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diff --git a/.gitattributes b/.gitattributes new file mode 100644 index 0000000..d7b82bc --- /dev/null +++ b/.gitattributes @@ -0,0 +1,4 @@ +*.txt text eol=lf +*.htm text eol=lf +*.html text eol=lf +*.md text eol=lf diff --git a/LICENSE.txt b/LICENSE.txt new file mode 100644 index 0000000..6312041 --- /dev/null +++ b/LICENSE.txt @@ -0,0 +1,11 @@ +This eBook, including all associated images, markup, improvements, +metadata, and any other content or labor, has been confirmed to be +in the PUBLIC DOMAIN IN THE UNITED STATES. + +Procedures for determining public domain status are described in +the "Copyright How-To" at https://www.gutenberg.org. + +No investigation has been made concerning possible copyrights in +jurisdictions other than the United States. Anyone seeking to utilize +this eBook outside of the United States should confirm copyright +status under the laws that apply to them. diff --git a/README.md b/README.md new file mode 100644 index 0000000..cfcdbfe --- /dev/null +++ b/README.md @@ -0,0 +1,2 @@ +Project Gutenberg (https://www.gutenberg.org) public repository for +eBook #50590 (https://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/50590) diff --git a/old/50590-0.txt b/old/50590-0.txt deleted file mode 100644 index 594ec29..0000000 --- a/old/50590-0.txt +++ /dev/null @@ -1,7008 +0,0 @@ -The Project Gutenberg EBook of Four in Camp, by Ralph Henry Barbour - -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: Four in Camp - A Story of Summer Adventures in the New Hampshire Woods - -Author: Ralph Henry Barbour - -Release Date: December 2, 2015 [EBook #50590] - -Language: English - -Character set encoding: UTF-8 - -*** START OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK FOUR IN CAMP *** - - - - -Produced by Donald Cummings and the Online Distributed -Proofreading Team at http://www.pgdp.net - - - - - - - - - - FOUR IN CAMP - - - - -[Illustration: “Coming! Don’t give up, boys!”] - - - - - FOUR IN CAMP - - A STORY OF SUMMER ADVENTURES - IN THE NEW HAMPSHIRE WOODS - - By RALPH HENRY BARBOUR - - _Author of “The Half-Back,” “Behind the Line,” - “Weatherby’s Inning,” “On Your Mark,” etc._ - - ILLUSTRATED - - [Illustration] - - NEW YORK - D. APPLETON AND COMPANY - 1905 - - - - - Copyright, 1905, by - D. APPLETON AND COMPANY - - -_Published September, 1905_ - - - - - TO - THE CHIEF, COUNCILLORS AND - FELLOWS OF SHERWOOD - FOREST - - - - -CONTENTS - - - CHAPTER PAGE - - I.--INTRODUCES NELSON TILFORD AND WITNESSES HIS ARRIVAL - AT CAMP CHICORA 1 - - II.--TELLS OF A TALK BY THE CAMP-FIRE AND OF HAPPENINGS - IN A DORMITORY 10 - - III.--SHOWS THAT A MOTOR-DORY CAN GO AS WELL AS STOP 22 - - IV.--RELATES HOW NELSON BORROWED A LEAF FROM BOB, - AND HOW DAN CRIED QUITS 34 - - V.--TELLS HOW DAN PLAYED A TRUMP CARD, HOW BOB - GAINED HONOR AND HOW THE “BIG FOUR” CAME - INTO EXISTENCE 48 - - VI.--OPENS WITH AWFUL TIDINGS AND ENDS WITH A GLEAM - OF HOPE 59 - - VII.--PROVES THE TRUTH OF THE SAYING THAT THERE IS - ALWAYS ROOM AT THE TOP, AND SHOWS DAN WITH - THE “BLUES” 70 - - VIII.--TELLS HOW TOM WAS VISITED BY AUNT LOUISA--AND - SOME OTHERS 82 - - IX.--STARTS WITH POETRY, HAS TO DO WITH A BEETLE AND - ENDS WITH A PENALTY 91 - - X.--DESCRIBES AN AFTERNOON ON THE LAKE AND A GALLANT - RESCUE 104 - - XI.--TELLS HOW THE FOUR PLANNED AN EXCURSION, AND - HOW DAN AND NELSON PLAYED HARES, MADE A - DISCOVERY AND HAD A FRIGHT 111 - - XII.--HAS TO DO WITH A STORM AND LIGHTNING, DISCOVERS - TOM IN TEARS, AND CONCLUDES THE ADVENTURE 122 - - XIII.--RECALLS THE FACT THAT WHAT’S FAIR FOR ONE IS - FAIR FOR ANOTHER AND RECORDS A DEFEAT AND A - VICTORY 132 - - XIV.--BEGINS A MIDNIGHT ADVENTURE WHICH THREATENS TO - END IN DISASTER 140 - - XV.--CONCLUDES THE ADVENTURE AND SHOWS TOM SLEEPING - THE SLEEP OF THE JUST 152 - - XVI.--RECORDS TWO VICTORIES OVER WICKASAW AND AN - EPISODE WITH FISH 159 - - XVII.--WITNESSES THE DEPARTURE OF THE FOUR ON A CANOE - TRIP AND BRINGS THEM INTO CAMP FOR THE NIGHT 174 - - XVIII.--TELLS HOW THEY FOUND A DERELICT AND A COURSE - DINNER, AND MET WITH SHIPWRECK 189 - - XIX.--CONCERNS ITSELF WITH THE DANGEROUS PLIGHT OF - DAN AND NELSON AND THE COURAGE OF THE - LATTER 199 - - XX.--RELATES THE CONCLUSION OF THE TRIP AND WHAT - HAPPENED AT CAMP 210 - - XXI.--TELLS HOW THE FOUR LAID PLANS AND HOW BOB - PREPARED FOR A VICTORY 219 - - XXII.--NARRATES THE PROGRESS OF THE CONTEST WITH - WICKASAW AND WITNESSES THE DISINTEGRATION OF - ONE WELLS 233 - - XXIII.--PROVES THE SCORE-BOOK IN ERROR AND CLOSES THE - STORY 242 - - - - -LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS - - - FACING - PAGE - - “Coming! Don’t give up, boys!” _Frontispiece._ - - Camp Chicora. 6 - - He was tracing a monstrous C. 80 - - “Look!” he cried. 120 - - “Over with them,” said Dan. 162 - - He dashed for the plate. 244 - - - - -[Illustration: Camp Chicora.] - - - - -FOUR IN CAMP - - - - -CHAPTER I - -INTRODUCES NELSON TILFORD, AND WITNESSES HIS ARRIVAL AT CAMP CHICORA - - -“That’s Chicora over there.” - -The man at the wheel turned to the boy standing beside him and nodded -his head at a landing toward which the nose of the big steam-launch was -slowly turning. It lay less than an eighth of a mile away across the -smooth waters of the lake, a good-sized wharf, a float, a pole from -which a blue-and-gray flag hung lifeless, and a flotilla of various -kinds of boats. Several figures stood upon the pier, and their voices -came shrill and clear across the intervening space. From the shore, -which here circled inward into a tiny cove, the hill swept up rather -abruptly for three hundred feet or more, and a third of the way up the -gleam of unpainted boards through the trees told Nelson Tilford of the -location of the camp which was to be his home for the next two months. -It was a pleasant, peaceful scene before him, but the shadow of the -hill had already crept well into the lake, leaving the shore and wooded -slope in twilight, and a slight qualm of loneliness stole over him for -the instant. - -He had left the Boston express at Warder, six miles away, at half past -four, and had been rattled over a constantly turning road behind a pair -of stout horses to Chicora Landing, where, followed by his trunk, he -had boarded one of the several small steam-boats which lay at intervals -up and down the long shed like horses in their stalls. A half a mile -at slow speed through a winding river, scarcely wide enough in places -for the boat to scrape through between the low banks, had brought -them into Little Chicora, hardly more than a pond. Another and far -shorter stretch of river followed, and then, with a warning blast, the -steam-launch had thrust her bow into the broad waters of the big lake, -spread out like a great mirror in the evening sunlight, dotted here -and there with well-wooded islands, and guarded by gently rising hills -covered with maples, pines, white and black birches, poplars, and many -other trees whose names Nelson did not know. White farmhouses gleamed -now and then from the shores, and slender purple ribbons of smoke, -rising straight into the calm evening air, told of other dwellings, -unseen for the thick foliage. They had made three stops on the south -side of the lake, first at Chicora Inn Landing, from where the big -hotel was plainly visible a quarter of a mile away, then at Squirrel -Island and Plum Island. Nelson had been interested all the way, for he -had never seen a New Hampshire lake before, and the glimpses he had -obtained of the comfortable summer camps and their healthy, sun-browned -inhabitants had pleased him hugely. But when Plum Island had been left -behind and the boat had entered the shadowed margin of the lake his -spirits began to sink. The water and the dim woods looked cold and -inhospitable to the city-bred lad. He wondered what the fellows of Camp -Chicora would be like, and wished that he had joined at the beginning -of the season instead of a fortnight after it. Now that it was past, -that week at the beach with a school friend had not been especially -enjoyable after all; and the rôle of the new boy was not, he knew -from experience, at all comfortable. He almost wished he had held out -against his father’s desires and stayed snugly at home. - -His rueful thoughts were abruptly interrupted by a shrill blast of the -launch’s whistle. They were close to the landing, and Nelson picked up -his suit-case and climbed to the deck. The bell tinkled, the churn -of the propeller ceased, and the boat sidled up to the pier. Nelson -stepped ashore into a group of half-a-dozen fellows and set his bag -down, prepared to lend a hand to the landing of his trunk. But some one -was before him, a man of twenty-three or four, who, when the trunk was -safely ashore, turned to Nelson with outstretched hand and welcoming -smile. - -“This is Nelson Tilford, isn’t it?” he asked, as they shook hands. -“Glad to see you. Mr. Clinton didn’t get your letter until this noon, -so we couldn’t meet you at the station. Did you have any trouble -finding your way to us?” - -“No, sir,” said Nelson, “every one seemed to know all about the camp.” - -“That’s good. Well, let’s go up.” He took Nelson’s suit-case, despite -the latter’s remonstrances, and led the way along the pier to a -well-worn path which wound up the hill. Nelson, sensible of the frankly -curious regard of the other fellows, followed. A bugle sounded clear -and musical from the camp, and Nelson’s companion turned and waited for -him to range himself alongside. “There’s the first supper call, now,” -he said. “I guess you’re a bit hungry, aren’t you? By the way, I’m -Mr. Verder, one of the councilors. There are four of us besides Mr. -Clinton. You’ll meet them when we get up there. The Chief’s away this -evening, but he’ll be back in time for camp-fire. We’re going to put -you in Maple Hall, where the seniors bunk. That’s where I am, so if you -want anything to-night don’t hesitate to ask me.” - -“Thank you,” answered Nelson gratefully. His companion chatted on while -they climbed the path, which led by easy stages up the hill through a -thin woods, and Nelson forgot his previous misgivings. If the fellows -were as jolly as Mr. Verder, he reflected, he was pretty sure to get -on. The man beside him seemed scarcely more than a big boy, and his -sun-burned face was good to look at. He was dressed in a gray jersey -bearing a blue C on the breast, gray trousers with a blue stripe down -the seam, and brown canvas shoes. He wore no cap, and the warm tan -extended well up into the somewhat curly hair. His arms were bare to -the shoulders. Nelson concluded he was going to like Mr. Verder; he -looked strong, alert, good-humored, and a gentleman. - -Two minutes of up-hill work on the winding path brought them to the -clearing. The five buildings were arranged in what was practically a -semicircle facing the end of the path. Back of them on all sides rose -the forest. In the clearing a few trees had been allowed to remain, -spruce in most cases, and one tall sentinel, shorn closely of its -branches, and standing guard at the head of the path to the lake, had -become a flagpole from which, as Nelson came into sight, the Stars and -Stripes was being lowered, its place to be taken by a lighted lantern. -Boys were coming and going between the buildings, or were scattered in -little groups at the doorways. - -Near at hand, by the entrance of Birch Hall, a knot of three men were -standing, and to them Nelson was conducted and introduced. There was -Mr. Ellery, almost middle-aged, slight, rather frail-looking; Mr. -Thorpe, small, rotund, jovial, with twinkling blue eyes; and Mr. -Smith, just out of college, nervous-looking, with black hair and black -eyes, the latter snapping behind a pair of gold-rimmed glasses. It was -difficult to stand in awe of persons attired negligently in shirt and -trousers alone; and, anyway, none of the four councilors seemed at all -desirous of impressing the newcomer with their dignity or authority. -They were a sunburned, clear-eyed lot, troubling themselves very little -with such things, but brimming over with kindly good-nature. After the -greetings Nelson was hurried away by Mr. Verder to the wash-room, from -whence, having hastily splashed his face and hands with water from a -tin basin, he was hustled to the dining-hall, just as the bugle -was blaring the last call to supper and the hungry denizens of the -camp were crowding and jostling into the building. Nelson followed Mr. -Verder, stood while Mr. Ellery asked grace, and then pulled out his -stool and took his place at table. Mr. Verder, who sat at the head of -the table, was beside him. There were three other tables in the room, -and all were filled. - -There was very little ceremony about the meal. The clean white boards -held huge pitchers of cocoa, milk, water, generous plates of biscuits -and crackers and cake, saucers of wild raspberries and bowls of cereal, -and to each table two boys were bringing plates of ham and eggs from -the kitchen. Every one talked at once, and, as there were twenty-nine -present, that meant lots of noise. At his own table there were ten boys -besides himself, and Nelson looked them over as he ate. They seemed a -very hungry, happy, and noisy lot; and at first glance they appeared -to lack something of refinement and breeding, but he afterward found -that it was necessary to make allowances for the freedom of camp -life, and for the difference between ordinary attire and that worn -at Chicora; gray jerseys and knee-trunks in conjunction with tanned -bodies and tousled hair naturally lend an appearance of roughness. In -ages the fellows varied from ten to seventeen, the most of them being -apparently of about Nelson’s age, which was fifteen. In the end he -decided they were a very decent-looking lot of fellows. - -Naturally Nelson didn’t do all the examining. At some time or other -during the meal every lad there who could get a glimpse of the newcomer -looked him over and formed his opinion of him. Most, if not all, liked -what they saw. Nelson Tilford was slim without being thin, of medium -height for his years, rather broad across the shoulders and chest, -brown of hair and eyes, with good features, and a somewhat quiet and -thoughtful expression. A big, red-haired, blue-eyed youth at the -farther end of the table confided to his left-hand neighbor that “the -new chap looked to him like a bit of a snob.” But the other shook his -head. - -“I don’t think so, Dan,” he answered, between mouthfuls of chocolate -cake; “I bet he’ll turn out to be a swell chap.” - -Nelson’s appetite failed him long before those of his companions--for -perhaps the only time that summer--and he took note of the room. It -was about forty feet long by thirty broad. There were no windows, but -along both sides and at one end wooden shutters opened upward and -inward and were hooked to the ceiling, allowing great square openings, -through which the darkening forest was visible, and through which -eager yellow-jackets came and went seeking the sugar-bowls or flying -homeward with their booty. At one end a door gave into the kitchen, and -by it was a window like that of a ticket-office, through which the food -was passed to the waiters. At the other end, in the corner away from -the door, was a railed enclosure containing a roll-top desk and chairs, -which Nelson rightly presumed to be Mr. Clinton’s office. Presently the -signal was given allowing them to rise. He rescued his suit-case from -where he had left it inside the door and turned to find Mr. Verder. -At that moment a brown hand was thrust in front of him, and a pair of -excited gray eyes challenged his. - -“Hello, Ti-ti-ti-Tilford!” cried the owner of the hand, “what the -di-di-dickens you du-du-doing up here?” - - - - -CHAPTER II - -TELLS OF A TALK BY THE CAMP-FIRE AND OF HAPPENINGS IN A DORMITORY - - -An hour later, having discarded some of the garb of civilization for -more comfortable attire, Nelson lay stretched out on a carpet of -sweet-smelling pine-needles. Above him were motionless branches of -hemlock and beech and pine, with the white stars twinkling through. -Before him was a monster camp-fire of branches and saplings built into -the form of an Indian tepee, which roared and crackled and lighted -up the space in front of Maple Hall until the faces of the assembled -campers were recognizable across the clearing. A steady stream of -flaring sparks rushed upward, to be lost amid the higher branches of -the illumined trees. Beside him was the boy with the gray eyes, who, -having recovered from his temporary excitement, no longer stammered. -Sitting cross-legged in the full radiance of the fire, Tom Ferris -looked not unlike a fat, good-natured Indian idol. Not that he was -as ugly of countenance as those objects usually are; what similarity -existed was due rather to his position and a certain expression of -grinning contentment. He really wasn’t a bad-looking chap; rather -heavy-featured, to be sure, and showing too much flesh about cheeks -and chin to be handsome. He was only fourteen years old, and weighed -something over a hundred and thirty pounds. He had a rather stubby -nose, tow-colored hair, very pale gray eyes, and exceedingly red -cheeks. He was good-natured, kind-hearted, eager in the search for -fun, and possessed a positive genius for getting into trouble. Like -Nelson, he was a student at Hillton Academy, but whereas Nelson was in -the upper middle class, Tom Ferris was still a lower-middler, having -failed the month before to satisfy the powers as to his qualifications -to advance. Nelson and he had not seen much of each other at school, -but this evening they had met quite as though they had been the closest -of chums for years. Nelson had already learned a good deal about Camp -Chicora and its customs, and was still learning. - -“The Chief’s a dandy fellow,” Tom was saying. “We call him ‘Clint’ for -short. Carter called him ‘Clint’ to his face the other day, and he -just smiled, and said, ‘_Mister_ Clint, Carter; I must insist on being -addressed respectfully.’” - -“He looks like a bully sort,” answered Nelson, turning his eyes to -where the Director-in-Chief, the center of a merry group of boys, -was sitting at a little distance. Mr. Clinton looked to be about -thirty-five years old. A few years before he had been an assistant -professor in a New England college, but the confinement of lecture-room -and study had threatened his health. He had a natural love of the -outdoor life, and in the end he had broken away from the college, -built his camp in the half-wilderness, and had regained his health and -prospered financially. Camp Chicora had been in existence but three -years, and already it was one of the most popular and successful of -the many institutions of its kind in that part of the country. He was -tall, dark, strikingly good-looking, with an expression of shrewd and -whimsical kindliness that was eminently attractive. He knew boys as few -know them, and managed them at once surely and gently. Like the fellows -about him, he wore only the camp uniform of jersey and trousers, and -the fire-light gleamed on a pair of deeply tanned arms that looked -powerful enough to belong to a blacksmith. - -“What did he say to you?” asked Tom. - -“Said he was glad to see me, hoped I’d make myself at home and be -happy, and told me to let him know if I wanted anything. It wasn’t so -much what he said as--as the way he said it.” - -“That’s ju-ju-ju-just it!” cried Tom, with enthusiasm. “It’s the way he -says things and does things! And he’s into everything with us; plays -ball, tennis, and-- Say, you ought to see him put the shot!” - -“I liked that Mr. Verder, too,” said Nelson. - -“Yes, he’s a peach! The whole bunch are mighty decent. Ellery--that’s -him fixing the fire--he’s awfully nice; he’ll do anything for you. The -Doctor’s another mighty good chap. You’d ought to have seen the way -he got a nail out of ‘Babe’s’ foot last week! It was perfectly great. -‘Babe’ came pretty near fainting! Say, don’t you want to get the bunk -next to mine? Maybe Joe Carter will swap with you, if I ask him.” - -“Oh, never mind; maybe when I get to know some of the fellows we can -fix it up.” - -“Well, and”--Tom lowered his voice--“I guess they’ll try and have some -fun with you to-night; they always do when a new fellow comes; but -don’t you mind; a little ‘rough-house’ won’t hurt you.” - -“I guess I can stand it. What’ll they do?” - -“Oh--er--well, you see, I oughtn’t to tell, Tilford; it wouldn’t be -quite fair, you know; but it won’t hurt, honest!” - -“All right.” Nelson laughed. “After the initiation I went through at -Hillton last fall, I guess nothing short of a cyclone will feeze me!” - -“Say, we’ve got a society here, too; see?” Tom exhibited a tiny gold -pin which adorned the breast of his jersey. “I’ll get you in all right. -We’re the only Hillton men here, and we ought to stand by each other, -eh?” - -Nelson agreed gravely. - -“There’s a chap here from St. Eustace,” continued Tom. “His name’s -Speede, Dan Speede; ever meet him?” Nelson shook his head. “Of course -he isn’t a Hilltonian,” went on Tom with a tone of apology, “but -he--he’s rather a nice sort. He’s in our hall; you’ll see him to-night, -a big chap with red hair; he played on their second eleven last year. I -think you’ll like him--that is, as well as you could like a St. Eustace -fellow, of course.” - -“I dare say there are just as good fellows go there as come to -Hillton,” responded Nelson generously but without much conviction. - -Tom howled a protest. “Get out! There may be some decent fellows--like -Dan--but-- Why, everybody knows what St. Eustace chaps are!” - -“I dare say they talk like that about us,” laughed Nelson. - -“I’d lu-lu-lu-like tu-tu-to hear ’em!” sputtered Tom indignantly. - -Mr. Clinton arose, watch in hand, and announced that it was time for -prayers. There was a scrambling and scuffling as the fellows arose -from their places on the ground to kneel with heads bent and repeat -the Lord’s Prayer. The dying fire crackled softly and its mellow light -played upon the motionless forms, while overhead the white stars peered -down through the dark branches as though they too were giving thanks to -their Creator. - -Then good night was said to the Chief and the fellows separated, the -younger boys to climb the hill to Spruce Hall and the older to go to -their own dormitory. Presently from across the clearing floated the -slow sweet notes of the bugle sounding taps, and the lights in the -junior hall went out. The seniors, however, still had a half hour -before they must be in bed, and they made the most of it in various -ways. When Nelson and Tom entered Maple they found three distinct -pillow or “sneaker” fights in progress, and the air was full of -hurtling missiles. On one bed two youths in pajamas were sitting -cross-legged deep in a game of cribbage when a random shoe struck the -homemade board with all the devastating effect of a bursting shell, -and sent it, together with the quartet of pegs, over three bunks. -Whereupon two voices were raised in rage, cards were dropped, and the -ranks of the belligerents were swelled by two volunteers. - -The senior dormitory was erected on the side of the hill, well off -the ground for the sake of dryness, and was a simply but well-built -structure some eighty feet long by twenty wide, with enough pitch to -its gable roof to shed rain quickly and afford a sort of open attic -under the rafters, where bags and wearing apparel were precariously -hung from the beams or supported on occasional planks. The effect in -the dim light was picturesque if not beautiful. There was a multitude -of windows on either side, and at each end large double doors occupied -a third of the space. As neither doors nor windows were ever closed, -save during a driving rain-storm, the occupants of the narrow bunks -ranged along each side of the hall practically slept out-of-doors. A -big stove stood in the middle of the building. At the head of each -bunk, secured to the wall, was a white-pine locker. Sometimes this -was supplemented by a square of matched boards which let down to form -a writing-table. Wooden pegs held the every-day attire, and trinkets -were disposed along the horizontal joists. The bunks, wooden-framed -cots, were guiltless of springs, and were furnished with mattresses, -blankets, and pillows. At Chicora sheets were looked down upon as -emblems of effeminacy. The fellows slept with their feet toward the -walls. From a rafter hung a sheet of wrapping-paper bearing the warning -“NO SNORING ALLOWED!” Some one had crossed out the last word and -substituted “ALOUD.” - -Nelson’s bunk was the last but one on the left, and in the opposite -corner was Mr. Verder. At the farther end of the dormitory slept Dr. -Smith. What light there was was given by two reflector lanterns at -either end of the hall, although for purposes of card-playing, reading, -or writing the fellows supplemented this dim radiance by lighting one -or more of the lanterns which were part of each boy’s outfit. Aided by -such extra illumination Nelson’s right-hand neighbor, a curly-haired -youth of about sixteen, whose name later transpired to be Hethington, -was busily engaged in patching a tennis racket with a piece of string. -Near the middle of the hall, a big, good-looking chap with very red -hair was entertaining two companions with a narrative that must have -been extremely humorous, judging from the suppressed laughter that -convulsed them. Nelson had noticed him at table and now concluded that -he was Tom’s St. Eustace friend, Dan Speede. - -Nelson undressed leisurely and got into his pajamas, the while -examining the bed and his surroundings for a hint as to the trick -which was to be played him. But there were no suspicious circumstances -that he could see; the bed looked and felt all right, and of all the -sixteen inhabitants of the dormitory not one was apparently paying him -the least heed. When he considered it, the fact that every one seemed -to be resolutely keeping his eyes from his direction struck him as -of ill augury; even the boy with the tennis racket was unnaturally -absorbed in his work. Tom Ferris came over in a pair of weirdly striped -pajamas and sat chatting on the bed a moment until the lights were put -out. Then there was a scrambling, a few whispered good nights, and -silence reigned save for the sounds of the forest entering through the -windows and doors. Nelson found the bunk rather different from what -he was accustomed to, but the fresh night air felt good; there was a -novel pleasure in being able to look out through the branches at the -twinkling white stars, and he sighed contentedly and wished the worst -would happen so that he could go to sleep. - -But everything was very still. Minute after minute passed. He strained -his ears for suspicious sounds, but heard nothing save the occasional -creak of a bed. The suspense was most uncomfortable. He had about come -to the conclusion that after all nothing was going to happen, and was -feeling a bit resentful over it, when a sound reached him as of bare -feet on the boards. He turned his head noiselessly and stared into the -gloom. He could see nothing, and the sound had ceased. Probably he had -imagined---- - -_Bang!_ - -_Thud!!_ - -_Clatter!!!_ - -Down went the bed with a jar that shook the building; down came a -shower of water that left the victim gasping for breath; and Nelson and -a big tin bucket rolled together onto the floor and into a very cold -puddle. - -Pandemonium reigned! Gone was the peaceful quietude of a moment before. -From all sides came shrieks and howls of laughter and kindly counsel: - -“Pick yourself up, Willie!” - -“Swim hard, old man!” - -“Try floating on your back!” - -“Sweet dreams!” - -“Did I hear something drop?” asked a voice. - -“Very high sea to-night!” remarked another. - -Nelson struggled free of the clinging folds of the wet blankets and -stood up shivering in the darkness. It had been so sudden and so -unexpected, for all the warning he had received, that he didn’t quite -know yet what had happened to him. Then a match flared, a lantern was -lighted, and the tennis-racket youth was holding it out to him. - -“Did the water get you?” he asked calmly. - -“Rather!” answered Nelson. “I’m soaked clear through!” - -“Better get your panoramas off, then,” said Hethington. “I’ve got some -dry ones you can have. I’ll look ’em up.” And he climbed leisurely out -of bed. - -By that time Tom had come to the rescue with an armful of dry blankets -from an unoccupied bunk. The tin lard can was kicked out of the way, -the wet mattress turned over, and the new blankets spread. Hethington -tossed over the dry pajamas, and Nelson, his teeth chattering, got -into them and looked about him. As far as he could see in the dim -light white-robed figures were sitting up in their bunks regarding him -with grinning faces. There was something expectant in both faces and -attitudes, and Nelson realized that they were awaiting an expression of -his feelings. With a glance that encompassed the entire assemblage, he -remarked earnestly, but more in sorrow than in anger: - -“_Well, I hope you choke!_” - -A shout of laughter rewarded him, while a voice from the nearer dimness -remarked audibly: - -“I told you he’d be all right, Dan!” - -Nelson examined the bed, but found that it could not be made to stand -without the aid of tools. So, thanking Hethington again for his pajamas -and eliciting a calm “All right,” and looking about for evidences of -further surprises without finding them, he blew out the lantern and -descended into his lowly couch. The last thing he saw, as the light -went out, was the amused countenance of Mr. Verder across the dormitory. - -Ten minutes later he was asleep. - - - - -CHAPTER III - -SHOWS THAT A MOTOR-DORY CAN GO AS WELL AS STOP - - -When Nelson awoke the early sunshine was dripping through the tender -green branches outside the window, the birds were singing merrily, and -Tom Ferris was digging him in the ribs. He blinked, yawned, and turned -over again, but Tom was not to be denied. - -“Come on, Tilford, and have a douse,” he whispered. “First bugle’s just -blown.” - -“Wha--” (a magnificent yawn)--“what time is it?” asked Nelson. - -“Five minutes of seven. Come on down.” - -“Down? Down where?” inquired Nelson, at last sufficiently awake to hear -what Tom was saying. - -“Down to the lake for a douse. It’s fine.” - -“Huh! It’s pretty fine here. And the lake must be awfully cold, don’t -you think, Ferris?” - -“It really isn’t, honest to goodness! It’s swell! Come on!” - -“Oh--well--” Nelson looked out the window and shivered; then he -heroically rolled out onto the floor, scrambled to his feet and donned -his shoes. One or two of the bunks were empty, and a few of the fellows -who remained were awake and were conversing in whispers across the -dormitory, but for the most part sleep still reigned, and the “No -Snoring” order was being plainly violated. Tom and Nelson pattered -down the room--the former stopping long enough at one bunk to pull -the pillow from under a red-thatched head and place it forcibly on -top--and emerged into a world of green and gold. As they raced past the -flagstaff the Stars and Stripes was fluttering its way aloft, while -from the porch of Birch Hall the reveille sounded and floated echoing -over the lake. The air was like tonic, crisp without being chill in the -shady stretches of the path, pleasantly warm where the sunlight slanted -through, and the two boys hurled themselves down the firm pathway as -fast as lurking roots would allow. At the pier a handful of fellows -were before them. There was very little breeze, and what there was blew -up the lake and so failed to reach the water of the cove. Over on Plum -Island the thin streamer of purple smoke betokened breakfast, while up -at Bear Island, farther away across the sunlit water, the boys of Camp -Wickasaw were moving about the little beach. At the edge of the pier -the water was bottle-green, with here and there a fleck of gold where -the sunlight found its way through the trees that bordered the lake. It -looked cold, but when, having dropped their pajamas, they stood side by -side on the edge of the pier and then went splashing down into fifteen -feet of it, it proved to be surprisingly warm. A moment or two of -energetic thrashing around, and out they came for a brisk rub-down in -the dressing-tent and a wild rush up the hill and into the dormitory, -where they arrived side by side--for, considering his bulk, Tom had a -way of getting over the ground that was truly marvelous--to find the -fellows tumbling hurriedly into their clothes. - -Nelson had received his camp uniform, a gray worsted jersey, a gray -gingham shirt, two pairs of gray flannel trousers reaching to the -knees, one gray worsted sweater, two pairs of gray worsted stockings, a -gray felt hat, a gray leather belt, and a pair of blue swimming trunks. -Jersey and sweater were adorned with the blue C, while on the pocket of -the shirt ran the words “Camp Chicora.” Following the example of those -about him, Nelson donned merely the jersey and trousers, slipped his -feet into his brown canvas shoes or “sneakers,” and, seizing his toilet -articles, fled to the wash-house in the train of Hethington and Tom -Ferris. By the most desperate hurrying he managed to reach the door of -Poplar Hall before the last note of the mess-call had died away. He -found himself terrifically hungry, hungrier than he had been within -memory, and applied himself diligently to the work in hand. Mr. Verder -asked how he had slept, and referred jokingly to the bath. - -“Every fellow has to go through with it sooner or later,” he said -smilingly. “They don’t even exempt the councilors. I got a beautiful -ducking last week.” - -“Oh, I didn’t mind it,” laughed Nelson. “But I was awfully surprised. -I expected something of the sort, but I hadn’t thought of a wetting. I -don’t see how they did it, either.” - -“Well, in the first place, they got a wrench and took the legs off your -bunk; then they put them on again the wrong way, tied a rope to the bed -and trailed it along the wall where you wouldn’t see it. All they had -to do then was to pull the rope, and the legs simply doubled up under -the bed. As for the water, that was in a pail on the beam overhead; -it’s so dark you couldn’t see it unless you looked for it. Of course -there was a string tied to that too, and-- Who pulled the string last -night, fellows?” - -“Dan Speede,” two or three replied promptly. - -“And Carter pulled the rope,” added another gleefully. - -The fellow with the red hair was grinning at Nelson in a rather -exasperating way, and he experienced a sudden desire to get even with -that brilliant Mr. Speede. But he only smiled and, in response to -numerous eager inquiries, tried to describe his sensations when the bed -went down. The affair seemed to have had the effect of an initiation -ceremony, for this morning every one spoke to him just as though they -had known him for months, and by the time breakfast was over he no -longer felt like an outsider. Under escort of Tom and Hethington, who -appeared to have detailed themselves his mentors for the present, he -went to Birch Hall to examine the bulletin and find out his duties for -the day. - -The recreation hall stood on the edge of a little bluff, and from -the big broad porch thrown out at the side a magnificent view of the -lake and the farther shore presented itself. Across from the porch -was a monstrous fireplace of field stones in which four-foot logs -looked scarcely more than kindling-wood. The hall contained a piano, a -shovel-board, innumerable chairs, one or two small tables for games, -the letter-boxes, and the bulletin-board. Consultation with the latter -elicited the fact that Nelson, whose name was the last on the board, -was one of the ferry-boys. Tom explained that he would have to go -across to Crescent with the mail at nine, two, and six-thirty. - -“You can take the motor-dory, if you like. The letters are in that box -over there; and the bag hangs over it--see? You take the mail over and -bring back whatever there is and distribute it in the letter-boxes -yonder. Who’s the other ferry-boy?” - -“Speede,” answered Bob Hethington, referring to the bulletin. - -“Well, that’s all right,” said Tom. “Dan knows all about it. You let -him attend to it, but you’ll have to go along, you know.” - -“Don’t let him work any games on you,” advised Bob dryly. - -Nelson made a mental resolution that he wouldn’t. - -Then Tom explained about the duties. Every fellow had something to -do. There were four lamp-boys, who filled, trimmed, and cleaned the -lanterns and lamps all through the camp; four shore-boys, who looked -after the landing and the boats; four fire-boys, who cut wood for and -built the camp-fire and the fire in Birch Hall; four camp-boys, who -swept out and tidied up the dormitories and the recreation hall; three -mess-boys, who set the tables and waited at them; two color-boys, who -saw to the hoisting and lowering of the flags in the camp and at -the landing; two ferry-boys; one historian, who wrote the history of -the day; two orderlies, to whom the others reported, and who in turn -reported to the officer of the day (one of the councilors); one police, -whose duty it was to keep the camp-grounds clean, and one substitute, -who stood ready to take on the duties of any of the fellows who might -be ill or away from camp. The duties changed day by day, and the -penalty for intentional non-performance of them, as Tom explained with -gusto, was to be ducked in the lake by the other chaps. - -Then a couple of the camp-boys clattered in with brooms, and the -trio were glad to make their escape. Tom and Bob hurried away to -their neglected duties, and Nelson idled back to Maple Hall with the -intention of getting his things arranged. But the other two camp-boys -were busily at work there and raising such a dust that he retreated. -Just outside, on the scene of last night’s conflagration, two fellows -were bringing brush and piling it up for the evening’s camp-fire. In -the rear doorway of Spruce Hall Mr. Ellery was coaching one of the -juniors in Latin. Near-by a freckled-faced youngster with a pointed -stick was spearing bits of paper and other rubbish and transferring -them to a basket which he carried. Every one seemed very busy, and -Nelson wondered whether the fire-boys would be insulted if he offered -to aid them. But at that moment he heard his name called, and saw -Tom beckoning him from in front of the mess-hall. As Nelson answered -the hail he saw that Dan Speede was with Tom, and surmised that an -introduction was in order. Speede shook hands, and said, with that -irritating smile on his handsome face, that he was glad to know Nelson, -and Nelson muttered something that sounded fairly amiable. Speede was -getting on his nerves, for some reason or other; perhaps because he -looked so confoundedly well pleased with himself and appeared to look -on everybody else as a joke prepared for his special delectation. - -“I know one or two Hillton fellows rather well,” Dan said, and he -mentioned their names. One of them was a special friend of Nelson’s, -but the fact didn’t lessen his irritation to any degree. - -“We’re ferry-boys,” Dan continued. “Suppose we go over now? It isn’t -quite nine, but no one ever waits, anyhow.” - -“All right,” Nelson answered. - -They left Tom, put the letters in the bag at Birch Hall, and went down -the path. There wasn’t much conversation on Nelson’s part, but Dan -rattled on carelessly from one thing to another without seeming to care -whether his companion answered or not. At the landing he threw the bag -into the motor-dory and climbed in, followed by Nelson. - -“They’ve got quite a navy here,” observed the latter. - -“Yep; steam-launch thirty feet long, motor-dory, four steel skiffs, -three canoes, one punt, and two four-oared barges--only the barges -aren’t down here yet. All aboard!” - -Nelson took the lines and off they chugged straight for the corner of -Bear Island, where the red-and-white banner of Camp Wickasaw floated -above the trees. - -“Hold her off a little more,” advised Dan; “there’s a shoal off the -end of the island.” He was gazing steadily toward the landing there, -and Nelson noticed that he looked disappointed. “Pshaw!” said Dan -presently; “I guess they’ve gone on ahead.” - -“Who?” - -“The Wickasaw fellows. They have a little old sixteen-foot launch which -they think can go. We usually get here in time to race them over.” - -“Who beats?” - -“We do--usually. Last time I raced with them this pesky dory stopped -short half-way across. I thought they’d bust themselves laughing. -That’s why I hoped we’d meet them this morning.” - -“Too bad,” said Nelson. “What sort of a camp is Wickasaw?” - -Dan shrugged his shoulders disdainfully. “No good. The fellows sleep -between sheets and sing hymns every night before they go to bed. -Besides, the worst of it is, they have women there.” - -“Is it a big camp?” - -“Only about twenty fellows this year.” - -Presently Nelson asked another question: “Can you walk from the camp -over to the village?” - -“Yes, there’s a good road.” Dan nodded toward the end of the lake. “But -it’s pretty near two miles, I guess. I never walked it.” - -Crescent proved to be the tiniest sort of a settlement. There were no -more than half-a-dozen buildings in sight. To the right of the landing -was a high stone bridge, through which, as Dan explained, the water -from the lake flowed on into Hipp’s Pond by way of a small river, and -so, eventually, to Lake Winnipesaukee. - -“You’d better go up front,” advised Dan, “and jump onto the landing -when we get up to it. Take the painter with you.” - -Nelson obeyed. The dory wormed its way in between a lot of rowboats, -the propeller stopped, and Dan poised himself for a leap as the boat -drifted in. When it was still some three or four feet away from the -float he jumped. All would have gone well with him if at the very -moment of his take-off the dory had not, for some unaccountable reason, -suddenly started to back away. The result was that Nelson landed in -five feet of water, with only his hands on the float. It was something -of a task to crawl over the edge, but he managed it finally and sat -down in a pool of water to get his breath. Then he glanced up and -encountered Dan’s grinning countenance and understood. But he only said: - -“That was farther than I thought, or else the boat rocked. Throw me the -painter and I’ll pull you in.” - -Dan, his smile broadening at what he considered Nelson’s innocence, -tossed the rope and jumped ashore with the bag. - -“I guess I’ll let you go up alone,” said Nelson. “I’m too wet to visit -the metropolis.” - -Dan said “All right,” and disappeared with the mail-bag. Nelson climbed -back into the boat and started the motor. The sun was warm, and after -taking his shoes off and emptying the water out of them he was quite -comfortable. He even smiled once or twice, apparently at his thoughts. -Presently Dan appeared around the corner of the nearest building, and -Nelson quietly pushed the dory away from the landing. - -“What did you start her up for?” asked Dan. “She’ll get all hot and -smelly if you do that.” - -“Oh, I just wanted to see if I could do it,” answered Nelson. “Pitch -the bag in; I’ll catch it.” - -Dan did so. - -“You’ll have to bring her in, you know,” he said. “I can’t walk on -water.” - -“But you can walk on land, can’t you?” asked Nelson sweetly. - -“Walk on--? Hold on, you idiot, you’re backing her!” - -“Must be something wrong with her,” replied Nelson calmly. He reached -for the tiller-line, swung the dory’s nose toward the camp, shot the -lever forward, and waved gaily at Dan. “It’s only two miles, you know,” -he called, as the boat chugged away. “And it’s a good road!” - -He looked back, expecting to hear Dan explode in a torrent of anger. -But he didn’t; he merely stood there with his hands in his pockets and -grinned. Half-way across the lake Nelson turned again and descried -Dan’s form crossing the bridge on the road back to camp. Nelson winked -gravely at the mail-bag. - - - - -CHAPTER IV - -RELATES HOW NELSON BORROWED A LEAF FROM BOB, AND HOW DAN CRIED QUITS - - -There wasn’t much about gas-engines that Nelson didn’t know, for ever -since he was old enough to walk his family had spent a portion at least -of every summer at the shore, and of late years a gasoline-launch had -been a feature of the vacation program. To be sure, a power-dory was -rather a trifling thing after a thirty-six-foot cruising-launch, and -the engine left much to be desired, but it got along pretty well, and -Nelson wished he didn’t have to return to camp, but might turn the -dory’s head up the lake and go cruising. But perhaps they would let him -take the dory some other time. Tom Ferris was on the pier when the boat -came within easy hail. - -“Where’s Dan?” he asked. - -“Coming back by road.” - -“_Road?_” - -“Yes; he decided to walk.” - -“What for?” asked Tom incredulously. - -Nelson shook his head. “Exercise, I guess,” he answered, as he steered -the dory in under the boom. “Here! catch the bag, will you?” - -It was evident that Tom was far from satisfied with the information -supplied, for all the way up the hill he shot suspicious glances -at Nelson, and stumbled over numerous roots and stones in his -preoccupation. But he didn’t discover anything more, at least from -Nelson. - -After the mail was distributed in Birch Hall the two boys got their -rackets and balls and climbed the hill, past the spring and the -little sunlit glade where church service was held on Sundays, until a -tiny plateau was reached. Here was the tennis-court, fashioned with -much difficulty and not altogether guiltless of stones, but not half -bad for all that. It was well supplied with back-nets--a fortunate -circumstance, since the woods closed in upon it on all sides, and balls -once lost in the undergrowth would have been difficult to find. Tom, -considering his bulk, played a very fast and steady game, and succeeded -in securing one of the three sets which they managed to finish before -the assembly sounded at eleven o’clock and they fled down the hill to -the lake. - -The morning bath, or “soak,” as it was called, was compulsory as -regarded every camper. Nothing save absence or illness was allowed to -excuse a fellow from this duty. Tom and Nelson donned their bathing -trunks and pushed their way out onto the crowded pier. Two of the -steel boats were occupied by councilors, whose duty it was to time the -bathers and keep an eye on adventurous swimmers. The boys lined the -edge of the pier and awaited impatiently the signal from Mr. Ellery. -Presently, “All in!” was the cry, and instantly the pier was empty, -save for a few juniors whose inexperience kept them in shallow water -along the little sandy beach. The water spouted in a dozen places, and -one by one dripping heads bobbed above the surface and their owners -struck out for the steps to repeat the dive. Nelson found the water far -warmer than he was accustomed to at the beaches; it was almost like -jumping into a tub for a warm bath. When he came to the surface after -a plunge and a few vigorous kicks under water he found himself close -to the boat occupied by Dr. Smith. He swam to it, laid hold of the -gunwale, and tried to wipe the water from his eyes. - -“What’s the trouble, Tilford?” asked the councilor smilingly. - -“I guess my eyes are kind of weak,” Nelson answered. “The water makes -them smart like anything.” - -“Better keep them closed when you go under. It isn’t the fault of your -eyes, though; it’s the water.” - -“But they never hurt before, sir.” - -“Where have you bathed--in fresh water?” - -“No, sir--salt.” - -“That’s different. The eyes are used to salt water, but fresh water -irritates them.” - -“I should think it would be the other way,” said Nelson, blinking. - -“Not when you consider that all the secretions of the eye are salty. -Tears never made your eyes smart, did they?” - -“No, sir; that’s so. It’s funny, though, isn’t it?” - -“Well, it’s like a good many other things, Tilford--strange until you -get used to it. I suppose you swim pretty well?” - -“Oh, I don’t know, sir. I’ve swam all my life, I guess, but I don’t -believe I’m what you’d call a dabster.” - -“I wouldn’t think of calling you that, anyhow,” laughed the Doctor, -“for I don’t think I know what it means. But how about diving?” - -Nelson shook his head. - -“I’ve never done much of that. I’ve usually bathed in the surf, you -see. I’d be scared silly if I tried what those fellows are doing.” - -The fellows referred to were standing on a tiny platform built up a -good ten feet above the floor of the pier. One by one they launched -themselves into the lake, at least eighteen feet below, some making -straight dives, some letting themselves fall and straightening out just -as they reached the surface, and one, who proved to be Dan Speede, -turning a backward somersault and disappearing feet first and hands -high over head. - -“That was a dandy, wasn’t it?” asked Nelson with enthusiasm. - -“Yes; I guess Speede’s the star diver here. But he takes mighty big -risks sometimes. If you want to try a dive I’ll watch you and see if I -can help you any with criticism.” - -“All right, but I just jump off when I dive,” said Nelson. “But I’d -like to learn, sir.” - -So he swam over to the steps, reaching them just ahead of Dan, and -walked along the pier to a place where there was no danger of striking -the steam-launch which was tied alongside. He had just reached a -position that suited him and was standing sideways to the water, when -there as an exclamation, some one apparently stumbled into him, and he -went over like a ninepin, striking the water in a heap and going so -far under he thought he would never come up again. But he did finally, -his lungs full of water and his breath almost gone from his body--came -up choking and sputtering to see Dan looking down with that maddening -grin on his face, and to hear him call: - -“Awfully sorry, Tilford. I tripped on a knot-hole!” - -Nelson coughed and spat until some of the water was out of him--and it -was odd how disagreeable it tasted after salt water--and turned to swim -back. Dr. Smith was smiling broadly as Nelson passed, and the latter -called, “We won’t count that one, sir.” - -Dan was awaiting him on the pier, apparently prepared for whatever -Nelson might attempt in the way of revenge. But Nelson took no notice -of him. This time he made his dive without misadventure, and then swam -out to the Doctor to hear the latter’s criticism. - -“That wasn’t so bad, Tilford. But you want to straighten out more and -keep your feet together. And I wouldn’t try to jump off at first; just -fall forward, and give the least little bit of a shove with your feet -at the last moment.” - -“I’ll try it again,” said Nelson. - -This time Dan did not see Nelson as the latter came along the pier. -He was standing near the edge, daring Hethington to go over with his -hands clasped under his knees, and knew nothing of his danger until -he found himself lifted from his feet. Then he struggled desperately, -but Nelson had seized him from behind and his hands found no clutch on -his captor’s wet body. The next instant he was falling over and over -in a most undignified and far from scientific attitude. He tried to -gather himself together as he struck the water, but the attempt was -not a success, and he disappeared in a writhing heap. Like Nelson, he -came up choking and gasping, trying his best to put a good face on -it, but succeeding so ill that the howls of laughter that had greeted -his disappearance burst forth afresh. But, thought Nelson, he was -a wonderful chap to take a joke, for, having found his breath, he -merely swam quickly to the steps and came up onto the pier looking as -undisturbed as you please. - -“That puts us even again, doesn’t it?” he said to Nelson. - -Nelson nodded. - -He kept a watch on Dan the rest of the time, but the latter made -no attempt to trouble him again. He profited to some extent by Dr. -Smith’s instructions, and when the cry of “All out!” came he believed -that to-morrow he would have the courage to try a dive from the -“crow’s-nest,” as the fellows called the little platform above the -pier. He walked up the hill with Bob and Tom. - -“I don’t see why that silly idiot of a Speede wants to be forever -trying his fool jokes on me,” he said aggrievedly. - -“That’s just his way,” answered Tom soothingly. - -“Well, it’s a mighty tiresome way,” said Nelson, in disgust. - -“He has an overdeveloped sense of humor,” said Bob Hethington. “It’s a -sort of disease with him, I guess.” - -“Well, I wish he’d forget it,” Nelson grumbled. “I’m afraid to sit down -on a chair now for fear there’ll be a pin in it.” - -“Oh, he gets tired after a while,” said Bob. “He was that way with me -for a day after camp began.” - -“What did you do?” asked Nelson curiously. - -Bob smiled; so did Tom. - -“I gave him some of his own medicine. I filled his bunk with -pine-needles--they stick nicely to woolen blankets, you know--tied -knots in every stitch of clothing he had, and put all his shoes in a -pail of water. He’s never bothered me since.” - -“Did he get mad?” - -“Mad? No, you can’t get the idiot mad. Carter says he laughed himself -to sleep that night--Dan, I mean.” - -“I wonder if all the St. Eustace fellows are like him,” Nelson mused. -“If they are, life there must be mighty interesting. Perhaps they have -a course of practical joking there.” - -Dinner was at twelve-thirty, and it was a very hungry set of fellows -that dropped themselves onto their stools and attacked the soup, roast -beef, potatoes, spinach, beets, apple pie, and cheese. Nelson marveled -at first at the quantity of milk his neighbors got away with, but after -a day or so he ceased to wonder, drinking his own three or four glasses -without difficulty. After dessert the history of the preceding day was -read by one of the councilors, while the historian, a very small youth -known as “Babe,” grinned sheepishly and proudly as he listened to his -composition. Nelson’s hazing was referred to with gusto and summoned -laughter, and “Babe” was loudly applauded when the history was finished -and the reader had announced “George Fowler.” - -At one-thirty the bugle blew for “siesta,” the most trying part of -the day’s program. Every boy was required to go to his bunk and lie -down for half an hour with closed eyes and relaxed body. By the -middle of the summer custom had enabled most of them to accept this -enforced idleness with philosophy, and to even sleep through a portion -at least of the terrible half hour, but at present it was suffering -unmitigated, and many were the pleas offered to escape “siesta.” -When Nelson approached his bunk he was confronted by a square of -brown wrapping-paper on which in black letters, evidently done with a -blacking-brush, was the inscription: - - +--------------+ - | HILLTON IS A | - | BUM SCHOOL | - +--------------+ - -He felt his cheeks reddening as the snickers of the watchers reached -him. There was no doubt in his mind as to the perpetrator of the -insult, for insult it was in his judgment, and his first impulse was -to march down the aisle and have it out with Dan there and then. But -he only unpinned the sheet, tossed it on the floor, and laid down on -his bunk. Presently, when his cheeks had cooled, he raised his head -cautiously and looked around. The dormitory was silent. One or two -fellows were surreptitiously reading, a few were resolutely trying to -obey orders, and the others were restlessly turning and twisting in -an agony of inactivity. Mr. Verder was not present, and the dormitory -was in charge of Dr. Smith, whose bunk was at the other end. Nelson -quietly reached out and secured the obnoxious placard, laying it clean -side up between his bed and Bob’s and holding it in place with a shoe. -Then he found a soft pencil, and, lying on the edge of the bunk, -started to work. Bob looked on dispassionately. Nelson wondered if he -ever really got interested in anything. - -After a while the task was completed. Nelson looked warily down the -room. Dr. Smith was apparently asleep. Finding two pins, he crept off -the bed and secured the sheet of paper to the rafter where it had hung -before. Up and down the dormitory heads were raised and eager eyes were -watching him. This time the placard hung with the other side toward the -room, and the new inscription read: - - +---------------------+ - | 1903 | - | HILLTON 17 | - | ST. EUSTACE 0 | - +---------------------+ - -Nelson scuttled back to bed. Faint whispers reached him. Then: - -“Where are you going, Speede?” asked the Doctor’s voice suddenly. - -Dan, creeping cautiously up the aisle, paused in his tracks. - -“I left something up here, sir.” - -“Get it after siesta, then.” - -Dan went back to bed. The whispers grew, interspersed with chuckles. - -“Cut that out, fellows,” said the Doctor, and silence reigned again. -For the next quarter of an hour the score of last autumn’s football -game between Hillton and St. Eustace flaunted itself to the world. The -fellows, all save one or two who had really fallen asleep, wondered -what would happen after siesta. So did Nelson. He hoped that Dan would -make trouble, for it seemed to him then that that insult could only be -wiped out with blows; and although Dan was somewhat taller and much -heavier than Nelson, the latter fancied he could give a fairly good -account of himself. And then the bugle blew, fellows bounded onto the -floor, and the ensuing racket more than made up for the half hour of -quiet. Dan made at once for the placard. Nelson jumped up and stood -under it. Dan stopped a few steps away. - -“That’s my piece of paper, you know,” he said quietly. - -“Get it,” answered Nelson. - -“Cut it out, you two,” said Bob. - -Nelson flashed a look of annoyance at the peacemaker. - -Dan viewed him mildly. “Look here,” he said, “if you’ll take that down -and tear it up, we’ll call quits.” - -“I don’t know,” said Nelson. “How about Hillton being a bum school?” -Dan grinned. - -“You take that down,” he said. - -“I will when you take back what you wrote on the other side.” - -“Don’t you do it, Dan,” advised a snub-nosed chap named Wells. - -“You shut up, Wells,” said Bob; and Wells, who wasn’t popular, was -hustled out of the way by the others who had gathered. - -“Well, ain’t she pretty bum?” asked Dan innocently. - -“Not too bum to lick you at football,” answered Nelson hotly. - -“Pooh!” said Dan. “Do you know why? Because they wouldn’t let me play.” - -That aroused laughter, and Nelson stared at his antagonist in deep -disgust. “What an idiot he was,” he said to himself; “he couldn’t be -serious even over a quarrel.” - -“Well, she did it, anyhow,” he said rather lamely. - -“Well, it’s over now, isn’t it?” asked Dan calmly. “So let’s take the -score down,” and he moved toward the placard. - -“No you don’t!” Nelson exclaimed, moving in front of him; “not until -you’ve apologized.” - -Dan smiled at him in his irritating manner. - -“Don’t you believe I could lick you?” he asked. - -“Maybe you can,” said Nelson, “but talking won’t do it.” - -“Well, I can; but I’m not going to. There isn’t going to be any row, -so you fellows might as well chase yourselves. It was just a joke, -Tilford. Hillton’s all right. It’s the best school in the country, -barring one. How’ll that do for an apology, my fierce friend?” - -“It isn’t quite truthful,” answered Nelson, smiling in spite of -himself, “but I guess it’ll answer. Here’s your old paper.” - -Dan accepted it and tore it up. Then he stuffed the pieces in the first -bunk he came to. - -“War is averted,” he announced. - -Then he went out, followed by most of the inmates of the dormitory, who -were laughingly accusing him of “taking water.” - -“He’s a queer chump,” said Nelson, with something of unwilling -admiration in his tones. But Bob didn’t hear him. He was back on his -bed, absorbed in a magazine. - -“And you’re another,” added Nelson under his breath. - - - - -CHAPTER V - -TELLS HOW DAN PLAYED A TRUMP CARD, HOW BOB GAINED HONOR, AND HOW THE -“BIG FOUR” CAME INTO EXISTENCE - - - 6.55. First reveille: morning bath. - 7.00. Last reveille: colors. - 7.25. First mess-call. - 7.30. Last mess-call: breakfast. - 8 to 9. Duties. - 11.00. Assembly: “soak.” - 12.30. Mess-call: dinner. - 1.30 to 2. Siesta. - 2 to 5.25. Recreation. - 5.25. First mess-call: colors. - 5.30. Last mess-call: supper. - 7.30. Assembly: camp-fire. - 8.30. Taps: Juniors’ lights out. - 9. Seniors’ lights out. - -That was the daily schedule. On Sunday it differed in the rising-time -and time for dinner, the first being half an hour and the latter -an hour later. But there was nothing very hard-and-fast about the -schedule, for frequently an afternoon’s outing on the lake prolonged -itself past the hour for supper, and quite as frequently the tales -about the camp-fire became so absorbing that taps didn’t sound until -long after the accustomed time. Largely for this reason the schedule -never proved irksome. Life moved very pleasantly and smoothly at -Chicora. Ordinary misdemeanors were passed over by the councilors, -to be dealt with by the fellows, and so to a great extent the boys -governed themselves. To be ducked by his companions was the most -degrading punishment a boy could receive, and only twice during the -summer was it meted out. The Chief and the councilors mingled with -the fellows on all occasions, and were tireless in the search for new -methods of enjoyment. Mr. Clinton played the headiest kind of a game at -second base in the scrub games, and knocked out three-baggers and home -runs in a manner beautiful to see. Mr. Verder, too, was a good player, -while Dr. Smith, laying aside his eye-glasses, would occasionally -consent to go into the field and excitedly muff everything that came in -his direction. Mr. Thorpe was the camp champion at ring toss, and Mr. -Ellery was never defeated at shovelboard. - -The afternoons were given over to baseball, or tennis, or boating, if -the weather permitted, or, if it rained, to fishing for bass, pickerel, -perch, and chub in the lake, or to the playing of games or reading in -the recreation-hall or dormitories. But always, rain or fine, there was -a bath at five o’clock, which few missed. - -By the end of his first week at Chicora Nelson was thoroughly at home, -and any doubts he may have entertained as to his liking the place and -the fellows had vanished. It was a healthy life. He was out-of-doors -all day long, and even at night he could scarcely consider himself -housed. He went bareheaded, barelegged, and barearmed, and rapidly -acquired a coat of tan of which he was very proud. He went to every -meal famished, and jumped into bed at night in a condition of physical -weariness that brought instant slumber. And he made friends on all -sides. The closest of these were Bob Hethington and Tom Ferris. But -there was one other who, if as yet scarcely a bosom friend, had -captured Nelson’s respect and liking; and that one was Dan Speede. - -After the incident of the placard in Maple Hall Dan had not offered to -molest Nelson in any way during the two days following; neither had he -appeared to take any notice of him. But on the evening of the second -day Nelson was coming back from the dormitory after supper when he met -Dan. - -“You’re the fellow I was looking for,” Dan announced in quite the most -cordial manner in the world. “Want to go down to the Inn with me in the -dory? I’m going to take a note for Clint.” - -Nelson hesitated. - -“I don’t believe I can, Speede. I promised Bob Hethington to help him -mend his camera.” - -“Oh, let that go. I’ll ask him to come along.” - -“Well,” said Nelson. - -Bob consented, and the three tumbled into the dory and set out. The -distance to the Chicora Inn landing was short, if you kept along the -shore; but Dan suggested prolonging the trip by going around Bass -Island, with the result that they navigated most of the upper end of -the lake before they reached their destination. Dan was evidently on -his best behavior, for the trip was completed without misadventure, and -they got back to camp just as assembly sounded. - -After that Nelson and Dan saw a good deal of each other, and the more -they were together the more Nelson liked the big, handsome, red-headed -fellow with the clear blue eyes, and began to understand him better. -There wasn’t a grain of meanness in his make-up. The jokes he was -forever playing were usually harmless enough, and served as outlets for -an oversupply of animal spirits. Nelson thought he had never seen a -fellow more full of life, more eager for adventure and fun, than Dan. -He would go almost any length to secure a laugh, even if it was against -himself, and toil for days at a time to bring about an event promising -excitement. He seemed to be absolutely without fear, and no one ever -saw him really angry. - -Nelson’s liking for Dan was not, however, altogether shared by Bob, who -dubbed Dan’s tricks and jokes “kiddish,” and usually treated him with a -sort of contemptuous indifference. As a rule he avoided Dan’s society, -and finally Nelson was torn between his allegiance to Bob and his -liking for Dan. Affairs stood thus when, about two weeks after Nelson’s -arrival, the election of captain of the baseball team came off, and Dan -played a card which, if it did not at once gain Bob’s friendship, at -least commanded his gratitude. - -At camp-fire Mr. Clinton announced that he had received a note from -Camp Wickasaw asking when Chicora would be ready to arrange a series of -ball games with them. - -“Last year,” said the Chief, “as those of you know who were here then, -Wickasaw won all three games from us. There’s no disgrace in being -beaten, but it’s lots more fun to beat. So this year let’s see if we -can’t do better. They have fewer fellows than we have, and last year -we allowed them to play their councilors. I guess it was that that beat -us. But it was only fair, and unless you fellows object they will make -use of the same privilege this year. How about it?” and Mr. Clinton -looked about the fire-lit group questioningly. - -“Let them use them, sir,” exclaimed one of the boys. “We can beat them -anyhow.” - -“That’s so, sir; and there’ll be more glory in it,” said another. - -And a chorus of assent arose. - -“All right,” said Mr. Clinton. “Now we ought to get things fixed up so -that we can arrange dates with Wickasaw and the other nines. There will -be the Mount Pleasant team to deal with, and I suppose there will be a -nine at the Inn as usual. And I guess we can arrange some games with -the Camp Trescott fellows. I propose to supply bats and balls and such -things, as I did last year. We’ll need one new base-bag, too.” - -“I think that one can be fixed up all right, sir, with some sawdust, -and a piece of canvas to patch it with,” said Bob. - -“Well, we’ll have a look at it. If it can’t, we’ll send for a new one. -We’ll have to have some balls and bats, anyhow. We’ve got two masks and -a protector left from last summer. Is there anything else?” - -“We ought to have some mitts,” said Carter. - -“Seems to me the fellows ought to buy those themselves,” Dan announced. - -“Well, I’ll get some,” said the Chief. “If any one wants to have his -own, he can. Now, how about choosing a captain? Shall we do that here -to-night, or had you rather wait?” - -“To-night!” “Now!” were the cries. - -“Very well; suppose you nominate your candidates, and we’ll have a -rising vote.” - -Much laughter and whispering ensued. Then Dan was on his feet. - -“Mr. Clinton,” he began. - -“Mr. Chairman,” some one corrected. - -“And gentlemen of the convention,” added Mr. Verder. - -“Who’s making this speech?” asked Dan good-naturedly. “Mr. Clinton, I -nominate Bob Hethington.” Applause followed. “He’s as good a player as -any of us; he was here last year, and knows the ropes, and he--he’s a -good fellow for the place.” - -“I second the nomination!” cried Nelson. - -Three other nominations followed, among the candidates being Joe Carter -and Dan himself. The latter promptly withdrew in favor of Bob, and -when the voting was over, Bob, in spite of half-hearted protestations, -was declared elected. Thereupon Carter moved that the election be made -unanimous, and it was. “Babe” Fowler was elected official scorer, an -honor which quite overwhelmed him for the moment, and Mr. Verder was -appointed manager. He and Bob were to get together at once and arrange -dates, issue challenges, and start things moving generally. A call -for candidates was issued on the spot, that constituting Bob’s speech -of acceptance, and it was decided that practise should be held every -week-day afternoon, when there were no games, at four o’clock. - -“It seems to me,” said Mr. Verder, “that the best way to get good -practise is to have some one to play against. Couldn’t we form a scrub -team to play against the camp nine? We’ve got plenty of fellows here.” - -“That’s a good plan,” said the Chief. “And you and I’ll join it.” - -“And the Doctor,” some one suggested. Whereupon there was a laugh, and -the Doctor begged to be excused. - -“I tell you what I will do, though,” he said; “I’ll umpire.” - -“All right!” they called. - -“Kill the umpire!” shouted Dan. - -“And I’ll get even with you, Mr. Clinton,” threatened the Doctor. -“You’ll never see first when I’m umpiring!” - -“He never does see it,” grumbled Tom. “He runs too fast!” - -“Well, that’s all settled, then,” said Mr. Clinton when the laughter -had subsided. “Now, let’s all get to work and turn out a good team, one -that’ll knock the spots off of Wickasaw! And when we can’t find any one -else to play, we’ll have some, good games between the first team and -the scrub, and I’ll put up some prizes--boxes of candy, or something -like that. How’ll that do?” - -“Bully, sir!” - -“That’s swell!” - -“I’m going to play on the scrub!” - -And the next afternoon, while the enthusiasm still held, the first -practise was held, with almost every boy in camp as a candidate. -Nelson turned out with the rest, and even Tom, under the excitement of -the moment and with visions of candy before him, essayed to try for -the outfield. Dan and Nelson were practically certain of making the -first, if only by reason of former experience, for each had played on -their class teams at school. The most glaring deficiency was a good -pitcher, and the problem of finding some fellow to work with Bob, who -was catcher, bothered the latter for some time. In the end a rather -likely candidate showed up in the person of Wells, a chunky, snub-nosed -senior, who, in spite of the fact that he was rather unpopular, -decidedly stubborn, and a bit lazy, gave promise of turning into a -fairly good pitcher. Dan was put on first, and soon proved his right to -the place. Nelson went into the field, and finally found his position -at center. He was a good batsman and a heady base-runner. Tom dropped -out of the contest after a day or two, having been thrice struck by -the pitcher while unsuccessfully endeavoring to hit the ball, and -retired to watch the practise from the spectators’ gallery and nurse -his bruises. A series of three games with the rival camp of Wickasaw -were arranged for, and five other dates with hotel and camp nines were -made. This meant an average of two games a week for the remainder of -the season, and Bob got down to hard work. As it proved, it was lucky -that the enthusiasm came when it did, and supplied him with sufficient -material from which to turn out a team, for shortly afterward a -spell of hot weather made its appearance, and while it lasted it was -difficult to get any save the members of the camp nine to make the trip -to the baseball field. But Bob didn’t let the heat bother him much, -and practise was as rigorous as ever. When not enough fellows came -out to make up the scrub, Bob held batting and base-running practise -instead, until Dan declared that he had lost ten pounds in a week. - -He and Bob were rapidly becoming friendly, or rather Bob was, for Dan -had liked Bob all along. Dan took hold of baseball affairs in a way -that won the captain’s heart, playing his own position for all there -was in it, and helping cheerfully with the coaching no matter how hot -the sun beat down on the field. As a result of this change of sentiment -on Bob’s part a four-cornered friendship was formed which lasted for a -good many years. Nelson, Dan, Bob, and Tom were together pretty much -all the time, and finally the camp took notice and dubbed them the -“Big Four.” Nelson meanwhile had been taken into the society and had -afforded amusement for the entire camp when he had been put through -his initiation, which, for want of a building affording privacy, was -conducted in the clearing between Poplar and Spruce Halls. - - - - -CHAPTER VI - -OPENS WITH AWFUL TIDINGS, AND ENDS WITH A GLEAM OF HOPE - - -Dire news reached the camp one morning, brought over from the village -by a small junior who had gone for the mail. His tale was listened -to with incredulous indignation by a large group of the fellows -congregated outside of Birch Hall. The junior’s name was Rooke, and -he was vastly impressed with his importance when he saw with what -breathless interest his news was received. When Dan joined the group, -after having reported as orderly to Mr. Ellery, officer of the day, -Rooke was telling his story for the second time, and with what Tom -called “imposing detail.” - -“There’s a fellow over at Crescent staying at the boarding-house named -Harry Fraser,” began Rooke. - -“Queer name for a boarding-house,” said Dan. - -“Shut up, Speede!” some one admonished him. - -Rooke looked hurt. - -“All right; never mind what the boarding-house is called, Kid,” said -Dan. “Fire ahead!” - -“I’d met him now and then at the post-office, you know. Well, this -morning, when I came out with the mail, he was there----” - -“Were there any letters for me?” asked Dan eagerly. Then he retired to -a safe distance, and waited for his pursuers to become absorbed again -in the narrative. - -“‘Say,’ he said, ‘Wickasaw put it on to you fellows good and hard, -didn’t they?’ ‘How did they?’ says I. ‘Oh, you don’t know anything -about it, do you?’ says he. And of course I didn’t, but I wasn’t going -to let on to him.” - -“Foxy kid!” murmured Dan. - -“‘Oh, that!’ I says; ‘that’s nothing! Any one could do that!’” - -“Good for you, Rooke!” his audience laughed. - -“Well, pretty soon I found out what he was talking about. And what -do you think those chumps have done?” And Rooke paused dramatically, -looking very indignant. - -“You told us once,” said some one unkindly. “Go ahead!” - -Rooke resented this remark, and for a moment seemed inclined to sulk. -But Joe Carter patted him on the back, Dan told him he was a smart -kid, and he decided to let the incident pass. - -“Why, they’ve gone and painted ‘Camp Wickasaw’ on the rocks over at the -cliff back of Crescent! And Fraser says the letters are done in red -paint and are three feet high, and you can see them for miles!” - -“Phew!” said Dan. “Aren’t they the cheeky beggars?” - -“When did they do it, Kid?” asked Bob. - -“Day before yesterday. They went on a picnic, or something, over that -way.” - -“Well, we’ll just have to go over and paint it out,” said Carter -decidedly, amid a murmur of concurrence. - -“You couldn’t do it, my boy,” Dan objected. “It would take more paint -than you could lug over there.” - -“Don’t you care; they can’t go and paint up the scenery like that,” -answered Joe. “Anyhow, we can daub the letters up so they can’t be -read.” - -“How did they do it, Kid--do you know?” Dan asked. - -“Why, they climbed up as far as they could, you see, and just did it.” - -“All right; then we’ll just have to climb up farther and paint ‘Camp -Chicora’ above it!” - -This elicited hearty applause, and Rooke’s small voice was quite lost -for a moment. Then he made himself heard: - -“You can’t climb any higher!” he shouted triumphantly. “Fraser says you -can’t!” - -“Fraser’s a liar, then!” answered Bob calmly. “You ought to select your -associates more carefully, Kid.” - -“But the Wickasaws climbed up the cliff until the smooth rock began,” -said Rooke indignantly; “and you can’t climb any higher than that. Any -one will tell you so, Bob Hethington.” - -“Well, don’t get excited, Kid; we won’t ask you to do it,” said Bob -soothingly. “I tell you what, fellows, Dan and I’ll go over there now -and have a look at it, and see what can be done. We can get permission, -I guess.” - -“What’s the matter with the bunch going?” asked a chap named Ridley. - -“Clint won’t let a lot go, you idiot! We’ll say we want to go over to -Crescent, and then Clint and the councilors won’t need to know anything -about it. If they did, they might-- Who was that went away?” - -The crowd turned to look. Mr. Verder was walking off toward Maple Hall. - -“Gee! I bet he heard!” said Carter. - -“He did,” piped Rooke. “I saw him standing over there!” - -“That’s all right,” Bob said. “He won’t say anything about it if we -keep it quiet. Dan and I’ll go over there right off, and we’ll let you -fellows know what can be done. There’s one thing certain: Wickasaw -hasn’t any mortgage on that bluff over there.” - -“You bet she hasn’t!” Dan concurred earnestly. “And just think how it -must look from up the lake!” - -“And from Camp Trescott!” exclaimed Carter. “Why, thunder! Trescott’s -right under that bluff!” - -“Gee!” groaned Carter. “Aren’t they having a fine laugh on us!” - -“The laugh will be on some one else when we’re through,” said Dan -determinedly. “Come on, Bob!” - -The group broke up, and Dan and Bob sought and received permission to -go to the village. Naturally, Tom and Nelson wanted to accompany them, -but consented to remain behind when Bob explained that they must be -careful not to awaken suspicion. - -They lifted Bob’s crimson canoe from the rack under the trees, dropped -it over the side of the float, and tumbled in. Then each took a paddle -and made the craft fairly fly. At the landing by the bridge they pulled -it out of the water and set off along the Pine Hill road through -the tiny village and along the edge of a sloping meadow that skirts -Humpback Mountain. Presently the cliff was in sight, rising sheer from -the meadow to a height of some seventy feet. From the side it looked -for all the world as though a giant had sliced a piece off the end of -the mountain as one might cut the end from a loaf of bread, and had -left the crumbs in the shape of big and little boulders piled up at -the bottom. From the top of the cliff the ground sloped gradually for -a ways and then sprang abruptly upward into the oddly shaped cone that -lent the mountain its name. Their first view of the cliff gave them no -sight of the face, and it was another minute’s walk before they could -see the daubs of bright red paint that adorned it. There, staring down -at them across the field, was the legend: - - CAMP WICKASAW, ’04 - -But, after all, the reality was not so bad as what Rooke had described. -The letters were _not_ three feet high, and even an eagle would have -experienced difficulty in reading them a quarter of a mile away. But it -was bad enough, and Dan and Bob scowled wrathfully. Then they climbed -the fence and set off across the meadow to get a nearer view. Presently -they reached a sort of terrace of tumbled boulders and stones, some of -them crumbling and some as impregnable as when they had fallen, which -was banked up under the cliff. Bushes and weeds had grown up between -them, and it was all the two could do to thrust themselves through; and -when, after a minute or two, they had gained the edge of the towering -mass of rock their legs and arms were scratched and their jerseys and -trunks torn. - -“Phew!” said Bob, looking ruefully at his wounds, “that’s a merry place -to come through, isn’t it? I hope those Wickasaws got as much as we -did!” - -Above them the cliff arose at a steep angle for some twenty feet, and -from there sprang almost straight into air. That first twenty feet -could be climbed in places if one used care, and it was evident that -the Wickasaw fellows had climbed it. - -“Probably two of them went up there,” said Bob, “and one sort of -steadied the other while he painted. But it was a risky thing to do.” - -“Pshaw,” answered Dan, “that wasn’t very hard. The trouble is, they’ve -got their old patent-medicine sign up as high as any one can reach. And -it will be mighty hard work to paint it out, besides taking a whole lot -of paint.” - -“That’s so,” said Bob, craning his head back to look. “But it’s got to -be done somehow.” - -Dan was silent for a moment; then, “No, it hasn’t, either!” he -exclaimed suddenly. - -“What do you mean?” - -“Why, what we want to do isn’t to paint out their sign, but to paint -our own above it; see?” - -“Yes, but how? Use ladders?” - -“Where’d we get the ladders?” asked Dan scornfully. “Now, how would -‘Camp Chicora, ’04’ look about twenty feet above their old letters?” - -“Fine, but we can’t get it there, can we?” - -“Sure! Get some paint and a good big brush, and about fifty feet of -rope.” - -Bob whistled. - -“You’re a wonder, Dan!” he said softly. “I choose to do the painting!” - -“Like thunder! Whose idea was it?” - -“Yours, but I weigh less than you do, Dan.” - -“That doesn’t matter. We’ll get rope that’ll hold three times my -weight.” - -“Do you think you can do it?” asked Bob, looking upward at the smooth -face of the rock. - -“Course I can do it; any fellow could. Hello!” He stumbled over the -rocks and picked up a paint-brush, very sticky with vermilion paint. -“Just the thing,” he chuckled. “We won’t have to buy one. Kind of them -to leave it, eh? And here’s the can over here. Think we’ll want that?” - -“I don’t believe so, but you might fetch it out in case we do.” - -Dan did so, and carried can and brush down through the bushes to the -edge of the meadow and there hid them. Then, with many a backward look -at the cliff, they made their way to the road, and so to the village, -arranging ways and means as they went. - -“We’ll go along the road by the river and strike up the mountain from -there, keeping along this side. I’ll make a seat out of a piece of -board, like a swing, you know, and hitch that to the end of the rope. -Then all you fellows will have to do is to lower me down.” - -“That’s all right; but how will you move along from left to right when -you’re down there?” - -Dan considered this problem for a minute in silence; then he was forced -to own himself stuck. - -“Of course, you can pull me up and move the rope, and then let me down -again, but that will take a month of Sundays.” - -Nevertheless, no better solution of the problem presented itself, and -Dan reckoned that he could paint three letters from each position, -necessitating but five changes. - -“I guess we’d better not tell the fellows about it,” said Bob. “If we -do, it’s sure to get out and Clint will hear of it. If he does, it’s -all over.” - -“That’s so. We’ll just say that we’re trying to think up a way to do -it. And this afternoon some of us had better go to Warder and get a -gallon can of nice blue paint. Then to-morrow morning we can get to -work before any one knows anything about it.” - -“We’ll have to have Nelson and Tom, though.” - -“Sure! We couldn’t do it without them. It will take a couple of you to -hold the rope. You’ll have to snub it around a tree, or something, you -know. I guess you and I’d better go to Warder, because we’ll have to -buy the rope too, and I want to have a hand in that; I feel a sort of -interest in that rope.” - -“I guess you do,” Bob answered with a smile. “But I don’t think I can -go with you on account of practise. Take Nelson.” - -“All right. Who’s got any money? I’ve drawn my allowance for next week -already.” - -“I guess I’ve got enough. I suppose we’ll have to stand the thing -between us.” - -“Sure! What’s the good of trying to collect from the crowd? Besides, -if we did, Clint might hear of it. It won’t come to more than a dollar -apiece, I guess.” - -Nelson and Tom were duly let into the secret, and the latter became -wildly excited. - -“It’s a du-du-du-dandy scheme!” he sputtered with enthusiasm. “Won’t -Wi-wi-wi-Wickasaw be mu-mu-mu-mad?” - -“Look here, Tom,” said Dan, “don’t you get to stuttering when you haul -me up. If you do you’ll jar me off my perch!” - -In the afternoon Dan and Nelson set the signal for the Navigation -Company’s boat to stop and take them to Chicora Landing. They found -everything they needed at Warder, and were back in time for supper, -evading inquiries as to what was contained in the bundles they carried. -After supper Dan worked at the bench in the carpenter-shop under Poplar -Hall until it was dark, and then sneaked over to Birch Hall and hid the -result of his labors under his bunk. During camp-fire the quartet of -conspirators sat apart and rehearsed the morrow’s plans in whispers. Of -the four, only Bob was calm enough to fall asleep as soon as the lights -went out. - - - - -CHAPTER VII - -PROVES THE TRUTH OF THE SAYING THAT THERE IS ALWAYS ROOM AT THE TOP, -AND SHOWS DAN WITH THE “BLUES” - - -As luck would have it, Bob and Tom were camp-boys the next morning, -and, as their duties required the better part of an hour in the -performance, it was after nine o’clock before they were able to -join Dan and Nelson at the landing. The canoe held Dan, Nelson, and -the bundles, and Bob and Tom followed in one of the rowboats. Their -embarkation was watched by several of the fellows, whose suspicions -were aroused, and questions were hurled after them as long as they were -within hearing. As they passed the landing at Wickasaw three boys who -were making fast the launch after returning from the village with the -mail stopped work and observed them with meaning grins. - -“Hello, Chicks!” one called. “Been over to the bluff lately?” - -“Hello, Wicks,” Dan replied; “you’re all the ‘bluffs’ we’ve seen.” - -“You’ll be lu-lu-lu-laughing out of th-th-the other side of your -mu-mu-mouths pretty su-su-soon!” muttered Tom. - -At the village they divided the bundles and started down the road -toward Hipp’s Pond; but presently they turned to the left and began the -ascent of the mountain, keeping along the side nearest the village. It -was tough going, and twice Tom put down his load and suggested that -they pause and have a look at the view. - -“The view’s perfectly swell, Tom,” answered Nelson, “but as it’s -getting late you want to forget about it and toddle along.” - -So Tom, with many a sigh and grunt, toddled. - -Ten minutes later they had reached their destination. Behind them rose -the thickly timbered slope of the mountain, and at their feet was the -bluff. Even Nelson found time now for a look at the panorama of blue -sunlit lake spread below them. The camp landing was hidden from them -by the trees, but the upper end of the lake was in plain sight, each -island standing out distinct against the expanse of breeze-ruffled -water. Below them at a little distance a column of smoke rising from -the trees told of the location of Camp Trescott. Beyond was Joy’s Cove, -and, to its left, Black’s Neck. Chicora Inn looked very near across -the lake. Far away a shimmer of blue indicated Little Chicora. It was -a beautiful scene, and the boys, their hats thrown aside, gazed their -fill while the breeze ruffled their damp hair. Then Dan started to work. - -The bundles were undone and their contents laid out on the narrow bit -of turf between the trees and the edge of the cliff; two lengths of -rope, a gallon can of blue paint, a ball of stout twine, a piece of -steel wire bent into a double hook, and an oak board sixteen inches -long and six inches wide, notched on each side near the ends. When they -were all displayed Dan looked them over as a general might view his -troops. Suddenly he struck his right fist into his left palm with a -loud smack: - -“Oh, thunderation!” he exclaimed. - -“What’s the row?” asked Bob. - -“We left the paint-brush down there!” - -Sorrowfully they walked to the edge of the bluff and looked down into -the meadow. - -“Somebody’ll have to go and get it,” said Nelson. - -“Where’d you leave it?” - -“You couldn’t find it in a week,” answered Dan in vexation. “Here, -let’s get these things rigged up. It would take half an hour to go down -there and back the way we came. You can let me down with the rope and -I’ll find it.” - -So they set to work. The board was lashed firmly to one end of an inch -rope, the can of paint was opened, one end of the other length of rope -was tied into a noose, and the hook was passed through the rope at the -end of the swing. - -“That looks like awfully small rope,” said Tom. - -“But it hasn’t got to hold you, my boy,” said Dan. “Pass the end of it -around that tree, fellows. That’s it. Now let’s see where to put it -over.” He sank onto his hands and knees and crawled to the edge of the -bluff. “Here’s a good place,” he said, and dropped the swing over the -edge. “Now haul up the slack, Bob.” - -“Look here,” said Nelson, “it will be easy enough letting you down, but -are you sure we can pull you up again?” - -“Well, if you can’t--!” Dan’s tones spoke volumes of contempt. “But -you’ll have to unwind the rope from that tree, you know, and pull on it -directly.” - -“Wouldn’t it be safer if we left it snubbed around the tree and pulled -on it here at the edge, letting some one take up the slack at the tree?” - -“Yes, if two of you can lift me.” - -“We can, if we don’t have to bear the strain between hauls.” - -“That’s proper,” said Dan. “But say, how about having the rope work -over the edge of the turf here?” - -“Won’t do,” answered Bob. “It would cut into the turf and scrape on the -edge of the rock. We ought to have a plank or something.” - -“That old log over there will do all right,” said Nelson. “Fetch it -over, Tom.” - -Tom obeyed, grunting, and the dead trunk was laid at the edge of the -cliff. - -“What’s going to keep it from rolling over onto your head?” asked Tom -of Dan. - -Dan looked puzzled. So did the others. - -“Seems to me,” said Nelson, “we didn’t get this more’n half planned -out.” - -“History teaches us,” said Dan, “that even the world’s greatest -generals have been quite frequently ‘up a tree.’” - -“Wonder if they were ever up a bluff?” murmured Tom. - -“I’ll tell you what,” said Dan, after a moment’s consideration of the -problem, “we’ll have to drive stakes on each side of the log; see?” - -“Yes,” Bob answered dryly, “but I don’t see the stakes.” - -“That’s easy. Who’s got the biggest knife?” - -It appeared that Tom had; so Dan borrowed it, and set to work cutting -down a stout branch and converting it into four stakes some eighteen -inches in length. It took a good while, and the other three fellows -disposed themselves comfortably on the ground and looked on. - -“Wish those Wickasaws had broken their silly necks!” grumbled Nelson. -“We’re going to miss our soak.” - -“Maybe we’ll miss our dinner, too,” said Tom. - -“Oh, cut it out!” said Bob. “You can eat to-morrow. I don’t see what -you want to eat for, anyhow, fat as you are.” - -At last the stakes were done and were driven into the turf at each side -of the log, Tom mashing his finger with the rock which he was using as -a hammer. Then Bob and Tom and Nelson manned the rope, and Dan wriggled -over the edge of the cliff, feet foremost, keeping a tight hold on the -rope. When only his head remained in sight he winked merrily. - -“If I make a mess of it, fellows, kindly see that you find all -the pieces,” he called. “And don’t forget to put on my headstone -‘Requiescat in pieces.’” - -Then the flaming red head disappeared, and the fellows let the -rope slip slowly around the tree. It seemed a long while before it -slackened. When Bob got to the edge Dan was scrambling over the rocks -into the bushes. Presently he was back flourishing the brush and can. - -“We don’t need to pull you all the way up again,” shouted Bob. “We’ll -get you up where you are going to paint and then lower the can down to -you. Is that all right?” - -“All right,” echoed Dan. Then he stepped onto the seat at the end of -the rope and waved his hand. Bob and Nelson laid back on the rope, and -slowly it began to come up over the log, Tom securing the slack after -each haul with a double turn around the tree. Finally there came a -shout, and, after a glance over the edge, Bob directed them to make -fast, and tied the twine to the can of blue paint and lowered it. -Suddenly there was a yell of dismay and wrath from below. - -“See what’s wrong!” cried Bob. - -Nelson crawled to the edge and peered over. Then he crawled back, and -seemed to be having a fit on the turf. Tom looked down, and then joined -Nelson. - -Bob stared at them as though they had suddenly gone insane. “What’s -the matter, you idiots?” he cried. But Tom only shrieked the louder, -while Nelson rolled onto his back, held his sides, and kicked his heels -into the turf, gasping. In disgust Bob got cautiously to his knees, -tied the line around a stake, and had a look for himself. Thirty feet -beneath sat Dan on his wooden seat, muttering incoherently under a -baptism of bright blue paint. The can had caught on the edge of a tiny -projecting ledge and had tilted in such a way that a portion of the -contents had slopped over onto Dan’s bare head, and even yet was still -trickling a tiny stream. At first glance, so thoroughly was Dan’s head -and face adorned, it seemed to Bob that the entire contents of the can -must have been emptied. But a second glance showed him that at least -three-fourths of the paint still remained at the end of the cord. He -swung it away so that it no longer dripped, and hailed Dan. - -“What’s the good of wasting the stuff like that, Dan?” he asked with -simulated anger. - -Dan raised a strange blue visage from which his eyes peeped coyly -upward. “If you’ll haul me up I’ll lick you within an inch of your -life!” he said solemnly. Then he spat and sputtered and tried to wipe -the sticky fluid from his face with his arm, his hands being already -well covered. - -Tom and Nelson, who had managed to creep to the edge for another look, -here retired precipitately so that they might indulge their mirth where -there was no danger of laughing themselves over the edge. - -“Too bad, Dan,” laughed Bob. “Haven’t you got a handkerchief?” - -“_Handkerchief!_” said Dan scornfully. “What good would that be? What -I need is a Turkish bath and a dozen towels. Say, did you do that on -purpose, you--you blamed fool?” - -“No, honest, Dan, I didn’t. I didn’t know what was up, until Nelson was -taken with a fit.” - -“Fit! I’ll fit him!” said Dan with a grin. “How do I look?” - -“Like New Haven after a football victory!” - -“Huh! Well, let’s have that stuff and get this fool job done!” - -“Sure you don’t want to come up and clean off a bit?” - -“I’m not coming up until the thing’s done, I tell you. Lower away on -that paint, only for goodness’ sake be careful!” - -“Of course I will! What’s the saying about gilding refined gold and -painting the lily, Dan? There’s no use wasting any more of this -precious stuff on you; you’re complete now. I couldn’t add to your -beauty if I had gallons and gallons here!” - -“Shut up!” said Dan cheerfully; “and tell those two other idiots that -if they don’t stop laughing I’ll go up there and paint ’em from head to -feet!” - -Here Tom looked over. - -“Su-su-say, Dan,” he shouted, “di-di-didn’t you mean ‘Re-re-requiescat -in pu-pu-pu-paint’?” - -“Shut up, Tom,” gurgled Nelson, thrusting his blushing countenance -over the edge. “Can’t you see he has enough already to make him blue?” - -But Dan made no answer. He was tracing a monstrous C on the face of the -cliff with a dripping brush. - -[Illustration: He was tracing a monstrous C.] - -“Don’t be too generous with that paint,” cautioned Bob. “Remember, -there isn’t very much left.” - -“Guess I know that, don’t I?” asked Dan. - -An A and an M followed the C, and then it was necessary to move the -artist along. Nelson had solved the difficulty after a fashion the -preceding afternoon. The second rope was made fast to a tree at the top -and lowered down to Dan. He put his foot in the noose and swung free -of the seat, keeping hold, however, of the rope above it. Then this -was moved at the top and made fast anew. Dan stepped back on the seat, -released the rope with the noose, and went swinging across the face -of the rock like a pendulum. The watchers held their breaths, but Dan -clung fast, and presently the swing came to a stop and the painting -was resumed. Four times more was this process gone through with to the -risking of Dan’s limbs before the last numeral of “’04” was completed. -Then Dan heaved a sigh of relief, viewed his work approvingly, and -trickled what remained of the paint down the face of the rock in a -partly successful endeavor to obliterate the red lettering below. - -“How does it look?” asked Nelson eagerly. - -“Swell,” said Dan. “Pull me up.” - -They obeyed, and when he crawled over the edge and stood up they all -sat down and howled anew. And Dan, just to be sociable, sat down and -laughed at his plight until the tears came. - -“Oh, Dan, if we could only keep you just as you are!” gasped Nelson, -“and use you for a mascot!” - -Head and face were as blue as though he had dipped them in the -paint-can; his hands and arms were a lighter shade; the stuff had -trickled down behind one ear and so down his back, and his jersey was -patriotic to a fault. - -“What shall I do?” he asked finally. “I can’t go back like this.” - -“We’ll land you just across from the village,” said Nelson, “and you -can sneak back to camp through the woods. No one will see you, because -the crowd will be having soak. Get a lot of kerosene and take a bath in -it.” - -The plan was the best they could think of, and so it was carried out. -The ropes and the rest of the paraphernalia they hid in the woods, -and then they got down the hill as fast as their legs would carry -them. Going through the village, Dan created quite a little interest, -although he modestly strove to avoid notice. They put him ashore -a quarter of a mile from camp, and when last seen he was stalking -through the trees like an Indian in war-paint. The others got back to -the landing in time to hurry into their bathing-trunks and get a few -plunges before the signal “All out!” was given. They were very reticent -as to what they had been doing, but somehow the secret was all over -camp by dinner-time, and the fellows spent the most of the afternoon -rowing to and fro across the lake to the point of Black’s Neck, from -where an excellent view of the cliff was obtainable. And what they saw -pleased them immeasurably. Dan had fairly beaten the Wickasaws at their -own game. He had painted his legend in letters fully three feet high -at least fifteen feet above theirs, and there could be no comparison -either in artistic effect or publicity. Camp Chicora hugged itself in -gleeful triumph. - -Just before supper Dan ran across Mr. Verder. - -“Why, Speede,” asked the latter, stopping him, “aren’t you feeling -well?” - -“Me, sir? Oh, I’m all right,” answered Dan uneasily, eager to pass on. - -“Sure?” asked the councilor. “You look--er--kind of blue and -unhealthy.” And Dan thought he heard a chuckle as he hurried away. - - - - -CHAPTER VIII - -TELLS HOW TOM WAS VISITED BY AUNT LOUISA--AND SOME OTHERS - - -Saturdays at Chicora were by way of being fête-days. Relatives and -friends were given the freedom of the camp, and the visitors’ table -in the dining-hall was usually full. Frequently the father of one of -the boys stayed over until Monday morning, sleeping in one of the -dormitories and getting a genuine taste of camp life. On the day -following the adventure at the cliff the visitors began to reach camp -early, and among the first to put in an appearance was Tom’s Aunt -Louisa, from Boston. Her arrival was so unexpected, and Tom became so -excited over it, that he started at the landing to tell her how glad to -see her he was and only finished at the flag-pole, having been set back -twice in his stuttering by stubbing his toe on the way up. With parents -and friends appeared simultaneously baskets and boxes of fruit, candy, -and cake. Sunday morning found many absent from the breakfast table, -and Dr. Smith made the rounds of the dormitories with what he called -his “Sunday Specific.” But Aunt Louisa wasn’t the sort to bring trouble -to a boy’s digestion; she said so herself in the presence of Nelson and -Dan and Bob and Tom, the first three having been formally introduced by -Tom as “my special friends.” - -“I don’t believe in candy, Tom,” said Aunt Louisa, “and you know it. -So don’t expect any. You’re looking so well, my dear, that I wouldn’t -think of bringing you anything that might upset you. I did consider -fruit, but I’m always afraid of fruit; in hot weather--aren’t you, sir?” - -Dan, finding the question put to him, answered with alacrity. - -“Yes’m,” said Dan soberly. - -“Yes, that’s what I think,” continued Aunt Louisa. “And so I said to -myself, ‘If it must be something sweet’--for Tom’s got the sweetest -tooth of any boy I’ve ever seen, and I’ve seen a good many in my -time--‘if it must be something sweet,’ I said, ‘why, it will be -something healthful.’ And so, Tom, I’ve brought you two of those lemon -pies and a dozen cream-puffs from that nice store on Temple Place. -There’s nothing about a good honest pie can hurt any one--is there?” - -“No, indeed,” answered Dan with enthusiasm. Tom murmured his thanks, -but withal looked a trifle dissatisfied. Aunt Louisa saw it. - -“I do believe he’s disappointed at not getting candy!” she said. - -“No, really, aunt,” Tom answered, striving to put conviction into his -tones. “I’m awfully fond of cream-puffs--and pie.” - -But Aunt Louisa shook her head, unconvinced. “I’m afraid you are, -though,” she said. “I kind of felt you would be. That’s why I said -to myself, ‘Now, there’s mighty little use in being in good health -if you’re unhappy. If the boy’s going to get more enjoyment out of -having a stomach-ache than by not having one, why, he shall have it. -Boys aren’t real happy, anyhow,’ I said to myself, ‘unless they’re in -trouble, and I guess a stomach-ache’s about as harmless a trouble as he -could have.’ And so I just went down to Sage & Paw’s and----” - -“Hooray for you, Aunt Louisa!” shouted Tom. “What d’you get?” - -“Mixed chocolates,” said Aunt Louisa, her eyes dancing, adding grimly, -“I guess they’ll do the work as quick as anything!” - -Candy never tastes so good as when a chap has been subsisting on what -the school catalogues call “a plain, wholesome diet with a sufficiency -of pure milk and butter and fresh eggs.” The box, a generous -four-pound affair, was quickly obtained, and the five--Aunt Louisa -reminding one of a valuable transport under the protection of four -men-o’-war--sought a quiet spot in the forest above the clearing where -they, or at least four of them, could do the matter full justice. Aunt -Louisa sat on a fallen tree, with her neat gray traveling-gown well -tucked up around her, and encouraged them to eat all they could. - -“You might just as well have it over with,” she declared. “You’re all -bound to be ill, and the sooner you’re ill the sooner you’ll be well -again. Mr. Hurry, you mustn’t let Tom get ahead of you.” - -“Dan’s name’s Speede, auntie,” corrected Tom. - -“Speede, is it? Well, he’s real slow compared to you, Tom, when it -comes to candy.” - -They unanimously voted Aunt Louisa a “brick,” and hospitably pressed -her to come again. And in the afternoon, when the camp turned out in a -body and traveled to the ball field for the first game of the season, -Aunt Louisa was escorted in state. The box of candy didn’t go along -however; they had lost the edge of their appetite. So Tom bore the -depleted box to Maple Hall, and, because his locker no longer locked, -and because the sign artistically done on the door with a hot poker, -which sign surrounded a grinning skull and cross-bones and read, -“DANGER! KEEP OUT!” had no meaning for the other occupants of the hall, -he secreted it at the head of his bunk under the mattress. - -Chicora’s adversary that day was Camp Trescott. Trescott was situated -directly across the lake in Joy’s Cove. It was a small camp, and the -dozen and a half fellows inhabiting it were all from one school. -Trescott rather prided itself on being select. But select or not, it -wasn’t much at baseball, and Chicora had little difficulty in winning -as she pleased. But despite a very one-sided score--17 to 3--there -were some good plays, and the spectators were well repaid for their -half-mile walk through the woods. Bob found plenty of things that -needed remedying, but on the whole the Chicora team played very well -for a first game. - -There was quite a gallery of spectators at the evening plunge, and -Dan excelled himself at diving, bringing forth screams of terrified -protest from Aunt Louisa, who “just knew that Mr. Hurry would drown -himself, if he didn’t break his neck first!” Even Nelson, who of late -had been profiting by Dan’s instruction, did some very respectable -stunts in the line of what Tom called “high and lofty tumbling.” Aunt -Louisa, together with nearly a dozen other guests, stayed to supper and -camp-fire, being taken back to Chicora Inn at nine in the steam-launch. -A dozen or so of the boys went along with the guests, the Four among -them. There was a jolly big white moon that made a wide sparkling path -across the water, and there was a nice nippy little breeze from the -east that rendered the seats about the boiler very popular. Mr. Clinton -ran the launch, and coming back he made no protest when Bob, who was at -the wheel, turned the head of the Chicora across the lake and hugged -the opposite shore all the way back, explaining _sotto voce_ to Nelson -that “the longest way around was the shortest way home.” - -It was after ten when they finally made the landing, and nearly half -past when, having helped the Chief make fast the boat for the night -and partaken of a lunch of milk and crackers in the dining-hall, the -Four tumbled into bed and put out their lanterns. And it was just about -midnight when a heartrending shriek broke out on the stillness and -brought every fellow into a sitting position in his bunk with visions -of murder. In the momentary silence ensuing there was a loud _thump_ of -a body striking the floor, the building shook on its foundations, and -Mr. Verder’s alarmed voice rang out: - -“What’s the matter? Who yelled, fellows?” - -“_Wha-wha-wha-what’s the mu-mu-mu-matter?_” shrieked a voice midway -down the hall. “I du-du-dunno what’s the mu-mu-mu--what’s the -mu-mu-mu-matter! I only know I’m bu-bu-bu-being eat-tu-tu-eaten alive!” - -A howl of laughter rewarded the explanation, and lanterns were quickly -lighted. Dan was one of the first on the scene. Tom, his blankets -scattered around him, stood in his pajamas with staring eyes and busy -hands. First he rubbed and slapped one part of his body, then another, -and all the time he kept up an indignant stuttering. - -“Tu-tu-talk about pu-pu-pu-pins an’ nu-nu-needles! Gu-gu-gee! -Su-su-somebody’s put a whole pu-pu-pu-package of ’em in mu-mu-my bed!” - -“Shut up your howling,” said Dan with a grin. “What’s the fun?” - -“_Fu-fu-fun!_” yelled Tom. “I wish you had it!” - -“Had what?” - -“Wha-wha-whatever it is, you bu-bu-bu-blamed idiot!” answered Tom -wrathfully. Then, with a sudden shriek, he leaped a foot into the air, -grabbed his pajamas above his left knee, and danced nimbly about the -floor, at last becoming entangled in the blankets and tumbling headlong -at the feet of Mr. Verder, who came hurrying up. Every fellow was on -hand by that time, and Tom was pulled sputtering to his feet. Mr. -Verder took the nearest lantern and investigated. The cause of Tom’s -unhappiness wasn’t far to seek. Over the bed and blankets swarmed a -veritable army of big black ants! - -“Ants!” said Mr. Verder, laughing. “What are you doing, Ferris, -studying entomology?” - -“Probably _ant_omology,” hazarded Nelson. - -“Ants?” exclaimed Tom, still rubbing himself busily. “Ants! Gee, -I thought they were bu-bu-bu-bees at least! They haven’t done a -th-th-th-thing tu-tu-tu-to me, sir!” - -“Well, I’m sorry, Ferris,” said the councilor. “The Doctor will get you -something to put on the bites. But what are they doing on your bed?” - -“I gu-gu-guess it’s the cu-cu-cu-candy, sir,” said Tom sheepishly. - -“Candy? What candy?” - -For answer Tom raised the mattress, revealing a box about which the -ants were crawling excitedly to and fro. - -“Well,” said Mr. Verder when the laughter had somewhat subsided, “after -this you had better keep your candy somewhere else.” - -For answer Tom seized the box gingerly and hurled it out the nearest -window. Dr. Smith appeared with a bottle of witch-hazel, and Tom, -dispensing with his pajamas, received medical assistance. After that -order and quiet were restored only with much difficulty. Tom went -elsewhere to continue his interrupted slumber, hugging the bottle of -witch-hazel to his breast, but he couldn’t get beyond the gibes of -his companions. They sat on the edge of his new bunk and pointed out -the moral to him, which, according to them, was to the effect that -selfishness had been justly rewarded. And Tom, rubbing and grimacing, -had no spirit left with which to defend himself. - -“It proves,” declared Dan, “that a fellow can have too many ants!” - -Tom only groaned, whether at the pun or at his pain they didn’t know. - - - - -CHAPTER IX - -STARTS OUT WITH POETRY, HAS TO DO WITH A BEETLE, AND ENDS WITH A PENALTY - - -Nelson read with a nod of approval. - - “And this our life, exempt from public haunt, - Finds tongues in trees, books in the running brooks, - Sermons in stones, and good in everything.” - -He was sitting at the table on the porch of Birch Hall, and the lines -that pleased him were burned on a wooden tablet affixed to the big -stone chimney across the room. His gaze, returning from the quotation, -fell on Tom, who at a neighboring table was, like Nelson, writing home. -One of Tom’s legs was twined around the camp-stool upon which he was -seated, as a morning-glory vine twines about a post. The other leg was -stretched straight ahead, as though seeking inspiration at a distance. -His forehead was puckered with wrinkles until it resembled the surface -of a washboard, and he chewed ravenously at the tip of his pen. Nelson -smiled, and let his gaze wander back to his own task only to have it -prove truant again, attracted by the scene at his left. - -The porch overhung the hill, and from where he sat he looked into the -swaying branches of the trees. Between them, like turquoises set in a -field of emerald and chrysoprase, shone patches of the lake ruffled to -a tender blue by the breeze that sang amid the trees. Near-by a silver -poplar flashed the under surface of its leaves into the sunlight, so -that they seemed to have been dipped in pale gold. A gray squirrel -chattered and scolded on a neighboring limb, and all about birds sang -blithely. Nelson sighed, and brought his eyes resolutely back to the -half-written letter before him. It wasn’t a morning for letter-writing; -the woods called too loudly; his thoughts would stray. - -“Oh, hang it!” exclaimed Tom, “I don’t know what to write!” - -“Did you tell them about the ants last night?” asked Nelson innocently. - -“You bet I did! And say, one of those bites still aches like the -mischief. I never thought ants could nip like that!” - -“You probably rolled over on them; that’s enough to make any -self-respecting ant angry.” - -“Oh, dry up and blow away! What are you writing about?” - -“Not much of anything--yet. I mentioned the ants. And the weather; -I suppose they’ll be pleased to know what sort of weather we had -two days before they get my letter! I’ve got almost a page about the -weather.” - -“Gee! I wish I could write like that. I told ’em it was a fine day, but -it only took a line. Wish I could string it out like you can! I guess -I’ll just say that I’m well, and that it’s time for dinner, so no more -at present.” - -“Time for dinner! Why, it’s only half past nine!” - -“Oh, you’re too fussy,” answered Tom, drumming on the table with his -pen. “Besides, it’s always time for dinner!” - -“Have you told them about your aunt?” - -“Great Scott, no! I forgot all about her. Say, you’re a true friend, -Nel!” And Tom, after scowling fiercely at the tip of his pen for a -moment, took a firmer hold of the camp-stool with his leg and began to -write vigorously, so vigorously that Nelson feared he would break his -pen. Ten minutes passed, during which Nelson finished his own letter, -and Tom, having told of Aunt Louisa’s visit in a scant half-dozen -lines, informed his parents somewhat unnecessarily that “the weather -continues fine,” and that “I will tell you more in my next,” and signed -himself “Your loving son, Thomas Courtenay Ferris.” - -Then, having hastily sealed and stamped their letters, they dropped -them into the mail-box with sighs of relief and hastened out-of-doors. - -“Let’s go up to the tennis-court and be lazy until time for church,” -suggested Tom. - -So they climbed the hill, found a place where the grass offered -comfort and the overhanging branches promised shade, and stretched -themselves out. Above them was a wide-spreading oak, behind them a -little settlement of young birch carpeted with trailing evergreen and -partridge-berries. Bordering the path were blueberry and raspberry -bushes and goldenrod, the latter already beginning to glow, although -August was but just at hand. Thereabouts grew wild strawberries, if -Tom was to be believed, although they had long since ceased fruiting. -Rocks outcropped on every side, and tall ferns grew abundantly. It was -Tom who presently wiggled forward and plucked from a tiny covert of -evergreen and grass three oddly shaped blossoms, pallid and translucent. - -“What the dickens are these things?” he asked perplexedly. He viewed -them suspiciously as though he feared they might poison him. - -“Indian-pipe,” answered Nelson. “_Monotropa uniflora._ Let’s see one.” - -“Are they poisonous?” - -“No, indeed, but they do look a bit unhealthy, don’t they? Corpse-plant -they’re called, too.” - -“They sure do; look like mushrooms gone wrong. Indian-pipe, eh? Gee, I -guess nobody but an Indian would want to smoke such a thing! Say, they -smell nice, don’t they?” - -“Nice?” repeated Nelson suspiciously. “Smell pretty bad, I suppose. By -jove, they don’t though. Say, they’re real sweet! I never knew that -they had any odor before. If it was stronger it would be mighty sweet, -wouldn’t it? It’s--it’s what you might call illusive.” - -“That’s a fine word,” said Tom lazily. “Ill-use-ive, of no use.” -He tossed them aside and settled his hands under his head, staring -drowsily up into the sun-flecked branches. “Good night; wake me in time -for dinner.” He was really dropping off to sleep when Nelson called to -him softly: - -“Say, Tom, come over here.” - -“What for?” asked Tom sleepily. - -“I want you to see this beetle,” giggled Nelson. “He’s the craziest dub -you ever saw. Come, look!” - -“Beetle!” muttered Tom disgustedly. Nevertheless he found sufficient -energy to wriggle along on his stomach to the other’s side. “Where’s -your old bu-bu-beetle?” he asked. - -“There,” answered Nelson, pointing with a twig. He was a small chap, -grayish-black in color, with what Nelson declared to be the Morse code -written down his back. He was trying to get somewhere, just where -wasn’t apparent, for no sooner did he make headway in one direction -than he changed his route and started off in another. He was laughably -awkward, and bumped into everything in his path. - -“Bet you he’s been eating toadstools,” said Tom, “and is very ill.” - -“I’ve named him ‘Tom,’” said Nelson soberly. - -“Think he looks like me?” asked Tom. - -“N-no, but he walks like you.” - -“Huh! Look at the idiot, will you?” The beetle had encountered an acorn -at least ten times his size and was vainly striving to shove it out of -his path. Again and again he stood on his hind legs and tried to move -the acorn, acting in a most absurdly exasperated way. - -“He’s getting terribly mad,” said Nelson. “It doesn’t occur to him, I -suppose, that he can walk around it. Let’s take it out of his way; if -we don’t, he’ll stay there all day and never get home to his family.” -So the acorn was flicked aside with Nelson’s twig. But the effect on -the beetle was not what they had expected. He immediately began to -run around very hurriedly in a tiny circle as though trying to make -himself dizzy. - -“Bet you he’s wondering where the acorn went to,” said Tom. “Look at -the idiot! Hey, get up there!” And Tom, borrowing Nelson’s twig, gave -the beetle a shove. Apparently that was just what he needed. After a -moment, spent perhaps in gathering his thoughts, he started off in a -new direction and covered six inches of ground, knocking into every -blade of grass and every tiny obstruction on the way. Then, for no -apparent reason, he crawled in at one end of a dried and curled leaf -and proceeded to try and get out again by climbing the sides. As the -sides curved inward he had a terrible time of it. Six times he fell -onto his back, all legs waving wildly, and had great difficulty in -regaining his equilibrium. At last, quite by accident, he got too near -one end of the leaf and tumbled out. Then he took up his journey again. - -“I don’t think insects have much sense,” said Tom disgustedly. - -“This one hasn’t, that’s certain,” said Nelson. “If he doesn’t look out -he’ll-- There he goes, plump into that spider-web. Why, any one could -have seen it! Look at him! Tom, you’re an awful fool!” - -“Huh?” said Tom in surprise. - -“I was addressing your namesake,” explained Nelson. - -The namesake was blundering deeper and deeper into the tiny web, -reminding the watchers of a man walking through a series of hotbeds as -depicted in a comic paper. Finally, by sheer weight, the beetle came -out on the other side with a large part of the web trailing behind him, -and a very small spider, looking like the head of a black pin, emerged -from her hiding-place and began to run excitedly over the scene of her -former habitation. - -“Don’t blame her,” grunted Tom. “Things are certainly torn up.” - -The beetle, doubling in his tracks, progressed without further -misadventure for almost a foot. Then he stopped, dug his head into the -earth, and waved his legs vexatiously. - -“Oh, he’s plumb crazy!” laughed Nelson. - -“I guess he dropped something and is looking for it,” said Tom. -“Perhaps it’s his watch. Or maybe----” - -Tom’s further surmises were rudely interrupted. Up the hill floated a -most unmelodious shout. Nelson sat up as though he had touched a live -wire. - -“Great Scott!” he exclaimed, “what’s that?” - -“It’s Joe Carter,” said Tom. “He learned that yell from his brother, -who was on the Yale freshman crew.” - -“It sounds like--like a banshee!” - -“Never heard one,” said Tom. - -“Really? I had a tame one once,” answered Nelson, laughing. - -“You mean _bantam_, I guess. Hello, there he goes again. Maybe he’s -calling us.” And Tom lifted up his voice in a weak imitation of -Carter’s awful effort. - -“Oh, you can’t do it, Tommy, my boy. Why, I couldn’t have heard that -ten miles!” - -But Carter wasn’t that far off, and presently, after sending an -answering hail, he appeared in the path. - -“Say, you fellows, Clint wants to see you in the office.” Then he -dropped his voice to an awed whisper. “He’s found out about the sign on -the cliff,” he added. - -“Phew!” said Nelson. “Was he mad?” - -“N-no, I don’t think so, but it’s hard to tell,” Carter replied. “But -he looked pretty serious. He’s sent for Bob and Dan, too.” - -The latter were coming up the hill into the clearing as Nelson and Tom -appeared from above. They exchanged sympathetic grins and shakes of the -head, and then composed their features and filed into Poplar Hall. Mr. -Clinton was at his desk behind the railing. - -“Bring some chairs over here, boys, and sit down so that I may talk to -you. That’s it. Now, how about this blue-paint episode?” - -His glance encountered four rather sheepish faces, but every eye met -his fairly. It was Bob who spoke first. - -“We all had a hand in it, sir.” - -“That’s so, sir,” Tom supplemented. And Nelson nodded. Dan alone gave -no sign. Mr. Clinton observed the fact and looked surprised. - -“You didn’t have a hand in it, then Speede?” he asked. - -Dan’s face suddenly wreathed itself in a broad smile and his blue eyes -twinkled. - -“I was pretty near all in it, Mr. Clint,” he answered. “You see, sir, -they emptied the pot of paint over me!” - -The Chief smiled a little. - -“Too bad they didn’t use it all that way,” he said. “Now, look here, -boys; I’ve heard how you rigged up ropes and slung--slung one of your -number over the cliff----” - -“That was me, sir,” interrupted Dan modestly. - -“Whoever it was, it was a foolhardy and dangerous piece of business. -You might have fallen and broken your neck. I’ll confess to a feeling -of admiration for the pluck displayed, but I have no sympathy for the -achievement. I am responsible for the welfare of you boys while you’re -here in this camp. How do you suppose I could have faced your folks, -Speede, if you had injured yourself?” - -“I don’t think the danger was so great as you think, sir,” answered -Dan. “We--we took every precaution.” - -The Chief sniffed audibly. “The only sensible precaution would have -been to have an ambulance waiting at the bottom,” he said dryly. “If -you had to endanger your limbs--and I confess I can’t see the necessity -of it--I’d prefer you did it in some better cause. In plain language, -what you committed was an act of vandalism. To daub up the scenery with -a lot of blue paint is nothing else. It shows not only mighty poor -taste, but selfishness as well. The Lord put that cliff there to be a -part of the natural scenery, for people to look at and enjoy. And when -you deface it you are depriving others of their rights, merely to give -yourselves an instant’s selfish satisfaction.” - -He paused and awaited a reply; finally: - -“It was Wickasaw started it, sir,” said Tom. “They painted their name -there first, and they hadn’t any business doing that, sir; and so----” - -“And so you thought you had to outrage good taste also? A very poor -excuse, Ferris. Now I want you to promise never to attempt anything of -the sort again. And I want you to promise, too, that whenever, not only -while you’re here but all your lives, you know of an attempt on the -part of any one to deface the natural scenery, you will do all in your -power to prevent it. What do you say?” - -“I’ll promise, sir,” said Bob, and the others chimed in. - -“Very well. I am pretty certain you went about this thing thoughtlessly, -and I don’t want to be hard on you; but at the same time I can not -altogether overlook it. Let me see; you asked for permission, didn’t -you, to take dinner at the Inn?” - -“Yes, sir.” - -“And I gave it. Now I fancy you accord me the right of retracting that -permission, don’t you?” - -“Yes, sir,” said Nelson softly. - -“Yes; well, I think you had better stay in camp the rest of the day. -That’s all, boys.” - -“Mr. Clinton,” said Tom, as they replaced their chairs, “please, sir, -will you stop at the Inn landing for my aunt? I told her we’d be over -to dinner and take her on the launch afterward, and I guess she’ll be -worried.” - -“H’m. I’d forgotten your aunt was here, Ferris. When does she return to -the city?” - -“First train in the morning, sir.” - -“Well, you may come along on the launch, I guess, all of you. But no -going to the Inn for dinner, you understand.” - -“No, sir. Thank you, sir.” - -Outside they heaved sighs of relief. - -“Gee!” said Dan, “we got out of that cheap, didn’t we?” - -And all concurred. Only Tom looked sorrowful. - -“They have swell grub at the Inn,” he murmured regretfully. - - - - -CHAPTER X - -DESCRIBES AN AFTERNOON ON THE LAKE AND A GALLANT RESCUE - - -The Chicora was a trim-looking steam-launch, thirty feet in length, and -with a comfortable beam. And when she steamed away from the landing, at -three o’clock, she held sixteen boys, Mr. Clinton, Mr. Verder, and Mr. -Thorpe. She was pretty well loaded, but there still remained room for -several parents and relatives who were to be picked up at the Inn. Dan, -Nelson, Tom, and Bob were perched on the tiny deck space aft of the -cabin and looked very, very good. When Aunt Louisa appeared, looking -rather doubtful of the enterprise, she was conducted to a seat near-by. - -“You needn’t tell me why you didn’t come to dinner,” she said at once. -“I felt pretty certain you’d made yourself sick with that candy, and -now I’m sure of it. I never knew you to look like an angel, Tom, save -when you were sick or getting well.” - -Whereupon she was acquainted in whispers of the real reason of their -non-appearance, and wouldn’t believe that “Mr. Hurry” had performed -such a hazardous feat until, the launch having turned its nose across -the lake, the cliff came into sight and the staring blue letters were -quietly pointed out to her. - -“Well, I never!” she ejaculated. “If that wasn’t a clever thing to do! -And a very wicked one!” she added quickly and disapprovingly. - -“Scenery’s very pretty to-day,” remarked Carter, grinning at Dan. And -Dan, with an apologetic glance at Aunt Louisa, kicked Carter good and -hard. Mr. Clinton, busy at the engine, refused to hear. Neither did he -show that the offensive inscription on the cliff ahead of them was in -existence. Once headed down the lake the launch got the full effect of -the waves, which, under a strong easterly wind, were kicking up quite -a rumpus. Those in the bow received frequent wettings, and there was a -struggle for places there. Aunt Louisa was quite certain she was going -to be seasick, and insisted cheerfully that, in such a contingency, she -must be set ashore at once, no matter where. - -“I always say,” she announced, “that it’s a heap better to go ashore, -even if it’s on a desert island, than stay in a boat and be sick. And I -do hope Mr. Clinton will keep near land, for seasickness does come on -so suddenly!” - -But the foot of the lake was reached without any signs of illness on -her part other than a slight uneasiness, and when they had passed under -the bridge by the village and began to wind through the little river, -even that was forgotten. In many places the trees almost swept the -boat with their branches, and the channel was so narrow that the most -careful steering was necessary. Half-way through to Hipp’s Pond there -was a shout from the fellows in the bow. - -“Look at the duck!” they cried. Those aft struggled for a view. A small -duck, and evidently a young one, was bobbing up and down in the boat’s -waves scarce three yards away. As they passed, it watched them with -staring, beady eyes, but made no move toward flight. - -“Gee!” said Tom, his own eyes quite as starey as the duck’s, “if we -only had a gun!” Then the duck came alongside him and the temptation -was too great. With one hand on a stanchion, he leaned far out and made -a wild grab. He didn’t get the duck he expected, but he got one kind; -for he lost his balance and his hold simultaneously, and went overboard -head foremost with a mighty splash. Aunt Louisa gave a shriek of terror -and turned to Dan: - -“Go after him, Hurry! Save him!” - -“Yes’m,” answered Dan, with a grin. Then over he went just as the -engine was stopped, and just as Tom came up sputtering some twenty -yards away. - -“Keep up!” called Dan. “I’ll save you!” And Aunt Louisa, watching -anxiously, couldn’t understand why the fellows laughed so uproariously. -Tom, shaking his head to get the water from his eyes, turned and -started toward the boat. But Dan wasn’t a life-saver for nothing. - -“Don’t give up!” he called. “Fight hard! I’ll have you in a moment!” - -“You ku-ku-ku-keep away from mu-mu-mu-me!” answered Tom. - -“Saved!” shouted Dan, and then rescued and rescuer disappeared from -sight. - -“Oh!” shrieked Aunt Louisa, “they’re both drowning!” - -And every one else laughed harder than before. - -Then up came Dan’s head, and up came Tom’s, and a merry struggle took -place. Dan insisted on pulling Tom back to the launch by the back of -his sweater, and Tom refused. - -“Lu-lu-lu-let mu-mu-mu-me alone, you, i-i-i-idiot!” he protested. - -“You shut up!” answered Dan. “I was asked to save you, and I’m going -to do it if I have to drown you.” He got a fresh grip on Tom and--down -they went again. In the end Mr. Clinton had to take a hand, otherwise -they might have been there yet. Tom, looking sheepish, was helped over -the side, and Dan pulled in after him. Aunt Louisa began a speech of -thanks to the latter, but Nelson, wiping the tears from his eyes, at -last found his voice. - -“He didn’t do anything, ma’am,” he explained. “Tom can swim like a -fish; he’s the best swimmer in camp!” - -“Do you mean to tell me,” she demanded, “that he wasn’t drowning?” - -“No’m--yes’m--I mean he wasn’t.” - -“Well!” she said vigorously, “well!” And she looked indignantly at Dan. -But the hero looked so penitent that she said no more; besides, it -wasn’t necessary, for Mr. Clinton was already reproving him for adding -to the lady’s distress, and, even if his eyes twinkled a good deal, -what he said was straight to the mark. Meanwhile the Chicora had taken -up her voyage again. Tom and Dan removed their shoes and sweaters and -hung them near the boiler to dry, and tried to bring warmth into their -chilled bodies by alternately turning faces and backs to the engine. -The incident enlivened the party, and afterward the laughter was never -quite stilled. Coming back “Babe” Fowler, who had lived all his short -life by the salt water, proclaimed himself awfully thirsty and wished -he had a drink. - -“Gee,” said a neighbor, “you must be awfully tony if you can’t drink -this water!” - -The changing expression of “Babe’s” face was worth seeing. Finally: - -“Why, it’s fresh water, isn’t it?” he cried. “I was thinking it was -salt!” And thereupon he had his drink, and was unmercifully teased by -the fellows, one of whom recited, “Water, water everywhere, and not a -drop for ‘Babe,’” all the way back to the landing. - -The stay-at-homes were having their evening dip when the launch bumped -up to the pier, and the newcomers joined them in short order. The -guest-table was filled again at supper-time, and Aunt Louisa was one -of those who remained. After the meal was over Bob and Tom took her -over to the village in one of the rowboats and got the Sunday mail. The -wind had died down, and the lake was a great limpid pool in which the -afterglow was reflected in changing hues of steel and copper and dull -gold. Half-way back the bugle’s summons floated down to them and was -echoed back from the farther shore. As they glided past Bear Island the -boys of Wickasaw could be heard singing, and, although Tom pretended to -think such doings beneath contempt, he followed Bob’s example when the -latter rested on his oars. - -“Oh, it’s perfectly heavenly!” exclaimed Aunt Louisa softly. - -“Huh!” said Tom, “you wait till you hear Joe Carter sing ‘Bluebell’ on -his banjo!” - -“That must be quite a stunt,” laughed Bob. - -“Oh, well, you know what I mu-mu-mean. I’ll ask him to sing at -camp-fire. I’ll tell him you want to hear him, auntie.” - -“But I don’t think--” began Aunt Louisa. - -“Oh, he won’t mind; he likes to make a noise!” - -And so, when the flames were leaping and dancing under the big trees, -Joe produced his banjo and sang, and every one else helped him. And Mr. -Thorpe got his guitar and sang rag-time melodies in a way that caused -half his audience to laugh until the tears came, while the other half, -composed of the visitors and the more sedate campers, showed a desire -to shuffle their feet or clap their hands in time to the rollicking -tunes. Then came prayers, and a trip down to the Inn landing, where -Aunt Louisa said good-by, and invited each of Tom’s friends to visit -her in Boston. And as “Mr. Hurry” was included in that invitation it is -probable that Aunt Louisa had forgiven him for his too gallant rescue. - - - - -CHAPTER XI - -TELLS HOW THE FOUR PLANNED AN EXCURSION, AND HOW DAN AND NELSON PLAYED -HARES, MADE A DISCOVERY, AND HAD A FRIGHT - - -“I think it’s a deuce of a note that I’m going to get left on the long -trip!” said Dan aggrievedly. - -They were sitting, the Four, in front of the fireplace in Birch Hall. -Before them a couple of giant logs were crackling merrily. Outside it -was raining steadily, and through the open door and windows the breeze -swept in damp, and redolent of wet earth and vegetation. Now and then -a rain-drop found its way down the big chimney and fell hissing into -the fire. Siesta was over with, and the weather made outdoor pursuits -uncomfortable, if not impossible. Besides the Four, the room held a -dozen or so other lads, three of whom--juniors these--were busily -engaged in filling a soap-box with torn paper for the hare-and-hounds -chase scheduled for the morrow. - -“Well, so am I,” said Nelson. “I’ve got to get back home by the first -of September myself. We’re going to the St. Louis Fair about the first.” - -“Wish _I_ was,” Dan responded gloomily. “I’ve got to put in a couple of -weeks with the oculist. He’s going to do something to my eyes, and I’ll -have to mope around for about a week with a bandage over ’em.” - -“Hard luck,” said Bob. “And I wish you fellows were going on the trip -with us, I certainly do. It’s the finest sort of fun. Can’t you stay, -Nel? What do you care about their old Exposition?--a lot of machinery -and fool pictures, and such truck!” - -“I’ve got to go. Anyhow, I want to see it; I didn’t get to the one in -Buffalo. I saw the Chicago Fair, though. That was swell!” - -“You bet it was!” said Tom, his patriotism to the fore. “There hasn’t -been one to come up to that yet, and there won’t be for a long old -while!” - -“Oh, forget it,” answered Dan, “you and your old Chicago! To hear you -go on, a fellow’d think Chicago was the only place in the world!” Dan -was from New York, and pretended a deep scorn for the Windy City. - -“That’s all right,” said Tom. “But you’ve never had anything like our -fair in your tu-tu-tu-town!” - -“Don’t want one,” answered Dan calmly. “You just lost a lot of money on -it.” - -“Mu-mu-maybe we du-du-du-did,” said Tom warmly. “Bu-bu-but mu-mu-money’s -not the only th-th-th-thing. We sh-sh-showed you fu-fu-folks what we -cu-cu-could--could do, by gum!” - -“Cut it out now!” laughed Nelson. “Tommy’s getting excited, and -excitement isn’t good for him. Besides, he wants to save his breath for -the chase to-morrow. He says he’s going to get home before you and I -do, Dan.” - -Dan and Bob found the idea amusing. - -“Another case of the hare and the tortoise,” suggested Bob. “You and -Dan will have to be careful, and not fall asleep.” - -“If it keeps on raining we won’t have a chance to do much sleeping, I -tell you,” answered Nelson. “The ground will be as soft and slippery as -anything!” - -“Hares don’t mind soft ground,” said Tom. - -“This hare does,” replied Dan. - -“So does this one,” Nelson added. - -“I guess Tommy wants to lose flesh,” said Bob. “There’s nothing like a -good hard run to remove superfluous avoirdupois.” - -“Oh, isn’t he good?” cried Tommy. “Did you hear him say that?” - -“That’ll do for you, Bob,” said Dan. - -Bob made an unsuccessful attempt to pull Dan’s stool from under him, -and then gave his attention to the workers. - -“Come now, ‘Babe,’ this isn’t a funeral, you know. You’ll have to tear -paper faster than that, or you won’t have enough to trail from here to -the dining-hall. Say, Kid Rooke, you’ve got a wrong idea of the game -of shovelboard; it isn’t necessary to throw those weights on the floor -_every_ time! Besides, you’re making a beastly lot of noise.” - -“All right, Bobby,” was the disrespectful reply. “Bobby” promptly threw -a stick of kindling-wood with admirable precision, and Rooke played -badly for some time in consequence of nursing a lame arm. - -“Say, Bob, why couldn’t we get off on a little trip of our own?” asked -Dan. “Don’t you think Clint would let us, seeing we’re not going to be -here for the regular one?” - -“Maybe he might,” answered Bob. “Last year he let six of the big -fellows go off on a two days’ canoe trip.” - -“Just the thing!” said Dan. “We’ll take your canoe and Carter’s--he’ll -let us have it, all right--and we four’ll go. What do you say, fellows?” - -“Great scheme!” said Nelson. - -“Perfectly swell!” seconded Tom. - -“Maybe, though, he wouldn’t let Tommy and me go,” objected Bob, -“because we’ll be here for the long trip.” - -“Well, don’t go on the long trip, then,” suggested Nelson. “Come to -‘St. Louis, Louis’ with me.” - -“By ginger! I’d like to, all right. I’ll see what Clint says. If he -makes that objection, I’ll tell him I’m thinking of cutting the long -trip out this year; and maybe my folks would let me go to the fair.” - -“Still, there’s Tommy; what about him?” asked Dan. - -“What do you think I care about the trip, if you fellows aren’t -gu-gu-gu-going?” - -“Noble youth!” said Bob. “Who’ll ask Clint?” Silence ensued. - -“Whoever asks him,” said Dan presently, “had better wait until he’s -sort of forgotten about that painting affair.” - -“Maybe,” answered Bob, “but I don’t believe he holds that against us; -Clint isn’t that sort. When a thing’s done with, it’s done with for -him. I don’t mind asking. You leave it to me, and I’ll wait until I -find him feeling his best.” - -“Good for you, old man!” said Dan heartily. “I always said you were the -bravest of the lot.” - -“Brave nothing!” scoffed Tom. “He thinks he has a winning smile. Bob’s -a regular fusser at home, I’ll bet!” - -“Hey!” exclaimed Nelson, arising and stretching his arms in -accompaniment to a mighty yawn, “who’s going to soak?” - -“I am,” said Bob; and the other two expressed themselves similarly. -“Babe” came up, kicking his box before him. - -“Isn’t that enough, Bob?” he asked pathetically. - -“Sure, ‘Babe,’ that’s enough. Come on and soak. Ho, for ‘Babe’s’ briny -ocean!” - -The next day dinner was a half hour earlier, and promptly at the stroke -of two Nelson and Dan left Spruce Hall and trotted down the road to the -village, each bearing a bag of “scent” in the shape of torn paper, and -each wearing the scantiest costume modesty would permit. The hounds -were to start twelve minutes later, and the trail was to be laid for a -distance of about three miles and return, at least half the trail to be -over roads. Nelson thought twelve minutes rather scant time allowance, -but Dan, who fancied himself a bit as a cross-country runner, was quite -satisfied. Almost every fellow in camp was going to have a try at the -chase, although it was a foregone conclusion that many of them would -drop out the first mile. Mr. Verder was leader of the hounds, and he -was the only member of the pursuit that Dan feared. - -Once out of sight of the camp, and having reached the beginning of -the slight slope that led down to the foot of the lake, the hares -let themselves out. It was a cloudy, threatening day, somewhat chill -for the month of August, and the rain, which had fallen continually -from Monday morning until some time last night, had left the ground -soft, and in some places decidedly slippery. Once or twice during the -forenoon there had been tiny showers, and there was every indication of -more to follow before night. The distance to the village of Crescent, -Dan’s estimate on the day of his enforced return to camp by way of the -road notwithstanding, was but a trifle over the mile, and they made -it in short order, and passed over the bridge and by the post-office, -running well, having got their second breaths. They followed the road -around to where Dan and Bob had cut across the meadow when they had -made their trip to the base of the cliff. There they climbed the fence -and struck across the field under the cliff, exchanging smiles as they -caught fleeting glimpses of the inscription on the rocks, and swung -around to the right on the farther side of Humpback Mountain. Their -plan was to keep along the lower slope of the mountain, return to the -road at the farther end of Hipp’s Pond, and come back by the highway -to some spot near the village, where they were to ford the river and -reach the road to camp near the forks. Once in the forest their going -was necessarily slower. It was slightly up-hill, and the wet leaves -made anything beyond an easy trot impossible. They lost nearly a minute -on one occasion, when Nelson tripped on a log which he had tried to -hurdle and came down sprawling, emptying most of the contents of the -bag he carried. The paper had to be picked up before they could go on, -since already they had begun to wonder whether the scent would hold -out. Half-way along the side of the mountain it suddenly grew dark, and -the tree-tops began to sway in quick gusts of wind. - -“By Jove,” panted Dan, “I’ll bet we’re in for a wetting!” - -“Well, I haven’t got anything on that will spoil,” laughed Nelson. - -And then a few big drops pattered down on the leaves. - -“Coming!” shouted Dan. - -And it came! - -It was a veritable torrent that lashed aside the leaves and pelted the -boys with great hissing drops. For a moment they stumbled on through -the darkness. Then there was a blinding flash of white light, and a -crash of thunder seemed to shake the mountain from top to bottom. As -though by mutual consent, they dived beneath a clump of underbrush and -huddled up out of the worst of the storm. - -“Gee!” said Dan, “that scared me.” - -“Me too,” answered Nelson. “It was kind of sudden.” - -“I should say so! I don’t suppose there’s much use in our staying here, -though. We can’t get much wetter by going on.” - -“And there isn’t much use in going on,” answered Nelson. “I’ll bet the -others have given up the chase by this time. Besides, our paper’s about -soaked through, I guess. I vote we hike up over the mountain and get -home.” - -“Seems to me we’d better go back the way we came.” - -“It will be lots nearer if we strike up hill here. It’ll be hard going -until we reach the top, but easy going down the other side. We ought -to strike the road about half-way between the pond and the village. -Perhaps we’ll find a place where we can get out of the wet. Anyhow, -there’s no use staying here. I’m getting wetter and wetter every -minute, and there’s a regular cascade running down my back. Here, let’s -empty out this fool paper and stuff the bags in our pockets.” - -“All right,” answered Nelson; and the paper chase came to an -ignominious finish then and there. - -It was tough work climbing that slope in the face of a blinding -torrent, but they struggled upward, slipping and stumbling and -panting. The lightning had become almost continuous, and the thunder -did its part with might and main. What with the darkness of the sky -and the gloom of the forest, there was very little light to go by; -and as the rain forced them to close their eyes half the time, they -were continually butting into trees, tangling themselves up in the -undergrowth or stumbling over dead branches. - -“This is a deuce of a note!” grumbled Dan as he picked himself up for -the fifth or sixth time, and tried to dry his wet hands on his wetter -trousers. “I’d give a dollar for an umbrella!” - -“Or a tent,” sputtered Nelson. “I’m mighty nigh drowned and-- Hello! -Look yonder!” - -Dan looked, and the next instant they were floundering toward shelter. -What Nelson had seen was an old log house. It wasn’t in the best of -repair, for the roof had fallen in at one end and the door had long -since disappeared. But it was a case of any port in a storm, and when, -breathless and dripping, they reached it, they found that it afforded -ample protection. It was about twelve feet long by eight feet wide, -with a door at one end, and a tiny opening at the other that had -probably served in its day as a window. It was unfloored, but, save -near the doorway and at the farther end where the roof had fallen -inward, it was quite dry. It was as dark as pitch in there save when a -flash of lightning momentarily illumined it. - -“Gee,” sighed Dan, “this is great!” - -“Swell!” murmured Nelson, with a shiver. “But I wish we had a fire.” - -“Got any matches?” - -“Yes.” - -“Good boy! Let’s see if we can’t find something that’ll burn.” - -Carefully they felt their way toward the back of the cabin, their eyes -gradually becoming accustomed to the gloom. Suddenly Dan, who was -slightly in the lead, gave a cry of fear. - -“Look!” he cried. - -[Illustration: “Look!” he cried.] - -At the same instant there was a glare of lightning, and Nelson, peering -fearsomely ahead, saw a sight that sent an icy chill down his back. - -Almost at their feet stretched a pile of bones that glared white and -gruesome in the uncanny light. - - - - -CHAPTER XII - -HAS TO DO WITH STORM AND LIGHTNING; DISCOVERS TOM IN TEARS, AND -CONCLUDES THE ADVENTURE - - -When Mr. Verder gave the word, twenty-three hounds started in pursuit -of the hares, and in the foremost group trotted Tom. They had just -reached the village when the rain burst, and the way in which they -piled into the post-office led the village gossips there assembled to -jump from their chairs in terror, thinking they were attacked by a gang -of desperadoes. And when the fellows had slammed the door behind them -and gathered at the windows to watch the torrent, they saw through -the hissing sheets of water the solitary form of Mr. Thomas Courtenay -Ferris trotting doggedly on up the road. Then the door opened and -closed again, and Bob sped after him. - -“What are you going to do, you crazy dub?” panted Bob when he had -caught up. - -“Cu-cu-catch those fu-fu-fu-fellows,” answered Tom resolutely. - -“Why, they’ve given it up by this time, you idiot!” - -“I haven’t. I su-su-said I was going to finish, and I am!” - -“Poppycock!” muttered Bob. “However, I’ll see you through.” - -“You’ll gu-gu-gu-get wet,” said Tom. - -“So’ll you.” - -“I du-du-du-don’t mind.” - -“Neither do I; I like it. Fine, isn’t it?” - -“Su-su-swell!” gasped Tom. - -So on they plodded, every footfall sending a spray of muddy water -against their bare legs, keeping the trail in sight with difficulty, -since the torn paper had in many places been washed aside or covered by -the pools of water that had already formed along the road. They overran -the trail where it left the highway and had to cast about for fully a -minute before they found it again, and took off across the field, which -was rapidly becoming like a cranberry bog. Once in the forest it wasn’t -quite so bad, for the trees afforded some slight protection. But poor -Tom’s breath was almost gone, and when they finally reached the place -where a pile of wet paper told its own story, he was glad to throw -himself down on the wet ground and rest. What to do next was a problem. -Finally Bob, with a fair idea of their whereabouts, suggested climbing -the hill and reaching the road on the other side. So Tom, with a final -gasp, struggled to his feet, and they took up their way again. It was -Tom who caught sight of the hut. - -“Lu-lu-lu-look over there, Bu-bu-bu-Bob!” he spluttered. - -And that is how it happened that Nelson and Dan, horrified one instant -by the ghastly object at their feet, were terrorized the next by a -sudden loud shout behind them. They turned and fled ignominiously to -the door. The flash of lightning had intensified the darkness that -followed, and neither saw anything until their exit was suddenly -impeded, and even then not enough to understand what was up. Dan -collided with Tom just inside the doorway, and, like a center putting -out his opponent, bore him backward to the ground. Tom, stammering in -surprise at the welcome, clung desperately to his assailant. - -“Lu-lu-lu-let go of me! Wha-wha-what’s the mu-mu-mu-matter with you? -Gu-gu-gu-get off mu-mu-my stomach!” - -Nelson, tumbling out with scared face on the heels of Dan, ran into -Bob outside. The latter grabbed him just in time; in another moment he -would have been a hundred yards away, and still going. - -“What’s the row?” cried Bob, turning from Nelson to where Dan and Tom, -the latter on his back in a litter of wet leaves, and the former -sitting on top of him, were viewing each other in wide-eyed surprise. -“What kind of a game are you fellows playing?” - -“Is that you?” muttered Nelson sheepishly. - -“Hu--hallo, Tommy!” grunted Dan, pulling him up. - -“‘Hallo, Tu-tu-tu-Tommy’ be bu-bu-blowed!” muttered that youth as -he found his feet and viewed Dan angrily; “wha-wha-what kind of a -fu-fu-funny fu-fu-fool are you?” - -At that instant the rain, which had momentarily let up as though -interested in the proceedings, came down harder than ever, and the -Four crowded inside the hut, Dan and Nelson, however, keeping close to -the doorway and casting uneasy glances into the darkness. At length -the matter was explained, and Bob, lighting a match, advanced toward -the back of the cabin, the others following breathlessly and gazing -nervously over his shoulder. As the match flared up, there lay the -skeleton, and even Bob drew a sudden breath and backed away a foot, -thereby stepping on Nelson’s toes and eliciting an exclamation of pain -that almost resulted in another stampede to the door. It was Tom who -stayed the rout. - -“Huh!” he cried; “it’s nothing but a calf!” - -And so it proved. Grown suddenly brave, they examined more carefully, -and Bob began to tease Dan and Nelson for being frightened at the -skeleton of a calf. - -“That’s all right,” said Nelson, “but I noticed you were looking up the -exits a minute ago!” - -“Let’s have that fire,” suggested Dan. “Any matches left?” - -Tom had a pocket full of them, and in a minute they had found several -dried branches on the floor and a box nailed to the wall. They tore -down the latter and soon had a fire going. As the heat began to -penetrate their chilled bodies their spirits arose. - -“I wish it had been a human skeleton,” said Dan regretfully. - -“Yes, you do!” responded Bob sarcastically. “Why?” - -“So I could have had the skull. My uncle has one for a tobacco jar; -it’s swell!” - -“I can see you getting the skull!” said Bob laughingly. “Why, you -wouldn’t have stopped running before to-morrow morning if we hadn’t -stopped you!” - -“Get out!” answered Dan good-naturedly. “I’d have come back for it. But -I tell you, fellows, that old pile of bones looked mighty unpleasant in -the lightning. I’d have sworn the thing moved.” - -“It was you that moved,” said Tom, “and you moved fast.” - -“Say, what the dickens are we going to do, fellows?” asked Nelson. “We -can’t get home in this storm. Just listen to it!” - -“Oh, it’ll let up after a bit. What time is it?” asked Bob. - -“Ten of four,” answered Tom. “Wish we had something to eat; then we -could stay all night. Wouldn’t it be swell?” - -“Yes,” said Dan, “but we haven’t, and I, for one, prefer to get wet -again rather than go without supper. I’m starved now.” - -“Well, let’s wait a bit and see if it doesn’t hold up some. This fire’s -immense! Wonder can we find any more wood?” - -At that instant there was a blinding flash of lightning, a terrific -crash of thunder, and a shock that threw Dan and Tom, who had been -standing, off their feet. Simultaneously a portion of the roof of the -cabin fell, with a cloud of dust and débris, and one of the timbers -crashed into their midst, scattering the fire. For an instant there was -silence. Every one of the quartet had been momentarily stunned by the -lightning. Then they were on their feet, white-faced and trembling; -all save Nelson, who lay stretched on the floor, with the blood -flowing from a gash in his head. Here and there a brand from the fire -flickered, but a new light flooded the cabin from without, where a -giant pine, its trunk lying across the cabin, was burning fiercely. -After the first instant of terror Bob ran to Nelson. - -“Get some water, somebody!” he called. - -“Is he dead?” asked Tom weakly. - -“I don’t know; he’s got a beast of a cut here from that log; stunned -him, I guess. Where’s the water?” - -Dan hurried back with his cap dripping. - -“Here’s some,” he panted. “Fetch some more, Tom; hold your cap under -the corner of the house. Is he much hurt?” - -But Nelson answered the question himself, reaching up to push away the -hand that was bathing his face and head, and opening his eyes to blink -dazedly about him. - -“You lie still a minute,” commanded Bob. “That log fetched you a whack -on the head, but you’ll be all right in a minute.” - -“Oh,” said Nelson, memory returning, “say, that was a peach of a bump, -wasn’t it? Any one struck? Where’s Tommy?” - -“He’s here. Shut up a minute and lie still.” - -“I’m all right.” He felt of his wound, and wiped the blood from his -fingers onto his jersey. “If I had a handkerchief----” - -“Here’s one,” said Dan. “You tie it on, Bob.” - -Bob did so, and Nelson was helped to his feet, where he stood an -instant swaying unsteadily. - -“Say, we’ll have to get out of this,” said Dan. “The hut’ll be on fire -in a minute. Gee, but that was a close shave! That tree wasn’t thirty -feet away!” - -“We got some of it as it was,” said Bob. “I felt as though some one had -hit me with a plank. Can you walk, Nel? Here, we’ll give you a hand. -We’ll have to get out at the corner there; the doorway’s blocked up. -Where’d Tommy get to?” - -“He went for some more water,” said Dan. “Come on; it’s getting hot!” - -Outside they came on a strange sight. Tom was sitting on a log, with -his face in his hands, sobbing as though his heart was breaking. -Beside him lay his cap, and a small rivulet of water from the top of -the cabin was spattering down onto his bare head. The three stared in -bewilderment. Then Bob patted him on the back: - -“Come on, Tommy,” he said kindly. “You’re all right; cheer up!” - -But Tom only shook his head without looking up. - -“He’s du-du-du-du-dead!” he wailed. - -“Who’s dead, you idiot?” - -“Nu-nu-nu-Nelson,” sobbed Tommy. - -“No, I’m not, Tommy,” called Nelson; “here I am!” - -Tom raised a wet and miserable face; then he leaped to his feet, -tumbled over a branch, and fell into Nelson’s arms. - -“I th-th-th-thought you were a gu-gu-gu-goner!” he cried. - -“I’m all right,” answered Nelson, cheerfully submitting to Tom’s hugs. -“Get your cap and come along, or we’ll be drowned.” - -Tom sniffed a few times, picked up his hat, and sheepishly joined the -procession that wound its way up the hill in the rain. - -“Poor old Tommy!” chuckled Dan. - -“He’s a good-hearted dub,” answered Nelson softly. - -Five minutes of toil brought them to the summit, and after that it was -easier work. By the time they had reached the road the rain had almost -ceased, and for the rest of the way they had only the mud and their -chilled bodies to contend with. Twenty minutes later they straggled -into camp to find Mr. Clinton in the act of leading a search party -after them. Nelson was conducted to the surgery, where Dr. Smith washed -and bandaged his head, and the other members of the party hied them -to the dormitory and dry clothes, followed by half the fellows of the -camp eager to hear the story of their adventures. And when it had been -told--losing nothing in the telling by Dan--Bob suddenly exclaimed: - -“Well, if he didn’t do it!” - -“Do what?” “Who did?” “When?” were the queries fired at him. - -“Why, Tommy did! He said, before we started, that he was going to beat -the hares home, the cheeky kid! And he did it!” - -“But we all came home together,” objected Dan. - -“Yes, but if you’ll recollect, it was Tommy who headed the procession -coming into camp.” - -“So it was,” said Dan. - -“So I did,” said Tom. “Ain’t I a smarty?” - -Whereupon Dan tumbled him over backward onto the bed and sat on top -of him a long, long time, and told him how very, very smart he was. -And it was not until Nelson, appearing on the scene with a wealth of -surgeon’s plaster adorning his brow, asked innocently, “Who’s going to -soak?” that Dan’s attentions ceased; and then it was only because he -felt obliged to stand firmly on his feet in order to put the necessary -amount of withering sarcasm into his reply to Nelson. - - - - -CHAPTER XIII - -RECALLS THE FACT THAT WHAT’S FAIR FOR ONE IS FAIR FOR ANOTHER, AND -RECORDS A DEFEAT AND A VICTORY - - -A week later Wickasaw came over to the mainland and met Chicora on the -diamond. The final score, when the game came to an end at the last -of the seventh inning, was 18 to 4, and I had rather not say which -side scored the 18. However, defeat is not dishonorable; Chicora had -that thought to comfort her. Wells, he of the snub-nose, pitched a -magnificent game for five innings, and then went so high into the air -that he wasn’t able to get down again while the game lasted. And while -he was up there Wickasaw unkindly batted in eight runs and scored -seven more on errors, four of them being due to Wells’s wildness. -Wickasaw played every last one of her councilors--four in all--and -would probably have won by a small margin even if Wells hadn’t gone to -pieces. But the result was a disappointment to Bob, and he worried over -it a good deal during the ensuing three days. Wickasaw went home in -her launch and rowboats audibly pleased with herself, and the next day, -beneath her camp-flag on the pole at the landing, floated a square of -white sheeting inscribed: - - +-------------+ - | W. 18; C. 4 | - +-------------+ - -And every time Bob saw that flag floating in the breeze he ground his -teeth. And Dan smiled his widest smile, and drew a sketch of the flag -_they_ were going to put up after the next game. And in the meanwhile -everybody went to work harder than ever at the batting-net and in the -field; for the lesson of defeat is renewed endeavor. - -On the following Saturday Chicora played again, this time with the -nine from the Chicora Inn, a nine made up of guests and employees of -the hotel. It was the finest kind of an August afternoon, warm enough -to limber the players’ muscles, and yet not so hot that the spectators -were uncomfortable under the shade of the trees. Wells went into the -box again for the Camp, while the Inn had her head clerk, a Dartmouth -College man, do the pitching for her. For the first three innings the -Camp had everything its own way. Nelson started things going with a -three-bagger in the second, and after the bases had filled up Bob -went to bat and cleared them, himself reaching second. Again, in the -third a base on balls to the second man up proved costly, the runner -on first reaching second on a passed ball and taking third on a single -by Carter. Then Wells got in the way of an in-shoot and limped to base -amid the laughing applause of the Camp rooters, and the bags were -all occupied. It was Nelson’s chance again, and he made the most of -it. With two strikes and three balls called on him he found what he -wanted, and hit safely for two bases over short-stop’s head. The Inn -had meanwhile scored but one run, and so at the beginning of the fourth -inning the score stood 6 to 1, and the spectators who were gallantly -flaunting the crimson flags of Chicora Inn were becoming anxious. - -When the Inn next went to the bat it was seen that she had substituted -a new player for the one who had thus far been holding down second -base. The new man was about six feet tall, and fully thirty-five years -old, and his face seemed dimly familiar to Bob. And when, having gone -to bat, he lined the first ball pitched between first and second for -three bases, Bob recognized him as “Monty” Williams, an old Princeton -player who had made a reputation for himself while in college as a star -ball-player. In that inning the Inn netted three runs, and the score -was no longer so one-sided. But Bob was worried, and as the teams -changed sides he made his way to the captain of the opposing team. - -“Look here,” he said, “I don’t think it’s a fair deal for you fellows -to play Williams. He’s an old college player, and we know that he isn’t -staying at the Inn. He’s visiting over at Bass Island.” - -“Oh, what’s the use in being fussy?” asked the other good-naturedly. -“This isn’t a championship game; we’re only here for the fun of -playing. Besides, Williams hasn’t played baseball for at least ten -years.” - -“Well, it isn’t according to the understanding,” answered Bob; “but if -you insist on playing him, all right; it’s a bit raw, though. We’re -playing fellows on our side some of whom aren’t sixteen years old; and -we’re not playing a single one of our councilors.” - -“Well, why don’t you? Go ahead and play any one you like. We don’t care -who you play; we’re here for the fun of playing, that’s all.” - -“All right,” answered Bob; “I don’t intend to be nasty about it. We’ll -beat you, anyhow.” - -“That’s the stuff,” laughed the other captain. “Go ahead and do it.” - -But it didn’t look very easy during the next two innings. To be sure, -the Camp managed to tally two more runs, but the Inn wasn’t idle. The -next time Williams came to bat the bases were full, and as a result -of the long drive he made into left field three tallies were set down -to the Inn’s credit, and a minute or two later Williams made it four -by heady base stealing. That tied the score, 8 to 8. Bob didn’t mind -a defeat at the hands of Chicora Inn very much, but to be beaten two -games running was more than he could relish; and while he was doing a -lot of hard thinking Tom came to the rescue: - -“Say, Bob,” he whispered, “we’re going to be licked if you keep Wells -in there. That fellow Williams can hit him easy.” - -“I know it, but they insist on playing Williams. They say I can put in -any one I want to, but we haven’t played our councilors, and I don’t -want to start it now. And as for Wells, there isn’t any one on our team -can do any better.” - -“Get Billy Carter to pitch.” - -“Billy Carter? Who’s Billy--? You mean Joe’s brother? Can he pitch? -Thought he was a crew man.” - -“He is, but he pitched for the Yale freshman nine last spring, and I’ll -bet he’s a peach!” - -“Good stuff! Will he play, do you think?” - -“I don’t know, but he seems a decent chap. Get Joe to ask him.” - -“I will. Oh, Joe! Joe Carter!” - -The result of this conference was that two or three minutes later -when the teams again changed sides Wells retired to the shade of the -apple-trees and his place in the pitcher’s box was taken by a stocky, -fair-haired, and sun-burned chap of eighteen who, having discarded his -coat and cap, picked up the ball and began pitching to Bob in a way -that suggested a good deal of experience. He was a fine-looking fellow -with a chest that brought murmurs of admiration from the spectators. -He had rowed on the winning Yale freshman eight and pitched on the -Yale freshman nine, and so his chest development and the muscles that -played so prettily along his arms were there of good reason. He had -reached camp only that forenoon on a visit of two or three days to his -brother, and there hadn’t been a moment’s hesitation on his part when -Joe, earnestly seconded by Bob, had asked him to play. He had kept in -training since the boat races and had not forgotten his cunning in the -box. - -And the opponents had occasion to note the fact. For in the next two -innings not a man on their team reached first base. Carter’s delivery -puzzled them effectually, and when the mighty Williams had three -strikes called on him and tossed down his bat with a grim shake of his -head the supporters of the blue and gray shouted their delight. But -shutting out the Inn wasn’t winning the game, and when at last the -ninth inning opened with the score still 8 to 8 Bob had visions of -a tie game. But he had reckoned without the new pitcher. That youth -didn’t have a chance at bat until with one out in the ninth things -were looking their darkest for the Camp. Then he selected a bat and -faced the Inn’s pitcher calmly. He allowed two balls to go by him, -but the third one he liked. And the way in which he lit on to it was -beautiful to behold; at least that’s the way it seemed to Bob and Dan -and Nelson and all the other Chicorians. For that ball started off as -though it had got tired of being knocked around so much and was going -straight home to sit down and rest. That it didn’t get all the way -home, but only as far as the woods behind center-fielder, didn’t affect -the result of the contest. It went quite far enough. And Billy Carter -romped home like a playful giant and subsided under the trees and -fanned his face, while about him danced the delighted cohorts from the -Camp. After that it was only necessary to keep the Inn from scoring, -and with Carter still in the points that was an absurdly easy task. -It wasn’t a very decided win, 9 to 8, but it sufficed, and Bob was -comforted. - -After the game was over the captain of the Inn’s forces sought out Bob. - -“Who was the chap that pitched for you?” he asked curiously. - -“Oh,” Bob answered, “that’s Carter, pitcher on last year’s Yale -freshman team. You told me to play any one I liked, you know; -otherwise, of course----” - -“Oh!” said the other. - -On the way back to camp Dan alone seemed not entirely happy. - -“Oh, yes,” he said in response to inquiries, “the game was all right -enough. But did you notice that Wickasaw was over there cheering for -the Inn?” - -“I didn’t notice who they cheered for,” answered Bob. “What of it?” - -“What of it? Lots! Call that sportsmanlike? Huh! You wait, that’s all, -my friends. We’ll get even with Wickasaw!” - - - - -CHAPTER XIV - -BEGINS A MIDNIGHT ADVENTURE WHICH THREATENS TO END IN DISASTER - - -“I haven’t said anything about it to Bob,” Dan explained. “You see, -he’s so kind of--kind of--well, proper, you know.” - -They were sitting--Dan and Nelson and Tom--on the edge of the landing. -Supper was over and camp-fire was still an hour distant. Behind them -the hillside was darkening with the mysterious shadows of night. Before -them the lake lay like a sheet of purple glass, streaked here and there -with pencilings of steely blue. At the end of the lake and at intervals -along the farther shore the lights twinkled in windows or at landings. -From the direction of Crescent came the _chug--chug--chug_ of the -motor-dory returning with the evening mail. Overhead gleamed the white -light of the lantern, pale and wan as yet against the sky. Tom beat a -tattoo with his feet against the spile beneath. They had come down -here because the camp was infested--to use Dan’s language--with kids -and visitors, and they wanted to be alone to plot and conspire. But Tom -didn’t relish just sitting here and watching the afterglow fade over -Bass Island. He yawned. - -“Seems to me,” he said disgustedly, “we’re a mighty slow lot of -conspirators. If some one doesn’t get busy pretty quick and conspire -I’ll go back and read that book. There’s more conspiracy in that than -you can shake your ears at. When I left off the villain was creeping up -the lighthouse stairs in his stocking feet with a knife a foot long in -his hand.” - -“What for?” asked Nelson interestedly. - -“To kill the hero and the girl he was shipwrecked with, of course!” - -“Of course there’d have to be a girl in it,” sighed Nelson. “That’s the -way they spoil all the good stories nowadays, putting a silly girl into -it! Wait till I write a story!” - -“This girl’s all right,” answered Tom warmly. “Why, she saved the -hero’s life; swam with him over half a mile from the wreck to the -lighthouse, carried him in her arms to the door, and fell fainting on -the threshold!” - -“Rot! No girl could do that!” - -“Why couldn’t she? I’ll bet you she could!” - -“Oh, get out! Swim half a mile and lug a man with her? And then carry -him in her arms another half mile----” - -“It was only a little ways, and----” - -“She must have been a--an Amazon!” - -“She wasn’t, she was a Spaniard.” - -“Maybe she was a Spanish mackerel,” suggested Dan. “They can swim like -anything. Now shut up, you chaps, and listen.” - -“The chief conspirator has the floor,” murmured Tom. - -“You know those Wickasaw dubs came over here to-day to our ball field -and had the cheek to cheer for the Inn, don’t you?” - -“Sure,” muttered Tom. - -“Well, they had no business doing it.” - -“That’s so,” Nelson concurred. - -“And so we’re going to get square with them.” - -“Hooray!” said Tom in a husky whisper. - -“How?” questioned Nelson. - -“I’m coming to that,” answered Dan importantly. - -“You’re a long old time coming,” Tom grumbled. “I’ll bet that fellow -has got up-stairs by now and murdered the hero and the girl, and I -wasn’t there to----” - -“Cut it out, Tommy!” commanded Dan. “You see that flag over there at -Wickasaw’s landing?” - -“I see something sort of white that may be a flag, or may be some -fellow’s Sunday shirt,” answered Nelson. - -“Well, that’s that old white flag with the score on it. They’re too -lazy to do anything shipshape, and so instead of tying it onto the -lanyards under the camp-flag----” - -“Bending it on, you mean,” said Tom. - -“You be blowed,” said Dan. “You know too much, Tommy. Well, instead of -_fixing_ it on to the rope they just nailed it on to the pole. That’s -the lucky part of it; see?” - -The others looked across at the blur of white and then looked at Dan. -Then they shook their heads. - -“I may be stupid, Dan,” said Nelson apologetically, “but I’m blowed if -I do see.” - -“I guess the answer’s a bottle of ink,” said Tom flippantly. - -“Why,” said Dan impatiently, “if they’d taken it in we couldn’t have -got it.” - -“Oh!” exclaimed Nelson. “Then we’re going--to--to----” - -“Swipe it!” said Dan. - -Tom heaved a sigh of relief. - -“Bully! I was afraid it was something to do with blue paint!” - -“What’s your scheme?” asked Nelson, beginning to take interest. But Dan -had nothing more to say until the motor-dory had come alongside and its -occupants had finally taken themselves off up the hill, whooping like -an Indian war-party. - -“When it’s good and dark,” he continued then, “we’ll swim over there -and get the old rag; that’s all.” - -“But why not take a boat?” asked Tom. - -“Because somebody would be sure to hear us.” - -“Then what’s the matter with a canoe?” - -“Well, that might do,” answered Dan thoughtfully. “But we don’t want to -have any trouble about it; Clint’s got his eye on us, I’ll bet, and if -we get caught swiping Wickasaw’s flag we’ll get what for!” - -“But there won’t be any fun in it if they don’t know who’s taken it,” -Nelson objected. - -“Oh, they’ll know all right,” said Dan; “only they won’t be able to -prove anything.” - -“I tell you what,” Tom exclaimed. “We’ll tear it up and tie it around -that stake off the end of the island, the one that marks the sand-bar.” - -“That’s so,” said Nelson. “And look, Dan, we can take a canoe and -paddle down the shore until we’re opposite the landing and then swim -across. That way we won’t have to swim over a half mile in all.” - -“All right,” agreed Dan. “I don’t care whether we paddle or swim; but -that flag’s got to come down from there.” - -“They’ll probably put another one up,” said Tom. - -“Let ’em! We’ll have had our fun,” said Nelson. “What time had we -better go, Dan?” - -“About eleven, I guess. We want to wait until Verder and Smith are -asleep so that they won’t hear us sneak out.” - -“You don’t think Bob will be hurt at being left out, do you?” asked -Nelson. - -“I don’t believe so; anyway, I don’t think he’d go. And if any row -comes up he won’t get into it because he won’t know anything about it. -Come on; let’s go up.” - -So the plotting ended and they went back to camp-fire looking -beautifully innocent, and were so sleepy, all three of them, that no -one would have suspected for an instant that they intended to stay -awake until midnight. After camp-fire the launch took the visitors back -to the Inn, but none of the Four went along; they didn’t know what time -they would get back and they wanted the senior dormitory to be wrapped -in slumber as early as possible; for, after all, the day had been a -busy one and it might prove to be no easy task to keep eyes open until -even eleven. The lights went out promptly at half past nine, and Dan -and Tom and Nelson stretched themselves out between the blankets with -the other occupants of the hall. It was hard work to keep awake during -the next hour and a half. Nelson, despite his best endeavors, dozed -once or twice, but was sufficiently wide awake to hear Dan’s bed creak -and Dan’s bare feet creeping up the aisle. - -“Awake, Nel?” - -“Yes,” Nelson whispered. - -“All right; come on. I’ll get Tommy.” - -Nelson slipped noiselessly out of his bunk and as noiselessly out of -his pajamas and crept along to Tom’s bed. That youth was fast asleep, -breathing like a sawmill, and Dan’s gentle shakes and whispers were -having no effect. - -“Oh, come on and let him stay here,” said Dan finally. “We can’t wake -up the whole place on his account. The silly dub ought to have kept -awake.” - -“Wait, let me try him,” whispered Nelson. Some one had told him that -the best way to awake a person so that he wouldn’t make any noise was -to take hold of his nose with the fingers and press it. So Nelson got -a firm hold on that organ and gave a vigorous pull. The effect was -instantaneous. - -“_Lemme ’lone!_” said Tom drowsily but sufficiently loud to be heard -all over the dormitory. Dan slapped his hand over the slumberer’s -mouth, and Nelson whispered “Hush!” as loudly as he dared. Luckily, -save for a sleepy murmur from the next bunk, there was no notice taken -of Tom’s remonstrance. By this time Tom had gained his senses and a -realization of what was up, and in a moment the three conspirators were -stealing down the aisle and out of the dormitory, naked and shivering. - -Once on the path they could talk, and Dan called Tom to task for going -to sleep and nearly spoiling everything. “It would have served you -bloody well right if we had left you behind,” he ended severely. - -“Wish you had,” muttered Tom. “I’m as sleepy as a cat.” - -“Did any one hear the launch come back?” asked Dan presently. - -“I didn’t,” said Nelson; “but I dropped off to sleep a couple of times.” - -“So did I,” said Tom truthfully but unnecessarily. - -“Well, I was awake all the time,” Dan said, “and I’ll swear I didn’t -hear a sound from it. But they must be back by this; it’s ten minutes -to eleven.” - -“Well, just as long as we don’t meet them at the landing it’s all -right,” said Nelson cheerfully. “Hush! What’s that?” - -They stopped short at the foot of the hill and listened breathlessly. - -“What?” whispered Dan. - -“I thought I heard voices,” answered Nelson. - -But after a moment, as no sounds reached them, they went on, and found -the landing dark, save for the little glare of the lantern, and quite -deserted. It was but a moment’s work to put one of the canoes into -the water, and soon they were paddling stealthily along the shore -toward the foot of the lake. The stars were bright overhead, but for -all of that the night was pretty dark and here under the trees it was -difficult to see their course and to keep from running aground. As a -result they made slow progress. Bear Island was a darker blotch against -the dark water. Wickasaw never displayed a lantern at night, but the -boys thought they could make out a dim light where the landing ought to -be. When they had reached a point along the shore about opposite the -farther end of the island they drew the canoe half onto the shore and -waded out into the darkness. - -“Swim for the landing,” instructed Dan, “and don’t make any noise. -We’ll see what that light is before we get very near.” - -Then they struck out, swimming slowly and silently, Dan and Tom abreast -and Nelson a length behind. The water was warm and felt grateful to -their chilled bodies; although the days were warm the nights were -getting cool. It was very good fun, this stealthy progress through -the dark water with only the white stars to see. Nelson experienced -an exhilarating sensation of excitement as they drew near the shadowy -island; he felt like a conspirator, indeed, and one on a desperate -mission. To be sure, the danger of being caught was very slight, he -supposed, but there was enough of it to lend spice to the venture. The -distance from shore to island was well under a quarter of a mile, but -at the slow speed they went it was almost ten minutes before Dan called -a halt a hundred feet from the landing. Nelson swam up to the other -two boys, and they remained quiet for a moment, looking and listening. -There was no sound to be heard, but an orange glow slightly above -the level of the float puzzled them. Finally Tom was sent forward to -reconnoiter. Presently he was back again. - -“It’s the Chi-chi-chi--” he sputtered excitedly. - -“Cut it out,” whispered Dan. “Say it quick without thinking.” - -“It’s the Chi-chi-chi-chi-chi----” - -“Steam-engine,” suggested Nelson _sotto voce_. - -“Chi-chi-Chicora!” blurted Tom finally in a hoarse whisper. - -“What?” asked Dan. “The Chicora? Then, Clint’s there visiting Doctor -Powers. Wonder who’s with him?” - -“I think Thorpe went along in the launch,” said Nelson. - -“Lu-lu-let’s go back,” suggested Tom uneasily. - -“What for? It’s better to have Clint here than at camp, I think,” said -Dan. “Come on. Did you hear any one, Tommy?” - -“No, but I could see a light in the main house.” - -“That’s it, then; Clint and Thorpe are paying a call on Powers, -probably about the water sports. Shall we go on? What do you say?” - -“Yes,” answered Nelson. “Let’s do what we started to do.” - -“I don’t care,” said Tom. - -So ahead they went, and in a minute were pulling themselves up onto the -float. Beside it lay the steam-launch, her engine sizzling gently. The -light they had seen came from the lantern which hung by the steam-gage. -Softly they crept up the gangway to the pier above and there listened. -The main building of Camp Wickasaw, a rather elaborate cottage, stood -about two hundred feet away. Light shone from the door and from the -window to the right of it. Both were open, and the boys thought at -times they could hear the hum of voices. But they couldn’t be certain, -for Tom’s teeth were chattering loudly and they were all shivering -so they could scarcely keep still. But no one was in sight, and so -they hurried to the end of the pier and Dan mounted the railing. The -flagpole, a small affair, was secured to the floor of the pier and to -a post of the railing, and on it, barely visible in the darkness, hung -the obnoxious white flag. Unfortunately, it was two feet out of Dan’s -reach. - -“I’ve got to shin up a ways,” he whispered. Then he wound his legs -about the slender pole and started up. And then--well, then there was -a sharp sound of breaking wood, an involuntary cry from Dan, and an -instant later a mighty splash as boy and pole and a section of railing -went down into the water six feet below. And at that moment voices came -from the house and footsteps crunched the gravel of the path! - - - - -CHAPTER XV - -CONCLUDES THE ADVENTURE AND SHOWS TOM SLEEPING THE SLEEP OF THE JUST - - -At the first alarm Nelson and Tom had sprung down the gangway to the -float, ready to lend assistance to Dan. Luckily there were no boats at -the head of the pier, and so Dan had struck nothing harder than the -water. He was up in an instant. - -“Are you hurt?” called Nelson anxiously. - -“No, I’m all right,” was the reply. “Did they hear?” - -“Yes, they’re coming!” And Nelson slipped into the water, followed by -Tom, and struck out vigorously. - -“Swim like the dickens!” counseled Dan. “Make for the shore!” - -Back of them a lantern was swaying down the path and a voice cried: - -“Who’s that? What’s the matter?” - -But the boys offered no explanations. They were very busy at that -moment. There was no thought now of quietness; their one endeavor was -to get to shore as soon as possible. Once Nelson turned to look. The -light of the lantern showed two or possibly three forms on the pier, -and from the way the lantern was lowered and carried back and forth he -knew that they had seen the wet footprints and, perhaps, had discovered -the loss of the pole. - -“Some of your boys on a lark, I fancy,” said a voice. “I’m certain I -heard them swimming away as I came down. No, I won’t go along, thanks.” - -When Nelson glanced back again the lantern was moving about the float. -After that he attended strictly to business. Tom and Dan were well in -the lead and he swam his hardest to overtake them. Hand over hand he -went, _splash_, _splash_, his eyes full of water, and his breath coming -harder and harder. Then a new sound came to him, the steady churn of -the Chicora’s propeller. Desperation lent new strength and in a dozen -strokes he was even with Dan; Tom still led by a couple of lengths. - -“They’re after us in the launch,” gasped Dan. “When we get--near -shore--spread out--and take--to the woods. They won’t see--the canoe.” - -“All right,” answered Nelson. - -The camp record for the quarter mile was something a little under -nine minutes, but there is no doubt but that that record was smashed -to fragments that night, at least by Tom. Yet in spite of their best -endeavors the launch gained on them from the start. Had they had -much farther to go they would have been caught beyond a doubt. As -it was they were in the darkness under the trees before the Chicora -could reach them. The launch could not come nearer than twenty yards -from shore because of her draft, and that fact saved them. As they -floundered, up to their waists, over the submerged branches and rocks -toward land they heard a hail from the boat: - -“Stop where you are or I’ll fire at you!” - -“Down!” whispered Dan. Nelson heard, but Tom, who was well ahead, -splashed on, sounding in the stillness like an elephant at his bath. -The Chicora had stopped her screw, and those on board were listening -intently. Dan and Nelson, flat on their stomachs in two feet of water, -made no sound and waited nervously for the report of Mr. Clinton’s -revolver. They were certain that he couldn’t see them and certain that -he wouldn’t shoot them if he did; but he might discharge his revolver -to scare them, and there was just an unpleasant possibility that one or -other of them might be hit by mistake. Tom had subsided on the ground -at the edge of the woods, and they could hear him panting heavily where -he lay. Then: - -“I heard only one,” said Mr. Clinton, his words coming clear and -distinct across the water. “Surely one of our boys wouldn’t do such a -trick alone.” - -“There may be more around, though,” said Thorpe. - -“I doubt it. More likely it was some one looking for a chance to steal. -Although why he wanted a flagpole is beyond me. Anyhow, we can’t get -any nearer. We’ll go on to camp, I guess.” - -Then, to the boys’ relief, the screw started again and the light that -marked the position of the launch moved away up the lake. - -“Quick!” whispered Dan. “We must make a run for it. If we can get into -our bunks before he gets there we’ll be all right.” - -They floundered out of the water, were joined by Tom, and went crashing -through the woods, bumping into trees, lashing their faces with -branches, and making enough noise to be heard by those on the launch -had it not been for the beat of the propeller. Fortunately the road was -but a short distance, and once on that they made fine time. - -“Talk about your hare-and-hounds!” gasped Nelson. “Gee!” - -When they reached the clearing they stopped running and went forward -cautiously. All was silent and deserted. In a moment they had gained -Maple Hall. But Dan stopped them before they had laid foot on the porch. - -“We must wipe our feet,” he said, “or Clint will see the tracks. Here.” - -Some one had left a towel over the railing, and with this they -hurriedly wiped their feet clean of dirt and leaves. Their bodies had -dried long since and were glowing from their exertions. Just as the -towel was thrown aside and they had mounted the porch a light gleamed -between the trees of the path from the landing and voices reached them. - -“Quick!” whispered Nelson. “What did you do with the towel? We mustn’t -leave it here.” He picked it up and followed the others into the -gloom of the dormitory, treading softly over the creaking boards. If -Dr. Smith was awake it was all up with them. But the bed by the door -gave no sound. The hall was silent save for the deep breathing and -occasional snores of its occupants. Nelson found his bunk, tossed the -soiled towel beneath it, dived into his pajamas, and slipped into bed -just as the door at the end of the dormitory became suddenly illumined -and footsteps sounded on the porch outside. He was panting hard, but -he drew the clothes up to his chin, threw one arm over his head, and -strove to look as though he had been asleep for hours. Then he waited, -hoping that Tom and Dan had gained their bunks and that Mr. Clinton -would not look too closely at his hair, which was still wet. - -Then the light glowed against his closed lids and he heard the Chief -and Mr. Thorpe walking slowly down the aisle. And at the same moment -he became aware of a sound he had not heard before, a loud, unmusical -wheeze and gurgle that came from his side of the hall further down. The -next instant he realized what it was and would have given much to have -been able to give vent to the laughter that threatened to choke him. -Tom was snoring! - -To have heard that snore would have satisfied any one that Thomas -Courtenay Ferris had been sleeping the sleep of the just for many -hours. And Mr. Clinton was no exception. When he raised the lantern -over Tom’s wide-open mouth and listened to the evidence that poured -forth he smiled and walked on. Up the aisle he went, stopping at each -bunk. And then: - -“Everything seems all right here, Thorpe,” Nelson heard him mutter. - -“Yes, I guess you were right, sir,” answered Mr. Thorpe with a yawn. - -“I guess I was, only--what any one should want with a flagpole is more -than I can see!” - -Then they retraced their steps, passed out of the door and disappeared, -and Nelson, raising his head with a sigh of relief, saw the lantern’s -light grow dimmer and dimmer. Two minutes later they were all on Dan’s -bunk, hysterically whispering and giggling, and it was an hour later -when sleepiness at last broke up the meeting. When the first bugle -sounded three of the occupants of Maple Hall only muttered and turned -over again, to arise finally with heavy eyes and aching limbs. - - - - -CHAPTER XVI - -RECORDS TWO VICTORIES OVER WICKASAW AND AN EPISODE WITH FISH - - -That afternoon a new flagpole was raised at Wickasaw and on it appeared -again a square of white cloth bearing the inscription “W. 18; C. 4.” -But Dan and Nelson and Tom only smiled knowingly when they saw it. -There are flags and flags; and they knew of one flag that would never -flutter again over the Wickasaw landing. For Dan had greatly surprised -the other two that morning by producing a very bedraggled square of -white sheeting bearing marks that, before its immersion in water, had -been two letters and two numerals. - -“Why, you got it after all!” exclaimed Tom. - -“You didn’t think I was coming away without it, did you?” asked Dan -scornfully. - -It was subsequently cut into four equal pieces and distributed -among the quartet, Bob having been duly apprised of the midnight -proceedings and having been so evidently hurt at being left out -of their confidence that he was made a recipient of a share of the -spoils of war. Directly after breakfast the Four had taken themselves -unobtrusively off through the woods to bring back the abandoned canoe. -When they neared the spot where they had left it they heard voices and -paused to consider. - -“Some of the fellows are ahead of us,” said Dan. “It’s Carter’s canoe -and they’ll want to know how the dickens it got down here. If Clint -hears of it he will put two and two together----” - -“And make we three,” finished Tom. - -“Come on,” said Bob. “You can say you paddled down a little while ago -and left it there.” - -“Which would be a silly lie,” said Dan. “Besides, they know we haven’t -had time. We’ll see who it is and ask them not to say anything about -it.” - -So they went on and emerged from the woods just in time to see two boys -in the white jerseys and trunks of Camp Wickasaw climb into the canoe -and start to paddle away to where, a little ways out, the Wickasaw -launch, manned by three other fellows was waiting. - -“Here, that’s our canoe!” shouted Dan. - -The two stopped paddling and looked doubtfully at the new arrivals. - -“Come on, Jack!” called a voice from the launch. “Don’t mind them!” -Whereupon the pair in the canoe dug the paddles again. - -“Drop those paddles and let that canoe alone, I tell you,” commanded -Dan again. “That canoe belongs to us and you know it.” - -“We found it,” said one of the fellows. They stopped paddling again and -would undoubtedly have relinquished the craft then and there had not -their companions in the launch encouraged them to keep on. - -“I don’t care if you did,” answered Dan. “We left it here.” - -“When?” asked a Wickasaw youth. - -“That’s no affair of yours,” said Bob. “Just you tumble out or we’ll -throw you out.” - -“Bring it along, you fellows!” came from the launch. “If it’s theirs -they’ll have to prove it.” - -“It was on our land,” said Nelson, raising his voice and addressing the -party in the launch. - -“No, it wasn’t either. Your line’s away over there. This land belongs -to Mr. Carpenter. You fellows swiped our flag last night and if you -want that canoe you’ll have to come over to camp and prove it belongs -to you. Bring it out, Jack.” - -“Come on,” said Dan quietly. “We can get to ’em before they reach the -launch.” And he led the way into the water on the run, stumbling over -hidden obstacles and making straight for the canoe. Bob and Nelson and -Tom followed. As soon as there was depth enough they threw themselves -forward and began to swim. Meanwhile the two lads in the canoe were -paddling for all they were worth and the launch had started up and -was coming in gingerly to meet them. Had they been expert paddlers -the two Wickasaw youths might easily have won that race with the long -start they had, but neither of them knew very much about it and their -strokes got more and more flurried and ragged as Dan and the others -began to overhaul them. The launch had sighted obstructions and was now -backing again, the while its occupants shouted encouragement to their -companions and defiance to the foe. Half a dozen yards from the launch -Dan’s hand reached up and seized the end of the canoe. The nearest -paddler raised his “beaver tail” threateningly. - -“If you hit me with that,” said Dan calmly, “I’ll just about drown -you.” And while the other hesitated Tom, coming through the water -like a torpedo-boat, joined Dan. The launch, its occupants angry and -excited, was trying to reach the scene. But it didn’t get there in time. - -“Over with them,” said Dan, and the next instant the two Wickasaw boys -were struggling in the water. Dan grabbed one of them and Bob, who had -arrived on the scene of action meanwhile, seized the other. The -wearers of the white and red disappeared from sight. When they came up -a moment later, choking and sputtering, the paddles had been wrested -from them and the capsized canoe was yards away in charge of Nelson. A -big youth with a very red and angry face stood on the bow of the launch -aiming blows at Dan with the boat-hook. But he was a yard too far away -and Dan only grinned at him exasperatingly and said: - -[Illustration: “Over with them,” said Dan.] - -“Say, if you don’t look out you’ll fall overboard, and if you do--well, -I won’t do a thing to you!” - -The former occupants of the canoe had been released and the way they -were striking out for the launch was beautiful to see. Bob brought down -the paddle he held behind one of them, which so alarmed the swimmer -that he went down again. Nelson, having dragged the canoe out of range, -returned, eager for the fray. But the fray was over, all save verbal -encounters, and the Four, with a final retort to the revilements thrown -at them, turned their backs to the enemy and swam leisurely back to -land, rescuing and righting the canoe on the way. Then they got into it -and paddled off up the shore, leaving the Wickasaw launch churning the -water angrily in an effort to get free of a sunken tree trunk or rock -upon which she had run her bow. As long as they were in ear-shot taunts -and challenges followed them, but they could afford to be calm and -undisturbed; they had come off victorious. When last seen the launch -had finally got clear and was chugging its way home. - -The Four returned to camp in the best of humor and set about their -neglected duties. Luckily they all had easy tasks that morning and so -were able to report on time to the orderly. Bob felt in such conceit -with himself that he selected that morning for his interview with Mr. -Clinton regarding the proposed canoe trip and half an hour afterward -sought out the others with cheerful countenance. - -“It’s all right,” he announced. “Clint says we may go for three days. -We’re to start next Monday morning and we must be back to camp by -Wednesday night. We’re to keep away from hotels and behave ourselves. -He wanted to send one of the councilors along with us at first. Then he -thought better of it; said he guessed we could be trusted to look after -ourselves for three days. Isn’t it great?” - -“Bu-bu-bu-bully!” sputtered Tom. - -“Swell!” said Nelson. - -“Out of sight!” declared Dan. And they began to lay plans for the trip -then and there. Bob produced a map of the country thereabouts and they -proceeded to mark it up with pencil lines until, had they followed -all the routes laid out, they would have been busy for the rest of the -year. When it was time for “soak” the route was still undecided, but as -the hour of departure was yet six days off that didn’t much matter. - -The next day Dan and Nelson went fishing up at the head of the lake -near Evergreen Island. They brought home seven bass and four chub. The -bass went to the cook, and appeared on the supper table, but the chub -Dan took up to the storehouse with the explanation that he was going to -put them on ice until the next day. - -“Oh, throw them away,” said Nelson. “Nobody wants to eat chub.” - -“That’s all you know about it,” answered Dan. “Bob’s terribly fond of -them. I’m going to give them to him, but don’t say anything about it -because I want to surprise him.” - -Nelson eyed him suspiciously. - -“I’ll bet you’re up to one of your silly jokes,” he said. Nevertheless -he kept his own counsel. - -That night Bob and Joe Carter and his brother, who since Saturday’s -baseball game was looked upon as a veritable hero, played euchre on -Bob’s bunk from after camp-fire until it was time to go to bed. Dan -looked on awhile but seemed very fidgety and quoted somebody whose -name he didn’t remember to the effect that cards were only fit for -fools and imbeciles. Finally he wandered back to his own bunk and began -to prepare for slumber. Tom was already in bed with his lantern rigged -up beside his pillow and was deep in his fascinating book. - -“What are that silly hero and the girl doing now?” asked Dan. - -“Escaping from the lighthouse,” answered Tom without raising his eyes -from the volume. - -“How? In a trolley car?” asked Dan sarcastically. - -“Boat; and they’ve only got one oar and there’s a peach of a storm -coming up, and they haven’t got anything to eat, and----” - -“Tommy, you ought to be ashamed to read such trash,” said Dan severely. -Then he seized the book and sent it with excellent aim to the farther -end of the hall, where it narrowly missed Bob’s nose and created -consternation among the card-players. Tom leaped out of bed and raced -after it, and during the next thirty seconds Dan, unnoticed of all, -worked very hard. Having recovered his book Tom started to retrace his -steps. - -“Don’t you bring that pernicious literature around here,” warned Dan. -“If you do I shall be forced to take it away from you. I must protect -my morals at any cost.” - -Tom told him what he thought of his morals and then annexed Nelson’s -bunk and returned to his story. When he was ready for bed Dan went -visiting farther down the dormitory. The result of this maneuvering -was that when bedtime came and the lights at the ends of the hall were -put out by the councilors Tom and Dan were still out of their bunks. -The former closed his book with a sigh of regret and stumbled down the -aisle. Dan heard him putting the book away. Then there was a moment of -silence save for the whispers of the fellows, and then---- - -“_Gu-gu-gosh!_” shrieked Tom, leaping out of bed again. -“Wh-wh-wh-what’s in my bed?” - -Instantly the dormitory was in a turmoil, the fellows, scenting fun, -tumbling out of their bunks to gather about Tom, who stood, wild-eyed -and disgusted, in the middle of the aisle. - -“What’s the matter?” they asked him expectantly. - -“Somebody’s pu-pu-put something nu-nu-nasty in my bed,” he answered. “I -bu-bu-bu-bet it was Du-du-du-Dan did it!” - -“What’s that about me?” asked Dan innocently. By this time there were -plenty of lanterns, and Tom gingerly threw back his blankets. In the -bed repose four slimy, cold chub, their round eyes seemingly fixed -reproachfully upon Tom. - -“Fish!” shouted Nelson quite as though he hadn’t expected it. - -“Chub!” cried Dan. - -Tom, cautiously examining his bedfellows, caught the expression on -Dan’s face. - -“You du-du-did it!” he shrieked wrathfully, and seizing one of the fish -by the tail he whirled it once around his head and let it fly at Dan. -Now, as anybody who had ever attempted to throw a fresh fish by his -tail must know, accuracy is impossible. That’s why the chub, instead of -hitting Dan, smacked itself straight into Dr. Smith’s face. But Tom was -not to be easily discouraged. Without stopping for apologies he seized -upon the remaining fish and chased Dan down the aisle and out into -the darkness under a veritable fusillade of chub. Tom’s aim was hasty -and the chub were slippery, and so Dan escaped all save one of the -missiles. That one took him squarely in the back and imprinted itself -upon his nice clean light blue pajamas. Then Tom went back to make his -peace with Dr. Smith. - -That night was long remembered. Tom’s misadventure was the forerunner -of others. Several beds were upset with their contents and “sneakers” -were so thick in the air that Dan, cautiously returning from outer -darkness into inner gloom, was struck twice between the door and his -bunk. - -It was almost midnight when the councilors at last secured quiet. -And then, just when most fellows were getting drowsy, there was a -strange, uncanny noise like that of a man talking through a hundred -feet of gas-pipe, a whirring and buzzing, and finally a loud discordant -laugh and a jumble of shrill words that sounded as though they were -coming from the stove. Somebody in some manner had got hold of Wells’s -phonograph and started it going. Up and down the hall fellows sat up in -bed and laughed and shouted their applause. Bedlam was loose again! - -“Give us ‘Bluebell’!” some one demanded. - -“I want ‘Hiawatha’!” called another. - -“Cornet solo, please!” - -Then Dr. Smith’s voice was heard above the babel. - -“Cut it out now, fellows! Wells, stop that noise!” - -“I didn’t do it, sir.” - -“I don’t care who did it; I want it stopped.” - -“Why, Wells, you know you did it!” said some one up the hall. - -“Sounded just like your voice, Wells!” called another. - -“Cut it out, fellows,” said Dr. Smith sternly. - -“Yes, sir.” - -“All right, Doctor!” - -“Good night, sir!” - -“Thank you for stopping the noise, Doctor; I’m very sleepy!” - -“Yes, sir; thank you, sir!” - -Then followed giggles--silence--slumber. - -Three of the Four were very busy for the balance of the week. Every -afternoon there was hard practise on the diamond for the baseball team -in preparation for the second game with Wickasaw on Saturday afternoon. -If Wickasaw should win this game she would have the series; if not, -a third game would be played. Dan had made up his mind to conquer, -and the way he worked the team was a caution. On Thursday there was -a spirited contest between the camp nine and the scrub in which Mr. -Clinton distinguished himself by knocking three home runs out of five -times at bat. But for all that the first team won handily, displaying -far better form than at any time during the season. - -Besides the practise there was a lot of planning to do in regard to -the trip. By Friday all arrangements were complete, and at last they -had agreed on a route. They were to go through to Hipp’s Pond, carry -across to Northwest Bay, and so reach Lake Winnipesaukee. Tuesday they -would cruise on the lake and on Wednesday they would return as far as -The Weirs by train and from there paddle home again. They were to take -two canoes, not so much because they were both necessary as because -it looked more imposing. A 7 x 9 canoe tent, blankets, an aluminum -cooking outfit, a waterproof duffle bag, a few provisions, hatchet, -fishing-tackle, camera, and compass made up the bulk of their luggage. -Tom was strongly desirous of taking a great many more things, among -them a checker-board, a pack of cards, and his wonderful book--but the -others refused. - -“We may have to carry a good ways,” explained Bob. “If we do you’ll be -glad we haven’t any more truck, Tommy.” - -Mr. Clinton gave his counsel and help and regretted many times that he -wasn’t going along. By Saturday morning all luggage was assembled under -Dan’s bed and nothing remained but to await as patiently as possible -the hour of embarkment. Naturally, they were much envied by the other -boys and many were the applications received for membership in the -expedition. - -Wickasaw appeared on the field Saturday afternoon minus one of their -councilors, who was too ill to play. As he was one of the best of the -Wickasaw nine his absence was partly accountable for the result of the -contest. But Chicora’s playing had a good deal to do with it. Wells -pitched a good game and very few hits were made off his delivery. On -the other hand Nelson and Bob and Loom, who played short-stop, were -able to find the Wickasaw pitcher for a number of timely hits. At the -end of the sixth inning Chicora had a comfortable lead of four runs. In -the seventh an epidemic of errors in the Wickasaw infield enabled her -rival to pile on three more, and the game ended with a score 9 to 3 in -Chicora’s favor. - -Dan spent most of the evening manufacturing a flag of victory, while -the other three lent him valuable advice. He sacrificed one of his -two pillow-slips and on it drew a broom--which he explained was -emblematic of victory and a clean sweep--from the upper right-hand to -the lower left-hand corner. Above it, in amazing letters and numerals, -he inscribed “Chicora 9!”; below it in much smaller characters he -traced the inscription: “Wick. 3.” As his exclamation point had much -the appearance of a figure 1, the score at first glance was a bit -startling. When they went for their dip in the morning they attached -the flag to the line under the camp banner. - -“They won’t be able to steal it if they want to,” said Dan. “Because, -you see, it’ll come down at night and go up to camp.” - -The only thing that marred his happiness that morning was the fact that -there was no breeze and consequently the flag hung straight downward -and failed to flaunt its message to the eyes of the inhabitants of Bear -Island. - -Sunday passed very slowly for the Four. In the forenoon they wrote -their regular weekly letters home and had their “soak.” At noon -they ate a great deal of dinner. In the afternoon they secured the -motor-dory and with three others went for a trip around the lake. But -for the most part their thoughts were set on the morrow. In the middle -of the night Nelson awoke in a most unhappy frame of mind. He had -dreamed that it was raining so hard that the dormitory was afloat and -Dr. Smith was dealing out rowboats so that they could get to breakfast. -But one glance through the open window at the foot of the bunk brought -relief. The night was still and cool and through the silent leaves the -white stars were twinkling merrily. - - - - -CHAPTER XVII - -WITNESSES THE DEPARTURE OF THE FOUR ON A CANOE TRIP AND BRINGS THEM -INTO CAMP FOR THE NIGHT - - -Half the inhabitants of the camp saw them off and, being envious, -professed to be glad they were not going themselves. - -“Look out for bears, Tommy,” counseled Joe Carter. “You’d make a nice -fat breakfast for them.” - -Joe had very willingly contributed his canoe to the expedition, but he -would have liked mightily to go along. - -Finally the last of the things were stowed away in the two canoes and -the paddles were dipped. - -“Be very careful,” said Mr. Clinton, “and take good care of yourselves. -Good-by.” - -“Good-by!” yelled the crowd on the landing, and---- - -“Good-by, sir,” called the Four. “Good-by, fellows!” - -In the excitement of the moment the “Babe” fell off the pier, and -during the subsequent hilarity the two canoes sped out into the lake. -In one sat Nelson and Dan, in the other Bob and Tom. They were to -change about when they reached Northwest Bay. As they swung around the -corner of Bear Island a number of the Wickasaw fellows were on the -pier. From the flagpole hung the objectionable white banner. - -“Take it down,” shouted Dan. “It’s out of date!” - -“Come and get it,” answered one of the assembly. - -“Oh, we haven’t got time,” said Nelson. - -“One’s enough for us,” added Tom. - -Whereupon they were subjected to a chorus of angry jeers and hoots. -That raised their spirits still higher and they shot under the bridge -at Crescent as happy a quartet as ever paddled their own--or any one -else’s--canoe. There was very little wind and what there was favored -their progress. Little of interest happened during the voyage to the -head of Hipp’s Pond. By that time they were all glad to lay down the -paddles and stretch tired arms and legs. From the pond across to -the bay was a matter of two miles over a well-traveled trail. After -a few minutes of rest the outfit was apportioned and they set out. -Dan carried one canoe and Bob the other, and Nelson and Tom shared -the luggage. A seventy-pound canoe weighs one hundred pounds at the -beginning of the carry, two hundred at the end of the first half mile, -and something like a ton at the end of the mile. After that it gains -four tons every three hundred yards. That’s one reason it took the -party just short of an hour and a half to cover that two miles. They -changed burdens frequently, but, even so, when Nelson suggested that -they return all the way by water and train, cutting out the present -feature of the trip, they were unanimous in favor of the suggestion. - -“I never knew a canoe weighed so much,” grunted Dan, stumbling over a -log. “I’ll bet the Chicora isn’t half so heavy as this pesky thing!” - -“Wish we’d brought only one of them,” said Tom, who was struggling with -the other. “Don’t see what we needed two for. You fellows wouldn’t let -me bring things that were really necessary, but you had to saddle us -with a canoe that isn’t needed at all.” - -“Dry up, Tommy,” said Nelson. “You’re doing finely, if only you’d lift -your feet now and then. Talking about unnecessary things, now, I don’t -see what you have two feet for; one of them is big enough for any -ordinary person. Look out there! I told you so!” - -Thereupon burdens were set down, not unwillingly, while the canoe was -lifted off of the prostrate form of Tom and balanced over his shoulders -again. - -“Well, we’re almost there,” said Bob encouragingly. “And this is the -last time we’ll have to lug things.” - -“Almost there!” grumbled Tom. “You’ve been saying that ever since we -started. Don’t believe there is any ‘there’!” - -But there was, and presently it came into sight, a narrow strip of blue -water just barely ruffled in the breeze. When they reached the bank -they laid aside their loads and stretched themselves out gratefully in -the shade. - -“Hooray!” murmured Dan. - -“Me too,” sighed Tom. - -Bob, who appeared the least fatigued of the party, got out the tin -cup and served drinking water and was called blessed. Nelson took the -camera from the case and snapped it several times at the recumbent -forms. Then the canoes were slipped into the water and the luggage -arranged again. This time Nelson and Bob paddled together, and Dan and -Tom. As they started away Tom waved his arm politely toward the trail -through which they had journeyed. - -“Good morning, Carry,” he called. - -And Dan was heard threatening that if he ever said anything like that -again he would be tipped out of the canoe. - -“And this time,” added Dan, “I won’t jump in and rescue you!” - -Noon saw them opposite Beacon Point, and heading across the water they -found a comfortable spot and drew the canoes up on to a tiny sandy -beach. They had provided themselves with a cold lunch for the first -meal and they ate it lying around on their elbows or stretched flat -on their backs in the shade of a big white birch which fluttered its -leaves above their faces. The lunch was principally sandwiches and -gingerbread and apples, but it tasted better than any meal they had -eaten for a long time, and Tom begged to be allowed to attack the other -supplies after his share of the feast had vanished. He was heartlessly -denied and presently fell asleep, where he lay and snored beautifully -in four distinct keys for half an hour. Perhaps the others slept a -little as well. The sun was delightfully warm and life held no cares. - -By one o’clock they were on their way again. Camps and their -attendant landings, with here and there a hotel or boarding-house, -became frequent along the shores, while in the distance launches and -steam-boats shone like white specks against the blue water. Now and -then a canoe or sailboat passed them with its merry party. - -“Seems to me,” said Dan, who was paddling at bow in Bob’s canoe, “that -folks down here don’t have anything to do but float around on the -water. It’s a sick way to spend vacation.” - -“What ought they to do?” asked Bob carelessly. - -“Anything so as not to be so plumb lazy. Look, there’s a swell camp -over there, Bob.” - -“And that’s a dandy on the little island over there. Hey, Nelson, how’d -you like to have to live there all summer?” - -“I wouldn’t kick. That’s swell, isn’t it? There are some mighty fine -places along here. It’s prettier than Chicora in that way.” - -“Yes, but you’d soon get tired of having so many camps around you; it’s -too crowded. What’s the point over there, I wonder.” And Bob pulled his -map out for the fortieth time. “Shingle Point,” he announced. “Now, why -the dickens do they call it that? It doesn’t look like a shingle, it -doesn’t feel like a shingle, and it doesn’t smell like a shingle.” - -“You’re a silly chump, Bob,” said Dan. “It’s called Shingle Point -because it scratches like a shingle, of course.” - -“How does a shingle scratch?” asked Nelson. - -“With its nails,” chuckled Dan. - -“Splash him for me, please,” Nelson begged, and Bob obligingly obeyed, -sending a fine shower against Dan’s back. - -“I suppose that’s Clapboard Island there off Shingle Point?” asked Tom. - -“And that’s Shutter Cove yonder,” said Dan. - -“Well, that looks like a boarding-house on the hill,” added Nelson. - -“Maybe we could get a planked steak there,” Bob suggested. - -“Oh, this is awful,” laughed Nelson. “Come on, Tommy, let’s get out of -this atmosphere.” And they bent to their paddles in an endeavor to draw -away from the other craft. But Bob and Dan were ready for a race and -they had it out for a quarter of a mile, nip and tuck, Tom, who had yet -to acquire skill at paddling, throwing water over himself and whoever -came within six yards of him, but nevertheless managing to keep his end -up. When they called the contest off, both parties claiming victory, -they had reached a point where it was necessary to choose their course. -Before them the island which Tom had dubbed Clapboard barred their -direct path and it became a question of going to right or left. Bob -consulted the map once more. - -“It doesn’t make much difference,” he said. “The right is a bit nearer -according to this.” - -“Right it is, then,” answered Dan. - -“Let’s quit for a while,” said Tom. “My arms are lamer than thunder.” - -“All right, Tommy.” So they laid aside their paddles, scooped the water -up in their hands and drank, and then disposed themselves comfortably -in the canoes. - -“Is the tide going in or out?” asked Nelson absent-mindedly. Then he -wondered why the others laughed at him until he recollected that he was -not on salt water. Bob brought his canoe alongside the other and held -it there while they bobbed lazily about in the afternoon sunlight. - -“Who knows where the fishing-tackle is?” asked Tom. - -“I do,” Dan answered, “but we haven’t any bait.” - -“I’ll go ashore and dig some. We ought to have some fish for supper.” - -“I’ll eat myself all the fish you’ll catch, Tommy,” said Bob. “But go -ahead and get your bait. How many lines are there?” - -“Two,” said Tom. “You take the other and I bet I’ll catch more’n you -do.” - -“All right, Izaak Walton. Run away and get your bait. But it’s -dollars to doughnuts you won’t find anything but earthworms, and no -self-respecting fish will bite at those.” - -“A chub will take anything,” said Dan. - -“Yes, but we won’t take the chub,” answered Nelson. “I’ll go hungry -before I’ll eat those things.” - -“Chub are all right,” said Dan. “You ask Tommy; he knows all about -chub, don’t you, Tommy?” - -But Tommy, searching for the hatchet, made no response. Armed with -this weapon in lieu of a spade he paddled in to the shore, Nelson, on -his back with one foot over each gunwale, taking slight interest in -the proceedings. Tom disappeared into the woods and was presently back -again with a varied collection of worms and bugs gathered from rotten -logs and from the earth. They returned to the other canoe, and he and -Bob made ready their lines. - -“I’d like to know what sort of beasts these are,” said Bob disgustedly. -“I’m afraid to touch some of them. Here, I’ll use the earthworms and -leave these fancy things to you; and I hope they bite you. There, here -goes for a whale.” - -He threw his line out, and Tom followed a moment later with his. Then -they waited while Dan and Nelson sarcastically made bets on the result. -After five minutes without a nibble Bob grew restive. - -“Any one know whether there are any fish in this lake?” he asked. - -“All fished out, I guess,” said Dan. But at that moment Tom gave a -suppressed whoop of excitement and began to let out his line. - -“Play him, Tommy,” said Nelson lazily. “It’s probably a codfish.” - -“Fu-fu-fu-feels like a wh-wh-whale!” answered Tom. - -“Now don’t get excited,” advised Dan. “Give him his head for a while. -Maybe it’s a sunfish.” - -But Tom was really having all he could attend to, for whatever was on -the end of his line was making the gamest sort of a fight. Tom had to -let out several yards of line, for he was none too sure of his leader. -Then he began to take it in again a little at a time until the fish, -which seemed to have given up the struggle, was not six feet away. They -all peered wonderingly into the water, but it was too rough to allow -the fish to be seen. - -“I’m going to pull him in,” said Tom in a hoarse whisper. “You fellows -su-su-stand by to gu-gu-grab him!” Then he pulled in hand over hand, -there was a thrashing a yard away and a momentary glimpse of a big -silvery body that turned and twisted. Then Tom sat down suddenly in the -canoe, sending it down to the gunwale and shipping several quarts of -water, while the end of the line, minus leader and hook, flew over his -head. - -“_Gosh!_” exclaimed Tom, picking himself up and looking disgustedly -into the water. - -“Say, he was a peach!” said Dan. “What do you suppose he was?” - -“Trout,” said Bob. - -“Salmon,” said Nelson. - -“He was the biggest I ever saw in fresh water, anyway,” Dan declared. -Tom was feverishly fitting a new leader and baiting his hook. - -“Maybe he’ll be back,” he whispered excitedly. - -“Not he,” said Bob. “He’s scared to death. I’ll bet he’s half a mile -away by this time. Hello!” He had drawn in his own line, forgotten in -the excitement, and found the hook empty. “I got a bite at last.” - -“So did the fish,” laughed Nelson. - -Tom’s “whale” didn’t put in any appearance, but at the end of half an -hour or so he had four fair-sized bass and two chub to his credit, -while Bob had only one small perch to show. - -“You win, Tommy,” he said, winding up his line. “The old farm is yours, -to say nothing of the wood-lot on the hill. Now let’s get along. It’s -after four and we ought to get to Morris Island by five.” - -So they took to the paddles again and glided on through the channel -that divided the island from the mainland. At the end of the island -they met one of the steamers, her deck well filled with passengers who -waved and shouted to them as they swept past. There was lots to see -now, for they were well inshore and the houses and cabins were thick -thereabouts. At the end of an hour their camp-site was in view. Morris -Island lay well out in the lake and was one of the largest there. A -few camps were scattered over it, but there was plenty of room for a -night’s lodging. They crept along the shore until they found a little -cove with a gravelly beach. Here they disembarked, stretched their -limbs, and set about making camp. - -The canoes were emptied, carried up under the trees, and laid bottom -side up for the night. Tom went off after firewood, and the others -unpacked the cooking things and set up the tents. Bob, who had had -experience in camping, took command. The blankets were distributed, -water was brought, and a big log was rolled down to the edge of the -beach. Tom came back with his first armful of wood, and Bob set about -the building of the fire. With some small stones dug from the beach -he built a fireplace, the back wall of which was the tree trunk. -Between the side walls he dug out the gravel for a depth of six inches, -continuing the excavations for a foot or so in front. Then with a -broad, flat stone he made a hearth, fixing it in such a way that there -was a draft from front to back. On the flat stone he threw some dried -grass and twigs and lighted them. Then Tom’s supply was drawn upon -and in a moment there was a roaring fire. With the hatchet Bob cut a -stout branch, sharpened one end, and thrust it into the earth so that -it leaned over the fireplace. From this, just above the flames, he -depended the water-kettle. The cooking utensils and the provisions were -spread out and Nelson and Dan were set to cleaning the fish. The bread -was cut--Tom managing to gash his finger in the operation--the coffee -made, and the potatoes were washed and plumped into the boiling water. -Meanwhile the skillet was leaning against the fireplace getting hot. - -Dan and Tom and Nelson sat down and watched, jumping up now and then to -do Bob’s bidding, but for the most part cultivating their appetites by -observing the preparation of supper. Bob seemed to know just what to do -and how to do it. By the time the potatoes were almost done the fish -were frying in the skillet and the coffee-pot was singing a tune of its -own. - -Then plates were passed around and in a moment there was a deep and -eloquent silence that lasted until Tommy, with a sigh, laid down his -plate and reached for the frying-pan. “Work,” quoth Tom, “makes a -fellow hungry.” - -“Work!” answered Nelson scathingly. - -“Work!” grunted Dan. - -“Work!” laughed Bob. - -“Huh!” Tom retaliated. “Who caught these fish?” - -“Well, even if you did catch them you needn’t eat them all,” said Dan, -wresting the skillet from his hands. “There are others, my boy. Pour me -some more coffee, Bob, will you?” - -While they ate, with the smoke from the dying fire floating straight -into the air and the last rays of the sun tinging the lake with -rose-gold, the steamer from The Weirs passed a little way out, her -cabin windows alight and her lanterns flashing red and green and white -across the mirror-like surface. Bob waved the coffee-pot, incidentally -splashing Tom’s face with the contents, and a group at the stern of -the boat fluttered their handkerchiefs. Then the dishes were washed at -the edge of the lake and the fire replenished. After that they took -a stroll along the shore, pausing now and then to shy pebbles at the -muskrats which, with little bullet-shaped heads just above the water, -swam hither and thither, leaving long ripples behind them. Back to -camp they wandered just at dark and sat for a while in the light of -the little fire, and then they rolled themselves in their blankets and -dropped off to sleep one by one, Tom’s unmusical snores alone breaking -the silence. And so ended the first day of the trip; not an exciting -one, to be sure, but one of the happiest of the summer. - - - - -CHAPTER XVIII - -TELLS HOW THEY FOUND A DERELICT AND A COURSE DINNER, AND MET WITH -SHIPWRECK - - -When they awoke nature presented a far different aspect. A stiff, cold -wind blew out of the northeast, the sky was hidden by dark clouds -that hurried up the lake, and the water was of a leaden green hue and -crested with whitecaps. They viewed the prospect gloomily while they -tumbled into their clothes and lighted the morning fire. But a good -breakfast put them in better spirits, and at half past eight they were -in the canoes again battling with wind and waves. It was hard paddling, -and to make it worse the spray drenched them before they had made a -half mile of progress. Long before noon, in spite of many rests, they -were ready to seek the shore. The wind increased with every hour and -the heavy clouds drove faster and faster into the southwest. At half -past ten they decided to land and so turned the bows of the canoes -toward a fair-sized island that guarded the entrance to a bay. It was -while making for this that Bob, who was in the leading canoe with Dan, -pointed to an object which drifted along a quarter of a mile up the -lake. - -“Looks like a boat, doesn’t it?” he asked. - -“It surely does,” Dan answered after studying it a moment. “But it -seems to be empty. Let’s go and investigate.” - -So they shouted to the others and paddled away in the direction of the -derelict. When they drew near they saw that it was a cedar rowboat, -apparently a yacht’s tender. At the stern was the word “Elf.” It was -almost half full of water and a crimson sweater washed to and fro in -the bottom. There were no oars in it and the rowlocks were not in place. - -“If it wasn’t for the rowlocks being out,” said Dan, “I’d think there’d -been an accident. But I guess no one ever went overboard and stopped to -take the rowlocks out. What’ll we do with it?” - -“Tow it over to the island,” answered Bob promptly. “That’s maybe where -it belongs. It’s a derelict and we can claim salvage. She’s a fine -little boat, isn’t she?” - -When they worked the canoe up to the tender’s bow the mystery was -explained. A few feet of rope, frayed at the end, told the story. - -“She’s blown away from the landing,” said Dan. “That painter probably -sawed itself in two during the night; probably rubbed against the edge -of the wharf. We’ll claim the reward if we can find the owner.” - -So they took the end of the rope aboard and tried to paddle away. -They’d probably been there yet had not Nelson and Tom come up presently -and lent assistance. A half-filled rowboat is no light tow in a heavy -sea, and by the time they had beached it they were all well tired out. -After turning the water out of it, and wringing the sweater until it -was somewhat drier, they set out on a tour of discovery. - -There were no habitations in sight from their landing-place, but a -few minutes’ walk took them around a corner of the island and brought -them in sight of a sumptuous camp building which, planned like a Swiss -chalet, stood on a little bluff above the edge of the lake and towered -up among the trees. Jutting into the water was a long pier with several -craft of different kinds about it, while further out a sixty-foot steam -yacht was moored. - -“Bet you this is the place,” said Tom. “How much we going to ask for -reward?” - -“Nothing,” said Bob. Tom looked disappointed, but the others agreed -that they wouldn’t take any money for the rescue of the tender. As they -approached a ferocious-looking bull-terrier made a dash at them and -barked savagely, only to change his behavior on closer acquaintance -and leap about them joyfully. The noise brought one of the inmates -of the house to the front door, and he waved greetings to the party -and awaited their approach. He was a middle-aged man, rather fussily -dressed--as Dan put it--for camp-life, and he held a newspaper in his -hand and smoked a pipe. At the steps Bob became spokesman and explained -their errand. - -“A cedar tender named ‘Elf,’ eh?” asked the man. “That’s mine, sure -enough. Found her afloat, eh? Well, I’m mightily obliged to you, -gentlemen. Come in, come in! Get out of the way there, Pete. Oh, Jack! -tell Barry to go around the island on the lake side and bring home the -tender. The fool thing ran away last night and a party found her half -full of water.” - -“All right,” answered an unseen voice from the house, and the Four, -following the host, found themselves in a great living-room at one -end of which big logs blazed in a monstrous fireplace. The room was -beautifully furnished; bright-hued rugs covered the floor, heads of -deer, bears, and caribous adorned the walls, and a giant moose head -glared down from the stone chimney above the high mantel. A flight of -stairs led past the chimney to a gallery which ran around three sides -of the building and from which the up-stairs rooms opened. Over the -gallery railing hung hides and pelts of deer, bears, foxes, and other -animals. The host led the way to the fire, before which two ladies -and a second man were sitting. The latter proved to be “Jack,” and -“Jack’s” last name proved to be Merrill. The boys gave their names, -and were duly introduced. The host’s name was Carey; one of the ladies -was Mrs. Carey, and the other was a Miss White. The inhabitants of -the camp were dressed as though they were in a city house instead of -a log building on the edge of the wilderness, and the boys regretted -their own scanty attire. That is, three of them did; I can’t honestly -say that Tom looked worried about the matter. But, for that, neither -did their hosts. The boys were given places about the broad hearth, -and the bull-terrier threw himself down at their feet and viewed them -with a friendly grin. Bob, with occasional help from his companions, -told about their trip, about Camp Chicora, and about the finding of the -tender. The matter of reward was broached, but, upon their refusal to -consider it, was not pressed. - -“But you’ll have to take dinner with us,” said Mr. Carey, and the -others indorsed him. The boys were nothing loath to change camp-fare -for the luxuries promised by the appearance of the camp and its -inmates, and Tom, who had possibly feared a refusal on the part of his -companions, heaved a sigh of relief when they accepted the invitation. -After that they spent the jolliest kind of an hour until dinner -was announced. They were taken over the house and marveled at its -conveniences and appointments; they were challenged to a game of pool -by Miss White, accepted, and were one and all badly beaten; they were -shown the contents of the gun-racks by Mr. Carey, and listened to his -tales of moose and caribou hunting in the north with tingling veins; -and finally they were conducted by a smart servant to a cozy up-stairs -room to get ready for dinner. - -“Wish I had a little more on,” said Bob ruefully, looking at his scant -camp uniform in the big mirror. “I don’t feel decent.” - -“I wouldn’t mind so much,” said Dan, “if I even had long trousers. My -legs look awfully bare.” - -“Bet we have a swell dinner,” was Tom’s contribution to the subject. - -And Tom was quite right. The dinner came on in so many courses that he -lost count of them, and was as perfect as though served in the heart -of New York city. Afterward they went back to the big fireplace and -watched the four-foot logs blazing and crackling, and talked lazily -while the wind blustered against the windows. Tom almost fell asleep -once, and Dan had to kick him hard before he was fully awake again. -About two o’clock Bob suggested departure. - -“Why don’t you stay overnight with us?” asked Mrs. Carey. “You really -ought not to go out on the lake in canoes a day like this.” - -“That’s so,” said her husband. “No sense in it at all. You stay right -here until this storm blows over. If you like, in the morning I’ll take -you up the lake on the yacht. I can get you up to Northwest Bay in no -time.” - -But Bob thanked them and declined. And Tom sighed dolefully. So a -half-hour later they took their departure amid cordial invitations to -come again. Mr. Carey walked around to their landing-place with them -and was much interested in their canoes and outfit. And after they were -afloat and paddling away he waved to them from the shore and laughingly -cautioned them not to get drowned. - -Tom was loud in his expressions of disfavor of their course. - -“Don’t see why you fellows wouldn’t stay,” he grumbled. “Gee! you don’t -know when you’re well off. Think of the supper and breakfast we’ve -missed! And the dandy beds! And that peach of a fire! And----” - -“Mind your paddle,” said Bob. “You’re kicking up an awful mess with it. -If you can’t do better than that you’d better take it out.” - -And Tom, still protesting under his breath, set to work again. - -Bob, who had fallen naturally into the position of chief navigator, -had planned to keep down the southwest side of the lake to West Alton -and camp near the village for the night. The next morning they would -start early and cross to Wolfeborough, take the forenoon steamer back -to The Weirs, and from there return to Camp Chicora by the afternoon -train. But once past the shelter of the island they began to doubt -their ability to make West Alton. The wind had swung around into the -south, and to hold the canoes in an easterly direction was a difficult -task. After laboring some time with little success Bob decided to run -across the lake before the wind in the direction of Long Island and go -into camp on one of the smaller islets thereabouts or, failing that, on -the mainland. So they swung the canoes about and headed north-by-east -and found a chance to rest their tired muscles. With the wind almost -directly aft it was only necessary to paddle easily and keep the noses -of the craft in the right direction. The canoe containing Bob and Tom, -being somewhat less heavily weighted, rode higher out of water and -consequently presented more surface to the wind. As a result, when they -were half-way across the lake they were leading by almost an eighth of -a mile. Nelson suggested catching up with them, but Dan objected. - -“Let them go,” he said. “I’m tuckered out and I’m going to rest. That -was a pretty hefty bit of paddling back there, Nel; we made about a -foot to every ten strokes. I’m wet through with perspiration.” - -“Well, I’m wet through, too,” answered Nelson, who was in the bow, “but -not with perspiration. You’d better pull your sweater on or you’ll -catch cold.” - -“Guess I will,” said Dan. “This breeze is pretty chilly on a fellow’s -back. Where is that sweater of mine? I see it. Hold steady and I’ll get -it.” - -Dan shipped his paddle, arose cautiously to his feet, and took a step -toward the middle of the canoe. At that instant a tiny squall of wind -struck them, he lost his balance, and the next thing Nelson knew he was -struggling up through yards and yards of dark water. When his head was -finally above the surface and he had shaken the water from his eyes he -stared bewilderedly about him. Fifty feet away the overturned canoe was -drifting heavily before the wind. About him here and there such of the -luggage as had not sunk at once was bobbing about from wave to wave. -Near by, Dan’s head with the red hair plastered to it was visible. -Every moment the canoe was drifting farther away, and Nelson realized -that their strait was already desperate and was growing more so with -every instant of delay. - -“Come on, Dan!” he shouted. “Make for the canoe; we’ll pick up the -stuff afterward.” - -He heard some sort of a response from the other and then struck out -fiercely for the craft. If he could get on top of it it might be -possible to attract the attention of Bob and Tom to their plight. It -was a hard chase, and when his hand finally touched the wet surface -of the canoe he was pretty well tuckered. Throwing one arm across the -bottom he managed to get his head some two feet above the water and -could catch glimpses now and then above the waves of the other craft -well to the right and apparently a long distance away. Then he turned -to shout to Dan, turned and saw only the empty water. He dashed the -drops from his eyes with his free hand and looked again, searching the -hollows between the racing waves. Once he thought he saw for an instant -Dan’s head above the surface, but it was gone again instantly. - -“_Dan!_” he shouted in terror. “_Dan!_” - -There was no sound but the ceaseless splashing of the waves. With an -awful fear clutching at his heart he threw himself away from the canoe -and plunged back in the teeth of the gale. - - - - -CHAPTER XIX - -CONCERNS ITSELF WITH THE DANGEROUS PLIGHT OF DAN AND NELSON AND THE -COURAGE OF THE LATTER - - -As long as he lives Nelson will never recall that struggle through -the angry waters without a sudden sinking of the heart. Wind and wave -were dead against him, mocking his frantic efforts at haste, burying -him for moments at a time in ugly swirls of white-frothed water, that -blinded and confused him. In those moments which, brief as they must -have been, seemed minutes long, the monotonous sound of rushing wind -and splashing wave were silenced and only the stealthy swish of water -flowing over his submerged head reached him. It was pleasant, that -calm, after the confusion of the world above, and once he found himself -giving way to a sort of stupor. What was the use of struggling? Under -the water it was calm and peaceful; down here there was rest for tired -limbs. Involuntarily his aching arms and legs ceased their labors, -and even the swirling of water past his ears no longer came to him, -and he knew that he was sinking. Then the benumbing stupor passed, -fright gripped him with icy hands at his heart, he opened his mouth -to cry aloud, and arose, fighting wildly, to the surface, his lungs -half filled with water. For a moment a panic held him; he fancied -unseen hands were clutching at him, striving to drag him down again to -that awful stillness, and he thrashed and struggled and shrieked at -the leaden sky. Then recollection of Dan came to him and the terror -passed. Blinking his streaming eyes, he looked about him. Almost at -hand was something half submerged that at first he thought might be -his companion. But as he reached it, swimming hand over hand with -the waves breaking above his head, he saw that it was only the canoe -tent, which, partly on account of its wooden pole and partly because -a certain amount of air was imprisoned beneath the canvas, was still -afloat. Grasping it with one hand he turned to search the water. And as -he turned fingers gripped themselves about his wrist in a feeble clutch -and Dan’s face arose white and drawn beside him. The eyes were wide -open and staring, and for a moment Nelson believed that they were the -eyes of a dead person. But the clutching fingers told a different tale, -and as he reached across the tent and seized Dan under one armpit the -staring eyes seemed to flicker with recognition. Then the lids closed -slowly, wearily over them. - -He was not dead, thought Nelson with a sudden rush of blood to his -chilled heart. And then, driving before it that brief sensation of -relief, came to him a knowledge of the hopelessness of their situation. -The canoe was drifting bottom upward hundreds of feet away. No hail -came from Bob or Tom. He must keep afloat himself and sustain Dan as -well, and for aid there was only the canvas tent lashed about its pole -and already half water-logged. But the feeling of panic was a thing of -the past. Even fear had gone from him. Discouragement was left, but -with it was a determination to fight the battle to the very end and win -if strength and wit could do it. - -After a moment, during which he strove merely to keep his head above -water and regain his breath, he set about getting Dan over the tent. -The latter would not hold the weight of both of them, but it might -keep Dan up for a while. It was hard work, with the waves battling -against his every effort, but at last he succeeded in getting Dan’s -shoulders over the bundle of canvas. Then, with a firm grasp on the -other’s forearm, he let himself float. To swim was out of the question, -since it would only exhaust what little strength remained to him. The -wind and waves were already bearing them along to some extent toward -land. Sooner or later Bob must discover the disaster and turn back, and -all that could be done was to keep afloat until he came. The minutes -passed. Dan’s eyes remained closed, but the lids flickered now and -then. Once Nelson strove to wake him by calling his name, but there -was no response; and as it exhausted his breath Nelson gave it up. -One thing he was thankful for during those lagging minutes, and that -was his and Dan’s attire. The light jerseys and trunks were scarcely -more than bathing suits, and even the rubber-soled canvas shoes added -little to their difficulties. With something almost approaching a smile -he wondered what Mr. Carey would have done in his place, wearing the -clothes which they had envied him an hour or so before. - -Presently he began to feel drowsy and longed to close his eyes for a -moment, but was afraid to do so. The canvas tent lost more and more -of its buoyancy as the imprisoned air escaped, and Nelson dreaded the -moment when it would no longer give him aid. It seemed at least an hour -since the overturning of the canoe and yet could have been scarcely -more than ten minutes. Time and again he strove to lift himself high -enough from the water to see over the white crests, but always his view -encompassed only seething lake and dull, stormy sky. His arms and legs -ached. The water, warm when the involuntary bath had begun, now felt -like ice against his body, and his teeth chattered together whenever -he opened his mouth. Dan’s face looked blue, and the fear that he would -die before rescue arrived began to creep into Nelson’s heart. Suddenly -there came a strain on his arm and he looked and saw the end of the -canvas bundle disappearing under the water. Seizing Dan by the shoulder -of his jersey, Nelson pulled the other toward him so that his head and -upper part of the body lay across his chest. So, with the waves washing -over them, they floated awhile, Nelson swimming slowly with legs and -one arm. But it couldn’t keep up long, that sort of thing, and he knew -it. And with the knowledge came a certain sensation of relief. He had -struggled almost as long as human power was capable of; surely he had -done his duty, and now---- - -His half-closed eyes suddenly opened. Surely he had heard---- - -“_Coming! Don’t give up, boys!_” - -The cry now reached him plainly, borne on the rushing wind, and told -of succor near at hand. He had lost all sense of direction, nor did -he try to recognize the voice. His first sensation was one of mild -annoyance. It seemed so silly to bother about rescuing him now. He was -sure that Dan was drowned and sure that he had but a moment or two -longer to struggle himself. They would try to haul him into the canoe, -and things would be very fussy and troublesome; he would much rather be -left alone. However, since they insisted he would do what they asked. -And so he urged his weary limbs to further effort and was still afloat -with one hand gripping Dan’s arm when a boat shot alongside. - -The next thing he knew he was still rocking in the waves, as it seemed, -and the dark clouds were still racing across the heavens above him. -But the water had grown delightfully warm, and he felt deliciously -comfortable. Some one, it must have been Dan, of course, said: - -“Hard on your left! All right; you’re straight for the pier!” - -It was a foolish thing for Dan to say, and Nelson closed his eyes again -in an effort to puzzle out the meaning. And doing so he fell asleep -once more, and didn’t wake again until an hour later to find himself -snug and warm in a big white bed with a sound of crackling flames in -his ears. A little bald-headed man was leaning over him holding out a -spoon, and Nelson obediently opened his mouth. Some one said something -about supper, and the word suggested many things to him, and he closed -his eyes again and scowled his forehead and tried to think. Plainly he -was no longer in danger of drowning, for people don’t drown in beds. -They had rescued him and brought him ashore, and he was--where was he? -He opened his eyes and moved his head. Things were dimly familiar and -he was sure he knew the man by the hearth. And--yes, there was Bob. - -“Hello, Bob,” he whispered. He had meant to say it right out loud just -to let Bob know that all was well with him, and the result surprised -and annoyed him. But Bob had heard, and he came over and put a hand on -Nelson’s shoulder. - -“How are you feeling, Nel?” he asked with affected cheerfulness. Nelson -considered a moment. Then: - -“Hungry,” he said. This time it wasn’t so much of a whisper and he was -encouraged. “Where’s Dan?” he asked. - -“In the next room. He’s--he’s all right, Nel,” was the answer. Then the -little bald-headed man, whom Nelson didn’t know, came and took his hand. - -“Don’t talk now, my boy. Try to go to sleep. When you wake up next time -you shall have some supper.” - -Nelson viewed him suspiciously, but the face was rather a nice face -even if it did extend up to the back of the head, and so he closed his -eyes and forgot everything very quickly. - -Later he awoke again to find the room in darkness. But even as he -opened his mouth to demand attention a match was scratched and the room -became so bright that he had to blink his eyes. A nice-looking woman -came and sat on the side of the bed and stirred a spoon around in a -blue-and-white bowl. - -“Are you awake?” she asked. “Here’s your supper. Don’t get up, but just -turn your head this way and I’ll feed it to you. It’s beef tea. Do you -like it?” - -“Yes,” answered Nelson. “Thank you.” - -It tasted terribly good, he thought, and between spoonfuls he -surreptitiously studied her face. He had seen her before, only--he -couldn’t think where. - -“Would you mind telling me your name, please?” he asked presently. - -“I’m Mrs. Carey,” she answered smilingly. “Have you forgotten me?” - -Then he remembered and understood. - -“No, ma’am,” he answered. “That is, not now. I guess I’m in your house -again, but I don’t see how I got here, do you?” - -“Mr. Carey was watching you from the landing when your canoe was -overturned, and he and Mr. Merrill and the skipper went out to you in a -boat and brought you in. But you mustn’t talk. The doctor said so.” - -“What doctor?” - -“Dr. Ames. He came over from the mainland, where he has a cottage.” - -Nelson pondered this between mouthfuls of hot broth. Then: - -“Is Dan alive?” he asked. - -“Yes; you will see him in the morning. Now, that’s all. You are to have -some more at nine.” - -“What time is it now, please?” - -“Half past six.” - -“That’s a pretty long time, isn’t it?” he asked. - -“Oh, but you’re going to sleep now and you won’t know how long it is. -I’ll turn the light down low so it won’t hurt your eyes. Is there -anything else you’d like?” - -“No ma’am, thank you. You--you won’t forget, will you?” - -“Forget----?” - -“I mean about the broth at nine o’clock,” he explained wistfully. - -“Indeed I won’t,” she answered heartily. “And I wish I could give you -some more now, but the doctor said----” - -Nelson never learned what the doctor said, for he fell asleep just -then. Later there was another brief waking spell and more hot broth. -And then, in some strange way, it became morning, and the sun was -shining in the window at the foot of the bed, and the birds were -celebrating the passing of the storm. While he was still stretching his -limbs and trying to recollect things the door opened and Mr. Carey came -in. - -“Well, how’s the boy, eh?” he asked. “Feeling pretty good after your -bath, are you?” - -“Fine, sir. Can I get up?” - -“Surely you can. Breakfast will be ready in half an hour. I’ll send -your clothes up; I guess they’re dry by this time. Take your time and -rest off if you feel weak. I’ll look in again presently to see how -you’re getting on.” - -“Thank you, sir. I’ll be all right. Mrs. Carey said you went out and -picked us up, and I’m very much obliged--I mean--” He paused, at a loss -for words to express what he did mean. “It sounds awfully foolish to -say you’re very much obliged to a person for saving your life, doesn’t -it, sir? But I don’t know quite what to say, and----” - -“Well, well, don’t let it trouble you, my boy. What we did is what any -one would have done, and I’m mighty glad we were here to do it. You -did a pretty plucky thing yourself, and after that our little rescue -doesn’t look like much.” - -“I guess we wouldn’t look like much if you hadn’t come along, sir,” -said Nelson soberly. “We’re not likely to forget it, sir, I can tell -you that!” - -“Well, well, we won’t say anything more about it, eh? All’s well that -ends well, and--er--I’ll send your clothes up.” - - - - -CHAPTER XX - -RELATES THE CONCLUSION OF THE TRIP AND WHAT HAPPENED AT CAMP - - -Half an hour afterward Nelson passed along the gallery and down -the stairs into the arms of Tom, who hugged him ecstatically and -stuttered his delight; and of Bob, who, if less demonstrative, showed -his pleasure none the less plainly. Mr. Merrill shook hands in a way -that brought the color into Nelson’s cheeks, and the ladies when they -appeared a few moments later were so attentive that Nelson’s blushes -threatened to become permanent. When they were seated at table only Dan -was absent, and Nelson asked if he was not coming down. - -“No,” answered Mr. Carey. “The fact is, your friend had a pretty -narrow call. It took us all of half an hour to bring him around. He -had swallowed about a gallon of lake water and had played himself out -pretty well besides. But he’s all right now, and I’m only waiting for -the doctor to come over before I let him up. ‘Orders is orders,’ you -know. But of course you can go up and see him whenever you like. He’s -asked for you once or twice already.” - -Nelson wanted to go then and there, but consideration for his hosts led -him to await the end of the meal. There were a great many questions -to answer, and he had to tell his side of the adventure from start to -finish. Then Mr. Carey and Bob began comparing notes, and pretty soon -Nelson had a very good idea of what had happened. - -“After I got back here to the house I began to worry about you chaps,” -said Mr. Carey, “and pretty soon I took the field-glasses and went down -to the pier. From there I could see you pretty well, but those canoes -looked mighty small, just the same! I happened to have the glasses on -the nearest canoe when the accident happened. I saw Speede stand up -and then stumble and go over. The glasses made it look so near that I -yelled like sixty. Then when I’d found the place again the canoe was -drifting along bottom upward and there were two fellows in the water. -Well, I knew they’d never make the canoe in that wind, so I shouted for -Mr. Merrill here and Barry, my skipper, and we had the skiff out in no -time. But it was a long ways out to where you were, and I thought we’d -never get there. And when we did get alongside I thought we were too -late. Two deader-looking live men I never saw in my life! The waves -were washing all over you two, Tilford, and you seemed on the point -of sinking. But you had hold of Speede good and hard; it was all we -could do to loosen your grasp on his arm, and I guess he’ll have a -black-and-blue bracelet there for some time. Hethington and Ferris got -there in the canoe a moment later and helped us get you two into the -boat. From the looks of them I guess they’d done some tall paddling.” - -“We did,” said Bob grimly. “It was Tommy who discovered you had gone. -He looked around when we were pretty near land and let out a yell. Then -we turned the canoe and started back. It was like pulling yourself up -by your shoe-straps. The wind was almost on our quarter and we could -just see that we were moving. Tommy paddled like an Indian. And all -the time he kept yelling to me to hurry up, just as though I wasn’t -breaking my back at every stroke! As it was, though, he pulled me -around several times; I was in the bow. I thought we’d never get to the -canoe; we could see it now and then over the waves; and when we did we -found you two weren’t there, and had to start off on another course.” - -“Tommy was like a crazy man; kept crying that you were both drowned -and that it was our fault for leaving you. And I was--was pretty well -worried myself. Then we saw Mr. Carey’s boat, though we didn’t know -then who was in it, and we made toward it, and pretty soon we saw you -two chaps floating around in the water like a couple of logs. And Tommy -was for jumping over and swimming to you. Nel, you certainly had the -pluck. If it hadn’t been for you Dan would have drowned before we could -have turned around or Mr. Carey could have started out there.” - -“But I don’t understand about Dan,” said Nelson. “He can swim like a -fish. I never thought that anything was the matter with him until I -looked back and couldn’t see him.” - -“Cramps,” said Mr. Carey. “He told me this morning that he couldn’t -seem to move himself below the waist. He got pretty warm paddling, I -suppose, and then when he went overboard the shock was too intense. He -had a close shave of it, and he owes his life to you, Tilford.” - -“And we both owe our lives to you, sir. If you’ll excuse me I’d like to -go up and see him a minute.” - -“Certainly,” said Mrs. Carey. “I’ll see that cook keeps some waffles -hot for you.” - -“He’s in the room next to yours, further along the gallery,” said her -husband. - -Nelson didn’t knock because he thought Dan might be asleep and he -didn’t want to wake him. But when he had cautiously opened the door and -peeked in he saw Dan sitting up in bed and smiling broadly at him. - -“Hello, Life Saver!” called Dan. - -Nelson bounded across and seized his hand. - -“Dan, are you all right?” he asked eagerly. “Gee, I’m glad to see you, -you old chump!” - -“I’m feeling right as a trivet. What’s a trivet, anyway, Nel?” - -“Oh, a thingumbob with three legs,” laughed Nelson. - -“Well, I’m glad I wasn’t one of them yesterday. Two legs were all I -wanted. They ached like thunder and I couldn’t swim a stroke. Nel, you -saved my life, and----” - -“Cut it out! If any one says anything more about saving lives, -I’ll--I’ll hurt them!” - -“I dare say it is a bore,” answered Dan soberly, “having folks talk -about it, but I want you to know that--that I’m mighty grateful, old -fellow, and that if the chance ever comes for me to even things up, -why, you can count on your Uncle Daniel. It was a swell thing to do, -Nel, stand by me like that, only I wasn’t worth it and you might have -got drowned yourself. That’s all. I won’t bother you with any more -thanks, only--only--” Dan’s hand found Nelson’s on the coverlid and -squeezed it until Nelson winced. Then: “Where’s that fussy old doctor?” -he asked. Nelson, relieved at the change of subject, laughed. - -“He will be along pretty soon. If you’re all right he’s going to let -you get up. Then we can get the afternoon train back.” - -“Of course I’m all right; right as a three-legged thingumbob. Say, -won’t Clint be waxy? He’ll never let us out of his sight again.” - -“I suppose he’ll have to be told?” said Nelson ruefully. - -“I guess so; it’s up to us to tell him, Nel. Not that I want to, you -know, but--well, it’s more honest.” - -“That’s so; I guess we’d better. Say, Dan, these Careys have been -mighty good. We’d ought to do something for them. Do you think we -could?” - -“I’d like to, but I don’t see what we could do. We’ll have to think it -over. Maybe Bob can suggest something. He’s got a heap of sense, that -chap.” - -Then Mr. Carey and the doctor came in and Nelson left the room. Dan -was pronounced able to travel, and at two o’clock, after thanking the -ladies and promising to come again when they could, they loaded their -canoes on to the steam-yacht--the overturned craft had been recovered -the evening before--and, with Mr. Carey and Mr. Merrill accompanying, -were taken over to The Weirs in time to catch the afternoon train for -Warder. At the landing more good-bys were said. - -“I want you boys to promise to come and visit us here some time, this -year if you can; if not, next. And when you’re in New York look us up. -Both Mrs. Carey and I will be delighted to have you. We feel a sort of -proprietary interest in you after yesterday’s little incident and don’t -want to lose sight of you completely. I’ve written a line or two to Mr. -Clinton, so I guess you won’t get lectured very hard. Good-by and good -luck, boys!” And Mr. Carey shook hands all around, was followed by Mr. -Merrill and the skipper, and at last the train pulled out, the Four -waving from the car steps until the crowded platform was a speck in the -distance. - -“He’s a swell fellow,” said Dan, as they sought their seats. “And we’ve -got to make him a present or something.” - -“Good scheme,” said Bob heartily. And they talked it over most of the -way up to Warder, and finally decided that a silver loving cup with a -suitable inscription would be as appropriate as anything they could -afford. - -“We’ll put her name on it too,” said Tom. - -“Mrs. Carey’s?” asked Bob. “You bet we will!” - -“Sure!” said Nelson. “I’ll never forget that beef broth she fed me!” - -They caught the five o’clock launch, as they had planned, and climbed -the hill to camp just as the last supper-call was blowing. - -“That sounds good,” muttered Dan. “It’s like getting home.” - -When they entered Poplar Hall and sought their seats at the tables it -was at once evident that the news of yesterday’s escapade had preceded -them. Such a hand-clapping and cheering as burst forth was quite -disconcerting, and Nelson, at whom the most of it was directed, poured -milk into his bowl of cereal until it overflowed and ran into his lap. -After supper the Four were mobbed and made to give a public recital of -events; but long before Bob, to whom the task of narration fell, had -finished they were summoned to the office. After all, it wasn’t so bad. -Mr. Clinton had some forcible things to say to Dan on the subject of -standing up in a canoe during a wind, but after that he demanded the -story and became so interested that they began to take courage. And -afterward he complimented Nelson and shook hands with him. - -“It was a bad business,” he said gravely, “but it’s happily over with, -and there’s no use denying that you all acted in a sensible, plucky -way. I’ve had a letter from this Mr. Carey in which he begs me to -go easy with you. I don’t think I should have been very hard on you -anyhow. It was an accident arising from a piece of foolhardiness that -none of you are likely to repeat. It will probably be worth all it has -cost as a lesson to you. It is a good thing to learn the limitations of -a canoe. You’d better get to bed early to-night, all of you, and I’ll -ask Doctor Smith to have a look at you, Speede, and see if you need any -medicine. Good night.” - -“Good night, sir,” they chorused. And outside they heaved sighs of -relief. - -“I think,” said Dan thoughtfully, as they picked their way across the -darkening clearing toward Birch Hall, “I think it’s about up to us to -settle down and be good for a while.” - - - - -CHAPTER XXI - -TELLS HOW THE FOUR LAID PLANS AND HOW BOB PREPARED FOR A VICTORY - - -Nelson awoke the next day to find himself a hero. Being a hero has -its discomforts, and Nelson encountered them. The smaller boys dogged -his footsteps and were proud and haughty for the rest of the day if -they succeeded in getting a word from him. The older boys had less -transparent ways of showing their admiration, but show it they did, and -Nelson, naturally somewhat shy, suffered much annoyance. This state of -things, however, lasted but a few days, for the end of the vacation -was almost at hand and the inhabitants of Camp Chicora had many things -to occupy their minds. The water sports were almost due and on the -next Saturday but one came the final game with Wickasaw, to decide the -summer’s supremacy in baseball. On the following Monday the long trip -began for all save Bob, Nelson, and Dan, who were to return home on -that day. - -During his three days’ absence from camp the nine, minus their captain, -had met defeat at the hands of a team from a near-by resort, and -Bob regretted the fact and resolved that nothing should deter them -from winding up the baseball season with a decisive victory over -their particular rival, Camp Wickasaw. With this in view he began -morning practise, by which there was a good three hours a day of -batting, fielding, and base-running instead of two as heretofore. The -preparations for the water carnival interfered somewhat with the work, -for Dan and Joe Carter, as well as a couple of the lesser baseball -lights, were to take part in the sports. But Bob put in substitutes -from the scrub when necessary and kept at it, having set his heart on -final success. - -The carnival came on Saturday afternoon and was held in Joy’s Cove, on -the shore of which Camp Trescott was situated. Chicora, Trescott, and -Wickasaw were the contestants, and the audience numbered fully three -hundred persons, friends of the boys of the three camps, visitors from -neighboring hotels, and residents from near-by towns and villages. -Chicora went over in the steam-launch, the motor-dory, the skiffs, -and the canoes, after an early dinner, with flags flying. Wickasaw -followed them across, and the rival cheers echoed over the lake. Camp -Trescott was in holiday attire, the camp colors, green and white, being -everywhere displayed. The pier and adjacent shore were thronged with -spectators, and many boats floated on the waters of the cove. - -The events started off with the four-oared barge race. Only Chicora and -Trescott entered. The course was a little under two miles in length -and led to a buoy near Evergreen Island and return. Chicora’s four got -the better of the start, and when the turn was reached they were two -lengths to the good. But poor steering around the buoy lost them almost -all of that advantage, and the Trescott four were quick to profit. On -the return course they overtook Chicora’s boat, passed it a few hundred -yards from the finish, and crossed the line a good three lengths in the -lead. So first honors went to the green and white, and cheers for Camp -Trescott awoke the echoes. - -Chicora did better in the race for steel boats, her entry, manned by -Joe Carter, finishing a hundred feet ahead of the Wickasaw boat, which -in turn led the Trescott skiff by many yards. - -The fifty-yard swimming race for boys under sixteen brought out a -large number of entries, Chicora offering seven of the number. Her -hopes rested on “Kid” Rooke. With such a large field there was lots -of crowding and splashing at the line, and many a good swimmer was -put out of it at the start. Rooke luckily had the forethought to swim -under water for the first eight or ten strokes and so avoided some of -the youths who, with little hope of winning themselves, were anxious -to get in the way of dangerous rivals. It was a pretty contest from -start to finish, Rooke fighting it out to the very end with Peterson of -Wickasaw and White of Trescott and only winning by an arm’s length in -fifty seconds. The race over the same course for the elder boys proved -a walkover for an eighteen-year-old Wickasaw youth, who never had to -hurry, and finished in forty-seven seconds. - -In the half-mile event Tom entered for Chicora and found himself -opposed to two Wickasaw and three Trescott fellows. The course was laid -straight out from the landing to a boat moored off Bass Island. The -swimmers were to round the boat and return on the same course. The six -contestants lined up on the edge of the landing and at the word from -Mr. Powers of the Wickasaw Camp dove head foremost and struck out for -the stake-boat. - -Tom wasn’t much at sprinting, and so when half the distance out had -been covered he was several yards behind the leaders. But the pace had -been a fast one, and Tom knew that sooner or later it must slow down. -And it did. As the six approached the boat, the leaders, two Trescott -fellows, were swimming at ordinary speed and were making hard work of -it. They turned homeward first, but after that dropped rapidly behind. -A quarter of the way back Tom, still swimming the same stroke he had -started with, passed them and pulled himself into third place. Twenty -yards farther on he came abreast of the Wickasaw crack; while, still -maintaining a good lead, sped the third Trescott entry. - -On the landing and along the curving shore of the cove and out on the -point scantily attired youths were jumping and shouting encouragement -to the swimmers. Cheers for Chicora, for Wickasaw, and for Trescott -mingled. A hundred yards from the finish it seemed that Trescott had -the race beyond a doubt. But Tom, twenty yards in the rear and well -past the Wickasaw rival, still swam steadily, hand over hand, burying -his face in the water at every stroke, and putting every ounce of -strength into his work. Not quite every ounce, either, for when some -eighty yards from the finish his arms began to move just a little -faster but not less regularly, and the distance between first and -second men slowly lessened. Chicora saw this and her cheers took on a -more hopeful note. - -If Tom couldn’t sprint, at least he had wisely saved something for -just such an emergency as this. It wasn’t so much that he increased -his stroke as that he put more power into it. With fifty yards yet to -cover he had cut the twenty yards in half, and he was still gaining. -Trescott’s cries grew frantic, but her representative failed to -respond. He had made a long, hard race, had set the pace all the way -from the turn, and had used himself up in striving to beat the Wickasaw -swimmer, whom he had believed to be the only dangerous opponent. And -now he had nothing in reserve. The nearer he fought to the finish -line the weaker grew his strokes, and Tom, swimming like a piece of -machinery, moving arms and legs slowly but powerfully, came abreast of -him sixty feet from the line, and without raising his dripping head -from the surface or altering his stroke a mite drew steadily away from -him and won by ten or twelve feet in the creditable time of seventeen -minutes and nineteen and two-fifths seconds. And Chicora laughed and -cheered as Dan walked into the water up to his knees and, lifting Tom -bodily in his arms, brought him ashore in triumph. - -Meanwhile Trescott had won the fifty-yard underwater race and Wickasaw -had come in first at the same distance, swimming on the back. Chicora -again triumphed in the canoe race for doubles when Carter and Dan drove -the former’s crimson craft across the finish fifty or sixty feet ahead -of the opponents. And again, in the diving contest, Dan excelled. -But after that the blue and gray was forced to take second and third -places. Trescott won the relay race, the tilting and the fancy -swimming contests. Wickasaw won the canoe race for singles and the tub -race. As only first places counted, the sports came to an end with the -question of supremacy still in doubt, Chicora and Trescott each having -won five events and Wickasaw four. - -It was dusk by this time, and audience and competitors hurried away -for supper, to reassemble at eight o’clock for the fireworks and boat -parade. The latter, at least, was well worth seeing. There were over -forty boats in line, the Chicora leading, and each was gay with Chinese -lanterns and colored fire. In and out across the lake they went, -rounding the islands, skirting the shores, and tracing strange patterns -on the dark surface of the water. On the point sky-rockets and bombs -sizzed and boomed their way upward in trails of fire, and from the -Chicora and the Wickasaw Roman candles spilled their colored stars into -the lake. - -In Joe Carter’s canoe he and Bob paddled along near the end of the -parade, while Tom, attired in a hastily improvised costume of Turkey -red, impersonated a rather stout Devil and flourished a pitchfork, -while at his feet red fire burned in a tin plate and made his round -face almost as lurid as his costume. They had lots of fun out of it, -but the crowning glory of their enjoyment came when they accidentally -ran into a Wickasaw canoe and spilled two boys and a councilor into -the lake. They worked heroically at the task of rescue--when their -laughter would allow them to--and none of the three unfortunate “Wicks” -sustained further damage than a good wetting. After that the fun was -tame until, shortly before ten, they reached their landing and the -“Devil” slipped on the edge of the wharf and went down to his waist in -water and sputtered and stammered as no Devil ever has before or since. -Joe said he was sure he heard the water sizzle when Tom struck it. - -They took their lanterns up the hill with them, such as were still -burning, and hung them about the trees in the clearing so that the -place looked like a garden set for an outdoor party. Long after Nelson -was in bed and he and Bob had ceased their whispering he could see -the mellow lights among the branches. Perhaps that is why, when he -did finally fall asleep, he dreamed that Dan was the proprietor of a -Chinese laundry next door to the post-office at Crescent and that he -(Nelson) had lost his check for a pair of “sneakers” which he had left -there to be waterproofed and could not get them back. To add to his -annoyance he was quite certain that the “sneakers” on the counter, -in which Dan was growing Chinese lilies, were his. Unfortunately he -couldn’t prove it, and Dan refused to give them up, offering, however, -to share the lilies with him. This offer Nelson indignantly refused, -and Dan said: - -“Wake up, you lazy dub! Second bugle’s blown!” - -And Nelson, opening his eyes dazedly, found the sunlight streaming -through the window and painting golden silhouettes on the gray blanket, -while Dan, attired principally in a bath towel and having got rid of -his queue, was impatiently tugging at his arm. - -Followed a wild race down the hill, a scramble to the diving platform, -and a long plunge into cool green depths. Three dives and it was time -to be out, for they had overslept. A brisk rubbing in the tent until -the body glowed, a race up-hill that brought them panting and laughing -to the dormitory, a hurried dressing and a brief toilet with brushes -and comb, and--breakfast! Blueberries and cream, cereal, chops and -potatoes, hot muffins, and milk administered to hearty appetites. And -so began the last week of camp-life, a week that, like all that had -gone before, passed wonderfully quickly and brought the fellows with -disconcerting suddenness to Saturday afternoon and the final contest -with Wickasaw. - -During that last week at Chicora Bob and Nelson and Dan and Tom stuck -together like brothers. The realization that in a few days’ time they -must part with small likelihood of getting together again before next -summer, if then, made them anxious to see as much of each other as -possible in the time remaining. Two months is a long time in the life -of a boy and in it he can make undying friendships. Whether such had -happened in the present case remained to be seen, but certain it is -that the Four had grown extremely fond of each other. Tom was quite -forlorn over the parting. - -“It’s all well enough for the rest of you,” he said. “You’re going home -together, and Bob and Nel will have a dandy time at St. Louis. But I’ve -got to go on this beastly trip all alone!” - -“You’ll have a fine time, Tommy,” said Bob consolingly. “And then -you’ll be going back to Hillton. And you’ll have Nel with you there. If -any one has a kick seems to me it’s me. You three chaps will see each -other pretty frequently, but I’ll have to dig along all by my lonesome.” - -“Don’t forget your promise to come down for the football game,” said -Dan. - -“I’ll come, but I sha’n’t know who to cheer for.” - -“Hillton,” said Nelson and Tom in a breath. - -“St. Eustace,” said Dan. - -“I wish we didn’t all live so far away from each other,” said Tom. -“You’re away up in Portland, Nel’s in Boston, Dan’s in New York, and -I’m out in Chicago.” - -“You ought to live in a decent part of the world,” answered Dan. - -“Cut it out, you two,” said Bob. “Don’t get started on one of your -arguments about New York and Chicago. They’re beastly holes, both of -’em. Come to Portland.” - -This suggestion brought forth three howls of derision. - -“Anyway,” said Dan, “I wish we might go to college together.” - -“Why can’t we?” asked Nelson. “You fellows all come to Harvard!” - -“I couldn’t,” Dan replied. “My dad went to Yale and he’d scalp me if I -told him I wanted to enter Harvard.” - -“And I’m booked for Chicago,” said Tom mournfully. - -“Poor chap,” said Dan commiseratingly. Whereupon Tom flared up. - -“It’s a gu-gu-gu-good college, and you know it. Only I-I-I-I’d like to -be with you fu-fu-fu-fellows!” - -“That’s easy,” said Bob. “You all come with me to Erskine.” - -“It’s such a little place,” objected Dan. - -“It’s got as much land as Yale, and more too, I guess.” - -“I mean there are so few fellows there.” - -“Well,” answered Bob thoughtfully, “maybe there aren’t very many people -in heaven, but that’s no sign it isn’t a good place to go to!” - -“Do you mean,” laughed Dan, “that Yale is--er--the other place?” - -“Or Harvard?” asked Nelson in mock anger. - -“Or Chicago?” added Tom. - -“Well, now, as to Chicago, Tommy,” answered Bob, “you said yourself you -were going there, and you know what you were Saturday night!” - -After the laughter had subsided they discussed the subject seriously -and at length. In the end it was decided that if their parents would -consent Nelson, Dan, and Tom were to join Bob at Erskine College three -years from the approaching month--examination boards permitting. -Incidentally it may be announced that their parents did consent, that -examiners did permit, and that their plans succeeded. But that is a -story all to itself and has nothing to do with the present narrative. - -Mr. Clinton had been called in to aid in the matter of the silver -loving-cup for the Careys and had attended to the selection of it on -one of his trips to Boston. On Friday it arrived. Lack of funds had -prohibited the purchase of anything very elaborate, but the gift was -quite worthy of acceptance. It was a plain cup, in shape like a Greek -vase, seven inches high. The handles were of ebony, and there was a -little ebony stand for it to rest upon. The inscription had caused the -Four not a little worry. As finally decided on it read: - - TO MR. AND MRS. CHARLES A. CAREY - A TOKEN OF ESTEEM - AND GRATITUDE - FROM - THE FOUR - AUGUST 18, 1904 - - ROBERT W. HETHINGTON - NELSON E. TILFORD - DANIEL H. F. SPEEDE - THOMAS C. FERRIS - -They were hugely pleased with it and kept it a whole day to admire and -exhibit. Then it went off by express, and in due time there came a -reply which, as the Four had scattered, went from Chicago to Portland, -to Boston, to New York, to Chicago, and from there came east again in -Tom’s trunk to Hillton. - -But, lest you make the mistake of thinking that final week a period of -laziness, it should be said that the baseball diamond was worn almost -bare of grass. Every morning and every afternoon the nine practised -in preparation for the Wickasaw game. As for eight of the nine, they -didn’t feel that life would be ruined even if Wickasaw did beat them. -But Bob was of another sort; he had set his heart on winning and would -go home feeling that the summer had ended in disgrace if Wickasaw again -triumphed; and so the others caught some of the infection from him and -labored zealously in the hottest kind of a sun morning and afternoon -until Friday. On Friday there was only a half hour’s easy work, for -Bob had his ideas on the subject of training. That night, about the -camp-fire, the prospect was talked over and it was generally agreed -that if Wells, who was again to pitch, didn’t go up in the air Chicora -was pretty certain of victory. That, as events turned out, was a big -“if.” - - - - -CHAPTER XXII - -NARRATES THE PROGRESS OF THE CONTEST WITH WICKASAW, AND WITNESSES THE -DISINTEGRATION OF ONE WELLS - - - TILFORD, c.f. - SPEEDE, 1b. - CARTER, 2b. - RIDLEY, r.f. - LOOM, ss. - BRYANT, l.f. - HETHINGTON, c. - VAN RODEN, 3b. - WELLS, p. - -That’s the way the names were written in the score-book by the Official -Scorer, Mr. “Babe” Fowler, who sat on a soap-box and looked and felt -vastly important. Behind him and about him--sometimes, much to his -wrath, interfering with his view of the proceedings--sat and stood -the boys of Camp Chicora. Across the plate were the supporters of -Wickasaw, while here and there, wherever shade was to be found, were -spectators from the Inn, the village, Camp Trescott, and the smaller -hotels and boarding-houses around. Behind Bob stood one of the Trescott -councilors, Mr. Downer, who was to umpire. Mr. Clinton, and Mr. Powers -of Wickasaw, watched the contest side by side from under the latter’s -big linen umbrella. - -The afternoon was roasting hot, and by mutual consent the beginning of -the game had been postponed from three until four. But even now, as -Mr. Downer called “Play!” the sun beat down on the meadow in a manner -far from pleasant, while not a breeze stirred the leaves along the -lake. But the players were too much interested to notice such a small -matter, while as for the lookers-on they good-naturedly made the best -of conditions, cheered by the knowledge that they could seek launches -or rowboats whenever they pleased and speedily find a cooler spot than -this low-lying meadow with its encompassing walls of forest. Under a -near-by apple-tree Tom and Mr. Verder were fanning their faces and -munching the half-ripe apples that lay about them. - -“I wonder if Wells will last out,” mused Tom. “He’s a queer dub. He -told me this morning that he couldn’t stand hot weather and asked if I -thought Bob couldn’t have the game postponed.” - -“Yes, he is a bit funny,” answered Mr. Verder. “Well, they’re starting. -I’m glad we’ve got our last innings. That’s Bremer, one of Wickasaw’s -councilors, at bat. I used to know him at prep school. He didn’t know -much about baseball in those days.” - -“I guess he doesn’t know much now,” chuckled Tom as Bremer struck at a -ball so wide of the plate that Bob disdained to even attempt to stop -it. Bremer went out on strikes, the next man popped a tiny fly into -short-stop’s ready hands, and the third batsman was thrown out at first -by Wells. - -“No safe hitting there,” said Mr. Verder. - -“Wonder if there’ll be any in this inning?” said Tom. - -There wasn’t. Nelson struck out ignominiously, Dan failed to reach -first ahead of the ball, and Joe Carter sent up a fly that seemed aimed -at the third baseman’s big mitten. And so things went, with slight -variations, until the first half of the fourth. Then Hoyt, the Wickasaw -captain and first-baseman, found Wells for a long drive into left field -that netted him two bases. Bennett, a councilor and the rival pitcher, -followed this with a scratch hit that took him to first and sent Hoyt -on to third, and the next man up, although he went out at first, -brought in the first tally of the game. - -And the score remained 1 to 0 until the last of the sixth. In that -inning Chicora developed a batting streak, Dan, Carter, and Ridley each -finding Bennett for singles, and the bases were full when Loom sent -a long fly into right field. Dan scored, Carter went to third, and -Ridley to second. Loom went out. Bryant retired after three strikes, -but Bob, who followed him, hit safely for two bases, and the score was -3 to 1. Nothing happened in the seventh, and it looked as though 3 to 1 -might be the final figures. But with the beginning of the eighth inning -affairs took on a different appearance. - -Wickasaw’s center-fielder went to bat, waited for a pass to first -and got it. Bob called out for the infielders to play for second. As -expected, the next man attempted a sacrifice. Had Carter not muffed -a good throw from Van Roden all might have been well, but as it was -there was a man on second and one on first with none out. Wells looked -worried and the coaching across the field added to his discomfiture. -The immediate result was that the Wickasaw third-baseman received the -ball on his elbow and trotted to first base. Bob informed the umpire -persuasively that the batsman had not tried to avoid being struck, but -the umpire couldn’t see it that way. Things looked bad for Chicora; the -bases were full and not one of the opponents was out. - -The next man was Bremer, a councilor, and he should have been an easy -victim. But Wells seemed unable to pitch a decent ball, and after four -efforts Bremer went down the line and the man on third trotted home -amid the wild applause of Wickasaw. Bob walked down to Wells, keeping a -close watch on the bases, and strove to put confidence into him. - -“Take your time, Wells,” he whispered. “There’s no hurry.” - -But Wells had become sullen and stubborn. - -“I can’t help it,” he muttered. “I told you I didn’t want to pitch -to-day, that I couldn’t do anything. The heat----” - -“Oh, never mind the heat,” answered Bob soothingly. “Just put the balls -over; let them hit; we’ll attend to them all right.” - -“That’s easy enough to say, but I’m not feeling well,” grumbled Wells. -“My arm’s tired, and it’s so hot----” - -“Well, try your best, that’s a good chap. Get them over the plate; -never mind if they hit them.” - -“All right,” answered the pitcher despondently. - -The Wickasaw captain found the first ball, but it went up in an infield -fly. The next man, too, went out; Loom pulled down his liner head-high -and the man on third scurried back to his base. Then came the Wickasaw -catcher--and Wells kindly presented him with his base, and again the -“Babe” was forced to score a tally for the enemy. The honors were even -now, but the inning was not yet at an end. Wells went thoroughly to -pieces. A two-base hit by one of the rival nine’s councilors brought -in two men and still left second and third bases occupied. Wickasaw’s -supporters kept up a continuous shouting, hoping doubtless to add to -the discomfiture of the Chicora pitcher, while back of first and third -bases the Wickasaw coachers screamed and yelled with the same end in -view. Naturally enough, Wells’s wildness eventually proved contagious, -and it was Bob himself who let in the next run, missing a throw to the -plate after a hit. But if he was accountable for that tally he was also -accountable for the termination of the inning. For he managed to toss -the ball, while lying flat on his back, to the plate in time to put out -the next ambitious Wickasaw runner. And so the rout finally came to an -end with the score 6 to 3 in Wickasaw’s favor. - -Bob was an anxious-looking youth when the side trotted in and threw -themselves about the ground to rest and cool off. - -“I don’t know what the dickens to do,” he said to Dan and Nelson. -“There’s no use putting Wells in again, even if he’d go, and he says he -won’t. Little Morris can’t pitch on account of his ivy-poisoning. Van -Roden has done a little of it, but he can only pitch a straight ball, -and it isn’t even swift. Who’s up, ‘Babe’?” - -“Ridley up, Loom on deck!” piped the “Babe.” - -“For goodness’ sake, Rid, hit the ball!” called Bob. “We’ve got to get -four runs this inning.” And after Ridley had nodded and stepped to -the plate Bob went on: “The worst of it is we’ve got our tail-enders -coming up. After Loom there isn’t a man can hit. However--” He turned -frowningly to watch Ridley, chewing savagely at the blade of grass -between his teeth. Ridley made a safe hit and went to first, and -Chicora applauded wildly. - -“Joe, coach at first, will you?” Bob called. “You’re up, Loom. You know -what to do, old chap. We need runs, you know.” Then he turned to Dan -and Nelson again. “Look here, what do you fellows think? Shall I give -Van a chance?” - -“No use,” answered Dan gloomily. “He’s no pitcher. Isn’t there any one -else?” Bob shook his head. - -“Not a soul that I know of. I’ll try it myself, if you say so,” he said -with a feeble effort at humor. - -“You cu-cu-cu-couldn’t do mu-mu-mu-much worse!” stuttered Tom, who had -long since left the shade of the apple-tree and was now hopping around -wide-eyed with excitement. “Why du-du-du-don’t you mu-mu-make Nel -pu-pu-pu-pitch?” - -“Can you?” cried Bob. - -“No; that is, mighty little, Bob,” answered Nelson. “I pitched one -season on a class team. But I’m willing to try if you want me to. Only -don’t expect much; I’ll probably be worse than Wells was the last -inning.” - -“Find a ball,” said Bob quickly, his face lighting up with hope, “and -pitch me a few. Where’s my mitten? Say, Nel, why didn’t you tell me you -could pitch?” - -“I can’t, not enough to call pitching. I can get a ball over now and -then and I used to be able to work a pretty fair drop, but that’s about -all. You’ll have to explain signals to me.” - -“All right. Say, Van, run over and tell Kendall I want him to play -center field, will you? There he is talking to Clint. Scoot!” - -There was a yell at that moment, and Bob and Nelson looked up in -time to see Loom drive out a pretty liner toward first. He was out -without question, but the sacrifice had advanced Ridley to second, and -Chicora’s little group of cheerers made themselves heard. Bob ran over -to speak to Bryant, who was next up, and then came back to Nelson. The -signals were quickly explained, and Nelson began throwing into Bob’s -big mitten, slowly at first, then increasing in speed as something -of the knack came back to him. Bryant offered at a close ball, and -Ridley, who was ready and waiting, shot out for third. Catcher lost a -half a second in getting the ball down, and the umpire waved his hand -downward; Ridley was safe. Dan took Bob’s place in front of Nelson, -and Bob hurried over to Ridley’s assistance, relieving Loom on the -coacher’s line. - -Nelson felt some of his old power returning to him and slammed ball -after ball into Dan’s hands in a way that made that youth grin with -approval. Once or twice he essayed a drop with but indifferent success; -somehow, he couldn’t yet make that work. - -Bryant connected with a straight ball over the plate, which, had he -allowed it to pass, would have been the third strike, and lit out for -first. At the same instant Ridley started for home. But Wickasaw’s -short-stop smothered the ball on its first bounce and lined it in to -the plate. Ridley doubled back, slid for the base, and got there an -instant ahead of the ball. Bryant was safe at first. Chicora’s shouts -were deafening. The audience had gradually edged toward the infield -until now the paths to first and to third were lined with excited -partizans of the rival teams. Bob trotted in and selected his bat, -pulled his gray cap firmly down on to his head, and went to the plate. -Nelson stopped his work to watch. There were two on bases; a home run -would tie the score. - - - - -CHAPTER XXIII - -PROVES THE SCORE-BOOK IN ERROR AND CLOSES THE STORY - - -As the first ball left the pitcher’s hand Bryant trotted along to -second, secure in the knowledge that catcher would not throw down there -with a man on third. Chicora clamored for a home run. Bob watched the -pitcher calmly. The first two balls were wasted, but the next sailed -over the corner of the plate and was a strike. Bob refused to offer at -the following one, and the umpire indorsed his choice. The score was -three and one. It looked as though a base on balls was to be given in -order to get Bob out of the way. But, whether that was the pitcher’s -plan or not, Bob was not satisfied with so easy a victory. When the -next delivery came to him he reached out for it, caught it on the end -of his bat, and sent it sailing down the line over first-baseman’s head. - -For a moment it looked like a home run, and the wearers of the blue and -gray leaped and shouted. In raced Ridley and Bryant and around the -bases flew Bob. Out in right field the ball had fallen untouched to the -ground and was now speeding back to second-baseman, who had run out to -relay it in. Bob passed second and reached third just as second-baseman -turned and threw, and Loom held him there. The score was 6 to 5 and -only one man was out. - -Van Roden stepped to the plate looking determined. But he had no chance -to distinguish himself very greatly, for the Wickasaw pitcher was -pretty well rattled and four successive balls sent him to first at a -walk. Kendall, who followed him at bat, was a substitute and owed his -position on the team to his fielding rather than his batting ability. -But even Kendall managed to connect with the second ball offered him, -and might, with speedier running, have beaten it out to first. As it -was, he made the second out and Bob’s hopes began to fall. Nelson was -the next man up and Nelson had all day been unable to bat in anything -like his real form. Bob decided that if the score was to be even tied -in that inning, risks must be taken. “Two out, run on anything!” was -his order, while Wickasaw’s catcher reminded his men to “play for the -runner!” - -Nelson went to bat resolved to do the very best he knew how, but not at -all sanguine of success. The thought that with him probably rested the -fate of the nine worried him. To be sure, Chicora might be able to do -something in the next and last inning, but that wasn’t to be depended -upon. The time was now, when, with two runners on bases, a clean hit -would put them in the lead. - -The first delivery looked such a palpable ball that he let it go by, -discovering too late that it was an in-curve and a strike. Van Roden -trotted to second and went on to a position half-way between that base -and the next. Bob was ten feet away from his bag, on his toes, watching -pitcher and catcher intently, ready to be off on the slightest pretext. -Another ball went across the plate, and again a strike was scored -against poor Nelson, who mentally called himself names and gripped -his bat more fiercely. Bob decided that it was now or never. As the -catcher, with a glance in his direction, threw the ball back to the -pitcher, Bob started calmly up the line toward the home plate at a walk. - -The pitcher was walking back to the box, and for three or four seconds -Bob’s leave-taking went unnoticed. Then the third-baseman discovered -his absence and yelled wildly for the ball. The pitcher, wheeling -about, looked here, there, and everywhere save in the right direction, -ran a few steps toward second, thought better of it, and finally -obeyed the frantic injunctions of half the players to “put it home,” -although he didn’t see why it was necessary, since Bob, who by that -time had increased his pace slightly, looked like any of the other -gray-and-blue-clad fellows behind him. - -But Bob had been watching from the tail of his eye, even if he had -seemed so unconcerned, and the instant the pitcher raised his arm to -throw he dashed for the plate, now only fifteen feet away. For the last -ten feet he was in the air and when he came down and slid across the -plate in a cloud of dust he had beaten the ball by just a fraction of -a second. He picked himself up, patted the dust from his jersey, and -stepped back to where he could watch Nelson, while Chicora went wild -with delight, laughed and shrieked and tossed its caps in air. There -followed a delay during which Wickasaw strove to find some rule which -would nullify that tally. But there is no law prohibiting a runner from -becoming a walker if he so pleases, and finally, much disgruntled, -Wickasaw went back to the game. - -[Illustration: He dashed for the plate.] - -As may be supposed, Van Roden had not neglected his opportunity, and -now he was on third. But his chances of getting any farther seemed -very slim as Nelson stepped up to the plate again with two strikes and -no balls against him. A hit would make the score 7 to 6 in Chicora’s -favor, but he doubted his ability to secure it. The Wickasaw pitcher -had suddenly become very deliberate. He eyed Nelson thoughtfully for -quite five seconds before he wound himself up, unwound himself, and -sped the sphere forward. - -“Ball!” said the umpire. - -Catcher returned to pitcher. On third Van Roden, coached by Dan, was -eager to score, and was taking longer chances than even Bob approved -of. As the pitcher poised himself to deliver again Van Roden made a -dash up the line. His plan was to rattle both pitcher and catcher and -secure a passed ball to score on. But although the pitcher threw wide -of the base the Wickasaw captain refused to muff the ball, and Van -Roden, sliding head foremost for the plate, felt the ball thump against -his shoulder while he was still two feet away. But the crowd was close -up to the line, and the umpire, back of pitcher, had not seen it very -well. He shook his head and dropped his hand. A howl of angry protest -arose from the Wickasaw players who had been near enough to see the -out. In a moment Mr. Downer, the center of a wrathful group of players, -had called “Time,” and was listening patiently to the protests. Van -Roden, grinning with delight, climbed to his feet and walked off. Bob, -in front of whom the affair had taken place, walked out to the center -of the diamond. As soon as he might he gained the umpire’s attention. - -“Could you see that very well, sir?” he asked. - -“Not very, I’ll acknowledge, because of the crowd about the base. But -it looked to me as though the runner touched base before he was tagged. -And that’s my decision, boys.” - -Again the protests arose. Bob raised his hand. - -“Just a moment, please,” he said. “I was there, Mr. Downer, and saw -it----” - -“Well, so was I there!” cried the Wickasaw catcher and captain angrily. -“I tell you I caught him two feet off base!” - -“That’s right!” cried the pitcher. - -“I was there and saw it,” repeated Bob dryly. “The runner was out.” - -There was an instant of silence during which the Wickasaw players -observed the captain of the rival team as though they thought he had -gone suddenly insane. Then: - -“Their own captain says he was out!” exclaimed the pitcher, turning -eagerly to the umpire, “and if he acknowledges it----” - -“I’m satisfied,” responded Mr. Downer, with a smile. “Out at the plate!” - - * * * * * - -Almost an hour later Chicora, cheering as though after a victory, -steamed home in the launch or trudged back through the woods, while -Wickasaw, apparently no less elated, took herself off across the lake -to Bear Island. It was almost dark. The game had come to an end after -thirteen innings with the score 6 to 6. Time and again Chicora had -placed men on bases only to have them left there. For five innings -Nelson had held the opponents down to a handful of scratch hits, none -of which yielded a score. It had been a hard and well-fought contest -and only darkness had brought it to a close. Although the score-book, -sedulously guarded by the “Babe,” pronounced the game a tie, yet there -were many among those that knew how the eighth inning had ended who -credited a victory--and a gorgeous one--to Chicora. Scores do not -always tell the whole story. - - * * * * * - -Two days later, while the sun was just peeping over the hills, Bob, -Dan, and Nelson stood on the deck of the Navigation Company’s steamer, -their trunks on board and their bags beside them. On the landing was -assembled Camp Chicora in a body, and well in front, in momentary peril -of an involuntary bath, stood Tom, a rather doleful Tom, whose eyes -never for an instant left the faces of the three on deck. - -The line was cast off, the propeller churned impatiently, and the head -of the launch swung toward the foot of the lake, the railroad, and -home. The departing ones had been cheered separately and collectively, -and as the boat gathered way only a confused medley of shouts and -laughter followed them. Only that, do I say? No, for as the boat -reached the point and the group on the pier was lost to sight there -came a final hail, faint yet distinct: - -“Gu-gu-gu-good bu-bu-bu-by!” - - -THE END - - - - -By RALPH HENRY BARBOUR. - - -On Your Mark! - -A Story of College Life and Athletics. Illustrated in Colors by C. M. -RELYEA. 12mo. Cloth, $1.50. - -Mr. Barbour’s boys are real boys living in a very real world; and no -other author has caught so truly the spirit and ideals of school and -college life. - - -The Arrival of Jimpson. - -Illustrated. 12mo. Cloth, $1.50. - -Good stories of college pranks, baseball, football, hockey, college -newspapers, and all the features that go to make the little world of -college life. - - -The Book of School and College Sports. - -Fully illustrated. 12mo. Cloth, $1.75 net; postage additional. - -The author has been assisted in preparing this work by Messrs. Paine, -Robinson, Shick, Jr., and Abercrombie. 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APPLETON AND COMPANY, NEW YORK. - - - - - Transcriber’s Notes: - - --Text in italics is enclosed by underscores (_italics_); text in - bold by “equal” signs (=bold=). - - --Except for the frontispiece, illustrations have been moved - to the text that they illustrate, so the page number of the - illustration may not match the page number in the Illustrations. - - --Punctuation and spelling inaccuracies were silently corrected. - - --Archaic and variable spelling has been preserved. - - --Variations in hyphenation and compound words have been preserved. - - --The Author’s em-dash style has been retained. - - - - - - -End of the Project Gutenberg EBook of Four in Camp, by Ralph Henry Barbour - -*** END OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK FOUR IN CAMP *** - -***** This file should be named 50590-0.txt or 50590-0.zip ***** -This and all associated files of various formats will be found in: - http://www.gutenberg.org/5/0/5/9/50590/ - -Produced by Donald Cummings and the Online Distributed -Proofreading Team at http://www.pgdp.net - -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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- padding-left: 3em; - text-indent: -3em; -} - -/* Transcriber's notes */ -.tnote { - background-color: #E6E6FA; - margin-left: 10%; - margin-right: 10%; - padding-bottom: .5em; - padding-top: .5em; - padding-left: .5em; - padding-right: .5em; -} - -.tntitle { - font-size: 1.25em; - font-weight: bold; - text-align: center; - clear: both; -} - -/* Title page borders and content. */ -.title { - font-size: 1.75em; - font-weight: bold; - text-align: center; - clear: both; -} - -.author { - font-size: 1.25em; - text-align: center; - clear: both; -} - -.chtitle { - font-size: .80em; - font-weight: bold; - text-align: center; - line-height: 80%; - clear: both; -} - -/* Advertisement formatting. */ -.adtitle { - font-size: 1.5em; - font-weight: bold; - clear: both; -} - -.adauthor { - font-size: 1.25em; - clear: both; -} - -.addesc { - font-size: 1.25em; -} - -/* Hanging indent. */ -.hang { - text-indent: -2em; - padding-left: 2em; -} - - </style> - </head> -<body> - - -<pre> - -The Project Gutenberg EBook of Four in Camp, by Ralph Henry Barbour - -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: Four in Camp - A Story of Summer Adventures in the New Hampshire Woods - -Author: Ralph Henry Barbour - -Release Date: December 2, 2015 [EBook #50590] - -Language: English - -Character set encoding: UTF-8 - -*** START OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK FOUR IN CAMP *** - - - - -Produced by Donald Cummings and the Online Distributed -Proofreading Team at http://www.pgdp.net - - - - - - -</pre> - - - -<div class="figcenter" style="width: 600px;"> -<img src="images/cover.jpg" width="600" height="666" alt="cover" title="cover" /> -</div> - - - - -<hr class="chap" /> -<p class="noic">FOUR IN CAMP</p> - - - - -<hr class="chap" /> -<div class="figcenter" style="width: 388px;"> -<a id="image01"> - <img src="images/image01.jpg" width="388" height="600" alt="" title="" /> -</a><br /> -<div class="caption"><a href="#Page_203">“Coming! Don’t give up, boys!”</a></div> -</div> - - - - -<hr class="chap" /> -<h1>FOUR IN CAMP</h1> - -<p class="noic">A STORY OF SUMMER ADVENTURES<br /> -IN THE NEW HAMPSHIRE WOODS</p> - -<p class="p2 noi author">By RALPH HENRY BARBOUR</p> - -<p class="noic"><i>Author of “The Half-Back,” “Behind the Line,”<br /> -“Weatherby’s Inning,” “On Your Mark,” etc.</i></p> - -<p class="p2 noic">ILLUSTRATED</p> - -<div class="pad2"> -<div class="figcenter" style="width: 91px;"> -<img src="images/logo.jpg" width="91" height="112" alt="logo" title="logo" /> -</div> -</div> - -<p class="noic">NEW YORK<br /> -D. APPLETON AND COMPANY<br /> -1905</p> - - - - -<hr class="chap" /> -<p class="noic"><span class="smcap">Copyright, 1905, by</span><br /> -D. APPLETON AND COMPANY</p> - - -<p class="p4 noi"><i>Published September, 1905</i></p> - - - - -<hr class="chap" /> -<p class="noic">TO<br /> -THE CHIEF, COUNCILLORS AND<br /> -FELLOWS OF SHERWOOD<br /> -FOREST</p> - -<hr class="chap" /> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_vii" id="Page_vii">[vii]</a></span></p> - - - - -<h2>CONTENTS</h2> - - -<table border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" summary="Contents"> -<col style="width: 20%;" /> -<col style="width: 70%;" /> -<col style="width: 10%;" /> -<tr> - <th class="pr smfontr">CHAPTER</th> - <th class="tdl"></th> - <th class="smfontr">PAGE</th> -</tr> -<tr> - <td class="pt tdrt">I.—</td> - <td class="pt tdl smcap"><a href="#CHAPTER_I">Introduces Nelson Tilford and Witnesses - His Arrival at Camp Chicora</a></td> - <td class="pt tdrb">1</td> -</tr> -<tr> - <td class="pt tdrt">II.—</td> - <td class="pt tdl smcap"><a href="#CHAPTER_II">Tells of a Talk by the Camp-Fire and of - Happenings in a Dormitory</a></td> - <td class="pt tdrb">10</td> -</tr> -<tr> - <td class="pt tdrt">III.—</td> - <td class="pt tdl smcap"><a href="#CHAPTER_III">Shows that a Motor-Dory Can Go as Well - as Stop</a></td> - <td class="pt tdrb">22</td> -</tr> -<tr> - <td class="pt tdrt">IV.—</td> - <td class="pt tdl smcap"><a href="#CHAPTER_IV">Relates How Nelson Borrowed a Leaf from - Bob, and How Dan Cried Quits</a></td> - <td class="pt tdrb">34</td> -</tr> -<tr> - <td class="pt tdrt">V.—</td> - <td class="pt tdl smcap"><a href="#CHAPTER_V">Tells How Dan Played a Trump Card, How Bob - Gained Honor and How the “Big Four” Came Into Existence</a></td> - <td class="pt tdrb">48</td> -</tr> -<tr> - <td class="pt tdrt">VI.—</td> - <td class="pt tdl smcap"><a href="#CHAPTER_VI">Opens with Awful Tidings and Ends with - a Gleam of Hope</a></td> - <td class="pt tdrb">59</td> -</tr> -<tr> - <td class="pt tdrt">VII.—</td> - <td class="pt tdl smcap"><a href="#CHAPTER_VII">Proves the Truth of the Saying that - There is Always Room at the Top, and Shows Dan with the “Blues”</a></td> - <td class="pt tdrb">70</td> -</tr> -<tr> - <td class="pt tdrt">VIII.—</td> - <td class="pt tdl smcap"><a href="#CHAPTER_VIII">Tells How Tom was Visited by Aunt - Louisa—and Some Others</a></td> - <td class="pt tdrb">82</td> -</tr> -<tr> - <td class="pt tdrt">IX.—</td> - <td class="pt tdl smcap"><a href="#CHAPTER_IX">Starts with Poetry, Has to Do with a - Beetle and Ends with a Penalty</a></td> - <td class="pt tdrb">91</td> -</tr> -<tr> - <td class="pt tdrt">X.—</td> - <td class="pt tdl smcap"><a href="#CHAPTER_X">Describes an Afternoon on the Lake and a - Gallant Rescue</a></td> - <td class="pt tdrb">104</td> -</tr> -<tr> - <td class="pt tdrt">XI.—</td> - <td class="pt tdl smcap"><a href="#CHAPTER_XI">Tells How the Four Planned an Excursion, - and How Dan and Nelson Played Hares, Made a Discovery and Had a Fright</a></td> - <td class="pt tdrb">111</td> -</tr> -<tr> - <td class="pt tdrt">XII.—</td> - <td class="pt tdl smcap"><a href="#CHAPTER_XII">Has to Do with a Storm and Lightning, - Discovers Tom in Tears, and Concludes the Adventure</a></td> - <td class="pt tdrb">122<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_viii" - id="Page_viii">[viii]</a></span></td> -</tr> -<tr> - <td class="pt tdrt">XIII.—</td> - <td class="pt tdl smcap"><a href="#CHAPTER_XIII">Recalls the Fact that What’s Fair for - One is Fair for Another and Records a Defeat and a Victory</a></td> - <td class="pt tdrb">132</td> -</tr> -<tr> - <td class="pt tdrt">XIV.—</td> - <td class="pt tdl smcap"><a href="#CHAPTER_XIV">Begins a Midnight Adventure which - Threatens to End in Disaster</a></td> - <td class="pt tdrb">140</td> -</tr> -<tr> - <td class="pt tdrt">XV.—</td> - <td class="pt tdl smcap"><a href="#CHAPTER_XV">Concludes the Adventure and Shows Tom - Sleeping the Sleep of the Just</a></td> - <td class="pt tdrb">152</td> -</tr> -<tr> - <td class="pt tdrt">XVI.—</td> - <td class="pt tdl smcap"><a href="#CHAPTER_XVI">Records Two Victories Over Wickasaw - and an Episode with Fish</a></td> - <td class="pt tdrb">159</td> -</tr> -<tr> - <td class="pt tdrt">XVII.—</td> - <td class="pt tdl smcap"><a href="#CHAPTER_XVII">Witnesses the Departure of the Four - on a Canoe Trip and Brings Them Into Camp for the Night</a></td> - <td class="pt tdrb">174</td> -</tr> -<tr> - <td class="pt tdrt">XVIII.—</td> - <td class="pt tdl smcap"><a href="#CHAPTER_XVIII">Tells How They Found a Derelict and - a Course Dinner, and Met with Shipwreck</a></td> - <td class="pt tdrb">189</td> -</tr> -<tr> - <td class="pt tdrt">XIX.—</td> - <td class="pt tdl smcap"><a href="#CHAPTER_XIX">Concerns Itself with the Dangerous - Plight of Dan and Nelson and the Courage of the Latter</a></td> - <td class="pt tdrb">199</td> -</tr> -<tr> - <td class="pt tdrt">XX.—</td> - <td class="pt tdl smcap"><a href="#CHAPTER_XX">Relates the Conclusion of the Trip - and What Happened at Camp</a></td> - <td class="pt tdrb">210</td> -</tr> -<tr> - <td class="pt tdrt">XXI.—</td> - <td class="pt tdl smcap"><a href="#CHAPTER_XXI">Tells How the Four Laid Plans and How - Bob Prepared for a Victory</a></td> - <td class="pt tdrb">219</td> -</tr> -<tr> - <td class="pt tdrt">XXII.—</td> - <td class="pt tdl smcap"><a href="#CHAPTER_XXII">Narrates the Progress of the Contest - with Wickasaw and Witnesses the Disintegration of One Wells</a></td> - <td class="pt tdrb">233</td> -</tr> -<tr> - <td class="pt tdrt">XXIII.—</td> - <td class="pt tdl smcap"><a href="#CHAPTER_XXIII">Proves the Score-Book in Error and - Closes the Story</a></td> - <td class="pt tdrb">242</td> -</tr> -</table> - -<hr class="chap" /> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_ix" id="Page_ix">[ix]</a></span></p> - - - - -<h2>LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS</h2> - - -<div class="blockquot"> -<table border="0" cellpadding="5" cellspacing="0" summary="Illustrations"> -<tr> - <th> </th> - <th> </th> - <th class="smfontc">FACING<br />PAGE</th> -</tr> -<tr> - <td class="tdl"><a href="#image01">“Coming! Don’t give up, boys!”</a></td> - <td class="tdrb smfontr"><i>Frontispiece.</i></td> - <td class="tdrb"> </td> -</tr> -<tr> - <td class="tdl"><a href="#image02">Camp Chicora.</a></td> - <td class="tdrb"> </td> - <td class="tdrb">6</td> -</tr> -<tr> - <td class="tdl"><a href="#image03">He was tracing a monstrous C.</a></td> - <td class="tdrb"> </td> - <td class="tdrb">80</td> -</tr> -<tr> - <td class="tdl"><a href="#image04">“Look!” he cried.</a></td> - <td class="tdrb"> </td> - <td class="tdrb">120</td> -</tr> -<tr> - <td class="tdl"><a href="#image05">“Over with them,” said Dan.</a></td> - <td class="tdrb"> </td> - <td class="tdrb">162</td> -</tr> -<tr> - <td class="tdl"><a href="#image06">He dashed for the plate.</a></td> - <td class="tdrb"> </td> - <td class="tdrb">244</td> -</tr> -</table> -</div> - - - - -<hr class="chap" /> -<div class="figcenter" style="width: 600px;"> -<a id="image02"> - <img src="images/image02.jpg" width="600" height="412" alt="" title="" /> -</a><br /> -<div class="caption">Camp Chicora.</div> -</div> - -<hr class="chap" /> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_1" id="Page_1">[1]</a></span></p> - - - - -<div class="chapter"> -<p class="noi title">FOUR IN CAMP</p> - - - - -<h2><a name="CHAPTER_I" id="CHAPTER_I">CHAPTER I</a><br /> -<span class="chtitle">INTRODUCES NELSON TILFORD, AND WITNESSES HIS -ARRIVAL AT CAMP CHICORA</span></h2> -</div> - - -<div> - <img class="drop-cap" src="images/dcap_t.jpg" width="100" height="113" alt="" /> -</div> - -<p class="noi drop-capq">“That’s Chicora over there.”</p> - -<p>The man at the wheel turned to the -boy standing beside him and nodded his -head at a landing toward which the nose -of the big steam-launch was slowly turning. It lay less -than an eighth of a mile away across the smooth -waters of the lake, a good-sized wharf, a float, a pole -from which a blue-and-gray flag hung lifeless, and -a flotilla of various kinds of boats. Several figures -stood upon the pier, and their voices came shrill and -clear across the intervening space. From the shore, -which here circled inward into a tiny cove, the hill -swept up rather abruptly for three hundred feet or -more, and a third of the way up the gleam of unpainted -boards through the trees told Nelson Tilford -of the location of the camp which was to be his<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_2" id="Page_2">[2]</a></span> -home for the next two months. It was a pleasant, -peaceful scene before him, but the shadow of the hill -had already crept well into the lake, leaving the -shore and wooded slope in twilight, and a slight -qualm of loneliness stole over him for the instant.</p> - -<p>He had left the Boston express at Warder, six -miles away, at half past four, and had been rattled -over a constantly turning road behind a pair of stout -horses to Chicora Landing, where, followed by his -trunk, he had boarded one of the several small steam-boats -which lay at intervals up and down the long -shed like horses in their stalls. A half a mile at -slow speed through a winding river, scarcely wide -enough in places for the boat to scrape through between -the low banks, had brought them into Little -Chicora, hardly more than a pond. Another and -far shorter stretch of river followed, and then, with -a warning blast, the steam-launch had thrust her bow -into the broad waters of the big lake, spread out -like a great mirror in the evening sunlight, dotted -here and there with well-wooded islands, and guarded -by gently rising hills covered with maples, pines, white -and black birches, poplars, and many other trees -whose names Nelson did not know. White farmhouses -gleamed now and then from the shores, and -slender purple ribbons of smoke, rising straight into<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_3" id="Page_3">[3]</a></span> -the calm evening air, told of other dwellings, unseen -for the thick foliage. They had made three stops on -the south side of the lake, first at Chicora Inn Landing, -from where the big hotel was plainly visible a -quarter of a mile away, then at Squirrel Island and -Plum Island. Nelson had been interested all the -way, for he had never seen a New Hampshire lake -before, and the glimpses he had obtained of the -comfortable summer camps and their healthy, sun-browned -inhabitants had pleased him hugely. But -when Plum Island had been left behind and the boat -had entered the shadowed margin of the lake his -spirits began to sink. The water and the dim woods -looked cold and inhospitable to the city-bred lad. He -wondered what the fellows of Camp Chicora would -be like, and wished that he had joined at the beginning -of the season instead of a fortnight after it. Now -that it was past, that week at the beach with a school -friend had not been especially enjoyable after all; -and the rôle of the new boy was not, he knew from -experience, at all comfortable. He almost wished he -had held out against his father’s desires and stayed -snugly at home.</p> - -<p>His rueful thoughts were abruptly interrupted by -a shrill blast of the launch’s whistle. They were -close to the landing, and Nelson picked up his suit-case<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_4" id="Page_4">[4]</a></span> -and climbed to the deck. The bell tinkled, the -churn of the propeller ceased, and the boat sidled -up to the pier. Nelson stepped ashore into a group -of half-a-dozen fellows and set his bag down, prepared -to lend a hand to the landing of his trunk. -But some one was before him, a man of twenty-three -or four, who, when the trunk was safely ashore, -turned to Nelson with outstretched hand and welcoming -smile.</p> - -<p>“This is Nelson Tilford, isn’t it?” he asked, as -they shook hands. “Glad to see you. Mr. Clinton -didn’t get your letter until this noon, so we couldn’t -meet you at the station. Did you have any trouble finding -your way to us?”</p> - -<p>“No, sir,” said Nelson, “every one seemed to -know all about the camp.”</p> - -<p>“That’s good. Well, let’s go up.” He took Nelson’s -suit-case, despite the latter’s remonstrances, and -led the way along the pier to a well-worn path which -wound up the hill. Nelson, sensible of the frankly -curious regard of the other fellows, followed. A bugle -sounded clear and musical from the camp, and Nelson’s -companion turned and waited for him to range -himself alongside. “There’s the first supper call, -now,” he said. “I guess you’re a bit hungry, aren’t -you? By the way, I’m Mr. Verder, one of the councilors.<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_5" id="Page_5">[5]</a></span> -There are four of us besides Mr. Clinton. -You’ll meet them when we get up there. The Chief’s -away this evening, but he’ll be back in time for camp-fire. -We’re going to put you in Maple Hall, where -the seniors bunk. That’s where I am, so if you want -anything to-night don’t hesitate to ask me.”</p> - -<p>“Thank you,” answered Nelson gratefully. His -companion chatted on while they climbed the path, -which led by easy stages up the hill through a thin -woods, and Nelson forgot his previous misgivings. If -the fellows were as jolly as Mr. Verder, he reflected, -he was pretty sure to get on. The man beside him -seemed scarcely more than a big boy, and his sun-burned -face was good to look at. He was dressed in -a gray jersey bearing a blue C on the breast, gray -trousers with a blue stripe down the seam, and -brown canvas shoes. He wore no cap, and the warm -tan extended well up into the somewhat curly hair. -His arms were bare to the shoulders. Nelson concluded -he was going to like Mr. Verder; he looked -strong, alert, good-humored, and a gentleman.</p> - -<p>Two minutes of up-hill work on the winding path -brought them to the clearing. The five buildings -were arranged in what was practically a semicircle -facing the end of the path. Back of them on all -sides rose the forest. In the clearing a few trees<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_6" id="Page_6">[6]</a></span> -had been allowed to remain, spruce in most cases, -and one tall sentinel, shorn closely of its branches, -and standing guard at the head of the path to the -lake, had become a flagpole from which, as Nelson -came into sight, the Stars and Stripes was being lowered, -its place to be taken by a lighted lantern. Boys -were coming and going between the buildings, or -were scattered in little groups at the doorways.</p> - -<p>Near at hand, by the entrance of Birch Hall, -a knot of three men were standing, and to them -Nelson was conducted and introduced. There was -Mr. Ellery, almost middle-aged, slight, rather frail-looking; -Mr. Thorpe, small, rotund, jovial, with twinkling -blue eyes; and Mr. Smith, just out of college, -nervous-looking, with black hair and black eyes, the -latter snapping behind a pair of gold-rimmed glasses. -It was difficult to stand in awe of persons attired -negligently in shirt and trousers alone; and, anyway, -none of the four councilors seemed at all desirous -of impressing the newcomer with their dignity or -authority. They were a sunburned, clear-eyed lot, -troubling themselves very little with such things, but -brimming over with kindly good-nature. After the -greetings Nelson was hurried away by Mr. Verder to -the wash-room, from whence, having hastily splashed -his face and hands with water from a tin basin, he<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_7" id="Page_7">[7]</a></span> -was hustled to the dining-hall, just as the bugle was -blaring the last call to supper and the hungry denizens -of the camp were crowding and jostling into -the building. Nelson followed Mr. Verder, stood while -Mr. Ellery asked grace, and then pulled out his stool -and took his place at table. Mr. Verder, who sat at -the head of the table, was beside him. There were -three other tables in the room, and all were filled.</p> - -<p>There was very little ceremony about the meal. -The clean white boards held huge pitchers of cocoa, -milk, water, generous plates of biscuits and crackers -and cake, saucers of wild raspberries and bowls of -cereal, and to each table two boys were bringing plates -of ham and eggs from the kitchen. Every one talked -at once, and, as there were twenty-nine present, that -meant lots of noise. At his own table there were ten -boys besides himself, and Nelson looked them over as -he ate. They seemed a very hungry, happy, and noisy -lot; and at first glance they appeared to lack something -of refinement and breeding, but he afterward -found that it was necessary to make allowances for -the freedom of camp life, and for the difference between -ordinary attire and that worn at Chicora; gray -jerseys and knee-trunks in conjunction with tanned -bodies and tousled hair naturally lend an appearance -of roughness. In ages the fellows varied from ten to<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_8" id="Page_8">[8]</a></span> -seventeen, the most of them being apparently of -about Nelson’s age, which was fifteen. In the end -he decided they were a very decent-looking lot of -fellows.</p> - -<p>Naturally Nelson didn’t do all the examining. At -some time or other during the meal every lad there who -could get a glimpse of the newcomer looked him over -and formed his opinion of him. Most, if not all, -liked what they saw. Nelson Tilford was slim without -being thin, of medium height for his years, rather -broad across the shoulders and chest, brown of hair and -eyes, with good features, and a somewhat quiet and -thoughtful expression. A big, red-haired, blue-eyed -youth at the farther end of the table confided to his -left-hand neighbor that “the new chap looked to him -like a bit of a snob.” But the other shook his head.</p> - -<p>“I don’t think so, Dan,” he answered, between -mouthfuls of chocolate cake; “I bet he’ll turn out to -be a swell chap.”</p> - -<p>Nelson’s appetite failed him long before those of -his companions—for perhaps the only time that summer—and -he took note of the room. It was about -forty feet long by thirty broad. There were no -windows, but along both sides and at one end wooden -shutters opened upward and inward and were hooked to -the ceiling, allowing great square openings, through<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_9" id="Page_9">[9]</a></span> -which the darkening forest was visible, and through -which eager yellow-jackets came and went seeking the -sugar-bowls or flying homeward with their booty. At -one end a door gave into the kitchen, and by it was a -window like that of a ticket-office, through which the -food was passed to the waiters. At the other end, in -the corner away from the door, was a railed enclosure -containing a roll-top desk and chairs, which Nelson -rightly presumed to be Mr. Clinton’s office. Presently -the signal was given allowing them to rise. He rescued -his suit-case from where he had left it inside -the door and turned to find Mr. Verder. At that moment -a brown hand was thrust in front of him, and -a pair of excited gray eyes challenged his.</p> - -<p>“Hello, Ti-ti-ti-Tilford!” cried the owner of the -hand, “what the di-di-dickens you du-du-doing up -here?”</p> - -<hr class="chap" /> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_10" id="Page_10">[10]</a></span></p> - - - - -<div class="chapter"> -<h2><a name="CHAPTER_II" id="CHAPTER_II">CHAPTER II</a><br /> -<span class="chtitle">TELLS OF A TALK BY THE CAMP-FIRE AND OF HAPPENINGS -IN A DORMITORY</span></h2> -</div> - - -<div> - <img class="drop-cap" src="images/dcap_a.jpg" width="100" height="113" alt="" /> -</div> - -<p class="noi drop-cap">An hour later, having discarded some of -the garb of civilization for more comfortable -attire, Nelson lay stretched out -on a carpet of sweet-smelling pine-needles. -Above him were motionless branches of hemlock -and beech and pine, with the white stars twinkling -through. Before him was a monster camp-fire -of branches and saplings built into the form of an -Indian tepee, which roared and crackled and lighted -up the space in front of Maple Hall until the faces -of the assembled campers were recognizable across -the clearing. A steady stream of flaring sparks rushed -upward, to be lost amid the higher branches of the -illumined trees. Beside him was the boy with the -gray eyes, who, having recovered from his temporary -excitement, no longer stammered. Sitting cross-legged -in the full radiance of the fire, Tom Ferris looked -not unlike a fat, good-natured Indian idol. Not that<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_11" id="Page_11">[11]</a></span> -he was as ugly of countenance as those objects usually -are; what similarity existed was due rather to his -position and a certain expression of grinning contentment. -He really wasn’t a bad-looking chap; rather -heavy-featured, to be sure, and showing too much flesh -about cheeks and chin to be handsome. He was only -fourteen years old, and weighed something over a hundred -and thirty pounds. He had a rather stubby nose, -tow-colored hair, very pale gray eyes, and exceedingly -red cheeks. He was good-natured, kind-hearted, eager -in the search for fun, and possessed a positive genius -for getting into trouble. Like Nelson, he was a student -at Hillton Academy, but whereas Nelson was in the -upper middle class, Tom Ferris was still a lower-middler, -having failed the month before to satisfy the -powers as to his qualifications to advance. Nelson and -he had not seen much of each other at school, but this -evening they had met quite as though they had been -the closest of chums for years. Nelson had already -learned a good deal about Camp Chicora and its customs, -and was still learning.</p> - -<p>“The Chief’s a dandy fellow,” Tom was saying. -“We call him ‘Clint’ for short. Carter called him -‘Clint’ to his face the other day, and he just smiled, -and said, ‘<em>Mister</em> Clint, Carter; I must insist on being -addressed respectfully.’”</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_12" id="Page_12">[12]</a></span></p> - -<p>“He looks like a bully sort,” answered Nelson, -turning his eyes to where the Director-in-Chief, the -center of a merry group of boys, was sitting at a -little distance. Mr. Clinton looked to be about thirty-five -years old. A few years before he had been an -assistant professor in a New England college, but the -confinement of lecture-room and study had threatened -his health. He had a natural love of the outdoor -life, and in the end he had broken away from the -college, built his camp in the half-wilderness, and had -regained his health and prospered financially. Camp -Chicora had been in existence but three years, and -already it was one of the most popular and successful -of the many institutions of its kind in that part of the -country. He was tall, dark, strikingly good-looking, -with an expression of shrewd and whimsical kindliness -that was eminently attractive. He knew boys -as few know them, and managed them at once surely -and gently. Like the fellows about him, he wore -only the camp uniform of jersey and trousers, and -the fire-light gleamed on a pair of deeply tanned -arms that looked powerful enough to belong to a -blacksmith.</p> - -<p>“What did he say to you?” asked Tom.</p> - -<p>“Said he was glad to see me, hoped I’d make myself -at home and be happy, and told me to let him<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_13" id="Page_13">[13]</a></span> -know if I wanted anything. It wasn’t so much what -he said as—as the way he said it.”</p> - -<p>“That’s ju-ju-ju-just it!” cried Tom, with enthusiasm. -“It’s the way he says things and does things! -And he’s into everything with us; plays ball, tennis, -and— Say, you ought to see him put the shot!”</p> - -<p>“I liked that Mr. Verder, too,” said Nelson.</p> - -<p>“Yes, he’s a peach! The whole bunch are mighty -decent. Ellery—that’s him fixing the fire—he’s -awfully nice; he’ll do anything for you. The Doctor’s -another mighty good chap. You’d ought to have -seen the way he got a nail out of ‘Babe’s’ foot last -week! It was perfectly great. ‘Babe’ came pretty -near fainting! Say, don’t you want to get the bunk -next to mine? Maybe Joe Carter will swap with you, -if I ask him.”</p> - -<p>“Oh, never mind; maybe when I get to know -some of the fellows we can fix it up.”</p> - -<p>“Well, and”—Tom lowered his voice—“I guess -they’ll try and have some fun with you to-night; they -always do when a new fellow comes; but don’t you -mind; a little ‘rough-house’ won’t hurt you.”</p> - -<p>“I guess I can stand it. What’ll they do?”</p> - -<p>“Oh—er—well, you see, I oughtn’t to tell, Tilford; -it wouldn’t be quite fair, you know; but it -won’t hurt, honest!”</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_14" id="Page_14">[14]</a></span></p> - -<p>“All right.” Nelson laughed. “After the initiation -I went through at Hillton last fall, I guess -nothing short of a cyclone will feeze me!”</p> - -<p>“Say, we’ve got a society here, too; see?” Tom -exhibited a tiny gold pin which adorned the breast -of his jersey. “I’ll get you in all right. We’re the -only Hillton men here, and we ought to stand by -each other, eh?”</p> - -<p>Nelson agreed gravely.</p> - -<p>“There’s a chap here from St. Eustace,” continued -Tom. “His name’s Speede, Dan Speede; -ever meet him?” Nelson shook his head. “Of -course he isn’t a Hilltonian,” went on Tom with a -tone of apology, “but he—he’s rather a nice sort. -He’s in our hall; you’ll see him to-night, a big chap -with red hair; he played on their second eleven last -year. I think you’ll like him—that is, as well as you -could like a St. Eustace fellow, of course.”</p> - -<p>“I dare say there are just as good fellows go -there as come to Hillton,” responded Nelson generously -but without much conviction.</p> - -<p>Tom howled a protest. “Get out! There may be -some decent fellows—like Dan—but— Why, everybody -knows what St. Eustace chaps are!”</p> - -<p>“I dare say they talk like that about us,” laughed -Nelson.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_15" id="Page_15">[15]</a></span></p> - -<p>“I’d lu-lu-lu-like tu-tu-to hear ’em!” sputtered -Tom indignantly.</p> - -<p>Mr. Clinton arose, watch in hand, and announced -that it was time for prayers. There was a scrambling -and scuffling as the fellows arose from their places on -the ground to kneel with heads bent and repeat the -Lord’s Prayer. The dying fire crackled softly and its -mellow light played upon the motionless forms, while -overhead the white stars peered down through the dark -branches as though they too were giving thanks to -their Creator.</p> - -<p>Then good night was said to the Chief and the -fellows separated, the younger boys to climb the hill -to Spruce Hall and the older to go to their own dormitory. -Presently from across the clearing floated the -slow sweet notes of the bugle sounding taps, and the -lights in the junior hall went out. The seniors, however, -still had a half hour before they must be in bed, -and they made the most of it in various ways. When -Nelson and Tom entered Maple they found three distinct -pillow or “sneaker” fights in progress, and the -air was full of hurtling missiles. On one bed two -youths in pajamas were sitting cross-legged deep in a -game of cribbage when a random shoe struck the homemade -board with all the devastating effect of a -bursting shell, and sent it, together with the quartet of<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_16" id="Page_16">[16]</a></span> -pegs, over three bunks. Whereupon two voices were -raised in rage, cards were dropped, and the ranks of -the belligerents were swelled by two volunteers.</p> - -<p>The senior dormitory was erected on the side of -the hill, well off the ground for the sake of dryness, -and was a simply but well-built structure some eighty -feet long by twenty wide, with enough pitch to its -gable roof to shed rain quickly and afford a sort of -open attic under the rafters, where bags and wearing -apparel were precariously hung from the beams or -supported on occasional planks. The effect in the dim -light was picturesque if not beautiful. There was a -multitude of windows on either side, and at each end -large double doors occupied a third of the space. As -neither doors nor windows were ever closed, save during -a driving rain-storm, the occupants of the narrow -bunks ranged along each side of the hall practically -slept out-of-doors. A big stove stood in the middle of -the building. At the head of each bunk, secured to -the wall, was a white-pine locker. Sometimes this -was supplemented by a square of matched boards -which let down to form a writing-table. Wooden pegs -held the every-day attire, and trinkets were disposed -along the horizontal joists. The bunks, wooden-framed -cots, were guiltless of springs, and were furnished with -mattresses, blankets, and pillows. At Chicora sheets<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_17" id="Page_17">[17]</a></span> -were looked down upon as emblems of effeminacy. The -fellows slept with their feet toward the walls. From -a rafter hung a sheet of wrapping-paper bearing the -warning “<span class="smcap">No Snoring Allowed!</span>” Some one had -crossed out the last word and substituted “<span class="smcap">Aloud</span>.”</p> - -<p>Nelson’s bunk was the last but one on the left, -and in the opposite corner was Mr. Verder. At the -farther end of the dormitory slept Dr. Smith. What -light there was was given by two reflector lanterns at -either end of the hall, although for purposes of card-playing, -reading, or writing the fellows supplemented -this dim radiance by lighting one or more of the lanterns -which were part of each boy’s outfit. Aided by -such extra illumination Nelson’s right-hand neighbor, -a curly-haired youth of about sixteen, whose name -later transpired to be Hethington, was busily engaged -in patching a tennis racket with a piece of string. -Near the middle of the hall, a big, good-looking chap -with very red hair was entertaining two companions -with a narrative that must have been extremely humorous, -judging from the suppressed laughter that convulsed -them. Nelson had noticed him at table and -now concluded that he was Tom’s St. Eustace friend, -Dan Speede.</p> - -<p>Nelson undressed leisurely and got into his pajamas, -the while examining the bed and his surroundings<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_18" id="Page_18">[18]</a></span> -for a hint as to the trick which was to be played -him. But there were no suspicious circumstances -that he could see; the bed looked and felt all right, and -of all the sixteen inhabitants of the dormitory not one -was apparently paying him the least heed. When he -considered it, the fact that every one seemed to be resolutely -keeping his eyes from his direction struck him -as of ill augury; even the boy with the tennis racket -was unnaturally absorbed in his work. Tom Ferris -came over in a pair of weirdly striped pajamas and -sat chatting on the bed a moment until the lights were -put out. Then there was a scrambling, a few whispered -good nights, and silence reigned save for the -sounds of the forest entering through the windows and -doors. Nelson found the bunk rather different from -what he was accustomed to, but the fresh night air felt -good; there was a novel pleasure in being able to look -out through the branches at the twinkling white stars, -and he sighed contentedly and wished the worst would -happen so that he could go to sleep.</p> - -<p>But everything was very still. Minute after -minute passed. He strained his ears for suspicious -sounds, but heard nothing save the occasional creak of -a bed. The suspense was most uncomfortable. He had -about come to the conclusion that after all nothing was -going to happen, and was feeling a bit resentful over<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_19" id="Page_19">[19]</a></span> -it, when a sound reached him as of bare feet on the -boards. He turned his head noiselessly and stared -into the gloom. He could see nothing, and the sound -had ceased. Probably he had imagined——</p> - -<p><em>Bang!</em></p> - -<p><em>Thud!!</em></p> - -<p><em>Clatter!!!</em></p> - -<p>Down went the bed with a jar that shook the building; -down came a shower of water that left the victim -gasping for breath; and Nelson and a big tin -bucket rolled together onto the floor and into a very -cold puddle.</p> - -<p>Pandemonium reigned! Gone was the peaceful -quietude of a moment before. From all sides came -shrieks and howls of laughter and kindly counsel:</p> - -<p>“Pick yourself up, Willie!”</p> - -<p>“Swim hard, old man!”</p> - -<p>“Try floating on your back!”</p> - -<p>“Sweet dreams!”</p> - -<p>“Did I hear something drop?” asked a voice.</p> - -<p>“Very high sea to-night!” remarked another.</p> - -<p>Nelson struggled free of the clinging folds of the -wet blankets and stood up shivering in the darkness. -It had been so sudden and so unexpected, for all the -warning he had received, that he didn’t quite know -yet what had happened to him. Then a match flared,<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_20" id="Page_20">[20]</a></span> -a lantern was lighted, and the tennis-racket youth was -holding it out to him.</p> - -<p>“Did the water get you?” he asked calmly.</p> - -<p>“Rather!” answered Nelson. “I’m soaked clear -through!”</p> - -<p>“Better get your panoramas off, then,” said Hethington. -“I’ve got some dry ones you can have. I’ll -look ’em up.” And he climbed leisurely out of bed.</p> - -<p>By that time Tom had come to the rescue with -an armful of dry blankets from an unoccupied bunk. -The tin lard can was kicked out of the way, the wet -mattress turned over, and the new blankets spread. -Hethington tossed over the dry pajamas, and Nelson, -his teeth chattering, got into them and looked about -him. As far as he could see in the dim light white-robed -figures were sitting up in their bunks regarding -him with grinning faces. There was something -expectant in both faces and attitudes, and Nelson -realized that they were awaiting an expression of his -feelings. With a glance that encompassed the entire -assemblage, he remarked earnestly, but more in sorrow -than in anger:</p> - -<p>“<em>Well, I hope you choke!</em>”</p> - -<p>A shout of laughter rewarded him, while a voice -from the nearer dimness remarked audibly:</p> - -<p>“I told you he’d be all right, Dan!”</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_21" id="Page_21">[21]</a></span></p> - -<p>Nelson examined the bed, but found that it could -not be made to stand without the aid of tools. So, -thanking Hethington again for his pajamas and eliciting -a calm “All right,” and looking about for evidences -of further surprises without finding them, he blew out -the lantern and descended into his lowly couch. The -last thing he saw, as the light went out, was the -amused countenance of Mr. Verder across the dormitory.</p> - -<p>Ten minutes later he was asleep.</p> - -<hr class="chap" /> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_22" id="Page_22">[22]</a></span></p> - - - - -<div class="chapter"> -<h2><a name="CHAPTER_III" id="CHAPTER_III">CHAPTER III</a><br /> -<span class="chtitle">SHOWS THAT A MOTOR-DORY CAN GO AS WELL AS STOP</span></h2> -</div> - - -<div> - <img class="drop-cap" src="images/dcap_w.jpg" width="100" height="113" alt="" /> -</div> - -<p class="noi drop-cap">When Nelson awoke the early sunshine -was dripping through the tender green -branches outside the window, the birds -were singing merrily, and Tom Ferris -was digging him in the ribs. He blinked, yawned, -and turned over again, but Tom was not to be denied.</p> - -<p>“Come on, Tilford, and have a douse,” he whispered. -“First bugle’s just blown.”</p> - -<p>“Wha—” (a magnificent yawn)—“what time -is it?” asked Nelson.</p> - -<p>“Five minutes of seven. Come on down.”</p> - -<p>“Down? Down where?” inquired Nelson, at -last sufficiently awake to hear what Tom was saying.</p> - -<p>“Down to the lake for a douse. It’s fine.”</p> - -<p>“Huh! It’s pretty fine here. And the lake must -be awfully cold, don’t you think, Ferris?”</p> - -<p>“It really isn’t, honest to goodness! It’s swell! -Come on!”</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_23" id="Page_23">[23]</a></span></p> - -<p>“Oh—well—” Nelson looked out the window -and shivered; then he heroically rolled out onto the -floor, scrambled to his feet and donned his shoes. -One or two of the bunks were empty, and a few of the -fellows who remained were awake and were conversing -in whispers across the dormitory, but for the most part -sleep still reigned, and the “No Snoring” order was -being plainly violated. Tom and Nelson pattered -down the room—the former stopping long enough at -one bunk to pull the pillow from under a red-thatched -head and place it forcibly on top—and emerged into -a world of green and gold. As they raced past the -flagstaff the Stars and Stripes was fluttering its way -aloft, while from the porch of Birch Hall the reveille -sounded and floated echoing over the lake. The air -was like tonic, crisp without being chill in the shady -stretches of the path, pleasantly warm where the sunlight -slanted through, and the two boys hurled themselves -down the firm pathway as fast as lurking roots -would allow. At the pier a handful of fellows were -before them. There was very little breeze, and what -there was blew up the lake and so failed to reach the -water of the cove. Over on Plum Island the thin -streamer of purple smoke betokened breakfast, while -up at Bear Island, farther away across the sunlit -water, the boys of Camp Wickasaw were moving about<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_24" id="Page_24">[24]</a></span> -the little beach. At the edge of the pier the water -was bottle-green, with here and there a fleck of gold -where the sunlight found its way through the trees -that bordered the lake. It looked cold, but when, -having dropped their pajamas, they stood side by side -on the edge of the pier and then went splashing down -into fifteen feet of it, it proved to be surprisingly -warm. A moment or two of energetic thrashing -around, and out they came for a brisk rub-down in -the dressing-tent and a wild rush up the hill and into -the dormitory, where they arrived side by side—for, -considering his bulk, Tom had a way of getting over -the ground that was truly marvelous—to find the fellows -tumbling hurriedly into their clothes.</p> - -<p>Nelson had received his camp uniform, a gray -worsted jersey, a gray gingham shirt, two pairs of -gray flannel trousers reaching to the knees, one gray -worsted sweater, two pairs of gray worsted stockings, -a gray felt hat, a gray leather belt, and a pair of blue -swimming trunks. Jersey and sweater were adorned -with the blue C, while on the pocket of the shirt ran -the words “Camp Chicora.” Following the example -of those about him, Nelson donned merely the jersey -and trousers, slipped his feet into his brown canvas -shoes or “sneakers,” and, seizing his toilet articles, -fled to the wash-house in the train of Hethington and<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_25" id="Page_25">[25]</a></span> -Tom Ferris. By the most desperate hurrying he managed -to reach the door of Poplar Hall before the last -note of the mess-call had died away. He found himself -terrifically hungry, hungrier than he had been -within memory, and applied himself diligently to the -work in hand. Mr. Verder asked how he had slept, -and referred jokingly to the bath.</p> - -<p>“Every fellow has to go through with it sooner -or later,” he said smilingly. “They don’t even exempt -the councilors. I got a beautiful ducking last -week.”</p> - -<p>“Oh, I didn’t mind it,” laughed Nelson. “But -I was awfully surprised. I expected something of -the sort, but I hadn’t thought of a wetting. I don’t -see how they did it, either.”</p> - -<p>“Well, in the first place, they got a wrench and -took the legs off your bunk; then they put them on -again the wrong way, tied a rope to the bed and trailed -it along the wall where you wouldn’t see it. All they -had to do then was to pull the rope, and the legs simply -doubled up under the bed. As for the water, that -was in a pail on the beam overhead; it’s so dark you -couldn’t see it unless you looked for it. Of course -there was a string tied to that too, and— Who pulled -the string last night, fellows?”</p> - -<p>“Dan Speede,” two or three replied promptly.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_26" id="Page_26">[26]</a></span></p> - -<p>“And Carter pulled the rope,” added another -gleefully.</p> - -<p>The fellow with the red hair was grinning at -Nelson in a rather exasperating way, and he experienced -a sudden desire to get even with that brilliant -Mr. Speede. But he only smiled and, in response -to numerous eager inquiries, tried to describe his -sensations when the bed went down. The affair -seemed to have had the effect of an initiation ceremony, -for this morning every one spoke to him just as though -they had known him for months, and by the time -breakfast was over he no longer felt like an outsider. -Under escort of Tom and Hethington, who appeared -to have detailed themselves his mentors for the present, -he went to Birch Hall to examine the bulletin and -find out his duties for the day.</p> - -<p>The recreation hall stood on the edge of a little -bluff, and from the big broad porch thrown out at the -side a magnificent view of the lake and the farther -shore presented itself. Across from the porch was a -monstrous fireplace of field stones in which four-foot -logs looked scarcely more than kindling-wood. The -hall contained a piano, a shovel-board, innumerable -chairs, one or two small tables for games, the letter-boxes, -and the bulletin-board. Consultation with the -latter elicited the fact that Nelson, whose name was<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_27" id="Page_27">[27]</a></span> -the last on the board, was one of the ferry-boys. Tom -explained that he would have to go across to Crescent -with the mail at nine, two, and six-thirty.</p> - -<p>“You can take the motor-dory, if you like. The -letters are in that box over there; and the bag hangs -over it—see? You take the mail over and bring back -whatever there is and distribute it in the letter-boxes -yonder. Who’s the other ferry-boy?”</p> - -<p>“Speede,” answered Bob Hethington, referring to -the bulletin.</p> - -<p>“Well, that’s all right,” said Tom. “Dan knows all -about it. You let him attend to it, but you’ll have -to go along, you know.”</p> - -<p>“Don’t let him work any games on you,” advised -Bob dryly.</p> - -<p>Nelson made a mental resolution that he wouldn’t.</p> - -<p>Then Tom explained about the duties. Every -fellow had something to do. There were four lamp-boys, -who filled, trimmed, and cleaned the lanterns -and lamps all through the camp; four shore-boys, who -looked after the landing and the boats; four fire-boys, -who cut wood for and built the camp-fire and the fire in -Birch Hall; four camp-boys, who swept out and tidied -up the dormitories and the recreation hall; three mess-boys, -who set the tables and waited at them; two color-boys, -who saw to the hoisting and lowering of the<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_28" id="Page_28">[28]</a></span> -flags in the camp and at the landing; two ferry-boys; -one historian, who wrote the history of the day; two -orderlies, to whom the others reported, and who in turn -reported to the officer of the day (one of the councilors); -one police, whose duty it was to keep the camp-grounds -clean, and one substitute, who stood ready to -take on the duties of any of the fellows who might be -ill or away from camp. The duties changed day by -day, and the penalty for intentional non-performance -of them, as Tom explained with gusto, was to be ducked -in the lake by the other chaps.</p> - -<p>Then a couple of the camp-boys clattered in with -brooms, and the trio were glad to make their escape. -Tom and Bob hurried away to their neglected duties, -and Nelson idled back to Maple Hall with the intention -of getting his things arranged. But the other two camp-boys -were busily at work there and raising such a dust -that he retreated. Just outside, on the scene of last -night’s conflagration, two fellows were bringing brush -and piling it up for the evening’s camp-fire. In the -rear doorway of Spruce Hall Mr. Ellery was coaching -one of the juniors in Latin. Near-by a freckled-faced -youngster with a pointed stick was spearing bits -of paper and other rubbish and transferring them to -a basket which he carried. Every one seemed very -busy, and Nelson wondered whether the fire-boys would<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_29" id="Page_29">[29]</a></span> -be insulted if he offered to aid them. But at that -moment he heard his name called, and saw Tom beckoning -him from in front of the mess-hall. As Nelson -answered the hail he saw that Dan Speede was with -Tom, and surmised that an introduction was in order. -Speede shook hands, and said, with that irritating -smile on his handsome face, that he was glad to know -Nelson, and Nelson muttered something that sounded -fairly amiable. Speede was getting on his nerves, for -some reason or other; perhaps because he looked so -confoundedly well pleased with himself and appeared -to look on everybody else as a joke prepared for his -special delectation.</p> - -<p>“I know one or two Hillton fellows rather well,” -Dan said, and he mentioned their names. One of -them was a special friend of Nelson’s, but the fact -didn’t lessen his irritation to any degree.</p> - -<p>“We’re ferry-boys,” Dan continued. “Suppose -we go over now? It isn’t quite nine, but no one ever -waits, anyhow.”</p> - -<p>“All right,” Nelson answered.</p> - -<p>They left Tom, put the letters in the bag at Birch -Hall, and went down the path. There wasn’t much -conversation on Nelson’s part, but Dan rattled on carelessly -from one thing to another without seeming to -care whether his companion answered or not. At the<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_30" id="Page_30">[30]</a></span> -landing he threw the bag into the motor-dory and -climbed in, followed by Nelson.</p> - -<p>“They’ve got quite a navy here,” observed the -latter.</p> - -<p>“Yep; steam-launch thirty feet long, motor-dory, -four steel skiffs, three canoes, one punt, and two four-oared -barges—only the barges aren’t down here yet. -All aboard!”</p> - -<p>Nelson took the lines and off they chugged straight -for the corner of Bear Island, where the red-and-white -banner of Camp Wickasaw floated above the -trees.</p> - -<p>“Hold her off a little more,” advised Dan; “there’s -a shoal off the end of the island.” He was gazing -steadily toward the landing there, and Nelson noticed -that he looked disappointed. “Pshaw!” said Dan -presently; “I guess they’ve gone on ahead.”</p> - -<p>“Who?”</p> - -<p>“The Wickasaw fellows. They have a little old -sixteen-foot launch which they think can go. We -usually get here in time to race them over.”</p> - -<p>“Who beats?”</p> - -<p>“We do—usually. Last time I raced with them -this pesky dory stopped short half-way across. I -thought they’d bust themselves laughing. That’s why -I hoped we’d meet them this morning.”</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_31" id="Page_31">[31]</a></span></p> - -<p>“Too bad,” said Nelson. “What sort of a camp -is Wickasaw?”</p> - -<p>Dan shrugged his shoulders disdainfully. “No -good. The fellows sleep between sheets and sing -hymns every night before they go to bed. Besides, -the worst of it is, they have women there.”</p> - -<p>“Is it a big camp?”</p> - -<p>“Only about twenty fellows this year.”</p> - -<p>Presently Nelson asked another question: “Can -you walk from the camp over to the village?”</p> - -<p>“Yes, there’s a good road.” Dan nodded toward -the end of the lake. “But it’s pretty near two miles, I -guess. I never walked it.”</p> - -<p>Crescent proved to be the tiniest sort of a settlement. -There were no more than half-a-dozen buildings -in sight. To the right of the landing was a high -stone bridge, through which, as Dan explained, the -water from the lake flowed on into Hipp’s Pond by -way of a small river, and so, eventually, to Lake -Winnipesaukee.</p> - -<p>“You’d better go up front,” advised Dan, “and -jump onto the landing when we get up to it. Take -the painter with you.”</p> - -<p>Nelson obeyed. The dory wormed its way in between -a lot of rowboats, the propeller stopped, and -Dan poised himself for a leap as the boat drifted in.<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_32" id="Page_32">[32]</a></span> -When it was still some three or four feet away from -the float he jumped. All would have gone well with -him if at the very moment of his take-off the dory -had not, for some unaccountable reason, suddenly -started to back away. The result was that Nelson -landed in five feet of water, with only his hands on -the float. It was something of a task to crawl over -the edge, but he managed it finally and sat down in -a pool of water to get his breath. Then he glanced up -and encountered Dan’s grinning countenance and understood. -But he only said:</p> - -<p>“That was farther than I thought, or else the boat -rocked. Throw me the painter and I’ll pull you in.”</p> - -<p>Dan, his smile broadening at what he considered -Nelson’s innocence, tossed the rope and jumped ashore -with the bag.</p> - -<p>“I guess I’ll let you go up alone,” said Nelson. -“I’m too wet to visit the metropolis.”</p> - -<p>Dan said “All right,” and disappeared with the -mail-bag. Nelson climbed back into the boat and -started the motor. The sun was warm, and after taking -his shoes off and emptying the water out of them he -was quite comfortable. He even smiled once or twice, -apparently at his thoughts. Presently Dan appeared -around the corner of the nearest building, and Nelson -quietly pushed the dory away from the landing.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_33" id="Page_33">[33]</a></span></p> - -<p>“What did you start her up for?” asked Dan. -“She’ll get all hot and smelly if you do that.”</p> - -<p>“Oh, I just wanted to see if I could do it,” -answered Nelson. “Pitch the bag in; I’ll catch it.”</p> - -<p>Dan did so.</p> - -<p>“You’ll have to bring her in, you know,” he said. -“I can’t walk on water.”</p> - -<p>“But you can walk on land, can’t you?” asked -Nelson sweetly.</p> - -<p>“Walk on—? Hold on, you idiot, you’re backing -her!”</p> - -<p>“Must be something wrong with her,” replied -Nelson calmly. He reached for the tiller-line, swung -the dory’s nose toward the camp, shot the lever forward, -and waved gaily at Dan. “It’s only two miles, you -know,” he called, as the boat chugged away. “And it’s -a good road!”</p> - -<p>He looked back, expecting to hear Dan explode in -a torrent of anger. But he didn’t; he merely stood -there with his hands in his pockets and grinned. Half-way -across the lake Nelson turned again and descried -Dan’s form crossing the bridge on the road back to -camp. Nelson winked gravely at the mail-bag.</p> - -<hr class="chap" /> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_34" id="Page_34">[34]</a></span></p> - - - - -<div class="chapter"> -<h2><a name="CHAPTER_IV" id="CHAPTER_IV">CHAPTER IV</a><br /> -<span class="chtitle">RELATES HOW NELSON BORROWED A LEAF FROM BOB, -AND HOW DAN CRIED QUITS</span></h2> -</div> - - -<div> - <img class="drop-cap" src="images/dcap_t.jpg" width="100" height="113" alt="" /> -</div> - -<p class="noi drop-cap">There wasn’t much about gas-engines that -Nelson didn’t know, for ever since he -was old enough to walk his family had -spent a portion at least of every summer -at the shore, and of late years a gasoline-launch had -been a feature of the vacation program. To be sure, -a power-dory was rather a trifling thing after a thirty-six-foot -cruising-launch, and the engine left much to -be desired, but it got along pretty well, and Nelson -wished he didn’t have to return to camp, but might -turn the dory’s head up the lake and go cruising. -But perhaps they would let him take the dory some -other time. Tom Ferris was on the pier when the -boat came within easy hail.</p> - -<p>“Where’s Dan?” he asked.</p> - -<p>“Coming back by road.”</p> - -<p>“<em>Road?</em>”</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_35" id="Page_35">[35]</a></span></p> - -<p>“Yes; he decided to walk.”</p> - -<p>“What for?” asked Tom incredulously.</p> - -<p>Nelson shook his head. “Exercise, I guess,” he -answered, as he steered the dory in under the boom. -“Here! catch the bag, will you?”</p> - -<p>It was evident that Tom was far from satisfied -with the information supplied, for all the way up the -hill he shot suspicious glances at Nelson, and stumbled -over numerous roots and stones in his preoccupation. -But he didn’t discover anything more, at least from -Nelson.</p> - -<p>After the mail was distributed in Birch Hall the -two boys got their rackets and balls and climbed the -hill, past the spring and the little sunlit glade where -church service was held on Sundays, until a tiny -plateau was reached. Here was the tennis-court, -fashioned with much difficulty and not altogether -guiltless of stones, but not half bad for all that. It -was well supplied with back-nets—a fortunate circumstance, -since the woods closed in upon it on all -sides, and balls once lost in the undergrowth would -have been difficult to find. Tom, considering his bulk, -played a very fast and steady game, and succeeded in -securing one of the three sets which they managed to -finish before the assembly sounded at eleven o’clock -and they fled down the hill to the lake.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_36" id="Page_36">[36]</a></span></p> - -<p>The morning bath, or “soak,” as it was called, -was compulsory as regarded every camper. Nothing -save absence or illness was allowed to excuse a fellow -from this duty. Tom and Nelson donned their bathing -trunks and pushed their way out onto the crowded -pier. Two of the steel boats were occupied by councilors, -whose duty it was to time the bathers and keep -an eye on adventurous swimmers. The boys lined -the edge of the pier and awaited impatiently the signal -from Mr. Ellery. Presently, “All in!” was the cry, -and instantly the pier was empty, save for a few -juniors whose inexperience kept them in shallow water -along the little sandy beach. The water spouted in -a dozen places, and one by one dripping heads bobbed -above the surface and their owners struck out for -the steps to repeat the dive. Nelson found the water -far warmer than he was accustomed to at the beaches; -it was almost like jumping into a tub for a warm -bath. When he came to the surface after a plunge -and a few vigorous kicks under water he found himself -close to the boat occupied by Dr. Smith. He swam -to it, laid hold of the gunwale, and tried to wipe -the water from his eyes.</p> - -<p>“What’s the trouble, Tilford?” asked the councilor -smilingly.</p> - -<p>“I guess my eyes are kind of weak,” Nelson<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_37" id="Page_37">[37]</a></span> -answered. “The water makes them smart like anything.”</p> - -<p>“Better keep them closed when you go under. It -isn’t the fault of your eyes, though; it’s the water.”</p> - -<p>“But they never hurt before, sir.”</p> - -<p>“Where have you bathed—in fresh water?”</p> - -<p>“No, sir—salt.”</p> - -<p>“That’s different. The eyes are used to salt -water, but fresh water irritates them.”</p> - -<p>“I should think it would be the other way,” said -Nelson, blinking.</p> - -<p>“Not when you consider that all the secretions of -the eye are salty. Tears never made your eyes smart, -did they?”</p> - -<p>“No, sir; that’s so. It’s funny, though, isn’t it?”</p> - -<p>“Well, it’s like a good many other things, Tilford—strange -until you get used to it. I suppose you -swim pretty well?”</p> - -<p>“Oh, I don’t know, sir. I’ve swam all my life, -I guess, but I don’t believe I’m what you’d call a -dabster.”</p> - -<p>“I wouldn’t think of calling you that, anyhow,” -laughed the Doctor, “for I don’t think I know what -it means. But how about diving?”</p> - -<p>Nelson shook his head.</p> - -<p>“I’ve never done much of that. I’ve usually<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_38" id="Page_38">[38]</a></span> -bathed in the surf, you see. I’d be scared silly if I -tried what those fellows are doing.”</p> - -<p>The fellows referred to were standing on a tiny -platform built up a good ten feet above the floor of -the pier. One by one they launched themselves into -the lake, at least eighteen feet below, some making -straight dives, some letting themselves fall and straightening -out just as they reached the surface, and one, -who proved to be Dan Speede, turning a backward -somersault and disappearing feet first and hands high -over head.</p> - -<p>“That was a dandy, wasn’t it?” asked Nelson with -enthusiasm.</p> - -<p>“Yes; I guess Speede’s the star diver here. But -he takes mighty big risks sometimes. If you want to -try a dive I’ll watch you and see if I can help you -any with criticism.”</p> - -<p>“All right, but I just jump off when I dive,” said -Nelson. “But I’d like to learn, sir.”</p> - -<p>So he swam over to the steps, reaching them just -ahead of Dan, and walked along the pier to a place -where there was no danger of striking the steam-launch -which was tied alongside. He had just reached a -position that suited him and was standing sideways -to the water, when there as an exclamation, some one -apparently stumbled into him, and he went over like<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_39" id="Page_39">[39]</a></span> -a ninepin, striking the water in a heap and going so -far under he thought he would never come up again. -But he did finally, his lungs full of water and his -breath almost gone from his body—came up choking and -sputtering to see Dan looking down with that maddening -grin on his face, and to hear him call:</p> - -<p>“Awfully sorry, Tilford. I tripped on a knot-hole!”</p> - -<p>Nelson coughed and spat until some of the water -was out of him—and it was odd how disagreeable it -tasted after salt water—and turned to swim back. Dr. -Smith was smiling broadly as Nelson passed, and the -latter called, “We won’t count that one, sir.”</p> - -<p>Dan was awaiting him on the pier, apparently -prepared for whatever Nelson might attempt in the -way of revenge. But Nelson took no notice of him. -This time he made his dive without misadventure, -and then swam out to the Doctor to hear the latter’s -criticism.</p> - -<p>“That wasn’t so bad, Tilford. But you want to -straighten out more and keep your feet together. And -I wouldn’t try to jump off at first; just fall forward, -and give the least little bit of a shove with your feet -at the last moment.”</p> - -<p>“I’ll try it again,” said Nelson.</p> - -<p>This time Dan did not see Nelson as the latter<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_40" id="Page_40">[40]</a></span> -came along the pier. He was standing near the edge, -daring Hethington to go over with his hands clasped -under his knees, and knew nothing of his danger until -he found himself lifted from his feet. Then he -struggled desperately, but Nelson had seized him from -behind and his hands found no clutch on his captor’s -wet body. The next instant he was falling over and -over in a most undignified and far from scientific -attitude. He tried to gather himself together as he -struck the water, but the attempt was not a success, -and he disappeared in a writhing heap. Like Nelson, -he came up choking and gasping, trying his best to -put a good face on it, but succeeding so ill that the -howls of laughter that had greeted his disappearance -burst forth afresh. But, thought Nelson, he was a -wonderful chap to take a joke, for, having found his -breath, he merely swam quickly to the steps and came -up onto the pier looking as undisturbed as you please.</p> - -<p>“That puts us even again, doesn’t it?” he said -to Nelson.</p> - -<p>Nelson nodded.</p> - -<p>He kept a watch on Dan the rest of the time, but -the latter made no attempt to trouble him again. He -profited to some extent by Dr. Smith’s instructions, -and when the cry of “All out!” came he believed -that to-morrow he would have the courage to try a<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_41" id="Page_41">[41]</a></span> -dive from the “crow’s-nest,” as the fellows called the -little platform above the pier. He walked up the hill -with Bob and Tom.</p> - -<p>“I don’t see why that silly idiot of a Speede wants -to be forever trying his fool jokes on me,” he said -aggrievedly.</p> - -<p>“That’s just his way,” answered Tom soothingly.</p> - -<p>“Well, it’s a mighty tiresome way,” said Nelson, -in disgust.</p> - -<p>“He has an overdeveloped sense of humor,” said -Bob Hethington. “It’s a sort of disease with him, I -guess.”</p> - -<p>“Well, I wish he’d forget it,” Nelson grumbled. -“I’m afraid to sit down on a chair now for fear -there’ll be a pin in it.”</p> - -<p>“Oh, he gets tired after a while,” said Bob. “He -was that way with me for a day after camp began.”</p> - -<p>“What did you do?” asked Nelson curiously.</p> - -<p>Bob smiled; so did Tom.</p> - -<p>“I gave him some of his own medicine. I filled -his bunk with pine-needles—they stick nicely to -woolen blankets, you know—tied knots in every stitch -of clothing he had, and put all his shoes in a pail of -water. He’s never bothered me since.”</p> - -<p>“Did he get mad?”</p> - -<p>“Mad? No, you can’t get the idiot mad. Carter<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_42" id="Page_42">[42]</a></span> -says he laughed himself to sleep that night—Dan, I -mean.”</p> - -<p>“I wonder if all the St. Eustace fellows are like -him,” Nelson mused. “If they are, life there must -be mighty interesting. Perhaps they have a course of -practical joking there.”</p> - -<p>Dinner was at twelve-thirty, and it was a very -hungry set of fellows that dropped themselves onto -their stools and attacked the soup, roast beef, potatoes, -spinach, beets, apple pie, and cheese. Nelson marveled -at first at the quantity of milk his neighbors got away -with, but after a day or so he ceased to wonder, drinking -his own three or four glasses without difficulty. -After dessert the history of the preceding day was -read by one of the councilors, while the historian, a -very small youth known as “Babe,” grinned sheepishly -and proudly as he listened to his composition. Nelson’s -hazing was referred to with gusto and summoned -laughter, and “Babe” was loudly applauded when -the history was finished and the reader had announced -“George Fowler.”</p> - -<p>At one-thirty the bugle blew for “siesta,” the most -trying part of the day’s program. Every boy was -required to go to his bunk and lie down for half an -hour with closed eyes and relaxed body. By the -middle of the summer custom had enabled most of<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_43" id="Page_43">[43]</a></span> -them to accept this enforced idleness with philosophy, -and to even sleep through a portion at least of the -terrible half hour, but at present it was suffering unmitigated, -and many were the pleas offered to escape -“siesta.” When Nelson approached his bunk he was -confronted by a square of brown wrapping-paper on -which in black letters, evidently done with a blacking-brush, -was the inscription:</p> - -<div class="bumbox"> -HILLTON IS A <br /> -BUM SCHOOL</div> - -<p>He felt his cheeks reddening as the snickers of -the watchers reached him. There was no doubt in -his mind as to the perpetrator of the insult, for insult -it was in his judgment, and his first impulse was to -march down the aisle and have it out with Dan there -and then. But he only unpinned the sheet, tossed it -on the floor, and laid down on his bunk. Presently, -when his cheeks had cooled, he raised his head cautiously -and looked around. The dormitory was silent. One -or two fellows were surreptitiously reading, a few were -resolutely trying to obey orders, and the others were -restlessly turning and twisting in an agony of inactivity. -Mr. Verder was not present, and the dormitory -was in charge of Dr. Smith, whose bunk was at the<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_44" id="Page_44">[44]</a></span> -other end. Nelson quietly reached out and secured -the obnoxious placard, laying it clean side up between -his bed and Bob’s and holding it in place with a shoe. -Then he found a soft pencil, and, lying on the edge of -the bunk, started to work. Bob looked on dispassionately. -Nelson wondered if he ever really got interested -in anything.</p> - -<p>After a while the task was completed. Nelson -looked warily down the room. Dr. Smith was apparently -asleep. Finding two pins, he crept off the bed -and secured the sheet of paper to the rafter where it -had hung before. Up and down the dormitory heads -were raised and eager eyes were watching him. This -time the placard hung with the other side toward the -room, and the new inscription read:</p> - -<div class="scorebox"> -<table border="0" cellpadding="5" cellspacing="0" summary="1903score"> -<tr> - <th class="tdc" colspan="2">1903</th> -</tr> -<tr> - <td class="tdl"><span class="smcap">Hillton</span></td> - <td class="tdrb">17</td> -</tr> -<tr> - <td class="tdl"><span class="smcap">St. Eustace</span></td> - <td class="tdrb">0</td> -</tr> -</table> -</div> - -<p>Nelson scuttled back to bed. Faint whispers -reached him. Then:</p> - -<p>“Where are you going, Speede?” asked the -Doctor’s voice suddenly.</p> - -<p>Dan, creeping cautiously up the aisle, paused in his -tracks.</p> - -<p>“I left something up here, sir.”</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_45" id="Page_45">[45]</a></span></p> - -<p>“Get it after siesta, then.”</p> - -<p>Dan went back to bed. The whispers grew, interspersed -with chuckles.</p> - -<p>“Cut that out, fellows,” said the Doctor, and -silence reigned again. For the next quarter of an -hour the score of last autumn’s football game between -Hillton and St. Eustace flaunted itself to the world. -The fellows, all save one or two who had really fallen -asleep, wondered what would happen after siesta. So -did Nelson. He hoped that Dan would make trouble, -for it seemed to him then that that insult could only -be wiped out with blows; and although Dan was somewhat -taller and much heavier than Nelson, the latter -fancied he could give a fairly good account of himself. -And then the bugle blew, fellows bounded onto -the floor, and the ensuing racket more than made up -for the half hour of quiet. Dan made at once for -the placard. Nelson jumped up and stood under it. -Dan stopped a few steps away.</p> - -<p>“That’s my piece of paper, you know,” he said -quietly.</p> - -<p>“Get it,” answered Nelson.</p> - -<p>“Cut it out, you two,” said Bob.</p> - -<p>Nelson flashed a look of annoyance at the peacemaker.</p> - -<p>Dan viewed him mildly. “Look here,” he said,<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_46" id="Page_46">[46]</a></span> -“if you’ll take that down and tear it up, we’ll call -quits.”</p> - -<p>“I don’t know,” said Nelson. “How about Hillton -being a bum school?” Dan grinned.</p> - -<p>“You take that down,” he said.</p> - -<p>“I will when you take back what you wrote on -the other side.”</p> - -<p>“Don’t you do it, Dan,” advised a snub-nosed -chap named Wells.</p> - -<p>“You shut up, Wells,” said Bob; and Wells, who -wasn’t popular, was hustled out of the way by the -others who had gathered.</p> - -<p>“Well, ain’t she pretty bum?” asked Dan innocently.</p> - -<p>“Not too bum to lick you at football,” answered -Nelson hotly.</p> - -<p>“Pooh!” said Dan. “Do you know why? Because -they wouldn’t let me play.”</p> - -<p>That aroused laughter, and Nelson stared at his -antagonist in deep disgust. “What an idiot he was,” -he said to himself; “he couldn’t be serious even over a -quarrel.”</p> - -<p>“Well, she did it, anyhow,” he said rather lamely.</p> - -<p>“Well, it’s over now, isn’t it?” asked Dan calmly. -“So let’s take the score down,” and he moved toward -the placard.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_47" id="Page_47">[47]</a></span></p> - -<p>“No you don’t!” Nelson exclaimed, moving in -front of him; “not until you’ve apologized.”</p> - -<p>Dan smiled at him in his irritating manner.</p> - -<p>“Don’t you believe I could lick you?” he asked.</p> - -<p>“Maybe you can,” said Nelson, “but talking won’t -do it.”</p> - -<p>“Well, I can; but I’m not going to. There isn’t -going to be any row, so you fellows might as well chase -yourselves. It was just a joke, Tilford. Hillton’s all -right. It’s the best school in the country, barring one. -How’ll that do for an apology, my fierce friend?”</p> - -<p>“It isn’t quite truthful,” answered Nelson, smiling -in spite of himself, “but I guess it’ll answer. -Here’s your old paper.”</p> - -<p>Dan accepted it and tore it up. Then he stuffed -the pieces in the first bunk he came to.</p> - -<p>“War is averted,” he announced.</p> - -<p>Then he went out, followed by most of the inmates -of the dormitory, who were laughingly accusing him -of “taking water.”</p> - -<p>“He’s a queer chump,” said Nelson, with something -of unwilling admiration in his tones. But Bob didn’t -hear him. He was back on his bed, absorbed in a -magazine.</p> - -<p>“And you’re another,” added Nelson under his -breath.</p> - -<hr class="chap" /> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_48" id="Page_48">[48]</a></span></p> - - - - -<div class="chapter"> -<h2><a name="CHAPTER_V" id="CHAPTER_V">CHAPTER V</a><br /> -<span class="chtitle">TELLS HOW DAN PLAYED A TRUMP CARD, HOW BOB -GAINED HONOR, AND HOW THE “BIG FOUR” CAME -INTO EXISTENCE</span></h2> -</div> - - -<ul> - <li>6.55. First reveille: morning bath.</li> - <li>7.00. Last reveille: colors.</li> - <li>7.25. First mess-call.</li> - <li>7.30. Last mess-call: breakfast.</li> - <li>8 to 9. Duties.</li> - <li>11.00. Assembly: “soak.”</li> - <li>12.30. Mess-call: dinner.</li> - <li>1.30 to 2. Siesta.</li> - <li>2 to 5.25. Recreation.</li> - <li>5.25. First mess-call: colors.</li> - <li>5.30. Last mess-call: supper.</li> - <li>7.30. Assembly: camp-fire.</li> - <li>8.30. Taps: Juniors’ lights out.</li> - <li>9. Seniors’ lights out.</li> -</ul> - -<div> - <img class="drop-cap" src="images/dcap_t.jpg" width="100" height="113" alt="" /> -</div> - -<p class="noi drop-cap">That was the daily schedule. On Sunday it differed -in the rising-time and time for dinner, the first -being half an hour and the latter an hour later. But<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_49" id="Page_49">[49]</a></span> -there was nothing very hard-and-fast about the schedule, -for frequently an afternoon’s outing on the lake -prolonged itself past the hour for supper, and quite as -frequently the tales about the camp-fire became so -absorbing that taps didn’t sound until long after the -accustomed time. Largely for this reason the schedule -never proved irksome. Life moved very pleasantly -and smoothly at Chicora. Ordinary misdemeanors -were passed over by the councilors, to be dealt with -by the fellows, and so to a great extent the boys governed -themselves. To be ducked by his companions -was the most degrading punishment a boy could receive, -and only twice during the summer was it meted -out. The Chief and the councilors mingled with the -fellows on all occasions, and were tireless in the -search for new methods of enjoyment. Mr. Clinton -played the headiest kind of a game at second base in -the scrub games, and knocked out three-baggers and -home runs in a manner beautiful to see. Mr. Verder, -too, was a good player, while Dr. Smith, laying aside -his eye-glasses, would occasionally consent to go into -the field and excitedly muff everything that came in -his direction. Mr. Thorpe was the camp champion at -ring toss, and Mr. Ellery was never defeated at -shovelboard.</p> - -<p>The afternoons were given over to baseball, or<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_50" id="Page_50">[50]</a></span> -tennis, or boating, if the weather permitted, or, if it -rained, to fishing for bass, pickerel, perch, and chub in -the lake, or to the playing of games or reading in the -recreation-hall or dormitories. But always, rain or -fine, there was a bath at five o’clock, which few missed.</p> - -<p>By the end of his first week at Chicora Nelson was -thoroughly at home, and any doubts he may have entertained -as to his liking the place and the fellows -had vanished. It was a healthy life. He was out-of-doors -all day long, and even at night he could scarcely -consider himself housed. He went bareheaded, barelegged, -and barearmed, and rapidly acquired a coat of -tan of which he was very proud. He went to every -meal famished, and jumped into bed at night in a -condition of physical weariness that brought instant -slumber. And he made friends on all sides. The -closest of these were Bob Hethington and Tom Ferris. -But there was one other who, if as yet scarcely -a bosom friend, had captured Nelson’s respect and -liking; and that one was Dan Speede.</p> - -<p>After the incident of the placard in Maple Hall -Dan had not offered to molest Nelson in any way -during the two days following; neither had he appeared -to take any notice of him. But on the evening -of the second day Nelson was coming back from the -dormitory after supper when he met Dan.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_51" id="Page_51">[51]</a></span></p> - -<p>“You’re the fellow I was looking for,” Dan announced -in quite the most cordial manner in the world. -“Want to go down to the Inn with me in the dory? -I’m going to take a note for Clint.”</p> - -<p>Nelson hesitated.</p> - -<p>“I don’t believe I can, Speede. I promised Bob -Hethington to help him mend his camera.”</p> - -<p>“Oh, let that go. I’ll ask him to come along.”</p> - -<p>“Well,” said Nelson.</p> - -<p>Bob consented, and the three tumbled into the dory -and set out. The distance to the Chicora Inn landing -was short, if you kept along the shore; but Dan -suggested prolonging the trip by going around Bass -Island, with the result that they navigated most of the -upper end of the lake before they reached their destination. -Dan was evidently on his best behavior, for the -trip was completed without misadventure, and they got -back to camp just as assembly sounded.</p> - -<p>After that Nelson and Dan saw a good deal of each -other, and the more they were together the more Nelson -liked the big, handsome, red-headed fellow with the -clear blue eyes, and began to understand him better. -There wasn’t a grain of meanness in his make-up. The -jokes he was forever playing were usually harmless -enough, and served as outlets for an oversupply of -animal spirits. Nelson thought he had never seen a<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_52" id="Page_52">[52]</a></span> -fellow more full of life, more eager for adventure and -fun, than Dan. He would go almost any length to -secure a laugh, even if it was against himself, and toil -for days at a time to bring about an event promising -excitement. He seemed to be absolutely without fear, -and no one ever saw him really angry.</p> - -<p>Nelson’s liking for Dan was not, however, altogether -shared by Bob, who dubbed Dan’s tricks and -jokes “kiddish,” and usually treated him with a sort -of contemptuous indifference. As a rule he avoided -Dan’s society, and finally Nelson was torn between his -allegiance to Bob and his liking for Dan. Affairs -stood thus when, about two weeks after Nelson’s arrival, -the election of captain of the baseball team came -off, and Dan played a card which, if it did not at once -gain Bob’s friendship, at least commanded his gratitude.</p> - -<p>At camp-fire Mr. Clinton announced that he had -received a note from Camp Wickasaw asking when -Chicora would be ready to arrange a series of ball -games with them.</p> - -<p>“Last year,” said the Chief, “as those of you -know who were here then, Wickasaw won all three -games from us. There’s no disgrace in being beaten, -but it’s lots more fun to beat. So this year let’s see -if we can’t do better. They have fewer fellows than<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_53" id="Page_53">[53]</a></span> -we have, and last year we allowed them to play their -councilors. I guess it was that that beat us. But it -was only fair, and unless you fellows object they will -make use of the same privilege this year. How about -it?” and Mr. Clinton looked about the fire-lit group -questioningly.</p> - -<p>“Let them use them, sir,” exclaimed one of the -boys. “We can beat them anyhow.”</p> - -<p>“That’s so, sir; and there’ll be more glory in it,” -said another.</p> - -<p>And a chorus of assent arose.</p> - -<p>“All right,” said Mr. Clinton. “Now we ought -to get things fixed up so that we can arrange dates -with Wickasaw and the other nines. There will be -the Mount Pleasant team to deal with, and I suppose -there will be a nine at the Inn as usual. And I guess -we can arrange some games with the Camp Trescott -fellows. I propose to supply bats and balls and such -things, as I did last year. We’ll need one new base-bag, -too.”</p> - -<p>“I think that one can be fixed up all right, sir, -with some sawdust, and a piece of canvas to patch it -with,” said Bob.</p> - -<p>“Well, we’ll have a look at it. If it can’t, we’ll -send for a new one. We’ll have to have some balls -and bats, anyhow. We’ve got two masks and a protector<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_54" id="Page_54">[54]</a></span> -left from last summer. Is there anything -else?”</p> - -<p>“We ought to have some mitts,” said Carter.</p> - -<p>“Seems to me the fellows ought to buy those -themselves,” Dan announced.</p> - -<p>“Well, I’ll get some,” said the Chief. “If any one -wants to have his own, he can. Now, how about -choosing a captain? Shall we do that here to-night, -or had you rather wait?”</p> - -<p>“To-night!” “Now!” were the cries.</p> - -<p>“Very well; suppose you nominate your candidates, -and we’ll have a rising vote.”</p> - -<p>Much laughter and whispering ensued. Then Dan -was on his feet.</p> - -<p>“Mr. Clinton,” he began.</p> - -<p>“Mr. Chairman,” some one corrected.</p> - -<p>“And gentlemen of the convention,” added Mr. -Verder.</p> - -<p>“Who’s making this speech?” asked Dan good-naturedly. -“Mr. Clinton, I nominate Bob Hethington.” -Applause followed. “He’s as good a player -as any of us; he was here last year, and knows the -ropes, and he—he’s a good fellow for the place.”</p> - -<p>“I second the nomination!” cried Nelson.</p> - -<p>Three other nominations followed, among the candidates -being Joe Carter and Dan himself. The<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_55" id="Page_55">[55]</a></span> -latter promptly withdrew in favor of Bob, and when -the voting was over, Bob, in spite of half-hearted protestations, -was declared elected. Thereupon Carter -moved that the election be made unanimous, and it -was. “Babe” Fowler was elected official scorer, an -honor which quite overwhelmed him for the moment, -and Mr. Verder was appointed manager. He and Bob -were to get together at once and arrange dates, issue -challenges, and start things moving generally. A call -for candidates was issued on the spot, that constituting -Bob’s speech of acceptance, and it was decided that -practise should be held every week-day afternoon, when -there were no games, at four o’clock.</p> - -<p>“It seems to me,” said Mr. Verder, “that the best -way to get good practise is to have some one to play -against. Couldn’t we form a scrub team to play -against the camp nine? We’ve got plenty of fellows -here.”</p> - -<p>“That’s a good plan,” said the Chief. “And you -and I’ll join it.”</p> - -<p>“And the Doctor,” some one suggested. Whereupon -there was a laugh, and the Doctor begged to be -excused.</p> - -<p>“I tell you what I will do, though,” he said; “I’ll -umpire.”</p> - -<p>“All right!” they called.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_56" id="Page_56">[56]</a></span></p> - -<p>“Kill the umpire!” shouted Dan.</p> - -<p>“And I’ll get even with you, Mr. Clinton,” -threatened the Doctor. “You’ll never see first when -I’m umpiring!”</p> - -<p>“He never does see it,” grumbled Tom. “He -runs too fast!”</p> - -<p>“Well, that’s all settled, then,” said Mr. Clinton -when the laughter had subsided. “Now, let’s all get -to work and turn out a good team, one that’ll knock -the spots off of Wickasaw! And when we can’t find -any one else to play, we’ll have some, good games between -the first team and the scrub, and I’ll put up -some prizes—boxes of candy, or something like that. -How’ll that do?”</p> - -<p>“Bully, sir!”</p> - -<p>“That’s swell!”</p> - -<p>“I’m going to play on the scrub!”</p> - -<p>And the next afternoon, while the enthusiasm still -held, the first practise was held, with almost every boy -in camp as a candidate. Nelson turned out with the -rest, and even Tom, under the excitement of the moment -and with visions of candy before him, essayed -to try for the outfield. Dan and Nelson were practically -certain of making the first, if only by reason of -former experience, for each had played on their class -teams at school. The most glaring deficiency was a<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_57" id="Page_57">[57]</a></span> -good pitcher, and the problem of finding some fellow -to work with Bob, who was catcher, bothered the latter -for some time. In the end a rather likely candidate -showed up in the person of Wells, a chunky, -snub-nosed senior, who, in spite of the fact that he was -rather unpopular, decidedly stubborn, and a bit lazy, -gave promise of turning into a fairly good pitcher. -Dan was put on first, and soon proved his right to -the place. Nelson went into the field, and finally -found his position at center. He was a good batsman -and a heady base-runner. Tom dropped out of the -contest after a day or two, having been thrice struck -by the pitcher while unsuccessfully endeavoring to hit -the ball, and retired to watch the practise from the -spectators’ gallery and nurse his bruises. A series of -three games with the rival camp of Wickasaw were -arranged for, and five other dates with hotel and camp -nines were made. This meant an average of two -games a week for the remainder of the season, and -Bob got down to hard work. As it proved, it was -lucky that the enthusiasm came when it did, and supplied -him with sufficient material from which to turn -out a team, for shortly afterward a spell of hot -weather made its appearance, and while it lasted it -was difficult to get any save the members of the camp -nine to make the trip to the baseball field. But Bob<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_58" id="Page_58">[58]</a></span> -didn’t let the heat bother him much, and practise was -as rigorous as ever. When not enough fellows came -out to make up the scrub, Bob held batting and base-running -practise instead, until Dan declared that he -had lost ten pounds in a week.</p> - -<p>He and Bob were rapidly becoming friendly, or -rather Bob was, for Dan had liked Bob all along. Dan -took hold of baseball affairs in a way that won the -captain’s heart, playing his own position for all there -was in it, and helping cheerfully with the coaching no -matter how hot the sun beat down on the field. As -a result of this change of sentiment on Bob’s part a -four-cornered friendship was formed which lasted for -a good many years. Nelson, Dan, Bob, and Tom were -together pretty much all the time, and finally the camp -took notice and dubbed them the “Big Four.” Nelson -meanwhile had been taken into the society and had afforded -amusement for the entire camp when he had -been put through his initiation, which, for want of a -building affording privacy, was conducted in the clearing -between Poplar and Spruce Halls.</p> - -<hr class="chap" /> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_59" id="Page_59">[59]</a></span></p> - - - - -<div class="chapter"> -<h2><a name="CHAPTER_VI" id="CHAPTER_VI">CHAPTER VI</a><br /> -<span class="chtitle">OPENS WITH AWFUL TIDINGS, AND ENDS WITH A -GLEAM OF HOPE</span></h2> -</div> - - -<div> - <img class="drop-cap" src="images/dcap_d.jpg" width="100" height="113" alt="" /> -</div> - -<p class="noi drop-cap">Dire news reached the camp one morning, -brought over from the village by a small -junior who had gone for the mail. His -tale was listened to with incredulous indignation -by a large group of the fellows congregated -outside of Birch Hall. The junior’s name was Rooke, -and he was vastly impressed with his importance when -he saw with what breathless interest his news was received. -When Dan joined the group, after having -reported as orderly to Mr. Ellery, officer of the day, -Rooke was telling his story for the second time, and -with what Tom called “imposing detail.”</p> - -<p>“There’s a fellow over at Crescent staying at the -boarding-house named Harry Fraser,” began Rooke.</p> - -<p>“Queer name for a boarding-house,” said Dan.</p> - -<p>“Shut up, Speede!” some one admonished him.</p> - -<p>Rooke looked hurt.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_60" id="Page_60">[60]</a></span></p> - -<p>“All right; never mind what the boarding-house is -called, Kid,” said Dan. “Fire ahead!”</p> - -<p>“I’d met him now and then at the post-office, you -know. Well, this morning, when I came out with the -mail, he was there——”</p> - -<p>“Were there any letters for me?” asked Dan -eagerly. Then he retired to a safe distance, and -waited for his pursuers to become absorbed again in -the narrative.</p> - -<p>“‘Say,’ he said, ‘Wickasaw put it on to you fellows -good and hard, didn’t they?’ ‘How did they?’ -says I. ‘Oh, you don’t know anything about it, do -you?’ says he. And of course I didn’t, but I wasn’t -going to let on to him.”</p> - -<p>“Foxy kid!” murmured Dan.</p> - -<p>“‘Oh, that!’ I says; ‘that’s nothing! Any one -could do that!’”</p> - -<p>“Good for you, Rooke!” his audience laughed.</p> - -<p>“Well, pretty soon I found out what he was talking -about. And what do you think those chumps have -done?” And Rooke paused dramatically, looking -very indignant.</p> - -<p>“You told us once,” said some one unkindly. “Go -ahead!”</p> - -<p>Rooke resented this remark, and for a moment -seemed inclined to sulk. But Joe Carter patted him<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_61" id="Page_61">[61]</a></span> -on the back, Dan told him he was a smart kid, and -he decided to let the incident pass.</p> - -<p>“Why, they’ve gone and painted ‘Camp Wickasaw’ -on the rocks over at the cliff back of Crescent! -And Fraser says the letters are done in red paint -and are three feet high, and you can see them for -miles!”</p> - -<p>“Phew!” said Dan. “Aren’t they the cheeky -beggars?”</p> - -<p>“When did they do it, Kid?” asked Bob.</p> - -<p>“Day before yesterday. They went on a picnic, -or something, over that way.”</p> - -<p>“Well, we’ll just have to go over and paint it -out,” said Carter decidedly, amid a murmur of concurrence.</p> - -<p>“You couldn’t do it, my boy,” Dan objected. “It -would take more paint than you could lug over there.”</p> - -<p>“Don’t you care; they can’t go and paint up the -scenery like that,” answered Joe. “Anyhow, we can -daub the letters up so they can’t be read.”</p> - -<p>“How did they do it, Kid—do you know?” Dan -asked.</p> - -<p>“Why, they climbed up as far as they could, you -see, and just did it.”</p> - -<p>“All right; then we’ll just have to climb up farther -and paint ‘Camp Chicora’ above it!”</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_62" id="Page_62">[62]</a></span></p> - -<p>This elicited hearty applause, and Rooke’s small -voice was quite lost for a moment. Then he made -himself heard:</p> - -<p>“You can’t climb any higher!” he shouted -triumphantly. “Fraser says you can’t!”</p> - -<p>“Fraser’s a liar, then!” answered Bob calmly. -“You ought to select your associates more carefully, -Kid.”</p> - -<p>“But the Wickasaws climbed up the cliff until the -smooth rock began,” said Rooke indignantly; “and -you can’t climb any higher than that. Any one will -tell you so, Bob Hethington.”</p> - -<p>“Well, don’t get excited, Kid; we won’t ask you -to do it,” said Bob soothingly. “I tell you what, fellows, -Dan and I’ll go over there now and have a look -at it, and see what can be done. We can get permission, -I guess.”</p> - -<p>“What’s the matter with the bunch going?” asked -a chap named Ridley.</p> - -<p>“Clint won’t let a lot go, you idiot! We’ll say -we want to go over to Crescent, and then Clint and -the councilors won’t need to know anything about it. -If they did, they might— Who was that went away?”</p> - -<p>The crowd turned to look. Mr. Verder was walking -off toward Maple Hall.</p> - -<p>“Gee! I bet he heard!” said Carter.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_63" id="Page_63">[63]</a></span></p> - -<p>“He did,” piped Rooke. “I saw him standing -over there!”</p> - -<p>“That’s all right,” Bob said. “He won’t say anything -about it if we keep it quiet. Dan and I’ll go -over there right off, and we’ll let you fellows know -what can be done. There’s one thing certain: Wickasaw -hasn’t any mortgage on that bluff over there.”</p> - -<p>“You bet she hasn’t!” Dan concurred earnestly. -“And just think how it must look from up the lake!”</p> - -<p>“And from Camp Trescott!” exclaimed Carter. -“Why, thunder! Trescott’s right under that bluff!”</p> - -<p>“Gee!” groaned Carter. “Aren’t they having -a fine laugh on us!”</p> - -<p>“The laugh will be on some one else when -we’re through,” said Dan determinedly. “Come on, -Bob!”</p> - -<p>The group broke up, and Dan and Bob sought and -received permission to go to the village. Naturally, -Tom and Nelson wanted to accompany them, but consented -to remain behind when Bob explained that they -must be careful not to awaken suspicion.</p> - -<p>They lifted Bob’s crimson canoe from the rack under -the trees, dropped it over the side of the float, -and tumbled in. Then each took a paddle and made -the craft fairly fly. At the landing by the bridge they -pulled it out of the water and set off along the Pine<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_64" id="Page_64">[64]</a></span> -Hill road through the tiny village and along the edge -of a sloping meadow that skirts Humpback Mountain. -Presently the cliff was in sight, rising sheer from the -meadow to a height of some seventy feet. From the -side it looked for all the world as though a giant had -sliced a piece off the end of the mountain as one -might cut the end from a loaf of bread, and had left -the crumbs in the shape of big and little boulders piled -up at the bottom. From the top of the cliff the ground -sloped gradually for a ways and then sprang abruptly -upward into the oddly shaped cone that lent the -mountain its name. Their first view of the cliff gave -them no sight of the face, and it was another minute’s -walk before they could see the daubs of bright red -paint that adorned it. There, staring down at them -across the field, was the legend:</p> - -<p class="noic">CAMP WICKASAW, ’04</p> - -<p>But, after all, the reality was not so bad as what -Rooke had described. The letters were <em>not</em> three feet -high, and even an eagle would have experienced difficulty -in reading them a quarter of a mile away. But it -was bad enough, and Dan and Bob scowled wrathfully. -Then they climbed the fence and set off across the -meadow to get a nearer view. Presently they reached<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_65" id="Page_65">[65]</a></span> -a sort of terrace of tumbled boulders and stones, some -of them crumbling and some as impregnable as when -they had fallen, which was banked up under the cliff. -Bushes and weeds had grown up between them, and -it was all the two could do to thrust themselves -through; and when, after a minute or two, they had -gained the edge of the towering mass of rock their legs -and arms were scratched and their jerseys and trunks -torn.</p> - -<p>“Phew!” said Bob, looking ruefully at his -wounds, “that’s a merry place to come through, -isn’t it? I hope those Wickasaws got as much as -we did!”</p> - -<p>Above them the cliff arose at a steep angle for some -twenty feet, and from there sprang almost straight into -air. That first twenty feet could be climbed in places -if one used care, and it was evident that the Wickasaw -fellows had climbed it.</p> - -<p>“Probably two of them went up there,” said Bob, -“and one sort of steadied the other while he painted. -But it was a risky thing to do.”</p> - -<p>“Pshaw,” answered Dan, “that wasn’t very hard. -The trouble is, they’ve got their old patent-medicine -sign up as high as any one can reach. And it will be -mighty hard work to paint it out, besides taking a -whole lot of paint.”</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_66" id="Page_66">[66]</a></span></p> - -<p>“That’s so,” said Bob, craning his head back to -look. “But it’s got to be done somehow.”</p> - -<p>Dan was silent for a moment; then, “No, it hasn’t, -either!” he exclaimed suddenly.</p> - -<p>“What do you mean?”</p> - -<p>“Why, what we want to do isn’t to paint out their -sign, but to paint our own above it; see?”</p> - -<p>“Yes, but how? Use ladders?”</p> - -<p>“Where’d we get the ladders?” asked Dan scornfully. -“Now, how would ‘Camp Chicora, ’04’ look -about twenty feet above their old letters?”</p> - -<p>“Fine, but we can’t get it there, can we?”</p> - -<p>“Sure! Get some paint and a good big brush, and -about fifty feet of rope.”</p> - -<p>Bob whistled.</p> - -<p>“You’re a wonder, Dan!” he said softly. “I -choose to do the painting!”</p> - -<p>“Like thunder! Whose idea was it?”</p> - -<p>“Yours, but I weigh less than you do, Dan.”</p> - -<p>“That doesn’t matter. We’ll get rope that’ll hold -three times my weight.”</p> - -<p>“Do you think you can do it?” asked Bob, looking -upward at the smooth face of the rock.</p> - -<p>“Course I can do it; any fellow could. Hello!” -He stumbled over the rocks and picked up a paint-brush, -very sticky with vermilion paint. “Just the<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_67" id="Page_67">[67]</a></span> -thing,” he chuckled. “We won’t have to buy one. -Kind of them to leave it, eh? And here’s the can over -here. Think we’ll want that?”</p> - -<p>“I don’t believe so, but you might fetch it out in -case we do.”</p> - -<p>Dan did so, and carried can and brush down -through the bushes to the edge of the meadow and -there hid them. Then, with many a backward look at -the cliff, they made their way to the road, and so to -the village, arranging ways and means as they went.</p> - -<p>“We’ll go along the road by the river and strike -up the mountain from there, keeping along this side. -I’ll make a seat out of a piece of board, like a swing, -you know, and hitch that to the end of the rope. Then -all you fellows will have to do is to lower me down.”</p> - -<p>“That’s all right; but how will you move along -from left to right when you’re down there?”</p> - -<p>Dan considered this problem for a minute in silence; -then he was forced to own himself stuck.</p> - -<p>“Of course, you can pull me up and move the rope, -and then let me down again, but that will take a month -of Sundays.”</p> - -<p>Nevertheless, no better solution of the problem presented -itself, and Dan reckoned that he could paint -three letters from each position, necessitating but five -changes.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_68" id="Page_68">[68]</a></span></p> - -<p>“I guess we’d better not tell the fellows about it,” -said Bob. “If we do, it’s sure to get out and Clint -will hear of it. If he does, it’s all over.”</p> - -<p>“That’s so. We’ll just say that we’re trying to -think up a way to do it. And this afternoon some of -us had better go to Warder and get a gallon can of -nice blue paint. Then to-morrow morning we can get -to work before any one knows anything about it.”</p> - -<p>“We’ll have to have Nelson and Tom, though.”</p> - -<p>“Sure! We couldn’t do it without them. It will -take a couple of you to hold the rope. You’ll have -to snub it around a tree, or something, you know. I -guess you and I’d better go to Warder, because we’ll -have to buy the rope too, and I want to have a hand -in that; I feel a sort of interest in that rope.”</p> - -<p>“I guess you do,” Bob answered with a smile. -“But I don’t think I can go with you on account of -practise. Take Nelson.”</p> - -<p>“All right. Who’s got any money? I’ve drawn -my allowance for next week already.”</p> - -<p>“I guess I’ve got enough. I suppose we’ll have -to stand the thing between us.”</p> - -<p>“Sure! What’s the good of trying to collect from -the crowd? Besides, if we did, Clint might hear of -it. It won’t come to more than a dollar apiece, I -guess.”</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_69" id="Page_69">[69]</a></span></p> - -<p>Nelson and Tom were duly let into the secret, and -the latter became wildly excited.</p> - -<p>“It’s a du-du-du-dandy scheme!” he sputtered -with enthusiasm. “Won’t Wi-wi-wi-Wickasaw be -mu-mu-mu-mad?”</p> - -<p>“Look here, Tom,” said Dan, “don’t you get to -stuttering when you haul me up. If you do you’ll -jar me off my perch!”</p> - -<p>In the afternoon Dan and Nelson set the signal for -the Navigation Company’s boat to stop and take them -to Chicora Landing. They found everything they -needed at Warder, and were back in time for supper, -evading inquiries as to what was contained in the -bundles they carried. After supper Dan worked at the -bench in the carpenter-shop under Poplar Hall until it -was dark, and then sneaked over to Birch Hall and -hid the result of his labors under his bunk. During -camp-fire the quartet of conspirators sat apart and -rehearsed the morrow’s plans in whispers. Of the -four, only Bob was calm enough to fall asleep as soon -as the lights went out.</p> - -<hr class="chap" /> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_70" id="Page_70">[70]</a></span></p> - - - - -<div class="chapter"> -<h2><a name="CHAPTER_VII" id="CHAPTER_VII">CHAPTER VII</a><br /> -<span class="chtitle">PROVES THE TRUTH OF THE SAYING THAT THERE IS ALWAYS -ROOM AT THE TOP, AND SHOWS DAN WITH THE -“BLUES”</span></h2> -</div> - - -<div> - <img class="drop-cap" src="images/dcap_a.jpg" width="100" height="113" alt="" /> -</div> - -<p class="noi drop-cap">As luck would have it, Bob and Tom were -camp-boys the next morning, and, as -their duties required the better part of -an hour in the performance, it was after -nine o’clock before they were able to join Dan and -Nelson at the landing. The canoe held Dan, Nelson, -and the bundles, and Bob and Tom followed in one -of the rowboats. Their embarkation was watched by -several of the fellows, whose suspicions were aroused, -and questions were hurled after them as long as they -were within hearing. As they passed the landing at -Wickasaw three boys who were making fast the launch -after returning from the village with the mail stopped -work and observed them with meaning grins.</p> - -<p>“Hello, Chicks!” one called. “Been over to the -bluff lately?”</p> - -<p>“Hello, Wicks,” Dan replied; “you’re all the -‘bluffs’ we’ve seen.”</p> - -<p>“You’ll be lu-lu-lu-laughing out of th-th-the other<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_71" id="Page_71">[71]</a></span> -side of your mu-mu-mouths pretty su-su-soon!” muttered -Tom.</p> - -<p>At the village they divided the bundles and started -down the road toward Hipp’s Pond; but presently -they turned to the left and began the ascent of the -mountain, keeping along the side nearest the village. -It was tough going, and twice Tom put down his load -and suggested that they pause and have a look at the -view.</p> - -<p>“The view’s perfectly swell, Tom,” answered Nelson, -“but as it’s getting late you want to forget about -it and toddle along.”</p> - -<p>So Tom, with many a sigh and grunt, toddled.</p> - -<p>Ten minutes later they had reached their destination. -Behind them rose the thickly timbered slope of -the mountain, and at their feet was the bluff. Even -Nelson found time now for a look at the panorama of -blue sunlit lake spread below them. The camp landing -was hidden from them by the trees, but the upper -end of the lake was in plain sight, each island standing -out distinct against the expanse of breeze-ruffled water. -Below them at a little distance a column of smoke -rising from the trees told of the location of Camp -Trescott. Beyond was Joy’s Cove, and, to its left, -Black’s Neck. Chicora Inn looked very near across -the lake. Far away a shimmer of blue indicated<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_72" id="Page_72">[72]</a></span> -Little Chicora. It was a beautiful scene, and the boys, -their hats thrown aside, gazed their fill while the -breeze ruffled their damp hair. Then Dan started to -work.</p> - -<p>The bundles were undone and their contents laid -out on the narrow bit of turf between the trees and the -edge of the cliff; two lengths of rope, a gallon can of -blue paint, a ball of stout twine, a piece of steel wire -bent into a double hook, and an oak board sixteen inches -long and six inches wide, notched on each side near -the ends. When they were all displayed Dan looked -them over as a general might view his troops. Suddenly -he struck his right fist into his left palm with a loud -smack:</p> - -<p>“Oh, thunderation!” he exclaimed.</p> - -<p>“What’s the row?” asked Bob.</p> - -<p>“We left the paint-brush down there!”</p> - -<p>Sorrowfully they walked to the edge of the bluff -and looked down into the meadow.</p> - -<p>“Somebody’ll have to go and get it,” said Nelson.</p> - -<p>“Where’d you leave it?”</p> - -<p>“You couldn’t find it in a week,” answered Dan -in vexation. “Here, let’s get these things rigged up. -It would take half an hour to go down there and back -the way we came. You can let me down with the rope -and I’ll find it.”</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_73" id="Page_73">[73]</a></span></p> - -<p>So they set to work. The board was lashed firmly -to one end of an inch rope, the can of paint was -opened, one end of the other length of rope was tied -into a noose, and the hook was passed through the rope -at the end of the swing.</p> - -<p>“That looks like awfully small rope,” said Tom.</p> - -<p>“But it hasn’t got to hold you, my boy,” said Dan. -“Pass the end of it around that tree, fellows. That’s -it. Now let’s see where to put it over.” He sank onto -his hands and knees and crawled to the edge of the bluff. -“Here’s a good place,” he said, and dropped the swing -over the edge. “Now haul up the slack, Bob.”</p> - -<p>“Look here,” said Nelson, “it will be easy enough -letting you down, but are you sure we can pull you -up again?”</p> - -<p>“Well, if you can’t—!” Dan’s tones spoke volumes -of contempt. “But you’ll have to unwind the rope -from that tree, you know, and pull on it directly.”</p> - -<p>“Wouldn’t it be safer if we left it snubbed around -the tree and pulled on it here at the edge, letting some -one take up the slack at the tree?”</p> - -<p>“Yes, if two of you can lift me.”</p> - -<p>“We can, if we don’t have to bear the strain between -hauls.”</p> - -<p>“That’s proper,” said Dan. “But say, how about -having the rope work over the edge of the turf here?”</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_74" id="Page_74">[74]</a></span></p> - -<p>“Won’t do,” answered Bob. “It would cut into -the turf and scrape on the edge of the rock. We ought -to have a plank or something.”</p> - -<p>“That old log over there will do all right,” said -Nelson. “Fetch it over, Tom.”</p> - -<p>Tom obeyed, grunting, and the dead trunk was -laid at the edge of the cliff.</p> - -<p>“What’s going to keep it from rolling over onto -your head?” asked Tom of Dan.</p> - -<p>Dan looked puzzled. So did the others.</p> - -<p>“Seems to me,” said Nelson, “we didn’t get this -more’n half planned out.”</p> - -<p>“History teaches us,” said Dan, “that even the -world’s greatest generals have been quite frequently -‘up a tree.’”</p> - -<p>“Wonder if they were ever up a bluff?” murmured -Tom.</p> - -<p>“I’ll tell you what,” said Dan, after a moment’s -consideration of the problem, “we’ll have to drive -stakes on each side of the log; see?”</p> - -<p>“Yes,” Bob answered dryly, “but I don’t see the -stakes.”</p> - -<p>“That’s easy. Who’s got the biggest knife?”</p> - -<p>It appeared that Tom had; so Dan borrowed it, and -set to work cutting down a stout branch and converting -it into four stakes some eighteen inches in length. It<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_75" id="Page_75">[75]</a></span> -took a good while, and the other three fellows disposed -themselves comfortably on the ground and looked on.</p> - -<p>“Wish those Wickasaws had broken their silly -necks!” grumbled Nelson. “We’re going to miss our -soak.”</p> - -<p>“Maybe we’ll miss our dinner, too,” said Tom.</p> - -<p>“Oh, cut it out!” said Bob. “You can eat to-morrow. -I don’t see what you want to eat for, anyhow, -fat as you are.”</p> - -<p>At last the stakes were done and were driven into -the turf at each side of the log, Tom mashing his -finger with the rock which he was using as a hammer. -Then Bob and Tom and Nelson manned the rope, and -Dan wriggled over the edge of the cliff, feet foremost, -keeping a tight hold on the rope. When only his -head remained in sight he winked merrily.</p> - -<p>“If I make a mess of it, fellows, kindly see that -you find all the pieces,” he called. “And don’t forget -to put on my headstone ‘Requiescat in pieces.’”</p> - -<p>Then the flaming red head disappeared, and the -fellows let the rope slip slowly around the tree. It -seemed a long while before it slackened. When Bob -got to the edge Dan was scrambling over the rocks -into the bushes. Presently he was back flourishing -the brush and can.</p> - -<p>“We don’t need to pull you all the way up again,”<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_76" id="Page_76">[76]</a></span> -shouted Bob. “We’ll get you up where you are going -to paint and then lower the can down to you. Is that all -right?”</p> - -<p>“All right,” echoed Dan. Then he stepped onto -the seat at the end of the rope and waved his hand. -Bob and Nelson laid back on the rope, and slowly it -began to come up over the log, Tom securing the slack -after each haul with a double turn around the tree. -Finally there came a shout, and, after a glance over the -edge, Bob directed them to make fast, and tied the -twine to the can of blue paint and lowered it. Suddenly -there was a yell of dismay and wrath from -below.</p> - -<p>“See what’s wrong!” cried Bob.</p> - -<p>Nelson crawled to the edge and peered over. Then -he crawled back, and seemed to be having a fit on the -turf. Tom looked down, and then joined Nelson.</p> - -<p>Bob stared at them as though they had suddenly -gone insane. “What’s the matter, you idiots?” he -cried. But Tom only shrieked the louder, while Nelson -rolled onto his back, held his sides, and kicked his -heels into the turf, gasping. In disgust Bob got -cautiously to his knees, tied the line around a stake, -and had a look for himself. Thirty feet beneath sat -Dan on his wooden seat, muttering incoherently under -a baptism of bright blue paint. The can had caught<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_77" id="Page_77">[77]</a></span> -on the edge of a tiny projecting ledge and had tilted -in such a way that a portion of the contents had slopped -over onto Dan’s bare head, and even yet was still -trickling a tiny stream. At first glance, so thoroughly -was Dan’s head and face adorned, it seemed to Bob -that the entire contents of the can must have been -emptied. But a second glance showed him that at least -three-fourths of the paint still remained at the end of -the cord. He swung it away so that it no longer -dripped, and hailed Dan.</p> - -<p>“What’s the good of wasting the stuff like that, -Dan?” he asked with simulated anger.</p> - -<p>Dan raised a strange blue visage from which his -eyes peeped coyly upward. “If you’ll haul me up I’ll -lick you within an inch of your life!” he said solemnly. -Then he spat and sputtered and tried to wipe the sticky -fluid from his face with his arm, his hands being -already well covered.</p> - -<p>Tom and Nelson, who had managed to creep to the -edge for another look, here retired precipitately so that -they might indulge their mirth where there was no -danger of laughing themselves over the edge.</p> - -<p>“Too bad, Dan,” laughed Bob. “Haven’t you got -a handkerchief?”</p> - -<p>“<em>Handkerchief!</em>” said Dan scornfully. “What -good would that be? What I need is a Turkish bath<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_78" id="Page_78">[78]</a></span> -and a dozen towels. Say, did you do that on purpose, -you—you blamed fool?”</p> - -<p>“No, honest, Dan, I didn’t. I didn’t know what -was up, until Nelson was taken with a fit.”</p> - -<p>“Fit! I’ll fit him!” said Dan with a grin. “How -do I look?”</p> - -<p>“Like New Haven after a football victory!”</p> - -<p>“Huh! Well, let’s have that stuff and get this -fool job done!”</p> - -<p>“Sure you don’t want to come up and clean off -a bit?”</p> - -<p>“I’m not coming up until the thing’s done, I tell -you. Lower away on that paint, only for goodness’ sake -be careful!”</p> - -<p>“Of course I will! What’s the saying about gilding -refined gold and painting the lily, Dan? There’s -no use wasting any more of this precious stuff on you; -you’re complete now. I couldn’t add to your beauty -if I had gallons and gallons here!”</p> - -<p>“Shut up!” said Dan cheerfully; “and tell those -two other idiots that if they don’t stop laughing I’ll -go up there and paint ’em from head to feet!”</p> - -<p>Here Tom looked over.</p> - -<p>“Su-su-say, Dan,” he shouted, “di-di-didn’t you -mean ‘Re-re-requiescat in pu-pu-pu-paint’?”</p> - -<p>“Shut up, Tom,” gurgled Nelson, thrusting his<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_79" id="Page_79">[79]</a></span> -blushing countenance over the edge. “Can’t you see -he has enough already to make him blue?”</p> - -<p>But Dan made no answer. <a href="#image03">He was tracing a monstrous -C</a> on the face of the cliff with a dripping brush.</p> - -<div class="figcenter" style="width: 382px;"> -<a id="image03"> - <img src="images/image03.jpg" width="382" height="600" alt="" title="" /> -</a><br /> -<div class="caption"><a href="#Page_79">He was tracing a monstrous C.</a></div> -</div> - -<p>“Don’t be too generous with that paint,” cautioned -Bob. “Remember, there isn’t very much left.”</p> - -<p>“Guess I know that, don’t I?” asked Dan.</p> - -<p>An A and an M followed the C, and then it was -necessary to move the artist along. Nelson had solved -the difficulty after a fashion the preceding afternoon. -The second rope was made fast to a tree at the top and -lowered down to Dan. He put his foot in the noose -and swung free of the seat, keeping hold, however, of -the rope above it. Then this was moved at the top and -made fast anew. Dan stepped back on the seat, -released the rope with the noose, and went swinging -across the face of the rock like a pendulum. The -watchers held their breaths, but Dan clung fast, and -presently the swing came to a stop and the painting -was resumed. Four times more was this process gone -through with to the risking of Dan’s limbs before the -last numeral of “’04” was completed. Then Dan -heaved a sigh of relief, viewed his work approvingly, -and trickled what remained of the paint down the face -of the rock in a partly successful endeavor to obliterate -the red lettering below.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_80" id="Page_80">[80]</a></span></p> - -<p>“How does it look?” asked Nelson eagerly.</p> - -<p>“Swell,” said Dan. “Pull me up.”</p> - -<p>They obeyed, and when he crawled over the edge -and stood up they all sat down and howled anew. And -Dan, just to be sociable, sat down and laughed at his -plight until the tears came.</p> - -<p>“Oh, Dan, if we could only keep you just as you -are!” gasped Nelson, “and use you for a mascot!”</p> - -<p>Head and face were as blue as though he had -dipped them in the paint-can; his hands and arms -were a lighter shade; the stuff had trickled down behind -one ear and so down his back, and his jersey was -patriotic to a fault.</p> - -<p>“What shall I do?” he asked finally. “I can’t go -back like this.”</p> - -<p>“We’ll land you just across from the village,” said -Nelson, “and you can sneak back to camp through the -woods. No one will see you, because the crowd will -be having soak. Get a lot of kerosene and take a bath -in it.”</p> - -<p>The plan was the best they could think of, and so -it was carried out. The ropes and the rest of the paraphernalia -they hid in the woods, and then they got down -the hill as fast as their legs would carry them. Going -through the village, Dan created quite a little interest, -although he modestly strove to avoid notice. They put<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_81" id="Page_81">[81]</a></span> -him ashore a quarter of a mile from camp, and when -last seen he was stalking through the trees like an Indian -in war-paint. The others got back to the landing in time -to hurry into their bathing-trunks and get a few plunges -before the signal “All out!” was given. They were -very reticent as to what they had been doing, but somehow -the secret was all over camp by dinner-time, and -the fellows spent the most of the afternoon rowing to -and fro across the lake to the point of Black’s Neck, -from where an excellent view of the cliff was obtainable. -And what they saw pleased them immeasurably. Dan -had fairly beaten the Wickasaws at their own game. -He had painted his legend in letters fully three feet -high at least fifteen feet above theirs, and there could be -no comparison either in artistic effect or publicity. -Camp Chicora hugged itself in gleeful triumph.</p> - -<p>Just before supper Dan ran across Mr. Verder.</p> - -<p>“Why, Speede,” asked the latter, stopping him, -“aren’t you feeling well?”</p> - -<p>“Me, sir? Oh, I’m all right,” answered Dan uneasily, -eager to pass on.</p> - -<p>“Sure?” asked the councilor. “You look—er—kind -of blue and unhealthy.” And Dan thought he -heard a chuckle as he hurried away.</p> - -<hr class="chap" /> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_82" id="Page_82">[82]</a></span></p> - - - - -<div class="chapter"> -<h2><a name="CHAPTER_VIII" id="CHAPTER_VIII">CHAPTER VIII</a><br /> -<span class="chtitle">TELLS HOW TOM WAS VISITED BY AUNT LOUISA—AND -SOME OTHERS</span></h2> -</div> - - -<div> - <img class="drop-cap" src="images/dcap_s.jpg" width="100" height="113" alt="" /> -</div> - -<p class="noi drop-cap">Saturdays at Chicora were by way of -being fête-days. Relatives and friends -were given the freedom of the camp, -and the visitors’ table in the dining-hall -was usually full. Frequently the father of one of the -boys stayed over until Monday morning, sleeping in -one of the dormitories and getting a genuine taste of -camp life. On the day following the adventure at the -cliff the visitors began to reach camp early, and among -the first to put in an appearance was Tom’s Aunt -Louisa, from Boston. Her arrival was so unexpected, -and Tom became so excited over it, that he started at -the landing to tell her how glad to see her he was and -only finished at the flag-pole, having been set back -twice in his stuttering by stubbing his toe on the way -up. With parents and friends appeared simultaneously -baskets and boxes of fruit, candy, and cake. Sunday -morning found many absent from the breakfast table,<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_83" id="Page_83">[83]</a></span> -and Dr. Smith made the rounds of the dormitories with -what he called his “Sunday Specific.” But Aunt -Louisa wasn’t the sort to bring trouble to a boy’s -digestion; she said so herself in the presence of Nelson -and Dan and Bob and Tom, the first three having -been formally introduced by Tom as “my special -friends.”</p> - -<p>“I don’t believe in candy, Tom,” said Aunt Louisa, -“and you know it. So don’t expect any. You’re looking -so well, my dear, that I wouldn’t think of bringing -you anything that might upset you. I did consider -fruit, but I’m always afraid of fruit; in hot weather—aren’t -you, sir?”</p> - -<p>Dan, finding the question put to him, answered with -alacrity.</p> - -<p>“Yes’m,” said Dan soberly.</p> - -<p>“Yes, that’s what I think,” continued Aunt Louisa. -“And so I said to myself, ‘If it must be something -sweet’—for Tom’s got the sweetest tooth of any boy I’ve -ever seen, and I’ve seen a good many in my time—‘if -it must be something sweet,’ I said, ‘why, it will be -something healthful.’ And so, Tom, I’ve brought you -two of those lemon pies and a dozen cream-puffs from -that nice store on Temple Place. There’s nothing about -a good honest pie can hurt any one—is there?”</p> - -<p>“No, indeed,” answered Dan with enthusiasm.<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_84" id="Page_84">[84]</a></span> -Tom murmured his thanks, but withal looked a trifle -dissatisfied. Aunt Louisa saw it.</p> - -<p>“I do believe he’s disappointed at not getting -candy!” she said.</p> - -<p>“No, really, aunt,” Tom answered, striving to put -conviction into his tones. “I’m awfully fond of cream-puffs—and -pie.”</p> - -<p>But Aunt Louisa shook her head, unconvinced. -“I’m afraid you are, though,” she said. “I kind of -felt you would be. That’s why I said to myself, ‘Now, -there’s mighty little use in being in good health if you’re -unhappy. If the boy’s going to get more enjoyment out -of having a stomach-ache than by not having one, why, -he shall have it. Boys aren’t real happy, anyhow,’ I -said to myself, ‘unless they’re in trouble, and I guess -a stomach-ache’s about as harmless a trouble as he could -have.’ And so I just went down to Sage & Paw’s -and——”</p> - -<p>“Hooray for you, Aunt Louisa!” shouted Tom. -“What d’you get?”</p> - -<p>“Mixed chocolates,” said Aunt Louisa, her eyes -dancing, adding grimly, “I guess they’ll do the work -as quick as anything!”</p> - -<p>Candy never tastes so good as when a chap has been -subsisting on what the school catalogues call “a plain, -wholesome diet with a sufficiency of pure milk and<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_85" id="Page_85">[85]</a></span> -butter and fresh eggs.” The box, a generous four-pound -affair, was quickly obtained, and the five—Aunt -Louisa reminding one of a valuable transport under -the protection of four men-o’-war—sought a quiet spot -in the forest above the clearing where they, or at least -four of them, could do the matter full justice. Aunt -Louisa sat on a fallen tree, with her neat gray traveling-gown -well tucked up around her, and encouraged them -to eat all they could.</p> - -<p>“You might just as well have it over with,” she -declared. “You’re all bound to be ill, and the sooner -you’re ill the sooner you’ll be well again. Mr. Hurry, -you mustn’t let Tom get ahead of you.”</p> - -<p>“Dan’s name’s Speede, auntie,” corrected Tom.</p> - -<p>“Speede, is it? Well, he’s real slow compared to -you, Tom, when it comes to candy.”</p> - -<p>They unanimously voted Aunt Louisa a “brick,” -and hospitably pressed her to come again. And in the -afternoon, when the camp turned out in a body and -traveled to the ball field for the first game of the season, -Aunt Louisa was escorted in state. The box of candy -didn’t go along however; they had lost the edge of their -appetite. So Tom bore the depleted box to Maple Hall, -and, because his locker no longer locked, and because -the sign artistically done on the door with a hot poker, -which sign surrounded a grinning skull and cross-bones<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_86" id="Page_86">[86]</a></span> -and read, “<span class="smcap">Danger! Keep Out!</span>” had no meaning for -the other occupants of the hall, he secreted it at the -head of his bunk under the mattress.</p> - -<p>Chicora’s adversary that day was Camp Trescott. -Trescott was situated directly across the lake in Joy’s -Cove. It was a small camp, and the dozen and a half -fellows inhabiting it were all from one school. Trescott -rather prided itself on being select. But select or -not, it wasn’t much at baseball, and Chicora had little -difficulty in winning as she pleased. But despite a very -one-sided score—17 to 3—there were some good plays, -and the spectators were well repaid for their half-mile -walk through the woods. Bob found plenty of things -that needed remedying, but on the whole the Chicora -team played very well for a first game.</p> - -<p>There was quite a gallery of spectators at the evening -plunge, and Dan excelled himself at diving, bringing -forth screams of terrified protest from Aunt Louisa, -who “just knew that Mr. Hurry would drown himself, -if he didn’t break his neck first!” Even Nelson, who -of late had been profiting by Dan’s instruction, did -some very respectable stunts in the line of what Tom -called “high and lofty tumbling.” Aunt Louisa, together -with nearly a dozen other guests, stayed to supper -and camp-fire, being taken back to Chicora Inn at nine -in the steam-launch. A dozen or so of the boys went<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_87" id="Page_87">[87]</a></span> -along with the guests, the Four among them. There -was a jolly big white moon that made a wide sparkling -path across the water, and there was a nice nippy little -breeze from the east that rendered the seats about the -boiler very popular. Mr. Clinton ran the launch, and -coming back he made no protest when Bob, who was at -the wheel, turned the head of the Chicora across the -lake and hugged the opposite shore all the way back, -explaining <i lang="it" xml:lang="it">sotto voce</i> to Nelson that “the longest way -around was the shortest way home.”</p> - -<p>It was after ten when they finally made the landing, -and nearly half past when, having helped the Chief -make fast the boat for the night and partaken of a -lunch of milk and crackers in the dining-hall, the Four -tumbled into bed and put out their lanterns. And it -was just about midnight when a heartrending shriek -broke out on the stillness and brought every fellow into -a sitting position in his bunk with visions of murder. -In the momentary silence ensuing there was a loud -<em>thump</em> of a body striking the floor, the building shook -on its foundations, and Mr. Verder’s alarmed voice -rang out:</p> - -<p>“What’s the matter? Who yelled, fellows?”</p> - -<p>“<em>Wha-wha-wha-what’s the mu-mu-mu-matter?</em>” -shrieked a voice midway down the hall. “I du-du-dunno -what’s the mu-mu-mu—what’s the mu-mu-mu-matter!<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_88" id="Page_88">[88]</a></span> -I only know I’m bu-bu-bu-being eat-tu-tu-eaten -alive!”</p> - -<p>A howl of laughter rewarded the explanation, and -lanterns were quickly lighted. Dan was one of the -first on the scene. Tom, his blankets scattered around -him, stood in his pajamas with staring eyes and busy -hands. First he rubbed and slapped one part of his -body, then another, and all the time he kept up an -indignant stuttering.</p> - -<p>“Tu-tu-talk about pu-pu-pu-pins an’ nu-nu-needles! -Gu-gu-gee! Su-su-somebody’s put a whole pu-pu-pu-package -of ’em in mu-mu-my bed!”</p> - -<p>“Shut up your howling,” said Dan with a grin. -“What’s the fun?”</p> - -<p>“<em>Fu-fu-fun!</em>” yelled Tom. “I wish you had it!”</p> - -<p>“Had what?”</p> - -<p>“Wha-wha-whatever it is, you bu-bu-bu-blamed -idiot!” answered Tom wrathfully. Then, with a sudden -shriek, he leaped a foot into the air, grabbed his -pajamas above his left knee, and danced nimbly about -the floor, at last becoming entangled in the blankets -and tumbling headlong at the feet of Mr. Verder, who -came hurrying up. Every fellow was on hand by that -time, and Tom was pulled sputtering to his feet. Mr. -Verder took the nearest lantern and investigated. The -cause of Tom’s unhappiness wasn’t far to seek. Over<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_89" id="Page_89">[89]</a></span> -the bed and blankets swarmed a veritable army of big -black ants!</p> - -<p>“Ants!” said Mr. Verder, laughing. “What are -you doing, Ferris, studying entomology?”</p> - -<p>“Probably <em>ant</em>omology,” hazarded Nelson.</p> - -<p>“Ants?” exclaimed Tom, still rubbing himself -busily. “Ants! Gee, I thought they were bu-bu-bu-bees -at least! They haven’t done a th-th-th-thing tu-tu-tu-to -me, sir!”</p> - -<p>“Well, I’m sorry, Ferris,” said the councilor. -“The Doctor will get you something to put on the bites. -But what are they doing on your bed?”</p> - -<p>“I gu-gu-guess it’s the cu-cu-cu-candy, sir,” said -Tom sheepishly.</p> - -<p>“Candy? What candy?”</p> - -<p>For answer Tom raised the mattress, revealing a box -about which the ants were crawling excitedly to and fro.</p> - -<p>“Well,” said Mr. Verder when the laughter had -somewhat subsided, “after this you had better keep -your candy somewhere else.”</p> - -<p>For answer Tom seized the box gingerly and hurled -it out the nearest window. Dr. Smith appeared with -a bottle of witch-hazel, and Tom, dispensing with his -pajamas, received medical assistance. After that order -and quiet were restored only with much difficulty. Tom -went elsewhere to continue his interrupted slumber,<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_90" id="Page_90">[90]</a></span> -hugging the bottle of witch-hazel to his breast, but he -couldn’t get beyond the gibes of his companions. They -sat on the edge of his new bunk and pointed out the -moral to him, which, according to them, was to the -effect that selfishness had been justly rewarded. And -Tom, rubbing and grimacing, had no spirit left with -which to defend himself.</p> - -<p>“It proves,” declared Dan, “that a fellow can have -too many ants!”</p> - -<p>Tom only groaned, whether at the pun or at his -pain they didn’t know.</p> - -<hr class="chap" /> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_91" id="Page_91">[91]</a></span></p> - - - - -<div class="chapter"> -<h2><a name="CHAPTER_IX" id="CHAPTER_IX">CHAPTER IX</a><br /> -<span class="chtitle">STARTS OUT WITH POETRY, HAS TO DO WITH A BEETLE, -AND ENDS WITH A PENALTY</span></h2> -</div> - - -<div> - <img class="drop-cap" src="images/dcap_n.jpg" width="100" height="113" alt="" /> -</div> - -<p class="noi drop-cap">Nelson read with a nod of approval.</p> - -<div class="poem"><div class="stanza"> -<span class="i0">“And this our life, exempt from public haunt,<br /></span> -<span class="i1">Finds tongues in trees, books in the running brooks,<br /></span> -<span class="i1">Sermons in stones, and good in everything.”<br /></span> -</div></div> - -<p>He was sitting at the table on the porch of Birch -Hall, and the lines that pleased him were burned on a -wooden tablet affixed to the big stone chimney across the -room. His gaze, returning from the quotation, fell on -Tom, who at a neighboring table was, like Nelson, writing -home. One of Tom’s legs was twined around the -camp-stool upon which he was seated, as a morning-glory -vine twines about a post. The other leg was -stretched straight ahead, as though seeking inspiration -at a distance. His forehead was puckered with wrinkles -until it resembled the surface of a washboard, and he -chewed ravenously at the tip of his pen. Nelson -smiled, and let his gaze wander back to his own task -only to have it prove truant again, attracted by the -scene at his left.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_92" id="Page_92">[92]</a></span></p> - -<p>The porch overhung the hill, and from where he -sat he looked into the swaying branches of the trees. -Between them, like turquoises set in a field of emerald -and chrysoprase, shone patches of the lake ruffled to a -tender blue by the breeze that sang amid the trees. -Near-by a silver poplar flashed the under surface of -its leaves into the sunlight, so that they seemed to have -been dipped in pale gold. A gray squirrel chattered -and scolded on a neighboring limb, and all about birds -sang blithely. Nelson sighed, and brought his eyes -resolutely back to the half-written letter before him. -It wasn’t a morning for letter-writing; the woods -called too loudly; his thoughts would stray.</p> - -<p>“Oh, hang it!” exclaimed Tom, “I don’t know -what to write!”</p> - -<p>“Did you tell them about the ants last night?” -asked Nelson innocently.</p> - -<p>“You bet I did! And say, one of those bites still -aches like the mischief. I never thought ants could -nip like that!”</p> - -<p>“You probably rolled over on them; that’s enough -to make any self-respecting ant angry.”</p> - -<p>“Oh, dry up and blow away! What are you -writing about?”</p> - -<p>“Not much of anything—yet. I mentioned the -ants. And the weather; I suppose they’ll be pleased<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_93" id="Page_93">[93]</a></span> -to know what sort of weather we had two days before -they get my letter! I’ve got almost a page about the -weather.”</p> - -<p>“Gee! I wish I could write like that. I told ’em -it was a fine day, but it only took a line. Wish I could -string it out like you can! I guess I’ll just say that -I’m well, and that it’s time for dinner, so no more at -present.”</p> - -<p>“Time for dinner! Why, it’s only half past -nine!”</p> - -<p>“Oh, you’re too fussy,” answered Tom, drumming -on the table with his pen. “Besides, it’s always time -for dinner!”</p> - -<p>“Have you told them about your aunt?”</p> - -<p>“Great Scott, no! I forgot all about her. Say, -you’re a true friend, Nel!” And Tom, after scowling -fiercely at the tip of his pen for a moment, took -a firmer hold of the camp-stool with his leg and began -to write vigorously, so vigorously that Nelson feared -he would break his pen. Ten minutes passed, during -which Nelson finished his own letter, and Tom, having -told of Aunt Louisa’s visit in a scant half-dozen -lines, informed his parents somewhat unnecessarily -that “the weather continues fine,” and that “I will -tell you more in my next,” and signed himself “Your -loving son, Thomas Courtenay Ferris.”</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_94" id="Page_94">[94]</a></span></p> - -<p>Then, having hastily sealed and stamped their letters, -they dropped them into the mail-box with sighs -of relief and hastened out-of-doors.</p> - -<p>“Let’s go up to the tennis-court and be lazy until -time for church,” suggested Tom.</p> - -<p>So they climbed the hill, found a place where the -grass offered comfort and the overhanging branches -promised shade, and stretched themselves out. Above -them was a wide-spreading oak, behind them a little -settlement of young birch carpeted with trailing evergreen -and partridge-berries. Bordering the path were -blueberry and raspberry bushes and goldenrod, the -latter already beginning to glow, although August was -but just at hand. Thereabouts grew wild strawberries, -if Tom was to be believed, although they had -long since ceased fruiting. Rocks outcropped on every -side, and tall ferns grew abundantly. It was Tom who -presently wiggled forward and plucked from a tiny -covert of evergreen and grass three oddly shaped blossoms, -pallid and translucent.</p> - -<p>“What the dickens are these things?” he asked -perplexedly. He viewed them suspiciously as though -he feared they might poison him.</p> - -<p>“Indian-pipe,” answered Nelson. “<i lang="la" xml:lang="la">Monotropa uniflora.</i> -Let’s see one.”</p> - -<p>“Are they poisonous?”</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_95" id="Page_95">[95]</a></span></p> - -<p>“No, indeed, but they do look a bit unhealthy, -don’t they? Corpse-plant they’re called, too.”</p> - -<p>“They sure do; look like mushrooms gone wrong. -Indian-pipe, eh? Gee, I guess nobody but an Indian -would want to smoke such a thing! Say, they smell -nice, don’t they?”</p> - -<p>“Nice?” repeated Nelson suspiciously. “Smell -pretty bad, I suppose. By jove, they don’t though. -Say, they’re real sweet! I never knew that they had -any odor before. If it was stronger it would be -mighty sweet, wouldn’t it? It’s—it’s what you might -call illusive.”</p> - -<p>“That’s a fine word,” said Tom lazily. “Ill-use-ive, -of no use.” He tossed them aside and settled his -hands under his head, staring drowsily up into the -sun-flecked branches. “Good night; wake me in time -for dinner.” He was really dropping off to sleep when -Nelson called to him softly:</p> - -<p>“Say, Tom, come over here.”</p> - -<p>“What for?” asked Tom sleepily.</p> - -<p>“I want you to see this beetle,” giggled Nelson. -“He’s the craziest dub you ever saw. Come, look!”</p> - -<p>“Beetle!” muttered Tom disgustedly. Nevertheless -he found sufficient energy to wriggle along on his -stomach to the other’s side. “Where’s your old bu-bu-beetle?” -he asked.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_96" id="Page_96">[96]</a></span></p> - -<p>“There,” answered Nelson, pointing with a twig. -He was a small chap, grayish-black in color, with -what Nelson declared to be the Morse code written -down his back. He was trying to get somewhere, just -where wasn’t apparent, for no sooner did he make -headway in one direction than he changed his route -and started off in another. He was laughably awkward, -and bumped into everything in his path.</p> - -<p>“Bet you he’s been eating toadstools,” said Tom, -“and is very ill.”</p> - -<p>“I’ve named him ‘Tom,’” said Nelson soberly.</p> - -<p>“Think he looks like me?” asked Tom.</p> - -<p>“N-no, but he walks like you.”</p> - -<p>“Huh! Look at the idiot, will you?” The beetle -had encountered an acorn at least ten times his size -and was vainly striving to shove it out of his path. -Again and again he stood on his hind legs and tried -to move the acorn, acting in a most absurdly exasperated -way.</p> - -<p>“He’s getting terribly mad,” said Nelson. “It -doesn’t occur to him, I suppose, that he can walk -around it. Let’s take it out of his way; if we don’t, -he’ll stay there all day and never get home to his -family.” So the acorn was flicked aside with Nelson’s -twig. But the effect on the beetle was not what they -had expected. He immediately began to run around<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_97" id="Page_97">[97]</a></span> -very hurriedly in a tiny circle as though trying to -make himself dizzy.</p> - -<p>“Bet you he’s wondering where the acorn went -to,” said Tom. “Look at the idiot! Hey, get up -there!” And Tom, borrowing Nelson’s twig, gave the -beetle a shove. Apparently that was just what he -needed. After a moment, spent perhaps in gathering -his thoughts, he started off in a new direction and covered -six inches of ground, knocking into every blade -of grass and every tiny obstruction on the way. Then, -for no apparent reason, he crawled in at one end of a -dried and curled leaf and proceeded to try and get out -again by climbing the sides. As the sides curved inward -he had a terrible time of it. Six times he fell -onto his back, all legs waving wildly, and had great -difficulty in regaining his equilibrium. At last, quite -by accident, he got too near one end of the leaf -and tumbled out. Then he took up his journey -again.</p> - -<p>“I don’t think insects have much sense,” said Tom -disgustedly.</p> - -<p>“This one hasn’t, that’s certain,” said Nelson. -“If he doesn’t look out he’ll— There he goes, plump -into that spider-web. Why, any one could have seen -it! Look at him! Tom, you’re an awful fool!”</p> - -<p>“Huh?” said Tom in surprise.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_98" id="Page_98">[98]</a></span></p> - -<p>“I was addressing your namesake,” explained Nelson.</p> - -<p>The namesake was blundering deeper and deeper -into the tiny web, reminding the watchers of a man -walking through a series of hotbeds as depicted in a -comic paper. Finally, by sheer weight, the beetle -came out on the other side with a large part of the -web trailing behind him, and a very small spider, -looking like the head of a black pin, emerged from -her hiding-place and began to run excitedly over the -scene of her former habitation.</p> - -<p>“Don’t blame her,” grunted Tom. “Things are -certainly torn up.”</p> - -<p>The beetle, doubling in his tracks, progressed without -further misadventure for almost a foot. Then he -stopped, dug his head into the earth, and waved his -legs vexatiously.</p> - -<p>“Oh, he’s plumb crazy!” laughed Nelson.</p> - -<p>“I guess he dropped something and is looking -for it,” said Tom. “Perhaps it’s his watch. Or -maybe——”</p> - -<p>Tom’s further surmises were rudely interrupted. -Up the hill floated a most unmelodious shout. Nelson -sat up as though he had touched a live wire.</p> - -<p>“Great Scott!” he exclaimed, “what’s that?”</p> - -<p>“It’s Joe Carter,” said Tom. “He learned that<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_99" id="Page_99">[99]</a></span> -yell from his brother, who was on the Yale freshman -crew.”</p> - -<p>“It sounds like—like a banshee!”</p> - -<p>“Never heard one,” said Tom.</p> - -<p>“Really? I had a tame one once,” answered Nelson, -laughing.</p> - -<p>“You mean <em>bantam</em>, I guess. Hello, there he goes -again. Maybe he’s calling us.” And Tom lifted up -his voice in a weak imitation of Carter’s awful effort.</p> - -<p>“Oh, you can’t do it, Tommy, my boy. Why, I -couldn’t have heard that ten miles!”</p> - -<p>But Carter wasn’t that far off, and presently, after -sending an answering hail, he appeared in the path.</p> - -<p>“Say, you fellows, Clint wants to see you in the -office.” Then he dropped his voice to an awed whisper. -“He’s found out about the sign on the cliff,” he -added.</p> - -<p>“Phew!” said Nelson. “Was he mad?”</p> - -<p>“N-no, I don’t think so, but it’s hard to tell,” -Carter replied. “But he looked pretty serious. He’s -sent for Bob and Dan, too.”</p> - -<p>The latter were coming up the hill into the clearing -as Nelson and Tom appeared from above. They -exchanged sympathetic grins and shakes of the head, -and then composed their features and filed into Poplar -Hall. Mr. Clinton was at his desk behind the railing.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_100" id="Page_100">[100]</a></span></p> - -<p>“Bring some chairs over here, boys, and sit down -so that I may talk to you. That’s it. Now, how about -this blue-paint episode?”</p> - -<p>His glance encountered four rather sheepish faces, -but every eye met his fairly. It was Bob who spoke -first.</p> - -<p>“We all had a hand in it, sir.”</p> - -<p>“That’s so, sir,” Tom supplemented. And Nelson -nodded. Dan alone gave no sign. Mr. Clinton observed -the fact and looked surprised.</p> - -<p>“You didn’t have a hand in it, then Speede?” he -asked.</p> - -<p>Dan’s face suddenly wreathed itself in a broad -smile and his blue eyes twinkled.</p> - -<p>“I was pretty near all in it, Mr. Clint,” he answered. -“You see, sir, they emptied the pot of paint -over me!”</p> - -<p>The Chief smiled a little.</p> - -<p>“Too bad they didn’t use it all that way,” he said. -“Now, look here, boys; I’ve heard how you rigged up -ropes and slung—slung one of your number over the -cliff——”</p> - -<p>“That was me, sir,” interrupted Dan modestly.</p> - -<p>“Whoever it was, it was a foolhardy and dangerous -piece of business. You might have fallen and -broken your neck. I’ll confess to a feeling of admiration<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_101" id="Page_101">[101]</a></span> -for the pluck displayed, but I have no sympathy -for the achievement. I am responsible for the welfare -of you boys while you’re here in this camp. How do -you suppose I could have faced your folks, Speede, if -you had injured yourself?”</p> - -<p>“I don’t think the danger was so great as you -think, sir,” answered Dan. “We—we took every -precaution.”</p> - -<p>The Chief sniffed audibly. “The only sensible -precaution would have been to have an ambulance waiting -at the bottom,” he said dryly. “If you had to -endanger your limbs—and I confess I can’t see the -necessity of it—I’d prefer you did it in some better -cause. In plain language, what you committed was -an act of vandalism. To daub up the scenery with a -lot of blue paint is nothing else. It shows not only -mighty poor taste, but selfishness as well. The Lord -put that cliff there to be a part of the natural scenery, -for people to look at and enjoy. And when you -deface it you are depriving others of their rights, -merely to give yourselves an instant’s selfish satisfaction.”</p> - -<p>He paused and awaited a reply; finally:</p> - -<p>“It was Wickasaw started it, sir,” said Tom. -“They painted their name there first, and they hadn’t -any business doing that, sir; and so——”</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_102" id="Page_102">[102]</a></span></p> - -<p>“And so you thought you had to outrage good -taste also? A very poor excuse, Ferris. Now I want -you to promise never to attempt anything of the sort -again. And I want you to promise, too, that whenever, -not only while you’re here but all your lives, you -know of an attempt on the part of any one to deface -the natural scenery, you will do all in your power to -prevent it. What do you say?”</p> - -<p>“I’ll promise, sir,” said Bob, and the others -chimed in.</p> - -<p>“Very well. I am pretty certain you went about -this thing thoughtlessly, and I don’t want to be hard -on you; but at the same time I can not altogether overlook -it. Let me see; you asked for permission, didn’t -you, to take dinner at the Inn?”</p> - -<p>“Yes, sir.”</p> - -<p>“And I gave it. Now I fancy you accord me the -right of retracting that permission, don’t you?”</p> - -<p>“Yes, sir,” said Nelson softly.</p> - -<p>“Yes; well, I think you had better stay in camp -the rest of the day. That’s all, boys.”</p> - -<p>“Mr. Clinton,” said Tom, as they replaced their -chairs, “please, sir, will you stop at the Inn landing -for my aunt? I told her we’d be over to dinner and -take her on the launch afterward, and I guess she’ll -be worried.”</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_103" id="Page_103">[103]</a></span></p> - -<p>“H’m. I’d forgotten your aunt was here, Ferris. -When does she return to the city?”</p> - -<p>“First train in the morning, sir.”</p> - -<p>“Well, you may come along on the launch, I guess, -all of you. But no going to the Inn for dinner, you -understand.”</p> - -<p>“No, sir. Thank you, sir.”</p> - -<p>Outside they heaved sighs of relief.</p> - -<p>“Gee!” said Dan, “we got out of that cheap, -didn’t we?”</p> - -<p>And all concurred. Only Tom looked sorrowful.</p> - -<p>“They have swell grub at the Inn,” he murmured -regretfully.</p> - -<hr class="chap" /> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_104" id="Page_104">[104]</a></span></p> - - - - -<div class="chapter"> -<h2><a name="CHAPTER_X" id="CHAPTER_X">CHAPTER X</a><br /> -<span class="chtitle">DESCRIBES AN AFTERNOON ON THE LAKE AND A -GALLANT RESCUE</span></h2> -</div> - - -<div> - <img class="drop-cap" src="images/dcap_t.jpg" width="100" height="113" alt="" /> -</div> - -<p class="noi drop-cap">The Chicora was a trim-looking steam-launch, -thirty feet in length, and with -a comfortable beam. And when she -steamed away from the landing, at -three o’clock, she held sixteen boys, Mr. Clinton, Mr. -Verder, and Mr. Thorpe. She was pretty well loaded, -but there still remained room for several parents and -relatives who were to be picked up at the Inn. Dan, -Nelson, Tom, and Bob were perched on the tiny deck -space aft of the cabin and looked very, very good. -When Aunt Louisa appeared, looking rather doubtful -of the enterprise, she was conducted to a seat near-by.</p> - -<p>“You needn’t tell me why you didn’t come to -dinner,” she said at once. “I felt pretty certain you’d -made yourself sick with that candy, and now I’m sure -of it. I never knew you to look like an angel, Tom, -save when you were sick or getting well.”</p> - -<p>Whereupon she was acquainted in whispers of the -real reason of their non-appearance, and wouldn’t believe<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_105" id="Page_105">[105]</a></span> -that “Mr. Hurry” had performed such a hazardous -feat until, the launch having turned its nose -across the lake, the cliff came into sight and the staring -blue letters were quietly pointed out to her.</p> - -<p>“Well, I never!” she ejaculated. “If that wasn’t -a clever thing to do! And a very wicked one!” she -added quickly and disapprovingly.</p> - -<p>“Scenery’s very pretty to-day,” remarked Carter, -grinning at Dan. And Dan, with an apologetic glance -at Aunt Louisa, kicked Carter good and hard. Mr. -Clinton, busy at the engine, refused to hear. Neither -did he show that the offensive inscription on the cliff -ahead of them was in existence. Once headed down -the lake the launch got the full effect of the waves, -which, under a strong easterly wind, were kicking up -quite a rumpus. Those in the bow received frequent -wettings, and there was a struggle for places there. -Aunt Louisa was quite certain she was going to be -seasick, and insisted cheerfully that, in such a contingency, -she must be set ashore at once, no matter -where.</p> - -<p>“I always say,” she announced, “that it’s a heap -better to go ashore, even if it’s on a desert island, -than stay in a boat and be sick. And I do hope Mr. -Clinton will keep near land, for seasickness does come -on so suddenly!”</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_106" id="Page_106">[106]</a></span></p> - -<p>But the foot of the lake was reached without any -signs of illness on her part other than a slight uneasiness, -and when they had passed under the bridge by -the village and began to wind through the little river, -even that was forgotten. In many places the trees -almost swept the boat with their branches, and the channel -was so narrow that the most careful steering was -necessary. Half-way through to Hipp’s Pond there -was a shout from the fellows in the bow.</p> - -<p>“Look at the duck!” they cried. Those aft struggled -for a view. A small duck, and evidently a young -one, was bobbing up and down in the boat’s waves -scarce three yards away. As they passed, it watched -them with staring, beady eyes, but made no move -toward flight.</p> - -<p>“Gee!” said Tom, his own eyes quite as starey -as the duck’s, “if we only had a gun!” Then the -duck came alongside him and the temptation was too -great. With one hand on a stanchion, he leaned far -out and made a wild grab. He didn’t get the duck -he expected, but he got one kind; for he lost his -balance and his hold simultaneously, and went overboard -head foremost with a mighty splash. Aunt -Louisa gave a shriek of terror and turned to Dan:</p> - -<p>“Go after him, Hurry! Save him!”</p> - -<p>“Yes’m,” answered Dan, with a grin. Then over<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_107" id="Page_107">[107]</a></span> -he went just as the engine was stopped, and just as -Tom came up sputtering some twenty yards away.</p> - -<p>“Keep up!” called Dan. “I’ll save you!” And -Aunt Louisa, watching anxiously, couldn’t understand -why the fellows laughed so uproariously. Tom, shaking -his head to get the water from his eyes, turned and -started toward the boat. But Dan wasn’t a life-saver -for nothing.</p> - -<p>“Don’t give up!” he called. “Fight hard! I’ll -have you in a moment!”</p> - -<p>“You ku-ku-ku-keep away from mu-mu-mu-me!” -answered Tom.</p> - -<p>“Saved!” shouted Dan, and then rescued and -rescuer disappeared from sight.</p> - -<p>“Oh!” shrieked Aunt Louisa, “they’re both -drowning!”</p> - -<p>And every one else laughed harder than before.</p> - -<p>Then up came Dan’s head, and up came Tom’s, and -a merry struggle took place. Dan insisted on pulling -Tom back to the launch by the back of his sweater, -and Tom refused.</p> - -<p>“Lu-lu-lu-let mu-mu-mu-me alone, you, i-i-i-idiot!” -he protested.</p> - -<p>“You shut up!” answered Dan. “I was asked to -save you, and I’m going to do it if I have to drown -you.” He got a fresh grip on Tom and—down they<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_108" id="Page_108">[108]</a></span> -went again. In the end Mr. Clinton had to take a -hand, otherwise they might have been there yet. Tom, -looking sheepish, was helped over the side, and Dan -pulled in after him. Aunt Louisa began a speech of -thanks to the latter, but Nelson, wiping the tears from -his eyes, at last found his voice.</p> - -<p>“He didn’t do anything, ma’am,” he explained. -“Tom can swim like a fish; he’s the best swimmer in -camp!”</p> - -<p>“Do you mean to tell me,” she demanded, “that -he wasn’t drowning?”</p> - -<p>“No’m—yes’m—I mean he wasn’t.”</p> - -<p>“Well!” she said vigorously, “well!” And she -looked indignantly at Dan. But the hero looked so -penitent that she said no more; besides, it wasn’t necessary, -for Mr. Clinton was already reproving him -for adding to the lady’s distress, and, even if his eyes -twinkled a good deal, what he said was straight to the -mark. Meanwhile the Chicora had taken up her -voyage again. Tom and Dan removed their shoes and -sweaters and hung them near the boiler to dry, and -tried to bring warmth into their chilled bodies by alternately -turning faces and backs to the engine. The -incident enlivened the party, and afterward the laughter -was never quite stilled. Coming back “Babe” Fowler, -who had lived all his short life by the salt water,<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_109" id="Page_109">[109]</a></span> -proclaimed himself awfully thirsty and wished he had -a drink.</p> - -<p>“Gee,” said a neighbor, “you must be awfully -tony if you can’t drink this water!”</p> - -<p>The changing expression of “Babe’s” face was -worth seeing. Finally:</p> - -<p>“Why, it’s fresh water, isn’t it?” he cried. “I -was thinking it was salt!” And thereupon he had his -drink, and was unmercifully teased by the fellows, -one of whom recited, “Water, water everywhere, and -not a drop for ‘Babe,’” all the way back to the -landing.</p> - -<p>The stay-at-homes were having their evening dip -when the launch bumped up to the pier, and the newcomers -joined them in short order. The guest-table -was filled again at supper-time, and Aunt Louisa was -one of those who remained. After the meal was over -Bob and Tom took her over to the village in one of -the rowboats and got the Sunday mail. The wind had -died down, and the lake was a great limpid pool in -which the afterglow was reflected in changing hues of -steel and copper and dull gold. Half-way back the -bugle’s summons floated down to them and was echoed -back from the farther shore. As they glided past Bear -Island the boys of Wickasaw could be heard singing, -and, although Tom pretended to think such doings beneath<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_110" id="Page_110">[110]</a></span> -contempt, he followed Bob’s example when the -latter rested on his oars.</p> - -<p>“Oh, it’s perfectly heavenly!” exclaimed Aunt -Louisa softly.</p> - -<p>“Huh!” said Tom, “you wait till you hear Joe -Carter sing ‘Bluebell’ on his banjo!”</p> - -<p>“That must be quite a stunt,” laughed Bob.</p> - -<p>“Oh, well, you know what I mu-mu-mean. I’ll -ask him to sing at camp-fire. I’ll tell him you want -to hear him, auntie.”</p> - -<p>“But I don’t think—” began Aunt Louisa.</p> - -<p>“Oh, he won’t mind; he likes to make a noise!”</p> - -<p>And so, when the flames were leaping and dancing -under the big trees, Joe produced his banjo and sang, -and every one else helped him. And Mr. Thorpe got -his guitar and sang rag-time melodies in a way that -caused half his audience to laugh until the tears came, -while the other half, composed of the visitors and the -more sedate campers, showed a desire to shuffle their -feet or clap their hands in time to the rollicking -tunes. Then came prayers, and a trip down to the -Inn landing, where Aunt Louisa said good-by, and -invited each of Tom’s friends to visit her in Boston. -And as “Mr. Hurry” was included in that invitation -it is probable that Aunt Louisa had forgiven him for -his too gallant rescue.</p> - -<hr class="chap" /> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_111" id="Page_111">[111]</a></span></p> - - - - -<div class="chapter"> -<h2><a name="CHAPTER_XI" id="CHAPTER_XI">CHAPTER XI</a><br /> -<span class="chtitle">TELLS HOW THE FOUR PLANNED AN EXCURSION, AND -HOW DAN AND NELSON PLAYED HARES, MADE A DISCOVERY, -AND HAD A FRIGHT</span></h2> -</div> - - -<div> - <img class="drop-cap" src="images/dcap_i.jpg" width="100" height="113" alt="" /> -</div> - -<p class="noi drop-cap">“I think it’s a deuce of a note that I’m -going to get left on the long trip!” said -Dan aggrievedly.</p> - -<p>They were sitting, the Four, in front -of the fireplace in Birch Hall. Before them a couple -of giant logs were crackling merrily. Outside it was -raining steadily, and through the open door and -windows the breeze swept in damp, and redolent of wet -earth and vegetation. Now and then a rain-drop found -its way down the big chimney and fell hissing into the -fire. Siesta was over with, and the weather made outdoor -pursuits uncomfortable, if not impossible. Besides -the Four, the room held a dozen or so other lads, three -of whom—juniors these—were busily engaged in filling -a soap-box with torn paper for the hare-and-hounds -chase scheduled for the morrow.</p> - -<p>“Well, so am I,” said Nelson. “I’ve got to get<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_112" id="Page_112">[112]</a></span> -back home by the first of September myself. We’re -going to the St. Louis Fair about the first.”</p> - -<p>“Wish <em>I</em> was,” Dan responded gloomily. “I’ve got -to put in a couple of weeks with the oculist. He’s going -to do something to my eyes, and I’ll have to mope -around for about a week with a bandage over ’em.”</p> - -<p>“Hard luck,” said Bob. “And I wish you fellows -were going on the trip with us, I certainly do. It’s the -finest sort of fun. Can’t you stay, Nel? What do you -care about their old Exposition?—a lot of machinery -and fool pictures, and such truck!”</p> - -<p>“I’ve got to go. Anyhow, I want to see it; I didn’t -get to the one in Buffalo. I saw the Chicago Fair, -though. That was swell!”</p> - -<p>“You bet it was!” said Tom, his patriotism to the -fore. “There hasn’t been one to come up to that yet, -and there won’t be for a long old while!”</p> - -<p>“Oh, forget it,” answered Dan, “you and your -old Chicago! To hear you go on, a fellow’d think -Chicago was the only place in the world!” Dan was -from New York, and pretended a deep scorn for the -Windy City.</p> - -<p>“That’s all right,” said Tom. “But you’ve never -had anything like our fair in your tu-tu-tu-town!”</p> - -<p>“Don’t want one,” answered Dan calmly. “You -just lost a lot of money on it.”</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_113" id="Page_113">[113]</a></span></p> - -<p>“Mu-mu-maybe we du-du-du-did,” said Tom -warmly. “Bu-bu-but mu-mu-money’s not the only -th-th-th-thing. We sh-sh-showed you fu-fu-folks what -we cu-cu-could—could do, by gum!”</p> - -<p>“Cut it out now!” laughed Nelson. “Tommy’s -getting excited, and excitement isn’t good for him. Besides, -he wants to save his breath for the chase to-morrow. -He says he’s going to get home before you and -I do, Dan.”</p> - -<p>Dan and Bob found the idea amusing.</p> - -<p>“Another case of the hare and the tortoise,” suggested -Bob. “You and Dan will have to be careful, -and not fall asleep.”</p> - -<p>“If it keeps on raining we won’t have a chance -to do much sleeping, I tell you,” answered Nelson. -“The ground will be as soft and slippery as anything!”</p> - -<p>“Hares don’t mind soft ground,” said Tom.</p> - -<p>“This hare does,” replied Dan.</p> - -<p>“So does this one,” Nelson added.</p> - -<p>“I guess Tommy wants to lose flesh,” said Bob. -“There’s nothing like a good hard run to remove superfluous -avoirdupois.”</p> - -<p>“Oh, isn’t he good?” cried Tommy. “Did you -hear him say that?”</p> - -<p>“That’ll do for you, Bob,” said Dan.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_114" id="Page_114">[114]</a></span></p> - -<p>Bob made an unsuccessful attempt to pull Dan’s -stool from under him, and then gave his attention to -the workers.</p> - -<p>“Come now, ‘Babe,’ this isn’t a funeral, you know. -You’ll have to tear paper faster than that, or you won’t -have enough to trail from here to the dining-hall. Say, -Kid Rooke, you’ve got a wrong idea of the game of -shovelboard; it isn’t necessary to throw those weights -on the floor <em>every</em> time! Besides, you’re making a -beastly lot of noise.”</p> - -<p>“All right, Bobby,” was the disrespectful reply. -“Bobby” promptly threw a stick of kindling-wood with -admirable precision, and Rooke played badly for some -time in consequence of nursing a lame arm.</p> - -<p>“Say, Bob, why couldn’t we get off on a little trip -of our own?” asked Dan. “Don’t you think Clint -would let us, seeing we’re not going to be here for the -regular one?”</p> - -<p>“Maybe he might,” answered Bob. “Last year he -let six of the big fellows go off on a two days’ canoe -trip.”</p> - -<p>“Just the thing!” said Dan. “We’ll take your -canoe and Carter’s—he’ll let us have it, all right—and -we four’ll go. What do you say, fellows?”</p> - -<p>“Great scheme!” said Nelson.</p> - -<p>“Perfectly swell!” seconded Tom.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_115" id="Page_115">[115]</a></span></p> - -<p>“Maybe, though, he wouldn’t let Tommy and me -go,” objected Bob, “because we’ll be here for the long -trip.”</p> - -<p>“Well, don’t go on the long trip, then,” suggested -Nelson. “Come to ‘St. Louis, Louis’ with me.”</p> - -<p>“By ginger! I’d like to, all right. I’ll see what -Clint says. If he makes that objection, I’ll tell -him I’m thinking of cutting the long trip out this -year; and maybe my folks would let me go to -the fair.”</p> - -<p>“Still, there’s Tommy; what about him?” asked -Dan.</p> - -<p>“What do you think I care about the trip, if you -fellows aren’t gu-gu-gu-going?”</p> - -<p>“Noble youth!” said Bob. “Who’ll ask Clint?” -Silence ensued.</p> - -<p>“Whoever asks him,” said Dan presently, “had -better wait until he’s sort of forgotten about that painting -affair.”</p> - -<p>“Maybe,” answered Bob, “but I don’t believe he -holds that against us; Clint isn’t that sort. When a -thing’s done with, it’s done with for him. I don’t mind -asking. You leave it to me, and I’ll wait until I find -him feeling his best.”</p> - -<p>“Good for you, old man!” said Dan heartily. “I -always said you were the bravest of the lot.”</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_116" id="Page_116">[116]</a></span></p> - -<p>“Brave nothing!” scoffed Tom. “He thinks he -has a winning smile. Bob’s a regular fusser at home, -I’ll bet!”</p> - -<p>“Hey!” exclaimed Nelson, arising and stretching -his arms in accompaniment to a mighty yawn, “who’s -going to soak?”</p> - -<p>“I am,” said Bob; and the other two expressed -themselves similarly. “Babe” came up, kicking his -box before him.</p> - -<p>“Isn’t that enough, Bob?” he asked pathetically.</p> - -<p>“Sure, ‘Babe,’ that’s enough. Come on and soak. -Ho, for ‘Babe’s’ briny ocean!”</p> - -<p>The next day dinner was a half hour earlier, and -promptly at the stroke of two Nelson and Dan left -Spruce Hall and trotted down the road to the village, -each bearing a bag of “scent” in the shape of torn -paper, and each wearing the scantiest costume modesty -would permit. The hounds were to start twelve -minutes later, and the trail was to be laid for a distance -of about three miles and return, at least half the trail -to be over roads. Nelson thought twelve minutes rather -scant time allowance, but Dan, who fancied himself a -bit as a cross-country runner, was quite satisfied. -Almost every fellow in camp was going to have a try -at the chase, although it was a foregone conclusion that -many of them would drop out the first mile. Mr.<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_117" id="Page_117">[117]</a></span> -Verder was leader of the hounds, and he was the only -member of the pursuit that Dan feared.</p> - -<p>Once out of sight of the camp, and having reached -the beginning of the slight slope that led down to the -foot of the lake, the hares let themselves out. It was -a cloudy, threatening day, somewhat chill for the month -of August, and the rain, which had fallen continually -from Monday morning until some time last night, had -left the ground soft, and in some places decidedly -slippery. Once or twice during the forenoon there had -been tiny showers, and there was every indication of -more to follow before night. The distance to the -village of Crescent, Dan’s estimate on the day of his -enforced return to camp by way of the road notwithstanding, -was but a trifle over the mile, and they made -it in short order, and passed over the bridge and by the -post-office, running well, having got their second -breaths. They followed the road around to where Dan -and Bob had cut across the meadow when they had -made their trip to the base of the cliff. There they -climbed the fence and struck across the field under the -cliff, exchanging smiles as they caught fleeting glimpses -of the inscription on the rocks, and swung around to -the right on the farther side of Humpback Mountain. -Their plan was to keep along the lower slope of the -mountain, return to the road at the farther end of<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_118" id="Page_118">[118]</a></span> -Hipp’s Pond, and come back by the highway to some -spot near the village, where they were to ford the river -and reach the road to camp near the forks. Once in -the forest their going was necessarily slower. It was -slightly up-hill, and the wet leaves made anything beyond -an easy trot impossible. They lost nearly a -minute on one occasion, when Nelson tripped on a log -which he had tried to hurdle and came down sprawling, -emptying most of the contents of the bag he carried. -The paper had to be picked up before they could go -on, since already they had begun to wonder whether the -scent would hold out. Half-way along the side of the -mountain it suddenly grew dark, and the tree-tops -began to sway in quick gusts of wind.</p> - -<p>“By Jove,” panted Dan, “I’ll bet we’re in for a -wetting!”</p> - -<p>“Well, I haven’t got anything on that will spoil,” -laughed Nelson.</p> - -<p>And then a few big drops pattered down on the -leaves.</p> - -<p>“Coming!” shouted Dan.</p> - -<p>And it came!</p> - -<p>It was a veritable torrent that lashed aside the -leaves and pelted the boys with great hissing drops. -For a moment they stumbled on through the darkness. -Then there was a blinding flash of white light, and a<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_119" id="Page_119">[119]</a></span> -crash of thunder seemed to shake the mountain from -top to bottom. As though by mutual consent, they -dived beneath a clump of underbrush and huddled up -out of the worst of the storm.</p> - -<p>“Gee!” said Dan, “that scared me.”</p> - -<p>“Me too,” answered Nelson. “It was kind of -sudden.”</p> - -<p>“I should say so! I don’t suppose there’s much -use in our staying here, though. We can’t get much -wetter by going on.”</p> - -<p>“And there isn’t much use in going on,” answered -Nelson. “I’ll bet the others have given up the chase -by this time. Besides, our paper’s about soaked -through, I guess. I vote we hike up over the mountain -and get home.”</p> - -<p>“Seems to me we’d better go back the way we -came.”</p> - -<p>“It will be lots nearer if we strike up hill here. It’ll -be hard going until we reach the top, but easy going -down the other side. We ought to strike the road about -half-way between the pond and the village. Perhaps -we’ll find a place where we can get out of the wet. -Anyhow, there’s no use staying here. I’m getting wetter -and wetter every minute, and there’s a regular cascade -running down my back. Here, let’s empty out this fool -paper and stuff the bags in our pockets.”</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_120" id="Page_120">[120]</a></span></p> - -<p>“All right,” answered Nelson; and the paper chase -came to an ignominious finish then and there.</p> - -<p>It was tough work climbing that slope in the face -of a blinding torrent, but they struggled upward, slipping -and stumbling and panting. The lightning had -become almost continuous, and the thunder did its part -with might and main. What with the darkness of the -sky and the gloom of the forest, there was very little -light to go by; and as the rain forced them to close -their eyes half the time, they were continually butting -into trees, tangling themselves up in the undergrowth -or stumbling over dead branches.</p> - -<p>“This is a deuce of a note!” grumbled Dan as he -picked himself up for the fifth or sixth time, and tried -to dry his wet hands on his wetter trousers. “I’d give -a dollar for an umbrella!”</p> - -<p>“Or a tent,” sputtered Nelson. “I’m mighty nigh -drowned and— Hello! Look yonder!”</p> - -<p>Dan looked, and the next instant they were floundering -toward shelter. What Nelson had seen was an old -log house. It wasn’t in the best of repair, for the roof -had fallen in at one end and the door had long since -disappeared. But it was a case of any port in a storm, -and when, breathless and dripping, they reached it, -they found that it afforded ample protection. It was -about twelve feet long by eight feet wide, with a door<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_121" id="Page_121">[121]</a></span> -at one end, and a tiny opening at the other that had -probably served in its day as a window. It was unfloored, -but, save near the doorway and at the farther -end where the roof had fallen inward, it was quite dry. -It was as dark as pitch in there save when a flash of -lightning momentarily illumined it.</p> - -<p>“Gee,” sighed Dan, “this is great!”</p> - -<p>“Swell!” murmured Nelson, with a shiver. “But -I wish we had a fire.”</p> - -<p>“Got any matches?”</p> - -<p>“Yes.”</p> - -<p>“Good boy! Let’s see if we can’t find something -that’ll burn.”</p> - -<p>Carefully they felt their way toward the back of the -cabin, their eyes gradually becoming accustomed to the -gloom. Suddenly Dan, who was slightly in the lead, -gave a cry of fear.</p> - -<p><a href="#image04">“Look!” he cried.</a></p> - -<div class="figcenter" style="width: 386px;"> -<a id="image04"> - <img src="images/image04.jpg" width="386" height="600" alt="" title="" /> -</a><br /> -<div class="caption"><a href="#Page_121">“Look!” he cried.</a></div> -</div> - -<p>At the same instant there was a glare of lightning, -and Nelson, peering fearsomely ahead, saw a sight that -sent an icy chill down his back.</p> - -<p>Almost at their feet stretched a pile of bones that -glared white and gruesome in the uncanny light.</p> - -<hr class="chap" /> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_122" id="Page_122">[122]</a></span></p> - - - - -<div class="chapter"> -<h2><a name="CHAPTER_XII" id="CHAPTER_XII">CHAPTER XII</a><br /> -<span class="chtitle">HAS TO DO WITH STORM AND LIGHTNING; DISCOVERS -TOM IN TEARS, AND CONCLUDES THE ADVENTURE</span></h2> -</div> - - -<div> - <img class="drop-cap" src="images/dcap_w.jpg" width="100" height="113" alt="" /> -</div> - -<p class="noi drop-cap">When Mr. Verder gave the word, twenty-three -hounds started in pursuit of the -hares, and in the foremost group trotted -Tom. They had just reached the village -when the rain burst, and the way in which they -piled into the post-office led the village gossips there -assembled to jump from their chairs in terror, thinking -they were attacked by a gang of desperadoes. And -when the fellows had slammed the door behind them -and gathered at the windows to watch the torrent, they -saw through the hissing sheets of water the solitary -form of Mr. Thomas Courtenay Ferris trotting doggedly -on up the road. Then the door opened and closed -again, and Bob sped after him.</p> - -<p>“What are you going to do, you crazy dub?” -panted Bob when he had caught up.</p> - -<p>“Cu-cu-catch those fu-fu-fu-fellows,” answered Tom -resolutely.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_123" id="Page_123">[123]</a></span></p> - -<p>“Why, they’ve given it up by this time, you idiot!”</p> - -<p>“I haven’t. I su-su-said I was going to finish, and -I am!”</p> - -<p>“Poppycock!” muttered Bob. “However, I’ll see -you through.”</p> - -<p>“You’ll gu-gu-gu-get wet,” said Tom.</p> - -<p>“So’ll you.”</p> - -<p>“I du-du-du-don’t mind.”</p> - -<p>“Neither do I; I like it. Fine, isn’t it?”</p> - -<p>“Su-su-swell!” gasped Tom.</p> - -<p>So on they plodded, every footfall sending a spray -of muddy water against their bare legs, keeping the -trail in sight with difficulty, since the torn paper had -in many places been washed aside or covered by the -pools of water that had already formed along the road. -They overran the trail where it left the highway and -had to cast about for fully a minute before they found -it again, and took off across the field, which was rapidly -becoming like a cranberry bog. Once in the forest it -wasn’t quite so bad, for the trees afforded some slight -protection. But poor Tom’s breath was almost gone, and -when they finally reached the place where a pile of -wet paper told its own story, he was glad to throw -himself down on the wet ground and rest. What to do -next was a problem. Finally Bob, with a fair idea of -their whereabouts, suggested climbing the hill and<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_124" id="Page_124">[124]</a></span> -reaching the road on the other side. So Tom, with a -final gasp, struggled to his feet, and they took up their -way again. It was Tom who caught sight of the hut.</p> - -<p>“Lu-lu-lu-look over there, Bu-bu-bu-Bob!” he -spluttered.</p> - -<p>And that is how it happened that Nelson and Dan, -horrified one instant by the ghastly object at their feet, -were terrorized the next by a sudden loud shout behind -them. They turned and fled ignominiously to the door. -The flash of lightning had intensified the darkness that -followed, and neither saw anything until their exit -was suddenly impeded, and even then not enough to -understand what was up. Dan collided with Tom just -inside the doorway, and, like a center putting out his -opponent, bore him backward to the ground. Tom, -stammering in surprise at the welcome, clung desperately -to his assailant.</p> - -<p>“Lu-lu-lu-let go of me! Wha-wha-what’s the mu-mu-mu-matter -with you? Gu-gu-gu-get off mu-mu-my -stomach!”</p> - -<p>Nelson, tumbling out with scared face on the heels -of Dan, ran into Bob outside. The latter grabbed him -just in time; in another moment he would have been -a hundred yards away, and still going.</p> - -<p>“What’s the row?” cried Bob, turning from Nelson -to where Dan and Tom, the latter on his back in a<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_125" id="Page_125">[125]</a></span> -litter of wet leaves, and the former sitting on top of -him, were viewing each other in wide-eyed surprise. -“What kind of a game are you fellows playing?”</p> - -<p>“Is that you?” muttered Nelson sheepishly.</p> - -<p>“Hu—hallo, Tommy!” grunted Dan, pulling -him up.</p> - -<p>“‘Hallo, Tu-tu-tu-Tommy’ be bu-bu-blowed!” -muttered that youth as he found his feet and viewed -Dan angrily; “wha-wha-what kind of a fu-fu-funny fu-fu-fool -are you?”</p> - -<p>At that instant the rain, which had momentarily -let up as though interested in the proceedings, came -down harder than ever, and the Four crowded inside -the hut, Dan and Nelson, however, keeping close to -the doorway and casting uneasy glances into the darkness. -At length the matter was explained, and Bob, -lighting a match, advanced toward the back of the -cabin, the others following breathlessly and gazing -nervously over his shoulder. As the match flared up, -there lay the skeleton, and even Bob drew a sudden -breath and backed away a foot, thereby stepping on -Nelson’s toes and eliciting an exclamation of pain that -almost resulted in another stampede to the door. It -was Tom who stayed the rout.</p> - -<p>“Huh!” he cried; “it’s nothing but a calf!”</p> - -<p>And so it proved. Grown suddenly brave, they examined<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_126" id="Page_126">[126]</a></span> -more carefully, and Bob began to tease Dan -and Nelson for being frightened at the skeleton of -a calf.</p> - -<p>“That’s all right,” said Nelson, “but I noticed -you were looking up the exits a minute ago!”</p> - -<p>“Let’s have that fire,” suggested Dan. “Any -matches left?”</p> - -<p>Tom had a pocket full of them, and in a minute -they had found several dried branches on the floor and -a box nailed to the wall. They tore down the latter -and soon had a fire going. As the heat began to penetrate -their chilled bodies their spirits arose.</p> - -<p>“I wish it had been a human skeleton,” said Dan -regretfully.</p> - -<p>“Yes, you do!” responded Bob sarcastically. -“Why?”</p> - -<p>“So I could have had the skull. My uncle has one -for a tobacco jar; it’s swell!”</p> - -<p>“I can see you getting the skull!” said Bob laughingly. -“Why, you wouldn’t have stopped running -before to-morrow morning if we hadn’t stopped -you!”</p> - -<p>“Get out!” answered Dan good-naturedly. “I’d -have come back for it. But I tell you, fellows, that old -pile of bones looked mighty unpleasant in the lightning. -I’d have sworn the thing moved.”</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_127" id="Page_127">[127]</a></span></p> - -<p>“It was you that moved,” said Tom, “and you -moved fast.”</p> - -<p>“Say, what the dickens are we going to do, fellows?” -asked Nelson. “We can’t get home in this -storm. Just listen to it!”</p> - -<p>“Oh, it’ll let up after a bit. What time is it?” -asked Bob.</p> - -<p>“Ten of four,” answered Tom. “Wish we had -something to eat; then we could stay all night. -Wouldn’t it be swell?”</p> - -<p>“Yes,” said Dan, “but we haven’t, and I, for one, -prefer to get wet again rather than go without supper. -I’m starved now.”</p> - -<p>“Well, let’s wait a bit and see if it doesn’t hold -up some. This fire’s immense! Wonder can we find -any more wood?”</p> - -<p>At that instant there was a blinding flash of lightning, -a terrific crash of thunder, and a shock that threw -Dan and Tom, who had been standing, off their feet. -Simultaneously a portion of the roof of the cabin fell, -with a cloud of dust and débris, and one of the timbers -crashed into their midst, scattering the fire. For an -instant there was silence. Every one of the quartet -had been momentarily stunned by the lightning. Then -they were on their feet, white-faced and trembling; -all save Nelson, who lay stretched on the floor, with<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_128" id="Page_128">[128]</a></span> -the blood flowing from a gash in his head. Here and -there a brand from the fire flickered, but a new light -flooded the cabin from without, where a giant pine, -its trunk lying across the cabin, was burning fiercely. -After the first instant of terror Bob ran to -Nelson.</p> - -<p>“Get some water, somebody!” he called.</p> - -<p>“Is he dead?” asked Tom weakly.</p> - -<p>“I don’t know; he’s got a beast of a cut here from -that log; stunned him, I guess. Where’s the water?”</p> - -<p>Dan hurried back with his cap dripping.</p> - -<p>“Here’s some,” he panted. “Fetch some more, -Tom; hold your cap under the corner of the house. Is -he much hurt?”</p> - -<p>But Nelson answered the question himself, reaching -up to push away the hand that was bathing his face -and head, and opening his eyes to blink dazedly about -him.</p> - -<p>“You lie still a minute,” commanded Bob. “That -log fetched you a whack on the head, but you’ll be all -right in a minute.”</p> - -<p>“Oh,” said Nelson, memory returning, “say, that -was a peach of a bump, wasn’t it? Any one struck? -Where’s Tommy?”</p> - -<p>“He’s here. Shut up a minute and lie still.”</p> - -<p>“I’m all right.” He felt of his wound, and wiped<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_129" id="Page_129">[129]</a></span> -the blood from his fingers onto his jersey. “If I had -a handkerchief——”</p> - -<p>“Here’s one,” said Dan. “You tie it on, Bob.”</p> - -<p>Bob did so, and Nelson was helped to his feet, where -he stood an instant swaying unsteadily.</p> - -<p>“Say, we’ll have to get out of this,” said Dan. -“The hut’ll be on fire in a minute. Gee, but that -was a close shave! That tree wasn’t thirty feet away!”</p> - -<p>“We got some of it as it was,” said Bob. “I felt -as though some one had hit me with a plank. Can -you walk, Nel? Here, we’ll give you a hand. We’ll -have to get out at the corner there; the doorway’s blocked -up. Where’d Tommy get to?”</p> - -<p>“He went for some more water,” said Dan. -“Come on; it’s getting hot!”</p> - -<p>Outside they came on a strange sight. Tom was -sitting on a log, with his face in his hands, sobbing as -though his heart was breaking. Beside him lay his cap, -and a small rivulet of water from the top of the cabin -was spattering down onto his bare head. The three -stared in bewilderment. Then Bob patted him on -the back:</p> - -<p>“Come on, Tommy,” he said kindly. “You’re all -right; cheer up!”</p> - -<p>But Tom only shook his head without looking up.</p> - -<p>“He’s du-du-du-du-dead!” he wailed.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_130" id="Page_130">[130]</a></span></p> - -<p>“Who’s dead, you idiot?”</p> - -<p>“Nu-nu-nu-Nelson,” sobbed Tommy.</p> - -<p>“No, I’m not, Tommy,” called Nelson; “here -I am!”</p> - -<p>Tom raised a wet and miserable face; then he -leaped to his feet, tumbled over a branch, and fell into -Nelson’s arms.</p> - -<p>“I th-th-th-thought you were a gu-gu-gu-goner!” -he cried.</p> - -<p>“I’m all right,” answered Nelson, cheerfully submitting -to Tom’s hugs. “Get your cap and come along, -or we’ll be drowned.”</p> - -<p>Tom sniffed a few times, picked up his hat, and -sheepishly joined the procession that wound its way -up the hill in the rain.</p> - -<p>“Poor old Tommy!” chuckled Dan.</p> - -<p>“He’s a good-hearted dub,” answered Nelson softly.</p> - -<p>Five minutes of toil brought them to the summit, -and after that it was easier work. By the time they -had reached the road the rain had almost ceased, and -for the rest of the way they had only the mud and -their chilled bodies to contend with. Twenty minutes -later they straggled into camp to find Mr. Clinton in -the act of leading a search party after them. Nelson -was conducted to the surgery, where Dr. Smith -washed and bandaged his head, and the other members<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_131" id="Page_131">[131]</a></span> -of the party hied them to the dormitory and dry -clothes, followed by half the fellows of the camp eager -to hear the story of their adventures. And when it -had been told—losing nothing in the telling by Dan—Bob -suddenly exclaimed:</p> - -<p>“Well, if he didn’t do it!”</p> - -<p>“Do what?” “Who did?” “When?” were the -queries fired at him.</p> - -<p>“Why, Tommy did! He said, before we started, -that he was going to beat the hares home, the cheeky -kid! And he did it!”</p> - -<p>“But we all came home together,” objected Dan.</p> - -<p>“Yes, but if you’ll recollect, it was Tommy who -headed the procession coming into camp.”</p> - -<p>“So it was,” said Dan.</p> - -<p>“So I did,” said Tom. “Ain’t I a smarty?”</p> - -<p>Whereupon Dan tumbled him over backward onto -the bed and sat on top of him a long, long time, and -told him how very, very smart he was. And it was -not until Nelson, appearing on the scene with a wealth of -surgeon’s plaster adorning his brow, asked innocently, -“Who’s going to soak?” that Dan’s attentions ceased; -and then it was only because he felt obliged to stand -firmly on his feet in order to put the necessary amount -of withering sarcasm into his reply to Nelson.</p> - -<hr class="chap" /> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_132" id="Page_132">[132]</a></span></p> - - - - -<div class="chapter"> -<h2><a name="CHAPTER_XIII" id="CHAPTER_XIII">CHAPTER XIII</a><br /> -<span class="chtitle">RECALLS THE FACT THAT WHAT’S FAIR FOR ONE IS FAIR -FOR ANOTHER, AND RECORDS A DEFEAT AND A VICTORY</span></h2> -</div> - - -<div> - <img class="drop-cap" src="images/dcap_a.jpg" width="100" height="113" alt="" /> -</div> - -<p class="noi drop-cap">A week later Wickasaw came over to the -mainland and met Chicora on the diamond. -The final score, when the game -came to an end at the last of the seventh -inning, was 18 to 4, and I had rather not say which -side scored the 18. However, defeat is not dishonorable; -Chicora had that thought to comfort her. Wells, -he of the snub-nose, pitched a magnificent game for -five innings, and then went so high into the air that -he wasn’t able to get down again while the game -lasted. And while he was up there Wickasaw unkindly -batted in eight runs and scored seven more on errors, -four of them being due to Wells’s wildness. Wickasaw -played every last one of her councilors—four in all—and -would probably have won by a small margin even if -Wells hadn’t gone to pieces. But the result was a disappointment -to Bob, and he worried over it a good deal<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_133" id="Page_133">[133]</a></span> -during the ensuing three days. Wickasaw went home -in her launch and rowboats audibly pleased with herself, -and the next day, beneath her camp-flag on the -pole at the landing, floated a square of white sheeting -inscribed:</p> - -<div class="noic bumbox"> -W. 18; C. 4 -</div> - -<p>And every time Bob saw that flag floating in the breeze -he ground his teeth. And Dan smiled his widest smile, -and drew a sketch of the flag <em>they</em> were going to put -up after the next game. And in the meanwhile everybody -went to work harder than ever at the batting-net -and in the field; for the lesson of defeat is renewed -endeavor.</p> - -<p>On the following Saturday Chicora played again, -this time with the nine from the Chicora Inn, a nine -made up of guests and employees of the hotel. It was -the finest kind of an August afternoon, warm enough -to limber the players’ muscles, and yet not so hot that -the spectators were uncomfortable under the shade of -the trees. Wells went into the box again for the Camp, -while the Inn had her head clerk, a Dartmouth College -man, do the pitching for her. For the first three -innings the Camp had everything its own way. Nelson -started things going with a three-bagger in the second,<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_134" id="Page_134">[134]</a></span> -and after the bases had filled up Bob went to bat and -cleared them, himself reaching second. Again, in the -third a base on balls to the second man up proved -costly, the runner on first reaching second on a passed -ball and taking third on a single by Carter. Then -Wells got in the way of an in-shoot and limped to base -amid the laughing applause of the Camp rooters, and -the bags were all occupied. It was Nelson’s chance -again, and he made the most of it. With two strikes -and three balls called on him he found what he wanted, -and hit safely for two bases over short-stop’s head. The -Inn had meanwhile scored but one run, and so at the -beginning of the fourth inning the score stood 6 to 1, -and the spectators who were gallantly flaunting the -crimson flags of Chicora Inn were becoming anxious.</p> - -<p>When the Inn next went to the bat it was seen that -she had substituted a new player for the one who had -thus far been holding down second base. The new man -was about six feet tall, and fully thirty-five years old, -and his face seemed dimly familiar to Bob. And when, -having gone to bat, he lined the first ball pitched between -first and second for three bases, Bob recognized -him as “Monty” Williams, an old Princeton player -who had made a reputation for himself while in -college as a star ball-player. In that inning the Inn -netted three runs, and the score was no longer so one-sided.<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_135" id="Page_135">[135]</a></span> -But Bob was worried, and as the teams changed -sides he made his way to the captain of the opposing -team.</p> - -<p>“Look here,” he said, “I don’t think it’s a fair deal -for you fellows to play Williams. He’s an old college -player, and we know that he isn’t staying at the Inn. -He’s visiting over at Bass Island.”</p> - -<p>“Oh, what’s the use in being fussy?” asked the -other good-naturedly. “This isn’t a championship -game; we’re only here for the fun of playing. Besides, -Williams hasn’t played baseball for at least ten years.”</p> - -<p>“Well, it isn’t according to the understanding,” -answered Bob; “but if you insist on playing him, all -right; it’s a bit raw, though. We’re playing fellows on -our side some of whom aren’t sixteen years old; and -we’re not playing a single one of our councilors.”</p> - -<p>“Well, why don’t you? Go ahead and play any one -you like. We don’t care who you play; we’re here for -the fun of playing, that’s all.”</p> - -<p>“All right,” answered Bob; “I don’t intend to be -nasty about it. We’ll beat you, anyhow.”</p> - -<p>“That’s the stuff,” laughed the other captain. “Go -ahead and do it.”</p> - -<p>But it didn’t look very easy during the next two -innings. To be sure, the Camp managed to tally two -more runs, but the Inn wasn’t idle. The next time<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_136" id="Page_136">[136]</a></span> -Williams came to bat the bases were full, and as a -result of the long drive he made into left field three -tallies were set down to the Inn’s credit, and a minute -or two later Williams made it four by heady base -stealing. That tied the score, 8 to 8. Bob didn’t mind -a defeat at the hands of Chicora Inn very much, but -to be beaten two games running was more than he could -relish; and while he was doing a lot of hard thinking -Tom came to the rescue:</p> - -<p>“Say, Bob,” he whispered, “we’re going to be -licked if you keep Wells in there. That fellow Williams -can hit him easy.”</p> - -<p>“I know it, but they insist on playing Williams. -They say I can put in any one I want to, but we haven’t -played our councilors, and I don’t want to start it now. -And as for Wells, there isn’t any one on our team can -do any better.”</p> - -<p>“Get Billy Carter to pitch.”</p> - -<p>“Billy Carter? Who’s Billy—? You mean Joe’s -brother? Can he pitch? Thought he was a crew man.”</p> - -<p>“He is, but he pitched for the Yale freshman nine -last spring, and I’ll bet he’s a peach!”</p> - -<p>“Good stuff! Will he play, do you think?”</p> - -<p>“I don’t know, but he seems a decent chap. Get -Joe to ask him.”</p> - -<p>“I will. Oh, Joe! Joe Carter!”</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_137" id="Page_137">[137]</a></span></p> - -<p>The result of this conference was that two or three -minutes later when the teams again changed sides Wells -retired to the shade of the apple-trees and his place in -the pitcher’s box was taken by a stocky, fair-haired, and -sun-burned chap of eighteen who, having discarded his -coat and cap, picked up the ball and began pitching to -Bob in a way that suggested a good deal of experience. -He was a fine-looking fellow with a chest that brought -murmurs of admiration from the spectators. He had -rowed on the winning Yale freshman eight and -pitched on the Yale freshman nine, and so his chest -development and the muscles that played so prettily -along his arms were there of good reason. He had -reached camp only that forenoon on a visit of two or -three days to his brother, and there hadn’t been a -moment’s hesitation on his part when Joe, earnestly -seconded by Bob, had asked him to play. He had kept -in training since the boat races and had not forgotten -his cunning in the box.</p> - -<p>And the opponents had occasion to note the fact. -For in the next two innings not a man on their team -reached first base. Carter’s delivery puzzled them -effectually, and when the mighty Williams had three -strikes called on him and tossed down his bat with a -grim shake of his head the supporters of the blue and -gray shouted their delight. But shutting out the Inn<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_138" id="Page_138">[138]</a></span> -wasn’t winning the game, and when at last the ninth -inning opened with the score still 8 to 8 Bob had -visions of a tie game. But he had reckoned without -the new pitcher. That youth didn’t have a chance at -bat until with one out in the ninth things were looking -their darkest for the Camp. Then he selected a bat -and faced the Inn’s pitcher calmly. He allowed two -balls to go by him, but the third one he liked. And -the way in which he lit on to it was beautiful to behold; -at least that’s the way it seemed to Bob and Dan and -Nelson and all the other Chicorians. For that ball -started off as though it had got tired of being knocked -around so much and was going straight home to sit -down and rest. That it didn’t get all the way home, -but only as far as the woods behind center-fielder, -didn’t affect the result of the contest. It went quite -far enough. And Billy Carter romped home like a -playful giant and subsided under the trees and fanned -his face, while about him danced the delighted cohorts -from the Camp. After that it was only necessary to -keep the Inn from scoring, and with Carter still in the -points that was an absurdly easy task. It wasn’t a -very decided win, 9 to 8, but it sufficed, and Bob was -comforted.</p> - -<p>After the game was over the captain of the Inn’s -forces sought out Bob.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_139" id="Page_139">[139]</a></span></p> - -<p>“Who was the chap that pitched for you?” he -asked curiously.</p> - -<p>“Oh,” Bob answered, “that’s Carter, pitcher on -last year’s Yale freshman team. You told me to play -any one I liked, you know; otherwise, of course——”</p> - -<p>“Oh!” said the other.</p> - -<p>On the way back to camp Dan alone seemed not -entirely happy.</p> - -<p>“Oh, yes,” he said in response to inquiries, “the -game was all right enough. But did you notice that -Wickasaw was over there cheering for the Inn?”</p> - -<p>“I didn’t notice who they cheered for,” answered -Bob. “What of it?”</p> - -<p>“What of it? Lots! Call that sportsmanlike? -Huh! You wait, that’s all, my friends. We’ll get even -with Wickasaw!”</p> - -<hr class="chap" /> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_140" id="Page_140">[140]</a></span></p> - - - - -<div class="chapter"> -<h2><a name="CHAPTER_XIV" id="CHAPTER_XIV">CHAPTER XIV</a><br /> -<span class="chtitle">BEGINS A MIDNIGHT ADVENTURE WHICH THREATENS -TO END IN DISASTER</span></h2> -</div> - - -<div> - <img class="drop-cap" src="images/dcap_i.jpg" width="100" height="113" alt="" /> -</div> - -<p class="noi drop-cap">“I haven’t said anything about it to -Bob,” Dan explained. “You see, he’s so -kind of—kind of—well, proper, you -know.”</p> - -<p>They were sitting—Dan and Nelson and Tom—on -the edge of the landing. Supper was over -and camp-fire was still an hour distant. Behind -them the hillside was darkening with the mysterious -shadows of night. Before them the lake lay like a -sheet of purple glass, streaked here and there with pencilings -of steely blue. At the end of the lake and at -intervals along the farther shore the lights twinkled -in windows or at landings. From the direction of -Crescent came the <em>chug—chug—chug</em> of the motor-dory -returning with the evening mail. Overhead -gleamed the white light of the lantern, pale and wan -as yet against the sky. Tom beat a tattoo with his -feet against the spile beneath. They had come down<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_141" id="Page_141">[141]</a></span> -here because the camp was infested—to use Dan’s language—with -kids and visitors, and they wanted to be -alone to plot and conspire. But Tom didn’t relish just -sitting here and watching the afterglow fade over Bass -Island. He yawned.</p> - -<p>“Seems to me,” he said disgustedly, “we’re a -mighty slow lot of conspirators. If some one doesn’t -get busy pretty quick and conspire I’ll go back and read -that book. There’s more conspiracy in that than you -can shake your ears at. When I left off the villain was -creeping up the lighthouse stairs in his stocking feet -with a knife a foot long in his hand.”</p> - -<p>“What for?” asked Nelson interestedly.</p> - -<p>“To kill the hero and the girl he was shipwrecked -with, of course!”</p> - -<p>“Of course there’d have to be a girl in it,” sighed -Nelson. “That’s the way they spoil all the good -stories nowadays, putting a silly girl into it! Wait -till I write a story!”</p> - -<p>“This girl’s all right,” answered Tom warmly. -“Why, she saved the hero’s life; swam with him over -half a mile from the wreck to the lighthouse, carried -him in her arms to the door, and fell fainting on the -threshold!”</p> - -<p>“Rot! No girl could do that!”</p> - -<p>“Why couldn’t she? I’ll bet you she could!”</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_142" id="Page_142">[142]</a></span></p> - -<p>“Oh, get out! Swim half a mile and lug a man -with her? And then carry him in her arms another -half mile——”</p> - -<p>“It was only a little ways, and——”</p> - -<p>“She must have been a—an Amazon!”</p> - -<p>“She wasn’t, she was a Spaniard.”</p> - -<p>“Maybe she was a Spanish mackerel,” suggested -Dan. “They can swim like anything. Now shut up, -you chaps, and listen.”</p> - -<p>“The chief conspirator has the floor,” murmured -Tom.</p> - -<p>“You know those Wickasaw dubs came over here -to-day to our ball field and had the cheek to cheer for -the Inn, don’t you?”</p> - -<p>“Sure,” muttered Tom.</p> - -<p>“Well, they had no business doing it.”</p> - -<p>“That’s so,” Nelson concurred.</p> - -<p>“And so we’re going to get square with them.”</p> - -<p>“Hooray!” said Tom in a husky whisper.</p> - -<p>“How?” questioned Nelson.</p> - -<p>“I’m coming to that,” answered Dan importantly.</p> - -<p>“You’re a long old time coming,” Tom grumbled. -“I’ll bet that fellow has got up-stairs by now and murdered -the hero and the girl, and I wasn’t there to——”</p> - -<p>“Cut it out, Tommy!” commanded Dan. “You -see that flag over there at Wickasaw’s landing?”</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_143" id="Page_143">[143]</a></span></p> - -<p>“I see something sort of white that may be a flag, -or may be some fellow’s Sunday shirt,” answered -Nelson.</p> - -<p>“Well, that’s that old white flag with the score -on it. They’re too lazy to do anything shipshape, and -so instead of tying it onto the lanyards under the -camp-flag——”</p> - -<p>“Bending it on, you mean,” said Tom.</p> - -<p>“You be blowed,” said Dan. “You know too -much, Tommy. Well, instead of <em>fixing</em> it on to the -rope they just nailed it on to the pole. That’s the -lucky part of it; see?”</p> - -<p>The others looked across at the blur of white and -then looked at Dan. Then they shook their heads.</p> - -<p>“I may be stupid, Dan,” said Nelson apologetically, -“but I’m blowed if I do see.”</p> - -<p>“I guess the answer’s a bottle of ink,” said Tom -flippantly.</p> - -<p>“Why,” said Dan impatiently, “if they’d taken -it in we couldn’t have got it.”</p> - -<p>“Oh!” exclaimed Nelson. “Then we’re going—to—to——”</p> - -<p>“Swipe it!” said Dan.</p> - -<p>Tom heaved a sigh of relief.</p> - -<p>“Bully! I was afraid it was something to do with -blue paint!”</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_144" id="Page_144">[144]</a></span></p> - -<p>“What’s your scheme?” asked Nelson, beginning -to take interest. But Dan had nothing more to say -until the motor-dory had come alongside and its occupants -had finally taken themselves off up the hill, -whooping like an Indian war-party.</p> - -<p>“When it’s good and dark,” he continued then, -“we’ll swim over there and get the old rag; that’s all.”</p> - -<p>“But why not take a boat?” asked Tom.</p> - -<p>“Because somebody would be sure to hear us.”</p> - -<p>“Then what’s the matter with a canoe?”</p> - -<p>“Well, that might do,” answered Dan thoughtfully. -“But we don’t want to have any trouble about -it; Clint’s got his eye on us, I’ll bet, and if we get -caught swiping Wickasaw’s flag we’ll get what for!”</p> - -<p>“But there won’t be any fun in it if they don’t -know who’s taken it,” Nelson objected.</p> - -<p>“Oh, they’ll know all right,” said Dan; “only they -won’t be able to prove anything.”</p> - -<p>“I tell you what,” Tom exclaimed. “We’ll tear -it up and tie it around that stake off the end of the -island, the one that marks the sand-bar.”</p> - -<p>“That’s so,” said Nelson. “And look, Dan, we -can take a canoe and paddle down the shore until we’re -opposite the landing and then swim across. That way -we won’t have to swim over a half mile in all.”</p> - -<p>“All right,” agreed Dan. “I don’t care whether<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_145" id="Page_145">[145]</a></span> -we paddle or swim; but that flag’s got to come down -from there.”</p> - -<p>“They’ll probably put another one up,” said Tom.</p> - -<p>“Let ’em! We’ll have had our fun,” said Nelson. -“What time had we better go, Dan?”</p> - -<p>“About eleven, I guess. We want to wait until -Verder and Smith are asleep so that they won’t hear -us sneak out.”</p> - -<p>“You don’t think Bob will be hurt at being left -out, do you?” asked Nelson.</p> - -<p>“I don’t believe so; anyway, I don’t think he’d -go. And if any row comes up he won’t get into it -because he won’t know anything about it. Come on; -let’s go up.”</p> - -<p>So the plotting ended and they went back to camp-fire -looking beautifully innocent, and were so sleepy, -all three of them, that no one would have suspected -for an instant that they intended to stay awake until -midnight. After camp-fire the launch took the visitors -back to the Inn, but none of the Four went along; -they didn’t know what time they would get back and -they wanted the senior dormitory to be wrapped in -slumber as early as possible; for, after all, the day -had been a busy one and it might prove to be no easy -task to keep eyes open until even eleven. The lights -went out promptly at half past nine, and Dan and Tom<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_146" id="Page_146">[146]</a></span> -and Nelson stretched themselves out between the blankets -with the other occupants of the hall. It was -hard work to keep awake during the next hour and a -half. Nelson, despite his best endeavors, dozed once -or twice, but was sufficiently wide awake to hear -Dan’s bed creak and Dan’s bare feet creeping up the -aisle.</p> - -<p>“Awake, Nel?”</p> - -<p>“Yes,” Nelson whispered.</p> - -<p>“All right; come on. I’ll get Tommy.”</p> - -<p>Nelson slipped noiselessly out of his bunk and as -noiselessly out of his pajamas and crept along to Tom’s -bed. That youth was fast asleep, breathing like a sawmill, -and Dan’s gentle shakes and whispers were having -no effect.</p> - -<p>“Oh, come on and let him stay here,” said Dan -finally. “We can’t wake up the whole place on his -account. The silly dub ought to have kept awake.”</p> - -<p>“Wait, let me try him,” whispered Nelson. Some -one had told him that the best way to awake a person -so that he wouldn’t make any noise was to take hold -of his nose with the fingers and press it. So Nelson -got a firm hold on that organ and gave a vigorous pull. -The effect was instantaneous.</p> - -<p>“<em>Lemme ’lone!</em>” said Tom drowsily but sufficiently -loud to be heard all over the dormitory. Dan<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_147" id="Page_147">[147]</a></span> -slapped his hand over the slumberer’s mouth, and Nelson -whispered “Hush!” as loudly as he dared. Luckily, -save for a sleepy murmur from the next bunk, -there was no notice taken of Tom’s remonstrance. By -this time Tom had gained his senses and a realization -of what was up, and in a moment the three conspirators -were stealing down the aisle and out of the dormitory, -naked and shivering.</p> - -<p>Once on the path they could talk, and Dan called -Tom to task for going to sleep and nearly spoiling -everything. “It would have served you bloody well -right if we had left you behind,” he ended severely.</p> - -<p>“Wish you had,” muttered Tom. “I’m as sleepy -as a cat.”</p> - -<p>“Did any one hear the launch come back?” asked -Dan presently.</p> - -<p>“I didn’t,” said Nelson; “but I dropped off to -sleep a couple of times.”</p> - -<p>“So did I,” said Tom truthfully but unnecessarily.</p> - -<p>“Well, I was awake all the time,” Dan said, “and -I’ll swear I didn’t hear a sound from it. But they -must be back by this; it’s ten minutes to eleven.”</p> - -<p>“Well, just as long as we don’t meet them at -the landing it’s all right,” said Nelson cheerfully. -“Hush! What’s that?”</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_148" id="Page_148">[148]</a></span></p> - -<p>They stopped short at the foot of the hill and listened -breathlessly.</p> - -<p>“What?” whispered Dan.</p> - -<p>“I thought I heard voices,” answered Nelson.</p> - -<p>But after a moment, as no sounds reached them, -they went on, and found the landing dark, save for the -little glare of the lantern, and quite deserted. It was -but a moment’s work to put one of the canoes into the -water, and soon they were paddling stealthily along the -shore toward the foot of the lake. The stars were -bright overhead, but for all of that the night was -pretty dark and here under the trees it was difficult -to see their course and to keep from running aground. -As a result they made slow progress. Bear Island -was a darker blotch against the dark water. Wickasaw -never displayed a lantern at night, but the boys -thought they could make out a dim light where the -landing ought to be. When they had reached a point -along the shore about opposite the farther end of the -island they drew the canoe half onto the shore and -waded out into the darkness.</p> - -<p>“Swim for the landing,” instructed Dan, “and -don’t make any noise. We’ll see what that light is -before we get very near.”</p> - -<p>Then they struck out, swimming slowly and silently, -Dan and Tom abreast and Nelson a length<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_149" id="Page_149">[149]</a></span> -behind. The water was warm and felt grateful to -their chilled bodies; although the days were warm -the nights were getting cool. It was very good fun, -this stealthy progress through the dark water with only -the white stars to see. Nelson experienced an exhilarating -sensation of excitement as they drew near the -shadowy island; he felt like a conspirator, indeed, and -one on a desperate mission. To be sure, the danger -of being caught was very slight, he supposed, but there -was enough of it to lend spice to the venture. The distance -from shore to island was well under a quarter -of a mile, but at the slow speed they went it was -almost ten minutes before Dan called a halt a hundred -feet from the landing. Nelson swam up to the other -two boys, and they remained quiet for a moment, looking -and listening. There was no sound to be heard, -but an orange glow slightly above the level of the -float puzzled them. Finally Tom was sent forward to -reconnoiter. Presently he was back again.</p> - -<p>“It’s the Chi-chi-chi—” he sputtered excitedly.</p> - -<p>“Cut it out,” whispered Dan. “Say it quick -without thinking.”</p> - -<p>“It’s the Chi-chi-chi-chi-chi——”</p> - -<p>“Steam-engine,” suggested Nelson <i lang="it" xml:lang="it">sotto voce</i>.</p> - -<p>“Chi-chi-Chicora!” blurted Tom finally in a -hoarse whisper.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_150" id="Page_150">[150]</a></span></p> - -<p>“What?” asked Dan. “The Chicora? Then, -Clint’s there visiting Doctor Powers. Wonder who’s -with him?”</p> - -<p>“I think Thorpe went along in the launch,” said -Nelson.</p> - -<p>“Lu-lu-let’s go back,” suggested Tom uneasily.</p> - -<p>“What for? It’s better to have Clint here than -at camp, I think,” said Dan. “Come on. Did you -hear any one, Tommy?”</p> - -<p>“No, but I could see a light in the main house.”</p> - -<p>“That’s it, then; Clint and Thorpe are paying a -call on Powers, probably about the water sports. Shall -we go on? What do you say?”</p> - -<p>“Yes,” answered Nelson. “Let’s do what we -started to do.”</p> - -<p>“I don’t care,” said Tom.</p> - -<p>So ahead they went, and in a minute were pulling -themselves up onto the float. Beside it lay the -steam-launch, her engine sizzling gently. The light -they had seen came from the lantern which hung by -the steam-gage. Softly they crept up the gangway -to the pier above and there listened. The main building -of Camp Wickasaw, a rather elaborate cottage, -stood about two hundred feet away. Light shone from -the door and from the window to the right of it. Both -were open, and the boys thought at times they could<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_151" id="Page_151">[151]</a></span> -hear the hum of voices. But they couldn’t be certain, -for Tom’s teeth were chattering loudly and they were -all shivering so they could scarcely keep still. But no -one was in sight, and so they hurried to the end of the -pier and Dan mounted the railing. The flagpole, a -small affair, was secured to the floor of the pier and -to a post of the railing, and on it, barely visible in -the darkness, hung the obnoxious white flag. Unfortunately, -it was two feet out of Dan’s reach.</p> - -<p>“I’ve got to shin up a ways,” he whispered. Then -he wound his legs about the slender pole and started -up. And then—well, then there was a sharp sound of -breaking wood, an involuntary cry from Dan, and an -instant later a mighty splash as boy and pole and a -section of railing went down into the water six feet -below. And at that moment voices came from the -house and footsteps crunched the gravel of the path!</p> - -<hr class="chap" /> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_152" id="Page_152">[152]</a></span></p> - - - - -<div class="chapter"> -<h2><a name="CHAPTER_XV" id="CHAPTER_XV">CHAPTER XV</a><br /> -<span class="chtitle">CONCLUDES THE ADVENTURE AND SHOWS TOM SLEEPING -THE SLEEP OF THE JUST</span></h2> -</div> - - -<div> - <img class="drop-cap" src="images/dcap_a.jpg" width="100" height="113" alt="" /> -</div> - -<p class="noi drop-cap">At the first alarm Nelson and Tom had -sprung down the gangway to the float, -ready to lend assistance to Dan. Luckily -there were no boats at the head of the -pier, and so Dan had struck nothing harder than the -water. He was up in an instant.</p> - -<p>“Are you hurt?” called Nelson anxiously.</p> - -<p>“No, I’m all right,” was the reply. “Did they -hear?”</p> - -<p>“Yes, they’re coming!” And Nelson slipped into -the water, followed by Tom, and struck out vigorously.</p> - -<p>“Swim like the dickens!” counseled Dan. “Make -for the shore!”</p> - -<p>Back of them a lantern was swaying down the path -and a voice cried:</p> - -<p>“Who’s that? What’s the matter?”</p> - -<p>But the boys offered no explanations. They were -very busy at that moment. There was no thought now<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_153" id="Page_153">[153]</a></span> -of quietness; their one endeavor was to get to shore as -soon as possible. Once Nelson turned to look. The -light of the lantern showed two or possibly three -forms on the pier, and from the way the lantern was -lowered and carried back and forth he knew that they -had seen the wet footprints and, perhaps, had discovered -the loss of the pole.</p> - -<p>“Some of your boys on a lark, I fancy,” said a -voice. “I’m certain I heard them swimming away as -I came down. No, I won’t go along, thanks.”</p> - -<p>When Nelson glanced back again the lantern was -moving about the float. After that he attended strictly -to business. Tom and Dan were well in the lead and -he swam his hardest to overtake them. Hand over -hand he went, <em>splash</em>, <em>splash</em>, his eyes full of water, and -his breath coming harder and harder. Then a new -sound came to him, the steady churn of the Chicora’s -propeller. Desperation lent new strength and in a -dozen strokes he was even with Dan; Tom still led -by a couple of lengths.</p> - -<p>“They’re after us in the launch,” gasped Dan. -“When we get—near shore—spread out—and take—to -the woods. They won’t see—the canoe.”</p> - -<p>“All right,” answered Nelson.</p> - -<p>The camp record for the quarter mile was something -a little under nine minutes, but there is no<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_154" id="Page_154">[154]</a></span> -doubt but that that record was smashed to fragments -that night, at least by Tom. Yet in spite of their best -endeavors the launch gained on them from the start. -Had they had much farther to go they would have been -caught beyond a doubt. As it was they were in the -darkness under the trees before the Chicora could -reach them. The launch could not come nearer than -twenty yards from shore because of her draft, and -that fact saved them. As they floundered, up to their -waists, over the submerged branches and rocks toward -land they heard a hail from the boat:</p> - -<p>“Stop where you are or I’ll fire at you!”</p> - -<p>“Down!” whispered Dan. Nelson heard, but -Tom, who was well ahead, splashed on, sounding in -the stillness like an elephant at his bath. The Chicora -had stopped her screw, and those on board were -listening intently. Dan and Nelson, flat on their -stomachs in two feet of water, made no sound and -waited nervously for the report of Mr. Clinton’s revolver. -They were certain that he couldn’t see them -and certain that he wouldn’t shoot them if he did; but -he might discharge his revolver to scare them, and -there was just an unpleasant possibility that one or -other of them might be hit by mistake. Tom had subsided -on the ground at the edge of the woods, and they -could hear him panting heavily where he lay. Then:</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_155" id="Page_155">[155]</a></span></p> - -<p>“I heard only one,” said Mr. Clinton, his words -coming clear and distinct across the water. “Surely -one of our boys wouldn’t do such a trick alone.”</p> - -<p>“There may be more around, though,” said -Thorpe.</p> - -<p>“I doubt it. More likely it was some one looking -for a chance to steal. Although why he wanted a flagpole -is beyond me. Anyhow, we can’t get any nearer. -We’ll go on to camp, I guess.”</p> - -<p>Then, to the boys’ relief, the screw started again and -the light that marked the position of the launch moved -away up the lake.</p> - -<p>“Quick!” whispered Dan. “We must make a -run for it. If we can get into our bunks before he -gets there we’ll be all right.”</p> - -<p>They floundered out of the water, were joined by -Tom, and went crashing through the woods, bumping -into trees, lashing their faces with branches, and making -enough noise to be heard by those on the launch -had it not been for the beat of the propeller. Fortunately -the road was but a short distance, and once on -that they made fine time.</p> - -<p>“Talk about your hare-and-hounds!” gasped Nelson. -“Gee!”</p> - -<p>When they reached the clearing they stopped running -and went forward cautiously. All was silent and<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_156" id="Page_156">[156]</a></span> -deserted. In a moment they had gained Maple Hall. -But Dan stopped them before they had laid foot on -the porch.</p> - -<p>“We must wipe our feet,” he said, “or Clint will -see the tracks. Here.”</p> - -<p>Some one had left a towel over the railing, and -with this they hurriedly wiped their feet clean of dirt -and leaves. Their bodies had dried long since and -were glowing from their exertions. Just as the towel -was thrown aside and they had mounted the porch a -light gleamed between the trees of the path from the -landing and voices reached them.</p> - -<p>“Quick!” whispered Nelson. “What did you do -with the towel? We mustn’t leave it here.” He -picked it up and followed the others into the gloom -of the dormitory, treading softly over the creaking -boards. If Dr. Smith was awake it was all up with -them. But the bed by the door gave no sound. The -hall was silent save for the deep breathing and occasional -snores of its occupants. Nelson found his bunk, -tossed the soiled towel beneath it, dived into his pajamas, -and slipped into bed just as the door at the end -of the dormitory became suddenly illumined and footsteps -sounded on the porch outside. He was panting -hard, but he drew the clothes up to his chin, threw -one arm over his head, and strove to look as though<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_157" id="Page_157">[157]</a></span> -he had been asleep for hours. Then he waited, hoping -that Tom and Dan had gained their bunks and that -Mr. Clinton would not look too closely at his hair, -which was still wet.</p> - -<p>Then the light glowed against his closed lids and -he heard the Chief and Mr. Thorpe walking slowly -down the aisle. And at the same moment he became -aware of a sound he had not heard before, a loud, -unmusical wheeze and gurgle that came from his side -of the hall further down. The next instant he realized -what it was and would have given much to have been -able to give vent to the laughter that threatened to -choke him. Tom was snoring!</p> - -<p>To have heard that snore would have satisfied any -one that Thomas Courtenay Ferris had been sleeping -the sleep of the just for many hours. And Mr. Clinton -was no exception. When he raised the lantern -over Tom’s wide-open mouth and listened to the evidence -that poured forth he smiled and walked on. Up -the aisle he went, stopping at each bunk. And then:</p> - -<p>“Everything seems all right here, Thorpe,” Nelson -heard him mutter.</p> - -<p>“Yes, I guess you were right, sir,” answered Mr. -Thorpe with a yawn.</p> - -<p>“I guess I was, only—what any one should want -with a flagpole is more than I can see!”</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_158" id="Page_158">[158]</a></span></p> - -<p>Then they retraced their steps, passed out of the -door and disappeared, and Nelson, raising his head -with a sigh of relief, saw the lantern’s light grow -dimmer and dimmer. Two minutes later they were -all on Dan’s bunk, hysterically whispering and giggling, -and it was an hour later when sleepiness at last broke -up the meeting. When the first bugle sounded three -of the occupants of Maple Hall only muttered and -turned over again, to arise finally with heavy eyes and -aching limbs.</p> - -<hr class="chap" /> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_159" id="Page_159">[159]</a></span></p> - - - - -<div class="chapter"> -<h2><a name="CHAPTER_XVI" id="CHAPTER_XVI">CHAPTER XVI</a><br /> -<span class="chtitle">RECORDS TWO VICTORIES OVER WICKASAW AND AN -EPISODE WITH FISH</span></h2> -</div> - - -<div> - <img class="drop-cap" src="images/dcap_t.jpg" width="100" height="113" alt="" /> -</div> - -<p class="noi drop-cap">That afternoon a new flagpole was raised -at Wickasaw and on it appeared again a -square of white cloth bearing the inscription -“W. 18; C. 4.” But Dan and -Nelson and Tom only smiled knowingly when they -saw it. There are flags and flags; and they knew of -one flag that would never flutter again over the Wickasaw -landing. For Dan had greatly surprised the -other two that morning by producing a very bedraggled -square of white sheeting bearing marks that, before its -immersion in water, had been two letters and two -numerals.</p> - -<p>“Why, you got it after all!” exclaimed Tom.</p> - -<p>“You didn’t think I was coming away without it, -did you?” asked Dan scornfully.</p> - -<p>It was subsequently cut into four equal pieces and -distributed among the quartet, Bob having been duly -apprised of the midnight proceedings and having been<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_160" id="Page_160">[160]</a></span> -so evidently hurt at being left out of their confidence -that he was made a recipient of a share of the spoils -of war. Directly after breakfast the Four had taken -themselves unobtrusively off through the woods to bring -back the abandoned canoe. When they neared the spot -where they had left it they heard voices and paused to -consider.</p> - -<p>“Some of the fellows are ahead of us,” said Dan. -“It’s Carter’s canoe and they’ll want to know how the -dickens it got down here. If Clint hears of it he will -put two and two together——”</p> - -<p>“And make we three,” finished Tom.</p> - -<p>“Come on,” said Bob. “You can say you paddled -down a little while ago and left it there.”</p> - -<p>“Which would be a silly lie,” said Dan. “Besides, -they know we haven’t had time. We’ll see who it is -and ask them not to say anything about it.”</p> - -<p>So they went on and emerged from the woods just -in time to see two boys in the white jerseys and trunks -of Camp Wickasaw climb into the canoe and start to -paddle away to where, a little ways out, the Wickasaw -launch, manned by three other fellows was waiting.</p> - -<p>“Here, that’s our canoe!” shouted Dan.</p> - -<p>The two stopped paddling and looked doubtfully at -the new arrivals.</p> - -<p>“Come on, Jack!” called a voice from the launch.<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_161" id="Page_161">[161]</a></span> -“Don’t mind them!” Whereupon the pair in the -canoe dug the paddles again.</p> - -<p>“Drop those paddles and let that canoe alone, I tell -you,” commanded Dan again. “That canoe belongs -to us and you know it.”</p> - -<p>“We found it,” said one of the fellows. They -stopped paddling again and would undoubtedly have -relinquished the craft then and there had not their -companions in the launch encouraged them to keep on.</p> - -<p>“I don’t care if you did,” answered Dan. “We -left it here.”</p> - -<p>“When?” asked a Wickasaw youth.</p> - -<p>“That’s no affair of yours,” said Bob. “Just you -tumble out or we’ll throw you out.”</p> - -<p>“Bring it along, you fellows!” came from the -launch. “If it’s theirs they’ll have to prove it.”</p> - -<p>“It was on our land,” said Nelson, raising his -voice and addressing the party in the launch.</p> - -<p>“No, it wasn’t either. Your line’s away over -there. This land belongs to Mr. Carpenter. You fellows -swiped our flag last night and if you want that -canoe you’ll have to come over to camp and prove it -belongs to you. Bring it out, Jack.”</p> - -<p>“Come on,” said Dan quietly. “We can get to -’em before they reach the launch.” And he led the -way into the water on the run, stumbling over hidden<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_162" id="Page_162">[162]</a></span> -obstacles and making straight for the canoe. Bob and -Nelson and Tom followed. As soon as there was depth -enough they threw themselves forward and began to -swim. Meanwhile the two lads in the canoe were -paddling for all they were worth and the launch had -started up and was coming in gingerly to meet them. -Had they been expert paddlers the two Wickasaw -youths might easily have won that race with the long -start they had, but neither of them knew very much -about it and their strokes got more and more flurried -and ragged as Dan and the others began to overhaul -them. The launch had sighted obstructions and was -now backing again, the while its occupants shouted -encouragement to their companions and defiance to the -foe. Half a dozen yards from the launch Dan’s hand -reached up and seized the end of the canoe. The -nearest paddler raised his “beaver tail” threateningly.</p> - -<p>“If you hit me with that,” said Dan calmly, “I’ll -just about drown you.” And while the other hesitated -Tom, coming through the water like a torpedo-boat, -joined Dan. The launch, its occupants angry and excited, -was trying to reach the scene. But it didn’t -get there in time.</p> - -<p><a href="#image05">“Over with them,” said Dan</a>, and the next instant -the two Wickasaw boys were struggling in the water. -Dan grabbed one of them and Bob, who had arrived on<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_163" id="Page_163">[163]</a></span> -the scene of action meanwhile, seized the other. The -wearers of the white and red disappeared from sight. -When they came up a moment later, choking and sputtering, -the paddles had been wrested from them and -the capsized canoe was yards away in charge of Nelson. -A big youth with a very red and angry face stood on -the bow of the launch aiming blows at Dan with the -boat-hook. But he was a yard too far away and Dan -only grinned at him exasperatingly and said:</p> - -<div class="figcenter" style="width: 390px;"> -<a id="image05"> - <img src="images/image05.jpg" width="390" height="600" alt="" title="" /> -</a><br /> -<div class="caption"><a href="#Page_162">“Over with them,” said Dan.</a></div> -</div> - -<p>“Say, if you don’t look out you’ll fall overboard, -and if you do—well, I won’t do a thing to you!”</p> - -<p>The former occupants of the canoe had been released -and the way they were striking out for the -launch was beautiful to see. Bob brought down the -paddle he held behind one of them, which so alarmed -the swimmer that he went down again. Nelson, having -dragged the canoe out of range, returned, eager for the -fray. But the fray was over, all save verbal encounters, -and the Four, with a final retort to the revilements -thrown at them, turned their backs to the enemy and -swam leisurely back to land, rescuing and righting the -canoe on the way. Then they got into it and paddled -off up the shore, leaving the Wickasaw launch churning -the water angrily in an effort to get free of a sunken -tree trunk or rock upon which she had run her bow. -As long as they were in ear-shot taunts and challenges<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_164" id="Page_164">[164]</a></span> -followed them, but they could afford to be calm and undisturbed; -they had come off victorious. When last -seen the launch had finally got clear and was chugging -its way home.</p> - -<p>The Four returned to camp in the best of humor -and set about their neglected duties. Luckily they all -had easy tasks that morning and so were able to report -on time to the orderly. Bob felt in such conceit -with himself that he selected that morning for his interview -with Mr. Clinton regarding the proposed canoe -trip and half an hour afterward sought out the others -with cheerful countenance.</p> - -<p>“It’s all right,” he announced. “Clint says we -may go for three days. We’re to start next Monday -morning and we must be back to camp by Wednesday -night. We’re to keep away from hotels and behave -ourselves. He wanted to send one of the councilors -along with us at first. Then he thought better of it; -said he guessed we could be trusted to look after ourselves -for three days. Isn’t it great?”</p> - -<p>“Bu-bu-bu-bully!” sputtered Tom.</p> - -<p>“Swell!” said Nelson.</p> - -<p>“Out of sight!” declared Dan. And they began -to lay plans for the trip then and there. Bob produced -a map of the country thereabouts and they proceeded to -mark it up with pencil lines until, had they followed<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_165" id="Page_165">[165]</a></span> -all the routes laid out, they would have been busy -for the rest of the year. When it was time for -“soak” the route was still undecided, but as the hour -of departure was yet six days off that didn’t much -matter.</p> - -<p>The next day Dan and Nelson went fishing up at -the head of the lake near Evergreen Island. They -brought home seven bass and four chub. The bass -went to the cook, and appeared on the supper table, -but the chub Dan took up to the storehouse with the -explanation that he was going to put them on ice until -the next day.</p> - -<p>“Oh, throw them away,” said Nelson. “Nobody -wants to eat chub.”</p> - -<p>“That’s all you know about it,” answered Dan. -“Bob’s terribly fond of them. I’m going to give them -to him, but don’t say anything about it because I want -to surprise him.”</p> - -<p>Nelson eyed him suspiciously.</p> - -<p>“I’ll bet you’re up to one of your silly jokes,” he -said. Nevertheless he kept his own counsel.</p> - -<p>That night Bob and Joe Carter and his brother, -who since Saturday’s baseball game was looked upon -as a veritable hero, played euchre on Bob’s bunk from -after camp-fire until it was time to go to bed. Dan -looked on awhile but seemed very fidgety and quoted<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_166" id="Page_166">[166]</a></span> -somebody whose name he didn’t remember to the effect -that cards were only fit for fools and imbeciles. -Finally he wandered back to his own bunk and began -to prepare for slumber. Tom was already in bed with -his lantern rigged up beside his pillow and was deep -in his fascinating book.</p> - -<p>“What are that silly hero and the girl doing -now?” asked Dan.</p> - -<p>“Escaping from the lighthouse,” answered Tom -without raising his eyes from the volume.</p> - -<p>“How? In a trolley car?” asked Dan sarcastically.</p> - -<p>“Boat; and they’ve only got one oar and there’s a -peach of a storm coming up, and they haven’t got anything -to eat, and——”</p> - -<p>“Tommy, you ought to be ashamed to read such -trash,” said Dan severely. Then he seized the book -and sent it with excellent aim to the farther end of -the hall, where it narrowly missed Bob’s nose and -created consternation among the card-players. Tom -leaped out of bed and raced after it, and during the -next thirty seconds Dan, unnoticed of all, worked very -hard. Having recovered his book Tom started to retrace -his steps.</p> - -<p>“Don’t you bring that pernicious literature around -here,” warned Dan. “If you do I shall be forced to<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_167" id="Page_167">[167]</a></span> -take it away from you. I must protect my morals at -any cost.”</p> - -<p>Tom told him what he thought of his morals and -then annexed Nelson’s bunk and returned to his story. -When he was ready for bed Dan went visiting farther -down the dormitory. The result of this maneuvering -was that when bedtime came and the lights at the -ends of the hall were put out by the councilors Tom -and Dan were still out of their bunks. The former -closed his book with a sigh of regret and stumbled down -the aisle. Dan heard him putting the book away. -Then there was a moment of silence save for the whispers -of the fellows, and then——</p> - -<p>“<em>Gu-gu-gosh!</em>” shrieked Tom, leaping out of bed -again. “Wh-wh-wh-what’s in my bed?”</p> - -<p>Instantly the dormitory was in a turmoil, the -fellows, scenting fun, tumbling out of their bunks to -gather about Tom, who stood, wild-eyed and disgusted, -in the middle of the aisle.</p> - -<p>“What’s the matter?” they asked him expectantly.</p> - -<p>“Somebody’s pu-pu-put something nu-nu-nasty in -my bed,” he answered. “I bu-bu-bu-bet it was -Du-du-du-Dan did it!”</p> - -<p>“What’s that about me?” asked Dan innocently. -By this time there were plenty of lanterns, and Tom -gingerly threw back his blankets. In the bed repose<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_168" id="Page_168">[168]</a></span> -four slimy, cold chub, their round eyes seemingly -fixed reproachfully upon Tom.</p> - -<p>“Fish!” shouted Nelson quite as though he hadn’t -expected it.</p> - -<p>“Chub!” cried Dan.</p> - -<p>Tom, cautiously examining his bedfellows, caught -the expression on Dan’s face.</p> - -<p>“You du-du-did it!” he shrieked wrathfully, and -seizing one of the fish by the tail he whirled it once -around his head and let it fly at Dan. Now, as anybody -who had ever attempted to throw a fresh fish by -his tail must know, accuracy is impossible. That’s -why the chub, instead of hitting Dan, smacked itself -straight into Dr. Smith’s face. But Tom was not to -be easily discouraged. Without stopping for apologies -he seized upon the remaining fish and chased Dan -down the aisle and out into the darkness under a veritable -fusillade of chub. Tom’s aim was hasty and the -chub were slippery, and so Dan escaped all save one of -the missiles. That one took him squarely in the back -and imprinted itself upon his nice clean light blue -pajamas. Then Tom went back to make his peace -with Dr. Smith.</p> - -<p>That night was long remembered. Tom’s misadventure -was the forerunner of others. Several beds -were upset with their contents and “sneakers” were<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_169" id="Page_169">[169]</a></span> -so thick in the air that Dan, cautiously returning -from outer darkness into inner gloom, was struck twice -between the door and his bunk.</p> - -<p>It was almost midnight when the councilors at -last secured quiet. And then, just when most fellows -were getting drowsy, there was a strange, uncanny -noise like that of a man talking through a hundred -feet of gas-pipe, a whirring and buzzing, and finally -a loud discordant laugh and a jumble of shrill words -that sounded as though they were coming from the -stove. Somebody in some manner had got hold of -Wells’s phonograph and started it going. Up and down -the hall fellows sat up in bed and laughed and shouted -their applause. Bedlam was loose again!</p> - -<p>“Give us ‘Bluebell’!” some one demanded.</p> - -<p>“I want ‘Hiawatha’!” called another.</p> - -<p>“Cornet solo, please!”</p> - -<p>Then Dr. Smith’s voice was heard above the babel.</p> - -<p>“Cut it out now, fellows! Wells, stop that -noise!”</p> - -<p>“I didn’t do it, sir.”</p> - -<p>“I don’t care who did it; I want it stopped.”</p> - -<p>“Why, Wells, you know you did it!” said some -one up the hall.</p> - -<p>“Sounded just like your voice, Wells!” called another.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_170" id="Page_170">[170]</a></span></p> - -<p>“Cut it out, fellows,” said Dr. Smith sternly.</p> - -<p>“Yes, sir.”</p> - -<p>“All right, Doctor!”</p> - -<p>“Good night, sir!”</p> - -<p>“Thank you for stopping the noise, Doctor; I’m -very sleepy!”</p> - -<p>“Yes, sir; thank you, sir!”</p> - -<p>Then followed giggles—silence—slumber.</p> - -<p>Three of the Four were very busy for the balance -of the week. Every afternoon there was hard practise -on the diamond for the baseball team in preparation -for the second game with Wickasaw on Saturday -afternoon. If Wickasaw should win this game she -would have the series; if not, a third game would be -played. Dan had made up his mind to conquer, and -the way he worked the team was a caution. On Thursday -there was a spirited contest between the camp -nine and the scrub in which Mr. Clinton distinguished -himself by knocking three home runs out of five times -at bat. But for all that the first team won handily, -displaying far better form than at any time during the -season.</p> - -<p>Besides the practise there was a lot of planning to -do in regard to the trip. By Friday all arrangements -were complete, and at last they had agreed on a route. -They were to go through to Hipp’s Pond, carry across<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_171" id="Page_171">[171]</a></span> -to Northwest Bay, and so reach Lake Winnipesaukee. -Tuesday they would cruise on the lake and on Wednesday -they would return as far as The Weirs by train -and from there paddle home again. They were to -take two canoes, not so much because they were both -necessary as because it looked more imposing. A -7 x 9 canoe tent, blankets, an aluminum cooking outfit, -a waterproof duffle bag, a few provisions, hatchet, -fishing-tackle, camera, and compass made up the bulk -of their luggage. Tom was strongly desirous of taking -a great many more things, among them a checker-board, -a pack of cards, and his wonderful book—but the others -refused.</p> - -<p>“We may have to carry a good ways,” explained -Bob. “If we do you’ll be glad we haven’t any more -truck, Tommy.”</p> - -<p>Mr. Clinton gave his counsel and help and regretted -many times that he wasn’t going along. By -Saturday morning all luggage was assembled under -Dan’s bed and nothing remained but to await as patiently -as possible the hour of embarkment. Naturally, -they were much envied by the other boys and many -were the applications received for membership in the -expedition.</p> - -<p>Wickasaw appeared on the field Saturday afternoon -minus one of their councilors, who was too ill<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_172" id="Page_172">[172]</a></span> -to play. As he was one of the best of the Wickasaw -nine his absence was partly accountable for the result -of the contest. But Chicora’s playing had a good deal -to do with it. Wells pitched a good game and very -few hits were made off his delivery. On the other -hand Nelson and Bob and Loom, who played short-stop, -were able to find the Wickasaw pitcher for a -number of timely hits. At the end of the sixth -inning Chicora had a comfortable lead of four runs. -In the seventh an epidemic of errors in the Wickasaw -infield enabled her rival to pile on three more, and -the game ended with a score 9 to 3 in Chicora’s -favor.</p> - -<p>Dan spent most of the evening manufacturing a -flag of victory, while the other three lent him valuable -advice. He sacrificed one of his two pillow-slips and -on it drew a broom—which he explained was emblematic -of victory and a clean sweep—from the upper -right-hand to the lower left-hand corner. Above it, in -amazing letters and numerals, he inscribed “Chicora -9!”; below it in much smaller characters he -traced the inscription: “Wick. 3.” As his exclamation -point had much the appearance of a figure 1, -the score at first glance was a bit startling. When they -went for their dip in the morning they attached the -flag to the line under the camp banner.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_173" id="Page_173">[173]</a></span></p> - -<p>“They won’t be able to steal it if they want to,” -said Dan. “Because, you see, it’ll come down at night -and go up to camp.”</p> - -<p>The only thing that marred his happiness that -morning was the fact that there was no breeze and -consequently the flag hung straight downward and -failed to flaunt its message to the eyes of the inhabitants -of Bear Island.</p> - -<p>Sunday passed very slowly for the Four. In the -forenoon they wrote their regular weekly letters home -and had their “soak.” At noon they ate a great deal -of dinner. In the afternoon they secured the motor-dory -and with three others went for a trip around the -lake. But for the most part their thoughts were set -on the morrow. In the middle of the night Nelson -awoke in a most unhappy frame of mind. He had -dreamed that it was raining so hard that the dormitory -was afloat and Dr. Smith was dealing out rowboats -so that they could get to breakfast. But one -glance through the open window at the foot of the -bunk brought relief. The night was still and cool and -through the silent leaves the white stars were twinkling -merrily.</p> - -<hr class="chap" /> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_174" id="Page_174">[174]</a></span></p> - - - - -<div class="chapter"> -<h2><a name="CHAPTER_XVII" id="CHAPTER_XVII">CHAPTER XVII</a><br /> -<span class="chtitle">WITNESSES THE DEPARTURE OF THE FOUR ON A CANOE -TRIP AND BRINGS THEM INTO CAMP FOR THE NIGHT</span></h2> -</div> - - -<div> - <img class="drop-cap" src="images/dcap_h.jpg" width="100" height="113" alt="" /> -</div> - -<p class="noi drop-cap">Half the inhabitants of the camp saw them -off and, being envious, professed to be -glad they were not going themselves.</p> - -<p>“Look out for bears, Tommy,” counseled -Joe Carter. “You’d make a nice fat breakfast -for them.”</p> - -<p>Joe had very willingly contributed his canoe to the -expedition, but he would have liked mightily to go -along.</p> - -<p>Finally the last of the things were stowed away in -the two canoes and the paddles were dipped.</p> - -<p>“Be very careful,” said Mr. Clinton, “and take -good care of yourselves. Good-by.”</p> - -<p>“Good-by!” yelled the crowd on the landing, -and——</p> - -<p>“Good-by, sir,” called the Four. “Good-by, fellows!”</p> - -<p>In the excitement of the moment the “Babe” fell<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_175" id="Page_175">[175]</a></span> -off the pier, and during the subsequent hilarity the -two canoes sped out into the lake. In one sat Nelson -and Dan, in the other Bob and Tom. They were to -change about when they reached Northwest Bay. As -they swung around the corner of Bear Island a number -of the Wickasaw fellows were on the pier. From the -flagpole hung the objectionable white banner.</p> - -<p>“Take it down,” shouted Dan. “It’s out of date!”</p> - -<p>“Come and get it,” answered one of the assembly.</p> - -<p>“Oh, we haven’t got time,” said Nelson.</p> - -<p>“One’s enough for us,” added Tom.</p> - -<p>Whereupon they were subjected to a chorus of angry -jeers and hoots. That raised their spirits still higher -and they shot under the bridge at Crescent as happy -a quartet as ever paddled their own—or any one else’s—canoe. -There was very little wind and what there -was favored their progress. Little of interest happened -during the voyage to the head of Hipp’s Pond. By that -time they were all glad to lay down the paddles and -stretch tired arms and legs. From the pond across to -the bay was a matter of two miles over a well-traveled -trail. After a few minutes of rest the outfit was apportioned -and they set out. Dan carried one canoe -and Bob the other, and Nelson and Tom shared the -luggage. A seventy-pound canoe weighs one hundred -pounds at the beginning of the carry, two hundred at<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_176" id="Page_176">[176]</a></span> -the end of the first half mile, and something like a ton -at the end of the mile. After that it gains four tons -every three hundred yards. That’s one reason it took -the party just short of an hour and a half to cover that -two miles. They changed burdens frequently, but, even -so, when Nelson suggested that they return all the way -by water and train, cutting out the present feature of -the trip, they were unanimous in favor of the suggestion.</p> - -<p>“I never knew a canoe weighed so much,” grunted -Dan, stumbling over a log. “I’ll bet the Chicora -isn’t half so heavy as this pesky thing!”</p> - -<p>“Wish we’d brought only one of them,” said Tom, -who was struggling with the other. “Don’t see what we -needed two for. You fellows wouldn’t let me bring -things that were really necessary, but you had to saddle -us with a canoe that isn’t needed at all.”</p> - -<p>“Dry up, Tommy,” said Nelson. “You’re doing -finely, if only you’d lift your feet now and then. Talking -about unnecessary things, now, I don’t see what -you have two feet for; one of them is big enough -for any ordinary person. Look out there! I told -you so!”</p> - -<p>Thereupon burdens were set down, not unwillingly, -while the canoe was lifted off of the prostrate form of -Tom and balanced over his shoulders again.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_177" id="Page_177">[177]</a></span></p> - -<p>“Well, we’re almost there,” said Bob encouragingly. -“And this is the last time we’ll have to lug -things.”</p> - -<p>“Almost there!” grumbled Tom. “You’ve been -saying that ever since we started. Don’t believe there -is any ‘there’!”</p> - -<p>But there was, and presently it came into sight, a -narrow strip of blue water just barely ruffled in the -breeze. When they reached the bank they laid aside -their loads and stretched themselves out gratefully in -the shade.</p> - -<p>“Hooray!” murmured Dan.</p> - -<p>“Me too,” sighed Tom.</p> - -<p>Bob, who appeared the least fatigued of the party, -got out the tin cup and served drinking water and was -called blessed. Nelson took the camera from the case -and snapped it several times at the recumbent forms. -Then the canoes were slipped into the water and the -luggage arranged again. This time Nelson and Bob -paddled together, and Dan and Tom. As they started -away Tom waved his arm politely toward the trail -through which they had journeyed.</p> - -<p>“Good morning, Carry,” he called.</p> - -<p>And Dan was heard threatening that if he ever -said anything like that again he would be tipped out -of the canoe.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_178" id="Page_178">[178]</a></span></p> - -<p>“And this time,” added Dan, “I won’t jump in -and rescue you!”</p> - -<p>Noon saw them opposite Beacon Point, and heading -across the water they found a comfortable spot and -drew the canoes up on to a tiny sandy beach. They had -provided themselves with a cold lunch for the first meal -and they ate it lying around on their elbows or stretched -flat on their backs in the shade of a big white birch -which fluttered its leaves above their faces. The lunch -was principally sandwiches and gingerbread and apples, -but it tasted better than any meal they had eaten for a -long time, and Tom begged to be allowed to attack the -other supplies after his share of the feast had vanished. -He was heartlessly denied and presently fell asleep, -where he lay and snored beautifully in four distinct -keys for half an hour. Perhaps the others slept a little -as well. The sun was delightfully warm and life held -no cares.</p> - -<p>By one o’clock they were on their way again. -Camps and their attendant landings, with here and -there a hotel or boarding-house, became frequent along -the shores, while in the distance launches and steam-boats -shone like white specks against the blue water. -Now and then a canoe or sailboat passed them with -its merry party.</p> - -<p>“Seems to me,” said Dan, who was paddling at<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_179" id="Page_179">[179]</a></span> -bow in Bob’s canoe, “that folks down here don’t have -anything to do but float around on the water. It’s a -sick way to spend vacation.”</p> - -<p>“What ought they to do?” asked Bob carelessly.</p> - -<p>“Anything so as not to be so plumb lazy. Look, -there’s a swell camp over there, Bob.”</p> - -<p>“And that’s a dandy on the little island over there. -Hey, Nelson, how’d you like to have to live there all -summer?”</p> - -<p>“I wouldn’t kick. That’s swell, isn’t it? There -are some mighty fine places along here. It’s prettier -than Chicora in that way.”</p> - -<p>“Yes, but you’d soon get tired of having so many -camps around you; it’s too crowded. What’s the point -over there, I wonder.” And Bob pulled his map out -for the fortieth time. “Shingle Point,” he announced. -“Now, why the dickens do they call it that? It doesn’t -look like a shingle, it doesn’t feel like a shingle, and it -doesn’t smell like a shingle.”</p> - -<p>“You’re a silly chump, Bob,” said Dan. “It’s -called Shingle Point because it scratches like a shingle, -of course.”</p> - -<p>“How does a shingle scratch?” asked Nelson.</p> - -<p>“With its nails,” chuckled Dan.</p> - -<p>“Splash him for me, please,” Nelson begged, and<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_180" id="Page_180">[180]</a></span> -Bob obligingly obeyed, sending a fine shower against -Dan’s back.</p> - -<p>“I suppose that’s Clapboard Island there off Shingle -Point?” asked Tom.</p> - -<p>“And that’s Shutter Cove yonder,” said Dan.</p> - -<p>“Well, that looks like a boarding-house on the hill,” -added Nelson.</p> - -<p>“Maybe we could get a planked steak there,” Bob -suggested.</p> - -<p>“Oh, this is awful,” laughed Nelson. “Come on, -Tommy, let’s get out of this atmosphere.” And they -bent to their paddles in an endeavor to draw away from -the other craft. But Bob and Dan were ready for a -race and they had it out for a quarter of a mile, nip -and tuck, Tom, who had yet to acquire skill at paddling, -throwing water over himself and whoever came within -six yards of him, but nevertheless managing to keep his -end up. When they called the contest off, both parties -claiming victory, they had reached a point where it was -necessary to choose their course. Before them the -island which Tom had dubbed Clapboard barred their -direct path and it became a question of going to right -or left. Bob consulted the map once more.</p> - -<p>“It doesn’t make much difference,” he said. “The -right is a bit nearer according to this.”</p> - -<p>“Right it is, then,” answered Dan.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_181" id="Page_181">[181]</a></span></p> - -<p>“Let’s quit for a while,” said Tom. “My arms are -lamer than thunder.”</p> - -<p>“All right, Tommy.” So they laid aside their -paddles, scooped the water up in their hands and -drank, and then disposed themselves comfortably in -the canoes.</p> - -<p>“Is the tide going in or out?” asked Nelson absent-mindedly. -Then he wondered why the others laughed -at him until he recollected that he was not on salt water. -Bob brought his canoe alongside the other and held it -there while they bobbed lazily about in the afternoon -sunlight.</p> - -<p>“Who knows where the fishing-tackle is?” asked -Tom.</p> - -<p>“I do,” Dan answered, “but we haven’t any bait.”</p> - -<p>“I’ll go ashore and dig some. We ought to have -some fish for supper.”</p> - -<p>“I’ll eat myself all the fish you’ll catch, Tommy,” -said Bob. “But go ahead and get your bait. How -many lines are there?”</p> - -<p>“Two,” said Tom. “You take the other and I -bet I’ll catch more’n you do.”</p> - -<p>“All right, Izaak Walton. Run away and get your -bait. But it’s dollars to doughnuts you won’t find anything -but earthworms, and no self-respecting fish will -bite at those.”</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_182" id="Page_182">[182]</a></span></p> - -<p>“A chub will take anything,” said Dan.</p> - -<p>“Yes, but we won’t take the chub,” answered Nelson. -“I’ll go hungry before I’ll eat those things.”</p> - -<p>“Chub are all right,” said Dan. “You ask -Tommy; he knows all about chub, don’t you, Tommy?”</p> - -<p>But Tommy, searching for the hatchet, made no -response. Armed with this weapon in lieu of a spade -he paddled in to the shore, Nelson, on his back with -one foot over each gunwale, taking slight interest in -the proceedings. Tom disappeared into the woods and -was presently back again with a varied collection of -worms and bugs gathered from rotten logs and from -the earth. They returned to the other canoe, and he and -Bob made ready their lines.</p> - -<p>“I’d like to know what sort of beasts these are,” -said Bob disgustedly. “I’m afraid to touch some of -them. Here, I’ll use the earthworms and leave these -fancy things to you; and I hope they bite you. There, -here goes for a whale.”</p> - -<p>He threw his line out, and Tom followed a moment -later with his. Then they waited while Dan and Nelson -sarcastically made bets on the result. After five -minutes without a nibble Bob grew restive.</p> - -<p>“Any one know whether there are any fish in this -lake?” he asked.</p> - -<p>“All fished out, I guess,” said Dan. But at that<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_183" id="Page_183">[183]</a></span> -moment Tom gave a suppressed whoop of excitement -and began to let out his line.</p> - -<p>“Play him, Tommy,” said Nelson lazily. “It’s -probably a codfish.”</p> - -<p>“Fu-fu-fu-feels like a wh-wh-whale!” answered -Tom.</p> - -<p>“Now don’t get excited,” advised Dan. “Give him -his head for a while. Maybe it’s a sunfish.”</p> - -<p>But Tom was really having all he could attend to, -for whatever was on the end of his line was making -the gamest sort of a fight. Tom had to let out several -yards of line, for he was none too sure of his leader. -Then he began to take it in again a little at a time until -the fish, which seemed to have given up the struggle, -was not six feet away. They all peered wonderingly -into the water, but it was too rough to allow the fish -to be seen.</p> - -<p>“I’m going to pull him in,” said Tom in a hoarse -whisper. “You fellows su-su-stand by to gu-gu-grab -him!” Then he pulled in hand over hand, there was a -thrashing a yard away and a momentary glimpse of a -big silvery body that turned and twisted. Then Tom -sat down suddenly in the canoe, sending it down to the -gunwale and shipping several quarts of water, while -the end of the line, minus leader and hook, flew over -his head.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_184" id="Page_184">[184]</a></span></p> - -<p>“<em>Gosh!</em>” exclaimed Tom, picking himself up and -looking disgustedly into the water.</p> - -<p>“Say, he was a peach!” said Dan. “What do you -suppose he was?”</p> - -<p>“Trout,” said Bob.</p> - -<p>“Salmon,” said Nelson.</p> - -<p>“He was the biggest I ever saw in fresh water, -anyway,” Dan declared. Tom was feverishly fitting -a new leader and baiting his hook.</p> - -<p>“Maybe he’ll be back,” he whispered excitedly.</p> - -<p>“Not he,” said Bob. “He’s scared to death. I’ll -bet he’s half a mile away by this time. Hello!” He -had drawn in his own line, forgotten in the excitement, -and found the hook empty. “I got a bite at -last.”</p> - -<p>“So did the fish,” laughed Nelson.</p> - -<p>Tom’s “whale” didn’t put in any appearance, but -at the end of half an hour or so he had four fair-sized -bass and two chub to his credit, while Bob had only -one small perch to show.</p> - -<p>“You win, Tommy,” he said, winding up his line. -“The old farm is yours, to say nothing of the wood-lot -on the hill. Now let’s get along. It’s after four and -we ought to get to Morris Island by five.”</p> - -<p>So they took to the paddles again and glided on -through the channel that divided the island from the<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_185" id="Page_185">[185]</a></span> -mainland. At the end of the island they met one of the -steamers, her deck well filled with passengers who -waved and shouted to them as they swept past. There -was lots to see now, for they were well inshore and the -houses and cabins were thick thereabouts. At the end -of an hour their camp-site was in view. Morris Island -lay well out in the lake and was one of the largest -there. A few camps were scattered over it, but there -was plenty of room for a night’s lodging. They crept -along the shore until they found a little cove with a -gravelly beach. Here they disembarked, stretched their -limbs, and set about making camp.</p> - -<p>The canoes were emptied, carried up under the trees, -and laid bottom side up for the night. Tom went off -after firewood, and the others unpacked the cooking -things and set up the tents. Bob, who had had experience -in camping, took command. The blankets were -distributed, water was brought, and a big log was rolled -down to the edge of the beach. Tom came back with his -first armful of wood, and Bob set about the building -of the fire. With some small stones dug from the -beach he built a fireplace, the back wall of which was the -tree trunk. Between the side walls he dug out the -gravel for a depth of six inches, continuing the excavations -for a foot or so in front. Then with a broad, flat -stone he made a hearth, fixing it in such a way that<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_186" id="Page_186">[186]</a></span> -there was a draft from front to back. On the flat stone -he threw some dried grass and twigs and lighted them. -Then Tom’s supply was drawn upon and in a moment -there was a roaring fire. With the hatchet Bob cut -a stout branch, sharpened one end, and thrust it into -the earth so that it leaned over the fireplace. From -this, just above the flames, he depended the water-kettle. -The cooking utensils and the provisions were spread -out and Nelson and Dan were set to cleaning the fish. -The bread was cut—Tom managing to gash his finger -in the operation—the coffee made, and the potatoes were -washed and plumped into the boiling water. Meanwhile -the skillet was leaning against the fireplace getting -hot.</p> - -<p>Dan and Tom and Nelson sat down and watched, -jumping up now and then to do Bob’s bidding, but for -the most part cultivating their appetites by observing -the preparation of supper. Bob seemed to know just -what to do and how to do it. By the time the potatoes -were almost done the fish were frying in the skillet and -the coffee-pot was singing a tune of its own.</p> - -<p>Then plates were passed around and in a moment -there was a deep and eloquent silence that lasted until -Tommy, with a sigh, laid down his plate and reached -for the frying-pan. “Work,” quoth Tom, “makes a -fellow hungry.”</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_187" id="Page_187">[187]</a></span></p> - -<p>“Work!” answered Nelson scathingly.</p> - -<p>“Work!” grunted Dan.</p> - -<p>“Work!” laughed Bob.</p> - -<p>“Huh!” Tom retaliated. “Who caught these -fish?”</p> - -<p>“Well, even if you did catch them you needn’t eat -them all,” said Dan, wresting the skillet from his hands. -“There are others, my boy. Pour me some more coffee, -Bob, will you?”</p> - -<p>While they ate, with the smoke from the dying fire -floating straight into the air and the last rays of the -sun tinging the lake with rose-gold, the steamer from -The Weirs passed a little way out, her cabin windows -alight and her lanterns flashing red and green and -white across the mirror-like surface. Bob waved the -coffee-pot, incidentally splashing Tom’s face with the -contents, and a group at the stern of the boat fluttered -their handkerchiefs. Then the dishes were washed at -the edge of the lake and the fire replenished. After -that they took a stroll along the shore, pausing now and -then to shy pebbles at the muskrats which, with little -bullet-shaped heads just above the water, swam hither -and thither, leaving long ripples behind them. Back -to camp they wandered just at dark and sat for a -while in the light of the little fire, and then they -rolled themselves in their blankets and dropped off<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_188" id="Page_188">[188]</a></span> -to sleep one by one, Tom’s unmusical snores alone -breaking the silence. And so ended the first day of -the trip; not an exciting one, to be sure, but one of -the happiest of the summer.</p> - -<hr class="chap" /> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_189" id="Page_189">[189]</a></span></p> - - - - -<div class="chapter"> -<h2><a name="CHAPTER_XVIII" id="CHAPTER_XVIII">CHAPTER XVIII</a><br /> -<span class="chtitle">TELLS HOW THEY FOUND A DERELICT AND A COURSE -DINNER, AND MET WITH SHIPWRECK</span></h2> -</div> - - -<div> - <img class="drop-cap" src="images/dcap_w.jpg" width="100" height="113" alt="" /> -</div> - -<p class="noi drop-cap">When they awoke nature presented a far -different aspect. A stiff, cold wind -blew out of the northeast, the sky was -hidden by dark clouds that hurried up -the lake, and the water was of a leaden green hue and -crested with whitecaps. They viewed the prospect -gloomily while they tumbled into their clothes and -lighted the morning fire. But a good breakfast put -them in better spirits, and at half past eight they were -in the canoes again battling with wind and waves. It -was hard paddling, and to make it worse the spray -drenched them before they had made a half mile of -progress. Long before noon, in spite of many rests, -they were ready to seek the shore. The wind increased -with every hour and the heavy clouds drove faster and -faster into the southwest. At half past ten they decided -to land and so turned the bows of the canoes -toward a fair-sized island that guarded the entrance to -a bay. It was while making for this that Bob, who<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_190" id="Page_190">[190]</a></span> -was in the leading canoe with Dan, pointed to an object -which drifted along a quarter of a mile up the lake.</p> - -<p>“Looks like a boat, doesn’t it?” he asked.</p> - -<p>“It surely does,” Dan answered after studying it -a moment. “But it seems to be empty. Let’s go and -investigate.”</p> - -<p>So they shouted to the others and paddled away -in the direction of the derelict. When they drew near -they saw that it was a cedar rowboat, apparently a -yacht’s tender. At the stern was the word “Elf.” It -was almost half full of water and a crimson sweater -washed to and fro in the bottom. There were no oars -in it and the rowlocks were not in place.</p> - -<p>“If it wasn’t for the rowlocks being out,” said -Dan, “I’d think there’d been an accident. But I guess -no one ever went overboard and stopped to take the -rowlocks out. What’ll we do with it?”</p> - -<p>“Tow it over to the island,” answered Bob -promptly. “That’s maybe where it belongs. It’s a -derelict and we can claim salvage. She’s a fine little -boat, isn’t she?”</p> - -<p>When they worked the canoe up to the tender’s bow -the mystery was explained. A few feet of rope, frayed -at the end, told the story.</p> - -<p>“She’s blown away from the landing,” said Dan. -“That painter probably sawed itself in two during the<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_191" id="Page_191">[191]</a></span> -night; probably rubbed against the edge of the wharf. -We’ll claim the reward if we can find the owner.”</p> - -<p>So they took the end of the rope aboard and tried -to paddle away. They’d probably been there yet had -not Nelson and Tom come up presently and lent -assistance. A half-filled rowboat is no light tow in a -heavy sea, and by the time they had beached it they -were all well tired out. After turning the water out -of it, and wringing the sweater until it was somewhat -drier, they set out on a tour of discovery.</p> - -<p>There were no habitations in sight from their landing-place, -but a few minutes’ walk took them around -a corner of the island and brought them in sight of a -sumptuous camp building which, planned like a Swiss -chalet, stood on a little bluff above the edge of the lake -and towered up among the trees. Jutting into the -water was a long pier with several craft of different -kinds about it, while further out a sixty-foot steam -yacht was moored.</p> - -<p>“Bet you this is the place,” said Tom. “How -much we going to ask for reward?”</p> - -<p>“Nothing,” said Bob. Tom looked disappointed, -but the others agreed that they wouldn’t take any money -for the rescue of the tender. As they approached a -ferocious-looking bull-terrier made a dash at them -and barked savagely, only to change his behavior on<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_192" id="Page_192">[192]</a></span> -closer acquaintance and leap about them joyfully. The -noise brought one of the inmates of the house to the -front door, and he waved greetings to the party and -awaited their approach. He was a middle-aged man, -rather fussily dressed—as Dan put it—for camp-life, -and he held a newspaper in his hand and smoked a pipe. -At the steps Bob became spokesman and explained their -errand.</p> - -<p>“A cedar tender named ‘Elf,’ eh?” asked the man. -“That’s mine, sure enough. Found her afloat, eh? -Well, I’m mightily obliged to you, gentlemen. Come -in, come in! Get out of the way there, Pete. Oh, Jack! -tell Barry to go around the island on the lake side and -bring home the tender. The fool thing ran away last -night and a party found her half full of water.”</p> - -<p>“All right,” answered an unseen voice from the -house, and the Four, following the host, found themselves -in a great living-room at one end of which big -logs blazed in a monstrous fireplace. The room was -beautifully furnished; bright-hued rugs covered the -floor, heads of deer, bears, and caribous adorned the -walls, and a giant moose head glared down from the -stone chimney above the high mantel. A flight of -stairs led past the chimney to a gallery which ran -around three sides of the building and from which the -up-stairs rooms opened. Over the gallery railing hung<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_193" id="Page_193">[193]</a></span> -hides and pelts of deer, bears, foxes, and other animals. -The host led the way to the fire, before which two ladies -and a second man were sitting. The latter proved to -be “Jack,” and “Jack’s” last name proved to be -Merrill. The boys gave their names, and were duly -introduced. The host’s name was Carey; one of the -ladies was Mrs. Carey, and the other was a Miss White. -The inhabitants of the camp were dressed as though -they were in a city house instead of a log building on -the edge of the wilderness, and the boys regretted their -own scanty attire. That is, three of them did; I can’t -honestly say that Tom looked worried about the matter. -But, for that, neither did their hosts. The boys were -given places about the broad hearth, and the bull-terrier -threw himself down at their feet and viewed them with -a friendly grin. Bob, with occasional help from his -companions, told about their trip, about Camp Chicora, -and about the finding of the tender. The matter of -reward was broached, but, upon their refusal to consider -it, was not pressed.</p> - -<p>“But you’ll have to take dinner with us,” said Mr. -Carey, and the others indorsed him. The boys were -nothing loath to change camp-fare for the luxuries -promised by the appearance of the camp and its inmates, -and Tom, who had possibly feared a refusal on the -part of his companions, heaved a sigh of relief when<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_194" id="Page_194">[194]</a></span> -they accepted the invitation. After that they spent the -jolliest kind of an hour until dinner was announced. -They were taken over the house and marveled at its -conveniences and appointments; they were challenged -to a game of pool by Miss White, accepted, and were -one and all badly beaten; they were shown the contents -of the gun-racks by Mr. Carey, and listened to his tales -of moose and caribou hunting in the north with tingling -veins; and finally they were conducted by a smart -servant to a cozy up-stairs room to get ready for dinner.</p> - -<p>“Wish I had a little more on,” said Bob ruefully, -looking at his scant camp uniform in the big mirror. -“I don’t feel decent.”</p> - -<p>“I wouldn’t mind so much,” said Dan, “if I even -had long trousers. My legs look awfully bare.”</p> - -<p>“Bet we have a swell dinner,” was Tom’s contribution -to the subject.</p> - -<p>And Tom was quite right. The dinner came on -in so many courses that he lost count of them, and was -as perfect as though served in the heart of New York -city. Afterward they went back to the big fireplace -and watched the four-foot logs blazing and crackling, -and talked lazily while the wind blustered against the -windows. Tom almost fell asleep once, and Dan had -to kick him hard before he was fully awake again. -About two o’clock Bob suggested departure.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_195" id="Page_195">[195]</a></span></p> - -<p>“Why don’t you stay overnight with us?” asked -Mrs. Carey. “You really ought not to go out on the -lake in canoes a day like this.”</p> - -<p>“That’s so,” said her husband. “No sense in it -at all. You stay right here until this storm blows over. -If you like, in the morning I’ll take you up the lake -on the yacht. I can get you up to Northwest Bay in -no time.”</p> - -<p>But Bob thanked them and declined. And Tom -sighed dolefully. So a half-hour later they took their -departure amid cordial invitations to come again. Mr. -Carey walked around to their landing-place with them -and was much interested in their canoes and outfit. -And after they were afloat and paddling away he waved -to them from the shore and laughingly cautioned them -not to get drowned.</p> - -<p>Tom was loud in his expressions of disfavor of their -course.</p> - -<p>“Don’t see why you fellows wouldn’t stay,” he -grumbled. “Gee! you don’t know when you’re well -off. Think of the supper and breakfast we’ve missed! -And the dandy beds! And that peach of a fire! -And——”</p> - -<p>“Mind your paddle,” said Bob. “You’re kicking -up an awful mess with it. If you can’t do better than -that you’d better take it out.”</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_196" id="Page_196">[196]</a></span></p> - -<p>And Tom, still protesting under his breath, set to -work again.</p> - -<p>Bob, who had fallen naturally into the position of -chief navigator, had planned to keep down the southwest -side of the lake to West Alton and camp near the -village for the night. The next morning they would -start early and cross to Wolfeborough, take the forenoon -steamer back to The Weirs, and from there return -to Camp Chicora by the afternoon train. But once -past the shelter of the island they began to doubt their -ability to make West Alton. The wind had swung -around into the south, and to hold the canoes in an -easterly direction was a difficult task. After laboring -some time with little success Bob decided to run across -the lake before the wind in the direction of Long -Island and go into camp on one of the smaller islets -thereabouts or, failing that, on the mainland. So they -swung the canoes about and headed north-by-east and -found a chance to rest their tired muscles. With the -wind almost directly aft it was only necessary to paddle -easily and keep the noses of the craft in the right direction. -The canoe containing Bob and Tom, being somewhat -less heavily weighted, rode higher out of water -and consequently presented more surface to the wind. -As a result, when they were half-way across the lake -they were leading by almost an eighth of a mile.<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_197" id="Page_197">[197]</a></span> -Nelson suggested catching up with them, but Dan -objected.</p> - -<p>“Let them go,” he said. “I’m tuckered out and -I’m going to rest. That was a pretty hefty bit of -paddling back there, Nel; we made about a foot to every -ten strokes. I’m wet through with perspiration.”</p> - -<p>“Well, I’m wet through, too,” answered Nelson, -who was in the bow, “but not with perspiration. -You’d better pull your sweater on or you’ll catch -cold.”</p> - -<p>“Guess I will,” said Dan. “This breeze is pretty -chilly on a fellow’s back. Where is that sweater of -mine? I see it. Hold steady and I’ll get it.”</p> - -<p>Dan shipped his paddle, arose cautiously to his feet, -and took a step toward the middle of the canoe. At -that instant a tiny squall of wind struck them, he lost -his balance, and the next thing Nelson knew he was -struggling up through yards and yards of dark water. -When his head was finally above the surface and he -had shaken the water from his eyes he stared bewilderedly -about him. Fifty feet away the overturned -canoe was drifting heavily before the wind. About -him here and there such of the luggage as had not sunk -at once was bobbing about from wave to wave. Near by, -Dan’s head with the red hair plastered to it was visible. -Every moment the canoe was drifting farther away, and<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_198" id="Page_198">[198]</a></span> -Nelson realized that their strait was already desperate -and was growing more so with every instant of delay.</p> - -<p>“Come on, Dan!” he shouted. “Make for the -canoe; we’ll pick up the stuff afterward.”</p> - -<p>He heard some sort of a response from the other and -then struck out fiercely for the craft. If he could get on -top of it it might be possible to attract the attention of -Bob and Tom to their plight. It was a hard chase, and -when his hand finally touched the wet surface of the -canoe he was pretty well tuckered. Throwing one arm -across the bottom he managed to get his head some two -feet above the water and could catch glimpses now and -then above the waves of the other craft well to the -right and apparently a long distance away. Then he -turned to shout to Dan, turned and saw only the empty -water. He dashed the drops from his eyes with his -free hand and looked again, searching the hollows between -the racing waves. Once he thought he saw for -an instant Dan’s head above the surface, but it was -gone again instantly.</p> - -<p>“<em>Dan!</em>” he shouted in terror. “<em>Dan!</em>”</p> - -<p>There was no sound but the ceaseless splashing of -the waves. With an awful fear clutching at his heart -he threw himself away from the canoe and plunged -back in the teeth of the gale.</p> - -<hr class="chap" /> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_199" id="Page_199">[199]</a></span></p> - - - - -<div class="chapter"> -<h2><a name="CHAPTER_XIX" id="CHAPTER_XIX">CHAPTER XIX</a><br /> -<span class="chtitle">CONCERNS ITSELF WITH THE DANGEROUS PLIGHT OF DAN -AND NELSON AND THE COURAGE OF THE LATTER</span></h2> -</div> - - -<div> - <img class="drop-cap" src="images/dcap_a.jpg" width="100" height="113" alt="" /> -</div> - -<p class="noi drop-cap">As long as he lives Nelson will never recall -that struggle through the angry waters -without a sudden sinking of the heart. -Wind and wave were dead against him, -mocking his frantic efforts at haste, burying him for -moments at a time in ugly swirls of white-frothed water, -that blinded and confused him. In those moments -which, brief as they must have been, seemed minutes -long, the monotonous sound of rushing wind and -splashing wave were silenced and only the stealthy -swish of water flowing over his submerged head reached -him. It was pleasant, that calm, after the confusion -of the world above, and once he found himself giving -way to a sort of stupor. What was the use of struggling? -Under the water it was calm and peaceful; down -here there was rest for tired limbs. Involuntarily his -aching arms and legs ceased their labors, and even the -swirling of water past his ears no longer came to him, -and he knew that he was sinking. Then the benumbing<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_200" id="Page_200">[200]</a></span> -stupor passed, fright gripped him with icy hands at his -heart, he opened his mouth to cry aloud, and arose, fighting -wildly, to the surface, his lungs half filled with -water. For a moment a panic held him; he fancied -unseen hands were clutching at him, striving to drag -him down again to that awful stillness, and he thrashed -and struggled and shrieked at the leaden sky. Then -recollection of Dan came to him and the terror passed. -Blinking his streaming eyes, he looked about him. -Almost at hand was something half submerged that at -first he thought might be his companion. But as he -reached it, swimming hand over hand with the waves -breaking above his head, he saw that it was only the -canoe tent, which, partly on account of its wooden pole -and partly because a certain amount of air was imprisoned -beneath the canvas, was still afloat. Grasping -it with one hand he turned to search the water. And as -he turned fingers gripped themselves about his wrist in -a feeble clutch and Dan’s face arose white and drawn -beside him. The eyes were wide open and staring, and -for a moment Nelson believed that they were the eyes -of a dead person. But the clutching fingers told a -different tale, and as he reached across the tent and -seized Dan under one armpit the staring eyes seemed to -flicker with recognition. Then the lids closed slowly, -wearily over them.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_201" id="Page_201">[201]</a></span></p> - -<p>He was not dead, thought Nelson with a sudden -rush of blood to his chilled heart. And then, driving -before it that brief sensation of relief, came to him a -knowledge of the hopelessness of their situation. The -canoe was drifting bottom upward hundreds of feet -away. No hail came from Bob or Tom. He must keep -afloat himself and sustain Dan as well, and for aid there -was only the canvas tent lashed about its pole and -already half water-logged. But the feeling of panic -was a thing of the past. Even fear had gone from him. -Discouragement was left, but with it was a determination -to fight the battle to the very end and win if -strength and wit could do it.</p> - -<p>After a moment, during which he strove merely to -keep his head above water and regain his breath, he set -about getting Dan over the tent. The latter would not -hold the weight of both of them, but it might keep Dan -up for a while. It was hard work, with the waves battling -against his every effort, but at last he succeeded -in getting Dan’s shoulders over the bundle of canvas. -Then, with a firm grasp on the other’s forearm, he let -himself float. To swim was out of the question, since -it would only exhaust what little strength remained to -him. The wind and waves were already bearing them -along to some extent toward land. Sooner or later Bob -must discover the disaster and turn back, and all that<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_202" id="Page_202">[202]</a></span> -could be done was to keep afloat until he came. The -minutes passed. Dan’s eyes remained closed, but the -lids flickered now and then. Once Nelson strove to -wake him by calling his name, but there was no -response; and as it exhausted his breath Nelson gave it -up. One thing he was thankful for during those lagging -minutes, and that was his and Dan’s attire. The -light jerseys and trunks were scarcely more than bathing -suits, and even the rubber-soled canvas shoes added -little to their difficulties. With something almost approaching -a smile he wondered what Mr. Carey would -have done in his place, wearing the clothes which they -had envied him an hour or so before.</p> - -<p>Presently he began to feel drowsy and longed to -close his eyes for a moment, but was afraid to do so. -The canvas tent lost more and more of its buoyancy as -the imprisoned air escaped, and Nelson dreaded the -moment when it would no longer give him aid. It -seemed at least an hour since the overturning of the -canoe and yet could have been scarcely more than ten -minutes. Time and again he strove to lift himself high -enough from the water to see over the white crests, but -always his view encompassed only seething lake and -dull, stormy sky. His arms and legs ached. The water, -warm when the involuntary bath had begun, now felt -like ice against his body, and his teeth chattered together<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_203" id="Page_203">[203]</a></span> -whenever he opened his mouth. Dan’s face -looked blue, and the fear that he would die before rescue -arrived began to creep into Nelson’s heart. Suddenly -there came a strain on his arm and he looked and saw -the end of the canvas bundle disappearing under the -water. Seizing Dan by the shoulder of his jersey, -Nelson pulled the other toward him so that his head -and upper part of the body lay across his chest. So, -with the waves washing over them, they floated awhile, -Nelson swimming slowly with legs and one arm. But -it couldn’t keep up long, that sort of thing, and he knew -it. And with the knowledge came a certain sensation of -relief. He had struggled almost as long as human -power was capable of; surely he had done his duty, and -now——</p> - -<p>His half-closed eyes suddenly opened. Surely he -had heard——</p> - -<p>“<em><a href="#image01">Coming! Don’t give up, boys!</a></em>”</p> - -<p>The cry now reached him plainly, borne on the -rushing wind, and told of succor near at hand. He had -lost all sense of direction, nor did he try to recognize -the voice. His first sensation was one of mild annoyance. -It seemed so silly to bother about rescuing him -now. He was sure that Dan was drowned and sure -that he had but a moment or two longer to struggle -himself. They would try to haul him into the canoe,<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_204" id="Page_204">[204]</a></span> -and things would be very fussy and troublesome; he -would much rather be left alone. However, since they -insisted he would do what they asked. And so he urged -his weary limbs to further effort and was still afloat -with one hand gripping Dan’s arm when a boat shot -alongside.</p> - -<p>The next thing he knew he was still rocking in the -waves, as it seemed, and the dark clouds were still -racing across the heavens above him. But the water -had grown delightfully warm, and he felt deliciously -comfortable. Some one, it must have been Dan, of -course, said:</p> - -<p>“Hard on your left! All right; you’re straight for -the pier!”</p> - -<p>It was a foolish thing for Dan to say, and Nelson -closed his eyes again in an effort to puzzle out the -meaning. And doing so he fell asleep once more, and -didn’t wake again until an hour later to find himself -snug and warm in a big white bed with a sound of -crackling flames in his ears. A little bald-headed man -was leaning over him holding out a spoon, and Nelson -obediently opened his mouth. Some one said something -about supper, and the word suggested many things to -him, and he closed his eyes again and scowled his forehead -and tried to think. Plainly he was no longer in -danger of drowning, for people don’t drown in beds.<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_205" id="Page_205">[205]</a></span> -They had rescued him and brought him ashore, and he -was—where was he? He opened his eyes and moved -his head. Things were dimly familiar and he was sure -he knew the man by the hearth. And—yes, there was -Bob.</p> - -<p>“Hello, Bob,” he whispered. He had meant to say -it right out loud just to let Bob know that all was well -with him, and the result surprised and annoyed him. -But Bob had heard, and he came over and put a hand -on Nelson’s shoulder.</p> - -<p>“How are you feeling, Nel?” he asked with affected -cheerfulness. Nelson considered a moment. Then:</p> - -<p>“Hungry,” he said. This time it wasn’t so much -of a whisper and he was encouraged. “Where’s Dan?” -he asked.</p> - -<p>“In the next room. He’s—he’s all right, Nel,” was -the answer. Then the little bald-headed man, whom -Nelson didn’t know, came and took his hand.</p> - -<p>“Don’t talk now, my boy. Try to go to sleep. -When you wake up next time you shall have some -supper.”</p> - -<p>Nelson viewed him suspiciously, but the face was -rather a nice face even if it did extend up to the back -of the head, and so he closed his eyes and forgot everything -very quickly.</p> - -<p>Later he awoke again to find the room in darkness.<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_206" id="Page_206">[206]</a></span> -But even as he opened his mouth to demand attention -a match was scratched and the room became so bright -that he had to blink his eyes. A nice-looking woman -came and sat on the side of the bed and stirred a spoon -around in a blue-and-white bowl.</p> - -<p>“Are you awake?” she asked. “Here’s your -supper. Don’t get up, but just turn your head -this way and I’ll feed it to you. It’s beef tea. Do -you like it?”</p> - -<p>“Yes,” answered Nelson. “Thank you.”</p> - -<p>It tasted terribly good, he thought, and between -spoonfuls he surreptitiously studied her face. He had -seen her before, only—he couldn’t think where.</p> - -<p>“Would you mind telling me your name, please?” -he asked presently.</p> - -<p>“I’m Mrs. Carey,” she answered smilingly. -“Have you forgotten me?”</p> - -<p>Then he remembered and understood.</p> - -<p>“No, ma’am,” he answered. “That is, not now. I -guess I’m in your house again, but I don’t see how I -got here, do you?”</p> - -<p>“Mr. Carey was watching you from the landing -when your canoe was overturned, and he and Mr. Merrill -and the skipper went out to you in a boat and -brought you in. But you mustn’t talk. The doctor -said so.”</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_207" id="Page_207">[207]</a></span></p> - -<p>“What doctor?”</p> - -<p>“Dr. Ames. He came over from the mainland, -where he has a cottage.”</p> - -<p>Nelson pondered this between mouthfuls of hot -broth. Then:</p> - -<p>“Is Dan alive?” he asked.</p> - -<p>“Yes; you will see him in the morning. Now, -that’s all. You are to have some more at nine.”</p> - -<p>“What time is it now, please?”</p> - -<p>“Half past six.”</p> - -<p>“That’s a pretty long time, isn’t it?” he asked.</p> - -<p>“Oh, but you’re going to sleep now and you won’t -know how long it is. I’ll turn the light down low so -it won’t hurt your eyes. Is there anything else you’d -like?”</p> - -<p>“No ma’am, thank you. You—you won’t forget, -will you?”</p> - -<p>“Forget——?”</p> - -<p>“I mean about the broth at nine o’clock,” he explained -wistfully.</p> - -<p>“Indeed I won’t,” she answered heartily. “And I -wish I could give you some more now, but the doctor -said——”</p> - -<p>Nelson never learned what the doctor said, for he -fell asleep just then. Later there was another brief -waking spell and more hot broth. And then, in some<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_208" id="Page_208">[208]</a></span> -strange way, it became morning, and the sun was shining -in the window at the foot of the bed, and the birds -were celebrating the passing of the storm. While he -was still stretching his limbs and trying to recollect -things the door opened and Mr. Carey came in.</p> - -<p>“Well, how’s the boy, eh?” he asked. “Feeling -pretty good after your bath, are you?”</p> - -<p>“Fine, sir. Can I get up?”</p> - -<p>“Surely you can. Breakfast will be ready in half -an hour. I’ll send your clothes up; I guess they’re dry -by this time. Take your time and rest off if you feel -weak. I’ll look in again presently to see how you’re -getting on.”</p> - -<p>“Thank you, sir. I’ll be all right. Mrs. Carey -said you went out and picked us up, and I’m very much -obliged—I mean—” He paused, at a loss for words to -express what he did mean. “It sounds awfully foolish -to say you’re very much obliged to a person for saving -your life, doesn’t it, sir? But I don’t know quite what -to say, and——”</p> - -<p>“Well, well, don’t let it trouble you, my boy. What -we did is what any one would have done, and I’m -mighty glad we were here to do it. You did a pretty -plucky thing yourself, and after that our little rescue -doesn’t look like much.”</p> - -<p>“I guess we wouldn’t look like much if you hadn’t<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_209" id="Page_209">[209]</a></span> -come along, sir,” said Nelson soberly. “We’re not -likely to forget it, sir, I can tell you that!”</p> - -<p>“Well, well, we won’t say anything more about it, -eh? All’s well that ends well, and—er—I’ll send your -clothes up.”</p> - -<hr class="chap" /> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_210" id="Page_210">[210]</a></span></p> - - - - -<div class="chapter"> -<h2><a name="CHAPTER_XX" id="CHAPTER_XX">CHAPTER XX</a><br /> -<span class="chtitle">RELATES THE CONCLUSION OF THE TRIP AND WHAT -HAPPENED AT CAMP</span></h2> -</div> - - -<div> - <img class="drop-cap" src="images/dcap_h.jpg" width="100" height="113" alt="" /> -</div> - -<p class="noi drop-cap">Half an hour afterward Nelson passed -along the gallery and down the stairs -into the arms of Tom, who hugged him -ecstatically and stuttered his delight; and -of Bob, who, if less demonstrative, showed his pleasure -none the less plainly. Mr. Merrill shook hands in -a way that brought the color into Nelson’s cheeks, and -the ladies when they appeared a few moments later -were so attentive that Nelson’s blushes threatened to -become permanent. When they were seated at table -only Dan was absent, and Nelson asked if he was not -coming down.</p> - -<p>“No,” answered Mr. Carey. “The fact is, your -friend had a pretty narrow call. It took us all of half -an hour to bring him around. He had swallowed about -a gallon of lake water and had played himself out -pretty well besides. But he’s all right now, and I’m -only waiting for the doctor to come over before I let<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_211" id="Page_211">[211]</a></span> -him up. ‘Orders is orders,’ you know. But of course -you can go up and see him whenever you like. He’s -asked for you once or twice already.”</p> - -<p>Nelson wanted to go then and there, but consideration -for his hosts led him to await the end of the -meal. There were a great many questions to answer, -and he had to tell his side of the adventure from start -to finish. Then Mr. Carey and Bob began comparing -notes, and pretty soon Nelson had a very good idea of -what had happened.</p> - -<p>“After I got back here to the house I began to -worry about you chaps,” said Mr. Carey, “and pretty -soon I took the field-glasses and went down to the -pier. From there I could see you pretty well, but -those canoes looked mighty small, just the same! I -happened to have the glasses on the nearest canoe when -the accident happened. I saw Speede stand up and -then stumble and go over. The glasses made it look so -near that I yelled like sixty. Then when I’d found -the place again the canoe was drifting along bottom -upward and there were two fellows in the water. Well, -I knew they’d never make the canoe in that wind, so -I shouted for Mr. Merrill here and Barry, my skipper, -and we had the skiff out in no time. But it was a -long ways out to where you were, and I thought we’d -never get there. And when we did get alongside I<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_212" id="Page_212">[212]</a></span> -thought we were too late. Two deader-looking live -men I never saw in my life! The waves were washing -all over you two, Tilford, and you seemed on the -point of sinking. But you had hold of Speede good -and hard; it was all we could do to loosen your grasp -on his arm, and I guess he’ll have a black-and-blue -bracelet there for some time. Hethington and Ferris -got there in the canoe a moment later and helped us -get you two into the boat. From the looks of them I -guess they’d done some tall paddling.”</p> - -<p>“We did,” said Bob grimly. “It was Tommy -who discovered you had gone. He looked around when -we were pretty near land and let out a yell. Then we -turned the canoe and started back. It was like pulling -yourself up by your shoe-straps. The wind was almost -on our quarter and we could just see that we were moving. -Tommy paddled like an Indian. And all the -time he kept yelling to me to hurry up, just as though -I wasn’t breaking my back at every stroke! As it was, -though, he pulled me around several times; I was in -the bow. I thought we’d never get to the canoe; we -could see it now and then over the waves; and when -we did we found you two weren’t there, and had to -start off on another course.”</p> - -<p>“Tommy was like a crazy man; kept crying that -you were both drowned and that it was our fault for<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_213" id="Page_213">[213]</a></span> -leaving you. And I was—was pretty well worried -myself. Then we saw Mr. Carey’s boat, though we -didn’t know then who was in it, and we made toward -it, and pretty soon we saw you two chaps floating around -in the water like a couple of logs. And Tommy was -for jumping over and swimming to you. Nel, you -certainly had the pluck. If it hadn’t been for you Dan -would have drowned before we could have turned around -or Mr. Carey could have started out there.”</p> - -<p>“But I don’t understand about Dan,” said Nelson. -“He can swim like a fish. I never thought that anything -was the matter with him until I looked back and -couldn’t see him.”</p> - -<p>“Cramps,” said Mr. Carey. “He told me this -morning that he couldn’t seem to move himself below -the waist. He got pretty warm paddling, I suppose, -and then when he went overboard the shock was too -intense. He had a close shave of it, and he owes his -life to you, Tilford.”</p> - -<p>“And we both owe our lives to you, sir. If you’ll -excuse me I’d like to go up and see him a minute.”</p> - -<p>“Certainly,” said Mrs. Carey. “I’ll see that cook -keeps some waffles hot for you.”</p> - -<p>“He’s in the room next to yours, further along the -gallery,” said her husband.</p> - -<p>Nelson didn’t knock because he thought Dan might<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_214" id="Page_214">[214]</a></span> -be asleep and he didn’t want to wake him. But when -he had cautiously opened the door and peeked in -he saw Dan sitting up in bed and smiling broadly -at him.</p> - -<p>“Hello, Life Saver!” called Dan.</p> - -<p>Nelson bounded across and seized his hand.</p> - -<p>“Dan, are you all right?” he asked eagerly. “Gee, -I’m glad to see you, you old chump!”</p> - -<p>“I’m feeling right as a trivet. What’s a trivet, anyway, -Nel?”</p> - -<p>“Oh, a thingumbob with three legs,” laughed -Nelson.</p> - -<p>“Well, I’m glad I wasn’t one of them yesterday. -Two legs were all I wanted. They ached like thunder -and I couldn’t swim a stroke. Nel, you saved my life, -and——”</p> - -<p>“Cut it out! If any one says anything more about -saving lives, I’ll—I’ll hurt them!”</p> - -<p>“I dare say it is a bore,” answered Dan soberly, -“having folks talk about it, but I want you to know -that—that I’m mighty grateful, old fellow, and that if -the chance ever comes for me to even things up, why, -you can count on your Uncle Daniel. It was a swell -thing to do, Nel, stand by me like that, only I wasn’t -worth it and you might have got drowned yourself. -That’s all. I won’t bother you with any more thanks,<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_215" id="Page_215">[215]</a></span> -only—only—” Dan’s hand found Nelson’s on the -coverlid and squeezed it until Nelson winced. Then: -“Where’s that fussy old doctor?” he asked. Nelson, -relieved at the change of subject, laughed.</p> - -<p>“He will be along pretty soon. If you’re all right -he’s going to let you get up. Then we can get the -afternoon train back.”</p> - -<p>“Of course I’m all right; right as a three-legged -thingumbob. Say, won’t Clint be waxy? He’ll never -let us out of his sight again.”</p> - -<p>“I suppose he’ll have to be told?” said Nelson ruefully.</p> - -<p>“I guess so; it’s up to us to tell him, Nel. Not -that I want to, you know, but—well, it’s more honest.”</p> - -<p>“That’s so; I guess we’d better. Say, Dan, these -Careys have been mighty good. We’d ought to do something -for them. Do you think we could?”</p> - -<p>“I’d like to, but I don’t see what we could do. -We’ll have to think it over. Maybe Bob can suggest -something. He’s got a heap of sense, that chap.”</p> - -<p>Then Mr. Carey and the doctor came in and Nelson -left the room. Dan was pronounced able to travel, and -at two o’clock, after thanking the ladies and promising -to come again when they could, they loaded their canoes -on to the steam-yacht—the overturned craft had been -recovered the evening before—and, with Mr. Carey and<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_216" id="Page_216">[216]</a></span> -Mr. Merrill accompanying, were taken over to The -Weirs in time to catch the afternoon train for Warder. -At the landing more good-bys were said.</p> - -<p>“I want you boys to promise to come and visit us -here some time, this year if you can; if not, next. And -when you’re in New York look us up. Both Mrs. Carey -and I will be delighted to have you. We feel a sort -of proprietary interest in you after yesterday’s little -incident and don’t want to lose sight of you completely. -I’ve written a line or two to Mr. Clinton, so I guess -you won’t get lectured very hard. Good-by and good -luck, boys!” And Mr. Carey shook hands all around, -was followed by Mr. Merrill and the skipper, and at -last the train pulled out, the Four waving from the -car steps until the crowded platform was a speck in the -distance.</p> - -<p>“He’s a swell fellow,” said Dan, as they sought -their seats. “And we’ve got to make him a present or -something.”</p> - -<p>“Good scheme,” said Bob heartily. And they -talked it over most of the way up to Warder, and finally -decided that a silver loving cup with a suitable inscription -would be as appropriate as anything they could -afford.</p> - -<p>“We’ll put her name on it too,” said Tom.</p> - -<p>“Mrs. Carey’s?” asked Bob. “You bet we will!”</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_217" id="Page_217">[217]</a></span></p> - -<p>“Sure!” said Nelson. “I’ll never forget that beef -broth she fed me!”</p> - -<p>They caught the five o’clock launch, as they had -planned, and climbed the hill to camp just as the last -supper-call was blowing.</p> - -<p>“That sounds good,” muttered Dan. “It’s like -getting home.”</p> - -<p>When they entered Poplar Hall and sought their -seats at the tables it was at once evident that the news -of yesterday’s escapade had preceded them. Such a -hand-clapping and cheering as burst forth was quite -disconcerting, and Nelson, at whom the most of it was -directed, poured milk into his bowl of cereal until it -overflowed and ran into his lap. After supper the Four -were mobbed and made to give a public recital of events; -but long before Bob, to whom the task of narration fell, -had finished they were summoned to the office. After -all, it wasn’t so bad. Mr. Clinton had some forcible -things to say to Dan on the subject of standing up in -a canoe during a wind, but after that he demanded the -story and became so interested that they began to take -courage. And afterward he complimented Nelson and -shook hands with him.</p> - -<p>“It was a bad business,” he said gravely, “but it’s -happily over with, and there’s no use denying that you -all acted in a sensible, plucky way. I’ve had a letter<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_218" id="Page_218">[218]</a></span> -from this Mr. Carey in which he begs me to go easy -with you. I don’t think I should have been very hard -on you anyhow. It was an accident arising from a -piece of foolhardiness that none of you are likely to -repeat. It will probably be worth all it has cost as a -lesson to you. It is a good thing to learn the limitations -of a canoe. You’d better get to bed early to-night, -all of you, and I’ll ask Doctor Smith to have a look at -you, Speede, and see if you need any medicine. Good -night.”</p> - -<p>“Good night, sir,” they chorused. And outside -they heaved sighs of relief.</p> - -<p>“I think,” said Dan thoughtfully, as they picked -their way across the darkening clearing toward Birch -Hall, “I think it’s about up to us to settle down and -be good for a while.”</p> - -<hr class="chap" /> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_219" id="Page_219">[219]</a></span></p> - - - - -<div class="chapter"> -<h2><a name="CHAPTER_XXI" id="CHAPTER_XXI">CHAPTER XXI</a><br /> -<span class="chtitle">TELLS HOW THE FOUR LAID PLANS AND HOW BOB PREPARED -FOR A VICTORY</span></h2> -</div> - - -<div> - <img class="drop-cap" src="images/dcap_n.jpg" width="100" height="113" alt="" /> -</div> - -<p class="noi drop-cap">Nelson awoke the next day to find himself -a hero. Being a hero has its discomforts, -and Nelson encountered them. -The smaller boys dogged his footsteps and -were proud and haughty for the rest of the day if they -succeeded in getting a word from him. The older boys -had less transparent ways of showing their admiration, -but show it they did, and Nelson, naturally somewhat -shy, suffered much annoyance. This state of things, -however, lasted but a few days, for the end of the vacation -was almost at hand and the inhabitants of Camp -Chicora had many things to occupy their minds. The -water sports were almost due and on the next Saturday -but one came the final game with Wickasaw, to decide -the summer’s supremacy in baseball. On the following -Monday the long trip began for all save Bob, Nelson, -and Dan, who were to return home on that day.</p> - -<p>During his three days’ absence from camp the nine, -minus their captain, had met defeat at the hands of a<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_220" id="Page_220">[220]</a></span> -team from a near-by resort, and Bob regretted the fact -and resolved that nothing should deter them from -winding up the baseball season with a decisive victory -over their particular rival, Camp Wickasaw. With -this in view he began morning practise, by which there -was a good three hours a day of batting, fielding, and -base-running instead of two as heretofore. The preparations -for the water carnival interfered somewhat with -the work, for Dan and Joe Carter, as well as a couple -of the lesser baseball lights, were to take part in the -sports. But Bob put in substitutes from the scrub when -necessary and kept at it, having set his heart on final -success.</p> - -<p>The carnival came on Saturday afternoon and was -held in Joy’s Cove, on the shore of which Camp Trescott -was situated. Chicora, Trescott, and Wickasaw -were the contestants, and the audience numbered fully -three hundred persons, friends of the boys of the three -camps, visitors from neighboring hotels, and residents -from near-by towns and villages. Chicora went over -in the steam-launch, the motor-dory, the skiffs, and the -canoes, after an early dinner, with flags flying. Wickasaw -followed them across, and the rival cheers echoed -over the lake. Camp Trescott was in holiday attire, the -camp colors, green and white, being everywhere displayed. -The pier and adjacent shore were thronged<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_221" id="Page_221">[221]</a></span> -with spectators, and many boats floated on the waters of -the cove.</p> - -<p>The events started off with the four-oared barge race. -Only Chicora and Trescott entered. The course was a -little under two miles in length and led to a buoy near -Evergreen Island and return. Chicora’s four got the -better of the start, and when the turn was reached they -were two lengths to the good. But poor steering around -the buoy lost them almost all of that advantage, and the -Trescott four were quick to profit. On the return -course they overtook Chicora’s boat, passed it a few -hundred yards from the finish, and crossed the line a -good three lengths in the lead. So first honors went to -the green and white, and cheers for Camp Trescott -awoke the echoes.</p> - -<p>Chicora did better in the race for steel boats, her -entry, manned by Joe Carter, finishing a hundred feet -ahead of the Wickasaw boat, which in turn led the -Trescott skiff by many yards.</p> - -<p>The fifty-yard swimming race for boys under sixteen -brought out a large number of entries, Chicora -offering seven of the number. Her hopes rested on -“Kid” Rooke. With such a large field there was lots -of crowding and splashing at the line, and many a good -swimmer was put out of it at the start. Rooke luckily -had the forethought to swim under water for the first<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_222" id="Page_222">[222]</a></span> -eight or ten strokes and so avoided some of the youths -who, with little hope of winning themselves, were -anxious to get in the way of dangerous rivals. It was -a pretty contest from start to finish, Rooke fighting it -out to the very end with Peterson of Wickasaw and -White of Trescott and only winning by an arm’s length -in fifty seconds. The race over the same course for the -elder boys proved a walkover for an eighteen-year-old -Wickasaw youth, who never had to hurry, and finished -in forty-seven seconds.</p> - -<p>In the half-mile event Tom entered for Chicora and -found himself opposed to two Wickasaw and three -Trescott fellows. The course was laid straight out from -the landing to a boat moored off Bass Island. The -swimmers were to round the boat and return on the -same course. The six contestants lined up on the edge -of the landing and at the word from Mr. Powers of -the Wickasaw Camp dove head foremost and struck out -for the stake-boat.</p> - -<p>Tom wasn’t much at sprinting, and so when half -the distance out had been covered he was several yards -behind the leaders. But the pace had been a fast one, -and Tom knew that sooner or later it must slow down. -And it did. As the six approached the boat, the leaders, -two Trescott fellows, were swimming at ordinary speed -and were making hard work of it. They turned homeward<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_223" id="Page_223">[223]</a></span> -first, but after that dropped rapidly behind. A -quarter of the way back Tom, still swimming the same -stroke he had started with, passed them and pulled himself -into third place. Twenty yards farther on he -came abreast of the Wickasaw crack; while, still maintaining -a good lead, sped the third Trescott entry.</p> - -<p>On the landing and along the curving shore of the -cove and out on the point scantily attired youths were -jumping and shouting encouragement to the swimmers. -Cheers for Chicora, for Wickasaw, and for Trescott -mingled. A hundred yards from the finish it seemed -that Trescott had the race beyond a doubt. But Tom, -twenty yards in the rear and well past the Wickasaw -rival, still swam steadily, hand over hand, burying his -face in the water at every stroke, and putting every -ounce of strength into his work. Not quite every ounce, -either, for when some eighty yards from the finish his -arms began to move just a little faster but not less -regularly, and the distance between first and second -men slowly lessened. Chicora saw this and her cheers -took on a more hopeful note.</p> - -<p>If Tom couldn’t sprint, at least he had wisely saved -something for just such an emergency as this. It wasn’t -so much that he increased his stroke as that he put more -power into it. With fifty yards yet to cover he had -cut the twenty yards in half, and he was still gaining.<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_224" id="Page_224">[224]</a></span> -Trescott’s cries grew frantic, but her representative -failed to respond. He had made a long, hard race, had -set the pace all the way from the turn, and had used -himself up in striving to beat the Wickasaw swimmer, -whom he had believed to be the only dangerous opponent. -And now he had nothing in reserve. The -nearer he fought to the finish line the weaker grew his -strokes, and Tom, swimming like a piece of machinery, -moving arms and legs slowly but powerfully, came -abreast of him sixty feet from the line, and without -raising his dripping head from the surface or altering -his stroke a mite drew steadily away from him and -won by ten or twelve feet in the creditable time of seventeen -minutes and nineteen and two-fifths seconds. And -Chicora laughed and cheered as Dan walked into the -water up to his knees and, lifting Tom bodily in his -arms, brought him ashore in triumph.</p> - -<p>Meanwhile Trescott had won the fifty-yard underwater -race and Wickasaw had come in first at the same -distance, swimming on the back. Chicora again triumphed -in the canoe race for doubles when Carter -and Dan drove the former’s crimson craft across the -finish fifty or sixty feet ahead of the opponents. And -again, in the diving contest, Dan excelled. But after -that the blue and gray was forced to take second and -third places. Trescott won the relay race, the tilting<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_225" id="Page_225">[225]</a></span> -and the fancy swimming contests. Wickasaw won the -canoe race for singles and the tub race. As only first -places counted, the sports came to an end with the -question of supremacy still in doubt, Chicora and -Trescott each having won five events and Wickasaw -four.</p> - -<p>It was dusk by this time, and audience and competitors -hurried away for supper, to reassemble at eight -o’clock for the fireworks and boat parade. The latter, -at least, was well worth seeing. There were over forty -boats in line, the Chicora leading, and each was gay -with Chinese lanterns and colored fire. In and out -across the lake they went, rounding the islands, skirting -the shores, and tracing strange patterns on the dark -surface of the water. On the point sky-rockets and -bombs sizzed and boomed their way upward in trails -of fire, and from the Chicora and the Wickasaw Roman -candles spilled their colored stars into the lake.</p> - -<p>In Joe Carter’s canoe he and Bob paddled along -near the end of the parade, while Tom, attired in a -hastily improvised costume of Turkey red, impersonated -a rather stout Devil and flourished a pitchfork, -while at his feet red fire burned in a tin plate and made -his round face almost as lurid as his costume. They -had lots of fun out of it, but the crowning glory of -their enjoyment came when they accidentally ran into<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_226" id="Page_226">[226]</a></span> -a Wickasaw canoe and spilled two boys and a councilor -into the lake. They worked heroically at the task of -rescue—when their laughter would allow them to—and -none of the three unfortunate “Wicks” sustained -further damage than a good wetting. After that the -fun was tame until, shortly before ten, they reached -their landing and the “Devil” slipped on the edge of -the wharf and went down to his waist in water and -sputtered and stammered as no Devil ever has before -or since. Joe said he was sure he heard the water -sizzle when Tom struck it.</p> - -<p>They took their lanterns up the hill with them, -such as were still burning, and hung them about the -trees in the clearing so that the place looked like a -garden set for an outdoor party. Long after Nelson -was in bed and he and Bob had ceased their whispering -he could see the mellow lights among the branches. -Perhaps that is why, when he did finally fall asleep, he -dreamed that Dan was the proprietor of a Chinese -laundry next door to the post-office at Crescent and that -he (Nelson) had lost his check for a pair of “sneakers” -which he had left there to be waterproofed and could -not get them back. To add to his annoyance he was -quite certain that the “sneakers” on the counter, in -which Dan was growing Chinese lilies, were his. Unfortunately -he couldn’t prove it, and Dan refused to<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_227" id="Page_227">[227]</a></span> -give them up, offering, however, to share the lilies with -him. This offer Nelson indignantly refused, and Dan -said:</p> - -<p>“Wake up, you lazy dub! Second bugle’s blown!”</p> - -<p>And Nelson, opening his eyes dazedly, found the -sunlight streaming through the window and painting -golden silhouettes on the gray blanket, while Dan, -attired principally in a bath towel and having got rid -of his queue, was impatiently tugging at his arm.</p> - -<p>Followed a wild race down the hill, a scramble to -the diving platform, and a long plunge into cool green -depths. Three dives and it was time to be out, for -they had overslept. A brisk rubbing in the tent until -the body glowed, a race up-hill that brought them panting -and laughing to the dormitory, a hurried dressing -and a brief toilet with brushes and comb, and—breakfast! -Blueberries and cream, cereal, chops and potatoes, -hot muffins, and milk administered to hearty appetites. -And so began the last week of camp-life, a week -that, like all that had gone before, passed wonderfully -quickly and brought the fellows with disconcerting suddenness -to Saturday afternoon and the final contest -with Wickasaw.</p> - -<p>During that last week at Chicora Bob and Nelson -and Dan and Tom stuck together like brothers. The -realization that in a few days’ time they must part with<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_228" id="Page_228">[228]</a></span> -small likelihood of getting together again before next -summer, if then, made them anxious to see as much of -each other as possible in the time remaining. Two -months is a long time in the life of a boy and in it he -can make undying friendships. Whether such had -happened in the present case remained to be seen, but -certain it is that the Four had grown extremely fond -of each other. Tom was quite forlorn over the -parting.</p> - -<p>“It’s all well enough for the rest of you,” he said. -“You’re going home together, and Bob and Nel will -have a dandy time at St. Louis. But I’ve got to go on -this beastly trip all alone!”</p> - -<p>“You’ll have a fine time, Tommy,” said Bob consolingly. -“And then you’ll be going back to Hillton. -And you’ll have Nel with you there. If any one has -a kick seems to me it’s me. You three chaps will see -each other pretty frequently, but I’ll have to dig along -all by my lonesome.”</p> - -<p>“Don’t forget your promise to come down for the -football game,” said Dan.</p> - -<p>“I’ll come, but I sha’n’t know who to cheer for.”</p> - -<p>“Hillton,” said Nelson and Tom in a breath.</p> - -<p>“St. Eustace,” said Dan.</p> - -<p>“I wish we didn’t all live so far away from each -other,” said Tom. “You’re away up in Portland,<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_229" id="Page_229">[229]</a></span> -Nel’s in Boston, Dan’s in New York, and I’m out in -Chicago.”</p> - -<p>“You ought to live in a decent part of the world,” -answered Dan.</p> - -<p>“Cut it out, you two,” said Bob. “Don’t get -started on one of your arguments about New York and -Chicago. They’re beastly holes, both of ’em. Come -to Portland.”</p> - -<p>This suggestion brought forth three howls of derision.</p> - -<p>“Anyway,” said Dan, “I wish we might go to -college together.”</p> - -<p>“Why can’t we?” asked Nelson. “You fellows all -come to Harvard!”</p> - -<p>“I couldn’t,” Dan replied. “My dad went to Yale -and he’d scalp me if I told him I wanted to enter Harvard.”</p> - -<p>“And I’m booked for Chicago,” said Tom mournfully.</p> - -<p>“Poor chap,” said Dan commiseratingly. Whereupon -Tom flared up.</p> - -<p>“It’s a gu-gu-gu-good college, and you know it. -Only I-I-I-I’d like to be with you fu-fu-fu-fellows!”</p> - -<p>“That’s easy,” said Bob. “You all come with me -to Erskine.”</p> - -<p>“It’s such a little place,” objected Dan.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_230" id="Page_230">[230]</a></span></p> - -<p>“It’s got as much land as Yale, and more too, I -guess.”</p> - -<p>“I mean there are so few fellows there.”</p> - -<p>“Well,” answered Bob thoughtfully, “maybe there -aren’t very many people in heaven, but that’s no sign -it isn’t a good place to go to!”</p> - -<p>“Do you mean,” laughed Dan, “that Yale is—er—the -other place?”</p> - -<p>“Or Harvard?” asked Nelson in mock anger.</p> - -<p>“Or Chicago?” added Tom.</p> - -<p>“Well, now, as to Chicago, Tommy,” answered -Bob, “you said yourself you were going there, and -you know what you were Saturday night!”</p> - -<p>After the laughter had subsided they discussed the -subject seriously and at length. In the end it was -decided that if their parents would consent Nelson, -Dan, and Tom were to join Bob at Erskine College -three years from the approaching month—examination -boards permitting. Incidentally it may be announced -that their parents did consent, that examiners did permit, -and that their plans succeeded. But that is a story -all to itself and has nothing to do with the present -narrative.</p> - -<p>Mr. Clinton had been called in to aid in the matter -of the silver loving-cup for the Careys and had attended -to the selection of it on one of his trips to Boston. On<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_231" id="Page_231">[231]</a></span> -Friday it arrived. Lack of funds had prohibited the -purchase of anything very elaborate, but the gift was -quite worthy of acceptance. It was a plain cup, in -shape like a Greek vase, seven inches high. The handles -were of ebony, and there was a little ebony stand for -it to rest upon. The inscription had caused the Four -not a little worry. As finally decided on it read:</p> - -<p class="noic"> -<span class="smcap">To Mr. and Mrs. Charles A. Carey</span><br /> -<span class="lcsmcaps">A TOKEN OF ESTEEM<br /> -AND GRATITUDE<br /> -FROM</span><br /> -<span class="smcap">The Four</span><br /> -<span class="smcap">August 18, 1904</span> -</p> - -<hr class="r15" /> - -<p class="noic"> -<span class="smcap">Robert W. Hethington</span><br /> -<span class="smcap">Nelson E. Tilford</span><br /> -<span class="smcap">Daniel H. F. Speede</span><br /> -<span class="smcap">Thomas C. Ferris</span><br /> -</p> - -<p>They were hugely pleased with it and kept it a -whole day to admire and exhibit. Then it went off by -express, and in due time there came a reply which, as -the Four had scattered, went from Chicago to Portland, -to Boston, to New York, to Chicago, and from -there came east again in Tom’s trunk to Hillton.</p> - -<p>But, lest you make the mistake of thinking that -final week a period of laziness, it should be said that<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_232" id="Page_232">[232]</a></span> -the baseball diamond was worn almost bare of grass. -Every morning and every afternoon the nine practised -in preparation for the Wickasaw game. As for eight -of the nine, they didn’t feel that life would be ruined -even if Wickasaw did beat them. But Bob was of -another sort; he had set his heart on winning and would -go home feeling that the summer had ended in disgrace -if Wickasaw again triumphed; and so the others caught -some of the infection from him and labored zealously in -the hottest kind of a sun morning and afternoon until -Friday. On Friday there was only a half hour’s easy -work, for Bob had his ideas on the subject of training. -That night, about the camp-fire, the prospect was talked -over and it was generally agreed that if Wells, who -was again to pitch, didn’t go up in the air Chicora was -pretty certain of victory. That, as events turned out, -was a big “if.”</p> - -<hr class="chap" /> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_233" id="Page_233">[233]</a></span></p> - - - - -<div class="chapter"> -<h2><a name="CHAPTER_XXII" id="CHAPTER_XXII">CHAPTER XXII</a><br /> -<span class="chtitle">NARRATES THE PROGRESS OF THE CONTEST WITH -WICKASAW, AND WITNESSES THE DISINTEGRATION -OF ONE WELLS</span></h2> -</div> - - -<ul> - <li><span class="smcap">Tilford</span>, c.f.</li> - <li><span class="smcap">Speede</span>, 1b.</li> - <li><span class="smcap">Carter</span>, 2b.</li> - <li><span class="smcap">Ridley</span>, r.f.</li> - <li><span class="smcap">Loom</span>, ss.</li> - <li><span class="smcap">Bryant</span>, l.f.</li> - <li><span class="smcap">Hethington</span>, c.</li> - <li><span class="smcap">Van Roden</span>, 3b.</li> - <li><span class="smcap">Wells</span>, p.</li> -</ul> - -<div> - <img class="drop-cap" src="images/dcap_t.jpg" width="100" height="113" alt="" /> -</div> - -<p class="noi drop-cap">That’s the way the names were written in -the score-book by the Official Scorer, Mr. -“Babe” Fowler, who sat on a soap-box -and looked and felt vastly important. Behind -him and about him—sometimes, much to his -wrath, interfering with his view of the proceedings—sat -and stood the boys of Camp Chicora. Across the -plate were the supporters of Wickasaw, while here and -there, wherever shade was to be found, were spectators -from the Inn, the village, Camp Trescott, and the -smaller hotels and boarding-houses around. Behind -Bob stood one of the Trescott councilors, Mr. Downer, -who was to umpire. Mr. Clinton, and Mr. Powers<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_234" id="Page_234">[234]</a></span> -of Wickasaw, watched the contest side by side from -under the latter’s big linen umbrella.</p> - -<p>The afternoon was roasting hot, and by mutual -consent the beginning of the game had been postponed -from three until four. But even now, as Mr. Downer -called “Play!” the sun beat down on the meadow in -a manner far from pleasant, while not a breeze stirred -the leaves along the lake. But the players were too -much interested to notice such a small matter, while as -for the lookers-on they good-naturedly made the best of -conditions, cheered by the knowledge that they could -seek launches or rowboats whenever they pleased and -speedily find a cooler spot than this low-lying meadow -with its encompassing walls of forest. Under a near-by -apple-tree Tom and Mr. Verder were fanning their -faces and munching the half-ripe apples that lay about -them.</p> - -<p>“I wonder if Wells will last out,” mused Tom. -“He’s a queer dub. He told me this morning that he -couldn’t stand hot weather and asked if I thought Bob -couldn’t have the game postponed.”</p> - -<p>“Yes, he is a bit funny,” answered Mr. Verder. -“Well, they’re starting. I’m glad we’ve got our last -innings. That’s Bremer, one of Wickasaw’s councilors, -at bat. I used to know him at prep school. He didn’t -know much about baseball in those days.”</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_235" id="Page_235">[235]</a></span></p> - -<p>“I guess he doesn’t know much now,” chuckled Tom -as Bremer struck at a ball so wide of the plate that -Bob disdained to even attempt to stop it. Bremer went -out on strikes, the next man popped a tiny fly into -short-stop’s ready hands, and the third batsman was -thrown out at first by Wells.</p> - -<p>“No safe hitting there,” said Mr. Verder.</p> - -<p>“Wonder if there’ll be any in this inning?” said -Tom.</p> - -<p>There wasn’t. Nelson struck out ignominiously, -Dan failed to reach first ahead of the ball, and Joe -Carter sent up a fly that seemed aimed at the third -baseman’s big mitten. And so things went, with slight -variations, until the first half of the fourth. Then -Hoyt, the Wickasaw captain and first-baseman, found -Wells for a long drive into left field that netted him -two bases. Bennett, a councilor and the rival pitcher, -followed this with a scratch hit that took him to first and -sent Hoyt on to third, and the next man up, although -he went out at first, brought in the first tally of the -game.</p> - -<p>And the score remained 1 to 0 until the last of the -sixth. In that inning Chicora developed a batting -streak, Dan, Carter, and Ridley each finding Bennett -for singles, and the bases were full when Loom sent a -long fly into right field. Dan scored, Carter went to<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_236" id="Page_236">[236]</a></span> -third, and Ridley to second. Loom went out. Bryant -retired after three strikes, but Bob, who followed him, -hit safely for two bases, and the score was 3 to 1. -Nothing happened in the seventh, and it looked as -though 3 to 1 might be the final figures. But with the -beginning of the eighth inning affairs took on a different -appearance.</p> - -<p>Wickasaw’s center-fielder went to bat, waited for a -pass to first and got it. Bob called out for the infielders -to play for second. As expected, the next man attempted -a sacrifice. Had Carter not muffed a good -throw from Van Roden all might have been well, but -as it was there was a man on second and one on first -with none out. Wells looked worried and the coaching -across the field added to his discomfiture. The immediate -result was that the Wickasaw third-baseman received -the ball on his elbow and trotted to first base. -Bob informed the umpire persuasively that the batsman -had not tried to avoid being struck, but the umpire -couldn’t see it that way. Things looked bad for Chicora; -the bases were full and not one of the opponents -was out.</p> - -<p>The next man was Bremer, a councilor, and he -should have been an easy victim. But Wells seemed -unable to pitch a decent ball, and after four efforts -Bremer went down the line and the man on third trotted<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_237" id="Page_237">[237]</a></span> -home amid the wild applause of Wickasaw. Bob walked -down to Wells, keeping a close watch on the bases, and -strove to put confidence into him.</p> - -<p>“Take your time, Wells,” he whispered. “There’s -no hurry.”</p> - -<p>But Wells had become sullen and stubborn.</p> - -<p>“I can’t help it,” he muttered. “I told you I -didn’t want to pitch to-day, that I couldn’t do anything. -The heat——”</p> - -<p>“Oh, never mind the heat,” answered Bob soothingly. -“Just put the balls over; let them hit; we’ll -attend to them all right.”</p> - -<p>“That’s easy enough to say, but I’m not feeling -well,” grumbled Wells. “My arm’s tired, and it’s so -hot——”</p> - -<p>“Well, try your best, that’s a good chap. Get them -over the plate; never mind if they hit them.”</p> - -<p>“All right,” answered the pitcher despondently.</p> - -<p>The Wickasaw captain found the first ball, but it -went up in an infield fly. The next man, too, went out; -Loom pulled down his liner head-high and the man on -third scurried back to his base. Then came the Wickasaw -catcher—and Wells kindly presented him with his -base, and again the “Babe” was forced to score a tally -for the enemy. The honors were even now, but the -inning was not yet at an end. Wells went thoroughly<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_238" id="Page_238">[238]</a></span> -to pieces. A two-base hit by one of the rival nine’s -councilors brought in two men and still left second and -third bases occupied. Wickasaw’s supporters kept up -a continuous shouting, hoping doubtless to add to the -discomfiture of the Chicora pitcher, while back of first -and third bases the Wickasaw coachers screamed and -yelled with the same end in view. Naturally enough, -Wells’s wildness eventually proved contagious, and it -was Bob himself who let in the next run, missing a throw -to the plate after a hit. But if he was accountable for -that tally he was also accountable for the termination -of the inning. For he managed to toss the ball, while -lying flat on his back, to the plate in time to put out -the next ambitious Wickasaw runner. And so the rout -finally came to an end with the score 6 to 3 in Wickasaw’s -favor.</p> - -<p>Bob was an anxious-looking youth when the side -trotted in and threw themselves about the ground to -rest and cool off.</p> - -<p>“I don’t know what the dickens to do,” he said to -Dan and Nelson. “There’s no use putting Wells in -again, even if he’d go, and he says he won’t. Little -Morris can’t pitch on account of his ivy-poisoning. -Van Roden has done a little of it, but he can only pitch -a straight ball, and it isn’t even swift. Who’s up, -‘Babe’?”</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_239" id="Page_239">[239]</a></span></p> - -<p>“Ridley up, Loom on deck!” piped the “Babe.”</p> - -<p>“For goodness’ sake, Rid, hit the ball!” called -Bob. “We’ve got to get four runs this inning.” And -after Ridley had nodded and stepped to the plate Bob -went on: “The worst of it is we’ve got our tail-enders -coming up. After Loom there isn’t a man can hit. -However—” He turned frowningly to watch Ridley, -chewing savagely at the blade of grass between his -teeth. Ridley made a safe hit and went to first, and -Chicora applauded wildly.</p> - -<p>“Joe, coach at first, will you?” Bob called. -“You’re up, Loom. You know what to do, old chap. -We need runs, you know.” Then he turned to Dan and -Nelson again. “Look here, what do you fellows think? -Shall I give Van a chance?”</p> - -<p>“No use,” answered Dan gloomily. “He’s no -pitcher. Isn’t there any one else?” Bob shook his -head.</p> - -<p>“Not a soul that I know of. I’ll try it myself, if -you say so,” he said with a feeble effort at humor.</p> - -<p>“You cu-cu-cu-couldn’t do mu-mu-mu-much worse!” -stuttered Tom, who had long since left the shade of the -apple-tree and was now hopping around wide-eyed with -excitement. “Why du-du-du-don’t you mu-mu-make -Nel pu-pu-pu-pitch?”</p> - -<p>“Can you?” cried Bob.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_240" id="Page_240">[240]</a></span></p> - -<p>“No; that is, mighty little, Bob,” answered Nelson. -“I pitched one season on a class team. But I’m willing -to try if you want me to. Only don’t expect much; I’ll -probably be worse than Wells was the last inning.”</p> - -<p>“Find a ball,” said Bob quickly, his face lighting -up with hope, “and pitch me a few. Where’s my mitten? -Say, Nel, why didn’t you tell me you could -pitch?”</p> - -<p>“I can’t, not enough to call pitching. I can get a -ball over now and then and I used to be able to work a -pretty fair drop, but that’s about all. You’ll have to -explain signals to me.”</p> - -<p>“All right. Say, Van, run over and tell Kendall I -want him to play center field, will you? There he is -talking to Clint. Scoot!”</p> - -<p>There was a yell at that moment, and Bob and -Nelson looked up in time to see Loom drive out a pretty -liner toward first. He was out without question, but -the sacrifice had advanced Ridley to second, and Chicora’s -little group of cheerers made themselves heard. -Bob ran over to speak to Bryant, who was next up, and -then came back to Nelson. The signals were quickly -explained, and Nelson began throwing into Bob’s big -mitten, slowly at first, then increasing in speed as something -of the knack came back to him. Bryant offered -at a close ball, and Ridley, who was ready and waiting,<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_241" id="Page_241">[241]</a></span> -shot out for third. Catcher lost a half a second in -getting the ball down, and the umpire waved his hand -downward; Ridley was safe. Dan took Bob’s place in -front of Nelson, and Bob hurried over to Ridley’s -assistance, relieving Loom on the coacher’s line.</p> - -<p>Nelson felt some of his old power returning to him -and slammed ball after ball into Dan’s hands in a way -that made that youth grin with approval. Once or -twice he essayed a drop with but indifferent success; -somehow, he couldn’t yet make that work.</p> - -<p>Bryant connected with a straight ball over the plate, -which, had he allowed it to pass, would have been the -third strike, and lit out for first. At the same instant -Ridley started for home. But Wickasaw’s short-stop -smothered the ball on its first bounce and lined it in -to the plate. Ridley doubled back, slid for the base, and -got there an instant ahead of the ball. Bryant was -safe at first. Chicora’s shouts were deafening. The -audience had gradually edged toward the infield until -now the paths to first and to third were lined with excited -partizans of the rival teams. Bob trotted in and -selected his bat, pulled his gray cap firmly down on to -his head, and went to the plate. Nelson stopped his -work to watch. There were two on bases; a home run -would tie the score.</p> - -<hr class="chap" /> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_242" id="Page_242">[242]</a></span></p> - - - - -<div class="chapter"> -<h2><a name="CHAPTER_XXIII" id="CHAPTER_XXIII">CHAPTER XXIII</a><br /> -<span class="chtitle">PROVES THE SCORE-BOOK IN ERROR AND CLOSES -THE STORY</span></h2> -</div> - - -<div> - <img class="drop-cap" src="images/dcap_a.jpg" width="100" height="113" alt="" /> -</div> - -<p class="noi drop-cap">As the first ball left the pitcher’s hand -Bryant trotted along to second, secure in -the knowledge that catcher would not -throw down there with a man on third. -Chicora clamored for a home run. Bob watched the -pitcher calmly. The first two balls were wasted, but -the next sailed over the corner of the plate and was -a strike. Bob refused to offer at the following one, and -the umpire indorsed his choice. The score was three -and one. It looked as though a base on balls was to be -given in order to get Bob out of the way. But, whether -that was the pitcher’s plan or not, Bob was not satisfied -with so easy a victory. When the next delivery came -to him he reached out for it, caught it on the end of -his bat, and sent it sailing down the line over first-baseman’s -head.</p> - -<p>For a moment it looked like a home run, and the -wearers of the blue and gray leaped and shouted. In<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_243" id="Page_243">[243]</a></span> -raced Ridley and Bryant and around the bases flew Bob. -Out in right field the ball had fallen untouched to the -ground and was now speeding back to second-baseman, -who had run out to relay it in. Bob passed second and -reached third just as second-baseman turned and threw, -and Loom held him there. The score was 6 to 5 and -only one man was out.</p> - -<p>Van Roden stepped to the plate looking determined. -But he had no chance to distinguish himself very -greatly, for the Wickasaw pitcher was pretty well -rattled and four successive balls sent him to first at a -walk. Kendall, who followed him at bat, was a substitute -and owed his position on the team to his fielding -rather than his batting ability. But even Kendall -managed to connect with the second ball offered him, and -might, with speedier running, have beaten it out to first. -As it was, he made the second out and Bob’s hopes began -to fall. Nelson was the next man up and Nelson -had all day been unable to bat in anything like his real -form. Bob decided that if the score was to be even tied -in that inning, risks must be taken. “Two out, run -on anything!” was his order, while Wickasaw’s catcher -reminded his men to “play for the runner!”</p> - -<p>Nelson went to bat resolved to do the very best he -knew how, but not at all sanguine of success. The -thought that with him probably rested the fate of the<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_244" id="Page_244">[244]</a></span> -nine worried him. To be sure, Chicora might be able -to do something in the next and last inning, but that -wasn’t to be depended upon. The time was now, when, -with two runners on bases, a clean hit would put them -in the lead.</p> - -<p>The first delivery looked such a palpable ball that -he let it go by, discovering too late that it was an in-curve -and a strike. Van Roden trotted to second and -went on to a position half-way between that base and -the next. Bob was ten feet away from his bag, on his -toes, watching pitcher and catcher intently, ready to be -off on the slightest pretext. Another ball went across -the plate, and again a strike was scored against poor -Nelson, who mentally called himself names and gripped -his bat more fiercely. Bob decided that it was now or -never. As the catcher, with a glance in his direction, -threw the ball back to the pitcher, Bob started calmly -up the line toward the home plate at a walk.</p> - -<p>The pitcher was walking back to the box, and for -three or four seconds Bob’s leave-taking went unnoticed. -Then the third-baseman discovered his absence and -yelled wildly for the ball. The pitcher, wheeling about, -looked here, there, and everywhere save in the right -direction, ran a few steps toward second, thought better -of it, and finally obeyed the frantic injunctions of half -the players to “put it home,” although he didn’t see<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_245" id="Page_245">[245]</a></span> -why it was necessary, since Bob, who by that time had -increased his pace slightly, looked like any of the other -gray-and-blue-clad fellows behind him.</p> - -<p>But Bob had been watching from the tail of his eye, -even if he had seemed so unconcerned, and the instant -the pitcher raised his arm to throw <a href="#image06">he dashed for the -plate</a>, now only fifteen feet away. For the last ten feet -he was in the air and when he came down and slid across -the plate in a cloud of dust he had beaten the ball by -just a fraction of a second. He picked himself up, -patted the dust from his jersey, and stepped back to -where he could watch Nelson, while Chicora went wild -with delight, laughed and shrieked and tossed its caps -in air. There followed a delay during which Wickasaw -strove to find some rule which would nullify that tally. -But there is no law prohibiting a runner from becoming -a walker if he so pleases, and finally, much disgruntled, -Wickasaw went back to the game.</p> - -<div class="figcenter" style="width: 388px;"> -<a id="image06"> - <img src="images/image06.jpg" width="388" height="600" alt="" title="" /> -</a><br /> -<div class="caption"><a href="#Page_245">He dashed for the plate.</a></div> -</div> - -<p>As may be supposed, Van Roden had not neglected -his opportunity, and now he was on third. But his -chances of getting any farther seemed very slim as -Nelson stepped up to the plate again with two strikes -and no balls against him. A hit would make the score -7 to 6 in Chicora’s favor, but he doubted his ability to -secure it. The Wickasaw pitcher had suddenly become -very deliberate. He eyed Nelson thoughtfully for quite<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_246" id="Page_246">[246]</a></span> -five seconds before he wound himself up, unwound -himself, and sped the sphere forward.</p> - -<p>“Ball!” said the umpire.</p> - -<p>Catcher returned to pitcher. On third Van Roden, -coached by Dan, was eager to score, and was taking -longer chances than even Bob approved of. As the -pitcher poised himself to deliver again Van Roden -made a dash up the line. His plan was to rattle both -pitcher and catcher and secure a passed ball to score on. -But although the pitcher threw wide of the base the -Wickasaw captain refused to muff the ball, and Van -Roden, sliding head foremost for the plate, felt the ball -thump against his shoulder while he was still two feet -away. But the crowd was close up to the line, and the -umpire, back of pitcher, had not seen it very well. He -shook his head and dropped his hand. A howl of angry -protest arose from the Wickasaw players who had been -near enough to see the out. In a moment Mr. Downer, -the center of a wrathful group of players, had called -“Time,” and was listening patiently to the protests. -Van Roden, grinning with delight, climbed to his feet -and walked off. Bob, in front of whom the affair -had taken place, walked out to the center of the -diamond. As soon as he might he gained the umpire’s -attention.</p> - -<p>“Could you see that very well, sir?” he asked.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_247" id="Page_247">[247]</a></span></p> - -<p>“Not very, I’ll acknowledge, because of the crowd -about the base. But it looked to me as though the -runner touched base before he was tagged. And that’s -my decision, boys.”</p> - -<p>Again the protests arose. Bob raised his hand.</p> - -<p>“Just a moment, please,” he said. “I was there, -Mr. Downer, and saw it——”</p> - -<p>“Well, so was I there!” cried the Wickasaw -catcher and captain angrily. “I tell you I caught -him two feet off base!”</p> - -<p>“That’s right!” cried the pitcher.</p> - -<p>“I was there and saw it,” repeated Bob dryly. -“The runner was out.”</p> - -<p>There was an instant of silence during which the -Wickasaw players observed the captain of the rival -team as though they thought he had gone suddenly -insane. Then:</p> - -<p>“Their own captain says he was out!” exclaimed -the pitcher, turning eagerly to the umpire, “and if he -acknowledges it——”</p> - -<p>“I’m satisfied,” responded Mr. Downer, with a -smile. “Out at the plate!”</p> - -<hr class="tb" /> - -<p>Almost an hour later Chicora, cheering as though -after a victory, steamed home in the launch or trudged -back through the woods, while Wickasaw, apparently<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_248" id="Page_248">[248]</a></span> -no less elated, took herself off across the lake to Bear -Island. It was almost dark. The game had come to -an end after thirteen innings with the score 6 to 6. -Time and again Chicora had placed men on bases only -to have them left there. For five innings Nelson had -held the opponents down to a handful of scratch hits, -none of which yielded a score. It had been a hard -and well-fought contest and only darkness had brought -it to a close. Although the score-book, sedulously -guarded by the “Babe,” pronounced the game a tie, -yet there were many among those that knew how the -eighth inning had ended who credited a victory—and -a gorgeous one—to Chicora. Scores do not always tell -the whole story.</p> - -<hr class="tb" /> - -<p>Two days later, while the sun was just peeping -over the hills, Bob, Dan, and Nelson stood on the deck -of the Navigation Company’s steamer, their trunks on -board and their bags beside them. On the landing was -assembled Camp Chicora in a body, and well in front, -in momentary peril of an involuntary bath, stood Tom, -a rather doleful Tom, whose eyes never for an instant -left the faces of the three on deck.</p> - -<p>The line was cast off, the propeller churned impatiently, -and the head of the launch swung toward the -foot of the lake, the railroad, and home. The departing<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_249" id="Page_249">[249]</a></span> -ones had been cheered separately and collectively, and -as the boat gathered way only a confused medley of -shouts and laughter followed them. Only that, do I -say? No, for as the boat reached the point and the -group on the pier was lost to sight there came a final -hail, faint yet distinct:</p> - -<p>“Gu-gu-gu-good bu-bu-bu-by!”</p> - - -<p class="p4 noic">THE END</p> - - - - -<hr class="chap" /> -<p class="noic adtitle bbdbl btdbl">By RALPH HENRY BARBOUR.</p> - - -<p class="noi"><span class="adtitle">On Your Mark!</span></p> - -<p class="addesc">A Story of College Life and Athletics. Illustrated in -Colors by <span class="smcap">C. M. Relyea</span>. 12mo. Cloth, $1.50.</p> - -<p>Mr. Barbour’s boys are real boys living in a very real world; and no other -author has caught so truly the spirit and ideals of school and college life.</p> - - -<p class="p2 noi"><span class="adtitle">The Arrival of Jimpson.</span></p> - -<p class="addesc">Illustrated. 12mo. Cloth, $1.50.</p> - -<p>Good stories of college pranks, baseball, football, hockey, college newspapers, -and all the features that go to make the little world of college life.</p> - - -<p class="p2 noi"><span class="adtitle">The Book of School and College Sports.</span></p> - -<p class="addesc">Fully illustrated. 12mo. Cloth, $1.75 net; postage additional.</p> - -<p>The author has been assisted in preparing this work by Messrs. Paine, -Robinson, Shick, Jr., and Abercrombie. The book is thoroughly up to date.</p> - - -<p class="p2 noi"><span class="adtitle">Weatherby’s Inning.</span></p> - -<p class="addesc">A Story of College Life and Baseball. Illustrated in Colors by -<span class="smcap">C. M. Relyea</span>. 12mo. Cloth, $1.50.</p> - -<p>In this recent book Mr. Barbour tells a story of college life and sport that -will appeal to all readers who enjoy a well-written story with a good plot.</p> - - -<p class="p2 noi"><span class="adtitle">Behind the Line.</span></p> - -<p class="addesc">A Story of School and Football. Illustrated by -<span class="smcap">C. M. Relyea</span>. 12mo. Cloth, $1.50.</p> - -<p>“He writes with a picturesque vigor and a knowledge of his -subject.”<span class="flright">—<cite>St. Louis Post-Dispatch.</cite></span></p> - - -<p class="p2 noi"><span class="adtitle">Captain of the Crew.</span></p> - -<p class="addesc">Illustrated by <span class="smcap">C. M. Relyea</span>. 12mo. 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APPLETON AND COMPANY, NEW YORK.</p> - - - - -<hr class="chap" /> -<p class="noic adtitle bbdbl btdbl">BY HEZEKIAH BUTTERWORTH.</p> - - -<p class="noi"><span class="adtitle">Brother Jonathan; or, the Alarm Post in the Cedars.</span></p> - -<p class="addesc">A Tale of Early Connecticut. Illustrated. Colored Frontispiece. -12mo. Cloth, $1.50.</p> - -<p>A stirring tale of the early days of Connecticut, dominated by the forceful personality -of Jonathan Trumbull, whose name, through its affectionate use by George -Washington, has become the familiar nickname of the nation that he helped to make.</p> - - -<p class="p2 noi"><span class="adtitle">In the Days of Audubon.</span></p> - -<p class="addesc">A Tale of the “Protector of Birds.” Illustrated by B. West Clinedinst -and others. 12mo. Cloth, $1.50.</p> - - -<p class="p2 noi"><span class="adtitle">In the Days of Jefferson; or, The Six Golden Horseshoes.</span></p> - -<p class="addesc">A Tale of Republican Simplicity. Illustrated by F. T. 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With 6 full-page -Illustrations. $1.50.</p> - - -<p class="p2 noi"><span class="adtitle">The Knight of Liberty.</span></p> - -<p class="addesc">A Tale of the Fortunes of Lafayette. With 6 full-page Illustrations. -$1.50.</p> - - -<p class="p2 noi"><span class="adtitle">The Patriot Schoolmaster.</span></p> - -<p class="addesc">A Tale of the Minutemen and the Sons of Liberty. With 6 full-page -Illustrations by H. Winthrop Peirce. $1.50.</p> - - -<p class="p2 noi"><span class="adtitle">In the Boyhood of Lincoln.</span></p> - -<p class="addesc">A Story of the Black Hawk War and the Tunker Schoolmaster. With -12 Illustrations and colored Frontispiece. $1.50.</p> - - -<p class="p2 noi"><span class="adtitle">The Boys of Greenway Court.</span></p> - -<p class="addesc">A Story of the Early Years of Washington. With 10 full-page Illustrations. -$1.50.</p> - - -<p class="p2 noi"><span class="adtitle">The Log School-House on the Columbia.</span></p> - -<p class="addesc">With 13 full-page Illustrations by J. Carter Beard, E. J. Austen, and -others. $1.50.</p> - - -<p class="p2 noic adauthor bb bt">D. APPLETON AND COMPANY, NEW YORK.</p> - - - - -<hr class="chap" /> -<p class="noic adtitle bbdbl btdbl">BY WILLIAM O. STODDARD.</p> - -<p class="noic">Each Illustrated. 12mo. Cloth, $1.50.</p> - - -<p class="p2 noi"><span class="adtitle">The Fight for the Valley.</span></p> - -<p class="addesc">Colored Frontispiece and other Illustrations.</p> - -<p>A narrative of the brave defence of Fort Schuyler and the battle of Oriskany.</p> - - -<p class="p2 noi"><span class="adtitle">The Spy of Yorktown.</span></p> - -<p class="addesc">Illustrated. 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Dellenbaugh, portraits of Sitting Bull, Red Cloud, and other -chiefs, and 72 head and tail pieces representing the various implements -and surroundings of Indian life.</p> - - -<p class="p2 noi"><span class="adtitle">Crowded Out o’ Crofield.</span></p> - -<p class="addesc">The Story of a country boy who fought his way to success in the -great metropolis. With 23 Illustrations by C. T. Hill.</p> - - -<p class="p2 noic adauthor bb bt">D. APPLETON AND COMPANY, NEW YORK.</p> - - - - -<hr class="chap" /> -<p class="noic adtitle bbdbl btdbl">By C. C. HOTCHKISS.</p> - - -<p class="noi"><span class="adtitle">The Land Hero of 1812.</span></p> - -<p class="addesc">Illustrated by <span class="smcap">B. West Clinedinst</span>. 12mo. Cloth, $1.25.</p> - -<p>Mr. Hotchkiss, who is well known through his stories for grown-ups, has -chosen as the subject of his first book for boys the life of Andrew Jackson. -While the facts of history are presented, the author adroitly constructed his -story upon the most picturesque incidents of Jackson’s varied career. The -book is therefore instructive as well as interesting.</p> - -<p class="noi"><b>The Strength of the Weak.</b> 12mo. Cloth, $1.50.</p> - -<p class="noi"><b>For a Maiden Brave.</b> Illustrated in colors. 12mo. Cloth, $1.50.</p> - - -<p class="noic adtitle bbdbl btdbl">By GABRIELLE E. JACKSON.</p> - -<p class="noi"><span class="adtitle">Three College Graces.</span></p> - -<p class="addesc">With Illustrations in tint by <span class="smcap">C. M. Relyea</span>. 12mo. -Cloth, $1.50.</p> - -<p>A charming story of college life, its ideals, recreations, temptations, and -rewards. This book tells of the maturer years of the three little girls described -in</p> - -<p class="noi addesc hang"><b>Three Graces.</b> Illustrated in colors by <span class="smcap">C. M. Relyea</span>. 12mo. -Cloth, $1.25 net; postage additional.</p> - -<p>A story for girls of boarding-school life, full of incident and wholesome -characterization, with delightfully cozy scenes of indoor enjoyment and an -exciting description of a Hallowe’en escapade.</p> - - -<p class="noic adtitle bbdbl btdbl">By OTTILIE A. LILJENCRANTZ.</p> - -<p class="noi"><span class="adtitle">The Vinland Champions.</span></p> - -<p class="addesc">Illustrated by the <span class="smcap">Kinneys</span>. 12mo. Cloth, $1.50.</p> - -<p>A rousing good boy’s book with plenty of dash and go, and a glimpse of -the wild, free life of the Vikings in it. Every school-boy has heard of the -vague rumor that the Norsemen discovered America before Christopher Columbus. -This story tells of the party of one hundred Icelanders who went -and dwelt there and called it the “Peace Land.”</p> - - -<p class="noic adtitle bbdbl btdbl">By JULIE M. LIPPMANN.</p> - -<p class="noi"><span class="adtitle">Every-Day Girls.</span></p> - -<p class="addesc">Illustrated in colors. 12mo. Cloth, $1.50.</p> - -<p>The best book for girls that has appeared in years; it has all the charm -and sweetness that is contained in “Little Women.” It is not merely a chronicle -of events, however, but teaches a valuable lesson. The girls are sweet -and lovely, and quarrelsome and impulsive, just as every-day girls are. They -have a hard and exciting time, and they fight a battle and win it. It is a -charming, wholesome book.</p> - - -<p class="p2 noic adauthor bb bt">D. APPLETON AND COMPANY, NEW YORK.</p> - - - - -<hr class="chap" /> -<div class="tnote"> -<p class="noi tntitle">Transcriber’s Notes:</p> - -<p class="smfont">Except for the frontispiece, illustrations have been moved - to the text that they illustrate, so the page number of the - illustration may not match the page number in the Illustrations.</p> - -<p class="smfont">Punctuation and spelling inaccuracies were silently corrected.</p> - -<p class="smfont">Archaic and variable spelling has been preserved.</p> - -<p class="smfont">Variations in hyphenation and compound words have been preserved.</p> - -<p class="smfont">The Author’s em-dash style has been retained.</p> -</div> - - - - - - - - -<pre> - - - - - -End of the Project Gutenberg EBook of Four in Camp, by Ralph Henry Barbour - -*** END OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK FOUR IN CAMP *** - -***** This file should be named 50590-h.htm or 50590-h.zip ***** -This and all associated files of various formats will be found in: - http://www.gutenberg.org/5/0/5/9/50590/ - -Produced by Donald Cummings and the Online Distributed -Proofreading Team at http://www.pgdp.net - -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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