, -and then a cry of pain broke from his lips. He opened -his eyes.</p> - -<p>A calm September sun was shining into the bedroom -window; the birds were singing gayly outside; while -down stairs he heard Henry’s merry laugh.</p> - -<p>“A dream!” Will exclaimed, in great relief! “Only a -dream. But it seemed more real than any dream I ever -had! Oh, dear! Even in dreams I get into trouble! -What will become of me next? Shall I always keep on -making blunders? Shall I always get into disgrace, like -an idiot or a bothersome dog?”</p> - -<p>After a pause, he continued: “Well, I do feel a pain, -sure enough! I suppose I ate too much pudding for dinner.”</p> - -<p>In this observation he was partially correct. Boys,<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_163" id="Page_163">[163]</a></span> -listen to this glorious precept: <em>Never eat heartily when -you feel as Will felt that afternoon.</em></p> - -<p>“I wonder how a genuine balloon would behave itself?” -Will mused, as he jumped out of bed. “Not much like -Professor Ranteleau’s, surely. If I could see George, now, -I guess he could tell me all about it. Perhaps Henry -knows how it would be. Well, I don’t care for such -dreams; they make me feel homesick. Poor Stephen! -I wonder how he is this morning. Oh! Oh! this is the -day for the visit to the Demon’s Cave!”</p> - -<p>Having said that, he went down stairs in search of -Henry.</p> - -<hr class="chap" /> - -<h2 id="Chapter_XVII">Chapter XVII.<br /> -<span class="smcap">They Prepare to Giantize.</span></h2> - -<p>The boys spent the day in suppressed excitement, not -caring to engage in any amusement, but roaming about -the house and making their “preparations.” After much -wandering through the building, they gathered up everything -they thought would be needful.</p> - -<p>“It’s a great pity we haven’t more weapons,” Henry -said. “Now, Will to go armed rightly, we should have -revolvers, not pistols. Seven-shooters, with a box of -cartridges apiece, would make us very formidable, and -then we ought to have other weapons. Well, I’ve a compass, -anyway; you must take it, Will, for you don’t know -the way so well as I do. These pistols of mine are very -good, for pistols; but after all, they are only pistols.”</p> - -<p>Henry was wrong in being ashamed of his firearms. -They were very neat and highly ornamented pocket-pistols, -which his father had given to him some years -before, under a promise not to use them till he should be -old enough to do so with safety. He had strictly kept -that promise.</p> - -<p>There was nothing wrong with them; but Henry got -out his father’s oil can, and the two boys toiled over them -for upwards of an hour. The oil in the little can ran -low, and a pile of greasy rags rose beside them; but when<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_164" id="Page_164">[164]</a></span> -they at last desisted from their labors, a sweet smile of -content lit up their grimy features, and unthinkingly -they drew out their handkerchiefs.</p> - -<p>“Oh!” cried Will with a look of dismay.</p> - -<p>“Never mind,” said Henry, composedly. “Just keep -yours, and I’ll keep mine, and they’ll make the very best -kind of a slate-cloth, and when they get worn out for -that, the ragman will buy them at a cent a pound. Now, -Will, just look at these pistols; they are as clean as a -snow-storm!”</p> - -<p>This sublime comparison restored Will’s cheerfulness, -and together they wended their way outside to wash.</p> - -<p>“Will,” he said, “to show you how <em>very</em> careful I am, -we won’t load this pair of pistols till just before we go. -All the accidents you read about in the newspapers come -from loaded pistols and revolvers lying around loose; so -we’ll cheat fate, and not load them till the last minute. -And,” he added, “to be still more careful, <em>you may load -them both yourself</em>.”</p> - -<p>But where Will was concerned, Fate was not to be -cheated so easily; in fact, on this occasion, Henry was -“only playing into her hands.”</p> - -<p>For some reason, neither of the boys said anything to -Mr. or Mrs. Mortimer about their intended expedition, -wishing, according to their account, to have a “tale to -tell” the next morning. Although they kept saying to -each other that they would be doing nothing wrong, it -is probable they feared Mr. Mortimer might think they -would be better at home than at the Demon’s Cave. To -do them justice, it must be stated that neither meditated -doing any harm; they wished only to effect an entrance -into the cave. They were certain that they would reach -home by bedtime; and then, the affair being all over, they -could narrate their adventures at their leisure. They -were observing boys, and knew well enough that when -they returned in triumph and safety, their little prank -would be excused; and far from being blamed, they -would be regarded with admiration—even lionized.</p> - -<p>Yes, Will and Henry were wise in their day and generation.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_165" id="Page_165">[165]</a></span></p> - -<p>In the morning Henry had said to his mother: “Ma, -could you get supper earlier than usual to-night? Will -and I want to go out about sundown. We’ll tell you all -about it afterwards.”</p> - -<p>Mrs. Mortimer supposed, of course, that everything was -all right, and never thought of questioning them as to -whither they were going. She, good soul, promised to -get an early supper on purpose for them, and even proposed -that they should take some eatables with them. -The boys heartily agreed to this—not that they cared -to eat on the way; but they thought it would become -them, as armed heroes, to take along a knapsack of food.</p> - -<p>When supper was announced the impatient knights-errant -hastily ate it. Then Henry put some tempting -sandwiches—the eatables his kind mother had prepared—into -his satchel, or knapsack, and called to Will to get -ready.</p> - -<p>“Now, Will,” he said, as they flew up stairs to his room, -“we must hurry like a train of cars behind time. It is -getting late, and you must load the pistols as fast as you -can, while I change my boots. Here is everything you -want in this drawer, and you know just where to lay -your hand on whatever you want.”</p> - -<p>“Oh, yes,” said Will.</p> - -<p>“See, Will, here’s a big jack-knife for you, and another -for me. They’re the toughest and grittiest old fellows -you ever saw; stick this one into your pocket.”</p> - -<p>So they armed their persons with these formidable and -bulky knives. Did they expect to kill anyone, or to be -killed themselves?</p> - -<p>Will felt no uneasiness about taking a pocket-knife, -however big it might be; but he looked at the pistols -with awe.</p> - -<p>“You secured the compass before supper?” asked -Henry.</p> - -<p>“Yes.”</p> - -<p>“Then don’t stand fooling, Will, but load the pistols.”</p> - -<p>The sun had set, and the boys’ bedroom facing the -east, it was somewhat dark within it. Will knew he -must hurry, for it was getting late, and Henry would<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_166" id="Page_166">[166]</a></span> -soon be ready. His old dread about taking the pistols returned, -and his hand trembled with suppressed excitement -as he snatched them up.</p> - -<p>“I’ll load ’em,” he said desperately, “but I don’t like -to do it.”</p> - -<p>“Don’t be chicken-hearted at the last minute, Will; -you know I rely on you to help me;” Henry called out, -from the adjoining room.</p> - -<p>“Never mind,” Will replied confusedly, as he opened -the drawer of which Henry had spoken. There were -many things in this drawer, arranged in excellent order, -Henry thought; but to anyone else, everything seemed -to be in appalling <em>dis</em>order, as though thrown into it at -random. Boxes, strings, cords, fishhooks, slate-pencils, -lead-pencils, discarded buttons; a glass ink-bottle that a -blue-eyed girl had once given him for prompting her -against the rules; a top that a dead brother had -spun in days gone by; a diary that began with a -grand flourish and ended miserably on the fifth page; -and several other things, were stowed away in that -drawer. If the reader wishes to know <em>exactly</em> what its -contents were, let him look into the sanctum of such a -boy as Henry.</p> - -<p>Groping among these things, Will found his cousin’s -powder-flask, poured a generous charge into the barrel of -both pistols, and then rammed in a wad.</p> - -<p>“Ready?” asked Henry, as he slipped on the second -boot.</p> - -<p>“Oh, yes; in a minute;” Will replied, becoming very -much confused.</p> - -<p>Fumbling in the drawer again, he drew out a box -which he supposed held the bullets. Tearing off the lid -without stopping to examine what the soft black balls -really were, he dropped one into each barrel, and secured -it with a wad.</p> - -<p>Poor boy! Of course he had made a blunder, and mistaken -artificial balls, that Henry had made for his little -brothers pog-gun, for leaden bullets! These balls were -made of tow, soaked in water, and then rounded into -shape. They were excellent for a pop-gun, but rather -out of place in a pistol.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_167" id="Page_167">[167]</a></span></p> - -<p>Poor knights-errant! They were not armed even so -well as Henry imagined. In case of an attack from the -demon, all that they could rely on would be their jack-knives.</p> - -<p>Unconscious of his mistake, Will observed, with a sigh -of relief, “There, they’re loaded! I’m not much used to -loading pistols, Henry; but I know better than to put -the balls in first!”</p> - -<p>“Then why didn’t you say so before?” Henry demanded, -as he stepped into the room. “You are too -nervous, Will; you ought to take things coolly, as I do. -Of course the pistols are all right; but let me see them.”</p> - -<p>Taking them up, he said, with an amused smile: “It’s -pretty dark here, Will, <em>but I think I could see the caps, -if they were on</em>!”</p> - -<p>“Oh!” was all poor Will could say.</p> - -<p>Henry hurried to his drawer, found his box of caps, -and speedily remedied Will’s neglect. But he did not see -the mistake Will had made about the balls.</p> - -<p>Then each boy thrust a pistol into his coat pocket, and -looked every inch a redoubtable hero.</p> - -<p>“Never mind shutting up the drawer, Will; never mind -doing anything;” Henry cried impatiently. “It is nearly -a quarter to seven; so let us hurry, and we’ll swoop down -on the demon just in the nick of time.”</p> - -<p>As they passed out of the house, Henry’s little sister -asked where they were going.</p> - -<p>“Wait till we come back, Topsy, and we’ll have a -whole story-book full of tales to tell you,” said Henry. -“We are going to do something wonderful, and perhaps -we’ll find something to bring back to you. Topsy, tell -your baby brother that if we meet Jack the Giant Killer, -we’ll smash his head for him.”</p> - -<p>A minute later, the boys were fairly on their way to -the cave.</p> - -<p>“Henry, there is a question I want to ask you,” said -Will, as they strode along. “It will be so late when we -get home, and we shall be so tired; why didn’t we start -early in the afternoon?”</p> - -<p>“Ho! what a question! Why, Will, I’m astonished at<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_168" id="Page_168">[168]</a></span> -you! What would be the fun in going in daylight? Don’t -you see, <em>night</em> makes everything solemn and romantic, -and spurs a fellow on to be very brave—so brave that he -wouldn’t be afraid of the skeleton of a devil-fish. Will, -do you ever read novels? stories? legends?”</p> - -<p>“Yes.”</p> - -<p>“Well, don’t the heroes do all their noble deeds at -night? Villains and ruffians prowl around at night, and -the heroes know that, and lay their plans to grapple them. -Will, when different nations go to war, like two dogs -over a bone, if they can only manage to do the fighting -at night, they always do. And then what a battle there -is.”</p> - -<p>He held forth in this strain till he became almost eloquent; -but wound up by saying, with great inconsistency, -“Besides, it isn’t night at all; it’s only evening.”</p> - -<p>To all this Will meekly assented.</p> - -<p>“As for being tired,” Henry continued, with intense -disgust, “you’re no true boy, Will, if you care a straw for -that, when such sport is in view.”</p> - -<p>“No, of course not!” Will hastily replied. But he asked -himself whether his cousin had any of Marmaduke’s -notions.</p> - -<p>“Well,” after a pause, “I <em>did</em> have a reason for coming -at this particular time. I know a good-natured fellow -that comes along this way every evening with a team. I -see him coming now; and he’ll give us a ride, as sure as -our pistols are loaded. He’ll set us down not far from -the cave, and that will be a great help; and, Will, if you -are tired, ten to one we’ll get a ride going home!”</p> - -<p>Will began to think his cousin was a strangely contrary -boy.</p> - -<p>Mr. Mortimer’s house stood in the suburbs of the town, -which the boys had now left entirely behind. Eagerly -they hurried on, but the teamster soon overtook them, -and as Henry had said, he offered them a ride. As they -rattled on over the dusty road, they felt that this world is -very beautiful, after all; and that it is a fine thing to -have a teamster for a friend.</p> - -<p>When they left him they were within a quarter of a -mile of their destination.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_169" id="Page_169">[169]</a></span></p> - -<p>It was between two hills that they alighted, the road -coming down one, crossing a bridge that spanned a little -stream, and then going up another. The land on either -side was low,—even marshy in places,—and used principally -for pasturage. To the left of the road there were -no banks; but to the right, for a long way up the stream, -there were high and steep banks, with a wide valley between -them. It was in one of these banks that the cave -was situated.</p> - -<p>The cousins ran across the road, and down into the valley, -on their way to the demon’s abode. The teamster -watched them as he drove along, and muttered: “So <em>that’s</em> -where the rascals are going! Well, let ’em go; I reckon -they’ll soon come howling back again, very much the -worse for wear, and rather broken in wind!”</p> - -<hr class="chap" /> - -<h2 id="Chapter_XVIII">Chapter XVIII.<br /> -<span class="smcap">The Cousins See More Than They Bargained For.</span></h2> - -<p>Will was about to follow the stream, but Henry called -out to him, “Don’t go there, Will, for the ground is too -soft after the rain. Besides, we must be careful; the demon -may be prowling around; and he might see us. Let -us follow this steep bank for a little way, and then we -shall find a path leading right up to the top of it.”</p> - -<p>It was a desert place, far from any habitation—a wilderness -within sight of a town. High above them rose an -almost perpendicular bank, of <em>earth</em>, not <em>rock</em>; while directly -opposite rose a similar bank, nearly as high. Between -these lay the pasture-land. Will and Henry were -sensible of the desolation of the place; it fired their enthusiasm, -and warmed their blood; and they peered into -the shadows as though they imagined a whole band of -demons lurked near, ready to spring upon them.</p> - -<p>If they should be attacked, as Henry seemed to fear, so -far from help, his pistols and pocket-knives would be frail -weapons of defence.</p> - -<p>They soon reached the path leading upwards, and began -to ascend.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_170" id="Page_170">[170]</a></span></p> - -<p>“Henry, wouldn’t it be better to go boldly up to the -door of the cave, and knock?” Will asked. “Surely, the -demon would let us in, and show us around; and if he -should, of course, he would let us out again.”</p> - -<p>“No, Will; that wouldn’t do at all. The demon never -lets any one into his cave; and as I told you, the story -runs that whoever he <em>takes</em> in never gets out again. If we -should knock at his door he would be on his guard, and I -doubt whether we should be able to get in at all. Besides, -it wouldn’t be poetical to get in that way. No; we must -entice him out, and then rush in like a whirlwind.”</p> - -<p>“But how are we to get out again?”</p> - -<p>“Now, Will, I don’t mean <em>you</em> when I say it; but that -is a coward’s thought. I never troubled myself about that—in -fact, I never let such an idea come into my head. -If we had wanted to get in that way, we should have -stayed down in the valley. By going around on the top -of the hill, as we are, we can lay a trap that the demon -will certainly fall into. You see, Will, if we want to get -fun out of this expedition, we must have a plot. I don’t -blame you for being nervous, Will; those trick-playing -boys at your place have unsettled your nerves, and unstrung -your faculties; but if you stay with me long enough, -I’ll string them up till you are ready for anything.”</p> - -<p>Will heaved a sigh, blinked painfully, and said, “Thank -you!”</p> - -<p>Henry resumed: “Yes, Will, I think we can safely -leave that question till we get ready to go out. Some way -will be found then, never fear. The main point is to get -in; it will be easy enough to get out.”</p> - -<p>“Let us stop a minute, and look around,” Will said, as -they strode warily along on the brow of the hill.</p> - -<p>“By all means, Will. Here,” stretching out his arms, -and speaking with theatrical vehemence, “here is scenery! -This is where the travelling photographers come to astonish -themselves!”</p> - -<p>A splendid view was obtained from this elevation; the -country could be seen for a long distance, and glimpses -were caught of three or four towns besides Henry’s.</p> - -<p>But the writer seems to forget that he is not a school-girl<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_171" id="Page_171">[171]</a></span> -writing a prize composition in description of some far -distant and romantic land of which she, in her younger -days, had learned a piece of poetry, difficult and tiresome, -but studded with beautiful metaphors that fired her budding -genius.</p> - -<p>A great many dumb beasts, but no human beings, were -in sight.</p> - -<p>Henry soon broke the silence by saying, “Come, Will, -we must go on.”</p> - -<p>They hurried along on the brow of the long hill, conversing -in low tones. Still no appearance of the demon. -There was a well-beaten path, evidently worn by the demon -himself, which they followed. After following this -path for a few minutes, Henry suddenly stopped, and said -in a hoarse whisper:</p> - -<p>“Will, I think we are directly over the cave. Hush! -Keep very still, and look out for danger; but be as collected -as a desperado. We are two to one; so there is -nothing to be afraid of. Now, Will, crouch down, and -we’ll lay our plans right over the demon’s head. He can’t -hear us, and I want to make everything clear to you. -Don’t you see, Will, its a striking idea to plot and scheme -over the very cave itself?”</p> - -<p>“Yes, it’s just like outlaws,” said Will.</p> - -<p>“Well, by going on a little farther, we shall find -another path leading down this hill into the valley. We -must take that path, so that we can come up to the cave -from behind. The demon will never suspect any one of -coming from that direction, and he will be trapped nicely. -We can get behind the big old tree you see down there, -and then fire! You see, Will, we had to come this roundabout -way over his cave; it would never do to pass in -front of it, and run the risk of being seen.”</p> - -<p>Will saw, and admired Henry’s stratagem.</p> - -<p>“It makes me think of Robinson Crusoe and his cave,” -he whispered, as they rose and went on.</p> - -<p>Soon they reached the path leading downwards, which -they descended warily, and then found themselves once -more in the valley. A few steps ahead was a monstrous -old tree, lying flat on the ground, and jutting out towards<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_172" id="Page_172">[172]</a></span> -the opposite bank; while farther along, round an angle, -was the entrance into the cave. Any person behind that -tree would be effectually hidden from that entrance; and, -of course, that entrance would be hidden from him.</p> - -<p>Henry’s plan was to fire, and then keep a sharp look-out -over the tree till the demon should come out and place -some distance between himself and his cave, looking for -the cause of the loud noise. He imagined that what with -the angle, the surrounding cliffs, and the echoes that -would follow, it would be impossible for a person in the -cave to tell the exact place from which the report came. -When the demon should be at a safe distance from his -cave, Henry and Will would dash into it.</p> - -<p>Henry thought they would be perfectly safe; for would -they not be protected on every side, except from the -rear?</p> - -<p>From the rear!</p> - -<p>When they reached the foot of the hill, they paused -and looked warily, even fearfully, up the valley. But it -was fast getting dark, and they did not see a man who -crouched against the cliff in time to escape observation.</p> - -<p>He was the man commonly called the Demon.</p> - -<p>The cousins turned and proceeded slowly and circumspectly -toward their ambush, fearing every minute that -the demon might appear in front of them. As they went -they conversed in whispers. The man, or demon, followed -so closely behind them that he heard every word; and -yet so carefully did he tread that they were not aware of -his presence. As will be seen, he gathered the whole plan -of attack from their whispered conversation, and took his -measures accordingly.</p> - -<p>“Now, Will, we must settle the last details of our plot,” -Henry said. “You may fire your pistol, Will, but I’ll -keep my fire till I see whether we need it or not. I’ll -climb the trunk of the tree, when we think it is safe, from -your shoulder, and then pull you up. Of course we can -jump from the tree to the ground, and then, to run for -the cave!”</p> - -<p>“But suppose the demon isn’t in his cave?”</p> - -<p>“That’s just what we’re afraid of, Will, and we are only<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_173" id="Page_173">[173]</a></span> -taking our chances. He ought to be in at this time of -night, eating his supper and tormenting his captives—if -he has any. He <em>must</em> be in! I feel that we haven’t -come all the way here for nothing; I feel that we are in -for a grand adventure! And what will the demon say -when he finds two armed boys in his den!”</p> - -<p>“Suppose he won’t come out when I fire? He may be -too cute to rush out, and leave the door open, and straggle -off.”</p> - -<p>“Oh, do quit supposing! If he won’t come out, we -will shove our way in. If he is a good old man, we must -cheer him up, and help him; but if he is a wicked old -knave, with captives and treasures, we must set them -free, and plunder him for the National Treasury. Here -we are at the tree, Will; get out your pistol ready to fire. -No, wait! Let me take a look over the log, to see that he -isn’t prowling around there.”</p> - -<p>After much scrambling, Henry succeeded in climbing -upon the tree. Will stood by, fumbling idly with the -pistol. The demon, a few steps behind, pressed close -against the cliff, and remained unseen.</p> - -<p>“I don’t see anything of the demon,” Henry whispered, -from the trunk of the tree. “Don’t fire till I slip down, -because he might pop out quick, and see me. In a minute -or two, I’ll venture up again.”</p> - -<p>Before he had finished speaking he was on the ground; -and, as bravely as a war-worn general, he said, in a higher -key than Will’s proximity made necessary: “FIRE!”</p> - -<p>Of course every accomplished story-teller, when he -“gets into the thick of it,” must pause deliberately, and -give prolix descriptions of people or places about whom -or which the general reader cares next to nothing. It is -unjust to the impatient, but powerless, reader; but it is -the custom. We must plead guilty of this time-honored -meanness, and seize the present opportune moment to introduce -the demon as he appeared at that time.</p> - -<p>He was a tall, powerful man, with light, active movements, -worthy of a soldier. His features were regularly -formed, and apparently he had once been a fine-looking -man. Now, however, he was haggard and stooped from<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_174" id="Page_174">[174]</a></span> -long-continued privations. His eyes had a ferocious glare,—not -pleasant to beholders, but supposed to be an attribute -of maniacs,—a suspicious look, as though he dreaded -some enemy were lurking near, ready to spring upon him. -In fact, his entire appearance showed that he was always -on his guard. His long and intensely black hair waved -about his shoulders in wild profusion; whilst his beard, -likewise black, reached far down his breast. His clothing, -old and tattered, was in keeping with his general appearance.</p> - -<p>All taken together, he looked like a madman; and if -Marmaduke could have seen him, he would have been in -ecstacy, thinking that at last he had found one of -Dickens’ monstrosities.</p> - -<p>The “gentle reader” has not been kept in suspense -very long, but the narrative may now resume its course.</p> - -<p>The demon crept stealthily out of the shadow, and, -unperceived by the boys, stole swiftly, but noiselessly, -upon them. When Henry said “fire!” Will raised his -pistol with a trembling hand, and cocked it, preparatory -to firing into the air. But before he could do so, the -demon sprang upon him, and the luckless boy found himself -encircled by two long and powerful arms—an embrace -anything but loving.</p> - -<p>With a gasp of intense terror, he turned and saw by -whom he was held. To his heated imagination, the demon -appeared a monster.</p> - -<p>Henry, also, turned around and saw him. With a cry -of dismay, he threw up his arms, and struck the pistol, -which still dangled in Will’s nerveless hand.</p> - -<p>How it happened—whether Will unconsciously pulled -the trigger, or whether the blow did it—can never be -known; but with a stunning noise the pistol discharged -its contents, and then fell to the ground.</p> - -<p>To Will’s consternation, Henry staggered; flung his -arms out wildly for support; gave a moan of pain or -terror; and also fell, heavily. The charge had struck him -somewhere—but where?</p> - -<p>At this catastrophe, Will forgot that the demon’s arms -encircled him, forgot everything but that he had shot his<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_175" id="Page_175">[175]</a></span> -cousin Henry. A boy does not swoon away, or else he -would have done so; but he was horror-stricken: the -terrible word <em>murder</em> seemed to be hissed into his ears -by unseen spirits, and he was unable to move or speak.</p> - -<p>The demon, heaving a sigh, lifted him easily off his -feet, and bore him away. Will made no resistance, for -his brain was in too confused a state to perceive what -was going on. His eyes were fixed on the prostrate form -of Henry, and the demon strode on with him, following -the length of the tree. Soon the end of the fallen tree -was reached; and as the demon turned and walked towards -his cave, Will caught a last look of Henry, who was -still lying flat on the ground.</p> - -<p>All this happened in a very short time, of course; for -the demon paid no attention to the report of the pistol, -but immediately marched off with our doughty hero.</p> - -<p>The reader, unlike him, is aware that the pistol, though -heavily loaded with powder, instead of a leaden bullet -held a ball made of tow.</p> - -<p>Will grew calmer, but offered no resistance to his -captor.</p> - -<p>The entrance of the cave was now disclosed. Before -them an almost perpendicular cliff rose several feet towards -the sky, twisting into strange shapes to the south, -and on the north jutting out irregularly some distance -westward, thus forming the angle spoken of before. -Exactly in the centre there was an opening in which a -strong and heavy door was hung. Two or three grated -openings, which served for windows, were to be seen high -above the door, and several feet apart.</p> - -<p>The <em>outside</em> of the cave was somewhat formidable, as -no doubt the demon wished it to be. What was the <em>inside</em> -like?</p> - -<p>Will did not care to know. Suddenly he put forth all -his strength, and struggled manfully and furiously to -break away from the demon. But the latter, without a -word, folded his arms more tightly round him, and held -him fast in a grip that put an end to all the poor boy’s -hopes of escape.</p> - -<p>Advancing with the would-be knight-errant, the<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_176" id="Page_176">[176]</a></span> -demon arrived at the door of his cave; and manipulating -some complicated contrivance which took the place of -a lock, the secret of which was known only to himself, -the door opened and captor and captive passed in.</p> - -<p>So, this was the way in which Will was to gain admittance -into the stronghold! A great improvement on -Henry’s little plan!</p> - -<p>A spacious apartment was disclosed, the floor bare, but -the roof and sides covered with planks, to prevent the -earth from crumbling in. It was very dark inside, as -during the day but little light came in through the openings -mentioned, during the night, none. A fire was -struggling to burn in the middle of this dismal hole, but -its feeble light only added to the gloom. Round the -walls on benches and rude tables all sorts of things were -lying; blankets, old clothes (<em>our</em> “recluse” had more -than one suit), trays, bowls, some other kitchen utensils, -even eatables, being grouped together in confusion, with -a view to convenience rather than neatness. In fact, the -demon seemed to take no pride, no interest, in the affairs -of the household. In one corner a big pile of firewood -proved that the occupant could make himself quite -comfortable. In spite of all his misery, Will distinctly -heard the cackling of hens and chickens, evidently the -brood of which Henry had spoken, in another apartment.</p> - -<p>The cave was now stifling from a horrible smoke arising -from the smouldering fire. When the demon was present -he blew away the smoke by means of a huge fan -suspended from the ceiling; but it accumulated in his -absence.</p> - -<p>Although there were several bye-rooms, each one of -which served its own purpose, this was the principal one—the -one in which the demon lived.</p> - -<p>Of course Will had no time to see what we have dimly -outlined, for the demon hurriedly crossed this room and -opened a door leading into another, much like it, excepting -in its furniture. Here there were no rude benches or -tables. A comfortable and even handsome bedstead stood -against the wall, with a few sheets and quilts, and one -old buffalo-robe, upon it. There was an attempt made at<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_177" id="Page_177">[177]</a></span> -covering, or carpeting, the floor; and in one corner there -was a crazy stove, or oven, clumsily built of refuse -bricks. Above this stove there was a chimney, which -managed to dispose of most of the smoke when a fire was -lighted—that is, it took it into another and larger room.</p> - -<p>This was the bedroom, in which the demon slept as -peacefully as a knight in his moated castle.</p> - -<p>Having thus, “by slow degrees, by fits and starts,” -cooped Will up in the Demon’s Cave, description may rest -awhile and the narrative may be resumed.</p> - -<p>The demon laid our hero gently on the bed, and then, -for the first time, he spoke to him. “Poor boy!” he -said, in a not unpleasant tone. “Perhaps you did not -wish to do me any harm, but I shall keep you here till—”</p> - -<p>He stopped abruptly.</p> - -<p>There was nothing threatening in this, yet Will -trembled. His thoughts were doubtless of Henry.</p> - -<p>The demon turned and left the room, fastening the -door behind him. Then he left the cave, taking the precaution -of fastening the outside door, also.</p> - -<p>“There was another one,” he murmured; “I must see -to him.”</p> - -<p>Swiftly he retraced his steps round the tree, and arrived -at the scene of conflict not more than five minutes -after he had borne Will away. But Henry was nowhere -to be found! He had vanished, leaving nothing, not even -a drop of blood, behind him!</p> - -<p>“Was there another?” the demon asked himself, -dubiously. “What is it? Have I dreamed, or is this -some new device of the enemy?”</p> - -<p>Seeing the pistol which Will had discharged, he picked -it up and returned to the cave, not making the slightest -effort to look for the missing knight-errant.</p> - -<p>Will remained inactive as long as the demon was near, -but as soon as he heard him go out, he leaped off the bed -and made a desperate attempt to open the door. He put -forth all his strength—but in vain: the door was rock.</p> - -<p>Then he groped about the room, to see if he could find -some other means of escape. Again in vain—no outlet -presented itself.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_178" id="Page_178">[178]</a></span></p> - -<p>“I am a prisoner!” he groaned. “And what a terrible -prison! But, oh! poor Henry! Was he dead? Have I -killed him? Oh, this is too much!”</p> - -<p>Then he recollected that his cousin had insisted that -there were captives hidden away in the cave, and in a -voice that—we grieve to say it, but truth is inexorable—quavered -with fear, he shouted: “Is anyone hidden -here?—Speak! Any captives here?”</p> - -<p>His own voice mocked him, and he started back in -terror.</p> - -<p>Evidently, no captives there.</p> - -<p>But Will was not comforted. Hobgoblins crawled -over the floor, and ground their teeth under the bed—demons -crowded round him and jabbered ominously—human -skeletons rattled their dry bones horribly, and -pointed their fingers jeeringly at him—his murdered -cousin came to him, and looked him full in the face with -a sad, reproachful smile.</p> - -<p>Will could endure it no longer. With a cry of horror -and agony he flung himself on the bed, and buried his -face in the old buffalo-robe.</p> - -<p>At that moment the Demon of the Cave returned and -entered his dwelling.</p> - -<p>This is a convenient, suitable, and orthodox place for -the chapter to close; so let it close.</p> - -<hr class="chap" /> - -<h2 id="Chapter_XIX">Chapter XIX.<br /> -<span class="smcap">Within and Without the Demon’s Cave.</span></h2> - -<p>What had become of Henry?</p> - -<p>The ball had struck him in a tender place; and -not seriously hurt, but very much frightened, he fell -headlong with a groan of—fear!</p> - -<p>While the demon was carrying off Will he lay still and -made use of his wits.</p> - -<p>He reflected logically as follows: “Whatever Will -loaded my pistols with, it certainly wasn’t a genuine bullet!<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_179" id="Page_179">[179]</a></span> -So it would be useless for me to fire this pistol at -the demon—useless—wicked—and against the laws!”</p> - -<p>Gentle reader, mark that; read it carefully two or -three times; muse on it; and remember that you yourself -were once a boy—or, if not, your father was.</p> - -<p>“Oh, how my side smarts! There’ll be a blister, surely!” -Henry groaned. “Well, the best way to help -Will will be to lie here perfectly still till the demon gets -entirely out of sight, and then hop up and scramble away. -Where shall I go? To the road? I must look for help -somewhere, or Will may be killed! It won’t do to yell -for help here, for no one except the demon could hear me. -Yes, I must keep still a little while!”</p> - -<p>As soon as the demon was well out of sight, Henry -arose. But he found himself more bruised than he had -thought.</p> - -<p>“Now, to save Will—and myself,” he muttered. -“What a capital idea,” he chuckled, as a happy thought -struck him. “They think I’m dead, very likely, and so -the demon won’t be on the watch for me! Of course; and -if I can’t get help, I’ll swoop down on him and do the rescuing -myself.”</p> - -<p>As fast as he could he went back to the path, thinking -to climb the hill and hurry to the road. A lingering fear -that the demon might return and look for him lent speed -to his feet, and he walked with long swift steps. In his -generous heart he resolved to liberate Will at all hazards; -and if he could devise no other means of doing so, he -would return and “beard the lion in his den.”</p> - -<p>When he reached the foot of the hill he chanced to look -back, and saw a man standing by the tree. It was the -demon, looking for him. To his intense relief, the man -turned and went slowly back towards the cave.</p> - -<p>“I am safe now,” he thought. “He won’t come to look -for me again. But does he think I am dead, or carried -off? Well, at any rate he will see me before long!”</p> - -<p>Eagerly he turned to climb the hill, thinking meanwhile:—“Poor -Will! No telling what that cruel demon -may do with him! Oh, dear! we are both in a very bad -scrape! O my pistols!—I must hurry!”</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_180" id="Page_180">[180]</a></span></p> - -<p>What with scrambling up hills and rushing down them, -Henry’s limbs were already becoming stiff, and he found -it hard work to climb. He succeeded, after making great -and desperate struggles, in getting nearly to the top of -the hill; when he took a false step, slipped, was thrown -off his feet, and—in spite of all his efforts to save himself—slid -headlong down to the very bottom. An avalanche -of stones and dirt thundered down in his train.</p> - -<p>A little mound of earth brought him to a standstill, and -a cry of pain escaped his lips.</p> - -<p>In spite of the pain he suffered, his first words were -characteristic of him. “Well,” he said, grimly, “I’ve -blotted out the demons path up that hill! His nice little -path is now in ruins in this valley!”</p> - -<p>But, with a groan of agony, he ejaculated: “Oh! my -foot is broken all to pieces! Oh! O—o—h!”</p> - -<p>For a little time it was difficult for him to keep from -screaming with the pain.</p> - -<p>As soon as he felt a little better, he took off his boot -and stocking, and carefully examined the injured foot, -muttering meanwhile between his groans: “Oh, I hope -the demon didn’t hear that noise! How the stones rattled -and thundered! If he heard, he will come rushing out to -attack me, and I am not able to help myself a bit! Oh, -what a catastrophe this is!”</p> - -<p>Poor Henry! That time-honored accident, which, in -romance, befalls all heroes of the chase, had befallen him. -“He had sprained his ankle!”</p> - -<p>Only, in this instance, no lovely huntress was to find -him, and have him tenderly conveyed to her dwelling. -No sporting companions were with him, hastily to construct -a litter, and smuggle him into the castle of some -incarcerated maiden, whom, making light of his suffering, -he would release from her “turret prison;” and then, -drawing the wicked jailer—her scheming, hunch-backed -uncle—out of his concealment, he would fall upon him, -and slay him, without mercy.</p> - -<p>No; no love-marriage was fated to result from that -adventure; Henry was to lie there all alone; and suffer.</p> - -<p>It was sad, but our hero bore it patiently and philosophically.<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_181" id="Page_181">[181]</a></span> -He believed that he should not be molested by -the demon, and that was some consolation. But Will? -Alas! All hope of rescuing him, so far as Henry was -concerned, was at an end. That grieved him more than -anything else.</p> - -<p>Slowly the time wore away. As the demon did not -come out again, Henry thought that the noise made by -the falling stones had not been heard in the cave. He -was full of anxious and remorseful thoughts for himself -as well as for his cousin; and, much as he revolved the -affair in his mind, he could hit upon no feasible plan of -deliverance.</p> - -<p>“If I had only told our folk where we were going,” he -reflected, “they would hunt for us when they find us -missing. But now they will be uneasy, and not know -where on earth we are! No; they won’t have the slightest -clue to track us! Oh, dear! What is going to become -of us? How is this spree to end? What about my -ankle? What on earth! Well, now are we to stay here -all night? Will in the cave, and I here? ‘So near, and -yet so far!’ My stars! I’ve read that in stories, but I -never guessed what it meant! ‘So near, and yet so far!’ -The man that wrote those words knew more than I ever -shall, anyway! Oh! What will the demon do to poor -Will?”</p> - -<p>Henry could reason logically, and now, as well as his -aching ankle would permit, he reviewed the whole scheme -of visiting the Demon’s Cave. In the light he now had -it seemed very foolish, whichever way he looked at it.</p> - -<p>“It was a humbug,” he acknowledged to himself; “but -after all it is just what all heroes do, and I don’t see why -we should not have managed it better.”</p> - -<p>His sprained ankle pained him intensely; he began to -feel the effects of his involuntary ride down hill; the place -where the “bullet” struck him smarted and itched in a -manner to make him writhe. In a word, he was miserable -in both body and mind.</p> - -<p>He reverted to the scene of conflict! “What could -have been wrong with that pistol?” he asked himself -angrily. “<em>Something</em> struck me—but <em>what</em>? Certainly,<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_182" id="Page_182">[182]</a></span> -not a bullet. My father says that a big dose of powder -will drive almost anything hard and solid into the flesh. -Now, this struck me, and hurt me; but it didn’t punch a -hole through my vest. Well, if I could only unload this -other pistol, I should know to a certainty.—What became -of the pistol Will fired? If he carried it off with him, he -may suddenly scare the demon out of his wits!—Now, I -wonder whether Will loaded my pistols wrong on purpose!—Well, -this <em>is</em> rum old sport, sitting here like a -dying gladiator, and not able to turn over for fear of -howling with pain! No; I can’t budge from this spot!—Botheration! -I won’t take Will to see any more curiosities!—Surely, -the demon won’t hurt him!”</p> - -<p>Thus the boy continued, speaking disjointed sentences -just as the spirit moved him.</p> - -<p>As no help came to him, he, the irrepressible, began to -despond. It seemed to him that Death only would come -to his release. Suddenly, he thought of the glass ink -bottle hidden behind “Robinson Crusoe” in his drawer. -He dwelt on it for the space of three minutes, and then, -between a sigh and a groan, he said: “I wish I knew -whether <em>she</em> would care if I should die here—alone, and -in pain! Would <em>she</em> be sorry, or would she go to school -as light-hearted as ever, and let some other boy sharpen -her pencil? I wonder whether she would borrow Johnny -Jones’ history! Oh! how I despise that boy! I wish I -could see him leave the country! I wish now that I had -given her my history out and out; <em>that</em> would keep my -memory green in her eyes.”</p> - -<p>Now, as Henry seldom or never soared higher than -comparison,—to make our meaning clearer, as he was not -in the habit of apostrophizing his treasured glass ink-bottle -as an animated being of the feminine gender,—we -must conclude that the veil is lifted from a romance in -his life.</p> - -<p>Do not laugh at him, reader; his woes were actual. In -fact, we venture to assert that every member of the -sterner sex, from the age of sixteen or seventeen till he is -happily married, if he has any <em>feeling</em>, any <em>heart</em>, any -<em>soul</em>, suffers more or less acutely from jealousy of a rival, -real or imaginary.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_183" id="Page_183">[183]</a></span></p> - -<p>After a time the moon came out, and dimly lighted up -the valley. Henry was not afraid of goblins; and in -sheer desperation he resolved to wait doggedly till something -should happen.</p> - -<p>Notwithstanding all his woes, he began to feel hungry. -Then he recollected that he had set out with a knapsack -of sandwiches slung over his shoulder.</p> - -<p>“It will amuse me, and turn my wandering thoughts -into a different channel,” he muttered, as he felt for the -knapsack.</p> - -<p>Alas! In sliding down hill his knapsack had been torn -into ribbons, so that the carefully prepared sandwiches -were strewn along the hillside.</p> - -<p>His thoughts were “turned into a different channel;” -but he was not very much “amused.”</p> - -<p>In this way, the time passed with Henry. He could -not, or would not, make an effort to move from the heap -of earth which had arrested his downward course.</p> - -<p>Having thus disposed of him, how did it fare with -Will?</p> - -<p>When the demon re-entered the cave, he, according to -his custom, fastened the door. Next he kindled a good -fire on the smouldering coals of the old one; and then, -having stepped up to the room where Will was a prisoner, -he unlocked and opened the door and told him to come -out. Will did so with alacrity.</p> - -<p>The demon said no more, but pointed out a seat, and -quietly prepared to get supper. He took a fat bird out -of his pouch, and roasted it carefully over the fire. Then -he fixed part of a chicken, a delicious fish, and sundry -other eatables, each on a separate stick, where the fire -would cook them. To Will’s astonishment, he suddenly -appeared with a few slices of bread, which he put on a -toaster and toasted while the other things were being -cooked. Now, who ever read about a hermit that toasted -bread?</p> - -<p>By the way, the demon, like the writer in inditing -these few chapters, had several “irons in the fire” at -once.</p> - -<p>When everything was ready, he set a table with the<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_184" id="Page_184">[184]</a></span> -food thus prepared, and took a pan of skim-milk from a -crazy cupboard built in the wall.</p> - -<p>“Sit down and eat,” he said to Will; “I’ll speak with -you afterwards.”</p> - -<p>Will was in no humor to care about eating, and as it -was yet early in the evening he was not hungry; but not -liking to refuse the strange man’s hospitality, he sat down -to the table and “ate like an emigrant,” as Henry would -have phrased it. He afterwards told his friends that the -“victuals were very good.”</p> - -<p>After supper the demon cleared off the table and put -everything in the room in far better order than it was -when the hero was taken into it.</p> - -<p>Up to this time scarcely a word had been spoken -between them. Will was filled with dread that he had -killed, or at least severely hurt, his cousin. He, of course, -did not know that Henry was in full possession of his -senses as he lay on the ground, nor that he was doing this -only to disarm the demon. The wildest fears flashed -through his brain; his sufferings were more intense than -Stephen’s had been on the island. He blamed himself; -he blamed Henry; he blamed the pistols; he blamed the -demon. Yet he felt himself utterly unable to escape. -And he was troubled on his own account. What did the -demon intend to do with him? Why did he detain him -there? These questions perplexed the boy; and not -knowing what else to do, he tried hard to think it all a -dream. But no; it could not be a dream, for in a dream -there is never any smoke to make one sneeze. Then -Henry’s wild tales about the demon’s cannibalism and -cruelty recurred to him. Certainly, the demon’s look was -forbidding—almost ferocious; but Will did not think him -capable of torturing any one. He had too much good -sense to think that the man would do him any harm; -but still he feared him, and felt ill at ease in his presence.</p> - -<p>He had had no particular desire to come on this wild-goose-chase, -because he wished to keep out of mischief -during his stay at his aunt’s. He was not so mercurial, -whimsical, and romantic, as his cousin, and he had -consented to go as much to please him as for any other -reason.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_185" id="Page_185">[185]</a></span></p> - -<p>“I think I shall have to get pa to shut me up, if I ever -find my way back home,” he mused, in his despair. “No -matter what I do, something always comes to grief. I -thought surely it would be safe to fly a little balloon, when -Henry had always done it. But no; it must come down, -and set a building on fire! How is it that everything -goes wrong with me? Am I a blockhead, or a fool? Oh -dear! I get into worse scrapes every time; but <em>this</em> is -the worst yet—<em>this</em> beats them all! If Henry and I survive -this, I suppose we shall stumble into something that -will finish us entirely! Now, I knew it was wrong to -start with loaded pistols, and I didn’t want to do it. -Then, <em>why</em> did I? I deserve all this misery for my foolishness. -But poor Henry! It seems to me now that he -<em>must</em> be alive. Oh! If I could only know!”</p> - -<p>Then he began to wonder how it was that the demon -had come upon them so suddenly. “He was there all at -once,” Will said to himself, as he glanced furtively at the -“recluse.” “Did he come from the cave, or the valley, or -the bank, or a hollow in the tree, or the clouds? All I -know is, he wasn’t anywhere near, till suddenly he had -me in his arms! And Henry was as much surprised to -see him as I was! Well, the man must be a wizard—or -else a witch, or a humbug! If I could only get away!”</p> - -<p>It has been shown that Henry reflected that no one -would know where to look for them. The same appalling -thought occurred to Will. But, like an inspiration, it -came to him that the teamster who had given them a ride -eyed them narrowly as they went up the valley.</p> - -<p>“Now, if that teamster will only do us as good a turn -as the sailor did when we paddled away in the punt,” he -said to himself, “we may be saved yet!”</p> - -<p>Boy-like, the hero pinned his faith on the teamster, and -felt considerably happier. In fact, five minutes more, -and he had settled it in his own mind that, sooner or -later, they would be saved through him.</p> - -<p>Some writers, with fiendish ingenuity, seem to set -themselves deliberately to work to unstring the nerves of -their weak-headed readers, so that they shall plunge -headlong into unfortunate speculations, and be ruined.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_186" id="Page_186">[186]</a></span></p> - -<p>But the writer of this history is actuated by no such -motives. He, good soul, uses no guile with his readers, -wishes to deprive no one of needful sleep, and would -shrink with horror from tampering with any one’s business -or intellect.</p> - -<p>When the writer was a boy, he read a strong and exciting -romance, written by a master-hand. There were -no idle dissertations in it; every chapter, every paragraph, -every sentence, every line, rang with meaning; and it -was so forcibly written that it would captivate a stronger -mind than his. He [your humble servant, “the writer,”] -was not content with one perusal, but read it again, and -then lent it to three other boys, who read it with equal -avidity. When returned, he might have been tempted to -read it for the third time; but, alas! those boys, in their -eagerness to read, had apparently neglected to wash their -hands; and had turned over the leaves so hurriedly that -it was in a state of dilapidation.</p> - -<p>The writer has nothing to say against that romance. -He learned many things from it, and unhesitatingly pronounces -it the best he ever read. It is still green in his -memory—in fact, he looks back on it to-day with feelings -of respect and admiration. But it distracted his thoughts -from his lessons, and muddled his wits to such an extent -that he fears sometimes they are muddled yet.</p> - -<p>Behold the result. A reaction set in, and all preposterous -romances, that one excepted, have become to him -an abomination.</p> - -<p>Hence outbursts like the one above.</p> - -<hr class="chap" /> - -<h2 id="Chapter_XX">Chapter XX.<br /> -<span class="smcap">A Glorious Triumph.</span></h2> - -<p>We have strayed so far from our subject that the -reader may be at a loss to take our original meaning. If -so, when the boys are saved let him refer to Will’s soliloquy -and what immediately follows, and light will burst upon -him.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_187" id="Page_187">[187]</a></span></p> - -<p>Will drew nearer the fire, and looked at the demon -with wondering eyes, as every fifteen minutes or so he -swung the huge fan suspended from the ceiling. This -fan effectually cleared the apartment of smoke, but what -became of the smoke was to Will an appalling mystery.</p> - -<p>As time passed, and no relief came, Will’s uneasiness -returned. His anxiety about Henry became intolerable; -he could endure it no longer. Better even to anger the -demon than sit in silence and suffer torments. When he -went out, surely he must have seen Henry.</p> - -<p>This hero was one of those extremely patient people -who, lest they should incommode somebody else, will -endure untold agony, when a simple question might set -all their doubts and fears at rest.</p> - -<p>“Sir,” he ventured to ask, “do you think he was badly -hurt? Or—or—didn’t you go to look for him?”</p> - -<p>The demon, who had been sitting beside the fire for the -last half hour, with his head resting on his hands and his -elbows supported by his knees, started violently. He -had evidently been so deeply absorbed in thought that he -had forgotten another was present.</p> - -<p>“Ha!” he cried excitedly. “Ha! What is this?” -(Madmen always say “ha!” generally twice.) Then, -recovering himself, he added, “Yes, yes; I’m going to -speak to you presently. What did you say just now?”</p> - -<p>Will repeated his question.</p> - -<p>“Ho! There <em>was</em> another with you, then!” he exclaimed. -“I was afraid that I had been mistaken again. -I am deceived so often that I don’t know when to believe -even myself. Then there was another. But he had gone -when I went out to see. Who was he?”</p> - -<p>Will was thunder-struck. Could he rely on this strange -man? If Henry had gone, he could not have been killed. -But where could he be? Had he forsaken him, his -cousin? No; he could not believe that Henry, so noble, -brave, and true, could be guilty of such treachery. Then -had he been found by some one, and taken away? If so, -why did he not return with a band of men to save his -cousin? In truth, Will was mystified. If he had known -that the poor boy was near him, lying helpless on the<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_188" id="Page_188">[188]</a></span> -ground, exposed to the cold night air, and moaning with -pain, he would have thought their case a desperate one -indeed.</p> - -<p>At length he collected himself sufficiently to answer the -demon’s question by giving his cousin’s name.</p> - -<p>“And who are you?” asked the madman.</p> - -<p>“William Lawrence.”</p> - -<p>“Why did you two come here?” the demon asked -abruptly.</p> - -<p>This was an unexpected question; Will was not prepared -to answer it. “To see the cave,” he said at last.</p> - -<p>“Did you two come alone, or is some one else lurking -near?”</p> - -<p>“No, sir; we came entirely alone.”</p> - -<p>“That is well. You did not come to do me any -harm?”</p> - -<p>Will thought he could safely say “no” to that.</p> - -<p>After a pause the demon said slowly, as though he had -settled it in his own mind: “You are a good little boy. -I like you; you must stay with me; I want a fine little -fellow like you to be with me all the time.”</p> - -<p>Will was struck dumb with consternation. He could -not appreciate the compliment thus paid him.</p> - -<p>“No, sir,” he said imploringly, “I cannot stay here at -all. You must let me out, and I must find my cousin and -go home.”</p> - -<p>“No, I cannot let you go! You shall live with me for -the rest of my life. Sit down!” he cried, as Will started -to his feet.</p> - -<p>Then he darted to the door, and placed his back -against it.</p> - -<p>“But what would my parents say to that? They -would never let me stay here,” Will protested.</p> - -<p>Luckless boy! In his distress he knew not what to do -or say.</p> - -<p>“<em>Parents?</em> Have you <em>parents</em>?” the demon inquired.</p> - -<p>“Certainly I have,” said Will, with great dignity.</p> - -<p>“Then, why did they allow a little boy, you are only a -boy, to come here at this time of night?”</p> - -<p>Will could say nothing in his defence. He hung his -head in confusion.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_189" id="Page_189">[189]</a></span></p> - -<p>“Well, I shall keep you here till morning, at least. If -I should let you go now, how do I know what you two -might plot against me? No! Here you are; here you -stay!”</p> - -<p>Will was only a boy, and he did not consider that a -strong man is seldom or never afraid of the machinations -of school-boys, so he said earnestly: “If you let me out -immediately, I promise that we will go: home as fast as -possible.”</p> - -<p>The demon continuing inexorable, the boy said desperately, -“Sir, we have friends who will certainly come for -us, if you do not let me out.”</p> - -<p>“Say no more,” replied the demon, “for I cannot let -you go. Listen: People take it into their heads sometimes -to molest me, <em>but I always come out all right</em>! <em>I -teach them a lesson that they remember!</em> Your punishment -will be to remain till I choose to set you free.”</p> - -<p>The horrible stories told by Henry again flashed -through the prisoner’s mind, but he was not terrified. -Looking intently at the demon, he fancied that instead of -wickedness he saw playfulness in his eye.</p> - -<p>“He is only trying to frighten me,” was Will’s thought.</p> - -<p>The demon had moved back to the fire after making -his last remark, and presently Will, seeing no other means -of escape, sprang to his feet and rushed headlong towards -the door. He had barely reached it when the demon was -upon him. Once more two long and sinewy arms encircled -the helpless boy, and he was borne struggling back to the -fire.</p> - -<p>“Treacherous boy!” cried the demon. “I’ll settle your -fate in the morning; now you will have to be locked up -in your room.”</p> - -<p>Without another word he carried Will into the bedroom -already described, and laid him upon the bed.</p> - -<p>“Get in between the quilts, and you will be comfortable,” -he said, as he turned to go.</p> - -<p>Again the door was fastened, and again our blundering -hero found himself a close prisoner in the demon’s bedroom.</p> - -<p>His thoughts were far from being pleasant. “If I had<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_190" id="Page_190">[190]</a></span> -had the cleverness of any other boy, I should not be here -now,” he muttered. “By my own silly questions and -answers I only made matters worse. Henry, Charley, -George, or even Marmaduke, could have outwitted him -easily; Steve would have made <em>him</em> a prisoner, ten to -one, and escaped at his leisure. Oh! this is horrible! I -<em>must</em> get away!”</p> - -<p>He jumped lightly off the bed, and knelt before the -door. By good fortune, he found a crack through which -he could observe every movement made by the demon.</p> - -<p>“Well, this is a good beginning!” he said, hopefully, -“I shall watch till he goes to bed, and then try again.”</p> - -<p>But the demon, with provoking composure, sat and -dozed before his fire.</p> - -<p>Time passed exceedingly slowly to poor Will. He -thought it must be near the middle of the night, while -it was not yet ten o’clock.</p> - -<p>At length the madman arose and opened a concealed -door in the wall. Then he lighted a candle, passed in, -and shut the door softly behind him.</p> - -<p>Will, like all boys, had a touch of the romantic, and he -was delighted to see Henry’s suspicions verified. His -spirits rose, and he chuckled joyously: “Well, it’s a regular -robbers’ den, after all. Concealed doors and everything -to match. If Henry is only alive, and I can get -away, it won’t be so bad, after all! And now that he’s -gone I guess I can manage it, after all!”</p> - -<p>He waited a few minutes, and then began to fumble at -his door. While in the outer room with the demon, he -had taken notice of the way in which this door was -fastened, and seen that it was by means of a heavy bolt -on the outside. He had also observed that in the door, -above the bolt, there seemed to be an opening, covered -with a shingle that slid back and forth on the inside.</p> - -<p>Feeling carefully for this shingle, he found it, took out -a pin which held it fast, and shoved it back.</p> - -<p>“The demon ain’t so careful as he wants to be!” Will -said sagely. “Surely, here is a loophole of escape! I -wish I could ease my feelings by heaping up big and -meaning words, as Henry or George would do.”</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_191" id="Page_191">[191]</a></span></p> - -<p>He waited a few moments in some uneasiness, fearing -that the demon might have heard him tampering with the -lock; but as all remained quiet he put his hand through -the opening, and shoved back the bolt.</p> - -<p>The door opened, and Will stood in the outer room.</p> - -<p>Having taken the precaution of shutting and bolting -his door, he was warily drawing near the front door, -when a strange sound proceeding from the demon’s hiding-place -attracted his attention.</p> - -<p>He heard the clink of money.</p> - -<p>Will paused. “I’ll see what this means,” he said -heroically, “but I’ll not run the risk of being captured. -No; I’m too near freedom to throw away my chances -just to see a crazy man finger his money.”</p> - -<p>Picking up a stick from the smouldering fire, he softly -approached the concealed door.</p> - -<p>Poor boy! Experience should have taught him better -than to play the Robber-Kitten—but when does experience -profit a boy?</p> - -<p>His usual luck befell him; he stumbled and fell prostrate -with a crash.</p> - -<p>The demon must have heard him, for he had barely regained -his feet when, with a cry of dismay, the concealed -door was flung open. On seeing Will, the demon did -not stop to shut it, but darted upon him with fury. In -his headlong course he struck against a stone and fell -heavily.</p> - -<p>Will waited to see him rise, and stood ready to defend -himself. But the demon lay upon the floor immovable. -His head had struck some hard substance, and he was -insensible.</p> - -<p>Presently Will went up to the demon. “Poor fellow!” -he said compassionately, “he is badly hurt! His fall was -serious; mine was only a stumble. I can’t go away and -leave him in this state; I must help him.”</p> - -<p>Tenderly he raised the powerless man, and exerting -all his strength, he dragged him to a bench close by, and -laid him on it. Then he saw that the demon’s head was -severely hurt.</p> - -<p>“Now, if he wakes up and finds me taking care of him,<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_192" id="Page_192">[192]</a></span> -he won’t hurt me; so I shall go and get some water to -bathe his head,” was Will’s next thought. “Henry said -there was a spring, or water of some kind, in the cave, -but there is certainly none in this room. Well, I must -leave him and look for some.”</p> - -<p>Snatching up a little pail, he hurried into the room -which the demon had just left. Here he stopped a -moment to look about. The room was very much like -the two already described; there was a rude couch in it, -but it was scantily furnished. The demon had evidently -given up his “best bedroom” to Will.</p> - -<p>Our hero’s wandering eyes soon rested on the most -noticeable “chattel” in the room,—a large and strong -box, the lid of which lay open. In this box there was a -little pile of silver coins.</p> - -<p>“Hello!” he said, “The demon has some money, -after all! This is what he was jingling and counting, I -suppose. Well, there’s no water here; I must go on.”</p> - -<p>If Will had stopped to count the demon’s treasure, he -would have found it a very modest fortune. In round -numbers it amounted to only five dollars. ($5.00.)</p> - -<div class="poetry-container"> -<div class="poetry"> -<div class="verse">O, golden legends of our youth,</div> -<div class="verse">O, thrilling tales of riper years,</div> -<div class="verse">How cruelly do you deceive!</div> -</div> -</div> - -<p>A door stood open, leading from this room into a larger -one.</p> - -<p>“I’d better try this,” Will muttered. “It looks dark -enough and big enough for a cavern, and there ought to -be water in it, if anywhere.”</p> - -<p>Having made his way into this apartment, Will found it -to be spacious, but dark and desolate. A solitary lamp, -which burned feebly, was of little avail in such darkness. -After taking a few steps he heard the purling of water; -and on reaching the spot he found a little stream of pure -water, which doubtless emptied into the brook in the -valley, running over the ground. He filled his pail and -hurriedly retraced his steps, noticing several openings -into the outer room, concealed there, but visible here.</p> - -<p>“Well, this demon <em>is</em> a queer fellow!” he soliloquized, -as he went along. “He seems to have all kinds of hiding-places<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_193" id="Page_193">[193]</a></span> -here, that nobody knows about. Now, what in -the world does he do with so many rooms, and why does -he keep a light burning in this hole? Perhaps he keeps -it burning all the time on account of the darkness. I -don’t wonder he has money; it must take a fortune to -live here, for it is just the same as living in a castle. -Well, I’ve explored his secret regions till I’m tired of it; -and I guess Henry was right when he said a band of -robbers fitted it up for a menagerie.”</p> - -<p>A minute later he was again with the demon, whom -he found still insensible. Taking out his handkerchief, -he bathed the man’s head gently, and did everything he -could to restore consciousness. But all in vain.</p> - -<p>“Oh, dear!” he cried, “I shall have to leave him and -look for Henry. I’m sure Henry is alive, but I must -find him, and then we can come here again and help the -demon.”</p> - -<p>He arose and left the cave.</p> - -<p>The writer has a great deal of boldness in attempting -to depict the emotions of his numerous heroes in their -joys or sorrows; but he declines to say anything about -the meeting of the cousins on this occasion. It was affecting -in the extreme.</p> - -<p>As time passed and the boys did not return, Mr. and -Mrs. Mortimer became very uneasy. Being fully aware -of their son’s recklessness, they did not know what danger -he and Will might, even at that moment, be incurring. -All day the two had been whispering mysteriously together, -as though contriving some dark scheme; and perhaps, -like Don Quixote and his squire, they had set out -in quest of adventures.</p> - -<p>“Why couldn’t they have said where they were going, -anyway?” Mr. Mortimer growled impatiently.</p> - -<p>Mrs. Mortimer was a woman who permitted her son to -do very much as he pleased, never interfering with his -plans of amusement as long as he kept within proper -bounds.</p> - -<p>“Henry said he would tell me all about it when he -came back; and he seemed, to be in such a hurry that I -didn’t like to question him,” she said mildly. “I—I think -it must be all right.”</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_194" id="Page_194">[194]</a></span></p> - -<p>“Let us go up to the boys’ room,” Mr. Mortimer said; -“perhaps we can find a clue to their whereabouts.”</p> - -<p>They went up-stairs immediately. The cousins had not -shut the drawer, and a single glance into it told that they -had been loading pistols.</p> - -<p>“Oh! this is horrible!” groaned Mr. Mortimer. “Wasn’t -that boy Will sent here because he got into disgrace about -gunpowder?”</p> - -<p>“Yes,” Mrs. Mortimer said faintly.</p> - -<p>“Yes; and now, after trying to destroy the boys in his -own village, he has come here, to put an end to our -Henry!” he continued fiercely. “Till <em>he</em> came, Henry’s -balloons were all right, and I was proud of them; but see -how <em>he</em> tampered with his model! Henry never dreamed -of loading his pistols, and going out with them. Henry -is full of life, I know; but this is all that boy’s doings.”</p> - -<p>This was unjust to poor Will; but what parent would -have laid the blame on his own son?</p> - -<p>Seeing that his wife was ready to burst into tears, he -moderated his anger, and said soothingly, “Oh, they’re -all right, Nelly; Henry knows enough to keep out of -danger, if Will doesn’t. But I can’t stand this suspense -any longer; I’ll go out and hunt till I find them; and I’ll -let you know as soon as I get on their track.”</p> - -<p>As he went out of the house he muttered audibly: -“Well, I must send word to this boy’s mother to keep -him in leading-strings till he’s twenty-one. How easily -we manage Henry! It’s all in management, of course; -and if Mrs. Lawrence would do as well as her sister, Will -would be a very good boy. As it is, he can’t behave himself -even away from home; and now the two are deep in -some horrible powder trick!”</p> - -<p>How grieved Henry would have been if he could have -heard his father speak slightingly of his elaborate plot as -a “trick”!</p> - -<p>Boys, here is another pretty precept, which you will do -well to commit to memory: <em>Never associate with those -who are smarter than yourselves; for, if you do, you -will be blamed equally with them when they lead you -into mischief.</em></p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_195" id="Page_195">[195]</a></span></p> - -<p>After many fruitless inquiries, Mr. Mortimer at length -met with a youth who told him that about dark he had -seen Henry and another boy riding off with a teamster. -Mr. Mortimer felt relieved, and sent word to his wife; -but for some time he could trace them no farther. At -last, however, he found the very teamster,—he having -returned to the city,—and from him he learnt where the -boys probably were.</p> - -<p>Having assembled a body of men, he set out for the -cave forthwith, and reached it a few minutes after Will -had joined Henry. A happy meeting took place, and tears -of joy and thankfulness trickled down the cheeks of the -knights-errant. Henry was tenderly carried to the road, -and put into a vehicle in waiting.</p> - -<p>Meanwhile, Will was speaking to Mr. Mortimer about -the demon. He listened attentively; and seeing no better -way of settling the matter, he determined to take the unfortunate -man home with him. Then, after fastening up -the cave against intruders, the entire party returned to -town.</p> - -<p>On the way, Henry and Will recounted their exploits -glibly; the former nobly taking to himself all the blame, -or heroism, the latter putting in a word now and then to -enforce the others remarks. Poor boys! Now that the -affair was over they wished to make the best of it. Mr. -Mortimer listened patiently, and gradually it dawned upon -him that his own son had planned this expedition to the -cave. However, as long as <em>Henry</em> had done it, it must be -all right. He did not reprove them for their foolishness; -he was troubled about many things, and feared that his -son’s injuries were more serious than they seemed.</p> - -<p>When the cousins entered the town they found that -there was something of a commotion among the people. -Prominent citizens stopped Mr. Mortimer to express their -congratulations, and to see the youths who had “bearded -the lion in his den;” while the little street Arabs gave -vent to their feelings by shouting, “Bully for you!” -“Henry’s a bouncer!” “Up with yer hands, and off with -yer hats; Henry’s the boy for to b-u-s-t um!”</p> - -<p>“Will, I guess we’re heroes, after all!” Henry chuckled,<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_196" id="Page_196">[196]</a></span> -“When I was suffering down there at the foot of the hill, -I almost concluded that we’d made fools of ourselves; -but this doesn’t seem like it!”</p> - -<p>“Yes; but I wish they wouldn’t take so much notice -of us.”</p> - -<p>“Fiddle! Will, you ought to live in the city!”</p> - -<p>The party moved on. A golden head leaned out of the -upper window of a certain house which they were approaching; -the beautiful blue eyes glanced anxiously up -and down the street; a well-known voice—the voice of -the girl who had given Henry a glass ink-bottle—asked -timidly of a passer-by: “Have they found them yet?”</p> - -<p>A certain boy—by name, the estimable Johnny Jones—was -loitering near, blinking with sleep and jealousy; -and he took it upon himself to answer jeeringly: “Found -them? Oh, yes; they’ve found the heroes, and they’re -carting them home in the wagon that’s just here.”</p> - -<p>The golden head was drawn in quickly, but the window -was not shut.</p> - -<p>The heroes were so near that they heard all. Then -again the street Arabs ran alongside; again they took up -their cry.</p> - -<p>Poor Johnny Jones! His envy, or jealousy, was almost -too much for him.</p> - -<p>And Henry?</p> - -<p>His heart bounded with delight; he was supremely -happy. To hear such words from <em>her</em> lips was ample -recompense for all that he had suffered or might yet -suffer.</p> - -<p>It was nearly five years later; Henry was just twenty-one. -He and a beautiful woman, dressed in bridal costume, -were stepping into a railway carriage that was to -take them to a steamer about to set sail for Europe.</p> - -<p>“Will,” he said suddenly, “pull off your hat quick, and -bow! I—I can’t; I’m too stiff.”</p> - -<p>Wonderingly, and, alas! how awkwardly, Will raised -his hat.</p> - -<p>After they had passed the house Henry began to wonder -what Johnny Jones had been doing there. Had he -been talking to <em>her</em>? His eyes flashed fire; he was -miserable.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_197" id="Page_197">[197]</a></span></p> - -<p>Foolish boy, he was troubling himself needlessly. And -if he had been more a philosopher, he would have known -that Jonny Jones, in saying those few jeering words, had -forever ruined his cause in the eyes of————.</p> - -<p>When the cousins reached home, Henry’s remaining -pistol was unloaded, and a hearty laugh followed; for all -knew, of course, that both pistols must have been loaded -alike.</p> - -<p>Henceforth, he could have the pleasure of telling his -school-mates that he had been “shot.” There was, however, -one drawback: there was no wound to heal, and -there would be no scar to show to doubters.</p> - -<p>Henry was thoroughly warmed; his ankle was rubbed -with sundry liniments and carefully bound up; and then -the young adventurers were sent to bed.</p> - -<p>“Well, Will, among other consolations there is this: -we don’t sit up till ten minutes to twelve every night, do -we?”</p> - -<p>“No. And we did it, Henry, after all! I explored the -whole cave, and I’ll tell you all about it to-morrow; I’m -too tired now. Besides, <em>we rescued the demon</em>!”</p> - -<p>This proves that the heroes had not profited by their -sufferings.</p> - -<p>Meantime, the people of the house had been taking -care of the madman. Under their careful treatment he -recovered sufficiently to be able to sit up and converse.</p> - -<p>He also had a “tale to tell,” but deferred telling it till -the next day; and by one o’clock the whole household -was wrapped in slumber.</p> - -<hr class="chap" /> - -<h2 id="Chapter_XXI">Chapter XXI.<br /> -<span class="smcap">Uncle Dick Himself Again.</span></h2> - -<p>The exposure of that night brought on a severe attack -of rheumatism, and the next day Henry was tossing about -on his bed in agony. His sprained ankle also was very -painful.</p> - -<p>A doctor was sent for in haste; and under his treatment<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_198" id="Page_198">[198]</a></span> -and Mrs. Mortimer’s watchful care, the boy recovered -slowly.</p> - -<p>Will was so grieved to see his cousin suffer that he almost -fell sick himself; and he took up his stand at the -bedside, so that he might attend to his slightest wish.</p> - -<p>“I don’t mind being sick so much,” said Henry, as Will -was peeling an orange for him, “because it proves that a -fellow’s mother and—and—and <em>friends</em> care for him, and -want him to get well; but, I don’t want the rheumatism, -because it’s mostly old men and hardly used soldiers that -suffer with it.”</p> - -<p>“What should you like to have?” asked Will.</p> - -<p>“Well, Will, I don’t mind telling you. Will, I’ve always -had a hankering to be wounded so that it would leave an -honorable scar—a scar that I could be proud of, you -know.”</p> - -<p>The morning after the rescue the demon had a totally -different air. He no longer regarded strangers with suspicion, -but frankly and promptly replied to all who spoke -to him. His eyes were calm and benign, no longer having -that “hunted look” which seemed so terrible. In a word, -the demon was no longer a madman; “the blow on his -head had restored his reason.”</p> - -<p>In real life this is, we believe, an uncommon occurrence; -but in romance it is becoming intolerably common. It is -inserted in novels that are otherwise good; it haunts -some writers like an evil spirit; it is tricked up in a new -garb, sometimes, to throw the unsuspecting reader off his -guard; but if it is there, sooner or later it will crop out—often -when least expected, least desired.</p> - -<p>In fact, whenever the practised reader picks up a tale -in which a <em>harmless</em> maniac figures, his suspicions are at -once aroused, and he flings it aside with a gesture of -contempt.</p> - -<p>Having called Mr. Mortimer to his side, the disenthralled -man said, with a pleasant voice, “Sir, I do not -know where I am, and I should like to ask you a few -questions. Last night I was not in a humor to make -inquiries, as I was so tired and weak; but this morning I -am much better and stronger. May I ask your name?”</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_199" id="Page_199">[199]</a></span></p> - -<p>Mr. Mortimer was surprised at and pleased with the -man’s improved appearance.</p> - -<p>“I am happy to see that you are so much better, sir,” -he said. “As to my name, it is Mortimer; may I, in turn, -ask yours?”</p> - -<p>“Certainly, sir; I am Richard Lawrence.”</p> - -<p>Mr. Mortimer started. He perceived that the man who -spoke was in full possession of his reason, quite as sane -as he himself. In former years he had been intimately -acquainted with Dick Lawrence; the story of the “mysterious -disappearance” was familiar to him; and he -thought that at last the mystery was to be solved.</p> - -<p>He seized Lawrence’s hand and shook it heartily.</p> - -<p>“Don’t you remember me, old friend?” he said. “Don’t -you remember when you beat me in that race, so long -ago? And besides, we are almost related to each other; -for, as you surely remember, your brother and I married -sisters.”</p> - -<p>A long conversation followed between the two reunited -friends. The events of other years were spoken of with -peculiar pleasure, and Mr. Mortimer told his friend what -had been taking place in the world of late years.</p> - -<p>“Well, now, I had almost forgotten!” Mr. Mortimer -suddenly exclaimed. “Your nephew Will is in this very -house! You will remember him as a very little boy; and -now he is a—a—now he is a great big boy. I must bring -him in immediately.”</p> - -<p>He hurried out of the room and soon returned with -Will, saying apologetically, “You must excuse me, Will, -but when two old friends meet, they forget that there are -boys still in the world, and remember only that they -were once boys themselves.” Then to his guest: “Mr. -Lawrence, I have the pleasure of introducing your nephew -Will, who is on a visit to my son. I think it is safe to -say that you owe your deliverance to these hare-brained -youths. You will hear graphic particulars of it afterwards.”</p> - -<p>A happy meeting took place between uncle and nephew, -the former being highly pleased with his new-found kinsman.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_200" id="Page_200">[200]</a></span></p> - -<p>“Yes,” Mr. Mortimer resumed, “this is your nephew -Will; a fine little fellow, who had a strange interview -with you last night. Have you any recollection of it?”</p> - -<p>“Not the slightest; so far as I know, I have not seen -the boy since, since—when?”</p> - -<p>“Ten years, uncle.”</p> - -<p>“Then you know nothing about your life in the cave?” -Mr. Mortimer asked.</p> - -<p>“You are speaking in riddles, Mr. Mortimer.”</p> - -<p>“My son, Will’s cousin, is ill to-day, or I should present -him; for he, dear boy, was instrumental in your release,” -the fond father observed, wishing that his son should receive -due honor for his good deeds.</p> - -<p>Mr. Lawrence was impatient to see his brother, but -there were several matters to attend to before this could -be done.</p> - -<p>“There is a strange tale yet to be unfolded, Mr. Mortimer,” -he said musingly. “I must visit the town where -insanity first took hold of me. There are many things -not clear to me; but I believe that by going there, I shall -be enabled to unriddle the mystery. A foul wrong was -done to me in that place, and I will have justice. As I -intimated, I know absolutely nothing of what took place -while I was insane; but I believe all that can be made -clear by making diligent inquiries of people living in -R——. Yes, I shall go to this place in a day or so; then -take a run down to my brother’s; and come back just in -time to go home with Will. But first of all, I shall visit -the cave where I spent so many years; and you and my -nephew must accompany me. I am full of curiosity to -see the place, but I suppose I shall have to be piloted -through it.”</p> - -<p>A day or so afterwards Mr. Lawrence felt stronger, and -the three set out to explore the cave. Will thought that -he was going to the Demon’s Cave under very different -circumstances, and sighed because Henry was unable to -accompany them. But Henry was destined never to enter -that cave.</p> - -<p>When they arrived at the place, they perceived that -some one was there before them, as the door stood open.<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_201" id="Page_201">[201]</a></span> -As they passed in they heard a confused murmur of -voices, together with whistling, singing, and hallooing. -Evidently, the intruders were trying to keep up their -spirits and intimidate any goblins that might be hovering -near. A great fire was blazing in the old place, but the -explorers seemed to be in the largest cave.</p> - -<p>Suddenly the new-comers were heard, and a howl of -horror came from the explorers.</p> - -<p>“Oh, golly! It’s the demon or somethin’ else!” wailed -one.</p> - -<p>Then two wild and fearful eyes peered out through the -concealed door, and a voice quavered: “N-o-o, it ain’t the -demon; but I guess we’d better clear!”</p> - -<p>Seven gaunt youths stole through the concealed door; -glanced fearfully at the new-comers; and then broke and -fled tumultuously out of the front entrance.</p> - -<p>The two men smiled; the boy laughed.</p> - -<p>“A boy is the same creature that he was when I was -young,” Mr. Lawrence observed.</p> - -<p>“They’re the very fellow’s that cheered us the other -night,” said Will. “I guess they wanted to be ‘bouncers’ -too.”</p> - -<p>“Now, why in this world did the little rogues make a -fire?” Mr. Mortimer queried.</p> - -<p>“That question is easily answered,” said Mr. Lawrence. -“When a boy comes upon a heap of wood, the temptation -to kindle a fire, if he has any means of doing so, is too -great for him to resist.”</p> - -<p>“And you see nothing here that is familiar to you?” -asked Mr. Mortimer.</p> - -<p>“No; everything is strange to me; and I must apply -to Will to lead the way.”</p> - -<p>“Uncle, how queer it is that I should know more -about your cave than you do!” said Will, grinning -foolishly. “It doesn’t seem that you are the same man -that picked me up and carried me off.”</p> - -<p>“That’s because I’ve visited the tailor and the barber, -Will.”</p> - -<p>“Well, uncle, if I hadn’t been through the cave that -night, we shouldn’t know anything about the money.”</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_202" id="Page_202">[202]</a></span></p> - -<p>“Money!” cried both men, in a breath.</p> - -<p>“Yes,” Will replied. “I found a little pile of money, -but so many queer things happened since that I forgot -all about it. Come this way, uncle; it is in this room.”</p> - -<p>“Your lost fortune!” Mr. Mortimer exclaimed.</p> - -<p>“Perhaps,” sighed Uncle Dick.</p> - -<p>“If those explorers have not enriched themselves with -it!”</p> - -<p>But the treasure was found untouched.</p> - -<p>“Is <em>this</em> what you found?” cried Mr. Mortimer, with -disgust. “<em>This</em> is intolerable—monstrous—outrageous! -This—this—”</p> - -<p>“No, I think it’s all right,” said Mr. Lawrence. -“There is a mystery behind it, but when that mystery -is cleared up, I think we shall find that this is all there -is left.”</p> - -<p>“I guess the boys didn’t see it,” Will observed, “or -else they were afraid to meddle with it.”</p> - -<p>“No,” said Uncle Dick, “a boy has more honesty -than most people imagine. Well, Will, what there is, is -yours. Take it, Will; it won’t fill more than one -pocket; but I wish, for your sake, it were a fortune -indeed.”</p> - -<p>“If I hadn’t left these inside doors open, the boys -wouldn’t have been able to explore these two rooms,” -Will presently remarked. “Now, I wonder whether -they found those hens and chickens! <em>I</em> didn’t, but I -didn’t look for them.”</p> - -<p>“‘Hens and chickens!’” growled Mr. Mortimer. -“What’s the matter now, Will?”</p> - -<p>“Why, Henry said the demon—I—I mean my <em>uncle</em>—had -lots of hens and chickens here, and I heard them -clucking several times while I was in the cave; but I -never saw’ a scratch of them.”</p> - -<p>“Perhaps the young explorers made away with <em>them</em>,” -Uncle Dick suggested.</p> - -<p>“No, uncle, they found their way here only because I -had left the concealed doors open,” Will said. “I guess -the hens are some place else.”</p> - -<p>“We don’t know how many hidden chambers there may<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_203" id="Page_203">[203]</a></span> -be here, nor what secrets they may hold,” Mr. Mortimer -sighed despairingly.</p> - -<p>“There can’t be many more,” Uncle Dick replied. -“We’ll say there is one more apartment, in which my -nephew’s hens are cooped up. Now, unless they set up a -cackling, how are we to know where to look for them? I -think we had better leave them to their fate. No! Will, -listen! When we get back to town, speak about these -hens incidentally to some little tobacco-chewer, and within -an hour a force of would-be desperadoes will troop down -to this cave, and liberate these hens or perish in the ruins -of the general demolition!”</p> - -<p>To economize time and space, to ease the reader’s -anxiety, and to maintain the reputation of this history -for exactness and solidity, it may here be stated that -although Will set a band of street Arabs on the track of -those miserable hens and chickens, they were never -found, and the probability is that they are slowly becoming -fossils.</p> - -<p>The three then made a burning stave serve for a torch, -and marched through the cavern in which Will had found -the water. Then they returned and went into the “best -bedroom.”</p> - -<p>“I have a fancy that there is money buried here,—buried, -or concealed in some article of furniture,” Mr. -Mortimer observed.</p> - -<p>“I doubt that,” said Uncle Dick. “Now, if your son -were well, he and Will might come here and ransack -every cavern. What a pity we interrupted those boys! -They would have amused themselves here all day, and -would certainly have found whatever there may be to -find! Poor little fellows, their fun had just begun! Well, -they will be back again, and then they are welcome to all -the spoil they can carry away.”</p> - -<p>Having fastened the outer door, the party returned to -the city.</p> - -<hr class="chap" /> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_204" id="Page_204">[204]</a></span></p> - -<h2 id="Chapter_XXII">Chapter XXII.<br /> -<span class="smcap">Uncle Dick Evolves His Story.</span></h2> - -<p>The next day Mr. Lawrence, leaving his nephew still -with Henry, went to the town of which he had spoken. -Here insanity had taken hold of him, and here he expected -to unravel his mysteries.</p> - -<p>The two boys laid their heads together, and arrived at -the conclusion that the world is not hollow, after all; -and that if they were not heroes yet, a few years would -make them so.</p> - -<p>“The stuff is in us, Will; all we have to do is to work -it up.”</p> - -<p>“Yes, Henry; and when you come to see me, the -people in our neighborhood had better be prepared. There -are no captives for us to rescue, but I guess you can hit -on something good.”</p> - -<p>“Why, Will,” said Henry, smiling his delight, “you are -almost getting to be like any other boy! You—you talk -sensibly. What has come over you?”</p> - -<p>“Well, when I saw that good came from our journey -to the cave, and that we rescued my uncle, I concluded -that I had been wrong and you right. I guess it’s safe to -play tricks with you, anyway; and——”</p> - -<p>“‘Tricks!’” echoed Henry, scowling horribly.</p> - -<p>“No, no!” Will hastily declared. “I—I—mean—Henry—Don’t -be vexed, Henry; I meant <em>stratagems</em>!”</p> - -<p>The affronted patient softened. “Yes, that is the word -you meant, Will,” he said, “but you always ought to say -what you mean. I always do; and so I never have to -stumble, and correct myself, and appear as though I don’t -know what I’m talking about.”</p> - -<p>Will’s eyes expressed a mild rebuke.</p> - -<p>Henry was not fluent in making apologies; on this -occasion he simply said, with a look of pain that spoke -volumes in his behalf: “It’s in my left knee, Will; hand -me that bottle, please.”</p> - -<p>“Next time I venture on any more stratagems,—if I -ever do venture on any more,—I’ll warn all the sailors<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_205" id="Page_205">[205]</a></span> -and teamsters in the settlement, so that I can be rescued -just in the nick of time,” Will Said good humoredly.</p> - -<p>“Yes, as long as they didn’t follow too close at your -heels, and spoil the fun. Well, Will, I knew I could cure -you if you stayed with me long enough; but I didn’t expect -to do it so soon.”</p> - -<p>When the patient was easy Will read to him. The -books that pleased them most were about mustached -heroes who cruised in Polynesia, discovering “sea-girt -isles” which Captain Cook and later navigators had -missed, and which almost invariably held captive some -ragged individual, who, after divers adventures with -pirates and Chinamen, had finally succeeded in nailing -$795,143 up in a mahogany coffin, only to be shipwrecked -with it.</p> - -<p>In after years Will looked back on those days spent -with Henry as the pleasantest in his boyhood. He had -no haunting dreams; got into no disgrace; and, except -when he thought of poor Stephen, felt no reproaches of -conscience.</p> - -<p>One day the mother of the girl who had given Henry -a glass ink-bottle came in to inquire personally after his -health.</p> - -<p>“I heard you were getting better, Henry, but I thought -I should like to come and see for myself,” she said -pleasantly.</p> - -<p>“I wonder now if <em>she</em> didn’t hint to her mother to do -this!” Henry thought to himself. “I believe she did; -but I wish I knew. Why can’t folks tell the truth, anyway, -and say right out how it is! How am I to find out! -I know when <em>she</em> had a bad cold, I hinted till my mother -went there to ask about her! Botheration! I <em>will</em> know!”</p> - -<p>“It’s very good of you to take so much interest in me,” -he ventured, slightly emphasizing the word <em>you</em>.</p> - -<p>“Yes, Henry, when I saw the doctor call here twice -yesterday I thought I must step in and see you.”</p> - -<p>The boy was silenced, but not satisfied.</p> - -<p>“I’ve brought a book for you, Henry, that I think you -will like,” she said, taking a handsomely bound volume -out of her reticule and laying it on a stand at Henry’s -elbow.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_206" id="Page_206">[206]</a></span></p> - -<p>He picked it up. “<em>Her</em> book!” he thought exultingly. -“I know it’s hers, for I’ve heard her speak of it. She -sent it to me! Of course she did. <em>She sent it!</em>”</p> - -<p>Once more his heart bounded with ecstasy; once more -he was supremely happy. The blood rushed to his face; -his lips quivered; his hands trembled.</p> - -<p>The visitor remarked this, and turning to Mrs. Mortimer -said sympathetically, “Poor boy! How patiently -he bears it!”</p> - -<p>Then, stepping up to the bedside, she laid her hands on -his head, kissed his forehead gently and affectionately, -and asked softly, “Is the pain very bad, Henry?”</p> - -<p>It seemed to Henry that his heart stood still.</p> - -<p>“It is <em>her</em> mother,” he thought, “and she has kissed -me!”</p> - -<p>Their eyes met. A woman perceives many things intuitively; -Henry’s secret was hers from that moment. -For all answer she kissed him again. From that day the -two were firm and true friends.</p> - -<p>When Henry found himself alone he examined every -leaf of that book carefully.</p> - -<p>“<em>She</em> sent it,” he muttered, “and perhaps there is -something written in it. She may have written, ‘I hope -you will like this book, Henry;’ or, ‘This is the story -we spoke of, Henry;’ or, ‘When will you be able to start -to school again, Henry?’”</p> - -<p>The observing reader will perceive that in each of those -sentences the hero’s own name occurs. Henry was -capable of strong feelings; in some respects he was a boy; -in others, a man.</p> - -<p>At last, at the top of a useless fly-leaf, he came upon -two initial letters. They were not hers; they were not -his. The writing was very bad; he could not recognize -it. He did not consider that a book-seller often scrawls -a cipher or two on the fly-leaves of his books. He was -mystified.</p> - -<p>Jealousy, however, soon suggested an explanation; -jealousy pointed out that those characters were written -by <em>her</em>, and that they stood for “J. J.”</p> - -<p>Once more he was miserable.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_207" id="Page_207">[207]</a></span></p> - -<p>He saw Johnny Jones in his true colors; saw all his -defects, all his emptiness, all his insignificance, all his -baseness. And yet he was jealous!</p> - -<p>The lover very often feels his rival to be the most -despicable person on the face of the earth; and yet, at -the same instant, he fears that rival, despicable as he is, -will steal away the heart of his beloved.</p> - -<p>To a man whose thoughts never rise above the earth on -which he walks, this may seem preposterous; but it is -true, and may easily be explained—so easily, in fact, that -the writer leaves it for some one who can do so more ably -and clearly than himself.</p> - -<p>It has been said that Henry was fated never to explore -the Demon’s Cave. He never did.</p> - -<p>The City Fathers, fearing, in their wisdom, that the -cave might become the haunt of evil characters or the lair -of some wild beast, convoked a council, and drew up a -document which began and ended thus:</p> - -<p>“Whereas, ...</p> - -<p>“Resolved, that said cave be forthwith demolished.”</p> - -<p>Then five men and two hundred and seventy-three or -seventy-four boys fell to work upon it, and executed this -command to the letter. The Demon’s Cave had served its -purpose: it was no more.</p> - -<p>The view from the opposite bank was marred; but the -City Fathers knew that they had done their duty, and -their conscience was easy.</p> - -<p>After an absence of a week Uncle Dick returned to Mr. -Mortimer’s. He had visited the little city; solved his -mysteries; and been to see his brother.</p> - -<p>He made himself comfortable in an easy chair, and -while those interested in him listened attentively, he -romanced as follows:—</p> - -<p>“Several years ago, when I was still a young man, by -prudent and lawful speculations I amassed a fortune. -But I was not satisfied; I still wished for more; and one -day when a stranger came to me with wonderful stories -about making colossal fortunes in a far-off part of the -world, I listened eagerly, and secretly resolved to settle -my affairs and hasten away with him. I should need<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_208" id="Page_208">[208]</a></span> -every dollar I possessed to embark in this scheme, the -stranger told me; and the sooner I could get away, the -sooner I should return to my native country a rich man.</p> - -<p>“I kept my purpose hidden from my nearest friends, -and got together all my money as secretly as possible. I -was not to deposit this money in a bank, and draw it as -I needed it; oh, no! I must pack it up snugly in a strong -trunk, and take it all with me. This man, Black, advised -me to ‘keep my own counsel to the very last;’ and I also -knew that my people would oppose my taking up with -an entire stranger, and embarking in such a wild-goose -chase. Consequently he, and I, and the trunk of funds, -stole away like criminals, leaving only a short note of -farewell and explanation behind us. By the way, Mr. -Mortimer, my brother tells me that he received no such -note, and I must infer that Black found means to destroy it.</p> - -<p>“I knew that I was acting dishonorably, but I excused -my conduct to myself by thinking I should soon return -in triumph, worth millions. At that date, enormous -wealth was the summit of my ambitions; and it must -come suddenly and easily; petty speculation had become -tiresome to me, and I wished to wake up some morning -and find myself a nabob.</p> - -<p>“In a certain city—the place to which I went after -leaving you—we halted, ‘to complete our arrangements,’ -as my betrayer put it, if I remember rightly. Having -entered a small and out-of-the-way building, which he -called his own, probably correctly, I was assaulted by -him and another villain who was unknown to me. I -remember distinctly Black’s saying to this man, ‘Now, -Bill, a heavy blow on his head, and he is dead. Then his -trunk of money is ours!’ I started to my feet, but at -that instant a furious blow was struck at my head, and -I, poor fool, knew no more.</p> - -<p>“My object in going to that city last week was to see -whether I could learn what had happened to me from the -time of that attempted murder till I appeared here as the -‘Demon of the Cave,’ In this I succeeded very well. It -seems that the police were on these men’s track, and that -they broke into the building just after I had been knocked<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_209" id="Page_209">[209]</a></span> -down. The villains, Black and his accomplice, doubtless -thought me dead, or else meant to deal another blow, but -had not time. Their crime was bootless; for they were -thrown into prison, tried in due time, and sent into penal -servitude, where they are still.</p> - -<p>“Then I was taken to an hospital; but as I had scarcely -anything with me, except my clothes and my chest of -money, no clue could be found to inform my friends of -my whereabouts. So they kept me on there, within a -few hundred miles of my home, and took the greatest care -of me. The cruel blow on my head had taken away my -reason, and all the doctors of the hospital could not -restore it.</p> - -<p>“What puzzles me is that my friends did not find me -in process of time, as the whole affair was published in -the newspapers. Well, I suppose they thought of me as -being far away and that I could not possibly be the madman -in K. Hospital. I never saw the account in the -newspapers, and the description of the madman may not -have tallied with the Uncle Dick of the country village.</p> - -<p>“And now comes the most extraordinary part of my -story. I was ill in the hospital for several weeks, and -meanwhile the authorities took charge of my chest. It -seems that I was aware my money was in it, and with all -a maniac’s cunning I kept watch over it. One day, when -my bodily health and strength were quite restored, both -I and my chest of treasure were missing!</p> - -<p>“So the story runs; but there I am bothered; there is -mystery. From that day all is dark to me; all is a -blank; and I can only speculate. I am left to suppose, -then, that I made off with my chest of money; roamed -over the country in search of a home; came upon the -cave in this neighborhood; and established myself in it!</p> - -<p>“Now, that is contrary to reason—in fact, it would -require a powerful imagination to put any faith in such -a cock-and-bull story.</p> - -<p>“I have a notion that a great deal of my money was -taken either by dishonest servants while in the hospital, -or else by thieves after I left it; and I think even that I -was robbed of the whole amount, and came upon some<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_210" id="Page_210">[210]</a></span> -money in the cave. How could a lunatic make his way -through the country with a chest of money, and not be -molested? It is impossible. In fact, Mr. Mortimer, from -the moment I left the hospital till I took up my abode in -the cave, it is all a muddle to me. It may be explained -some day; but it is all a muddle to me now.</p> - -<p>“From inquiries I made in this place, I found that a -dealer brought me supplies while I lived in the cave, and -that I paid him for them. I hunted him out, and he told -me he made my acquaintance through another man, when -I first came here. He is a simple, honest, old man, incapable -of cheating even a madman; and I am satisfied that -he acted fairly with me, and had no hand in my coming -to the cave.</p> - -<p>“But who is the other? I believe the whole question -hinges on that; and if we could meet with him, I would -force the secret from him. The dealer affirms that he -knows nothing about this man; he saw him only once; -and then he told him (the dealer) to send supplies to an -eccentric man who intended to live for a short time in -what was then called simply, ‘The Cave.’ But, alas! it -continued through ten years!</p> - -<p>“While living in the cave, I am told that I was continually -on the watch against robbers; which proves -conclusively, I think, that people of that calling preyed -upon me either before or after I left the hospital.</p> - -<p>“Mr. Mortimer, as far as I can make it out, this is my -story. It is not much, but I have made the best of it.” -The next day Mr. Lawrence and his nephew set out for -home. The long-lost man had, at length, after an absence -of ten years, returned.</p> - -<p>He lived with his brother, and for a few weeks, did -nothing. Ten years in a cave had undermined his health, -but as soon as his constitution regained its natural vigor, -he went into business on his own account. At forty he -found himself penniless, and obliged to begin life anew; -ten years were as though they had not been, and he had -summarily got rid of a fortune.</p> - -<p>He was of a cheerful and hopeful disposition, and did -not grieve about this; still, he could not help thinking<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_211" id="Page_211">[211]</a></span> -what misery would have been spared if he had not trusted -himself implicitly to a villain.</p> - -<p>For the present Uncle Dick must sink into oblivion. -He will be resuscitated, however, at the proper time.</p> - -<p>Will was received by his parents with open arms. He -had behaved nobly; he was a little hero. All the praise -must be given to him, of course. Had he not rescued his -uncle, alone and unaided? Had he not done all in his -power to help that uncle when he lay helpless in his -cave? Had he not stayed by him and tended him? Had -he not explored the horrible place known as the Demons -Cave? He had; he had done all this; and yet come off -without a scratch!</p> - -<p>Of course, Henry meant well, but he had no hand in -rescuing Uncle Dick—he had not even entered the cave. -Henry was a good, a manly little fellow, but in that affair -he had been only a figure-head.</p> - -<p>Will found that Stephen was recovering fast. His -school-fellows crowded round him and listened eagerly -while he dilated on his cousin’s and his own exploits. -Now that the affair was happily over, he delighted in -telling them about his “adventures” in the cave, and -Marmaduke, especially, delighted in hearing them. To -him, Henry was a mighty hero.</p> - -<p>The affair with Stephen sobered the others for a time, -and when the poor boy again appeared among them, -nothing they could do for him was left undone. He was -a martyr in their eyes, and they willingly left off their -own sports to talk to him. Under these kind attentions, -what wonder is it that the boy soon recovered his health, -strength, and spirits?</p> - -<p>The whole tribe of heroes kept clear of tricks and misdeeds -till the following summer; but Will, of course, committed -his diverting little blunders daily. But it would -be foolish to chronicle them.</p> - -<p>As for Henry, he recovered rapidly, and when Will and -his uncle left he was a great deal better. He missed Will -very much, but he did not suffer a relapse. He put his -remaining pistol carefully away, vowing to load it himself, -if he should be tempted to use it again. As for the<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_212" id="Page_212">[212]</a></span> -one which Will discharged, it was lost the night of the -expedition to the cave.</p> - -<hr class="chap" /> - -<h2 id="Chapter_XXIII">Chapter XXIII.<br /> -<span class="smcap">The Sage’s Experiment.</span></h2> - -<p>It is summer again. The six are enjoying themselves -as usual, but are playing no tricks worthy of mention. -Considering all things, it is surprising that they have -kept out of mischief so long.</p> - -<p>But the Sage was revolving a certain matter in his -mind. He had been reading about Capt. Kidd the pirate, -and the treasures he is said to have buried. He did not -believe there were any such treasures,—at least, he -thought he did not,—and to show how erroneous all those -old traditions are, he resolved to make what he called an -experiment.</p> - -<p>“Look here, boys,” he said to his school-fellows, -“wouldn’t it be capital to look for gold some day; some -of Capt. Kidd’s gold, you know!”</p> - -<p>“No, George, I guess we don’t know much about it; so -go ahead and tell us,” Stephen replied.</p> - -<p>“You’ve heard the stories about his buried treasures, of -course. Well, let us follow the directions, and look for a -stray treasure some night.”</p> - -<p>“What directions?” Stephen asked. That day he -seemed to be in a humor to persecute somebody.</p> - -<p>“Why, the directions given in fortune-telling books for -finding buried treasures,” George said good-humoredly. -“I have a good necromancer’s book, and I have studied -this thing all out. So, suppose we go to work and try it, -just to prove how nonsensical all such stories are, and -what a humbug necromancy is. Boys, it would be sport.”</p> - -<p>“The very thing!” Charles exclaimed. “Now, tell us -all about it.”</p> - -<p>“Well, I’m glad some one can understand my meaning,” -the Sage said smilingly. “We must go along the banks -of some river at night, when the moon rises just as the<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_213" id="Page_213">[213]</a></span> -sun sets. When the moon throws the person’s shadow -four feet up into an evergreen, any evergreen tree, stop -and say over some enchantment. Then shoot an arrow -straight up into the air, and it will strike the water—at -least it ought to strike it. Shoot another, and it ought -to fall at your feet. Shoot one more, and it will light on -the ground exactly over your treasure. But you must -dig for it with paddles.”</p> - -<p>“Paddles!” cried the boys.</p> - -<p>“Yes, dig two feet with paddles, or the treasure will -escape. Then you may take spades, or anything you -choose, to dig with; and six feet down you’ll find it.”</p> - -<p>“How wonderful!” Marmaduke exclaimed languidly.</p> - -<p>“How foolish, you mean,” wise Will observed. “Really, -George, I used to think you had more common sense. -Who cares about paddles, and arrow’s, and necromancers, -and moons, and shadow’s, and rivers, and—and—now, -George, you know such tomfoolery isn’t worth listening -to.”</p> - -<p>“Of course I don’t believe it,” George replied earnestly; -“I only want to expose it.”</p> - -<p>Charles and Stephen had been whispering together and -exchanging winks while the others were speaking, and -the former now said, with feigned seriousness: “Certainly -you don’t, George. It’s a likely story that a boy like you -believes in a bald-headed, goggle-eyed, broken-nosed -necromancer, that never washes his hands, nor blows his -broken nose, nor combs his whiskers, nor cuts his toenails. -No, George, you read too much science to believe -in such a dilapidated ruin as a necromancer must be; but, -as you say, it would be roaring fun to follow his directions. -How right and praiseworthy to expose the superstitions -of the wicked old necromancer! Boys, let us go, -by all means!”</p> - -<p>George looked at the speaker rather suspiciously; but -seeing how grave and earnest he appeared, never guessed -that he was laughing inwardly. He replied warmly, -“You’re a true friend, Charley. You understand my -motives, and see what little faith I put in the old necromancer. -Now, boys, you must give in that we could get<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_214" id="Page_214">[214]</a></span> -a great deal of amusement out of this. Honestly, couldn’t -we?”</p> - -<p>“It’ll be the best fun we’ve had yet!” Steve declared. -“But doesn’t he give any more directions, George?”</p> - -<p>“Oh, yes. There is a page of what you’re to do and -say, and if we should conclude to make the experiment -I’ll learn it, for you mustn’t take the book along with -you.”</p> - -<p>“Of course not,” Charles said promptly. “Well, you’ll -go, won’t you, Will?”</p> - -<p>“Wouldn’t miss going for anything!” Will replied -with decision.</p> - -<p>Without stopping to wonder at the sudden change in -Will’s and Steve’s opinions, the sage continued, “According -to the almanac, this is the very night for us to go, -because the moon rises as the sun sets.”</p> - -<p>“Exactly;” commented Stephen. “And the river is -our river, of course. As for the evergreen, I know where -there is a fine tall one near the river. We must start just -at the right time to have the shadow according to the -rule when we arrive at the evergreen. Now, boys, I’ll -scare up a good bow and half a dozen arrows; and -Charley, I’m sure, can bring a long-handled spade; and -Will can supply us with an oar or two. If the book says -anything else is needed, George, you must see to it, for -you, of course, will be our leader.”</p> - -<p>George gracefully acknowledged this tribute to his -merit.</p> - -<p>Jim now spoke for the first time. “But what has all -this to do with Captain Kidd?” he asked.</p> - -<p>Ever since Will’s experience in the cave he had been -filled with lofty ideas, and now, in his wisdom, he thought -this the first weighty remark that had been made.</p> - -<p>George replied thus: “We don’t know of any other -man that would be foolish enough to bury treasures, -Jim, so let us suppose that we are looking for one of Kidd’s.—All -in sport, of course.”</p> - -<p>Will looked at the Sage with pity that was not akin to -love, and observed, “Now, George, I haven’t been reading -the history of Captain Kidd, as you have, but I know well<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_215" id="Page_215">[215]</a></span> -enough that he never buried any money in these parts -<em>because it stands to reason he was never here</em>! Perhaps -he buried some along the sea-coast, but certainly none in -this far-off wilderness—as it was then.”</p> - -<p>This argument was irrefutable; the Sage was mute. -With all his reading, all his knowledge, was he to be -insulted thus?</p> - -<p>In fact, he looked so woe-begone that Charles came to -his relief, saying, “Never mind Mr. Kidd, boys; let us -follow the necromancers orders blindly.”</p> - -<p>All agreed to do this, and soon afterwards they -separated.</p> - -<p>All unknown to them, they had had a listener. The -conversation had taken place in the school-grounds, and -a great over-grown boy had seen them, and drawn near -enough to hear every word. As a wood-pile was between -him and the heroes, he escaped notice. This “great, -hulking lubber,” as Charles called him, was the boy who -had been bitten by Stephen’s dog several months before, -and who, as was intimated, thirsted for revenge. Ever -since that time he had dogged the six, in the vain hope -of detecting them in some evil scheme.</p> - -<p>He was a cowardly, treacherous boy, this Bob Herriman, -or he would not have played the eaves-dropper on -this occasion. He now resolved to precede the boys, hide -himself in the evergreen, and do his best to torment them.</p> - -<p>Most horrible revenge, truly!</p> - -<p>“I’ll get there ahead of ’em,” he muttered, “and climb -the tree Stepping Hen (the opprobrious nickname by which, -in his anger, he privately knew Stephen) spoke of! I -think I know the very tree. I’ll yell, perhaps, or scare -’em awful in some way, and if they do any harm to anything, -I’ll tell on ’em! Oh! what fun!”</p> - -<p>Then this embryo villain strutted away, with a mischievous -look—a look that boded ill to the Sage’s experiment. -He was an <em>immoral</em> boy, while Will and his -companions were only <em>boyish</em>, and full of animal spirits.</p> - -<p>The boys longed for night to come, as they imagined -they could easily confute the vile and slovenly old necromancer’s -errors, and find food for laughter. Some time<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_216" id="Page_216">[216]</a></span> -before sunset they turned out in force, and mustered just -below the falls. Everything that could possibly be made -useful was on hand. George, poor boy, had freighted -himself with a coil of heavy rope, but he bore up bravely, -and strode onward without a groan.</p> - -<p>When they were fairly started, Charles suddenly in-inquired -of him: “What in the world have you brought -that rope along for, George?”</p> - -<p>“To draw the treasure home with,” was the somewhat -startling answer, coolly given.</p> - -<p>“The treasure!” Charles cried. “Why, I thought you -‘put no faith’ in that! and besides, you can’t draw gold -and silver with a rope!”</p> - -<p>“Don’t be foolish,” the Sage replied. “I believe in no -treasure at all; but you must <em>pretend</em> to believe in it, or -else you will never get it. As for taking it home with a -rope, the book says it will be in a huge chest, bound with -iron bands. Therefore, I bring this rope along to make -the spirits believe I believe in their beliefs.”</p> - -<p>Having made this logical explanation, the Sage panted -for breath, but drew himself up proudly, and looked -defiantly on his tormentor, crushing him beneath his -eloquence and his aspect.</p> - -<p>Charles finally uttered an “Oh!” of relief, and then the -procession moved on.</p> - -<p>As the sun sank lower and lower, the boys hastened -more and more. Will had calculated the time very accurately, -and said it was foolish to hurry; but his school-fellows -were aware of his failing, and for fear he had -made a mistake, they were too impatient to proceed -leisurely.</p> - -<p>Notwithstanding the ridicule which the boys cast upon -George for his strict observance of all the “directions,” -they did not wish to omit any of them in making the -experiment. Accordingly, all were anxious to arrive at -the evergreen just in time to have the moon throw a -shadow on it four feet high.</p> - -<p>And by some strange chance they did.</p> - -<p>As soon as the tree came in sight, Steve exclaimed, -“There it is, boys! The very same, identical, self-same -tree!”</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_217" id="Page_217">[217]</a></span></p> - -<p>“Its very close to the water,” George growled, as he -made a vain effort to ease his aching shoulders.</p> - -<p>“It’s from two to five feet from the water,” Steve -replied. “That’s plenty of room to go between it and the -shore, and plenty of room to measure the fine shadow -there will be.”</p> - -<p>“Then we must draw cuts to see whether it’s the right -evergreen, as the book says.”</p> - -<p>This was done, and they found that this was the tree -intended.</p> - -<p>Again they marched on, and presently stood before the -mystic tree.</p> - -<p>The Sage halted, and threw down the coil of rope with -a sigh of relief. “The coast is clear, boys,” he said, -joyously. “There is no one here swimming, or out boating, -or shooting squirrels, or——”</p> - -<p>“Or fishing for water-snakes and crunching peppermint -candy,” Steve put in, as a finale.</p> - -<p>For a moment George looked vexed; but this was -Stephen’s way, and he knew no insult was intended.</p> - -<p>If the boys had known that this very evergreen, under -which they stood, harbored an enemy, they would have -acted differently. Bob Herriman had ensconced himself in -this tree, and even while Steve spoke, he was trying to -rub the gum off his hands and clothes, and glaring -wickedly down at the heroic six and the equally heroic -dog, Carlo.</p> - -<p>“Well, boys,” George observed, “I must go on alone, -with Steve close behind to measure my shadow. If we -all go crowding along together, somebody will get shoved -into the river.”</p> - -<p>The wisdom of this was so apparent that the rest -waited patiently while the other two went on.</p> - -<p>George walked cautiously along the bank of the river, -and when the rising moon threw a faint shadow of his -figure on the bark of the evergreen, he halted. Stephen, -however, stepped up so briskly and boldly, and so near -the brink, that shovelfuls of loose earth rattled down into -the water. When he reached George he whipped a homemade -folding ruler out of his pocket, and applied it to -the shadow.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_218" id="Page_218">[218]</a></span></p> - -<p>“Just four feet!” he cried, excitedly.</p> - -<p>George looked on complacently, and the boys in waiting, -hearing Steve’s remark, uttered a shout of surprise and -delight.</p> - -<p>“Stop! stop!” George cried, angrily: “I cannot allow -such a noise!”</p> - -<p>A dead silence ensued. The four moved on till they -had passed the tree, and then George and Stephen joined -them.</p> - -<p>“That tree is very thick up among the branches,” Jim -observed.</p> - -<p>“Never mind that,” Charles said. “Now, George, it’s -time to go to work. Are you sure you know the -verses?”</p> - -<p>“<em>What</em> verses?” the Sage asked, indignantly.</p> - -<p>“Why, the necromancer’s, of course.”</p> - -<p>“You call it ‘verses,’ do you? Well, Charley, a boy -generally does. But you should say ‘poetry.’ Now, this -is genuine poetry—an ode, an—an——. Well, the book -says it’s an Apostrophe, or Address to——”</p> - -<p>“Fiddle-sticks! George, do you know it?”</p> - -<p>The Sage made no answer, but, facing the river and the -moon, he drew himself up proudly, and merely observing -that he must have silence, cleared his throat for action.</p> - -<p>The rest were all behind him, and so escaped notice. -Then each one took out his handkerchief and dammed -up that organ which is the seat of laughter. By this -means they succeeded in choking back all their merriment, -and behaved so well that poor George was highly -gratified.</p> - -<p>It must have been a comical sight to Bob Herriman in -his tree. At all events, he gazed at the different actors -with open mouth and ears, while the Sage delivered the -following:</p> - -<div class="poetry-container"> -<p class="center">ADDRESS TO THE BENIGN SPIRITS OF RIVERS AND STREAMS.</p> -<div class="poetry"> -<div class="verse">O, all ye spirits, sprites, and elves, come, listen unto me,</div> -<div class="verse">A humble mortal who would seek light on some points from ye.</div> -<div class="verse">To <em>me</em> ’tis known, bright roving sprites, that countless treasures rust</div> -<div class="verse">In caves, in seas, in shady dells,—or even in the dust.</div><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_219" id="Page_219">[219]</a></span> -<div class="verse">To <em>you</em> ’tis known, O spirits bright, where millions may be found;</div> -<div class="verse">Where gold and silver, precious stones, and gems of earth abound.</div> -<div class="verse">Why should ye not disclose the place where some of these lie hid?</div> -<div class="verse">In awful depths, in gloomy wastes, or flowery bowers amid?</div> -<div class="verse">From those who put their trust in you, O spirits, elves, and sprites,</div> -<div class="verse">Why will ye always flee away, not giving them their rights?</div> -<div class="verse">Tell me, I pray you, airy sprites, and fairies good and kind,</div> -<div class="verse">Where I, through your great influence, may some lost treasure find.</div> -<div class="verse">Tell me, O all ye sprightly elves and fairies that I see,</div> -<div class="verse">And I will your most faithful friend and servant ever be.</div> -<div class="verse">I long for wealth, for ease and peace, for honour, fame, and might;</div> -<div class="verse">O spirits, hasten—hasten——</div> -</div> -</div> - -<p>George hesitated, stammered, stopped! The necromancers -rhymes were too much for his already overstocked -brain. He made one more desperate effort, but -Charles, with his habitual promptness, cut him short, -shouting:</p> - -<div class="poetry-container"> -<div class="poetry"> -<div class="verse">“——hasten us out of this sad plight!”</div> -</div> -</div> - -<p>At this, the others tore out their handkerchiefs and -laughed derisively.</p> - -<p>George wheeled round quickly, and just in time to see -five handkerchiefs shoved into as many pockets. He did -not know what they had been doing with their handkerchiefs, -but he was angry, and he said, snappishly: “Look -here, if you boys can’t behave any better than that, you -had better stay at home! I didn’t come here to amuse -gigglers, and I won’t do it. No; I’ll stop right here; I -won’t go on with the experiment.”</p> - -<p>Charles knew’ that this was only an idle threat, but he -said, hastily: “Now, George, you’re too old and too -sensible to be vexed because we laugh at what is comical. -To-morrow you’ll laugh yourself. And besides, what did -we come here for? To rout the necromancer, or to be -routed ourselves?”</p> - -<p>“Of course; we came here to enjoy ourselves and have -some fun,” chimed in Stephen.</p> - -<p>“Yes, but you might behave yourselves,” the Sage -growled. “Now, where was I? Oh, pshaw! it’s all a -muddle! Only two or three more lines, and it would -have been finished. Well,” brightening up, “perhaps the -charm isn’t spoilt; and, Steve, hand me your bow and -arrows.”</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_220" id="Page_220">[220]</a></span></p> - -<p>The boy still felt aggrieved, and he now fired furiously -towards the sky.</p> - -<p>The arrow rushed into the air, and came down a -moment later, striking the water fairly.</p> - -<p>The archer’s face beamed with smiles; he spoke. -“Boys, that is as it should be; and when we get warmed -up in this game, it will be sport.”</p> - -<p>“It will certainly be <em>warm work</em> if we dig down six -feet in this dirt,” Will growled.</p> - -<p>The boys changed their positions before George shot -the next arrow, and, as luck would have it, Will took his -stand near a horrible, miry hole which had been scooped -out by the river in a great overflow that very spring. He -threw his paddles down carelessly, and fixed his eyes on -the experimentalist.</p> - -<p>That worthy now fitted another arrow to the bowstring, -and after taking deliberate aim at a star overhead, -he gravely “fired.”</p> - -<p>Every head was bent to observe the arrow’s flight, and -each one was prepared to spring aside if it should come -down too close to him. Each one except Bob Herriman. -He, poor wretch, had placed himself in so cramped a -position that he could not see it fly.</p> - -<p>Having made this clear to the reader, surely he will -guess what happened.</p> - -<p>The arrow descended fairly in the evergreen, struck a -branch, glanced, and Mr. Bob received a stinging blow on -the back of the head. He wriggled and nearly fell out of -the tree. His mouth flew open, and a half-suppressed -ejaculation escaped him.</p> - -<p>The arrow then struck the ground in such a manner -that it ran along it, and finally ceased its wanderings -within a few feet of George.</p> - -<p>“How strangely everything is fulfilled!” he said, with -evident satisfaction.</p> - -<p>The boys grinned—even Marmaduke was amused at the -Sage’s behaviour.</p> - -<p>“I believe that tree is inhabited,” Stephen remarked. -“I’m sure there was a great rumpus in it when the arrow’ -struck it, and I thought I heard a groan.”</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_221" id="Page_221">[221]</a></span></p> - -<p>“Go to grass, Stunner!” said Charles. “You don’t -know a groan from a wasp’s nest.”</p> - -<p>“I guess you’re about right, Charley;” Will added. -“I guess George’s arrow smashed an ancient and worn -out bird’s nest.”</p> - -<p>Let it be understood that none of these boys were -aware of Bob Herriman’s presence. They accompanied -the Sage only to see to what extremes he would go, and -to while away the time. But probably they had hopes -that some unforeseen incident would happen to cause -merriment.</p> - -<p>Again George fired deliberately into the air, and again -the arrow was narrowly watched. This time it came -down so perilously near Stephen’s dog that Stephen was -grievously offended.</p> - -<p>But as this was the last arrow to be shot upward, and -as all wished the proceedings to be continued, he was soon -pacified.</p> - -<p>George looked complacently at the arrow, and at last -seemed ready to make use of the paddles and spade. -With some pompousness he traced a circle round his -arrow, and looked so important that the boys could hardly -suppress their laughter. But it seemed to them, boys -though they were, that practical George was out of his -sphere.</p> - -<p>“Now, William,” he said, “bring me those paddles of -yours.”</p> - -<p>Will smiled to hear himself addressed by his full name, -and turned to pick them up.</p> - -<p>Steve, still thinking about his dog’s narrow escape from -injury, snarled: “Don’t <em>William</em> him, or he’ll make you -<em>wilt</em>.”</p> - -<p>“Stop!” the Sage shouted to Will, even as Steve spoke. -“I forgot. It is necessary that an arrow should yet be -shot.”</p> - -<p>“As your grammar would say,” supplemented wicked -Stephen.</p> - -<p>The Sage took no notice of these jeering words, but -continued: “Yes, I must shoot an arrow through the -very middle of the evergreen.”</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_222" id="Page_222">[222]</a></span></p> - -<p>Bob Herriman, who could hear every word, now had -reason to be alarmed. Up to this time he had looked on -calmly, intending to keep still till the boys should be -very much engrossed, and then terrify them all in some -mysterious way—how, he had not yet determined. Now, -however, he lost sight of everything except his own -safety, and not stopping to collect himself, he gave vent -to the most ear-piercing, heart-appalling howl, shriek, and -roar, combined in one, that the boys had ever heard.</p> - -<p>Boys, imagine a deep-chested lad of sixteen mechanically -drawing in a full breath, and then suffering it to -escape in one long cry of mortal terror.</p> - -<hr class="chap" /> - -<h2 id="Chapter_XXIV">Chapter XXIV.<br /> -<span class="smcap">The Sage Unearths a Treasure.</span></h2> - -<p>The effect on the boys was startling.</p> - -<p>In the confusion of the moment, George probably took -it for one of his “sprites;” and he dropped Steve’s bow, -stepped on it, and broke it.</p> - -<p>Marmaduke felt that there must be something ghostly -and necromantic in such a cry, coming, in the hush of -evening, from a shapely evergreen that rose beside a -rolling, moonlit river.</p> - -<p>Jim was seized with a painful attack of his chills, and -ran bellowing homewards.</p> - -<p>Stephen, impetuous and heedless as ever, picked up a -stone and threw it furiously into the tree.</p> - -<p>The reader of fiction does not need to be told that “all -this happened in an instant.”</p> - -<p>Where the stone struck Mr. Herriman is not known; -but with a crash he fell headlong to the ground, rolled -over twice,—roaring, meantime, with rage, pain, and -terror,—and before the thunderstruck boys could recover -from their stupefaction, he had disappeared in the water.</p> - -<p>Then Stephen, with great presence of mind, exclaimed: -“Boys, I told you that tree was inhabited!”</p> - -<p>“Save him! Save him! Whoever he is, save him!”<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_223" id="Page_223">[223]</a></span> -Charles cried. “Get George’s rope, and throw it out to -him!”</p> - -<p>He and Stephen made a rush for it, and stumbled over -each other, but finally managed to get all but a few -inches of it into the water. There their rescuing ceased.</p> - -<p>Mr. Herriman, whose feet touched bottom, floundered -and sputtered about in the water like a madman. He -could easily have made his way to the shore, but apparently -he had lost his wits. Every other second he gave -utterance to some pithy interjection. Doubtless he would -have yelled continually; but every time he opened his -mouth a small cupful of water and animalcules poured -down his throat, and well-nigh choked him.</p> - -<p>A panic seized upon the boys, and although chattering -and gesticulating like monkeys, they were powerless to -help him. And so Bob struggled in the river, in some -danger of being drowned.</p> - -<p>But a deliverer was at hand. Carlo awoke to what -was going on, and, more sensible than the boys, plunged -into the river, and an instant later was beside demoralized -Bob. He caught first his coat, then his pants, then his -coat again, Bob insanely striking him off each time.</p> - -<p>The truth is, it galled the boy to be rescued by Tip’s -successor.</p> - -<p>The noble dog persevered in his efforts, however, and -Bob, eventually seeing the folly of resisting, suffered himself -to be towed to the bank.</p> - -<p>Then the brave boys exerted themselves, and succeeded -in hauling bewildered Robert Herriman on shore.</p> - -<p>His first act betrayed his cowardly nature.</p> - -<p>“Get out, you brute!” he said, and struck the gallant -dog which had just saved him, and which stood by, wagging -his tail to express his delight.</p> - -<p>Then, with a jeering laugh at the dog’s low growl, he -darted away from the now enraged boys.</p> - -<p>He ran a few’ steps, then halting, he picked up a stone, -and heaved it among the experimentalists.</p> - -<p>“Take <em>that</em> for throwing stones at me!” he said derisively, -as he took to his heels again. “Look out for your -dog, Stepping Hen, and good-bye till I see you again,” he -shouted as he ran.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_224" id="Page_224">[224]</a></span></p> - -<p>This was more than human nature could bear. With -fury in their eyes, and uttering a warwhoop that electrified -the flying wretch, they all broke into a run and gave -chase, determined to wreak dire vengeance on him.</p> - -<p>Bob yelled fearfully,—well he might,—and redoubled -his speed.</p> - -<p>The pursuers were gaining on him, when a wild cry, a -beseeching, almost despairing, appeal for help, reached -their ears.</p> - -<p>They stopped and stared vacantly at each other. The -look each one put on seemed plainly to inquire, “What -next?”</p> - -<p>“It’s Will,” Charles said. “Where on earth is he?”</p> - -<p>“Follow the sound,” the Sage said, philosophical as -ever.</p> - -<p>The pursuit was instantly given over, for all the boys -bore Will too much love to neglect him. One and all, the -four ran back to the scene of their late exploits, and -Herriman escaped.</p> - -<p>“Who saw Will last?” George asked anxiously.</p> - -<p>“The last I saw of him,” said Steve, “was when you -told him to bring the paddles.”</p> - -<p>In fact, poor Will was so startled at Bob’s appalling cry -that he had tumbled backwards into the pit. He and his -paddles. In the confusion that ensued he was not missed, -but was left to his own resources while the others were -engaged in “rescuing” and dealing with Rob.</p> - -<p>Unhappy boy, he found himself in narrow quarters. -The hole was large at the top, but small at the bottom, -and he was unable to climb out of it. Soon he found -himself sinking into the horrible, sickening mire, which -gave way beneath him.</p> - -<p>He heard the shouts of his companions, and struggled -manfully to save himself—and his paddles.</p> - -<p>Why didn’t he cry out for help immediately? That is -very easily explained.</p> - -<p>Will got into trouble so often and made so many -egregious blunders—which invariably provoked the -laughter of others—that he had fallen into the habit of -keeping as many of them secret as possible. He had a<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_225" id="Page_225">[225]</a></span> -preternatural horror of being made a laughing-stock, and -consequently, when he found himself out of sight in a -pit, he was desirous to work his way out of it before he -should be missed.</p> - -<p>Besides, after his exploits in the cave, this experiment -of the Sages was but ignoble pastime, and it would ill -become him, the hero who had delivered and cured his -insane uncle, to come to grief in this slimy hole.</p> - -<p>He struggled heroically to gain dry land, but the more -he struggled the deeper he sank in the mire. At last, -hearing his comrades chasing some one, he concluded that -he should have to cry out for help, or else be left to a -horrible fate.</p> - -<p>But it grieved him to think that he was not missed and -searched for.</p> - -<p>“Whatever is the matter, among so many there might -be <em>one</em> to think of me,” he muttered, sadly. “Don’t -I amount to a button, that they don’t miss me? Or is -something awful going on?”</p> - -<p>Then, with great reluctance, he shouted for help.</p> - -<p>When the four gathered round the hole, they beheld its -tenant with wonder.</p> - -<p>“How in this world did you get down there?” Steve -asked.</p> - -<p>“Fell down,” Will said, laconically. “I knew there -was a hole in these regions, and, botheration! I found it, -and tumbled overboard into it! But say, what was all that -row about?”</p> - -<p>“So you’ve missed all the fun!” Charles said, -pityingly.</p> - -<p>Then the boys told him all that had happened.</p> - -<p>“But why didn’t you yell for us to help you at first?” -Steve asked.</p> - -<p>“Why didn’t you miss me?” Will retorted, sourly.</p> - -<p>The boys could not be blamed for this. Probably not -more than ten minutes had elapsed from Bob’s first cry -of terror till Will’s cry for help; and they had been very -much excited and distressed all that time.</p> - -<p>“This is no way to get Will out!” Charles said, -angrily. “Stop talking, Steve, and bring George’s rope -here.”</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_226" id="Page_226">[226]</a></span></p> - -<p>“George’s rope!” said Will. “That will be the very -thing! Get it, Steve; you’re used to hauling donkeys -out of pits, you know, so show us your skill.”</p> - -<p>The boys laughed for a full minute, and Steve said, as -he darted away for the rope, “Will, that’s blunder number -ten thousand seven hundred and one for you.”</p> - -<p>The rope was found, but it was wet from end to end. -However, it proved more useful than when the boys -attempted to rescue Herriman with it, and Will, with -considerable detriment to his clothes, was pulled out of the -hole—his paddles, too.</p> - -<p>Although coated with disagreeable slime up to his -watch pocket—which, by the way, contained fish-hooks -instead of a watch—he took it coolly, as became a -redoubtable hero.</p> - -<p>In order to turn the conversation from himself, he said, -hurriedly, “Now, go into details about Herriman, and -then I must pack off home.”</p> - -<p>Foolish boy, he need not have been alarmed; he was -an object of pity rather than of laughter.</p> - -<p>“We told you about Herriman,” growled Steve. “I -wish I could have got my claw’s on that boy; I would -have made him strain his voice and his muscles!”</p> - -<p>“You had better go home this minute, Will,” Charles -said, kindly. “As for Herriman, Steve, I guess he has -strained his voice and his muscles and his joints enough -already. Well, Will, I’ll go home with you, and tell all -about Herriman as we journey along. Stephen, I suppose -you will stay here to go on with the necromancy business, -which was so meanly interrupted. Be sure to bring home -Will’s paddles and everything else.”</p> - -<p>“Yes, the necromancer must be routed,” Steve replied. -“I’ll see to everything; good-bye.”</p> - -<p>“Good-bye,” said Charles and Will, as they plodded off.</p> - -<p>“I say, Will,” Charles said, with a grin, as soon as they -were out of hearing, “I say, Will, by to-morrow I guess -I’ll be the only one to see any fun in this business; for -Jim ran howling away, Bob got the worst of it, you -robbed the hole of much mud, Steve’s dog was insulted -several times, and before Steve gets through with the -Sage and Marmaduke, all three will be sick of it.”</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_227" id="Page_227">[227]</a></span></p> - -<p>Thus let them go.</p> - -<p>The sport seemed to have lost much of its zest after all -these interruptions and departures; but George and -Stephen mended the bow as well as they could, and then -the former, with due solemnity, shot an arrow through -the tree lately occupied by Herriman.</p> - -<p>If the complicated plot of this and the preceding -chapter has not proved too great a strain on the reader’s -memory, he will probably remember that the next thing -to be done was to dig.</p> - -<p>Marmaduke came up with the paddles, and tried to -make a spade of one of them; but it rebounded and -jarred his hand till it ached.</p> - -<p>“Stop!” screamed the Sage. “You’ll spoil the charm! -The sods must be raised with something sharp, of course. -<em>Boys</em>,” solemnly, “<em>they must be raised with a knife that -has slain something!</em>”</p> - -<p>“Slain!” Marmaduke repeated, aghast.</p> - -<p>“Yes; and I’ve brought along a knife that once killed -a deer and a lion.”</p> - -<p>“George, this is going a little too far; what business -have you to tote around a hunter’s weapon?” Stephen -inquired. “Why, if <em>you</em> had fallen into the river with -that horrible knife hitched fast to you, you would have -been ruined.”</p> - -<p>“Don’t be jealous, Steve,” George said, sarcastically. -“You know there isn’t a boy in the State that owns such -a knife as this; you know it has a romantic history; you -know my grandfather willed it to <em>me</em>; you know it once -saved Seth Warner’s life; you know an old Turk -once——”</p> - -<p>“Yes,” interrupted Steve, “I know; I’ve heard you -talk about that knife ever since I first knew you. But -if you don’t look out, it will come to grief like all your -other wonderful knives—you’ll lose it.—Well, never -mind, George; I was only surprised to think you could -bring along that keepsake—no, relic—to dig up sods! -So,” mildly, “go on, George.”</p> - -<p>George “went on,” and soon the sods were raised, and -a circle of earth exposed. Then the paddles were used<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_228" id="Page_228">[228]</a></span> -very laboriously, first by one and then by another. It -was hard work, but at last a hole was scooped out, and -Steve, in despair, took up the spade and dug with ease.</p> - -<p>“How do you suppose Herriman came to be in that -tree?” George asked.</p> - -<p>“That’s a mystery,” Steve replied. “Likely he was -prowling around, and saw us coming, and scrambled into -the tree to hide himself. Well, I never hankered to make -a squirrel of myself in an evergreen.”</p> - -<p>“Let me dig,” George now said.</p> - -<p>Stephen handed over the spade to him, and after a -vigorous attack with it, with a thud that startled the -three, he struck something very hard.</p> - -<p>Visions of gold and precious stones flashed through -their mind; George trembled with excitement; Marmaduke -was in ecstacy; Steve was bewildered.</p> - -<p>George stopped for a moment, panting and eager; then -he turned to digging again—so furiously that the sweat -streamed from every part of his body.</p> - -<p>Not a word was spoken.</p> - -<p>Dirt enough was soon removed to discover—what?</p> - -<p>An iron-bound box!</p> - -<p>Again the Sage paused. Although Steve was as much -excited as the others, he thought this a fitting time to -observe: “Well, George, we have exposed the necromancer’s -fable, and it is getting late; so let us pack up -and go home.”</p> - -<p>“Go home?” echoed George. “Go home—without -seeing what we have found?”</p> - -<p>“Certainly. It can’t be a treasure, you know; <em>because -it isn’t six feet down in the ground</em>!”</p> - -<p>George was thunder-struck. But he soon rallied, and -made answer: “Well, so many queer things have happened, -perhaps the spirits got demoralized, and raised the -box.”</p> - -<p>“No they didn’t,” Steve retorted; “spirits never get -demoralized. And besides, I’m ashamed of you, George, -for staying here any longer. You know you don’t believe -a single word of it,” with cutting irony. “So, let us do -what the copy-book tells us, and make the most of time -while we are young. Let us hurry home.”</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_229" id="Page_229">[229]</a></span></p> - -<p>Whilst this talk was going on, Marmaduke—much to -the secret satisfaction of both boys—was busy, trying, by -using the spade and paddles as levers, to get the iron-bound -box out of the hole. Not finding it so heavy as he -expected, he succeeded without much effort.</p> - -<p>Now that it was out of the ground, George, Stephen, -and Marmaduke, pounced on it, pried off the lid, and -found—what?</p> - -<p>A heap of mouldy old boots, a cracked cow-bell, a worn-out -vest, several broken articles, a few door-knobs, a defaced -copy of the Constitution, rusty nails, the works of -a clock, the rudder of a toy ship, a heavy flat-iron, the -head of a medieval image, rubbish, all sorts of things.</p> - -<p>Steve, foolish boy, laughed till he was obliged to sit -down. As for the other two, they were, to use a polite -expression, “deeply chagrined.”</p> - -<p>As soon as Steve recovered himself he said, “This is -some of Crazy Tom’s work! Of course you two have -heard of him; he used to live in these parts, and spent all -his time gathering up all kinds of trash, and the boys say -he buried it sometimes. Now I know that story is true. -Oh! what a treasure we have found! Our fortune is -made!”</p> - -<p>George and Marmaduke were familiar with the legends -respecting Crazy Tom, and they were mute.</p> - -<p>“Oh dear,” groaned Steve, “we must get this box back -into the hole, and shovel in the dirt, before we can go -home.”</p> - -<p>This proves that there was something good in Stephen, -after all. A great many boys would have gone away, -leaving everything in confusion.</p> - -<p>“There might be something valuable in it,” Marmaduke -suggested.</p> - -<p>“Yes, of course,” Steve replied. “But I don’t know -who’d want to rummage among all these disgusting old -things.”</p> - -<p>George and Marmaduke thought of the bones in the -woods, and with one breath, both said, “No!”</p> - -<p>“To be sure,” Steve continued, peering into the box, -“if we could find some fellow that hadn’t any respect for<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_230" id="Page_230">[230]</a></span> -himself, we might hire him to handle its contents, and -separate the good from the bad. Now, I’ve a good mind -to take out this——Roanwer!”</p> - -<p>“What’s the matter?”</p> - -<p>“Matter!” roared Steve, starting back. “My gracious! -That box is inhabited with some awful looking grubs!”</p> - -<p>Without further parley the lid was laid on, the box -shoved into the hole, and the dirt shoveled in.</p> - -<p>“Steve,” said George suddenly, “I believe you knew -about this. Why were you all at once so eager to go, and -why did you pick out this tree, and guess the box was -Crazy Tom’s so quick?”</p> - -<p>“Now, George, don’t be foolish. I came for the fun of -it, that’s all. Now, didn’t you shoot all the arrows, and -didn’t I do all I could to help you? Didn’t I work hard -digging? Why did I know about where Crazy Tom -buried his treasures? Why, George, are you losing your -wits? Come, now, be sensible; and think it’s a great -joke.”</p> - -<p>George looked full in Stephen’s honest face, relented, -and said desperately, “Well, I suppose it is very funny; -but I’ve made an awful fool of myself.”</p> - -<p>Everything except the big rope was taken home. It -was enough for the Sage to carry it when in excellent -spirits, unruffled temper, and fired with “enthusiasm.” -Now, his spirits were broken,—for the time only,—his -temper was soured, he himself was sore and weary, and -the rope was “forgotten.”</p> - -<p>The three wended their way homeward in a different -frame of mind. Steve was so light of heart that he -chuckled to himself and his dog, and swung his arms -furiously. Marmaduke was uneasy about his lessons for -the next day; George was glum and miserable, full of -bitterness against necromancers, sprites, and Crazy Toms.</p> - -<p>“I’ll never meddle with nonsense again,” he muttered, -as he jogged on. “And as for Captain Kidd——”</p> - -<p>From that day, he had another name—the Necromancer. -It was not much used, however.</p> - -<hr class="chap" /> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_231" id="Page_231">[231]</a></span></p> - -<h2 id="Chapter_XXV">Chapter XXV.<br /> -<span class="smcap">The Bitten Boy Takes Revenge.</span></h2> - -<p>After that, George renounced all literature that treated -of the magical arts, but his reading was as varied and -extensive as ever. He carefully avoided the subject of -necromancy, but when his companions referred to it, he -put up with their jokes and cruel remarks about “iron-bound” -“treasure-chests” with the calm indifference of -a true philosopher.</p> - -<p>Charles was mistaken in saying that he would be the -only one to see any amusement in the affair after it was -all over, for Stephen never tired of calling up George’s -look of misery when the box was opened.</p> - -<p>“Oh, if you and Will had only waited!” he often -sighed to Charles.</p> - -<p>Stephen almost forgot the insults heaped on himself -and his dog during the earlier part of the evening, and as -Bob Herriman prudently kept out of his sight for a few -days, he almost forgave that wretch his wickedness.</p> - -<p>One day he asked George if he might see the book of -necromancy.</p> - -<p>At first the Sage was inclined to be vexed at such a -question; but finally, pointing upwards, he said, with a -peculiar smile: “Well, Steve, I guess the <em>smoke</em> of it is up -there. And now, don’t say any more about it, please.”</p> - -<p>“George, that night we passed through an <em>experience</em> -instead of an <em>experiment</em>;” Stephen replied solemnly, -looking wondrous wise. “I promise not to bother you -about it any more.”</p> - -<p>Stephen kept his word religiously.</p> - -<p>As for Will, strangely enough he took no cold, but was -minus one suit of clothes.</p> - -<p>Bob Herriman kept out of the boys sight for a few -days. He had several very good reasons for doing so. -In the first place, he was sore and stiff from many bruises; -secondly, his cowardly nature dreaded meeting with the -boys for whom he had lain in ambush, and whom he had -exasperated beyond endurance; and thirdly, he wished -to avoid Steve’s dog, which he now feared.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_232" id="Page_232">[232]</a></span></p> - -<p>On account of this, the boy kept quiet near home, -although his parents probably thought him at school. In -these “holidays” he worked out a plan for revenge.</p> - -<p>Revenge for what?</p> - -<p>The only answer that can be given is that the boy was -so vindictive in his nature that he wished to do the boys -and the dog some injury—simply because he had fallen -out of the evergreen; been humiliated, stunned, and hurt; -had an unpleasant struggle in the water; and generally -“got the worst of it,” as Charley put it.</p> - -<p>At last he hit on a plan that pleased him greatly.</p> - -<p>Suppose that, in order to lend variety, animation, and -dignity to these pages, we forbear giving the details of -his plot, and keep the reader in a state of mild suspense -and wonder? Such a course would smooth our task, and -not seriously disturb the readers peace of mind.</p> - -<p>Although a raft has not been referred to specially as -one of the attractions of the river, yet, for all that, an ill-made -and disproportioned, but substantial and floatable -one was moored a mile above the falls. Many hours had -been spent by the boys in building and repairing this -raft, and many times they had sailed proudly up and -down the river on it. It was a source of great amusement -to them all.</p> - -<p>Some ten days after the adventure last narrated, Bob -Herriman built a little “house,” which, seen from one -end looked like a hen-coop, from the other like a dog -kennel, while a stupid person behind might take it for a -clumsy woodbox, another equally stupid person in front -might take it for a modern home-made bee-hive. One end -was three feet wide, the other three feet six inches. By -laying a brick underneath it, its roof was level, with the -spirit-level. By placing it on a perfectly smooth floor, -without the brick underneath it, it rocked gently—just -sufficiently, in fact, to lull a person to sleep. Briefly, -Robert was not intended for a carpenter, and this -“house”—which was almost worth its weight in nails—to -be still further disproportioned, was much wider than -it was long. Its width has already been given; its -length was two feet and two, three, four and five inches.<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_233" id="Page_233">[233]</a></span> -Its height was in exact proportion to its width and length. -The door of a disused cupboard was brought into use, and -once more did duty as a door.</p> - -<p>Boys, exercise your ingenuity, and draw a correct -picture of that “house.” It may help you to understand -Bob’s plot.</p> - -<p>Into this building its architect put several things which -he thought would be needed to carry out his schemes -successfully.</p> - -<p>Every Saturday afternoon Stephen and his dog went -swimming in the river. The other boys generally, but -not always, swam with him. This was well-known to -Herriman, and he took his measures accordingly.</p> - -<p>The next Saturday Bob set out immediately after -dinner, getting a boon companion of his to take his -contrivance in a light waggon to the falls. This boy, -whose thoughts never soared above the driving of his -nag, asked no questions, and scarcely noticed the “house” -or its contents. At the falls Bob set it down carefully, -and then the two went their several ways—the youth -with the waggon turning back and going to market, the -plotter getting his building laboriously up the hill by -the falls. The few people near stared at him in wonder, -but said nothing.</p> - -<p>When this wicked boy got his contrivance a few rods -above the falls he stopped, took out of it and stowed -away upon his person whatever water might damage, -and then took an enormously long and very strong cord, -which had hitherto been inside, and tied one end fast to -a staple in what was supposed to be the roof of the -“house.”</p> - -<p>Having done this, he shoved the unwieldy thing into -the river, and eyed it wistfully.</p> - -<p>“No, it isn’t coming to pieces,” he exclaimed, joyfully, -as he saw that his work bore the strain of floating in the -water.</p> - -<p>Then he grasped the rope—which will be described -presently—and towed his invention—it <em>was</em> an invention—rapidly -up the river.</p> - -<p>Arrived at the raft, he fastened this thing (we don’t<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_234" id="Page_234">[234]</a></span> -know what else to call it) firmly on it. Then was shown -the beauty and usefulness of the staple spoken of. Bob -ran a strong cord through it and through some of the -many staples and rings which were planted in the raft.</p> - -<p>You perceive, gentle reader, that this boy was much -better at scheming than at building.</p> - -<p>Then he loosened the rope from the—let us call it <em>cage</em>—from -the cage, and tied it fast to a ring in one end of -the raft. This rope, or cord, was new and strong, and -was actually one thousand feet in length! Bob did not -believe in doing things by halves—but he had another -object in view when he procured the long rope. Excepting -a few yards at the end made fast to the raft, it was as yet -coiled up neatly. About the middle a heavy iron ring, or -sinker, was attached.</p> - -<p>Bob arranged everything to his satisfaction, and had -just set the raft afloat and made it stationery with an -anchor, in the form of a sharp stick, when he espied -Stephen and Carlo coming for their customary bath. He -himself was screened by friendly shrubs and trees, but -Stephen was in plain sight.</p> - -<p>All that he had to do was to remain quiet and keep -the raft to its anchor, and Stephen, he felt assured, would -not see him.</p> - -<p>In this belief the crafty plotter was right. Stephen -hurriedly undressed a few rods below him, and plunged -headlong into the river, Carlo beside him. Carlo, however, -seemed uneasy, as though he suspected the presence -of an enemy.</p> - -<p>Bob examined the raft to see that it was securely -anchored, and then stepped lightly ashore, an old muzzle -and some pieces of rope in his hands. Unobserved, he -stole along behind the shrubs, trees, and ridges, till he -gained a hollow which completely hid him from Stephen, -and then he stopped. Probably no boy in the neighborhood -knew the lay of the land better than Mr. Bob.</p> - -<p>Suddenly, he uttered a cry like a squirrel’s, which produced -the effect he thought it would.</p> - -<p>Both Stephen and his dog, not far away, heard it. -Steve immediately stopped swimming, and said, “Sic it, -Carlo! Sic it! Fetch him out!”</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_235" id="Page_235">[235]</a></span></p> - -<p>Bob chuckled, again uttered the cry, and was rewarded -by hearing Carlo flying towards him. “Now, to keep -out of the dog’s sight till he gets into this hollow,” he -muttered, suiting the action to the word. “If Steve -should come, too,”—and he grew pale at the thought,—“I’ll -get the worst of it! But Steve won’t come.”</p> - -<p>In this conclusion Bob was quite right; for Stephen -preferred a good bath to a doubtful chase after a squirrel. -Besides, he could not hunt the squirrel without dressing -himself; and before that could be done, Carlo would -probably have caught it, or else have given up the pursuit. -Therefore, Stephen wisely determined to enjoy his bath, -and let his dog hunt alone.</p> - -<p>Crafty Bob had considered all these points, and felt -quite easy in his ambush. He was wise in his day and -generation.</p> - -<p>“Sic it!” Stephen cried again; and Carlo, with his -nose bent to the ground, ran hither and thither, trying -to get scent of the “squirrel.”</p> - -<p>Bob gave another encouraging squeak, and the dog -plunged through the shrubbery into the hollow.</p> - -<p>He feared the dog, and knew the risks he was running; -but revenge spurred him on, and he remained collected -and resolute, while Carlo, quite surprised, was taken at a -disadvantage.</p> - -<p>They grapple with each other, almost human dog and -almost brutal boy, have a severe struggle, and fight -desperately; but in the end, Bob slips his muzzle over -Carlo’s nose, fastens it, and then binds his feet with the -cords and straps.</p> - -<p>Bob is master of the situation.</p> - -<p>Swiftly he dragged the helpless animal by the way he -had come, till he arrived at the raft. It was the work -of but a minute to haul it on board, tear up the -“anchor,” and shove off. When fairly afloat, the door -of the cage was opened, and Carlo ignominiously thrust -in.</p> - -<p>Thus the reader perceives that this mysterious cage -was to do duty as a prison. Had not its manufacturer -been perusing some of the “literature” of the present<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_236" id="Page_236">[236]</a></span> -day when he contrived his plot? Only, he varied the -stereotyped form by abducting an heroic dog instead of -an heroic fool.</p> - -<p>Stephen gave up his whole attention to the delightful -and thoroughly boyish pastime of swimming. In all -probability he thought no more of his dog, believing him -to be in full pursuit of the “squirrel.” But Bob had no -sooner got under way than Stephen spied him.</p> - -<p>Contrary to all the laws which regulate the actions of -the heroes of romance, he engaged in conversation with -the depraved youth. A hero in a book would have -looked the other way in dignified silence when such a -wretch came in sight, but not so Steve.</p> - -<p>“Hollo!” he called out. “Why, Bob, I haven’t seen -you since the night you yelled so bravely, and fell overboard -into this very river. Have you got the plasters off -your bruises yet? You ought to be as tender as -pounded beef-steak after all your tumbles that night.</p> - -<p>“But I say,” in a quarrelsome tone, “what are you -doing with our raft? That raft isn’t common property; -it belongs to us.”</p> - -<p>“Who is ‘us’?” asked Bob, mockingly.</p> - -<p>Now that he was on the raft, all his impudence -returned. He knew that he could work his way into -deep water before Stephen could reach him; for, unlike -most rafts built by boys, this one was managed with -ease, and propelled with something like swiftness.</p> - -<p>“Who is ‘us’?” Steve echoed in amazement. “You -know well enough that that raft belongs to us four—Will, -and me, and Charley, and George, and Marmaduke, -and myself—”</p> - -<p>Bob could not deny the justness of Steve’s claim on -the raft, so he waived the question, and cut him short, -saying derisively, “Steve, I reckon you’d better stop, if -you can’t count straighter’n that.”</p> - -<p>“Well, you have no right to use it,” Steve replied. -“What are you doing here anyway? Are you spying on -me again?”</p> - -<p>“Where is your dog? I thought he always followed -you,” Bob observed, oaring briskly away.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_237" id="Page_237">[237]</a></span></p> - -<p>“Carlo? So he does. He went after a squirrel a -minute ago. ’Pon my word,” as if the thought had just -struck him, “it’s very strange that I don’t hear him bark! -Now, what’s the matter! Carlo, Carlo, Carlo, Carlo.”</p> - -<p>Bob had now floated the raft down stream into deep -water, and with a burst of idiotic laughter, he swung it -half-way around. Up to this time, that side of the cage -which looked like a dog-kennel had been toward Stephen; -but the side which looked like a hen-coop was now, in -turn, presented to him.</p> - -<p>The raft had drifted down so far that it was nearly -opposite to Stephen; and now, for the first time, he -beheld his beloved dog, bound and helpless, in the -clutches of an enemy.</p> - -<p>An agonized cry of astonishment and horror broke -from his lips.</p> - -<p>Bob’s revenge had begun, and like all approved villains, -he was destined to have a short, but brilliant, career.</p> - -<p>“Why don’t you swim out and save your dog, Stepping -Hen?” he asked mockingly, well knowing that he could -soon out-strip an ordinary swimmer.</p> - -<p>“Oh, just wait till I catch you, you abominable sneak!” -yelled Steve. “I ought to have taught you a lesson -before! Oh dear! O-o-h! Carlo! C-a-r-l-o!”</p> - -<p>But Carlo could only whine piteously.</p> - -<p>“Stay where you are,” Bob yelled back, “and when I -get across the river you’ll ‘see sport,’ as you said on the -island, at the picnic.”</p> - -<p>Lustily and swiftly this thirster for revenge worked -his way across the stream, jeering at poor Stephen’s -threats and entreaties. The raft grounded near the -bank, and, the coil of rope in his hand, he jumped ashore, -and shoved it off. Then, oh most humane action! he -jumped on the raft again, opened the door of the cage, -and cast off the cords and straps that bound Carlo’s feet, -thus leaving the poor beast at liberty to struggle feebly -in his narrow prison. Having made the door of the -cage fast, he landed once more, this time, however, getting -his feet very wet.</p> - -<p>To set the dog free was evidently an after thought, or<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_238" id="Page_238">[238]</a></span> -he would have done so before, and so have saved himself -time, trouble and a wetting.</p> - -<p>Meanwhile, poor Stephen danced excitedly about in -the water, shouting and gesticulating wildly. In fact, -the poor boy was at his wits’ end. He made several -desperate efforts to swim after the “jolly young waterman,” -but failed in each effort. He lacked George’s great -self-possession, and allowed his anger to get the better of -his judgment. Thus he acted, and there he remained, until -his teeth chattered and his limbs turned into what is -known familiarly to the boys as “goose-flesh.” Then he -rushed out of the water, and pulled on his clothes promiscuously.</p> - -<p>To the frantic boy’s horror, he next saw Bob running -<em>up</em> the stream, along the bank whilst the raft, with the -dog still on it, was drifting <em>down</em> the stream.</p> - -<p>“The scoundrel!” Steve gasped. “Is he going to run -away, and let my dog drift over the falls?”</p> - -<p>Such was not the case. Bob’s <em>left</em> hand was toward -Stephen, while in his <em>right</em> hand he carried and unwound -as he ran, the coil of rope. No; Bob was only “paying -out the cable.” But Stephen was too far off to see this.</p> - -<p>This one thousand feet of cord, however, did not work -so harmoniously as Bob had imagined it would; it -became most mysteriously and provokingly entangled at -every step. The sinker on the cord kept the greater -part of it under water; and when Bob at last reached -the end of it, and turned, he changed it from his right -hand to his left hand, so that it was still out of Stephen’s -sight.</p> - -<p>Bob stood still a moment, puffing and perspiring, and -the raft stopped drifting and pulled gently, very gently on -the cord. Then he moved on slowly, and to Stephen on the -opposite bank, there seemed to be no connection between -him and the raft.</p> - -<p>If Steve had looked narrowly, however, he would -certainly have seen the cord coming out of the water in -front of Bob; for, if a boy can see the string leading to -his new kite when his mischievous brother is flying it -nearly a quarter of a mile away,—mark this, we do not<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_239" id="Page_239">[239]</a></span> -say that any one else could see it,—then surely, in spite -of the distance between him and Bob, he could have seen -what little of the cord there was in sight.</p> - -<p>But Steve’s attention was centred upon the raft, where -his dog was.</p> - -<p>Let not the peruser of this work of fiction suppose -that the raft was really one thousand feet below Bob. -By no means; sundry loose knots, kinks, or snarls, -shortened the distance greatly.</p> - -<p>But it was undoubtedly a long way below him.</p> - -<p>“Hollo, Stepping Hen!” Bob yelled. “Don’t you see -that <em>your</em> raft and the dog are sailing towards the falls? -Why don’t you stir around and save ’em?”</p> - -<p>Stephen heard him distinctly, and it seemed to him that -Carlo’s doom was sealed. He was now running madly -up and down the margin of the river, in the vain hope -of finding some craft on which he might set out in -pursuit. But he could find nothing that would serve his -turn.</p> - -<p>Bob saw the boy’s dilemma, and like all orthodox -villains, when successful in their wickedness, he could -not conceal his delight. His powerful imagination saw -a log in each broken twig, a huge boulder in each little -stone, a frightful chasm in each slight depression in the -ground; and he passed along by leaps that bore considerable -resemblance to those of an Alpine hunter. He -writhed his whole body, distorted his features, rolled his -intensely blue eyes, hallooed, sang and uttered original -and untranslatable interjections, expressive of triumph.</p> - -<p>Such actions could not but be injurious to his system; -but—fortunately for himself and the rest of the world,—as -Bob afterwards invented and patented an ingenious -saw-horse—they were to be of short continuance.</p> - -<hr class="chap" /> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_240" id="Page_240">[240]</a></span></p> - -<h2 id="Chapter_XXVI">Chapter XXVI.<br /> -<span class="smcap">Bob’s Downfall.</span></h2> - -<p>To Stephen’s intense relief, he now saw Charley and -George coming towards him from the village. He welcomed -them with feverish delight.</p> - -<p>“Hollo, Steve!” Charlie shouted. “What performance -is that on the other side of the river? Who has -set our raft afloat, and what is that thing on it?”</p> - -<p>A hoot of defiance came booming across the river from -Bob. He still felt himself secure; and instead of one -witness of his triumph, there would now be three.</p> - -<p>Stephen ran to meet the new-comers, and told them all -that he knew about the matter, not sparing the arch-villain.</p> - -<p>Their expressions of hopelessness and anger exceeded -even Stephen’s.</p> - -<p>“Isn’t there anything we can float over on?” Charles -asked.</p> - -<p>“Not a thing. Do you suppose I’d be here if I could -cross?” Steve retorted, angrily.</p> - -<p>“Take it coolly, boys,” the Sage advised. “We are not -going to let that Herriman have it all his own way; -surely we can work some plan to outwit him.”</p> - -<p>Bob looked on in ecstasy, and hallooed as barbarously -as a wild Indian on the war-trail. His plans had succeeded -in every particular—almost beyond his expectations. -Why should he not rejoice and be merry?</p> - -<p>This shifting of the scene from one bank of the river -to the other is not conducive to the reader’s happiness or -the writer’s reputation. It would be better to single out -one party and let the other go.</p> - -<p>After a critical examination of how matters stood, the -Sage said abruptly, “Look here, boys; there is room for -hope. In the first place, Bob and the raft are moving at -the same rate; second place, he has a cord fastened to the -raft, with the other end in his left hand—but it’s an -enormously long cord; third place, Will crossed the river<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_241" id="Page_241">[241]</a></span> -in the village, and he will soon be coming up on the other -side. Now, look at Bob and the raft, and see for yourselves.”</p> - -<p>But before he had finished speaking, Steve and Charley -had descried the rope in Bob’s hand.</p> - -<p>“Oh, George!” cried Stephen, “you <em>are</em> a philosopher!”</p> - -<p>George was right about Will. A few minutes later, he -was seen coming up on the other side of the river, and -accompanied by Marmaduke and Jim.</p> - -<p>Thus the whole band of heroes was assembling! Gentle -reader, when that event takes place, you know that the -villain’s downfall is at hand.</p> - -<p>Stephen and Charles, beside themselves with delight, -screamed to the three heroes to pounce on Bob and save -Carlo.</p> - -<p>The Sage—puffed up with pride at hearing himself -called a philosopher by Stephen, who never flattered anybody—took -another survey of affairs, and remarked: -“Look here Steve, that raft is only drifting slowly, and -by swimming out I could easily reach it, and then let -Carlo free. The only objection to this plan is, that I -should have to stay on the raft without my clothes on -until I could get to them again. But there is no one to -see me, and I don’t mind when Carlo’s fate hangs by a—a—tow-line. -And by doing so, Will and the rest can -chase Bob; for Bob will move nimbly somewhere in a -minute or two.”</p> - -<p>This striking idea took well with Charles and Stephen.</p> - -<p>“Oh,” groaned the latter, “why didn’t I think of doing -that before you came up!”</p> - -<p>Will, Marmaduke, and Jim, hastened on, taking in the -whole plot at a glance.</p> - -<p>“Look out for Bob!” they heard from the three on the -opposite bank. “See to Bob; we’ll take care of Carlo.”</p> - -<p>Bob, however, had awakened to a sense of his danger. -He saw Will, Marmaduke, and Jim, approaching; but not -so soon as the boys across the river, as the intervening -shrubs and inequalities in the ground obscured his view.</p> - -<p>In all his nice little calculations he had not thought of,<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_242" id="Page_242">[242]</a></span> -nor provided for, such a casualty as this. In the midst -of his triumph why should three boys all at once come -upon him? Why should they be coming up on his side -of the river, when he had never known them to do so -before?</p> - -<p>But there was no time to be lost in idle speculation.</p> - -<p>Should he fly? Then in which direction? To fly -towards home seemed madness, for the three would have -to be passed, and he knew well that at least one, Will, -could outrun him. Or he might go <em>up</em> the river, as he -would have a start in his favor. But he was already a -long way from the village and his home; of course he -would be pursued; and where would the pursuit end?</p> - -<p>His wild behaviour now gave place to gravity, and his -last exultant shout died away on his lips.</p> - -<p>He considered a moment, and then rejected both these -possible means of escape, and determined to take what -seemed the only course left open to him. The raft was -under his control—he would haul it up and sail away on -it!</p> - -<p>If Bob had been a boy of George’s sententious terseness, -he would have said, “I can defy my enemies when -I am on the raft.” If he had been a hero of romance: -“So shall I balk my persecutors, and frustrate their evil -designs.” But being neither, he simply said to himself, -“I’ll mount the raft; and then let ’em sing and holler as -much as they want to! And the dog will be under my -thumb, too!”</p> - -<p>If Bob had reflected a little longer, perhaps he would -not have resorted to this extreme measure; for, although -he would be at liberty to float whither he pleased, in -reality he would be as much a prisoner as the dog. Five -resolute boys and one willing-hearted candle-holder, Jim, -would sooner or later contrive some plan to entrap him.</p> - -<p>Not a little to the boys’ astonishment, he now began to -draw the raft hastily towards him. He worked as though -his life depended on his agility; and as the rope came in -hand over hand, it fell in a loose coil at his feet. If the -raft had caught on a snag or run into the bank, he would -have been left in a sad predicament; for the faster he<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_243" id="Page_243">[243]</a></span> -drew in the rope, the faster Will bounded towards him. -It was a strange, exciting race—not a race for life, but a -race between meanness and its inevitable punishment.</p> - -<p>The three on the opposite bank could not at first guess -Bob’s intention. George was undressing himself preparatory -to swimming out to the raft; but this manœuvre -caused him to desist, and with the other two he stood -stupidly gazing at the plotter, eagerly awaiting further -developments.</p> - -<p>But when the truth dawned upon him, he cheered Will -so heartily that all the boys, together with the squirrels -and birds, took up the cry, and made the place ring again. -In fact, there was danger that all this hubbub might -draw on them the wrath of some peace-loving paterfamilias.</p> - -<p>Bob had reason to fear that the boys would take dire -vengeance if they should overhaul him, and he toiled -worthy of a better cause. Yard after yard of the rope -passed through his hands, but notwithstanding all his -efforts, he saw that Will was gaining on him. Although -at his wit send, he yet had the sagacity to pull steadily -and not too fast—that might break the rope.</p> - -<p>At last the raft was alongside; and having gathered up -the folds of the rope,—which he durst not leave behind, -because that would put it in the power of Will easily to -secure boy, dog, and raft,—he made a desperate and final -effort, and sprang almost at random.</p> - -<p>At the time of the leap Will was almost upon him.</p> - -<p>Bob sprang courageously, but wildly. Alas! “the best-laid -schemes of mice and men—” the rest is not English.</p> - -<p>The tangled rope in his hands proved his downfall; it -coiled round his feet with a merciless grip, and he alighted -on the raft in a sorry plight. There he lay, sprawling -and struggling, a most ludicrous sight. The more he -struggled to free himself, the more tightly he was encircled -by the terrible coils. Boys, the youth who becomes entangled -in one thousand feet of rope is to be pitied.</p> - -<p>To add to his misery, shout after shout of laughter -burst from the entire six. <em>Their</em> hour of triumph had, in -its turn, come.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_244" id="Page_244">[244]</a></span></p> - -<p>The impetus given to the raft carried it on a little -farther, but Will soon reached it, sprang, and almost fell -over struggling Robert. No need to make him a prisoner; -both hands and feet were bound fast by the long rope.</p> - -<p>Will’s first act was to liberate poor Carlo, and take off -his muzzle.</p> - -<p>Bob groaned and shivered, but the noble dog stretched -himself and frisked about the raft, scarcely noticing him.</p> - -<p>“Carlo, Carlo, come, Carlo,” Stephen called joyously.</p> - -<p>Carlo plunged into the river and swam towards his -master, who, half beside himself with exultation, cried: -“Steer for this port, Will; and bring the prisoner.”</p> - -<p>“All right!” Will shouted back, and put the raft to -the bank to take on Marmaduke and Jim, who soon came -up.</p> - -<p>The raft sank low under the weight of the four, but -still it floated them; and Will and Marmaduke took up -the oars and began to work their way slowly across the -stream. Jim sat on the cage and pretended to steer; but -his eyes roved from the prisoner to the boys on the opposite -bank, and then, by way of the oarsmen, back to the -prisoner.</p> - -<p>The hearts of the six beat loud with triumph; but -poor Bob’s heart sank, and beat very faint. “Oh,” he -gasped piteously from among the serpent-like coils of the -rope, “Oh, let me go! For mercy’s sake, let me go! Don’t -take me over to Stephen and his dog; and I’ll promise -never to meddle with you boys any more.”</p> - -<p>Will looked pityingly at the abject creature, but -answered with firmness: “No, Bob, I must take you to -Stephen. You have played a mean trick on him, and he -must settle with you. But,” whispering in his ear, “I -guess you’ll survive.”</p> - -<hr class="chap" /> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_245" id="Page_245">[245]</a></span></p> - -<h2 id="Chapter_XXVII">Chapter XXVII.<br /> -<span class="smcap">They Propose to Turn the Tables.</span></h2> - -<p>Bob saw that it would be useless to crave further for -mercy, and he remained sulky and silent; but Jim looked -in vain to see him blubber. No; in everything except -age Bob was an orthodox villain; and an orthodox villain -never whimpers when his schemes topple about his ears. -On account of his youth and inexperience, he had not -provided himself with poison in the event of failure—nay, -he did not even attempt to roll off the raft into the -river.</p> - -<p>“This is rather a home-made rabbit-house, eh, Will?” -Marmaduke observed, inclining his head towards the cage.</p> - -<p>“It’s kindy weak,” Jim chimed in. “It looks strong -enough to hold me, but it keeps cracking every minute.”</p> - -<p>“Hush!” breathed Will.</p> - -<p>He had many fine qualities. Even at his early age, he -could respect the feelings of a fallen foe.</p> - -<p>“Hello there, Steve,” he said, as they drew near the -group of three. “I killed Tip, but I’ve saved Carlo, so -my mind is easy.”</p> - -<p>The three returned Will’s grin of pleasure with a shout -of applause. So eager were they to welcome the victors -that they tore off their boots and stockings, rolled their -pants <em>nearly</em> up to their knees, and waded out till the -water was two or three inches <em>above</em> their knees. -Youth manifests its enthusiasm very recklessly at times.</p> - -<p>At this moment Will experienced some of the triumph -of a conquering hero.</p> - -<p>“Now, Bob,” Charles began, as they floated the raft -into its harbor; “now, Bob, you will be tried by us for -your misdoings.”</p> - -<p>“He has surely had punishment enough; let him go;” -said tender-hearted George, sitting down on the bank and -looking pityingly at the wild-eyed captive.</p> - -<p>“Yes, Steve; let him go; for how on earth can we -punish him?” Will supplemented.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_246" id="Page_246">[246]</a></span></p> - -<p>“No!” Charles said resolutely. “The boy who can -float another boy’s dog over these falls is a scoundrel, -and—”</p> - -<p>“I never did!” Bob here put in.</p> - -<p>“And,” continued Charles, “<em>he ought to be court-martialed</em>!”</p> - -<p>Bob did not know what this meant; neither did -Charles; the former looked awe-struck, the latter, wise -and august.</p> - -<p>Steve, however, added promptly: “Of course. His -father must have court-plastered him the other night for -his bruises; and now we must court-martial him for his -wickedness.”</p> - -<p>“Well,” said Marmaduke, seating himself with great -composure, “I am going to be neutral.”</p> - -<p>Poor boy, he thought “neutral” had an imposing look -in his history, and he would seize this opportunity to -illustrate its beauties.</p> - -<p>With that, the entire six sat down in a circle around -the raft. Charles and Stephen were resolved on punishment. -Jim also. For some reason, George and Will were -in favor of pardon.</p> - -<p>“Well, boys,” said Will, “of course you can do what you -like, but I believe I should let him go—box, and rope, -and straps, and all. I perished poor Tip, but I’ve rescued -Carlo, and I’m satisfied.”</p> - -<p>No doubt Will thought this a very genteel expression. -Not so Marmaduke: he sprang to his feet with a gesture -of surprise, and said earnestly, “Oh, Will! <em>perish</em> is a -neuter verb!”</p> - -<p>Will flushed, and moved uneasily from right to left.</p> - -<p>“What is all this nonsense about neuters and neutrals?” -Steve asked, angrily. “What do we care about your -neuters? Botheration, you boys have put off this trial -long enough. But,” with a mischievous twinkle in his -eye, “tell us what a <em>neuter verb</em> is; and then, I hope, we -may go on.”</p> - -<p>Marmaduke was ill prepared for such a question, and -he was never prompt in giving explanations. His face -blanched, he sank dejectedly to the ground, took off his<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_247" id="Page_247">[247]</a></span> -hat and toyed with it nervously; took out his handkerchief -and feebly tried to blow his nose; looked appealingly -at the Sage; and at last began, hesitatingly: “Well, -hem, Steve, <em>Stephen</em>, I’m afraid I can hardly make it -clear to you, because—because—well, you know, Stephen, -you don’t understand grammar very well. Well, <em>perish</em>—but,” -brightening and rising, “I’ll just illustrate it for -you. Now, you see, I’m standing up. Well,” suiting the -action to the word, “I <em>sit</em> down when <em>I</em> go to the ground; -but,” suiting the action to the word, “I <em>set</em> down my <em>hat</em>—or -<em>you</em>, or <em>any other boy</em>, or a <em>thing</em>, or a <em>word</em> in a book.”</p> - -<p>Marmaduke put on his hat and picked up and pocketed -his handkerchief with the air of a man who has -triumphed.</p> - -<p>“Yes,” Steve admitted, “you make it pretty plain, -Marmaduke; but these neuter verbs, and conjunctions, -and things, were always a muddle to me. But,” guilelessly, -“tell me this, and then we must attend to Bob: Is -it right to say, I <em>sit</em> myself down, or I <em>set</em> myself down?”</p> - -<p>Poor Marmaduke! He was struck dumb; he had a new -view of neuter verbs. A look of woe that would have -melted a heart of stone passed over his face. He arose -and took a seat where Steve could not see him, muttering -confusedly: “A neuter verb can’t do anything, but active -verbs do.”</p> - -<p>Stephen chuckled: “I always knew those rules in the -grammar wouldn’t work both ways.”</p> - -<p>Charles and Will did not seem inclined to help Marmaduke -out of his difficulty—probably they were as much -puzzled as he. As for George, he was not at all disconcerted: -<em>when he understood a thing, he knew that he -understood it</em>. He looked on with supreme indifference, -not thinking it worth while to give his views.</p> - -<p>“See how Bob behaved himself the night of the experiment,” -Charles observed, coming back to the matter in -hand. “He will always be trying to do us some harm if -we let him off this time.”</p> - -<p>“Yes,” chimed in Steve, glancing at the helpless captive, -who was still on the raft, “we let him go that night -and see how he has rewarded us for our mercy!”</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_248" id="Page_248">[248]</a></span></p> - -<p>“You wouldn’t have let him escape if it hadn’t been -for me;” Will corrected.</p> - -<p>“We didn’t hunt him down the next day, as we might -have done!” Steve rejoined, as though that settled the -question.</p> - -<p>“I hope we are hardly such a set of cold-blooded fellows -as that!” George said. “And besides what great harm -did he do that night?”</p> - -<p>“Oh, you, George Andrews!” Stephen retorted wrathfully. -“I suppose you think we’re harping on your -performances that night, but we’re not.”</p> - -<p>“You had better not, Stephen Goodfellow!” said -George also becoming wrathful. “You promised that -you wouldn’t speak of that to me again.”</p> - -<p>It is a lamentable fact, hinted at in the outset of this -history, that these heroes quarreled occasionally. When -one of these differences took place, each one had the -strange, boyish habit of calling the other by his christian -name and surname. If you doubt this, fair reader, [she -for whom this is written will understand,] be so good as -to play the eavesdropper on two small and quarrelsome -juveniles disputing about the color of an absent playmate’s -marble.</p> - -<p>“I’m not; I’m keeping my word;” Steve replied -seriously. “But perhaps your mind is running on -<em>clemency</em>, that bothered you so much the other day.”</p> - -<p>“Perhaps <em>yours</em> is running on the term ‘<em>Lynch law</em>!’”</p> - -<p>At this juncture neutral Marmaduke, who was beginning -to recover his equanimity, and who doubtless felt -spiteful towards Stephen, hopped up and declared, in the -tone of a dictator rather than of a peacemaker: “Gentlemen, -the jury have disagreed; the case is dismissed.”</p> - -<p>“Marmaduke Fitzwilliams,” cried Charles, rising in his -turn, “four or five boys don’t make a jury; you don’t know -what you’re talking about.”</p> - -<p>“Lawyers would say, <em>constitute</em> a jury,” Marmaduke -corrected.</p> - -<p>“Well, let ’em say it; <em>we</em> are not lawyers;” Charles -roared.</p> - -<p>“It would not be acting politically to punish him<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_249" id="Page_249">[249]</a></span> -ourselves,” the neutral one contended. “There is a -whole court-house full of men in the village, that make it -a business to punish people.”</p> - -<p>Poor Marmaduke! He seemed to have a preternatural -longing to figure in the courts of justice.</p> - -<p>“Marmaduke,” George said musingly, “don’t you -suppose you are out of your reckoning when you say -‘acting politically’?”</p> - -<p>“Yes, what does ‘politically’ mean, any way?” -Stephen inquired, thinking to ensnare the boy once -more.</p> - -<p>This time, however, Marmaduke answered without -hesitation. “Why,” said he, “it’s an adverb, and adverbs -always mean, <em>in a manner</em>—<em>politically, in a political -manner</em>.”</p> - -<p>Steve did not seem much enlightened, and Charles -with a merry twinkle, asked, “Always?”</p> - -<p>“Always!” firmly.</p> - -<p>“Oh, then, <em>politically</em> ought to mean, <em>in the manner -of a policeman</em>; <em>abed, in the manner of a bedstead</em>; and -so on.”</p> - -<p>Marmaduke looked aghast, and Charles the persecutor -continued mercilessly: “<em>Alongside, in the manner of a -man who wears a long side.</em>”</p> - -<p>The neutral one was now quite discomfited, and he -arose and stole back to his seat, trying to collect himself -and make out what “in a manner” really signifies.</p> - -<p>But Steve yelled after him: “And <em>to go</em> means <em>in the -manner of a goner</em>.”</p> - -<p>At this dreadful outrage it is a wonder that Words did -not take to themselves a voice to howl in the offender’s -ear: “We cannot all be adverbs!”</p> - -<p>As for Marmaduke he was utterly demoralized.</p> - -<p>“Whatever you do, boys, don’t leave Bob to stiffen in -his coils on that raft,” Will meekly suggested.</p> - -<p>Charles and Stephen were so eager to have some one -side with them that they took it for granted that Will, -for very weariness, was now in favor of punishment; -and Stephen, on the spur of the moment, made this -startling observation:</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_250" id="Page_250">[250]</a></span></p> - -<p>“Why not do with Bob as he did with my dog? He -has got himself all in a jumble on the raft—let us give -him a ride up and down the river. It will be good for -his constitution.”</p> - -<p>Strangely enough, this idea was favorably received by -the boys. They laughed, and applauded Stephen.</p> - -<p>“It would be a very light punishment,” he continued, -pressing home his advantage. “Don’t you all agree to -it? Come, Will, what is your opinion?”</p> - -<p>“It was you Bob was molesting, Steve, and you must -stir up your conscience to see what it says, and then go -ahead,” Will answered. “You put it very mildly, but I -suppose your meaning is, to cram Bob into Carlo’s prison, -untangle the rope, and then float him around as he floated -Carlo around.”</p> - -<p>“Y-e-s,” Steve assented, somewhat discomposed at this -plain statement of his views.</p> - -<p>“I’m tired of all this,” George exclaimed, with a sigh. -“Fire ahead, Steve, and do whatever you like.”</p> - -<p>“Hurrah, then,” Charlie cried gladly, “let us give -Bob an airing.”</p> - -<p>At this instant Marmaduke again appeared before the -boys, and opened his mouth to make some sage remark; -but Stephen,—now all animation,—in tones whose cheerfulness -took away the harshness of the words, silenced -him, saying: “Stop your noise, Marmaduke. You’re a -neuter verb, you know; and they mustn’t do anything.”</p> - -<p>“Perhaps you ought to consult Bob himself,” Will -suggested. “He might observe some valuable observations -about his punishment.”</p> - -<p>“Let the prisoner speak,” chimed in the irrepressible -neutral one.</p> - -<p>“Well, Bob,” said Charles languidly, “moisten your -lips and tongue, and let us have your views. In the first -place, what was your plot? What did you intend to do -with Carlo?”</p> - -<p>Bob scowled at the speaker and was silent. But -finally, having thought bettor of it, he did as directed, -and said, “I was only going to fool you fellers; I never -meant to do more’n scare him,” looking at Stephen, “and<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_251" id="Page_251">[251]</a></span> -then I was going to let his dog go. But,” sorrowfully, -“you came along and spoilt it all.”</p> - -<p>“Suppose Carlo had gone at your heels when you let -him out of the box?” Charles asked.</p> - -<p>Bob turned pale and muttered something in confusion.</p> - -<p>“Well, what do you say about our turning the tables -on you?” George asked.</p> - -<p>“Nothin’,” the prisoner answered stoically, still playing -the part of an orthodox villain. No; he, a boy of nearly -seventeen years, would not again beg for mercy at the -hands of his inferiors—in age; and he awaited his -punishment with well-feigned indifference.</p> - -<p>If the boys had been better versed in human nature, -they would have known that this passive submission on -his part boded evil to their future welfare.</p> - -<p>Although Bob was acting like an orthodox villain, the -six, in taking upon themselves to judge and punish him, -were not acting like orthodox heroes. By no means. -They were not the irreproachable youngsters who figure -in octodecimo volumes. They all had an idea of the -fitness of things; and all—even George and Will—thought -it just and right that Bob should know, by -actual experience, what Carlo’s feelings had been during -his imprisonment.</p> - -<hr class="chap" /> - -<h2 id="Chapter_XXVIII">Chapter XXVIII.<br /> -<span class="smcap">The Tables Turned with a Vengeance.</span></h2> - -<p>The six judges arose, and stood before the culprit.</p> - -<p>The cage was critically examined, and Steve seemed to -find it very amusing to point out its defects. Bob was -pestered with questions about it, but he maintained a -sullen silence, submitting doggedly to the inevitable.</p> - -<p>“We must put you into narrow quarters for a little -while, Bob,” Stephen said good-humoredly, “and try to -disentangle a few leagues of this good cord.”</p> - -<p>Two of the heroes supported Bob while Steve freed -him from the rope. The discomfited plotter was too stiff<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_252" id="Page_252">[252]</a></span> -to make much resistance, yet when he found himself free -he struggled nervously, but feebly, to break away from -his tormentors. Then Jim, who was trying to make -himself useful, threw open the door of the cage, and -Charles and Stephen dumped him gently in.</p> - -<p>Now, Bob had not built the cage for such a purpose; -consequently, he did not sit comfortable in it—worse still, -it threatened to burst asunder. But it did not.</p> - -<p>His feet and legs were got inside somehow, but his head -was mercifully left out, exposed to the sun and air. His -hat had fallen off when he sprang upon the raft, and been -taken over the falls; but George, more humane than the -others, took off his own hat, and placed it firmly, but -gently, on the exposed head.</p> - -<p>Unknown to the soi-disant judges, the boy was wedged -so fast in his cage that he was powerless to help himself. -Thus he was virtually a prisoner in the very prison that -he had prepared for another! This was turning the -tables with a vengeance! This was poetical justice!</p> - -<p>Poor little villain! He must have been in an exceedingly -cramped and uneasy position; but his pride and his -orthodoxy came to his relief, and he would not complain -to the pitiless arbitrators of his fate.</p> - -<p>“Look here, boys,” George cried, “if you are bound to -punish him, you ought to kick out the end of that box, -so that he could sit up straight, like a man, and be comfortable.”</p> - -<p>“Yes, it <em>is</em> too bad,” Steve said pityingly. “But it -will soon be over; and if we should go to tampering with -the box, we might kick Bob in the stomach. Besides, -Bob looks more forlorn than he is; and we have no business -to destroy his boxes and things.—Now, where’s the -rope, and then we will hurry through with it and let Bob -out.”</p> - -<p>About three hundred feet of the cord were disentangled, -and once more the raft was set afloat with a prisoner -on it.</p> - -<p>In order to humble Bob still further, Steve intended to -let Carlo carry the end of the rope in his mouth for a -little way. But now he had not the heart to do it. As<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_253" id="Page_253">[253]</a></span> -the raft floated along lazily, Steve essayed to give a shout -of triumph, but it died away in his throat.</p> - -<p>The dog, however, began to gambol, sneeze, and bark, -in an extraordinary manner. During the trial he had -been the only really neutral one, and now he seemed to -enjoy himself more than any of the self-styled judges. -Bob looked on in some uneasiness, but he need not have -been alarmed, for the dog made no motion to swim out -and attack him.</p> - -<p>The boys did not exactly understand it, yet somehow -they seemed to take no pleasure in floating Herriman -down the stream; and instead of an exultant procession -along the bank, they marched solemnly onward, hardly -speaking, and each one becoming more and more ashamed -of himself. George had a theory of his own about this, -but he did not make it known.</p> - -<p>Seeing that matters had gone so far, Steve and Charles -did not wish to stop till Bob had had his ride; but they -felt ill at ease, and their conscience almost persuaded -them that they were in the wrong.</p> - -<p>So with the entire five (Jim being, as the reader has -doubtless divined, a mere supernumerary in this history, -although he figures conspicuously once or twice.) From -the moment they placed the boy in his cage they began -to relent.</p> - -<p>To any person coming upon them, this risible spectacle -would have been presented: six boys marching gravely -down the stream; some three hundred feet in advance a -raft drifting lazily along; on said raft a box, from which -protruded an enormous head,—large enough for a genius,—neatly -covered with a now battered but once respectable—nay, -fashionable—straw hat.</p> - -<p>Thus the raft drifted till within a quarter of a mile of -the falls. Then Stephen said, “Ever since I went over -the falls I’ve felt too nervous to prowl around very near -them; so let us pull her up stream now, and let Bob go -when we get into port.”</p> - -<p>All agreed to this, and the rope, which had hitherto -been slack, was pulled taut. The raft stopped its downward -course, and was drawn towards them—perhaps, half -a foot.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_254" id="Page_254">[254]</a></span></p> - -<p>Then something that might have been expected from -the beginning happened.</p> - -<p>The rope broke!</p> - -<p>Unknown to them, the jagged edge of the raft had -worn the rope all but in two while Bob was hauling the -raft towards him. In this place it now parted.</p> - -<p>There was consternation among the self-constituted -punishers. In truth, it is impossible to describe their -terror, anguish, and remorse. All through their own -foolishness a fellow-creature was in imminent danger. -To be swept over the falls in his helpless condition meant -Death. And whatever was done must be done quickly.</p> - -<p>The boys felt as guilty as criminals <em>ought</em> to feel.</p> - -<p>“Bob,” Charles screamed, “climb out, and jump into -the river, and swim!”</p> - -<p>“Oh, he can’t! he can’t!” Will cried, seeing that Bob -was struggling desperately and vainly to get out of the -box.</p> - -<p>“George,” Steve cried wildly, “you spoke about swimming -to the raft while Carlo was on it—swim now! -Quick!”</p> - -<p>“Of course,” the Sage replied, still a philosopher, but -a perturbed one. “Yes, of course, I’ll go.”</p> - -<p>To add to the confusion, stunning screams now came -from Bob. He forgot that he was a villain; all his orthodoxy -and stoicism forsook him; and he again brought his -stentorian lungs into play. Far from having impaired -his lungs on the night of George’s “experiment,” he -seemed only to have strengthened them; and now he -howled and bellowed like a wounded giant.</p> - -<p>Cannot this be explained logically? The age of the -romancer’s younger villains ranges between twenty-seven -and thirty-nine; while the age of older villains varies -greatly among different authors, and, much to the reader’s -sorrow, is not always given. From this it would seem -that Bob was too young to set up for a knave.</p> - -<p>In view of this, the reader, having more discernment -than the writer, suggests the following: The only reason -why Bob had taken it so coolly was because he knew the -boys too well to fear any harm from them. Besides, he<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_255" id="Page_255">[255]</a></span> -had heard all that was said during the “trial,” and he saw -that the boys’ anger towards him had abated. But when -he found that the raft was no longer under their control, -he naturally became alarmed.</p> - -<p>Yes, Bob again began to discharge atrocious and high-sounding -interjections.</p> - -<p>All the boys saw that George was more composed than -they; and by mutual consent, he was left to plan a rescue. -His coat had been off ever since he prepared to swim to -Carlos relief; and now he stripped off the rest of his -clothes, plunged into the river, and swam boldly for the -imperilled boy.</p> - -<p>He had, however, more self-confidence than self-possession; -or he would have run down the bank till opposite -to the raft, and so have gained time. He now swam as -fast as possible; but the raft was some distance in advance, -and steadily drawing nearer the falls.</p> - -<p>The boys watched George anxiously, but were too demoralized -to aid him in any way.</p> - -<p>“Hello, you vagabonds!” was thundered behind them. -“What does all this noise mean?”</p> - -<p>The heroes were startled; and on turning, were appalled -to see a burly rustic coming towards them at a round -pace.</p> - -<p>“Oh, dear,” groaned Will; “why does this fellow want -to come here just at this time?”</p> - -<p>“Oh, dear,” echoed Charles, Stephen, Marmaduke, and -Jim.</p> - -<p>“What does all this mean, you young villains?” roared -the new-comer.</p> - -<p>“A boy is floating over,” Marmaduke gasped.</p> - -<p>“Well, do you mean to let him float? Why don’t you -get up and save him? Oh, you awful boys! This is -murder—parricide—manslaughter—abduction—gravitation—parsimony! -What do you suppose the law’s going -to say about this? It—it is un-con-sti-tu-tion-al!”</p> - -<p>The five trembled—Jim exceedingly. In fact, he -seemed on the point of betaking himself to flight.</p> - -<p>“I say, I’ll persecute you all for litigation!” the new-comer -next observed.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_256" id="Page_256">[256]</a></span></p> - -<p>He was an ignorant, brutal man, an inhabitant of the -village. In his boyhood he had been snubbed by old and -young; and now, in his manhood, he took delight in -bullying all the boys he met.</p> - -<p>“George Andrews, there, is trying to save him,” Will -said, pointing at the swimmer.</p> - -<p>“Humph! much <em>he’ll</em> do!” growled the rustic. “Well, -I’m going to set here (at this Marmaduke shuddered) till -that boy is lost or saved. Its my duty to the Government, -and I’ll do it if it takes all day.”</p> - -<p>His duty to the Government, however, did not prompt -him to take an active part in rescuing Bob, and he -stretched himself along the bank and looked on with -dogged composure.</p> - -<p>George did not know of this man’s arrival. He swam -bravely, but gained on the raft very slowly. His heart -sank when he saw this, but he kept on hopefully, and -just at the critical moment the raft grounded on a snag, -and was held fast. Bob was saved! Not through human -agency, however.</p> - -<p>Bob ceased from howling, and George called out -cheerily: “You are all right, Bob; and I’m—”</p> - -<p>At that instant a little wave washed down his throat -and effectually cut him short.</p> - -<p>He had never swum so close to the falls, but he proceeded -warily, and managed it so that the shock of -striking the raft eased it off the snag. Then he -scrambled on board, took up an oar, and for a full -minute feared that the current would carry them both -over. But the raft was brought under control, and -slowly, very slowly, rescuer and rescued left their -dangerous position.</p> - -<p>“Bob, when we get a little farther up, I’ll try and get -you out of that, and then we can go faster, if you will help.”</p> - -<p>The joyful cries of the boys now attracted his attention, -and, to his horror, he perceived that some person was -with them.</p> - -<p>“Oh, Bob,” he groaned, “who is that man on the bank?”</p> - -<p>Bob peered in the direction indicated, and said, hesitatingly, -“I—I guess it’s somebody else.”</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_257" id="Page_257">[257]</a></span></p> - -<p>“Now how mean!” George growled. “I can’t land till -that fellow goes away; and here I am in a great hurry -to get my clothes on, for fear a crowd should gather -round us! Bob, did you ever moralize how it is crowds -gather? Let anything happen, and a crowd is sure to -come along to see how it will end.”</p> - -<p>“No, I never morry-lice,” Bob replied, good-humoredly.</p> - -<p>“Well,” said the Sage, fetching a great sigh, “I don’t -know but that you are just as well off.”</p> - -<p>One by one the five were now coming along the bank, -each one looking pleased, yet crest-fallen.</p> - -<p>“C-can we help you in any way, George?” Marmaduke -asked.</p> - -<p>George looked his indignation. However, he soon -recovered his equilibrium, and said, frigidly, “If one or -two of you would bring my clothes down here, and if -the rest of you would stay up there with that man, to -keep him from coming here, I should be very much -obliged to you all.”</p> - -<p>This was done, and George brought the raft to the -bank and dressed, screened by three of his doughty -school-fellows.</p> - -<p>“I’ll see you all again,” shouted the law-abiding rustic. -And he walked away, muttering learnedly about “burglarious -incendiarism.”</p> - -<p>George was soon dressed, and then he set about -liberating Bob, who was still cooped up in his cage.</p> - -<p>“I’m afraid this will have to be broken open,” George -said.</p> - -<p>“Break it, then!” said Bob, glaring fiendishly at his -sometime darling contrivance.</p> - -<p>The Sage, with the help of the other boys, then forced -the top, or roof, off the cage; and Bob was again at large. -Poor boy! he did not linger, nor make any threats, but -after mumbling in George’s ear, “you’re the best of them -all,” set forward at a business-like pace.</p> - -<p>Then, at last, the boys got over their fright.</p> - -<p>George was quite satisfied with himself, and he looked -about him with a peaceful expression on his face that the -others tried in vain to assume. But now and then he<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_258" id="Page_258">[258]</a></span> -would glance furtively up and down the river, to the -right and to the left.</p> - -<p>“What are you looking for, George?” Steve finally -asked, breaking the silence.</p> - -<p>“I—I—well, its rather strange that a crowd doesn’t -come. Now in all that you read, in newspapers or stories, -a crowd always gathers.”</p> - -<p>“Not generally in murders—in the stories,” Marmaduke -corrected.</p> - -<p>“Well, this is a pretty nice business!” Will said, ruefully. -“I—I’m ashamed of myself!”</p> - -<p>“So am I,” said Charles and Stephen.</p> - -<p>“George, I couldn’t possibly have swum out and saved -that boy,” Charles admitted, frankly. “My heart was -beating like a——”</p> - -<p>“Yes you could,” George interrupted, not wishing to -receive more praise than he deserved.</p> - -<p>“How is it that it turned out so badly?” Steve asked. -“Bob used us very badly; and <em>we got the worst of it -when we punished him</em>!”</p> - -<p>“We ought to have been merciful, and let him go as -soon as Will gave him up to us,” George commented. -“That’s a good way to cure some people of meanness,” -he added, in a “moralizing” mood.</p> - -<p>“Well, now!” Steve ejaculated. “Jim has made off -too! I guess he skedaddled while Mr. Reiter was around.”</p> - -<p>“Yes; and Bob has left the spoils in our hands!” Will -observed. “What shall we do with them?”</p> - -<p>“They are not ours, but Bob won’t hanker for them,” -Charley replied, jocosely. “Suppose we let the prison float -over the falls, with the long rope dragging behind. Perhaps -we should not be so melancholy doing that as we were -when we made a floating battery of Bob.”</p> - -<p>“Hurrah! Hurrah! Bravo! Well done! That’s just -what we want! Now, we can sail up to our harbor on -our raft, and tow this oriental bird-cage behind, and let -it drift away whenever we choose.”</p> - -<p>This felicitous expression was made by Stephen, of -course.</p> - -<p>This programme was carried out, and then the boys<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_259" id="Page_259">[259]</a></span> -went home, feeling that they had had a little satisfaction -from Herriman, after all.</p> - -<p>Although a crowd refused to gather on the banks of -the stream, yet the news of this exploit travelled throughout -the village,—which established moralizing George’s -theory,—and as each hero passed through his doors, a storm -of righteous indignation burst over his devoted head; for -very properly, honest parents were scandalized to find -that their children could commit such atrocities.</p> - -<p>Whether Bob still meditated vengeance is not known, -as shortly after this occurrence, Mr. Herriman borrowed -some of Mr. Horner’s romances, which so unhinged his -mind that he turned gold-hunter,—or silver-hunter, he was -not morally certain which,—and removed, with his family, -to a far-off Territory, and the six heard of Bob no more.</p> - -<p>Poor Bob! The horror of being swept over the falls -made a deep, but not lasting, impression on his mind.</p> - -<p>As for the six boys, they profited little by that lesson.</p> - -<p>It would be wise to close this chapter here; but doubtless -the reader is aware that the writer of this tale is not -wise.</p> - -<p>That night Marmaduke waded through the verb and -adverb in five different grammars:—one, a dog’s-eared, -battered, and soiled volume, which his father was supposed -to have studied in his youth; another, a venerable -ruin, which, tradition said, had been his grandfather’s; -still another, his mother’s, whose bescribbled fly-leaves held -the key to a long-buried and almost forgotten romance; -his little brother’s “Elementary;” and his own “Logical -and Comprehensive.”</p> - -<p>What wonder is it that the poor boy went to bed with -an aching head, feeling, like Stephen, that it is “all a -muddle,” and that he did not understand it at all?</p> - -<p>The object is not to ridicule the noble science of grammar, -but to point the finger of scorn at those grammarians -who suppose that <em>children</em> can understand that science; -and also to check those juveniles who flatter themselves -that they are perfect in it.</p> - -<hr class="chap" /> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_260" id="Page_260">[260]</a></span></p> - -<h2 id="Chapter_XXIX">Chapter XXIX.<br /> -<span class="smcap">A Horrible Plot.—The Haunted House.</span></h2> - -<p>The summer holidays were again at hand. Before -school closed, however, the head master, Mr. Meadows, -intended to give a prize to the “student” who should -write the best composition. Each one was at liberty to -choose his or her own subject; and the whole six—except, -perhaps, Steve and Jim—were resolved to do their -best to win.</p> - -<p>Of course this prize was to be given with due ceremony -and parade. Still, it was not thought that any thing -specially noteworthy would take place, and the affair -would not be brought up except to show the mournful -blunder made by Will.</p> - -<p>A few days before this, the four most distinguished -heroes—Will, Charles, Stephen, and George—assembled -at their favorite resort, a mossy bank bordering the river. -Here they hatched a horrible plot—a plot far exceeding -in enormity and inhumanity the pitiful one contrived -and executed by Bob on this same river a week or so before.</p> - -<p>In order to show that these boys had no notion to what -lengths their unchecked fancy might lead them, their -whole conversation on this memorable occasion is given.</p> - -<p>“Boys,” Charles began, “I wish we could plan some -amusement for the holidays—something that would make -it lively.”</p> - -<p>“I think we have had enough of playing tricks,” Will -said with disgust.</p> - -<p>“We are older and wiser now than we used to be,” -Charles replied, “and we should have more sense than to -get ourselves into trouble any more.”</p> - -<p>“What about Bob’s punishment?” asked George. -“Didn’t we get into trouble enough then, and is that so -very long ago?”</p> - -<p>“Exceptions prove the rule!” Charles triumphantly -retorted.</p> - -<p>“Well, what is it that you mean to do?” Steve inquired -lazily.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_261" id="Page_261">[261]</a></span></p> - -<p>“Oh, I don’t know; nothing in particular;” Charles -answered. “But let us lay our heads together, and plan -something startling.”</p> - -<p>“Very good; but who is the one to be startled?” the -Sage asked. “According to all accounts, we boys have -startled the inhabitants of this village quite enough. -Only the other day I heard a good old lady say, in speaking -of us, ‘Those awful boys! They carry consternation -with them!’”</p> - -<p>“Of course;” put in Steve. “And now that we’ve got -our reputation up, we must keep it up. It would be very -wrong for us to let our talents dwindle and rust away; -so, Charley, if any new idea has come to you, let us know -it.”</p> - -<p>“You all know the old house away up this river?” -Charles asked.</p> - -<p>“Well, I guess we are acquainted with it,” Will replied. -“But what about it? What could we do there?”</p> - -<p>“It seems to me that it would be a good thing to go -there and inspect it. I never went through it, but I -should like to do that now. And when we get there, we -should feel so romantic that we might hit on something—we -might even lay a plot!”</p> - -<p>“What would the owner say to us for inspecting his -house?” George asked.</p> - -<p>“Don’t you know that it has no owner?” Charley -asked, in some surprise. “I’ve heard my father say that -there has been a sign with ‘For Sale’ on it swinging -there for twenty years. It’s such a crazy wreck that no -person will rent it; and I guess by this time it is a heap -of ruins, and not worth tearing down and carting away. -There is only half an acre of ground belonging to it, and -likely that is full of great weeds. The man who owns -the place has more property, and he lets this go to ruin -without remorse; but every year he comes along and -picks the ten or twelve apples and pears off the old trees -in the yard. He doesn’t care any more for it, and the -house has been empty so long that it’s called ‘Nobody’s -House.’ No one cares to live in such a place, so lonesome -and gloomy, and with those ghostly fruit-trees and the<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_262" id="Page_262">[262]</a></span> -neglected fence, all looking like spectres. In fact, there -is a story that the place is haunted!”</p> - -<p>“You seem to know all about it, Charley,” said Steve. -“I’ve seen it a long way off, and I’ve heard that it is -haunted, but that is all.”</p> - -<p>“Yes, I asked pa to tell me about it, for I want to go -and explore the place some day,” Charles replied. “And -it seems to me that it would be fun for us <em>all</em> to go some -day. What a hubbub there would be if we all got there -together! And I’m certain the ‘owner’ wouldn’t care, if -we tear the old ruin all to pieces.”</p> - -<p>“That’s a good idea!” said Steve, with sparkling eyes.</p> - -<p>“Don’t you see, we might even take up our quarters -there, it’s so far out of the way,” Charles continued. “No -one would come to molest us; for more people than you -suppose, believe the house is haunted, and never go near -it.”</p> - -<p>“I see what you’re thinking of,” said Steve. “You -mean to bring that old ghost back to life!”</p> - -<p>“Well, that might be done for a little by-play, but that -isn’t what I meant,” Charley returned. “I know that -boys in stories try to raise a ghost or two sometimes, -when everything else fails them, but it wouldn’t be a -profitable business for us. We don’t want to copy after -such vagabond heroes; let us strike out in another line.”</p> - -<p>“Well, if you have laid any plot, tell us what it is,” -Stephen said impatiently.</p> - -<p>“Boys, I want to hatch a plot, with that shell of a -house for our head-quarters; but I want your help, for I -don’t know how to go to work. As I said before, I -haven’t thought of any thing yet.”</p> - -<p>“Don’t tell us what you ‘said before,’ Charley;” said -Will. “It sounds too much like a lecturer reminding the -people of what he has said, just as if he thought they -didn’t pay attention enough to him to remember a word -of his speech.”</p> - -<p>“Well, boys, I have an idea at last,” Charles said -slowly, after a long pause. “Let us persuade some one to -go there, thinking a great villain has a prisoner there.”</p> - -<p>“Pshaw! Who would believe that!” said George, -contemptuously.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_263" id="Page_263">[263]</a></span></p> - -<p>“Wait till we get everything arranged,” Charles rejoined -grimly. “This is a good idea, George, and I can -prove it to you. And now that I have thought of it, I am -going to work it out. We might even compose a letter, -begging for help, and seeming to come from some lonely -prisoner in that house, guarded by jailers and villains, -and afraid of being put to death.”</p> - -<p>“I don’t know who would be foolish enough to be -caught by such a letter,” George replied laughingly.</p> - -<p>“Well, let us try it, anyway; and if we succeed it will -be capital sport,” said Stephen, interested already in the -scheme. “But who will be the victim, the fellow to be -imposed on?” he asked suddenly. “Surely none of us, -after what we have said, will be foolish enough to be -trapped.”</p> - -<p>“Hardly,” said Charles, with a smile. “But Marmaduke -isn’t with us; let us make him the dupe.”</p> - -<p>“Why single out Marmaduke?” asked Will.</p> - -<p>“Well, the victim must be one of ourselves, and Marmaduke -knows nothing about our plot, of course. And besides, -he is so full of mysteries and romance that if he should -get such a letter, he would believe every word in it, -and be mad to plan a rescue. His notions about such -things are so queer that it will do him good to be -wakened up.”</p> - -<p>“If Marmaduke is the one to be awakened,” George -said, “I think your plan may succeed very well; because, -poor fellow, he is always expecting to light on some prodigious -mystery. I must give in, Charley, that it would -be fun to drop such a letter some place where Marmaduke -would be sure to find it, and then we could hide ourselves -and see the result. How he would rave at the thought -of rescuing a captive!”</p> - -<p>“Doesn’t it seem to you, boys, that it would be rather -a mean trick to play on anyone, especially on a schoolfellow?” -Will asked.</p> - -<p>“Certainly it seems mean,” Charles replied, “but it is -only for fun, and Marmaduke would enjoy it at the time, -and soon get over his anger when we explained everything. -Of course, we will be and careful not to do anything -<em>too</em> wicked.”</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_264" id="Page_264">[264]</a></span></p> - -<p>“Well, it is bad to stir up such a boys anger,” Will -persisted.</p> - -<p>“Let me improve on your plot,” Steve ventured to say. -“Let us suppose that a beautiful French young lady -was stolen by an enemy of her father’s and brought over -to America, and imprisoned in ‘Nobody’s House.’ Let -her write a wild appeal for help, which we will drop in -Marmaduke’s path.”</p> - -<p>“That’s going a little too far,” Charley said decidedly. -“I shouldn’t like to meddle in such a desperate game -as that.”</p> - -<p>“Wouldn’t a French captive be apt to write a letter in -her own language?” Will asked, as though he were -overseeing that scheme.</p> - -<p>“That would be the fun of it,” Stephen answered. “A -letter in genuine French would draw a less romantic boy -than Marmaduke.”</p> - -<p>“Very true,” said George. “But could you write such -a letter?”</p> - -<p>“Of course not—Mr. Meadows himself couldn’t, perhaps. -Ten to one, Marmaduke would think he could do it -perfectly.”</p> - -<p>“Marmaduke may be rather foolish,” said Charles, “but -I doubt whether he would write such a letter, and then -be imposed on by it!”</p> - -<p>“Do you take me for a fool?” cried Stephen, with theatrical -indignation. “Now, Will’s cousin Henry can -scribble French like a supercargo, Will says—let us get -him to do it.”</p> - -<p>“The very thing!” cried Charles and George in a -breath. “Come, Will, we are going to do this, and you -must help us,” the former requested.</p> - -<p>“I don’t like your ideas at all, boys,” Will replied, “but -if you are bound to do it, why, I don’t want to be left -out, and so I’ll write to Henry, and get him to come here. -He spoke of coming soon when he wrote to me last; and -now I’ll ask him to hurry along as soon as the holidays -begin.”</p> - -<p>“You’re a jewel, Will!” all three exclaimed in excitement.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_265" id="Page_265">[265]</a></span></p> - -<p>“Oh, we’ll hatch a famous plot, won’t we, boys?” and -Steve, the speaker, clawed the ground as though he were -a demon or a hag.</p> - -<p>“It’s my turn to suggest something now,” the Sage -observed. “When Marmaduke sets out for the prison-house, -we, of course must go with him. Let Henry and -Stephen, or whoever we may think best, slip on in -advance, and represent the prisoner and the fiendish -villain when we arrive.”</p> - -<p>A shout of acclamation greeted this new proposal.</p> - -<p>“The plot is getting pretty thick,” said Steve. “And -now, what about the ghost in the back-ground?”</p> - -<p>“Oh, we might manage to have a ghost appear to Marmaduke, -but we can attend to that afterwards,” Charles -returned. “Now, Will,” he added, “its your turn to improve -on our plot—what do you suggest?”</p> - -<p>“I shall leave that for my cousin to do,” Will answered. -“Unless I’m out of my reckoning, he will make improvements -on the original plan that will astonish us all; for -it is as natural for Henry to lay plots as it is for Steve to -play tricks.”</p> - -<p>“Yes, Henry will make great improvements,” Charles -commented. “Well, now that it is settled that the thing -is really to be, we must all vow to keep it to ourselves, -because if any more boys get hold of it they will spoil -everything.”</p> - -<p>“Very true,” George observed. “Now, if we want -our plot to work well, we must go to this old building -and explore it thoroughly, from the cellar floor to the -rafters. But our plot can’t come off till holidays begin, -nor till Henry gets here and understands it, so there will -be plenty of time.”</p> - -<p>“If it is such a crazy old hulk,” Will said gravely, “ten -to one something will give way, and bury us all under -the ruins.”</p> - -<p>“We must take our chances,” Steve said heroically.</p> - -<p>“There is one great objection to all this,” Will continued. -“This building is so far from our homes in the village.”</p> - -<p>“Yes, that is too bad,” Steve sighed. “But we won’t -mind that when we consider all the fun in store for us.<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_266" id="Page_266">[266]</a></span> -Why not go to the place now? Eh? There’s lots of -time, and we are so far on the way.”</p> - -<p>“Hurrah!” cried the conspiring four. “Let us be off, -as Steve says.”</p> - -<p>They arose, and turned their faces up the river. The -untenanted house which was to be the field of operations -was two miles farther up the river, which flowed past it, -but which, at that place, was so narrow that it would require -a very wide stretch of imagination to call it anything -else than a brook, or creek.</p> - -<p>Stephen’s first proposal had been received, when fully -explained, as so decided an improvement that he now -suggested another addition to the plot. “Boys,” he said, -“let us make a man of straw, or something, to look like -a scarecrow, and then stow it away in the house a day or two -before we do the rescuing. Then when Marmaduke and -the rest of us arrive, we can seize on it as the villain, and -hang it to a fruit tree. Marmaduke can be rescuing the -prisoner at the time, and he’ll certainly think we are -hanging the persecutor.”</p> - -<p>“We will see about that afterwards,” said George.</p> - -<p>“Marmaduke has been more or less a Frenchman in his -ideas ever since the day he proudly wrote, ‘Nous a deux -chiens,’ or in English, ‘We has two dogs,’” Charles -observed, intending to be very sarcastic.</p> - -<p>But he could not speak French well—in fact, he could -not speak it at all. However, the others thought this must -be a very weighty remark, and so they laughed approvingly.</p> - -<p>Then Charles continued, as though he took a fatherly -interest in the lad: “Perhaps this great conspiracy of -ours may induce him to become a good American again.”</p> - -<p>Will’s conscience was now at work, and he said as -severely as he knew how: “It’s a shame to serve a boy -of his notions such a boorish trick, and you boys needn’t -flatter yourselves that such a performance will do him a -bit of good. Let us explore the house as much as we -please; but let us give up the intention of preying on -him.”</p> - -<p>“No!” cried the others, with fixed determination, “We<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_267" id="Page_267">[267]</a></span> -have hit on this, and we’ll go through with it, if it makes -our hair turn gray! Will, if you want to leave us, after -all, why, go ahead; but you would be a very foolish fellow -to do it. Come, now, give your reasons—what is there so -very wicked and horrible in our plot?”</p> - -<p>“I am not a moralist, boys, and so I can’t explain it. -All that I know is, that it seems a mean thing to do. -And, yes, I have a presentiment that something terrible -will happen.”</p> - -<p>“So have I, boys,” Steve chimed in. “I have the -worst kind of a presentiment. But just to prove that -presentiments are superstitions and nonsense, I’m bound -to help Charley work out his plot.”</p> - -<p>“Well, then,” said Will resignedly, “if you <em>will</em> do it, -I promise to stick by you through thick and thin.”</p> - -<p>“Then it’s settled, boys,” said Charles eagerly. “And -whatever happens, we four will stick by each other, and -hold on to our plot.”</p> - -<p>“Yes,” commented the sage, bringing his learning into -requisition, “we four are a cabal, a faction, a junto, a -party of intriguers, a band of—”</p> - -<p>“—Of good-for-nothing school-boys,” Charles said -quickly, not wishing to be ranked as a greater personage -than he was.</p> - -<p>In due time the house was reached. It was a forlorn-looking -building, truly, and in a solitary place; but it -was hardly so dilapidated as Charles supposed. It was -now old, uncared for, and weather beaten; but when new, -had been a handsome and pleasant house, suitable for a -small family. It was a story and a half in height, with -four or five rooms on the first floor and as many on the -second. If built in a less dreary, locality, it probably -would never have been without a tenant. But the man -who built this wayside dwelling must have had more -means than brains.</p> - -<p>Even the rough boys of the village shunned this place; -consequently, after all these years, there was still here -and there a whole pane of glass in almost every window-sash. -As for the doors, the best of them had been taken -away, and the two or three that remained, were, as may -be supposed, worthless and useless.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_268" id="Page_268">[268]</a></span></p> - -<p>The floor of the first story was still sound. Up the -creaking stairs the plotters went recklessly, and found a -state of even greater desolation than below. The rooms -here had never been particularly elegant, and now they -were filthy and horrible with accumulated dust, mould, -and rubbish. The roof was full of holes, through which -the water evidently streamed whenever it stormed. The -roof was originally set off with two picturesque chimneys; -but inexorable Time had already demolished one, and -was playing havoc with the other.</p> - -<p>Next they went to explore the cellar; but the earth -had caved in and partially filled it up, and it was so -dark and loathsome that even the hero Stephen hesitated -to descend. Then, as the front door had been taken -away and the entrance secured with boards, they -crawled through a window, and once more gained the -pure air.</p> - -<p>All things considered, even a pirate would have shrunk -from passing a night in this house. But a peaceable, -home-keeping ghost, in search of a summer residence, -could not have found a more suitable one than this. The -parlor would have served him admirably for a bed-room, -while the dining room could have been fitted up for a -laboratory; and in case any chance comers should intrude -on him, he could have buried himself in the cellar, where -he would have been perfectly safe.</p> - -<p>In fact, this was an excellent building for a ghost’s -headquarters; but it would require unlimited faith in -romance to believe it a likely place for a prison-house.</p> - -<p>Evidently the plotters were dissatisfied with it, and -Steve said disconsolately, “Well, such a rum old bomb-shell -of a hole I never saw! I guess our plot will have -to find other quarters, or else be given up.”</p> - -<p>“Oh, we can come here and tinker it up,” Charles said -hopefully.</p> - -<p>“Yes, it’s bad enough; but it’s a good deal better than -Charley seemed to think,” Will observed. “As Steve -says, or means, it isn’t exactly the place that a French -villain would choose for a prison, when the whole world -is before him.”</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_269" id="Page_269">[269]</a></span></p> - -<p>“Did we decide how the Frenchman was to bring his -prisoner from France to our sea-coast, and then on to -this place?” George asked, beginning to have a just -appreciation of the difficulties that lay before them.</p> - -<p>“It will be safe to leave all that for my cousin to -arrange,” Will said proudly. “He will make everything -clear in the letter, I’m sure.”</p> - -<p>“Of course he will,” Steve said promptly. “Now, I -say, boys, there is one thing that puzzles me: this -place is worth exploring and I should like nothing -better than to ransack it again; but why have we never -been here before?”</p> - -<p>“Exactly;” chimed in the Sage, as another doubt arose -in his mind. “Charley, if this place is really so worthless, -and if it is free to all, why haven’t we been in the -habit of coming here often, to fool away our time?”</p> - -<p>Charley reflected a moment, and then said, boldly, -“Well, if we look at it as a play-house, it’s too far gone -for that; and if we look at it as a heap of romantic and -interesting ruins, it isn’t gone far enough,—not destroyed -or broken down enough, for that;—so why should we want -to come here, except on account of our plot? There’s -nothing else to draw us; and ten to one we should never -have thought of coming here at all, if it hadn’t been for -the plot. And as for being a place worth keeping up, I -don’t know about that; but the man it belongs to doesn’t -seem to think it is. Why, boys, we can have it all to -ourselves; it will be just the place for our prison.”</p> - -<p>“Well,” said Steve, “by the time we get it cleaned, -and scoured, and, tinkered, and made respectable and -ship-shape, we shall all be good housekeepers, and housemaids, -and masons, and carpenters, and tinkers, and—and—. Boys,” -suddenly, “we needn’t stand here staring -in at this window, when we haven’t been through the -garden yet.”</p> - -<p>The yard, or garden, was then viewed, as suggested; -and certainly it did not seem as though care or labor had -been bestowed on it for many years. It was overrun -with a growth of luxuriant weeds and thistles; and -Charles,—the head plotter till Henry should arrive,—after<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_270" id="Page_270">[270]</a></span> -escaping, by a hair’s breadth, from being swallowed -up in an out-of-the-way and only partially covered old -well, concluded that they had had glory enough for one -day, and proposed that they should go home.</p> - -<p>So the heroic four turned their faces homewards, and -jogged on, plotting and exultant.</p> - -<p>That night one of them was troubled with fitful and -uneasy dreams, in which he saw Marmaduke struggle -manfully with frightful monsters, fashioned of old -clothes and villains; whilst hideous French whales soared -overhead, winked their wicked eyes, and swore they -would catch every boy and dismember him in the -deserted and spectre-peopled house.</p> - -<p>When the dreamer of this dream awoke, he muttered: -“Well, this is a presentiment; but, to prove that presentiments -are humbugs, I’ll go through with this plot of -ours, if—”</p> - -<p>Further comment is needless.</p> - -<p>It is cruel in a romancer to anticipate, but sometimes -it is necessary in order to make both ends meet. In this -case, it is justifiable; therefore it may be said that as -soon as the holidays began, frequent journeys were made -to ‘Nobody’s House,’ and the sound of the hammer and -the saw, together with strains of popular airs, rang out -in its deserted chambers. The plotters worked with a -will, and with the utmost disregard for the noxious -vermin which abounded in their midst, and which they -did not attempt to exterminate. Their efforts were -rewarded; for the house was so transformed that the -ghosts, who, in their heart of heart, they fancied inhabited -it, would have failed to recognize it.</p> - -<p>In the upper story a dangerous place was found, where -a person might fall through the floor. This was marked -out and avoided.</p> - -<p>In this world everything proves useful one day or -another; and this house, after lying idle all these years, -after being a nuisance to its owner, a by-word in the -community and a reproach to it, was at last to prove of -the greatest usefulness to these boys and to the writer of -this history.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_271" id="Page_271">[271]</a></span></p> - -<p>It is now in order to return and chronicle the events -that took place before the holidays opened.</p> - -<hr class="chap" /> - -<h2 id="Chapter_XXX">Chapter XXX.<br /> -<span class="smcap">The Blunderer at Work Again.</span></h2> - -<p>Will was now at work on a very learned dissertation -on “Philosophical Ingenuity.” That is the name he gave -it,—but the name had nothing in common with the subject, -“Socialism” would have been quite as appropriate,—and -according to his views, he handled it in a graphic, -original, and striking manner; and he was firmly convinced -that he should make a very good thing of it.</p> - -<p>Poor boy, it was too bad, after all the pains he took.</p> - -<p>What was too bad?</p> - -<p>This. The same evening on which he wrote out his -composition for the last time, he sat up late and wrote -to his cousin Henry, inviting him to come and pay them -a visit in the holidays.</p> - -<p>When this boy (Will) gave Stephen gunpowder instead -of fire crackers, and again when he loaded Henry’s pistols -with wads, his mistakes were glossed over, and he -himself was laughed at, rather than blamed. But <em>now</em> -the truth must be made known; he cannot be excused -any longer. Right over his eyes, where the phrenologists -locate order, there was a depression.</p> - -<p>There, the secret is out, and the writer’s conscience is -easy.</p> - -<p>Boys, it is hard to have to deal with a hero who is not -a paragon; but you must be indulgent, and we will do -our best.</p> - -<p>After finishing and directing the letter to his cousin, -Will went to bed and slept peacefully, little dreaming -of the thunderbolt which would soon burst over his head, -and which he himself had prepared.</p> - -<p>Next morning he found his writing materials strewn -over his table in great confusion, and in a lazy, listless -manner he set to work to put them to rights.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_272" id="Page_272">[272]</a></span></p> - -<p>In order to keep his composition, or “essay,” perfectly -clean, he intended to put it into an old envelope. Alas, -poor boy, he made a blunder, as usual; and mistaking -the composition for the letter, he thrust it into the -envelope directed to Henry, which he sealed on the spot, -and stowed away in his pocket. Then he put the letter -into the old envelope and put it carefully away in his -satchel.</p> - -<p>Not one boy in fifty could possibly have made so -egregious a blunder, but nothing else could be expected -from Will.</p> - -<p>On this eventful day, the “essays,” as Teacher Meadows -saw fit to call them, were to be read, and the prize was -to be delivered over to the “successful competitor.”</p> - -<p>Full of his expected triumph, Will set out for school. -He <em>knew</em> that <em>his</em> composition was good, and he could -judge what the <em>others</em>’ would be. He was a little uneasy -about George and Charles, but as for the rest—pshaw! -the rest couldn’t write!</p> - -<p>He imagined he saw his schoolmates watching him as -he went home that evening with about the biggest book -ever printed. He even heard their disappointed tones, -and saw their sullen and envious looks, as he passed -through the streets.</p> - -<p>And that old lady who often cast admiring glances -towards him—she would call next day and say, “Well, -Mrs. Lawrence, your boy is just the smartest boy in the -whole village.”</p> - -<p>In a day or so Stephen would drop in and let him -know what was said about it by the villagers in general, -the schoolboys in particular.</p> - -<p>And when his uncle and aunt heard the news, they -would certainly be overjoyed, and send him (just what he -wanted, of course) a monkey! As soon as it could be -done, his father would buy him a little gun.</p> - -<p>Full of these dreams, he went on, stopping at the post -office to send, as he supposed, his letter to Henry.</p> - -<p>Time wore away, and the hour for the “essays” to be -read, came at last. Teacher Meadows took his seat, and -they were laid on the desk before him. Good man,<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_273" id="Page_273">[273]</a></span> -he himself would read them all, lest the “composers” -should not do themselves justice.</p> - -<p>Only a dozen or so had competed for the prize, but all -these had done their best, and the handwriting was so -plain that it was a pleasure to read it.</p> - -<p>A few of the competitors’ parents and “well-wishers” -were present, “to see justice done to all,” as they pleasantly -put it. But they served only to increase the master’s -pompousness and self-esteem, and the “essayists’” bashfulness -and inquietude; while they themselves were surely -neither very much instructed nor very much delighted.</p> - -<p>In fact, the truth was probably forced home to the -more intelligent of the audience, that schoolboys and -schoolgirls who would soar to the pinnacle of fame by attempting -to write beyond their capabilities, generally -find themselves floundering about in the slough of ignominious -failure.</p> - -<p>Mr. Meadows certainly read the different compositions -with great care and earnestness, and took as much pains -with the worthless ones as with the tolerably good ones.</p> - -<p>By some chance, Will’s was the last to be read, and -dead silence was observed till it was finished.</p> - -<p>Whenever a new idea had struck the boy, he had set -it down without the slightest regard to consecutiveness; -and if the same idea was afterwards seen in a different -light, he had promptly expressed his views, though in the -midst of a paragraph.</p> - -<p>A mere handful of words had been sufficient for him -on this occasion, and these were repeated with unwearied -persistency. A schoolboy writing a letter excels in repetition, -at least.</p> - -<p>If either Mr. or Mrs. Lawrence had reviewed it for him -it would not have been so incomprehensible.</p> - -<p>The letter ran as follows:</p> - -<div class="blockquote"> - -<p><span class="smcap">Dear Henry</span>,—I am going to write to you all about -us boys and our doings, and tell you all about a great -plot that all of us are going to have. I received your -letter of last month safe and sound, and I expect you -expected to hear from me right off. But, Henry, I’ve<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_274" id="Page_274">[274]</a></span> -had all sorts of things to do, and just now we boys are -trying for a prize. I expect it will be a beauty. I would -not write till it’s all over, but we boys want me to write -to you right off to come down and help us in a plot we’ve -got made up to impose on one of our number. I’ve been -puzzling over my essay for the prize for nearly three weeks -or more (the boys here don’t know that) or I should have -written before; and so, just to please them, I’m sitting -up late and writing to-night instead of day after to-morrow.</p> - -<p>They expect it will be the most tremendous fun that -ever was, and of course it will. I’m rather tired of playing -tricks, but they say this isn’t playing tricks at all. -In your last letter you asked me if the boys were the -same rum old poligars that they used to be. I don’t -know what that means, Henry, but I guess the boys are -just the same—only worse. Well, Henry, I guess I’ll try -and give you a better idea of them than I did when I -was with you. You know all their names; so first there -is Charley. He is a capital good sort of a fellow, and -he often helps me. But he is a very queer sort of a fellow, -and he thinks it’s tremendous big fun to use big -words when he talks with us—well, so do the others. -It seems natural for George to use them, but I don’t -know why Steve does. I expect he thinks it’s tremendous -big fun too.</p> - -<p>Stephen is a great fellow to play tricks. My father -says if he lives, and keeps on at this rate, he and the law -will meet with violence some of these days.</p> - -<p>But I hope Stephen will never get into such trouble. -He makes us laugh more than all the other boys put -together, and I expect when you come down and we get -fairly started rescuing the captive, we’ll laugh ourselves -sick in bed. Marmaduke, he’s the one, is not to see you -till in the haunted house.</p> - -<p>Charley likes to have me tell him stories about the -demon. Marmaduke—he’s the next one to tell about. -We boys are not very well satisfied with the way we get -on in French. We haven’t a genuine Frenchman for a -master, as you have. We all like Mr. Meadows, but he<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_275" id="Page_275">[275]</a></span> -has not the knack of making us understand French, -though he is a splendid teacher in other things. But the -boys all say that Marmaduke is satisfied.</p> - -<p>Because he can write “A red-haired sailor dressed in -blue says the physician’s house is burnt,” “The king’s -palace is built on the river,” “The neighbor’s wicked little -boy has stolen the carpenter’s hammer,” and so on, he -thinks he and the French language understand each -other. Mr. Meadows himself isn’t satisfied with the -Method he uses. One boy here says the reason he doesn’t -get a better one is because he studied it when he was a -boy, and, etc., etc. But that is a very mean thing to say, -eh, Henry? and I don’t believe it a bit. That’s the -reason we want you to come, to write us a good letter in -French. George is a nice boy. He always says, look -here, boys, when he has something on his mind. He -reads a great deal, but it doesn’t spoil him from being a -boy a bit. Ask him what he reads, and he’ll say, Oh, -anything from an almanac to an unabridged dictionary, -and I expect that is so. Marmaduke is just the wildest -boy in his notions that I ever saw. The boys mean to -take advantage of this, and delude him. But I have -explained all that. Jim always, generally, goes with us, -and he is the most first-rate coward that I ever saw. -We’ve shut him out this time. But he is a nice fine boy -in lots of things.</p> - -<p>In reading over what I’ve written I’m afraid I haven’t -explained our plot at all, Henry; but it’s too long to -explain now, because I’m tired, Henry, and I expect to -see you soon, Henry, and then I can explain it better -than I could in writing. Perhaps I’ve written too much -about the boys, but you know just how much I think of -them. They are all good fellows and we would do almost -anything for each other. We don’t care much for the -other boys here, only ourselves. I can tell you this much -about our plot, we pretend to rescue a prisoner out of an -old house. George calls it the necropolis, and Charley -the scare-crow’s factory; but Stephen has a better name—at -least, it sounds better. He calls it the Wigwam of the -Seven Sleepers. Last time I forgot to ask you to excuse<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_276" id="Page_276">[276]</a></span> -my writing, so I might as well now, this time. I’m too -tired to write any more this time, and my letter is pretty -long, anyway. Don’t wait to write again, but come as -soon as possible next week, for our plot will come off as -soon as possible.</p> - -<p>I am, I was, and I always mean to be,</p> - -<p class="right"><span class="smcap">Your Sleepy Cousin Will</span>.</p> - -</div> - -<hr class="chap" /> - -<h2 id="Chapter_XXXI">Chapter XXXI.<br /> -<span class="smcap">Will Mends His Ways.</span></h2> - -<p>Teacher Meadows read this remarkable letter as -though uncertain whether he were asleep or awake. It -would be difficult to describe the effect on the “audience.” -They were not particularly emotional people, but this -letter seemed to affect them strongly.</p> - -<p>Poor Will! his cup of sorrow was full! The first words -told him the mistake he had made, and he listened, with -the anguish of despair, while Teacher Meadows read on -remorselessly to the end. He could neither creep under -his seat nor steal out of the apartment. He knew that -every eye was fixed upon him—oh, what would people -think! Once, when the letter was nearly finished, he -ventured to glance towards some of his school-mates; -but their faces were so full of anger, astonishment, and -horror, that he hastily looked in another direction.</p> - -<p>But in the midst of all this suffering, there was one -consolation—his parents were unable to be present. He -knew how grieved they would feel, and so he rejoiced at -their absence, and bore his misery as patiently as he -could.</p> - -<p>And yet he was tortured almost beyond endurance. -Oh, why had he written so freely about his school-fellows -in this letter? Why had he written so disrespectfully -about Mr. Meadows, who was always so kind to him?</p> - -<p>Teacher Meadows, who scarcely ever spoke unkindly -to his pupils, now said to the hero, in a constrained and<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_277" id="Page_277">[277]</a></span> -harsh voice: “I cannot understand how any boy could -think such a subject—say, rather, <em>want</em> of subject—and -so free an expression of his views, could possibly win him -the prize.”</p> - -<p>In a low and faltering voice, Will said something about -“a great mistake.”</p> - -<p>“Oh, a <em>mistake</em>,” said Mr. Meadows. Then he added -sarcastically: “That is too bad; for if your friend Henry -had received this letter, he would have had a <em>very</em> vivid -idea of your comrades’ characteristics and of your -teacher’s incapacity.”</p> - -<p>Then, remembering that others were present, he -checked himself, and said more mildly, “Will, I am disappointed -in you; I had formed a much better opinion -of you. There, let it pass; I shall say no more about it.”</p> - -<p>Poor boy, he was certainly to be pitied! Censure was -to him intolerable; and censure before all these people! -Truly, he was being punished for his carelessness.</p> - -<p>After all, he had not said anything so very wicked -about either teacher or school-fellows; and perhaps an -impartial judge would have decided that, all things considered, -the writer of such a letter deserved the prize. -But Mr. Meadows’ judgment was biassed; he felt insulted; -and he thought otherwise.</p> - -<p>“But,” chuckles the astute reader, “surely Marmaduke -could not be duped after that!” We beg your pardon, -gentle reader; but if you think that, you are not skilled -in the art of writing stories.</p> - -<p>Marmaduke, also, was unable to attend school that day; -and if you read the letter carefully once more, you will -perceive that it is so vague and incoherent that no one -except the four in the plot could make anything out of -it. Those who heard it would not perceive that any -great danger menaced Marmaduke; and even if they -should warn him to be on his guard, he would hardly -connect this letter with the one he was to receive in due -time. No; Marmaduke would be as unsuspicious as ever, -no matter how much he might be warned.</p> - -<p>And thus it happened that Will’s muddled wits preserved -the plot.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_278" id="Page_278">[278]</a></span></p> - -<p>But the other boys! Ah, they had reason to feel -aggrieved and insulted!</p> - -<p>All except George were indignant at poor foolish Will. -Mr. Meadows had decided that the odds were in favor of -George, and, much to the chagrin of four ink-loving -youths who <em>knew</em> they would win, he bore away the -prize. He was a philosopher, but not a stoic, and now -supreme content played over his visage. In fact, he felt -so joyous and exultant that he could laugh at Will’s -blunder.</p> - -<p>Not so, the others. Out of sight and hearing of the -people, they pounced on Will, (figuratively speaking,) -and glared at him with the most ferocious and horrible -expression of countenance that they could put on.</p> - -<p>Even good-natured Charles was vexed to be thus -openly criticized, and he said sullenly, “Well, Will, I -guess you needn’t call our plot mean after this.”</p> - -<p>Will heaved a sigh, but said nothing.</p> - -<p>“Look here, boys,” the winner of the prize interposed; -“suppose that one of us had been asked by a cousin a -long way off to give an opinion of his school-fellows, -would it have been as mild and as sincere as the one -Will gave? I know that a great many boys would -have said far meaner things than Will did; for, when a -boy comes to speak of his school-fellows, he will hardly -ever say a word in their praise. I’ve often wondered -why it is,” musingly, “and I think sometimes a boy is a -blockhead, anyway. Well, perhaps it isn’t so; perhaps -I’m mistaken. Come, Charley; be just to poor Will.”</p> - -<p>“Listen to the orator!” mockingly observed a defeated -competitor [not one of the six]. “He talks as though he -made it a business to study a ‘school-fellow’s’ habits!”</p> - -<p>“The prize has made an oracle and a hero of him,” -chimed in another, who probably felt that there was -more or less truth in the Sage’s remarks.</p> - -<p>“What’s the name of his prize, anyway?” queried still -another defeated one, with considerable interest in his -tones, but not deigning to glance towards the victor.</p> - -<p>“Oh, it’s some mighty <em>good</em> book, I suppose;” answered -the first speaker. “In fact, so <em>good</em>, that it’s <em>bad</em>!”</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_279" id="Page_279">[279]</a></span></p> - -<p>The four inky-fingered youths who <em>knew</em> they would -win, thought this so comical that they laughed derisively.</p> - -<p>George’s eyes flashed fire and his blood boiled, but he -said, as calmly as he could, “I’ve often noticed that boys -that guess at things hardly ever hit the mark. Now, -your ideas about this prize are very wild; for it’s about -a midshipman’s cruise round the world.”</p> - -<p>The four defeated ones scowled at him, and one of -them said, as he turned to go, “Well, boys, we might as -well be off, for these fellows don’t care for us, they say.”</p> - -<p>And they strode away, leaving the four plotters together.</p> - -<p>It may not be pertinent to the subject to picture here -so dark a side of life, but now the reader will understand -why the six avoided the society of the other boys of the -village, and clung to each other. Poor fellows, with all -their faults, they were free from such jealous passions.</p> - -<p>As soon as they found themselves alone, George said -eagerly, “Come, Charles, don’t be too hard on Will.”</p> - -<p>“Well, George, I don’t know but that you’re right in -what you said,” Charles admitted; “but it was very unpleasant -for us, and what will people think?”</p> - -<p>“Pshaw! what do we care about that!” the Sage -exclaimed contemptuously, hugging the prize to his -bosom. “After all, I don’t know but that Will said -more in favor of us than against us; and wasn’t it worse -for him than for us? If he can bear it, <em>we</em> can.”</p> - -<p>“George is quite right,” Stephen declared. “Will is -more to be pitied than all of us put together.”</p> - -<p>“I don’t want anybody’s pity,” Will said sourly.</p> - -<p>“Marmaduke and Jim got it the worst,” said Steve. -“The only thing that troubles me at all, is that our plot -is spoiled;” in a doleful tone.</p> - -<p>“Spoiled! How is it spoiled?” the Sage inquired. -“Marmaduke wasn’t there to hear the letter, and no one -else could make any sense out of it.—I—I mean,” he -added quickly, “no one would know what it meant.”</p> - -<p>“Well, how are we to patch it up again?” Charles -asked uneasily.</p> - -<p>“I think we had all better make up friends with Will<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_280" id="Page_280">[280]</a></span> -this minute, and get him to write to his cousin again,” -George said, smiling brightly.</p> - -<p>Charles and Stephen were of the same opinion, but -poor Will was in a bad humour, and he said sullenly, -“I won’t write to him any more; so that you needn’t -make up with me on that account.”</p> - -<p>The boys were appalled. George’s words had revived -hope in their breast, but now it seemed that their darling -scheme must fail; for, without Henry to write the letter -and help them forward, it would be only a humdrum -affair; and unless Will would send for him, he perhaps -would not come—or, if he should come, he would spend -all his time with Will, and have nothing to do with -them. Consequently, the three crowded round Will, -made him so sensible of his own importance, and played -their parts so well, that he finally smiled, relented, and -promised to do any thing they wished.</p> - -<p>“And you will write soon, won’t you?” Charles asked -eagerly.</p> - -<p>“Yes; I’ll write as soon as I can;” Will returned. -“Say, boys,” anxiously, “do any of you know what Mr. -Meadows did with my—my letter?”</p> - -<p>“Yes; he kept it for a witness against you;” wickedly -and promptly answered quick-witted Stephen.</p> - -<p>“Jim is the next one for us to deal with,” said George; -“and,” sighing profoundly, “there’s the rub!”</p> - -<p>Then Charles, who had been reading a novel of the -“intensely interesting” sort, said jocosely, “Perhaps we -can buy his silence.”</p> - -<p>“As the nervous old gentleman said when he gave a -nickel to a little boy to stop his noise,” Steve subjoined.</p> - -<p>“He will have to be soothed and let into our councils,” -the Sage observed, “and perhaps it will be just as well, -because we shall need more than five to manage our plot, -and ‘the more, the merrier,’ you know.”</p> - -<p>“I know something, too; I know that ‘too many cooks -spoil the pudding,’” said Steve, in a tone of melancholy -foreboding.</p> - -<p>“Stephen Goodfellow, we are not cooks!” Charles -retorted.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_281" id="Page_281">[281]</a></span></p> - -<p>Soon afterward the plotters separated; Will, to go -sorrowfully homeward; George, to hasten gladly to his -parents and be congratulated on his success; Charles and -Stephen to find, “soothe,” and let into their councils, the -boy called Jim.</p> - -<p>It is sufficient to say that Jim was overjoyed to take -part in their plot, though vexed at them for having kept -him in the dark so long, and at Will for having spoken -of him as a “first-rate coward.”</p> - -<p>Thus the bad effects of the exchanged composition -were remedied, though mischief enough had been done -by causing Teacher Meadows to have a bad opinion of -Will. And Will, foolish boy, fancied that by this means he -had been cheated out of the prize.</p> - -<p>Perhaps it was the best thing that could possibly have -happened to him, for, from that day forward, he cultivated -order so assiduously and determinedly that in course of -time he became more orderly than even George. He -vowed to wreak dire vengeance on himself if such a mishap -should ever again befall him, and it was noticed by -his mother and schoolfellows that his ridiculous blunders -were on the decrease. With all his belongings in perfect -order, it was much easier to keep out of trouble; especially, -as he was also more circumspect in all his movements -than heretofore.</p> - -<p>An additional advantage. Two bumps, one over each -eye, took root, and grew, and grew, and continued to -grow, till they bulged out exceedingly. Not knowing -the cause of this, Will continued to cultivate order, and -his bumps continued to grow and bulge out, till he became -the most distinguished looking youth in the village.</p> - -<p>Boys, never mind the bumps, but take the moral to -heart, and if any of you are untidy, reform before your -want of order exposes you to disgrace and pain, as Will’s -did him.</p> - -<hr class="chap" /> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_282" id="Page_282">[282]</a></span></p> - -<h2 id="Chapter_XXXII">Chapter XXXII.<br /> -<span class="smcap">The Arch-Plotter Arrives.</span></h2> - -<p>On the next day Will wrote another letter to his -cousin, in which he invited him to come and pay them a -visit. He gave a rambling explanation of the “essay,”—which, -he thought, would not only puzzle, but also -astound, poor Henry—and avoided mentioning his school-fellows -at all. In fact, he had resolved in his mind that -hereafter, in writing letters, he would confine himself to -the matter in hand, and not discourse on the virtues and -vices, the wisdom and folly, of his school-fellows. As for -the plot, he said simply that they had “a game on foot,” -filling up his letter by giving an interesting record of the -weather for the past month, and a touching account of a -lump on his horse’s hind leg.</p> - -<p>Will posted his letter with a light heart, feeling that -his presentiments must have related to the exchanged -composition, and that now all would be well.</p> - -<p>In the eloquent words of sundry novelists: “It was -well for him that he could not look into the future.”</p> - -<p>The holidays had now begun, and, as was said above, -the plotters spent a great part of their time in fitting up -the deserted house, which was to be the scene of their -comedy—or tragedy, as the event should prove.</p> - -<p>Having done this, the plotters, Jim included, again -assembled in solemn council, to deliberate on certain -features of their plot. They wished to make themselves -thoroughly acquainted with all the details, so that everything -should work smoothly.</p> - -<p>“Now, when Henry comes,” said Will, “we must meet -him at the station, and keep him out of Marmaduke’s -sight till he sees him in the ‘Wigwam’ as the captive. -Marmaduke will be all unprepared, and will take him for -the captive without a doubt.”</p> - -<p>“Yes,” Charles assented; “but will Henry consent to -be rigged out as a French captive?”</p> - -<p>“Oh, he will have to do that,” said Will; “he will have -to do whatever we tell him; and <em>we</em> shall have to do<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_283" id="Page_283">[283]</a></span> -whatever he tells us. Oh, we shall work together just like -a—a—like a—”</p> - -<p>“Like the works of a clock,” suggested Steve, never at -a loss for a simile, however inapt it might be.</p> - -<p>“Well,” Charles observed, “let us make a being of -straw, or old clothes, to look like a discomfited tramp in -effigy, and then hang him out of a window up-stairs. -Marmaduke will take it for the persecuting captor, of -course. And besides, we shall want something to do -while Henry and Marmaduke are rescuing each other. -This is your idea, Steve,” he added, “and I give you all -the credit for it.”</p> - -<p>All the plotters were in favor of doing this, and so <em>that</em> -question was settled.</p> - -<p>Jim—who bore the plotters a grudge for not having -acquainted him with their designs till forced to do so—was -suddenly struck with a peculiarly “bright” idea. -He said nothing to them, but chuckling grimly to himself, -he muttered fiendishly: “It would serve ’em right, -I guess, anyway!”</p> - -<p>Stephen was suddenly struck with a horrible fear; he -gasped faintly: “Boys!—say, boys! Oh, dear! Boys, -won’t the French young lady be supposed to speak in her -own language? And how could Marmaduke understand -that?—that is, if Henry could speak it right along?”</p> - -<p>The plotters were appalled. With consternation in -every face, they stared at each other in utter hopelessness, -whilst their beloved plot tottered on its foundations.</p> - -<p>But presently the Sage, with his customary philosophy, -came to the rescue. Said he: “Look here, boys, all that -is necessary is to have the captor and the wicked jailers -teach the beautiful captive to speak English, broken English, -a little. Alas, it seems to me that this captive will -be an endless trouble to us, and I think Henry will wish -himself himself again. Yes, I shall be glad when its all -over.”</p> - -<p>“Never mind;” said Stephen. “Now, this broken -English will settle <em>that</em> question; but, Will, can Henry -speak broken—I mean <em>cracked</em>—English?”</p> - -<p>“Of course he can,” said Will confidently; “he can do -anything.”</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_284" id="Page_284">[284]</a></span></p> - -<p>The self-styled conspirators breathed freely, for their -plot was now established on a firm foundation.</p> - -<p>The work of fashioning a “being” progressed rapidly; -and the day before Henry arrived they put the finishing -touches to an object that was a monstrosity indeed. If -the curious reader wishes to know what this object, or -“being,” or monstrosity, looked like, let him turn to the -picture of the fourth giant in his baby brother’s “handsomely -illustrated” “Jack the Giant-Killer.” The -resemblance between that giant and this “being” is -striking.</p> - -<p>Yes; they had hit upon their vocation at last; and if -they should remove to the haunts of savages in the -Polynesian islands, or in the unexplored regions of Africa, -and set up in business as idol-makers, their fame and fortune -would soon be an accomplished fact.</p> - -<p>But this story drags already; so let it be sufficient to -add that the “impostor,” as they fondly called it, was -lovingly and secretly conveyed to the lone house, and -hidden away till it should be needed.</p> - -<p>Thus time passed with the plotters. They often had -great difficulty in keeping all their movements and plans -a secret from Marmaduke; more than once he came upon -them in their journeys to and fro, and it was only by -using the greatest tact that they prevented him from following -them to the old building.</p> - -<p>Poor Marmaduke! he was at a loss to know why the -boys should act in so strange a manner. He would come -upon them sometimes, seated, and talking earnestly; but -the moment they caught sight of him, all were silent. At -last he began to think that he had offended them in some -way—how, he could not guess. However, the time when -he should be rudely awakened was at hand.</p> - -<p>Henry Mortimer, the boy-lover of the sweet little blue-eyed -heroine, was somewhat surprised to receive through -the post a very learned dissertation on “Philosophical -Ingenuity;” but two days afterwards Will’s letter of explanation -and invitation followed it, and then he was all -eagerness to be off, as he anticipated having a delightful -visit with his cousin and his aunt. But there were other<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_285" id="Page_285">[285]</a></span> -reasons why he was glad to go away from home for a few -days, or even weeks. <em>His</em> school, also, had closed for the -holidays; and consequently, he saw but little of—(It must -be tiresome to the reader to see the writer of this history -continually using circumlocution in speaking of this little -girl, but as there are private reasons why her name -should not be made known, he [the helpless reader] will -have to make the best of it.) Moreover, a handsome and -clever youth, a first cousin of the little blue-eyed heroine’s, -was spending the holidays at her parents’, with her elder -brother; and Henry’s feverish imagination (poor boy, he -was jealous as ever) immediately conjectured that he and -she would fall in love with each other! To be sure they -were first cousins; but Henry had latterly taken to the -bad habit of reading English novels, and so he let his -fears get the better of his judgment, and thought it only -logical that she should eventually shake him off, and -marry the cousin. As if to confirm his fears, he had seen -her, the heroine who had given him the glass ink-bottle, -walking down the side-walk, accompanied by the stalwart -cousin. This had worked his jealous passions up to -boiling heat, but feeling his utter helplessness, he had -affected to be unconcerned; and now, to prove how little -he cared, he would go away on a visit, and stay—well, -<em>perhaps</em> he might stay two weeks.</p> - -<p>Preparations were immediately begun, but it was hard -for Mr. and Mrs. Mortimer to part with their son, if for -only a short time. The “game on foot” hinted at in the -letter troubled the latter—the more so, as she was aware -of her son’s recklessness, and was firmly persuaded that -her young nephew was totally devoid of common sense. -But, at last, when the holidays were a week old, the -redoubtable hero departed, with repeated warnings to -keep out of danger, and to be very, <em>very</em> careful of himself, -ringing in his ears.</p> - -<p>The same day Will was delighted in two different ways. -He received a telegram, directed to <em>himself</em>. Delight -number one.</p> - -<p>The telegram ran as follows:—</p> - -<div class="blockquote"> - -<p>“Your cousin Henry will be there to-morrow morning; -meet him.</p> - -<p class="right">“<span class="smcap">M. Mortimer.</span>”</p> - -</div> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_286" id="Page_286">[286]</a></span></p> - -<p>Delight number two.</p> - -<p>Will hastened to inform his fellow-plotters of this good -news, and joy reigned among them all.</p> - -<p>The next morning came, and with it came Cousin -Henry. Each one of the heroes, except Marmaduke, was -at the depot to welcome him; each one was struck with -his commanding appearance; each one thought what a -beautiful heroine he would make. Proudly, but very -awkwardly, Will introduced them to each other, and then -proposed to his cousin that he should bind a handkerchief -loosely over his head, so that it should partially conceal -his features.</p> - -<p>“What for?” asked Henry, with surprise. “I haven’t -the tooth-ache, nor I’m not ashamed to be seen.”</p> - -<p>“Yes, but there’s a boy here not in our plot; and if he -should happen to see you, all would be spoiled,” Will -pleaded.</p> - -<p>“We might meet him, any minute, Henry, for he’s -always prowling round at this time of day,” Stephen -chimed in.</p> - -<p>Stephen and Henry looked each other full in the face: -congenial spirits met.</p> - -<p>“Well,” said Henry resignedly, “go ahead, and trick -me out as you please.” Then, a woe-begone look overspreading -his face, he added: “There is no one here to -know me, so that it makes no difference how I am trussed -up.”</p> - -<p>Ah! his heart was with the loved ones at home, and he -cared little what these boys did with him.</p> - -<p>But “tricked out” and “trussed up!” Those words -took well with the simple village boys; they held their -breath for admiration.</p> - -<p>Then the cleanest handkerchief (which was Henry’s -own) that could be found, was bound about his head, so -as to flap over his mouth unpleasantly, and wanton in the -sultry July breeze.</p> - -<p>Needless precaution, for nothing was seen of Marmaduke.</p> - -<p>Weary as Henry must have been after his long journey, -he was hurried away to one of the boys’ retreats, in a<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_287" id="Page_287">[287]</a></span> -retired quarter of Mr Lawrence’s garden. At first the -boys were quite reserved, for Henry had been represented -to them as a very extraordinary personage; but in the -course of half an hour they became as well acquainted -with him as if they had known him from the days of the -plesiosaurus dolichodeirus.</p> - -<p>For a full hour they talked almost at random; narrating -their late adventures with Bob, touching gingerly -upon Will’s last lamentable blunder, and giving a minute, -but bewildering and disjointed, account of their darling -scheme.</p> - -<p>Then, after Henry had received confused notions of -various matters, the party dispersed; and the poor boy -was allowed to see his aunt and uncle, wash, partake of -some food, and snatch a wink of sleep.</p> - -<p>They had appointed to meet early in the afternoon, to -discuss their plot in all its bearings, and to have Henry -compose the vexatious letter; but he and Will spent a -short but very pleasant time in each other’s company, and -when the hour came for them to repair to the rendezvous, -the former had grasped the boys’ idea, and mapped out -his own course.</p> - -<p>To say that Henry was delighted with this plot, would -be to do him gross injustice—in fact, to speak out boldly, -since yesterday the writer has racked his brains in a vain -endeavor to hit upon some single adjective that would -adequately describe the boy’s ecstasy.</p> - -<hr class="chap" /> - -<h2 id="Chapter_XXXIII">Chapter XXXIII.<br /> -<span class="smcap">“A Lesson in French.”</span></h2> - -<p>“Here we are!” Steve joyously exclaimed, as the last -one of the plotters arrived at the rendezvous in Mr. Lawrence’s -garden. “And now, then, let us go to work.”</p> - -<p>“Are you perfectly sure this Marmaduke will believe -the letter is genuine, and fly to the rescue?” Henry asked -dubiously.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_288" id="Page_288">[288]</a></span></p> - -<p>“He would believe anything, Henry,” Charles rejoined -“And the more romantic the letter is, the more he will -believe it.”</p> - -<p>“Why,” said Steve, “I shouldn’t be surprised if he -falls in love when he meets you all tricked up—tricked -<em>out</em>—as a heroine!”</p> - -<p>Henry smiled grimly, but said nothing.</p> - -<p>“Oh, no,” said George dogmatically. “Henry’s eyes -are blue, and so are Marmaduke’s; and you know—at -least, I’ve often read—that people alike in that respect -seldom fall in love with each other.”</p> - -<p>Oh, how indignant Henry was! Who was this impertinent -little boy, who had opinions (and such opinions!) -on all topics?</p> - -<p>“Are you in the habit of reading love-stories?” he -asked curiously.</p> - -<p>“No,” said the Sage slowly, “I’ve never read many -genuine love-stories; I don’t care much for them; they’re -not solid enough.”</p> - -<p>“You’ll see the day when you’ll care to read nothing -else,” said Henry, melodramatically.</p> - -<p>Perceiving that the plotters were looking at him intently, -he said hurriedly, for he did not wish these boys -to guess his secret, “You haven’t told me yet when the -plot is to come off.”</p> - -<p>“We never settled that ourselves; but if to-morrow -evening is pleasant, let us go then,” said Will.</p> - -<p>“We have had so many unfortunate expeditions in the -night that I think we had better set some other time,” -the Sage observed.</p> - -<p>“The evening is the time, of course;” said Henry decisively. -“We can take care of ourselves, I think, if we -try. To-morrow forenoon I must disguise myself and go -and see this old house with some of you; and then, as we -are coming back, if the rest of you could come up with -Marmaduke, I could hide, and look on while he ‘finds’ -the letter. Have you settled that point yet?”</p> - -<p>“Yes,” said Charles, “we planned to fix the letter in -a bottle, and fling it into the river a few rods above him. -The river, you know, flows past the house; so that when<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_289" id="Page_289">[289]</a></span> -he reads the letter he’ll think the prisoner threw the concern -into the river, and that it floated down. Marmaduke -will think that is romance itself.”</p> - -<p>“I understand,” Henry commented; “and when we -write the letter we can say something to that effect. -Now, what do you say to mixing up a priest in the -plot?”</p> - -<p>“A priest?” they asked, at a loss to guess his intent.</p> - -<p>“Yes, a poor old priest, that found out the villain in -his capturing schemes, and had to be seized and brought -along, or else made away with.</p> - -<p>“I—I don’t—see why,” Charles stammered.</p> - -<p>“Will tells me that Marmaduke is to suppose I’m the -captive, and that I’m to be dressed accordingly,” Henry -said lazily. “Now, if you boys can’t see what I mean, -keep your eyes and ears open, and when the time comes, -there will be so much the more sport for you.”</p> - -<p>The plotters did not see what Henry was driving -at; but, thinking it must be an “improvement” that had -suggested itself to him, they were content to wait.</p> - -<p>“Now, we must all swear that none of us will laugh, -no matter how droll things may be,” Will observed.</p> - -<p>Henry could never be guilty of such a misdemeanor. -He was a boy who could do and say the most absurdly -ridiculous things without the slightest smile on his face; -and the others had tolerable control over their facial -muscles.</p> - -<p>“Don’t be too hard on Marmaduke, Henry;” said -Charles, still at a loss to conjecture to what use the -imaginary priest was to be put, and beginning to fear -that some great danger menaced hapless Marmaduke.</p> - -<p>“I will be careful,” Henry replied.</p> - -<p>“About the letter—let us write it,” Steve cried, impatiently.</p> - -<p>“I have the materials to write it in the rough,” said -Henry. “To-night I shall polish it, and write it off on -French note paper, and to-morrow I shall hand it over to -you.”</p> - -<p>“Make the letter very strong,” Charles suggested. -“The more extraordinary and whimsical it is, the more<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_290" id="Page_290">[290]</a></span> -poor deluded Marmaduke will be delighted. Poor fellow, -if it is hard to make it out, he will stammer over it till -his face and hands get damp with sweat.”</p> - -<p>“Doesn’t he understand French very well?” Henry -asked.</p> - -<p>“None of us do,” Charles dolefully acknowledged.</p> - -<p>“Well, is he in the habit of wandering through the -dictionary?”</p> - -<p>“I—don’t—know,” said Charles, wondering what Henry -was driving at now.</p> - -<p>“Well, then, I will run the risk,” said the master-plotter, -like the hero he was.</p> - -<p>Not allowing the curious boys to ask any questions, he -continued: “As you don’t understand French very well, -I must read the letter carefully to you to-morrow, for it -would be jolly fun if none of you could make it out. -Well, fire ahead, and I’ll write; but after I polish it, -your letter may be very different from the original -draft.”</p> - -<p>With that he produced pencil and paper, and then -slowly, like a blood-thirsty author hatching his plot, a -draught was made of the letter; each particular, as it -occurred to the boys, being set down at random. When -finished, it was, like Will’s letter, so incoherent that it -would give a person a headache to read it. But in their -own room that night Henry wrote and “polished,” whilst -Will looked for words and phrases in his dictionary. -They worked long and carefully, and about midnight the -letter was transcribed for the last time; and with dizzy -head and heavy, blinking eyes, poor Henry tumbled into -bed, saying, drowsily, “I have portentous ap—apprehensions -that by—by to-morrow night—I shall need—need -some—some Cayenne pepper mixture.”</p> - -<p>But he slept long and well, and felt himself again the -next morning.</p> - -<p>We give the letter in French, just as Henry wrote it. -This is not done because of a morbid love of writing -something in a foreign language—which seems to be so -strong in some people, whether they understand it or not—but -because of three very good reasons: First, to show<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_291" id="Page_291">[291]</a></span> -the length to which the boys went in carrying out their -plot; secondly, to give the good-natured reader an insight -into Henry’s character—for a man is best known by his -writings; thirdly, because it is a well-known fact that -intelligent youths who are studying a foreign language -have an eager desire to read, or attempt to read, whatever -they can find in that language; and it is well to gratify -such healthy desires.</p> - -<p>After holding forth in this strain, perhaps it will be as -well to observe, that the youth who expects to perfect -himself in French by a careful perusal of this letter will -be most bitterly deceived.</p> - -<p>One word more: Henry, and Henry only, is responsible -for this letter, therefore all the praise must be given to -him. But is it reasonable to suppose that the French -Academy will survive the publication of this letter?</p> - -<p>The envelope enclosing the letter bore the following -superscription:</p> - -<p>“A celui qui trouvera: Lisez le contenu de cette lettre -sans délai!”</p> - -<p>“To the finder: Read the contents of this letter without -delay!” as Henry read it to the boys.</p> - -<p>That is good; that is orthodox.</p> - -<p>The letter ran as follows:</p> - -<div class="blockquote"> - -<p>O lecteur, je suis prisonnière! Un méchant homme -m’a prise, et m’a emportée de mon pays. Je suis la fille -d’un des seigneurs de la France, le Duc de la Chaloupe en -Poitou. Un des ennemis de mon père—quoiqu’il soit le -meilleur homme du monde, il ne laisse pas d’avoir ses -adversaires, mais c’est parce qu’il est favori de notre -empereur puissant, Napoléon trois—je répète, un de ses -ennemis, un faquin impitoyable—un <em>misérable</em>—un <span class="smcapuc">DÉMON</span>, -considéra tous les moyens de le perdre.</p> - -<p>Enfin, voyant qu’il n’a pas d’autre moyen de blesser -mon papa, ce monstre résout de lui dérober sa fille. Il -ourdit finement sa trame, et conspire à dresser des -embûches pour m’attraper. Il fait emplette d’un yacht à -vapeur, un vaisseau bon voilier, et il l’équipe. Puis il -ancre dans une petite crique, près du château de mon père.<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_292" id="Page_292">[292]</a></span> -Ne songeant pas au danger, mon précepteur et moi nous -sortons pour voir ce vaisseau étranger; et en nous promenant -le long du rivage le capitaine nous prie d’aller à -bord, pour en faire le tour. Nous le font; mais à peine -sommes-nous montés sur la tillée, qu’on nous saisit et -nous enferme dans deux petites cabines! O perfide! il -s’empare facilement de sa prise! Et moi! Depuis ce -moment j’ai éprouvé beaucoup de malheurs.</p> - -<p>Ses drôles ingambes se mettent en train; l’équipage -lève tout de suite l’ancre; le pompier vole à sa pompe à -feu; les matelots déferlent les voiles; bientôt le yacht -vogue; tout à l’heure il marche à pleines voiles. La -fenêtre treillissée de ma cabine, ou prison, donne sur la -demeure de mes ancêtres, et je vois courir ça et là nos -serviteurs, avec des cris aigres de chagrin et d’horreur. -Trop tard! le maroufle s’évade avec sa captive! Oh, -mon cher père et ma chère mère! Qu’êtes-vous devenus!</p> - -<p>Le yacht a marché quelques heures quand il entre un -homme dans ma cabine, suivi de mon précepteur, le bon -prêtre. Je reconnais Bélître Scélérat, l’ennemi de mon -papa! C’est lui qui m’a captivée. “Tranquillisez-vous,” -me dit-il; “je ne vous ferai pas de mal. Je suis l’ennemi -de votre père le duc, mais je ne suis point votre ennemi. -J’en userai bien avec vous, tant que vous n’essaierez pas de -vous échapper. Ce prêtre sera votre instituteur comme -a l’ordinaire; et vous pouvez y être aussi heureuse que -si vous étiez chez vos parents.” Je le prie de me rendre, -mais j’ai beau supplier. Le prêtre, à son tour, raisonne -avec lui, mais le monstre hausse les épaules et il est sourd -à nos prières.</p> - -<p>Après un voyage de long cours nous abordons en -Amérique—c’est-à-dire, je crois que c’est ce pays. Un -complice de mon capteur l’aide a transporter le prêtre et -moi dans le sein du pays, où l’on a préparé une prison -pour nous. Je fus captivée le cinq mai; c’est maintenant -le dix juillet. Il y a donc soixante-six jours que je n’ai -vu mes parents! J’ai passé le temps dans solitude et -tristesse. Le bon prêtre m’encourage, mais il est le seul -sur qui je puisse compter. Ah! je deviendrai folle si -personne ne vient me secourir.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_293" id="Page_293">[293]</a></span></p> - -<p>Il semble que je sois près d’un chemin de fer, -parce que j’entends quelquefois le hennissement du -cheval de fer. La prison dans laquelle je me trouve -couronne la cime d’une petite colline, auprès laquelle il -serpente un beau courant. Quant à la prison, elle est -fortifiée en forteresse; et le prêtre et moi nous sommes -gardés comme des bêtes sauvages par les guichetiers -durs. Le voisinage est la solitude même. Pour surcroît -de malheur, la place est l’abord de revenants! J’avais -coutume chez moi de rire de l’idée de spectres, mais j’ai -vu dans cette prison une infinité d’affreuses apparitions, -de lutins ailés.</p> - -<p>Bélître Scélérat nous traite passablement, c’est-à-dire, -il ne nous menace pas. Il ne nous voit pas souvent, -comme il va partout le pays, pour conférer avec ses agents, -ou bien il court la mer en forban. Ses geôliers, pourtant, -ont soin de nous, et ils nous gardent rigoureusement. Je -n’ai jamais été hors de l’enclos, et toutes les fois que j’y -vais pour aspirer de l’air frais les geôliers montent la -garde pour me surveiller. Bélître Scélérat dit qu’il -m’affranchira aussitôt que mon papa lui paiera une -rançon énorme; mais il ajoute qu’il compte me tenir -prisonnière long-temps, pour que mon papa paie la rançon -promptement.</p> - -<p>J’ai écrit cette lettre en secret, et j’ai dessein de la -mettre en sûreté dans une bouteille. Puis j’essaierai de la -jeter dans le ruisseau, dans l’espérance que quelqu’un la -trouvera. Lecteur, ayez pitié de moi! Venez à mes -secours, ou c’est fait de moi! Je vis en espoir d’être -sauvée. Suivez le cours dans lequel vous trouvez cette -lettre, et vous arriverez à la maison qui est ma prison. -Si vous ne pourrez me délivrer, envoyez ma lettre au Duc -de la Chaloupe, et il viendra avec une armée pour me -sauver. Hélas! peut-être mon illustre père est-il mort!</p> - -<p>Si le lecteur est à même de me sauver qu’il se dépêche -car Bélître Scélérat ne sera pas à la maison cette -semaine, et les gardes sont plus poltrons que braves. -Ainsi mon élargissement se fera aisément! Mon père -le duc récompensera qui que ce soit qui me sauve, j’en -suis sûre. Peut-être sa majesté l’empereur desire-t-il<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_294" id="Page_294">[294]</a></span> -encore un général. Voulez-vous être ce personage honoré? -Mon père le duc est un de ses conseillers:—le sage -entend à demi-mot!</p> - -<p>J’écris mon placet en français, parce que je n’entends -bien aucun autre langage; mais si le découvreur n’est -pas en état de le prouver,—c’est-à-dire, si je suis en -Amérique, où l’on ne parle point français, il ne faudra pas -qu’il la détruise. Il pourra trouver aux environs -quelqu’un qui sait le français, car ma langue incomparable -est sue par toutes les parties de la terre.</p> - -<p>J’attends ma liberté. Venez avec des hommes braves, -et les projets de mon persécuteur seront renversés. Hâtez -vous.</p> - -<p class="right"><span class="smcap">Sauterelle Hirondelle de la Chaloupe.</span></p> - -</div> - -<p>This is the letter as Henry wrote it. Lest the reader -should not be able to make out this “langue incomparable” -as rendered by him, we give the translation which -he gave to his admiring fellow-plotters next morning.</p> - -<div class="blockquote"> - -<p>Oh reader, I am a prisoner! A wicked man has -captured me and taken me away from my country. I -am the daughter of one of the lords of France, the Duke -de la Chaloupe, in Poitou. An enemy of my father—although -he is the best man in the world he has his -enemies, nevertheless, but it is because he is a favorite of -our mighty emperor, Napoleon the Third—I repeat, an -enemy of his, a pitiless scoundrel—a <em>wretch</em>—a <span class="smcapuc">DEMON</span>, -cast about to hit upon some plot to ruin him.</p> - -<p>Seeing that he had no other means of harming my -father, this monster resolved to rob him of his daughter. -He hatched his plot artfully, and conspired to lay an -ambush to entrap me. He bought a steam yacht, a fast -sailer, and manned and equipped it. Then he anchored -in a little cove, near my father’s castle. Little dreaming -of danger, my tutor and I went to see this strange ship, -and while we were walking along the shore, the captain -invited us to go on board, to examine it. We did so; -but we had scarcely got on the main deck when we were -seized and shut up in two little cabins! O treacherous<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_295" id="Page_295">[295]</a></span> -man! how easily he got possession of his victim! And I? -From that time I have experienced many misfortunes.</p> - -<p>His agile knaves sprang to their work; the crew -weighed anchor immediately; the engine-driver flew to -his engine; the sailors unfurled the sails; soon the -yacht was under way; presently she sailed away under -full sail. The grated window of my cabin, or prison, -looked upon the home of my ancestors, and I saw our -retainers running to and fro, with shrill cries of grief and -horror. Too late! The villain escapes with his captive! -Oh, my dear father and mother! What has become of -you!</p> - -<p>The yacht had sailed a few hours when a man entered -my cabin, followed by my tutor, the good priest. I -recognized Bélître Scélérat, the enemy of my father! It -was he who had captured me. “Compose yourself,” -said he, “I will do you no harm. I am the enemy of -your father, the duke, but I am not your enemy. I will -treat you well, so long as you do not attempt to escape. -The priest will be your tutor the same as before; and -you may be as happy here as if you were with your -parents.” I implored him to return me, but I implored -in vain. The priest, in his turn, reasoned with him, but -the monster shrugged his shoulders and was deaf to our -entreaties.</p> - -<p>After a long voyage we landed in America—at least, -I believed it was that country. An accomplice of my -captor assisted him to convey the priest and me into the -heart of the country, where a prison had been prepared -for us. I was captured May fifth, and it is now July -tenth. Sixty-six days, therefore, have passed since I -saw my parents! I have spent the time in solitude and -sadness. The good priest encourages me, but he is the -only one on whom I can rely. Ah! I shall go mad if -no one comes to help me.</p> - -<p>It seems that I am near a railroad, because I often -hear the neigh of the iron horse. The prison in which I -find myself crowns the top of a low hillock, past which -winds a fine stream. As for the prison, it is fortified -equal to a fortress; and the priest and I are guarded like<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_296" id="Page_296">[296]</a></span> -wild beasts by the remorseless turnkeys. The neighborhood -is solitude itself. For greater misfortune, the place -is the resort of ghosts! At home I used to laugh at the -idea of ghosts, but I have seen a great number of hideous -apparitions, of winged hobgoblins, in this prison.</p> - -<p>Bélître Scélérât treats us tolerably, that is to say, he -does not threaten us. We do not see him often, as he -goes all over the country, to confer with his agents, or -else he cruises as a pirate. His jailers, however, take care -of us, and they guard us rigorously. I have never gone -out of the enclosure, and whenever I go there to breathe -the fresh air, the jailers mount guard to watch. Bélître -Scélérât says that he will set me free as soon as my papa -pays him an enormous ransom, but he adds that he intends -to keep me a prisoner a long time, so that my papa shall -pay the ransom promptly.</p> - -<p>I have written this letter in secret, and I intend to -secure it in a bottle. Then I shall try to throw it into -the stream, in hopes that some one may find it. Reader, -have pity on me! Come and help me, or it is all over -with me! I live in hope of being saved. Follow the -stream in which you find this letter, and you will arrive -at the house which is my prison. If you cannot release -me, send my letter to the Duke de la Chaloupe, and he -will come with an army to save me. Alas! perhaps my -illustrious father is dead!</p> - -<p>If the reader is in a position to save me, let him make -haste, for Bélître Scélérât will not be at home this week, -and the watchmen are more cowardly than brave. Thus -my release will come about easily! My poor father will -reward whoever saves me, I am sure. Perhaps his majesty -the emperor might wish one more general. Should you -like to be that honored person? My father, the duke, is -a counsellor of his:—a word to the wise is sufficient.</p> - -<p>I write my petition in French, because I do not understand -any other language well; but if the finder is not -able to make it out—that is to say, if I am in America, -where French is not spoken—he need not destroy it. He -will find some one in his neighborhood who knows it, for -my incomparable language is known throughout the -world.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_297" id="Page_297">[297]</a></span></p> - -<p>I am waiting for my freedom. Come with brave men, -and the schemes of my persecutor will be overset! -Hasten!</p> - -<p class="right"><span class="smcap">Sauterelle Hirondelle de la Chaloupe.</span></p> - -</div> - -<p>If Henry had been an authorized translator, he would -have exerted himself and made the translation entirely -different from the original; as he was only a school-boy, -he gave a close, but not excellent, rendering of it; and by -employing the past tense instead of the present, all sublimity -was lost. In fact, like everything else translated -into <em>English</em>, it did not equal the original.</p> - -<p>In the whole of this letter not a single reference is -made to the beings of Mythology, to the state of affairs -in France, to the goblins of the Hartz Mountains, to -Macaulay’s New Zealander, nor to our own Pilgrim -Fathers! This neglect is intolerable; but remembering -that Henry was only a boy, we must judge him with -leniency, and give him credit for writing in a straightforward -and business-like style.</p> - -<p>The boys listened with rapt attention while Henry -read this letter. To them, it was grand, sublime, awful; -and from that moment Henry was looked on as a superior -being, as far above ordinary mortals as an average American -citizen is above any “crowned head” in Europe.</p> - -<p>Their admiration was graciously acknowledged by -Henry. But he made several innovations, some of which -took the embryo villains by surprise. In their wildest -dreams they had never soared so high as to think of -giving the imprisoned one a title—and Henry had made -her a duke’s heiress! Ah! they were not so well -acquainted with the ways of the world and the laws of -romance as Henry.</p> - -<p>But perhaps what pleased the plotters more than anything -was the liberal use made of notes of exclamation. -Charles counted them carefully, and reported their number -to the gaping boys. The more the better, in this case, at -all events, thought Steve. Poor innocent! he did not -know that villainy and notes of exclamation go hand in -hand.</p> - -<hr class="chap" /> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_298" id="Page_298">[298]</a></span></p> - -<h2 id="Chapter_XXXIV">Chapter XXXIV.<br /> -<span class="smcap">Henry takes his Bearings.—A Stampede.</span></h2> - -<p>“I must have a copy of that letter;” Charles declared, -emphatically.</p> - -<p>“Yes; as a lesson in French, it’s worth from twenty to -thirty of Mr. Meadows’,” Stephen chimed in.</p> - -<p>He, however, had no great desire to obtain a copy and -buzz over it. (Steve always buzzed when he “studied.”)</p> - -<p>“I don’t doubt that Marmaduke will believe in it,” -Henry said, with pardonable conceit in his own production; -“but the question is, will he act on it? I know if -I should come upon such a petition, I should let somebody -else do the rescuing, and fly the other way as if I were -pursued by—”</p> - -<p>“A demon!” Steve interposed, grinning foolishly.</p> - -<p>“No,” continued Henry, “by worse than a demon—by -an <em>algebra</em>!”</p> - -<p>Stephen hated the study of algebra—hated it with -deadly hatred; hence he smiled in sympathy.</p> - -<p>“Yes,” Charles commented, “most boys would be apt -to run away; but Marmaduke isn’t like most boys.”</p> - -<p>“Henry, there is one point I don’t quite understand,” -George observed. “Why do you say in the letter, ‘if -you cannot rescue me, send this letter to my father’? -Suppose that Marmaduke should take it into his head to -send it! Then—then—”</p> - -<p>“Well, George, I put that in to make the letter seem -less like a fable. Don’t you know that a person in trouble -would naturally say or write something to that effect; -and besides, right under that I wrote, ‘perhaps my father -is dead.’ Therefore, he will hardly send the appeal off to -France; but if he speaks of it, use your wits and persuade -him to hurry to the rescue.”</p> - -<p>The plotters held their breath for admiration, and their -honor for Henry increased. To them he was a wiser and -greater being than any of the grave heroes who figured -in their dog’s-eared, mutilated histories—wiser than the -great Solon—deeper than the emissaries of Mephistopheles—more<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_299" id="Page_299">[299]</a></span> -learned than—than—but here their well of -eloquence ran dry, and they could not express themselves -further.</p> - -<p>Will was quite happy now; his cousin had come; the -plot was well under way; the genius who was to direct -it was admired, honored, reverenced. It was glory -enough for him to have such a phenomenon for a near -relative.</p> - -<p>But George was bold enough to point out another -irregularity. Said he: “Look here, Henry, we didn’t give -any account of the journey from the coast to the prison! -Marmaduke is very particular to have little things -explained; and that is passed by.”</p> - -<p>“George, don’t be foolish;” Will returned angrily. -“Henry couldn’t explain everything; and the letter is -long enough as it is.”</p> - -<p>“Of course; no one can improve on it;” Charles -declared.</p> - -<p>“Leave that to Marmaduke,” said Steve. “His imagination -will soon find the ways and means.”</p> - -<p>“Yes,” chimed in Charles, “his imagination will supply -all defects—but there are none. The letter is perfect -perfection.”</p> - -<p>“That about ‘the general’ is a happy thought,” Stephen -remarked. “Marmaduke will snatch at that like a hungry -hawk.”</p> - -<p>“Yes, I changed your draft a good deal, and added new -points,” Henry observed. “But it is greatly improved by -them, I think,” he added complacently.</p> - -<p>Alas! Henry was beginning to have a very good -opinion of himself. Two days before he was not aware -that he was so clever.</p> - -<p>But the Sage, actuated by—what? seemed determined -to criticize the letter still further. “Henry,” said he, -poring over the letter with knitted brows, “Henry, near -the end you have written, ‘if the reader is not able to -make this out,’ and so on. Henry,” smiling pleasantly, -“I didn’t know you were an Irishman before, but that -sounds like it!”</p> - -<p>Henry was about to reply, but Charles took up the defence,<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_300" id="Page_300">[300]</a></span> -saying: “George, give me that letter; you do -nothing but find fault with it. Don’t you see that -Marmaduke will take that passage as a piece of refined -French na—nave—<em>knavery</em>! Botheration! You know -the word I mean, Henry.”</p> - -<p>“Naïveté?” Henry suggested.</p> - -<p>“Yes, that’s it. Marmaduke will take it for na-a-a-a—. -Yes; for that;” he concluded, gulping down a sob, and -becoming somewhat flushed and perturbed.</p> - -<p>“Charley, listen to a little sound advice,” Henry said, -with the air of a great philosopher. “In the first place, -that isn’t the right word in the right place. Second place, -never speak in a foreign language, nor whisper even -a syllable of it, till you know it, and not then, unless -you are learning it, or unless it is necessary. Some people -who can write their address in French strike out in -print in the village ‘Weekly’ with half-a-dozen meaningless -words, that they themselves don’t understand. -But the printer, who knows even <em>less</em>, and cares for no -one’s feelings, always makes an interesting muddle of it -all. So, Charley, take warning and steer clear of such -nonsense. English is the best, as long as you are where -it is spoken.”</p> - -<p>All looked admiringly at the oracle, Charley by no -means angry at being thus reproved.</p> - -<p>“How did you manage to get the pretty French -names?” Jim asked, innocently enough.</p> - -<p>Will scowled at the boy, but Henry answered readily: -“They are not real <em>names</em>, Jim; only <em>common nouns</em>. I -relied on Marmaduke’s ignorance of French to bring in -some rather uncommon words instead of names. Besides, -I didn’t know of any names long enough, and grand -enough, and sonorous enough, to suit the occasion; but -still, some of these words may be family names for all I -know or care. First name, <i lang="fr">Sauterelle</i>, a grasshopper; -second name, <i lang="fr">Hirondelle</i>, a swallow; Patronymic, <i lang="fr">de la -Chaloupe</i>, of the longboat. Now <i lang="fr">Bélître Scélérat</i> really -means <i>Atrocious Scoundrel</i>; but <i>Scheming Scoundrel</i> -sounds better in English—it has a true poetic ring. Of -course, boys, when he finds the letter and you help him<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_301" id="Page_301">[301]</a></span> -to make it out, you will read the words as they are in -the letter, not as I have explained them.”</p> - -<p>The plotters’ admiration knew no bounds. The substitution -of <em>nouns</em> for <em>names</em> was, in their eyes, the very -acme of wit; and Henry was no longer an ordinary hero, -but a veritable demi-god.</p> - -<p>How learned this boy must be, and how ignorant they -must seem to him! In fact, this so worked on the feelings -of one boy (it is immaterial which one, gentle reader,—no, -we <em>defy</em> you to guess which boy it was) that, in order -to demonstrate <em>he</em>, at least, knew the difference between -nouns and names, he laughed so hard, so monotonously, -and so patiently, that long-headed Henry perceived the -cause, and was, very rightly, disgusted.</p> - -<p>“Well, boys,” said Henry, “I haven’t seen the prison-house -yet, and if you will bundle me up in your disguises, -we’ll set out for it, ‘The Wigwam of the Seven Sleepers,’ -as George says Stephen calls it, and arrange everything -as it should be and is to be.”</p> - -<p>At this time they were in Mr. Lawrence’s garden. -Will ran to the house and soon came back with a headgear -which Charles compared to a Russian Jew’s turban, -but Henry said it looked like a knight-errant’s sun-bonnet. -Then Steve, not wishing to be outdone, said it was one of -Father Time’s cast-off nightcaps. Then, having fitted it, -whatever it may have been, to Henry’s head, and pinned -it fast to his coat collar,—he had first changed coats with -George, and turned his neck-tie wrong side out,—the -plotters declared that he was admirably disguised, and they -set forward in high spirits. However well Henry might -plot, they were not adepts in the art of disguising; and -this strange garb, far from concealing Henry’s features, -served only to attract the attention of passers-by.</p> - -<p>But they had not gone far when Henry pulled his -Scotch cap out of his pocket and put it forcibly on his -head. Then Charles mildly suggested that if a handkerchief -were tied so as to pass over one eye, Henry might -stroll through the streets of his native city without -danger of being recognized.</p> - -<p>“Well,” Henry said, reluctantly, “if you can tie it to<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_302" id="Page_302">[302]</a></span> -give me the appearance of a wounded soldier, go ahead; -but if it makes me look like an old woman sick with the -neuralgia, I’ll—I’ll—no, you mus’n’t.”</p> - -<p>A handkerchief had no sooner been tied over Henry’s -eye so as to suit all concerned, than it occurred to Stephen -that one amendment more was needful to make the disguise -complete.</p> - -<p>“Your ears are peculiar, Henry,” he said, “and very -pretty. Now, Marmaduke always notices people’s ears,—at -least, I <em>guess</em> he does,—so let me pull the flaps of the -sun-bonnet clear over them.”</p> - -<p>But good-natured Henry was only human,—or perhaps -if his ears were so pretty, and somebody else had said -they were, he did not wish to hide them,—and now he -turned his one blazing eye full upon the boy, and said, -almost fiercely: “Stephen, let me alone! I can barely -manage to work my way along the road, as it is! Don’t -you know, Steve,” he added mildly, “that it is hard -enough for a fellow to get along in this world with all his -five senses in full play?”</p> - -<p>“It is too bad for Henry to go all the way there and -back twice in one day,” Charles kindly observed. -“Couldn’t we manage it for him to go only once, say in -the afternoon, and then wait till Marmaduke and the rest -come on?”</p> - -<p>“No; I want to go now, with you all;” Henry said, -firmly. “Suppose that I should take a pailful of supper -with me, and not go till the afternoon—what if Marmaduke -shouldn’t come, after all! Something might -happen, you know, that he could not or would not come; -and then,” putting on a comical smile, “I should have to -stay in that dreadful haunted house for who knows how -long?”</p> - -<p>“Yes, it is better for Henry to get familiar with the -old ruin while we are with him—I mean, it is better for -us to go with him,” Will said. “Then to-night, about -half an hour before Marmaduke and the rest of us start, -he and Stephen will leave in advance of us, with a bundle -of disguises and lanterns; so that when we, the rescuers, -arrive, the place will be lighted and the captive clothed -properly.”</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_303" id="Page_303">[303]</a></span></p> - -<p>“And the priest shaved,” Steve chimed in.</p> - -<p>“Exactly,” Henry commented. “And, Steve, I can -meanwhile drill you to act the part of a priest, shaved or -not shaved. Don’t fret about the extra travelling, boys,” -he added; “for if my boots dilapidate while I’m here, I’ll -add them to the pile of rubbish in ‘Nobody’s House,’ and -patronize one of your shoemakers.”</p> - -<p>In due time the plotters arrived before the house. It -was no longer the grim wreck described to the reader at -the time the boys first visited it. No; thanks to their -industry and ingenuity it was in much better repair; -and, yes, it looked very much like—like a prison?—no! -very much like a gigantic hen-coup.</p> - -<p>“Why,” Henry cried in pleased surprise, “I wasn’t so -far out of the way after all when I ventured to write -about its being fortified equal to a fortress! But say, -boys, where did you get the iron bars for the windows?”</p> - -<p>“Irons!” Charles echoed, in ecstasy. “If <em>you</em> take -’em for iron bars, Marmaduke certainly will! No, Henry; -no iron there; nothing but painted laths nailed on. We -had two good reasons for putting on those laths; first, -because in nailing up a crack every pane of glass left -shivered itself all to flinders, and therefore the empty -window-frames had to be hidden; and next, we put them -there to make the place look like a grated prison.”</p> - -<p>“And they do;” declared Henry, stripping off his “disguise” -and heaving a sigh of relief.</p> - -<p>“Yes, and they made <em>me</em> nail on all their laths,” said -Stephen, “because I was foolish enough to say I could -straddle a window-sill and whittle out a steamboat, or do -anything else. You see that top window to the right?—Well, -I was sitting there, struggling to drive an obstinate -nail, when suddenly I pitched head over heels down to the -ground!”</p> - -<p>“Hurt yourself?” Henry inquired.</p> - -<p>“No-o-o; but their hammer disappeared and lost itself -ever since!” Steve chuckled.</p> - -<p>“Stephen wouldn’t consider that he was in a post of -honor,” Charles observed, “and when the hammer could -not be found, he said, ‘serves you right.’”</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_304" id="Page_304">[304]</a></span></p> - -<p>“I guess <em>you</em> would have said it, too, if <em>you</em> had had -<em>your</em> best coat-pocket and flap torn off on a nail that <span class="smcapuc">YOU</span> -pretended to drive!” Stephen wrathfully retorted.</p> - -<p>“What? Did you have an encounter with a nail in -your way down?” Henry inquired.</p> - -<p>“I did.”</p> - -<p>“Steve didn’t tell us about all those losses,” Charles -commented; “but he said he was going home, and he -went.”</p> - -<p>“It’s the first I’ve heard about the coat-pocket,” the -Sage observed.</p> - -<p>“Hurrah! where did you make the acquaintance of -this awful door!” Henry exclaimed. “It—it looks like -the door of a castle in the air.”</p> - -<p>“No, Henry, it’s too strong for that,” Will corrected. -“That door used to be our raft; but we had to -make a door, and there was nothing else to make it of; -so we hauled it up stream, pounced on it, and tore it all -to pieces.”</p> - -<p>This was too true. The gallant old raft, which had -served so useful a purpose as a source of amusement, -had been sacrificed by the remorseless plotters to fill up -the gap in the front doorway. But they, in their eagerness -to further their daring scheme, would not have hesitated -to destroy anything to which they could lay claim.</p> - -<p>“It was too bad to waste a good raft on this old hen-house,” -Henry observed.</p> - -<p>“Oh, a prison without a door would be rather too much -for even Marmaduke;” Will replied. “And the timbers -of the raft are here yet, and we can build it over again -next week.”</p> - -<p>“Henry,” said Stephen, who had quite recovered his -equilibrium, “it is in front of this door that the sentries -do the patrolling, and ground their muskets, and——and——what -else do sentries do, George?”</p> - -<p>“Will,” said Henry, grimly, as his eyes roved over the -yard, or orchard, “I guess it would need several pretty -smart and nimble sentries to prevent any one from escaping -from <em>this</em> ‘inclosure.’”</p> - -<p>Then they opened the door and passed in. By the<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_305" id="Page_305">[305]</a></span> -way, there was something very remarkable about that -door—so remarkable, in fact, that the writer, who has had -great experience in the building of playhouses (don’t -look for this word in a dictionary, O foreigner, but ask -any little boy to interpret it for you,) here pauses to note -it. Though made by boys, it not only played smoothly -on its hinges, but even entered the door-case, and admitted -of being fastened!</p> - -<p>“It must have cost you fellows a good deal to fit up -this old hulk,” Henry remarked, as the boys showed him -proudly through the house.</p> - -<p>“Cost!” Stephen exclaimed warmly. “I should think -it did cost! Besides that hammer that I lost, an old worn-out -axe perished somewhere around here, after Will had -hewed a pair of new boots all to pieces while dressing -the new door. Among the five of us, we’ve worn out -two suits of clothes, and made three hats ashamed of -themselves, just since we started to tinker up this prison -house. I’ve used all the salve and plaster in our house, -and the day before you came I got another cut. That -reminds me, Henry, when Will hewed his new boots he -cut his big toe nearly clean off—come here, and I’ll show -you the bloody mark.”</p> - -<p>“Never mind,” said Henry. “I’ve just noticed, Steve, -that the doors and walls and windows are thick with -bloody gore.”</p> - -<p>“Well, it’s all ours,” Stephen declared. “We’ve -broken a band-box full of old tools and things, and destroyed -all our jack-knives. We have used heaps of -nails, and—and—all sorts of things. Henry, we have -suffered!”</p> - -<p>Really, in heroism and fortitude these boys equalled -the ancient Spartans; for they would have encountered -any danger, undergone any hardship, to secure the success -of their plot. Yes, they toiled as if they had a better -cause in view.</p> - -<p>The “Imposter” was next unearthed. It excited -Henry’s liveliest admiration; and Steve said, as they deposited -it in its hiding-place, “we’ll make it hot for you -to-night, you old Atrocious Scoundrel, you!”</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_306" id="Page_306">[306]</a></span></p> - -<p>“Why, this is Mr. Atrocious Scoundrel, isn’t he, boys?” -Henry said, beaming with delight.</p> - -<p>“Of course he is,” the rest answered promptly.</p> - -<p>But hold! Did not the letter state that this personage -was away from home, that is from the prison? Surely, -here was an oversight! Here was a quicksand! In good -truth, the plot was too much for those boys to manage, -and it had turned their brain.</p> - -<p><em>It had turned their brain.</em> Mark that, gentle reader, -for it may help you to understand what is to follow shortly.</p> - -<p>A guilty look was on Jim’s face whilst the boys spoke -thus, but it escaped their notice. No, they did not suspect -that there was treachery in the camp—least of all, -that Jim was the traitor.</p> - -<p>Then Henry donned his various “disguises,” and the -little band of little plotters set out for the village. But -Henry had not taken fifteen steps when he stumbled headlong -over a submerged wheel-barrow (submerged in dense -grass and rank weeds, gentle reader) and fell heavily.</p> - -<p>“What the mischief!” he ejaculated. “Is this a demoralized -sentinel, or a trap set by the hobgoblins?”</p> - -<p>“It’s a wheel-barrow, Henry,” Will explained, “that belongs -to this place.”</p> - -<p>“Oh it <em>belongs</em> here, does it?” Henry asked, struggling -to rise.</p> - -<p>“Yes, it’s a <em>fixture</em>, Henry, a <em>fixture</em>;” piped up Steve, -who had stumbled upon this word in a time-worn document -a few days before.</p> - -<p>Then Henry essayed to trundle it out of the way; but -its wheel howled so piteously for grease that he desisted, -saying in disgust, “Why this is as rusty and as worthless -as an heir-loom.”</p> - -<p>“Oh, we mostly turn it upside down and straighten -nails on it,” Steve said, deprecatingly.</p> - -<p>“Now,” said Henry, as they strode on, “when you rescuers -come, I shall be just behind the front door, and -Stephen will be in another room or up-stairs.”</p> - -<p>“All right,” replied one of them.</p> - -<p>As they were proceeding towards home, Will suddenly -espied Marmaduke walking leisurely up the river. Although<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_307" id="Page_307">[307]</a></span> -they had prepared for such a contingency they -did not expect it. Did they put faith in their “disguise,” -and advance calmly to meet him? Not for one moment! -Instantly the greatest consternation prevailed, and they -stopped and stared at each other in blank hopelessness.</p> - -<p>“Oh, this is awful!” groaned Charles. “Our—plot—”</p> - -<p>“Is ruined!” Steve gasped.</p> - -<p>“O dear!” sighed Will. “Henry, do—do you suppose—”</p> - -<p>Marmaduke continued to advance, and presently he -hailed them.</p> - -<p>Then Will lost all control of himself, and cried wildly: -“Oh, Henry, we must run for it!”</p> - -<p>“Yes, Henry; unblind your eye, and <em>run</em>!” Steve -counselled.</p> - -<p>The Sage, who had just hit upon a stratagem to get out -of the difficulty, endeavored to restore order. But he was -too late, as usual; and so, seeing that the boys were bent -on flight, he had sufficient presence of mind to shout: -“Split, boys, split; so that when Marma—”</p> - -<p>But Henry had already torn off the handkerchief, and -he and the other demoralized plotters were flying as -though pursued by a regiment of light-armed Bélître -Scélérats.</p> - -<p>When Will and his relative gained the security of their -own chamber, the latter said frankly: “Well, there is a -lot of nice fellows here, and I like them well.”</p> - -<p>“Yes,” said Will, “but you haven’t seen Marmaduke -yet!”</p> - -<p>“Will, I never ran away from anybody before—and -this fellow is only a harmless and innocent schoolboy!”</p> - -<hr class="chap" /> - -<h2 id="Chapter_XXXV">Chapter XXXV.<br /> -<span class="smcap">Marmaduke Grasps the Situation.</span></h2> - -<p>Early in the afternoon, according to agreement, the -boys betook themselves to the banks of the stream. -Here Marmaduke was to be entrapped. Henry, with his<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_308" id="Page_308">[308]</a></span> -peculiar “disguises” still about him was securely hidden -in a tree, from which he would be able to see and hear the -whole performance.</p> - -<p>Charles had spent the noon in making himself tolerably -familiar with the letter, which he now had in a bottle in -his pocket. The others were gathered round the tree -which was Henry’s hiding-place. Stephen was not with -them, he having gone to look for the victim and induce -him to come to the river.</p> - -<p>Just as the plotters were beginning to fear that Marmaduke -would not come, after all, he and Stephen appeared, -striding along towards them. They were then all -excitement, knowing that if their plot succeeded it would -be now or never. Charles quietly moved a few rods -farther up the river, and concealed himself behind a convenient -bush.</p> - -<p>At this the enraptured reader is heard to mutter that -along that extraordinary river all the bushes seem to -grow just where they will be most convenient.</p> - -<p>“Hello, Marmaduke! how are you?” Will asked, in -friendly tones.</p> - -<p>“Hello, then! Boys, I’m vexed; how is it that you -shun me, and run away like shooting stars whenever you -see me?”</p> - -<p>“Well, old fellow, let us make up friends, and have no -more hard feelings,” Stephen said cheerfully.</p> - -<p>Marmaduke did not know why there should ever have -been any “hard feelings;” but, not wishing to press the -matter, he heaved a sigh of relief, heartily said “all -right,” and sat down among them.</p> - -<p>Then they were at a loss to know what to talk about. -But finally Will hit upon the topic of mowing-machines, -and then each one was called upon to give his views. -Then the conversation flagged, and for full five minutes -there was silence, during which Marmaduke tranquilly -pared his nails, while the plotters looked at each other in -growing uneasiness. Where could Charley be? Why -didn’t he fling the bottled letter into the river?</p> - -<p>“Boys, what are your plans for the holidays?” Marmaduke -suddenly inquired.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_309" id="Page_309">[309]</a></span></p> - -<p>At that instant a faint splash, the bottle striking the -water, was heard by Jim.</p> - -<p>“There it is!” he blurted out.</p> - -<p>The plotters knew what he meant, though the dupe -certainly did not. Nevertheless, it seemed to them that -such blunders must be put down; and accordingly they -bent their brows, and cast such annihilating glances at -the offender that he quailed, and felt decidedly “chilly.”</p> - -<p>Will arose and said, “Let us stroll up a little way.”</p> - -<p>All cheerfully agreed to this proposal, though Marmaduke -probably thought that by “stroll” Will meant a -tramp of perhaps three or four miles. They had taken -only a few steps when all except Marmaduke saw the -bottle floating lazily along. The question was, how -should they draw his attention to it without arousing -suspicion?</p> - -<p>Stephen was equal to the emergency. Stooping, he -picked up a smooth stone, gave it a legerdemain fling, and -it shot forward, performing all sorts of whimsical gyrations. -As Stephen had foreseen, all the boys, Marmaduke -included, observed every movement of the stone from the -instant it left his hand. Then he repeated his trick with -a second stone, and lo! the second stone fetched up very -close to the bottle! In order to keep up appearances and -carry out the deceit, he was about to cut a geometrical -curve with still another stone, when Marmaduke exclaimed, -“Boys, what is that floating down stream! It -looks like a bottle.”</p> - -<p>Crafty Stephen! His ruse was entirely successful.</p> - -<p>“It <em>is</em> a bottle!” Jim cried, in <em>intense</em> excitement. -“A bottle! A floating bottle! Isn’t that very strange, -boys?”</p> - -<p>“Yes, it’s rather curious, but it isn’t a natural phenomenon, -so don’t make so much stir about it,” Will said, -fearing that Jim might overdo the matter. “I’ll strip off -my clothes and swim after it, boys, unless some of you -would like to take a plunge into the water.”</p> - -<p>“Let us go out on our raft; that would be the proper -way to get it!” declared ceremonious Marmaduke, not -knowing that the raft had been turned to better account.<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_310" id="Page_310">[310]</a></span> -“Come; the raft isn’t much farther up; let us get it out, -and we can soon overtake the bottle.”</p> - -<p>Ah, plotters! your troubles were beginning already!</p> - -<p>“Pshaw!” cried Stephen, in seeming disgust. “It -would be a loss of time to go up stream to sail after a -wayfaring bottle like that. But we must get it, of course.——Now, -hello, who is this fellow whistling and paddling -on a home-made punt across over from the other shore -down towards us? ’Pon my word, it’s Charley, without -his clothes on! No; they’re strapped over his shoulders. -Well, this is funnier than Jim’s wonderful bottle!”</p> - -<p>Stephen’s astonishment was not feigned, for the boys -had not planned how Charles was to rejoin them after -setting the bottle afloat, and his sudden appearance in -this guise was a great surprise to them all.</p> - -<p>On Marmaduke’s arrival, Charles had paddled across -the river on a stout plank, launching the bottled letter on -his way, and drifted down by the opposite bank till -abreast of the boys. Then, having turned his rude canoe, -he struck out for them boldly; and the inference was -that the boy, being on the right bank of the river and -seeing his comrades on the left bank, had hit upon this -semi-savage means to join them. Thus Marmaduke never -suspected that there was any connection between Charley -and the floating bottle.</p> - -<p>But Jim felt insulted at Stephen’s last words, and he -muttered sullenly: “<em>’Taint</em> my bottle! <em>I</em> never put it -there!”</p> - -<p>“You look like an alligator, Charley;” Marmaduke -hallooed. “Where do you come from?”</p> - -<p>“Oh, I’ve been prowling around,” Charles shouted -back.</p> - -<p>“There’s an old bottle about opposite us,” Stephen -yelled; “heave ahead and bring it here; we want to see -what it means.”</p> - -<p>“The raft would be the best to get it,” Marmaduke -murmured.</p> - -<p>Ah! if he could have known that the plank bestridden -by Charley was the foundation timber of their late raft!</p> - -<p>“You see that our plot is working!” Stephen mumbled -in the Sage’s ear. “He will believe it all!”</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_311" id="Page_311">[311]</a></span></p> - -<p>Charles directed his barge to the mysterious bottle, -seized it, and then worked his way to his companions on -the bank. While he unstrapped and huddled on his -clothes the bottle was passed from one to another.</p> - -<p>Marmaduke, who had hitherto taken only a languid -interest in the matter, exclaimed feverishly, on seeing that -the bottle held a paper, “Give it to me! It’s mine, because -I saw it first!”</p> - -<p>In a trice he had the paper out, and was endeavoring -to make out its contents. As these have already been -given, it would be only a wanton waste of time and foolscap -for the reader to reperuse them with Marmaduke. -It might afford a hard-hearted reader considerable amusement -to hear his absurd interpretations, but it is both -unwise and immoral to laugh at the mistakes and the -ignorance of others. It is sufficient, therefore, to say that -the great difference between Henry’s style and the style -of teacher Meadows’ Method bewildered the young -student.</p> - -<p>Charles waited impatiently to read for him, while the -rest moved down the river and took up their stand under -the old tree in which Henry was ensconced.</p> - -<p>Marmaduke and Charles soon followed, and presently -the latter ventured to say, “Perhaps I could help you, -Marmaduke.”</p> - -<p>“No you couldn’t; it’s French, and I understand French -just as well as you do,” was the ungracious answer.</p> - -<p>“Oh, is it? Well, perhaps if we should put our heads -together we might be able to decipher it; for,” he added, -truthfully enough, “I’ve taken a great interest in French -lately, and studied it tremendously. But, say, how did -French get into that bottle?”</p> - -<p>“Let me alone; I understand French;” Marmaduke -growled, becoming more and more bewildered. But at -last, after ten minutes’ unceasing study of the letter, he -turned so dizzy that he was fain to give it up in -despair. “Here, read it, if you can,” he said, handing it -to Charles. “All I can make out is that it speaks of -nobles, and steamboats, and castles, and anchors, and -priests, and sailors, and an English king’s yacht, and<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_312" id="Page_312">[312]</a></span> -America, and pumpers, and—and—castles, and—and -General Somebody—.”</p> - -<p>Charles had made himself tolerably familiar with the -letter, but he could not yet read it very readily. However, -his memory served him well, and he managed to get -the main points. But after all the time and learning -Henry had squandered on the letter, it was too -bad that it should be “murdered” thus. Marmaduke -listened eagerly, too much absorbed to wonder how it was -that Charles could read so much better than he. As for -the other auditors, to all appearance they were at first -more startled than even Marmaduke.</p> - -<p>“Well, boys,” said he, as Charles folded the letter, and -wriggled uneasily in his damp clothes, “well, boys, you -jeered at me about the bones, but at last we have -stumbled upon romance! Here is something mysterious!</p> - -<p>“Boys, let us solve the mystery! If we were only -gallant knights of old, what glorious deeds we should -perform!”</p> - -<p>The speaker strutted up and down as pompously as a -schoolboy can, while the plotters exchanged villainous -winks, and glanced eloquently at the boy in the tree.</p> - -<p>“Read that again!” was the command, and Charles -dutifully obeyed, the dupe listening as eagerly as at first. -The others made no remarks, but endeavoured to look -grave and horror-stricken, while the master-plotter overhead -was highly entertained.</p> - -<p>“Oh, the monstrous villain! How durst he steal away -a French noble’s daughter?” Marmaduke exclaimed -vehemently. “And she, the heroine, how bravely she -endures her lot! What a heroine!”</p> - -<p>“Well, what shall we do about it?” Will asked, -anxious that Marmaduke himself should propose going to -the rescue. Foolish plotters! they supposed he would -strike in with their views without any demur!</p> - -<p>“Why, we must send it to our Government; it is a fit -subject for our new President to deal with. There will -be negotiations about it between France and America; we -shall become known all over the world as the finders of -the letter; and finally the illustrious prisoner will be<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_313" id="Page_313">[313]</a></span> -delivered with great pomp. Yes, boys, we must write to -Washington immediately.”</p> - -<p>The plotters were appalled. Marmaduke was rather -too romantic. He viewed the matter too solemnly.</p> - -<p>There was silence for a few moments, and then Charles -said quietly, as though it made little difference to him -what steps Marmaduke might take, “I hardly think that -would be the best way, Marmaduke, because, as you say, -there would be negotiations between the two countries, -and the imprisoned lady might remain a hopeless captive -a long time before the business could be settled and herself -set free. We are too chivalrous to let her pine away -in solitude; and besides, by rescuing her ourselves our -renown would be increased millions!”</p> - -<p>These words, (especially the last dozen of them), so -sonorous, so eloquent, so logical, had a telling effect on -Marmaduke.</p> - -<p>“You are right!” he exclaimed. “Yes, my brave companions, -we will to the rescue! We may revive the days -of chivalry! Now, who will dare to go with me?”</p> - -<p>Then those wicked plotters laboured to suppress a burst -of laughter, and declared that they would all “dare” to -accompany him on his hazardous expedition.</p> - -<p>Henry in the tree looked on in wonder. “What sort of -a boy was this! He talks like a sixty-year-older!” -he muttered; “well, I didn’t expect him to bring on the -heroics till he met me as ‘Sauterelle,’ O dear! this limb -isn’t so comfortable as it used to be.”</p> - -<p>“Oh, what a glorious day this will be for us!” the -enraptured one continued. “The emperor will dub us all -knights! I must have that letter, Charley; but read it -again first.”</p> - -<p>Charley did so, but the letter was growing decidedly -monotonous to him.</p> - -<p>“Boys,” said Marmaduke musingly, “it seems to me -that there are hardly interjections enough in it—no expressive -ones at all, and, you know, a good Frenchman -never says <em>anything</em> without several strong interjections -and expletives.”</p> - -<p>“If she was a French soldier, that would be quite right,”<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_314" id="Page_314">[314]</a></span> -Charles admitted carefully. “But, she is the daughter -of a noble duke.”</p> - -<p>“If she were,” Marmaduke corrected, triumphing -even in defeat. But he was open to reason, and said no -more about interjections.</p> - -<p>From time to time every boy except Marmaduke was -irresistibly tempted to shoot a cheering glance toward -Henry; but whenever this worthy could catch an -offender’s eye through the leafy branches, he scowled so -horribly that the offender instantly beheld something -very attractive down the river.</p> - -<p>“Now then, let us draw our conclusions,” said Marmaduke; -“first, where can this prison be?”</p> - -<p>“The letter says up this stream,” the Sage returned. -“I—I guess perhaps it must be ‘Nobody’s House.’”</p> - -<p>“That place! George, you are getting very crazy to -say that! Well, we shall see as we go up the river; for, -of course, as soon as we see the prison we shall know it’s -the prison. Now, boys, see what an interesting fact is -given us. The letter is dated July 10th, yesterday; therefore -it has been floating only one day! How fast the -current has swept it along!”</p> - -<p>The boys had paid no attention to the date that Henry -affixed to the letter, but they did not think the velocity -very great.</p> - -<p>“But, boys, there are some things strange in this;” -Marmaduke observed. “In fact, there is one thing very -strange—yes, <em>very</em> strange.”</p> - -<p>The plotters, Henry included, quaked with fear. Was -their ingenious scheme, the much-loved plot, which had -cost so much “blood and treasure,” to come to nought? -Had Marmaduke detected some flaw in the letter which -had escaped their notice? Were they about to be unmasked -in all their wickedness?</p> - -<p>O plotters, your scheme, which was based and reared -on fraud, was to proceed successful to the end.</p> - -<p>“Wh-what is wrong?” Charley asked, with a quavering -voice, his lips of that “ashy hue” which good romancers -delight in introducing.</p> - -<p>“Why,” Marmaduke began, “don’t you observe, sometimes<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_315" id="Page_315">[315]</a></span> -the writer addresses the finder distantly in the -third person, and then again familiarly and imploringly -in the second person! Now, that is ridiculous. Grammar -says not to mix the second and third persons together in -writing; use either the one or the other.”</p> - -<p>At this, Henry crammed the strings of his headgear, -together with his fingers, far into his capacious mouth, -and forgot that the limb on which he roosted was no -longer comfortable; whilst the others heaved an audible -sigh of relief, perceiving that Marmaduke, instead of wishing -to find fault with the letter, wished only to display -his great knowledge of things and people in general, -grammar in particular.</p> - -<p>But the plotters, one and all, had been in ignorance of -this gross insult to grammar. Whether Henry had not -been aware of the rule as quoted by Marmaduke, or -whether he had been too sleepy to observe it, is an open -question. It is stated (he stated it himself, of course, for -no one heard him), however, that he muttered in his -throat: “Certainly, this Marmaduke is no boy at all! -His language is too far-fetched for a Yankee boy. Yes; -he is some stunted old crack-brained dwarf of sixty!”</p> - -<p>As soon as Charley could collect himself sufficiently he -replied in these words: “I presume that the captive was -in too disturbed a state of mind to pay particular attention -to such minor matters as grammar. And besides, -her grammars were probably at home in France, for -likely she didn’t go aboard with a satchel of school-books -in her hand. Now, the <em>person</em> considered most was evidently -the <em>person</em> who should fly to the rescue.”</p> - -<p>“Don’t treat her woes so lightly,” Marmaduke said -angrily, beginning to suspect that the boys were making -fun of him.</p> - -<p>“That ghost story is queer; what do you think of it?” -asked Will, anxious to have the grammarian’s opinion of -that.</p> - -<p>“Well, you know the French are a more excitable and -romantic race than we are,” was the answer. “In her -solitude and misery perhaps she fancies that ghosts are -hovering near, for all French people have a powerful -imagination.”</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_316" id="Page_316">[316]</a></span></p> - -<p>Ah! the boy overhead was gifted with a more powerful -imagination than any one believed.</p> - -<p>“Or,” continued Marmaduke, recollecting what he had -read in a book at home, “or, who knows but that it is -some trick of Scélérat’s to terrify her? Perhaps the -monster thinks to drive her distracted!”</p> - -<p>“Perhaps he does,” sighed Steve.</p> - -<p>“Marmaduke, how do you suppose Bélître Scélérat -managed to transport the prisoners from his yacht to this -prison?” George had the curiosity to ask.</p> - -<p>The deceived one ruminated a moment and then said -sagely: “Well, as modern Frenchmen are so perfectly at -home in balloons, for all we know they came that way. -It would not take long, and the authorities could not -overhaul them.”</p> - -<p>“The very thing!” cried delighted Stephen. “And -when we go to the rescue we can capture the balloon, if it -is still there! Yes, I’ve heard before that Frenchmen love -balloons.”</p> - -<p>“Stephen,” shouted Marmaduke, “you have no finer -feelings.”</p> - -<p>“Well, let us hurry to the rescue!” Charles said impatiently. -“Come, when shall we go?”</p> - -<p>“I am to be your leader in this, because I take more -real interest in the prisoner than any of you,” Marmaduke -returned. “Yes, <em>I</em> must be the favored one to -restore her to freedom. As to when the rescue can be -made, I can’t possibly complete my arrangements till next -week.”</p> - -<p>The boys stared blankly, knowing that it would never -do to defer the “rescue” till the next week. Marmaduke -would certainly detect the imposture before that time.</p> - -<p>Charles, however, soon recovered his equanimity, and -said calmly: “That would be very wrong, for don’t you -know the writer says she shall go mad if not rescued immediately? -And she urges the finders to come this week, -as Bélître Scélérat will be away. We are only boys, of -course; but we are pretty lively boys, and more than a -match for all his jailers.”</p> - -<p>“Yes; but I want to meet this very man, this -Scélérat.”</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_317" id="Page_317">[317]</a></span></p> - -<p>“O dear!” groaned Will, “if he is so anxious to meet -the Atrocious, I’m afraid he’ll pounce on the ‘impostor’ -as we go to hang it!”</p> - -<p>Poor Will! The plot had quite turned his brain!</p> - -<p>“Try chivalry again,” Stephen whispered to Charles.</p> - -<p>“Well, we are too chivalrous to put off the rescue, only -because one of us wishes to encounter this Bélître -Scélérat,” cunning Charley observed. “At least,” he -added, “I hope we are too chivalrous—in France they -would be.”</p> - -<p>In his hands chivalry was a mighty lever, one by -which foolish Marmaduke could be turned, and made to -act as they saw fit.</p> - -<p>“Well, then, let us go this evening,” Marmaduke answered.</p> - -<p>The plotters were delighted. By skilful management -their would-be leader proved very tractable.</p> - -<p>Will, who had hitherto held his peace, now exclaimed -with unfeigned enthusiasm, “How eagerly Sauterelle -will welcome us!”</p> - -<p>A grievous frown darkened the champion’s brow. -Confronting Will, he thundered: “How dare you boys -speak of her in that way?—her, the daughter of one of -France’s proudest nobles! When it is necessary to mention -her name, speak of her as the Lady de la Chaloupe.”</p> - -<p>Henry did not know whether to feel complimented or -not. He was slowly forming a very unfavorable opinion -of Marmaduke, not knowing that the boy was now in his -element, and hardly responsible for his actions. When -nothing mysterious occurred to arouse him, Marmaduke -was very much like any other boy; but let him stumble -upon a mystery, and he was entirely changed.</p> - -<p>But Stephen, fearing that Marmaduke did not yet -sufficiently realize the magnificence of the duke’s genealogy -and title, said excitedly, “That Duke Chalopsky is -the descendant of a whole gang of peers, and lords, and -such people, just like any other duke; isn’t he Marmaduke?”</p> - -<p>Will trembled and whispered, “Hush!”</p> - -<p>The deceived knight-errant felt insulted, and asked,<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_318" id="Page_318">[318]</a></span> -haughtily, “What do <em>you</em> know about it, Stephen Goodfellow?”</p> - -<p>Stephen quaked, but finally answered meekly, very -meekly, “Oh, I’ve studied about dukes that ran back to -the Conquest of something or other, and so I thought -likely he did.”</p> - -<p>The Conquest! Marmaduke’s face brightened; he -smiled; he spoke. “O-o-h, Stephen!” he said, “your -notions of history are as much a muddle as all your other -notions! But I haven’t time to enlighten you now. Now, -boys,” he continued, affably, “let us take a lesson from -Will and his cousin when they set out to hunt the demon. -We must not carry firearms, but we must go armed with -pikes and sabres.”</p> - -<p>“Where shall we procure ‘pikes and sabres?’” Steve, -no longer confused, but smarting and angry, sarcastically -asked. “<em>I</em> can’t imagine, unless we carve ’em out of -broomsticks and staves, and such ‘pikes and sabres’ don’t -amount to much. So, let us go to the rescue armed like -the dusty warriors of the forest—with hatchets, and -bows, and George’s grandfather’s great knife, and slings, -and levers, and catapults, and arrows.”</p> - -<p>Steve probably meant <em>dusky</em> warriors. However, -either expression is correct.</p> - -<p>Marmaduke very properly paid no attention to Steve’s -insulting suggestions, but condescended to ask, “How -many jailers do you suppose there will be?”</p> - -<p>“There were to be three, weren’t there, boys?” Will -blunderingly replied to him, and asked of the others.</p> - -<p>“Why, how do <em>you</em> know?” Marmaduke asked in -surprise. “The letter says nothing about the number of -jailers; so, how can <em>you</em> tell? What do you mean, anyway, -Will?”</p> - -<p>Will looked so disconcerted that Marmaduke, although -his faith in Sauterelle was still unshaken, began to -suspect that the boys were trying to impose on him in -some way.</p> - -<p>At this crisis the traitor Jim grinned, and said, “Well, -you fellows needn’t make faces at me after this! Will has -said worse than I did.”</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_319" id="Page_319">[319]</a></span></p> - -<p>Let it not be supposed that Jim’s treachery lay in -seeking to overthrow the plot. By no means; he rejoiced -in it, and spoke as he did only to revenge himself on the -others for scowling at him so wickedly, as related in the -beginning of this chapter. Such was Jim, who could -bear malice for a long time; while the others, although -they might be very angry for a few minutes, soon subdued -their passions, and <em>never</em> “nursed their wrath.”</p> - -<p>And yet these unguarded words nearly made an end -of the entire plot. It was now in real danger; again it -tottered on its foundation. Only the greatest tact and -presence of mind could save it from utter destruction.</p> - -<p>Charles was the one to avert such a disaster, and he -said jokingly, as though the salvation of the plot did not -depend on him: “Here are two extraordinary juveniles; -one thinks because a white man in his school-book was -captured by Indians and guarded by three jailers, <em>every</em> -captive is bound to have just three! The other thinks -because a boy makes a face at him he is brewing some -great wickedness!”</p> - -<p>It was not so much the words he said as the nonchalant -way in which he said them. The happy boldness of -acknowledging that somebody had “made faces” at Jim -disarmed Marmaduke, and for the time, at least, his -suspicions were allayed.</p> - -<p>Will had too much sense to be offended at being thus -ridiculed. If he had answered back sharply, a quarrel -would certainly have ensued, and then the plot would as -certainly have been blown up. As for Jim, though sulky -and wrathful, he also held his peace.</p> - -<hr class="chap" /> - -<h2 id="Chapter_XXXVI">Chapter XXXVI.<br /> -<span class="smcap">To the Rescue!</span></h2> - -<p>The plot was saved; but the plotters saw that a great -deal of immoral scheming was required to keep it up, and -that, after all, it was a volcano which might at any -moment—not exactly “hurl them to destruction,” but -tear itself to pieces.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_320" id="Page_320">[320]</a></span></p> - -<p>The time and place of meeting were then appointed, -and all the boys departed for their respective homes; -all excepting Will and Stephen, who lingered to escort -Henry.</p> - -<p>As soon as the homeward-bound party was out of sight, -the latter slid down from his perch, stretched himself -with many a groan, and readjusted the knight-errant’s -sun-bonnet, as, the plot being now so near completion, he -was very anxious to take every precaution.</p> - -<p>“Well,” he growled, “it took you a mighty long time -to arrange matters; and that tree is the most abominably -uncomfortable and hard-hearted tree that I ever saw. -Boys,” dolefully, “I don’t like this hiding around in -strayed forest trees, and it is a good thing you persuaded -him not to wait till next week, for I couldn’t have kept -out of his sight so long.”</p> - -<p>“Well, what do you think of him!” Will asked eagerly.</p> - -<p>“Oh, he is as much like a musket as a boy,” Henry -replied indifferently. “But,” with some show of interest, -“what did he mean by wanting to sail out on the raft, -just to get the bottle?”</p> - -<p>“Oh,” said Will, “Marmaduke thinks if it is worth -while to do anything, it is worth while to do it with -great ceremony. If the raft had been where he supposed -it was, and if we had let him alone, he would have spent -half an hour floating around after the bottle, and very -likely have got as wet as if he had gone in swimming for -it with his clothes on!”</p> - -<p>After digesting this explanation, Henry proposed that -they also should go home. Will and Stephen were -agreed, and the trio slunk off towards the village as fearfully -as if a minion of the law were in hot pursuit. Now -that their plot was an accomplished fact, it would be very -unfortunate if they should be caught napping.</p> - -<p>After supper Henry was joined by Stephen, and the -two archplotters set out for “Nobody’s House” in the -most exuberant spirits. Already Henry felt a little tired, -(let it be remembered that he had not yet recovered from -the effects of the preceding day’s journey,) and he was -obliged to get Stephen to carry a mysterious-looking<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_321" id="Page_321">[321]</a></span> -bundle which he had brought away from his aunt’s. This -bundle contained the fantastic “disguise” in which Henry -was to figure as Sauterelle.</p> - -<p>From the tender age of two years, Stephen had been a -regular attendant of picnics, where he had imbibed many -extravagant notions, and arrived at a very boyish and -extremely absurd conclusion respecting lovers. According -to his views, a lover is a young man, who, after perfuming -his handkerchief and smearing his head with hair-oil, -escorts a young lady to a picnic, breaks her parasol, fails -to provide ice-cream enough, and finally sees her escorted -home under the protection of his hated rival.</p> - -<p>“Henry,” he said, as they hurried on, “I saw Marmaduke -tricked out for the rescue, and, he didn’t mean me -to find it out, but I did; he had put hair-oil on his head, -and, as he had no scent, <em>on his handkerchief, too</em>! Henry, -I was so—so—”</p> - -<p>“Demoralized?”</p> - -<p>“That’s the word, Henry. I was so demoralized that -I said, without thinking: ‘why, Marmaduke,’ said I, -‘you look more like a genuine lover than any boy I ever -saw!’”</p> - -<p>“And what did he say to that?”</p> - -<p>“Nothing; but he looked so insulted and heart-broken -that I apologized, and told him he was a bully boy, and I -always was a fool, anyway. Well, Henry, when he -comes to the rescue, things will be lively, according to -that, eh?”</p> - -<p>“Well, Steve, I once cured a brave boy of his bravery, -and if I don’t cure this fellow of his romance and -credulousness, I shall at least make awful fools of us -both.”</p> - -<p>“How did you cure a boy of being brave?” Stephen -asked eagerly, regarding Henry with respect and admiration.</p> - -<p>But here the writer remorselessly shifts the scene to -the others.</p> - -<p>As soon after the departure of Henry and Stephen as -was prudent, the “brave men” who were to be the -rescuers—Will, Charles, George, Jim, and the heroic<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_322" id="Page_322">[322]</a></span> -“leader,” Marmaduke—assembled and set out for the -rendezvous, armed very much as Stephen had suggested.</p> - -<p>Visions of figuring on future battle-fields of Europe as -Marshal Marmaduke Fitz-Williams flitted through the -hero’s brain, and he strove to deport himself with as -martial an air as possible. But such an air hardly ever -sits easy on a school-boy’s shoulders.</p> - -<p>“Comrades,” he began, using, as far as he knew how, the -identical phraseology of a French soldier when addressing -his companions in arms, “comrades, we are embarking in -a hazardous undertaking, but the nobleness of our work -will spur us on to deeds of victory. It is a noble deed -that we are called on to perform—the release of a -daughter of one of the potentates of earth! Let this -thought inspire us with enthusiasm! Let us fly to the -rescue, fixed in the resolution to win or die! We shall -warrior like the doughty knights of old!”</p> - -<p>Poor hero! he had yet to learn that <em>warrior</em> is not -used in that way. His eloquence, however, was entirely -lost on his hearers, it being too grandiloquent for even -the Sage to appreciate; and like many another orator, -he but “wasted his sweetness on the desert air.”</p> - -<p>“Fellow-soldiers,” he continued, “I will use my influence -to procure your promotion, and you will all one day -be renowned generals of the empire.”</p> - -<p>Alas! about the time the speaker took to singing love-songs -and reading love-stories that empire was disrupted!</p> - -<p>“That about the emperor’s wanting one more general -was a good stroke, eh, Will?” Charles whispered.</p> - -<p>It would be foreign from the purpose to record all -Marmaduke’s bombastic speeches as he and his fellows -marched to the field of battle. Let it be taken for granted -that in due time they drew up before the fortress.</p> - -<p>Marmaduke reconnoitred the grim old building with -its grated windows and formidable door, and soon decided -that here was the prison, though it was patent to all that -he was disappointed, having expected greater things—having, -in short, expected to see a structure bearing more -or less resemblance to the Bastile itself.</p> - -<p>Marmaduke screened himself behind the dilapidated<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_323" id="Page_323">[323]</a></span> -fence, and called out, in commanding tones: “Hist! I -call a halt!”</p> - -<p>As his troops had already halted, they sat down, thinking -that if Henry and Stephen were not yet prepared to -receive them this delay would be in their favour.</p> - -<p>“Corporal James Horner, do you perceive a sentinel -on guard before the prison?” the would-be commander -asked.</p> - -<p>“Corporal Horner,” who could not see that part of the -prison so well as the questioner himself, was struck with -awe, and answered timidly, “No, sir, I don’t see -nobody.”</p> - -<p>“<em>Sir</em> to me! You would do better to call me <em>General</em>.”</p> - -<p>“Yes, sir,” Jim returned, feeling his terrible chills -creeping on.</p> - -<p>“Lieutenant Lawrence,” said the young general, “keep -order among your forces! Positively, no straggling!”</p> - -<p>The newly-made lieutenant executed his superior’s -orders promptly and effectually. “If he keeps on at -this rate,” he whispered to George, “there will be fun -enough to last for a year! Oh, if Henry and Steve were -only here to enjoy it!”</p> - -<p>“Silence in the ranks!” roared the general. “Commodore -Charles Growler, I call a council of war.”</p> - -<p>This was too much for the more deeply read George, -and he cut short the general’s programme, saying: “A -<em>commodore</em> commands a squadron of ships. There are -no ships here that I know of—only a <em>squad</em> of boys.”</p> - -<p>The general was nonplussed. He even felt inclined -to dismiss this arrogant fellow from the service; but fears -of encountering a swarm of armed jailers induced him -not to dismiss so good a warrior as the Sage was known -to be. So, after deliberating a moment, he said, meekly -enough, “Boys, we are only losing time here. Let us -make a charge, and burst the door open, and then we can -fight our way right on.”</p> - -<p>Burst open the door! Then indeed the timbers of their -raft would be destroyed! But this was no time to reason -with Marmaduke, and they consented to the sacrifice -cheerfully.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_324" id="Page_324">[324]</a></span></p> - -<p>Charles very readily came upon what had once been a -pump; and after great and violent efforts the corporals, -lieutenants, commodores, generals, etc., succeeded in raising -it to their shoulders; and then, with soldier-like disregard -for the hideous grubs which nestled on it, they -marched, with martial tread, to force an entrance into the -prison.</p> - -<p>“This will do instead of a genuine ram,” the general -observed deprecatingly. “Such people as we are often -have to resort to various shifts to do what they wish to -do.”</p> - -<p>“So do <em>boys</em>,” Charles commented sarcastically, but -without a smile.</p> - -<p>“Charge!” cried the general valiantly, when about -thirty feet from the door.</p> - -<p>A blind rush was made; but barely five steps had been -taken when the general, who of course led, tripped over -a stone, and the entire “squad” fell headlong, the “ram” -and its grisly inhabitants descending on their backs with -a cruel thud.</p> - -<p>Of course no bones were broken, gentle reader, for it is -impossible to kill a hero, and, as a general rule, impossible -to hurt one. And all these were heroes.</p> - -<p>Yet much of their enthusiasm escaped with the “ohs!” -that started from each pair of lips.</p> - -<p>“Such little accidents are disheartening,” the general -gasped, as he struggled to his feet; “but we are above -letting them deter us from our duty. Charge again! -Only, be more careful.”</p> - -<p>As he alone was blamable for the mishap, this advice -was superfluous.</p> - -<p>The ram was shouldered again, somewhat reluctantly; -a furious charge was made; and the ram was brought -against the “blood-bought” door with considerable force. -A peal of thunder ensued, and the nowise strong door -was shattered, fatally. Truly, this was effecting an -entrance in warlike style.</p> - -<p>But a catastrophe might have been the result. Henry -was seated in the hall, not aware that the besiegers were -at hand, and little dreaming that they intended to force<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_325" id="Page_325">[325]</a></span> -an entrance. When the door was suddenly burst open, -he was started into action in an unlooked for manner—the -flying timbers striking his crazy chair so forcibly that -it gave way, flinging him headlong to the floor.</p> - -<p>More startled than hurt, Henry sprang to his feet, and -recognizing Will and some of the others, shrieked, in -accents unmistakably English: “Saved! Saved!”</p> - -<p>The appearance presented by the rescued one was -superlatively ridiculous. None of the boys had seen him -attired in this disguise, and they were thunder-struck at -the metamorphosis. Even Marmaduke stared aghast at -the sight he beheld.</p> - -<p>In a spirit of mischief Stephen had clothed Henry thus, -saying, “Poor Marmaduke; he’ll never know; he’ll think -you’re dressed up in the height of fashion. But he <em>will</em> -think that Paris fashions, in crossing the seas, lose much -of their beauty; and while <em>your</em> costume is all right, -<em>other</em> people’s must be all wrong!”</p> - -<p>As a hoodlum boy would have put it: <em>He looked like -all possessed!</em></p> - -<hr class="chap" /> - -<h2 id="Chapter_XXXVII">Chapter XXXVII.<br /> -<span class="smcap">Marmaduke Struggles with Romance.</span></h2> - -<p>Kings, ghosts, sea-nymphs, heroes, heroines, all beings, -are made to act and speak in romance just as the exigencies -of the plot demand; and yet it is intimated, in the -same breath, that “it is all quite natural, just as it would -be in real life!” In this story every one certainly acts -as the writer pleases, but, so far as he knows, these boys -behave as like boys under similar circumstances would -behave. In this chapter, however, there is an exception, -where a change from nature is necessary; and without a -moment’s hesitation, they are made to throw off all -restraint, and talk and act as befits the occasion. In a -word, the boys are here no longer boys, but the noble -beings of romance.</p> - -<p>We do not pretend that any boys would carry on a -conversation in their high-swelling strains, the narrative<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_326" id="Page_326">[326]</a></span> -being couched under such strains for a particular and -well-meant purpose. The object being, throughout the -story, to cast ridicule on all sorts of things, this freedom -to write in whatever style is most pertinent to the matter -under discussion is our prerogative, and we use it. In -short, we act here on the principle, that a writer should -be hampered by no conventionalities or restrictions that -interfere with the plan of his story.</p> - -<p>It seems to be a well-established principle, that love -cannot be expressed in romance except in a poetic form. -We do not believe this holds good in real life, yet, wishing -this story to be accounted a romance, we have thought it -well to abide by the rule in this instance. After a short -deliberation, we have decided to write their passionate -colloquy as though it were only prose; but the intelligent -reader can easily read it as verse—in fact, if he chooses, -he can set it all to music.</p> - -<p>After digesting this preamble in connection with what -goes before, the reader of mature years, if not entirely -witless, will be able to grasp our meaning and discern our -motive—or motives, for in this chapter the aim is to kill -several birds with one stone. But the boys—for whom, -after all, the story is written principally—had better skip -this turgid preamble, because a boy always likes to believe -a story is more or less true, and we should be grossly insulted -if any one should insinuate that <em>this</em> story is true.</p> - -<p>Considered in this light, the chapter appears to be only -a piece of foolishness, after all. But, in a measure, it may -be considered logically also. For instance, there seems to -be a “vein of reason” running through it all, and if the -reader is on the watch, he will see that this “vein of -reason” crops out frequently. After this preamble it -opens <em>very</em> rationally.</p> - -<p>“Considered logically,” says the reader, “how could -this Henry, a veritable lover, stoop to play the fool, as he -did? How could he do this, if he had any respect for his -passion, or for the one whom he loved?”</p> - -<p>Considered logically, gentle reader, Henry was a <em>boy</em>; -his heart was sore from fancied slights; he was desperate; -it occurred to him that, placed as he was, he might “view<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_327" id="Page_327">[327]</a></span> -the question from the other side!” Furthermore, although -he and Stephen had conspired to torment Marmaduke, it -is plain that almost everything he said, he said <i lang="la">extempore</i>.</p> - -<p>As for Marmaduke, he had no sisters, was scarcely ever -in the society of young ladies, and knew nothing of their -ways.</p> - -<p>“These are but sorry excuses,” sighs the reader, -“unworthy of even a school-boy!”</p> - -<p>Very true. But they are the best that we can trump -up, and therefore it would be better for you to consider -this chapter as founded on the opposite of reason and -logic.</p> - -<p>Marmaduke was anxious that he alone should be -recognized as the liberator, for he wished to receive all -the glory of rescuing the captive. With that intent he -pressed nearer Sauterelle, directing his followers, by an -imperious wave of the hand, to disperse in search of the -enemy, and, when found, to give them battle.</p> - -<p>Interpreted into language, that command would have -run: Hound down the mercenary crew, and spare them -not! Their evil deeds have brought this fate upon their -heads!</p> - -<p>The avenging party understood this, and, thirsting for -blood and glory, they hurled themselves out of the -apartment, whilst Marmaduke turned his attention to the -captive. He saw gratitude, admiration, even reverence, -in the two blue eyes that looked at him. No fear of not -being acknowledged as the rescuer-in-chief: Henry would -acknowledge him, and him only.</p> - -<p>“Ah, my deliverer!” he cried, in so-called French; -“you have come to rescue me, to restore me to freedom! -You have found my appeal for help, and these brave men -are your followers?”</p> - -<p>Marmaduke tried hard to understand this, but was -obliged to ask if the conversation could not be carried on -in English.</p> - -<p>“Yes, yes, I can speak English,” came the reply. “The -good priest has taught me English.”</p> - -<p>At that instant a fierce combat was heard in an adjoining -room, and horrisonous cries of rage and terror<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_328" id="Page_328">[328]</a></span> -filled the whole building. The hero knew at once that -his followers had encountered, and were waging deadly -contest with, the wicked jailers, and his heart swelled with -emotion.</p> - -<p>He was right; his followers had drawn their home-made -weapons, and while Charles, Steve, and Jim, personated -these wicked jailers, Will and George personated -the gallant liberators. Having had a rehearsal a few -days previous, they now fought easily and systematically, -and with such heroism and fury that victory must inevitably -perch upon their standard. But, after all (and in -this they were quite right), they fought as much with -their lungs as with their arms, so that the din was tremendous. -For full five minutes the combat raged without -abatement. The gray light coming in through the open -doorway cast a greenish and peculiar hue over our hero’s -grand face, and he stood stock-still, collected but voiceless; -while the other, wholly unprepared for such an -uproar, longed to thrust his fingers into his ears, and -pitied himself with all his heart as he thought of the -racking headache that must soon seize him.</p> - -<p>But finally they vanquished the enemy, and all except -Stephen, who had not yet turned priest, rushed into the -presence of the hero and heroine, shouting wildly: -“Routed! Worsted! Slain!”</p> - -<p>“All? Are all slain? And is the battle past?”</p> - -<p>“All; one and all; and we have won.”</p> - -<p>“And so my freedom comes to me again!” cried Sauterelle. -“And I am free, free as the birds, for all his evil -schemes are baffled now!”</p> - -<p>Then, as was right on such an occasion, Sauterelle sank -at our hero’s feet, and began in the “bursting heart” -style, without which no such scene ought to be drawn: -“Oh, my deliverer, accept my thanks! Through you I -thus am freed! through you I once again shall see dear -France,—dear France, that land of heroes!—Heroes? -Ah! all are heroes here, in this, the land of liberty! Oh, -gallant men, you have done well!”</p> - -<p>“Ah, yes, ’tis for the brave to battle for the fair in -every land,” our hero said, as though he, too, had fought.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_329" id="Page_329">[329]</a></span></p> - -<p>Sauterelle still kneeled before our hero, expecting to be -lifted up. But an immense, pyramidal head-dress, many -inches high, which only Steve could construct, towered -upwards till almost on a level with our hero’s eyes, bewildering -him.</p> - -<p>“Noble American, this is a rescue worthy of a prince!” -Sauterelle cried, suddenly rising and grasping our hero’s -hands in a bear-like grip.</p> - -<p>“Your ladyship—”</p> - -<p>“No, no! My title here is but an empty sound, so call -me simply Sauterelle.”</p> - -<p>“Sau-ter-elle Hi-ron-delle. What sweet and pretty -names!” our hero murmured softly, as Sauterelle let go -his hands.</p> - -<p>“What is the name of him who sets me free?”</p> - -<p>“Fitz-Williams is my name; my first name, Marmaduke.”</p> - -<p>Our hero’s followers, still hot, exhausted, and bruised, -but not particularly blood-stained, now rose and stole -away, and presently another great uproar was heard from -them. They had seized the impostor and were carrying -it, or him, roughly along.</p> - -<p>“Here is the great chief villain and arch-plotter of them -all! Here is Bélître Scélérat himself!” they roared.</p> - -<p>“Bélître Scélérat? How comes he here? I understood -that he was far away,” our hero said, much puzzled.</p> - -<p>They paused in doubt and consternation. Then a flash -of reason penetrated to their darkened intellect, and dimly -conscious that some one had plotted too much, or not -enough, they started into action and pressed tumultuously -on with their captive.</p> - -<p>“Oh, for a sword, that I might pierce the monster’s -heart!” our hero sighed, but sighed in vain.</p> - -<p>At that instant, Steve, now the priest, passed pompously -through the room, and catching our hero’s last words, replied: -“No, no! Soil not thy hands with such a perjured -wretch, nor soil thy sword. These soldiers here should -pierce his ears, not thee,” wilfully mistaking the word -<em>heart</em> for <em>ears</em>—or perhaps he did not understand English -so well as his pupil. “Brave men, go forth and hang this<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_330" id="Page_330">[330]</a></span> -captured knave from some great height, and leave him -there to crumble into dust.”</p> - -<p>Our hero’s blood-thirsty followers lugged Bélître Scélérat -out of the room and up the stairs with a haste that -proved how well and strongly he was made, and remorselessly -prepared to consign him to his ignominious fate.</p> - -<p>Then our hero and heroine again broke out into their -poetry, the latter saying, “And now, my freedom is -achieved. Ah me! I almost now regret that we should -leave these shores, this land of blessèd liberty, and travel -back alone to our loved France! Ah, in my hour of -triumph am I sad? Yes, woe is me, I am!—Oh, Marmaduke, -there is no need of this! The priest is here, the -bridegroom and the bride! Oh Marmaduke, there is no -cause why I should go alone. Ah, thou wilt soon be -mine, and I shall soon be thine! Thy husband,—<em>wife</em>, I -mean. Oh, Marmaduke, dear Marmaduke!”</p> - -<p>As Sauterelle ran on in this strain our hero grew pale -and sick with dismay. Was he to be made a sacrifice of -thus? Must the rescue of necessity lead to this? Oh, it -was too awful!</p> - -<p>“A beauty here that would befit a queen; and, yes, I -feel love springing in my heart! But should <em>I</em> marry? -<em>I</em>, a boy, and <em>this</em>, the daughter of a duke? Oh, that it -might be so! As I have said, the French are more excitable -than we. But am I not the rescuer-in-chief? In -such a case as this, what should I do?”</p> - -<p>A triumphant shout of sated vengeance now rang -through the building. Bélître Scélérat was securely -fastened, not exactly hanged, out of an upper window. -A minute later the executioners came clattering noisily -down stairs, then filed respectfully past our hero and -heroine into another room, and took up a position where -they were screened, but from which they could see and -hear all that was going on. This action on their part -was more conformable to human nature than to the laws -of romance or the dignity of heroes.</p> - -<p>A sidelong glance disclosed the fact that our hero’s face -was of the hue of polished marble, and that large tears -of heartfelt emotion were starting from his eyes, while<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_331" id="Page_331">[331]</a></span> -other tears were welling from the pores of his neck and -forehead.</p> - -<p>“Père Tortenson, Père Tortenson,” cried Sauterelle. -“Is he not here? Then go, some one, to look for him, -and bring him here to me. The marriage may take place -without delay.”</p> - -<p>“Dear Sauterelle,” our hero said, “I feel I love thee -well indeed, but yet I may not marry thee. Thy friend, -thy humble servant, guide, and helper, I will ever be; -thy husband—ah!”</p> - -<p>Our hero’s grammar says <em>mine</em> and <em>thine</em> are used only -in solemn style. Our hero and heroine were aware of -this—they were but paying tribute to the solemnity of the -occasion.</p> - -<p>“No! say not that! You own that you love me as I -love thee. What is there then to come between us and -our happiness? Is it, alas! my title and my rank? -Think not of them; they shall be nought to us. My -Marmaduke, I’d lay them all aside for thee. Or what is -it? Speak, Marmaduke; I wait to hear thee speak.”</p> - -<p>“Alas, dear Sauterelle,—if really I may call thee so,—I -am not worthy thee. It is indeed thy title and thy -rank. How couldst thou wed a non-commissioned officer -like me?”</p> - -<p>“Perhaps you are the kidnapped heir of some great -English lord.”</p> - -<p>“Oh, <em>could</em> it be? Oh, would it were! Then I thy -equal—Oh, say not that! No; do not torture me.”</p> - -<p>“I understand it now,—my love is not returned,—you -do not care for me.”</p> - -<p>“Love thee! Indeed I love thee well—love thee, as boy -never loved before—love thee, as I ne’er can love again!”</p> - -<p>“Oh, Marmaduke! dear Marmaduke! you cause me -joy. My Marmaduke, I’ll call again the priest.”</p> - -<p>“Thy father!—No, no! I dare not meet thy father!”</p> - -<p>“Dread not my father’s ire. He loves his child; his -child loves thee. Ah, thou art all mine own, for all that -thou hast urged is but a paper wall.”</p> - -<p>“Dear Sauterelle, I must admit I love thee well. To -be thine own—oh, joy! But no; it cannot be. I have no -wealth, no heritage at all. A wife is far from me.”</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_332" id="Page_332">[332]</a></span></p> - -<p>“Wealth? What is wealth to me? Wealth is an idle -word—non-entity—a gin—a snare—a clap-trap. How -should we live? Let no such thoughts occur to thee. -Though wealth is nought, ’tis true, my father hath it, and -thou couldst have enough to live as princes live.”</p> - -<p>“‘Alas,’ you said, ‘perhaps my father lives no more.’”</p> - -<p>“Ah, then am I his heir, and all his riches ours. Oh, -Marmaduke, why should you longer hesitate to take this -step, or longer pause for foolish whims? Then call again -the priest. Why loiters he?”</p> - -<p>But our hero was not yet sensible of the duty that -devolved upon him—he did not yet fully realize his -position—he still hung back—and his poetical objections -having been one by one confuted, he now had the excess -of baseness to offer another.</p> - -<p>“Alas, I know not well thy foreign tongue. How -couldst thou hear me always in my rough tongue, when -thine, so sweet, so soft, so beautiful—”</p> - -<p>“No! speak not so!” cried Sauterelle. “I will not -hear thee speak so! Oh, slander not the language that -is thine. And, ah!—thou art a ready youth, I see it in -thine eye,—how sweet the task of teaching thee my -polished mode of thought and speech! But yet, even as -it is, we can converse quite easily! Père Tortenson, the -time for marrying is here.”</p> - -<p>“Ah, that is truth!” our hero cried. “You speak my -English quite as well as I!”</p> - -<p>Then, in a rational moment, he said rationally, “As -you have said, dear Sauterelle, we love each other well; -but being still so young, so very young, we must not -think of marriage yet a while. ’Tis hard to part with -thee,—our lot is doubly hard,—but fate is ever merciless. -Farewell, my love, we part.”</p> - -<p>He tore himself away, as though he would have fled.</p> - -<p>“’Tis true that we are young,” said Sauterelle. “Our -hearts are warm and young, not chilled and seared with -age and woe. To leave me? No! it shall not be! Thou -must not go!”</p> - -<p>“To love is either happiness or pain; to love, and to -be loved again,—oh, this is ecstasy!”</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_333" id="Page_333">[333]</a></span></p> - -<p>“Oh, Marmaduke, you thrill my heart with joy!”</p> - -<p>“Alas, dear Sauterelle, that love and duty should thus -clash! But, oh, I must not marry thee; I am so far -beneath thee. Dear Sauterelle, thou wilt return to -France and be the wife of some great prince, while I, -alas! shall wear my life away in hopelessness and grief. -And yet, oh Sauterelle, I love thee so! I love thee so! I -fear I yet shall yield to love, forgetting duty.”</p> - -<p>Then Charles stepped out of his lurking-place, and -said respectfully:</p> - -<p>“Forgive me, sir, that I should speak to you, but duty -is not always what it seems. How can this helpless one -return to France alone! A priest at hand, a marriage, -sir, is duty in this case. Your father’s house is near—live -there till Duke Chaloupe hears of this rescue and this -marriage. Then Duke Chaloupe will send us funds for -all to go to France.”</p> - -<p>“Oh, would that I could think that you are right! I -should no longer hesitate.”</p> - -<p>Then, forgetting himself and his position, he fell back -on prose. “Why should not Lady Sauterelle and the -priest return? Are there no hoards of jewels and treasure -here in this building, that would pay the passage, at -least? Scélérat, perhaps, has millions buried here, which -can be found.”</p> - -<p>“No he hasn’t,” said Will, thrusting his head into the -room. “Not a cent. What did you expect the captive -to do after the rescue? What were your ideas on that -point?”</p> - -<p>“Alas,” groaned Marmaduke, “I had none! I never -thought what any of us would do immediately after the -rescue; my thoughts were far ahead in the future. Oh, -if I had only sent that letter to the Government!”</p> - -<p>At that moment a person with majestic mien strode -into the room, saying, “I come, I come; who calls Père -Tortenson? Is it a marriage, lovely Sauterelle? If so, -quite right. Who is the honored bridegroom?”</p> - -<p>As Marmaduke’s chivalric notions of right and wrong -still admonished him not to enter into marriage with a -person of noble birth, he had the uprightness to resist the<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_334" id="Page_334">[334]</a></span> -feelings of his heart once more, though it cost him a hard -struggle to do so.</p> - -<p>Then the other, casting on a tragic air, said, “Alas for -the decay of chivalry! In the old days it was not thus. -Then no weak whim of fancied right e’er came between -two loving hearts.”</p> - -<p>Charles whispered to our hero’s followers, and then, -having stepped into the room, they chorused, their voices, -attuned by war and conquest, filling the place with harmony: -“Your duty, sir, is very plain, and we are grieved -that we should have to point it out: a marriage, as you -are. A few years hence, and you will be the mighty king -of some great land.”</p> - -<p>Then Marmaduke shone forth in all his native nobleness. -He reverently took Sauterelle’s hand in his own, -but before giving the word to the priest he chanted: “In -rank, in ti-tle, and in birth; in rich-es, age, and clime; in -all things, thou surpassest me, O lovely Sauterelle.”</p> - -<p>“Yea, even in height!” chimed in Père Tortenson.</p> - -<p>“Proceed, sir priest,” said Marmaduke.</p> - -<hr class="tb" /> - -<p>The plot was now, they supposed, at an end. It would -be as well to consider its framers as boys again.</p> - -<p>Henry did not wish to prolong the scene, and he whispered -to Will: “This is as far as I dare go; but try to -think of something—<em>anything</em>—to keep up the fun a -little longer.”</p> - -<p>Stephen pretended to be fumbling in the pockets of his -robe. Turning to the Sage, he whispered imploringly, -“Oh, George, can’t you ‘ventriloquism’ a little—<em>ever</em> so -little?”</p> - -<p>“The ghost!” George muttered. “Let us bring in the -ghost!”</p> - -<p>“The ghost? My stars! we never settled how that was -to be done!” Steve said blankly.</p> - -<p>“Oh, Steve, I wish you were free to play the spectre!” -Will sighed. “What was it that we intended the ghost -to do, anyway?”</p> - -<p>“Oh, my gracious, I don’t know; I’m all a muddle!”</p> - -<p>But the moments were slipping away very fast. Marmaduke<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_335" id="Page_335">[335]</a></span> -heard their mutterings, though he did not understand -them, and he was becoming uneasy.</p> - -<p>“Proceed with the ceremony,” he repeated.</p> - -<hr class="chap" /> - -<h2 id="Chapter_XXXVIII">Chapter XXXVIII.<br /> -<span class="smcap">The Startlers Themselves are Startled.</span></h2> - -<p>But the tables were to be turned in a startling and -wholly unlooked-for manner. The boys had had their -day of imposing on simple Marmaduke; and now, in their -turn, they were destined to suffer acutely from uneasiness -and remorse for several hours.</p> - -<p>Such a sentence always finds a place in romances at -certain conjunctures, and, if judiciously worded, reflects -great credit on the romancer. But the reader cannot -always perceive the beauty of such a sentence, and therefore -it would be showing more respect for his feelings to -follow our Jim.</p> - -<p>This hero had slipped away from his companions -shortly before Stephen at last appeared as priest. Being -only a figure-head on this occasion, his absence or presence -did not concern them in the least, and he was suffered to -slip out of the backdoor without comment.</p> - -<p>He wished to make his way into the upper story without -going up the stairs, as to do that it would be necessary -to pass the hero and heroine. However, being well-acquainted -with the building, and knowing how to climb, -he easily made his way into the upper story from the -rear. Then he stole noiselessly across the gloomy chamber, -and felt his way to the window, where the “imposter,” -Bélître Scélérat, hung in state.</p> - -<p>It is a fundamental principle that villains, when about -to perpetrate their dark crimes, should express their -wicked thoughts in “hurried whispers.” This is very -foolish on the part of the villains; but it is not easy to -see how novels could be written if it were otherwise. -Of course the romancers do not always overhear these -“hurried whispers,” but the walls in the vicinity have -ears, and probably the romancers get at them in that way.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_336" id="Page_336">[336]</a></span></p> - -<p>“Now, then,” muttered Jim, “I’ll teach ’em better -than to leave me out of their plots till they have to let -me in. Charley and Steve intend to come along for this -to-morrow, do they, and take it away, and float it burning -down the river? I’ll bet they won’t! I’ll burn it all -to smoke and ashes now, as it hangs on its pins, and serve -’em right!”</p> - -<p>“Hum, <em>this</em> is Jim’s treachery!” sneers the reader. “I -was led to expect something better; I am disappointed.”</p> - -<p>Gentle reader, if you are a faithful peruser of novels, -you must have a great fund of patience. Draw, then, on -that fund, and more of Jim’s designs will presently be -unfolded. Draw on your imagination, also; for his -treachery was never fully made known.</p> - -<p>Suiting the action to the word, Jim fumbled in his -pocket and took out a bunch of matches, which he had -put there for this very purpose. He knew he was doing -wrong, and his hand trembled as he struck a light. He -knew that his terrible disease might seize him at any -moment; and so, fearing to stay longer where he was, he -hastily applied the light to the spectral figure, and turned -to steal away.</p> - -<p>The inflammable material of Bélître Scélérat’s clothes -instantly caught fire, and he himself was soon ablaze.</p> - -<p>“Now to run and tell Marmaduke he is fooled,” Jim -muttered.</p> - -<p>In this way, poor simpleton, he thought to ease his -conscience! But the “still small voice” will be deceived -by no such flimsy excuses.</p> - -<p>“Then to yell ‘Fire!’—Oh, if any ghost <em>should</em> be up -here, now,—if there <em>are</em> such things as ghosts,—this is the -place for them! Now, to get away.——Ow! Ow! -Ouowh!”</p> - -<p>The cause of these unmusical yells from Jim was that -he heard hasty footsteps issuing from a room to the left, and -then a ghost-like figure appeared in the flaring light -of the burning impostor.</p> - -<p>Jim had almost expected to encounter something -horrible, and when this apparition hove in sight his terror -was all the more intense.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_337" id="Page_337">[337]</a></span></p> - -<p>Setting up horrisonous howls, that would have been a -credit to Bob Herriman himself, he forgot all about the -dangerous place in the floor,—which, as has been said, -the explorers discovered, carefully marked out, and -avoided,—and rushed blindly upon it. A groan, a -trembling, and it gave way beneath him with the crash -of an earthquake.</p> - -<p>Marmaduke had just given the word to the priest for -the second time, when a succession of frightful howls and -yells of agony struck their ears, and a moment later a -blinding cloud of dust, plaster, and splinters, pervaded the -apartment.</p> - -<p>Jim, a scratched and woe-begone object, also fell.</p> - -<p>Thus the plotters’ little difficulty was obviated; thus a -ghost came to them.</p> - -<p>But that was not all. It so happened (rather, <em>of course</em> -it happened) that Sauterelle and the general were in the -course of the faller.</p> - -<p>Before any of the demoralized plotters could think -what was the matter, or even think at all, Jim dropped -heavily downward, and his feet caught in the rescued -one’s outlandish headdress. It was rudely torn off, and -Henry’s aching head received so violent a wrench that -he could have roared with the pain.</p> - -<p>Although Jim’s fall was not stopped, its course was -deflected, and his head and body were thrown furiously -into Marmaduke’s and Stephen’s arms. He thus escaped -with sundry painful bruises, owing perhaps his life to the -accident of striking Henry’s headdress and being thrown -upon Marmaduke and Stephen.</p> - -<p>These two, also, were stunned and slightly hurt; and a -pair of unique goggles, that Steve wore as a partial disguise, -went the way of the hammer, the axe, and the -band-box full of rusty tools.</p> - -<p>Confusion reigned for a few moments; but as soon as -the general could think at all, his thoughts reverted to -Sauterelle.</p> - -<p>“Oh, where is Lady Sauterelle?” he cried.</p> - -<p>He flew to Henry’s side, to behold—oh what?</p> - -<p>Henry had seized his opportunity to strip off his disguise,<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_338" id="Page_338">[338]</a></span> -and now stood revealed in coat, vest, and pants—a -very boy-like boy.</p> - -<p>The plotters, somewhat recovered from their surprise, -and seeing that no one was much the worse for the fright, -saw the dupe’s look of horror and consternation, and -could restrain themselves no longer. The long pent-up -laughter burst from each mouth in one deafening roar. -This was what they had plotted for, and it had come.</p> - -<p>With a tragic and truly pathetic air, Marmaduke threw -up his hands, cried, in piteous tones, that the plotters will -remember till their last hour, “I am betrayed!” and fled -out of the house like a madman.</p> - -<p>For the first time the boys felt heartily ashamed of -themselves. They all ran out to call him back and beg -his forgiveness, and discovered what they would have -known before, if they had not been so engrossed with -Jim’s fall and Henry’s unmasking.</p> - -<p>The building was on fire and burning furiously! -Though it was not five minutes since Jim struck his -match, the fire had gained too great a hold to be extinguished.</p> - -<p>Jim was appalled. Nothing was further from his -thoughts than the burning of the prison-house; though a -little reflection would have shown him that a figure -fashioned of greasy clothes, and stuffed with rags, straw, -shavings, and sundry valuables that slipped in unawares, -could not burn within a few inches of a wooden building -without setting it on fire.</p> - -<p>“Fire! fire!” yelled the heroes, hardly knowing -whether to be delighted or otherwise at the prospect of -such a bon-fire.</p> - -<p>In the excitement of the moment the search after -Marmaduke was given up.</p> - -<p>“Are—are we all out, or is somebody burnt up?” Will -asked, wildly, but with rare presence of mind.</p> - -<p>“Oh, boys, I did it, but I didn’t mean to burn the -house,” Jim confessed. “All I wanted was to burn your -impostor, and tell Marmaduke the truth, and—Ou! ou! -ou! ou!” he shrieked. “There it is again! ou, ou!” and -the boy with the chills took to his heels.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_339" id="Page_339">[339]</a></span></p> - -<p>Jim practised running: on this occasion he was soon -out of sight.</p> - -<p>The rest looked in the direction pointed out by Jim, -and beheld a figure in white gliding towards them. Was -it a ghost, or some one wrapped up in a sheet, so foolish -as to play the part of a ghost?</p> - -<p>“Oh, dear;” gasped Steve, “what is going to happen -next?”</p> - -<p>All the boys were wrought up to a pitch of great -excitement, and were more terrified than they cared to -acknowledge. Henry’s thoughts reverted to his Greek -history and Nemesis.</p> - -<p>But after a moment the Sage observed, with his -habitual philosophy, “Well, if it’s the ghost that inhabited -that house, he is wise in seeking other quarters, for it will -soon be nothing but red-hot ashes.”</p> - -<p>Then, afraid that Henry might think him weak enough -to believe in ghosts, he added, hastily, “Of course, you -know, boys, that there are no such creatures as ghosts; -only—”</p> - -<p>At this juncture the speaker broke off abruptly, and -whatever information he had to impart was lost. The -apparition was now quite close to the boys, and as the -last words left George’s lips, it flung off something very -much like a sheet, and exclaimed, in a voice quite as -human as ghostly:</p> - -<p>“Well, young gentlemen, since you hesitate to take me -for a supernatural being, I shall reveal myself to you.”</p> - -<p>“Do it, then,” said Steve, in street Arab style. “Do it, -for we must be off to look for a comrade.”</p> - -<p>“This to me!” cried the new-comer, angrily. “I’d have -you know that I am Benjamin Stolz.”</p> - -<p>“Oh, horrors!” groaned Steve. “It’s the man that -owns ‘Nobody’s House.’”</p> - -<p>Mr. Stolz spoke again. (By the way, his full name -was Benjamin Franklin Stolz.) Laying aside the bantering -tones in which he first addressed them, he spoke -fiercely:</p> - -<p>“Young men, I want to know who owns that burning -house?”</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_340" id="Page_340">[340]</a></span></p> - -<p>“The one straight ahead of us?” Will asked, as if they -were in the midst of a burning city, with buildings on -fire on every side.</p> - -<p>Mr. Stolz stooped, picked up a small stone, and flung -it towards the fire, saying, “That is the building I have -reference to, unhappy youth. If you can’t see it yet, I -will carry you up to it. I repeat, <em>who is supposed to own -that place</em>?”</p> - -<p>“I am to blame for all this, Mr. Stolz,” Charles had the -courage to say. “I persuaded the boys to come and make -use of it; but I thought it was so useless, and had been -left idle so many years, that no one valued it. I beg -pardon, Mr. Stolz.”</p> - -<p>Stolz hesitated. The boy’s willingness to receive all -the blame touched him. “He is a fine little fellow,” he -said to himself, “but now that I have started this I must -go through it.”</p> - -<p>Charles gained, rather than lost, by his confession, yet -he did not escape punishment. Perhaps he did not -expect that.</p> - -<p>“Well,” began Mr. Stolz, “think twice, or even four or -five times, before you plan to ‘make use of’ the property -of others again. When I choose to burn down my establishments, -I shall do it myself, and not call in schoolboys -to do it for me. Did any of you ever hear what -the law says about burning a man’s house? Law, and -the newspapers, and insurance agents, call it <em>incendiarism</em>. -Judges and juries call <em>incendiarism</em> a very nefarious -occupation. Now, don’t wait to see the walls collapse—begone! -all of you! To-morrow I shall send a writ of -summons to each of you! Begone! Good night.”</p> - -<p>Having discharged his horrible threat about the writ -of summons, Stolz turned and strode towards the blazing -and roaring fire, a very odd smile on his lips.</p> - -<p>The “incendiaries” did not see that smile, and they -stood staring at his retreating figure, speechless and -hopeless. This was the end of their plot! Ah, its -growth had been difficult and uneven—its end was -sublimely tragical!</p> - -<p>Not one of them had accused Jim of firing the building,<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_341" id="Page_341">[341]</a></span> -though, from his own confession, each one knew that Jim -only was guilty of the deed. However, they deserve no -praise for this, since they were all so utterly confounded -that not one of them remembered it. But as Mr. Stolz -was the ghost that caused Jim’s panic, flight, and fall, he -must certainly have known all about it, and consequently -it was better that they should hold their peace.</p> - -<p>After a solemn silence, Stephen asked faintly, “Boys, -what’s a writ of summons? Isn’t it something awful?”</p> - -<p>The Sage brightened and answered him thus: “Yes, -Steve, it is a dreadful instrument of justice to deliver -culprits up to the fury of Law—to trial, punishment, and -torture.”</p> - -<p>Steve, who had a very vague notion of what the word -<em>instrument</em> means, instantly thought of thumb-screws, -racks, and divers other engines of torture, that our -“chivalrous” forefathers were so ingenious as to invent -and so diabolical as to use.</p> - -<p>“Boys,” said Charles, “we are in a worse scrape than -ever before. It would be an awful thing if we should be -sent to prison! Oh, it would kill my mother! Henry, -do you really think Stolz could send us to prison?”</p> - -<p>“I don’t know,” said Henry, in a mournful voice, little -above a whisper.</p> - -<p>“Look here, boys,” spoke the Sage, with his time-honored -phraseology, “we have lost track of Marmaduke -altogether. We must find out what has become of him.”</p> - -<p>“O dear, if he is missing, I shall not care to live!” -Henry declared sincerely. “Where do you suppose he -is, boys? Is he a boy to take such a thing very much -to heart?”</p> - -<p>“I’m afraid he is,” Will acknowledged. “He takes -everything so seriously that this will be almost too much -for him.”</p> - -<p>“Why didn’t you tell me that before?” Henry asked -bitterly.</p> - -<p>With wildly beating hearts the little band began to -search for the missing one, calling him imploringly by -name and begging his forgiveness. The search was -continued till Henry became so completely exhausted<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_342" id="Page_342">[342]</a></span> -that he could no longer drag himself along; and then it -was incumbent on the others to take him home.</p> - -<p>As they drew near the village, one of them proposed -to stop at Marmaduke’s home and inquire after him, in -the faint hope that he might be there. The others agreed -to this, but with little hope of receiving a favorable -answer.</p> - -<p>“Is Marmaduke at home?” Charles asked timidly, as -Mr. Fitz-Williams opened the door.</p> - -<p>“No, he is not,” came the answer, “and we are very -uneasy about him.”</p> - -<p>The plotters did not explain themselves, but turned -away, more heart-sick than before. Suppose that he -should wander off, and be found dead some time afterwards, -would not they be held guilty? Would not they -be goaded by remorse to the end of their days? Or -suppose that he should follow the slighted schoolboy’s -bent, run away to sea, and never be heard of again for -twenty years.</p> - -<p>Stephen was so distressed that he actually said to his -fellow-sufferers: “Boys, if he would only come back, I -wouldn’t tease him about getting married. I intended to -tease him about it for months; but I won’t now, if he -will only come back; I won’t, not a bit!”</p> - -<p>Stephen was a boy of boys; and for him to say that -was to express his contrition in the strongest possible -terms.</p> - -<hr class="chap" /> - -<h2 id="Chapter_XXXIX">Chapter XXXIX.<br /> -<span class="smcap">Repentant Plotters.—The Heroes Re-united.</span></h2> - -<p>The discomfited plotters were forced into a confession -of all their deeds for the past few days, and a party -headed by Mr. Fitz-Williams set out to scour the country -for the missing boy. Then, contrite and woebegone, the -evildoers slunk into their respective homes, there to -receive what punishment their outraged parents should -see fit to inflict.</p> - -<p>It is not best to enter into details; it would be too<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_343" id="Page_343">[343]</a></span> -harrowing. It is sufficient to say that when their weary -heads at length sought their pillows, sleep refused to -come to their relief, and such a night of torture few of -them ever passed.</p> - -<p>“If it wouldn’t make us appear guiltier than we are,” -Henry said, with feverishly bright eyes, “you and I -would pack up, too, Will, and run away, and travel all -around the world.”</p> - -<p>As Henry did not deign to state how this might be -accomplished, we are left to infer that he had an idea of -a flying-machine in his mind.</p> - -<p>Stephen and Charles wore out the night in wondering -what they should do with themselves if sent to prison. -The former resolved that he would undermine the prison -foundations with his jack-knife, and make his escape to -Robinson Crusoe’s island.</p> - -<p>“There I shall spend my life,” he sighed heroically, -“thinking of Marmaduke. Robinson lived alone twenty-eight -years; I’m only sixteen, I shall probably live alone -about sixty years, if the cannibals don’t catch me and -eat me up.”</p> - -<p>Poor dreamer! He was not sufficiently well versed in -geography to know that Robinson Crusoe’s island is not -now so desirable a place to play the hermit in as it was in -the seventeenth century.</p> - -<p>George, who was of an inquisitive disposition, finally -left his bed, broke into the lumber-room of his ancestral -home, and after diligent search, found a bulky tome, -which, years before, had been consigned to that dreary -region as being more learned than intelligible. This -tome was entitled “Every Man his own Lawyer.”</p> - -<p>With this prize he returned to his bedroom, muttering, -“Now I shall see just what the law can do to us boys, -and all about the whole business, and what we ought to -do and say.”</p> - -<p>After an hour’s careful study of this neglected “Mine -of Wealth,” the Sage let it slip out of his hands, and -tumbled into bed again, muttering: “Yes, one of us is -guilty of the crime of arson. That is very clear. All of -us are liable to be sent to prison. That is pretty clear.<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_344" id="Page_344">[344]</a></span> -As I make it out, the sentence ranges between six months -and a hundred years. Which will the judge conclude -we deserve, six or one hundred? Oh, well, it will be -hideous to live in a prison at all, for there will be no -books there!”</p> - -<p>According to the Sage’s notions, the worst fate that -could possibly overtake him would be to be deprived of -his books.</p> - -<p>“But, O dear,” he pursued, “I should be willing to -give up all my books if Marmaduke could be found.”</p> - -<p>Morning dawned on the reformed plotters with mocking -serenity. There could be no enjoyment for them -while such a cloud of mystery hung over their companion’s -fate.</p> - -<p>The searchers were not so successful on this occasion -as when they used to rove over land and sea for Will -and his companions; not the slightest clew to Marmaduke’s -whereabouts being found.</p> - -<p>The news of the preceding day’s doings was already -known throughout the neighborhood, and the boys were -spoken of in no flattering terms. Those villagers whose -phraseology was refined, called them “whimsical juveniles, -wise beyond their years;” while those villagers whose -phraseology was terse and expressive, brutally gave them -Greek and Japanese nick-names for the Evil One.</p> - -<p>As the hour of dinner approached, a grim-visaged man, -who looked like the descendant of a long line of executioners -and muleteers, so grave and stern were his -features, called on each one of the five boys who had had -an interview with Mr. Stolz, and delivered to each one a -formidable envelope that bore the impress of the Law, -and a single glance at which was sufficient to freeze one’s -blood. Having done this, the “minion of the law,” as the -terrified boys supposed he was, left the village at a round -pace, looking less and less grave with every step. Reader, -this person was a bosom-friend of B. F. Stolz’s, disguised -with a lawyer’s neck-tie, hat, and cane, or cudgel.</p> - -<p>Fearfully the awe-inspiring seals were broken, and the -legal missives were found to run as follows:</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_345" id="Page_345">[345]</a></span></p> - -<div class="blockquote"> - -<p>“Having observed a party of urchins prowling around -my place up stream, and having, by the merest accident, -learned the contents of a certain ‘letter’ written by a -certain William, I was so long-headed as to put this and -that together; and I resolved to make myself acquainted -with what was going on. Accordingly, I watched, and -waited, and hovered lovingly near you, when you knew it -not. I discovered your plot. Last night I was hidden -away up-stairs, within earshot, prepared to spring among -you suddenly as a ghost, when I had an unexpected -meeting with Jim. The rest I believe you know. Don’t -be at all alarmed about the fire; Jim alone is responsible -for that; I will take no further notice of the affair. I -wished to punish you, however, and hit on this little plan. -Whether I have succeeded or not, you yourselves know -best. If you were kept awake by uneasiness last night as -much as I was by laughter, I am more than indemnified -for the loss of ‘Nobody’s House.’</p> - -<p>“In the matter of Marmaduke, I believe he is keeping -house in the big barn on the road to——. I have already -notified his parents of this. To the Rescue, O ye Heroes!</p> - -<p>“I have the honor, your excellencies, to sign myself your -humble servant.</p> - -<p class="right">“<span class="smcap">B. F. Stolz.</span>”</p> - -</div> - -<p>This Stolz was a remarkable man—almost a genius. -Professionally a farmer, he was wholly taken up with the -pastime of playing practical jokes. No subject, no person, -was too exalted to escape him; and, as his letter -proves, he stooped to play off his tricks on even boys! In -this instance he had actually spied on them, and let them -make free with his house, intending to electrify them as -a hobgoblin when they should have worked themselves -up to a proper pitch of excitement.</p> - -<p>But, like every one else concerned in this scheme, he -himself was a sufferer.</p> - -<p>The boys were relieved. No more haunting fears of -being sent to penitentiary; no more ingenious speculations -as to how they should occupy themselves there. -Better than all else, they had news of Marmaduke.</p> - -<p>When Marmaduke discovered the imposition, and fled,<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_346" id="Page_346">[346]</a></span> -he was almost beside himself with grief, horror, and -anger. It seemed to him that boys who could deliberately -contrive and execute so base a scheme must be exceedingly -depraved—cruel, and lost to all sense of honor. It -seemed to him, in short, that they were worse than they -were. After having been duped so completely by them, -he could not endure the thought of ever seeing them -again, and so resolved to abandon his country.</p> - -<p>Poor Marmaduke! He was of a sensitive temperament, -and believed that his heartless school-fellows would ridicule -him for evermore.</p> - -<p>He wandered on till he came to a large and empty -barn, and then it occurred to him that it would be proper -for him, as an exile, to take up his quarters in it for a -short time. He reasoned, also, that if he should be looked -for, it would be well to keep hidden till the search was -over, when he could continue his flight towards the sea-coast, -or any other place, in peace and safety.</p> - -<p>“I am resolved that they shall not take me,” he said -in himself, “for I could not survive another attack from -those boys. No, I shall wander off to some happy land, -where my merit will be appreciated. Then I shall set to -work, become rich and famous, and after long years have -passed I shall return for a few days to my insulting -countrymen, <em>a great man</em>! <em>Then</em> people that think it is -hardly worth while to say ‘good-day’ to me now, will be -glad to catch a glimpse of me from behind a window-curtain; -and that horrible old woman that says <em>I</em> look a -little like her <em>son</em>, the <em>carter</em>, will discover that the <em>Governor -of the State</em> looks just like <em>me</em>! Then those boys—they -will be men then—will remember that I used to -be Marmaduke, that they used to sit in the same seat -with me, and that they used to study out of my books -sometimes; and they will come around me, humble and -cringing, and try to get me to recognize them. But I -won’t recognize them—by even a look or a turn!”</p> - -<p>Full of his future triumph and of his most original -manner of slighting his persecutors, Marmaduke effected -an entry into the old barn in a very burglarious way, not -at all compatible with his dignity. To speak plainly, he<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_347" id="Page_347">[347]</a></span> -picked the lock with a pair of tweezers, which he had -used a few hours previous for a different, a very different -purpose.</p> - -<p>Here he spent the night, dozing, fuming against his -school-fellows, and speculating on his future glory; -while his nearly distracted parent was dragging ponds, -snappishly replying to the impertinent questions of curious -old women, sending little boys and big men hither -and thither on a fool’s errand, and goading sleepy knights -of the telegraph almost to frenzy.</p> - -<p>Next morning as Mr. Stolz was passing the old barn, -he fancied he heard strange sounds within. He slid off -his horse, warily drew near, and looking through a knot-hole, -discovered the missing boy lying on the floor, holding -quiet converse with himself, as he matured his plans -for the future.</p> - -<p>Stolz hurried back to his horse, almost beside himself -with laughter, and thinking that the boys’ plot was most -sublimely ridiculous.</p> - -<p>Just as the dreamer was in the midst of composing an -elaborate letter of farewell to his mother, his sterner -parent appeared on the scene, and poor Marmaduke’s trip -to “some happy land” was postponed indefinitely.</p> - -<p>Strange as it may at first seem, Marmaduke was more -pleased to return home than he cared to acknowledge. -Life as an exile in a gloomy old barn was decidedly -monotonous; and his curiosity as to who the prisoner -represented by Sauterelle could be, was becoming excited. -It was a mystery which he must fathom.</p> - -<p>His poor mother and his remorseful companions welcomed -him with heart-felt joy; and twenty-four hours -after he and Henry first met, they were debating—with -considerable constraint, it is true—whether there is more -fun in fishing with a spear than with a pole and line.</p> - -<p>Such is life—among school-boys.</p> - -<p>What effect did this have on the tricksters, in a moral -point of view? Only a slight one, certainly not a lasting -one. Though shocked and conscience-smitten for a time, -they were soon as reckless and perverse as ever; and the -lesson their suffering should have taught them was unheeded.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_348" id="Page_348">[348]</a></span></p> - -<p>Considering the leniency with which Mr. Stolz treated -them, they should have felt grateful towards him. On -the contrary, whenever this practical joker hove in sight -on his goggle-eyed old charger, instead of advancing to -touch their hats to him respectfully, they regarded him -with such deep-seated rancour that they invariably -jumped over the handiest fence, and strolled off somewhere -through the fields.</p> - -<p>The gossiping villagers had a new subject of comment, -and they took delight in jeering at the “French lords,” -as they insultingly called the ex-plotters. For that -reason it was dangerous, as long as the holidays lasted, to -say anything to them about France or Frenchmen; and -Stephen fell into such a habit of looking furious that his -left eye was permanently injured.</p> - -<p>As for Henry, he became so home-sick and heart-sick -that, after a visit of only ten days, he packed his valise -and returned.</p> - -<hr class="chap" /> - -<h2 id="Chapter_XL">Chapter XL.<br /> -<span class="smcap">The Heroes Figure as Hunters.</span></h2> - -<p>Perhaps the reader may think that while the seven -heroes were together, instead of packing Henry, the -seventh (observe the comma immediately after Henry; -observe, also, that it is not written Henry VII.), off home, -it would have been better to relate a few more of their -exploits. Not so. In imposing on Marmaduke, each one -was guilty of a breach of trust, so that it would not be -right to have them appear with such a stain on their -reputation. As for Jim, he premeditated villainy; and in -good romances no villain can long be regarded as a hero—unless -he happens to be a highwayman, and it would -be preposterous to attempt to have Jim play the highwayman. -Now, the intention is to write this story on a -moral basis; therefore, a few years are suffered to elapse, -and they are supposed to reform in that time.</p> - -<p>Marmaduke did no wrong, so that his history might be<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_349" id="Page_349">[349]</a></span> -continued, without doubt. But this story could not go -on, unless all the boys, Jim included, were in it.</p> - -<p>Suppose, therefore, that six years have passed since the -burning of “Nobody’s House.” The boys, now men, are -still alive, and in good health and spirits. How they -have spent those six years is not difficult to imagine. All -of them regularly attended school till they were big and -awkward, when most of them were sent to a university, -to complete their education.</p> - -<p>It was originally the intention to relate some thrilling -incidents that took place while they were students; but -being too lazy to collect sufficient scientific facts to do so -with effect, that intention was reluctantly given up.</p> - -<p>Gentle reader, if you are ever at a loss for something -to sigh about, just think what you have missed in not -reading how four sophomores barely escaped blowing -themselves and a leaky steamboat up into the clouds, -fancying that they understood the <em>theory</em> of working a -steam-engine. To torture you still further, imagine, also, -a scene in which a learned professor’s “focus cannon” -mysteriously, unadvisedly, and to the heroes’ amazement -and horror, shot a ball into a pair of glass globes, which -the affectionate students were about to present to him.</p> - -<p>It was autumn; and the seven young men, heroes still, -were preparing to journey far northward, to hunt deer, -or whatever else their bullets might chance to strike.</p> - -<p>Will and Henry prevailed on Uncle Dick to accompany -them—greatly to the satisfaction of the elders, who -fondly hoped he would keep a fatherly eye on the reckless -hunters, and prevent them from destroying themselves.</p> - -<p>Fully equipped, the party of eight set out for the -“happy hunting grounds,” firm in the resolution to kill -all the game still remaining in the great northwest. If -plenty of ammunition and fire-arms would avail, then -certainly they should bring home a great supply of animal -food.</p> - -<p>But whether the fourfooted creatures of the forest -were forewarned that a band of mighty hunters was on -the war-trail, and fled from their sylvan haunts, or<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_350" id="Page_350">[350]</a></span> -whether they obstinately remained, and bade defiance to -the Nimrods’ balls, is a mooted point, which the intensely -interested reader may set at rest as he pleases.</p> - -<p>Having arrived at the outskirts of a growing settlement, -close to a genuine forest, the eight hunters fell to -work, and soon built an uncomfortable and unsafe little -shanty.</p> - -<p>“This will be life in earnest,” Charles observed joyously.</p> - -<p>The young ladies of his native village politely spoke of -him as “Mr. Growler;” but his moustache was still so -white that we should not be justified in so honoring him.</p> - -<p>“Yes; this is the artless life our forefathers lived;” -said Marmaduke, poetical as ever.</p> - -<p>“No,” corrected Stephen, “our forefathers didn’t range -through the forest with Castile soap in their bundles and -charms dangling on their watch chains.”</p> - -<p>“Come, now, considering that you smuggled the soap -into Marmaduke’s pack, you are rather hard on him,” said -Will.</p> - -<p>“Oh, I smuggled it there for my own use as well as for -his,” Stephen explained.</p> - -<p>This proves that Steve was as fond as ever of monkey -tricks.</p> - -<p>Of course the hunters were to depend on what they -killed in the chase for food; and so, as soon as they were -fairly settled, Will and Henry set out to shoot something -that would make a delicious stew for dinner.</p> - -<p>All at once a strange, shadowy form was espied by -Will, lurking in the edge of the wood; and without a -moment’s hesitation he raised his gun and fired. Now, -at home, Will was considered an excellent marksman; -therefore, Henry, who was beside him, was not surprised -to see that, whatever the animal might be, it was stone -dead.</p> - -<p>They hurried to the fallen prey, and were almost as -much disappointed as the small boy is when he finds that -his fish-hook has captured a demonstrative crab instead -of a good-natured chub.</p> - -<p>“Well,” the destroyer said, with a grim smile, “I have<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_351" id="Page_351">[351]</a></span> -done what Steve has often tried to do, but never did—<em>I -have slain a grimalkin</em>!”</p> - -<p>“Cats have no business to prowl around here, and they -deserve to be shot, though we haven’t come all this distance -to shoot them,” Henry said peevishly. “But let us -hide this hoary fellow; for if Steve should hear of it, he -might be tempted to box it up and send it home as your -first deer.”</p> - -<p>It would not be worth while to give the weary and -fruitless tramp the cousins took; it is sufficient to say -that they shot nothing that a civilized cook would take -pride in preparing for the table. At last Henry was fortunate -enough to disable a brace of woodcocks, and after -an exciting chase they secured them, and then returned -to their quarters.</p> - -<p>Next morning the entire party went hunting, resolved -to kill something. They penetrated far into the forest, -talking as freely as if they were in a desert or on the -ocean. Consequently, they did not see much game.</p> - -<p>“Hist!” Mr. Lawrence suddenly exclaimed. “What -enormous beast is that yonder?”</p> - -<p>“It’s a bear?” Will cried with rapture. “A genuine -bear!”</p> - -<p>“Are there bears here, in this part of the world?” Jim -asked uneasily. “Did we come to hunt bears?”</p> - -<p>“Of course we did; of course there are;” Henry said -with disgust. “Jim, I wish our good old professor could -have you among his students. There would be virgin -soil, and you would make an apt student, I am sure.”</p> - -<p>“Yes, it is a bear,” George said emphatically. “A -large bear, and probably a ferocious one. There is the -true bearish head, thick and heavy; the cropped ears; -the thick snout; and the long shaggy coat. It is larger -than even the one in the museum, isn’t it, Henry?”</p> - -<p>Henry thought it was.</p> - -<p>“I see the very place to plant a fatal shot,” George -hinted.</p> - -<p>“Plant it, then,” Steve growled.</p> - -<p>George, eager to slay the monster, fired quickly.</p> - -<p>The smoke cleared away, and there lay the bear, in -exactly the same position.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_352" id="Page_352">[352]</a></span></p> - -<p>“It is stone-dead, surely enough!” Will said, as though -surprised.</p> - -<p>“No; I fancied I saw it move a little,” Mr. Lawrence -said.</p> - -<p>“Then let us all fire a round of balls into it,” Steve -suggested.</p> - -<p>“I won’t have it riddled with shot!” George said -angrily. “I saw just where to hit it, and I hit it there, -and it’s dead.”</p> - -<p>But his wish was disregarded, and some of the hunters -cowardly fired. Then they advanced cautiously, still -fearing that the bear might have life enough in him to -give battle. But the “bearish head” was not raised; the -“thick snout” was not dilated.</p> - -<p>Steve, who was ahead, suddenly gasped out a plaintive -“Oh.” Then the others also saw. The sun shone through -the trees, and left a peculiar shadow on the grass and -brushwood. That was the bear.</p> - -<p>“Let us clap this bear into the museum,” Stephen -presently observed.</p> - -<p>The disgusted hunters concluded to separate, and meet -at a certain time and place, if they didn’t get lost or eaten -up.</p> - -<p>Will wandered off alone, and shot scores of useful birds -and animals—not useful to him, as a hunter, but useful -in the economy of nature. But after one shot had been -thus thrown away, a yell of anger and terror rang through -the forest, and with his heart beating time to his footsteps, -Will hurried in the direction of that yell.</p> - -<p>He soon came up to a man, sitting on a fallen tree, distorting -his features, and nursing his finger in his mouth, -with a gurgling noise, peculiar to a sobbing school-boy -trying to soothe the pain inflicted by a hasty-tempered -wasp.</p> - -<p>“Hello, there!” cried this man. “Did you shoot that -bullet?”</p> - -<p>“Yes, I have just discharged my gun,” Will answered. -“Did—did it hit you, sir? If so, I am extremely sorry, -for, I assure you, I had no intention—”</p> - -<p>“That’ll do!” broke in the wounded man, removing<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_353" id="Page_353">[353]</a></span> -his finger for a moment. “It is plain enough that <em>you</em> -are no hunter,” contemptuously. “A genuine hunter -doesn’t go cracking around like a boy with a pop-gun, -nor talk like as if he was writing to the post-master -general. But, I say, do you know what you have done? -You have smashed my little finger!”</p> - -<p>“What? Are you really hurt? Did the ball strike your -finger?”</p> - -<p>“Of course it did,” angrily; “and it’ll be the dearest -bullet you ever bought! I tell you, I’m sick of having -city chaps tearing through our woods, and scaring the -deer and things, and if they keep it up much longer, the -whole population’ll be shot off. Oh, cracky, but my -finger smarts! I was never shot before.”</p> - -<p>“Let me see your wound,” Will said.</p> - -<p>But the “child of nature” showed no disposition to let -Will examine his injured member, and Will was both -amused and relieved to hear him make the following -observation: “No, it ain’t so much the finger that troubles -me; it’ll soon heal; but I had a bully good silver ring on -it, that I found in an old dust-heap, and that there bullet -has busted it.”</p> - -<p>Then the shooter stepped up to the rustic, saying: -“Come, I must see your finger. If it is badly hurt I will -bind it up for you; I have the materials all ready in my -pockets.”</p> - -<p>“Well, <em>you</em> are quite right in carrying rags, and salve, -and thread, and pins, and soft cotton, and strings, and -such trash, always stuffed in your pockets, for you look -like as if you might blow your head off any minute,” the -wounded man insultingly said, as he got a nearer view of -Will.</p> - -<p>Without further delay he submitted his finger to Will’s -examination. Will presently observed: “I think your -strong silver ring saved the finger, if not the entire hand, -from a severe wound, as the bullet struck its ornamental -carvings and then glanced. In a day or so your finger -will be as sound as ever. Well, I’m sorry I hurt you, -but I must be off. Good-day.”</p> - -<p>“Now, just wait a minute,” said the man with the<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_354" id="Page_354">[354]</a></span> -silver ring. “You don’t know how much I think of a -good ring. I’m a very affectionate feller, and as there’s -nothing else for me to take to, I think a heap of a good -ring. And this one’s ruined and busted now. It may -be ever so long before I can get as good a one—and you -made fun of it, too! I say, what did you say about -‘carvings.’”</p> - -<p>“But the ring saved your hand,” Will persisted.</p> - -<p>“I don’t say nothing about that; but your bullet has -spoilt my ring, and I mean to have the worth of it. Do -you understand that? I ask for the worth of it.”</p> - -<p>“Certainly; how much is your ring worth?”</p> - -<p>“Eh? Well, I don’t know; it was a pretty valuable -ring. How high will you go?”</p> - -<p>Poor Will was becoming tired. He longed to leave the -barbarian’s company, and was fumbling in his pocket for -a small gold piece that was there, when a rustling in the -underwood drew his attention.</p> - -<p>“Wumblers! There’ll be another bullet here next! -Whoop! here comes another hunter full drive! Oh! -cracky, there’s buck after him! Lemme see your gun, and -I’ll show you how to knock ’em over.”</p> - -<p>This was quite true. Romantic Marmaduke had -stumbled on the fresh track of a deer, and following on, -had soon come up with it.</p> - -<p>So much he freely confessed to his inquiring fellow-hunters. -But how the deer came to give chase—whether -he showed the white feather at the critical moment, or -whether he chanted poetry to the hunted creature, and so -infuriated it past endurance—is a question which he -could not, or would not, answer.</p> - -<p>Will’s heart beat fast. Here was a large deer within -range of his rifle. If he should kill it on the spot he -would achieve a valiant deed, as well as put an end to -Marmaduke’s ignominious flight.</p> - -<p>“Lemme see you gun,” the man said eagerly.</p> - -<p>Will did not choose to comply with his request, but -levelled his rifle at the approaching animal, and fired.</p> - -<p>While hunting the last two days, he had suffered so -many disappointments that he himself was perhaps somewhat<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_355" id="Page_355">[355]</a></span> -surprised to see the deer plunge forward and gasp -out his life in a short but awful agony.</p> - -<p>“Good for you, old feller; you can shoot some, after -all!” the forester ejaculated.</p> - -<p>Marmaduke stopped his flight, saw Will, heaved a sigh, -and said pathetically, “It is hard to see the noble beast -cut off in all his pride and strength.”</p> - -<p>“Yes, but better than to suffer from his fury, I hope;” -Will replied. “But how under the sun did the chase -begin?” he asked, glancing from his rifle to the deer -with intense satisfaction.</p> - -<p>But the chased one was reticent on that point, as stated -above; and to evade an answer, he turned to the man -with the marred silver ring, and asked, “What gentleman -is this?”</p> - -<p>“What was it you said about cutting up the buck, just -now, stranger?” this gentleman eagerly inquired. “If -you’re going to cut him up, I’ll help you; and for my -share I’ll take a haunch.”</p> - -<p>Alas! Though forest-born and familiar with woodland -scenes and noble deer, this man had not a poetic soul, and -he interpreted Marmaduke’s beautiful apostrophe as a -wish that the deer should be cut up!</p> - -<p>“<em>Your</em> share! What have <em>you</em> to do with it?” -Marmaduke inquired, coming down to the things of this -world with startling abruptness.</p> - -<p>“Well, this here feller went and shot me; and I’m -going to help you cut up your deer; and for all my -trouble and suffering I only ask for a haunch. I’ll have -it, too!” determinedly.</p> - -<hr class="chap" /> - -<h2 id="Chapter_XLI">Chapter XLI.<br /> -<span class="smcap">How Will Lost His Deer.</span></h2> - -<p>Marmaduke now demanded and received a brief -explanation of affairs.</p> - -<p>Seeing a way out of the difficulty, he pointed obliquely -over the injured man’s shoulder, and said, “Will, there is -a plump and sweet partridge in that tree;—no, lower<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_356" id="Page_356">[356]</a></span> -down;—further on;—hadn’t you better shoot it for him?”</p> - -<p>After a moment’s deliberation the man who loved a -good silver ring agreed to be satisfied with the partridge.</p> - -<p>Yet an evil smile curved his lips—a smile that foreboded -mischief to something—perhaps to the partridge.</p> - -<p>Will had no sooner fired than a howl of awful agony -burst from the man’s lips, and having spread his huge -hands over the region where the ignorant suppose their -vitals are situated, he bowed his body downwards, and -there passed over his face a look of suffering that, in -sublime tragedy, almost equalled the frightful spasms so -graphically portrayed in our patent medicine almanacs.</p> - -<p><em>Almost</em>—nothing can quite come up to the patent -medicine almanacs in that respect.</p> - -<p>With a voice that was appalling in its unrestrained -vehemence, he fell to delivering hideous ecphoneses,—too -hideous, in fact, to be repeated here,—and then gasped -faintly, “You’ve done it now!”</p> - -<p>Poor Will! He was nearly crazed with grief.</p> - -<p>“Oh!” he groaned, “have I killed him? Have I -taken a fellow-creature’s life? Has my hastiness at last -had a fatal result?”</p> - -<p>“Oh,” Marmaduke murmured, “how could Will’s ball -glance so as to enter that man’s body?”</p> - -<p>For several seconds the two unlucky hunters stood -perfectly still, held to the spot by devouring horror and -anguish.</p> - -<p>During this time, the forester seemed to be undergoing -exquisite pain; but presently, with an effort worthy of a -hero, he struggled to an erect posture, and said, with a -faltering tongue: “Young men—perhaps—I’m, I’m gone.—I—can’t -blame—you, sir;—a man—can’t tell—how his -ball—may glance.—Go,—both of you,—go—and get a—doctor.—Bring -a—doctor—you,” to Will; “and you—” -to Marmaduke, “go east—from—from here—half a-mile—to -my—father’s.—I—I—can stay—alone.”</p> - -<p>“Poor, poor fellow,” said Will, with tears in his eyes. -“Can you stay here alone and suffer till we come back?”</p> - -<p>“Yes,” groaned the wounded man. “I can—stay-till—the -other—fellow—finds my—father.—It won’t—be -long.”</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_357" id="Page_357">[357]</a></span></p> - -<p>“Let me at least see your wound before I go,” Will -entreated. “Perhaps I could ease you, or even save -your life.”</p> - -<p>“Go! oh go!” urged the wounded man. “I’ll—hold -out—if you are—quick.”</p> - -<p>Then the two hunters strode sorrowfully away in their -different directions—Will with a vague notion that the -nearest surgeon lived several miles to the south—Marmaduke -thinking that the “peasants” of his country are a -hardy and noble race.</p> - -<p>They were barely out of sight on their errands of -mercy when a change most magical came over the -sufferer’s face. Two minutes before, and his features -wore the tortured look of an invalid “before taking our -prescription;” now they wore the happy smirk of a -convalescent, relieved from all pain, “after taking our -prescription.”</p> - -<p>Then, villain-like, he muttered: “I hardly expected to -make so much out of the two fools—a whole deer! That’s -striking it pretty rich! I don’t shoot a deer in a month; -but this is just as good, for I can make off with this one -at my leisure. Well, I reckoned that little ‘wound’ -would work.”</p> - -<p>A horrible chuckle escaped from his lips, he sprang to -his feet as sound in health as a person could expect to -be, walked up to Will’s deer, and coolly began to drag it -away into the depths of the forest. All that part of the -forest was known to him, and he soon dragged his prey -into a place of concealment where its rightful owners -would hardly find it.</p> - -<p>“There,” he muttered, “I guess I have dragged the old -feller far enough. He’s safe enough here till I can take -him home. Now, they haven’t been gone long, and if -they keep on, they may get lost; and it’s mean to have -’em get lost on a fool’s errand. Perhaps this’ll bring ’em -back on a keen run. How they will hunt for me and -the deer!”</p> - -<p>As the thief spoke he retraced his steps a little way, -discharged a pistol concealed on his person, and then -slunk back to his hiding-place. Yes, he was so humane<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_358" id="Page_358">[358]</a></span> -that he did not wish the two deluded hunters to bring -succor to a man who did not need it.</p> - -<p>The report of his pistol had the desired effect. Both -Will and Marmaduke heard it; and fearing that the poor -wretch was attacked by some foe, human or otherwise, -they hastened back to the scene of bruises and wounds, -meanness and trickery.</p> - -<p>Of course they found nothing, and, although they were -heroes, they were unable to track the knave to his hiding-place. -Will was furious. He had felt so grieved at -having wounded a fellow-creature; so proud, a moment -before, of having been the first to kill a deer; and now -he naturally and correctly concluded that the “wound” -was a mere ruse on the rogue’s part, in order the more -surely to get possession of the deer.</p> - -<p>“Will, I took the fellow to be a very fair example of -our peasants; an honest, ingenuous and hardy forester. -How bitterly I am deceived.”</p> - -<p>Will replied: “Well, <em>I</em> took the fellow for a hypocrite -and a downright knave from the first. It isn’t so much -the deer,—though that is really a great loss for me,—but -the depravity that the man has shown, that grieves me. -And I was just going to give him a new dollar gold piece -to squander his affection on! But, Marmaduke,” with a -flash of his old jovialness, “don’t talk about <em>peasants</em> -and <em>peasantry</em>, for free America knows no such word. -Marmaduke, I’m afraid your trip to Europe in the -summer filled your mind with some ridiculous notions. -Shake them off, and be yourself again.”</p> - -<p>“Well, Will, you are in the right. Now, suppose that -we look for the partridge, for I believe your ball killed -it.”</p> - -<p>“No, Marmaduke. I missed it, for I saw it fly away -untouched, just as that man doubled himself up and -began to howl.”</p> - -<p>“Then you took it for granted that he received the -ball?”</p> - -<p>“Yes. Well, it is useless to remain here, so let us -hurry on to the trysting-place, due west, if we want to -meet the others. But if I don’t unearth that wretch<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_359" id="Page_359">[359]</a></span> -to-morrow, it will be because—because his ill-gotten deer -poisons him!”</p> - -<p>Having taken this dreadful resolution, the two set off -for the rendezvous, where they arrived just in time to -meet with the other hunters.</p> - -<p>“Ho!” cried Steve, when he observed Will’s gloomy -looks. “Ho, old fellow! your face <em>indicates</em> a <em>moody -mood</em>.”</p> - -<p>“Well,” snarled Will, “have you shot some school-boy’s -grammar, and read it through?”</p> - -<p>Then he narrated his encounter with the man in the -forest.</p> - -<p>It was received with plaintive cries of astonishment, -anger, and horror.</p> - -<p>“Well, Will,” said Steve after the first paroxysms of -rage had subsided, “I gather two morals—morals full of -instruction, too—from your narrative.”</p> - -<p>As no one inquired what these “morals” might be, -the speaker was obliged to resume his discourse rather -awkwardly. But no one could cow Steve into silence.</p> - -<p>“Yes, boys; two morals——”</p> - -<p>A pause—in vain.</p> - -<p>“Two morals, I say. In the first place, when you are -in a forest like this, always protect the fourth member of -the left paw with a sculptured silver ring. In the second -place, never fire at a partridge when a jewelled rustic occupies -a log some thirty feet southeast of your left ear, -as Marmaduke hints this one did. It is as dangerous as -a nest of hornets on the North Pole.”</p> - -<p>“Don’t be so atrocious,” said Charles. “In my mind’s -eye, I can look back eight years or so, and see a battered-knuckled -urchin called Steve Goodfellow, wriggling on a -bench in a certain Sunday School, and turning idly round -and round a <em>beautiful</em> silver ring, that adorned first one -and then another of his fingers.”</p> - -<p>Steve sat down so suddenly that he burst the paper -collar around his neck. However, he took no notice of -this, but changed the subject and diverted the boys’ attention -by saying: “I say, Will and Marmaduke, George, -as well as you, has had disappointments to-day. I -shouldn’t relate this little anecdote, if George hadn’t given<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_360" id="Page_360">[360]</a></span> -me permission; because it would be too mean for even -<em>me</em>, and <em>that</em> is saying a good deal. O dear! I’m sorry, -boys; but I can’t help it!”</p> - -<p>“Well, Steve, there is one thing in your favor,” Charles -said soothingly. “You always confine what you are -pleased to call your <em>meanness</em> to us boys; and we can -survive it all—in fact, we expect it from you, old fellow.”</p> - -<p>“Thank you, Charley; you can see below the surface, -and see just how heavily and guiltily my great heart -beats when I attempt to insult over you boys. But now -for my anecdote. George and I meet in a ‘bowery glade.’ -Though we glare wickedly round in search of prey, I see -nothing but Nature’s loveliness. George espies a phenomenon -high up in a monster of the forest, ‘an old -primeval giant,’ whose branching top fanned the blue -sky. In other words, he espies something queer, perched -high in a grand old fir. It is large; it is strange; it -moves. ‘It is a creature of the air,’ thinks George. ‘It -<em>is</em>! It is a bird new to science! Oh, what pleasing discovery -do I make? Am I about to cover myself with -glory? I am! I feel it in my inmost heart, my heart of -heart. Steve,’ he continues, ‘I know my destiny—the -pursuit of science. My fate is now marked out; I shall -write <em>ornithologies</em>! Now I must shoot this percher -down; I cannot climb to catch it, though more’s the pity.’ -O boys, it was, alas! a bird’s nest! A great big bird’s -nest! And when he fired, it was no more. This is my -mournful tale: this is my anecdote.”</p> - -<p>“Steve, don’t relate any more such anecdotes,” said -Charles, “or you will burst your ‘great heart’ as you -have burst your paper collar.”</p> - -<p>“Steve, did George tell you <em>how</em> you might relate that -incident?” Will asked suspiciously. “But, Steve,” he -added gravely, “be good enough to tell me what you -have shot to-day to make you so merry.”</p> - -<p>“With the greatest pleasure,” Steve replied grimly. “<em>I -shot the barrel of my gun all to pieces.</em>”</p> - -<p>“What?” Will asked, at a loss to take Steve’s meaning.</p> - -<p>“In other words,” Mr. Lawrence said, “Stephen overcharged -his gun, and it burst—burst with a vengeance.”</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_361" id="Page_361">[361]</a></span></p> - -<p>“It seems to me that a good many things have burst, -or failed to burst, to-day,” George muttered.</p> - -<p>Then they proceeded to their camp,—as Marmaduke -loved to call the miserable shanty that barely afforded -them shelter,—affecting to carry their guns and their -almost empty game-bags as though they were veteran -hunters.</p> - -<p>Each one was thinking about the deer which was -rightfully Will’s, and each one felt that the affair was not -over yet.</p> - -<hr class="tb" /> - -<p>It is with some real reluctance that the scene with the -forester is introduced, because romancers take altogether -too much delight in parading villainy; but at one time -this scene seemed, in a measure, to be necessary to the -construction of this story. Afterwards the writer had not -the moral courage to leave it out.</p> - -<p>Most readers can remember that in almost all novels -that they have read, (excepting, of course, the “intensely -interesting” ones,) there was at least one chapter which, -taken by itself, seemed tiresome and useless; but which, -woven in skilfully, and taken in connection with the -whole, was necessary to the perfection of the novel.</p> - -<p>After writing these two paragraphs, in order to disarm -all hostile criticism, we shall imagine a conscientious -reader’s referring to this chapter, after he has carefully -perused the entire story, and saying, with a horrible fear -that his usual insight into things has forsaken him: “Well, -I can’t see the particular need and worth of this chapter,” -while we furnish this consoling information—“<em>Neither -can we!</em>”</p> - -<p>Now, carpers, if you can apprehend the meaning of all -this, draw out your engines and bring them into play.</p> - -<p>Another point: Let not the conscientious reader rack -his brains in a vain endeavor to discover what particular -“follies,” or “foibles,” are attacked in this chapter, for -the writer himself does not know; though he is morally -certain that he has not written these two chapters just to -injure the trade in silver rings.</p> - -<hr class="chap" /> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_362" id="Page_362">[362]</a></span></p> - -<h2 id="Chapter_XLII">Chapter XLII.<br /> -<span class="smcap">What Curiosity Cost the Hunters.</span></h2> - -<p>Next morning the mighty Nimrods breakfasted, in -imagination, on their deer; and then struck out into the -forest, resolved to unearth the rogue who had gulled poor -Will.</p> - -<p>But soon the fickle hunters concluded to secure the -services of an officer of the law, and on reaching the edge -of the forest they were directed where to find such a -person.</p> - -<p>They came up with this man in his orchard, but -whether he was gathering apples or only eating them they -could not guess. He listened patiently to the story of -their wrongs (they did not give it <em>exactly</em> as it happened, -but they did not falsify it at all), and then told them that -they might go on with their hunt and not trouble their -heads about it further, for he would soon overhaul the -villain.</p> - -<p>The hunters lingered irresolutely, but the man seemed -to know his own business best, and with a peremptory -“good day” he scrambled into a patriarchal apple-tree, -and fell to shaking down his apples so recklessly and -disrespectfully that they thought it prudent to withdraw.</p> - -<p>“I will catch the rascal myself, after all,” Will declared.</p> - -<p>“Yes, let us penetrate far into this old forest,” Marmaduke -added. “If we explore its length and breadth, -perhaps we shall find some trace of our game.”</p> - -<p>“Perhaps, if we set to work in earnest, we shall be -more successful hunting for man than we have been for -beast,” the young man who used to be called the Sage -observed.</p> - -<p>With that the hunters struck out boldly.</p> - -<p>“Boys,” said Charles, (they still used the familiar appellation -of former years,) “did any of you ever read a -romance in which a scout figured as the hero, or in which -the hero sometimes played the part of a scout, or spy?”</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_363" id="Page_363">[363]</a></span></p> - -<p>“I have,” said two or three.</p> - -<p>“Well, how did they go about it?” Charles asked.</p> - -<p>“Oh,” said Stephen, who took it upon himself to answer, -“they always wore leather breeches, moccasins, and -shot-belts; they always struck the trail at once, smoked -the chiefs’ peace-pipe, and slew the common Indians; -they always followed their trade <em>alone</em>,—or if they had -a mate, <em>both</em> went alone,—and chewed home-made tobacco -with the few tusks still left them; they always tomahawked -deserters, other people’s spies, or scouts, and wild-cats; -and finally, they always found out secrets that got -them into trouble, but lived to receive a gold snuff-box -on the occasion of the hero’s wedding. What they did -with the gold snuff-box I don’t know; for there the -romancer, being too much exhausted to write ‘The End,’ -which has six letters, always wrote ‘Finis,’ which has -only five.”</p> - -<p>“Thank you, Steve,” said Charles. “But according to -that, it is hopeless for us to act the orthodox spy, so we -shall have to go on blindly and take our chances.”</p> - -<p>And they did go on blindly—so blindly, that five hours -later, when hunger began to show her hand, they perceived -that they were lost! Lost in a vast forest, which, -for all they knew, was infested with robbers!</p> - -<p>“It is strange that we have not travelled in a circle,” -George mused. “You all know, of course, that when a -man loses his way, it is a fundamental principle that he -should travel in a circle.”</p> - -<p>“Well, if we keep on diligently, probably we shall have -the pleasure of finding that we are travelling in a circle,” -Charles commented.</p> - -<p>“I tell you what it is, boys;” Steve said, making use of -an expression that had left his lips at least once daily -since his twelfth year; “I tell you what it is, boys; now -that we are lost, let us make the most of it. I have had -a hankering to get lost ever since I cried myself to sleep -over the mournful tale of the ‘Babes in the Woods;’ and -now I am going to enjoy the novel sensation of being -lost! Hurrah!”</p> - -<p>And in the exuberance of his spirits careless Steve<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_364" id="Page_364">[364]</a></span> -plucked off his hat and flung it aloft so adroitly that it -caught in a tree and dangled there tantalizingly, quite out -of his reach. However, a ball from Charles’s rifle induced -it to fall.</p> - -<p>“That is the most useful thing I have shot, Steve,” he -confessed dejectedly; “and if it had been a thing of life, -I should have terminated that life,” pointing to a ghastly -hole in the crown of the hat.</p> - -<p>“Don’t be so much moved, Steve,” George observed; -“for you may fare worse than even the ‘Babes in the -Woods.’ Poor little creatures, they died happy, at least.”</p> - -<p>“Oh,” said Marmaduke, also delighted to think he was -actually lost, “we can live very well for a few days in -this magnificent old forest. We can, of course, procure -all the animal food we shall need, together with roots, -herbs, and berries—no, it’s too late for berries. A man -can live on fish, fruit, and roots, without injury to his -system; and in a few days we shall find our way out, or -else be rescued by others.”</p> - -<p>“Very good,” said Will; “but where are we to catch -the fishes?”</p> - -<p>“Oh,” Steve said promptly, “Marmaduke bases his -argument on the supposition that whenever a hunter gets -lost, he and a ‘pure stream,’ stocked with fish, presently -fall into each other’s arms.”</p> - -<p>“Speaking of <em>rescue</em>,” said Charles, “many a poor lost -hunter is <em>rescued</em> from his sufferings by wild beasts that -devour him.”</p> - -<p>“It is sheer nonsense to talk of becoming lost here,” -Will declared dogmatically, “because this forest is not -extensive enough for any sensible man to remain lost in -it for any great length of time. I see daylight to the -north, now; though where we are is more, I must acknowledge, -than I can tell.”</p> - -<p>“My compass persists that that light comes from the -west,” Stephen soon said; “but of course, Will, you are -too sensible a man to get lost or make such a mistake, -therefore my compass has become demoralized.”</p> - -<p>Will took out his compass, looked at it very hard, and -then pocketed it with a sigh.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_365" id="Page_365">[365]</a></span></p> - -<p>The hunters moved towards the light, and soon found -themselves in a clearing of some extent. A strong log-hut -stood in the centre of this clearing, and divers emblems -of civilization and occupation were strewed around it. -What seemed most strange, to even the most inattentive -of the hunters, was certain implements which are seldom -seen in the midst of a forest. These were such implements -as are used in the construction of railroads.</p> - -<p>“Hello!” yelled Steve, glancing at all these implements, -“hello! we have stumbled on a new railroad, -have we? Well, we ought to be able to find our way out -now pretty easily; for railroads don’t spring up in wildernesses.”</p> - -<p>“Yes, we are just within the woods; outside we shall -find the railroad and civilization,” Will returned. “Well, -I don’t see much romance in getting lost for an hour or -so.”</p> - -<p>“Hello, what is this?” Steve cried suddenly. “Here -is a neat little tube, something like a cartridge. Now, <em>is</em> -it a cartridge?”</p> - -<p>“Be careful, Steve,” Will cautioned. “There is no -knowing what dangerous things may be lying about here. -I remember, when I was a pretty little boy, my father -told me horrible stories about gun-cotton. He made it -out to be a frightful explosive, in order to deter me from -meddling with things strange to me. Now, perhaps—”</p> - -<p>But at this point the prudent one was interrupted by -a shout of laughter from Charles. “Will,” he said, “what -do you mean by ‘a pretty little boy?’ Do you mean, -when you were a handsome, though diminutive, urchin, -or simply, when you were rather small?”</p> - -<p>George now drew on his knowledge, and prepared to -enlighten them. “Gun-cotton, boys,” he said, “is a composition -which con—”</p> - -<p>Doubtless George would have given a very lucid explanation -of the nature and virtues of gun-cotton; but at -this point, Steve, who still held the little “tube,” said -impatiently, “Now, what do I care about gun-cotton? -There is no cotton here, and as for a gun—go to grass! -This tube can be made to fit the blunt end of my pencil, -very neatly; and what is more, it shall be put there.”</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_366" id="Page_366">[366]</a></span></p> - -<p>“Why, Steve, I didn’t give you credit for being so -sensible,” Henry observed. “I didn’t believe you were -studious enough to carry a pencil.”</p> - -<p>“Oh,” Charles ingeniously replied, “Steve doesn’t -carry a pencil for studious purposes; I doubt whether he -ever takes notes; but whenever he finds a clean and -smooth surface,—such as a new shingle or a solid fence -built of newly planed boards,—he draws his name, or a -mythological figure, or the Phantom Ship, on it, with -dazzling flourishes.”</p> - -<p>“Draws his name, eh?” asked Henry.</p> - -<p>“Exactly.”</p> - -<p>“Well,” sighed Steve, “it is one of the few things I can -do well.”</p> - -<p>With that he took out his penknife.</p> - -<p>He was not the only one that had found one of the -little tubes. For some minutes Jim had been silently -filling his coat pocket with them, intending to take them -home. It is not easy for us to guess his object in doing -this, but perhaps the poor fellow, despairing of shooting -anything, wished to bear away some trophy, or souvenir, -of this hunt.</p> - -<p>George, seeing all this, and that his proffered explanation -was contemptuously rejected, resolved to make an -“analysis;” but, acting on the spur of the moment, he -went about it in a very puerile way. He set one of the -mysterious little tubes on a flat stone, then seized a -smaller stone, and prepared to grind his particular tube -to powder.</p> - -<p>Truly, here was Genius laboring under difficulties! -Here was a scientific philosopher endeavoring to solve the -appalling mystery by utterly annihilating a tube! But -his hand was so unsteady with the awfulness of the -revelations he was about to make that (fortunately for -him) his first blow overshot the mark, and he paused before -aiming a second.</p> - -<p>Meanwhile Mr. Lawrence, Charles, and Will, expostulated -in vain. Henry, not dreaming of danger, looked on -with great curiosity, and was almost tempted to examine -some of the mysterious little tubes for himself.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_367" id="Page_367">[367]</a></span></p> - -<p>All this happened simultaneously? Certainly. Just -as George struck his fruitless blow, Steve began to carve -out the ornament for his pencil.</p> - -<p>Reader, do not look upon this scene as savoring of -levity. <em>This</em> incident is true in every particular, a party -of would-be hunters having experimented with little -cartridge-like tubes just as our heroes did here. The -story as told by them is the same in substance with this, -though, of course, we have touched it up a little here and -there.</p> - -<p>Having thus kept the reader in suspense long enough, -it is now in order to return to Stephen. He had barely -begun to “dig out the stuff,” as he phrased it, when a -loud report startled the eight hunters. Steve’s tube had -exploded with more violence than any fire-cracker he -ever handled.</p> - -<p>Appalled, his penknife fell unheeded, and he gazed at -the others with a silly, bewildered, and horrified expression -of countenance, that at any other time would have -provoked a roar of laughter.</p> - -<p>George’s second blow was never struck, but springing -to his feet, he fixed his eyes on Will with a look of extreme -horror.</p> - -<p>Will’s actions, in fact, attracted the attention of all. -As soon as the tube exploded he sprang high into the air, -and then fell to bounding about like a harlequin or a -piece of black rubber, shouting frantically: “Oh, my head’s -off! my head’s off! my head’s off!”</p> - -<p>His head was certainly not off, though blood was -streaming down his cheeks.</p> - -<p>“Oh, Will,” groaned Steve in agony, “what is the -matter? Oh, Will, speak! Have I killed you?”</p> - -<p>“My head’s off! My head’s off!” was Will’s only -answer.</p> - -<p>“Nonsense! your head is all right!” Uncle Dick said -sharply.</p> - -<p>But now Will struck another note, groaned “Oh, my -knee!” and fell down in a swoon. Foolish fellow, he had -danced till his knee slipped out of joint.</p> - -<p>(N.B.—O youth, let this be a warning against dancing.)</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_368" id="Page_368">[368]</a></span></p> - -<p>Mr. Lawrence and George anxiously bent over him; -and, for the first time, Charles and Stephen looked at -each other.</p> - -<p>“Your face!” shrieked Steve.</p> - -<p>“Your fingers!” gasped Charles.</p> - -<p>Then poor Steve perceived that his thumb and first and -second fingers were shattered. It was a sickening sight, -and he now felt a severe pain in them.</p> - -<p>From his fingers Stephen again looked at Charles. -Several small pieces of the metal had pierced the flesh -around the eyes, making painful, but very slight, wounds.</p> - -<p>At that instant Jim set up his peculiar cry of terror. -Poor wretch, his terror and his mode of expressing it still -clung to him; but it was a hundred times more ridiculous -in the man than in the boy. The explosion (if it may be -called so) and Will’s amusing performance, cut short by -his sad accident, had kept him quiet up to this time, but -now he broke out into loud and plaintive cries. This -time, however, he was not a prey to “the chills.”</p> - -<p>“Oh, boys,” he wailed, “I have some of them—a lot of -them—in my pocket! Oh, boys, they will explode there! -They will explode and tear us all to pieces!” And here -his voice increased in volume, and rose higher and higher, -faster than even the scale of C. “Help me, some one, for -<em>I</em> can’t get ’em out!—Oh! I explode!”</p> - -<p>“Console yourself, Jim,” Henry laughed; “I’ll help -you to disgorge them.”</p> - -<p>“Have you any about you?” Jim quavered.</p> - -<p>“No,” said Henry; and with that he took the explosive -little tubes out of Timor’s pocket.</p> - -<p>“Boys, Mr. Lawrence, I know now what these horrible, -cartridge-like tubes are,” George here observed. “They -are <em>dynamite</em>—a new explosive, very useful to fire other -explosives, I believe. I have read about them lately, but -I never saw one before, and don’t know much about their -properties, except that—”</p> - -<p>“George,” Steve interrupted, “if you had told us all -this ten minutes ago, you would have spared us much -annoyance and suffering. Excuse me, George, but this -has roiled my emotions more than anything that ever<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_369" id="Page_369">[369]</a></span> -happened. Yes, you have knowledge of sundry curious -and useful facts, I admit; but that knowledge is not -turned to account till the mischief is done. Some day, -when you see me all torn to pieces, you will discover that -what I took for a pretty music-box was an infernal machine; -and then you will chuckle over your profundity, -but I shall not hear you.”</p> - -<p>“Well, they had no business to leave dynamites scattered -about so loosely,” Charles said, his eyes tingling -just enough to make him surly.</p> - -<p>“Had we any business to meddle with them?” George -growled.</p> - -<p>“Oh,” sighed Will, now revived, “I’m afraid I made -an egregious fool of myself; and I was probably the least -hurt of all. Some pieces entered my ears, cheek, and -neck;—an ordinary hurt for a little boy;—but through -my foolishness I have disjointed my knee!”</p> - -<p>Marmaduke now joined them. He had taken the affair -most unconcernedly, and strolled off to make a reconnaissance.</p> - -<p>“Boys,” he began, “we are within four or five rods of -a railroad, surely enough; and we have been meddling -with the company’s dynamite. But if we had observed -the notice on the other side of the little log-hut, or store-house, -we should certainly have been more careful; for -there, on the door, is written, in red-chalky letters, -‘Powder Magazine.’”</p> - -<p>“Marmaduke, it seems to me that your style is not so -pure as of yore,” Steve grinned, in spite of his pain. -“The animals in this forest have corrupted it. ‘Red-chalky-letters,’ -forsooth!”</p> - -<p>“I found, also,” Marmaduke continued, passing by -Stephen’s taunt, “that the shortest route to a surgeon’s -is due east, through the forest. We can easily reach him -by following our compasses.”</p> - -<p>“Did you inquire of some one outside?” George asked.</p> - -<p>“Yes, George, I had a talk with a man there. Now, -Steve and Will must have their hurts dressed as soon as -may be; so let us start. Will will have to be carried, of -course.”</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_370" id="Page_370">[370]</a></span></p> - -<p>Steve shuddered. The name <em>surgeon</em> had an unpleasant -sound; it grated his ears. Then he perceived that Marmaduke -had been caring for his comfort, and his conscience -was stung with remorse. Acting on the impulse -of his better nature, he strode up to Marmaduke, grasped -his hand, and murmured: “Old fellow, you must forgive -me, and not mind anything I say; for I don’t mean it, I -assure you. It is too bad for me to be continually jeering -at you in particular, Marmaduke, and from to-day I will -try not to do it again.”</p> - -<p>Notwithstanding Steve’s protestation that he did not -mean what he said, Marmaduke saw he was in earnest -now, and replied: “Say no more about it, Steve, for each -of us has his little peculiarities. Now, sit down here, -beside me and I’ll bind up your hurt for you.”</p> - -<p>Then the two sat down together, and Marmaduke took -off the handkerchief which Stephen had hastily and -clumsily wound round his thumb and fingers. Abused -Marmaduke had many gentle ways, and now he tore the -handkerchief into strips, and as neatly and carefully as a -woman could have done it, bound up each hurt separate, -Steve awkwardly trying to help him.</p> - -<p>This incident of binding up his hurts so kindly touched -Stephen’s heart, and from that day the two have been -firm friends. Stephen is now Marmaduke’s sworn defender; -and if any person brings up the latter’s romantic -notions with a view to make him appear ridiculous, -Stephen will say something so sarcastic that the aggressor -will wince and immediately speak of something else.</p> - -<p>Meanwhile the others were taking care of Charles and -Will.</p> - -<hr class="chap" /> - -<h2 id="Chapter_XLIII">Chapter XLIII.<br /> -<span class="smcap">Things Begin to Get Interesting.</span></h2> - -<p>Reader, do not turn faint with disgust at these heart-rending -details, nor imagine that the writer is a half-reclaimed -desparado all the way from “bleeding Kansas;” -for this is just as it happened to those hunters in the<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_371" id="Page_371">[371]</a></span> -flesh. But if he ever attempts to narrate a true story -again, he will tone it down as well as touch it up.</p> - -<p>“Let us be thankful that it is no worse,” Mr. Lawrence -said. “We have had a narrow escape; for if Steve’s -tube hadn’t exploded immediately, George would certainly -have struck his, and then we might all have been -hurled into eternity.”</p> - -<p>“Do you think Steve will lose his thumb and fingers?” -George asked, faintly.</p> - -<p>“Oh, I hope not!” Uncle Dick said, fervently. Then -dolefully: “I am afraid I shall have a heavy account to -settle when I see your parents again.”</p> - -<p>Then the sound hunters framed a rude litter, and laid -Will on it gently. George and Henry were to take turns -with Mr. Lawrence and Marmaduke in carrying him. -And then the little procession passed solemnly through -the woods, with but little of that sprightliness which -had hitherto characterized the party.</p> - -<p>“I think this hunt will last me for a lifetime,” Will -groaned.</p> - -<p>“I am afraid you will feel the effects of your hurt all -the rest of your life,” Uncle Dick sorrowfully rejoined.</p> - -<p>“There is <em>one</em> consolation,” said Steve, who was walking -with his well arm linked in Marmaduke’s. “Next -time we see a ‘dynamite’ we shall know what it is, and -probably I shall not care to make a plaything of one -again.”</p> - -<p>After a weary march due east, they came to a small -cleared space, in which stood a miserable hut. A faint -line of smoke was curling out of the roof, but no person -was in sight.</p> - -<p>“Now, this isn’t another powder magazine,” said Steve; -“therefore it must be a ‘wayside hut.’ My wounds -have made me thirsty, of course, and we can probably -get a drink here, whether any one is in or not, so I am -going in.”</p> - -<p>The others, also, felt thirsty; and Charles was advancing -to knock at the door, when Steve softly called -him back.</p> - -<p>“Now, Charley,” he said, “I haven’t read romances for<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_372" id="Page_372">[372]</a></span> -nothing, and if there’s villainy any where in this forest, -it’s here. Of course you’ve all read that villains have -what is called a ‘peculiar knock?’”</p> - -<p>“Yes,” whispered four out of the seven.</p> - -<p>“Well, I’m going to give a ‘peculiar knock’ on that -door, with my sound hand, and you must mark the effect -it has. You needn’t grasp your weapons; but just keep -your eyes and ears open. Then will you do whatever I -ask?”</p> - -<p>“We will,” they said, smiling at Steve’s whim.</p> - -<p>Then the man who had not read romances for nothing -stole softly to the door, and knocked in a peculiar -manner.</p> - -<p>Without a moment’s hesitation, a voice within said, -“Well done!”</p> - -<p>Steve faced the others and winked furiously, while he -reasoned rapidly to this effect: “Evidently, here is a nest -of knaves. The fellow on the inside thinks his mate is -in danger, and knocks to know whether it is safe for him -to enter.”</p> - -<p>Then the voice within asked uneasily, “Jim?”</p> - -<p>“Will,” said Marmaduke, leaning over the litter, “we -are certainly on the track of the man who stole your -deer!”</p> - -<p>“Oh, I had forgotten all about the deer,” Will groaned.</p> - -<p>Steve started, but collected himself in a moment, and -whispered to Jim, “Come along Jim; this fellow wants -to see you. Now be as bold as a lion; blow your nose -like a trumpet; and observe: ‘By the great dog-star, it’s -Jim; lemme in.’”</p> - -<p>Jim managed to do this; but he basely muttered that -he wasn’t brought up for a circus clown.</p> - -<p>“Then come in; the door isn’t locked;” the voice -within said harshly, but unhesitatingly.</p> - -<p>Stephen flung open the door and strode proudly into -the hut, closely followed by the others. One scantily -furnished room, in a corner of which a man lay on a bed, -was disclosed. This man’s look of alarm at this sudden -entrance filled Steve with exultation.</p> - -<p>“What does all this mean? What do you want?” the -occupant of the bed demanded.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_373" id="Page_373">[373]</a></span></p> - -<p>“A glass of water,” said Steve.</p> - -<p>“Well, you can get a dish here, and there is a spring -outside,” with an air of great relief.</p> - -<p>“Is this the man?” Steve asked of Marmaduke.</p> - -<p>Marmaduke sadly shook his head.</p> - -<p>“I am very low with the small-pox,” said the unknown, -“and those of you who have not had it, nor have not -been exposed to it, had better hurry out into the open -air.”</p> - -<p>This was said quietly—apparently sincerely.</p> - -<p>The hunters were struck with horror. It seemed as -though a chain of misfortunes, that would eventually -lead them to destruction, was slowly closing around them. -Small-pox! Exposed to that loathsome disease! They -grew sick with fear!</p> - -<p>“Was it for this we went hunting?” Charles groaned.</p> - -<p>For a few moments the hunters lost all presence of -mind; they neglected to rush out of doors; they forgot -that the sick man seemed wrapped in suspicion; they forgot -that they had gained admittance by stratagem; Steve -forgot that he was playing the hero.</p> - -<p>A cry of horror from Jim roused them from their -torpor.</p> - -<p>“What a fool I am!” cried Henry, “I had the small-pox -when I was a little boy; and now, to prove or disprove -this fellow’s statement, I will run the risk of -taking it again. The rest of you may leave the room or -not, just as fear, or curiosity, or thirst, or anything else, -moves you. I believe, however, that there is not the -least danger of infection.”</p> - -<p>“No, no; come out!” Mr. Lawrence entreated, not -wishing to be responsible for any more calamities. -“Come out, Henry, and leave the man alone.”</p> - -<p>“Believe me, Mr. Lawrence, I run no risk,” Henry -declared. “I shall——”</p> - -<p>“Ha!” shrieked the sick man. “Lawrence? Did you -say Law—”</p> - -<p>He stopped abruptly. But it was too late; he had -betrayed himself.</p> - -<p>“Yes, my man; I said Lawrence;” Henry said, excitedly.<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_374" id="Page_374">[374]</a></span> -“Come, now, explain yourself. Say no more about -<em>small-pox</em>—we are not to be deceived by any such -pretence.”</p> - -<p>The sick man looked Uncle Dick full in the face; -groaned; shuddered; covered his face with the bed -clothes; and then, villain-like, fell to muttering.</p> - -<p>After these actions, Jim himself was not afraid.</p> - -<p>“Mr. Lawrence, Will, all of you,” Henry said hoarsely, -“I think your mystery is about to be unriddled at last. -This man can evidently furnish the missing link in your -history. He is either the secret enemy or an accomplice -of his.” Uncle Dick trembled. After all these years -was the mystery to be solved at last?</p> - -<p>Stephen’s hurt and Will’s knee were forgotten in the -eagerness to hear what this man had to say. All were -familiar with Uncle Dick’s story, as far as he knew it -himself, and consequently all were eager to have the -mysterious part explained. The entire eight assembled -round the bedside.</p> - -<p>After much inane muttering the sick man uncovered -his head, and asked faintly, “Are you Richard Lawrence?”</p> - -<p>“I am.”</p> - -<p>“Were you insane at one time, and do you remember -Hiram Monk?”</p> - -<p>“Yes, I was insane, but I know nothing of what happened -then.”</p> - -<p>“Well, I will confess all to you. Mr. Lawrence, I have -suffered in all these three years—suffered from the agony -of remorse.”</p> - -<p>“Yes,” said Uncle Dick, with a rising inflection.</p> - -<p>“I will keep my secret no longer. But who are all these -young men?” glancing at the hunters.</p> - -<p>“They are friends, who may hear your story,” Uncle -Dick said.</p> - -<p>“To begin with, I am indeed sick, but I have not the -small pox. That was’ a mere ruse to get rid of disagreeable -callers.”</p> - -<p>At this Steve looked complacent, and Henry looked -triumphant; the one pleased with his stratagem, the other -pleased with his sagacity.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_375" id="Page_375">[375]</a></span></p> - -<p>At that very instant quick steps were heard outside, and -then a “peculiar knock” was given on the door, which, -prudently or imprudently, Steve had shut.</p> - -<p>“It is a man who lives with me,” Hiram Monk said to -the hunters. “We shall be interrupted for a few minutes, -but then I will go on.” Then aloud: “You may as well -come in, Jim.”</p> - -<p>If this was intended as a warning to flee, it was not -heeded, for the door opened, and a man whom Will and -Marmaduke recognized as the rogue who on the previous -day had feigned a mortal wound in order to steal their -deer, strode into the hut.</p> - -<p>On seeing the hut full of armed men, he sank down -hopelessly, delivered a few choice ecphoneses, and then -exclaimed: “Caught at last! Well, I might ’a’ known it -would come sooner or later. They have set the law on -my track, and all these fellows will help ’em. Law behind, -and what on earth in front!—I say, fellows, who -are you?”</p> - -<p>“Hunters,” Henry said laconicly.</p> - -<p>Then the new-comer recognized Will and Marmaduke, -and ejaculated, “Oh, I see; yesterday my ring was ruined, -and now I’m ruined!”</p> - -<p>The officer of the law, whose nonchalance had provoked -the hunters in the forenoon, was indeed behind, and soon -he, also, entered the hut, which was now filled.</p> - -<p>“Just like a romance,” Steve muttered. “All the -characters, good and bad, most unaccountably meet, and -then a general smash up takes place, after which the good -march off in one direction, to felicity, and the bad in -another, to infelicity—unless they shoot themselves. Now, -I hope Hiram and Jim won’t shoot themselves!”</p> - -<p>“Jim Horniss,” said the officer, “I am empowered to -arrest you.”</p> - -<p>“I surrender,” the captured one said sullenly. “You -ought to have arrested me before. I’d give back the deer, -if I could; but I sold it last night, and that’s the last of -it.”</p> - -<p>“That will do,” the officer said severely.</p> - -<p>Up to this time the writer has studiously masked his<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_376" id="Page_376">[376]</a></span> -ignorance by invariably speaking of this man as an officer -of the law. It seems fated, however, that his ignorance -should sooner or later be manifested; and now he declares -that he is so utterly ignorant of Law, in all its forms, that -he does not know what that man was—he knows only that -he was an officer of the law. But for the benefit of those -who are still more ignorant, it may be stated that he is -almost positive the man was neither a juryman, nor a conveyancer, -nor a plaintiff.</p> - -<p>The hunters now held a short conversation, and it was -decided that Mr. Lawrence and Henry should stay to hear -what Hiram Monk had to say for himself, but that -the others should go on with Will and Steve to the -surgeon’s.</p> - -<p>The officer of the law thought it might be necessary -for him to stay in his official capacity, and so he took -a seat and listened, while he fixed his eyes on Jim -Horniss.</p> - -<p>And the confession he heard was worth listening to.</p> - -<p>The hut was soon cleared of all save the five; and the -six first introduced to the reader were again together, -and on their way to the surgeon’s.</p> - -<p>“Well,” said Will, “it seems I have lost my deer; but I -have the comforting thought of knowing that the rascal -will receive the punishment he deserves.”</p> - -<p>“How strange it all is,” said Marmaduke, “that your -uncle should stumble on the solution of his mystery when -he least expected it; and that you could not find the thief -when you looked for him, but as soon as you quit, we -made straight for his house.”</p> - -<p>“No,” Steve corrected good-humoredly, “that isn’t it; -but as soon as I took to playing the part of a hero of -romance, ‘events came on us with the rush of a whirlwind.’”</p> - -<hr class="chap" /> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_377" id="Page_377">[377]</a></span></p> - -<h2 id="Chapter_XLIV">Chapter XLIV.<br /> -<span class="smcap">Is the Mystery Solved?</span></h2> - -<p>Leaving the wounded and the unwounded hunters to -pursue their way through the forest, we shall return to -the hut and over-hear Hiram Monk’s long-delayed confession.</p> - -<p>As soon as the door was shut on the six hunters, -he began. His face was turned towards Mr. Lawrence, -but his eyes were fixed on his pillow, which was hidden by -the coverlet; and his punctuation was so precise, his style -so eloquent and sublime, and his story so methodical, -complicated, and tragical, that once or twice a horrible -suspicion that he was reading the entire confession out of -a novel concealed in the bed, flashed across Mr. Lawrence’s -mind.</p> - -<p>If this dreadful thought should occur to the reader, -he can mentally insert the confession in double quotation -marks.</p> - -<p>We are too humane to inflict the whole confession on -the long-suffering reader; this abridged version of it will -be quite sufficient, as it contains the main points.</p> - -<div class="blockquote"> - -<p>“Seventeen years ago, I was an official in K. Hospital. -My duties were to keep the record of the hospital; but -still I passed considerable time with the maniacs, as my -influence with those unhappy creatures was very great. -I am a man of some education and ability, I may say, -without ostentation; and till I met you, Mr. Lawrence, I -was honesty itself.</p> - -<p>“You were brought to our hospital a friendless man and -a stranger; and it was rumored that you had been attacked -by thieves, who, however, failed to get possession of your -treasure. A great chest of gold and silver, labelled, ‘R. -Lawrence,’ to be retained till your friends or relatives -could be found, was brought and deposited in our magazine. -It was a most romantic story, a man travelling -through the country with a vast sum of money in a strong-box!</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_378" id="Page_378">[378]</a></span></p> - -<p>“The demon entered into me, and I resolved to make -it still more mysterious. In a word, I resolved to appropriate -your fortune to my own use; and in order to do -so the more easily and safely, I set about destroying every -clue to your identity. All papers found on your person, -which might lead to discovery, I carefully burned. It was I -who wrote an account of the affair to the journals, and I -purposely distorted your name beyond recognition. This, -of course, was considered a mere printer’s blunder, and -the ‘mistake’ was never rectified.</p> - -<p>“Here was a great step taken. I now flattered myself -that none of your friends could possibly trace you to our -hospital, and that all I had to do was to wait a short time, -and then quietly slip away with my ill-gotten riches.</p> - -<p>“But many difficulties lay in my way. Your bodily -health and strength gradually improved, though you still -remained disordered in intellect. Then, in order the -better to work out my plans, I caused myself to be appointed -your especial attendant, or keeper; and I made you to -understand that you had a large sum of money, of which -your enemies sought to rob you, deposited, for safe-keeping, -in our vaults. With all a madman’s pertinacity, you took -hold of this idea, and eagerly listened to all that I said. -You ordered the chest of treasure to be brought into your -own apartment, and you became suspicious of every one -but me.</p> - -<p>“Here was another great point gained; and I now -matured my plot to get the money. I induced you to -believe that you were soon to be robbed, and that we -must flee, as you were now strong enough to quit the -hospital at any time. I obtained leave from the superintendent -to go on a flying visit to a friend of mine in -another state, and I made all my arrangements to depart -openly. You were to have another keeper, of course; -but I plotted with you to return at night, and we would -escape together. I believed that the superintendent -would never suspect me,—at least, not till too late,—but -would think that you had eluded your new keeper’s -vigilance in the night.</p> - -<p>“That afternoon I set out ostensibly for Frankfort in<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_379" id="Page_379">[379]</a></span> -Kentucky; but I remained in the neighborhood, and at -night I returned to keep my appointment with you. As -I was perfectly familiar with all the entrances into the -hospital, as well as with all their regulations, and as I -had given you your instructions prior to my feigned -departure, we easily made our escape with the chest of -treasure.</p> - -<p>“And now I had you and all your money wholly in -my power; I could do what I pleased with you. But, -to do myself justice, I must add—no, I affirm positively—that -I had no intention of harming <em>you</em>. My design, -matured beforehand, was to reach a certain cave, establish -you in it, make provision for your subsistence and -comfort, and then slip away with the hoards I coveted.</p> - -<p>“I do not know whether we were pursued or not; -but, if so, we eluded the pursuers, and in due time arrived -at the cave, which, as I had supposed, would serve my -purpose admirably. Yes, it was an excellent place to -desert you so treacherously—an excellent place.</p> - -<p>“But we had barely arrived when you seemed to grow -suspicious of me. That must be stopped immediately, -and I hastened to make preparations for departure. I -left you alone for a time, went to the neighboring city, -and engaged a trader to take necessaries to a certain man -who purposed living in ‘The Cave,’ as it was called. I -represented you as being deranged and idiotic, but quite -harmless, and charged him to deal fairly with you, and -keep his own counsel for a short time, in which case all -would be well. Then I returned to the cave, and acquainted -you with such of these facts as you might know. -That night I gathered up my own effects, as well as the -stolen money, and fled.</p> - -<p>“I did not suppose that you would remain long in the -cave. On the contrary, I supposed that through the -trader, or by some other means, your identity would -soon be established. But I wished to place myself -beyond the reach of pursuit before that should happen. -To that end I had compacted with the trader; to that -end I now fled precipitantly.</p> - -<p>“My better nature returned for a moment, and I<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_380" id="Page_380">[380]</a></span> -thought of advertising your retreat, or even of calling -upon your kinsmen. But I was dissuaded from this by -fears of incurring danger of being apprehended by the -superintendent of the hospital, whose suspicions must, -by this time, have been aroused. May I enquire how -long you remained in ‘The Cave,’ Mr. Lawrence?”</p> - -<p>“Ten years.”</p> - -<p>“Ten years! Then, indeed, I deserve the severest -penalties that the law can inflict! Ten years! I could -not believe that from other lips than yours! And that -man knew you were there all that time, and yet took no -action to set you at liberty! But no; I had told him -that it was better so, and I suppose he took it for granted -that it was. Yes, he is guiltless in the matter.</p> - -<p>“To resume my confession. I escaped with the money -intact, as I imagined; but when I came to open the receptacle, -far away from you and the cave, I found, to my -consternation, that more than half of it was missing, and -its room taken up with stones and earth! You had evidently -grown so suspicious of me as to abstract the -money and conceal it in the cave during my absence in -the city. That was the only solution of the mystery -that occurred to me.</p> - -<p>“How I raged! My punishment was beginning already. -But I was not softened; if I had dared, I should -have returned to the cave, and dug up every foot of -ground within it. But I feared that detectives were -already on my track, and I hurried on, a baulked and -furious man.</p> - -<p>“Greater misfortune was yet to overtake me. The -box containing the stolen treasure was torn asunder in -a steamboat explosion on the Mississippi, and the treasure -was scattered and lost beyond recovery in the muddy -waters. Thus I lost what remained to me of the treasure, -and was left, penniless, friendless, homeless; a -fugitive, an outcast. Since that time, I have lived I -know not how; at one time stricken with fever in the -tropics; at another time languishing in prison for some -petty crime; sick, persecuted, longing for death. Minions -of the law often pursued me for minor irregularities;<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_381" id="Page_381">[381]</a></span> -but the secret of my one great crime never came to light. -In my distress I joined the army, and hoped to find -relief in fighting the battles of my country—my country, -to which I was an odious reproach! I often thought of -returning to the cave, to discover what had become of -you, and to make such restitution as lay in my power; -but I never had the moral courage to do so. For the -last year, I have lived in this forest, in fellowship with -this man, James Horniss.</p> - -<p>“I now surrender myself to outraged justice,—voluntarily, -even gladly,—for I can endure this way of life no -longer. Forgive me, if you can, Mr. Lawrence, for I have -been tortured with remorse in all these years.”</p> - -</div> - -<p>The villain’s story was ended; and Uncle Dick, Henry, -the officer of the law, and Jim Horniss, fetched a sigh of -relief.</p> - -<p>They felt extremely sorry for the sick man who had -confessed so eloquently and prolixly; but Mr. Lawrence -was not so “tortured” with pity as to plead for his release -from punishment. In fact, he had nothing to say -against the law’s taking its course with him. However, -he spoke kindly.</p> - -<p>“Mr. Monk,” he said, “I forgive you freely, for it was -my own foolishness that led me into your power. As -for the money, it seemed fated that it should melt away, -and to-day not one cent of it remains. I am glad to see -you in a better frame of mind, sir; but I must leave you -now to see how it fares with my nephew. Come, Henry.”</p> - -<p>“And <em>your</em> story?” asked the confessor, with a curious -and eager air.</p> - -<p>“Excuse me, Mr. Monk,” said Uncle Dick; “but <em>my</em> -story would seem prosaic, exceedingly prosaic, after -<em>yours</em>. Good day.”</p> - -<p>And he and Henry brutally strode out of the hut, -leaving the ex-villain “tortured” with curiosity.</p> - -<p>Thus those two villains, Hiram Monk and Jim Horniss, -pass out of this tale.</p> - -<p>If the reader thinks it worth while, he can turn back -to the twenty-second chapter, and compare the story<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_382" id="Page_382">[382]</a></span> -which Mr. Lawrence told Mr. Mortimer with the story -narrated by Monk in this chapter. But seriously, gentle -reader, it is hardly worth while to compare the two. Time -is too precious to be fooled away in trying to comprehend -the plots and mysteries put forth in certain romances.</p> - -<p>Mr. Lawrence and Henry hurried on in the direction -taken by their fellow-hunters an hour before.</p> - -<p>“Mr. Lawrence,” said Henry, “I think I shall never go -hunting again; I consider it a wicked waste of gunpowder -and shoe-leather.”</p> - -<p>“Yes, for a company of heedless innocents, who know -little or nothing about fire-arms, and still less about the -habits of animals, it is all a piece of foolishness;” Mr. -Lawrence replied. “For those who are prudent enough -to keep out of danger, who can understand and enjoy -hunting and trapping, and go about it systematically, it -is all very well.”</p> - -<p>Parents and guardians, accept this as a warning—not -that your sons, or wards, will clear up any appalling -mystery by going hunting, but that they will be far more -likely to destroy themselves than to return burdened with -game.</p> - -<hr class="chap" /> - -<h2 id="Chapter_XLV">Chapter XLV.<br /> -<span class="smcap">The Last Blunder.—A Last Conversation.</span></h2> - -<p>To the heart-felt joy of the entire party, the surgeon -declared that, by taking great care, Steve would not lose -his thumb and fingers, though they might be stiff and mis-shaped -for life.</p> - -<p>As to Will’s knee, that was really a serious matter, and -he would probably suffer more or less with it to his dying -day. This was appalling to poor Will, who was so fond -of physical exertion, but he bore it as bravely as he -could.</p> - -<p>As for the cuts made by the flying pieces, the surgeon -regarded them with unutterable disdain. “A schoolboy,” -he said, “would chuckle over such hurts, and make the -most of them while they lasted; but he wouldn’t degrade<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_383" id="Page_383">[383]</a></span> -himself by bellowing—unless his sister happened to dress -them with vitriol. But if a piece had entered an eye, -now, there would have been a tale to tell.”</p> - -<p>And yet those hurts, slight as they were, had frightened -Will so much that he had injured himself for life.</p> - -<p>After all their wounds had been dressed, the Nimrods -wended their way back to their humble cabin, still carrying -Will, of course. As they went along they naturally -conversed. Seeing that it is their last conversation, we -deliberately inflict the whole of it on the hapless reader. -However, the hapless reader cannot be forced to read it -all.</p> - -<p>“Let us have a little light on the subject, as the bloody-minded -king said when he dropped a blazing lucifer on -the head of a disorderly noble of his,” Steve observed, as -they left the surgeon’s.</p> - -<p>“What are you driving at now, Steve?” Charles inquired.</p> - -<p>“The confession made by Monk, if Mr. Lawrence has -no objections.”</p> - -<p>“Certainly;” said uncle Dick. “Henry, you can give -it better than I can; do so.”</p> - -<p>“I wish, with all my heart, that I had taken it down,” -said Henry, “for I consider it the best thing I ever heard. -That man is a born romancer; but he wasted his talents -keeping the records of his hospital, and afterwards dodging -the ‘minions’ and his own conscience. However, I’ll -give it as well as I can.”</p> - -<p>The six, who had not heard it, listened attentively—even -Will ceased to moan, in his eagerness to hear every -word.</p> - -<p>“What an extraordinary story!” cried Steve. “I hope -he didn’t devise it for our amusement, as he devised his -fiction about the small-pox!” he added grimly.</p> - -<p>“Oh, he was very solemn about it,” Henry asserted.</p> - -<p>“Didn’t Mr. Lawrence get back any of his lost fortune?” -Marmaduke asked. “Surely he should have! -Why, there is no moral at all in such a story as that!”</p> - -<p>“Even so, Marmaduke; Hiram Monk made a grave -mistake when he suffered the remainder of the fortune<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_384" id="Page_384">[384]</a></span> -to be ingulfed in the ‘muddy waters’ of the Mississippi. -He should have swelled it to millions, and then buried it -near the first parallel of latitude, so many degrees northeast -by southwest. When he confessed to Mr. Lawrence -to-day, he should have given him a chart of the hiding-place, -and in three months from this date we should have -set out on the war-trail. After having annihilated several -boat-loads of cannibals, and scuttled a pirate or so by -way of recreation, we should have found the treasure just -ten minutes after somebody else had lugged it off. But -of course we should have come up with this somebody, -had a sharp struggle, and lugged off the treasure in our -turn. Then we should have returned, worth seven millions, -a tame native, and an ugly monkey, apiece. But, alas! I -don’t take kindly to that kind of romance any more, -Marmaduke; I don’t pine to shed the blood of villains, -cannibals, and pirates.”</p> - -<p>So spoke Charles. A few hours before, and Steve -would have said it, or something like it; but now Steve -was looking very grave, and seemed already to pounce -on Charles for speaking so.</p> - -<p>“Charley,” he growled, “you talk as if we read Dime -Novels; and I’m sure <em>I</em> don’t, if you do.”</p> - -<p>Charley winced, but could not hit upon a cutting -retort.</p> - -<p>“What Charley says is very good,” Marmaduke, unmoved, -replied; “but I don’t see why a whole fortune -should be utterly lost, nor why Mr. Lawrence should -spend ten years in idleness without some compensation. -I hope you haven’t let Monk escape!” he cried, turning -to Henry with such genuine alarm that the whole party -broke into a laugh.</p> - -<p>Even Steve forgot himself and joined in the laugh, -Marmaduke’s expression of horror being so very ludicrous.</p> - -<p>But he checked himself in a moment, and turned -fiercely upon Charles: “Charles Growler, I am astonished -at you! We do not know Marmaduke’s thoughts; we -cannot judge him by ourselves. By nature, he is of a -finer organism than we, and he sees things in a different<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_385" id="Page_385">[385]</a></span> -light. Some day, when he is a poet among poets, he will -hold us poor shallow creatures up to ridicule in some -majestic and spirit-stirring satire.”</p> - -<p>Stephen was in earnest now, but the others were not -accustomed to this sort of thing from him, and thinking -he meant to be only unusually sarcastic, their laughter -broke forth again; and while Charles laughed uproariously, -Henry said severely—so severely that Steve was -almost desperate: “You ought not to be so personal in -your remarks; you ought to have a <em>little</em> respect for -another’s feelings.”</p> - -<p>Marmaduke remembered the promise Stephen had -made on the log, and he now looked at him reproachfully, -thinking, with the rest, that Steve was jeering at him.</p> - -<p>Poor misunderstood boy! He knew not how to explain -himself. This was the first time he had had occasion to -play the champion to Marmaduke, and he was making an -egregious fool of himself.</p> - -<p>“Oh, you stupid fellows!” he roared. “I’m taking -his part; and I mean to take it after this, for he is the -best fellow in the world.”</p> - -<p>“I’m glad to hear you say so,” Henry said heartily. -“As for Hiram Monk, like all worn out villains, he is -anxious that the <span class="smcap">Law</span> should care for him; and the officer -who secured Jim Horniss will secure him, also. As for -the confession, let us make the most of it as it is; for we -can’t make it either better or worse if we stay here till -we shoot another deer.”</p> - -<p>“Well, boys, what about going home?” George asked.</p> - -<p>“If <em>you</em> are ready to go, I’m morally certain <em>I</em> am,” -said Steve.</p> - -<p>Now that the subject was broached, the others were -willing to acknowledge that they had had enough of -hunting, and would gladly go home. Charles, however, -thought it would be more decorous to offer some plausible -excuse for returning so quickly, and so he said, “Yes, -boys, I must go immediately; I have business that calls -me home imperatively.”</p> - -<p>“‘Business?’ <em>What</em> ‘business?’” Steve asked in great -perplexity.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_386" id="Page_386">[386]</a></span></p> - -<p>He knew that Charley did not yet earn his own living -at home; he knew, also, that Charley was not learning to -play on the violin; hence his curiosity.</p> - -<p>Charles was not prepared for such a question. He -wanted, actually, craved for, a glass of lemonade and one -of his mother’s pumpkin pies; but this seemed so flimsy -an excuse that he hesitated to say so. He stammered; -his cheeks flushed; and at last he said, desperately, -“Well, boys, I should like to see how these cuts look in -the mirror!”</p> - -<p>Will, who shrewdly suspected what Charles was thinking -of, said softly, in French—which he understood better -now than he did six years before—with a faint attempt at -a smile, “And in the eyes of that dear little girl.”</p> - -<p>“This is a great change in our plans,” Henry observed. -“We intended to stay three weeks; and now, at the end -of three days, we are disgusted and homesick.”</p> - -<p>It was evident that Steve had something on his mind, -and he now asked, inquisitively: “Should <em>you</em> like to go -home, Henry?”</p> - -<p>“Stephen, I am going home immediately—even if Will -and I have to go alone.”</p> - -<p>Stephen was about to make a sententious observation; -but he checked himself abruptly, and his voice died away -in one long, guttural, and untranslatable interjection.</p> - -<p>The day before, Stephen had come upon Henry alone -in the depths of the forest, leaning against a tree, and -whistling as though his heart would break—whistling -passionately, yet tenderly—whistling as only a lover can -whistle a love-song. Yet it was not a love-song that -Henry was whistling, but a piece of instrumental music,—“La -Fille de Madame Angot,” by Charles Godfrey,—the -first piece that, some three or four years before, he -had ever heard his blue-eyed sweetheart play; and the -last piece that, in memory of those old days, she had -played for him before he set out to go hunting.</p> - -<p>Steve had stolen softly away, feeling that the person -who could whistle that waltz as Henry whistled it, did -not wish to be disturbed. He now refrained from making -his observation, and said to himself: “Well, now, I<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_387" id="Page_387">[387]</a></span> -feel just about as happy as if I had said what I wanted -to say! Only, it was <em>so</em> good!”</p> - -<p>“Of course; that’s just what we should have thought -of first,” said Charles, beginning where Henry left off. -“Will must be taken home this very night—that is, a -start for home must be made this very night. We will -go with him, of course; for we don’t want to stay and -hunt alone.”</p> - -<p>“Of course,” chorused the others, not wishing to hunt -“alone.”</p> - -<p>“Shall we buy some deer of regular hunters?” Jim -meekly suggested. “Every one will laugh at us if we go -home without even a bird.”</p> - -<p>Steve answered him: “No! If we can’t shoot a deer -to take home, we had better go empty-handed. And -besides, we can buy deer nearer home than this. As for -<em>birds</em>, I didn’t know that amateur hunters take home birds -as an evidence of their skill—unless they happen to -shoot an eagle. As for the <em>laugh</em>, why, I tell you, we -shall be worshipped as wounded heroes!”</p> - -<p>“Perhaps, as stupid blunderers!” George said, testily.</p> - -<p>For the first time, George’s whole skin troubled him. -He had not received even a scratch; while all the others -had some hurt, bruise, or mark, as a memento of this -hunt. Even Jim had not escaped, a vicious hornet having -inhumanly stung his nose.</p> - -<p>They were now drawing near the place where they -supposed their cabin stood. But everything seemed -strange—very strange.</p> - -<p>“Are we lost again?” was the cry that burst from -Will’s lips.</p> - -<p>“Not <em>lost</em>, but <em>burnt out</em>!” Steve exclaimed. “Yes, -boys, we are burnt out of house and home! Now, in -such a case, who is going to stay here and hunt? Why, -our bitterest enemies wouldn’t expect it of us! Hurrah! -But,” he added, gravely, “I’m afraid I’m reconciled to -this disaster!”</p> - -<p>“I think we all are,” Charles said, with a hideous -grin.</p> - -<p>“Now, I want to know how and why that shanty -caught fire?” Will ejaculated.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_388" id="Page_388">[388]</a></span></p> - -<p>By this time the hunters had reached the spot lately -occupied by their cabin, and they now stood around the -pile of still smoking ruins, with probably “mingled -emotions.”</p> - -<p>“You cooked the few morsels we had for breakfast, -Will; therefore you ought to be responsible for this,” -Henry observed.</p> - -<p>“O—h!” groaned Will, “so I am! I didn’t put the -fire entirely out this morning, and I forgot a box of -matches on the hearth—the homemade hearth. They -have met!”</p> - -<p>“At first I grieved that our hovel was so small,” said -Charles; “but now I’m glad it was, or else the fire might -have gone into the forest.”</p> - -<p>“And burnt us alive!” Steve said, with a shudder. -Then he left Marmaduke, bent over the sufferer on the -litter, and whispered in his ear: “Will, as soon as ever we -reach home, I intend to deliver you over to Mr. B. F. -Stolz!”</p> - -<p>Having discharged this horrible threat, Steve returned -to Marmaduke, muttering: “A hunter has no business to -build a shanty to live in; he ought to pitch a tent, if it’s -nothing but a parasol on a fish-pole.”</p> - -<p>“What about this fellow’s bumps?” chuckles the -reader.</p> - -<p>It is very ungracious in the reader, after all our kindness -towards him, to throw out such insinuations, and we -refuse to give him any other explanation or satisfaction -than this: Will’s bumps were not so prominent as usual -that day.</p> - -<p>George now spoke. “Look here, boys; stop your -foolishness and listen to me. Didn’t we leave some valuables -in that building? Where are they now?”</p> - -<p>“Oh!” gasped the others, in one breath.</p> - -<p>“Where are they now?” George roared again.</p> - -<p>As no one seemed to know, he continued: “Well, I’m -going to look for the wreck of my fowling-piece.” And he -set his feet together, and deliberately leaped into the -midst of the smouldering ruins.</p> - -<p>He alighted on his feet, but they gave way beneath -him; he staggered, and then fell heavily, at full length.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_389" id="Page_389">[389]</a></span></p> - -<p>The hunters were alarmed. Was he hurt?</p> - -<p>“George!—George!” they shrieked. “Oh, George!”</p> - -<p>“Well, what’s the matter?” he growled, as he struggled -to his feet.</p> - -<p>“Oh, George, come out,” Charles pleaded. “You must -be hurt.”</p> - -<p>“Am I?” George cried, wildly, hopefully. “Am I hurt, -I say?”</p> - -<p>“You will probably have a black eye,” Mr. Lawrence -sorrowfully observed, as the explorer emerged from the -cinders.</p> - -<p>“Am I much bruised?” he asked, turning to Stephen, -certain that that worthy would do him justice. “Am I, -Steve? I don’t feel hurt or bruised a bit.”</p> - -<p>Quick-witted Steve saw what was going on in the -questioner’s mind, and replied, promptly: “Bruised? -Why, you’re a frightful object—a vagabond scare-crow! -You must be wounded from your Scotch cap to the toe of -your left boot. You’ve secured <em>not only</em> an exceedingly -black eye, <em>but also</em> a swelled cheek, a protuberant forehead, -a stiff neck, a singed chin, a sprained wrist, and, for -all I know, a cracked skull! Why, George, you’re a -total wreck! The folks at home will think that we took -you for some wild beast, and that each of us fired at you -and hit you.”</p> - -<p>The Sage turned away with a happy smile on his lips.</p> - -<p>“Surely,” he soliloquised, “Steve wouldn’t go so far -if there isn’t something wrong. But I hope there is no -danger of a black eye!”</p> - -<p>Then aloud, and cheerfully: “Yes, boys, let us go -home.”</p> - -<p>Do not imagine, gentle reader, that this hunter fell -purposely. He was not so foolish as that; but when he -did have a fall, he wished to profit by it. Still, he could -see neither romance nor poetry in gaining nothing but a -black eye.</p> - -<p>It is worse than useless to prolong their conversation, -so here it closes.</p> - -<p>The hunters felt somewhat crest-fallen when they -found that the fire had consumed almost everything left<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_390" id="Page_390">[390]</a></span> -in the cabin. However, they packed their remaining -effects in some new boxes, and then set out for home in -pretty good spirits. They arrived safe, and were welcomed -as wounded heroes, as Steve had foretold.</p> - -<p>For the consolation of those readers who have an antipathy -to mutilated heroes, it may be stated that Stephen’s -hurts healed, leaving no other bad effects than ugly -scars.</p> - -<p>For the consolation of conscientious readers, it may be -stated that Hiram Monk and Jim Horniss were tried by -law, and <em>sentenced</em> to the punishment they deserved. If -a learned lawyer should be beguiled into reading this -story, he might know what punishment those wretches -<em>deserved</em>—he might even guess at what punishment they -<em>received</em>.</p> - -<p>But the majesty of the law is possessed of a fickle mind.</p> - -<hr class="chap" /> - -<h2 id="Chapter_XLVI">Chapter XLVI.<br /> -<span class="smcap">The Story Closed.</span></h2> - -<p>Some novels, like an endless chain, seem to have neither -beginning nor end; others, while they give every little -incident with wearisome minuteness, stop suddenly when -they come to the colophon, pause in doubt and trepidation, -and finally conclude with two or three sentences of -sententious brevity, in which the word <em>marriage</em> occurs -at least once. The writer of this history, like all right-minded -scribes, becomes disgusted when the last difficulty -is surmounted, but yet has sufficient moral power to -devote a whole chapter (though a short one) to the conclusion. -Gentle reader, you ought to be indulgent to one -who has such self-abnegation—such firmness of purpose—such -greatness of mind.</p> - -<p>This story draws to an end for several reasons: first, -there is no great affinity between schoolboys, for whom it -professes to be written, and volumes seventy-nine chapters -in length; secondly, if the reader is not tired of it, the writer<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_391" id="Page_391">[391]</a></span> -begins to be; thirdly, a story dies a natural death as soon -as its writer unriddles, or attempts to unriddle, its mysteries; -fourthly (and this is perhaps the strongest reason -of all), there is nothing more to be written.</p> - -<p>If there are other reasons why the story should be -brought to an end, they concern the writer, not the reader, -and therefore need not be specified. But in case the -reader should care to hear what became of those boys, the -writer graciously spins out a few pages more.</p> - -<p>Naturally they married, observes the reader who is -familiar with works of fiction. Certainly; every one of -them married.</p> - -<p>Marmaduke fell desperately in love; and, as was -evinced when he rescued Sauterelle, he was a man who -could love passionately and for ever. He married the -object of his choice, of course. By the way, she was -actually a French heiress—at least, her papa was a -Frenchman teaching French in one of our colleges, and -on the wedding-day he gave her the magnificent dowry -of five hundred dollars, the accumulated savings of very -many years.</p> - -<p>Charles married the young lady referred to incidentally -in the last chapter. All the heroes were present at his -wedding; and their enthusiasm ran so high that they -clubbed together, and bought the happy pair a marvel of -a clock, that indicated not only the seconds, minutes, -hours, days, weeks, months, years, and centuries, but was -furnished, also, with a brass band,—which thundered -forth “Yankee Doodle,” “Hail Columbia,” and “Home, -Sweet Home,”—a regiment of well-dressed negroes, an -ear-piercing gong, and “all the latest improvements.”</p> - -<p>Charles and his pretty little wife tolerated this nuisance -exactly three days, and then the former proposed the -following resolution: “That clock runs just one year -after being wound, and the boys wound it up tight -when they brought it here and set it up. If we let it -alone till it runs down, we shall be as mad as the man -that made it. I used to delight in “Yankee Doodle,” -but now I abominate it! We can keep the handsomest -darkey in remembrance of the boys’ mistaken kindness,—rather,<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_392" id="Page_392">[392]</a></span> -in remembrance of the horrible fate they prepared -for us,—but the clock’s doom is sealed. I will -immolate it this very evening; and the street boys may -make off with its broken remains.”</p> - -<p>It is hardly worth while to go on and describe the -wedding-feast of each of the heroes. Turn to the last -page of any novel whatsoever, and you will find an -account quite as applicable to this case as to the original -of a hero’s marriage.</p> - -<p>Will continues to commit his ridiculous blunders as of -yore; but they are not quite so ridiculous as those narrated -in this tale, for he has learned to keep a strict watch over -himself. But, notwithstanding that, notwithstanding his -bumps, notwithstanding that he is now a man, he will -occasionally unstring the nerves of some weak-headed -person by an unseemly act.</p> - -<p>Stephen still takes delight in playing off his practical -jokes. He often gets into trouble by this means, but it -is not in his nature to profit by experience.</p> - -<p>George is a man, wise and learned in his own estimation. -He sends scientific treatises to the leading journals -sometimes, but, alas! it generally results in their being -declined. But George does not value time and postage-stamps -so highly as he should, consequently he still persists -in harassing the editors with his manuscripts. He -is very dispassionate in his choice of subjects, writing -with equal impartiality and enthusiasm about astronomy, -geology, philosophy, aëronautics, and philology. Probably -that is the reason why he does not succeed. If he -should take up a single science and devote all his energies -to it, his name might eventually become known to every -school-boy in the land.</p> - -<p>The less said about Timor, the better. Any boy who -will attempt to hide from a June thunder-storm by skulking -under his bed, can never become a <em>man</em>. He may -grow up to man’s estate, doubtless; but he will be nothing -but a big, overgrown coward.</p> - -<p>Bear this in mind, O parent; and if you should ever -catch your little son skulking in the aforementioned -place while the lightning is playing over the vault of<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_393" id="Page_393">[393]</a></span> -heaven, fall on him, drag him out by the coat-collar, and -hoist him on the gate-post, that he may see how beautiful -and marvellous the lightning is.</p> - -<p>Henry is a <em>man</em>, in every sense of the word. He has -a good head for business, and in a few years will, in all -probability, become a rich man—which, in good romances, -is the main point.</p> - -<p>Marmaduke never became a poet, as Steve fondly prophesied. -But he is probably the most orthodox antiquary -in the United States. He may safely be consulted on -whatever relates to antiquities, as his information is -unlimited, and his home one great museum of curiosities -and monstrosities. To be sure, there are some hideous -and repulsive objects in his cabinets—objects which a -child would shudder to pass in broad daylight—but his -home is the resort of profound, but absent-minded and -whimsical, antiquaries from all parts. He and his wife -live a quiet and happy life, pitied contemptuously by -the ignorant, but honored and respected by those who -know them best. He is not so romantic as formerly, his -experience with “Sauterelle” having shaken his faith in -romance and mystery so much that he afterwards transferred -his attention to antiquities, leaving romance and -mystery for the novelists and detectives to deal with. He -is undeniably a genius, and, much to Steve’s joy, a thorough -American.</p> - -<p>Reader, it is utterly impossible for the writer to inform -you of the occupation of all the others—in fact, he is not -morally certain that he did right in making an antiquary -of Marmaduke. Take the matter into your own hands, -and think in what business those boys would succeed -best. If you can tell, good—very good; the writer is -spared the trouble.</p> - -<p>Therefore: Each reader is at liberty to make what he -pleases of Will, Charles, George, Stephen, Jim, and Henry. -There is, however, this proviso: Do not think of Charles -as an ambassador to Persia; of Steve, as the “proprietor” -of a pea-nut stand; of Jim, as a reader of ghost-stories -at midnight. Do not think of <em>one</em> of them as a future -candidate for the presidency.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_394" id="Page_394">[394]</a></span></p> - -<p>Something has been said of Steve’s calligraphic propensities. -But he never made his fortune with his -pencil; he did little more than while away an idle hour.</p> - -<p>“Ah,” sighs the conscientious reader, “were those boys -not reformed? Did the faults of their boyhood cling to -them in their manhood?”</p> - -<p>Yes; they clung to them. It was originally the intention -to reform them, one and all; but insurmountable -difficulties lay in the way. In the first place, nothing -short of a frightful, perhaps <em>fatal</em>, catastrophe could have -a lasting effect on them; and it is unpleasant to deal with -catastrophes. Consequently, they are suffered to live on, -their ways not amended. But the writer is as grieved at -their follies, or faults, as you are, gentle reader.</p> - -<p>After a careful and critical perusal of this composition,—which -the writer is conceited enough boldly to call -“tale,” “story,” and “history,” and indirectly to call -“romance” and “novel,”—the reader may inquire, -vaguely: “Who is supposed to be the hero of it, anyway?”</p> - -<p>The writer does not resent this as an insult, but replies -calmly that he does not know. In the beginning, it was -designed that Will should be the hero-in-chief, but it soon -became manifest that that was a mistaken idea. Will is, -at best, a shabby hero, not half so noble as the gamins in -the fable, who stopped stoning the frogs when the frogs -reasoned them out of it.</p> - -<p>In point of religion, Will is probably the best of all, -though each one is sound in his belief. George does not -permit his scientific hobbies to shake his faith in God or -man; and if the reader imagines he detects profane levity -in the course of this book, he is mistaken, for nothing of -the sort is intended.</p> - -<p>We do not inform possible inquirers what church these -worthies attended, or whether each one attended a -different church. We do not disclose with which political -party they sided, but it may be taken for granted that -they were not all Republicans nor all Democrats.</p> - -<p>There is a motive for this reticence—a very base and -significant motive. That motive is—<em>policy</em>!</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_395" id="Page_395">[395]</a></span></p> - -<p>To return to Will. He endeavored to live up to the -precept enforced in the following lines:</p> - -<div class="poetry-container"> -<div class="poetry"> -<div class="verse indent1">“So live, that when thy summons comes to join</div> -<div class="verse">The innumerable caravan, which moves</div> -<div class="verse">To that mysterious realm, where each shall take</div> -<div class="verse">His chamber in the silent halls of death,</div> -<div class="verse">Thou go not, like the quarry-slave at night,</div> -<div class="verse">Scourged to his dungeon, but, sustained and soothed</div> -<div class="verse">By an unfaltering trust, approach thy grave,</div> -<div class="verse">Like one who wraps the drapery of his couch</div> -<div class="verse">About him, and lies down to pleasant dreams.”</div> -</div> -</div> - -<p>The disgusted reader, if he has persevered to the end, -tumbles this volume into an out-of-the-way corner, fetches -a yawn of intense relief, and mutters, “Good-bye to that -self-styled writer, with his Wegotism and his ‘demoralized’ -heroes, who are always ‘chuckling’ over their atrocities; -and who are a set of noodles, anyway; always quaking -with fear, overwhelmed with consternation, or shuddering -with horror—and all for nothing.”</p> - -<p> </p> -<hr /> -<p> </p> -<p> </p> - -<p class="transnote">Transcriber’s Note:<br /> -<br />A large number of printing errors have been corrected -without note.<br /> -<br /> -Use of hyphens, e.g. schoolboy/school-boy, is variable.</p> - -<hr class="full" /> -<p>***END OF THE PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK A BLUNDERING BOY***</p> -<p>******* This file should be named 54367-h.htm or 54367-h.zip *******</p> -<p>This and all associated files of various formats will be found in:<br /> -<a href="http://www.gutenberg.org/dirs/5/4/3/6/54367">http://www.gutenberg.org/5/4/3/6/54367</a></p> -<p> -Updated editions will replace the previous one--the old editions will -be renamed.</p> - -<p>Creating the works from print editions not protected by U.S. copyright -law means that no one owns a United States copyright in these works, -so the Foundation (and you!) can copy and distribute it in the United -States without permission and without paying copyright -royalties. 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