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- margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 35%; width: 30%; margin-right: 35%; } - .c024 { border: none; border-bottom: thin solid; margin-top: 1em; - margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 35%; width: 30%; margin-right: 35%; - margin-top: 1em; } - .c025 { font-size: 1.5em; } - .c026 { margin-top: 1em; text-indent: 1em; margin-bottom: 0.25em; } - </style> - </head> - <body> - - -<pre> - -The Project Gutenberg EBook of Joe Wayring at Home, by Harry Castlemon - -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 -www.gutenberg.org. 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. - -Title: Joe Wayring at Home - or The Adventures of a Fly-Rod - -Author: Harry Castlemon - -Release Date: October 11, 2017 [EBook #55730] - -Language: English - -Character set encoding: UTF-8 - -*** START OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK JOE WAYRING AT HOME *** - - - - -Produced by David Edwards, Elizabeth Oscanyan and the -Online Distributed Proofreading Team at http://www.pgdp.net -(This file was produced from images generously made -available by The Internet Archive) - - - - - - -</pre> - - -<div class='figcenter id001'> -<img src='images/i_frontis.jpg' alt='' class='ig001' /> -<div class='ic001'> -<p><span class='sc'>The Battle with the Squatters.</span></p> -</div> -</div> - -<div class='pbb'> - <hr class='pb c000' /> -</div> - -<div class='nf-center-c1'> -<div class='nf-center c001'> - <div><i>FOREST AND STREAM SERIES.</i></div> - </div> -</div> - -<hr class='c002' /> - -<div class='nf-center-c1'> -<h1 class='c000'><span class='xlarge'>JOE WAYRING AT HOME;</span></h1> -</div> - -<div class='nf-center-c1'> -<div class='nf-center c004'> - <div>OR THE</div> - </div> -</div> - -<div class='nf-center-c1'> -<div class='nf-center c005'> - <div><span class='sc'>Adventures of a Fly-Rod</span>.</div> - </div> -</div> - -<div class='nf-center-c1'> -<div class='nf-center c000'> - <div><span class='sc'>By</span> HARRY CASTLEMON,</div> - </div> -</div> - -<div class='nf-center-c1'> -<div class='nf-center c007'> - <div>AUTHOR OF “GUNBOAT SERIES,” “ROCKY MOUNTAIN SERIES,”</div> - <div>“SPORTSMAN CLUB SERIES,” ETC.</div> - </div> -</div> - -<div class='nf-center-c1'> -<div class='nf-center c003'> - <div>THE JOHN C. WINSTON CO.,</div> - </div> -</div> - -<div class='nf-center-c1'> -<div class='nf-center c009'> - <div>PHILADELPHIA,</div> - </div> -</div> - -<div class='nf-center-c1'> -<div class='nf-center c010'> - <div>CHICAGO, TORONTO.</div> - </div> -</div> - -<div class='pbb'> - <hr class='pb c001' /> -</div> - -<div class='chapter'> - <h2 class='c011'><span class='large'>FAMOUS CASTLEMON BOOKS.</span></h2> -</div> - -<p class='c012'><b>GUNBOAT SERIES.</b> By <span class='sc'>Harry Castlemon</span>. 6 vols. 12mo.</p> -<div class='lg-container-l c013'> - <div class='linegroup'> - <div class='group'> - <div class='line'><span class='sc'>Frank the Young Naturalist.</span></div> - <div class='line'><span class='sc'>Frank in the Woods.</span></div> - <div class='line'><span class='sc'>Frank on the Lower Mississippi.</span></div> - <div class='line'><span class='sc'>Frank on a Gunboat.</span></div> - <div class='line'><span class='sc'>Frank before Vicksburg.</span></div> - <div class='line'><span class='sc'>Frank on the Prairie.</span></div> - </div> - </div> -</div> - -<p class='c014'><b>ROCKY MOUNTAIN SERIES.</b> By <span class='sc'>Harry Castlemon</span>. 3 vols. 12mo. Cloth.</p> -<div class='lg-container-l c013'> - <div class='linegroup'> - <div class='group'> - <div class='line'><span class='sc'>Frank among the Rancheros.</span></div> - <div class='line'><span class='sc'>Frank in the Mountains.</span></div> - <div class='line'><span class='sc'>Frank at Don Carlos’ Ranch.</span></div> - </div> - </div> -</div> - -<p class='c014'><b>SPORTSMAN’S CLUB SERIES.</b> By <span class='sc'>Harry Castlemon</span>. 3 vols. 12mo. Cloth.</p> -<div class='lg-container-l c013'> - <div class='linegroup'> - <div class='group'> - <div class='line'><span class='sc'>The Sportsman’s Club in the Saddle.</span></div> - <div class='line'><span class='sc'>The Sportsman’s Club Afloat.</span></div> - <div class='line'><span class='sc'>The Sportsman’s Club among the Trappers.</span></div> - </div> - </div> -</div> - -<p class='c014'><b>FRANK NELSON SERIES.</b> By <span class='sc'>Harry Castlemon</span>. 3 vols. 12mo. Cloth.</p> -<div class='lg-container-l c013'> - <div class='linegroup'> - <div class='group'> - <div class='line'><span class='sc'>Snowed Up.</span></div> - <div class='line'><span class='sc'>Frank in the Forecastle.</span></div> - <div class='line'><span class='sc'>The Boy Traders.</span></div> - </div> - </div> -</div> - -<p class='c014'><b>BOY TRAPPER SERIES.</b> By <span class='sc'>Harry Castlemon</span>. 3 vols. 12mo. Cloth.</p> -<div class='lg-container-l c013'> - <div class='linegroup'> - <div class='group'> - <div class='line'><span class='sc'>The Buried Treasure.</span></div> - <div class='line'><span class='sc'>The Boy Trapper.</span></div> - <div class='line'><span class='sc'>The Mail-Carrier.</span></div> - </div> - </div> -</div> - -<p class='c014'><b>ROUGHING IT SERIES.</b> By <span class='sc'>Harry Castlemon</span>. 3 vols. 12mo. Cloth.</p> -<div class='lg-container-l c013'> - <div class='linegroup'> - <div class='group'> - <div class='line'><span class='sc'>George in Camp.</span></div> - <div class='line'><span class='sc'>George at the Wheel.</span></div> - <div class='line'><span class='sc'>George at the Fort.</span></div> - </div> - </div> -</div> - -<p class='c014'><b>ROD AND GUN SERIES.</b> By <span class='sc'>Harry Castlemon</span>. 3 vols. 12mo. Cloth.</p> -<div class='lg-container-l c013'> - <div class='linegroup'> - <div class='group'> - <div class='line'><span class='sc'>Don Gordon’s Shooting Box.</span></div> - <div class='line'><span class='sc'>The Young Wild Fowlers.</span></div> - <div class='line'><span class='sc'>Rod and Gun Club.</span></div> - </div> - </div> -</div> - -<p class='c014'><b>GO-AHEAD SERIES.</b> By <span class='sc'>Harry Castlemon</span>. 3 vols. 12mo. Cloth.</p> -<div class='lg-container-l c013'> - <div class='linegroup'> - <div class='group'> - <div class='line'><span class='sc'>Tom Newcombe.</span></div> - <div class='line'><span class='sc'>Go-Ahead.</span></div> - <div class='line'><span class='sc'>No Moss.</span></div> - </div> - </div> -</div> - -<p class='c014'><b>FOREST AND STREAM SERIES.</b> By <span class='sc'>Harry Castlemon</span>. 3 vols. 12mo. Cloth.</p> -<div class='lg-container-l c013'> - <div class='linegroup'> - <div class='group'> - <div class='line'><span class='sc'>Joe Wayring.</span></div> - <div class='line'><span class='sc'>Snagged and Sunk.</span></div> - <div class='line'><span class='sc'>Steel Horse.</span></div> - </div> - </div> -</div> - -<p class='c014'><b>WAR SERIES.</b> By <span class='sc'>Harry Castlemon</span>. 5 vols. 12mo. Cloth.</p> -<div class='lg-container-l c013'> - <div class='linegroup'> - <div class='group'> - <div class='line'><span class='sc'>True to his Colors.</span></div> - <div class='line'><span class='sc'>Rodney the Overseer.</span></div> - <div class='line'><span class='sc'>Marcy the Refugee.</span></div> - <div class='line'><span class='sc'>Rodney the Partisan.</span></div> - <div class='line'><span class='sc'>Marcy the Blockade-Runner.</span></div> - </div> - </div> -</div> - -<div class='nf-center-c1'> -<div class='nf-center c015'> - <div><i>Other Volumes in Preparation.</i></div> - </div> -</div> - -<hr class='c016' /> - -<div class='nf-center-c1'> -<div class='nf-center c010'> - <div><span class='sc'>Copyright, 1886, by Porter & Coates.</span></div> - </div> -</div> - -<div class='pbb'> - <hr class='pb c006' /> -</div> - -<div> - <span class='pageno' id='Page_5'>5</span> - <div class='nf-center c008'> - <div>JOE WAYRING AT HOME;</div> - </div> - - <div class='nf-center c004'> - <div>OR</div> - </div> - - <div class='nf-center c005'> - <div>THE STORY OF A FLY-ROD.</div> - </div> -</div> - -<div class='chapter'> - <h2 class='c011'>CHAPTER I. <br /> <br /><span class='small'>IN WHICH I INTRODUCE MYSELF.</span></h2> -</div> - -<p class='drop-capa0_0_0_5 c018'>I AM called “Old Durability”; but for -fear my name may prove misleading, and -cause those of my readers who are not -acquainted with me to fall into the error of -supposing that I am a very aged article, I -desire to say, at the outset, that I am only four -years old, and that I have been in active -service just sixteen months. During that time -I have seen a world of excitement and adventure, -and have performed some exploits of -which any fly-rod might be justly proud. I -have hooked, at one cast, and successfully -landed, two black bass, weighing together -eight and a quarter pounds; I have so often -been dumped in the cold waters of mountain -<span class='pageno' id='Page_6'>6</span>lakes and streams that it is a wonder my ferrules -were not rusted out long ago; I have been -dragged about among snags and lily-pads, by -enraged trout, pickerel and bass; I have been -stolen from my lawful owner, been kept a prisoner -by boys and tramps who either could not -or would not take care of me, and one of my -joints has been broken. Of course, I was skillfully -patched up, but, like the man whose arm -has been fractured, I am not quite as good as I -used to be, and am reluctant to exert all my -strength for fear that I shall break again in the -same place. I can’t throw a fly as far as I -could when I took my finest string of trout in -front of the “sportsmen’s home” at Indian -Lake, and when I am called upon to make the -attempt, my ferrules groan and creak as if they -were about to give away and let me fall to -pieces. For this my master laid me up in -ordinary (that is what sailors say of a war -vessel when she goes out of commission, and is -laid up in port to remain idle there until her -services are needed again), saying, as he did so, -that my days of usefulness were over, but that -he would keep me for the good I had done.</p> - -<p class='c019'><span class='pageno' id='Page_7'>7</span>After having led an active life among the -hills, lakes and forest streams almost ever -since I could remember, you may be sure that -I did not relish treatment of this sort. After -doing my level best for my master, and landing -more than one fish for him that he ought to -have lost because he handled me so awkwardly—after -going with him through some of the most -exciting scenes of his life, and submitting to -treatment that would have used up almost any -other rod, must I be laid upon the shelf in a -dark closet and left to my gloomy reflections, -while a new favorite accompanied my master to -the woods, caught the trout for his dinner, -slept under his blanket, and listened to the -thrilling and amusing stories that were told -around the camp-fire? I resolved to prevent it, -if I could; so when my master took me out of -my case one day to assist him in catching a -muskalonge he had seen in the lake back of his -father’s house, I nerved myself to do valiant -battle, hoping to show him that there was -plenty of good hard work left in me, if he only -knew how to bring it out.</p> - -<p class='c019'>The muskalonge, which was lurking in the -<span class='pageno' id='Page_8'>8</span>edge of the lily-pads ready to pounce upon the -first unwary fish that approached his lair, took -the frog that was on the hook at the very first -cast, and then began the hardest struggle of -my life. My rheumatic joints complained -loudly as the heavy fish darted up and down -the lake, and then dove to the bottom in his -mad efforts to escape, but I held on the best I -knew how until he leaped full length out of the -water, and tried to shake the hook from his -mouth; then I was ready to give up the contest. -He was the largest fish I ever saw.</p> - -<p class='c019'>“Scotland’s a burning!” exclaimed Joe. -“Isn’t he a beauty? If this old rod was as -good as he used to be, wouldn’t I have a prize -in a few minutes from now?”</p> - -<p class='c019'>I ought to have told you before that my -master’s name is Joe Wayring; and a right -good boy he is, too, as you will find before my -story is ended. Nearly all the young fellows -of my acquaintance, and I know some of the -best there are in the country, have some favorite -word or expression which always rises to -their lips whenever they are surprised, excited -or angry, and the words I have just quoted are -<span class='pageno' id='Page_9'>9</span>the ones Joe always used under such circumstances. -No matter how exasperated he was -you never could get any thing stronger out of -him.</p> - -<p class='c019'>I will not dwell upon the particulars of that -fight (my joints ache yet whenever I think of -it), for I set out to talk about other matters. It -will be enough to say that I held fast to the -fish until he became exhausted and was drawn -through the lily-pads to the bank; then the -gaff-hook came to my assistance, and he was -safely landed. He was a monster. I afterward -learned that he weighed a trifle over nineteen -pounds. Wasn’t that something of an exploit -for an eight ounce rod who had been threatened -with the retired list on account of supposed -disability? I was so nearly doubled up -by the long-continued strain that had been -brought to bear upon me, that when my master -threw me down on the ground while he gave his -prize his quietus with the heavy handle of the -gaff-hook, I could not immediately straighten -out again, as every well-conditioned rod is -expected to do under similar circumstances.</p> - -<p class='c019'>“Why, what in the world have you got -<span class='pageno' id='Page_10'>10</span>there?” cried Joe’s mother, as the boy entered -the kitchen, carrying me in one hand and dragging -the fish after him with the other. She -seemed to be a little afraid of the young fisherman’s -prize, and that was hardly to be wondered -at, for his mouth was open, and it was -full of long, sharp teeth.</p> - -<p class='c019'>“It’s the biggest muskalonge that was ever -caught in this lake,” replied Joe, as he laid me -down upon a chair and took both hands to -deposit his fish upon the table. “Didn’t he -fight, though? I say, Uncle Joe,” he added, -addressing himself to a dignified gentleman in -spectacles, who just then came into the -room with the morning’s paper in his hand, -“I shall not need that new split bamboo you -promised me for my birthday, though I thank -you for your kind offer, all the same. This old -rod is good for at least one more summer on -Indian Lake. There is plenty of back-bone left -in him yet.”</p> - -<p class='c019'>Uncle Joe was a rich old bachelor and very -fond of his namesake, Joe Wayring, on whom -he lavished all the affection he would have -given to his own children, if he had had any. -<span class='pageno' id='Page_11'>11</span>He was an enthusiastic angler, a skillful and -untiring bear and deer hunter, and he generally -timed his trips to the woods and mountains so -that Joe and some of his particular friends -could go with him.</p> - -<p class='c019'>“He is the most durable rod I ever saw,” -added my master.</p> - -<p class='c019'>“Well, then, call him ‘Old Durability’,” -suggested Uncle Joe.</p> - -<p class='c019'>The boy said he thought that name would -just suit me, and from that day to this I have -been known by every one who is acquainted -with me as “Old Durability”.</p> - -<p class='c019'>Having introduced myself, because there was -no one to perform the ceremony for me, and -told you how I came by my cognomen, I will -now go back and relate how I made the -acquaintance of my master, Joe Wayring.</p> - -<p class='c019'>If you will review your own life, boy reader, -you may be able to find in it some incident, -which happened, perhaps, long before you -were out of pinafores, and which you remember -perfectly, while all your life previous to the -occurrence of that particular incident is a blank -to you. Just so it was in my own experience. -<span class='pageno' id='Page_12'>12</span>When I first came to my senses, I found myself -snugly tied up in my case and standing in a -corner, looking through a glass door into a -large store in which guns of all makes and fishing -tackle of all kinds were kept for sale. At first -I was greatly bewildered. I felt, if I may judge -from what I have seen during my trips to the -woods, like a boy who has just awakened from -a sound sleep; but after a while my wits came -to me, and then I found that I was not alone in -the show-case. There were a dozen or two fly -and bait rods standing in the corner beside me, -and a little further down, looking toward the -back end of the store, were single and double-barreled -shot-guns, muzzle and breech-loading -rifles, game-bags, creels, hunting knives, dog-whips, -and almost every thing else that a sportsman -is supposed to need. In the show-case, -which rested on the long counter in front of -me, were revolvers, pen-knives, lines, leaders, -flies and ordinary fish-hooks without number; -and on the opposite side of the store was an -array of barrels containing glass balls, traps for -throwing those balls, bicycles, tricycles, rowing -and lifting machines—in fact, I saw so many -<span class='pageno' id='Page_13'>13</span>things that I did not then know the name or -use of, that I became confused while I looked -at them.</p> - -<p class='c019'>“Hallo, there! Have you waked up at last?” -cried a voice, breaking in upon my meditations.</p> - -<p class='c019'>A short investigation showed that the voice -came from the case that stood next on my -right. I did not know, of course, what sort of -a rod he was, or whether or not he would prove -to be an agreeable acquaintance; but wishing -to be civil, I replied that I <i>had</i> waked up, and -that, if he could tell me, I should be glad to -know where I was and how I came there.</p> - -<p class='c019'>“Why, you are in a one-horse country town, -a thousand miles from nowhere, and you have -always been here,” was the answer, given as I -thought in a tone of contempt. “I have traveled. -I came all the way from New York.”</p> - -<p class='c019'>“Who are you?” I ventured to ask; for my -new acquaintance spoke in so dignified and -lofty a tone, that I stood somewhat in awe of -him.</p> - -<p class='c019'>“I am a split bamboo,” said he; and then I -saw very clearly that he was disposed to throw -on airs, and to lord it over those who were not -<span class='pageno' id='Page_14'>14</span>as fortunate as himself. “I am a gentleman’s -rod, and it takes the ducats to buy me. I am -worth forty-five dollars; while I see by the -card tied to your case, that you are valued at -only six and a half.”</p> - -<p class='c019'>Not being quick at figures at this early period -of my life, I could not tell just how much -difference there was between forty-five dollars -and six and a half, but I knew by the way the -bamboo spoke, that the gulf that separated -him from me was a wide one. I have learned -some things since then. I know now that the -qualities of a fly-rod do not depend upon the -varnish that is put on the outside of him, any -more than a boy’s qualities of mind and heart -depend upon the clothes he wears. The stuff -he is made of and the company he keeps have -much to do with the record he makes in the -world. While I was turning the matter over -in my mind, somebody who had been listening -to our conversation, suddenly broke in with:</p> - -<p class='c019'>“You are neither one of you worth the -money you cost.”</p> - -<p class='c019'>I looked around to see who the new speaker -was, and presently discovered him in the person -<span class='pageno' id='Page_15'>15</span>of a handsome bird gun, who rested upon a pair -of deer’s antlers a short distance away.</p> - -<p class='c019'>“You can’t bring a squirrel out of the top of -the tallest hickory in the woods, or stop a -woodcock or a grouse on the wing, but I can,” -continued the double-barrel.</p> - -<p class='c019'>“I can catch a trout, if I have some one to -back me who understands his business, and -that’s more than you can do,” retorted the -bamboo, spitefully. “I can throw a line sixty -or seventy feet; I heard the proprietor of this -store say so.”</p> - -<p class='c019'>“And I can throw shot sixty or seventy -yards, which is three times as far as you can -throw a line,” shouted the double-barrel. -“You seem to think yourself of some consequence -because you came from New York. I -came all the way from England, and that is on -the other side of the ocean.”</p> - -<p class='c019'>“So you are an assisted immigrant, are -you?” cried the bamboo, in tones indicative of -the greatest contempt. “Well, that’s all I -care to know about you.”</p> - -<p class='c019'>The disputants grew more and more in -earnest the longer they talked, and pretty soon -<span class='pageno' id='Page_16'>16</span>there were some hard words used. I took no -part in the controversy, for I felt rather bashful -in the presence of those who had seen so -much more of the world than I had, and who -were worth so much more money, and besides -I could not see what there was to quarrel about. -My sympathies were with the bamboo, arrogant -as he had showed himself to be, because he was -an American like myself; but still the English -fowling-piece, “assisted immigrant” though -he was, had a right to live in this country so -long as he behaved himself, and as he was a -showy fellow, I had no doubt that he would get -out of the store before either the bamboo or -myself. And so he did. While the dispute -was at its height the door opened and a young -man came in—a tall young man, with very thin -legs, peaked shoes, gold eye-glasses and a -downy upper lip. He walked with a mincing -step and drawled out his words when he talked.</p> - -<p class='c019'>“A dude!” whispered the bamboo.</p> - -<p class='c019'>Before I could ask what a “dude” was, the -proprietor came up, and the talking was for a -moment hushed. Being impatient to be -released from the show-case so that we could -<span class='pageno' id='Page_17'>17</span>see what was going on in the great world outside, -each one of us cherished the secret hope -that we might find favor in the eyes of the prospective -purchaser. We were so inexperienced -and foolish that we didn’t care much who -bought us, so long as we got out.</p> - -<p class='c019'>“I—aw! I want to look at a nice light bird -gun,” said the young man; “something you -can recommend for woodcock and the like, -don’t yer know?”</p> - -<p class='c019'>“Why, that’s a countryman of mine,” exclaimed -the double-barrel, who seemed to be -highly excited by the discovery.</p> - -<p class='c019'>The bamboo hastened to assure me that he -wasn’t—that he was an American trying to ape -English ways.</p> - -<p class='c019'>“Do you want a hammerless?” asked the -proprietor.</p> - -<p class='c019'>“I—aw! They come pretty ’igh, don’t they?”</p> - -<p class='c019'>“Not necessarily. Here’s one worth a hundred -and twenty-five dollars,” replied the storekeeper; -and as he spoke, he opened the show-case -and took from it a double-barrel who was so -very plain in appearance, that I had not before -taken more than a passing glance at him. “I -<span class='pageno' id='Page_18'>18</span>judge from your speech that you are an Englishman, -and if you are, you of course know -more about this make of guns than I can tell -you. It is a Greener.”</p> - -<p class='c019'>The young man seemed pleased to know that -he had succeeded in making the proprietor believe -that he was not an American, but he did -not seem to appreciate the gun, nor did he -handle it as if he were accustomed to the use -of fire-arms. He hardly knew how to bring it -to his face properly.</p> - -<p class='c019'>“I—aw! Hit’s wery fine, no doubt,” said -he, after he had made an awkward pretense of -examining the gun, “but I—aw! I want something -a little more showy and not quite so -’igh-priced, don’t yer know? Something that -I can take pride in exhibiting to my ’unting -friends, don’t yer know?”</p> - -<p class='c019'>“We have guns that are more showy than -this, but they are cheap affairs, and we don’t -recommend them. How would this one suit -you?” said the proprietor; and as he spoke, -he opened another door in the show-case, and -took my bragging friend down from his place -on the antlers.</p> - -<p class='c019'><span class='pageno' id='Page_19'>19</span>It may have been all imagination on my part, -but I would have been willing to affirm that his -nickel-plated ornaments grew a shade dimmer -as he was taken out of the case, and I am of the -same opinion still. By his boasting he had led -us all to believe that he was worth at least two -or three hundred dollars; and you can imagine -how surprised we were when we learned that -he was valued at a very small fraction of that -sum.</p> - -<p class='c019'>“Aw! That looks more like a gun,” said the -customer. “That’s a piece, don’t yer know, -that a fellah can show to his friends. Hit’ll -shoot, I suppose?”</p> - -<p class='c019'>“Oh, yes, it will shoot, but it will not do as -clean work as the one I just showed you.”</p> - -<p class='c019'>“Hi’ll take the risk. ’Ow much for ’im?”</p> - -<p class='c019'>“Twenty-five dollars; and that includes a -trunk-shaped case, loading-tools, wiping-rod -and fifty brass-shells.”</p> - -<p class='c019'>The young man handed over the money and -went out, after requesting that his purchase -might be sent up to the Lambert House at -once, as he wished to start for the woods on -the following day. As soon as the door was -<span class='pageno' id='Page_20'>20</span>closed behind him, the proprietor called out to -the porter:</p> - -<p class='c019'>“Oh, Rube! Come here and take this Brummagem -shooting-iron up to the hotel. Thank -goodness it is the last one we have in stock, -and I’ll never buy another.”</p> - -<p class='c019'>“I wonder how that boastful bird gun feels -now,” whispered the bamboo. “His pride had -to take a tumble, didn’t it? There’s no Brummagem -about me, I can tell you.”</p> - -<p class='c019'>“What do you mean by—by—” The word -was too hard for me, and I stumbled over it.</p> - -<p class='c019'>“By Brummagem?” said the bamboo, who -felt so good over the discomfiture of the English -fowling-piece that he was disposed to be -friendly as well as civil. “Why, it’s something -that is fine and showy, but which is not -in reality worth any thing. A Yankee would -say that that double-barrel was a ‘shoddy’ -article.”</p> - -<p class='c019'>“I feel guilty every time I sell one of those -guns,” continued the proprietor. “They are -made in Birmingham, England, at the cost of -nine dollars apiece by the dozen.”</p> - -<p class='c019'>“That dude will never hurt any thing with -<span class='pageno' id='Page_21'>21</span>it,” observed the porter, who had taken a good -look at the customer and heard all that passed -between him and his employer.</p> - -<p class='c019'>“I hope he will not hurt himself with it,” -answered the latter. “What does he want to -go into the woods for? He doesn’t know a -woodcock from an ostrich.”</p> - -<p class='c019'>“He goes because it is fashionable, I suppose,” -said Rube; and I afterward found out -that that was just the reason. I saw him in -the wilderness a few weeks later, and had an -opportunity to exchange a word or two with -the Brummagem breech-loader. The latter -looked decidedly seedy. He was covered with -rust, his locks were out of order, and he had -been put to such hard service that every joint -in his make-up was loose. The second time I -met him he could scarcely talk to me, because -there was not much left of him except his -stock. His ignorant owner—but we’ll wait -until we come to that, won’t we?</p> - -<p class='c019'>The next customers who came into the store -were an elderly gentleman and a young lady. -I certainly thought my chance for freedom had -come, for when the gentleman said that his -<span class='pageno' id='Page_22'>22</span>daughter wanted to look at a fly-rod, something -light enough to be managed with one -hand, and strong enough to land a perch or -rock-bass, the proprietor pushed open the door -in front of me and took me out.</p> - -<p class='c019'>“Aha!” exclaimed the bamboo. “Your -fate is to be the companion and plaything of a -little girl, who will probably set you to catching -sunfish and minnows, and throw you down -in the mud when she gets through with you. -I know that I am destined for the trout streams, -and I have an idea that I shall be taken to -Canada to have a shy at the lordly salmon. -Good-by; but I am sorry for you.”</p> - -<p class='c019'>I did not thank the bamboo for his words of -sympathy, because I did not believe they were -sincere. I thought I could detect a hypocritical -twang in them; but before I could tell him -so, I was taken out of my case, and for the -first time given an opportunity to see how I -looked.</p> - -<p class='c019'>“There is a rod I can recommend. Lancewood -throughout, nickel-plated ferrules and -reel-seat and artistically wound with cane and -silk,” said the proprietor, glibly. “I will -<span class='pageno' id='Page_23'>23</span>warrant him to do good work, and if the lady -breaks him she will not be much out of pocket—only -six dollars and a half.”</p> - -<p class='c019'>“Oh, I don’t want a cheap thing like that,” -exclaimed the young lady, who would not take -a second look at me after she heard that I was -worth so little money. “I want a nice rod.”</p> - -<p class='c019'>The storekeeper laid me on the show-case, -and brought my friend the split bamboo out -for exhibition. He was a splendid looking fellow, -and I did not wonder that the young lady -went into ecstasies over him, and declared at -once that he was just the rod she had long been -wishing for. Neither could I resist the temptation -to say to him, as he was put back into his -case:</p> - -<p class='c019'>“What do you think now of your chances -of going among the trout streams and of taking -a shy at the lordly salmon! Good-by; but I -am sorry for you.”</p> - -<p class='c019'>The bamboo was so crest-fallen that he could -make no response. He was carried away by -his new owner, and I did not see him again -until I was almost ready to be laid upon the -shelf in my master’s closet, to enjoy a long -<span class='pageno' id='Page_24'>24</span>winter’s rest after a season of the hardest kind -of work. The pride and arrogance were all -gone out of him, and he did not look much as -he did when he left the store. If he had been -a man, folks would have called him a tramp.</p> - -<div class='chapter'> - <span class='pageno' id='Page_25'>25</span> - <h2 class='c011'>CHAPTER II. <br /> <br /><span class='small'>THE HISTORIAN OF THE WAYRING FAMILY.</span></h2> -</div> - -<p class='drop-capa0_2_0_5 c018'>THE bamboo having been disposed of I was -returned to the show-case, where I spent -two very lonely days. The rods around me -were worth more money than I was, and feeling -their importance they would scarcely speak -to me, even to answer a civil question; so all I -could do was to hold my peace and listen to -their conversation. But fate had decreed that -I should not long remain a captive. One afternoon -there came into the store a gentleman in -gold spectacles, accompanied by two bright -boys about fifteen years of age. They must -have been well known to the proprietor, for he -shook their hands with all the cordiality which -shopkeepers know how to assume toward their -rich patrons, and greeted them with:</p> - -<p class='c019'>“Ah, colonel, I am glad to see you. Well, -Joseph, have you come after that rod?”</p> - -<p class='c019'><span class='pageno' id='Page_26'>26</span>“Yes, sir,” answered one of the boys, a -curly-headed, blue-eyed lad, who looked so -good-natured and jolly that I took a great -fancy to him at once. “You remember what -I told you the last time I was here, Mr. Brown—that -I want something light and strong and -inexpensive. I can’t afford to pay a high price -for a rod that I may break at the very first -cast. You know I never threw a fly in my life.”</p> - -<p class='c019'>“Yes, I know that,” said Mr. Brown, “and -I know, too, that as a bait fisher you have -few equals and no superiors among boys of -your age.”</p> - -<p class='c019'>“I thank you for the compliment, but I am -afraid I don’t deserve it,” said the blue-eyed -boy, modestly.</p> - -<p class='c019'>“Oh, yes, you do. Now here’s a rod that -will suit you exactly,” answered the proprietor, -pushing open the show-case and laying -hold of me. “He weighs only eight ounces, -hangs beautifully, and will answer your purpose -as well as one worth five times the money. -Only six and a half, and that’s cheaper than -you could steal him, if you were in that line of -business.”</p> - -<p class='c019'><span class='pageno' id='Page_27'>27</span>“What do you say, Uncle Joe?” asked the -boy after he and his companion, whom he -addressed as Roy Sheldon, had shaken me up -and down in the air until it was a wonder to -me that they did not break my back.</p> - -<p class='c019'>“Since Mr. Brown has recommended him, -I say that you can’t do better than to take -him,” was the reply, and that settled the matter. -I had a master at last, and a good one, -too, if there were any faith to be put in appearances. -I took him for a restless, uneasy fellow -who would not let me rust for want of use, and -I found that I had not been mistaken in my -opinion of him.</p> - -<p class='c019'>Joe, as I shall hereafter call him, next purchased, -under his uncle’s supervision, three -long water-proof lines, a Loomis automatic -reel, a dozen cream-colored leaders of different -lengths, a creel who afterward became my constant -companion, and a fly-book filled with all -the most tempting lures known to anglers, -such as coachmen, white millers, red and -brown hackles, and many other things whose -names I did not know. With these under his arm -and me on his shoulder he set out for home -<span class='pageno' id='Page_28'>28</span>accompanied by Roy Sheldon, Uncle Joe taking -leave of them at the door, saying that he -was going to the post-office.</p> - -<p class='c019'>“I wish every fellow in the world had an -uncle like that,” said Joe, as he turned about -and waved his hand to the gentleman with the -gold spectacles.</p> - -<p class='c019'>“So do I,” answered Roy, “excepting, of -course, Tom Bigden and his crowd.”</p> - -<p class='c019'>“I don’t except even them,” said Joe. -“Tom pulls a lovely oar, and I never saw a -fellow who could play short stop or train a -spaniel like him. I have nothing against any -of them, and should be glad to be friends with -them if they would let me.”</p> - -<p class='c019'>“But haven’t you seen to your satisfaction -that they won’t let you?” demanded Roy, -rather sharply. “They’ve got something -against you, and they’ll continue to make you -suffer for it; see if they don’t.”</p> - -<p class='c019'>I wondered what it was that any one could -have against so fine a young fellow as my -new master appeared to be, and it was not -many days before I found out. Tom Bigden -and his followers <i>did</i> make Joe suffer, but it -<span class='pageno' id='Page_29'>29</span>was principally through his friends, that -is, through his sail-boat, his shell in which he -used to train for his races, his canvas canoe that -had carried him safely down the most difficult -rapids in Indian River, and finally through me. -In fact, I became a regular shuttle-cock of fortune, -and was so roughly knocked about from -pillar to post, that it is a wonder to me that I -am as good a rod as I am.</p> - -<p class='c019'>After a few minutes’ walk along a quiet street -shaded on each side by grand old trees, Joe and -his companion turned into a wide carriage-way -which led them by a circuitous route through -a little grove of evergreens to the house in which -Joe lived—a fine brick mansion, with stone -facings, a carriage-porch at the side door, and -a croquet ground and lawn tennis court in -front. Behind the house the grounds sloped -gently down to the shore of a beautiful lake, -with an island near the center, and with banks -on each side that were thickly wooded, save -where the trees and undergrowth had been -cleared away to make room for the cozy summer -residences of the visitors who came there -every year. For Mount Airy, that was the -<span class='pageno' id='Page_30'>30</span>name of the village in which Joe Wayring -lived, was acquiring some fame as a watering -place. There were four springs in the vicinity, -whose waters were supposed to possess -some medicinal virtues, the scenery was grand, -the drives numerous and pleasant, and the -fishing (and the shooting, too, in the proper -season), could not be surpassed.</p> - -<p class='c019'>At the foot of the path that led from the -carriage-porch to the lake, was a boat-house -which afforded shelter to some of Joe’s friends -whose acquaintance I was soon to make, and a -short distance from its door his sail boat, the -<i>Young Republic</i>, rode at her moorings. It -was indeed a pleasant scene that was spread -out before me; but before I had time to -admire it sufficiently, Joe and his companion -went up the stone steps three at a jump, -rushed into the hall, fired their caps at the hat-rack, -and without waiting to see whether or -not they caught on the pegs at which they were -aimed, ran up the wide stairs that led to the -floor above. I held my breath in suspense and -wondered what in the world was the matter -now; but I afterward learned that I had no -<span class='pageno' id='Page_31'>31</span>cause for uneasiness, and that that is the way -boys generally conduct themselves when they -go into a house. It saves them the trouble of -hunting up their father and mother and telling -them that they have got home without being -run over by the cars, or knocked down by a -runaway horse, or drowned in the lake.</p> - -<p class='c019'>The room into which Joe conducted his -friend was like the private sanctum of every -other boy who delights in the sports of the woods -and fields, with this exception: It was in -perfect order, and as neat as a new pin. Joe’s -mother wouldn’t have it any other way, and -neither would Joe. Indeed it was a favorite -saying of his that if folks would keep away -and let his things alone (by “folks” he meant -to designate old Betty, the housekeeper, who, -according to Joe’s way of thinking, was “awful -fussy”), he could find any thing he wanted, -from a postage-stamp to a spoon-oar, on the -darkest of nights, and without a lamp to aid -him in the search.</p> - -<p class='c019'>The room looked a good deal like a museum -I afterward saw, only it was on a much smaller -scale, of course, and it contained so many -<span class='pageno' id='Page_32'>32</span>rare and curious things that Joe’s friends -were always glad of an invitation “to step -up for a few minutes.” Uncle Joe’s love -for the rod and gun had led him to roam all -over his own country, as well as to some remote -corners of foreign lands, and during these rambles -he never forgot the boy at home who -thought so much of relics and souvenirs of all -kinds, and took such good care of them. He -gave Joe the Alpine stock which had assisted -him in his ascent of Mount Blanc; the Indian -saddle and bridle he had used when fleeing -from the agency at the time the Utes rose in -rebellion and killed Meeker and all the other -whites who did not succeed in making good -their escape; the head of the first bison he -had ever shot, and which, having been mounted -by an expert taxidermist, had been hung above -the looking-glass over the mantle to serve as -a resting place for the sword and pistols Uncle -Joe carried during the war, the elk-horn bow, -quiver of arrows, scalping knife and moccasins -presented to him by a Sioux chief; and for the -prize lancewood bow won by my master at a -shooting match; for Joe was an archer, as well -<span class='pageno' id='Page_33'>33</span>as an angler and wing shot, and he had been -Master Bowman of the Mount Airy Toxophilites -until he became tired of the office and gave -it up. These articles, and a good many others -which I did not have time to look at, were so -neatly and artistically arranged that it did not -seem to me that a single one of them could be -moved without spoiling the effect of the whole. -Nothing looked out of place, not even the -black, uncouth object that lay in a little -recess on the opposite side of the room. Having -never seen any thing just like him before, I -could not make out what he was, and I waited -rather impatiently for his master to go out of -the room so that I could speak to him; but Joe -did not seem to be in any hurry to leave. He -stood me up in a corner, and then he and Roy -seated themselves at a table in the middle of -the room, and proceeded to “fix up” a debate -that was to be held at the High School on the -afternoon of the coming Friday. The question -was: “Ought corporal punishment in -schools to be abolished?” No doubt it was a -matter in which both Joe and Roy had been -deeply interested in their younger days, but -<span class='pageno' id='Page_34'>34</span>it did not affect me one way or the other, and -consequently I paid very little attention to -what they said. My time was fully taken up -with the strange things I saw around me.</p> - -<p class='c019'>At last, to my great satisfaction, the boys -concluded that they could “fix up” the matter -while sailing about the lake in the <i>Young -Republic</i>, better than they could while sitting -by the table, especially if they could find some -boat to race with, so they bolted out of the room -with much noise and racket, and left the house, -banging the hall door loudly behind them. -Then I turned to speak to the object that occupied -the recess on the other side of the room, -and found that he was quite as willing to make -my acquaintance as I was to make his.</p> - -<p class='c019'>“Hallo!” said he; and I afterward learned -that that is the way in which school boys and -telephones always greet each other.</p> - -<p class='c019'>“Hallo!” said I, in reply. “Who are you? -if I may be so bold as to inquire.”</p> - -<p class='c019'>“Oh, that’s all right,” answered my new -acquaintance, cheerfully. “Everybody who -sees me for the first time wants to know all -about me. I don’t suppose I am much to look -<span class='pageno' id='Page_35'>35</span>at—indeed, I know I am not, because I can see -my reflection in the mirror over the mantle—but -I am the boss boat on the rapids, and am -worth more on a ‘carry’ than all the cedar and -birch-bark canoes in America. I am the historian -of the Wayring family, or, rather, of the -youngest branch of it,” he added, with no little -pride in his tones. “I carry secrets enough to -sink any ordinary craft, and if I only had the -power to communicate some of them to my -master, perhaps he wouldn’t open his eyes! I -am a canvas canoe, at your service.”</p> - -<p class='c019'>“Oh!” said I.</p> - -<p class='c019'>“Yes,” said he. “And unless my judgment -is at fault, you are a fly-rod. I heard Joe say -that his uncle was going to get one for him.”</p> - -<p class='c019'>“That is just what I am,” I made answer. -“Nickel-plated ferrules and reel-seat, artistically -wound with cane and silk, and lancewood -throughout.”</p> - -<p class='c019'>My lofty speech did not have the effect I -thought it would. The canvas canoe seemed -to have rather an exalted opinion of himself, -and I did not see why I should stay in the -background for want of somebody to praise me, -<span class='pageno' id='Page_36'>36</span>and so I praised myself; and that’s a bad thing -to do. I only succeeded in exciting the merriment -of every occupant of the room, for I heard -derisive laughter on all sides of me.</p> - -<p class='c019'>“Don’t throw on airs, young fellow,” said -the canvas canoe, as soon as he could speak. -“You have come to the wrong shop for that -sort of work. I wouldn’t boast until I had done -something, if I were in your place. If there is -any good in you, you will fare well in Joe’s -hands, and he will do your bragging for you; -but if you fail him when the pinch comes, you -will most likely be chucked into the lake, or -given away to the first little ragamuffin he can -find who wants a rod that is good for nothing. -So take a friend’s advice and hold your tongue -until you have seen service.”</p> - -<p class='c019'>I felt somewhat abashed by this rebuke, for, -of course, I was desirous of making a favorable -impression upon those with whom I was to be -associated all the days of my life. I thought I -had made them despise me; but the next words -uttered by the canvas canoe showed me that I -need have no fears on that score.</p> - -<p class='c019'>“A boat and a rod generally go together, -<span class='pageno' id='Page_37'>37</span>you know,” said he; “so I suppose that you -and I will see much of each other hereafter.”</p> - -<p class='c019'>“And how about me?” piped a shrill voice -close beside me.</p> - -<p class='c019'>I looked down, and there was the creel. I -had not thought of him before, and it was plain -that the canoe hadn’t either, for he exclaimed, -in a tone of surprise:</p> - -<p class='c019'>“Who spoke? Oh, it was you, was it? -Well, I don’t know just what Joe will do with -you, for he never owned a creel before. He has -always carried his dinner in his pocket when -he went trouting, or in a basket if he went out -on the lake after bass, and brought his fish -home on a string; but he will find use for you, -you may depend upon that. He is a busy boy, -is Joe, and he keeps every body around him -busy, too.”</p> - -<p class='c019'>“I understood you to say that you are the -historian of the Wayring family,” I ventured -to remark, when the canoe ceased speaking.</p> - -<p class='c019'>“Of the youngest branch of it—yes. I have -been a member of this household for a long -time. Can’t you see that I am a veteran? -Don’t you notice my wounds? I have been -<span class='pageno' id='Page_38'>38</span>snagged more times than I can remember, I -have had holes punched in me by rocks, and -some of my ribs have been fractured; but I am -a pretty good boat yet. At least Joe thinks so, -for he is going to take me somewhere this -coming summer, probably up into Michigan to -run the rapids of the Menominee; and, to tell -you the honest truth, I am looking forward to -that trip with fear and trembling. I have heard -Uncle Joe say that those rapids were something -to make a man’s hair stand on end; but if my -master says ‘go’, I shall take him through if -I can. I have carried him through some dangerous -places, and whenever I have got him -into trouble, it has been owing to his own carelessness -or mismanagement.”</p> - -<p class='c019'>“I suppose he thinks a great deal of you?” -said I.</p> - -<p class='c019'>“Well, he ought to,” replied the canoe, with -a self-satisfied air. “I have stuck to him -through thick and thin for a good many years. -I was the very first plaything he owned, after -he took it into his head that he was getting too -big to ride a rocking-horse. He used to paddle -me around on a duck pond, where the water -<span class='pageno' id='Page_39'>39</span>wasn’t more than a foot deep, long before it -was thought safe to trust him with a rod or -gun. But Joe does not seem to care much for -a gun. He is fairly carried away by his love of -archery, and a long bow is his favorite weapon.”</p> - -<p class='c019'>“Do you know who Tom Bigden is, and what -Joe has done to incur his ill-will?” I inquired.</p> - -<p class='c019'>“I have some slight acquaintance with that -young gentleman,” answered the canoe, with a -laugh. “It was through him that I was snagged -and sunk in the Indian Lake country. I don’t -know how the fuss started, and neither does -any body except Tom Bigden himself; but I -suppose that fellow over there and a few others -like him, are wholly to blame for it.”</p> - -<p class='c019'>“What fellow? Over where?” I asked; -for of course the canvas canoe could not point -his finger or nod his head to tell me which way -to look.</p> - -<p class='c019'>“This fellow up here,” said a new voice, -which came from over the bookcase.</p> - -<p class='c019'>I looked up, and there was another lancewood -bow, resting on a pair of deer’s antlers. -He was not quite as fancy as the prize bow of -whom I have already spoken. His green plush -<span class='pageno' id='Page_40'>40</span>handle was beginning to look threadbare, and -that, to my mind, indicated that he had seen -service.</p> - -<p class='c019'>“You wouldn’t think that a few insignificant -things like that could be the means of setting -a whole village together by the ears, would -you?” continued the canoe.</p> - -<p class='c019'>“Insignificant yourself,” retorted the long -bow; but I was glad to notice that he did not -speak as if he were angry. The various articles -I saw about me all cherished the most friendly -feelings for one another, but when they had -nothing to do, they were like a lot of idle boys—always -trying to “get a joke” upon some of -their number. “You never won a prize for Joe, -did you? Well, I have. Go and win a race -before you brag. You can’t; you’re much too -clumsy. One of those Shadow or Rob Roy -canoes out there on the lake would beat you -out of sight in going a mile.”</p> - -<p class='c019'>I cared nothing at all for this side sparring. -I knew that I would have plenty of time in -which to listen to it during the long winter -months, when canoe, long bow and fly-rod -would be laid up in ordinary, while skates, -<span class='pageno' id='Page_41'>41</span>snow-shoes and toboggans took our places in -the affections of our master for the time being. -For I saw snow-shoes and a toboggan there, and -I knew what they were, because I had seen some -like them in Mr. Brown’s store. They came -from Canada, and were almost as full of stories -as the canoe was. Joe had worn the snow-shoes -while hunting caribou in Newfoundland -in company with his uncle, and the toboggan -had carried his master with lightning speed -over the ice bridge at Niagara Falls. Many an -hour that would otherwise have dragged by on -leaden wings did they brighten for us by relating -scraps of their personal history, and at some -future time I may induce them to put those -same narratives into print for your benefit; -but just now we are interested in Tom Bigden. -We want to know why he disliked Joe Wayring, -and what made him take every opportunity -he could find to annoy him.</p> - -<p class='c019'>“When you talk about racing you don’t -want to leave me out,” observed the toboggan, -“for I am the lad to show speed. Give me a -fair field, and I would not be much afraid to -try conclusions with an express train. And it -<span class='pageno' id='Page_42'>42</span>takes as much, if not more, skill to manage me -than it does to handle an awkward canvas -canoe, who is always bobbing about, turning -first one way and then another as if he were -too contrary to hold a straight course.”</p> - -<p class='c019'>“I wasn’t intended for a racing boat, and I -know I can’t compete with such flyers as you -and a Rob Roy,” said the canvas canoe, -modestly; and I afterward found that none of -my new acquaintances were half as conceited -as they pretended to be. They boasted just to -hear themselves talk, and because they had no -other way of passing the time when they were -unemployed; but each was perfectly willing -to acknowledge the superiority of the other in -his own particular line of business. “I was -intended for a portable craft—something that -can be folded into a small compass and carried -over a portage without much trouble; and in -that respect I am far ahead of a stiff-necked -Canuck, who, having made up his mind just -how much space he ought to occupy in the -world, would rather break than bend to give -elbow-room to his betters.” “You wanted me -to tell you something about Tom Bigden, I -<span class='pageno' id='Page_43'>43</span>believe,” added the canoe, addressing himself -to me. “Well, it is a long story, but you will -have plenty of time to listen to it; for if Joe -and Roy have gone out on the lake, they will -not return much before dark. You ought to -know the full history of Tom’s dealings with -Joe, for you may become the victim of persecution -as the rest of us are and have been ever -since Tom came here; and if you were not -posted, you would not know how to account -for it. A long time ago—”</p> - -<p class='c019'>But there! I never could learn to tell a -story in the words of another, so I will, for a -time, drop the personal pronoun, which I don’t -like to use if I can help it, and give you in my -own homely way the substance of the narrative -to which I listened that afternoon. But please -understand one thing before I begin: The -historian was not a personal witness of all the -incidents I am about to describe. He couldn’t -have been, unless he possessed the power of -being in half a dozen different places at the -same time. He saw and heard some things, of -course, but much of his information had been -obtained from the long bow, and from Joe and -<span class='pageno' id='Page_44'>44</span>his friends, who had freely discussed matters -in his presence; and by putting all these -different incidents together, he was able to -make up a story which, to me, was very -interesting. I hope it may prove so to you.</p> - -<div class='chapter'> - <span class='pageno' id='Page_45'>45</span> - <h2 class='c011'>CHAPTER III. <br /> <br /><span class='small'>SOMETHING ABOUT TOM BIGDEN AND HIS COUSINS.</span></h2> -</div> - -<p class='drop-capa0_3_0_5 c018'>MOUNT AIRY, the village in which Joe -Wayring and Roy Sheldon lived, was -situated a few miles away from a large city -which, for want of a better name, we will call -New London. It was so far distant from the -city that it could not properly be spoken of as -one of its suburbs, and yet the railroad brought -the village so near to it that a good many men -who did business in New London, Joe’s father -and Roy’s among the number, had their homes -there. It was a veritable “hide and seek -town”. Sometimes, as you were approaching -it on the cars, you would see it very plainly, -and then again you wouldn’t. It was nestled -in among high mountains, and in the woods -which covered them from base to summit -could be found an abundance of small game, -<span class='pageno' id='Page_46'>46</span>such as hares, squirrels and grouse, that -afforded sport to the local Nimrods, and even -received attention from the New London gunners. -It was surrounded by a perfect network -of babbling trout brooks, and there were -several lakes and ponds in the vicinity in which -some of the finest fish in the world awaited the -lure of the skillful angler. And it required -skill to take them, too. They were shy of -strangers, and it wasn’t every body who could -go out in the morning and come back at night -with a full creel.</p> - -<p class='c019'>Nor was larger game wanting to tempt the -hunter who plumed himself on being a good -shot with the rifle. Visitors standing upon -the veranda of the principal hotel in the -village had often heard wolves howling in the -mountains, and on more than one occasion a -deer had been seen standing on the opposite -shore of Mirror Lake (it was generally called -Wayring’s Lake, because Joe’s father owned -the land on all sides of it), regarding with much -curiosity the evidences of civilization that had -sprung up on the other side. More than that, -a bear was expected to make his appearance at -<span class='pageno' id='Page_47'>47</span>least once every season; and when word was -passed that he was in sight, what a hubbub it -created among the visiting sportsmen! How -prompt they were to seize their guns and run out -after him, and how sure they were to come back -empty-handed! Uncle Joe used to say that he -believed the managers of the hotels would close -their doors against the man who was lucky -enough to shoot that bear, for unless Bruin -had a companion to take his place, his death -would spoil their advertisements. For years -the proprietor of the Mount Airy House had -been accustomed to tell the public, through the -New London papers, that bear could be seen -from the piazza of his hotel, and the announcement -had brought him many a dollar from -sportsmen who came from all parts of the country -to shoot that bear. Why didn’t Uncle Joe -shoot him? He owned the hotel.</p> - -<p class='c019'>We have said that Mount Airy was acquiring -some fame as a watering-place; but that -must not lead you to infer that it was like -other places of resort—lively enough in summer, -but very dull in winter, for such was by -no means the case. The village was lively at all -<span class='pageno' id='Page_48'>48</span>seasons of the year. Of course there were many -more people there in summer than there were in -winter, for during warm weather the hotels -and all the boarding houses were crowded with -visitors, and so were the cottages on the other -side of the lake; but when these visitors went -away, the citizens did not hibernate like so -many woodchucks and wait for them to come -back, because they were not dependent upon -tourists either for their livelihood or for means -of entertainment. Strangers were astonished -when they found what a driving, go-ahead sort -of people they were. They were proud of their -village, of its churches, its hotels, its fine private -residences, and its high-school was so well -and favorably known that it attracted students -from all parts of the country. It could boast -of an efficient fire department, composed of all -the leading men in town (the ministers and -teachers, to a man, belonged to it), a military -company which formed a part of the National -Guard of the State, and a band of archers known -as the Mount Airy Toxophilites. We ought, -rather, to say that there were <i>two</i> bands of -archers, one being composed of boys and girls, -<span class='pageno' id='Page_49'>49</span>and the other of their fathers, mothers and -older brothers and sisters. They were both -uniformed, but the boy members of the -Toxophilites were the only ones who ever -paraded.</p> - -<p class='c019'>It was worth a long journey to see these -forty young archers turn out and march -through the streets to the music of the band. -They looked as neat in their green and white -suits, with short top boots, and black hats -turned up at one side and fastened with a -black feather, as the military company did in -their blue uniforms and white helmets: and as -for their marching, it was nearly perfect. They -had a manual of arms which originated with -Uncle Joe, who, for more than a year, acted as -their instructor and drill-master. They were -governed by a constitution and by-laws, and -fines were imposed upon those who did not -turn out regularly to the drills and parades. -They had shooting matches at which prizes -were distributed, also a grand annual hunt, -followed by a dinner that was equally grand; -and every year some of the boys spent a week -or two camping in the mountains, taking bows -<span class='pageno' id='Page_50'>50</span>and arrows with them instead of guns. A good -many of the young archers were very fine shots -with these novel weapons, and there were -about half a dozen of them, of whom Joe and -Roy made two, who stood ready at any time -to meet an equal number of riflemen at the -trap, the archers shooting at twelve yards rise -and the riflemen at twenty.</p> - -<p class='c019'>On the morning of July 4, 18—, a large -party of newly-arrived visitors were seated on -the wide veranda of the Mount Airy House, -enjoying the refreshing breeze that came to -them from over the lake, and congratulating -themselves on having left the city, with all its -dust, heat and noise, behind them for one good -long month at least. Some of these visitors -had never been there before, and consequently -they knew little or nothing about the village -and its inhabitants. Among these were Tom -Bigden and his two cousins, Ralph and Loren -Farnsworth, who were leaning over the railing, -fanning their flushed faces with their -hats, and wondering how in the world they -were going to put in four weeks’ time in that -desolate town. They were city boys, any body -<span class='pageno' id='Page_51'>51</span>could see that, and they were disappointed, and -angry as well, because their parents had -not decided to spend a portion of the summer at -some place convenient to salt water, so that -they could enjoy a dip in the surf now and then.</p> - -<p class='c019'>“I see a boat down there,” observed Loren. -“I wonder if we could hire it for an hour or -two? I think I should like to take a sail on -that lake, it looks so cool and inviting.”</p> - -<p class='c019'>“Humph!” exclaimed Tom. “I’d much -rather take a run up to Newport or over to -Greenbush in my father’s yacht.”</p> - -<p class='c019'>“I wouldn’t,” answered Loren. “I can go -down to the Sound any day, but a gem of a lake -like this is something I haven’t feasted my eyes -upon in a long time. I am going to see if I can -hire a boat; and after I get tired of sailing -around in her, I’m going to lie to under the -shade of some tree that hangs over the water, -and be as lazy as I know how. That’s what I -came up here for.”</p> - -<p class='c019'>“Boom!” said a field-piece, from some distant -part of the village.</p> - -<p class='c019'>“What was that?” exclaimed Ralph. “A -cannon?”</p> - -<p class='c019'><span class='pageno' id='Page_52'>52</span>“Naw,” replied Tom, in a tone which implied -that he had no patience with any one who could -ask such a question. “What would a cannon be -doing up here in the woods? Do you think -these greenhorns are going to try to get up a -celebration for our benefit?”</p> - -<p class='c019'>“No, I don’t; but they’ve got up one for -their own. Do you hear that?” answered -Ralph, as the warning roll of a drum, followed -by the music of a band, rang out on the air. -“The procession, or whatever it is, is coming -this way, too. Now I shall expect to see something -that will eclipse any thing New London -ever thought of getting up.”</p> - -<p class='c019'>It wasn’t a celebration; it was only the annual -review of the Mount Airy fire department, -which was always held on the Fourth of July. -Ralph and his cousins were fully prepared to -make all sorts of fun of it, but when the head -of the procession came into view around the -corner of the street below, they were so surprised -at the size of it that they had not a word -to say. It took up the whole width of the -street, and that it was determined to have all -the room it wanted, was made plain by the -<span class='pageno' id='Page_53'>53</span>actions of a couple of mounted policemen who -rode in front to clear the way.</p> - -<p class='c019'>“That’s good marching, boys,” said Loren, -who had seen so much of it in New London that -he thought himself qualified to judge. “It is -a very creditable display for so small a place as -this.”</p> - -<p class='c019'>“Every body seems to think it’s going to be -something grand,” sneered Tom, who was really -amazed at the rapidity with which the spacious -veranda was filled by the guests, who came -pouring out of the wide doors in a steady -stream.</p> - -<p class='c019'>“Why, there’s a military company in line -with the firemen—two of them,” exclaimed -Ralph.</p> - -<p class='c019'>“Visiting companies, no doubt,” said Tom, -“and that’s what makes every one so anxious -to see them.”</p> - -<p class='c019'>“There’s where you are wrong, Tom,” said -Mr. Farnsworth, who, approaching them unobserved, -had heard every word of their conversation. -“You never saw a parade just like -this, and I don’t believe you will ever see another -unless your father and I carry out some -<span class='pageno' id='Page_54'>54</span>plans we have been talking about, and come up -here to live.”</p> - -<p class='c019'>“To live?” echoed Tom.</p> - -<p class='c019'>“Up here in the woods?” cried Ralph.</p> - -<p class='c019'>“Among all these country greenhorns!” -chimed in Loren.</p> - -<p class='c019'>“You will find very few country greenhorns -in Mount Airy,” said Mr. Farnsworth, with a -laugh. “Why, boys, those fire companies represent -millions of New London’s business capital.”</p> - -<p class='c019'>“Oh!” said Tom.</p> - -<p class='c019'>“Ah!” said Ralph.</p> - -<p class='c019'>“That makes the thing look different,” added -Loren. “I supposed that they were made -up of the same material we used to find in the -old volunteer organizations.”</p> - -<p class='c019'>“By no means. They are all rich and intelligent -men. They own valuable property here, -and by taking an interest in their fire department, -they get their insurance at much lower -rates than we do in the city.”</p> - -<p class='c019'>The near approach of the column put a stop -to the conversation. First came the drum-major, -a big six-footer, with a high bear-skin -<span class='pageno' id='Page_55'>55</span>cap, which made him look a great deal taller -than he really was, and behind him the band, -which discoursed as fine music as any body -wanted to hear. Then came the hook and -ladder company, two hundred strong, marching -four abreast and drawing their heavy truck -after them without the least apparent exertion. -Next came a steam fire engine, drawn by men -instead of horses, after that a hose cart, followed -by a small company of about twenty -young fellows in black dress-coats and white -trowsers and caps, who pulled along something -that looked like a skeleton road wagon, -loaded with Babcock fire extinguishers.</p> - -<p class='c019'>“That’s a little the queerest looking turn-out -I ever saw,” Tom remarked. “<i>They</i> couldn’t -do any thing toward putting out a fire. I suppose -they are more for show than any thing -else.”</p> - -<p class='c019'>“Wrong again,” said Mr. Farnsworth. -“They have done good work, and the citizens, -in recognition of their services, presented them -with money enough to build an engine house -for themselves, and furnish it in fine style.”</p> - -<p class='c019'>Next came the soldiers, veterans, every one -<span class='pageno' id='Page_56'>56</span>of them, and behind them a company of oddly -uniformed youngsters, whose movements were -governed by the blast of a bugle instead of the -word of command. They must have been the -ones the guests were waiting for, for when they -came in sight, and, following the movements of -the military company, executed the maneuver: -“Platoons right front into line,” which they -did with as much soldier-like precision as the -veterans themselves, the gentlemen on the -veranda cheered them lustily, while the ladies -waved their handkerchiefs and bombarded the -ranks with bouquets, which were deftly caught -by the boys, and impaled upon the ends of -their long bows.</p> - -<p class='c019'>“Now, then, can any body tell me who and -what those fellows are?” exclaimed Ralph.</p> - -<p class='c019'>“They are the Mount Airy Toxophilites,” -replied Mr. Farnsworth.</p> - -<p class='c019'>“Lovers of a bow or arrow,” said Ralph, who -was well up in his Greek. “What do they -do?”</p> - -<p class='c019'>“Oh, they have regular shooting-matches, -drills and parades, and now and then a hunt -and a camp in the woods.”</p> - -<p class='c019'><span class='pageno' id='Page_57'>57</span>“They can’t hit any thing with those bows, -of course.”</p> - -<p class='c019'>“Yes, I believe they can,” replied Mr. -Farnsworth. “I am told that when they go on -a hunt, they are as sure of coming back full-handed -as those who use guns. After passing -in review before the trustees, they are to have a -drill in the park. I see that a good many of -the guests are getting ready to go down, and if -you would like to see it, we will go also.”</p> - -<p class='c019'>Tom and his cousins had found reason to -change some of their opinions during the last -few minutes, and that was just what Mr. -Farnsworth desired. He had talked with that -very end in view—to make them see that New -London was not the only place in the world in -which boys could enjoy themselves, and to prepare -them for the change which he and his -brother-in-law, Tom’s father, intended to make -that very summer. They were anxious to get -their boys away from New London, for it was -full of temptations which Tom and his cousins -found it hard to resist. They were learning to -think more of billiards than they did of their -books, and they had even been known to roll -<span class='pageno' id='Page_58'>58</span>ten-pins for soda water. Soda water wasn’t -hurtful, and neither were ten-pins nor billiards; -but the conditions under which the one was -imbibed and the others played certainly were. -In Mount Airy there was none of that sort of -thing. Of course there were billiard rooms and -ten-pin alleys there, but they belonged to the -hotels, and were kept for the exclusive use of -the guests. The men who had just marched up -the street owned all the land for miles around, -and they would not sell a foot of it. They -were willing to lease it for a term of years, but -before they did so, they wanted to know all -about the man who applied for the lease, and -the business he intended to follow while he -remained in town. In that way they made the -society of the village just what they wanted it -to be. It is true that some objectionable characters -now and then secured a temporary foothold -there, but as soon as they were detected, -they were “bounced” without ceremony.</p> - -<p class='c019'>Mr. Farnsworth and Mr. Bigden thought -Mount Airy would be just the place for their -boys, but the latter would have raised the most -decided objections if the subject of a change of -<span class='pageno' id='Page_59'>59</span>residence had been broached to them before -they witnessed that parade, and learned something -about the men and boys who composed -it.</p> - -<p class='c019'>“I’ll tell you what’s a fact!” said Tom, as -he and his cousins walked with Mr. Farnsworth -toward the park where the drill was to be held. -“Uncle Alfred was right when he said that we -would not find many country bumpkins here. -Those bowmen must have lots of fun. Do you -and father really intend to come here to live?” -he added, turning to Mr. Farnsworth.</p> - -<p class='c019'>“We have been thinking and talking about -it for a long time,” was the answer.</p> - -<p class='c019'>“All right. I am in favor of it,” said Tom. -“I wonder if we could get into that company -of archers!”</p> - -<p class='c019'>“Of course we could,” said Loren.</p> - -<p class='c019'>“There’s no ‘of course’ about it,” answered -his father. “You would be balloted for the -same as the rest; and I have been told that one -black-ball would keep you out for a year.”</p> - -<p class='c019'>“Humph!” exclaimed Tom. “They -wouldn’t black-ball <i>us</i>. I guess our folks have -just as much money as any body here.”</p> - -<p class='c019'><span class='pageno' id='Page_60'>60</span>“No, they haven’t; and even if they had, it -would make no sort of difference. Money -doesn’t rule the world up here as it does down -in New London. I am informed that some of -the boys in that company are so poor that the -others had to help them buy their uniforms.”</p> - -<p class='c019'>“Humph!” said Tom. “Well, if that’s the -sort of trash they take into their company, I -don’t know that I care to belong to it, do you, -boys? We don’t have any thing to do with -such fellows in the city.”</p> - -<p class='c019'>“Couldn’t we gradually weed them out?” -asked Loren. “That’s the way we did with -our ball club, you know.”</p> - -<p class='c019'>“Yes, and what was the consequence?” -demanded his father. “You ‘weeded out’ -your very best players, and you have been -beaten by every club you have met since. -Served you right, too.”</p> - -<p class='c019'>“Well, I would rather be beaten than be -chums with fellows who were too mean to chip -in two or three dollars when we wanted to get -up a dinner,” observed Loren.</p> - -<p class='c019'>“They were not too mean; they couldn’t do -it. The two or three dollars that you speak of -<span class='pageno' id='Page_61'>61</span>so lightly, were a large sum in the eyes of boys -whose fathers gain a livelihood by working by -the day, and you ought to have exercised a -little common sense in your dealings with them. -If it were necessary that you should have the -dinner or starve, why did you not pay for it -yourselves, and not ask those poor boys to -‘chip in’, as you term it? There’s the high -school,” said Mr. Farnsworth, pointing with -his cane to an imposing building, standing in -the midst of extensive and well-kept grounds -which occupied one whole block of the village -property.</p> - -<p class='c019'>“That’s my great objection to Mount Airy,” -said Ralph, shaking his fist at the school house. -“Our teacher told us one day last term that -the binomial theorem is just the same in China -and Brazil that it is in New London, so I suppose -it must be the same up here. Fine scenery -around a school house doesn’t make the lessons -inside any easier.”</p> - -<p class='c019'>“You’re right there,” growled Tom, who -was thinking of those Orations of Cicero to -which he would have to devote his attention -next term, “I’d much rather go fishing.”</p> - -<p class='c019'><span class='pageno' id='Page_62'>62</span>The boys reached the park long before the -procession did, and took up a position near the -pagoda in which the president of the village -and the trustees were to stand while the line -passed in review. When it arrived, the band -led the way around the park until it met the -advancing column; then it turned inside of it -and went around again, and thus the whole -line, with the exception of the Toxophilites, -was wound up like a coil. The archers kept -straight ahead, the boys in the ranks carrying -arms, and the captain saluting by bringing his -bow to a position that somewhat resembled the -“secure arms” of the tactics, until they -reached a clear space at the other end of the -park which had been reserved on purpose for -them. There they halted, and, when the firemen -had broken ranks, and the soldiers had been -brought to parade rest, their commanding officer -put them through the manual of arms and -some intricate evolutions in the school of the -company, giving his orders to the bugler who -stood beside him, and not to the company -itself. Ralph and Loren were delighted with -every thing they saw, and had many words of -<span class='pageno' id='Page_63'>63</span>praise to bestow upon the young bowmen; but -Tom was silent and sullen. He didn’t like to -hear so much cheering when none of it was -intended for him. When he was engaged in a -game of ball he always flew into a passion if he -made an error, or if any of the other side made -a play that called forth applause from the spectators. -He was angry now; but it would have -puzzled a sensible boy to tell what reason he -had for it.</p> - -<p class='c019'>“That captain, or whatever you call him—” -began Loren.</p> - -<p class='c019'>“Master bowman,” said his father.</p> - -<p class='c019'>“Well, he is a nobby fellow, and that bugler -looks gorgeous in his green uniform with its -white facings,” continued Loren. “I wonder -who they are, any way?”</p> - -<p class='c019'>“Why don’t you go and inquire?” asked -Mr. Farnsworth.</p> - -<p class='c019'>“They wouldn’t speak to you,” snarled -Tom. “They’re little upstarts; I can tell that -from here by the frills they throw on.”</p> - -<p class='c019'>Loren and his brother didn’t care if they -were. The signs seemed to indicate that they -were coming to Mount Airy to live, and if that -<span class='pageno' id='Page_64'>64</span>was the case, they wanted to know something -about the boys they would have for their -associates. So as soon as the drill was brought -to an end and the ranks were broken, they set -out to scrape an acquaintance with the -master bowman and bugler, Tom following -them with rather a listless, indifferent air. -But in reality he was as eager as his cousins -were. Would he not be willing to give something -handsome if he could make himself the -leader of a select band like that?</p> - -<div class='chapter'> - <span class='pageno' id='Page_65'>65</span> - <h2 class='c011'>CHAPTER IV. <br /> <br /><span class='small'>THE MOUNT AIRY TOXOPHILITES.</span></h2> -</div> - -<p class='drop-capa0_3_0_5 c018'>LOREN and Ralph Farnsworth, in spite -of Tom’s predictions to the contrary, -had no trouble in scraping an acquaintance -with the first bowman they met. It was Arthur -Hastings, the secretary of the company and one -of the best shots in it. They drew his attention -by touching their hats to him as he passed -(that is, the brothers did, Tom being in too bad -humor to be civil), and Arthur seeing that they -desired to speak to him, stopped and opened -the conversation himself.</p> - -<p class='c019'>“I know almost every stranger here this -summer, but I don’t remember to have seen you -two before,” said he, pulling off his white -gloves and extending a hand to each of them.</p> - -<p class='c019'>“We came on the early morning train,” -replied Ralph. “We were just in time to witness -your parade, which I assure you was -<span class='pageno' id='Page_66'>66</span>something we did not expect to see up here in -the woods. You bowmen are bully soldiers.”</p> - -<p class='c019'>“Thank you,” said Arthur, raising his hand -to his hat in response to Tom’s very slight nod. -“There must be something in what you say, -for every one who comes up here tells us the -same. The truth is, we ought to be proficient. -We have been under the strictest kind of a -drill-master, and have done plenty of hard -work since our organization two years ago.”</p> - -<p class='c019'>“What first put the idea into your heads?” -inquired Loren. “You got it out of your -history, didn’t you?”</p> - -<p class='c019'>“And if you did, why don’t you dress up -like Indians and adopt their system of tactics?” -chimed in Tom, who for the moment forgot -that he had resolved that he would not have a -word to say to any of the bowmen. “I have -read that the Sioux have a drill of their own -which is so very bewildering that our best -troops can’t stand against it. It seems to me -that you make hard work of something that -might, under different management, be made -to yield you any amount of pleasure.”</p> - -<p class='c019'>“We are very well satisfied with the way -<span class='pageno' id='Page_67'>67</span>our affairs are managed,” answered Arthur, -who did not quite like the tone in which Tom -uttered these words. “You must know that -we are not copying the aborigines, but the -Merry Bowmen of Robin Hood’s time. Of -course we have to work, for if we didn’t we -couldn’t give exhibition drills; but somehow -we see plenty of fun with it all. The idea was -suggested to us, not by our histories, but by -an old man who lives up here in the woods,” -added Arthur, turning to Loren, at the same -time jerking his thumb over his shoulder and -nodding his head toward an indefinite point of -the compass. If he intended by these motions -to give his auditors an idea of the direction in -which the old man referred to lived, he failed -completely. “He has seen better days. He -used to belong to an archery club in his own -country—that’s England, you know—and I tell -you he is a boss shot. He makes a very good -living with his bow now; but he is so much -ashamed of the accomplishment—”</p> - -<p class='c019'>“Excuse me,” interrupted Loren. “I -don’t see why he should be ashamed of it.”</p> - -<p class='c019'>“Neither do I,” said Arthur. “But you see, -<span class='pageno' id='Page_68'>68</span>there are very few people in this country who -take any interest in archery, and sportsmen, -as a general thing, look upon the long bow as a -toy; but they always change their minds when -they see what it can be made to do in the hands -of an expert. Now take those two boys, for -example,” added Arthur, directing Loren’s -attention to the master bowman and his bugler. -“It isn’t every rifle shot who can break as many -glass balls in the air as they can.”</p> - -<p class='c019'>“Who are they?” inquired Tom. “We -noticed them particularly during the drill.”</p> - -<p class='c019'>“They are Wayring and Sheldon. Would -you like to know them? They’re good fellows.”</p> - -<p class='c019'>Arthur looked at Tom as he said this, but -Tom didn’t act as though he heard him. He -wasn’t anxious to make the acquaintance of -boys who could beat him at any thing, but his -cousins were not so mean spirited.</p> - -<p class='c019'>“Certainly we would,” replied Ralph. “It -looks now as though we were coming here to -live; and if we do, we should like to know -something about the boys into whose company -we shall be thrown.”</p> - -<p class='c019'><span class='pageno' id='Page_69'>69</span>It would seem from this that Ralph took it -for granted that he and his brother and cousin -would get into the company without the least -trouble, and he was somewhat surprised because -Arthur did not offer to take in their names at -the very next meeting; but he did not even ask -them what their names were. He led them to -the place where the master bowman and his -bugler were standing in the midst of a party of -their friends, and, as soon as the opportunity -was presented, introduced them as visitors who -thought it possible that they might one day -become permanent residents of the village. -Then he excused himself and went off to hunt -up one of the girls with green and white badges, -who were carrying little buckets of lemonade -around among the thirsty firemen and soldiers.</p> - -<p class='c019'>Tom and his cousins found the young archers -to be very pleasant and agreeable fellows, but -a trifle too independent to suit them. They -did not seem to think that Tom was better than -any other boy because his father was a banker, -and owned a yacht in which he talked of going -to Florida during the coming winter, and -neither did they ask him and his cousins to step -<span class='pageno' id='Page_70'>70</span>up to the armory when they fell into ranks and -marched up to put away their bows and -quivers. They left them standing in the park, -as they did scores of others who had been talking -to them, and that was a slight that Tom -said he would not soon forget.</p> - -<p class='c019'>“You are altogether too touchy,” said Loren, -with some impatience in his tones. “You -appear to think that every boy who lives outside -the city limits must, of necessity, be a -greenhorn. These fellows know as much about -New London as we do.”</p> - -<p class='c019'>“When I become a member of that company, -I shall use my best endeavors to bring about a -different state of affairs,” said Tom, decidedly. -“If they are taking pattern after Robin Hood, -why don’t they pass their time as he and his -men did, lounging about in the greenwood under -the shade of the trees, instead of parading -through the streets on a hot day like this? I -don’t see any fun in that.”</p> - -<p class='c019'>Nevertheless, before he had passed a week in -Mount Airy, Tom Bigden decided that it was -just such a place as he had always thought he -should like to live in, and his cousins came to -<span class='pageno' id='Page_71'>71</span>the same conclusion. So did their fathers and -mothers; and so it came about that a couple of -Mr. Wayring’s handsome cottages, on the other -side of the lake, were rented until such time as -Mr. Farnsworth and his brother-in-law could -erect houses on the grounds they had leased in -the village.</p> - -<p class='c019'>Tom and his cousins lost no time in getting -ready to enjoy themselves. Before another -week had passed away, they had the finest sail -and row boats, and the most expensive canoes -on the lake; and in anticipation of their immediate -admittance to the ranks of the Toxophilites, -they sent for a supply of bows and -arrows and ordered uniforms of their tailor. -But the old saying, that there’s many a slip, -held good in their case; and this was the way -they found it out:</p> - -<p class='c019'>One afternoon they and their parents -were invited to a lawn party, at which the -Toxophilites, girls as well as boys, appeared -in force and in uniform, the girls wearing -white dresses, green sashes and badges, -and light straw hats, turned up at the side -and fastened by a tiny silver arrow, which, at -<span class='pageno' id='Page_72'>72</span>the same time, held in place the long black -plume of the company. Tom declared that -they looked stunning; and when he saw how -they sent their arrows into the target, hitting -the gold almost as often as they missed it, and -played croquet and skipped about the lawn -tennis ground, he added that he had never -been to such a party before, nor seen handsomer -girls. He was going to apply for admission -to the club, and he wasn’t going to waste -any time in doing it, either. With this object -in view, he hurried off to find Arthur Hastings.</p> - -<p class='c019'>“I don’t wonder that you fellows are happy -here,” was the way in which he began the conversation.</p> - -<p class='c019'>“Yes, I suppose we see as much pleasure as -falls to the lot of most people,” answered -Arthur, “but we have any amount of hard -work as well.”</p> - -<p class='c019'>“I never see you do any,” said Tom.</p> - -<p class='c019'>“That’s because you are not acquainted -with us or our ways. I drilled until after ten -o’clock last night, and spent this forenoon in -working in the garden and wrestling with my -<span class='pageno' id='Page_73'>73</span>geometry; getting ready for next term you -know.”</p> - -<p class='c019'>“Do you study and work during vacation?” -exclaimed Tom, who had never heard of such -a piece of foolishness before.</p> - -<p class='c019'>“Of course I do; we all do.”</p> - -<p class='c019'>“I’m glad that I haven’t such parents as you -seem to have,” said Tom, rudely.</p> - -<p class='c019'>“Our parents have nothing whatever to do -with it. It’s the rule of the company.”</p> - -<p class='c019'>“That you shall work during vacation?” -cried Tom.</p> - -<p class='c019'>“That we shall keep busy at something—yes. -We are told that an idle brain is the workshop -of a certain old chap who shall be nameless, -but we go further, and hold that there is no -such thing as an idle brain. It is at work all -the time during our waking hours, and sometimes -when we are asleep—dreams, you know—and -if it is not busy with good things, it is -ready to take in bad ones. Have you seen any -boys loafing around the corners since you have -been here? Then you can bet your bottom -dollar that they didn’t belong to us.”</p> - -<p class='c019'>“Well, when I get to be a member of the -<span class='pageno' id='Page_74'>74</span>company, I shall vote down all such rules as -that,” said Tom to himself. “A fellow needs -a little time to be lazy, and I shall take it, too, -without asking any body’s consent.” Then -aloud he asked, as if the thought had just -occurred to him: “By the way, when do you -hold your next meeting?”</p> - -<p class='c019'>“Thursday night.”</p> - -<p class='c019'>“Well, take in our names, will you? Mine -and my cousins’.”</p> - -<p class='c019'>“I should be glad to oblige you, but I can’t -do it.”</p> - -<p class='c019'>“You can’t do it?” said Tom, who was angry -in an instant. “Why not, I’d like to know?”</p> - -<p class='c019'>“There are two reasons. In the first place, -you have not been here long enough—we don’t -know any thing about you.”</p> - -<p class='c019'>“If that isn’t a little ahead of any thing I -ever heard of I wouldn’t say so!” exclaimed -Tom, as soon as his rage would permit him to -speak. “My father is—”</p> - -<p class='c019'>“We don’t care who or what your father is; -we must know what <i>you</i> are. In the second -place, our membership is limited, and the boys’ -roster is full.”</p> - -<p class='c019'><span class='pageno' id='Page_75'>75</span>“Couldn’t you suspend the rules for -once?”</p> - -<p class='c019'>“That’s no rule. It is a part of the constitution.”</p> - -<p class='c019'>“Well, couldn’t you amend it?”</p> - -<p class='c019'>“No, we couldn’t. It has been tried in the -case of one of the best fellows in town—or, -rather, he was one of the best until he found -that he couldn’t wind eighty boys and girls -around his finger, and then he turned against -us and stands ready to-day to do us all the -harm he can.”</p> - -<p class='c019'>“And you will find, to your cost, that my -cousins and I will do the same thing,” thought -Tom, and it was all he could do to keep from -uttering the words aloud. “Things have come -to a pretty pass when a lot of Yahoos can make -gentlemen knuckle to them. Who is this -boy?”</p> - -<p class='c019'>“His name is Prime; but I tell you, as a -friend, that you must not have any thing to do -with him if you want to get into the company. -There are half a dozen of our fellows going -away this fall, and then, if you feel like it, you -can make a try for membership. Perhaps I -<span class='pageno' id='Page_76'>76</span>shall be able to help you to the extent of one -vote, though I can’t promise to do so.”</p> - -<p class='c019'>“How about the yacht and canoe clubs?” -said Tom, with something like a sneer in his -tones. “No doubt they are full, too.”</p> - -<p class='c019'>“Oh, no, they’re not. Any good fellow who -owns a boat or who intends to get one, can -come in there. Are you and your cousins -good swimmers? Then why don’t you join us -and enter for the up-set race that will come off -next month.”</p> - -<p class='c019'>“I don’t know what kind of a race that -is.”</p> - -<p class='c019'>“It’ll not take long to tell you. You see -the contestants come out clad in some light -stuff that won’t hold much water, and when -they are well started in the race, a signal is -given, generally the blast of a bugle, whereupon -each fellow must overturn his boat, climb -into her again and go ahead as if nothing had -happened. The one who crosses the line first, -is of course the winner.”</p> - -<p class='c019'>“Who among you is the best at that kind -of a race?”</p> - -<p class='c019'>“Well,” replied Arthur, with some hesitation, -<span class='pageno' id='Page_77'>77</span>“it is nip and tuck between Wayring, -Sheldon and me.”</p> - -<p class='c019'>“I expected as much,” said Tom, to himself. -“Wayring, Sheldon and Hastings are better -than the rest at every thing. I shall enter for -that or some other race, and if I don’t take the -conceit out of all of you, I shall never forgive -myself. Then it would not be of any use for -me to try to get into the Toxophilites?” he -said, aloud.</p> - -<p class='c019'>“Not the slightest. I’ll tip you the wink -when there is an opening, and you can apply -or not, just as you think best. We never ask -any body to join us.”</p> - -<p class='c019'>“But you asked me to join the canoe and -yacht clubs.”</p> - -<p class='c019'>“I know it, and I had a right to. The three -organizations are governed by entirely different -rules. There’s the bugle,” said Arthur, catching -up his bow which lay on the rustic bench -on which he and Tom had been sitting during -this conversation. “I must go and shoot as -soon as I can find my girl. Come on, and see -us punch the gold three times out of five.”</p> - -<p class='c019'>“I can’t,” replied Tom. “I must hunt up -<span class='pageno' id='Page_78'>78</span>the hostess, tell her I have had a very pleasant -time and all that, and bid her good-by. I have -another engagement.”</p> - -<p class='c019'>This was not quite in accordance with the -facts of the case. Tom had no other engagement, -but he wanted to go off by himself, -or in company with Loren and Ralph, and give -full vent to his feelings of disappointment and -rage. He shook his fist at Arthur when the -latter turned his back and hurried away, and -it would have afforded him infinite satisfaction -if he could have followed him up and knocked -him down. He found his cousins after a while, -and although they stood in the midst of a jolly -group and were laughing gaily, and appeared -to be enjoying themselves, Tom was well enough -acquainted with them to tell at a glance that -they were as angry as he was.</p> - -<p class='c019'>“Sorry to break in upon so pleasant a gathering -as this one seems to be,” said Tom, approaching -the group, one of whom was the -young lady in whose honor the party was given, -“but our time is up.”</p> - -<p class='c019'>“Why, Mr. Bigden, you don’t mean to say -that you are going away so soon, and before -<span class='pageno' id='Page_79'>79</span>supper, too?” exclaimed the young lady, who -looked so charming in her neat uniform that -Tom had half a mind to go back and pound -Arthur Hastings for telling him that he couldn’t -become a Toxophilite at once.</p> - -<p class='c019'>“Must—can’t be helped,” answered Tom, -giving his cousins a look which they understood. -“We are indebted to you for a very -pleasant afternoon, Miss Arden.”</p> - -<p class='c019'>“I don’t believe you have enjoyed yourselves -one bit,” exclaimed the fair archer. “If you -have, why do you go away so early? The next -time you attend one of our lawn parties, be -sure and arrange your business so that your -other engagements can wait.”</p> - -<p class='c019'>After a little more badinage of this sort, Tom -and his cousins lifted their hats and walked off. -As soon as the front gate had closed behind -them, the expression on their faces changed as -if by magic, and the three boys turned toward -one another with clenched fists and flashing -eyes. After each one had glared savagely at -his neighbor as if he were going to strike him, -they all put their hands in their pockets and -moved away. Tom was the first to speak.</p> - -<p class='c019'><span class='pageno' id='Page_80'>80</span>“Now that I look back at it, I don’t see how -I kept my hands off that Hastings boy while -he was talking so insolently to me,” said Tom. -“He told me that he didn’t care who or what -my father was, but I couldn’t get into the -archery club, and that was all there was about -it. They must stick to their constitution, no -matter if the world goes to pieces on account of -their obstinacy. He asked me to join the canoe -and yacht clubs, but said they never asked -any body to apply for admission to the Toxophilites.”</p> - -<p class='c019'>“I guess Ralph and I know just what he -said to you first and last,” remarked Loren, -“for Sheldon talked to us in about the same -way. We are going to enter for the upset -race.”</p> - -<p class='c019'>“I thought you would,” answered Tom, -“and so I made up my mind to go in too. -We’ll make it our business to see that neither -Sheldon nor Wayring wins that or any other -race. If we find that we can’t beat them by -fair means, and I have an idea that I can -paddle a boat about as fast as the next boy, -although I never got into one until last week, -<span class='pageno' id='Page_81'>81</span>we’ll foul them, and sink their boats so deep -that they will never come up again.”</p> - -<p class='c019'>“Loren and I talked that matter over, and -resolved upon the same thing,” said Ralph. -“Did Hastings tell you any thing about a -George Prime who is down on them because -they would not take his name before the -Toxophilites? Sheldon told us to give him a -wide berth, but Loren and I thought we would -do as we pleased about that.”</p> - -<p class='c019'>“That’s just what I thought,” answered -Tom. “I think it would be a good plan to -hunt him up the very first thing we do. If he -has reason to dislike Wayring and his friends, -we might induce him to strike hands with us.”</p> - -<p class='c019'>“That was our idea,” said Ralph. “It -can’t be possible that Prime is the only boy in -this village who does not like Wayring and the -rest, and if we find them to be the right sort, -and can raise enough of them, what’s the -reason we can’t get up a club of our own?”</p> - -<p class='c019'>“That’s another idea,” said Tom, who was -delighted with it. “I wish I had thought to -ask Hastings where Prime lives.”</p> - -<p class='c019'>“I know where his father’s drug-store is, for -<span class='pageno' id='Page_82'>82</span>I saw the sign over the door,” said Loren. -“Let’s go down there and get a cigar, and trust -to our wits to learn something about him.”</p> - -<p class='c019'>The others agreeing to this proposition, -Loren led the way to the drug-store, and the -three stopped in front of the show-case near -the door in which the cigars were kept.</p> - -<p class='c019'>“That’s Prime, and I know it,” whispered -Tom, as a dashing young fellow, who was -seated at the further end of the store reading a -paper, came up to attend to their wants. “He -looks to me like a chap who isn’t in the habit -of allowing himself to be imposed upon, and -that’s the sort we want to run with.”</p> - -<p class='c019'>“See-gahs? Yes, sir,” said the clerk. -“Being from the city, you want the best, of -course. There you are, sir. Genuine imported.”</p> - -<p class='c019'>“How do you know that we are from the -city?” inquired Loren, as he made a selection -from the box that was placed on the show-case.</p> - -<p class='c019'>“Because I was a city boy myself, until -father took it into his head that he wanted to -spend a summer at Mount Airy,” replied the -clerk. “That was a bad move for me, for we -<span class='pageno' id='Page_83'>83</span>have been here ever since. Besides, in a little -place like this, every body knows more about -your business than you do yourself. I know -who you are, and where you came from, and -all about it.”</p> - -<p class='c019'>“Then it was a bad change for you, was it?” -said Ralph. “You don’t like to live here? -Neither do we.”</p> - -<p class='c019'>“I don’t blame you,” said the clerk. -“Wait until you get acquainted with some of -these old-timers and find out what an exclusive -lot they are, and you will dislike it worse than -you do now. There are a few of them, especially -the Toxophilites, as they call themselves, -who try to monopolize all the fun there is -going.”</p> - -<p class='c019'>“Why don’t you join them?” asked Tom.</p> - -<p class='c019'>“Because they won’t let me—that’s why.”</p> - -<p class='c019'>“Then you must be George Prime.”</p> - -<p class='c019'>“That’s my name, and you are Tom Bigden, -and you two are Loren and Ralph Farnsworth.”</p> - -<p class='c019'>“You’ve hit it,” answered Tom. “They -wouldn’t take us in either. They told us so -not more than an hour ago. Why didn’t you -go to the party?”</p> - -<p class='c019'><span class='pageno' id='Page_84'>84</span>“Because they didn’t invite me,” said Prime, -angrily. “I don’t get invitations to any thing -any more. I showed rather too much spirit to -suit them, and so they dropped me.”</p> - -<p class='c019'>“Probably they will do the same by us,” -said Loren. “We have always been in the -habit of doing as we pleased, and we don’t -intend to change our mode of life for the sake -of getting into an archery club that makes its -members drill until ten o’clock when they -might see more fun in playing billiards. There -will be some vacancies this fall, and then we -shall make another attempt to get in.”</p> - -<p class='c019'>“Is that what you have made up your minds -to? Well, now, look here.” As Prime said -this, he came out from behind the counter and -stood in the open door, looking up and down -the street. “You must begin by doing your -smoking in secret,” he continued, as he came -back and motioned to the boys to follow him -toward the rear of the store.</p> - -<p class='c019'>“Do you mean to say that the Toxophilites -look with disfavor upon a good cigar?” -demanded Tom.</p> - -<p class='c019'>“I do, indeed. You mustn’t use tobacco in -<span class='pageno' id='Page_85'>85</span>any form, and you must be temperate in all -things—in eating, drinking and talking. -They’ll fine you if you use any language while -you are out with your companions, that you -wouldn’t use if your mother or sister was -present. Now sit down here, and if you see -any body coming, you can put your cigars out -of sight.”</p> - -<p class='c019'>“But we don’t know all the members of the -club,” said Loren.</p> - -<p class='c019'>“No difference. Don’t let any one see you -with a weed in your mouth. If you do, good-by -to all your chances of being a Toxophilite.”</p> - -<p class='c019'>“Why, it’s the meanest little town I ever -heard of!” exclaimed Ralph, who was greatly -surprised as well as disgusted. “I didn’t suppose -that there were any such boys in this -wicked world. I thought they all lived in -Utopia.”</p> - -<p class='c019'>“So did I, until I found some of them right -here in Mount Airy,” answered Prime. “The -girls are at the bottom of it—you know that -they are never easy unless they are kicking up -a row of some kind—and if I had been a member -of the club when it was organized, wouldn’t -<span class='pageno' id='Page_86'>86</span>I have worked hard to keep them out? I was -very anxious to get into it once, but I don’t -believe I care to be one of them now.”</p> - -<p class='c019'>Tom and his cousins began to feel the same -way.</p> - -<div class='chapter'> - <span class='pageno' id='Page_87'>87</span> - <h2 class='c011'>CHAPTER V. <br /> <br /><span class='small'>TOM INTERVIEWS THE SQUATTER.</span></h2> -</div> - -<p class='drop-capa0_0_0_5 c018'>“I DON’T believe I care to be one of them -now,” repeated Prime, who, being a -pretty good judge of character, knew that he -ran no risk in speaking freely in the presence of -the three boys before him. “I wish I could see -their old organization knocked higher than the -moon; or else I wish that a few more new fellows -of the right sort would come in, so that -we could have a club of our own.”</p> - -<p class='c019'>“I was about to suggest that very thing,” -said Tom. “It can’t be possible that Wayring -and his cronies have got every boy in town under -their thumbs.”</p> - -<p class='c019'>“Not by a long shot!” exclaimed Prime. -“There are ten or a dozen besides myself who -do not bow to them.”</p> - -<p class='c019'>“And my cousins and I add three to the -number,” replied Tom. “That’s enough for a -<span class='pageno' id='Page_88'>88</span>hunting club. But we will talk about that -at some future time. Do you belong to the -other clubs?”</p> - -<p class='c019'>Prime replied that he did, adding that any -body could get into them, for there was no limit -to the membership.</p> - -<p class='c019'>“The canoe and yacht clubs are getting large -enough to be unwieldy,” said he. “I know of -a good many boys who are not satisfied with -the way things are managed, and it wouldn’t -surprise me at all if there should be a split some -day. There are a few of us who are talking it -up as fast as we can. We are getting tired of -seeing the same old tickets elected every year, -and think it high time we had a change.”</p> - -<p class='c019'>“Is Wayring much of a canoeist?” asked -Tom.</p> - -<p class='c019'>“Indeed, he is. He can walk away from any -one around here, I am sorry to say, and in fact, -there’s hardly any thing that boy can’t do. I -would give almost any thing to see him beaten, -and I—say!” exclaimed Prime, a bright idea -striking him. “Are you fellows canoeists?”</p> - -<p class='c019'>“My cousins are; but I can’t say as much -for myself,” answered Tom. “I have always -<span class='pageno' id='Page_89'>89</span>been called a very fair sculler, and after I learn -how to balance a canoe, I know I have muscle -enough to make her get through the water. -Hastings led me to believe that it was a tight -squeak between Wayring, Sheldon and himself.”</p> - -<p class='c019'>“Aw!” said Prime, in a tone of disgust. -“You let Hastings alone for shoving in a good -word for himself as often as the opportunity -offers. He never won the first prize in his life. -Joe Wayring walks away with it every time. -Suppose you fellows come in and see if you -can’t make Joe lower his broad pennant for a -while. If you find that you can’t beat him—and, -although I am no friend of his, I tell you -plainly that it will be the hardest piece of work -you ever undertook—you might get in his way -and let him foul you, you know. I tried my -level best to do it last year, but he was too -smart for me.”</p> - -<p class='c019'>By this time it was plain to all the boys that -they understood one another perfectly. The -truth of the matter was, that Joe Wayring and -some of his particular friends had won too -many honors, and made themselves altogether -<span class='pageno' id='Page_90'>90</span>too popular in the community. These boys -were angry about it, because they wanted to be -first in every thing themselves. Tom Bigden -and his cousins had fully intended to take -Mount Airy by storm, and to establish themselves -at once as leaders among their new -acquaintances; and their failure to accomplish -their object bewildered as well as enraged them. -If they had known how to go about it, they -would have disgraced Joe Wayring before he -saw the sun rise again. So would George -Prime. Of course they did not say it in so -many words, but that was what each boy told -himself.</p> - -<p class='c019'>Before Tom and his cousins left the store they -entered into an alliance with Prime, both offensive -and defensive, and talked over various plans -for annoying the boys who had unwittingly -incurred their displeasure. If they could not -injure Joe and his friends in any other way, -they could put them to some trouble and -expense, and this they resolved to do the very -first good chance they got. They did not decide -upon any particular course of action, but Prime -said that if Tom and his cousins would come -<span class='pageno' id='Page_91'>91</span>to the store the next day, he would introduce -them to a lot of good fellows who did not like -Joe and his “clique” any too well, and who -would be glad to be revenged upon them for -some real or imaginary grievance.</p> - -<p class='c019'>“I see very clearly that there is a good deal of -feeling against Wayring and his followers, and -if we handle it rightly we can make it work to -our advantage,” remarked Tom, as he and his -cousins walked slowly homeward. “It is a -wonder to me that something hasn’t been done -to him before this time. What they lack is a -leader—some one to propose a plan and go -ahead with it.”</p> - -<p class='c019'>“Well, they have found him at last—three -of him,” said Loren. “I always was opposed -to living in a little country town, because you -invariably find fellows there who think they -know more than any body else—”</p> - -<p class='c019'>“And plenty of others who are willing to -uphold them in that belief,” chimed in Ralph. -“I say, don’t let’s have any thing to do with the -Toxophilites. Let’s get up a club of our own -and manage it as we see proper.”</p> - -<p class='c019'>“I am in favor of that,” replied Tom. -<span class='pageno' id='Page_92'>92</span>“We’ll have no fines and drills, for one thing, -and neither will we admit any girls who stick -up their noses at a good cigar. But there is -one thing we must not forget to do when we -meet those fellows at the store to-morrow. If -we decide upon any thing, we must be careful -how we carry it out. If we are foolish enough -to let Joe and the rest know that we are down -on them, and that we intend to do them all the -injury we can, they will make things very -unpleasant for us. We don’t want them to -serve us as they have served Prime, and read -us entirely out of their good books—”</p> - -<p class='c019'>“And that is just what they will do if they -see us in Prime’s company,” interrupted Loren. -“Sheldon said so.”</p> - -<p class='c019'>“There is no need that they should ever see -us in his company,” replied Tom. “Our best -plan would be to hold all our meetings in -secret—”</p> - -<p class='c019'>“And keep our organization, if we have any, -a secret,” chimed in Ralph.</p> - -<p class='c019'>“That’s the idea,” said Tom. “Then we -can do as much damage as we please in the -way of setting boats adrift, and so on, and -<span class='pageno' id='Page_93'>93</span>Joe and his followers will be at loss to know -where the annoyance comes from. We mustn’t -forget to speak to the fellows about that to-morrow.”</p> - -<p class='c019'>Unfortunately an incident happened that -very afternoon which made it comparatively -easy for the three schemers to carry out the -plans they proposed. It was, in fact, a fight -between a squatter and the Mount Airy -authorities, to whom he had made himself -obnoxious. Tom and his cousins were -witnesses of the preliminary skirmish, that is, -the serving of the notice of ejectment, and -when they heard a full report of the matter -from one of the boys to whom Prime introduced -them, their delight was almost unbounded. -Tom danced a horn-pipe in the excess of his -joy, and repeatedly declared that nothing -could have happened that was so well calculated -to further their designs. It came about -in this way:</p> - -<p class='c019'>Mr. Wayring’s summer cottages were all -located on the opposite shore of the lake. The -road that led to them ran down the hill, -around the foot of the lake, and through a -<span class='pageno' id='Page_94'>94</span>little settlement which bore the euphonious -name of “Stumptown.” Why this name had -been given to it no one seemed to know. It -certainly was not appropriate, for there was -not a stump to be seen in any of its well-cultivated -gardens, from which the Mount Airy -and Lambert Houses drew their supplies of -vegetables and small fruits.</p> - -<p class='c019'>The male members of this little community -were licensed guides and boatmen—the only -ones, in fact, who had the right to serve the guests -of the hotels in that capacity. They lived on -Mr. Wayring’s land, and in neat little cottages -which the liberal owner had erected for their -especial benefit. When the season was over -and the guests returned to their homes in the -city, these men hunted and trapped in the -mountains, and entertained the village boys, -with whom they were great favorites, and who -often invaded their humble abodes during the -long winter evenings, with thrilling and amusing -tales of life in the wilderness. They taught -the boys woodcraft, and made themselves so -useful in other ways, that the young Nimrods -of the village had never been able to decide -<span class='pageno' id='Page_95'>95</span>how they could manage to get on without -them.</p> - -<p class='c019'>Into this settlement there came one day an -unkempt man, with a red nose and a very -forbidding face, who brought with him a large -punt, into which he had crowded all his -worldly treasures, including his wife and two -stalwart sons, not one of whom was one whit -more prepossessing than the husband and -father. Without saying a word to any body -the red-nosed man, who answered to the name of -Matt Coyle, took possession of a piece of ground -that had been cleared but not fenced in, and -began the erection of a shanty with boards -which formed a part of the punt’s cargo. -While he and his sons were at work Mr. Hastings, -who was one of the village trustees, rode -by. He did not at all like the appearance of the -new-comers, but he had nothing to say to them. -There was room for more guides and boatmen, -and Matt and his family might turn out -better than they looked. If they proved to be -honest, industrious people who were willing to -work for a living, Mr. Hastings was perfectly -willing that they should stay, and he knew -<span class='pageno' id='Page_96'>96</span>that Mr. Wayring would provide a house and -garden for them. If they proved to be objectionable -in any way, it would be an easy -matter to get rid of them.</p> - -<p class='c019'>Shortly after Mr. Hastings passed out of -sight Matt Coyle wanted a drink; and he -found it—not in the lake, or in the ice-cold -spring from which the guides obtained their -supply of water, but in a jug which he fished -out from a lot of miscellaneous rubbish in the -punt. After he had quenched his thirst he -passed the jug over to his wife and boys, the -whole proceeding being witnessed by Nat -Clark, the oldest man and best guide and boatman -in the settlement, who was getting his -skiff ready to take out a fishing party from -one of the hotels.</p> - -<p class='c019'>“Look a yer, friend,” said Nat. “What you -got into that there jug o’ your’n?”</p> - -<p class='c019'>“The best kind o’ whisky,” answered Matt -Coyle, cheerfully. “An’ I’ve got as much as -half a bar’l more in the punt. Want a drop?”</p> - -<p class='c019'>“Not much,” replied Nat, emphatically. -“An’ if you’re goin’ to stay about yer, you’d -best knock in the head of that there bar’l an’ -<span class='pageno' id='Page_97'>97</span>smash that there jug without wastin’ no -time.”</p> - -<p class='c019'>“What fur?” demanded the red-nosed man, -who was very much surprised.</p> - -<p class='c019'>“’Cause why, it’s agin the law fur stuff of -that kind to be brung into these yer grounds.”</p> - -<p class='c019'>“Who made that there law?”</p> - -<p class='c019'>“The trustees. You’d best do as I tell you, -’cause if they find out that you’ve got it, they’ll -spill the last drop of it fur you.”</p> - -<p class='c019'>“They will, eh?” exclaimed Matt. “I’d -like to see ’em try it on. They’d better not -try to boss me, ’cause me an’ my boys have -got rifles into the punt, an’ we know how to -use ’em too. Them there trustees ain’t got -no more right to say what I shall drink than -they have to say what I shall eat. Besides, -how are they goin’ to find out that I have got -it?”</p> - -<p class='c019'>“<i>I</i> shan’t tell ’em, ’cause I’ve got enough to -do without botherin’ my head with other -folks’s business,” answered the guide, who -knew by the tone in which they were uttered -that there was a threat hidden under Matt -Coyle’s last words. “But you can’t keep it -<span class='pageno' id='Page_98'>98</span>hid from ’em, an’ they’re bound to find it -out.”</p> - -<p class='c019'>And sure enough they did.</p> - -<p class='c019'>Having built his shanty and moved his -household goods into it, Matt Coyle and his -boys presented themselves before the manager -of the Lambert House and demanded employment -as guides and boatmen. That functionary, -who did not know that there were any -such disreputable looking people in town, -gazed at them in surprise, and told them -rather bluntly that he had nothing for them -to do. The manager of the Mount Airy House -told them the same thing. The hotel guides -were neat in person and respectful in demeanor, -and Matt and his boys were just the reverse. -The managers would not insult their guests by -giving them boats manned by such persons as -they were. Matt and his boys were angry, of -course, and after wasting the best portion of -the day grumbling over their hard luck, they -put the jug into the punt and started out on a -fishing excursion. They came back with a good -string, but the hotels and boarding-houses -refused to purchase, because their guests, with -<span class='pageno' id='Page_99'>99</span>the assistance of the guides, kept the tables -well supplied.</p> - -<p class='c019'>Things went on in this way for a month, -during which Matt and his boys had twice been -thrust into the calaboose for attempting to -“run the town” to suit themselves, and at the -end of that time the trustees decided that he and -his family were of no use in Mount Airy, and -that they had better go somewhere else. On the -day the lawn tennis party was held, a notice -to Matt Coyle to pull down his shanty and -vacate the ground of which he had taken -unauthorized possession, was given to a constable, -and Tom Bigden and his cousins happened -along just as the officer had begun to read it -to him. The boys knew that there was something -going on in the settlement before they -came within sight of it, for when the officer -took the notice from his pocket the squatter -declared that he would not have any papers -served on him: and then followed a loud and -angry altercation in which Matt Coyle and his -family, the constable and half a dozen guides -took part. Tom and his companions quickened -their pace to a run, and arrived upon the scene -<span class='pageno' id='Page_100'>100</span>just in time to hear the squatter say, in -savage tones:</p> - -<p class='c019'>“I know what’s into that there paper, an’ I -tell you agin that I won’t listen to it. Some -of them rich fellers up there on the hill want -me to go away from here, but I tell you I won’t -do it. I’ve got just as much right—”</p> - -<p class='c019'>“Keep still, can’t you?” shouted the officer. -He had to shout in order to make himself heard, -for Matt Coyle’s voice was almost as loud as -a fog whistle. “I am going to read this -notice whether you listen or not.”</p> - -<p class='c019'>“No, I won’t listen,” roared the squatter, -swinging his arms around his head. “I’ve -got just as much right on this here ’arth as -them rich folks up on the hill have. Where -shall I go if I leave here?”</p> - -<p class='c019'>“I am sure I don’t care where you go,” -replied the officer. “But you are not wanted -in Mount Airy and you can’t stay.”</p> - -<p class='c019'>“But I tell you I will stay, too,” shouted -Matt, who was so nearly beside himself that -Tom and his companions looked for nothing -but to see him assault the officer. Probably he -would have laid violent hands upon him had it -<span class='pageno' id='Page_101'>101</span>not been for the presence of the stalwart guides, -who stood close behind him. “I came here -’cause I heared that there was plenty that an -honest, hard-workin’ man could do.”</p> - -<p class='c019'>“And so there is,” answered the constable, -“but you are neither honest nor hard-working.”</p> - -<p class='c019'>“They wouldn’t have me an’ my boys fur -guides, ’cause we didn’t have no fine clothes to -wear,” continued Matt. “An’ nuther would -they buy the fish we ketched, ’cause—look a -yer. You needn’t try to read that there paper -to me, ’cause I won’t listen to it, I tell you.”</p> - -<p class='c019'>But the constable, who had grown tired of -talking, paid no attention to him. He read -the notice, raising his voice as often as the -squatter raised his; then Matt’s boys, and -finally his wife came to his assistance, and -this started the guides, who flourished their -fists in the air and shouted until they were red -in the face. Among them all they raised a -fearful hubbub, and, of course, the officer’s -voice was entirely inaudible; but he read -calmly on, and when he had finished the document -he walked away, followed by the guides, -and leaving the squatter and his family in a -<span class='pageno' id='Page_102'>102</span>towering rage. Ralph and Loren were afraid -of them now that the constable and his broad-shouldered -backers were gone, but Tom looked -serenely on, and could hardly resist the impulse -to laugh outright when he saw Matt and his -family stamping about, shaking their clenched -hands in the air, and acting altogether as -though they had taken leave of their senses.</p> - -<p class='c019'>“Let’s get away from here,” whispered -Loren, when Matt made a sudden and furious -rush toward the shanty, and began trying to -kick the side of it in with his heavy boots, just -to show how mad he was, and to give his wife -and boys some idea of the damage he would do -if he only possessed the power.</p> - -<p class='c019'>“What’s your hurry?” asked Tom, indifferently. -“Can’t you see how we can turn this -to our advantage?”</p> - -<p class='c019'>“I can see that those people are in a terrible -rage,” replied Loren, who was really alarmed, -“and I am afraid they will turn on us -next.”</p> - -<p class='c019'>“There’s no danger of that,” answered Tom, -confidently. “When men rant and rave in -that way they are not to be feared for any thing -<span class='pageno' id='Page_103'>103</span>they may do openly. They are the ones who -work in secret.”</p> - -<p class='c019'>At this moment Matt Coyle became aware -that he and his family were not alone—that -there were three interested spectators close at -hand; and as if to show Tom that he was mistaken -in the opinions to which he had just -given expression, Matt rushed toward him as -if he meant to annihilate him, followed by all -the members of his family, who shook their fists -and shouted as if they were very angry indeed. -Ralph and Loren shrank back, but Tom, who -was nobody’s coward, stood his ground, looked -squarely into Matt’s eyes, and coolly put his -hands into his pockets.</p> - -<p class='c019'>“What you standin’ here gapin’ at?” -demanded the squatter, fiercely. He had drawn -back his fist with the full intention of striking -Tom; but when he saw that the boy did not -appear to be at all afraid of him, he thought -better of it.</p> - -<p class='c019'>“Why do you come at us in that savage -way?” demanded Tom. “We don’t scare -worth a cent. If you want to get even with -any one for the shameful manner in which you -<span class='pageno' id='Page_104'>104</span>have been treated, there’s the man you must -go for,” he added, pointing toward the grove -which concealed Mr. Wayring’s house from -view. “He is entirely to blame for all the -trouble you have had. Your cabin is on his -land, and the trustees never would have thought -of ordering you off if he had not complained of -you.”</p> - -<p class='c019'>Matt and his family were greatly astonished. -They thought that every one in town looked -down on them because they were poor, but -here was somebody who sympathized with -them. Tom, quick to see that he had made an -impression upon the angry squatter, went on -to say—</p> - -<p class='c019'>“If the people of this village should treat me -as they have treated you, it would make a -regular Ishmaelite of me.”</p> - -<p class='c019'>“What sort of a feller is that?” asked Matt.</p> - -<p class='c019'>“Why, Ishmael was a hunter who lived a -good many years ago,” answered Tom. “His -hand was against every man, and every man’s -hand was against him. He didn’t have a -friend in the world.”</p> - -<p class='c019'>“That’s me,” exclaimed Matt, who seemed -<span class='pageno' id='Page_105'>105</span>pleased to know that there was, or had been, -at least one other man in existence who knew -what trouble was. “I ain’t got no friends -nuther. These rich folks have tried to starve -me since I came here, but they didn’t do it—not -by a long shot.”</p> - -<p class='c019'>“Now, if I were situated as you are,” continued -Tom, “I would draw a bee-line for -Sherwin’s pond—”</p> - -<p class='c019'>“Where’s that?” inquired Matt.</p> - -<p class='c019'>“It lies off that way, fifteen miles from the -head of this lake,” replied Tom, indicating the -direction with his finger, and wondering at the -same time how Matt could have expected to -render acceptable service as guide to the guests -of the hotels, when he was not acquainted with -the surrounding country. “There are about -twelve miles of rapids in the stream that connects -the lake with Sherwin’s pond, but your -punt will go through easy enough if you can -keep her clear of the rocks. As I was saying, -I would go down there, put up my cabin and -live in peace. I’d make more money, too, -than I could by acting as guide and boatman.”</p> - -<p class='c019'><span class='pageno' id='Page_106'>106</span>“How would you do it?” asked the squatter, -whose anger was all gone now.</p> - -<p class='c019'>“Simply by keeping my eyes open. You -see those sail-boats anchored out there? Well, -if one of them should happen to get adrift some -stormy night, and come safely through the -rapids into the pond and I should catch it, I -wouldn’t give it up until I got a big reward for -saving it, would I? Then again, the pointers, -setters and hounds that hunt in these fields and -woods very often get lost, and their owners are -willing to give almost any price to get them -back. I tell you,” exclaimed Tom, who knew -by the gleam of intelligence that appeared on -the swarthy faces before him that Matt and his -family understood him perfectly, “I could -make plenty of money by taking up my abode -down there on the shore of that pond. If the -things I have been talking about didn’t happen -of themselves, I’d <i>make</i> them happen—do -you see? Well, good-by, and remember that -we three boys had no hand in driving you out -of Mount Airy.”</p> - -<p class='c019'>So saying Tom walked off followed by his -companions, while Matt and his family faced -about and went toward their shanty.</p> - -<div class='chapter'> - <span class='pageno' id='Page_107'>107</span> - <h2 class='c011'>CHAPTER VI. <br /> <br /><span class='small'>TOM’S PLANS ARE UPSET.</span></h2> -</div> - -<p class='drop-capa0_3_0_5 c018'>FOR a while the three boys walked along in -silence, Loren and Ralph being too amazed -to speak, and Tom pluming himself on having -done something that would, in the end, bring -Joe Wayring and some of the other boys he disliked -no end of trouble. The fact that it might -bring trouble to himself as well, never once -entered his mind. Ralph was the first to -speak.</p> - -<p class='c019'>“I wouldn’t have had that thing happen for -any thing,” said he.</p> - -<p class='c019'>“What thing?” demanded Tom.</p> - -<p class='c019'>“Why, that interview with the squatter. I -could see, by the expression on his face, that -you put the very mischief into his head.”</p> - -<p class='c019'>“And that was just what I meant to do,” -replied Tom, who laughed heartily when he -saw how troubled his cousins were over what -<span class='pageno' id='Page_108'>108</span>he had said to Matt Coyle. “I saw he was -thick-headed and needed help, and so I gave it -to him.”</p> - -<p class='c019'>“But don’t you know that it is dangerous to -trust a man like that? If he gets into trouble -through the suggestions you made to him—and -he will just as surely as he attempts to act upon -them—he’ll blow the whole thing.”</p> - -<p class='c019'>“What in the world has he got to blow, and -how have I trusted him?” asked Tom, rather -sharply. “I didn’t tell him to turn the sail-boats -adrift or to steal the guests’ hunting-dogs, -did I? I simply told him what I should do if -I were in his place.”</p> - -<p class='c019'>“But you intended it for a suggestion, and -hoped he would act upon it, didn’t you?”</p> - -<p class='c019'>“Well, <i>that’s</i> a different matter,” answered -Tom. “If he tries to revenge himself upon the -citizens of Mount Airy for refusing to employ -him or to buy his fish, and his efforts in that -direction bring him into trouble, it will be his -own fault. You and I want to see some of -these conceited fellows, who think they know -more and are better than any body else, brought -down a peg or two, and if that squatter is -<span class='pageno' id='Page_109'>109</span>accommodating enough to do the work for us—why, -I say let him do it.”</p> - -<p class='c019'>Tom continued to talk in this way for a long -time, and to such good purpose that when they -reached home his cousins had forgotten their -fears, and even expressed much interest and -curiosity regarding the course of action that -Matt Coyle might see fit to pursue. If he followed -Tom’s suggestion and built his shanty -on the shore of Sherwin’s pond, they might -expect to hear from him before many days -more had passed away.</p> - -<p class='c019'>“I hope that if Matt does take it into his -head to do any thing, he’ll run off Wayring’s -sail-boat,” said Loren, gazing proudly at his -own beautiful little sloop, which rode at her -moorings in front of the boat-house. He had -brought her up there on purpose to beat the -<i>Young Republic</i>, which was said to be one of -the swiftest boats on the lake; but the first time -they came together under sail, the <i>Republic</i> -had run away from her would-be rival with all -ease, and it began to look as though the -“Challenge Cup” would become Joe’s own -property. He had won it twice, and if he won -<span class='pageno' id='Page_110'>110</span>it again it would be his to keep. There were -those in the village who didn’t want to see him -get it. They had expected great things of the -<i>Uncle Sam</i>—that was the name of Loren’s -boat—and indeed she did look like a “flyer”; -but when they witnessed the short race, which -Joe Wayring purposely brought about one -afternoon to test the <i>Uncle Sam’s</i> speed, -they were much disappointed, and told one -another that the cup was Joe’s for a certainty.</p> - -<p class='c019'>“If Matt will only take that boat, I’ll win -the next regatta,” continued Loren. “If he -does take her, Joe will never see her again, for -she will be smashed to pieces in the rapids.”</p> - -<p class='c019'>“If I could have my way, I should prefer to -have Matt run off Joe’s Rob Roy, for then -you and Ralph would stand a chance of winning -some of the canoe races,” observed Tom. -“But, of course, he couldn’t steal the canoe -without breaking into the boat-house, and that -would send him up for burglary.”</p> - -<p class='c019'>“Oh, no; he won’t do that,” exclaimed Loren.</p> - -<p class='c019'>Tom made no audible reply, but to himself -he said:</p> - -<p class='c019'>“I don’t suppose he will; but <i>I</i> might do it, -<span class='pageno' id='Page_111'>111</span>and let Joe and the rest blame Matt Coyle for -it.”</p> - -<p class='c019'>There were still several hours of daylight left, -and for want of some better way of passing the -time, as well as to put themselves in trim for -the coming canoe meet, Tom and his cousins decided -that they would spend the rest of the afternoon -on the water. Ever since their canoes -came into their possession they had been assiduously -practicing with their double paddles, -and Tom, who was quick to learn any thing -that required strength and skill for its execution, -was fast becoming an expert canoeist. In -a hurry-scurry or portage race he could beat -either of his cousins, and on this particular -afternoon he wanted to try an upset race, of -which he had that day heard for the first -time.</p> - -<p class='c019'>“I saw an upset race rowed, or rather paddled, -during the meet of the American Canoe -Association at Lake George last summer, and I -wonder that I didn’t think to speak of it,” said -Ralph. “Well, better late than never. We -will go up to the head of the lake, where no -one will be likely to see us, and make our first -<span class='pageno' id='Page_112'>112</span>trial. We are all good swimmers, and it seems -to me that we ought to make good time. The -secret lies in getting back into our canoes after -we have upset them. If we can learn to do -that easily and quickly, we will stand a chance -of putting Joe Wayring to his mettle, even if -we don’t beat him in the race.”</p> - -<p class='c019'>The boys went into the boat-house by a side -door, and about ten minutes afterward the front -door swung open, and two Shadow canoes -and one Rob Roy were pushed into the water, -and as many young fellows, dressed in light -gymnastic suits, sprang into them and paddled -up the lake. They met a few sailing parties, -who waved their handkerchiefs and hats to -them as they shot by, and at the end of half an -hour reached a wide and deep cove near the -head of the lake. This was their practice -ground. They had chosen it for that purpose -because it was a retired spot, and so effectually -concealed by the long, wooded point at the -entrance, that a fleet of boats might have sailed -by without knowing that there was any one in -the cove.</p> - -<p class='c019'>“We’ll start from this side and go across and -<span class='pageno' id='Page_113'>113</span>back, as we have done heretofore,” said Ralph, -who led the way in his Rob Roy. “We’ll -upset twice—once while we are going, and once -while we are coming.”</p> - -<p class='c019'>“But how does a fellow get into his canoe -after he gets out of it?” inquired Tom.</p> - -<p class='c019'>“The rule is to climb in over the stern and -work your way to your seat,” replied Ralph. -“But at Lake George I saw some of the contestants -throw themselves across the cock-pit -and get in that way. We’ll try both plans, -and each fellow can adopt the one that suits -him best.”</p> - -<p class='c019'>When the boys had taken up their positions -at safe distances from one another, Ralph gave -a shrill whistle and away they started, the -light Rob Roy taking the lead with Tom close -behind. A few minutes’ work with the double -paddles brought them to the middle of the cove, -and then Ralph uttered another whistle. An -instant later the three canoeists were in the -water. The Rob Roy turned completely over -and came right side up in a twinkling; and at -the same moment Ralph’s head bobbed up close -alongside. He threw himself across the cock-pit -<span class='pageno' id='Page_114'>114</span>and climbed in with the greatest ease; and -while bailing out the water with a tin basin -that was tied to one of the timbers of the canoe -so that it could not float away or fill and sink, -he looked complacently at his companions, who -were making desperate efforts to regain their -seats by climbing over the sterns of their -respective crafts.</p> - -<p class='c019'>“Grab hold of the side of your canoe, draw -yourself as far as you can out of the water, -turn a hand-spring and land on your feet in the -cock-pit,” shouted Ralph, addressing himself -to no one in particular. “I saw that done at -Lake George last summer by two or three different -men.”</p> - -<p class='c019'>“Suppose you do it yourself and show us -how,” answered Tom, who having at last succeeded -in gaining the deck, was slowly working -his way toward his seat; but instead of -sitting astride of his canoe, as he ought to have -done, he tried to make headway on his hands -and knees in order to beat Loren, who was -making all haste to reach the cock-pit of his -own craft. In his eagerness Tom forgot how -cranky his canoe was, and, neglecting to trim -<span class='pageno' id='Page_115'>115</span>her properly, she turned over and let him down -into the water again.</p> - -<p class='c019'>Ralph, of course, could have won the race -very easily, but he lingered to watch the others, -so that they all reached the turning point at -the same moment. On the home stretch -another upset occurred, and this time Tom and -Loren did not waste as many minutes in getting -back as they did before. They learned rapidly, -and when half a dozen more races had been -tried they became so expert that Ralph had -little the advantage of them. By this time -they began to think they had had enough of -the water for one afternoon, so they pulled -away for the boat house, Tom easily distancing -his cousins, who tried in vain to keep up with -him.</p> - -<p class='c019'>“This afternoon’s work has opened my eyes -to a thing or two,” said Ralph, after they -had changed their clothes and sponged out -their canoes.</p> - -<p class='c019'>“So it has mine,” exclaimed Tom. “Let me -talk first, and see how far my conclusions agree -with yours. In the first place, you ought to win -the upset race.”</p> - -<p class='c019'><span class='pageno' id='Page_116'>116</span>“That’s my opinion,” said Loren. “He -shall win it, too, if strategy is of any use.”</p> - -<p class='c019'>“You are no sooner out of your canoe than -you are back into it again,” continued Tom. -“I am sure that neither Wayring, Hastings nor -Sheldon can do better than that. I only wish -you had a little more muscle.”</p> - -<p class='c019'>“But I haven’t got it and can’t get it between -this time and the race, and so you fellows will -have to help me.”</p> - -<p class='c019'>“Trust us for that,” answered Tom. “Then -we’ll turn to and foul the best contestant in -the hurry-scurry race, so that Loren can win -that; and if you will lend me your Rob Roy, -I’ll take my chances on carrying off the honors -in the portage race.”</p> - -<p class='c019'>“That is just the way I had planned it,” -exclaimed Ralph. “We’ll show these fellows -who think themselves so smart, that there are -others in the world who are quite as smart as -they are.”</p> - -<p class='c019'>It was a very pretty programme, no doubt, -but it never occurred to Tom and his cousins -that possibly the boys to whom Prime was to -introduce them the next day, might not think -<span class='pageno' id='Page_117'>117</span>favorably of it. There were those among them -who had never been first in any race, although -they were very expert canoeists; and it was not -at all likely that they would consent to see -these new-comers carry off the prizes for which -they had contended ever since the club was -organized.</p> - -<p class='c019'>Tom and his cousins were tired enough to -rest now, and they found it lounging in their -hammocks under the trees, and watching the -boats that passed up and down the lake. They -took another short run in their canoes by -moonlight, spent the next forenoon sailing -about in Loren’s sloop, and at one o’clock bent -their steps toward the store where they were -to meet George Prime and his friends. When -they arrived at the place where Matt Coyle’s -shanty stood the day before, they were surprised -as well as delighted to find that it wasn’t -there.</p> - -<p class='c019'>“He’s gone, as sure as the world,” cried -Ralph. “Now we shall very soon know -whether or not he has the pluck to do any -thing to the men who would not give him a -chance to earn an honest living.”</p> - -<p class='c019'><span class='pageno' id='Page_118'>118</span>Tom laughed loudly.</p> - -<p class='c019'>“Did you really think I was in earnest when -I told Matt yesterday that I thought he had -been shamefully treated?” said he, as soon as -he could speak. “Why, Ralph, I thought -you had more sense. I said that just to make -him mad. If I succeeded, he will do the work -that we would otherwise have been obliged to -do ourselves.”</p> - -<p class='c019'>When they reached the drug-store they -found Prime waiting for them. After he had -treated them to a cigar apiece, he led them -through a rear door into a store-room, where -they discovered a dozen or more fellows perched -upon boxes and barrels, each one puffing vigorously -at a cigar or pipe. They were engaged in -a very earnest conversation which they -brought to a sudden close when the door -opened.</p> - -<p class='c019'>“Here they are,” exclaimed Prime, as the -boys arose to their feet and took their pipes -and cigars out of their mouths. “Tom Bigden, -and his cousins Ralph and Loren Farnsworth, -gentlemen. I believe you have met some of my -friends before at lawn parties, ball matches and -<span class='pageno' id='Page_119'>119</span>the like,” added Prime, addressing himself to -the new-comers.</p> - -<p class='c019'>“I had the good fortune to meet them yesterday -at Miss Arden’s,” said one of the boys, -Frank Noble by name, advancing and shaking -Tom and his cousins by the hand. “And I -also had the pleasure of putting them to their -speed one day last week, when I happened to -catch them out on the lake with their canoes. -You ought to make a good one,” he added, -turning to Tom. “I could see by the way you -made that Shadow spin through the water that -you’ve got the muscle. All you want is practice. -If you keep it up, you can go in next -year with some hope of winning.”</p> - -<p class='c019'>Tom was somewhat disconcerted by these -words, and so were Ralph and Loren, if one -might judge by the blank look on their faces. -It was clear to them that there were others besides -themselves who wanted prizes, and who -looked to their friends to assist them in winning -those prizes.</p> - -<p class='c019'>“I thank you for your compliment and for -your words of encouragement,” replied Tom, -concealing his disappointment as well as he -<span class='pageno' id='Page_120'>120</span>could, and turning to shake hands with another -boy he had met at the lawn party on the previous -day, “but I am going to win the portage -race this year.”</p> - -<p class='c019'>“And if I don’t come in first in the paddle -race, it will not be because I do not try my -level best,” added Loren.</p> - -<p class='c019'>“And I’m going to give somebody a pull for -the upset race,” chimed in Ralph.</p> - -<p class='c019'>It was now Noble’s turn to be astonished. -He looked inquiringly at Prime, and Prime -looked at Tom and his cousins. The latter saw -very plainly that while they were laying their -plans they had interfered with arrangements -that had already been made by the boys by -whom they were surrounded, but they were none -the less determined to have their own way in -the matter. Tom, who could hardly conceal -the rage that had taken possession of him, resolved -then and there that he would stick to -his programme, no matter what promises he -might be obliged to make to the contrary. He -was like an Indian, in one respect: When he -wanted a thing he wanted it with his whole -heart, and he wanted it immediately. He -<span class='pageno' id='Page_121'>121</span>wanted a prize to show to his city friends -when they came to visit him, and he wanted -the honors that prize would bring him.</p> - -<p class='c019'>“Well—yes,” said Prime, who knew that -Noble and the rest expected him to say something. -“We’d like to have you win under -different circumstances, but as it is, I think—you -see—look here; I suppose you are with us -against Wayring and the other fellows who -have been walking off with the prizes every -year since the club had an existence!”</p> - -<p class='c019'>“Certainly I am,” answered Tom. “We all -are, and we’re going to do the best we can to -beat them, too. Didn’t you tell us no longer -ago than yesterday that you wished we would -come into the club and make Joe Wayring -lower his broad pennant for a while?” he -added, turning to Prime.</p> - -<p class='c019'>“I did; but I have had opportunity to talk -the matter over with my friends since then, -and we have decided that those who have -worked so long and so hard for the prizes, -ought to have them in preference to any new-comers.”</p> - -<p class='c019'>“All right,” said Tom, silencing by a look -<span class='pageno' id='Page_122'>122</span>the words of indignant protest that arose to -Ralph’s lips and Loren’s. “Who comes in for -the paddle race?”</p> - -<p class='c019'>“I do,” said Noble.</p> - -<p class='c019'>“And who is put down for the upset race?” -continued Tom.</p> - -<p class='c019'>Bob Lord said that he was; and a young -fellow named Scott volunteered the information -that his friends had decided that he ought to -be allowed to win the portage race, because he -came so near winning it fairly the year before.</p> - -<p class='c019'>“Then it seems that my cousins and I are to -be left out in the cold,” observed Tom, who -was mad enough to break things.</p> - -<p class='c019'>“By no means,” some of the boys hastened -to explain. “There are some handsome prizes -offered for the sailing races, and we intend that -you shall win them if we can make you do it.”</p> - -<p class='c019'>“Don’t want ’em,” said Tom, gruffly. -“Couldn’t enter for them if we did.”</p> - -<p class='c019'>“Why not?”</p> - -<p class='c019'>“Because we bought our canoes for exploring -purposes, and not for sailing. We received -such contradictory advice from those to whom -we applied for information, that it was all we -<span class='pageno' id='Page_123'>123</span>could do to make up our minds what kind of -canoes to get; and when it came to the sails, -we thought we would let them go until we -could decide upon the style of rig we needed -without asking any one’s advice. We may -make up our minds that we don’t want any -sails at all.”</p> - -<p class='c019'>“Oh, you mustn’t do that,” exclaimed Noble, -“for if you do you will lose half the sport -of canoeing. By the way, the club meets -Saturday evening, and if you say so, I will -take in your names.”</p> - -<p class='c019'>“I am obliged to you,” replied Tom. “But -we had about half agreed with Wayring and -Hastings to propose us for membership.”</p> - -<p class='c019'>Ralph and Loren were greatly astonished, -and Prime and his friends saw that they were.</p> - -<p class='c019'>“I am sorry you did that,” said Noble. -“Every one of us here present has pledged -himself not to vote for any thing brought forward -by Wayring and his crowd.”</p> - -<p class='c019'>“I did it before I knew what sort of boys -they were,” said Tom, apologetically, “and I -don’t like to go back from my word. Are you -going to black-ball us for it?”</p> - -<p class='c019'><span class='pageno' id='Page_124'>124</span>“By no means,” exclaimed all the boys, in -a breath.</p> - -<p class='c019'>“We want you to help us carry out our programme,” -added George Prime.</p> - -<p class='c019'>“Well, all the help you will get from me -won’t amount to much, you may be sure of -that,” said Tom, to himself; and his cousins -were so well acquainted with him that they -could tell pretty nearly what he was thinking -about.</p> - -<p class='c019'>“Have you spoken to Wayring about proposing -you for the yacht club?” asked Scott.</p> - -<p class='c019'>Tom, with unblushing mendacity, replied -that he had.</p> - -<p class='c019'>“I don’t believe the regatta will amount to -much this year,” remarked one of the boys -who had not spoken before. “If Matt Coyle -carries out the threats he made yesterday, -there won’t be any yachts to contend for the -prizes. You heard about that, I suppose?” -he added, turning to Tom and his cousins.</p> - -<p class='c019'>“We were present when a legal process of -some kind was served on him yesterday, and -we heard Matt say that he wouldn’t go away,” -answered Loren. “But when we came around -<span class='pageno' id='Page_125'>125</span>the foot of the lake a little while ago, we found -that he had cleared out, taking his shanty -with him.”</p> - -<p class='c019'>“You saw the constable serve him with a -notice to quit, did you!” exclaimed Noble. -“Well, you missed the best part of it. You -ought to have been there about three hours -later, and witnessed the fight that took place -between Matt and his family, and the officer -and his posse. The old woman proved herself -to be the best man in the lot. Matt evidently -knew that an effort would be made to eject -him by force, and his wife prepared for it by -boiling a big kettle of water. When the constable, -with a crowd of guides at his back, presented -himself at the door, she opened on him -with that hot water; and if you could have -seen the stampede that followed, you would -have laughed until your sides ached, as I -did.”</p> - -<p class='c019'>“You didn’t laugh much when it happened,” -Prime remarked. “I was there, and I know -there wasn’t a man or boy in the party who -showed a neater pair of heels than one Frank -Noble.”</p> - -<p class='c019'><span class='pageno' id='Page_126'>126</span>When the burst of merriment that followed -these words, and in which Frank joined as -heartily as any of his companions, had somewhat -subsided, the narrator continued:</p> - -<p class='c019'>“I am free to confess that I didn’t see any -thing funny in the way the old woman jammed -that long-handled dipper into the kettle and -sent its boiling contents flying toward us, but -it was very amusing after it was all over, and -I woke up in the night and laughed about it. -Of course the defiant squatters were over-powered -after a while, but not until Matt and -both his boys had been knocked flat, and one of -the guides had disarmed the old woman by running -in and kicking over her kettle of water. The -officer was determined to arrest the last one of -them for resisting his authority; but Mr. Hastings, -who happened along just then, and who -thought that neighbors so undesirable could not -be got rid of any too quick, told the constable -to chuck the squatter and all his belongings -into the punt and shove them out into the lake, -after giving them fair warning that they would -be sent up as vagrants if they stopped this side -of Sherwin’s pond.”</p> - -<p class='c019'><span class='pageno' id='Page_127'>127</span>“Did he do it?” asked Ralph.</p> - -<p class='c019'>“Of course he did. But before Matt put -his oars into the water he made us a speech -containing threats which I, for one, hope he -will have the courage to carry out.”</p> - -<p class='c019'>Here Noble stopped to light his cigar which -had gone out while he was talking.</p> - -<div class='chapter'> - <span class='pageno' id='Page_128'>128</span> - <h2 class='c011'>CHAPTER VII. <br /> <br /><span class='small'>A DOG WITH A HISTORY.</span></h2> -</div> - -<p class='drop-capa0_2_0_5 c018'>“YOU don’t want to say that out loud, -Frank,” observed Scott.</p> - -<p class='c019'>“Say what out loud?” demanded Noble, -after he had taken a few long pulls at his cigar -to make sure that it was going again.</p> - -<p class='c019'>“That you hope Matt Coyle will have the -courage to carry out the threats he made -yesterday.”</p> - -<p class='c019'>“Of course not. But I can express my -honest sentiments here, for we are all friends, -I take it. Matt’s speech was a short one,” -said Noble, once more addressing himself to -Tom Bigden and his cousins, “but it was to -the point. ‘You see all them there sail-boats -ridin’ at anchor, an’ all them fine houses up -there on the hill?’ said Matt. ‘Wal, the -boats’ll sink if there’s holes knocked into ’em, -<span class='pageno' id='Page_129'>129</span>an’ the houses’ll burn if there’s a match set to -’em, I reckon. Good-by till you hear from -me agin.’ He hasn’t got a very handsome -face at any time, Matt hasn’t, and his intense -rage, and the black and blue lump as big as a -hen’s egg, which had been raised on one of -his cheeks by a whack from a guide’s fist, -made him look like a savage in his war-paint. -He was in dead earnest when he uttered the -words, and if the Mount Airy boys, and men -too, who have incurred his enmity don’t hear -from him again, I shall be surprised.”</p> - -<p class='c019'>“And disappointed as well,” added Prime.</p> - -<p class='c019'>“I didn’t say that,” replied Noble.</p> - -<p class='c019'>“Of course you didn’t. Nobody said it, -but I think we understand one another.”</p> - -<p class='c019'>Ralph and Loren looked frightened, while -Tom drew admiring applause from the boys and -gave expression to his feelings at the same time -by dancing a few steps of a hornpipe.</p> - -<p class='c019'>“Well, we must be off,” said he, suddenly. -“Another engagement, you know.”</p> - -<p class='c019'>“What’s your hurry,” exclaimed Prime. -“Stay and smoke another cigar.”</p> - -<p class='c019'>“Can’t,” replied Tom, turning a significant -<span class='pageno' id='Page_130'>130</span>look upon Loren and Ralph, who wondered -what new idea he had got into his head. -“We’ll go and see Wayring according to promise, -and then start for home.”</p> - -<p class='c019'>“But we haven’t said a word about organizing -that new archery club,” interposed Noble. -“Prime told us that you three fellows were -strongly in favor of it.”</p> - -<p class='c019'>“So we are,” was Tom’s reply; “and some -day, when we have plenty of leisure, we’ll talk -it over. We are happy to have met you, and -will now say good-by until we see you again.”</p> - -<p class='c019'>So saying, Tom bowed himself out of the -store-room followed by his cousins, who could -hardly hold their tongues until they reached -the street, so impatient were they to know what -he was going to do now. They were certain of -one thing, and that was, that Tom did not think -as much of George Prime and his friends as he -thought he was going to.</p> - -<p class='c019'>“I am disgusted,” declared Loren, as soon as -they were safely out of hearing.</p> - -<p class='c019'>“Not with me, I hope,” said his cousin.</p> - -<p class='c019'>“Yes, with you and with the fellows we have -just left.”</p> - -<p class='c019'><span class='pageno' id='Page_131'>131</span>Tom thrust his hands deep into his pockets, -looked up at the clouds and laughed heartily.</p> - -<p class='c019'>“I expected it,” said he; then he stopped -laughing and scowled fiercely. His merriment -was forced, and he was as angry as he ever got -to be.</p> - -<p class='c019'>“Are you willing that Prime and his crowd -should lay out a programme for the races without -saying a word to us about it?” demanded -Ralph, who forgot that that was just the way in -which he and his two companions had treated -Prime.</p> - -<p class='c019'>“And did you really ask Wayring to propose -our names at the club’s next meeting?” -chimed in Loren.</p> - -<p class='c019'>“No, to both your questions,” replied -Tom, emphatically. “They must be a bright -set of boys if they think we are going to let -them rule us. Why, that was the reason we -decided that we did not want any thing to do -with Wayring and his followers. But I have -thought better of that resolution, and I’m going -to make friends with Joe if I can.”</p> - -<p class='c019'>“And cut Prime and the rest?” exclaimed -Ralph.</p> - -<p class='c019'><span class='pageno' id='Page_132'>132</span>“Not directly. Look here,” said Tom, suddenly -stopping in the middle of the sidewalk -and facing his cousins. “We’ve got our choice -between two cliques, both of which have showed -a disposition to make us do as they say. Now -which one shall we take up with? I prefer -Joe’s. He and his friends are in the majority, -and they are not one bit more overbearing than -Prime and <i>his</i> friends. Besides, they will let -us win a race if we can do it fairly, but the -crowd we have just left want all the honors -themselves.”</p> - -<p class='c019'>“If you try to carry water on both shoulders -you will be sure to spill some of it,” observed -Loren.</p> - -<p class='c019'>“I’ll risk that,” replied Tom, confidently. -“I didn’t ask Joe to take our names in to the -club, but I’m going to before I am ten minutes -older.”</p> - -<p class='c019'>“Why didn’t you ask Prime or Noble to -take them in?” inquired Ralph.</p> - -<p class='c019'>“Because I didn’t want Joe to know that we -had become intimate enough with those two -boys to ask favors of them. Now, then, here -we are. You know Joe invited us to call as -<span class='pageno' id='Page_133'>133</span>often as we could, so we are sure of a welcome -if he is at home. Stand ready to back me, if -you think circumstances require it, but don’t -be surprised at any thing I say.”</p> - -<p class='c019'>As Tom uttered these words he opened one -of the wide gates that gave entrance into Mr. -Wayring’s grounds, and the three walked up -the carriage way toward the house, until their -progress was stopped by the sudden appearance -of one of Joe’s pets—a Newfoundland -dog, which came out from among the evergreens -and stood in their path. He was a noble-looking -fellow, and although he was gray with -age, the attitude of defiance he assumed -seemed to say that he considered himself quite -as able to keep intruders off those premises as -he had been during his younger days.</p> - -<p class='c019'>“Come on,” shouted a familiar voice. -“Mars won’t trouble you. He don’t like -tramps,” added Joe Wayring, leaning his -double paddle against the side of the house, -and coming forward to greet his visitors. “But -fellows like you could go all over the place; -and so long as you did not pick up any thing, -Mars would not say a word to you. How are -<span class='pageno' id='Page_134'>134</span>you, any way; and where are you going on -foot? Why didn’t you come over in your -canoes, so that we could have a little race all -by ourselves? Come on. Sheldon and Hastings -are down to the boat-house waiting for -me.”</p> - -<p class='c019'>“We came over to ask a favor of you,” -replied Tom, as soon as Joe gave him a chance -to speak. “Would you mind taking in our -names at the next meeting of the canoe -club?”</p> - -<p class='c019'>“On the contrary, I shall be pleased to do -it,” answered Joe, readily. “You have been -pretty sly since your canoes came to hand, but -we know more about you than you think we -do,” he added, as he led the way through the -carriage-porch and down the terraced bank -toward the boat-house.</p> - -<p class='c019'>“I don’t quite understand you,” said -Tom.</p> - -<p class='c019'>“I mean that we have watched you while -you were taking your morning and evening -spins up and down the lake, and we have come -to the conclusion that some of us are going to -get beaten. I’ll say this much for you, Bigden: -<span class='pageno' id='Page_135'>135</span>I never saw a Shadow canoe get through -the water, until I saw yours going down the -lake yesterday afternoon.”</p> - -<p class='c019'>“Thank you,” said Tom. “Do you know -who are booked for winners this year?”</p> - -<p class='c019'>“Booked!” repeated Joe. “There’s nobody -booked. The best men will win, as they always -have done.”</p> - -<p class='c019'>“I am afraid you are mistaken.”</p> - -<p class='c019'>“Oh, no; I guess not. We don’t have any -jockeying here, and if any member of the club -should so far forget himself as to interfere with -one of the contestants, he would never row -another race on this lake.”</p> - -<p class='c019'>“I know some boys who are going to take -their chances on it,” said Tom, quietly.</p> - -<p class='c019'>“On fouling the head man so that somebody -else can win?” cried Joe.</p> - -<p class='c019'>“That’s just what I mean.”</p> - -<p class='c019'>Joe could hardly believe his ears, and neither -could Loren and Ralph believe theirs. This, -then, was what Tom meant when he cautioned -them against being surprised at any thing he -might say! They <i>were</i> surprised—they couldn’t -help it; and in order that Joe might not see -<span class='pageno' id='Page_136'>136</span>their faces they fell behind, and allowed him -and Tom to go on ahead.</p> - -<p class='c019'>“You know boys who are going to try to win -by foul means!” repeated Joe. “I didn’t -suppose that there was any one in the club who -would be so mean. It is true that last year a -certain canoeist persisted in keeping as close to -me as he could, and drove the bow of his craft -toward the stern of my own as often as he got -the chance; but I thought it was accident, -while some of my friends on shore declared -that it was his intention to run into me, and -claim the race because I got in his way. But, -as luck would have it, I was able to paddle fast -enough to keep out of his road. It seems to -me that if I couldn’t win a prize fairly, I -shouldn’t want to win it at all.”</p> - -<p class='c019'>“I know who that fellow was,” said Tom, -“and I know, also, that he tried his very best -to foul you. It was Prime. I heard all about -it.”</p> - -<p class='c019'>Tom and his cousins supposed that Joe’s -next question would be: Who told you about -this plot, and what are the names of the boys -who are “booked” to win by fair means or -<span class='pageno' id='Page_137'>137</span>foul? But greatly to their surprise Joe propounded -no such inquiry. The latter knew -very well that if some one had not reposed confidence -in him, Tom never would have heard of -any plot; and Joe was too much of a gentleman -to ask him to violate that confidence. He -wanted to turn the conversation into another -channel, and so he began talking about Mars, -who was walking along the path before them.</p> - -<p class='c019'>“That fellow is the only foreigner in the -party,” said Joe. “He was born and received -the rudiments of his education on the bleak -shores of Newfoundland.”</p> - -<p class='c019'>“Then how did you come to get hold of -him?” inquired Tom.</p> - -<p class='c019'>“I was up there two winters ago with my -uncle, hunting caribou.”</p> - -<p class='c019'>“What sort of an animal is that?” asked -Tom. He spoke before he thought, and was -provoked at himself for it. He did not want -to be constantly asking information of a boy -who never came to him for any. As Tom would -have expressed it: “He didn’t care to make -Joe and his friends any more conceited than -they were already.” Joe, however, was not at -<span class='pageno' id='Page_138'>138</span>all conceited; but if Tom Bigden had known -as much as he did, and been as expert in all -sorts of athletic sports, he would have thought -himself too grand to associate with common -fellows.</p> - -<p class='c019'>“The caribou is the American reindeer, but -it is not broken to harness like the European -animal of the same species,” replied Joe. “It -is hunted as game, and Nova Scotia, New -Brunswick and Newfoundland are the best -places to go to find it. Uncle Joe went up -there two years ago, taking Hastings, Sheldon -and myself with him. We went in a little -fishing schooner that was bound from Gloucester -to the Bay of Fundy for swordfish.”</p> - -<p class='c019'>Tom would have been glad to know where -the Bay of Fundy was, and what the schooner’s -crew intended to do with the swordfish after -they caught them, but his pride would not let -him ask. The sequel proved that it was not -necessary, for Joe went on to explain.</p> - -<p class='c019'>“The Bay of Fundy runs up between New -Brunswick and Nova Scotia, as you of course -know as well as I do, and the fish are used for -food. When they are put on the market they -<span class='pageno' id='Page_139'>139</span>are sliced up like halibut. They are caught with -harpoons. They are ugly, I tell you, and when -one of them weighing four hundred pounds -comes flopping over the rail and begins to swing -that sword of his around like lightning, you -may be sure that he gets all the room he -wants.”</p> - -<p class='c019'>“What do you do with the swords after -they are taken off?”</p> - -<p class='c019'>“Keep them as curiosities or sell them, just -as you please. There is great demand for -them. I have one that I should not like to -part with. It belonged to a two hundred -pounder. The sailors thought they had killed -him before they hauled him aboard; but he gave -one expiring flop after he reached the deck, -and the point of his sword cut a big hole in -the leg of my trowsers. If I had been a little -closer to him, he might have injured me very -badly. If a man had his only weapon of -offense and defense made fast to his nose, he -wouldn’t do much with it, would he? But it -just suits the swordfish, which, according to -Captain Davis, delivers his blows so rapidly -that he will kill half a dozen out of a school -<span class='pageno' id='Page_140'>140</span>of albicore before they can get out of his -reach.”</p> - -<p class='c019'>“But what has all this got to do with -Mars?” inquired Tom.</p> - -<p class='c019'>“I came pretty near forgetting about him, -didn’t I?” said Joe, with a laugh. “Well, -we went back to Gloucester with Captain -Davis, who, as soon as he had disposed of his -swordfish, fitted out for the banks—for codfish, -you know—and went with him. He was to -land us at some little fishing hamlet, whose -name I have forgotten, where we were to obtain -guides and go back into the interior after caribou; -but he managed to run the schooner -ashore in a thick fog, and there we stuck until -Mars brought off a line to us. That was all -that saved us. The sailors hauled in on it, and -finally brought aboard a larger and stronger -line to which a hawser was made fast. We -took a turn with that around the capstan, and -after a good deal of hard work, succeeded in -pulling the schooner over the bar into deeper -water nearer the shore. We got off just in the -nick of time, too; for that night a storm came -up, and raised a sea that would have made -<span class='pageno' id='Page_141'>141</span>short work with us if we had been exposed to -its fury.”</p> - -<p class='c019'>“Were there men on shore opposite the -place you struck?” inquired Tom.</p> - -<p class='c019'>“Certainly. If there hadn’t been, who -would have tied the line to the dog’s collar and -told him to take it out to us?”</p> - -<p class='c019'>“I should think they would have gone to your -assistance in their boats,” replied Tom.</p> - -<p class='c019'>“So they would, under ordinary circumstances; -but no boat that was ever built could -have lived a moment in the surf that was -breaking over the bar when we ran on to it. I -don’t understand to this day how Mars -managed to get through it. I have seen -him swim a good many times since that -day, and in smooth water he doesn’t seem -to be any better than any other dog. It is -when the wind is blowing and the white caps -are running that he shows what he can do. -Uncle Joe was so well pleased with the dog’s -performance that as soon as he could find his -owner, he offered to buy him. Of course the -man didn’t want to sell, but he was poor, and -when he thought of the comforts that the hundred -<span class='pageno' id='Page_142'>142</span>dollars which uncle counted out before -him would buy for his wife and children, he -came to the conclusion that we could have the -dog. He’s mine now, for Uncle Joe gave him -to me as soon as the bargain was struck.”</p> - -<p class='c019'>“Did you get any caribou?”</p> - -<p class='c019'>“Plenty of them, and, would you believe it? -we had to take along a supply of food for that -dog the same as we did for ourselves. He -wouldn’t look at any thing except salt meat or -codfish. I really believe he would have starved -with a meal before him that would have made -any other dog’s mouth water. But he is civilized -now, and takes his rations like other white -folks. He’s got a history, Mars has, and if his -adventures and exploits were written out, they -would make a good-sized book.”</p> - -<p class='c019'>A loud and hearty greeting from the two -boys who were standing on the dock in front of -the boat-house, put a stop to the conversation. -Tom and his cousins expected that the first -thing Joe Wayring did would be to acquaint -his two friends with the fact that a plot had -been formed to keep the best man from winning -at the next canoe meet, and to throw the different -<span class='pageno' id='Page_143'>143</span>races to those who could not by any possibility -win them fairly; but again they were -disappointed. Joe did not say a word on the -subject, and the reason was because it was too -serious a matter to be discussed in the presence -of boys with whom he was so little acquainted.</p> - -<p class='c019'>“A dog that will fetch a bone will carry -one,” was Joe’s mental comment. “Tom and -his cousins may be friendly to us, and then -again, if there is any truth in this report, they -may have brought it to me on account of some -spite they have against those from whom they -got it. It’s best to keep on the safe side, and -so I will hold my tongue until I have a chance -to speak to Hastings and Sheldon in private. -We have received warning, and if they beat us, -it will be our own fault.”</p> - -<p class='c019'>“We were just going over to ask you three -fellows to come out and take a spin with us,” -exclaimed Hastings. “We have had our eyes -on you, and to tell you the truth, we don’t -quite like the way you handle those paddles of -yours.”</p> - -<p class='c019'>“Of course we don’t ask you to do your best—indeed -we would be foolish to expect it,” -<span class='pageno' id='Page_144'>144</span>chimed in Sheldon. “But still we should like -to try a few short races with you, if you don’t -mind.”</p> - -<p class='c019'>“We shall be glad of the chance to see how -much we lack of being good canoeists,” said -Loren, readily. “We’ll walk back and go -around the foot of the lake—”</p> - -<p class='c019'>“Oh, no,” interrupted Joe. “That’s too -hard work, and besides it would take up too -much time. There’s my skiff. We can put -her into the water and step the mast in a -minute, and she’ll take you over flying. Come -in here; I want to show you something. We -three belong to the committee which was -appointed to draw up a programme for the -meet,” added Joe, taking a folded paper from -a little writing desk that stood in one corner of -the boat-house, “and here’s what we shall submit -to the club at the next meeting.”</p> - -<p class='c019'>Tom Bigden and the Farnsworth boys ran -their eyes over the paper, and the only things -they found in it that possessed any particular -interest for them were the following:</p> - -<p class='c019'>“<i>Portage race.</i>—Paddle a quarter of a mile, -carry canoe twenty-five yards over a stony -<span class='pageno' id='Page_145'>145</span>point, re-embark and paddle back to starting -point.</p> - -<p class='c019'>“<i>Single paddling race.</i>—Half a mile and -return.</p> - -<p class='c019'>“<i>Hurry-Skurry race.</i>—Run ten yards, swim -twenty-five yards, paddle three hundred yards.”</p> - -<p class='c019'>These were the ones, as we know, which Tom -and his cousins had “booked” themselves to -win. Then there were sailing races, tandem -races, and boys and girls’ races; and the meet -was to wind up with a greasy pole walk.</p> - -<p class='c019'>“You fellows must certainly enter for that,” -said Sheldon. “You have no idea how much -sport there is in it. Some of the Mount Airy -people say that it is the best part of the performance.”</p> - -<p class='c019'>Tom replied that he did not know just what -a greasy pole walk was, and reminded Sheldon -that he and his cousins were not yet members -of the club.</p> - -<p class='c019'>“But you will be members before the day -set for the races, you may be sure of that,” -said Joe. “I’ll propose you at the next meeting, -and I know there will not be a dissenting -vote.”</p> - -<p class='c019'><span class='pageno' id='Page_146'>146</span>“I wish you could give us the same assurance -in regard to the archery club,” said Tom.</p> - -<p class='c019'>“So do I, but I can’t,” answered Joe; and -then, as if that were a subject that he could -not talk about just at that time, he hastened -to add: “I can soon tell you what a greasy -pole walk is. Did you notice that high derrick -built on the end of our pier? Well, a long, -stout spar is run out from that derrick, and -after being braced and guyed so securely that -it will not sway about under any reasonable -weight, it is thickly covered with slush to make -it slippery. There is a prize of some sort at -the outer end of it, and the boy who can walk -along the pole and capture that prize before -he falls off into the water, is the best -fellow.”</p> - -<p class='c019'>“What is the prize?” inquired Ralph.</p> - -<p class='c019'>“Last year there were so many lucky fellows -that we had to provide several of them,” was -the reply. “The one that created the most -fun was a pig in a bag. Noble captured that, -and I tell you he had a time of it. You see, -the pig was greased as well as the pole, and -the bag was tied in such a way that when -<span class='pageno' id='Page_147'>147</span>Noble dived for it—that was the only way he -could get hold of it, you know—the mouth of -the bag opened and the pig slipped out. Then -the uproar began. Noble, who is a plucky fellow -and a splendid swimmer, didn’t know that -the pig was greased, and he tried for a long -time to tow him ashore by one of his hind legs, -but, of course, he couldn’t do it. At last he -began to suspect something, and the way he -larruped that pig over the head with the bag to -make him turn toward the shore, was a caution. -He finally succeeded in his object, and the -instant the pig’s feet touched the beach, Noble -sprung up, threw the bag over his head and -secured him easy enough. Whatever you do, -you mustn’t miss the greasy pole walk.”</p> - -<p class='c019'>“I suppose we shall be laughed at if we -tumble off the pole into the water?”</p> - -<p class='c019'>“Certainly. That isn’t down in the programme, -but it is a part of it, all the same.”</p> - -<p class='c019'>“How many trials does each contestant -have?”</p> - -<p class='c019'>“Only two. You see, there are so many of -us and so much fun in trying to secure the -prize, that if we didn’t set some limit to the -<span class='pageno' id='Page_148'>148</span>number of trials, the boys would keep on trying -for an indefinite length of time.”</p> - -<p class='c019'>While the boys were talking in this way -they had pushed Joe’s skiff out of the boat-house -into the water, stepped the mast and -unfurled the sail that was wrapped around it. -Every thing being ready for the start, the little -fleet set out for the opposite side of the lake, -Tom and his cousins in the skiff, and Joe and -his companions in their canoes. The skiff was -made fast to Mr. Bigden’s pier, and a quarter -of an hour later three more canoes shot out of -the boat-house, and the trials of speed began. -They continued nearly all the afternoon, and -when the rival factions bade each other good-night -and paddled off toward their respective -boat-houses, there was a decided feeling of -uneasiness among some of them, while the -others were correspondingly confident and -happy.</p> - -<p class='c019'>“It doesn’t seem possible that this is Bigden’s -first season in a canoe,” said Sheldon, as -soon as Tom and his cousins were out of hearing. -“He is going to crowd the best of us this -year, and if he keeps up his practice until the -<span class='pageno' id='Page_149'>149</span>next meet, there won’t be a boy in the club -who can touch him with a ten-foot pole. He’s -going to make an expert.”</p> - -<p class='c019'>“I’ll just tell you what’s a fact,” said Loren, -after the canoes had been wiped out and hoisted -in their slings, “I am not so much afraid of -Joe and his crowd as I was. I don’t think -there will be any need of the fouling business. -I kept pace with Hastings in spite of all he -could do to shake me off, and could have -passed him if I had let out a little more -strength.”</p> - -<p class='c019'>“That shows how much you know about -these things,” said Tom, in reply. “Do you -suppose that Hastings did the best he could? -I kept up with Joe without any very great -exertion, but I don’t crow over it. They had -plenty of speed in reserve, but you will have -to wait till the day of the races if you want -to see what they are capable of.”</p> - -<p class='c019'>The sequel proved that Tom was right.</p> - -<div class='chapter'> - <span class='pageno' id='Page_150'>150</span> - <h2 class='c011'>CHAPTER VIII. <br /> <br /><span class='small'>RUNNING THE RAPIDS.</span></h2> -</div> - -<p class='drop-capa0_3_0_5 c018'>“NOW that we are here by ourselves,” -continued Ralph, “I’d like to ask -you why you told Joe that the best man was -not to be allowed to win at the next meet. I -never heard of such a thing before in my life. -What do you suppose Prime and his crowd -would say to you if they should find it out?”</p> - -<p class='c019'>“I don’t believe they will ever find it out,” -replied Tom, who did not seem to think that he -had been guilty of any thing mean. “If I have -formed a correct estimate of Joe Wayring’s -disposition and character, he is a boy who -knows how to hold his tongue. I posted him -simply to off-set the coolness and impudence -displayed by Prime and his friends in shutting -us out of all the races, without so much as saying -by your leave. Since they would not give -us a chance to win some of the prizes, I say -<span class='pageno' id='Page_151'>151</span>that <i>they</i> shall not win <i>any</i> of them. We are -not going to play into the hands of boys who -work against us.”</p> - -<p class='c019'>“That’s what I say,” exclaimed Loren. -“But I thought Joe acted very indifferently.”</p> - -<p class='c019'>“Because he did not ask me to go into the -particulars of the scheme, and give him the -names of the fellows who were in it?” said -Tom. “I thought so myself at first, but after -turning the matter over in my mind, I came to -the conclusion that his indifference was put on; -and that the reason he did not ask me to go -into details was because he was afraid I would -say to him that I was taught not to tell names -and tales too.”</p> - -<p class='c019'>“It seems to me that that is about the size of -it,” Loren remarked. “But look here, Tom. -You have undertaken a pretty big contract if -you expect to keep on the right side of both -those crowds. One or the other of them will -very soon have reason to suspect you, and -then down you will go. What are you -going to do about the races?”</p> - -<p class='c019'>“My proposition is, that we keep up our regular -exercise and training, and do the best we can -<span class='pageno' id='Page_152'>152</span>to carry out our own programme, leaving -Prime’s clique and Joe’s to carry out theirs, if -they are able to do it. If we find that we stand -no show, I would much rather see Joe and his -friends win than Prime and <i>his</i> friends.”</p> - -<p class='c019'>“So would I,” said Ralph. “Now I should -like to have some one tell me what excuse we -have for being down on those boys. We got -mad at them simply because they would not -break their rules and take us into their archery -club.”</p> - -<p class='c019'>“And wasn’t that reason enough?” cried -Tom, hotly. “I wasn’t used to such treatment -while I lived in the city, and I won’t -submit to it now. I don’t think any more of -Hastings than I did on the day he so coolly -told me that he would not help me get into -their club. I don’t care whether he wins or -not. What I mean to say is, that Prime and -the rest shall not carry off any of the prizes if -I can help it. I intend to show them that the -next time they want any help from me, -they had better let me have a voice in making -up the programme; and I shall do it in such a -way that they can not possibly misunderstand -<span class='pageno' id='Page_153'>153</span>me. You two can do as you please, of course; -but if you are going to weaken, I wish you -would say so at once, so that I may make -my arrangements accordingly.”</p> - -<p class='c019'>Ralph and Loren hastened to assure their -cousin that they had not the slightest intention -of going back from their original agreement, -and that they would stick to him through thick -and thin, no matter what happened; but still -they wished that Tom would learn to like Joe -Wayring, and give up his idea of being -revenged upon him for slights which were -wholly imaginary. Joe had a much larger -following than Prime and Noble, through him -they could get more invitations to parties, -picnics and hunting and fishing excursions -than they could in any other way, and his -influence might eventually gain for them an -honor which they craved above all others—a -membership in the Toxophilites; for those -young ladies they met at Miss Arden’s lawn -party were handsome and stylish, that was a -fact, and Ralph and Loren had more than once -told themselves that they would even be willing -to give up their cigars, if by so doing they -<span class='pageno' id='Page_154'>154</span>could win the privilege of shooting with those -same young ladies twice a week. If they became -intimate with George Prime, and were often seen -in his company, the Toxophilites would drop -them like so many hot potatoes; and then, -when invitations for any social gathering were -issued, they would be left out in the cold, the -same as George was. But whatever they -decided to do they must keep on the right -side of Tom, for if they did not, he would be -sure to make things unpleasant for them. It -looked as though Ralph and Loren would have -to do the very thing against which they had -cautioned their vindictive relative, that is, try -to carry water on both shoulders and take -their chances of spilling some of it.</p> - -<p class='c019'>“Now we’ll take Joe’s skiff back and put it -where we found it, provided the boat-house is -open,” said Tom. “If there is any boy in the -world who ought to be supremely happy, he is -the fellow. He has every thing he can ask for, -including a rich and good-natured uncle, who -takes him off on hunting and fishing trips -nearly every year. Why that boy, young as he is, -has shot caribou and moose and caught salmon.”</p> - -<p class='c019'><span class='pageno' id='Page_155'>155</span>Yes, Joe Wayring was happy, but it was -not wholly on account of his pleasant surroundings. -His source of happiness was within -himself, and he knew it. He had been -taught that lesson at the same time that he -was being instructed in athletics and field-sports. -He thought more of others than he -did of Joe Wayring, and he would go into the -dumps in a minute if he saw any of his friends -in a disconsolate mood. If things didn’t go -right with him—and they went wrong sometimes, -as they do with every body—it made no -sort of difference with Joe’s good-nature. He -kept his troubles to himself; but Tom would -get angry and go into the sulks and make all -around him miserable. While going on the -principle that whatever is worth doing at all is -worth doing well, Joe was nevertheless perfectly -willing to be beaten by any one who could do it -fairly; but Tom wanted to be first at any cost. -This was the principal difference between the -two boys.</p> - -<p class='c019'>Tom cast off the skiff’s painter while Loren -and Ralph stepped the mast and shook -out the sail, and in twenty minutes more -<span class='pageno' id='Page_156'>156</span>they found themselves in the boat-house, -where Joe and his two friends were waiting -for them.</p> - -<p class='c019'>“I saw you coming and took the cover off -one of my pets so that you could take a -look at her,” said the former, directing the -attention of his visitors to a neat cedar shell in -which he had been wont to win honors before -he became a convert to canoeing. “She has -taken me first by the judges’ boat in more than -one hotly-contested race while I was going to -school at Dartmouth Academy. Handsome, -isn’t she? No doubt you will be surprised to -hear me say it, but <i>there</i> is something that I -think more of than I do of her.”</p> - -<p class='c019'>As Joe said this, he pointed toward an ungainly -looking object which lay on the floor at -the further end of the boat-house. It was a -canvas canoe, whose battered sides bore evidence -to numerous encounters with sharp-pointed -rocks and snags.</p> - -<p class='c019'>“It must be on account of its associations,” -replied Loren, looking first at the clumsy -canoe and then at the clear-cut lines of the -shell. “If I had my choice between the two, -<span class='pageno' id='Page_157'>157</span>it would not take me long to make up my mind -which one I wanted.”</p> - -<p class='c019'>“Of course not. There is as much difference -between them as there is between a trotter and -a plow-horse; but each one has served the purpose -for which it was intended, and served it -well, too. I like the canoe better, because she -was the first thing in the shape of a boat I ever -owned. She has carried me a good many -hundred miles, first and last, and although she -has often got contrary and spilled me out into -the water when I wasn’t expecting it, I have -had any amount of fun with her exploring -creeks and ponds that I could not otherwise -have reached. She is fourteen feet long, weighs -fifty pounds fully equipped, and packs in that -little chest you see there. I know she isn’t -very good-looking, but when it comes to running -the rapids she is there, every time. That’s -the reason I took her out of the chest. We are -going down to Sherwin’s Pond to-morrow after -bass; will you join us?”</p> - -<p class='c019'>Tom and his cousins replied that they would -be glad to do so, and Joe went on to say:</p> - -<p class='c019'>“You see, the fishing in the pond is better -<span class='pageno' id='Page_158'>158</span>than it is in the lake. The people who come -here to spend the summer do not often go -down there, because there is no wagon road -through the woods, and they are afraid to trust -themselves to the rapids. Well, they are -frightful to look at, that’s a fact, but—”</p> - -<p class='c019'>“We know that very well,” interrupted -Ralph. “We have gone down there a dozen -times with our minds fully made up that we -would run those rapids, or smash our canoes in -trying, and we have as often come back without -making the attempt. When we reached -the place where the water leaves the lake, and -goes foaming and boiling over the rocks in the -gorge below, our arms always went back on -us.”</p> - -<p class='c019'>“Your arms?” repeated Sheldon.</p> - -<p class='c019'>“Yes. Our hearts were brave enough for -any thing, but our cowardly arms wouldn’t pull -the canoes into the rapids.”</p> - -<p class='c019'>“Oh!” said Sheldon. “Well, your cowardly -arms were the wisest part of you, for you -certainly ought not to try to go through until -you know where the channel is. Those rapids -have been run hundreds of times, though not -<span class='pageno' id='Page_159'>159</span>always without accident to be sure, and if you -will follow close in our wake to-morrow, we’ll -take you safely to the bottom.”</p> - -<p class='c019'>“We must make an early start,” said Hastings, -“for we want to reach the pond just about -the time the first rays of the sun strike the -water. Can you be ready at four o’clock? All -right. Catch a good supply of minnows to-night, -and then you won’t have to waste valuable -time over it in the morning.”</p> - -<p class='c019'>“And take the strongest and stiffest bait-rod -you have,” added Joe. “Leave your fly-rods, -if you have any, at home, for you will have no -use for them. About June 1st, when the bass -season opens, those who know how to throw a -fly have very fine fishing among the rocks -close to the shore; but as the weather grows -warmer the fish gradually draw off into deep -water, and all the bass we shall catch to-morrow -will be near the middle of the pond where -the springs boil up.”</p> - -<p class='c019'>“And don’t forget your gun,” said Sheldon.</p> - -<p class='c019'>“Nor your rubber blankets,” chimed in -Hastings.</p> - -<p class='c019'>“Do you think it will rain?” asked Ralph.</p> - -<p class='c019'><span class='pageno' id='Page_160'>160</span>“We hope not, and indeed there are no signs -of it. When we reach the head of the rapids -we will pull off our heaviest clothing, so that -we will be ready for a swim in case we are -unlucky enough to capsize, and the things we -don’t wear we will wrap up in our rubber blankets -so that they won’t get wet.”</p> - -<p class='c019'>“Suppose we get down all right,” said Loren. -“How are we going to get back?”</p> - -<p class='c019'>“We’ll shoulder our canoes and come up the -portage road which has been cut through the -woods around the rapids. For that reason we -don’t want to take any thing with us that we -can possibly dispense with.”</p> - -<p class='c019'>After listening to a few more hints like these, -Tom and his cousins set out for the post-office; -and having secured their mail they went home -by the road that led around the foot of the -lake, running at the top of their speed all the -way through the woods to improve their wind. -Their skiff, patent minnow buckets and dip -nets were at once brought into requisition, and -by the time the supper bell rang, they had -caught bait enough to last them through a long -day’s successful angling.</p> - -<p class='c019'><span class='pageno' id='Page_161'>161</span>Promptly at four o’clock the next morning -Tom Bigden opened the front door of the boat-house, -and waved his hat in response to a similar -signal of greeting which came to him from -over the lake. Joe Wayring and his friends -were just putting their canoes into the water.</p> - -<p class='c019'>“Splendid day,” said the former, when the -two little fleets came together near the middle -of the lake. “There’s going to be just wind -enough to ripple the water, but not enough to -raise a sea, and I wouldn’t take a dollar for my -chance of catching the finest string of bass that -has been seen in Mount Airy this year.”</p> - -<p class='c019'>“So say we all of us,” exclaimed Sheldon; -and this suggested the song which every school-boy -knows, but to Tom Bigden’s ill-concealed -disgust, it was sung to the words: “Joe Wayring -is a jolly good fellow,” and that was a sentiment -in which Tom did not fully concur. It -put him in bad humor for the whole of the day, -or, rather, until circumstances threw in his way -an opportunity to make that jolly good fellow -as miserable as he was himself. After that he -felt better.</p> - -<p class='c019'>Under the steady motion of the sinewy arms -<span class='pageno' id='Page_162'>162</span>which swung the long double paddles, the light -canoes made quick work with the three miles -that lay between the boat-houses and the lower -end of the lake, and presently Arthur Hastings -turned toward the nearest shore, looking over -his shoulder as he did so to call out to the -canoeists behind him:</p> - -<p class='c019'>“Let’s make believe this is a hurry-skurry -race, and that there is a prize in the pond waiting -for the man who reaches the bottom of the -rapids first.”</p> - -<p class='c019'>The challenge was promptly accepted. In a -twinkling the little crafts were going toward -the beach with greatly increased speed, and in -a remarkably short space of time six young -athletes, clad only in flesh-colored tights, were -prancing around their canoes, busily engaged -in wrapping their clothing in their water-proof -blankets, and lashing their rods and minnow -buckets fast so that they would not be thrown -out into the water by a heavy lurch, or even -by a capsize. Tom Bigden was the first to -shove his canoe away from the shore, but there -he had to stop. He was not acquainted with -the channel, and needed a guide to show him -<span class='pageno' id='Page_163'>163</span>the way through; but he won the second place, -and was prompt to fall into it when Arthur -Hastings caught up his paddle and pulled away -from the beach.</p> - -<p class='c019'>Tom and his cousins had often viewed the -rapids from the bank while trying in vain to -screw up courage enough to attempt their passage, -and if they looked dangerous to them -then, they looked ten times more frightful -when they surveyed them from their canoes on -this particular morning. The sight of them -was enough to make any body’s nerves quiver. -They looked as steep as the roof of a house, -and the bottom of the gorge through which -they ran, seemed to be literally covered with -bowlders. Tom could not see a single place -which looked wide enough to admit of the passage -of a canoe.</p> - -<p class='c019'>“What do you think of them?” asked -Arthur, as he and Tom backed water with their -paddles to keep their canoes from taking the -plunge before they were ready.</p> - -<p class='c019'>“Who was the first man who went down -here?” said Tom, in reply.</p> - -<p class='c019'>“One of the hotel guides.”</p> - -<p class='c019'><span class='pageno' id='Page_164'>164</span>“Was he a graduate of a lunatic asylum, or -did he go there afterward?” inquired Tom.</p> - -<p class='c019'>Arthur laughed until the woods echoed.</p> - -<p class='c019'>“Neither,” he answered, as soon as he could -speak. “He’s got a level head on his shoulders -yet, if one may judge by the constant demands -that are made upon his time. Some of the -people who come here every summer like him -so well that they begin to make bargains with -him before the ice is out of the lake. They -wouldn’t do that if they had any reason to -believe he was crazy, would they? Well, -what do you say?”</p> - -<p class='c019'>“I say, go ahead whenever you get ready,” -was the response.</p> - -<p class='c019'>“All right,” said Arthur, who saw by the -expression on Tom’s face that he had no intention -of backing out. “Now, watch every move I -make, and let me get at least twenty or thirty -feet ahead of you before you start. Look out -for both ends of your boat. You won’t run on -to an isolated rock unless you try, because the -water runs away from it. That has a tendency -to throw the bow from the obstruction, and the -stern toward it; so the minute the bow is out -<span class='pageno' id='Page_165'>165</span>of harm’s way, drop your paddle into the -water on the side opposite the rock, and use it -the best you know how.”</p> - -<p class='c019'>“Why, that will throw me square upon the -rock,” cried Tom.</p> - -<p class='c019'>“No, it won’t,” insisted Arthur. “It will -throw you away from danger, and the current -rushing around the rock will carry you still further -away. But if you use the paddle on the -other side, you will come up against the rock -ker-chunk; and then you will have to swim the -rest of the way down, because the stern of your -canoe will, most likely, be smashed in. Understand?”</p> - -<p class='c019'>Tom replied that he did; whereupon Arthur -settled his cap more firmly on his head, took his -paddle in both hands and with one bold stroke -sent his frail craft into the rapids. The moment -the current caught him in its grasp, he began -to shoot ahead like a boy coasting down hill. -Tom shut his teeth hard and gripped his paddle -until the muscles on his bare arms stood out -like a gold-beater’s; and so intent was he upon -watching every move his guide made, that he -forgot to look out for himself, until he was -<span class='pageno' id='Page_166'>166</span>called to his senses by a warning shout from his -friends behind.</p> - -<p class='c019'>“Look out, there,” yelled Joe and Roy, in -concert. “You’ll be over the brink the first -thing you know.”</p> - -<p class='c019'>Tom heard the warning, but it came too late. -He dropped his paddle into the water and made -desperate efforts to check his canoe, which had -already gained rapid headway; but the swift -current had taken firm hold of him, and finding -that it was much stronger than he was, he -resolved to go ahead and trust to luck to keep -from running into Arthur Hastings, in case -the latter met with an accident.</p> - -<div class='figcenter id001'> -<img src='images/i_p166.jpg' alt='' class='ig001' /> -<div class='ic001'> -<p><span class='sc'>Shooting the Rapids.</span></p> -</div> -</div> - -<p class='c019'>Tom afterward said that he did not remember -much about that wild ride. He was lost -in admiration of Arthur Hastings’s skill as a -canoeist, and followed in his wake through all -the turns he made, which were so numerous -and bewildering that Tom did not see how one -boy’s head could contain them all. It was a -lucky thing for him and his cousins that they -did not attempt to go through there without a -guide. He did not hear the waters foaming -and roaring around him, nor did he see a single -<span class='pageno' id='Page_169'>169</span>one of the rocks past which he went with such -speed that the wind whistled through his hair; -but he did see the smooth surface of the pond -the instant he came within sight of it, and -when he shot into it, propelled by the momentum -he had acquired during his descent of the -rapids, he called out gleefully that he had not -touched a solitary obstruction on the way.</p> - -<p class='c019'>“Of course not,” answered Arthur. “If -you had, you would not be as dry as you are -now. There is a clearly defined channel all -the way through the gorge, and you won’t -touch any thing if you keep in it. What -would happen to you if you should get out of -it, I don’t know; but I think you would be -fortunate if you came off with a simple -capsize.”</p> - -<p class='c019'>It was a thrilling sight that was presented -to their gaze as they sat there in their canoes at -the bottom of the rapids and watched the -others as they came down. First Joe Wayring -dashed into view around the bend, closely followed -by Ralph Farnsworth, who seemed to be -quite as much at his ease as his guide was, and -handled his paddle and managed his canoe -<span class='pageno' id='Page_170'>170</span>quite as skillfully. By the time they reached -the smooth water at the foot Roy and Loren -came in sight, and in five minutes more the -little fleet was reunited. The hearts of three of -the canoeists beat a trifle faster than usual, but -they had accomplished the run in perfect -safety, and without a wetting, and they were -ready to try it again at the very first opportunity.</p> - -<p class='c019'>“Take time to learn the channel before -attempting any thing reckless,” cautioned Joe. -“After that you can come down by yourselves -as often as you feel equal to the task of carrying -your boats back over the portage.”</p> - -<p class='c019'>The boys went ashore long enough to put on -their clothes, untie their rods, and put fresh -water on their minnows, and then they were -ready for the bass.</p> - -<div class='chapter'> - <span class='pageno' id='Page_171'>171</span> - <h2 class='c011'>CHAPTER IX. <br /> <br /><span class='small'>THE SQUATTER TURNS UP AGAIN.</span></h2> -</div> - -<p class='drop-capa0_3_0_5 c018'>ONE fishing excursion is much like another, -and any boy who has handled a nicely-balanced -bait-rod when the black bass, perch, -and yellow pike were hungry and full of fight, -as they were on the morning of which we write, -will have a clearer idea of the sport Tom Bigden -and the rest enjoyed there on the pond -than we could possibly give him. We did not -follow them through the rapids to tell how -they played their fish and how many they -caught, and so we shall have but little to say -about it. Joe Wayring affirmed that the -twenty minutes’ fight he had with a nine pound -pike, which began in less than half a second -after he dropped his hook into the water, gave -him solid comfort and enjoyment for a week -afterward; but whether or not he found any -<span class='pageno' id='Page_172'>172</span>comfort in something that happened when they -went ashore to eat their lunch, is another matter -altogether.</p> - -<p class='c019'>About eight o’clock the fish gave notice that -they had quit business for the day by refusing -to notice any of the lures that were dropped -among them, and then the boys discovered that -their long pull before breakfast had made them -hungry.</p> - -<p class='c019'>“Did you ever eat a fish that had been -baked in the ashes?” inquired Joe, addressing -himself to Tom and his cousins. “Then -you have yet one enjoyment in store for you. -You won’t think much of house-cooking after -you have eaten one of Roy’s dinners. We -know a nice place on the point above, with an -ice-cold spring handy, and we’ll—”</p> - -<p class='c019'>“Excuse me for interrupting,” said Loren, -suddenly. “But did you ever see a dog like -that before?”</p> - -<p class='c019'>The speaker was not a little surprised by the -effect his words produced upon some of his -companions. They all looked in the direction -indicated by his finger, and then Joe began -pulling up his anchor with almost frantic haste, -<span class='pageno' id='Page_173'>173</span>while Arthur and Roy reached rather hurriedly -for their guns.</p> - -<p class='c019'>“You can’t do any thing with him from -here,” said Joe.</p> - -<p class='c019'>“And if we paddle for the shore he will see -us and take to his heels,” added Roy.</p> - -<p class='c019'>“Why who—what are you going to do to -him?” stammered Ralph.</p> - -<p class='c019'>“We’d be glad to shoot him if we could,” -replied Joe. “He’s no dog. He’s a half-grown -bear.”</p> - -<p class='c019'>Tom and his cousins, of course, asked a good -many questions with their lips and more with -their eyes, but Joe and his two friends were -too busy to answer them. They made all haste -to raise their anchors, and then pulled rapidly -but silently toward the shore, all the while -keeping a close watch over the movements of -the bear, which was wandering listlessly about, -now and then stopping to look into the water -or to sniff at a log, as if he were hunting for -something he had lost. Tom and his cousins -thought he looked too small for a bear, but as -he did not walk or act like a dog or any other -animal they had ever seen at large, they were -<span class='pageno' id='Page_174'>174</span>forced to conclude that he really was a bear, -and that he was in search of his breakfast. -They didn’t know whether to be afraid of him -or not; but when they saw how anxious Joe -and his two friends were to bring themselves -within shooting distance of him, they lost no -time in pulling up their own anchors and -falling in behind them. The bear, however, -was not to be taken unawares. He did not -appear to notice their approach, but he had -his eyes on them nevertheless, and when he -thought they had come close enough, he left -the beach and lumbered off into the bushes.</p> - -<p class='c019'>“There!” said Tom, who was glad to see the -last of him. “He has taken himself safely off.”</p> - -<p class='c019'>“We expected it,” said Roy, redoubling his -exertions at the paddle. “If we only had -Mars with us we could see more fun with him -in half an hour than we could in a week’s -fishing. He begged hard to be allowed to come, -but Joe made him stay behind. You see, he -won’t sit anywhere but in the bow, and he is -so heavy that he makes a canoe hard to manage -in rough water.”</p> - -<p class='c019'>“He wouldn’t trail the bear, would he?”</p> - -<p class='c019'><span class='pageno' id='Page_175'>175</span>“Of course he would, and be glad of the -chance. If he found him, he would set up -such a yelping that you would think there were -a dozen dogs in the woods.”</p> - -<p class='c019'>“What are you going to do now?” inquired -Ralph, as the six canoes ran their bows upon -the beach, one after the other.</p> - -<p class='c019'>“We are going to stretch our legs, and that -will be a comfort after sitting in such cramped -positions for four long hours,” replied Joe, at -the same time catching up his double-barrel -and springing ashore with it. “We’ll follow -up his trail, which we can easily do for a mile -or more, because all the ground about here is -swampy, and when we lose it, we’ll knock over -a few squirrels and go up to the point and eat -our breakfast. Keep close to us, or else stay -within sight of the beach. The woods are thick, -and you could get lost without half trying.”</p> - -<p class='c019'>Led by Arthur Hastings, the boys ran up the -shore of the pond until they reached the place -where the bear had turned off into the bushes, -and then the pursuit began in earnest. -Whether or not Loren and Ralph were as -anxious to get a shot at the game as they pretended -<span class='pageno' id='Page_176'>176</span>to be, it is hard to tell; but they made -a great show of eagerness and enthusiasm, and -Tom, not wishing to be out-done, floundered -along the trail behind them. But he did not -keep his companions in sight for more than five -minutes—in fact, he didn’t mean to. He -gradually fell to the rear, and when the bushes -closed up behind Roy Sheldon, who was the -last boy on the trail, Tom sat down on a log -and thought about it.</p> - -<p class='c019'>“That bear doesn’t belong to me, and I don’t -know that it is any concern of mine whether -they find him or not,” said he to himself. “It -is easier to sit here in the shade, even if one -does have to fight musquitoes, than it is to go -prancing about through a swamp where the -water, in some places, is up to the tops of a -fellow’s boots.”</p> - -<p class='c019'>Tom suddenly brought his soliloquy to a -close and jumped to his feet. There was a -frightened expression on his face, but the -determined manner in which he gripped his gun -showed that he had no intention of running -away until he had had at least one shot at the -bear; for that it <i>was</i> the bear which occasioned -<span class='pageno' id='Page_177'>177</span>the slight rustling in the thicket a short distance -away, Tom had not the slightest doubt. -Probably the animal had made a short circuit -through the woods, and was now coming back -to the pond to finish his breakfast. While -these thoughts were passing through Tom’s -mind, the bushes toward which he was gazing -parted right and left, and a big red nose, with -a shock of uncombed hair above and a mass of -tangled brown whiskers below it, was cautiously -thrust into view, being followed a moment later -by the burly form of Matt Coyle, the squatter. -He was as ragged and dirty as ever, and carried -a heavy rifle on his shoulder.</p> - -<p class='c019'>The meeting, which was entirely unexpected, -was a surprise to both of them. To tell the -truth, Tom was more alarmed when the squatter -emerged from the thicket than he would have -been if the bear had made his appearance. -Matt Coyle was very angry at the Mount Airy -people on account of the indignities they had -put upon him, and who could tell but that Tom -Bigden himself was included in the list of those -against whom he had threatened vengeance? -The squatter seemed to read the thoughts that -<span class='pageno' id='Page_178'>178</span>were passing in the boy’s mind, for as soon as -he could speak he hastened to say:</p> - -<p class='c019'>“You needn’t be no ways skeary about -meetin’ us. We ain’t forgot that you was the -only one who said a kind word to us while we -was down there”—here Matt gave his head a -backward jerk intending, no doubt, to indicate -the village of Mount Airy—“an’ of course we -ain’t got nothing agin you.”</p> - -<p class='c019'>Tom drew a long breath of relief as he listened -to these words. Matt wouldn’t do any thing -to him, and neither would he injure any of his -property.</p> - -<p class='c019'>“But as fur the rest of ’em, they had better -watch out,” continued the man, in savage -tones. “I shan’t forget ’em, an’ I’ll even up -with them some day. It may be five year, an’ -it may be ten; but I’ll even up with ’em.”</p> - -<p class='c019'>“What are you and your boys doing now?” -inquired Tom. He did not like the way the -squatter glared around him when he spoke of -the village people, and he wanted to turn the -conversation into another channel if he could.</p> - -<div class='figcenter id001'> -<img src='images/i_p176.jpg' alt='' class='ig001' /> -<div class='ic001'> -<p><span class='sc'>Tom unexpectedly meets Matt Coyle.</span></p> -</div> -</div> - -<p class='c019'>“We ain’t doin’ nothin’,” was the surly -reply, “’cause why, we ain’t got nothin’ to do -<span class='pageno' id='Page_181'>181</span>with. We ain’t got a bite of meat in the house, -an’ I was after that there b’ar when you fellers -come up an’ skeared him away. So thinks I -to myself, I’ll jest go down to the pond where -their boats is, an’ I’ll take the best one of ’em -an’ cl’ar out afore they gets back. Then I’d -have somethin’ to do with.”</p> - -<p class='c019'>“Where would you go?”</p> - -<p class='c019'>“Up to Injun Lake. I’m the bulliest kind -of a guide fur that neck of the woods, an’ so’s -my two boys; but you see we ain’t got no -boats, an’ we’re too poor to buy ’em.”</p> - -<p class='c019'>“Why don’t you go to the hotels and hire -out to them?” demanded Tom; and then he -wondered if there were a landlord in the world -who would trust a boat-load of passengers, -ladies and children for instance, to the care of -the walking whisky barrel he saw before him.</p> - -<p class='c019'>“Didn’t I try that very thing down there”—another -backward jerk of the head—“an’ didn’t -they tell me that they didn’t have no use fur -sich lookin’ fellers as me an’ my boys was?” -exclaimed Matt Coyle, fiercely. “They did -fur a fact. But if I had a boat of my own I -could go up to Injun Lake where they ain’t so -<span class='pageno' id='Page_182'>182</span>perticular about the clothes a man wears, so -long as he understands his business, an’ I’d -make piles of money, too; ’cause why—I’d -work fur less’n the reg’lar hotel guides. -See?”</p> - -<p class='c019'>“Yes, I see; but how long would it be before -the regular guides would run you out, the same -as the Mount Airy people did? They would -make the country so hot for you that you -couldn’t stay there.”</p> - -<p class='c019'>“Suppos’n they tried that little game on?” -answered Matt, laying down his rifle long -enough to shake both his huge fists in the air. -“Ain’t that somethin’ that two can play at? -I’d break up the business of guidin’ in less’n -two seasons.”</p> - -<p class='c019'>“How would you do it?”</p> - -<p class='c019'>“Yes, I would,” Matt went on. “If I only -had a boat that was easy to slip around in an’ -light to tote over the carries, I’d make the -folks who come there fur fun so sick of them -woods that they wouldn’t never come there no -more; then what would become of them two -big hotels when there wasn’t no custom to -run ’em?”</p> - -<p class='c019'><span class='pageno' id='Page_183'>183</span>“How would you go about it?” repeated -Tom.</p> - -<p class='c019'>“Oh, there’s plenty of ways,” answered the -squatter, shaking his head knowingly.</p> - -<p class='c019'>“Give us one of them.”</p> - -<p class='c019'>“Wal, s’pos’n I should see a big party, with -childern among ’em, start out from one of them -hotels as big as life, an’ I should foller along -after ’em, easy like, an’ some day, when there -wasn’t no men folks about, I should slip up, -grab one of them childern an’ run him off to the -mountains? An’ s’pos’n one of my boys should -happen to be loafin’ around that hotel when the -party come back without the child, an’ should -hear that a reward of a hunderd, mebbe two -hunderd dollars had been offered fur his safe -return? Couldn’t my boy easy hunt me up, -an’ couldn’t I tote that young un back to his -pap an’ claim them dollars? Eh?”</p> - -<p class='c019'>Tom was so astounded that he could say -nothing in reply. Matt Coyle was a great deal -worse than he thought he was. The squatter -saw that his solitary auditor was interested, -and went on to tell of another way in which he -could break up the business of guiding in the -<span class='pageno' id='Page_184'>184</span>wilderness about Indian Lake, in case the people -living there didn’t treat him and his family -as well as Matt thought they ought to be -treated.</p> - -<p class='c019'>“Or s’pos’n there wasn’t no childern into the -party,” said he. “There’d be fine guns an’ -fish poles an’ lots of nice grub, in course; an’ -couldn’t I slip up to their camp when there -wasn’t no body there to watch it, an’ tote some -of them guns an’ things off into the bresh an’ -hide ’em? Oh, there’s plenty of ways to bust -up guidin’ an’ them big hotels along with it. -They would think twice before bein’ too rough -on me, ’cause they know me up there to Injun -Lake.”</p> - -<p class='c019'>And the man might have added that that -was the very reason they drove him away from -there—because they knew him.</p> - -<p class='c019'>“But the trouble is, I ain’t got no boat of -my own to run about with. The punt, she’s -too heavy, an’ I ain’t got no other,” continued -Matt Coyle; and then he stopped and looked -hard at Tom, and Tom, in return, looked hard -at Matt. An idea came into his head; or, to -speak more in accordance with the facts, Tom -<span class='pageno' id='Page_185'>185</span>suddenly recalled some words which the squatter -had let fall at the beginning of their interview.</p> - -<p class='c019'>“You said you were on your way to the -pond to pick out a boat when you met me,” -said Tom. “Well, why don’t you go ahead -and get it? There is one among them that -will just suit your purpose. It is a canvas -canoe. It is very light, and you can pack it -across a four mile portage without any trouble -at all. If you don’t want to do that, you can -take it to pieces and carry it in your hand as -you would a grip-sack. It will hold up eight -hundred pounds, and you can’t over-turn it by -rocking it from side to side.”</p> - -<p class='c019'>“Who belongs to it?” inquired Matt, who -had never heard of such a craft before.</p> - -<p class='c019'>“Joe Wayring; and his father is one of the -Mount Airy trustees. Your house was on his -land, and if Mr. Wayring had said the word, -you might have been living happily there now, -with plenty to do in the way of boating and -guiding and with money in your pocket,” said -Tom, hoping that this reference to Mr. Wayring -and the influence he might have exerted in -<span class='pageno' id='Page_186'>186</span>Matt’s behalf, if he had seen fit to do so, would -make the squatter angry, and awaken in him a -desire to be revenged on the son since he could -not harm the father in any way. The plan -succeeded admirably. Matt laid his rifle on the -ground so that he could shake both his fists, -and the oaths and threats he uttered when he -had thus relieved himself of all incumbrance, -were frightful to hear. He did not yell, as he -would like to have done, for he knew that the -boys who had gone in pursuit of the bear were -not far away; but he hissed out the words -between his clenched teeth, and kicked and -trampled down the bushes in his rage.</p> - -<p class='c019'>“I’d take the boat now, even if I knowed it -wouldn’t be of no use to me,” said he, as -soon as he could speak. “It’ll cost ole man -Wayring five an’ mebbe twenty dollars to buy -him another—”</p> - -<p class='c019'>“More than that,” said Tom. “A good -deal more.”</p> - -<p class='c019'>“Wal, it’ll be jest that much out of his -pocket whatever it is,” answered Matt Coyle. -“Where did you say them boats was?”</p> - -<p class='c019'>“Right down there on the beach,” replied -<span class='pageno' id='Page_187'>187</span>Tom, indicating the direction with his finger. -“You know which one I mean, don’t you? -You’re sure you can tell a canvas canoe from -a Shadow or a Rob Roy?”</p> - -<p class='c019'>“Am I sure that I can tell a pipe from a shot -gun?” retorted Matt.</p> - -<p class='c019'>“Yes, I suppose you can do that, but I am -not so positive that you can tell one canoe -from another,” answered Tom. “Of course it -wouldn’t be safe for me to go down to the -beach with you, for if Joe should happen to be -anywhere within sight, I’d be in a pretty fix. -You may be sure I shall not so much as hint -that I saw you here in the woods, and you -mustn’t lisp it to a living person.”</p> - -<p class='c019'>“Course not,” said Matt. “Mum’s the word -between gentlemen.”</p> - -<p class='c019'>Tom could scarcely restrain an exclamation -of disgust. It looked as though this blear-eyed -ragamuffin considered himself quite as -good as the boy he was talking to.</p> - -<p class='c019'>“Take the canoe just as it stands,” continued -Tom, “and you will find a good lunch as -well as a fine fishing-rod in it. Be lively now, -for Joe may come back at any moment. I’ll -<span class='pageno' id='Page_188'>188</span>keep out of sight, for of course I don’t want to -know any thing about it.”</p> - -<p class='c019'>“I don’t care fur them new-fangled poles -what’s got a silver windlass onto the ends of -’em, an’ I wouldn’t tech it if I didn’t think I -could sell it to somebody; but I’ll go fur the -grub, I tell you.”</p> - -<p class='c019'>So saying Matt Coyle went through with some -contortions with the left side of his face which -were, no doubt, intended for a friendly farewell -wink, and stole off toward the beach; while -Tom turned and walked away in the opposite -direction. When he thought he had put a safe -distance between himself and the pond, he sat -down to await developments. Nor was he -obliged to wait long. A rifle cracked away off to -the left of his place of concealment, then a shot -gun roared, and presently voices came to him -from the depths of the forest. Joe and his companions -had given up the chase, and were now on -their way back to the pond, shooting squirrels -as they came. Tom knew when they -passed by within less than a hundred yards of -him, and he knew, too, that they were surprised -because they did not meet him in the -<span class='pageno' id='Page_189'>189</span>woods or find him on the beach, for they set up -a series of dismal whoops as soon as they -reached the water’s edge.</p> - -<p class='c019'>“Now for it,” thought Tom, drawing his -hand over his face and looking as innocent -as though he had never been guilty of -a mean act in his life. “I’ve got to meet them -some time, and it might as well be now as an -hour later. Whoop-pee!” he yelled in answer -to the shouts that were sent up from the -shore of the pond.</p> - -<p class='c019'>Tom’s ears also told him when Joe Wayring -first discovered that his canvas canoe was missing. -The yells suddenly ceased, and Tom -heard no more from Joe and his companions -until he came out of the woods and halted on -the beach a short distance from the place where -they were standing. They were gathered in a -group around Roy Sheldon, who was bent over -with his hands on his knees, and his eyes fastened -upon a foot-print in the mud. They -were listening so eagerly to something Roy -was saying, that Tom walked up within reach -of them before any of the group knew that he -was about.</p> - -<p class='c019'><span class='pageno' id='Page_190'>190</span>“What have you found that is so very interesting?” -inquired Tom, who knew that he -ought to open the conversation in some way.</p> - -<p class='c019'>“Oh, here you are,” exclaimed Hastings. -“We could not imagine what had become of -you. Until we heard you call out there in the -woods, we supposed that the bear had come -back, and that you had gone after him in Joe’s -boat.”</p> - -<p class='c019'>“Not by a long shot!” cried Tom, who saw -very plainly what Arthur was driving at. “I -haven’t seen the bear since I lost sight of you, -and if I had, I should have gone away from him -and not toward him. I have no ambition to -shine as a bear hunter, and consequently I am -here safe and sound.”</p> - -<p class='c019'>“But Joe’s canoe isn’t,” said Roy.</p> - -<p class='c019'>Tom looked, and sure enough the place -where Joe had left his boat when he went into -the woods was vacant. With much apparent -anxiety and uneasiness he turned toward his -canoe as if to satisfy himself that his own -treasures were safe, when Roy broke out -with—</p> - -<p class='c019'>“Oh, you’re a sufferer the same as the rest -<span class='pageno' id='Page_191'>191</span>of us. Your lunch and your fine bait-rod -have gone off to keep Joe’s canoe company. -He took all our rods and his pick of the fish, -too, and it is a great wonder to me that he was -good enough to leave us our paddles.”</p> - -<p class='c019'>Tom was really surprised now, and he was -deeply in earnest when he said:</p> - -<p class='c019'>“If I ever meet the man who did that I’ll have -him arrested if I can find any one to make out -a warrant for him.” Then suddenly recollecting -that he was not supposed to know who the -thief was, he added: “Do you suspect any -body?”</p> - -<p class='c019'>“No, we don’t suspect; we know,” answered -Joe. “Look at that!”</p> - -<p class='c019'>“Can you tell a man’s name by looking at -the print of his foot in the mud?” asked -Tom.</p> - -<p class='c019'>“I can tell that man’s name, for I know how -he was shod the last time I saw him,” replied -Joe. “It was Matt Coyle. He made a good -many threats before he left the village, and he -has begun to carry them out already. He has -put up his shanty somewhere in the vicinity -of this pond, and will make it his business to -<span class='pageno' id='Page_192'>192</span>do some damage to every hunting and fishing -party that comes here.”</p> - -<p class='c019'>“Well, what are we standing here for?” -exclaimed Tom, who had expected before this -time to hear somebody propose an immediate -pursuit of the robber.</p> - -<p class='c019'>“We might as well stay here and take it -easy, as to get wild and rush around through -the woods for nothing,” replied Joe; and Tom -was surprised to see how ready he was to give -his boat up for lost. “In the first place, we -couldn’t overtake the robber, and in the -second, we couldn’t recover our property if we -did. The day of reckoning will surely come, -but we can’t do any thing to hasten it.”</p> - -<p class='c019'>The idea that the squatter would disturb -any of the things in the other canoes had never -entered into Tom’s mind. Matt seemed to -remember, with as much gratitude as such a -man was capable of, that Tom was one of the -few who sympathized with him when he was -ordered out of Mount Airy, and yet he had -made little distinction between his property -and that belonging to the sons of the trustees -who ordered him away. There was no sham -<span class='pageno' id='Page_193'>193</span>about his rage. He was angry because his -elegant rod and German silver bass reel had -disappeared, and because he knew that he -would never dare have Matt Coyle arrested for -the theft. If the latter should go before a -magistrate and repeat the words that had -passed between Tom and himself not more than -half an hour ago, wouldn’t he be in a pretty -scrape? He was in one already, for the squatter -had a hold upon him, and subsequent events -proved that Matt knew how to use it to his -own advantage.</p> - -<div class='chapter'> - <span class='pageno' id='Page_194'>194</span> - <h2 class='c011'>CHAPTER X. <br /> <br /><span class='small'>FOREST COOKERY.</span></h2> -</div> - -<p class='drop-capa0_3_0_5 c018'>“HOW in the world did you manage to -get separated from us so quickly?” -asked Roy, addressing himself to Tom Bigden. -“The last time I saw you, you were bringing -up the rear all right, but when we lost the -trail and stopped to hold a consultation, you -were not to be seen.”</p> - -<p class='c019'>Tom had been expecting this, and he was -ready with his answer. Pointing to his boots, -which he had purposely stuck into a mud-hole, -shortly after his companions left him, he said:</p> - -<p class='c019'>“I got mired in the swamp, and by the time -I could crawl out and pour the water from my -boots, you had left me so far behind that I -could neither see nor hear any thing of you. -If I had come directly back to the pond instead -of wasting time in looking for you, I might -<span class='pageno' id='Page_195'>195</span>have been able to stop Matt Coyle’s raid on -our canoes.”</p> - -<p class='c019'>“I doubt it very much,” replied Joe Wayring. -“No doubt Matt has been watching us -all the morning and waiting for us to come -ashore so that he could steal something, and I -believe he would have made his ‘raid’ if we -had all been here to oppose him. As it was, he -had full swing, and there are none of us hurt.”</p> - -<p class='c019'>“That’s my idea,” said Arthur. “Judging -by his countenance Matt is a bad man and a -desperate one. Well, we have lost our rods -and reels, which must be worth considerably -more than a hundred dollars, but we have -learned one thing, that we ought to profit by, -and another that we can use to our advantage. -To begin with, so long as Matt Coyle is allowed -to stay about in this neck of the woods—”</p> - -<p class='c019'>“And I guess he’ll stay here as long as he -has a mind to,” observed Roy.</p> - -<p class='c019'>“Well, I guess he won’t,” retorted Arthur.</p> - -<p class='c019'>“I know what you mean,” said Roy. “You -mean that the arm of the law is strong enough -to snatch him out of the swamp. I don’t dispute -it. The trouble is going to be to get hold -<span class='pageno' id='Page_196'>196</span>of him. If he finds the low lands getting too -warm for him, he will take to the mountains; -and you know that there are a good many -places among them where a white man has -never yet set his foot.”</p> - -<p class='c019'>“He’ll come out, all the same,” answered -Arthur; “but as long as he stays around, -Sherwin’s Pond is no place for hunting and -fishing parties, unless they bring some one -with them to watch the camp while they are -rambling about in the woods. We must warn -the hotel people as soon as we get back to -town.”</p> - -<p class='c019'>“You said there was something we could -use to our advantage,” suggested Joe.</p> - -<p class='c019'>“Yes. We can see any amount of sport -here this fall with the grouse. We flushed a -lot of them while we were gone,” he added, -turning to Tom, “but of course we didn’t shoot -at them.”</p> - -<p class='c019'>“Why not?” inquired the latter.</p> - -<p class='c019'>“Why, because the close season isn’t over -yet, and the birds are protected by law.”</p> - -<p class='c019'>Tom and his cousins had nothing to say, but -they wondered if Arthur Hastings always -<span class='pageno' id='Page_197'>197</span>obeyed the game laws when he was alone in the -woods. They had not much respect for him if -he did. They could not lay claim to any great -skill themselves. An October grouse on the -wing would have been as safe from harm a -dozen yards away from the muzzles of their -double-barrels, as though he had been on the -other side of the globe. They always killed -their game sitting; and they would shoot at a -robin as soon as they would shoot at a wild -turkey.</p> - -<p class='c019'>“We didn’t come down here to go home -hungry,” said Joe, pointing to a bunch of -squirrels that lay at the foot of the nearest -tree. “We’ll have two courses to our dinner -or breakfast, or whatever you call a meal eaten -at this time of day, and there’s plenty of water -in the spring to wash it down with.”</p> - -<p class='c019'>The boys were all hungry, and there was -nothing appetizing in looking forward to a -breakfast of meat and fish. Joe Wayring and -his friends did not mind it, for they had eaten -many such meals during their vacation wanderings -in the woods; but Tom Bigden was not -much accustomed to roughing it, and he condemned -<span class='pageno' id='Page_198'>198</span>the squatter almost as bitterly for -walking off with the hard-boiled eggs, sardines, -canned fruit and bottle of cold coffee, which he -had provided as his share of the common -dinner, as he did for stealing his fishing-rod.</p> - -<p class='c019'>“When Matt opens my bundle and finds all -that buttered tissue paper in it I guess he’ll -wonder,” said Joe, as he stepped into Roy’s -canoe and picked up one of the joints of the -double paddle. “He won’t know what I -intended to do with it; do you, Bigden?”</p> - -<p class='c019'>After a little reflection Tom concluded that -he couldn’t tell what use the buttered tissue -paper could be put to, unless Joe intended to -start a fire with it, and the latter went on to -explain.</p> - -<p class='c019'>“We always take a supply with us as a substitute -for a frying-pan,” said he. “After -cleaning the fish in good shape, we wrap him -up in this tissue paper, and then add three or -four thicknesses of wet brown paper. In the -meantime, the fellow whose business it is to -see to the fire has taken care to have a nice bed -of coals ready. We rake these coals apart, -put in the fish, and cover him up so quickly -<span class='pageno' id='Page_199'>199</span>that the paper around him has no time to get -afire, and there he stays until he is done. -Then we poke him out, and when the paper is -taken off the skin and scales come with it; and -if you relish a well-cooked fish, there he is.”</p> - -<p class='c019'>“But how do you know when the fish is -done?” asked Ralph.</p> - -<p class='c019'>“A potato is as good a clock as you want to -go by,” answered Joe.</p> - -<p class='c019'>“A potato?” repeated Ralph.</p> - -<p class='c019'>“Yes. I brought several with me, intending -to put them on the table after they had done -duty as clocks, but they have gone off with the -sugar, lemons and other good things I had in -my bundle. As soon as your fish is covered -up in the coals,” continued Joe, “put your -potatoes in alongside of him and cover them -up also. You can test them with a sharp stick -at any time, and when they are done, which -will be at the end of half an hour, if your fire -is just right, poke them out, break them open -and place them on a flat stone which you have -previously washed, to cool. Then poke out -your fish, take off the wrappings and fall to -work. But we shall have to use boards this -<span class='pageno' id='Page_200'>200</span>trip—there are plenty of them lying around -loose on the point, unless Matt Coyle has carried -them off to patch up his shanty—and -make our noses do duty as clocks.”</p> - -<p class='c019'>Tom did not understand this, either; but -believing that he had made a sufficient airing -of his ignorance of woodcraft for one day, at -least, he asked no more questions.</p> - -<p class='c019'>Half an hour’s steady paddling brought the -boys to the point, on which they landed to -prepare their meager breakfast. That it was a -favorite resort for parties like their own was -evident. Beds of ashes surrounding the mossy -bowlder from beneath which the spring bubbled -up, marked the places where roaring camp-fires -had once been built, and the empty fruit -and meat cans that had been tossed into the -bushes told what good dinners had been eaten -there.</p> - -<p class='c019'>Joe Wayring at once set off to hunt up a -couple of suitable boards, another started a -fire, two more fell to work upon the fish and -squirrels, and the rest found employment in -gathering a supply of fuel, and providing birch-bark -plates and platters. Although Tom and -<span class='pageno' id='Page_201'>201</span>his cousins did their full share of the work, -they did not neglect to keep an eye on their -more experienced companions; and they were -astonished to see how easily one can get on -without a good many things which the majority -of people seem to think necessary to their -very existence. When the fish had been -cleaned and washed in the pond, they were -spread out flat and fastened with wooden pins -to the boards, which were propped up in front -of the fire; while the squirrels were impaled -upon forked sticks and held over the coals by -Arthur Hastings and Roy, who turned first -one side and then the other to the heat, until -they were done to a delicious brown.</p> - -<p class='c019'>“If Matt Coyle had only been good enough -to leave us the bacon, which I was careful to -have put up with my lunch, these squirrels -would be much better than they are going to -be,” said Arthur, addressing himself to Ralph, -who manifested the greatest interest in this -rude forest cookery. “Their meat is rather -dry, you know, and a strip of nice fat bacon -pinned to each side of them would furnish the -necessary grease—that isn’t a very elegant -<span class='pageno' id='Page_202'>202</span>word, I know, but it expresses my meaning all -the same—and give them a flavor also. It -would make the fish more palatable, too. My -advice to you is, always take a chunk of bacon -with you if you are going to cook your dinner -in the woods.”</p> - -<p class='c019'>“What’s he doing?” inquired Ralph, nodding -toward Joe Wayring, who stood around -with his hands in his pockets, now and then -elevating his chin and sniffing the air like a -pointer that had struck a fresh scent.</p> - -<p class='c019'>Arthur laughed heartily.</p> - -<p class='c019'>“Joe’s timing the fish,” was his reply. -“When they smell so good that he can’t wait -any longer, he will know they are done; and -then dinner will be ready. It’s rather a -novel way, I confess, but Joe hits it every -pop.”</p> - -<p class='c019'>This was the first time that Tom and his -cousins had ever sat down to a meal that was -composed of nothing but fish and meat, but it -tasted much better than they thought it would. -Perhaps the reason was because they were -hungry. At any rate they disposed of all that -was placed before them, and would have asked -<span class='pageno' id='Page_203'>203</span>for another piece of squirrel if there had been -any more on the big slice of bark that did duty -as a platter.</p> - -<p class='c019'>“This meal will give you an idea of what we -could have done if that squatter had not -stumbled on our canoes while we were after -that bear,” said Roy, who stood holding the -empty platter in one hand and his light bird -gun in the other. As he spoke, he sent the -platter flying over the pond, and broke it into -inch pieces by the two charges of shot he put -into it before it struck the water. “What’s -the next thing on the programme?” he continued. -“I don’t much like the idea of undertaking -that long carry during the heat of the -day, but I don’t see what else we can do unless -we are willing to stay here and be idle for -hours to come. We can’t fish any more, that’s -certain. We haven’t brought our long bows -with us, and who wants to shoot squirrels with -a shot gun? Not I, for one.”</p> - -<p class='c019'>There was no debate upon the question Roy -had raised. They had their choice between -going home, and staying where they were until -the sun sank out of sight behind the mountains; -<span class='pageno' id='Page_204'>204</span>and they were not long in making up -their minds what they would do. When Joe -Wayring picked up his gun and stepped into -Roy’s canoe (it was a Rice Laker, and not -being decked over, it could easily accommodate -him and its owner), the others got into -theirs, and the fleet started toward the upper -end of the pond.</p> - -<p class='c019'>We have said that Mirror Lake and Sherwin’s -Pond were fifteen miles apart, and that -there were about twelve miles of rapids in the -stream by which they were connected. This, -of course, would leave three miles of still water; -but the trouble was, it could not be made use of -by any one going from the pond to the lake. -At every one of the points at which the rapids -ceased and the stretches of still water began, -the banks were high and steep, and so -densely covered with briers and bushes that -the most active boy would have found it a difficult -task to work his way to the water’s edge, -and an impossible one if he had a canoe on his -back. This being the case our six friends had -a long portage (they generally called it a -“carry”) to look forward to; but three of -<span class='pageno' id='Page_205'>205</span>them, at least, went at it as they went at every -thing else that was hard—with the determination -to do it at once and have it over with. -Arthur Hastings went first with his little Rob -Roy on his back, Joe Wayring followed close -behind him with all the guns and paddles he -could carry (the rest of them were lashed fast -in the cock-pits so that they would not fall out -when the canoes were turned bottom up), and -they led their companions nearly a third of the -distance before they put down their loads -and leaned up against a tree to rest.</p> - -<p class='c019'>“This is my last visit to Sherwin’s pond -this season,” panted Arthur, as he drew his -handkerchief from his pocket and wiped the big -drops of perspiration from his forehead. “It’s -too much sugar for a cent—altogether too -much.”</p> - -<p class='c019'>“Every time you come through here on a -hot day you say the same thing,” observed Joe.</p> - -<p class='c019'>“I know it; but I am in dead earnest now. -The game isn’t worth the candle.”</p> - -<p class='c019'>“What’s the matter? Are you sorry that -you didn’t smash your canoe in the rapids?” -asked Roy.</p> - -<p class='c019'><span class='pageno' id='Page_206'>206</span>“Or didn’t you catch fish enough to suit -you?” chimed in Ralph.</p> - -<p class='c019'>“Perhaps he is disgusted because he didn’t -shoot that bear,” said Joe.</p> - -<p class='c019'>“It’s hard work,” repeated Arthur. “The -fun of running the rapids, catching a nice -string of bass and seeing a bear, does not -repay one for the horrors of this fifteen mile -carry. It is worse for me to-day than it ever -was before, because we have been so very -unlucky. We have used our rods for the last -time, and Joe will never see his canvas canoe -again.”</p> - -<p class='c019'>This was the way in which Arthur and his -two friends referred to their losses whenever -they referred to them at all. There was no -unreasonable exhibition of rage, such as Tom -Bigden would have been glad to indulge in, if -he could have found the least excuse for so -doing.</p> - -<p class='c019'>If Tom had possessed even the semblance of -a heart, it would have smote him when he saw -how patiently Joe and his chums bore up under -their misfortunes. If Matt Coyle had turned -the matter over in his mind for a whole month, -<span class='pageno' id='Page_207'>207</span>he could not have hit upon anything that was so -well calculated to render these three boys -miserable, as was the piece of villainy which -he had that day carried out at the suggestion -of Tom Bigden. Tom was glad of one thing: -His companions did not ask him any questions, -and consequently he was not obliged to tell -them any lies.</p> - -<p class='c019'>The boys rested a good many times while -they were on the carry, and when at last they -launched their canoes on the broad bosom of the -lake they were so weary and devoid of ambition, -that it was a task for them to paddle down to -the boat-houses; but, like their arduous journey -across the portage, it was accomplished at -last by steady and persevering effort, and when -they separated near the middle of the lake and -pulled away toward their respective homes, -they told one another that the next time they -went down to the pond they would see to it -that Matt Coyle had no chance to spoil their -day’s sport.</p> - -<p class='c019'>“There’s something about that business that -don’t look just right to me,” said Ralph Farnsworth, -as soon as Joe and his friends were out -<span class='pageno' id='Page_208'>208</span>of hearing. “I don’t mind my own loss, but I -am really sorry for Joe Wayring.”</p> - -<p class='c019'>“So am I,” said Loren. “He prized that -canoe very highly. I believe he would rather -have lost his handsome breech-loader. I tell -you we made a mistake in having any thing to -do with George Prime. Wayring and his -crowd are much the better lot of fellows.”</p> - -<p class='c019'>These remarks settled one thing to Tom -Bigden’s satisfaction. Ever since his interview -with the squatter he had been asking himself -whether or not he ought to take his -cousins into his confidence, and now he knew -that he had better not. He was afraid, as well -as ashamed, to show them how far his unreasonable -enmity toward Joe Wayring had led -him, and so he said nothing.</p> - -<p class='c019'>Great was the indignation among some of -the Mount Airy people when it became known -that Matt Coyle had turned up again when he -was least expected, and that he had walked off -with a hundred and fifty dollars worth of property -that did not belong to him. But Mount -Airy, as we have seen, was like other places in -that it numbered among its inhabitants certain -<span class='pageno' id='Page_209'>209</span>evil-minded and envious persons, who were -never so happy as when they were listening to -the story of some one’s bad luck. George -Prime and the boys who made their head-quarters -in his father’s store were delighted -to hear that the squatter had begun operations -against Joe and his chums, and hoped he -would “keep it up” until he had stolen or -destroyed every thing they possessed. They -declared that they were sorry for Tom and his -cousins, but when they came to say that much -to them by word of mouth, as they did the next -afternoon when Tom, Ralph and Loren dropped -into the drug-store on their way to the -post-office, they did it in such a way that Tom -became disgusted, and left without buying the -cigar he had intended to ask for.</p> - -<p class='c019'>“The more I see of those fellows, the less I -like them,” said Tom; and then he was about -to open his battery of abuse upon Prime and -his friends, when he discovered several of the -Toxophilites coming down the side-walk. “I’ll -tell you what’s a fact, boys,” Tom added in a -lower tone. “It’s a lucky thing for us that -we didn’t buy those cigars. Here comes Miss -<span class='pageno' id='Page_210'>210</span>Arden with a whole crowd of girls, and there -isn’t a street or alley that we could slink into -if we had a weed in our hands.”</p> - -<p class='c019'>The boys lifted their hats as the girls came -up, and passed on rejoicing over their escape. -If they had been caught in the act of smoking -they might have said good-by to all their hopes -of getting into the archery club. A little further -on they stopped in front of the window of a -jewelry store, where some of the prizes that -were to be distributed at the canoe meet had -been placed for exhibition. Their three companions -of the previous day were there, and -their attention was concentrated upon a beautiful -blue silk flag, trimmed with gold fringe and -bearing in its center the monogram of the Mount -Airy canoe club, which occupied a conspicuous -position among the prizes.</p> - -<p class='c019'>“That’s some of Miss Arden’s handiwork,” -said Joe Wayring, after he had cordially -greeted Tom and his cousins. “It is to go to -the first one who walks the greasy pole.”</p> - -<p class='c019'>“Great Moses!” ejaculated Tom. “To -what base uses—”</p> - -<p class='c019'>“That’s just what I said,” interrupted -<span class='pageno' id='Page_211'>211</span>Arthur Hastings. “I told her, too, that it -wouldn’t make half the fun the greasy pig did, -and you ought to have seen her stick up her -nose. Another thing, now that I think of it: -Unless the wind is just right, the flag will -wallop itself over and around the pole until it -is all covered with grease.”</p> - -<p class='c019'>“And the boy who is lucky enough to capture -it will have to take it into the water with -him, and there is her elegant prize ruined at -the start,” chimed in Joe Wayring.</p> - -<p class='c019'>“Don’t you think Miss Arden had wit -enough to provide for that?” exclaimed Mr. -Yale, the jeweler, who happened to overhear -this remark. “Do you see that little flag -beside the blue one? Well, that is intended -to represent the prize. If you are fortunate -enough to capture that, you can fly the blue -pennant at your masthead.”</p> - -<p class='c019'>Miss Arden was right when she told her -friends that she was sure that the gallant fellows -who belonged to the canoe club would -work harder for her flag than they would for a -greasy pig. Every one of the boys who stopped -in front of Mr. Yale’s window that afternoon -<span class='pageno' id='Page_212'>212</span>to look at the prizes, told himself that if -he did not win that flag it would be because -some lucky member walked off with it before -he had a chance to try for it.</p> - -<p class='c019'>During the next two weeks little or nothing -happened in or about Mount Airy that is -worthy of note. A deputy sheriff and constable -went down to Sherwin’s Pond to arrest Matt -Coyle, and, after a three days’ search returned -empty-handed. They found the place where -the squatter had built his shanty, but it was -gone when they got there, and so were Matt -and his family. The authorities at Indian -Lake were requested to keep a look-out for -him, but Matt was too old a criminal to be -easily caught. He and his boys offered themselves -as guides to the guests of the hotels, but -when they were told that they were not wanted, -they set themselves to work to carry out the -programme of which Matt had spoken to Tom -Bigden on the day he stole Joe Wayring’s canoe—that -is, to break up the business of guiding -in the region about Indian Lake, and to make -the people who came there for recreation so -sick of the woods that they would never -<span class='pageno' id='Page_213'>213</span>come there again. Whether or not they -succeeded in their object shall be told further -on.</p> - -<p class='c019'>Tom Bigden and his cousins never knew how -near they came to being black-balled when their -names were brought before the canoe club at -its next meeting. Prime and his friends were -suspicious of Tom. The latter kept away from -the drug-store altogether; he and his cousins -were often seen in Joe Wayring’s company, and -Prime said that looked as though Tom wasn’t -in earnest when he promised to assist in carrying -out the arrangements that had been made -for defeating Joe and Arthur at the coming -canoe meet.</p> - -<p class='c019'>“I’ll vote for him,” said Prime, after Noble, -Scott, and one or two others had labored with -him for a long time, “but if he plays us false, -as I really think he means to do, he can just -hang up his fiddle, so far as the Toxophilites -are concerned. I’ll take pains to let Miss Arden -and the rest of the girls know that he and his -cousins smoke and play billiards and cards on -the sly, and they’ll make dough of his cake in -short order.”</p> - -<p class='c019'><span class='pageno' id='Page_214'>214</span>“The agony is over at last,” said Tom, after -Joe Wayring and his inseparable companions -Arthur and Roy, who came over in the <i>Young -Republic</i> the next morning to announce the -result of the ballot, had gone home again. -“Bear in mind, now, that we are to stick to -our original programme and win if we can. If -we find that we have no show, and that the -prizes must go to Wayring and his friends, or -to Prime and his followers, we’ll stand by -Wayring every time. We’ll teach that drug-store -crowd that the next time they make up -a slate they had better put our names on it if -they expect us to help them.”</p> - -<p class='c019'>It never occurred to Tom and his cousins that -possibly Joe Wayring, and all the other boys -who believed that friendly trials of strength -and skill, like those that were to come off during -the canoe meet, should be fairly conducted, -would not thank them for their interference. -Joe had warned all his friends that there were -boys in the club who had been “booked” to -win by fair means or foul (of course he did not -tell them where he got his information), and -they made some pretty shrewd guesses as to -<span class='pageno' id='Page_215'>215</span>who those boys were. Being forewarned they -were forearmed, and they did not want any -help. Tom found it out on the day the races -came off.</p> - -<div class='chapter'> - <span class='pageno' id='Page_216'>216</span> - <h2 class='c011'>CHAPTER XI. <br /> <br /><span class='small'>THE CANOE MEET.</span></h2> -</div> - -<p class='drop-capa0_2_0_5 c018'>THE first thing the members of the canoe -club did when they sprang out of bed on -the morning of the second day of August, was -to run to the window, draw aside the curtain -and take a look at the sky and the lake. The -one was cloudless, and the surface of the other -was rippled by a little breeze which promised, -by the time the sun was an hour high, to freshen -into a capital sailing wind. For all the members -of the club were not so deeply interested -in the paddle, portage and hurry-skurry races -as Joe Wayring and Tom Bigden were. A few -of them were expert sailors, and anxious to -show the spectators (there would be more -strangers among them this year than ever -before), how skillfully they could manage their -cranky little boats when they were under canvas.</p> - -<p class='c019'><span class='pageno' id='Page_217'>217</span>The young athletes were all in excellent -training, and there was not one among them -who did not expect to win a prize of more or -less value during the day. Some of the canoeists -had discovered a couple of Yale college -students among the guests at the Mount Airy -House, and after a little urging they had consented -to assume the management of affairs, -one as judge and the other as referee. They -knew all about the rules of boating, and Joe -Wayring told himself, that Prime and his -friends would have to be smarter than he -thought they were if they could play any tricks -under the watchful eyes of those two college -men without being caught in the act.</p> - -<p class='c019'>At an early hour Mr. Wayring’s spacious -boat-house, which was to be used as head-quarters -and had been handsomely decorated for the -occasion, was thrown open, and shortly afterward -the members of the club began to arrive. -They drew their canoes upon the beach at the -side of the boat-house and disappeared in the -dressing-room, where they remained until the -warning blast of a bugle notified them that it -was time to begin operations. Now and then -<span class='pageno' id='Page_218'>218</span>one of them would take a cautious peep out at -the back door and turn around to inform his -companions that all New London had come up -to attend the meet; and although they knew -that there were a good many people assembled -to witness the sports, they were all surprised, -and not a few of them were made nervous by -the scene that was presented to their gaze when -they sprang off the wharf, and ran to push -their canoes into the water. Mr. Wayring’s -grounds were crowded with gayly dressed spectators, -who where lounging on the grass or sitting -comfortably under the tents that had been -provided for them, and the lake was covered -with sail and row boats, all of which were flying -as many flags as they could find places -for.</p> - -<p class='c019'>A mile up the lake the stake-boat was anchored. -In it was one of the judges, who reclined -at his ease on a couch of cushions with an awning -over him to keep off the sun. The other -judge was Mr. Hastings, who stood on the -wharf to act as starter. The referee’s barge, -propelled by six of the best oarsmen that could -be found among the guides, lay off the wharf, -<span class='pageno' id='Page_219'>219</span>and the police-boats had already cleared the -course.</p> - -<p class='c019'>“All you young gentlemen who are to compete -in this race draw a number as you pass, -and station yourselves accordingly,” said Mr. -Hastings, who held a small tin box above his -head so that the contestants could not look into -it and pick a number instead of taking it at -random. “Go down as far as the leaning tree -so as to get a good start, and fill away at the -sound of the bugle, No. 1 taking the outside.”</p> - -<p class='c019'>The first event was a sailing race—two miles -with a turn. Those who had entered for it -drew a number from the box, lingered a moment -to look at the swinging silver pitcher and -gold-lined goblets, which, with a tray to hold -them, were to go to the boy who sent his canoe -first across the line on the home stretch, and -then ran out to launch their canoes and hoist -their sails. There were ten starters, and they -made a pretty picture as they came up the -lake before the fresh breeze that was then blowing, -and dashed across the imaginary line that -marked the beginning of the course. Another -<span class='pageno' id='Page_220'>220</span>blast from the bugle warned them that it was -a “go,” and the race was begun.</p> - -<p class='c019'>The sound of the bugle seemed to -excite every body—the people on shore -as well as the boys in the boats, who -crowded their cranky little crafts until it -looked as if some of them must certainly -go over. There were several of Prime’s -friends among the contestants, and Joe and -his two chums wondered if any one of them -had been “booked” to come out ahead in this -particular race. They saw nothing to indicate -it. There was no attempt to foul the boy who -seemed likely to win, and indeed there was no -chance for any such proceeding. The referee’s -barge easily kept abreast of the racers, and the -man in the stake-boat kept his glass directed -toward them from the start. There was some -crowding and confusion at the turn, and some -of the little vessels came dangerously near to -one another; but their crews made desperate -efforts to clear themselves, some because they -knew they were closely watched, and others -because they were determined to win fairly or -not at all, and the race was not interrupted. -<span class='pageno' id='Page_221'>221</span>It was a close and exciting struggle, and the -boy who brought his Rice Laker first across the -line was fairly entitled to the silver pitcher.</p> - -<p class='c019'>“That was a splendid race,” exclaimed Joe -Wayring, as the contestants, after beaching -their canoes, came into the boat-house to listen -to the congratulations, or to receive the sympathy -of their friends. “The paddle race -comes off now, and I hope that those of us who -take part in it will make as good a showing as -you did.”</p> - -<p class='c019'>While Joe was talking in this way, Ned -Stewart, one of the boys who had just been -defeated, drew a few of his friends around him -in a remote corner of the boat-house by -intimating to them in a mysterious way that -he had something of importance to say to -them.</p> - -<p class='c019'>“Look here, Bigden,” said Ned, in an -excited whisper. “I believe it is understood -that some of us are to foul Wayring or any -fellow in his crowd who stands a chance of -winning, and give Noble a chance to carry off -the honors of the paddle race?”</p> - -<p class='c019'>“I believe you did make some such arrangement -<span class='pageno' id='Page_222'>222</span>as that,” replied Tom, indifferently. -“But if my memory serves me, you did not -consult me in regard to it.”</p> - -<p class='c019'>These words produced the utmost consternation -among the boys in the corner.</p> - -<p class='c019'>“Are you going back from your word?” -cried Noble, as soon as he could speak.</p> - -<p class='c019'>“What do you mean by that?” demanded -Tom.</p> - -<p class='c019'>“You know very well what he means,” -exclaimed Bob Lord, who, it will be remembered, -had been “booked” to win the upset -race. “Now, look here, Bigden: You have -been running with Wayring a good deal, of late, -and we might have expected this of you. You -want Wayring to win because you think he can -do more to get you into the archery club than -we can; but I assure you that you are mistaken -there. You can’t get in without our -votes, and if you go back on us we shan’t give -them to you.”</p> - -<p class='c019'>“I don’t want Wayring to win,” said Tom, -emphatically. “My Cousin Loren is going to -come out at the top of the heap in this race.”</p> - -<p class='c019'>“Well, I’ll bet you a dollar he isn’t,” -<span class='pageno' id='Page_223'>223</span>exclaimed Noble, whose flashing eyes showed -how angry he was. “If I don’t win this race -nobody shall.”</p> - -<p class='c019'>“Well, I’ll bet you two dollars that I shall -keep pretty close to Loren, and that the boy -who interferes with him purposely will go out -of his canoe in less time than he can say -‘General Jackson’ with his mouth open. -Not only that, but I’ll thrash him the very first -time I can catch him ashore,” replied Tom, -returning Noble’s angry scowl with interest, -and doubling up his fists as if he were ready -and willing to put his threat into execution -then and there.</p> - -<p class='c019'>“Look here! Look here, boys,” whispered -Prime, who was really afraid the two would -come to blows. “Such work as this will never -do. If we quarrel among ourselves, Wayring -and his crowd will walk off with all the prizes -as they have always done.”</p> - -<p class='c019'>“I have no intention of quarreling,” said -Noble, who did not like the way Tom glared -at him. “I only want Bigden to keep his -promise.”</p> - -<p class='c019'>“What promise?” demanded Tom.</p> - -<p class='c019'><span class='pageno' id='Page_224'>224</span>“Why, didn’t you say that you were down -on Wayring and Hastings, and that you did -not want to see them win any of the races?” -inquired Scott.</p> - -<p class='c019'>“I did.”</p> - -<p class='c019'>“And didn’t you promise that you would -help <i>us</i> win?” chimed in Frank Noble.</p> - -<p class='c019'>“No, I didn’t. When you told me what -your programme was, I simply said: ‘All -right.’ By that I meant that you could do as -you pleased, and my cousins and I would do -as <i>we</i> pleased. You were very good to yourselves -when you picked out all the best races -for your own men, and left us out in the cold, -were you not? We do not consider that we -are under obligations to abide by any such -arrangement, and we shan’t do it. We’ve got -a programme of our own that we mean to carry -out if we can, and the fellow who interferes -with us in any way may make up his mind to -take the consequences.”</p> - -<p class='c019'>So saying Tom walked off followed by his -cousins, leaving Prime and his companions lost -in wonder.</p> - -<p class='c019'>“Serves us just right for having any thing -<span class='pageno' id='Page_225'>225</span>to do with such upstarts,” said Noble, who was -the first to speak. “They have gone back on -us fair and square; that’s easy enough to be -seen.”</p> - -<p class='c019'>“Who ever heard of such impudence?” -exclaimed Prime. “They came to Mount Airy -with the idea that they could run the town to -suit themselves, and because they can’t do it, -they are mad about it. They must not be -allowed to win a race. I would much rather -see Wayring or Hastings come in first.”</p> - -<p class='c019'>“That brings me to what I wanted to say to -you,” said Ned Stewart. “I don’t know -whether or not that college man in the stake-boat -suspects any thing, but he certainly -acted like it. He kept his eyes on us from the -time we crossed the line until we got home. -If you try to foul any body you must be very -sly about it, or else you will be caught and -ruled out.”</p> - -<p class='c019'>If Stewart had any thing else to say he did -not have time to say it, for just then the bugle -sounded another warning, and that put a stop -to the conversation. It was a call to the boys -who were to take part in the paddle race. A -<span class='pageno' id='Page_226'>226</span>few seconds later thirteen active young fellows -in showy uniforms sprang off the wharf one after -the other, shoved their canoes into the water, -and paddled away to take the positions assigned -them by the numbers they had drawn from the -tin box. As luck would have it, Tom Bigden -found himself near the center of the line, with -his Cousin Loren on one side of him and Frank -Noble on the other. Joe Wayring was on the -right, nearest the shore, and Arthur Hastings -on the extreme left, near the middle of the -lake.</p> - -<p class='c019'>“It’s a bad outlook for us,” whispered Loren, -after he had run his eye up and down the -line. “Joe and Arthur are so far away that -you can’t touch them.”</p> - -<p class='c019'>“Never mind,” replied Tom, in the same -cautious whisper. “They will have to come -closer together when we get to the stake-boat, -and then, perhaps, we can do something. Keep -your weather eye peeled for Noble. He’ll -spoil your chances if he can. He’s bound to -win or kick up a row.”</p> - -<p class='c019'>“Are you all ready?” shouted Mr. Hastings, -from his place on the wharf.</p> - -<p class='c019'><span class='pageno' id='Page_227'>227</span>There was no response in words, but each -boy grasped his double paddle with a firmer -hold, dipped one blade of it into the water -and leaned forward so that he could put all -his strength into the first stroke, which was -given before the notes of the bugle had fairly -died away.</p> - -<p class='c019'>The thirteen contestants got off well together, -and for a while it was any body’s race; but -by the time a quarter of a mile had been -passed over, Arthur Hastings and Roy Sheldon, -who “made the pace”, began to draw to the -front, while others fell behind, and when they -rounded the stake-boat the line was very much -broken. Tom Bigden did not try to win. -According to the agreement this was not his -race. He simply kept close beside his cousin—he -had harder work to do it than he expected -to have, for Loren sent his canoe through the -water at an astonishing rate of speed—holding -himself in readiness to frustrate any attempt -at trickery on Frank Noble’s part, or to foul -Frank if he showed speed enough to beat Loren -fairly.</p> - -<p class='c019'>How the struggle would have ended, had each -<span class='pageno' id='Page_228'>228</span>boy been as determined to win or lose on his -merits as the majority of them were, it is hard -to tell. Arthur and Roy paddled much faster -now than they did on the day they had those -friendly trials with Tom and his cousin, and -so did Loren. Frank Noble, who was by no -means an antagonist to be despised, kept -close company with them, while Joe Wayring -seemed content to linger behind and save his -wind so that he could force the pace on the -way home; consequently he was an eye-witness -to a piece of deliberate rascality on the part of -Tom Bigden, which was so neatly executed -that it might have passed for an accident, if -Joe, when questioned by the judge, had not told -the truth concerning it. It came about in this -way:</p> - -<p class='c019'>Arthur and Roy rounded the stake-boat -together, keeping far enough away from each -other to avoid all danger of a collision. Frank -Noble followed in their wake, and close behind -him came Loren Farnsworth, who having got -his “second wind”, was plying his paddle with -so much strength and skill that he was rapidly -closing up the gap between himself and his -<span class='pageno' id='Page_229'>229</span>leaders. Noble saw defeat staring him in the -face, and believing that he could gain a few -feet on Hastings and his companion, and throw -Loren out of the race at the same time, he -resorted to an expedient which drew a warning -shout from Joe Wayring, who was contentedly -following in Tom’s rear.</p> - -<p class='c019'>“Look out there, Frank!” cried Joe. -“You’ll be foul of somebody in a minute -more.”</p> - -<p class='c019'>“I told Tom that Loren Farnsworth should -never come out at the top of the heap in this -race, and I meant every word of it,” said -Frank, to himself; and paying no attention to -Joe’s warning, he shot his canoe across Loren’s -bow, passing so close to him that the latter was -obliged to stop paddling and back water in -order to escape the collision which for a second -or two seemed inevitable.</p> - -<p class='c019'>This was Tom Bigden’s opportunity and he -was prompt to improve it. With a movement -so quick and dextrous that it looked like an -accident to the people on shore who witnessed -it, Tom unjointed his paddle, dropped one blade -of it overboard, and laying out all his strength -<span class='pageno' id='Page_230'>230</span>on the other, he swung the bow of his canoe -around and sent it crashing into the side of -Noble’s boat, overturning it in an instant and -throwing its occupant out into the water. -Then, quick as a flash, Tom backed his canoe -out of Loren’s way and sent it directly in the -path of the other boys, who were thus given -their choice between two courses of action: -One was to make a wide detour in order to -clear the three boats that lay in their way, and -the other was to give up the race, which was -now virtually left to Hastings, Sheldon and -Loren Farnsworth. The most of them preferred -to draw out of a contest in which they had no -show of winning, and with many exclamations -of anger and disgust turned about and paddled -back to the starting point; while the others -crowded up around the stake-boat to hear -what the judge and referee would have to say -about it.</p> - -<p class='c019'>“I claim foul on that!” shouted Tom; and -the words and the speaker’s easy assurance so -astonished Joe Wayring, that he sat in his -canoe with his paddle suspended in the air as -if he did not know what to do with it.</p> - -<p class='c019'><span class='pageno' id='Page_231'>231</span>“I claim foul!” sputtered Noble, as soon as -his head appeared above the surface of the -water. “Bigden capsized me on purpose.”</p> - -<p class='c019'>“I say I didn’t!” cried Tom, looking very -surprised and innocent indeed. “What business -had you to try to cross my bows, when -any body with half an eye could see that you -had no chance to do it? You declared that if -you didn’t win this race no one else should, -and that’s why you got in my way.”</p> - -<p class='c019'>“And you said that your Cousin Loren was -booked to win, if you could make him do it,” -retorted Noble, who had climbed into his canoe -and was rapidly throwing out the water it had -shipped in righting. “That’s why you capsized -me. It is a lucky thing for you that you -didn’t smash in the side of my boat as you -tried to do. I would have made you pay -roundly for it, if there is law enough in Mount -Airy to—”</p> - -<p class='c019'>“That will do,” said the judge, in a tone of -authority. “This is not the place to settle -quarrels, and neither am I the one to do -it.”</p> - -<p class='c019'>“My paddle got unjointed, and I couldn’t -<span class='pageno' id='Page_232'>232</span>shift from one side to the other quick enough -to keep clear of you,” said Tom.</p> - -<p class='c019'>Meanwhile Hastings, Sheldon and Loren -Farnsworth were making fast time down the -home stretch toward the starting point. To -the surprise of every body, and to the no small -annoyance of Arthur Hastings, who had never -before been so closely followed by any one except -Sheldon and Wayring, Loren was not only -holding his own, but he was gaining at every -stroke. There is no telling which one of the -three would have come out ahead at the finish, -had they been permitted to continue the struggle; -but the referee, seeing the commotion -among the rest of the fleet, called out: “No -race!” and pulled up to the stake-boat to see -what was the matter. The judge gave him his -version of the affair, Noble and Tom Bigden -gave theirs, and each of the two boys would -have expressed his opinion of the other in no -very complimentary terms, had not the referee -interrupted them by saying—</p> - -<p class='c019'>“Hard words can’t settle disputes of this -kind. The race will have to be tried over again, -and Noble, I don’t think you will be allowed -<span class='pageno' id='Page_233'>233</span>to take any part in it. You made a mistake in -trying to cross Bigden’s bows when you did, -because you had no room to do it without interfering -with him. You threw him out of the -contest, and came very near throwing Farnsworth -out, too; consequently it will be my -duty to bar you. I am sorry—”</p> - -<p class='c019'>“You needn’t be, for I am sure I don’t care,” -replied Noble, rudely. He tried hard to control -himself so that the boys around him should -not see how very angry he was, but his efforts -met with little success. To be ruled out of one -contest was to be ruled out of all; and that was -a severe blow to a boy who had confidently -expected to carry off some of the best prizes. -“What are you going to do with Bigden?” he -asked, or rather demanded of the referee.</p> - -<p class='c019'>“That depends,” answered the latter, somewhat -sharply.</p> - -<p class='c019'>“He can’t do any thing with me because I -have violated no rule,” said Tom, defiantly. -“You ran across my path when you had no -business to do it, and an accident to my paddle -made me run into you. That’s all there is -of it.”</p> - -<p class='c019'><span class='pageno' id='Page_234'>234</span>But the referee and judge seemed to hold a -different opinion. They conversed for a few -minutes in tones so low that no one but the -guides could hear what they said, and presently -the judge appealed to Joe Wayring.</p> - -<p class='c019'>“You were close behind Bigden when this -happened,” said he. “Do you think it was an -accident?”</p> - -<p class='c019'>“What does he know about it?” cried Tom, -fiercely. “I don’t care what he or anybody -else says; I know—”</p> - -<p class='c019'>“One moment, please,” interrupted the referee. -“You have had your say, and you don’t -help your side of the case any by showing so -much excitement over it.”</p> - -<p class='c019'>“Do you think Bigden unjointed his paddle -purposely?” continued the judge, addressing -himself to Joe.</p> - -<p class='c019'>“Yes, sir,” answered the latter, promptly.</p> - -<p class='c019'>“Do you think he could have kept clear of -Noble if he had made use of ordinary skill and -caution?”</p> - -<p class='c019'>“I am sure of it.”</p> - -<p class='c019'>“How could he have done it?”</p> - -<p class='c019'>“By working his paddle on the port side of -<span class='pageno' id='Page_235'>235</span>his canoe. That would have thrown him around -the stake-boat very neatly and given him a winning -place in the race; but instead of that he -used his paddle on the starboard side, and of -course that threw the bow of his canoe plump -into Noble’s side.”</p> - -<p class='c019'>Frank and the judge nodded as if to say that -that was about the way the thing stood, and -after a few minutes’ reflection the referee said—</p> - -<p class='c019'>“I am perfectly satisfied and will announce -my decision where all the members of the club -can hear it. As we are wasting time and delaying -the other sports by staying here, we will -go back to head-quarters.”</p> - -<p class='c019'>It was not a very sociable company of boys -who turned about at this command and paddled -slowly back to the starting point, and -neither were Noble and Tom Bigden the only -ones among them who were mad enough to -fight. Two of their number were so jealous of -each other and so anxious to win prizes, that -they had deliberately disgraced the club in the -presence of hundreds of strangers; and it is -hard to see how any lover of fair play could -help being annoyed over it. Joe Wayring felt -<span class='pageno' id='Page_236'>236</span>it very keenly; and consequently when Tom -Bigden paddled up alongside and told him that -he intended to get even with him some way for -the stand he had taken, Joe was in just the -right humor to give him as good as he sent.</p> - -<p class='c019'>“Joe Wayring, you have made an enemy of -me by this day’s work,” said Tom, in a threatening -tone.</p> - -<p class='c019'>“By telling the truth in regard to your fouling -of Frank Noble?” exclaimed Joe. “I -don’t care if I have. I saw the whole proceeding, -and I know that you meant to do it. I -warned you that any boy who could so far forget -himself as to deliberately interfere with -another, would be forever ruled out of the -club’s races, and you will find that I knew what -I was talking about.”</p> - -<p class='c019'>“You might as well expel me and be done -with it?” exclaimed Tom, angrily. “What’s -the use of my belonging to the club if I am not -allowed to take part in its contests? Joe -Wayring, there’s no honor about you. You -have led me to believe that you were my -friend, and then you went back on me the -very first chance you got.”</p> - -<p class='c019'><span class='pageno' id='Page_237'>237</span>“Do you mean that I have been sailing -under false colors?” cried Joe, indignantly. -“If you throw out any more insinuations of -that sort before we reach the boat-house I’ll -dump you in the lake. When the judge -questioned me I told him the truth; and I -wouldn’t have done otherwise to please any -body.”</p> - -<p class='c019'>Something must have warned Tom that -Joe would be as good as his word, for he had -nothing more to say to him. He gradually -fell behind and allowed him to paddle down to -the boat-house in peace.</p> - -<div class='chapter'> - <span class='pageno' id='Page_238'>238</span> - <h2 class='c011'>CHAPTER XII. <br /> <br /><span class='small'>OFF FOR INDIAN LAKE.</span></h2> -</div> - -<p class='drop-capa0_3_0_5 c018'>WHEN Joe Wayring beached his canoe -below the boat-house, he was immediately -surrounded by his friends who were -impatient to hear all about it. They knew -there had been a foul, for some of the laggards -in the race had seen it; but they could not tell -how it had been brought about, or who was to -blame for it.</p> - -<p class='c019'>“It was Noble’s fault in the first place, and -Tom Bigden’s in the second,” said Joe, in -response to their hurried inquiries. “It seems -that there are three ‘cliques’ in the club, one -of which believes in doing things fairly, while -the other two do not. Loren Farnsworth was -‘booked’ by one of the cliques to win the paddle -race, while Frank Noble was the choice of the -other. Each was determined that his opponent -should not win, and the result was most disgraceful—a -<span class='pageno' id='Page_239'>239</span>deliberate collision at the stake-boat in -the presence of all these strangers. What sort -of a story will they carry back to the city about -the Mount Airy canoe club? Noble began the -row by putting himself in Loren’s way and -Tom retaliated by capsizing Frank’s canoe -and throwing him out into the water.”</p> - -<p class='c019'>“Do you think he meant to do it?” inquired -Hastings, who was far in the lead at the time, -and could not of course see what was going on -behind him.</p> - -<p class='c019'>“I know he did,” replied Joe, who then -went on to give a circumstantial account of -the manner in which the fouling was done. -The boys all declared that it was a very neat -trick, and one of them added—</p> - -<p class='c019'>“That Tom Bigden’s cheek is something -wonderful. As soon as he had backed out of -Loren’s way and laid himself across the course -so that we couldn’t get by him without losing -more ground than we could possibly make up, -he called out that he claimed foul on that. -Did you ever hear of such impudence?”</p> - -<p class='c019'>“Please give me your attention for one -moment, gentlemen,” shouted the president -<span class='pageno' id='Page_240'>240</span>of the club; and Joe and his friends turned -about to see the referee perched upon a dry-goods -box.</p> - -<p class='c019'>“Young gentlemen,” said he, as the boys -gathered around him, “the contestants in the -paddle race will go over the course again this -afternoon, one hour after lunch. They will be -the same as before, with the exception of Frank -Noble and Thomas Bigden, whom I am compelled -to bar out. It is exceedingly unpleasant -to me to be obliged to render this decision, -but the rules under which your sports are -conducted leave me no alternative.”</p> - -<p class='c019'>“What do you think of that, fellows?” -said Arthur Hastings. “If Bigden isn’t satisfied -now that he can’t run this club to suit his -own ideas, I shall always think he ought to be.”</p> - -<p class='c019'>“Well, Noble,” said Prime. “You’re done -for at last. You are ruled out of every thing. -What are you going to do?”</p> - -<p class='c019'>“What are <i>you</i> going to do?” asked Frank -in reply.</p> - -<p class='c019'>“I? Nothing at all. What can I do?”</p> - -<p class='c019'>“You can go home with me, can’t you?”</p> - -<p class='c019'>“Eh? Well—yes; I suppose I could, but I -<span class='pageno' id='Page_241'>241</span>don’t want to. The fun is only just beginning.”</p> - -<p class='c019'>“And are you going to stay here and enjoy -yourself and assist in making the meet a success -when one of your friends is barred out?” -exclaimed Noble, indignantly. “I didn’t think -that of you, Prime. Why didn’t you stay -close to me so that you could put in a word to -help me? You knew what I was going to do.”</p> - -<p class='c019'>“I couldn’t stay close to you. Those fellows -in the lead made the pace so hot that I had to -fall behind, and I didn’t see the foul when it -occurred.”</p> - -<p class='c019'>“No matter for that. You could have said -something in my defense if you had wanted to; -but instead of standing by me, you left me to -fight Joe Wayring and the judge alone. Look -there! Bigden’s cousins are not going back on -him as you are going back on me. Tom is preparing -to go home, and they are going with him.”</p> - -<p class='c019'>But Noble did not know what a stormy time -Tom had with Loren and Ralph before he could -induce them to forego all the sports and pleasures -of the meet. Loren was particularly obstinate. -He was satisfied now that he was a pretty -<span class='pageno' id='Page_242'>242</span>good hand with a double paddle, and confident -that if any of the three recognized champions -beat him when the afternoon race came off, they -would have to make their canoes get through -the water faster than they ever did before. -Then there was the upset race, which Ralph -was almost sure he could win, and the greasy -pole walk, with Miss Arden’s silk flag to go to -the best man—must they give up all these -things just because Tom had been ruled out?</p> - -<p class='c019'>“What’s the reason I am ruled out?” -exclaimed Tom, who was as mad as a boy ever -gets to be. “Isn’t it because I tried my best -to help Loren win the paddle race? I tell you -that you don’t stand the least show of winning -any thing; but stay if you want to.”</p> - -<p class='c019'>Ralph and Loren were well enough acquainted -with Tom to know that there was a volume of -meaning in his last words. If they braved his -anger they would be sure to suffer for it in the -end, and if Tom turned against them, where -could they look for friends and associates? -Prime and his followers would not have any -thing more to do with them; Joe Wayring, -unless he was as blind as a bat, had seen quite -<span class='pageno' id='Page_243'>243</span>enough to make him suspicious of them; and -when they came to look at it, they found that -they were in a very unenviable situation.</p> - -<p class='c019'>“I’d give almost any thing if I could live the -last half hour over again,” declared Loren, after -he had taken a few minutes in which to consider -the matter. “We’ve made Noble and -his crowd so mad that they’ll never look at us -again, Tom is just as good as expelled from the -club, and we may as well give up all hope of -being admitted to the Toxophilites. We’re at -outs with every body, and the only thing we can -do is to stand by one another.”</p> - -<p class='c019'>Ralph thought so, too. Without wasting any -more time in argument they put on their long -coats to cover up the uniforms they would -probably never wear again, shoved off their -canoes, and set out for home; and no one -except Frank Noble saw them go. The other -members of the club were too much interested -in their own affairs to pay any attention to the -movements of a boy who had gone deliberately -to work to mar their day’s enjoyment.</p> - -<p class='c019'>“Tom’s got two fellows to stand by him, but -I am left alone,” thought Noble, with no little -<span class='pageno' id='Page_244'>244</span>bitterness in his heart. “Prime and the rest -of them pretend to hate Wayring and his -crowd, and yet they are willing to stay and -help on the sports after I have been kicked out -of the lists. For two cents I’d hunt up Wayring -and tell him to look out for Scott and -Lord.”</p> - -<p class='c019'>But he didn’t do it. He knew that such a -proceeding would turn every body against him, -and he had made enemies enough already. -Without attracting attention he got into his -canoe and paddled down to his boat-house.</p> - -<p class='c019'>The unfortunate ending of the paddle race -had a most depressing effect upon the members -of the canoe club, some of whom declared that -their organization was on the eve of falling to -pieces. After that every thing “dragged”. -The whole programme was duly carried out, -but the contestants did not enter into the -sports with their usual spirit and energy. Scott -and Lord, who were “booked” for the sailing -and upset races, respectively, won nothing at all. -They could not win fairly, and the promptness -with which Tom and Frank had been ruled out -deterred them from attempting any tricks. -<span class='pageno' id='Page_245'>245</span>Arthur Hastings won the paddle race after a -hard struggle; Joe Wayring, being the first to -walk the greasy pole, carried off Miss Arden’s -silk flag; and Roy for once went home as empty -handed as he came, the sailing and upset races -being won by other boys. But Roy wasn’t -mad about it, as some of the unsuccessful ones -were. He had come there for a “good time”, -and he had it; and his failure to win a prize -did not spoil his day’s sport.</p> - -<p class='c019'>After the spectators had gone back to their -hotels and all the members of the club had set -out for home, the three chums sat down in the -boat-house to compare notes.</p> - -<p class='c019'>“I am glad it’s over,” said Roy, giving -expression to the thoughts that were passing -through the minds of his companions. “It -was the meanest meet I ever heard of. I -wouldn’t have had that affair at the stake-boat -happen for any thing. Those visitors from -New London will say that we are as bad as the -professional oarsmen who saw their boats, and -capsize themselves on purpose.”</p> - -<p class='c019'>“Well, you expected something of the kind, -didn’t you?” said Joe. “I did. When Bigden -<span class='pageno' id='Page_246'>246</span>told me that there were certain boys in the -club who had been ‘booked’ to win certain -races, I was sure that Prime had a finger in the -pie, and that the reason Tom told me about it -was because he had got mad at him or some -member of his party. The events of the day -have proved that I was right. In making up -the slate, Prime and his friends either forgot -or refused to give any of the races to Tom -and his cousins, and that was what caused the -trouble.”</p> - -<p class='c019'>“Well, it’s some satisfaction to know that -they will never have a chance to cause us any -more trouble,” said Arthur. “They will withdraw -from the club, of course.”</p> - -<p class='c019'>“I think there’s no doubt about that,” said -Joe. “I know that that is what I should do -if I were in their place. As Tom Bigden said: -‘What’s the use of belonging to a club if you -are not allowed to take part in the contests?’ -I am of the opinion that they will band -together and get up a club of their own. Now -let’s talk about something else. To-morrow -we start for Indian Lake.”</p> - -<p class='c019'>This was a much more agreeable topic of -<span class='pageno' id='Page_247'>247</span>conversation than the canoe meet, and they -talked about it until the lengthening shadows -admonished Arthur and Roy that it was time -for them to set out for their homes.</p> - -<p class='c019'>Indian Lake was a favorite place of resort -for the Mount Airy sportsmen, and for these -three boys in particular. They went there regularly -every summer. The country about the -village was not wild enough to suit them, and -besides the trout streams were so constantly -fished by the New London anglers, that they -were beginning to show signs of giving out. -Joe and his friends were so well acquainted -with the lake that they never thought of taking -a guide when they went there for recreation. -They went everywhere that a guide could take -them, and with no fear of being lost. They -were joint partners in a skiff, which they had -fitted up with special reference to these annual -trips—a strong, easy running craft, so light -that it could be carried over the portages without -any great outlay of strength, and so roomy -that the boys could sleep in it without being -crowded. It was provided with lockers fore -and aft, in which the owners carried their extra -<span class='pageno' id='Page_248'>248</span>clothing, provisions and camp equipage, an -awning to keep off the sun and a water-proof -tent which would keep them dry, no matter -how hard the rain came down. With this boat -a journey of a hundred miles—that was the distance -between Mount Airy and Indian Lake, -and there was a navigable water-course almost -all the way—was looked upon as a pleasure -trip. The boys would have been astonished if -they had known what was to be the result of -this particular visit to the lake.</p> - -<p class='c019'>That night there were three busy young fellows -in Mount Airy, who were packing up and -getting ready for an early start on the following -morning. If you could have seen their -things after they got them together, you might -have been surprised to see that there was not -a single fowling-piece among them. What -was the use of taking guns into the woods -during the “close” season—that is, while the -game was protected by law? But each boy -took with him a weapon which, in his hands, -was almost as deadly as a shot gun is in the -hands of an ordinary marksman—a long bow -with its accompanying quiver full of arrows. -<span class='pageno' id='Page_249'>249</span>The law permitted them to shoot loons—if they -could. At any rate it was sport to try, and to -see the lightning-like movements of the bird -as it went under water at the twang of the bow-string.</p> - -<p class='c019'>“There’s one thing about your outfit that -doesn’t look just right,” said Uncle Joe, pointing -to the heavy bait-rod which his nephew -placed in the corner beside his long bow. -“The idea of catching trout with a thing like -that, and worms for bait! Before you go into -the woods again I will see that you have a nice -light fly-rod.”</p> - -<p class='c019'>“But I can’t throw a fly,” said Joe.</p> - -<p class='c019'>“Well, you can learn, can’t you?”</p> - -<p class='c019'>Joe said he thought he could, and there the -matter rested for a whole year.</p> - -<p class='c019'>The next morning at four o’clock Joe Wayring -was sitting on the wharf in front of the -boat-house, watching Arthur Hastings, who was -coming up the lake in the skiff. When he -arrived Joe passed down to him two cases, one -containing his long bow and quiver, the other -his bait-rod and dip-net, a bundle of blankets, -a soldier’s knapsack with a change of clothing -<span class='pageno' id='Page_250'>250</span>in it, and the contents of a big market basket. -The basket itself was left on the wharf, because -it would have taken up too much valuable -space in the lockers. Mars, the Newfoundlander, -begged to go, too, and growled spitefully -at Arthur’s little cocker spaniel, which growled -defiantly back at him from his safe perch on -the stern locker. Jim (that was the spaniel’s -name), always went on these expeditions as -body-guard and sentinel. He seemed to have a -deep sense of the responsibility that rested -upon him, and the arrogant and overbearing -manner in which he conducted himself toward -strangers, proved that he considered himself to -be of some consequence in the world. He was -a featherweight and took up but little room; -while the Newfoundlander’s huge bulk would -have been sadly in their way. They might as -well have added another boy to the party.</p> - -<p class='c019'>Having stowed his supplies and equipments -away in the lockers, Joe picked up an oar and -assisted Arthur to pull the skiff up to Mr. -Sheldon’s boat-house, where they found Roy -waiting for them. He soon transferred himself -and his belongings from the wharf to the cock-pit, -<span class='pageno' id='Page_251'>251</span>and then the skiff went at a rapid rate -across the lake toward the river, the boys -chanting a boat song as they steadily plied the -oars. They paused a moment at the head of -the rapids, and as they gazed at them, Arthur -said—</p> - -<p class='c019'>“How do you suppose Matt Coyle ever succeeded -in getting that big heavy punt of his -down there? I wouldn’t make the passage in -her for all the money there is in Mount Airy.”</p> - -<p class='c019'>“It’s a wonder to me that he didn’t smash -her all to pieces,” said Joe. “She’s in Sherwin’s -Pond now, I suppose, and there she will -have to stay, for there is no way to get her out. -I wonder what Matt has done with my canoe?”</p> - -<p class='c019'>“Oh, he has snagged and sunk her before -this time,” replied Roy, consolingly. “I -wonder what he has done with the rod he stole -from me?”</p> - -<p class='c019'>“Some black bass has smashed it for him -most likely,” said Arthur. “At any rate you -will never handle it again.”</p> - -<p class='c019'>The boys had from the first given up all hope of -ever recovering their lost property. The deputy -sheriff and constable, stimulated to extra exertion -<span class='pageno' id='Page_252'>252</span>by the offer of a large reward by the -Mount Airy authorities, had scoured the woods -in every direction in search of the thief, but -their efforts had met with no success. They -found the site of Matt’s shanty, as we have said, -but the shanty itself had disappeared. So had -Matt and his family, and the officers could not -get upon their trail. Perhaps if we go back -to the day on which Matt stole Joe Wayring’s -canoe and follow his fortunes for a short time, -we shall see what the reason was.</p> - -<p class='c019'>When the squatter picked up Joe’s double -paddle and shoved away from the shore, after -taking possession of all the fishing rods and -bundles that he could lay his hand on, he told -himself that he had done something toward -paying off the Mount Airy people for the -shameful manner in which they had treated -him and his family.</p> - -<p class='c019'>“They wouldn’t let us stay up there to the -village an’ earn an honest livin’, like we wanted -to do,” said Matt, with a chuckle, “an’ now -I’ll show ’em how much they made by it. Them -things must be wuth a power of money,” he -went on, looking down at the elegant rods -<span class='pageno' id='Page_253'>253</span>which he had unjointed and laid on the bottom -of the canoe, “an’ I reckon mebbe we’ve got -grub enough to last us fur a day or two—good -grub, too, sich as don’t often come into our -house less’n we hooks it. This is a powerful -nice little boat, this canoe is, an’ now we’ll go -up to Injun Lake, an’ me an’ the boys will set -up fur independent guides. If they won’t -have us there, we’ll bust up the business.”</p> - -<p class='c019'>While communing thus with himself the -squatter did not neglect to ply his paddle vigorously, -nor to look over his shoulder now and -then to satisfy himself that his rascality had -not yet been discovered. But Joe and his companions -spent fully half an hour in roaming -about through the woods, looking for the bear -and shooting squirrels for their dinner, and -when they came out, Matt was nowhere in -sight. He had crossed the pond, and was urging -the canoe up a narrow winding creek -toward his habitation. With a caution which -had become a part of his nature, he had concealed -his place of abode so effectually that a -fleet of canoeists might have passed up the creek -without knowing that there was a shanty within -<span class='pageno' id='Page_254'>254</span>less than a stone’s throw of them. The only -visible sign that any body had ever been in the -creek was a disreputable looking punt, with a -stove and battered bow, which was drawn out -upon the bank. She had had a hard time of -it in getting through the rapids, and it was a -mystery how Matt had saved himself from a -capsize, and kept his miserable old craft afloat -until he could get her up the creek. She had -carried the squatter and all his worldly possessions -for many a long mile on Indian Lake and -its tributary streams, but her days of usefulness -were over now. Her trip down the rapids -was the last she ever made. She was in Sherwin’s -Pond and there she must stay.</p> - -<p class='c019'>“Hi, there!” yelled Matt, as he ran the bow -of the canvas canoe upon the bank.</p> - -<p class='c019'>An answering yelp came from the bushes, and -presently Matt’s wife and boys came hurrying -out. They would not have expressed the least -surprise if the squatter had come back with as -many turkeys or chickens as he could conveniently -carry, because they were accustomed -to such things; but to see him in possession of -a nice little canoe, five silver mounted fishing -<span class='pageno' id='Page_255'>255</span>rods and as many big bundles, excited their -astonishment.</p> - -<p class='c019'>“Where did you get ’em, old man, an’ what’s -into them there bundles?” was the woman’s -whispered inquiry.</p> - -<p class='c019'>“I got ’em up there in the pond clost to the -foot of the rapids,” answered Matt, gleefully. -“I’ll learn them rich fellers up to Mount Airy -to treat a gentleman right the next time they -see one. We’re jest as good as they be if we -are poor.”</p> - -<p class='c019'>“Course we be,” said Jake, Matt’s oldest -boy. “What’s them there things—fish poles? -I want one of ’em.”</p> - -<p class='c019'>“All right. You an’ Sam take your pick, -an’ we’ll sell the rest. If you see a feller that -is needin’ a pole, you can tell him that you -know where he can get one worth the -money.”</p> - -<p class='c019'>“About how much?” queried Jake.</p> - -<p class='c019'>“Wal,” said Matt, reflectively, “them poles -must have cost nigh onto five dollars; but -seein’ that they’re second hand we will have -to take a leetle less fur ’em—say two an’ a -half.”</p> - -<p class='c019'><span class='pageno' id='Page_256'>256</span>“An’ how much be them there things with -the cranks onto ’em wuth?” asked Sam.</p> - -<p class='c019'>“’Bout the same. You tell the feller, when -you find him, that he can have a pole an’ a -windlass fur five dollars.”</p> - -<p class='c019'>This showed how much the squatter knew -about some things. There wasn’t a rod in the -lot that cost less than twenty dollars, or a reel -that was worth less than thirteen. Matt would -have thought himself rich if he had known the -real value of the property he had in his possession.</p> - -<p class='c019'>“What’s into them there bundles?” demanded -the old woman.</p> - -<p class='c019'>“Grub,” answered Matt. “Good grub, too.”</p> - -<p class='c019'>In less time than it takes to tell it, the bundles -had been jerked out of the canoe and -torn open. Matt’s family was always hungry, -and his wife and boys fairly gloated over the -hard boiled eggs, bacon, sardines, sandwiches -and other nice things which the boys’ thoughtful -mothers had put up for their dinner.</p> - -<p class='c019'>“Rich folks has nice grub to eat, don’t -they?” said Jake, speaking as plainly as a -mouthful of bread and meat would permit.</p> - -<p class='c019'><span class='pageno' id='Page_257'>257</span>“Yes; an’ we’ll soon be in a fix to have -nice things, too,” said Matt, confidently. -“I’ve got a boat of my own now, an’ I’m goin’ -to Injun Lake an’ set myself up fur a -guide.”</p> - -<p class='c019'>“But, pap, they drove us away from there -once,” exclaimed Jake. “They was jest like -the Mount Airy folks—they didn’t want us -around.”</p> - -<p class='c019'>“Don’t I know it?” cried Matt, laying -down his sandwich long enough to shake both -his fists in the air. “But they won’t drive us -away again, I bet you, ’cause it’ll be wuss for -’em if they try it. I’ll kick up sich a rumpus -in them woods that every body will steer cl’ar -of ’em; then what’ll become of them big hotels -when they ain’t got no custom to support ’em? -I reckon we’d best be gettin’ away from here -this very night. I’m in a hurry to get to -guidin’ so’t I can make some money before the -season’s over, an’ besides I kinder want to get -outen the way of that there constable. He’ll -be along directly, lookin’ fur these things, an’ -I don’t care to see him.”</p> - -<p class='c019'>“What’ll we do with the house?” asked the -<span class='pageno' id='Page_258'>258</span>old woman. “We can’t tote it cl’ar to the -lake on our backs.”</p> - -<p class='c019'>“Course not. We’ll burn it an’ the punt, too. -They won’t never be of no more use, ’cause -’taint no ways likely that we shall ever come here -agin’, an’ we ain’t goin’ to leave ’em fur them -Mount Airy fellers to use when they come to the -pond huntin’ an’ fishin’.”</p> - -<p class='c019'>The squatter need not have borrowed trouble -on this score. There was not a hunter or a fisherman -in the village who could have been induced -to occupy his shanty or use his punt, for, like -their owners, they were things to be avoided. -But Matt and his family seemed to think that -they would be accommodating somebody if they -left them there, and the order to destroy them -by fire was carried out as soon as they had -eaten the last of the stolen provisions.</p> - -<p class='c019'>While his wife was engaged in removing the -bedding and cooking utensils, and tying them -in small bundles so that they could be easily -carried, and the boys were at work hauling -the punt out of the water and turning it up -against the house so that the two would burn -together, Matt busied himself in putting the -<span class='pageno' id='Page_259'>259</span>rods into their cases; after which he walked -around the canvas canoe and gave it a good -looking over. Tom Bigden had told him that -if he didn’t want to carry the canoe on his -back, he could take it to pieces and carry it in -his hand as he would a gripsack; but the -trouble was, Matt did not know how to go to -work to take it apart. Every thing fitted -snugly, and he could not find any place to begin. -The only parts of it that he could move were -the bottom boards; and when he had taken -them out, the frame-work of the canoe was as -solid as ever. He spent a quarter of a hour in -unavailing efforts to start something, and then -giving it up as a task beyond his powers, he -decided that the only thing he could do was to -carry it as he would carry any other canoe. A -less experienced man would have shrunk from -the undertaking. It was fully twenty miles to -the river which connected the two lakes, and -the course lay through a dense forest where -there was not even the semblance of a path. -But there was no other way to get the canoe to -Indian Lake.</p> - -<p class='c019'>Meanwhile, Matt’s wife and boys had worked -<span class='pageno' id='Page_260'>260</span>to such good purpose that every thing was -ready for the start. Each one had a bundle to -carry, and the boys had set fire to a quantity of -light wood which they had piled in the middle -of the shanty. They lingered long enough to -see the fire fairly started, and then turned -their faces hopefully toward Indian Lake, the -old woman leading the way, and Matt bringing -up the rear with the canvas canoe on his back.</p> - -<div class='chapter'> - <span class='pageno' id='Page_261'>261</span> - <h2 class='c011'>CHAPTER XIII. <br /> <br /><span class='small'>SNAGGED AND SUNK.</span></h2> -</div> - -<p class='drop-capa0_3_0_5 c018'>HAVING plenty of time at their disposal, -Joe Wayring and his friends were in no -particular hurry to reach Indian Lake. After -they entered the river they kept the skiff moving -rapidly, but at the same time they did not -neglect to keep their eyes open for “rovers”—that -is, any objects, animate or inanimate, -that would give them an opportunity to try -their skill with their long bows. If a thieving -crow, a murderous blue jay, or a piratical kingfisher -showed himself within range, the sharp -hiss of an arrow admonished him that there -were enemies close at hand. Kingfishers were -objects of especial dislike. The boys were fish -culturists in a small way, and had stocked a -pond on Mr. Sheldon’s grounds. On the very -day that the “fry” were put into it, the kingfishers -<span class='pageno' id='Page_262'>262</span>and minks made their appearance, and -then began a contest which had been kept up -ever since. By the aid of traps and breech-loaders -the boys waged an incessant warfare -upon the interlopers, and finally succeeded in -thinning them out so that the trout were -allowed to rest in comparative peace.</p> - -<p class='c019'>The boys did not stop at noon, but ate their -lunch as they floated along with the current. -The monotony of the afternoon’s run was -broken by an hour’s chase after an eagle, which -they did not succeed in shooting, although one -of Roy’s arrows ruffled the feathers on his back, -and by a long search for an otter which swam -across the river in advance of them. About -four o’clock in the afternoon they reached a -favorite camping, or rather, anchoring ground, -a deep pool noted for its fine yellow perch, -and there they decided to stop for the night. -The anchor was dropped overboard just above -the pool, and when the skiff swung to the current, -the bait-rods they had purchased to -replace those that Matt Coyle had stolen from -them, were taken out of the lockers, floats -were rigged, a box of worms which they had -<span class='pageno' id='Page_263'>263</span>been thoughtful enough to bring with them -was opened, and the sport commenced.</p> - -<p class='c019'>The fish in that pool were always hungry, and -the floats disappeared as fast as they were -dropped into the water. A few “fingerlings” -were put back to be caught again after they -had had time to grow larger, but the most of -those they captured were fine fellows, and -heavy enough to make a stubborn resistance. -In less than half an hour they had taken all -they wanted for supper, and then the anchor -was pulled up and the skiff drawn alongside the -bank. Roy and Joe went ashore to clean the -fish, and Arthur staid in the boat to put up -the tent. This done, he brought out a pocket -cooking stove which he placed on the forward -locker, and by the time the fish were ready, -he had an omelet browning in the frying pan. -That, together with an ample supply of fried -perch, bread and butter and a cup of weak tea, -made up a supper to which they did full justice.</p> - -<p class='c019'>There were still a few hours of daylight left, -and as soon as the dishes had been washed and -packed away in the locker, the boys took their -<span class='pageno' id='Page_264'>264</span>bows and went ashore to stretch their legs and -shoot at “rovers”. Arthur succeeded in -bringing down a kingfisher after half an -hour’s hard stalking, and his companions shot -a squirrel apiece for breakfast. Just at dusk -they met at the boat, which was hauled out into -the stream and anchored. The jack-lamp was -lighted and hung upon one of the poles that -supported the tent, the rubber mattress was -inflated, and the three friends lounged around -and talked until they began to grow sleepy. -Then the blankets and pillows were brought to -light, one side of the tent was buttoned down -to the gunwale, the other being left up to -admit the air, and the boys laid down to sleep, -trusting to Jim to give them notice of the -approach of danger. He gave them notice -before three hours had passed away.</p> - -<p class='c019'>About midnight the spaniel, which for half -an hour or more had been very restless, suddenly -jumped to his feet and set up a frightful -yelping. If some one had been pounding -him he could not have been in greater distress. -The boys started up in alarm to find the sky -overcast with black clouds, the wind coming -<span class='pageno' id='Page_265'>265</span>down the river in strong and fitful gusts and -the anchor dragging. There was a storm coming -up, it promised to be a severe one, too, but -it did not find the young voyagers unprepared -to meet it. The forward end of the tent was -promptly rolled up, a spare anchor dropped -into the water, and the skiff was again brought -to a stand-still. By that time the rain was -falling in sheets, but the boys paid no sort of -attention to it. They buttoned the tent down -all around and went to sleep again, fully satisfied -with the precautions they had taken. Jim -was satisfied too, although he thought it necessary -to slumber lightly. Whenever a strong -gust of wind came roaring down the river, he -would turn his head on one side and look critically -at the anchor ropes, which led through -ring-bolts in the bow, and were made fast to -cleats on the forward locker; and having made -sure that the ground tackle was doing its full -duty, he would go to sleep again.</p> - -<p class='c019'>The night passed without further incident, -the morning dawned clear and bright, and -after a breakfast of fried perch and broiled -squirrel, the boys resumed their journey toward -<span class='pageno' id='Page_266'>266</span>Indian Lake. On the evening of the fifth day -after leaving Mount Airy, they found themselves -within a short distance of their destination; -but instead of going on to the lake they -turned into a creek which connected the river -with a lonely pond that lay deep in the forest. -They did not intend to go to Indian Lake until -they stood in need of supplies. There were -big hotels and a crowd of guests there, and -they saw enough of them at home. To quote -from Joe Wayring, their object was to get -away from every body and be lazy.</p> - -<p class='c019'>The sun went down long before they turned -into the creek, and night was coming on; but -they pushed ahead in order to reach a favorite -anchorage in the mouth of a little brook, whose -waters could be relied on to furnish them with -a breakfast of trout. They laid out all their -strength on the oars and the skiff flew swiftly -and noiselessly up the stream, its movements -being governed by Arthur Hastings, who -looked over his shoulder now and then to take -his bearings. After they had been speeding -along for half an hour, he began keeping a -sharp lookout for the brook; and once when -<span class='pageno' id='Page_267'>267</span>he turned around he thought he saw a moving -object in the creek a short distance away. He -looked again, and a thrill of exultation and -excitement ran all through him.</p> - -<p class='c019'>“Joe,” said he, in a scarcely audible -whisper, “there’s your canvas canoe, as sure as -I’m a foot high.”</p> - -<p class='c019'>“Where?” exclaimed Joe and Roy, turning -quickly about on their seats.</p> - -<p class='c019'>In reply Arthur pointed silently up the -creek. His companions looked, and then they -too became excited. There was a canoe in -advance of them sure enough, and dark as it -was, they instantly recognized it as the one -Matt Coyle had stolen from Joe Wayring.</p> - -<p class='c019'>There was somebody in it, and he was plying -his double paddle as if he were in a great hurry. -He did not appear to know that there was any -one besides himself in the creek, for he never -once looked behind him.</p> - -<p class='c019'>“It isn’t big enough for Matt, and so it must -be one of his boys,” whispered Roy.</p> - -<p class='c019'>“Boy or man, he shall not go much further -with that canoe.” said Joe in a resolute tone. -<span class='pageno' id='Page_268'>268</span>“That’s my boat and I’m going to have it, if -you fellows will stand by me.”</p> - -<p class='c019'>“Now Joe!” exclaimed Roy, reproachfully.</p> - -<p class='c019'>“I didn’t mean that. Of course I know -that you can be depended on,” said Joe, hastily. -“Let’s take after him. If we find that -we can’t take the canoe away from him, we’ll -sink her. Matt Coyle shan’t have her any -longer.”</p> - -<p class='c019'>The three oars fell into the water simultaneously, -and the skiff shot silently up the creek -in pursuit of the canoe, whose occupant was -making his double paddle whirl through the air -like the shafts of a windmill. An oar rattled -behind him and aroused him from his reverie. -He faced about to see the skiff close upon him. -The night had grown so dark that he could not -tell who the crew were, but he knew that they -would not come at him in that fashion unless -they had some object in view. Matt and his boys -always had the fear of the law before their eyes, -and Jake, believing that a constable or deputy -sheriff was in pursuit of him, turned about and -churned the water into foam in his desperate -attempt to outrun the skiff. He succeeded in -<span class='pageno' id='Page_269'>269</span>getting a good deal of speed out of his clumsy -craft, but fast as he went the pursuers gained -at every stroke.</p> - -<p class='c019'>“Hold on with that boat!” shouted Arthur. -“We’ve got you and you might as well give -in.”</p> - -<p class='c019'>But Jake wasn’t that sort. He redoubled -his exertions with the paddle, but all of a sudden -his progress was stopped so quickly that -Jake left his seat and pitched headlong into -the bow of the canoe. Speaking in western -parlance he had “picked up a snag” whose -sharp, gnarled end penetrated the canvas covering -of the canoe, tearing a hole in it that was -as big as Jake’s head. It did not hang there -but floated off with the current, and began filling -rapidly. In a few seconds she was out of -sight, and Jake was making all haste to reach -the shore. A moment later the skiff dashed -up, and Roy Sheldon struck a vicious blow at -the swimmer with his oar; but he was just out -of reach. A few long strokes brought him to -shallow water, two jumps took him to dry land, -and in an instant more he was out of sight in -the bushes.</p> - -<p class='c019'><span class='pageno' id='Page_270'>270</span>“What tumbled him out so suddenly?” -exclaimed Joe.</p> - -<p class='c019'>“Look out, boys! There’s a snag right under -us,” said Roy.</p> - -<p class='c019'>“Where in the world is the boat?” inquired -Arthur.</p> - -<p class='c019'>“There she is,” answered Joe, pointing to a -swirl in the water which marked the spot where -the canvas canoe was quietly settling down on -the bottom of the creek.</p> - -<p class='c019'>“Sunk!” cried Roy. “So she is. She must -have a cargo of some sort aboard, or she would -not have gone down like that. Now, what’s to -be done?”</p> - -<p class='c019'>“We can’t do any thing to-night,” replied -Joe. “I propose that we anchor here and wait -until morning comes to show us how she lies. -If the water isn’t over thirty feet deep we can -raise her.”</p> - -<p class='c019'>The others agreeing to this proposition, the -ground tackle was got overboard, and Roy, who -handled the rope, encouraged Joe by assuring -him that the water was not an inch over twelve -feet deep.</p> - -<p class='c019'>“If that is the case,” said the latter, hopefully, -<span class='pageno' id='Page_271'>271</span>“I shall soon have my boat back again. -It will be no trouble at all to take a line down -twelve feet. I’d give something to know what -she is loaded with.”</p> - -<p class='c019'>“Contraband goods, I’ll be bound,” said -Arthur. “The fruits of a raid on somebody’s -smoke-house or hen-roost. I am sorry to know -that Matt Coyle is in the neighborhood, for we -don’t know at what moment he may jump down -on us and steal something.”</p> - -<p class='c019'>“We mustn’t let him catch us off our guard,” -said Roy. “It won’t be safe to leave the skiff -alone for a minute.”</p> - -<p class='c019'>The boys’ hands were as busy as their -tongues, and in a short time the tent was up, a -light from the jack-lamp was streaming out -over the water, and the appetizing odor of fried -bacon filled the air. The knowledge that the -thieving squatter was no great distance away, -and that he might make his appearance at any -moment, did not cause them to eat lighter suppers -than usual, nor did it interfere with their -customary sound and refreshing sleep. They -felt safe from attack. They did not believe -that Matt Coyle had a boat (they knew very -<span class='pageno' id='Page_272'>272</span>well that he could not have brought the punt -with him), and consequently there was no way -for him to reach them unless he resorted to -swimming; and they did not think he would -be foolish enough to try that.</p> - -<p class='c019'>The boys slept soundly that night, but the -next morning’s sun found them astir. Arthur -made a cup of coffee over the pocket cooking -stove, after which the tent was taken down, and -Joe Wayring made ready for business by -divesting himself of his clothing.</p> - -<p class='c019'>The first thing was to find out just where the -canoe lay, and that did not take them as long -as they thought it would. The water was as -clear as crystal, and every thing on the bottom -could be plainly seen by Joe and Roy, who -leaned as far as they could over opposite sides -of the skiff, while Arthur rowed them back and -forth in the vicinity of the snag.</p> - -<p class='c019'>“There she is!” cried Roy, suddenly; and -as he spoke he caught up the anchor and dropped -it overboard. “We’re right over her, and -there isn’t a snag or any other obstruction in -the way.”</p> - -<p class='c019'>Joe Wayring stepped upon the forward -<span class='pageno' id='Page_273'>273</span>locker, holding in his hand one end of a rope -which he had coiled down on the bottom of the -skiff so that it would run out easily, and as -soon as the boat stopped swinging he dived out -of sight. When the commotion in the water -occasioned by his descent had ceased, his companions -could observe every move he made as -he scrambled about over the sunken canoe, and -presently they saw him coming up.</p> - -<p class='c019'>“Haul away,” said Joe, as he shook the -water from his face and climbed back into the -skiff.</p> - -<p class='c019'>“What’s it fast to?” asked Roy.</p> - -<p class='c019'>“A bag of potatoes.”</p> - -<p class='c019'>“What did I tell you?” exclaimed Arthur -Hastings. “I knew that fellow had been on a -plundering expedition.”</p> - -<p class='c019'>“But you thought he had been robbing -somebody’s hen-roost or smoke-house,” Roy -reminded him.</p> - -<p class='c019'>“And so he has,” said Joe. “There’s a -whole side of bacon down there.”</p> - -<p class='c019'>The boys pulled gently on the line, and -presently the bag of potatoes came to the surface. -It was seized and hauled into the skiff, -<span class='pageno' id='Page_274'>274</span>the line was unfastened and passed over to Joe, -who was about to go down again, when his -movements were arrested by the snapping of -twigs and the sound of voices which came from -the depths of the woods. They were angry -voices, too, and rendered somewhat indistinct -by distance and intervening bushes, but the -boys recognized them at once.</p> - -<p class='c019'>“There comes Matt Coyle, his wife and both -their boys,” said Joe. “Now we shall hear -something.”</p> - -<p class='c019'>“I wonder what they think they are going to -do,” said Roy. “Just listen to the noise they -make in crashing through the brush. One -would think there were a lot of wild cattle in -there.”</p> - -<p class='c019'>Joe Wayring did not await their appearance, -but went down to reeve the line through a -ring-bolt in the stern-post of the sunken canoe, -and to bring up her painter and the side of -bacon. When he arose to the surface Matt -Coyle and his family were striding up and -down the bank, shaking their fists and swearing -lustily.</p> - -<p class='c019'>“That there is my hog-meat, too,” roared -<span class='pageno' id='Page_275'>275</span>the squatter, as Joe tossed the bacon into the -skiff. “I want it an’ I’m goin’ to have it, I -tell you.”</p> - -<p class='c019'>“We don’t know that these provisions -rightfully belong to you,” said Roy. “We -have an idea that you stole them last night -or, rather,—”</p> - -<p class='c019'>“No, I didn’t steel ’em nuther,” shouted -Matt.</p> - -<p class='c019'>“Or, rather, that one of your boys did,” -continued Roy, while Joe hung on to the side -of the skiff and looked over it at the angry -party on the shore. “I am sure we don’t -want them.”</p> - -<p class='c019'>“Then bring ’em ashore like we told you,” -screamed the old woman. “You’re thieves -yourselves if you keep ’em.”</p> - -<p class='c019'>“Do you see any thing green about us?” -demanded Arthur. “I’ll tell you what we -will do: If you will stay there on the bank in -plain sight until we get our boat raised, we -will go up the creek and leave the potatoes and -bacon opposite the mouth of the trout brook, so -that you can get them after we have gone away. -What are you going to do with those sticks?” -<span class='pageno' id='Page_276'>276</span>he added, addressing himself to the two boys -who just then came out of the bushes with a -heavy club in each hand.</p> - -<p class='c019'>“We’re goin’ to knock you out o’ that -boat if you don’t fetch that there grub of our’n -ashore without no more foolin’,” answered -Jake, in threatening tones. “It’s our’n an’ -we’re goin’ to have it back.”</p> - -<p class='c019'>“That’s the idee, Jakey,” exclaimed the -old woman, approvingly. “Knock the young -’ristocrats out o’ their boat. I reckon that’ll -bring ’em to time.”</p> - -<p class='c019'>“If you try that, I’ll lay some of you out -flatter than so many pancakes,” returned Roy, -defiantly; and as he spoke he tore open the -bag containing the potatoes. Catching up one -in each hand, his example being promptly -followed by Arthur Hastings, he arose to his -feet just in time to dodge one of Jake’s clubs, -which came whirling through the air straight -for his head. Before the missile had struck -the water on the other side of the skiff, Roy -launched one of his potatoes at the aggressor. -Like most left-handed fellows Roy could throw -like lightning; and the potato, flying true to -<span class='pageno' id='Page_277'>277</span>its aim and with terrific force, struck Jake -fairly in the pit of the stomach, and doubled -him up like a jack-knife.</p> - -<p class='c019'>“That’s the idee, Jakey,” yelled Joe Wayring, -who was delighted with the accuracy of -his chum’s shot. “Knock them young ’ristocrats -out o’ their boat. I reckon that’ll bring -’em to time. Throw another, Jakey.”</p> - -<p class='c019'>But Jake was in no condition to throw -another. It was a long time before he could get -his breath; and when he did get it, the howls -with which he awoke the echoes of the surrounding -woods were wonderful to hear. The squatter’s -family, believing that Jake had been mortally -wounded, gathered about him with expressions -of sympathy, and Joe Wayring took advantage -of the confusion to climb into the skiff -and put on his clothes. If there was -going to be a fight he wanted to take a hand in -it.</p> - -<p class='c019'>“Whoop!” shrieked the old woman, rolling -up her sleeves and shaking a pair of huge, tan-colored -fists at the object of her wrath. “If I -was a man I’d swim off to that there boat an’ -maul the last one of you. Matt, why don’t -<span class='pageno' id='Page_278'>278</span>you do it? Seems like you was afeard of them -fellers.”</p> - -<p class='c019'>“Yes, Matt, why don’t you do it?” said -Arthur, encouragingly.</p> - -<p class='c019'>“Yes, Matt, show a little pluck,” chimed in -Roy. “Come on. Swim off to us; and if I -don’t sink you before you have got ten feet -from the shore, I’m a Dutchman.”</p> - -<p class='c019'>“I don’t think we have any thing more to -fear from them,” said Joe, in a low tone. -“It’s a lucky thing for us that Roy thought of -using those potatoes. If we had nothing to -defend ourselves with they could drive us -away from here very easily. Now let’s raise -the canoe, and go up to the brook and catch -our breakfast. I’m getting hungry.”</p> - -<p class='c019'>It was scarcely two minutes’ work to bring -the wreck to the surface. It readily yielded to -the strain that Joe and Arthur brought to bear -upon the lines, and as soon as they could get -hold of it, they drew it into the skiff stern -foremost, thus compelling the water with which -it was filled to run out at the hole in the bow. -After that it was turned bottom upward over -the stern locker and lashed fast. Of course -<span class='pageno' id='Page_279'>279</span>Matt Coyle and his family had not been silent -all this while. They had kept up a constant -storm of threats and abuse, and the squatter -fairly danced with rage when he saw the boat, -with which he had expected to accomplish so -much in the way of “independent guidin’” was -lost to him forever. But they did not attempt -any more violence, for Roy stood guard over his -companions with a potato in each hand, and -ready to open fire on them at any moment.</p> - -<p class='c019'>“Now, then!” exclaimed Joe, as he pulled -up the anchor while the other boys shipped -their oars, “do you want these provisions, or -don’t you?”</p> - -<p class='c019'>“Course I want ’em,” growled Matt, in -reply. “They’re mine, an’ we ain’t got no -grub to eat.”</p> - -<p class='c019'>“All right. I don’t suppose that you have -the shadow of a right to them, but we will give -them up to you if you will do as we say.”</p> - -<p class='c019'>“Wal, I won’t do as you say, nuther,” -declared Matt. “I ain’t goin’ to let myself be -bossed around by no ’ristocrats, I bet you.”</p> - -<p class='c019'>“Then you shan’t have the potatoes,” said -Joe, decidedly. “Give way, boys.”</p> - -<p class='c019'><span class='pageno' id='Page_280'>280</span>“Say! Hold on, there,” exclaimed Matt, -whose larder was empty and had been for some -time. “What do you want me to do?”</p> - -<p class='c019'>“We want you to stay right there on the -bank until we can go up and land your provisions -on the point opposite the mouth of the -brook,” replied Joe. “You must keep out in -plain sight, mind you, for if you go back into -the woods we shall think you are up to something, -and then you can whistle for your -grub.”</p> - -<p class='c019'>As Joe said this he shipped an oar, and the -skiff moved up the creek toward the point. -The boys kept a close watch over Matt Coyle, -but he never left the bank. He was biding his -time, so he told his wife and boys. Joe and -his friends had the advantage of him now, but -there might come a day when he could catch -them off their guard, and then they had better -look out. If he couldn’t take vengeance on them -this summer, he would do it next summer. -He would follow them wherever they went; -and if he couldn’t get a chance to steal -every thing they had, he would make the -country about Indian Lake so warm for them -<span class='pageno' id='Page_281'>281</span>that they would be glad to go somewhere else -to spend their vacations.</p> - -<p class='c019'>As Matt remained on the bank in plain sight -and did not attempt to approach them under -cover of the bushes, the boys landed the provisions, -according to promise—that is, they put -some of them on the point; but Roy was sharp -enough to keep out about half a peck of the -potatoes to be used in case of emergency. This -being done, they pulled across the creek into -the mouth of the brook to catch a mess of -trout, which they decided to cook over a fire on -the bank. The breeze was so strong that the -lamp in their little stove would not burn in the -open air, and they knew that if they put up -their tent, Matt and his boys would have the -advantage if they opened a fire of clubs upon -them when they came after their potatoes and -bacon.</p> - -<p class='c019'>It was well that they took these precautions, -for when the squatter appeared on -the opposite bank he was fierce for a fight. He -and his backers were all armed with clubs, one -of which was sent sailing through the air -toward the skiff. Jim was sitting on one of -<span class='pageno' id='Page_282'>282</span>the lockers, impatiently waiting to be called to -breakfast, and the club, after glancing from the -side of the boat, struck him in the ribs and -tumbled him off into the creek.</p> - -<div class='chapter'> - <span class='pageno' id='Page_283'>283</span> - <h2 class='c011'>CHAPTER XIV. <br /> <br /><span class='small'>THE HISTORIAN CONCLUDES HIS NARRATIVE.</span></h2> -</div> - -<p class='drop-capa0_3_0_5 c018'>“WHOOP-EE!” yelled Matt Coyle, dancing -about on the bank in high glee. -“That was a good shot. Lookout! Here comes -another that’s goin’ to send some of you to -keep company with the purp. I reckon we’ve -got you whar we want you this time, cause -the taters is all on our side the creek.”</p> - -<p class='c019'>As the squatter spoke a second club left his -hand, being thrown with so much force and -accuracy that if the boys had not been on the -alert, some and perhaps all of them would have -been knocked overboard, for the missile was -almost as long as the cock-pit, and as it came -through the air with a rotary motion, it covered -space enough to hit all their heads at -once. This was the signal for a perfect shower -of clubs. Every one of the family had two or -more, which were thrown as rapidly as they -<span class='pageno' id='Page_284'>284</span>could be changed from one hand to the other, and -Joe and his chums were kept so busy dodging -them, that they could not find opportunity to -return the fire. But when the squatter and -his allies had thrown all their clubs without -effect, and thus disarmed themselves, the boys -sprang to their feet and opened their battery. -The first potato Roy threw took Jake square -in the mouth, bringing forth another series -of doleful yells from that unlucky young -ruffian, and the second put the old woman’s -right arm in a sling for a week. At the same -moment Arthur wiped out the insult that had -been put upon Jim by taking Matt a whack -under the eye that raised a lump as large as a -hen’s egg.</p> - -<p class='c019'>“Whoop-ee!” shouted Joe Wayring, as a -potato from his own hand struck Sam’s tattered -cap from his head. “That was a bully shot. -Look out! Here comes another. We ain’t -got no taters on this side of the creek, I -reckon.”</p> - -<p class='c019'>The fusillade that followed was a hot one, and -the squatter and his family, finding that they -could not stand against it, beat a hasty retreat -<span class='pageno' id='Page_285'>285</span>into the bushes. Then Arthur turned to assist -Jim, who had been making desperate but -unavailing efforts to climb into the skiff. He -wasn’t hurt at all, but he was very mad.</p> - -<p class='c019'>The plucky boys were not called upon to -defend themselves. Matt Coyle made an -attempt to secure the provisions, but went back -with an aching head and a bloody nose, and -the three chums saw no more of him that summer. -But they heard him. From his place of -concealment in the bushes the squatter and his -wife abused them roundly, and shouted at them -threats that were enough to frighten almost -any body.</p> - -<p class='c019'>The boys caught a fine string of trout, cooked -and ate breakfast in peace, and then kept on -up the creek toward the pond. As soon as -they were out of range, Matt and his family -came from their hiding-places after the potatoes -and bacon; but they made no demonstration -beyond showing the boys their fists and swearing -at them.</p> - -<p class='c019'>After that things went smoothly with Joe -and his companions. They thoroughly enjoyed -their outing, and when it was ended they went -<span class='pageno' id='Page_286'>286</span>home with a new lease of life, and with brains -invigorated to such degrees that they were -ready to grapple with any thing that might -come before them during the school term, which -was to begin on the following Monday.</p> - -<p class='c019'>During the year affairs in Mount Airy moved -along in much the same way that they do in -every little village which can boast of a popular -high school and rival organizations of -almost every kind. After the canoe meet, the -line was sharply drawn between the two -opposing factions. They did not come to -open warfare, but they were intensely hostile, -and a very little thing would have precipitated -a fight between Joe Wayring and his friends -on one side, and Noble, Scott, Prime and Tom -Bigden and his cousins on the other; for the -latter did not long remain at swords’ points -with the boys who made their head-quarters at -the drug-store. They had a stormy time when -they first came together, and Tom announced his -readiness to thrash all the boys who had interfered -with Loren during the paddle race, provided -they would come one at a time; but Prime -and a few others exerted themselves to bring -<span class='pageno' id='Page_287'>287</span>order out of the confusion, and through their -efforts Tom was elected president of the new -canoe club which was organized at once. But -that did not satisfy him. If he could have had -his own way in the matter, he would have preferred -to be a respected member of the other -club without any office at all. Besides, Prime -and his friends could not forget that Tom, a -new-comer, had deliberately “booked” himself -and his cousins for all the best races, in -utter disregard of the rights of those who -ought to have been allowed to win. They -never quite forgave him for that, and there was -not that harmony in the new club that there -ought to have been in order to insure its prosperity. -Tom was also elected short-stop in -Prime’s ball-club, and in the first match game -that was played, had the gratification of putting -out Joe Wayring and Arthur Hastings -every time they went to the bat. That did -Tom more good than any thing he had accomplished -since he came to Mount Airy, although -he did feel rather mean when Joe and Arthur -complimented him on his swift and accurate -throwing.</p> - -<p class='c019'><span class='pageno' id='Page_288'>288</span>At the next meeting of the Toxophilites -many vacancies were made by the resignation -of boys who knew that they stood a fine chance -of being expelled for what they had done at -the canoe meet, and by the voluntary withdrawal -of a number of others, who preferred -Prime’s company and Noble’s to the companionship -of fellows who were willing to be ruled -by a lot of girls.</p> - -<p class='c019'>In the new club, of which Loren Farnsworth -was chosen secretary, there were no -restrictions laid upon cribbage, cigars and -billiards, and so very good-natured was -the master bowman, that he did not even object -to pipes when his men were drilling in the -ranks. But he insisted on prompt and regular -attendance at all the meetings, because he -wanted his company to march in the procession -on the next 4th of July.</p> - -<p class='c019'>“Say, captain,” exclaimed Tom Bigden one -night after the long, fatiguing drill was over. -“We had forty men in line to-night, and I -think we went through the school of the company -in a very creditable way, if some of us -are green. Couldn’t we get up a street parade -<span class='pageno' id='Page_289'>289</span>just to show the Toxophilites that some folks -can do things as well as others?”</p> - -<p class='c019'>The captain was Frank Noble, and a very -good drill-master he had proved himself to be; -although he was hardly strict enough to suit a -veteran, seeing that he permitted his men to -smoke in the ranks.</p> - -<p class='c019'>“I have been thinking about that,” replied -the captain, as the young archers gathered -about him after putting their long bows away -in the lockers. “But I think it would be better -to wait awhile. It will not be long before -the lake will be frozen over, and then we will -give an exhibition drill on the ice. What’s the -matter with that?”</p> - -<p class='c019'>“Nothing,” shouted all the boys. “It’s the -very thing.”</p> - -<p class='c019'>“Well, then, in order to accustom ourselves -to the movements and evolutions, let every fellow -bring his rollers next Thursday night, and -we will see what we can do with them.”</p> - -<p class='c019'>The boys thought it the best thing they had -ever heard of, but Scott had a suggestion to -make.</p> - -<p class='c019'>“Why can’t we rent the rink for a few -<span class='pageno' id='Page_290'>290</span>nights?” said he. “This armory is hardly -large enough, and besides, the floor isn’t as -smooth as it might be.”</p> - -<p class='c019'>“We could engage the rink, of course,” -replied the captain. “But if we do, the Toxophilites -will find out what is going on, and -we don’t want them to know any thing about -it.”</p> - -<p class='c019'>“Why, as to that, they are bound to know -about it,” said Tom. “We can’t keep it from -them. You know what a fearful noise rollers -make, don’t you?”</p> - -<p class='c019'>“Well, we can’t help that,” answered -Frank. “If we do our drilling here, they -can’t look through the windows and see what -we are about, as they could if we drilled at the -rink. Now, if you want to go into this, you -must be on hand every night. I will promise -to get you in fine trim by the time the ice is in -condition, if you will only attend to business.”</p> - -<p class='c019'>“I wonder if we couldn’t get up a competitive -drill with the Toxophilites?” said -Loren.</p> - -<p class='c019'>“Not much,” replied Prime, with a laugh. -<span class='pageno' id='Page_291'>291</span>“There are too many raw recruits among -us.”</p> - -<p class='c019'>“We’ll wait and give them a pull for something -at the next canoe meet,” said Tom.</p> - -<p class='c019'>“You don’t expect to enter for any of the -prizes next summer, do you?”</p> - -<p class='c019'>“Of course I do,” replied Tom, “and so do -my cousins. We have sent to New London -for a rowing machine, and intend to keep up -our practice all winter.”</p> - -<p class='c019'>“You might as well make kindling wood of -that rowing machine when it comes to hand, -for it will not do you any good as far as -winning a prize from Joe Wayring is concerned,” -said Scott. “You can’t race with -him.”</p> - -<p class='c019'>“I’ll see how that is,” answered Tom, who -was thinking about one thing while Scott was -thinking about another. “I was under the -impression that when our new club was organized, -it was the sentiment of the members that -we were to challenge their best men for every -thing. Before we can do that, it will be necessary -to have a series of trial races among ourselves -in order to determine who stand the best -<span class='pageno' id='Page_292'>292</span>chance of winning, and I calculate to be one of -the select few.”</p> - -<p class='c019'>“I believe some of the fellows did speak -about that, but it was all talk,” said Captain -Noble. “You see, Tom, you and I have been -ruled out of every thing by the referee’s decision -on the day of the meet, and you don’t suppose -that our friends here are going to take -part in sports that we can’t have a hand in, do -you? Haven’t we promised to stand by one -another?”</p> - -<p class='c019'>“Oh,” said Tom, “I didn’t know what -Scott meant, but I understand the matter now. -The others won’t compete because you and I -can’t. I am glad to hear it.”</p> - -<p class='c019'>“Of course we are not barred out of any -thing except the sports that take place during -the canoe meet,” added Prime. “We can -play ball or lawn tennis or polo with them. -We can send a team to beat them at target -shooting, and we can enter our sail-boats for -prizes in the regatta; but I, for one, don’t care -to. I’ve had quite enough of that crowd, and -think we can see all the fun we want among -ourselves.”</p> - -<p class='c019'><span class='pageno' id='Page_293'>293</span>“I think so, too,” said Tom. “I don’t care -for their old canoe club, but I should really -like to see the Toxophilites go to pieces. I’d -see Joe Wayring happy before he should come -into this club with my vote.”</p> - -<p class='c019'>If Tom Bigden could have stepped across the -street and up the stairs that led to the neatly -furnished armory and drill-room in which -the Toxophilites were at that moment sitting -down to an oyster supper that some of the new -members had provided for them, he would, perhaps, -have been very much disappointed to discover -that the organization he hated so cordially -because he could not get into it, was not only -in no danger of falling to pieces, but that it -was stronger than it had ever been before. The -vacancies occasioned by the resignation of -Frank Noble and his friends, had been -promptly filled by good fellows, who had -waited long and patiently for an opportunity -to send in their names. More than that (and -this was something that made Tom and his -cousins very angry when they found it out), the -constitution had been amended so that the -membership could be increased to a hundred. -<span class='pageno' id='Page_294'>294</span>The Toxophilites were determined that the -Mount Airy Scouts (that was the name of the -new club), should not beat them if they could -help it; but still they did not take in every -one who applied for admission, as the Scouts -did.</p> - -<p class='c019'>During the winter Tom Bigden and his -cousins, who grew more vindictive and unreasonable -in their hatred as time progressed, -waged a secret but incessant warfare upon Joe -Wayring and his two chums. They coaxed -Mars from the post-office to the drug-store, and -sent him home with a tin can tied to his tail. -They practiced with their long bows at Roy -Sheldon’s fan-tail and tumbler pigeons as often -as the birds ventured over to their side of the -lake. They went across on their skates one -night, and overturned the <i>Young Republic</i>, -which Joe had hauled out on the beach and -housed for the winter; and they even thought -seriously of setting fire to his boat-house, believing -that the blame would be laid upon Matt -Coyle, who was known to be trapping somewhere -in the mountains. Joe knew who it was -that insulted Mars and shot at the pigeons and -<span class='pageno' id='Page_295'>295</span>disturbed his sail-boat; but when he saw by -the marks on the door of the boat-house that -somebody had been trying to pull out the staple -that held the hasp, he told his chums that he -had wronged Tom and his cousins by his suspicions, -and that the squatter was the culprit -after all. Beyond a doubt Matt wanted to regain -possession of the canvas canoe; and in -order to save his property, Joe shouldered it -one morning and took it up to his room.</p> - -<p class='c019'>The attentive reader, if I am so fortunate as -to have one, will bear in mind that all I have -thus far written is but a repetition of the story -the canvas canoe told me on that bright afternoon -when I was first introduced to him and to -the other merry fellows—the long bows, the -snow-shoes and the toboggan—who found -a home in Joe Wayring’s room. In concluding -his interesting narrative the canoe said:</p> - -<p class='c019'>“Now, Fly-rod, you know every thing of -importance that has happened since Tom Bigden -and his cousins first stuck their quarrelsome -noses inside Mount Airy. As I said at -the start, it was necessary that you should hear -the story, or else you would be at a loss to -<span class='pageno' id='Page_296'>296</span>account for a good many things that may happen -to you sooner or later. I have an idea -that you are a good sort, and hope we shall pass -many pleasant hours in each other’s company.”</p> - -<p class='c019'>I thanked the canoe for his kind wishes and -for the story he had taken so much pains to -tell me, and inquired how he had managed to -live through the long winter that had just -passed.</p> - -<p class='c019'>“Oh, I did well enough,” was his reply. -“In the first place, the long bows and I had -much to talk about, and in the next, Joe often -brings Roy and Arthur up here to spend an -evening; and as they have traveled a good -deal, they are never at a loss for some interesting -topic of conversation. More than that, Joe -and his uncle went off hunting last December, -and when they returned, they brought with -them those conceited things over there—the -snow-shoes and toboggan—who being from -another country, think they are a trifle better -than any body else. But, after all, I have -found them to be very companionable fellows, -and if you can only get them started (like all -Englishmen, they are inclined to be surly at -<span class='pageno' id='Page_297'>297</span>first), they can tell you some things about shooting -and trapping that are well worth listening -to.”</p> - -<p class='c019'>“Do you know what the programme is for -the summer?” I asked, being somewhat anxious -to learn what I had to look forward to. -“Where are we going and what are we going -to do?”</p> - -<p class='c019'>“Well, seeing that this is April, it will not -be summer for three months to come,” replied -the canoe. “But you need not expect to -remain idle any longer than next Saturday. -You and I will probably be employed in making -short trips about the village until school -closes for the long vacation. Immediately -after the canoe meet, which in future will be -held on the 3rd of July, so that the members -of the club can have the whole of the vacation -to themselves, you and Joe will go up to Indian -Lake—”</p> - -<p class='c019'>“But Matt Coyle is up there,” I interrupted.</p> - -<p class='c019'>“Suppose he is!” retorted the canvas canoe. -“Do you think that Joe Wayring is going to -be kept away from his favorite fishing grounds -<span class='pageno' id='Page_298'>298</span>just because that outlaw has chosen to take up -his abode there! You don’t know Joe. He’ll -go, you may be sure, and after he gets there, -he’ll give you a chance to show what you can -do with a five pound trout.”</p> - -<p class='c019'>“Why can’t you go?” I inquired. I had -already learned to like my new friend, who had -shown himself to be so good-natured and so -ready to tell me any thing I wanted to know, -and I thought I would rather have him for -company than any body else.</p> - -<p class='c019'>“It is possible that I may go, but I haven’t -heard any thing said about it. I should think -I might be of some use to Joe and I would not -be at all in his way.”</p> - -<p class='c019'>“But what if that squatter should steal you -again? I suppose you didn’t fare very well -while you were in his hands.”</p> - -<p class='c019'>“Oh, I fared well enough,” replied the -canoe, who seemed to have a happy faculty -of accommodating himself to circumstances. -“But I didn’t like the company I was obliged -to keep, I tell you. Whenever Matt Coyle or -his boys took me out on the water, I would -have been only too glad to spill them out if I -<span class='pageno' id='Page_299'>299</span>could have done it. I felt particularly savage -on the night Jake used me in making his raid on -that old guide’s potato-patch and smoke-house. -When I saw the skiff coming after me, wouldn’t -I have laughed if I had possessed the power? -I knew that Jake was going to run me on to -that snag, and when I was settling to the bottom, -I told myself that Joe would never leave -me there. I wasn’t hurt at all. I was easily -mended with rosin and tallow and a piece of -canvas, and am just as good as I ever was; -although I confess that I look like a boy who -has been in a fight and has to wear a patch over -his eye.”</p> - -<p class='c019'>“How did the squatter make the journey -from his shanty to the creek in which Joe -found you?”</p> - -<p class='c019'>“Well, he carried me on his back from the -pond to the river. It took him two days to -do it, for I hindered him all I could by catching -hold of every limb and bush that came -within my reach. When we got to the river, -Matt loaded me to the water’s edge with his -household goods (you will know how I shrank -from contact with them when I tell you that -<span class='pageno' id='Page_300'>300</span>the blankets and quilts were so begrimed -with smoke and dirt that Mars could not be -hired to sleep on them), and then one of the -boys got in and paddled me down the stream -while the squatter and the rest of his family -stumbled along the bank. Matt was afraid -to make his camp anywhere near Indian Lake, -because he knew that the guides would be -very likely to burn or otherwise destroy -every thing he had, as they did once before; -so he turned up the creek, and hunted around -until he found a place that suited him. It -was in a secluded glen, about a quarter of a -mile from the creek. He set his boys to work -to build a lean-to, which would afford them -some sort of shelter until they could provide -a better covering for their heads, and started -out with his rifle to get something to eat. -During his rambles he found a smoke-house and -potato-patch which he thought could be easily -robbed, and as soon as he came home, he sent -Jake out on that thieving expedition which -resulted disastrously to him, for he lost his -plunder and me into the bargain. I assure -you I was glad to find myself among friends -<span class='pageno' id='Page_301'>301</span>once more. Why, have you any idea what that -villain meant to do? He was going to make a -pirate of me. He intended, first, to offer himself -as guide for the hotels, and if they -wouldn’t take him, he intended to follow the -guests and their guides along the water courses, -and rob every camp that he found unprotected. -That’s the kind of fellow Matt Coyle is. He -ought to be abolished.”</p> - -<p class='c019'>“What became of the fishing-rods he stole -at the time he ran off with you?”</p> - -<p class='c019'>“Well, they had worse treatment than I did, -because they were not as useful as I was. They -have been left out in the rain and abused in various -ways, until they don’t look much as they -did when the squatter first got his ugly hands -upon them. I doubt very much if their owners -would have recognized them if they could have -seen them the last time I did.”</p> - -<p class='c019'>“Will our trip to Indian Lake last all summer?” -I asked.</p> - -<p class='c019'>“Oh, no; only about two weeks. After that, -we shall be packed off on a long journey, either -East or West, I don’t know which, and neither -did Joe the last time I heard him say any -<span class='pageno' id='Page_302'>302</span>thing about it. You see, Uncle Joe Wayring -owns large tracks of timber land in Maine and -Michigan. He wants to see them both, for he -has learned that thieves are at work in both -places; but he hasn’t yet made up his mind -which he wants to see the more. When he -does he will tell Joe, and then we shall find out -where we are going.”</p> - -<p class='c019'>There were a good many other questions that -I wanted to ask my communicative friend, but -before I could speak again a merry whistle -sounded in the hall below, and somebody -ascended the stairs three at a time. Then I -knew that my master had finished his sail on the -lake, and was coming up to his room to get -ready for supper. He threw the door open -with a bang, school-boy fashion, and walking -straight up to me took me from my case and -gave me a good looking over. He seemed as -delighted as a youngster with his first pair of -red top boots; but I was somewhat chagrined -to learn that he did not have a very exalted -opinion of my capabilities.</p> - -<p class='c019'>“That’s a very fine rod, no doubt; but I -expect to break him into a dozen pieces before -<span class='pageno' id='Page_303'>303</span>I have had him a month. A two pound -trout will give him more than he wants -to do.”</p> - -<p class='c019'>What else Joe was going to say about me I -never knew; for just then the supper bell rang, -and he made all haste to put me back in my -case. After a hasty toilet he bolted out of the -room with the same noise and racket he made -when he came in, and I was at liberty to continue -my conversation with the canvas canoe. -As usual, that useful and talkative individual -spoke first.</p> - -<p class='c019'>“What is your opinion of a boy who can -deliberately persecute a fellow like that?” -said he.</p> - -<p class='c019'>“He ought to receive the same punishment -you want meted out to Matt Coyle; he ought -to be abolished,” I replied. “But Joe doesn’t -appear to think much of me.”</p> - -<p class='c019'>“Don’t you worry about that,” said the -canoe, encouragingly. “You will not wonder -at it when you have made the acquaintance of -his bait-rod—if you ever do; I mean the one -that was stolen from him. He’s a big heavy -fellow, and strong enough to jerk a four pound -<span class='pageno' id='Page_304'>304</span>black bass from the water without any nonsense. -You can’t do that, and Joe isn’t certain -that he can handle you. He doesn’t distrust -you any more than he distrusts himself. -There’s one thing I forgot to tell you,” added -the canoe, “and that is, if any misfortune befalls -you, you can lay it to Tom Bigden. I heard -enough during my short captivity to satisfy -me that he was the chap who put it into Matt’s -head to steal Joe’s property. Matt is bad -enough, goodness knows; but the advice Tom -Bigden gave him made him worse. That is one -of the secrets of which I spoke at the beginning -of my story, and it troubles me all the time. I -am sure that if I could talk to Joe about five -minutes, I should feel easier; but that’s something -I can’t do.”</p> - -<p class='c019'>At my request the historian then went on to tell -of other interesting and exciting incidents in Joe -Wayring’s life, but as they have no bearing -with my own exploits and adventures I omit -them now, although they may appear at -some future period. By the time he grew -weary of talking it was ten o’clock, and darkness -had settled down over the room; but just -<span class='pageno' id='Page_305'>305</span>as I was composing myself for the night, the -door opened and Joe Wayring came in. Making -good his boast, that if folks would let his -property alone, he could find any thing he -wanted on the darkest of nights and without -the aid of a lamp, Joe caught up the creel with -one hand, seized me with the other, and carrying -us both down-stairs, deposited us on the kitchen -table beside something that was covered with a -snow-white cloth. Then he busied himself for a -few minutes about the stove, getting kindling -and light wood together so that a fire could be -readily started; and after I had watched his -movements for a while, I made up my mind that a -campaign of some sort was in prospect. When he -took the light and went out I said to the creel:</p> - -<p class='c019'>“Do you happen to know what day this is?”</p> - -<p class='c019'>“It’s Friday,” he replied. “To-morrow -will be Saturday, and I should judge by the -looks of things, that we are going to make our -first trip after trout.”</p> - -<p class='c019'>Do you know by experience how a youngster -feels when he is about to be called up before a -hundred or more critical school mates to recite -his little piece beginning—</p> - -<div class='lg-container-b'> - <div class='linegroup'> - <div class='group'> - <div class='line'><span class='pageno' id='Page_306'>306</span>“You’d scarce expect a boy like me</div> - <div class='line'>To get up here where all can see,</div> - <div class='line'>And make a speech as well as those</div> - <div class='line'>Who wear the largest kind of clothes.”</div> - </div> - </div> -</div> - -<p class='c019'>Do you know how he feels? Well, that’s -way I felt.</p> - -<div class='chapter'> - <span class='pageno' id='Page_307'>307</span> - <h2 class='c011'>CHAPTER XV. <br /> <br /><span class='small'>MY FIRST TRIP TO INDIAN LAKE.</span></h2> -</div> - -<p class='drop-capa0_2_0_5 c018'>THE next morning, just as the clock was -striking the hour of four, I was aroused -from a reverie into which I had fallen by a hasty -step, followed by a blinding glare of light, and -Joe Wayring came hurrying into the kitchen. -He didn’t look much as he did the last time I -saw him, and if it hadn’t been for his curly head -and blue eyes, I don’t think I should have recognized -him. But he was a nobby looking -fellow, all the same, dressed as he was in a -neat suit of duck, dyed to a dead grass shade, -a light helmet with a peak before and behind, -and leggings and gaiters instead of boots. Joe -was not the boy to make himself uncomfortable, -or to go about in a ragged coat and with -his hair sticking out of the top of his cap, just -because he intended to spend the day in the -<span class='pageno' id='Page_308'>308</span>woods out of sight of every body. He knew -of anglers and hunters who affected that style, -and they could follow it, if they wanted to, -but he wouldn’t. Leggings and gaiters were -easier to walk in than heavy boots, and whole -clothes looked better than shabby ones.</p> - -<p class='c019'>Placing the lamp on the table Joe began -bustling about the kitchen, and in a very few -minutes the fire was started and the tea-kettle -filled. Then he threw back the cloth before -spoken of, revealing a substantial lunch, a -liberal portion of which he proceeded to pack -away in the creel.</p> - -<p class='c019'>About the time the coffee was ready, the -door opened again, and Uncle Joe came in. -He, too, was dressed for the woods, and carried -a rod of some sort in one hand and a creel in the -other. The latter must have been a fine looking -article in his day, but now he was as -weather-beaten as any old sailor. And that -was not to be wondered at, for he had traveled -much, and had seen many hardships. He had -accompanied his master from one end of -the country to the other. He had held -captive for him many a nice breakfast of -<span class='pageno' id='Page_309'>309</span>grayling captured in Michigan waters, and -carried his dinner while he was fighting with -the big trout in Rangeley Lakes. He went -with him on one of his Western tours, and -would certainly have fallen into the hands of -the Utes when they arose in rebellion and -massacred all the whites they could find, had -it not been for the fact that he was slung over -his master’s shoulder, and the latter was in -too great a hurry to stop and throw him off. -He had many thrilling recollections of the -Indian Lake country, for he had been capsized -on the rapids more times than he could remember. -He was a good talker, and as full of -stories as the canvas canoe.</p> - -<p class='c019'>“Well, sir,” said Uncle Joe, as he deposited -his rod and creel on the table, “what are the -prospects?”</p> - -<p class='c019'>“Couldn’t be better,” replied the boy. “It’s -cloudy, and there is every sign of rain before -noon.”</p> - -<p class='c019'>“I hope it will stay cloudy, but I can’t say -that I want to see it rain,” said Uncle Joe, as -he drew a chair up to the table and took the -cup of coffee his nephew poured out for him. -<span class='pageno' id='Page_310'>310</span>“The bushes around the old spring hole are -pretty thick, and I long ago ceased to see any -fun in getting drenched for the sake of catching -a mess of half-pound trout. If they were -salmon, now, the case would be different.”</p> - -<p class='c019'>Nevertheless Uncle Joe seemed to be in just -as great a hurry to eat his breakfast and be off -as his nephew was. Ten minutes sufficed to -satisfy their appetites, and in ten minutes more -we were on the outskirts of the village, and -moving up an old log road toward the spring -hole, where I was to make my first attempt to -take a fish. I dreaded the ordeal, for I did not -have as much confidence in myself as I would -have had if my master had not spoken so -slightingly of me.</p> - -<p class='c019'>How far it was from the village to the spring -hole, I am sure I don’t know. It seemed like -a long journey to me, although it was enlivened -by stories of travel and adventure from Uncle -Joe, in which I became deeply interested. -Presently Joe, who was leading the way, -pushed aside the bushes in front of him, disclosing -to view a small body of water fringed -with lily-pads and surrounded on all sides by -<span class='pageno' id='Page_311'>311</span>high and thickly wooded hills; and I knew instinctively -that we had reached the end of our -tramp, and that the time had come for me to -show what I could do. There seemed to be -abundant opportunity for me to do good work -if I was capable of it. While I was being taken -out of my case, I noticed that now and then -there was a slight commotion in the water, just -outside the lilies, and I knew it was occasioned -by trout jumping from the water, even before -Joe Wayring said so.</p> - -<p class='c019'>“Just look at them!” he exclaimed, in great -excitement. “They are having a high old -time among themselves. I wouldn’t take a -dollar for my chance of going home with a full -creel. There! Did you see that whopper?”</p> - -<p class='c019'>“Put on a white miller and a brown hackle, -and give me your rod as quick as you can,” -answered his uncle. “I saw him, and if he -comes up again within seventy or eighty feet -of us, I will make an effort to take him.”</p> - -<p class='c019'>“Do you mean to say that you can throw a -fly as far as that?” inquired Joe.</p> - -<p class='c019'>“That depends upon the rod. I’d like to -have the first try with it, if you have no objection, -<span class='pageno' id='Page_312'>312</span>for I want to see whether or not you’ve -got a good bargain.”</p> - -<p class='c019'>Of course Joe had no objection. As soon as -I was ready for business he passed me over to -his uncle, and when I felt his strong fingers -close around me, I knew that I was in the hands -of one who would make me show off to the best -possible advantage.</p> - -<p class='c019'>“There he is again! Give him the flies, -quick!” cried Joe, suddenly.</p> - -<p class='c019'>Uncle Joe’s movements were characterized -by what sportsmen are wont to call “deliberate -quickness”. He was so very deliberate, in -fact, that his nephew began to show unmistakable -signs of impatience; but still he did -not waste a single second of valuable time. -Reeling off as much line as the close proximity -of the bushes behind would permit him to use, -Uncle Joe gave me a smart upward and backward -fling and then struck down toward the -water. This movement caused the line to fly -through the air like a whip lash, only it grew -in length all the while; and when the flies -were directly over the swirl the trout had made -when he went down, the motion of the reel was -<span class='pageno' id='Page_313'>313</span>stopped by a slight pressure of the angler’s -thumb, and the tempting lures settled upon the -water as lightly as a couple of feathers.</p> - -<p class='c019'>“I never can learn to do that,” said Joe, -despondingly. “It requires altogether too -much skill for my clumsy—Well, sir, you’ve -got him as sure as the world.”</p> - -<p class='c019'>The hook was fast to something, that was -plain; but I thought at first that Uncle Joe -had caught a snag or a lily-pad. There was a -jerk that made me wonder, and in an instant -more I was bent almost half double; but with -all the strain that was brought to bear upon -me, the thing at the other end of the line, whatever -it was, did not give an inch. On the contrary, -it started and ran off toward the middle -of the spring hole; and then I began to realize -that I was doing battle with a trout of the -largest size. Now was the time to show my -master that he had been much mistaken in me.</p> - -<p class='c019'>I need not stop to go into the particulars of -the fight, for every boy who has caught a heavy -trout on a light rod will know just what happened; -and besides, to be frank with you, I -don’t remember much about it. Neither does -<span class='pageno' id='Page_314'>314</span>Joe Wayring, who was so highly excited that -he could not stand still. I recollect he afterward -told his chums that the fish jumped clear -out of the water two or three times, and then -started from the middle of the spring hole and -ran toward the angler at the top of his speed, -trying to loosen the line so that the hook -would drop out of his mouth; but the automatic -reel took up the slack as fast as he made -it, and his mad rushes about the spring hole -had no other result than to tire him out, so that -he could offer but feeble resistance when he was -reeled in to the bank. The moment he was -brought within reach Joe slipped a landing net -under him and lifted him out.</p> - -<p class='c019'>“Two pounds and three ounces,” he almost -shouted, after he had weighed him on his -pocket scales. “Now, Uncle Joe, what’s your -opinion of that rod?”</p> - -<p class='c019'>“A fair sized fish for these waters,” said -Uncle Joe, as he stepped to the edge -of the spring hole for another cast. “As -for the rod—it’s as good a one as you need -wish for. If you will take care of him, he will -last as long as you will, barring accident.”</p> - -<p class='c019'><span class='pageno' id='Page_315'>315</span>I will not dwell upon the incidents of the -day, for I must hasten on to tell you what -happened to me during my first visit to Indian -Lake. It will be enough to say that Joe and -his uncle enjoyed themselves, as they always -did whenever they went anywhere together, -and that my master after an hour or two of -assiduous practice, learned to make short casts -with tolerable accuracy, and to show considerable -skill in handling the fish he hooked. -When the two went home a little before dark -Joe’s creel was not as full as his uncle’s, but -the few trout he captured with his light -tackle, afforded him more genuine sport than -twice the number of bass taken on a heavy -bait-rod.</p> - -<p class='c019'>That day was the beginning of a busy season -for me. Every Saturday, rain or shine, found -me at the spring hole or wandering along the -banks of some of the numerous streams that -ran into Mirror Lake. I caught a good many -fish, soon got over my nervousness, and looked -forward to the long summer vacation with as -much impatience as Joe himself. It came at -last, being ushered in by a canoe meet on the -<span class='pageno' id='Page_316'>316</span>3rd of July, and a grand parade on the 4th, in -which the Toxophilites and Scouts both took -part. There was a good deal of rivalry between -these two organizations—so much, indeed, that -the usual exhibition drill at the park was -given by the military company, thus putting -it out of the power of either club to crow over -the other. But still there was considerable -crowing done, especially by Tom Bigden and a -few envious fellows like him.</p> - -<p class='c019'>“Don’t you remember what vociferous -applause the Toxophilites received last 4th?” -said he, to his cousins.</p> - -<p class='c019'>“Yes; and I remember how mad you were -about it, too,” replied Loren.</p> - -<p class='c019'>“I know it. I couldn’t bear to see them -throw on so many airs, but I little thought -that I should aid in making them take back -seats at their next parade. I have yet to see -any one who will say that the Scouts didn’t do -just as fine marching in the procession as the -Toxophilites did.”</p> - -<p class='c019'>Of course I did not see the parade, and neither -did I witness the sports that were held during -the canoe meet, for I was shut up in Joe’s -<span class='pageno' id='Page_317'>317</span>room so far from a window that I could not -tell what was going on out-doors. But I heard -the music of the band, and the cheers that arose -whenever some lucky fellow carried off a prize, -and the exciting and amusing incidents that -happened during those two days of festivity, -were so often talked of in my hearing, that I -was pretty well posted after all. I was glad to -learn that my master won the paddle race very -easily, and that he pushed Roy and Arthur so -closely in the hurry-skurry race that the referee -had half a mind to order another contest. But -Joe and Arthur said that Roy was ahead, and -as the other boys backed them up, Roy was -awarded the prize. There was no attempt at -fouling this time. Every thing was conducted -fairly, as it always had been previous to Tom -Bigden’s arrival in the village, and every member -of the club won or lost on his merits.</p> - -<p class='c019'>The parade being over, there was nothing to -keep Joe and his two chums at home, and on -the evening of the 4th they began making preparations -for their annual trip to Indian Lake. -Shortly after supper Joe Wayring came into -the room, and having exchanged his uniform -<span class='pageno' id='Page_318'>318</span>for a suit of working clothes, he shouldered my -friend, the canvas canoe, and carried him down -stairs. Half an hour later he came back after -the creel and me. He took us down to the -boat-house and there we found the canoe, -snugly tucked away in his chest like a tired -boy in his little bed.</p> - -<p class='c019'>“Hurrah for me!” exclaimed the canoe, -after Joe had gone out locking the door behind -him. “I am going to Indian Lake, too. Now, -if Joe can only keep clear of Matt Coyle, we’ll -see some fun before we get back. You think you -know something about fishing; but wait until -you get hold of one of those big lake trout, and -then tell me what you think about it.”</p> - -<p class='c019'>That was just what I wanted to do, but I -didn’t say so, for fear that when the time came -I might discover that I was not quite so good a -rod as I thought I was.</p> - -<p class='c019'>We were so very impatient to be off that the -night was a very long one to us; but at the -first peep of day we heard Joe’s step as he came -down the walk toward the boat-house. He -placed a basket of provisions on the wharf, -mildly scolded Mars for making such a fuss -<span class='pageno' id='Page_319'>319</span>over the coming separation, and then came in -after us. Arthur Hastings, Jim and the skiff -were on time, as they always were, and in half -an hour more we had taken Roy Sheldon -on board and were moving gayly down the river. -We camped for the night at the old perch hole, -where the skiff had ridden out that furious -storm a year before, and the boys had fish for -supper. Joe had been told that perch would -rise to a red ibis, but he and I could not prove -the truth of the assertion. Although Arthur -and Roy pulled out the fish as fast as they -could bait their hooks, Joe never got a bite. -The reason was, the water was too deep. His -uncle afterward told him that six feet is about -as far as any fish can be relied upon to rise to a -fly; and sometimes they are too lazy to come -from that depth.</p> - -<p class='c019'>On the afternoon on the fourth day we left -the river and turned into a little creek, whose -current was so swift that the boys were obliged -to use extra exertion in order to make headway -against it. About an hour after the sun went -down we came to anchor in the mouth of a -brook, and there I made amends for my failure -<span class='pageno' id='Page_320'>320</span>at the perch hole. I captured more trout than -both the other rods, and if I had felt so inclined, -could have returned some of the left-handed -compliments they paid me when it was found -that I could not catch a perch in twenty feet of -water; but being peaceably disposed I said -nothing. While the tent was being put up, a -muffled voice came from the chest in which -the canvas canoe was packed away. The -cover being shut down, I had to listen intently -in order to catch what he said to me.</p> - -<p class='c019'>“Didn’t I hear some one say something -about trout?” asked the canoe.</p> - -<p class='c019'>“I think it very likely,” was my reply. -“There are lots of them in the brook; almost -as many as there in the spring hole at Mount -Airy.”</p> - -<p class='c019'>“Then I know where we are,” said my -imprisoned friend. “Did you see an ugly looking -snag about a mile below? Well, there’s one -there, and it’s the one Jake Coyle ran into the -night I was sunk in the creek. The fight I -told you about took place right here. Have -you seen or heard any thing of the squatter?”</p> - -<p class='c019'><span class='pageno' id='Page_321'>321</span>“No, I haven’t; but I know that Joe and -his friends are keeping a bright lookout for -him.”</p> - -<p class='c019'>“I am glad to hear it, and I hope they will -not relax their vigilance just because Matt keeps -himself out of sight. His shanty is over there -in the woods on the right hand side of the -creek. I’ll bet he is there now, and that he has -had his eye on the skiff ever since she came into -this part of the country. Mark my words: -Joe will hear from him before he sees Mount -Airy again.”</p> - -<p class='c019'>“Oh, I hope not,” said I.</p> - -<p class='c019'>“So do I,” answered the canoe. “But I -became well enough acquainted with Matt and -his family during the short time I lived with -them, to know that they do not intend to leave -here unless they are driven away, as they were -last year when they came to our village. Why, -this is the best place in the world for a man who -is too lazy to work, and who is not above taking -things without leave. Game and fish are -abundant. All the guides cultivate little -patches of ground, and keep a few pigs and -chickens, and as they are away from home a -<span class='pageno' id='Page_322'>322</span>good part of the time, their property is left -to the care of their wives and children. They -can’t stand guard day and night, and consequently -it is no trouble at all for Matt to steal -all he wants. He has a fine hiding-place now, -and as he and his family make it a point to -travel different routes every time they go away -from the shanty or return to it, they don’t -leave much of a trail for the guides to follow, if -they should make up their minds to hunt them -up. Another thing,” added the canoe, in a -tone of anxiety, “Matt hates Joe and his chums -for two reasons: First, because their fathers -turned him out of Mount Airy, and second, -because they gave him such a pelting with -potatoes the last time they were up here. If he -is here, he will try to have revenge for that; -now you see if he doesn’t.”</p> - -<p class='c019'>The canvas canoe spoke confidently, and his -words occasioned me no little uneasiness; but -I was greatly relieved to learn from the conversation, -to which I listened while the boys were -eating supper, that they were fully alive to the -dangers of the situation, and that they did not -mean to let the squatter take them off their -<span class='pageno' id='Page_323'>323</span>guard. They were happy in the belief that -Matt could not attack them, except at long -range, because he had no boat to bring him -alongside the skiff. It never occurred to them -that he had had plenty of time to steal or build -one, and that was where they made their mistake.</p> - -<p class='c019'>Up to this time we had had pleasant weather; -but this particular night was a rainy one. The -big drops began coming down just after the -tent was put up. Then I realized for the first -time what a comfortable home it was that the -boys had provided for themselves. The canvas -canoe and I lay on the forward locker, with -the two bait-rods, the dip-net and the cocker -spaniel to keep us company. On the bottom -of the boat in the cock-pit sat the three chums, -on either side of a table which they had made -by pushing the movable thwarts close together. -On the table, which was covered with a white -napkin, was an array of dishes, plates and -cups, all of tin, which were filled to over-flowing -with ham sandwiches, bread and butter, -cake, ripe fruit of various kinds and trout, -done to a turn. On the stern locker stood the -<span class='pageno' id='Page_324'>324</span>little stove over which Arthur had cooked the -fish and made the tea, and above it hung the -jack-lamp that was kept burning all night. If -any thing happened—if the wind arose and the -anchor dragged, or prowlers of any sort came -about—the boys wanted a light to work by. -Over all was the tent, with the rain coming -gently down on the top of it. One side curtain -was rolled up to admit the air, but the other -was buttoned securely to the gunwale. Joe -wasn’t going to have the squatter slip up and -send a club into the cock-pit before he knew it. -Taken altogether it was a cozy, home-like -scene, and I no longer wondered why it was -that Joe and his friends looked forward to the -summer vacation with such lively anticipations -of pleasure.</p> - -<p class='c019'>The boys slept soundly that night, lulled by -the pattering of the rain on the roof over their -heads, but the sun did not find them in bed. I -caught more than my share of the trout they -ate for breakfast, and that afternoon was given -an opportunity to try my skill on larger game, -to wit, a four pound black bass. I may add, -too, that I got my first ducking, and witnessed -<span class='pageno' id='Page_325'>325</span>the liveliest kind of a foot race. But I can’t -say that I enjoyed it; there was too much depending -on it.</p> - -<p class='c019'>“Do you remember the last time we ate -breakfast here?” said Joe, as he drew up the -anchor while his companions shipped the oars -and pulled up the creek toward the pond. “If -my memory serves me, Matt Coyle made the -mouth of this brook uncomfortably warm for -us for a few minutes. What would we have -done if Roy hadn’t been smart enough to keep -some of the potatoes out of that bag? I wonder -where the old chap is now?”</p> - -<p class='c019'>“Probably he is a hundred miles away,” answered -Arthur. “You don’t suppose that the -people who live around the lake are going to -let him stay here and steal them out of house -and home, do you?”</p> - -<p class='c019'>“I am of the opinion that he and his worthless -family were driven away from here long -ago,” said Roy. “But still I don’t believe -in trusting any thing to luck. We needn’t -go ashore unless we want to, and Matt can’t -bother us while we are lying at anchor. He’s -got no boat, and he isn’t foolish enough to -<span class='pageno' id='Page_326'>326</span>swim off to us, for we gave him a lesson the -last time we were here that he will remember -as long as he lives.”</p> - -<p class='c019'>We left the mouth of the brook at an early -hour, and about four in the afternoon entered -the pond, where I heard Joe say we would -remain until the bread and bacon gave out, -when we would go over to Indian Lake and lay -in a fresh supply. Now Joe was sorry that he -had left his bait-rod behind. The pond was -noted for the number and fighting qualities of -its bass, and Joe had nothing to catch them -with; at least that was what he told his friends, -adding that he was afraid to trust so heavy -work to me.</p> - -<p class='c019'>“You’d better be afraid,” assented Roy. -“If you don’t want that fine rod of yours -smashed into a thousand pieces, you had better -not try to catch a bass with it. But I’ll tell you -what you might do, if you don’t care to sit idly -here while Art and I catch all the fish and see -all the fun. You might go up to the little -perch hole and throw a fly there. Perhaps you -will find the perch in the pond more accommodating -than they were back there in the river.”</p> - -<p class='c019'><span class='pageno' id='Page_327'>327</span>“How about our esteemed friend, the squatter?” -said Arthur.</p> - -<p class='c019'>“Oh, he can’t trouble me,” answered Joe, -who was already preparing to act upon Roy’s -suggestion. “His shanty is away off there -somewhere, while the perch hole lies a mile or -more in the opposite direction. There is a wide -and deep river between the two, and how is -Matt going to cross it without a boat? I am of -Roy’s opinion that he was driven away from -here long ago.”</p> - -<p class='c019'>While Joe was talking in this way he had -taken the canvas canoe from his chest, and now -under his skillful hands my old friend was fast -assuming his usual symmetrical proportions. -In less than ten minutes he was floating gracefully -alongside the skiff.</p> - -<p class='c019'>“Come on, Fly-rod,” said he, “and I will -show you what a canvas canoe can do when he -is managed by some one who understands his -business. You never took a ride with me, did -you?”</p> - -<p class='c019'>No, I never had, and if the truth must be -told, I never wanted to take a second ride with -him. He may have been “the boss boat” on -<span class='pageno' id='Page_328'>328</span>the rapids, as he often boasted, but he was a -very unfortunate craft all the same, and before -the day was over I had reason to believe that -Joe would have seen more sport during his two -weeks’ outing if he had left the canoe safe in -his room at Mount Airy. I came back to the -skiff, but he didn’t.</p> - -<div class='chapter'> - <span class='pageno' id='Page_329'>329</span> - <h2 class='c011'>CHAPTER XVI. <br /> <br /><span class='small'>AN EXPLOIT AND A SURPRISE.</span></h2> -</div> - -<p class='drop-capa0_4_0_5 c018'>AS I could not comply with my friend’s -invitation to “come on”, I was obliged -to wait until Joe had exchanged his heavy -boots for the buckskin moccasins he always -wore whenever he went anywhere with the -canoe. This being done, we pushed away from -the skiff, and moved leisurely up the pond -toward the perch hole, Joe whistling merrily -as he plied the paddle. I do not think he was -quite so light-hearted when he came back.</p> - -<p class='c019'>Half an hour’s paddling sufficed to bring us -to our destination. If I hadn’t heard Joe say -that the perch hole was located in the mouth -of a creek, I should not have known it, for it -looked to me more like an arm of the pond -which set back into the land. When I was -taken from my case, after the anchor had been -dropped overboard, I took note of the fact that -<span class='pageno' id='Page_330'>330</span>one could not see more than twenty or thirty -feet up the creek, a high wooded point limiting -the range of vision in that direction. I didn’t -know at the time why I observed this, but I -thought of it afterward.</p> - -<p class='c019'>Joe made his first cast with a scarlet ibis, -and the result was surprising to both of us. -The fish that took the lure did not give much -of a bite—I have known a half-pound trout to -seize the bait with more vim than he did—but -when Joe fastened the hook with a scientific -twist of his wrist, I couldn’t have doubled up -quicker if he had caught a log.</p> - -<p class='c019'>“Scotland’s a burning! what’s that?” -exclaimed Joe, speaking so rapidly that the -words seemed to come out all at once. “I -declare, it’s a bass,” he added a moment later, -as the green and bronze side of the beautiful -captive could be seen for an instant just under -the surface of the water. “I wish he was at -the bottom of the pond, for he’ll break my rod -and I’ll have no more fishing this trip.”</p> - -<p class='c019'>But Joe did not give up because he thought -he was going to be worsted in the fight. He -brought into play all the skill of which he was -<span class='pageno' id='Page_331'>331</span>master, and after an exciting struggle of fully -half an hour’s duration, caught up the landing -net and hauled into the canoe the largest -thing in the shape of a fish I had seen up to -that time. He was killed at once, the pocket -scales were brought into use, and the weight -of the “catch” was written down in Joe’s -note-book.</p> - -<p class='c019'>“Whew?” panted the boy, pulling out his -handkerchief and wiping the big drops of perspiration -from his forehead. “If that wasn’t -a tough battle I wouldn’t say so. I never supposed -that little rod could catch a fish like -this. Hello, here! It’s getting dark already. -I know the fellows will laugh at me for coming -back with a single fish, but I don’t believe -they will be able to show one that will weigh -more.”</p> - -<p class='c019'>Joe jumped to his feet as he spoke, and -made all haste to put me away in my case. He -stood with his face to the pond while he worked, -and consequently he did not see what I did. -My attention was first called to it by an -exclamation from the canvas canoe who said -in a suppressed and excited whisper:</p> - -<p class='c019'><span class='pageno' id='Page_332'>332</span>“Upon my word, there’s that everlasting -Matt Coyle again. He’ll gobble the whole of -us this time.”</p> - -<p class='c019'>I looked over Joe’s shoulder, and there in -the bight of the bend, with its ugly nose just -sticking around the high wooded point of which -I have spoken, was a clumsy scow built of -rough boards that had doubtless been stolen -from some saw-mill. In the scow sat Matt -Coyle and his two boys. I had heard them -described so often that I should have recognized -them at once, even if the canoe had not told -me who they were. They held their paddles -poised in the air, and Matt who sat in the bow, -having raised his hand to attract the attention -of his boys, was now pointing silently toward -my master, and going through a series of -contortions with his head and eyes that must -have had a volume of meaning in them. At -any rate Jake and Sam understood them, for -they dipped their paddles into the water, and -the scow moved around the point and turned -directly toward us, while the squatter prepared -himself for business by taking off his hat and -pushing back his sleeves. I trembled all over -<span class='pageno' id='Page_333'>333</span>with excitement and alarm, and so did the -canoe.</p> - -<p class='c019'>“Oh, why don’t Joe turn around?” cried -the latter. “Matt intends to take him by -surprise, and he’ll be alongside in half a minute -more.”</p> - -<p class='c019'>Just then one of the boys allowed his paddle -to rub against the side of the scow. The noise -he made was very slight, but it was loud enough -to attract the attention of Joe Wayring, who -faced about to find his enemies within less -than twenty feet of him. He was so astonished -to see them there, that for a few seconds he -could neither move nor speak. He stood as -motionless and silent as a wooden boy; while -Matt, seeing that he was discovered, snatched -up his paddle and raised a yell of triumph.</p> - -<p class='c019'>“Now I reckon I’ll have my boat back an’ -you into the bargain,” he shouted, swinging -his paddle around his head and then shaking -it savagely at Joe. “When I get my hands -onto you, the way I’ll wear the hickories out -on your back will extonish you wuss nor any -thing you ever see.”</p> - -<p class='c019'>“An’ won’t I punch your head though, to -<span class='pageno' id='Page_334'>334</span>pay you fur hittin’ me with that there tater -up there in the creek last summer?” chimed -in Jake. “I guess yes.”</p> - -<p class='c019'>These threatening words called Joe to his -senses. He knew that he would not have time -to pull up the anchor and escape in his canoe, -for he had paid out a good deal of rope in order -to place himself in the best possible position -for casting, and before he could haul it in, his -enemies would be upon him. There was but -one way to elude them, and that was to take -to the water and to trust to his powers as a -swimmer. It looked like a slim chance, but -the odds of three against one were too heavy to -be successfully resisted, and what else could he -do? As quick as a flash he turned again, and -without releasing his hold upon me, took a -header from the stern of the canoe.</p> - -<p class='c019'>“So that there’s your game, is it?” yelled -the squatter. “Wal, it suits us, I reckon. -Never mind the boat, Jakey. She’s fast -anchored, and will stay there till we want her. -Take after the ’ristocrat whose dad won’t let -honest folks live onto his land less’n they’ve -got a pocketful of money to pay him fur it. -<span class='pageno' id='Page_335'>335</span>Jest let me get a good whack at him with my -paddle an’ he’ll stop, I bet you. Hold on, -there, ’cause it’ll be wuss fur you if you don’t.”</p> - -<p class='c019'>In obedience to Matt’s instructions the scow -was turned toward the swimmer; but although -Jake and Sam exerted themselves to the -utmost, they could not cut him off from the -shore. Joe made astonishing headway. There -were but few boys, or men either, in Mount -Airy who could swim as fast as he could, and -he afterward said that he never made better -time than he did when he was trying to get -away from Matt and his boys. He was afraid -of the lily-pads which lined the banks of the -creek on both sides, so he swam down the -stream until he was clear of them before he -attempted to make a landing; but Matt, believing -that he could do better on shore, dropped -his own paddle into the water, turned into the -lilies and tried to force the scow through them. -That was a lucky thing for Joe Wayring. The -strong stems of the lilies were entwined about -one another in all sorts of ways, and the squatter -stuck fast in them before he had made half -a dozen strokes.</p> - -<p class='c019'><span class='pageno' id='Page_336'>336</span>“Back out! Back out!” shouted Matt, -who was quickly made aware that he had committed -a blunder. “Be in a hurry, or he’ll -get sich a start on us that we can’t never ketch -him. Hold up, there!” he went on, jumping -to his feet and swinging his paddle around his -head as if he were on the point of launching -it at the object of his wrath. “Come -back, or it’ll be wuss fur you. You hear me, I -reckon.”</p> - -<p class='c019'>In the meantime Joe made good his landing, -and looked over his shoulder to see the heavy -paddle coming toward him, end over end. It -struck the ground near him, and was immediately -sent back where it came from with all -the force that the boy’s sinewy arm could give -it. Flying wide of the mark for which it was -intended, the broad blade hit Jake fairly in the -face, giving him such a splitting headache that -he could not take part in the pursuit that followed. -This was another lucky thing for Joe. -Jake was the best runner in the squatter’s -family, and although there is not the slightest -doubt that he would have been soundly thrashed -if he had succeeded in overtaking Joe, he -<span class='pageno' id='Page_339'>339</span>might have been able to detain him until his -father and brother could come to his assistance, -and then Joe would have had more on his -hands than he could attend to.</p> - -<div class='figcenter id001'> -<img src='images/i_p332.jpg' alt='' class='ig001' /> -<div class='ic001'> -<p><span class='sc'>Joe in an awkward fix.</span></p> -</div> -</div> - -<p class='c019'>“That’s another thing we’ve got to pay you -fur when we get our hands on you,” yelled -Matt, who was almost beside himself. “Work -lively in backin’ out, or he’ll have a mile the -start of us before we tech the shore.”</p> - -<p class='c019'>Jake, who had dropped his paddle and sat -holding his chin in his hands, paid no attention -to the order; but Matt and Sam worked to -such good purpose that they finally succeeded -in backing the scow out of the lilies into clear -water. When they reached the bank, Joe -Wayring was out of sight; but they knew -which way he had gone, and at once set out in -pursuit; while Jake stayed in the scow and -howled dismally.</p> - -<p class='c019'>Joe ran like a deer, and made surprising progress -in spite of the logs and bushes that -obstructed his way. He was very quiet in his -movements, but Matt and his boy made so -much noise that it was an easy matter to keep -track of them and tell just how far they were -<span class='pageno' id='Page_340'>340</span>behind. At last the squatter, seeing that he -was not going to capture my master by following -him on foot, thought it best to change his -tactics.</p> - -<p class='c019'>“Sam,” he shouted, in stentorian tones, -“go back to the creek, and you an’ Jakey take -the canoe an’ paddle down the pond so’s to -cut him off when he tries to swim off to the -skiff. You understand what I say to you, I -reckon.”</p> - -<p class='c019'>Joe understood it, whether Sam did or not -and it put new speed into him. He ran so -swiftly that he very soon left his single pursuer -out of hearing, but he exhausted himself in the -effort, and when he dashed out of the bushes -and stopped on the bank in plain sight of the -skiff, he was so nearly out of breath that he -could not raise a shout to draw the attention -of his chums, who were hard at work -putting up the tent. But Jim saw him, -and announced the fact by a joyful bark, -followed by a vigorous wagging of his tail. -Arthur and Roy looked toward the bank, and -there stood Joe, swinging his arms wildly about -his head. When he saw that he had attracted -<span class='pageno' id='Page_341'>341</span>their notice, he pointed to the woods, and then -up the pond toward the canvas canoe which -was coming down with all the speed that Jake -and Sam could give it. The boys in the skiff -saw and understood. The anchor came up -quicker than it ever did before, the oars were -shipped, and the skiff came toward the bank -with a heavy bone in her teeth. By this time -Matt Coyle arrived within hearing again, and -Joe, fearing that he might make his appearance -before his friends could rescue him, stepped -into the water and struck out to meet the skiff. -Jake and Sam yelled savagely at him, and redoubled -their efforts to place themselves between -him and his friends; but they might as -well have saved their breath and strength. The -skiff came up rapidly, and Joe knew that he -was saved. Suddenly a bright idea suggested -itself to him—one that would have enabled -him to turn the tables upon the squatter very -neatly, if his friends had only been prompt to -act upon it. Raising himself as far out of the -water as he could, he called out:</p> - -<p class='c019'>“Boys, never mind me. I’ve got my second -wind now, and can swim for an hour. Go up -<span class='pageno' id='Page_342'>342</span>there and capture my canoe, or else run over -her and send her to the bottom. Don’t let -those villains take her away from me again.”</p> - -<p class='c019'>“All right,” replied Roy, still giving away -strong on his oar. “We’ll get your canoe back -for you, but we will take care of you first.”</p> - -<p class='c019'>“No, no!” insisted Joe. “Capture or sink -the canoe first, and attend to me afterward. I -am all right, I tell you. I can easily keep -afloat until you come back.”</p> - -<p class='c019'>“Why, boy, you haven’t got a breath to -spare,” said Arthur. “I know it by the way -you talk. Come in out of the wet.”</p> - -<p class='c019'>“You held fast to your fly-rod through it -all, didn’t you?” said Roy, as he took me from -Joe’s hand.</p> - -<p class='c019'>“Yes. I didn’t know whether or not I could -outrun them, and I wanted something to defend -myself with in case they came up with me.”</p> - -<p class='c019'>When Joe tried to climb into the skiff, he -found that he was by no means in as good condition -as he thought he was. He could scarcely -help himself at all, and his chums were obliged -to pull him in by main strength. The -moment they let go of him he sank down -<span class='pageno' id='Page_343'>343</span>against the stern locker and panted loudly; -but he was as full of determination as ever.</p> - -<p class='c019'>“Now go up and sink the canoe,” he almost -gasped.</p> - -<p class='c019'>But a single glance was enough to show Arthur -and Roy that it was too late to do any thing with -the canoe. Jake and his brother heard the -order that Joe shouted at his friends while he -was in the water, and made all haste to put -themselves out of harm’s way. When Joe was -hauled into the skiff they were so close to the -shore that all attempts to intercept them would -have been unavailing.</p> - -<p class='c019'>“It’s no use, Joe,” said Arthur. “They’re -too far off, and there’s Matt Coyle standing on -the bank.”</p> - -<p class='c019'>“But for Joe’s sake we will see what we can -do,” exclaimed Roy.</p> - -<p class='c019'>As he spoke, he opened the forward locker -and took from it a stout paper bag. When he -first put it there, Arthur and Joe supposed -that it contained lemons; but when Roy opened -it, they saw that it was filled with potatoes.</p> - -<p class='c019'>“They helped us out of a scrape once, and -why shouldn’t they do so again?” said Roy. -<span class='pageno' id='Page_344'>344</span>“My plan is to pull into shore, drive Matt and -his boys into the bushes, clap onto the canoe -with the boat-hook and tow her out into the -pond.”</p> - -<p class='c019'>Arthur declared that that was the way to do -it, but subsequent events proved that it wasn’t. -They laid hold of their oars again, but before -the skiff had gone far toward the shore, Joe -Wayring, who had by this time recovered his -power of speech and motion, announced that -Roy’s plan wouldn’t work at all, and that it -was useless to make any effort to sink or capture -the canoe. And the rowers found it so -when they faced about and looked toward the -shore.</p> - -<p class='c019'>The squatter and his boys had dragged -the canoe from the water, and were now carrying -her back into the bushes where they knew -the boys would not dare go after it.</p> - -<p class='c019'>Matt had not yet forgotten the tactics they -used when he and his boys tried to club them -out of their boat the year before. He was very -much afraid of Roy, and when the latter -ceased rowing and got upon his feet to see -what had been done with the canoe, Matt and -<span class='pageno' id='Page_345'>345</span>his allies ran into the woods like so many -frightened turkeys.</p> - -<p class='c019'>“I’m onto your little game,” said the squatter -in a triumphant tone, as he looked out -from behind the tree that sheltered him. -“You don’t fire no more taters at me if I -know it. Your boat is here, an’ if you want -it wusser’n we do, come an’ get it. ’Tain’t -much account nohow.”</p> - -<p class='c019'>“I’m going to bust it into a million pieces -to pay you fur that there whack you gin me -with pap’s paddle a while ago,” shouted the -invisible Jake, who would not show so much -as the top of his cap to the boys in the skiff. -“I’ve stood jest about all the poundin’ I’m -goin’ to.”</p> - -<p class='c019'>“What did you do to him, Joe?” inquired -Arthur, as he and Roy turned the skiff around -and pulled back toward their anchorage.</p> - -<p class='c019'>“Matt threw his paddle at me when he saw -that I was about to slip through his fingers, -and I threw it back,” answered Joe. “It -didn’t hit Matt, as I meant it should, but it came -pretty near knocking Jake out of the -scow.”</p> - -<p class='c019'><span class='pageno' id='Page_346'>346</span>“The scow?” repeated Roy. “Have they -got a boat of their own, I’d like to know.”</p> - -<p class='c019'>Joe replied that they had a boat in their -possession (of course he didn’t know where -they got it, or whether or not they had any -right to call it their own), and then went on to -tell of the exploit I had performed at the perch -hole, and of the surprise that followed close -upon the heels of it. He wound up his story -by saying—</p> - -<p class='c019'>“I didn’t have time to draw up my anchor, -so I had to go overboard. I swam the best I -knew how in order to reach the bank before -Matt did; then I raced a mile or more through -the woods in my wet clothes, and that was -what tired me out.”</p> - -<p class='c019'>“I wonder if we are to find that fellow hanging -around every time we come into the -woods?” said Roy, angrily. “Hallo, here!”</p> - -<p class='c019'>A slight splashing in the water drew their -attention at the moment, and Joe and Arthur -started up in alarm, expecting to find that the -squatter and his boys had stolen a march upon -them. There was a canoe close alongside of -them, but the broad-shouldered, brown-whiskered -<span class='pageno' id='Page_347'>347</span>man who handled the paddle was -not Matt Coyle or any body like him. He was -one of the hotel guides who had assisted in -driving the squatter out of the Indian Lake -country, and he was looking for him now.</p> - -<p class='c019'>“Hallo yourself,” he replied, good-naturedly. -“Well, I swan to man, if there ain’t Roy -Sheldon and—Why, you’re all here, ain’t you? -Say! seen any thing of Matt Coyle since you -have been hanging around?”</p> - -<p class='c019'>“Mr. Swan, how are you?” exclaimed all the -boys, in a breath. They knew the guide, and -liked him, too.</p> - -<p class='c019'>“You have come to the right place to -learn a good deal concerning Matt and his -doings,” continued Roy. “What has he been -up to now?”</p> - -<p class='c019'>“Well, you see,” answered the guide, speaking -with so much deliberation that the impatient -boys wanted to hurry him, “he came here -last year from somewhere, and wanted to set -in for a guide; but the hotels down to the lake -wouldn’t have him, ’cause they didn’t think -he was a safe man to trust with a boat, and -Matt, he allowed that he’d fix things so’t -<span class='pageno' id='Page_348'>348</span>there wouldn’t be no guidin’ for none of -us to do. So he’s took to the woods, and he -robs every camp he can find, if there don’t -happen to be any body around to watch it. -Leastwise we lay it to him, ’cause we know -he’s around here, and some of us thought that -we’d like to take a peep at his shanty, if he’s -got one.”</p> - -<p class='c019'>“We can’t tell you where his shanty is,” -said Joe, “but we can show you where Matt -and his boys were not ten minutes ago. He -stole my canvas canoe and gave me a long chase -through the woods. He promised that if he -could get hold of me, he would wear a hickory -out over my back.”</p> - -<p class='c019'>“Sho!” exclaimed the guide. “What -for?”</p> - -<p class='c019'>Joe’s story was a long one, for in order to -make the guide understand how he and his -companions had incurred the enmity of the -vindictive squatter, it was necessary that he -should go back to the time when Matt and his -family first made their appearance in Mount -Airy. He described the fight between them -and the constable and his posse, the particulars -<span class='pageno' id='Page_349'>349</span>of which he received from eye-witnesses; -told how Matt had stolen the canoe and six fine -fishing-rods and reels, while he and his -companions were looking for the bear they saw -on the shore of Sherwin’s Pond; and gave a -glowing account of the fight in the creek, at -which the guide laughed heartily.</p> - -<p class='c019'>“I’ll jest bet that them was my taters that -you pelted him with,” said he; “’cause while I -was out in the woods with a guest from Boston, -my wife said that my garden and smoke-house -were both robbed in one night. As for them -fish poles—I think I can tell you where to find -them.”</p> - -<p class='c019'>“Good for you, Mr. Swan,” cried Arthur. -“Where are they?”</p> - -<p class='c019'>“Of course, I don’t know that they belong -to you; I only suspect it,” continued the -guide. “You see, one day last summer, Jake -Coyle brung six as purty poles as you would -want to look at up to the Sportsman’s Home, -and told Mr. Hanson, the new landlord, that he -got ’em in a boat trade. He couldn’t use ’em, -fur they wasn’t the kind that he’d been in the -habit of handlin’, and so he wanted to sell ’em. -<span class='pageno' id='Page_350'>350</span>I told Hanson that I was as sure as any thing -could be that they had been stole, and that -mebbe the owner would come along some day -looking for them; so Hanson, he buys ’em, -reels and all, for four dollars apiece—all except -one that Jake said had been broke by a bass, -and for that he give two dollars. They were -covered with mud and rust, but I cleaned ’em -up, and now they look as good as new.”</p> - -<p class='c019'>“They are our rods, and I know it,” exclaimed -Roy. “If mine is the one that’s -broken, I shall have the satisfaction of knowing -that I paid Jake for it in advance by hitting -him in the mouth with that potato.”</p> - -<p class='c019'>“And if it’s mine, I settled with him this -afternoon by slapping him in the face with his -father’s paddle,” chimed in Joe Wayring.</p> - -<p class='c019'>The guide laughed again. “You’re as -plucky a lot of youngsters as I ever see,” said -he, “and you may rest assured that them folks -won’t bother you or any body else much longer. -We are going to put ’em in jail for thieves when -we catch ’em.”</p> - -<p class='c019'>“Ah! Yes,” said Arthur; “but that’s -right where you are going to see trouble. Our -<span class='pageno' id='Page_351'>351</span>deputy sheriff and constable searched every -inch of the ground around Sherwin’s Pond, -and all they found was the place where Matt’s -shanty once stood. He set fire to it before he -left for Indian Lake.”</p> - -<p class='c019'>“I know that the woods about here are tolerable -thick, and that Matt is a boss hand at -hiding,” replied the guide; “but he will find -that there’s a heap of difference between dodging -a couple of townies, and in getting away -from a lot of men who have lived in the woods -ever since they were knee high to so many -ducks. Go on, Joe. What else do you know -about Matt Coyle?”</p> - -<p class='c019'>The rest of Joe’s story related solely to the -events of the evening, and it did not take him -long to describe them. When he concluded -the guide was almost as angry as he and his -chums were. The idea that that worthless -vagabond should threaten to beat such a boy as -Joe Wayring, simply because he had showed -the courage to defend himself when he was assaulted! -The guide made no remark, but there -was a look in his eye that would have made the -squatter uneasy if he had been there to see it.</p> - -<p class='c019'><span class='pageno' id='Page_352'>352</span>“It’s too late to do any thing to-night,” said -he, at length. “I reckon you boys have got -something good to eat in them lockers? I -thought so. Well, suppose we go ashore -and camp.”</p> - -<p class='c019'>Joe and his friends readily agreed to this -proposition. They had spent five days and -nights in their boat, and they longed for a good, -sound sleep on a bed of balsam-boughs, with -the spreading branches of some friendly pine -for shelter instead of their water-proof tent. -They were not afraid to go into camp on shore -now that they had the stalwart guide for company. -Matt and his boys would not be likely -to show themselves as long as they knew that -he was with them; but the trouble was, they -didn’t know it, although they were in plain -sight when the boys built their fire on the bank, -and laid their plans to pay them a visit before -morning.</p> - -<div class='chapter'> - <span class='pageno' id='Page_353'>353</span> - <h2 class='c011'>CHAPTER XVII. <br /> <br /><span class='small'>A BATTLE IN THE DARK.</span></h2> -</div> - -<p class='drop-capa0_4_0_5 c018'>AS OUR three friends and their backwoods -companion were old campaigners, they -did not spend much time in getting ready for -the night. A roaring fire was started, the jack-lamp -hung upon a neighboring tree, and by the -aid of the light thus afforded them, Joe Wayring, -who had by this time got into a suit of dry -clothes, cleaned the fish which Arthur and Roy -had captured during his absence; Arthur -Hastings fried them and made the tea; Mr. -Swan prepared the bacon and pancakes; and -Roy cut the balsam boughs and arranged the -beds. In less than three quarters of an hour -after they drew their boats upon the beach, -they sat down to a supper that would have -tempted any healthy boy to eat, no matter -whether he was hungry or not.</p> - -<p class='c019'>“Now, Mr. Swan,” said Joe, when the -<span class='pageno' id='Page_354'>354</span>dishes had been washed in the clear waters of -the pond, and the tin bucket, which contained -the supply of fish for breakfast, had been hung -up by a string so that the minks that were -sure to come around during the night could not -steal them, “tell us a story, please.”</p> - -<p class='c019'>“About what?” inquired the guide, as he -filled his pipe.</p> - -<p class='c019'>“Oh, about the first panther you ever shot.”</p> - -<p class='c019'>“Or about the bear you killed with a club -while he was running off with one of your -pigs,” suggested Roy.</p> - -<p class='c019'>Mr. Swan was always ready. After he had -taken a few pulls at his brier-root to make -sure that it was well-started he began and told -not one story, but a dozen or more. He kept -his little audience interested until ten o’clock, -then the lamp was turned out, the fire replenished, -and the campers sought their beds of -balsam-boughs. Lulled by the rippling of the -waves upon the beach at their feet, and by the -low music of the breeze as it toyed with the -branches over their heads, their slumber was -deep and dreamless. Even the usually watchful -Jim seemed to think that there was no -<span class='pageno' id='Page_355'>355</span>responsibility resting upon him for this particular -night, and that the mere presence of the -guide was all the protection the camp needed, -for he too slept soundly, and snored while he -slept. Consequently he did not see the uncouth -object which drew out of the darkness that -covered the surface of the pond, and slowly and -cautiously approached the camp. The object -was Matt Coyle’s scow, and in it were the -squatter and both his boys. The latter were -plying their paddles with noiseless motion, and -Matt was kneeling in the bow, waving first one -hand and then the other to show them what -course to take.</p> - -<p class='c019'>It must have been long after midnight, for -there was nothing left of the fire but a glowing -bed of coals; but still there was light enough -to enable the robber to see the outlines of the -skiff, but not sufficient to show him the trim -little canoe that had been hauled out on the -bank and turned bottom side up. If he had -seen that, he would have lost no time in getting -away from so dangerous a neighborhood; -but believing that the boys were alone, and -that they had forgotten their usual caution in -<span class='pageno' id='Page_356'>356</span>spite of the warning events of the afternoon, he -kept on until he was close enough to the skiff -to take hold of it. I saw the whole proceeding, -but of course could do nothing to arouse the -slumbering campers.</p> - -<p class='c019'>“Now, turn about on your seats and give -way the best you know how,” I heard Matt -whisper to his boys. “We must pull her off -into deep water before them fellers can wake -up an’ get a holt on her.”</p> - -<p class='c019'>“Say, pap,” whispered Jake, in reply. -“Ain’t we goin’ ashore to give them a good larrupin’ -before they make up?”</p> - -<p class='c019'>If the guide had not been there, these words -would have horrified me; but as it was, I did -not feel at all uneasy. I knew very well that -Matt and his boys were no match for our party, -and that they would all be captured as surely -as they put their feet on shore; but I did not -want to see them steal that skiff. Oh, why -didn’t Jim wake up and alarm his master!</p> - -<p class='c019'>“We’ll ’tend to them after we get the skiff -an’ all the nice grub an’ things that’s into it,” -said the squatter, as he tightened his grasp. -“Now be you all ready? Then give way.”</p> - -<p class='c019'><span class='pageno' id='Page_357'>357</span>Jake and Sam laid out all their strength -upon their paddles, and the bow of the skiff -grated harshly as it moved over the sand. The -noise, slight as it was, awoke Jim, who was on -his feet in a twinkling. He took just one glance -at the marauders, and then danced about the -camp in a perfect ecstasy of rage, barking and -yelping with all his might.</p> - -<p class='c019'>His first note of angry remonstrance alarmed -the boys, who were off their fragrant couches -in less time than it takes to tell it. The moment -they arose to a perpendicular, they were -wide awake and ready to act. They made a -simultaneous rush for the beach, and while -Arthur and Joe seized the skiff and pulled her -back where she belonged, in spite of all that -Jake and his brother could do to prevent it, -Roy caught up the painter and deftly took a -turn with it around a convenient sapling.</p> - -<p class='c019'>“Now, haul away and see how much you -will make by it,” he exclaimed. “That’s -once you got fooled.”</p> - -<p class='c019'>“Wal, I’ll bet a hoss that I ain’t fooled yet,” -said the squatter, in savage tones. “Pull -ashore, Jakey, an’ we’ll get out an’ lambast -<span class='pageno' id='Page_358'>358</span>them fellers till their own mammies won’t know -’em when they go hum. Human natur!” he -ejaculated a moment later, as the tall form of -the guide came between him and the smoldering -fire. “Who’s that? If it ain’t Swan, I’m -a Dutchman.”</p> - -<p class='c019'>“Come on, you miserable scoundrel,” cried -the guide, shaking his huge fist at the astonished -and thoroughly frightened robber. “I -have been looking for you, and now that I -have found you, I am going to take you back -to Indian Lake with me.”</p> - -<p class='c019'>But Matt and his boys were not as anxious -to go ashore now as they had been. Without -saying a word in reply they bent to their paddles, -and made all haste to get out of sight in -the darkness.</p> - -<p class='c019'>“Now, Joe,” said Mr. Swan, who never got -excited even under the most trying circumstances, -“shove off and take after them. You can -go faster than they can, so if you will get -ahead of them and keep them from reaching -the opposite shore, I will come up on this -side, and we will have them between two fires.”</p> - -<p class='c019'>Joe and his companions were prompt to act -<span class='pageno' id='Page_359'>359</span>upon this suggestion. He and Roy pushed the -skiff into the water, and when she was fairly -afloat Arthur sprang aboard with the jack-lamp -in his hand. A moment later its strong -light flashed out over the pond, telling the fleeing -squatter in language as plain as words that -the darkness could not conceal his movements.</p> - -<p class='c019'>“There they are, not more than forty yards,” -said Arthur, who stood erect on the stern -locker, steadying himself with the boathook. -“Roy, let me have that oar, and you stand -here with the lamp and open fire on them with -your potatoes.”</p> - -<p class='c019'>“I can’t,” was the answer. “I took the -potatoes ashore to-night and washed some for -breakfast; and the bag is in camp at this -moment.”</p> - -<p class='c019'>“Then we shall have to come to close quarters -with them,” said Arthur, “for I have no -idea that they will give up when they find -themselves cut off from shore.”</p> - -<p class='c019'>“If we can only manage to detain them for -two minutes, we shall have all the help we -want,” Joe remarked. “Look behind you.”</p> - -<p class='c019'>Arthur glanced over his shoulder, and was -<span class='pageno' id='Page_360'>360</span>surprised to see the guide in less than a stone’s -throw of the skiff. How he had managed to -put his canoe into the water and get her under -way with so little loss of time, was a mystery.</p> - -<p class='c019'>“A fellow would have to look out for Mr. -Swan in a hurry-skurry race, wouldn’t he?” -said Arthur. “Just see how he makes that -little craft of his get through the water! If -you two don’t let out a section or so of your -muscle, he will overtake the scow before we -do.”</p> - -<p class='c019'>Just then Matt Coyle’s hoarse voice was -heard calling warningly to them. “Don’t -come no nigher,” it said. “If you think that -we are sich fules as to go down to Injun Lake -when we want to stay here, you are the biggest -kind of fules yourselves. I’ll break the head -of the fust one of you that comes within -reach.”</p> - -<p class='c019'>“Matt has crawled back to the stern of his -scow, and is standing there with his paddle in -his hand,” said Arthur, who could see every -move the robber made. “I wonder if he thinks -that we are ‘fules’ enough to give him battle -before Mr. Swan comes up to help us.”</p> - -<p class='c019'><span class='pageno' id='Page_361'>361</span>That was just what Matt was looking for, -and he did not know what to make of it when -the skiff dashed by his scow, keeping so far -beyond reach that he could not have touched -any of her crew with his paddle if he had tried, -and deliberately placed herself across his path. -Then his eyes were opened to the details of the -plan that had been laid to entrap him, and -the promptness with which he went to work to -extricate himself was surprising. He said a -few words in a low tone to his boys, then put -his own paddle into the water, and the scow -shot ahead with greatly increased speed, never -swerving from her original course by so much -as a hair’s breadth.</p> - -<p class='c019'>“Does the old villain mean to run us down, -or does he intend to come alongside and capture -us and the skiff?” said Roy, who was alarmed -as well as amazed by the squatter’s offensive -tactics. “Back water, Joe, while I give way. -It looks as though <i>we</i> had got to run now.”</p> - -<p class='c019'>The scow was so close to them that they had -no time to get out of her way. They saw at a -glance that all they could reasonably hope to -accomplish was to turn their boat slightly, so -<span class='pageno' id='Page_362'>362</span>that if the scow struck her at all, it would be a -glancing blow. But they had miscalculated -the speed of Matt’s clumsy looking craft. She -seemed to glide over the top of the water -instead of passing through it, as other boats do. -On she came with terrific force, and although -Joe and Roy worked hard to slip out of her -way, she struck the skiff fairly in the side, ripping -off two of her planks, smashing in as many -more, and making a hole that Mars could have -crawled through with all ease. At the same -instant darkness settled down over the scene as -if by magic. Arthur Hastings had been knocked -off his perch on the stern locker, and he and -the jack-lamp went into the pond together.</p> - -<p class='c019'>“Whoop-ee!” yelled Matt, triumphantly. -“Will you git outen our road the next time -you see us comin’? Take that fur your imperdence -in gittin’ before your betters,” he added, -making a vicious blow with his paddle at the -place where he had last seen Joe Wayring’s -head.</p> - -<p class='c019'>Joe’s head was not there now, however, for -he had been sharp enough to put it somewhere -else; but Matt was speedily made aware that -<span class='pageno' id='Page_363'>363</span>the boy was not far away, for as the blade of -his paddle whistled harmlessly through the air, -he received a punch in the ribs with an oar that -brought from him a yell of pain, and came very -near sending him into the water. At the same -moment, a howl of agony from the unlucky -Jake announced that Roy was taking a hand in -the rumpus.</p> - -<p class='c019'>The fight that followed was a very short one, -but it was warm while it lasted, and gave Matt -and his boys some idea of what a couple of -brave young fellows could do when they were -cornered. Joe, while defending himself against -the muscular squatter, managed to get in several -good blows; Roy pounded Sam to his -heart’s content, Jake having dropped out of the -contest at the very beginning of it; and Arthur -clung to the side of the skiff and called lustily -for Mr. Swan.</p> - -<p class='c019'>“I’m coming,” replied the guide, who was -doing all he could to bring himself alongside -the scow. “Keep them there just a minute -longer.”</p> - -<p class='c019'>Roy and Joe would have obeyed if they could; -but when Matt heard Mr. Swan’s voice sounding -<span class='pageno' id='Page_364'>364</span>so close to him, he pushed his piratical -craft away from the skiff, and the darkness -shut him out from view. When the guide -arrived a few minutes later, he found the boys -supporting themselves by holding fast to the -sides of their boat, which was full of water. -They had relieved her of their weight just in -time to keep her from going to the bottom of -the pond. She would not sink now, for she -had no cargo aboard to speak of, and besides, -the air that was imprisoned in the lockers -assisted in keeping her afloat.</p> - -<p class='c019'>“Well, if this don’t beat the world!” -exclaimed Mr. Swan, as soon as he had taken -in the situation. “Somehow or other those -villains always manage to come out at the top -of the heap, don’t they? Did you have a fight -with them? I heard sticks a clashing and -somebody yelling. I hope none of you ain’t -hurt.”</p> - -<p class='c019'>“Don’t be uneasy on that score,” replied -Roy. “Joe and I had a scrimmage with them, -but you didn’t hear either one of us yell. It -was Matt and Jake. Sam was good grit. He -never said a word, although I punched him -<span class='pageno' id='Page_365'>365</span>with the blade of my oar the best I knew how. -Arthur was standing on one of the lockers -when the scow struck us, and he and the lamp -made a plunge of ten feet in the clear before -they touched the water.”</p> - -<p class='c019'>“Do you mean to say that they ran into you -a purpose?” exclaimed the guide.</p> - -<p class='c019'>“Of course they did. We cut them off from -the shore, as you directed, and that old scow -of theirs came at us like a battering-ram. Matt -heard Joe tell us to-night to sink the canoe, -and that was what put it into his head to run -into us.”</p> - -<p class='c019'>Meanwhile Arthur Hastings had worked his -way around to the bow of the skiff and secured -the painter, one end of which he made fast to -a ring in the stern of the canoe. The chase -was over, of course. They could not continue -the pursuit in the dark, for the squatter could -easily elude them in a hundred different ways, -and neither would it be prudent to follow him -in the canoe. The little craft was intended to -carry only one person, with a very limited -allowance of camp equipage, and the added -weight of one of the boys would have sunk -<span class='pageno' id='Page_366'>366</span>her so deep in the water that no speed could -be got out of her. The only thing they could -do was to go back to camp and finish their -sleep.</p> - -<p class='c019'>“But what shall we do to-morrow?” was -the question that Joe and his comrades asked -themselves and one another. “Our boat is -badly stove, and if we can’t patch her up, how -are we going to get back to Mount Airy?”</p> - -<p class='c019'>Mr. Swan towed the disabled skiff to the -shore, her crew swimming alongside or trying -to assist him by pushing behind, and the fire -was started up again to aid them in making an -examination of the injuries she had received. -They were fully as severe as the boys expected -to find them, and it was a wonder to them that -she was so long in filling.</p> - -<p class='c019'>“There’s plenty of guides down to the lake -that can fix her up for you in good shape,” -said Mr. Swan.</p> - -<p class='c019'>“Of course,” replied Roy. “But the lake -is twenty-five miles from here, and there’s no -way to get her down there.”</p> - -<p class='c019'>“Mebbe there is,” answered the guide. -“For a shilling I’ll agree that she shall go -<span class='pageno' id='Page_367'>367</span>down there, and carry you into the bargain. -But we can’t do nothing with her to-night. -You boys get on some dry clothes and go to -bed again.”</p> - -<p class='c019'>Joe and his companions were quite willing to -act upon this suggestion, but they were in no -hurry to go to sleep. Neither was Mr. Swan. -They sat around the fire for a long time, talking -over the incidents of their battle in the dark, -and as I listened closely, I have been able to give -you the story in the same way that it was told to -Mr. Swan. The squatter’s extraordinary luck -and the skill he exhibited in eluding arrest -seemed to astonish them all. How I longed -for the power of speech so that I could tell -them that robbing camps and smoke-houses -was not the only business to which Matt Coyle -intended to devote himself, now that the offer -of his service as guide and boatman had been -declined by the managers of the Indian Lake -hotels. But they found it out for themselves, -and before long, too.</p> - -<p class='c019'>It was three o’clock before the campers again -sought their blankets. The boys slept much -later than usual, but the guide was stirring at -<span class='pageno' id='Page_368'>368</span>the first peep of day. He piled fresh fuel on -the fire, put Roy’s potatoes into the ashes to -roast, made the coffee and pancakes, and took -time while the fish were frying to give the skiff -another good looking over. Then he picked -up Joe’s camp ax, and disappeared among -the trees, returning a few minutes later with -several large slabs of birch bark. By this time -the fish were done, and the guide announced -the fact by calling out—</p> - -<p class='c019'>“Tumble up, you sleepy heads. You’ve -just two seconds in which to take a dip in the -pond and get ready for breakfast.”</p> - -<p class='c019'>Having had as many “dips” as they wanted -already, the boys contented themselves with -washing their hands and faces; after which -they sat down to their homely breakfast with -appetites to which the dwellers in towns and -cities are, for the most part, strangers. Of -course the squatter was still uppermost in their -minds, and he and his exploits formed the -principal topic of their conversation.</p> - -<p class='c019'>“By the way, Mr. Swan, you forgot to tell -us what Matt stole at those camps,” said -Arthur, suddenly.</p> - -<p class='c019'><span class='pageno' id='Page_369'>369</span>“Did I? Well, in my camp he took a Lefever -hammerless that cost the owner three hundred -dollars; and from a gentleman who had Bob -Martin for a guide, he stole a Winchester -worth fifty dollars. Not satisfied with that, -he took every thing in the shape of grub that -he could lay his hands on, and me and my -employer had to live on trout while we were -making a journey of more than a hundred and -fifty miles. Trout’s good enough once in a -while; but I swan to man, if I want it for a -steady diet. Bob Martin said he eat so much -of that kind of food that he wanted to snap at -every fly that came near him.”</p> - -<p class='c019'>“Matt and his family are always on the look-out -for grub, and I should think that the -sharp edge would be taken off their appetites -after a while,” Arthur remarked. “Did you -try to follow his trail?”</p> - -<p class='c019'>“Bless you, no. There ain’t a country in -Ameriky that is so well provided with water -courses as this Indian Lake country is, and -what’s the use of trying to follow the trail of a -boat? You might as well think of tracking a -bird through the air.”</p> - -<p class='c019'><span class='pageno' id='Page_370'>370</span>“What do you suppose Matt intends to do -with those guns?” inquired Roy. “Of course -he wouldn’t be so foolish as to offer them for -sale around here, and they certainly will be of -no use to him unless he took a big supply of -cartridges at the same time he took the -weapons.”</p> - -<p class='c019'>“I’ve got my own idea about that,” replied -the guide. “It’s only an idea, mind you, but -I have good reason for holding to it. A year -ago last spring, Matt got to acting just as he’s -acting now, because the hotels wouldn’t send -him out with their guests, and me and the rest -of the guides tracked him down, and told him -that he’d got to clear himself. He allowed he -wouldn’t do it, and that he’d make it hot for -the fellers that tried to make him go, so we -went to work and burned up everything he had, -except his clothes and we’pons. Then he had -to dig out; but before he went, he sent us -word that if he couldn’t do guiding for -the hotels none of us should, for the reason -that there wouldn’t be nobody to hire us.”</p> - -<p class='c019'>“What did he mean by that?” exclaimed -Joe.</p> - -<p class='c019'><span class='pageno' id='Page_371'>371</span>“You’re pretty sharp fellows,” said the -guide, in reply. “What’s your opinion of his -meaning?”</p> - -<p class='c019'>“He doesn’t intend to kill off the guests as -fast as they arrive, does he?” said Arthur.</p> - -<p class='c019'>“Probably not,” said Joe. “But he means to -steal them poor, and bother them in every way -he can, so that they won’t come here to spend -their summer vacations.”</p> - -<p class='c019'>“That’s the very idea,” said the guide, approvingly. -“That’s what he was up to, and -that’s what he is trying to do now; but we -ain’t going to let him stay. Now, then,” he -added, as he arose to his feet and produced his -ancient brier-root, “if one of you will help me -while the others tend to things about the camp, -we’ll be on our way to the lake in less’n half -an hour by Joe’s Waterbury.”</p> - -<p class='c019'>“Are you going with us?” asked Arthur, -who was delighted at the prospect of spending -the day, and perhaps another night in the company -of so famous a story teller.</p> - -<p class='c019'>“I reckon I might as well,” replied the -guide. “I know where to find Matt’s trail -now, but I can’t do nothing with him and his -<span class='pageno' id='Page_372'>372</span>family all by myself, so I will go back and get -some of the boys to help me.”</p> - -<p class='c019'>“Well, see here, Mr. Swan,” said Joe. “If -you have to burn him out again, don’t forget to -save my canoe from the general destruction. -I know it isn’t a very valuable thing, having -seen its best days long ago, but still I shouldn’t -like to think that I had lost it for good.”</p> - -<p class='c019'>“I’ll bear it in mind,” said the guide. -“Now, don’t let the fire go out. We shall -need it to toast the bark.”</p> - -<p class='c019'>“What do you want to toast the bark for?”</p> - -<p class='c019'>“Why, to make it straighten out and stay -somewhere. Don’t you see how it curls up in -all sorts of ways? Summer bark isn’t as -good as winter bark for this sort of work, but -I reckon we can make it keep the water out of -the skiff till we get to the lake.”</p> - -<p class='c019'>Arthur and Joe made all haste to wash the -breakfast dishes and collect their “duffle”, so -that there would be no delay in loading the -skiff when the repairs were completed, and then -sat down to keep the fire going, and to watch -the guide, in whose proceedings they were -much interested. They wanted to learn how it -<span class='pageno' id='Page_373'>373</span>was done, so that they might know what to do -in case a similar misfortune befell them when -there was no accommodating backwoodsman -near to help them. Fortunately they never -went into the woods without taking with them -some strips of canvas, a supply of tallow and -rosin, and a paper of copper tacks. By the aid -of the tacks, the birch bark, after it had been -toasted over the fire so that it would “stay -somewhere”, was fastened upon the gaping -wound which the sharp corner of Matt’s scow -had made in her side, the seams were thickly -coated with melted rosin and tallow, then the -canvas was tacked on, and Mr. Swan declared -that his task was finished.</p> - -<p class='c019'>“She’ll leak a little water, of course,” said -he, as he filled up for another smoke, “but not -much after the bark has a chance to swell a -trifle. Now I reckon we are ready to be -off.”</p> - -<p class='c019'>It was the work of but a few minutes to pack -the provisions and cooking utensils away in -the lockers, and as soon as that had been done, -the boys shoved the skiff into the water and -followed Mr. Swan, whose canoe was moving -<span class='pageno' id='Page_374'>374</span>toward the creek which connected the pond -with Indian Lake. The boat didn’t leak as -much as they thought it would. Five minutes’ -bailing every half hour kept her comparatively -dry.</p> - -<p class='c019'>The boys camped that night within less than -five miles of the lake, and of course had the pleasure -of listening to more of the guide’s stories. -They made an early start the next morning, -Mr. Swan being impatient to obtain assistance -and resume the pursuit of the man who had -despoiled the camp of his employer, and at -seven o’clock the two boats were run up on the -beach in front of the Sportsman’s Home.</p> - -<div class='chapter'> - <span class='pageno' id='Page_375'>375</span> - <h2 class='c011'>CHAPTER XVIII. <br /> <br /><span class='small'>AN OLD ACQUAINTANCE.</span></h2> -</div> - -<p class='drop-capa0_3_0_5 c018'>MR. SWAN and his young friends at once -went ashore and set out for the -hotel, the former to tell “the boys” that he -had struck the trail of the man they most -wanted to see, and Joe and his companions to -examine the rods the landlord had in his possession, -and to engage some one who was handy -with tools to repair the skiff. They left me -lying in my usual place on the stern locker, -with Jim and the two bait-rods for company.</p> - -<p class='c019'>I had heard so much about Indian Lake and -its hotels that I had pictured them out to myself, -and thought I could tell pretty near how -they looked; but nevertheless I was greatly -surprised by what I saw around me. I told -myself that the boy who could not find there -what he wanted in the way of recreation, must -<span class='pageno' id='Page_376'>376</span>be hard to suit. If he was fond of gay company -and liked such places as Saratoga and -Long Branch, he would probably stop at the -“American” on the further side of the lake; -but if he were an angler and a lover of nature, -or if he desired to get away somewhere and -rest, he would choose the “Sportsman’s Home” -every time.</p> - -<p class='c019'>The house itself looked like a hunter’s camp -on a grand scale, or like the cabins of the -loggers I afterward saw in the wilds of Maine, -only it had two stories instead of one. It was -built entirely of logs, which had been painted -with some substance that I don’t know the -name of, but it sparkled in the bright sunlight -like a covering of ice. In the groves that surrounded -the hotel on all sides, were log houses, -tents and shanties without number. Noisy -children were running in and out among the -trees, the clashing of croquet balls was almost -incessant, sportsmen in dogskin jackets, leather -helmets and leggings, and guides in blue shirts -and cowhide boots were constantly going and -coming, and every one that I saw seemed to be -enjoying himself. This was one of the happy -<span class='pageno' id='Page_377'>377</span>parties that Matt Coyle was determined to -break up because the landlords refused to trust -their guests to his care! It was no wonder -Mr. Swan and his brother guides were anxious -to rid the country of the presence of such a -villain. While I was thinking about it I heard -myself addressed in a faint voice; and upon -looking in the direction from which it came, I -discovered a seedy breech-loader resting -against the thwart of the neighboring canoe.</p> - -<p class='c019'>“You don’t seem to remember me,” said he, -reproachfully.</p> - -<p class='c019'>“I can’t say that I do,” was my reply. -“I think you have made a mistake in the fly-rod.”</p> - -<p class='c019'>“No, I haven’t,” said he, confidently. “I -knew you before you left Mr. Brown’s store. -Don’t you remember the English fowling-piece -that had the dispute with that conceited -bamboo?”</p> - -<p class='c019'>So this was my old acquaintance, the -“Brummagem shooting-iron,” was it? It was -right on the point of my tongue to remind him -that the bamboo had not showed himself to be -any more conceited than he was; but I didn’t -<span class='pageno' id='Page_378'>378</span>say it. I judged by his appearance that he had -seen pretty hard times since he left Mr. Brown’s -protecting care. He had sneeringly told me -that I was not worth the modest price that had -been set upon me, but, here I was, as bright as -ever, while he looked as though he had been -through half a dozen wars.</p> - -<p class='c019'>“I remember you now,” said I, “but you -have changed so much that I did not recognize -you at first. Where have you been, and what -have you done since that countryman of yours -ordered you to be sent up to the Lambert -House?”</p> - -<p class='c019'>“He was no countryman of mine,” replied -the double barrel, sadly. “He was a full-fledged -Yankee who tried to pass himself off -for something better than he really was. But -he’s got all over that; the guides laughed him -out of it.”</p> - -<p class='c019'>“Did they laugh you into your present condition?” -I asked, remembering that the -double barrel had also tried to pass himself -off for something better than he really -was.</p> - -<p class='c019'>“Eh? No,” he replied, indignantly. “It’s -<span class='pageno' id='Page_379'>379</span>the result of abuse and hardship. Last year I -was stolen out of camp—”</p> - -<p class='c019'>“By whom?” I interrupted, excitedly.</p> - -<p class='c019'>“By a vagabond who calls himself Matt -Coyle,” was the reply. “His old shanty leaked -like a sieve, and I got wet and rusty. That’s -what makes me look so bad.”</p> - -<p class='c019'>“How did your master get you back?”</p> - -<p class='c019'>“I heard the story about in this way: In -less than an hour after I was stolen, a dirty, -unkempt boy made his appearance in my -master’s camp, and told him that he had been -fishing on the pond all the afternoon, that he -knew the man who took me, and for a reward -of ten dollars he would follow me up and steal -me back again.”</p> - -<p class='c019'>“Of course your master wasn’t deceived by -any such shallow trick as that!” I exclaimed.</p> - -<p class='c019'>“Well, he was. You see, he and the two -young fellows who come up here with him -every summer, never hire a guide. As they -seldom venture more than twenty or thirty -miles away from the lake, and never leave the -water courses, there’s really no need of a guide; -<span class='pageno' id='Page_380'>380</span>but if they had had one when that boy came -into camp, he would have saved my master -from imposition. As it was, he promised to -give him the ten dollars, and before sunset I -was brought back. But it had rained buckets -during my absence, I was wet inside and out, -my master did not know enough to take care of -me, and that’s how I came to be in this fix. -They’re coming now, and we are off again, I -suppose.”</p> - -<p class='c019'>I looked toward the hotel, and there was the -young man with the gold eye-glasses, peaked -shoes and downy upper lip—the same knowing -fellow, who had been foolish enough to take a -cheap gun that wasn’t warranted, with the -expectation that it would do as good work as a -Greener.</p> - -<p class='c019'>“We’re going up to the pond, and I shall be -called upon to fire heavier charges than I can -stand at every thing in the shape of a partridge -or squirrel that comes in my way,” added the -double barrel.</p> - -<p class='c019'>“You ought not to be required to shoot those -birds at this time of year,” said I. “It’s -against the law.”</p> - -<p class='c019'><span class='pageno' id='Page_381'>381</span>“Oh, I don’t hurt them any. I only shoot -at them. I never killed any thing.”</p> - -<p class='c019'>“That’s just what Mr. Brown said when he -sold you,” thought I. “Have you a dog to -guard your camp? Well, you ought to have. -Matt Coyle lives up there, and night before -last he made a daring attempt to steal this -skiff, and then he tried to sink her. Don’t you -see the hole in her side?”</p> - -<p class='c019'>I was going on to tell the double barrel that -if his master did not keep his eyes open he -might expect another visit from the squatter, -but just then I saw Joe Wayring and his -friends coming down the bank; and as I was -more interested in them and the rods they carried -on their shoulders, than I was in the fortunes -of the seedy-looking fowling piece, I had -nothing more to say to him. I saw him once -afterward, and then he was a perfect wreck of -a gun. There wasn’t enough of him left to sell -for old iron.</p> - -<p class='c019'>“Haw! haw!” said Roy, as he jumped into -the skiff. “We’ve got them back again, and -only one of them is the worse for being stolen -by that squatter.”</p> - -<p class='c019'><span class='pageno' id='Page_382'>382</span>I wondered which one that was, and found -out when Arthur Hastings began taking his -rod from its case. It was a beautiful rod, and -looked strong enough to handle any fish that -was likely to be encountered in that country; -but the second joint was broken close to the -ferrule. I looked pityingly at him, little -dreaming that I was destined to go home in the -same crippled condition.</p> - -<p class='c019'>“I don’t believe that any bass that ever -wiggled a fin could break that rod,” said -Arthur, dolefully. “Matt or some of his -vagabond band must have caught the hook -into a log or the stem of a lily-pad. Well, it -isn’t as bad as it might be, but I hate to think -that that squatter has made some money out -of me.”</p> - -<p class='c019'>While the boys were waiting for the guide -who had promised to come down and look at -the skiff, they talked of their interview with -the landlord of the Sportsman’s Home, and in -that way I came to know just what happened -when they went up to see the rods he had purchased -of Jake Coyle. Of course they recognized -them at once, and promptly handed over -<span class='pageno' id='Page_383'>383</span>the money that Mr. Hanson had paid for their -property, but said nothing about paying for -the rods that belonged to Tom Bigden and his -cousins.</p> - -<p class='c019'>“Hadn’t you better take them all?” asked -the landlord. “You say that the boys from -whom these rods were stolen live in Mount -Airy, and perhaps they would be grateful to -you for returning them.”</p> - -<p class='c019'>“I think we’d better not have any thing to -do with them,” said Arthur. “But we’ll forward -them a dispatch and let them send or -come after the rods. They’ve nothing else -to do.”</p> - -<p class='c019'>There was telegraphic communication between -Indian Lake and Mount Airy, by the way of -New London, and Arthur wrote and sent off -the dispatch before he left the hotel. If he -and his chums had been able to look far enough -into the future to see every thing that was to -result from this simple act, they would have -been greatly astonished. I know I was when I -heard the full particulars.</p> - -<p class='c019'>In a few minutes the expected guide came -down to the beach and gave the skiff a careful -<span class='pageno' id='Page_384'>384</span>examination. After he had stripped off the -canvas and bark, so that he could see the full -extent of her injuries, he remarked that Matt’s -scow must have hit her a middling heavy crack.</p> - -<p class='c019'>“I should say she did,” replied Joe, with a -laugh. “When three strong fellows do their -level best with paddles, they can make a small -boat get through the water with considerable -speed. They hit us hard enough to knock -Arthur overboard. Who are those men, and -where are they going in such haste?” he continued, -directing the guide’s attention to a -company of guests and boatmen who were -walking rapidly toward the beach.</p> - -<p class='c019'>“Two of them are the gentlemen whose -camps were robbed the other day,” replied the -guide, after he had taken a glance at the party. -“They’ve got some friends to help them, and -are going out to see if they can track down -them varmints who have been kicking up so -much fuss about here of late. There comes -Swan. He’s going with them, but they might -as well stay at home, the whole of them. That -Matt Coyle can cover up his trail like an Injun. -It took every guide in the country to hunt him -<span class='pageno' id='Page_385'>385</span>down the last time we drove him away from -here.”</p> - -<p class='c019'>“You missed it by not putting him in jail,” -said Roy.</p> - -<p class='c019'>“That’s just what we wanted to do,” -answered the guide. “But when we come to -talk to some of the guests about it—there was -lawyers among them, you know—we found that -we didn’t have any evidence that would convict -him. We suspected him, but we could not -prove any thing.”</p> - -<p class='c019'>“You’ll not be troubled in that way this -time,” Arthur remarked. “You’ll have the -guns for evidence.”</p> - -<p class='c019'>“Don’t fool yourself,” said the guide. “Do -you suppose that they will find that three -hundred dollar scatter-gun and that fifty dollar -rifle when they find Matt Coyle—that is, if -they do find him? Not by a great sight. Them -things is safe hid in the woods. Matt’ll sw’ar -that he didn’t hook ’em, and there ain’t a -living man that can sw’ar that he did. The -only thing they can do is to burn him out of -house and home, like we did last time, and force -him to go off somewhere and steal a new outfit.”</p> - -<p class='c019'><span class='pageno' id='Page_386'>386</span>“What’s the reason we can’t go with them?” -said Joe, suddenly.</p> - -<p class='c019'>“I reckon you can. You know more about -the woods than some of that party do, and you -might be of some use to them.”</p> - -<p class='c019'>“Well, look here, Mr. Morris: Will you fix -up our boat in good shape, give her a coat or -two of paint and take care of the things that -we shall be obliged to leave behind us?”</p> - -<p class='c019'>“I will, sartain,” answered the guide, readily.</p> - -<p class='c019'>In an instant both the lockers were opened, -and Joe Wayring, snatching up a camp basket, -started post-haste for the hotel to hire a skiff -and purchase a small supply of provisions for -the trip, leaving Roy and Arthur to select the -outfit. The tent and the most of their heavy -cooking-utensils were to be left behind. They -were very useful articles, of course, but they -were not absolutely necessary to their existence, -or even to their comfort. Besides, the skiff -that would be provided for them would not -carry as much “duffle” as the roomy boat -they were going to leave in the guide’s keeping. -Their bows and arrows, blankets, the -knapsacks that contained their extra clothing, -<span class='pageno' id='Page_387'>387</span>and the frying pan must go, of course; but -every thing else was left behind.</p> - -<p class='c019'>While they were awaiting Joe’s return, Mr. -Swan and his party came up, got into their -boats and pushed away from the beach. Mr. -Morris pointed out two stalwart gentlemen in -shooting costume, who, he said, were the -owners of the stolen guns. They seemed to be -in very bad humor, and the boys did not wonder -at it.</p> - -<p class='c019'>“I shouldn’t like to be in Matt’s place if -those men get their hands on him,” said Roy, -in a low tone.</p> - -<p class='c019'>“Nor I,” answered the guide. “They sw’ar -they’ll pound him before he goes to jail, and -they look to me like fellers that will keep -their word.”</p> - -<p class='c019'>“Say, boys,” exclaimed Mr. Swan, as he -backed water with his oars and brought his -boat to a stand-still at the stern of the skiff, -“can’t you stay here till we come back? We -want your evidence.”</p> - -<p class='c019'>“We’ll be around, you may depend upon -that,” returned Roy. “But we’re not going -to stay here, if you will let us take part in -<span class='pageno' id='Page_388'>388</span>the hunt. Joe has gone up to the hotel after -a boat.”</p> - -<p class='c019'>“Oh! All right,” said Mr. Swan. “Them’s -two of the lads that had the battle in the dark -that I was telling you about,” he added, -addressing himself to the owner of the lost -“scatter-gun”, who was his employer.</p> - -<p class='c019'>“Well, I must say that they are plucky -fellows, and that they deserve better luck,” -said the gentleman, returning the military -salute which the boys gave him from sheer -force of habit. “I hope their skiff can be -easily repaired, Mr. Morris?”</p> - -<p class='c019'>“No trouble about that, sir,” answered the -guide. “She’ll be right and tight before sundown—all -except the paint.”</p> - -<p class='c019'>After telling Roy and his companion that if -they did not overtake him before, they would -find him encamped somewhere on the bank of -the creek near the pond, Mr. Swan applied -himself to his oars, and a fleet of seven boats, -manned by fourteen angry and determined -guides and guests, set out in pursuit of Matt -Coyle and his thieving crew. Ten minutes -later Joe Wayring returned, accompanied by -<span class='pageno' id='Page_389'>389</span>a guide and a small party of ladies and gentlemen. -The former was to show him what boat -he could take, and the latter were listening -with much interest to Joe’s graphic account -of his adventures with the squatter. Joe was -surprised to learn that Matt’s way of creeping -up through the bushes and robbing unguarded -camps, had frightened the women and children -so badly that they refused to go into the -woods until the thief had been captured and -safely lodged in jail. That depended upon -the evidence Joe could give to put him there.</p> - -<p class='c019'>“That’s all mighty fine,” said Mr. Morris, -after listening to what Joe had to say of his -conversation with the stranger, “but they -don’t give a thought to the hardest part of the -business. Matt ain’t caught yet, and there’ll -have to be a heap of hard work done before he -is shut up so’t he can’t steal no more scatter-guns; -you see if there ain’t. I’d like to take -a hand in the hunt myself, but I’ve got to go -out with the same man I guided for last year, -and he’s liable to come along any day.”</p> - -<p class='c019'>Their boat having been pointed out to them, -Joe and his companions lost no time in putting -<span class='pageno' id='Page_390'>390</span>their effects aboard of it. Then they bade Mr. -Morris good-by, lifted their caps to the party -on shore, and rowed down the lake and up the -creek in pursuit of the fleet. They overtook Mr. -Swan and his party just before they landed to eat -their lunch, traveled in company with them during -the rest of the day, and went into camp with -them at night. I had abundant opportunity -to compare notes with the three recovered bait-rods, -who corroborated the story that was told -me by the canvas canoe, and which I -have already given to the reader in my -own words. The squatter was fully resolved, -they said, that if he couldn’t act as guide in -those woods, nobody should; and the worst of -it was, he seemed to be in a fair way to accomplish -his object. The sportsmen who patronized -the hotels came there for fun and recreation; -and it wasn’t likely that they could see -much of it if their wives and children were to -be prevented from accompanying them on their -fishing excursions through fear of this man, -Matt Coyle. The owners of the Lefever hammerless -and Winchester rifle didn’t see much -fun in having their fine weapons stolen, and if -<span class='pageno' id='Page_391'>391</span>these depredations were not stopped, and that -speedily, it would not be long before the guests -would be looking for some place of resort where -thieves were not quite so plenty.</p> - -<p class='c019'>“But even that isn’t the worst of it,” continued -Joe’s bait-rod, who did the most of the -talking. “Every thing seems to indicate that -the squatter is going to have a bigger following -now than he has been able to boast of in the past. -He isn’t the only worthless scamp there is in -the woods, by any means. You know, I suppose, -that the State fish commissioners have -established a hatchery at the outlet of Deer -Lake, a few miles from here?”</p> - -<p class='c019'>I replied that I had not heard of it.</p> - -<p class='c019'>“Well, they have, and the superintendent -wants to prohibit fishing there, so that he can -get a supply of eggs large enough to stock all -these waters, which will soon be stripped of -trout unless there are some put in to take the -place of the multitudes that are caught every -year. The superintendent sets traps in the -outlet to catch the fish so that he can get their -eggs, and three or four fellows who live right -there, and who look enough like Matt Coyle to -<span class='pageno' id='Page_392'>392</span>be his brothers, go to the outlet every night -and cut the nets. The superintendent threatened -to have them arrested if they didn’t quit -it, and they told him that they had always -fished in that outlet, and if he wanted the -hatchery buildings to stay there, he hadn’t better -try to stop them. I heard the whole conversation. -I was down there when old Dead -Shot was broken.”</p> - -<p class='c019'>“Who’s Dead Shot?” I inquired.</p> - -<p class='c019'>“I am,” faintly replied Arthur Hastings’s -crippled rod.</p> - -<p class='c019'>“Why, that’s a queer name for you to bear,” -said I. “I think it would be more appropriate -for a shot-gun or rifle.”</p> - -<p class='c019'>“Perhaps it would; but Arthur has always -called me that since I caught his first string of -yellow pike for him, and it is the name I go by. -I never let a fish get away when I get a good -grip on him—that is, when I have some one to -handle me who knows what he is about. But -Jake don’t know any thing about a rod, for he -has always fished with a pole he cut in the -bushes. On the day the superintendent talked -so plainly to the vagabonds who cut his nets, -<span class='pageno' id='Page_393'>393</span>Jake was fishing in the outlet, and Matt was -hiding in one of the cabins. A little fish—I -should not think he weighed more than a -pound, judging by the bite he gave—took the -hook, which was baited with worms, and Jake -tried to yank him out by main strength, as he -had always been in the habit of doing; but the -line caught between two rocks, and as Jake -threw back his head and surged on me with all -the muscle he had, I broke. That’s all there -was of it.”</p> - -<p class='c019'>“And do you think that Matt Coyle will -strike hands with those fellows at the outlet?” -I asked, when Dead Shot had ended -his story.</p> - -<p class='c019'>“He has done it already, and our friends -here have undertaken a bigger job than they -bargained for,” answered the bait-rod. “Those -vagabonds are all tarred with the same stick. -They sympathize with Matt, and will hide him -in their houses and help him in every way -they can.”</p> - -<p class='c019'>“Haven’t we got force enough to go into the -houses and take him out?”</p> - -<p class='c019'>“We’ve got the force, but not the authority. -<span class='pageno' id='Page_394'>394</span>There’s not an officer or a search-warrant in our -party.”</p> - -<p class='c019'>Not being posted in law, I did not quite understand -the situation, but I didn’t like to ask -any more questions. It was enough for me to -know that Matt Coyle seemed to have the best -of the game. Indeed, he always seemed to -have it.</p> - -<div class='chapter'> - <span class='pageno' id='Page_395'>395</span> - <h2 class='c011'>CHAPTER XIX. <br /> <br /><span class='small'>CONCLUSION.</span></h2> -</div> - -<p class='drop-capa0_2_0_5 c018'>THE boats made an early start the next -morning, and reached the pond at nine -o’clock. Half an hour later they had crossed -it, and were moving up the creek where I performed -my first exploit, and Joe Wayring so -narrowly escaped capture by Matt Coyle and his -boys. It annoyed me to think that the squatter -and his family had enjoyed so good a supper, -and that I had unwittingly provided it for -them. It would not have soothed my feelings -much if some one had told me that, although -that was the first meal I had caught for them, -it would not be the last.</p> - -<p class='c019'>“Now, then,” said Mr. Swan, after he and -his party had listened to Joe’s description of the -exciting incidents that happened in the creek -on the evening of the previous day, “we will -divide ourselves into two fleets and take -<span class='pageno' id='Page_396'>396</span>opposite sides of the stream. As we go up, -let every one of us keep a bright lookout for a -sign. Those robbers could not have got into -their scow or landed from it without leaving a -trail, and that is what we want to find.”</p> - -<p class='c019'>In obedience to these instructions four of the -boats kept to one side of the creek, the remaining -four pulled over to the other bank, and the -hunt began in earnest. Every inch of the shore -on both sides was closely scrutinized, but up -to three o’clock in the afternoon nothing suspicious -had been discovered. Mr. Swan began -to believe that they had passed the trail long -ago without seeing it, and said as much to his -employer, adding—</p> - -<p class='c019'>“That villain is sharper than two or three -men have any business to be. He and his -family, the old woman included, can go -through the woods without leaving trail enough -for a hound to follow. They never forget to -be as careful as they know how, for they have -so long lived in constant fear of arrest that—”</p> - -<p class='c019'>The guide suddenly paused, and looked -earnestly at Joe and his companions, whose -actions seemed to indicate that they had found -<span class='pageno' id='Page_397'>397</span>something that would bear looking into. -Their boat was loitering along two or three -rods behind the others, Roy and Arthur doing -the rowing, while Joe was stretched out flat on -the knapsacks, his chin resting on his arms -which were supported by the gunwale, and his -eyes fastened upon the bank. All at once he -started up and said, in a low tone:</p> - -<p class='c019'>“Cease rowing. Look at that.”</p> - -<p class='c019'>“Look at what?” demanded Roy, after he -and Arthur had run their eyes up and down -the bank without seeing any thing that was -calculated to excite astonishment. “At those -bushes growing in the water? That’s nothing, -for we’ve seen bushes growing in the water -ever since we came into the creek.”</p> - -<p class='c019'>“I am aware of it; but if you will look -closely at these particular bushes, you will see -that the bark is scraped off some of them, and -that they all lean away from the creek as if -some heavy body had been dragged over them,” -answered Joe. “Back port and give way starboard. -Let’s turn in here; and if we don’t -find something or other on the opposite side, I -shall wonder.”</p> - -<p class='c019'><span class='pageno' id='Page_398'>398</span>The rowers obeyed, without much confidence -as to the result, it must be confessed, and -when Mr. Swan and his party arrived, having -all turned back to see what it was that had -attracted the attention of the boys, neither they -nor their boat were in sight. There was something -on the bank, however, that instantly -caught the sharp eye of one of the guides, who -at once proceeded to take himself to task in a -way that would have excited his ire if any one -else had done it.</p> - -<p class='c019'>“Hit me over the head with a paddle, somebody,” -said he. “I’m going to throw up my -position when I get back to the lake, and quit -guiding. I ain’t no good any more. I come -along here not ten minutes ago, and didn’t see -what them boys saw at once. Look at them -bushes, and then look at that,” he added, pulling -his boat closer to the bank, and placing -the blade of his oar in a little depression in the -edge of the water. “Matt Coyle shoved that -scow of his’n over them bushes, and that’s -what barked them and made them bend over -that way. He suspicioned that some of us -would see it, so he come back and stood right -<span class='pageno' id='Page_399'>399</span>there where my oar is, and tried to straighten -the bushes up with a pole or something.”</p> - -<p class='c019'>“That’s so,” said Mr. Swan, to his employer, -“Didn’t I tell you that he was a sharp one? -The tricks that that fellow don’t know ain’t -worth knowing.”</p> - -<p class='c019'>Just then a twig snapped on the bank and -Joe Wayring came into view. “Don’t talk so -loud,” he whispered, as he held up his finger -warningly. “Matt’s scow isn’t twenty feet -from here, and that’s all the proof I want that -his camp is close at land.”</p> - -<p class='c019'>Instantly seven pairs of oars were dropped -into the water, and as many boats were forced -through the bushes and into the little bay on -the other side. There lay the piratical craft -which had done her best to send the skiff to -the bottom of the pond, but nothing was to be -seen or heard of her crew.</p> - -<p class='c019'>“Keep still, every body,” cautioned Mr. -Swan, in the lowest possible whisper. “They’re -out there in the woods, but remember that they -ain’t caught yet, and that they won’t be if their -ears tell them that we’re coming.”</p> - -<p class='c019'>Joe afterward said that the trail that led -<span class='pageno' id='Page_400'>400</span>from the scow into the bushes was so plain that -a blind man could have followed it; so it -seemed that, for once, Matt had forgotten to -be careful. No doubt he thought that the bay -in which his scow found a resting-place, was so -effectually hidden by the bushes in front of it, -that it would never be discovered by a pursuing -party. We have seen that he had good reason -for this belief. If Joe and his chums had -decided to remain at the lake and enjoy themselves -there while their skiff was being repaired, -instead of joining their forces with Mr. Swan’s -hunting party, it is probable that the squatter’s -retreat never would have been discovered; and -neither would the pursuers—well, I’ll wait -until I get to that before I tell about it.</p> - -<p class='c019'>Mr. Swan, who was the acknowledged leader -of the party, at once shouldered his rifle and -began following up the trail, the others falling -in in single file behind him. They moved so -silently that I could not hear a leaf rustle; and -I told myself that the surprise and capture of -the squatter and his whole shiftless tribe was a -foregone conclusion. I afterward learned that -Mr. Swan and the guides who were with him -<span class='pageno' id='Page_401'>401</span>thought so too. Before they had gone fifty -yards, the former suddenly stopped and whispered -to the man next behind him—</p> - -<p class='c019'>“We are close upon them. I smell smoke.”</p> - -<p class='c019'>“And I smell coffee,” replied the man to -whom the words were addressed, and who -sniffed the air as if he were trying to locate the -camp by the aid of his nose instead of his eyes, -“and bacon.”</p> - -<p class='c019'>Shaking his hand warningly at the men -behind him, the guide moved forward again -with long, noiseless strides. Presently he discovered -a thin blue cloud of smoke rising above -the bushes close in front of him. He looked at -it a moment, and then dashed ahead at the top -of his speed, his eager companions following at -his heels.</p> - -<p class='c019'>A few hasty steps brought them to the little -cleared spot in a thicket of evergreens in which -Matt Coyle had made his camp. On one side -of it was a lean-to with a roof of boughs, and -on the other was the fire, with a battered -coffee pot simmering and sputtering beside it. -Scattered about over the ground were several -slices of half-fried bacon, which had been hurriedly -<span class='pageno' id='Page_402'>402</span>dumped from the pan. A few broken -plates and dishes that stood on a log close at -hand, bore silent testimony to the fact that the -squatter’s wife was just getting ready to lay -the table, when news was brought to the camp -that Mr. Swan and his party were coming. -Under the lean-to were some worthless articles -in the way of wearing apparel and bed-clothes, -but every thing of value had disappeared. -There was nothing like a hammerless shot gun -or a Winchester rifle to be found.</p> - -<p class='c019'>“The nest is warm, but where are the birds?” -exclaimed Mr. Swan’s employer, who had -jumped into the clearing with his coat off and -his fists doubled up, all ready to carry out his -threat of pounding Matt Coyle before he was -sent to jail.</p> - -<p class='c019'>“Didn’t I say that they were sharp?” -replied the guide. “The birds have took -wing.”</p> - -<p class='c019'>“Then take to your heels and catch them,” -exclaimed his employer. “Can’t you follow -a trail? They can’t have been gone more than -five minutes. A hundred dollars to the man -that will capture that villain for me.”</p> - -<p class='c019'><span class='pageno' id='Page_403'>403</span>“And I will add a hundred to it,” cried the -owner of the stolen Winchester.</p> - -<p class='c019'>The guides did not need these extra inducements, -for they had more at stake than these -two strangers who spent two months out of -every twelve in the woods, and the rest of the -year in the city, following some lucrative business -or profession. The guides’ bread and -butter depended upon their exertions, and they -were no whit more anxious to effect Matt’s -capture now, than they were before the two -hundred dollars reward had been offered them. -At a word from Mr. Swan they separated and -began circling around the lean-to to find the -trail; but this did not take up two minutes of -their time. They found five trails; and a -short examination of them showed that they -all led away in different directions.</p> - -<p class='c019'>“That trick is borrowed from the plains -Indians,” said Joe, when Mr. Swan announced -this fact to his employer. “Whenever the -hostiles find themselves hard pressed by the -troops, they break up into little bands, and -start off toward different points of the compass; -but before they separate, they take care -<span class='pageno' id='Page_404'>404</span>to have it understood where they shall come -together again.”</p> - -<p class='c019'>“That’s a fact,” assented the owner of the -Winchester. “I have been among those copper-colored -gentlemen, when I had nothing to -depend on except the speed of my pony; but -how does it come that you are so well posted? -Have you ever hunted on the plains?”</p> - -<p class='c019'>“No, sir; but I have the promise that I shall -some day enjoy that pleasure,” answered Joe. -“My uncle told me about it. He’s been there -often. Now the question in my mind is: Did -Matt, before his family scattered like so many -quails, appoint a place of meeting? If he did, -that’s where we ought to go.”</p> - -<p class='c019'>“Young man, you are a sharp one,” said -the gentleman, admiringly. “What do you -say, Swan?”</p> - -<p class='c019'>The guide appealed to could not say any -thing, and neither could the others. Unfortunately -they did not know that the squatter had -made friends with the vagabonds living in the -vicinity of the State hatchery. If they had -known it, that was the place they would have -started for without loss of time, but they -<span class='pageno' id='Page_405'>405</span>wouldn’t have caught him if they had gone -there.</p> - -<p class='c019'>“There’s a good deal of hard sense in Joe’s -head,” said Mr. Swan, after a short pause. -“Of course, Matt and his family will come -together again somewhere, but you see the -trouble is, we don’t know what point they are -striking for.”</p> - -<p class='c019'>“Can’t you follow the trails and find out?”</p> - -<p class='c019'>“Take the plainest one of them trails, and -I’ll bet every thing I’ve got that you can’t -follow it a hundred yards,” said Mr. Swan. -“It is going to take us a good long month to -hunt them down, and we’ll be lucky if we do -it in that time.”</p> - -<p class='c019'>“But we can’t wait so long,” protested one -of the guests. “We must return to the city -to-morrow. Our business demands our attention.”</p> - -<p class='c019'>The guides consulted in low tones, and so -did their employers. Finally one of the latter -wrote something on a card and handed it to -Mr. Swan, saying:</p> - -<p class='c019'>“If we have done all we can, we might as -well go back to the hotel; but before we start, -<span class='pageno' id='Page_406'>406</span>we make you this offer: We will give a hundred -dollars apiece to the man who will find our -weapons, capture the thief and hold him so that -we can come and testify against him. Or, we -will give fifty dollars apiece for the guns without -the thief, and the same amounts for the -thief without the guns. Boys, you are included -in that offer.”</p> - -<p class='c019'>“Thank you, sir,” said Arthur. “It would -afford us great satisfaction if we could be the -means of restoring your property to you.”</p> - -<p class='c019'>“Before we leave here we’ll fix things so that -Matt won’t find much to comfort him if he -should accidentally circle around this way -after we are gone,” said Mr. Swan. “Pile on -every thing, boys.”</p> - -<p class='c019'>The “boys” understood him and went to -work with a will. In less time than it takes to -tell it, the lean-to was pulled down and thrown -upon the fire, the bed-clothes and dishes were -piled on top, the bacon was driven so deeply -into the ground by the heels of heavy boots -that a hungry hound could hardly have scented -it—in short, every thing that Matt and his -family had left behind in their hurried flight, -<span class='pageno' id='Page_407'>407</span>was utterly destroyed. His scow was not forgotten. -They would knock it out of all semblance -to a boat when they went back to the -creek.</p> - -<p class='c019'>Having started a roaring fire, they were -obliged to stay and see it burn itself out, for -they dared not leave it for fear that it might -set the woods aflame. So they stood around -and saw it blaze, grumbling the while over -the ill luck that had attended their efforts to -capture the cunning squatter, and it was fully -three-quarters of an hour before Mr. Swan -thought it safe to return to the boats. This -delay gave Matt Coyle plenty of time in which -to carry out a very neat piece of villainy, some -of which I saw, and all of which I heard.</p> - -<p class='c019'>While the scenes I have just described were -being enacted in the clearing, there were lively -times in the little bay of which I have spoken. You -know we were left in company with Matt’s -scow, the boat in which I rode being drawn -up on the bank on one side of him and Mr. -Swan’s on the other; and no sooner had the -hunting party disappeared in the bushes, than -we began reviling him the best we knew how. -<span class='pageno' id='Page_408'>408</span>The only reason we didn’t break him into -kindling wood at once, was because we couldn’t. -Our will was good enough.</p> - -<p class='c019'>“Get away from here,” said <i>Wanderer</i>. -(That was the name of Mr. Swan’s boat. He -had always lived and worked in the company -of gentlemen, and he did not like to occupy -close quarters with so disreputable a fellow as -the scow.)</p> - -<p class='c019'>“Get away from here yourself,” was the -report. “I was here first, an’ I’m going to -stay.”</p> - -<p class='c019'>“I’ll bet you will,” said <i>Bushboy</i>. (That -was the name of the boat Joe and his chums -hired at Indian Lake.) “But you may be -sure of one thing: You will stay a wreck.”</p> - -<p class='c019'>“That’s so,” said I. “Joe Wayring will -never go away leaving him above the water. -He’ll break him up so completely that his thief -of a master won’t know him if he should happen -along this way again.”</p> - -<p class='c019'>“He will never come this way again until he -is on his road to jail,” said <i>Wanderer</i>. “Mr. -Swan is after him, and he’s going to catch -him, too.”</p> - -<p class='c019'><span class='pageno' id='Page_409'>409</span>“Wal, Matt’ll go to jail knowin’ that he’s -done a right smart of damage sence he’s been -layin’ around loose in the woods, an’ if I am -busted up, I shall have the same comfortin’ -knowledge. Fly-rod has seed me afore. I -captured his friend, the canvas canoe—”</p> - -<p class='c019'>“Where is he now?” I interrupted.</p> - -<p class='c019'>“Out there in the bresh, hid away so snug -that nobody won’t ever find him,” was the -taunting reply. “Them guns is hid out there -too, but not in the same place. Matt come -purty near gettin’ you as well as the canoe. I -heard him say that he almost overtook Joe -while he was a runnin’ through the woods with -you in his hand.”</p> - -<p class='c019'>“Yes; and Matt would have got me over -the head if he had been able to run a little -faster.”</p> - -<p class='c019'>“An’ Joe would have got a hickory over the -back, I tell you,” said the old scow. “How -do you reckon that that skiff I sent to the -bottom of the pond feels by this time?”</p> - -<p class='c019'>“You didn’t send him to the bottom of the -pond,” said I, angrily. “You tried hard -enough, but you didn’t make it.”</p> - -<p class='c019'><span class='pageno' id='Page_410'>410</span>The bait-rods and the boats took up the -quarrel, and while I listened, I waited impatiently -for the return of the hunting party. -Presently I heard a slight rustling in the thicket -at the head of the bay, but it was not made by -the persons I wanted to see. It was Matt Coyle -that stuck his ugly face out of the bushes, and -his bleared and blood-shot eyes that traveled -from one to another of the boats that lay before -him. Then he turned and whispered to some one -behind him and the whole family came and stood -upon the bank. Their sudden appearance made -it plain to all of us that the squatter and his -backers, after “scattering like so many quails,” -had run just far enough in different directions -to bewilder their pursuers, after which they -“circled around” and came back to the bay, -intending to continue their flight in the scow, -which would leave no trail that could be followed. -It was evident, too, that there had -been an understanding among them before they -separated; otherwise they would not all have -been there. When Matt’s gaze rested upon the -trim little boats before him, he said in a low but -distinct voice—</p> - -<p class='c019'><span class='pageno' id='Page_411'>411</span>“Whoop-ee! Jest look at all them nice -skiffs, will you? Ain’t we in luck though? -Never mind the scow. She’s done good work -fur us, but we’ll leave her behind now an’ -travel like other white folks do. Old woman, -you go round to all them boats an’ pick up the -grub what’s into ’em; Jakey, you an’ Sam -ketch up the poles an’ cookin’ things an’ every -other article you can get your two hands onto. -Dump them that’ll sink into the water an’ -chuck them that won’t sink as fur into the -bresh as you can, so’t they won’t never find’ em -no more. While you are doin’ that, I’ll pick -out two of the best boats fur our own.”</p> - -<p class='c019'>“Say, pap, what’s the reason we don’t carry -off the things in place of throwin’ on ’em away -or sinkin’ ’em?” asked Jake.</p> - -<p class='c019'>“’Cause we can’t sell ’em, an’ we don’t -want to be bothered with totin’ ’em. You will -save time if you do jest as I told you. We -want to get away from here as sudden as we -can.”</p> - -<p class='c019'>“An’ what’ll we do with the boats that we -don’t take with us?” continued Jake. “Will -we bust ’em up?”</p> - -<p class='c019'><span class='pageno' id='Page_412'>412</span>“Now, jest listen at the fule!” exclaimed -Matt, angrily. “The noise we would make in -bustin’ on ’em up would bring ole Swan back -here a runnin’; an’ I don’t care to see him -with all them other fellers at his back.”</p> - -<p class='c019'>The vagabonds worked with surprising celerity, -and in a very short space of time two of -the finest boats in the lot had been pushed into -the water, and the old woman was piling provisions -into them by the armful, while Jake -and Sam busied themselves in disposing of the -other things as their sire had directed. I was -sent whirling through the air toward the opposite -side of the bay, and sad to relate, was -stopped in my headlong flight by a tree, against -which I struck with a sounding whack. There -was a loud snap, and I fell to the ground helpless. -My second joint was broken close to the -ferrule.</p> - -<p class='c019'>I lay for a long time where I had fallen—so -long that I began to wonder if I was to remain -there until my ferrules were all rusted to pieces -and I became like the mold beneath me. I -heard Matt and his family leave the bay in the -stolen boats. I knew when they forced their -<span class='pageno' id='Page_413'>413</span>way through the bushes into the creek, and -was greatly astonished to know that they -turned down stream toward the pond, the direction -in which their pursuers would have to -go when they returned to the hotel. But Matt, -the sly old fox, had reasoned with himself on -this point before he adopted these extraordinary -tactics. It lacked only about half an hour -of night-fall, and Mr. Swan and his party would -soon be obliged to go into camp; while Matt -knowing every crook and turn in the creek, -could travel as well in the dark as he could by -daylight. Before the sun arose, he would be -miles away and among friends. If Mr. Swan -took it for granted that he had gone up instead -of down stream, and went that way himself in -hope of being able to overtake him, it would -give the squatter just so much more time in -which to make good his escape. It was a very -neat trick on Matt’s part.</p> - -<p class='c019'>At last, after a long interval of waiting, I -heard voices and footsteps on the other side of -the bay. The birds having flown there was no -need of caution, and some of the returning -party were talking in their ordinary tones, -<span class='pageno' id='Page_414'>414</span>while others were shouting back at their -friends in the rear. My acute sense of hearing -told me when they came out of the bushes, and -I also caught the exclamations of rage and -astonishment that fell from their lips when -they saw what had been done in the bay during -their brief absence. The guides were almost -beside themselves with fury, but the two city -sportsmen laughed uproariously.</p> - -<p class='c019'>“We’re a pretty set, I must say,” I heard -one of them exclaim. “If I hadn’t seen it with -my own eyes, I never should have believed that -any man living could play a trick like this -upon us. Two of the best boats, all the rods, -provisions and dishes, as well as the frying-pans -are gone. I think we had better camp -right where we are, start for home at the first -peep of day and never show our faces in the -woods again.”</p> - -<p class='c019'>“Hallo! What’s this here?” cried one of -the guides, who, for want of something better -to do, had stepped into the skiff and shoved -out into the bay. He looked down into the -clear waters as he spoke, then seized the -boathook, and after a little maneuvering -<span class='pageno' id='Page_415'>415</span>with it, brought one of the frying-pans to -light.</p> - -<p class='c019'>“And what’s that over there on the other -side?” exclaimed the familiar voice of Mr. -Swan.</p> - -<p class='c019'>“Why, it’s my unlucky bait-rod, as sure as -the world,” said Arthur Hastings. “But he -was lucky this time, wasn’t he? If he hadn’t -lodged in the friendly branches of that evergreen, -I should have thought that Matt Coyle -had carried him off again.”</p> - -<p class='c019'>These unexpected discoveries led to a thorough -examination of the bay and of the bushes surrounding -it, and the result was most satisfactory. -Before dark every single article that Jake -and Sam had thrown away, had been recovered. -There was nothing missing now except the boats -and the provisions; but the loss of these things -did not put the party to any great inconvenience. -There was an abundance of game in -the woods, plenty of fish to be had for the -catching, and Matt’s scow could easily carry -the four men who had lost their skiffs.</p> - -<p class='c019'>But little more remains to be told. Mr. -Swan and his party camped “right where they -<span class='pageno' id='Page_416'>416</span>were” that night, made an early start the next -morning, and reached Indian Lake on the afternoon -of the following day. The chums found -their skiff in the best possible condition, and -looking very nobby in her new dress, by which -I mean a fresh coat of paint. They gave it -another day in which to dry, then laid in a -supply of provisions and fearlessly turned -their faces toward the wilderness; while the -two city sportsmen, thoroughly disgusted with -their failure, and by the trick that Matt had -so neatly played upon them, set out for home -declaring that they would never visit Indian -Lake again until their guns had been restored -to them, and the man who stole them was -safely lodged in jail.</p> - -<p class='c019'>During the next few days I had nothing to -do but make myself miserable while the other -rods caught the fish that were served up three -times a day until the boys grew tired of them. -I was glad when Joe said that it was time to -start for home, but sorry for the disappointment -he met when he got there. Uncle Joe, -who was to have taken them upon an extended -tour, “either East or West, they didn’t know -<span class='pageno' id='Page_417'>417</span>which,” had suddenly been called away on -important business, and the probabilities were -that if they took their contemplated trip at all -it would not be until near the end of the vacation; -and then it would have to be a very short -one. But Joe didn’t get sulky, as some boys -would have done under like circumstances. -He wrote to his uncle, found out when he was -coming home, and suggested an immediate -return to Indian Lake. Arthur and Roy were -delighted with the proposal, and I was at once -given into the hands of a skilled mechanic, who -in two days’ time mended my broken joint so -neatly that no one could tell, even with the -closest scrutiny, that there had ever been any -thing the matter with it. Joe came after me -on the afternoon of the second day, and when -he carried me to his room and stood me in the -corner where I was to stay until something -that he called “ferrule cement” had had time -to harden, whom should I see but my old friend, -the canvas canoe, occupying his usual place in -the recess, and looking none the worse for his -forced sojourn among the Indian Lake vagabonds.</p> - -<p class='c019'><span class='pageno' id='Page_418'>418</span>“Well, I swan to man!” I exclaimed, -unconsciously making use of an expression -which I had heard so often that I had -become quite familiar with it. “How in the -name of all that’s wonderful did you get -back?”</p> - -<p class='c019'>“Glad to see you, old fellow,” replied the -canoe, in his jolly, hearty fashion, “but sorry -to hear that you got crippled. Where have -you been?”</p> - -<p class='c019'>“Just got back from the doctor’s shop. I -am all right again, or shall be in a few days. -When and how did you return?”</p> - -<p class='c019'>“Came yesterday. Mr. Swan brought me. -Found me hidden under a pile of brush, not -more than twenty feet from the place where he -and his party stood when they burned the -squatter’s shanty. I saw and heard every thing -that happened there.”</p> - -<p class='c019'>“Well, tell us all about it. I know you must -have had some adventures during your -absence.”</p> - -<p class='c019'>“Indeed I have; and I have brought a heavy -load of anxiety back with me. How I wish I -could warn Joe and his chums! The threats I -<span class='pageno' id='Page_419'>419</span>heard made against them were enough to make -even a canvas canoe shudder.”</p> - -<p class='c019'>With these preliminary remarks the canoe -settled himself for an all-night’s task. I have -not space enough in this book to repeat what -he said, and besides, the narrative of my -exploits, which so far are neither many nor -brilliant I confess, is ended for the time being; -so I will gladly step aside and give place to my -accommodating friend, who is a more experienced -story-teller than myself, and who, in the -second volume of this series, will describe -many interesting and some exciting incidents -which happened during his captivity. His -story will be entitled: <span class='sc'>The Adventures of A -Canvas Canoe</span>.</p> - -<div class='nf-center-c0'> -<div class='nf-center c000'> - <div><span class='sc'>The End.</span></div> - </div> -</div> - -<div class='pbb'> - <hr class='pb c001' /> -</div> - -<div class='chapter'> - <h2 class='c011'>J. T. TROWBRIDGE.</h2> -</div> - -<p class='c020'>Neither as a writer does he stand apart from the great -currents of life and select some exceptional phase or odd -combination of circumstances. He stands on the common -level and appeals to the universal heart, and all that he suggests -or achieves is on the plane and in the line of march of -the great body of humanity.</p> - -<p class='c019'>The Jack Hazard series of stories, published in the late -<i>Our Young Folks</i>, and continued in the first volume of <i>St. -Nicholas</i>, under the title of “Fast Friends,” is no doubt -destined to hold a high place in this class of literature. The -delight of the boys in them (and of their seniors, too) is -well founded. They go to the right spot every time. Trowbridge -knows the heart of a boy like a book, and the heart -of a man, too, and he has laid them both open in these books -in a most successful manner. Apart from the qualities that -render the series so attractive to all young readers, they -have great value on account of their portraitures of American -country life and character. The drawing is wonderfully -accurate, and as spirited as it is true. The constable, Sellick, -is an original character, and as minor figures where will -we find anything better than Miss Wansey, and Mr. P. Pipkin, -Esq. The picture of Mr. Dink’s school, too, is capital, -and where else in fiction is there a better nick-name than -that the boys gave to poor little Stephen Treadwell, “Step -Hen,” as he himself pronounced his name in an unfortunate -moment when he saw it in print for the first time in his lesson -in school.</p> - -<p class='c019'>On the whole, these books are very satisfactory, and -afford the critical reader the rare pleasure of the works that -are just adequate, that easily fulfill themselves and accomplish -all they set out to do.—<i>Scribner’s Monthly.</i></p> - -<h3 class='c021'><b>JACK HAZARD SERIES</b></h3> - -<div class='nf-center-c0'> -<div class='nf-center c006'> - <div>6 vols. <span class='sc'>By J. T. Trowbridge.</span> $7.25</div> - </div> -</div> - -<div class='lg-container-l c022'> - <div class='linegroup'> - <div class='group'> - <div class='line'>Jack Hazard and His Fortunes.</div> - <div class='line'>The Young Surveyor.</div> - <div class='line'>Fast Friends.</div> - <div class='line'>Doing His Best.</div> - <div class='line'>A Chance for Himself.</div> - <div class='line'>Lawrence’s Adventures.</div> - </div> - </div> -</div> - -<hr class='c023' /> - -<div class='nf-center-c0'> -<div class='nf-center c001'> - <div><span class='xlarge'><b>International Bibles</b></span></div> - </div> -</div> - -<p class='c019'>Are known the world over for their clear print, scholarly -Helps and absolutely flexible bindings. They comprise every -variety of readable type in every style of binding and include -Text Bibles, Reference Bibles, Teachers’ Bibles, Testaments, -Psalms, Illustrated Bibles; also the “International” -Red Letter Testaments and Red Letter Bibles with -the prophetic types and prophecies relating to Christ in the -Old Testament printed in red, and the words of Christ in -the New Testament printed in red; also Christian Workers’ -Testament and Christian Workers’ Bible in which all subjects -or the Theme of Salvation are indexed and marked -in red.</p> - -<p class='c019'>For sale by all booksellers. Catalog of Books and Bibles -mailed on application to the publishers.</p> - -<hr class='c024' /> - -<div class='nf-center-c0'> -<div class='nf-center c006'> - <div><span class='c025'><b>THE JOHN C. WINSTON CO.</b></span></div> - <div>Winston Building</div> - <div>PHILADELPHIA, PA.</div> - </div> -</div> - -<div class='pbb'> - <hr class='pb c006' /> -</div> - -<h3 class='c017'>Transcriber's Notes</h3> - -<p class='c026'>Printer, punctuation and spelling inaccuracies were silently corrected.</p> - -<p class='c019'>Archaic and variable spelling has been preserved.</p> - -<p class='c019'>Variations in hyphenation and compound words have been preserved.</p> - - - - - - - - -<pre> - - - - - -End of the Project Gutenberg EBook of Joe Wayring at Home, by Harry Castlemon - -*** END OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK JOE WAYRING AT HOME *** - -***** This file should be named 55730-h.htm or 55730-h.zip ***** -This and all associated files of various formats will be found in: - http://www.gutenberg.org/5/5/7/3/55730/ - -Produced by David Edwards, Elizabeth Oscanyan and the -Online Distributed Proofreading Team at http://www.pgdp.net -(This file was produced from images generously made -available by The Internet Archive) - -Updated editions will replace the previous one--the old editions will -be renamed. - -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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