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| author | nfenwick <nfenwick@pglaf.org> | 2025-02-06 05:53:38 -0800 |
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| committer | nfenwick <nfenwick@pglaf.org> | 2025-02-06 05:53:38 -0800 |
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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..3ab22f4 --- /dev/null +++ b/README.md @@ -0,0 +1,2 @@ +Project Gutenberg (https://www.gutenberg.org) public repository for +eBook #52978 (https://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/52978) diff --git a/old/52978-h.zip b/old/52978-h.zip Binary files differdeleted file mode 100644 index 1b6693f..0000000 --- a/old/52978-h.zip +++ /dev/null diff --git a/old/52978-h/52978-h.htm b/old/52978-h/52978-h.htm deleted file mode 100644 index ea7098e..0000000 --- a/old/52978-h/52978-h.htm +++ /dev/null @@ -1,8282 +0,0 @@ -<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Strict//EN" - "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-strict.dtd"> - -<html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml"> - <head> - <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html;charset=iso-8859-1" /> - <title> - The Project Gutenberg eBook of Stem To Stern, by Oliver Optic. - </title> - <style type="text/css"> - - p { margin-top: .75em; - text-align: justify; - margin-bottom: .75em; - } - - p.bold {text-align: center; font-weight: bold;} - p.bold2 {text-align: center; font-weight: bold; font-size: 150%;} - - h1,h2,h3,h4,h5,h6 { - text-align: center; /* all headings centered */ - clear: both; - } - h1 span, h2 span { display: block; text-align: center; } - #id1 { font-size: smaller } - - - hr { - width: 33%; - margin-top: 2em; - margin-bottom: 2em; - margin-left: 33.5%; - margin-right: 33.5%; - clear: both; - } - - hr.smler { - width: 15%; - margin-top: 2em; - margin-bottom: 2em; - margin-left: 42.5%; - margin-right: 42.5%; - clear: both; - } - - body{margin-left: 10%; - margin-right: 10%; - } - - table {margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; padding: 5px; border-collapse: collapse; border: none; text-align: right;} - - .pagenum { /* uncomment the next line for invisible page numbers */ - /* visibility: hidden; */ - position: absolute; - left: 92%; - font-size: smaller; - text-align: right; - text-indent: 0px; - } /* page numbers */ - - .center {text-align: center;} - .smaller {font-size: smaller;} - .smcap {font-variant: small-caps;} - .box2 {max-width: 20em; margin: 1.5em auto; border: 1px black solid; padding: 10px;} - .box3 {max-width: 28em; margin: 1.5em auto;} - .space-above {margin-top: 3em;} - .left {text-align: left;} - .uline { text-decoration: underline; } - .s3 {display: inline; margin-left: 3em;} - - </style> - </head> -<body> - - -<pre> - -The Project Gutenberg EBook of Stem to Stern, by Oliver Optic - -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: Stem to Stern - or building the boat - -Author: Oliver Optic - -Release Date: September 4, 2016 [EBook #52978] - -Language: English - -Character set encoding: ISO-8859-1 - -*** START OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK STEM TO STERN *** - - - - -Produced by Chris Curnow, Martin Pettit and the Online -Distributed Proofreading Team at http://www.pgdp.net (This -file was produced from images generously made available -by The Internet Archive) - - - - - - -</pre> - - -<div class="center"><a name="cover.jpg" id="cover.jpg"></a><img src="images/cover.jpg" alt="cover" /></div> - -<hr /> - -<div class="center"><img src="images/frontis.jpg" alt="Walk Billcord rushed out from the bushes" /></div> - -<p class="bold">"Walk Billcord rushed out from the bushes."—<a href="#Page_19">Page 19.</a></p> - -<hr /> - -<div class="center"><img src="images/titledec.jpg" alt="Boat builder series decorative title page" /></div> - -<hr /> - -<p><span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_1" id="Page_1">[Pg 1]</a></span></p> - -<p class="bold"><i>THE BOAT-BUILDER SERIES</i></p> - -<hr class="smler" /> - -<h1>STEM TO STERN</h1> - -<p class="bold">OR</p> - -<p class="bold2">BUILDING THE BOAT</p> - -<p class="bold space-above">BY</p> - -<p class="bold2">OLIVER OPTIC</p> - -<p class="bold">AUTHOR OF "YOUNG AMERICA ABROAD," "THE GREAT WESTERN SERIES," "THE<br /> -ARMY AND NAVY SERIES," "THE WOODVILLE SERIES," "THE STARRY-FLAG<br /> -SERIES," "THE BOAT-CLUB STORIES," "THE ONWARD AND<br /> -UPWARD SERIES," "THE YACHT-CLUB SERIES," "THE<br />LAKE-SHORE SERIES," "THE RIVERDALE SERIES,"<br /> -"ALL ADRIFT," "SNUG HARBOR,"<br />"SQUARE AND COMPASSES,"<br />ETC., ETC.</p> - -<p class="bold space-above">With Illustrations</p> - -<p class="bold space-above">BOSTON<br />LEE AND SHEPARD PUBLISHERS<br /> -NEW YORK CHARLES T. DILLINGHAM<br />1886</p> - -<hr /> - -<p><span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_2" id="Page_2">[Pg 2]</a></span></p> - -<p class="center"><i>Copyright, 1885</i>,<br /><span class="smcap">By William T. Adams</span>.<br /> -——<br /><i>All Rights Reserved.</i><br />——<br />STEM TO STERN.</p> - -<p class="center space-above"><span class="smcap">Electrotyped by<br /> -C. J. Peters & Son, Boston.</span></p> - -<hr /> - -<p><span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_3" id="Page_3">[Pg 3]</a></span></p> - -<p class="center">TO<br /><br />MY ADOPTED "NEVVY,"<br /><br />JOHN S. SHRIVER<br /> -OF BALTIMORE,<br /><br />THIS BOOK IS AFFECTIONATELY<br />DEDICATED.</p> - -<hr /> - -<p><span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_4" id="Page_4">[Pg 4]</a></span></p> - -<div class="box2"> -<h2>The Boat-Builder Series.</h2> - -<hr class="smler" /> - -<blockquote><p>1. <span class="uline">ALL ADRIFT;</span> <span class="smcap">or, The Goldwing Club</span>.</p> - -<p>2. <span class="uline">SNUG HARBOR;</span> <span class="smcap">or, The Champlain Mechanics</span>.</p> - -<p>3. <span class="uline">SQUARE AND COMPASSES;</span> <span class="smcap">or, Building the House</span>.</p> - -<p>4. <span class="uline">STEM TO STERN;</span> <span class="smcap">or, Building the Boat</span>.</p> - -<p>5. <span class="uline">ALL TAUT;</span> <span class="smcap">or, Rigging the Boat</span>.</p> - -<p>6. <span class="uline">READY ABOUT;</span> <span class="smcap">or, Sailing the Boat</span>.</p></blockquote></div> - -<hr /> - -<p><span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_5" id="Page_5">[Pg 5]</a></span></p> - -<h2>PREFACE.</h2> - -<p>"<span class="smcap">Stem to Stern</span>" is the fourth volume of the "<span class="smcap">Boat-Builder Series</span>." Most -of the characters connected with the Beech Hill Industrial School -continue to take part in the action of the story. Like its predecessors, -a considerable portion of the work is devoted to business and mechanical -information. The writer finds it quite impracticable to give as minute -directions for the building of a boat as a few of his young readers may -desire, for the entire volume would hardly afford sufficient space for -all the details of planning and constructing a yacht. But he has -endeavored to impart some information in a general way in regard to -shipbuilding, and has indicated in what manner the ambitious young -boat-builder may obtain the amplest instruction in this difficult art. -It is necessary to assure his young friends that, with all<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_6" id="Page_6">[Pg 6]</a></span> the -book-knowledge it is possible to obtain on the subject, it will require -a great deal of skill and not a little scientific and technical learning -to enable him to construct anything more elaborate than an ordinary -flatboat. Nothing but assiduous practice can procure the skill, and -nothing but hard study the geometrical and technical details of the art.</p> - -<p>As in the preceding volumes of the series, "<span class="smcap">Stem to Stern</span>" is largely a -story of adventure on Lake Champlain and its shores. A new character is -introduced as the leading spirit of the story, whose struggles with the -difficulties in his life-path can hardly fail to interest the young -reader. Though he is peaceful and submissive under ordinary -circumstances, with none of the swellish importance of many boys of his -years, he is not a milk-and-water youth, and has pluck and strength -enough to "stand up" for those whom misfortune has placed under his -protection.</p> - -<p>Although the two remaining volumes of the series are especially devoted -to rigging and sailing a boat, the present and the preceding books -incidentally treat of these subjects. While so many young men<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_7" id="Page_7">[Pg 7]</a></span> on the -sea, lakes and rivers seem to inherit or early acquire a taste for boats -and boating, it is important that they should understand the theory of -managing a sailing craft, though nothing but intelligent practice can -make a competent "skipper." With such knowledge and skill, boat-sailing -is a safe, as well as a healthy and improving sport.</p> - -<p>As in former volumes, the writer has endeavored to interest his young -readers in mechanical operations and pursuits; and he hopes the series -will contribute its mite in influencing boys to respect manual labor and -to adopt it as a pastime or the business of life.</p> - -<p><span class="smcap">Dorchester, Mass.</span>, August 17, 1885.</p> - -<hr /> - -<p><span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_9" id="Page_9">[Pg 9]</a></span></p> - -<h2>CONTENTS.</h2> - -<hr class="smler" /> - -<table summary="CONTENTS"> - <tr> - <td colspan="2" class="center"><span class="smaller">CHAPTER I.</span></td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td></td> - <td><span class="smaller">PAGE</span></td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td class="left"><span class="smcap">Lily Bristol and her Tormentor</span></td> - <td><a href="#Page_13">13</a></td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td colspan="2"> </td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td colspan="2" class="center"><span class="smaller">CHAPTER II.</span></td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td class="left"><span class="smcap">The Son of Toil fights his own Battle</span></td> - <td><a href="#Page_25">25</a></td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td colspan="2"> </td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td colspan="2" class="center"><span class="smaller">CHAPTER III.</span></td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td class="left"><span class="smcap">The Final Mandate of Major Billcord</span></td> - <td><a href="#Page_35">35</a></td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td colspan="2"> </td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td colspan="2" class="center"><span class="smaller">CHAPTER IV.</span></td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td class="left"><span class="smcap">The Absence of the Truant Dragon</span></td> - <td><a href="#Page_45">45</a></td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td colspan="2"> </td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td colspan="2" class="center"><span class="smaller">CHAPTER V.</span></td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td class="left"><span class="smcap">The Goldwing at Sandy Point</span></td> - <td><a href="#Page_55">55</a></td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td colspan="2"> </td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td colspan="2" class="center"><span class="smaller">CHAPTER VI.</span></td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td class="left"><span class="smcap">A Call for All Hands at Beech Hill</span></td> - <td><a href="#Page_65">65</a></td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td colspan="2"> </td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td colspan="2" class="center"><span class="smaller">CHAPTER VII.</span></td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td class="left"><span class="smcap">An Expedition by Moonlight</span></td> - <td><a href="#Page_75">75</a></td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td colspan="2"> <span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_10" id="Page_10">[Pg 10]</a></span></td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td colspan="2" class="center"><span class="smaller">CHAPTER VIII.</span></td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td class="left"><span class="smcap">A Change of Location</span></td> - <td><a href="#Page_85">85</a></td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td colspan="2"> </td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td colspan="2" class="center"><span class="smaller">CHAPTER IX.</span></td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td class="left"><span class="smcap">The Janitor of the Boat-House</span></td> - <td><a href="#Page_95">95</a></td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td colspan="2"> </td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td colspan="2" class="center"><span class="smaller">CHAPTER X.</span></td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td class="left"><span class="smcap">A Lecture on Ship-building</span></td> - <td><a href="#Page_105">105</a></td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td colspan="2"> </td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td colspan="2" class="center"><span class="smaller">CHAPTER XI.</span></td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td class="left"><span class="smcap">Rough Water on Lake Champlain</span></td> - <td><a href="#Page_117">117</a></td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td colspan="2"> </td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td colspan="2" class="center"><span class="smaller">CHAPTER XII.</span></td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td class="left"><span class="smcap">A Sailboat in the Trough of the Sea</span></td> - <td><a href="#Page_126">126</a></td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td colspan="2"> </td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td colspan="2" class="center"><span class="smaller">CHAPTER XIII.</span></td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td class="left"><span class="smcap">The Disaster to the Silver Moon</span></td> - <td><a href="#Page_135">135</a></td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td colspan="2"> </td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td colspan="2" class="center"><span class="smaller">CHAPTER XIV.</span></td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td class="left"><span class="smcap">The Work of an Incompetent Skipper</span></td> - <td><a href="#Page_145">145</a></td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td colspan="2"> </td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td colspan="2" class="center"><span class="smaller">CHAPTER XV.</span></td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td class="left"><span class="smcap">"Roll on, Silver Moon"</span></td> - <td><a href="#Page_155">155</a></td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td colspan="2"> </td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td colspan="2" class="center"><span class="smaller">CHAPTER XVI.</span></td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td class="left"><span class="smcap">Dory Dornwood gives a Lesson in Boat-sailing</span></td> - <td><a href="#Page_167">167</a></td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td colspan="2"> <span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_11" id="Page_11">[Pg 11]</a></span></td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td colspan="2" class="center"><span class="smaller">CHAPTER XVII.</span></td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td class="left"><span class="smcap">The Mission of the Six Ruffians</span></td> - <td><a href="#Page_176">176</a></td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td colspan="2"> </td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td colspan="2" class="center"><span class="smaller">CHAPTER XVIII.</span></td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td class="left"><span class="smcap">The Result of an Unequal Conflict</span></td> - <td><a href="#Page_186">186</a></td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td colspan="2"> </td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td colspan="2" class="center"><span class="smaller">CHAPTER XIX.</span></td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td class="left"><span class="smcap">A Deadlock at the Head of the Bay</span></td> - <td><a href="#Page_196">196</a></td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td colspan="2"> </td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td colspan="2" class="center"><span class="smaller">CHAPTER XX.</span></td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td class="left"><span class="smcap">The Rebellious Skipper of the Sloop</span></td> - <td><a href="#Page_206">206</a></td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td colspan="2"> </td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td colspan="2" class="center"><span class="smaller">CHAPTER XXI.</span></td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td class="left"><span class="smcap">An Outrage in the Standing-room of the Sloop</span></td> - <td><a href="#Page_216">216</a></td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td colspan="2"> </td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td colspan="2" class="center"><span class="smaller">CHAPTER XXII.</span></td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td class="left"><span class="smcap">An Invitation to Sandy Point</span></td> - <td><a href="#Page_226">226</a></td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td colspan="2"> </td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td colspan="2" class="center"><span class="smaller">CHAPTER XXIII.</span></td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td class="left"><span class="smcap">The Proceedings at Sandy Point</span></td> - <td><a href="#Page_236">236</a></td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td colspan="2"> </td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td colspan="2" class="center"><span class="smaller">CHAPTER XXIV.</span></td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td class="left"><span class="smcap">The Students decide "What's in a Name"</span></td> - <td><a href="#Page_246">246</a></td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td colspan="2"> </td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td colspan="2" class="center"><span class="smaller">CHAPTER XXV.</span></td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td class="left"><span class="smcap">Building the Boat</span></td> - <td><a href="#Page_256">256</a></td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td colspan="2"> <span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_12" id="Page_12">[Pg 12]</a></span></td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td colspan="2" class="center"><span class="smaller">CHAPTER XXVI.</span></td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td class="left"><span class="smcap">That Cunning Tom Topover</span></td> - <td><a href="#Page_266">266</a></td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td colspan="2"> </td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td colspan="2" class="center"><span class="smaller">CHAPTER XXVII.</span></td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td class="left"><span class="smcap">The Brilliant Strategy of the Bruiser</span></td> - <td><a href="#Page_276">276</a></td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td colspan="2"> </td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td colspan="2" class="center"><span class="smaller">CHAPTER XXVIII.</span></td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td class="left"><span class="smcap">A Hard Battle at Sandy Point</span></td> - <td><a href="#Page_286">286</a></td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td colspan="2"> </td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td colspan="2" class="center"><span class="smaller">CHAPTER XXIX.</span></td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td class="left"><span class="smcap">The Engineer of the Undine</span></td> - <td><a href="#Page_296">296</a></td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td colspan="2"> </td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td colspan="2" class="center"><span class="smaller">CHAPTER XXX.</span></td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td class="left"><span class="smcap">Launching the Boat</span></td> - <td><a href="#Page_312">312</a></td> - </tr> -</table> - -<hr /> - -<p><span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_13" id="Page_13">[Pg 13]</a></span></p> - -<p class="bold2">STEM TO STERN;</p> - -<p class="bold">OR,</p> - -<p class="bold">BUILDING THE BOAT.</p> - -<hr class="smler" /> - -<h2><span>CHAPTER I.</span> <span class="smaller">LILY BRISTOL AND HER TORMENTOR.</span></h2> - -<p>"I don't want anybody to row for me, Mr. Walker; I came out to take a -little exercise, and I can do it best when I am all alone," said Miss -Lily Bristol to a young gentleman of about eighteen who stood on the -sandy beach.</p> - -<p>"But it will be a good deal more sociable to have company," replied Walk -Billcord with a smile and a smirk.</p> - -<p>Lily Bristol had the reputation of being a very pretty girl, and fame -had not exaggerated her beauty. She was very plainly dressed, but she -was as neat as though she had just come out of the bureau-drawer. She -was seated in a rude flatboat, with a pair of oars in her hands, which -she seemed to know how to use.</p> - -<p><span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_14" id="Page_14">[Pg 14]</a></span></p><p>The boat was only a rod or two from the end of Sandy Point, at the -southern side of the entrance to a bay with the same name. It was in the -spring of the year, and the water in Lake Champlain was at its highest.</p> - -<p>Hardly more than a rod from the point where the rippling waves sported -with the bright sand was a small and lightly-built cottage. It contained -two rooms on the lower floor, with two small attic chambers over them. -The structure rested on posts set in the sand, and looked as light and -airy as a bird-cage.</p> - -<p>This cottage was the home of Peter Bristol, or, rather, of his wife and -two children; for the father of the family had been away for two years, -seeking to better his impaired fortunes. Peter had always been a poor -man, and was always likely to be. He had been a sort of -Jack-at-all-trades, not particularly good at any. He had been a fireman -on a railroad, a farm-hand, a general jobber; he had tried his hand at -almost everything without much success.</p> - -<p>Major Billcord owned all the land near Sandy Point. Some years before, -he had taken it into his head that the high ground in the rear of Sandy -Bay would be an excellent site for a hotel. Some of<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_15" id="Page_15">[Pg 15]</a></span> his friends did not -agree with him, and assured him that a hotel could not live in this -location.</p> - -<p>But the major was an obstinate man, and had his own way. He erected a -structure of fifty rooms, with the intention of adding a hundred more -after the first season. But for half a dozen reasons the hotel was a -dreary failure. It never contained more than half a score of guests at -any one time.</p> - -<p>Included in this small number was Colonel Buckmill, who was then looking -for a suitable site for an academy. The owner of the estate would not -admit that the hotel was a failure, but he hinted that the building -might be obtained for the school. It exactly suited Colonel Buckmill, -and a bargain was soon made for a lease of it. In this manner the -Sunnyside Hotel became the Chesterfield Collegiate Institute in the -autumn of the same year.</p> - -<p>Of course, one of the attractions of the Sunnyside was to be boating on -the lake, and Major Billcord provided two sailboats and some rowboats; -and Peter Bristol, who Was a good boatman, was engaged to take care of -the boats, and act as skipper when required. The poor man, taking his -cue from his employer, believed he had fallen upon a bonanza. His -fortune was made, and the rest of his days would be spent at Sandy -Point.</p> - -<p><span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_16" id="Page_16">[Pg 16]</a></span></p><p>His wife had over three hundred dollars in her own right in a savings -bank, which she was willing to put into a house, and the cottage on the -point was built. The family moved into it, and were delighted with the -situation, though it was a rather dismal place in the winter. Peter was -to have half the money derived from letting the boats; but he soon found -that he had nothing to do. The few guests did not care to row or sail.</p> - -<p>The boatman had no rent to pay, for the major had given him permission -to put his house on the point without charge; but he found it was very -hard work to get enough for his family to eat. Lily obtained work in -Westport, and Paul attended to the boats while his father worked at -haying, and they got through the season. But the dream of fortune had -collapsed.</p> - -<p>Peter Bristol was discouraged, and went to New York to find work. He -obtained no situation, and shipped for the West Indies. A letter from -him informed his family that he was at work on a plantation, and he -hoped to do well after a while. Since that, nothing had been heard from -him in two years.</p> - -<p>Paul obtained a little work at the institute, and Lily kept her place in -Westport; so that the <span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_17" id="Page_17">[Pg 17]</a></span>family had worried along until the daughter lost -her situation for the want of sufficient work at the store in which she -was employed. Then it was difficult even to obtain enough to eat. Paul -did his best, and allowed himself to be bullied and kicked by the -gentlemanly students of the institute, while he could make an occasional -quarter.</p> - -<p>Major Billcord lived in Westport, and his son had lately become a pupil -in the institute. He was older than most of the students, and was a wild -young fellow. In the early spring he had seen Lily Bristol. He agreed -with others who had seen her that she was a remarkably pretty girl, and -he had made frequent visits to Sandy Point.</p> - -<p>"I prefer to be in the boat alone," Lily replied to the young -gentleman's remark that it would be more sociable to have company.</p> - -<p>"But I want to see you, Lily, and have a talk with you," persisted -Walker Billcord.</p> - -<p>"I will see you at the cottage if you desire," answered Lily.</p> - -<p>"But I wish to see you alone."</p> - -<p>"You cannot see me alone, sir," replied the pretty maiden with a great -deal of spirit.</p> - -<p>"What's the reason I can't? I shall not hurt<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_18" id="Page_18">[Pg 18]</a></span> you. I think I know how to -behave like a gentleman."</p> - -<p>"Perhaps you do," added Lily rather doubtfully, for Walk Billcord's -reputation was none of the best.</p> - -<p>"If you will come to the shore, I will row you all about the bay," Walk -insisted. "I will make it as pleasant for you as possible."</p> - -<p>"No, I thank you," replied the damsel decidedly.</p> - -<p>"What's the matter with you? I hope you don't think I mean to do you any -harm."</p> - -<p>"I am not afraid of you, but I choose to be alone in the boat."</p> - -<p>With this she pulled away from the shore, though he continued to call -out to her as long as she was within hearing. She did not like the young -man at all, but rather despised than feared him. He had often thrown -himself in her way, and exerted himself to please her. She was civil to -him, and that was all.</p> - -<p>Lily remained in the boat, pulling about the little bay for over an -hour. Walk had stood upon the beach for at least half an hour, waiting -for her return to the shore. Then he had retired, and the fair maiden -supposed he had gone back to the<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_19" id="Page_19">[Pg 19]</a></span> institute. When she had taken all the -air and exercise she thought she needed, she rowed back to the shore. -Just as she had driven the bow of the flatboat as far as she could on -the sand, Walk Billcord rushed out from the bushes, where he had -concealed himself, and prevented her from getting out of the boat.</p> - -<p>She had put the oars under the thwarts, and arranged everything inside -of the boat, which had delayed her a few moments. But as soon as she saw -her tormentor running to the waterside, she attempted to leap out of the -boat.</p> - -<p>"No, you don't, my pretty maiden!" exclaimed Walk, as he seized her by -the shoulders, and crowded her back to her seat in the stern.</p> - -<p>Under the impetus of the force applied to her by the young man, Lily -dropped into the seat, and was obliged to grasp the gunwale of the boat -to avoid being thrown into the water. The fair face of the young lady -was flushed with anger, as well it might have been, for she had not -suspected that her tormentor would resort to violence.</p> - -<p>She was not inclined to submit quietly to the will of Walk, for she -immediately drew out one of the oars from under the thwarts, and poised -it in the air, as though she intended to defeat the<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_20" id="Page_20">[Pg 20]</a></span> intentions of the -reckless young gentleman even by meeting force with force.</p> - -<p>Walk Billcord stood for a moment holding on at the prow of the boat, as -though he was undecided as to his next step. Doubtless he felt that he -had already passed the bounds of propriety, and appeared to be -considering whether it was prudent to proceed any further. A glance at -the glowing and indignant face of Lily increased his interest in the -adventure, and he was not willing to leave her in the moment of her -heightened beauty.</p> - -<p>Lily was the daughter of a poor dependent of his father: at least, he so -regarded her, and thought he had some right to subject her to his own -whim. He wanted to row her about the bay, and talk with her; and this -was the extent of his present wishes. It was only a "bit of a lark," a -harmless pleasantry, on his part, as he afterward explained it, and he -had not the slightest intention of injuring her.</p> - -<p>The fair maiden did not regard herself as a proper subject for the young -gentleman's pleasantry, and she was prepared to bring down the blade of -the oar upon his head if the occasion should require. In the attitude of -defence she waited for his next demonstration. The upraised<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_21" id="Page_21">[Pg 21]</a></span> oar rather -tempted Walk to proceed, and he pushed the bow of the boat from the -sand, springing into the foresheets as he did so.</p> - -<p>As this was not a direct assault upon her, Lily did not bring down the -oar upon his head, as she would under greater provocation, but she -dropped it into the water at the stern of the boat. The water was shoal; -and, setting the blade upon the sand at the bottom, she dexterously -whirled the craft about, bringing the stern within a few feet of the dry -sands on the shore.</p> - -<p>Mr. Walk Billcord did not object to this movement, as it was necessary -to head the boat away from the shore; but he deemed it prudent to secure -the other oar before his fair companion could do so. He stooped down and -got hold of the blade end of it. It required a little tact to remove it -from its position under the thwarts; and, while he was engaged in doing -it, Lily gave the oar another push, forcing the boat close up to the -shore.</p> - -<p>Without waiting for her tormentor to get the second oar over the forward -thwart, she leaped lightly upon the dry sand, effecting her landing -without wetting the soles of her shoes. She still held the oar in her -hand, and stood on the shore,<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_22" id="Page_22">[Pg 22]</a></span> waiting for the next move of her -unwelcome companion.</p> - -<p>She was too proud to run away from such a contemptible being as she -considered Mr. Walk Billcord. She looked as though she felt abundantly -able to defend herself from any attack on the part of the unmanly -persecutor. She evidently believed that he had no serious intention to -harm her, but was simply making her the sport of his whim.</p> - -<p>The moment she leaped ashore, Walk realized that she had got the better -of him. Whatever he intended, he did not like to be outdone by a feeble -girl. It was not pleasant for him, even in fun, to be outwitted by a -weak maiden. He felt that he had not been smart, and he was annoyed at -the situation. His vanity demanded that he should do something to get -"even" with his intended victim.</p> - -<p>The confident look and attitude of Lily on the shore disconcerted him, -and invited further action on his part. He had not yet obtained -possession of the oar, for it had to be shoved back before it could be -passed over the forward thwart. But he had no present need of the -implement, and he abandoned it to survey the position of Lily. He -interpreted her looks and attitude as a defiance.</p> - -<p><span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_23" id="Page_23">[Pg 23]</a></span></p><p>The boat, detached from the sand, was floating away from the shore. -With a long leap he planted his feet on the land, and the effect of his -movement was to drive the boat farther from the beach. A gentle breeze -from the westward was driving it farther away, and Lily saw that it -would soon be out of her reach.</p> - -<p>She rushed to the water's edge, and, reaching out as far as she could, -she succeeded in placing the end of the blade on the prow. She began to -draw the truant craft toward the shore, when Walk put himself at her -side. He took the oar from her hand, and pulled the craft up till its -bottom grated on the sand.</p> - -<p>Lily took a stick, and tried to get hold of the painter. As soon as she -had it in her hand, Walk took it from her. He not only took the rope, -but the hand which held it. He grasped her wrist with one hand, while he -tried to drag the boat ashore with the other. He soon found that he had -his hands full, both literally and figuratively.</p> - -<p>Lily attempted to shake him off; but Walk tightened his hold upon her -wrist, though he had to drop the painter of the boat, which, having no -hold upon the land, began to float off into the open lake. The fair -maiden turned and twisted in her<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_24" id="Page_24">[Pg 24]</a></span> efforts to escape, but the young -ruffian held on like a vise.</p> - -<p>In a moment or two she was exhausted with the violence of her exertions, -and by this time she was thoroughly frightened. Very likely Walk had no -worse intentions than at first, and was simply engaged in the business -of getting "even" with the weak maiden who had outwitted him.</p> - -<p>"What do you mean, you wretch? Let go of me!" gasped Lily, her chest -heaving with terror and emotion.</p> - -<p>"Don't make a fuss, my pretty one; I will not harm you," replied Walk.</p> - -<p>"Let go of me, Mr. Billcord! I thought you claimed to be a gentleman! -Let go, or I will scream," panted Lily.</p> - -<p>"I only want to take a little row with you, and I shall, you may depend -upon that," added Walk, picking up the oar which had fallen on the -beach. "Don't make a fuss, and I won't hurt you."</p> - -<p>But Lily again renewed the struggle with all her might. Just at that -moment, Paul Bristol and his mother came out of the cottage. The boy was -a stout youth of fifteen, and, the moment he saw what was going on, he -broke into a run.</p> - -<hr /> - -<p><span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_25" id="Page_25">[Pg 25]</a></span></p> - -<h2><span>CHAPTER II.</span> <span class="smaller">THE SON OF TOIL FIGHTS HIS OWN BATTLE.</span></h2> - -<p>Paul Bristol seemed to have made only a couple of bounds before he had -covered the distance between the cottage and the shore. He saw his -sister struggling to release herself from the grasp of Walk Billcord. -All the indignation Nature had portioned out to him was roused, and he -did not stop to ask any questions. He did not even utter a word of -warning or reproach.</p> - -<p>His two fists were clinched in hard knots before he reached the scene of -the encounter, and, without waiting to consider the situation, he -planted a blow with his right fist between the two eyes of his sister's -persecutor, and then did the same with the left. The effect was instant -and decisive. Walk went over backwards upon the sand, and his hold upon -the fair maiden was released.</p> - -<p>By this time Mrs. Bristol had come to the spot, and, putting her arm -around her panting, trembling daughter, she led her to the cottage -without<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_26" id="Page_26">[Pg 26]</a></span> taking note of the result of the battle, though she could not -help seeing that the tormentor had been vanquished in the first -onslaught.</p> - -<p>Walk Billcord was utterly astonished as well as effectually upset. Paul -Bristol had always been meek and subservient in his dealings with the -students, and no one could have suspected that there was anything like a -claw in his hard paws. If Mr. Walker was astonished the first moment -after his unexpected fall, he was indignant and boiling over with wrath -the second.</p> - -<p>Though it was probable that both of the young gentleman's eyes had been -put into mourning for the coming week, he was not otherwise damaged, and -he leaped to his feet as soon as he could realize what had happened. He -saw that he had been struck down by one whom he had always regarded as a -son of toil,—a sort of cur about the premises of the institute. His -blood boiled, and, without a word of any kind, he proceeded to "pitch -into" his late assailant with all the physical vigor he could bring to -bear upon him.</p> - -<p>Paul warded off the wild blows aimed at him, and soon planted one of his -own on the end of the young gentleman's nose, which caused the blood to -flow in a stream from that organ. But Walk<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_27" id="Page_27">[Pg 27]</a></span> did not mind this little -incident, though Paul was rather startled to see what he had done. The -latter was inclined to deal as gently as he could with his gentlemanly -opponent; but he found it necessary to defend himself from the impetuous -charges of Walk. In doing so he delivered a hard hit, which carried his -foe to the ground again.</p> - -<p>The young gentleman was not yet satisfied, though he realized that he -was not a match for his toil-hardened opponent. He sprang to his feet -once more, out of breath, but unwilling to yield a hair to such an -assailant. Grasping the stick Lily had used to haul in the boat, he -again rushed upon Paul, and aimed a blow at his head; but Paul retreated -a few steps, and picked up the oar which had dropped on the beach.</p> - -<p>Paul Bristol was entirely cool, now that his sister was no longer in -peril, and he began to realize that a quarrel with the son of the -proprietor of the domain was a very serious matter. With the oar he -warded off the blows of his insane adversary, and this was all he wished -to do. He could easily have "laid him out" again, but the fear of -consequences kept him within bounds.</p> - -<p>Walk exhausted himself to no purpose. He could not hit his opponent, and -his strength and<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_28" id="Page_28">[Pg 28]</a></span> his wind were soon used up. He drew back a little, and -fixed a savage gaze upon his stalwart enemy. He panted like a wild beast -at bay, and his blood boiled all the more because he could accomplish -nothing.</p> - -<p>"I'll settle you yet, Paul Bristol!" exclaimed Walk as he stepped down -to the edge of the water and began to wash the blood from his face.</p> - -<p>"I'm settled now," replied Paul calmly. "I have had enough of it, and I -should like to stop where we are."</p> - -<p>"You won't stop where we are, not till I have beaten you to a jelly. I -shall break every bone in your dirty carcass before I get through with -you," gasped Walk, struggling for an even supply of breath.</p> - -<p>"When I say I have got enough of it, that ought to end the affair," -added Paul with a cheerful smile on his face.</p> - -<p>"I don't care what you say; you haven't got enough. You have given me -two sore eyes and a bloody nose, and you haven't got anything to balance -it," growled Walk. "I mean to break your head, and then I will call it -square."</p> - -<p>"But I don't want my head broken, if it is all the same to you," replied -Paul, leaning on the<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_29" id="Page_29">[Pg 29]</a></span> oar. "My head is of some use to me, and it would -not be pleasant to have it broken."</p> - -<p>"You began it, and you shall have enough of it before we are done," -added Walk, beginning to breathe a little more freely.</p> - -<p>"I began it?" queried Paul with the same cheerful smile. "I don't think -so, and I should like to argue the question with you."</p> - -<p>"Didn't you hit me first, you nunkhead?" demanded Walk.</p> - -<p>"Didn't you lay hold of my sister first, and frighten her half out of -her wits?"</p> - -<p>"I didn't hurt her, and I was only fooling with her."</p> - -<p>"Fooling with her! That's just what I was doing with you. I was only -fooling with you, Mr. Walker."</p> - -<p>"I don't like that sort of fooling, you speckled cur!"</p> - -<p>"My sister didn't like your sort of fooling any better than you like -mine. But, if you want to stop fooling, now is a good time to begin."</p> - -<p>"I will stop when I get even with you, and not before," snapped Walk. -"You struck the first blow, and I mean to strike the last."</p> - -<p>By this time the young gentleman had fairly<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_30" id="Page_30">[Pg 30]</a></span> recovered his wind, but -nothing like coolness had come over his temper. Dropping the stick, he -rushed upon Paul again with his naked fists. He was savage, and the -boatman's son soon found that he could not passively defend himself, and -the result was that Walk soon went under again.</p> - -<p>This disaster made him madder than ever, and when he rose from the beach -he seized the stick again, which Paul met with the oar. Paul liked this -way of carrying on the combat better than the other, for he could defend -himself without inflicting any injury on his furious opponent.</p> - -<p>While Walk was thus wearing himself out, a gentleman with a riding-whip -in his hand came out of the path through the woods. As soon as he -discovered what was going on upon the beach, he quickened his pace, and -reached the scene of the conflict at a sharp run. It was Major Billcord, -the father of Paul's wrathy opponent.</p> - -<p>"What does all this mean?" demanded the major when he had come within -speaking distance of the combatants. "How dare you strike my son with -that oar?"</p> - -<p>"I haven't struck him once with it," replied Paul, aghast at the -presence of the mighty proprietor of the domain. "I am only defending -myself, sir."</p> - -<p><span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_31" id="Page_31">[Pg 31]</a></span></p><p>"You have no business to defend yourself against my son, you dirty -puppy. How dare you lift a weapon against him?" stormed Major Billcord; -and to him there was only one side to the controversy, whatever it was.</p> - -<p>Walk had dropped his stick as soon as he heard the voice of his father, -and Paul had done the same with the oar. The latter felt that he had got -into a very bad scrape. The major was a magnate of the first order, and -he was supreme on his own domain. His mother was a tenant at will at the -cottage. All the money she had inherited from her father's estate, and -all she had in the world, was invested in that cottage. The mighty major -could turn them out of house and home at a moment's notice, as they paid -no rent.</p> - -<p>"What does all this mean, my son? I am sorry to see you fighting with -such a cur as that," said Major Billcord when the battle was suspended -for the moment.</p> - -<p>"It means that he struck me first, and I intend to get even with him if -I fight till Lake Champlain dries up," blustered Walk, as he clinched -his fists again; and doubtless he had a clear idea of his father's views -on the subject of pugilism.</p> - -<p>"He struck first! You did quite right, my son.<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_32" id="Page_32">[Pg 32]</a></span> Never take a blow from -any one," added the major.</p> - -<p>"But he insulted my sister, sir! He had seized hold of her, and held her -when I hit him, sir," pleaded Paul with proper deference; and he felt -that he had a good defence.</p> - -<p>"A fight begins with the first blow, and we needn't ask what happened -before it was struck. You admit that you struck the first blow, -Bristol?" continued Major Billcord, sitting in judgment on the case.</p> - -<p>"I did strike the first blow, sir; and a fellow that wouldn't hit hard -when his sister was insulted, and held as a prisoner, don't amount to -much," Paul replied rather warmly.</p> - -<p>"You struck the first blow; and that's all I want to hear about it," -added the major sharply. "My son has done quite right to resent a blow -with another blow; and if he is not satisfied with the punishment he has -given you, you vagabond, I will stand by and see fair play till he is -satisfied."</p> - -<p>Mr. Walker did not quite approve the ground taken by his father, and -wanted him to do something more than stand by and see fair play. But the -major had spoken, and the son realized that<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_33" id="Page_33">[Pg 33]</a></span> he had nothing to do but to -take the broad hint the patriarch had given him. Clinching his fists -again, he rushed upon Paul for the third time. Paul was indignant at the -decision of the magnate, and felt as though he had been commanded by the -great man to permit his son to insult his sister.</p> - -<p>Walk rushed upon him, but Paul's back was up for the first time since he -had relieved his sister from the grasp of her assailant. His paws were -not velvet: they were all fangs. At the first onslaught of Walk, that -young gentleman went over on his back with the blood gushing from his -nostrils. Twice more he renewed the attack, with about the same result.</p> - -<p>Mr. Walker was so full of wrath that he could no longer control himself, -and he laid hold of the stick again. Paul picked up the oar once more. -The son of toil knocked the stick out of the hands of his opponent, and -it flew into the lake. Walk could not find another, and Paul dropped the -oar. It was naked fists again, with the same effect as before.</p> - -<p>By this time Major Billcord was as full of wrath as his son, and without -regard to fair play, of which he stood as champion, he rushed to the -assistance of his defeated son. Paul picked up the oar and retreated -before the two.</p> - -<p><span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_34" id="Page_34">[Pg 34]</a></span></p><p>"Stop a moment, if you please, Major Billcord," shouted Paul. "I don't -want to hit you sir, and I won't if I can help it."</p> - -<p>"But I am going to flog you within an inch of your life!" yelled the -major.</p> - -<p>Paul had gone as far as he could without retreating into the cottage, -and he was unwilling to carry the battle into the presence of his mother -and sister. He halted; the major wrenched the oar from his grasp. He -struck the son of toil with it. Paul's blood was up; he gave the magnate -a blow between the eyes, under which he went down. Walk "pitched in" -again, and was planted by the side of his father.</p> - -<hr /> - -<p><span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_35" id="Page_35">[Pg 35]</a></span></p> - -<h2><span>CHAPTER III.</span> <span class="smaller">THE FINAL MANDATE OF MAJOR BILLCORD.</span></h2> - -<p>Major Billcord was a short, puffy man, inclined to corpulency. The blow -of the son of toil, and his fall upon the sand, proved to be enough for -him. He was all foam and fury in consequence of his signal defeat. -Possibly he had thought that a poor dependent upon his bounty would not -dare to strike him; and, in truth, Paul felt that it was something like -treading upon the Bible.</p> - -<p>He had attempted to take the stalwart youth by the collar, and had -struck him with his riding-whip in a tender place. The pain was nothing, -but the indignity was great; and Paul's impulse had led him farther than -he would have gone if he had considered what he was doing.</p> - -<p>The major and his son picked themselves up, and for a moment they gazed -with something like wonder upon the victor in the unequal contest. But -all three of them had been beside themselves<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_36" id="Page_36">[Pg 36]</a></span> for the moment. Paul -realized what he had done; and so did his mother and sister, for they -came out of the cottage while father and son were getting up from the -ground.</p> - -<p>"Woman, do you see what your son has done?" demanded Major Billcord, who -was the first to break the impressive silence.</p> - -<p>"I am very sorry, sir," pleaded the poor woman, stepping between Paul -and his victims, in order to prevent him from doing them any further -mischief if he should be disposed to renew the combat.</p> - -<p>"Sorry for it!" exclaimed the magnate, as if simple regret could atone -for a blow given by a plebeian to a patrician. "Is this the way you -bring up your son?"</p> - -<p>"I am very sorry, Major Billcord, but he has been greatly provoked. By -your leave, sir, it was Mr. Walker that began it."</p> - -<p>"It is false, marm! Your brute of a son struck the first blow; he has -confessed it to me," puffed the magnate.</p> - -<p>"But Mr. Walker had first insulted my daughter; he had seized hold of -her, and was trying to force her into the boat when Paul interfered," -Mrs. Bristol explained with as much meekness as the subject would -permit.</p> - -<p><span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_37" id="Page_37">[Pg 37]</a></span></p><p>"Nonsense, woman! Seized hold of your daughter! Don't talk such stuff -to me. Walker did not mean to do her any harm," added Major Billcord -with the utmost contempt.</p> - -<p>"I only asked her to let me row her about the bay in the boat," the -young gentleman explained.</p> - -<p>"It was impertinent in her to refuse when my son honored her with his -notice," continued the major.</p> - -<p>"I thought she had a right to choose her own company," said Mrs. Bristol -with proper humility.</p> - -<p>"I have allowed you to live on my land for two years without a penny of -rent, woman; and this is the return I get for it," replied the great -man, in whose heart the poor woman's ingratitude was beginning to make -havoc.</p> - -<p>"You have been very kind to us, Major Billcord, and we are very grateful -for all you have done for us. I am so sorry that this sad thing has -happened!" pleaded Mrs. Bristol.</p> - -<p>"And still you try to fasten the blame on my son," retorted the -proprietor of Sandy Point and its surroundings.</p> - -<p>"I am very sorry he meddled with Lily; if he hadn't done it, there would -have been no trouble,<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_38" id="Page_38">[Pg 38]</a></span> for Paul has always treated Mr. Walker with -respect."</p> - -<p>"At it again!" exclaimed the major. "You will insist that my son was to -blame, simply because he was polite enough to invite your daughter to -take a row with him in the boat."</p> - -<p>"She was not willing to go; and I didn't know that she was obliged to go -out on the lake with him. She declined his invitation, and Mr. Walker -tried to force her into the boat."</p> - -<p>"It was not civil in her to decline the invitation, and I don't wonder -that Walker was a little vexed at her refusal. She is a pert minx, marm, -and has not been well brought up, or she would have known better than to -decline," added the magnate, bestowing a look of severity upon the fair -maiden.</p> - -<p>Mrs. Bristol and Paul saw that it was useless to attempt to reason with -such a man, and they were silent. The major took out his handkerchief, -and wiped the perspiration from his face. Then he felt of his nose and -the region about his two eyes, between which the son of toil had planted -his hard fist. Doubtless there was a soreness in those parts, and -perhaps the visual organs of the father would be clothed in sable -wreaths by the next day.</p> - -<p>"That boy must be punished, severely punished,<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_39" id="Page_39">[Pg 39]</a></span> for what he has done," -the major resumed. "He has had the audacity to strike me in the -face,—me, the benefactor of the whole family!"</p> - -<p>"Didn't you catch me by the throat, and hit me with your riding-whip, -sir?" asked Paul calmly and meekly.</p> - -<p>"What if I did! Do you mean to put yourself on a level with me, you -young reprobate?" demanded the magnate, his wrath beginning to boil -again. "Woman, I say that boy must be severely punished for this," he -continued, turning to Mrs. Bristol again. "He must be whipped till he -can't stand up!"</p> - -<p>"Who will whip him, sir?" asked the poor woman innocently.</p> - -<p>"I will do it, if you don't, marm," replied the major savagely.</p> - -<p>"I could not whip him, sir; he is a great deal stronger than I am; and, -if he is whipped at all, you must do it, sir;" but Mrs. Bristol seemed -to think there was something a little satirical in what she said.</p> - -<p>"Then I will do it!" said the magnate, raising his riding-whip.</p> - -<p>"Perhaps he will not allow you to whip him, sir," suggested Mrs. -Bristol; and even her anger appeared to be approaching the -boiling-point.</p> - -<p><span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_40" id="Page_40">[Pg 40]</a></span></p><p>"The boy deserves to be severely punished. If he submits to the -whipping which Walker and I will give him, we may be willing to let the -matter drop where it is."</p> - -<p>"You had better arrange it with Paul, sir. I should as soon think of -whipping Colonel Buckmill as my son," replied the poor woman with a -decided touch of satire in her tones and manner.</p> - -<p>"If the young villain submits, very well."</p> - -<p>"If you should begin to punish him, I have no doubt he will speak or act -for himself," she added.</p> - -<p>"Bristol, you hear what has been said. Will you submit to the punishment -you deserve?" demanded the major severely, turning to the culprit.</p> - -<p>"No, sir, I will not."</p> - -<p>"Do you hear him, marm?"</p> - -<p>"I do, sir; and he answers just as I supposed he would."</p> - -<p>"Then you uphold him in his treacherous treatment of my son? Then you -countenance him in biting the hand that feeds him?"</p> - -<p>Mrs. Bristol made no reply, for she did not wish to irritate the -powerful man unnecessarily. She looked at her son, and she was proud of -him.</p> - -<p>"Bristol, you refuse to submit to the whipping you deserve?" demanded -Major Billcord, <span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_41" id="Page_41">[Pg 41]</a></span>approaching the stout youth with the riding-whip -upraised.</p> - -<p>"If you hit me with that whip, sir, I will knock you as far beyond the -middle of next week as I can," replied Paul firmly and quietly. "Your -son insulted my sister, and I treated him as he deserved, and just as I -would another time if he did the same thing. My sister is a poor girl, -but she is just as good as you are, and just as good as Mr. Walker is. -If she is insulted, sir, I will stand up against five hundred Billcords -as long as there is anything left of me."</p> - -<p>"Is this your gratitude for what I have done for the family?" asked the -major, knitting his brow into a knot of wrinkles.</p> - -<p>"Yes, sir; this is my gratitude. Do you think, because you allowed my -father to put his cottage on your land, that you and your son have the -right to insult my sister?" demanded Paul with considerable energy.</p> - -<p>"No one insulted her, you young reprobate!" interposed the father. "Is a -civil and gentlemanly invitation an insult?"</p> - -<p>"If he had stopped there, we should have had no trouble."</p> - -<p>"But she refused the invitation."</p> - -<p><span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_42" id="Page_42">[Pg 42]</a></span></p><p>"She had as much right to decline it as any lady in Westport would -have."</p> - -<p>"Was it treating a member of my family properly, after all I have done -for you?" demanded the major more calmly, but with a terrible havoc in -his tender feelings.</p> - -<p>"You have had a good deal to say about what you have done for us, Major -Billcord. The land on which that cottage stands," continued Paul, -pointing to it, "is not worth ten dollars. At ten per cent, the ground -rent would be one dollar a year, or two dollars for the two years it has -stood there. I have done work enough for you in the shape of errands, -taking care of your boat, and in other ways, to pay for the land twice -over. I have carried the first black bass of the season to your house, -when I could have sold the fish for a dollar apiece, for two years. As I -look at the question of gratitude, there is a balance of at least twenty -dollars in my favor; but I give it to you with all my heart, and I don't -claim the privilege of insulting your daughter for what I have done."</p> - -<p>"You are a glib-talking puppy, and there is no more reason or common -sense in you than there is in a heifer calf. I have had enough of you, -and so has my son," responded the major, choking with<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_43" id="Page_43">[Pg 43]</a></span> wrath over the -unanswerable argument of the poor dependent.</p> - -<p>"If you have had enough of me, you and Mr. Walker, I am satisfied to let -the matter drop where it is; but if Mr. Walker, or any other student of -the Chesterfield Collegiate Institute, insults my sister, I shall hit -him as hard as I can," replied Paul coolly.</p> - -<p>"Woman, you have heard the insulting words of your son, and you uphold -him in his wickedness. I must take the next step. I will not have such a -vile reprobate on my land. I will not have you or your ungrateful -daughter on my territory. You are a tenant at will. That cottage must -not remain another day on my premises. Remove it at once. If it is here -at three o'clock to-morrow afternoon, I will give the students -permission to tumble it into the lake. Do you hear me, woman?" stormed -the major fiercely.</p> - -<p>"I hear you, sir," replied Mrs. Bristol, covering her face with her -handkerchief, and beginning to weep bitterly.</p> - -<p>"You needn't cry about it, marm. You and that graceless son of yours -have brought it on yourselves; and I think the students will enjoy the -fun of pitching the shanty into the lake."</p> - -<p><span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_44" id="Page_44">[Pg 44]</a></span></p><p>"It is all the property I have in the world, Major Billcord," pleaded -the poor woman. "Give me a little time to remove the cottage, I implore -you!"</p> - -<p>"Don't implore me, marm! Thank your wretch of a son for it. By three -o'clock to-morrow afternoon, if you haven't removed it in the mean time, -the shanty shall be rolled into the lake."</p> - -<p>"I cannot get it through the woods to remove it," groaned Mrs. Bristol.</p> - -<p>"That's your lookout, marm," said the major as he and Walk departed.</p> - -<p>Mrs. Bristol seated herself on the lower step of the cottage, and -continued to weep bitterly.</p> - -<hr /> - -<p><span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_45" id="Page_45">[Pg 45]</a></span></p> - -<h2><span>CHAPTER IV.</span> <span class="smaller">THE ABSENCE OF THE TRUANT DRAGON.</span></h2> - -<p>The cottage of the Bristols had been framed in Burlington, and brought -down to Sandy Point on a schooner. As it stood, it was estimated to be -worth about three hundred and fifty dollars, which was the cost of it to -the poor woman when she invested her all in what was to be a home for -the family.</p> - -<p>It was a small sum the cottage cost, but to the poor woman it was as big -as a million to a millionnaire. She had been well brought up in her -father's house, and she could not exist like a Chinaman or a Hottentot, -and it had cost the family a struggle to live during the absence of the -father.</p> - -<p>Now all that she had was to be taken from her. As they had paid no -ground rent for the site, the law could do nothing for her. She was a -tenant on suffrance rather than a tenant at will, and had no rights -whatever. The magnate could tumble the cottage into the lake, and the -wind would carry<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_46" id="Page_46">[Pg 46]</a></span> it where it listed. It would probably be broken up on -the rocks or shoals, and the major might as well set it on fire as turn -it adrift on the lake.</p> - -<p>The rich man intended to execute his mandate in the cruelest manner -possible. The students were to have a frolic in tumbling it into the -lake. The humble structure contained all their household goods, all the -little articles they valued far beyond the money they cost. It was -hardly possible to remove them in the time allowed for the purpose, for -everything would have to be carried by hand or transported in the -flatboat.</p> - -<p>No team could be driven down to the point, for the major would not allow -a tree to be felled to make a road, and the owner had been compelled to -leave his saddle-horse at a considerable distance from the lake when he -visited it. Of course, the cruel magnate understood all this, and -realized that his final mandate doomed the cottage and all it contained -to certain destruction, for neither he nor his persecuted tenants could -see any means of relief.</p> - -<p>Even if they could carry away their goods, they had no place to put -them. The brief period of probation given them was not more than enough -to enable the poor woman to find another tenement.<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_47" id="Page_47">[Pg 47]</a></span> It was two miles to -Westport, and five to Genverres, by water. The situation looked entirely -hopeless to Mrs. Bristol; and the more she thought of it, the more -bitterly she wept.</p> - -<p>"I don't know what will become of us," said she when she had vented her -grief for a time.</p> - -<p>"Don't cry, mother: we shall get out of the scrape in some way," replied -Paul in as soothing tones as he could command, for the situation was -hardly more hopeful to him than to his mother.</p> - -<p>"I don't see that we can do anything but submit to the loss of -everything we have," moaned Mrs. Bristol. "We can't stay here any -longer, and we have no place to go to in the wide world. The students -will take a wicked delight in breaking up everything we have. I cannot -stay here to see them revel in the destruction of our home, which has -been as dear to me as though it had been a palace. But where can I go?"</p> - -<p>"We had better go to Westport, mother," said Lily, wiping the tears from -her eyes. "We can take a few things with us in the boat."</p> - -<p>"The boat went adrift in the row, and I saw it halfway over to Scotch -Bonnet," interposed Paul as he strained his eyes to discover the truant -craft.</p> - -<p>"Then we can walk over to Westport; but we<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_48" id="Page_48">[Pg 48]</a></span> can't carry much of anything -in our hands in a walk of two miles," added Lily gloomily.</p> - -<p>"Where shall we go in Westport when we get there?" asked Mrs. Bristol. -"We can't go to a hotel or boarding-house, for we haven't money enough -to pay our way for three days."</p> - -<p>"I don't see that we can do a thing, mother," said Paul when he had -carefully looked over the situation. "I would borrow a boat, if there -was one to be had; but I am sure the institute boatman would not lend me -one now. Major Billcord's story will be all over the neighborhood in a -few hours. I could get one in Westport; but it might take me a whole day -to find our flatboat, for it must have been driven ashore on the other -side of the lake. Some vessel may have picked it up, for I saw two or -three going up the lake."</p> - -<p>"I saw a sailboat go by while you were talking to the major," said Lily.</p> - -<p>"I noticed her; it was one of the Beech Hill boats," added Paul. "One of -these vessels may have picked up the 'Dragon,'" as he had named the -flatboat, "and it may be five miles from here by this time."</p> - -<p>"We are in the hands of Providence, and as helpless as babies," -continued Mrs. Bristol. "I<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_49" id="Page_49">[Pg 49]</a></span> don't see that we can do a single thing for -ourselves, and we must trust in a higher power than man."</p> - -<p>"We can stay in the cottage over night, at least, and it will be our -last in our happy home," said Paul. "The students will all be at their -studies in the forenoon, and then you and Lily can walk over to -Westport."</p> - -<p>"What are you going to do, Paul?" inquired his mother, bestowing a look -of the deepest interest upon him.</p> - -<p>"I shall stay here and save what I can."</p> - -<p>"You must not stay here!" protested his mother warmly. "The students -will kill you, under the lead of Walker Billcord."</p> - -<p>"I am not afraid of them."</p> - -<p>"You must not stay here: if you do, I shall stay with you," replied the -devoted mother.</p> - -<p>"There is that sailboat, Paul," said Lily, who had been gazing blankly -out upon the lake. "She looks as though she was headed for the point."</p> - -<p>"That's the 'Goldwing,'" added Paul. "I hope Dory Dornwood is on board -of her. He is a good fellow, and he may do something to help us. If she -comes near enough, I will hail her."</p> - -<p>"But Dory Dornwood will not do anything for<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_50" id="Page_50">[Pg 50]</a></span> any one on this side of the -lake," replied Mrs. Bristol. "The two schools have waged the fiercest -war upon each other."</p> - -<p>"I know Dory Dornwood very well, mother. I had a long talk with him -about the war between the schools, and I know that the Beech-Hillers -have done all they could to keep out of trouble with the Chesterfields. -I am sure he will do anything he can for us. He don't like Major -Billcord any better than I do at this moment, for he had a row with him -when he was a waiter on a steamer."</p> - -<p>"I don't see that he can do anything for us, even if he does come near -enough for you to hail him," added Mrs. Bristol, hardly less despondent -than before.</p> - -<p>"He can take some of our things on board his boat, and carry them to a -place where they will be safe until we want them again."</p> - -<p>Paul was quite hopeful that something would come of the visit of the -"Goldwing" to the point, if she came there. Without stopping to argue -the possibilities with his mother, he hastened to the shore. The -"Goldwing" was headed down the lake, and, with all sail set, she was -dashing over the waves at a tremendous high speed. She was towing a -small boat astern of her, but Paul could<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_51" id="Page_51">[Pg 51]</a></span> not tell whether it was the -"Dragon" or her usual tender.</p> - -<p>The wind was exactly west, and the schooner was going free. When Paul -saw her before, she was on the easterly side of the lake, where she got -a better breeze than on the opposite side. He was satisfied that she -headed for the vicinity of the point; for she would have started her -sheets when she came up with Scotch Bonnet, if she had been bound -directly down the lake.</p> - -<p>Though she was approaching the point, it was by no means certain that -she intended to make a landing there. The boat she was towing was astern -of her, and Paul could not see it plainly, as the hull of the yacht -obstructed his view. As on all occasions, he determined to do the best -he could. Running back to the house, he borrowed a tablecloth of reddish -hue, and fastened it to the oar. Elevating it as a signal to the -"Goldwing," he held it in position at the very apex of the point.</p> - -<p>Lily and her mother were not inclined to join him, for they did not feel -in the mood to meet any young men, however civil they might be. They -remained seated on the steps of the cottage; but they watched the sails -of the yacht with as deep an interest as Paul did, for it was at least -possible<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_52" id="Page_52">[Pg 52]</a></span> that the party on board of her might help them in their -present dire emergency.</p> - -<p>"She is headed for the point!" shouted Paul, when he had satisfied -himself of the fact.</p> - -<p>"I pray that a kind Providence has sent her to our relief," replied Mrs. -Bristol.</p> - -<p>Paul watched her with the most intense interest. When the "Goldwing" was -within a quarter of a mile of the point, the party on board of her waved -their handkerchiefs as a reply to Paul's signal. The hopes of the -watcher on the shore ran high, but he could not yet see whether or not -she had the "Dragon" in tow.</p> - -<p>Sandy Point was a kind of double cape. It was shaped like a letter T. -The cottage was on the northeast point, inside of which was Sandy Bay, -where the Beech Hill students sometimes came to bathe. The other arm of -the point extended to the southwest, and inside of it was the station of -the boats belonging to the institute.</p> - -<p>"Is that you, Paul Bristol?" shouted some one on board of the -"Goldwing."</p> - -<p>"Yes! Is Dory Dornwood on board?" replied Paul.</p> - -<p>"He is! Have you lost a flatboat?" called the speaker from the yacht.</p> - -<p><span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_53" id="Page_53">[Pg 53]</a></span></p><p>"I have!"</p> - -<p>The schooner kept well off the point, and appeared now to be headed for -the shore on the opposite side of Sandy Point. As she came abreast of -the shore, Paul saw that she had the "Dragon" and her tender in tow. The -return of the "Dragon" was a godsend, even if nothing else resulted from -the visit of the yacht. The "Goldwing" ran over towards the opposite -shore, and then tacked. The wind was light inside of the bay, and the -schooner circled gracefully about, coming up into the wind off the point -where Paul stood. Down went her jib in the twinkling of an eye, and over -went her anchor. In a moment she had come up to her cable, with her -mainsail fluttering in the breeze.</p> - -<p>One of the party hauled up the "Dragon," and, casting off the painter, -sculled her ashore with the single oar that remained on board of her.</p> - -<p>"This is your boat, I suppose," said Tucker Prince, one of the new -students of the Beech Hill Industrial School, as he stepped on shore -with the painter in his hand.</p> - -<p>"It is my boat, and I owe you a thousand thanks for bringing her back to -me," replied Paul.</p> - -<p>"The skipper wants to know if any accident has<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_54" id="Page_54">[Pg 54]</a></span> happened by which she -was turned adrift," continued Tuck Prince, whom the New-Yorkers called a -"Bosting boy."</p> - -<p>"No accident; but who is the skipper?"</p> - -<p>"Dory Dornwood."</p> - -<p>"I would give more to see him than I would to meet my grandmother," -added Paul.</p> - -<p>In a few moments more Paul Bristol had Dory by the hand.</p> - -<hr /> - -<p><span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_55" id="Page_55">[Pg 55]</a></span></p> - -<h2><span>CHAPTER V.</span> <span class="smaller">THE "GOLDWING" AT SANDY POINT.</span></h2> - -<p>Dory Dornwood had been to the point before, and had met Paul Bristol -there. Of course, the son of toil had never associated with the -Chesterfields on anything like an equality, and he had no especial -interest in them or their affairs. In the quarrels between the two -schools he had been entirely neutral, for the reason that he had not -been called upon to take part in any of the battles, and his opinion of -the merits of either side was of no consequence.</p> - -<p>Dory gave the resident of the point his hand, as he came on board of the -"Goldwing," and was glad to see him. Possibly the skipper was willing to -have a friend in this particular locality, though he knew that Paul had -no influence with the gentlemanly students of the institute.</p> - -<p>"I picked up your boat over by Scotch Bonnet," said Dory. "It was just -going on the rocks, and I thought it would have a hard time there. I<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_56" id="Page_56">[Pg 56]</a></span> -knew from the direction of the wind that it must have come from this -region, and I was afraid some one had been upset in her, for there was -only one oar in the boat."</p> - -<p>"No one was upset in her, though the 'Dragon' is not inclined to stay -right side up when the sea is heavy," replied Paul. "I am more thankful -to you than I can tell for bringing her back at just this time. If you -are willing to hear me, I should like to tell you how she happened to -get adrift, and why I am so glad to get her back."</p> - -<p>"I am in no hurry, and I am ready to hear anything you wish to say to -me," replied Dory, as he invited Paul to take a seat in the -standing-room.</p> - -<p>There were five other Beech Hill students in the boat, and they seemed -to be as willing to hear the story as the skipper was. All of them -judged by the manner of the Sandy-Pointer that he had something of -interest and importance to tell. Paul gave his account of the trouble -between Lily and Walk Billcord without exaggeration or embellishment, -though he did not do justice, in his modesty, to his own prowess in the -battles with the magnate and his son.</p> - -<p>The narrative was exciting enough to secure the<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_57" id="Page_57">[Pg 57]</a></span> closest attention of -his auditors; and, when it was finished, all of them had some questions -to ask, and most of them some comments to make. As they were not -prejudiced in favor of the major or his son, they agreed that the son of -toil had served them right. Dory said he should have been very sorry to -strike a man of the age of Major Billcord, but he did not see how he -could have helped doing so under the circumstances.</p> - -<p>"And he has ordered you to remove the cottage at less than a day's -notice?" continued the skipper.</p> - -<p>"He has, and at a time when my boat had gone adrift, and I had no way to -move a single thing which we could not carry two miles in our hands. -That is the reason why I was so glad to see the 'Dragon' coming back to -the point," replied Paul, looking at the skipper of the "Goldwing" with -the deepest interest. "But the water is rather rough this afternoon out -on the lake, and I am afraid I can't do much towards moving my mother -and sister and all the furniture in that flatboat."</p> - -<p>"Then you mean to leave the cottage to be pitched into the lake?" added -Dory.</p> - -<p>"I don't see that we can do anything else," replied Paul blankly. "It is -about a quarter of a<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_58" id="Page_58">[Pg 58]</a></span> mile through the woods to the road, and Major -Billcord will not allow a tree to be cut down. I could not move it if I -had a hundred men to help me. I might take it to pieces, if I had time -enough to do the job; but we have little time, and not much money."</p> - -<p>"Suppose we go on shore and take a look at the cottage," suggested Dory, -who seemed to be doing some heavy thinking, though he did not hint that -he knew of any remedy for the misfortunes of the Bristols. The tender -was brought up to the gangway, and Dory went ashore in it, accompanied -by Tuck Prince, while Paul took the "Dragon" back.</p> - -<p>The skipper walked up to the cottage, and Paul introduced him to his -mother and sister. Dory had never seen Lily Bristol before, but he was -perfectly willing to agree with the "speech of people," that she was the -prettiest girl in the State of New York, and possibly in the State of -Vermont. But she looked very sad, and so did her mother, and Dory said -nothing to them about the mandate of the magnate.</p> - -<p>The visitor looked at the house, and got its approximate dimensions in -his mind. He examined the foundations of the structure, and the land -upon which it lay. He was thinking, but he said nothing.</p> - -<p><span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_59" id="Page_59">[Pg 59]</a></span></p><p>"Of course, Major Billcord knows very well that we cannot move the -cottage without making a pathway for it through the grove," said Paul, -who had observed the expression on Dory's face with the utmost interest.</p> - -<p>But he had not expected that the skipper of the "Goldwing" could do -anything about moving the dwelling: the most he had hoped was that the -visitor would volunteer to assist in the transportation of the -furniture, or a portion of it, to some safe place, if such could be -found. But Dory was provokingly silent, and did not hint at anything. -When he had completed his examination of the premises, he walked towards -the end of the point again.</p> - -<p>"I suppose you will agree with me that not a thing can be done," said -Paul as he followed the skipper; and he began to be very much -discouraged at the prospect.</p> - -<p>"I don't know whether anything can be done or not," replied Dory, -musing. "I can't do anything myself, for I don't feel at liberty to act -without the knowledge of my uncle, Captain Gildrock," replied Dory. "If -you could move the cottage, have you any other place to put it?"</p> - -<p>"Not a place. My mother owns a house, but<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_60" id="Page_60">[Pg 60]</a></span> not a foot of land in the -wide universe," answered Paul gloomily.</p> - -<p>"It is not very easy to think of any plan for moving the building when -we haven't any idea of what is to be done with it," added Dory, -surveying with his eye the ground between the cottage and the water of -the lake.</p> - -<p>"I didn't suppose you could do anything for us in that way," continued -Paul. "I thought we might save some of our furniture in the 'Dragon.'"</p> - -<p>"You couldn't even get a bureau on board of her," replied Dory, glancing -at the flatboat. "If you laid it across the gunwales, it would upset -her. But I have an idea, though it may not amount to much. What are your -mother and sister going to do? I take it they will not stay here to see -the Chesterfields destroy your cottage and its contents?"</p> - -<p>"No; they will leave in the morning; but there is no place under the sun -for them to go. We have no relations, and hardly any friends," answered -Paul very sadly.</p> - -<p>"As I said before, I can't do anything without orders in a case like -this. I am very sorry for you. If the situation were what my uncle -defines as an emergency, I should be permitted to do what<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_61" id="Page_61">[Pg 61]</a></span> is required -to save life or property. But there is nearly a whole day's leeway in -this case," continued the skipper.</p> - -<p>"I didn't know but you might carry some of our things over to the other -side in the 'Goldwing,' Paul hinted very timidly.</p> - -<p>"I might be able to take some of them; but the schooner would not hold -one-half of the goods. I hope to do something better than that, though I -can't promise anything. So far as the furniture is concerned, I don't -think you need to worry about that, for there will be time enough to -remove it to-morrow morning," said Dory.</p> - -<p>"Plenty of time, if I have any help," added Paul.</p> - -<p>Dory hoped he should be able to do something better than this; and the -words had given Paul a strong hope, though he wished the skipper would -speak out plainly, and say what he thought of doing.</p> - -<p>"It is now about five o'clock," continued Dory, looking at his watch. -"We have plenty of time, and I have something to propose. I can't do -anything without my uncle's knowledge, but I should like to have your -mother and sister go over to Beech Hill in the 'Goldwing;' and you too, -Paul,<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_62" id="Page_62">[Pg 62]</a></span> if you don't think it necessary to remain here and look out for -the cottage."</p> - -<p>"What should they go over there for?" asked the son of toil.</p> - -<p>"To tell my uncle your story. If Captain Gildrock decides that nothing -can be done for you, I will bring your mother and sister back before -dark. Then I will take a cargo of your goods to any place you say in -this part of the lake. That is all I feel at liberty to do under the -present circumstances," added Dory. "But I am pretty sure that something -more will be done for you."</p> - -<p>"I will speak to my mother about it," replied Paul. "Will you come with -me, Dory?"</p> - -<p>The skipper followed him to the cottage, and Paul stated the case to his -mother. She was willing to do anything her son thought best. She did not -think it was necessary for Lily to go if Paul was to remain in charge of -the house; but Dory thought she was a part of the story, and anticipated -some hard questions from his uncle which she could answer better than -any other person. Mrs. Bristol yielded the point, and in a few minutes -they were ready for the trip.</p> - -<p>The ladies were seated in the standing-room, and the Beech-Hillers were -as polite as so many <span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_63" id="Page_63">[Pg 63]</a></span>dancing-masters, "tinkers" though they were. A -short distance from the shore the wind was still fresh; and in half an -hour the "Goldwing" was in Beechwater, as the principal of the school -generally called the lake.</p> - -<p>Without waiting to moor the schooner, which he left in charge of Tuck -Prince, Dory pulled the ladies to the new boat-house in the tender. They -landed at the steps, and the skipper conducted them to Captain -Gildrock's library. They were pleasantly welcomed by the principal, -though they were entire strangers to him.</p> - -<p>Dory stated that he had brought Mrs. Bristol and Miss Lily from Sandy -Point, and he wished his uncle to hear the story they had to tell. He -hinted that the visitors had better confine themselves to the facts in -the case, without any comments; and, as Lily had been the principal and -first actor in the drama, he thought she had better open the narrative.</p> - -<p>Possibly Dory thought an account of the opening proceedings from the -lips of so pretty a girl as Lily might have more influence with his -bachelor uncle. The captain smiled graciously, and bowed encouragingly -to the fair maiden. She began in a very straightforward way with the -narrative, and<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_64" id="Page_64">[Pg 64]</a></span> Dory was glad the occasion permitted him to gaze at her -without staring.</p> - -<p>When she had completed her narrative, there was but little more for her -mother to say. The principal asked a few questions, and then he was in -possession of all the facts. He knew all about Major Billcord, and he -had no difficulty in believing the simple and unadorned statement to -which he had listened. Very likely he was as indignant as any Christian -man would have been at the outrage of the magnate and his son, but he -did not express himself in this direction.</p> - -<p>When Mrs. Bristol and Lily had said all they had to say, the captain -looked at Dory to see if he had anything to offer. Dory was not slow to -take a hint, and he made quite an energetic speech of considerable -length, setting forth his views of the situation.</p> - -<hr /> - -<p><span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_65" id="Page_65">[Pg 65]</a></span></p> - -<h2><span>CHAPTER VI.</span> <span class="smaller">A CALL FOR ALL HANDS AT BEECH HILL.</span></h2> - -<p>"I am very sorry, Mrs. Bristol, that you should have been placed in such -an unpleasant situation," said Captain Gildrock when Dory had brought -his speech to a square conclusion, which some orators find it very -difficult to do. "Your son did no more than I would have done in the -same circumstances. It was highly proper for him to defend his sister -with his fists; and after that he acted only on the defensive."</p> - -<p>"I was very well satisfied with Paul, sir," added Mrs. Bristol.</p> - -<p>"I think you have reason to be. You have heard what my nephew has said, -and I fully indorse the plan he has outlined. I shall leave it to him to -carry it out in his own way."</p> - -<p>"You are very kind, Captain Gildrock, and I shall be grateful to you as -long as I live," replied Mrs. Bristol, with enthusiasm. "Paul says your -students were always much better behaved than those of the institute."</p> - -<p><span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_66" id="Page_66">[Pg 66]</a></span></p><p>"Unfortunately our relations with the school on the other side of the -lake are not as pleasant as I could wish; but I do not intend that our -young men shall be offensive to their neighbors."</p> - -<p>"The Goldwing is all ready to take you back to Sandy Point, Mrs. -Bristol," Dory interposed.</p> - -<p>"But why should you return, madam?" said the principal. "I think you had -better remain here. We have plenty of spare rooms, and we will do all we -can to make you comfortable."</p> - -<p>"Thank you, sir; but I am afraid Paul will be uneasy in my longer -absence."</p> - -<p>"Dory shall run over to Sandy Point, and inform your son what is to be -done, and can bring you anything you may want," suggested Captain -Gildrock.</p> - -<p>The principal gave some strong reasons why she and Lily had better -remain at the mansion over night, and she finally consented to do so. -Mrs. Dornwood and Marian, Dory's mother and sister, were called, and -they soon made the visitors feel quite at home. Dory returned to the -Goldwing, and was soon standing out of Beechwater.</p> - -<p>In less than half an hour the schooner was at the point. Paul was -greatly astonished, and not a little troubled, when he saw that his -mother and<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_67" id="Page_67">[Pg 67]</a></span> sister were not on board of her. But the skipper soon -explained their absence, and stated what was to be done with the -permission of his uncle. Paul went to the cottage for a few articles -which his mother had desired, in a note, while the skipper looked over -the situation of the cottage again, and arranged his plans for action.</p> - -<p>"We shall disappoint the Chesterfields once more, Paul," said Dory, when -the son of toil joined him. "We have spoiled some of their little -arrangements before."</p> - -<p>"They will miss the fun the major has promised them, but I think he will -feel the loss of it more than they will. Of course, all he wants is to -punish us," replied Paul, with a cheerful smile.</p> - -<p>"You can go over to Beech Hill with me if you like," continued Dory, -when they reached the tender.</p> - -<p>"I must stay here and watch the cottage. Some of the students might -think it was fun to set it on fire to-night, though it would not make a -very brilliant light in the moonshine," replied Paul.</p> - -<p>"Do you expect any of the Chesterfields at the point to-night, Paul?" -asked Dory with some anxiety, for their presence might interfere with -his plan.</p> - -<p><span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_68" id="Page_68">[Pg 68]</a></span></p><p>"No; I hardly expect any of them. I don't know that Major Billcord has -told them about the fun in store for them yet, though he was so mad when -he left the point that he could hardly keep it in," answered Paul.</p> - -<p>"Well, if they come to-night, we can't help it," added Dory, as he -stepped into the tender. "We shall be here all the same, and we shall do -the work we have laid out."</p> - -<p>The Goldwing got up her anchor, and filled away. Paul watched her till -she disappeared in Beaver River. The situation had changed entirely, and -Paul was as happy as though there had been no tempest at the point that -day. His mother and sister were in good quarters, and he did not much -care if the Chesterfields came down upon him in full force. As soon as -the schooner was out of sight he went into the house to get his supper.</p> - -<p>As soon as the Goldwing was moored, and her crew had eaten their supper, -there was a call for all hands to assemble at the new boat-house. The -famous structure had been finished nearly a year before, for it was in -the month of May that the trouble at Sandy Point took place. The school -year began in the September preceding.</p> - -<p>After considering the subject during the <span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_69" id="Page_69">[Pg 69]</a></span>summer, Captain Gildrock had -decided to increase the number of pupils in the Beech Hill Industrial -School. But he was a prudent and practical man, and he had taken only a -dozen additional scholars. Two had left to take good-paying situations, -and the whole number now was thirty-six. There was room in the enlarged -dormitory for a dozen more, and space enough for them at the benches in -the shops.</p> - -<p>A third class had been formed of the beginners; and, as they had been -under instruction for eight months, some of them had acquired -considerable skill in the use of tools. Another barge had been procured, -and the "green hands" had all learned to row, to swim, and a few of them -to handle a sailboat. The school was now larger than the one on the -other side of the lake. But the Chesterfields, after having been -defeated several times in their assaults upon the Beech Hillers, had -confined their attention more to their own affairs than formerly. They -were satisfied to give the barges of the "tinkers" a wide berth on the -lake; and the boating season closed without any more serious quarrels on -the water.</p> - -<p>The Topovers had never accomplished anything by meddling with the -students on their side of the<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_70" id="Page_70">[Pg 70]</a></span> lake. A little discipline in one of the -courts had kept them at a distance for a time. When the fruit was ripe, -Mr. Brookbine's big dog became a terror to them; for the master -carpenter had built a house for him near the rear fence of the orchard, -and the animal understood his duty perfectly.</p> - -<p>The call for the students after supper was unusual, and no one but the -members of the acting crew of the yacht knew what it meant; and even -they knew nothing of the plan they were to assist in carrying out. Since -the former season there had been some changes in the organization of the -students. Captain Gildrock was no longer the actual captain of the -Sylph, the beautiful steam yacht connected with the institution.</p> - -<p>The position had been given to Dory Dornwood, and the students generally -sailed her without the interference of the principal or any of the -instructors. Mr. Jepson, the master-machinist, was no longer the chief -engineer, and was therefore at no time under the orders of any of the -juvenile officers. Corny Minkfield, who had served one season as first -assistant-engineer, had been promoted to the highest place, and the -second to the place thus made vacant.</p> - -<p>Oscar Chester was the first pilot. He had been<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_71" id="Page_71">[Pg 71]</a></span> a diligent student in -the pilot-house, and knew the lake almost as well as the captain. All -the places had been filled after the first appointments in accordance -with the merits of the students, though of necessity "civil service" -rules prevailed, for the reason that the members of the ship's company -had become more skilful in the departments in which they had been -employed than in any other.</p> - -<p>The only violent changes made were those which gave the cooks and -stewards a chance to learn seamanship or the management of the engine -and furnaces. As waiters they learned out in a few months, and even the -rather limited routine of cookery required on board was exhausted in the -same time. Old deck hands and firemen became stewards, while those who -had served in the fireroom and cabins were transferred to the deck.</p> - -<p>The increase in the number of students allowed a very large force of -seamen, and the vessel was now heavily manned. Crews for the quarter -boats were appointed for permanent service, and four quartermasters were -added to the organization, who had regular tricks at the wheel in the -pilot-house under the direction of the first or second pilot.</p> - -<p><span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_72" id="Page_72">[Pg 72]</a></span></p><p>Dory Dornwood had been in command of the steamer for the three months -at the close of the last season of navigation, and every Saturday he -exercised his ship's company in as long cruises us the length of Lake -Champlain would permit. Sometimes the principal was on board, and -sometimes he was not. If he had anything to say, he said it to Captain -Dory Dornwood; and the discipline was as perfect as though the steamer -had been in the navy.</p> - -<p>In the beginning of Captain Dornwood's administration there had been -considerable difficulty. Boys from the country, or even from the city, -were not very prompt to see the necessity of obeying orders without -asking any questions. But as this was one of the principal lessons the -steam yacht was to impart to the pupils, there was no relaxation of the -discipline to accommodate those who were dilatory or rebellious.</p> - -<p>If an officer was in the slightest degree disobedient to those above him -in rank, he was "broken" as soon as the case was proved to the -satisfaction of the principal. If the delinquent was a seaman, -under-steward, or fireman, he was relieved from further duty on board, -and required to stay on shore under the eye of the instructors, or of -Bates,<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_73" id="Page_73">[Pg 73]</a></span> the old salt, who obeyed orders as though they were all written -down in the constitution of the State.</p> - -<p>As this was the severest punishment that could be inflicted upon any of -the students, it soon had its effect. Before the season closed, the -ship's company were as obedient to the new officers as they had ever -been when Captain Gildrock was in command. More than this, Dory was very -popular in the school; he was not unreasonable, snobbish, or tyrannical, -and never did violence to the self-respect of any of his shipmates. -After they had learned the trick of doing it, it was a pleasure to obey -orders.</p> - -<p>The students assembled in the boat-house, and all eyes were fixed upon -Captain Dornwood, who was to have command of the expedition to Sandy -Point, for the operations on shore as well as those on board of the -Sylph.</p> - -<p>"Perhaps I ought to call for volunteers for the work of to-night, for -some of you may not want to sit up so late as the business in hand may -require," the captain began, with a cheerful smile on his handsome face, -for his good looks had certainly improved in the last two years.</p> - -<p>"All night if you like!" shouted Bob Swanton.</p> - -<p><span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_74" id="Page_74">[Pg 74]</a></span></p><p>"The principal instructed me to say that the early bell will not be -rung to-morrow morning," continued Dory. "There will be a good deal of -hard work to be done, including some lifting, though there are enough of -us to make the task easy. These are the hardships of the trip; and if -any student prefers to stay at the school, he will be permitted to do -so. If there are any such they will please step forward."</p> - -<p>Of course, there was not a single one who wished to be excused from -duty. The captain of the Sylph explained that they were to make a trip -up the lake by moonlight in the steamer, and do a smart job on the other -side. This was all he would tell them at that time, and he directed them -to put on their uniform.</p> - -<hr /> - -<p><span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_75" id="Page_75">[Pg 75]</a></span></p> - -<h2><span>CHAPTER VII.</span> <span class="smaller">AN EXPEDITION BY MOONLIGHT.</span></h2> - -<p>The Sylph lay at the new wharf, and as soon as the students had put on -their uniforms they went on board of her. Chief-engineer Minkfield was -directed to get up steam at once. Captain Dornwood ordered one of the -quarter boats to be lowered into the water and manned. Taking Thad -Glovering, the first officer, with him, he embarked.</p> - -<p>At the order of the coxswain the bowman shoved off, and the oars were -dropped into the water. The boat was pulled up the little lake to the -stone quarries. Mr. Miker, the lessee of the quarries, had made good use -of some of the ideas of Bolly Millweed, the architect of the boat-house. -The <i>caisson</i>, on which the stone posts for the foundations of the -structure had been transported, had suggested to him the building of a -huge raft, or scow.</p> - -<p>He called the craft a "gundalow," which appears to be a corruption of -gondola, though the affair bore but little resemblance to the airy boat -of the<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_76" id="Page_76">[Pg 76]</a></span> Venetians. It was fifty feet long and sixteen feet wide. It was -decked over and caulked, so that it was as tight as a ship on the ocean. -It had a stow-hole at each end; but these compartments were perfectly -tight, so that if any water flowed into them it could not get into the -large middle chamber upon which the craft depended for its power of -flotation.</p> - -<p>When heavily loaded with stone, the deck was only a few inches above the -level of the water outside. Mr. Miker's principal market for the -production of the quarries was at Genverres, though he had sold a large -quantity of stone to be delivered in Burlington. In the centre of the -deck was a derrick, which was used as a mast when the gundalow went out -upon Lake Champlain. She was provided with a large, square sail, but it -could be used only when the wind was fair.</p> - -<p>On her trips to Genverres she was poled by four or six men, and made -very slow progress. But Captain Gildrock had offered Mr. Miker the use -of the Sylph to tow her when he wished, for this was nothing but fun to -the ship's company, and, as it looked like business to them, they -enjoyed it more than mere sailing without a purpose.</p> - -<p>The principal made no charge for the use of the<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_77" id="Page_77">[Pg 77]</a></span> steamer, and Mr. Miker -was grateful for the service rendered by the yacht and the students. The -gundalow was just the thing Captain Dornwood wanted for the operations -of the night. When the boat reached the quarry, the captain went on -board and measured it. But the derrick was in the way, and unless it -could be removed, the craft would be useless to him.</p> - -<p>Returning to the boat, he proceeded farther up the creek, to a point -near Mr. Miker's house. Landing again, he found the quarryman in his -garden. He stated his business. Of course he could have the use of the -gundalow, and the derrick could be taken out of her. The man of stone -was enthusiastic to serve the students, and he did not even ask to what -use the craft was to be applied, though Dory volunteered the information -that the plan he was to carry out was approved by the principal.</p> - -<p>Mr. Miker hastened to summon all his men, who lived near the quarries, -and by eight o'clock they were on the deck of the gundalow. But it was -no small undertaking to remove the derrick, for the mast was a very -heavy spar, and was stepped in the bottom of the scow.</p> - -<p>The rigging and the long arm were taken from it, and then one of the -movable derricks used in the<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_78" id="Page_78">[Pg 78]</a></span> quarries was brought on deck, and guyed up -for work. With the aid of this machinery the mast was taken out, and -deposited on the shore. The mast-hole was covered with a tight scuttle -made for the purpose, and the gundalow was adapted to the business for -which she was to be used in the expedition to Sandy Point.</p> - -<p>By this time it was nine o'clock, and the moon was just beginning to -cast its silvery light upon the still waters of the little lake. Captain -Dornwood promised to return the scow to the quarries before morning; but -Mr. Miker said he should not use her for a week, and the captain could -keep her as long as he wished.</p> - -<p>"We shall want a lot of blocks, planks, and timbers, but we have plenty -of them on the school grounds, though we shall have to lug them a -considerable distance to put them on board of the gundalow," said -Captain Dornwood, as he was about to step into the boat.</p> - -<p>"Hold on then, Dory! I have everything you can possibly want in that -line," interposed Mr. Miker. "The students have saved my men a vast deal -of hard work in towing the gundalow, and they will be glad to put all -the lumber you need on board of the scow."</p> - -<p><span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_79" id="Page_79">[Pg 79]</a></span></p><p>"That we will!" exclaimed several of the men in the same breath.</p> - -<p>"I don't want to give you and your men, who have been at work all day, -any unnecessary trouble," added Dory.</p> - -<p>"No trouble at all!" protested the men, as they began to put the timbers -on board.</p> - -<p>Dory was very grateful to them, and pointed out the kind of stuff he -wanted, including a large pile of rollers used in moving heavy blocks of -stone. In half an hour the gundalow was loaded with the materials Dory -had indicated. In the little time at his disposal, the energetic leader -of the enterprise had made a list of the material he was likely to -require. He had been at work, while the men were loading the blocks and -planks, with his pencil and paper, and had thought of several things -that were of prime importance.</p> - -<p>"I am very much obliged to you, Mr. Miker, and I shall be still more so, -if you will lend us eight jack-screws, for we have not enough of them at -the shops," continued Dory.</p> - -<p>"Are you going to move a meeting-house, Dory?" asked the quarryman, -laughing.</p> - -<p>"We are going to do something of that sort," replied the leader of the -enterprise. "But I don't let on just yet."</p> - -<p><span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_80" id="Page_80">[Pg 80]</a></span></p><p>"All right; you know what you are about every time, and it is best to -keep your mouth shut, in ease you should not succeed as well as you -expect. I have a dozen rather small jack-screws, and I will have all of -them put on the deck of the gundalow," added Mr. Miker, as he ordered -his men to bring them from a shanty where they were kept under lock and -key.</p> - -<p>"I will see that everything is brought back again before morning," said -Dory, as he stepped into his boat, and gave the order to return to the -Sylph.</p> - -<p>It was now nearly ten o'clock on as beautiful an evening as ever -gladdened the heart of any night wanderers. The full moon gave an -abundance of light, and the operations of the students could be as -readily conducted as in the day-time. Everything that would be needed, -with the exception of a few coils of rope, was on board of the gundalow. -A party was sent to the shops for them; and when these necessary -articles were obtained, the fasts were cast off, and the steamer stood -up to the quarries.</p> - -<p>The gundalow had been so often towed by the Sylph, that the business was -perfectly understood. In a few moments more she was made fast to the -steamer by the double tow-lines, so that the awkward<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_81" id="Page_81">[Pg 81]</a></span> craft could be -steered even around a corner without any difficulty. Will Orwell, the -second officer, was detailed to take charge of a party of six on board -of the tow. But before the steamer got under way again, Captain Dornwood -called all hands together on the forward deck.</p> - -<p>"Now we shall know what sort of a racket this is going to be," said Dick -Halifax, as they hastened to the place of meeting.</p> - -<p>"No, you won't," replied Dick Short, to whom the remark was addressed. -"You won't know anything at all about it until we come to the work to be -done."</p> - -<p>"Why don't he tell us what we are to do?" asked Dick. "I should like to -know something about it."</p> - -<p>"It was a trick of Captain Gildrock to keep his business to himself, and -Dory takes after him. The principal thinks the fellows can obey orders -better when they don't know what is coming than they can when they -understand all about it. Every fellow thinks he knows best how to do -almost anything."</p> - -<p>"I don't know but he is right. I never saw a horse tumble down in the -street, but every one of the crowd around him wanted to boss the job of -getting him on his feet again," added Dick.</p> - -<p><span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_82" id="Page_82">[Pg 82]</a></span></p><p>"I have called you together, fellows, to say that it will be necessary -to keep as still as possible on the expedition of to-night;" said -Captain Dornwood, when the ship's company had all gathered on the -forward deck. "I don't know that a noise would defeat our plans, but I -am very much afraid it would cause us some trouble. I don't believe in -any yelling when we are on duty, but I fear it would make mischief -to-night. Please to observe this request in the strictest possible -manner."</p> - -<p>"Where are we going, Captain Dornwood?" asked Bark Duxbury, one of the -new students.</p> - -<p>"Going to work now," replied the captain with a smile. "All hands to -their stations."</p> - -<p>The ship's company separated, and all the officers and seamen went to -the places where they belonged. Though no meals were to be served during -the night, so far as was known, the cooks went to the galley, and the -stewards to the forward cabin. The second officer, with his gang, went -on board of the gundalow, and at the order from the captain the pilot on -duty rang the bell to back her. By this movement the scow was hauled out -from the wharf, and the bell to go ahead was given.</p> - -<p>Mr. Miker and some of his men stood on the shore watching the departure -of the expedition,<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_83" id="Page_83">[Pg 83]</a></span> and wondering what sort of a mission the students -were going upon at that time in the evening. But the Sylph and her tow -soon disappeared beyond the trees at the lower end of Beechwater. Dory -was on the hurricane deck, keeping a sharp lookout upon everything that -was done.</p> - -<p>At the V-point the pilot slowed down without any order from the captain, -and the scow was switched around it without touching the mud. There was -now nothing to do outside of the engine-room and pilot-house; and the -crew gathered into companies in various parts of the deck to speculate -upon the nature of the expedition in which they were engaged. They -guessed a hundred things. The crew of the Goldwing were pretty sure they -were going to Sandy Point.</p> - -<p>The Sylph was approaching the mouth of the river, and it would soon be -necessary for Captain Dornwood to say something. For, if the expedition -was bound to the northward, she would take that course as soon as she -came up with the point on that side of the river; if she was going to -the southward, she would have to keep her present course half a mile -farther out into the lake to avoid the shoals off Field's Bay.</p> - -<p>Oscar Chester and Dick Short, the latter of<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_84" id="Page_84">[Pg 84]</a></span> whom had been promoted from -a deck-hand to the position of second pilot, were in the pilot-house. No -order came to alter the course at the north point, but a few minutes -later the captain entered the pilot-house.</p> - -<p>"We are bound to Sandy Point," said he; and the head of the steamer was -turned to the southwest.</p> - -<p>In less than half an hour, the Sylph was close in to the end of the -point, and Dory discovered Paul on the shore. The steamer was headed -into the bay, and the gundalow brought up to a point directly in front -of the cottage.</p> - -<hr /> - -<p><span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_85" id="Page_85">[Pg 85]</a></span></p> - -<h2><span>CHAPTER VIII.</span> <span class="smaller">A CHANGE OF LOCATION.</span></h2> - -<p>Both of the quarter boats of the Sylph were lowered into the water, and -a shore party landed with Captain Dornwood. The steamer was then left in -charge of the first pilot. The hands on board of the gundalow had poled -her up to the beach where she had grounded.</p> - -<p>"I am glad to see you, Dory," said Paul Bristol, when the captain went -on shore. "It was so late that I was afraid you were not coming."</p> - -<p>"We have plenty of time to do the job, for I don't think it will take us -a great while. Have you seen anything of the Chesterfields this -evening?"</p> - -<p>"Not one of them has been near the point, so far as I know, and I don't -expect to see any of them. I suppose they are dreaming of the fun they -will have in pitching the cottage into the lake to-morrow afternoon," -added Paul, with a cheerful smile. "But I don't see how you are going to -move the building, Dory."</p> - -<p><span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_86" id="Page_86">[Pg 86]</a></span></p><p>"If you keep your eye on us sharp for an hour or so you will see," -replied the leader of the enterprise, as he turned his attention to the -business before him.</p> - -<p>After half an hour's hard work, the lumber, blocks, and rigging on the -deck of the scow were landed on the beach. With thirty pairs of hands -the work was not very hard, and they tossed the large sticks about as -though they had been nothing but chips. By this time they understood -what was to be done, and the students were full of enthusiasm. They were -required to work in silence; for though the Chesterfield school was all -of half a mile from Sandy Point, Dory was very anxious lest their -operations should be disturbed by the institute people.</p> - -<p>Two heavy timbers were placed under the cottage; the jack-screws were -put in position under them, and the building raised from the posts which -supported it. A plankway was laid on the smooth sand, the posts were -removed, and the cottage set on rollers. The plankway was continued to -the water.</p> - -<p>There was a considerable descent from the site of the cottage to the -water. Two heavy ropes were attached to the building, and passed around<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_87" id="Page_87">[Pg 87]</a></span> -a couple of large trees in the rear of it. The plankway was an inclined -plane, and it required but little force to start the cottage on its -journey. With a couple of turns around the trees, the hands stationed at -the check-lines easily controlled its movements, and slacked off only as -the captain gave the word.</p> - -<p>In a few minutes the building was rolled down almost to the water. The -gundalow was aground on the shore end. Two heavy timbers were extended -from the deck to the beach and supported by blocks so that they would -bear the weight of the structure. These beams lay nearly level when they -were in position, and just reached the end of the plankway on shore. The -check-lines were eased off again when smooth bearings for the rollers -had been prepared.</p> - -<p>When the cottage was about half on the timber-ways the force of gravity -was no longer available, and the building refused to budge another inch. -While Captain Dornwood was on the front of the structure, some twenty of -the students in the rear tried to push it toward the gundalow; but they -could not start it.</p> - -<p>"Enough of that!" called Dory, as soon as he saw what they were doing. -"You are acting<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_88" id="Page_88">[Pg 88]</a></span> without orders, and wasting your strength for nothing."</p> - -<p>"But the building sticks fast where it is," said Ben Ludlow.</p> - -<p>"If you think you can push it ahead you are mistaken," added the -captain. "It has gone as far as I expected it to go of itself."</p> - -<p>The two check-lines were then carried on board of the scow, and the -Sylph was backed up to her. The lines were made fast at the quarters of -the steamer. Dory stood on the after end of the gundalow, and, with a -boatswain's whistle, made a signal agreed upon with the pilot to go -ahead.</p> - -<p>The lines stiffened and strained, and then the cottage began to move -again. The timber ways had been continued on the deck of the scow, and -the building moved very slowly until the captain gave a second signal -with the whistle.</p> - -<p>The rollers were instantly blocked by hands under the direction of the -first officer. But the rear of the cottage just reached the stern of the -gundalow. At least half of the weight of the building rested upon the -sand at the bottom. The water deepened very rapidly near the shore on -the outside of the point, and it became necessary to handle the heavy -burden with the greatest care,<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_89" id="Page_89">[Pg 89]</a></span> for the forward end of the craft would -settle down as soon as the structure was moved any further, forming an -inclined plane, on which the cottage might roll overboard.</p> - -<p>There were four iron rings at the stern of the scow, and check-lines -were extended from them to the structure. A double turn was taken in -each over a cleat, and hands placed at these ropes. The signal was again -given for the steamer to go ahead. The building moved a few feet -further, and the rollers were promptly chocked when the captain gave the -whistle to "stop her."</p> - -<p>The cottage was not yet exactly in the middle of the deck, and another -movement was necessary. The bow of the scow settled down, but the -check-lines held the house firmly in position. The second move was so -well timed that it placed the building in exactly the right place.</p> - -<p>The check-lines were belayed under the direction of the first officer, -while the second officer proceeded to fasten the cottage to the rings in -the bow of the scow. It was to remain on the rollers during the trip to -its destination, and Captain Dornwood made sure that it was secured -beyond the possibility of any accident.</p> - -<p>All the spare hands were then ordered to the<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_90" id="Page_90">[Pg 90]</a></span> shore, Dory leading the -way. The lumber, jack-screws, blocks, and other material were put on the -scow, for there was still abundance of space forward and abaft the -house. Everything connected with the cottage was put on board.</p> - -<p>"By the big wooden spoon!" exclaimed Paul, when the burden of the work -was done. "I didn't believe you could do it with a hundred men."</p> - -<p>"We haven't finished the job yet," replied Dory, laughing.</p> - -<p>"But I believe you can do all the rest of it," added Paul, filled with -admiration. "These students are good for something besides keeping bread -and meat from spoiling."</p> - -<p>"They are good fellows," answered Dory, "but we have not quite finished -over here yet."</p> - -<p>"You fellows might come over here some night and carry off the building -of the Chesterfield Collegiate Institute if you felt like it. I don't -see what more there is to do."</p> - -<p>A lot of shovels, hoes, and iron rakes had been brought over on the -steamer, and these were now carried on shore. The post-holes under the -cottage were filled up, every particle of rubbish was removed, and the -ground raked over until every thing was as smooth as though no human -being had ever resided within a mile of the spot.</p> - -<p><span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_91" id="Page_91">[Pg 91]</a></span></p><p>"By the big wooden spoon!" shouted Paul. "It looks just as it did when -we first came here."</p> - -<p>"We will leave everything in good order and condition so that Major -Billcord shall have nothing to complain of," replied Dory. "Now make the -Dragon fast to the stern of the gundalow, and we will get under way. I -think you had better stay in the house to see that everything goes right -there."</p> - -<p>"All right, Dory, I will do just as you say; but I don't believe you -have started a joint in the cottage. I went up to look at the chimney -with a lantern while you were shifting it, and there is not a crack in -it."</p> - -<p>The chimney reached only from a beam to the ridge pole, and a couple of -feet above it, so that the brickwork had required no special -consideration. But the building had been subjected to no hard usage, and -no damage had been done to it. All the furniture remained just as it had -been for two years, and Mrs. Bristol might have kept house in it as well -as when it was stationary.</p> - -<p>As soon as the ship's company were all on board of the steamer, or the -scow, the captain gave the word to go ahead. The tow-lines had been -adjusted before. The end of the gundalow, which was<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_92" id="Page_92">[Pg 92]</a></span> aground, grated a -little on the sand, but it came off without difficulty, and the Sylph -with her tow headed down the lake.</p> - -<p>The officers of the steamer were so well accustomed to handling the -gundalow that no difficulty was experienced in getting the cottage to -its destination, which was to be at Hornet Point, near the outlet of the -creek into Beechwater. The location had been suggested by Dory, and -agreed to by Captain Gildrock. It was quite as pleasant a spot as the -former site of the cottage, and was but a short distance from the new -boat-house.</p> - -<p>The plank and timber ways were laid down as they had been on the other -side of the lake, and the building was moved to the shore as readily as -it had been put on board of the gundalow. By two o'clock in the morning -it was in position on the posts upon which it had rested at Sandy Point. -The materials were all conveyed to the quarry, and the gundalow was left -at its usual moorings.</p> - -<p>By this time most of the students were gaping fearfully, and were very -tired. Paul remained at the cottage and went to bed after the departure -of the Sylph. The ship's company were dismissed at the wharf, and before -half past two they were all asleep in the dormitory. Mrs. Bristol and -Lily<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_93" id="Page_93">[Pg 93]</a></span> were up early in the morning, and went out to walk by six o'clock.</p> - -<p>After the departure of the students the night before in the steamer, -they had not heard a word about the cottage. They walked over to the -boat-house, where they found the principal, who was an early riser. The -cottage could not be seen from the boat-house, though it could from the -wharf. Bates was bringing up a boat in which the captain was going out -to inspect the operations of the night.</p> - -<p>"Good morning, Mrs. Bristol; good morning, Miss Lily. You are up early," -said the principal.</p> - -<p>"But I don't see anything of the cottage," replied Mrs. Bristol, after -they had returned the pleasant salutations of the captain. "I did not -hear a sound in the night, and I suppose Dory was not able to carry out -the plans we talked about."</p> - -<p>"They certainly did not make any noise about it; but if you and Miss -Lily will take a seat in this boat, we shall soon ascertain what has -been done," said the captain, as Bates brought one of the four-oar boats -to the landing steps.</p> - -<p>The ladies seated themselves in the stern-sheets of the boat, and the -boatman pulled out into the lake. But he kept near the shore, and the -<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_94" id="Page_94">[Pg 94]</a></span>overhanging trees obstructed the view of Hornet Point. In a few -minutes, however, the boat was out far enough to afford its occupants a -view of the mouth of the creek.</p> - -<p>"Why, there's the cottage!" exclaimed Lily. "It looks as though it had -stood there since it was built."</p> - -<p>"The boys have done their work very well," added Captain Gildrock.</p> - -<p>The party landed and walked up to the cottage. Not a particle of rubbish -had been left on the premises; not a plank or a block. Where the sand on -the beach had been disturbed it had been raked over, and everything -looked as neat as though the family had lived there for a year. They -went to the front door and the back door, but both were locked. Paul was -still fast asleep in his chamber, and they did not disturb him.</p> - -<hr /> - -<p><span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_95" id="Page_95">[Pg 95]</a></span></p> - -<h2><span>CHAPTER IX.</span> <span class="smaller">THE JANITOR OF THE BOAT-HOUSE.</span></h2> - -<p>Captain Gildrock was delighted with the skill and the industry which the -students had displayed in the removal of the cottage. It was not the -difficulty of the feat they had accomplished so much as the neat and -orderly as well as quiet manner in which the work had been done. Usually -boys cannot do anything without a great noise and not a little bluster. -But the Beach Hillers had not disturbed any one on either side of the -lake.</p> - -<p>With the machinery at their command it was not a great achievement to -move a building no larger than the home of the Bristols across the lake. -The principal had as yet no report of the work, but, taking the -appearance of the cottage at Hornet Point as a specimen of the labor -done, nothing could be better.</p> - -<p>"Everything seems to be in good order here, Mrs. Bristol," said Captain -Gildrock, when he had examined the cottage and its surroundings.</p> - -<p><span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_96" id="Page_96">[Pg 96]</a></span></p><p>"I can't see for the life of me how the students brought the cottage -over here and put it on the posts just as it was before, and in the -night, too," added Mrs. Bristol.</p> - -<p>"And everything is just as neat as wax-work," said Lily.</p> - -<p>"Just beyond the quarries is what we call the lake road, which is the -boundary of my land on the east side. There is a driveway from it -through the quarries, near the shore of the creek. I shall continue this -road to Beechwater, which will carry it by the end of the cottage," -continued Captain Gildrock, pointing out the locality. "By this road you -can go to the town without passing through the school-grounds, though -you are entirely welcome to use the latter."</p> - -<p>"You are very kind, sir," replied Mrs. Bristol. "I am sure I have not -the slightest claim upon you for anything, and you have done more for me -already than all others. We shall be grateful to you as long as we -live."</p> - -<p>"I think you are a very worthy woman, and I am very glad to be able to -serve you," replied the captain. "But I have come to the conclusion that -my mission in the world is to help others to help themselves. You have a -son and a daughter."</p> - -<p><span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_97" id="Page_97">[Pg 97]</a></span></p><p>"And they are both able and willing to work," added the woman.</p> - -<p>"So I have heard from my nephew; and I expect to put you in the way of -earning your living. In the first place what is to be done with your -son?"</p> - -<p>"He will do any kind of work he can get to do—work in a store or on a -farm."</p> - -<p>"If he goes into a store, he has about one chance in ten of becoming -something more than a counter-jumper on five dollars a week. But he -ought to learn a trade."</p> - -<p>"I should be very glad to have him do so, but we are dependent upon him -just now for the means of living. When Lily had a place in Westport, she -received only a dollar a week besides her board; and sometimes Paul -could not make any more than that."</p> - -<p>"I have a place for Paul. I want a janitor for the boat-house, for Bates -is getting rather too old to do such work. I will give your son a salary -of twenty dollars a month for the service."</p> - -<p>"You are very kind, sir; that is more than we ever had to live on," -replied Mrs. Bristol.</p> - -<p>"But I think he had better join the school at the same time. We can make -a carpenter or a <span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_98" id="Page_98">[Pg 98]</a></span>machinist of him; and if he prefers some other trade, -what he learns here will not come amiss. He can do his work in the -boat-house and be a member of the school at the same time, though he -will have to work some part of the day while the students are at play."</p> - -<p>"Paul will be very glad to work and never play, for he has always been a -very good boy," added the devoted mother.</p> - -<p>"Your daughter, you said, had worked at the millinery business, and -perhaps a place can be found for her in Genverres," continued the -captain, as he led the way back to the boat. "We will go to breakfast -now."</p> - -<p>The family took their morning meal at the usual hour; but not a single -student had yet appeared on the grounds. The principal would not allow -them to be disturbed until nine o'clock, when the bell was rung in the -dormitory, though a few of the boys had turned out at this hour. At -half-past nine breakfast was served to them; and they all appeared to be -in as good condition as usual.</p> - -<p>Paul was invited to join them, though he was to board at home as soon as -his mother was established in the cottage. By this time he was pretty -well acquainted with the students, and was very<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_99" id="Page_99">[Pg 99]</a></span> popular among them. The -story of his fight with Walk Billcord and his father had been told on -board of the Sylph on the passage to Sandy Point, and his prowess made -him a hero among the boys.</p> - -<p>"Paul, did you take the tin box from the hollow of the tree?" asked Mrs. -Bristol, as her son was leaving the mansion with the rest of the -students, for Fatima Millweed had already entered his name on the roll.</p> - -<p>"I never thought a word about it, mother," replied Paul, not a little -mortified at the neglect. "I was so busy and so anxious that it never -came into my head. But I will go over in the Dragon and get it right -off."</p> - -<p>"But Captain Gildrock has a place for you as janitor of the boat-house, -and perhaps he cannot spare you," added Mrs. Bristol.</p> - -<p>"Janitor of the boat-house!" exclaimed Paul, opening his eyes very wide.</p> - -<p>"And your salary is to be twenty dollars a month," continued Mrs. -Bristol. "The captain says his mission is to help those who are willing -to help themselves. Besides this, you are to be one of the students, and -learn to be a carpenter or a machinist."</p> - -<p>"One of the students!" almost screamed Paul.</p> - -<p><span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_100" id="Page_100">[Pg 100]</a></span></p><p>"But you will have to work while the other students play, my son."</p> - -<p>"By the big wooden spoon! I shall be willing to work all night if I can -learn what the other fellows learn," replied Paul.</p> - -<p>His mother explained to him more fully the intentions of the principal, -and the son of toil was more delighted than if a fortune had suddenly -dropped into his lap. He knew all about the course of study at Beech -Hill, and thought it was the finest school in the world. He had long -wished that he might learn a trade, and he would have sought a place -with a carpenter before, but he would have to work for nothing at first, -and his mother needed the dollar or two a week he could earn.</p> - -<p>"When will Paul begin his work as janitor?" asked Mrs. Bristol, as the -principal was passing them in the hall.</p> - -<p>"At once, Mrs. Bristol. His wages shall begin to-day," replied Captain -Gildrock. "But if you want him at the cottage till you get settled we -can spare him, though he had better join his class to-day."</p> - -<p>"I wanted him to go over to Sandy Point," continued Mrs. Bristol, who -then explained the<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_101" id="Page_101">[Pg 101]</a></span> errand upon which she proposed to send Paul. "The -tin box contains my wedding ring, my mother's gold ring, and a -two-dollar bill. I was afraid to keep them in the house, for rough -characters sometimes land at the point. I didn't think of the box till I -wanted the money to buy some provisions."</p> - -<p>"But Paul would have to row ten miles to get the box," added the -principal. "This is a broken day, and we shall not do much in the school -or the shops, and he can go over in the Goldwing after the students are -dismissed. I will pay Paul's first month's wages in advance, for I am -sure you will want some money."</p> - -<p>The good woman took the money under protest, though it was true that she -needed it. The gold rings were of more value to her than any sum of -money, and she hoped they would not be lost.</p> - -<p>At ten o'clock the bell rung for the forenoon studies. Paul took a desk -assigned to him, and no other boy was ever more interested in a circus -than he was in the exercises of the school-room. As soon as the school -was assembled, Captain Gildrock took the platform and called upon the -leader of the moonlight expedition to report upon the action he had -taken.</p> - -<p><span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_102" id="Page_102">[Pg 102]</a></span></p><p>Dory modestly related all the particulars of the trip to Sandy Point, -and the removal of the cottage, and warmly commended the ship's company -for the good order they had maintained, the promptness with which his -orders had been obeyed, and the quietness with which all had done their -duty.</p> - -<p>The principal believed in giving reasonable commendation when it was -deserved, and he bestowed handsome praise upon them on this occasion.</p> - -<p>When the boys came into the school-room, they noticed upon the wall in -the rear of the platform a large drawing which they had never seen -before. It consisted of three plans of a vessel. On a table was a model -of the hull of a craft of some sort, resting in a cradle. The students -had kept their eyes fixed on the drawings and the model most of the time -while they listened to the commendation of the principal and the report -of their leader.</p> - -<p>They manifested a very strong interest in these things, and they were -likely soon to forget the operations of the night before. For six months -there had been a great deal of talk among them about building a boat, -and the project was a very attractive one to them. But up to the present -time nothing had officially been said or done about<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_103" id="Page_103">[Pg 103]</a></span> it. As soon as the -spring opened, they had been required to erect a sort of shop on the -very bank of the little lake, near the old wharf of the steamer.</p> - -<p>This structure was seventy-five feet long, with plenty of windows, and -was entirely open on the water side. In accordance with the general -policy of the principal, its use had not been explained; but all the -students believed it was to contain the ways on which the boat was to be -built. It looked now as though the desired information in regard to the -building of the boat was to be communicated to them.</p> - -<p>"I need not ask you if you have noticed these drawings, and this model -of a vessel," said Captain Gildrock, after he had finished what he had -to say about the moving of the cottage; "for you have been looking at -these things most of the time since you came into the school-room."</p> - -<p>"Are we to begin on the boat to-day?" Lon Dorset asked; and he was one -of the new students, not yet thoroughly broken in with the customs of -the school.</p> - -<p>"When I set you at work you will begin; not before. It always affords me -very great pleasure to answer sensible questions, boys, and I shall do<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_104" id="Page_104">[Pg 104]</a></span> -everything I can to encourage you to ask them; but I don't believe in -foolish questions. Such is the character of all questions relating to -what we are going to do. You are never required to do anything until an -order is given. Foolish questions take up as much time as sensible -ones."</p> - -<p>Lon Dorset was somewhat abashed at the manner in which his inquiry had -been treated; but the principal knew that some of the boys would talk -all day about nothing, if permitted to do so; and the questions he -tolerated and encouraged were those which brought out real information, -and revealed the condition of the inquirer's mind.</p> - -<p>"The building of the boat has been somewhat delayed on account of the -difficulty of obtaining suitable lumber," continued the principal. "A -load which came from Boston yesterday will enable us to make a -beginning."</p> - -<p>Some of the new pupils were disposed to give three cheers.</p> - -<hr /> - -<p><span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_105" id="Page_105">[Pg 105]</a></span></p> - -<h2><span>CHAPTER X.</span> <span class="smaller">A LECTURE ON SHIP-BUILDING.</span></h2> - -<p>"We are not ship-builders, boys; in fact, there is not a ship-builder -connected with the school, and I do not intend to engage one even as an -instructor," said the principal, continuing his remarks on the platform. -"In the present depressed state of this important industry, perhaps it -is not advisable to devote much time to the study of scientific -construction in ship-building. It looks now as though the ships of the -future were to be of iron; and many vessels of this material are built -in this country at the present time.</p> - -<p>"But perhaps ship-building is rather too ambitious a term to apply to -our intended operations. We shall build a boat of considerable size, and -while we are doing the work we shall learn what we can about -ship-building. Many years ago I built a ship for myself, and -superintended its construction from the keel to the trucks. In building -our boat we shall not put in every stick used in a ship.</p> - -<p><span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_106" id="Page_106">[Pg 106]</a></span></p><p>"Did any of you ever tow a log in the water?" asked the principal, -pausing for a reply.</p> - -<p>"I have," answered Leo Pownall, whose father owned a saw-mill. "I have -towed lots of them on the mill-pond."</p> - -<p>"To which end of the log did you make fast?" inquired the captain.</p> - -<p>"To either end; just as it came handy," replied the student.</p> - -<p>"Then you sometimes did more work than was necessary with your oars. A -log tows easier when you make fast to the big end," continued the -principal, waiting for the pupils to digest the idea.</p> - -<p>"I don't see what difference it can make," added Leo. "If anything, I -should say that the small end would open a passage through the water -more readily than the big end."</p> - -<p>"I suppose none of you ever saw a whale, but most of you have caught -horn-pouts, or bullheads."</p> - -<p>"I have seen a whale on exhibition in New York," interposed Luke -Bennington.</p> - -<p>"What was the shape of his head?"</p> - -<p>"The one I saw was round; but I have seen pictures of whales in which -the head was nearly square."</p> - -<p><span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_107" id="Page_107">[Pg 107]</a></span></p><p>"How is it with the pout!"</p> - -<p>"His mouth is about the widest part of him," laughed Alick Hartford.</p> - -<p>"Take fishes in general, in what part of the body do you find the -greatest girt?" asked the principal.</p> - -<p>"Just astern of the head," replied Kit Burlington.</p> - -<p>"In some fishes, about one third of the length from the mouth," added -Bark Duxbury.</p> - -<p>"Very good; you are about right, though some fishes vary from the -general rule. Now don't you think Nature made a mistake, Leo Pownall, -and that fishes ought to swim tail first instead of head first, as you -would tow a log?"</p> - -<p>"I suppose God made the fishes all right; but He gave some of them very -sharp noses," returned the saw-mill owner's son.</p> - -<p>"Corresponding to the shape of the butt of a log after it has been -felled; but the greatest girt is still near the head. This is the -general shape of the hull of a vessel."</p> - -<p>"But the head of a sperm whale is almost square; and no other fish is -like him," added Phil Gawner.</p> - -<p>"The whale is not a fish, Gawner. I have seen<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_108" id="Page_108">[Pg 108]</a></span> a school of porpoises -alongside an ocean steamer. Their greatest girt is one third of the -length from the head end; but they will swim past a fast steamer, and -make something like twenty knots an hour," said Captain Gildrock.</p> - -<p>"I was trying to find the porpoise in Wood's Natural History the other -day; but there is no such fish in the book," added Sol Guilford.</p> - -<p>"Where did you look?"</p> - -<p>"In the volume about fishes."</p> - -<p>"The porpoise is not a fish, and you would have found it in the volume -marked 'Mammalia,'" replied the principal with a smile.</p> - -<p>"But isn't the porpoise a fish? He lives in the water."</p> - -<p>"So do hippopotami; but they are not fishes. Whales, porpoises, -dolphins, seals, and some others, are mammals; that is, they suckle -their young as a cow does a calf. Properly they are not fishes, though -they are very often called so."</p> - -<p>These were the kind of questions the captain believed in encouraging, -though they sometimes led the conversation out of the legitimate -channel. They elicited useful information; and he was careful not to let -the students wander too wide of the subject under discussion.</p> - -<p><span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_109" id="Page_109">[Pg 109]</a></span></p><p>"I don't know now why a log or a fish goes best with the big end -ahead," said Leo Pownall.</p> - -<p>"After the passage for a moving body in the water is opened, this fluid -follows its own laws, and seeks an equilibrium. As it moves back to its -natural level, it crowds in upon the after part of the body, whether it -be a log, a fish, or a ship, and thus pushes it ahead. Under the stern -of a vessel, the hull is curved, or hollowed out, just as the size of a -fish diminishes at the tail, which is the fish's rudder.</p> - -<p>"But the shape of the hull is varied according to the use to which the -vessel is to be put; but the rule will hold good in the main. In -building a ship the beginning of the work is done on paper. As in -erecting a house, the first thing is to obtain the plans, which are made -by the naval architect. In fact, the entire shape of the vessel is laid -down on the drawing-board. From these the builder gets his dimensions, -all the curves, and the form of every timber and piece of wood used.</p> - -<p>"On the drawing on the wall," continued the principal, taking the -pointer and indicating the plans, "everything is put down that can be -needed in the construction of the boat we intend to build. There are -three plans, you will observe. I had<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_110" id="Page_110">[Pg 110]</a></span> them drawn by a naval architect in -New York. This," and the principal pointed to the highest one on the -paper, "is the sheer plan. It shows the side or profile of the hull on a -flat surface. It looks just as the broadside of the Sylph would, if she -were too far off for you to get any idea of the curves in her sides.</p> - -<p>"This plan gives the exact curve of the bow, and the exact slant of the -stern-post. The three straight lines extending the whole length of the -hull are the levels to which the water would stand if the vessel were -submerged to three different depths. This drawing is made on a scale of -one inch to a foot. The sheer plan is a vertical plane through the keel. -From it we get the length and height. The red lines which extend from -certain points at the bow to the lower part of the stern post indicate -the various curves of the hull at different distances from the vertical -plane of the keel. In other words, they are three vertical planes, -parallel with the central plane.</p> - -<p>"The next plan, of the same length as the first, shows you one half of -the deck of the boat, and is called the half-breadth plan. All the plans -are on the same scale. The straight lines on the deck are the curved -lines of the sheer plan, or the<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_111" id="Page_111">[Pg 111]</a></span> tops of the several vertical planes. -This plan reversed would show the other side of the vessel.</p> - -<p>"The third is the body plan, and exhibits a vertical section of the -hull, looking at it end-on, at the point where it has the greatest -breadth. The right-hand half of it shows the bows, and the left the -stern. The curved lines are the same as those on the sheer plan, though, -of course, they are shown only at the bow and stern, for you cannot see -a line when you look end-on.</p> - -<p>"With the making of these plans the task of the naval architect comes to -an end, unless he is employed to superintend the construction of the -vessel. From the plans the builder gets the exact size and shape of the -craft he is to build. From it the moulds, or patterns, of all parts of -the hull are made. In an apartment called the moulding-room, with which -every ship-yard is provided, full-sized plans of the vessel are drawn on -the floor. I do not mean that the entire ship is drawn at the same time.</p> - -<p>"If the bow or stern was accurately transferred to the floor, enlarged -to the actual size of the hull, the exact form of the stem or stern post -could be marked off. From this, a mould or pattern could be made of -board or plank. As a<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_112" id="Page_112">[Pg 112]</a></span> matter of fact, a mould is made for every part -used in the construction of the ship, not every piece of wood, for what -is used for one side may do just as well for the other side. For -example, a timber on one side is exactly like the one on the opposite -side.</p> - -<p>"In ship-building, the word timber has two meanings. As in general use, -it may be any large stick of wood. In the technical sense, it is one of -the ribs of the vessel. The means of understanding which is meant will -be given you as you proceed with the work. The keel is the backbone of -the vessel, and the strength of the hull depends largely upon it.</p> - -<p>"The keel corresponds with the backbone of your bodies. At the forward -end of it is the stem, shaped as you see in the sheer plan. At the after -end is the stern-post; and these three parts form the profile of the -vessel. Between them are the timbers, or ribs, curved as required by the -shape of the hull. To the timbers, the stem and stern-post, the -planking, or outer skin of the ship, is fastened. If you were to build a -canvas canoe, you would make a frame such as I have described. The cloth -part would correspond to the planking.</p> - -<p><span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_113" id="Page_113">[Pg 113]</a></span></p><p>"But, besides the principal parts I have mentioned, of course there is -a vast number of other parts, whose names you could not remember if I -gave them to you. I shall add only a few of the principal ones. The -timbers—I use the word in its technical sense—are set up about three -feet apart, sometimes a little more, and sometimes a little less. The -lower end of each is fastened to the keel, and of course each timber has -to be shored up, and carefully secured in its proper position.</p> - -<p>"The timbers are at right angles with the keel, and in large vessels are -formed of several pieces. Across the keel is laid the floor timber, -which is the connecting link between the pair of ribs. In the middle of -the ship, the floor is nearly flat; but near the stern-post the timbers -strike the keel at an acute angle, and in the same manner at a less -angle at the bows.</p> - -<p>"Above the floor timbers is laid the keelson, which is a large and -strong timber a foot square or more in large vessels. These pieces are -fitted together, and bolted to the keel through the timbers. The sharp -angle at the stern is filled with solid wood. As you have seen, the -floor timbers are parts of the ribs," continued the principal,<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_114" id="Page_114">[Pg 114]</a></span> pointing -to a diagram of a full rib. "The next two sticks, forming the sharpest -bend in the timber, are the futtocks, above which are the top timbers -and the lengthening pieces. The plankshear is placed on the top of the -timbers, extending from bow to stern, even with the upper deck, if there -is more than one.</p> - -<p>"Large ships have two, three, and even four decks. Fastened to the -timbers are pieces called shelves, upon which rest the beams or timbers -extending across the ship, upon which the decks are laid. In the -corners, where the beams join the ribs, are placed the knees (timbers -like brackets) in which the angle is formed by the natural growth of the -wood. Of course all these pieces are bolted together in the strongest -manner.</p> - -<p>"The timbers next to the stem are the knight-heads. They extend upwards -higher than the tops of the other ribs, and assist in the support of the -bowsprit. In the keel, stem, and stern-post, a rabbet, or triangular -groove, is cut out, into which the planks are extended. The first course -of the planking, next to the keel, whether composed of one or many -pieces, is called the garboard streak. This word is often written -<i>strake</i>. The other word is more commonly used in this country.</p> - -<p><span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_115" id="Page_115">[Pg 115]</a></span></p><p>"The next coarse above the garboard streak is the bilge streak, which -may consist of several widths of plank. Above there are the wales, and -still higher the shear streaks. Some of these terms are applied to the -parts of the ship as localities. The bilge is where the sharpest bend -comes in the hull; the wales are the sides near the load line.</p> - -<p>"I have tried to give you a general view of ship-building, with a few of -the more important technical terms, some of which most of you have -learned before. As I have said, we shall not use all these pieces in -building the boat. For example, a false keel is put under the true keel -of a ship. It is a timber of the toughest wood, from four to six inches -thick, which is bolted to the keel after the keelson is secured. It is -but lightly fastened, for it is intended to come off, if the vessel -strikes a shoal, and thus allow the true keel to slide off. We shall not -need this addition, unless we require it to increase the depth of the -keel. In that case, it would be better to have the part corresponding to -the false keel made of lead or iron, and then it will serve as so much -ballast.</p> - -<p>"On the table you see a wooden model of the boat we are to build. Its -form and size are <span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_116" id="Page_116">[Pg 116]</a></span>exactly indicated by the three plans I have -explained. We are not ship-builders, only amateurs; and, while I shall -take pains to have you understand the theory and practice of the art, I -do not feel obliged to follow all the methods in use. So far as I know, -no such model as the one on the table was ever made before. As I shall -direct the construction of the boat, I shall do it in my own way, though -it may not be according to the accepted rules.</p> - -<p>"I have kept you now longer than I intended, for, after the hard work -you did last night, and the very quiet and business-like way in which -you did it, I shall make the rest of the day a holiday. The Beech Hill -fleet is at your service, and you may spend the day in any proper manner -that you please. To-morrow afternoon we will dissect this model, and -give out the work of building the boat. In the meantime I shall be glad -to receive suggestions as to her name; but no student must send in more -than one name, for I wish you to have decided opinions."</p> - -<hr /> - -<p><span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_117" id="Page_117">[Pg 117]</a></span></p> - -<h2><span>CHAPTER XI.</span> <span class="smaller">ROUGH WATER ON LAKE CHAMPLAIN.</span></h2> - -<p>The wind was very fresh from the northwest on the lake, and its surface -was covered with white-caps. Above Split Rock Point the lake looked like -a sea of foam, and heavy waves rolled in upon the beach in Porter's Bay. -Even Beechwater was considerably agitated. Prudent mothers would have -thought it dangerous to go out upon the lake at such a time.</p> - -<p>Apparently for the reason that the water was rough on Lake Champlain, -the students elected to have an excursion in the barges. The principal -did not object, for the boys had been trained to rough weather, and they -knew how to handle the boats in any sea that ever was stirred up on -fresh water, albeit the waves are often more perilous on large lakes -than on the ocean.</p> - -<p>Oscar Chester was the coxswain of the Gildrock, and Thad Glovering of -the Winooski. The former was still used by the first class, and the -latter by<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_118" id="Page_118">[Pg 118]</a></span> the second. But the classes had been considerably changed, -and vacancies in the first had been filled from the second and from the -most advanced of the new pupils. The third class consisted mainly of new -scholars.</p> - -<p>The twelve-oar barges each had a crew of thirteen, including the -coxswains. Nine of the third class were detailed for service in the new -eight-oar barge, and there was one who had no station in any boat. One -of the thirty-six students to which the school was now limited had been -taken sick, and returned to his home in the winter. He was from the far -South, and the climate was too severe for him. His place had not been -filled before the coming of Paul Bristol. He was to be a spare hand for -the present, and was to take the place of any one who was absent.</p> - -<p>The eight-oar barge was the Marian, in honor of Dory's sister, and the -name had been given by the students. Paul had spoken to Dory about the -tin box in the hollow of the tree, and it had been arranged to visit -Sandy Point in the Goldwing: but when the students decided to go out in -the barges, the plan had been changed. Dick Short, though a first-rate -mechanic, and one of the best boatmen in the fleet, had been transferred -to the<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_119" id="Page_119">[Pg 119]</a></span> third class because he was deficient in some of his book -studies, and could not keep up with his class-mates.</p> - -<p>Dick had been elected coxswain in the Marian. Dory had trained the new -crew, but he declined to be the chief in the boat. He pulled the stroke -oar, though he exchanged places with the coxswain when the boys were in -training. The crew of the Marian generally manned the Goldwing, though -the schooner was often used by other parties.</p> - -<p>A lunch had been put up for each of the crews of the barges, and they -were expected to be absent all the rest of the day. Sometimes Captain -Gildrock was called by business or pleasure to visit Burlington, -Plattsburgh, or other places on the lake, when the students were at -their studies, or off in the barges. At such times he was his own pilot, -Mr. Jepson was the engineer when not instructing in the shop or -drawing-room, Bates was deck-hand, and Collins, the gardener, was the -fireman.</p> - -<p>Before the students were dismissed from the school-room, steam was up on -the Sylph, and the barges had hardly departed before she left the wharf. -If she had any particular destination, it was unknown to most of the -students; and <span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_120" id="Page_120">[Pg 120]</a></span>possibly the principal desired to take a view of Sandy -Point after the event of the preceding night.</p> - -<p>It was half-past eleven when the barges backed out of the boat-house. -Paul was seated in the stern-sheets of the Marian. He had not yet been -trained to pull with the crew, though he would have gladly taken an oar. -On the present occasion his mission related to business. While they were -at breakfast, Lily had spoken to him about a valise she had been obliged -to leave at the house of her former employer in Westport. Paul had -promised to get it when he could.</p> - -<p>The Marian led the way down the creek into the river, and then out into -the lake. The other barges followed at a respectful distance, and their -crews did not seem to be inclined to engage in any scrub races. The -speed of the eight-oar boat had not yet been tested, and it had always -been taken for granted that either of the other barges could beat her -without half trying. But it was no time to indulge in a race when the -water was so rough.</p> - -<p>The waves were dashing smartly over the point at the mouth of Beaver -River, and the bow of the Marian was lifted up in the air as she plunged -in among the white-caps. Dick Short got the hang of the waves as soon as -they struck the boat. Paul<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_121" id="Page_121">[Pg 121]</a></span> thought it was about as rough a time as he -had ever seen on the lake during the season of navigation; but he had -never been in the barge before, and everything was new to him.</p> - -<p>"By the big wooden spoon!" exclaimed the passenger, when the Marian was -in the thickest of the miniature billows, and the water was occasionally -slopping in over the bow. "Don't you expect you will all get drowned?"</p> - -<p>"You can't tell about that," replied the coxswain, who felt as much at -home in the boat as he would in the school-room. "We are not prophets, -and we can't tell what is going to happen."</p> - -<p>"Don't you think it is dangerous to come out here when the lake is -boiling after this sort?" asked Paul, as he looked at the angry waves -around him.</p> - -<p>"I suppose it is. There is always water enough in the lake to drown the -whole of us," answered Dick Short, who was rather inclined to work upon -the fears of a timid voyager.</p> - -<p>"Then what do you come out here for?"</p> - -<p>"For fun."</p> - -<p>"Is there any fun in being drowned, Dick Short?" asked Paul seriously, -as he glanced at Dory, whose face was as calm as the minister's on -Sunday.</p> - -<p><span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_122" id="Page_122">[Pg 122]</a></span></p><p>"Any fun in being drowned? How should I know? I never tried it," -returned the coxswain.</p> - -<p>"But don't you think it is dangerous to be out here in such a blow?" -Paul insisted; and he really believed he was in peril.</p> - -<p>"Of course it is."</p> - -<p>"Then don't you think you had better put back into the river?"</p> - -<p>"But it is dangerous in there," added Dick. "Suppose a tree should blow -down and kill every fellow in the boat? Suppose the sea-serpent should -be having a vacation up Beaver River, and take it into his head to -swallow us all, one at a time? Suppose the river should catch fire and -burn us all up? Suppose the sky should fall, as Chicken Little said it -would, and smash us all to jelly?"</p> - -<p>"You are making fun of me, Dick," said Paul, laughing.</p> - -<p>"The principal says it is useless to worry about anything. We do the -best we can with the boat; and if she spills us into the fluid, all we -have to do is to get out if we can."</p> - -<p>"I think I can stand it as well as any of the rest of the fellows can, -and I don't mean to worry," returned Paul. "I never was out on the<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_123" id="Page_123">[Pg 123]</a></span> lake -when it was anything near as rough as it is to-day, and it looks -dangerous to me."</p> - -<p>"If you don't feel right about it, we will put you ashore," added the -coxswain.</p> - -<p>"I am not scared; I can stand it as well as the rest of you. I was only -asking about it for information," continued Paul.</p> - -<p>"I don't believe you are scared; if you had pluck enough to stand up -against Walk Billcord and his father, I don't believe you will mind a -little ripple on the lake like this," replied Dick, laughing.</p> - -<p>"You said it was dangerous."</p> - -<p>"Well, an ox-team is dangerous if you let the beasts run off a -precipice. It is dangerous to go to bed, for the house may burn up -before morning."</p> - -<p>"We don't think we are in any more danger here, Paul, than we are every -hour of the day on shore," added Dory. "Dick could upset the boat, and -spill us all into the drink, if he did not understand his business and -attend to it."</p> - -<p>"All right; I am satisfied," replied the son of toil. "But I thought you -were going up to Sandy Point."</p> - -<p>"So we are; but the direct course would be<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_124" id="Page_124">[Pg 124]</a></span> about southwest, and that -would put us into the trough of the sea and keep us rolling the gunwale -under all the time," replied Dick. "The principal don't allow the -fellows to be reckless. There comes the Sylph out of the river, and -Captain Gildrock is on board of her. If he should see me letting the -barge wallow about in the trough of the sea, when there is no need of -it, he would give me fits."</p> - -<p>"We could go direct to Sandy Point, though at a little risk. We should -take in a good deal of water, and it would be uncomfortable," said Dory. -"In a small boat in a blow, or in a squall, the safe way is to keep her -head up to the sea."</p> - -<p>"The other boats are following us."</p> - -<p>"The coxswain of each can do as he pleases; but the fellows all know -there is no fun in being knocked about in the trough of a smart sea," -added the coxswain. "Do you expect to find any one at the point when we -get there, Paul?"</p> - -<p>"No; it isn't twelve o'clock yet. The Chesterfields are in school from -eight to one, and then go to dinner. They won't get away from the house -before two," replied Paul. "I don't believe any one at the school has -any idea of what was done at the point last night."</p> - -<p><span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_125" id="Page_125">[Pg 125]</a></span></p><p>"I should like to be where I could see them when they get to the point, -and find that the cottage is missing," added Dick, chuckling. "Major -Billcord will be the maddest man in the State of New York when he finds -it is gone."</p> - -<p>"Of course he will be. He don't care anything about the land over there, -and all he wanted was to punish us for resisting his saintly son."</p> - -<p>"I don't believe it will be safe for you to show your head in Westport -again, Paul, or let any of the Chesterfields see you."</p> - -<p>"Land me in Westport and see," laughed Paul.</p> - -<p>Dick agreed to do so.</p> - -<hr /> - -<p><span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_126" id="Page_126">[Pg 126]</a></span></p> - -<h2><span>CHAPTER XII.</span> <span class="smaller">A SAILBOAT IN THE TROUGH OF THE SEA.</span></h2> - -<p>When the Marian was half-way across the lake, the waves began to -diminish in force; and within an eighth of a mile of the high shore the -water was comparatively smooth. The barge was then headed to the -southwest, and had a quiet time of it till she reached Sandy Point. The -Gildrock and the Winooski had followed her, and were now about an eighth -of a mile astern of her.</p> - -<p>Dory Dornwood was very popular with all the students, not because he was -the nephew of the principal, but on account of his fairness, his pluck, -and his good judgment. Though Captain Gildrock believed and trusted in -him, no one could accuse him of partiality. Perhaps the coxswains of the -two twelve-oar barges, who knew that Dory was on board of the Marian, -considered it wise and prudent to follow the lead of the eight-oar barge -for this reason.</p> - -<p>On shore everything was as silent as the tomb.<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_127" id="Page_127">[Pg 127]</a></span> At Sandy Point, Paul -looked with deep interest for the appearance of any person in the -vicinity of the site where the cottage had stood. It was possible that -Major Billcord had sent one of his men from Westport to ascertain what -the Bristol family intended to do about the removal of the cottage or -the furniture which it contained; but Paul could see no one.</p> - -<p>"It looks as though the coast was clear," said he, when he had completed -his survey of the point and the woods in the rear. "I don't believe any -one has been here since we left last night."</p> - -<p>"Major Billcord must have regarded it as utterly impossible for your -mother or you to do anything more than remove some of your furniture," -added Dory. "I am sure he did not think of such a thing as your taking -the cottage away; and I don't believe he would have considered it -possible for the Beech Hillers to do such a job. Probably he did not -count us in, or think of us at all."</p> - -<p>"It was lucky for my mother that you came along in the Goldwing as you -did, for you have saved her all she had in the world," said Paul, with -enthusiasm.</p> - -<p>"Now, where is the tin box in the hollow of a<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_128" id="Page_128">[Pg 128]</a></span> tree?" asked Dick Short, -as the barge approached the entrance to Sandy Bay.</p> - -<p>"The tree is near the neck, and I had to climb up about ten feet to -reach the hollow in which the tin box was put," replied Paul. "As the -Chesterfields are expecting to have a big time in dumping the cottage -into the lake, this afternoon, they may come up early. I have no doubt -they will pull around here in their boats."</p> - -<p>"Then I think we had better get away from the point as soon as -possible," replied the coxswain. "We don't want to get into any row with -them."</p> - -<p>"I suppose you are not afraid of them," added Paul, laughing.</p> - -<p>"I don't think we are, and most of the fellows wouldn't enjoy anything -better than a skirmish with them," replied Dick Short. "But the student -that does anything to bring on a row with them would be out of favor -with the principal, and might have to spend a few days in the brig for -it."</p> - -<p>Paul had never heard of the brig, and Dick described the strong-room, or -black hole, to him. The brig is the place of confinement, or prison, on -board ships of war, and the principal had such an apartment in the -dormitory. But there had been<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_129" id="Page_129">[Pg 129]</a></span> very little use for it since the earlier -days of the school, and not half a dozen of the students had ever seen -the inside of it.</p> - -<p>"I don't see any of the Chesterfield boats," added Paul, as he looked -along the shore. "By the big wooden spoon! Isn't the lake stirred up -ahead of us!"</p> - -<p>"The wind has full sweep across North West Bay, where the lake is four -miles wide. It looks decidedly foamy over in Button Bay," replied Dick -Short.</p> - -<p>"By the big wooden spoon!" repeated Paul, as he rose in his seat in the -stern-sheets.</p> - -<p>"Sit down, Paul," said the coxswain, rather sharply. "We don't allow any -fellow to stand up in this boat when he gets excited. What is the matter -now?"</p> - -<p>"There is a sailboat over there, and she looks as though she was tipping -over!" exclaimed Paul, dropping into his seat.</p> - -<p>"She is over, as true as you live," added Dick, rather louder than he -usually spoke, but with hardly more excitement, so thoroughly had the -students been trained to keep cool in emergencies.</p> - -<p>At the same time he glanced at his crew; but not one of them had turned -around to obtain a<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_130" id="Page_130">[Pg 130]</a></span> view of the event described by Paul and the -coxswain, for they had been schooled to keep their eyes on the officer -of the boat. The crew took more pride in observing this general order -than almost any other.</p> - -<p>Dick Short gazed with all his might at the struggling sailboat, for a -moment, but he seemed to be in doubt, for the craft was at least a mile -distant. Besides himself, no one but Paul, whose judgment in regard to -the management of a sailboat was not to be relied upon, had even glanced -in the direction indicated.</p> - -<p>"Stand by to toss!" called Dick. "Toss!"</p> - -<p>At the last word the crew brought their oars to a perpendicular.</p> - -<p>"Now you can look, and I wish you would do so," continued the coxswain, -as he fixed his own gaze upon the sail, which was dead to leeward, and -some distance south of Button Island.</p> - -<p>The students were glad enough of the permission, for they had as much -curiosity, and were as much disposed to get excited, as the average of -boys. They gazed with all their eyes at the sail in the distance.</p> - -<p>"What do you think of it, Dory?" asked Dick Short.</p> - -<p><span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_131" id="Page_131">[Pg 131]</a></span></p><p>"I should say that sailboat is half full of water, and that the skipper -has lost his head," replied Dory, after he had taken in the situation. -"She is rolling in the trough of the sea, and they seem to be trying to -take in sail."</p> - -<p>All the crew gazed in silence at the sailboat; but no one of them -ventured to give an opinion, if he had any, in relation to the disaster. -Dory had more experience in sailing a boat than any other student, and -perhaps they were not inclined to speak in the presence of an expert. -But Dick Short was an excellent boatman, and he deferred only to the -skipper of the Goldwing.</p> - -<p>"She must be rolling the water into her all the time, and she may go to -the bottom at any moment," added the coxswain, whose opinion coincided -with that of Dory. "We must go to their assistance at once."</p> - -<p>Dory indicated his assent to this proposition only by a nod of his head, -for he did not like to appear before the crew to be even an adviser of -the coxswain.</p> - -<p>"Ready!" called Dick; at which every member of the crew at the oars -fixed his eyes upon the officer.</p> - -<p>"Let fall!" and all the blades dropped into the<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_132" id="Page_132">[Pg 132]</a></span> water. "Give way!" and -the rowers bent to their oars.</p> - -<p>The Marian was headed towards the disabled sailboat, and in a few -moments she was going at full speed. The coxswain did not hurry the -oarsmen, for he knew better than to exhaust them before the hard work -came on. The lake was comparatively smooth under the lee of the land, -but in a few minutes they would be in the boiling waves of the broad -bay.</p> - -<p>"Have you seen anything of the Sylph?" asked Dory of the coxswain.</p> - -<p>"She went up the lake when we crossed to the west shore," replied Dick. -"The last I saw of her she was off Scotch Bonnet. I think the principal -has gone up to Port Henry to order a barge-load of coal, for I heard him -tell Mr. Jepson he should do so soon."</p> - -<p>"Then by this time he is too far off to see that sailboat," added Dory.</p> - -<p>"He couldn't do much if he did see it, for he has not hands enough to -handle the steamer and man a boat," said Dick.</p> - -<p>"He would manage to render all the assistance needed if he saw the -boat," replied Dory, with a smile; for he could not conceive of such a -thing as<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_133" id="Page_133">[Pg 133]</a></span> his uncle failing in any duty in an emergency. "He could put -the sailboat under the lee of the Sylph, and take every person out of -her."</p> - -<p>"Of course he would do all he could, and he would save the people at all -hazards," continued Dick, still straining his vision to get a better -idea of the situation of the sailboat. "But how about the tin box in the -hollow of the tree, Paul?"</p> - -<p>"I shall have time enough to get that before the fellows go to the point -to tip the cottage over into the lake," replied Paul. "This boat begins -to leap like a greyhound chasing a rabbit."</p> - -<p>"The boat will do very well as long as we can keep her end-on to the -sea," added Dory, who thought the new pupil might be alarmed when the -barge got into the worst of it. "But remember that you are to do nothing -without orders from the coxswain. Simply keep your seat and look out for -yourself."</p> - -<p>"I think I can stand it as long as the rest of you," replied Paul, with -a cheerful smile. "I won't meddle with anything till I am told to do -so."</p> - -<p>"The Gildrock and the Winooski are following us, and the fellows are -putting in the heavy strokes," said Dory.</p> - -<p>"Are they gaining on us?" asked Dick.</p> - -<p><span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_134" id="Page_134">[Pg 134]</a></span></p><p>"I think not."</p> - -<p>The sea was very heavy ahead of the Marian, but the waves were not like -those of the ocean. They were shorter and more "choppy." But the boats -made tolerably good weather among them. In a smart sea, speed is -desirable; and it is the element in the progress of the boat which -insures safety. At such a time there are two forces acting, the -propelling power of the boat and the action of the waves. In heavy -weather there is a struggle between the two forces. In the case of the -sailing craft, the waves had got the better of the boat.</p> - -<p>With the three barges, the advantage was on the side of the boats. They -went ahead fast enough to keep the upper hand of the waves.</p> - -<hr /> - -<p><span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_135" id="Page_135">[Pg 135]</a></span></p> - -<h2><span>CHAPTER XIII.</span> <span class="smaller">THE DISASTER TO THE SILVER MOON.</span></h2> - -<p>The stout students at the oars of the Marian drove the barge ahead, -helped somewhat by the wind, so that the great billows seemed to have no -effect upon her. In a few minutes she was in the midst of the heaviest -of the waves. Sometimes she trembled and shook, but she did not yield -sensibly to the power which was opposed to her.</p> - -<p>"I think that is Tom Bissell's boat," said Paul Bristol, who was -watching the craft in trouble very attentively. "When I went to see my -sister in Westport, about a month ago, she was sewing a full moon into a -blue flag."</p> - -<p>"A full moon?" queried Dick.</p> - -<p>"It was a round piece of white stuff, and it looked like a full moon."</p> - -<p>"She has a burgee with a white circle on a blue ground," added Dick. -"Then that must be Tom Bissell's boat?"</p> - -<p>"She is a sloop as big as the Goldwing," continued Paul.</p> - -<p><span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_136" id="Page_136">[Pg 136]</a></span></p><p>"Who is Tom Bissell?" asked the coxswain.</p> - -<p>"He runs a store in Westport, and his wife keeps a millinery shop in the -same building. My sister worked for them," replied Paul.</p> - -<p>"Does he know how to handle a sailboat?"</p> - -<p>"He thinks he does, and most people believe he does."</p> - -<p>"Perhaps he does, and has met with some accident to his sail or -rigging," added Dick. "I believe there are some ladies in the boat."</p> - -<p>"I shouldn't wonder, for his wife is as fond of sailing as he is; and -sometimes he takes out the girls that work for them," said Paul.</p> - -<p>"The sloop is in the trough of the sea, rolling very badly. She is -having a rough time of it," continued Dick, as the Marian came near -enough for him to see the position of the craft.</p> - -<p>"I am very sure that is the Silver Moon," added Paul.</p> - -<p>"If it is, it looks like a wet moon, as Bates calls it, when he looks to -the silvery orb for the state of the weather," said Dick.</p> - -<p>The waves were certainly having it all their own way so far as the -Silver Moon was concerned. The peak of the mainsail had been dropped, -and the main sheet had run out so that the boom stood at<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_137" id="Page_137">[Pg 137]</a></span> right angles -with the keel. Either the halyards were foul, or the rudder had given -out, or she was suffering from both of these mishaps. As the sloop -rolled with a heavy jerk in the violent seas, the ladies screamed as -though they expected each movement would send them to the bottom.</p> - -<p>The craft contained six ladies and one man. The latter was baling out -the boat with a bucket, and was working with all his might. He had pluck -enough; but the sloop seemed to be dipping up more water than he could -possibly throw out, though he had doubtless delayed a little the -catastrophe which awaited him.</p> - -<div class="center"><img src="images/i136.jpg" alt="The craft contained six ladies and one man" /></div> - -<p class="bold">"The craft contained six ladies and one man."—Page 137.</p> - -<p>Dick looked back at the other barges, and he was confident that they had -not gained even a length upon the Marian since they all started for the -craft in peril. He had not driven his crew, though he had kept them at -work briskly. In the barge fleet, Oscar Chester, as coxswain of the -senior boat, as the Gildrock was ranked, was the acting commodore. When -the barges were within hail of each other, he was in command of the -fleet. If the Winooski and Marian were within hail, the command devolved -upon Thad Glovering.</p> - -<p>As long as the other barges were as far off as at present, Dick Short -was in full command. He could<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_138" id="Page_138">[Pg 138]</a></span> use such measures as he thought best, but -the coxswain of either of the other boats could take the management of -the affair into his own hands, if he chose to do so. As the Marian -approached the sloop, Dick quickened the movements of his crew, for he -desired to take some action before he was superseded in the command.</p> - -<p>The Silver Moon was headed to the northeast, and lay in the trough of -the sea. She was rolling like a round log in the heavy waves. She had -settled down deep in the water, and behaved like a stick of wood. The -skipper was doing nothing at all to combat with the waves. As there was -no power exerted to force the boat ahead, she had no steerage way, and -the rudder was as useless as the spare tiller.</p> - -<p>The Marian went as closely astern of the Silver Moon as she could -without fouling the port oars. The moment they were clear of the hull of -the sloop it was time to execute the difficult manœuvre of the -occasion. In coming entirely about it was necessary to put the barge in -the trough of the sea for an instant, and this was the dangerous point.</p> - -<p>But Dick Short had decided to pass this point of danger as nearly under -the lee of the Silver Moon as he could. The water on the starboard of -the<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_139" id="Page_139">[Pg 139]</a></span> sloop was a trifle smoother for a couple of fathoms. It required a -nice measurement of distances with the eye to handle the boat, and a -prompt obedience of orders on the part of the crew.</p> - -<p>"Port side! Stand by to lay on your oars!" called the coxswain, when the -Marian was astern of the sloop. "Oars!" he added, as soon as the last -blade on the port was clear of the hull. "On the starboard, give way -lively!"</p> - -<p>The effect of the first stroke of the starboard oars, after the order -was given, was to throw the head of the barge to port. A few more pulls -brought the boat into the trough of the sea; but it remained in that -position only an instant.</p> - -<p>"Port oars!" continued Dick. "Hold water! Stern all!"</p> - -<p>The port oarsmen backed water as the starboard rowers gathered up their -blades, so that no confusion occurred, and in less than half a minute -the Marian was headed up to the sea, with her stem within a few feet of -the sloop.</p> - -<p>"On the port, oars!" At this command, the oarsmen indicated lay upon -their oars again, and seemed as unmoved as though they had been in the -school-room, and not one of them looked behind him.</p> - -<p><span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_140" id="Page_140">[Pg 140]</a></span></p><p>All the crew had obtained a single glance at the interior of the Silver -Moon the moment before the barge began to swing around; but this was all -they knew about the sloop, except what they had heard the coxswain say.</p> - -<p>"Stand by, all, to lay on your oars!" called Dick, as coolly as though -nothing was the matter with the Silver Moon, and her passengers were in -a frolic rather than in mortal peril. "Oars!" And every blade was poised -and feathered on a level above the water.</p> - -<p>"Bowman, stand by with the boat-hook!" continued Dick. "One stroke! Give -way!"</p> - -<p>This single stroke brought the bow up near enough to the sloop to enable -the bowman to fasten the boat-hook to the gunwale of the helpless craft. -The crew lay upon their oars, ready to obey the next order, but not one -of them manifested the slightest interest in the Silver Moon, so far as -any look or movement was concerned. Paul Bristol was excited and uneasy, -and once he was on the point of standing up to get a better view of the -interior of the sloop. But he remembered the order of the coxswain in -season to restrain himself.</p> - -<p>"On board the Silver Moon!" shouted the coxswain, but not louder than -was necessary to make<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_141" id="Page_141">[Pg 141]</a></span> the skipper hear him above the noise of the wind -and the water. "What is the matter?"</p> - -<p>"I miss-stayed in going about, and shipped a sea. The boat is half full -of water, and I can't do anything with her," replied Bissell, in tones -which indicated that he was in utter despair. "The girls are frightened -out of their wits, and the water comes in faster than I can get it out."</p> - -<p>"Do you want assistance?" asked the coxswain.</p> - -<p>"Of course I do!" exclaimed the skipper. "We shall all go to the bottom -in a few minutes, for there is a good deal of ballast in the boat."</p> - -<p>"All right! We will stand by you," replied Dick.</p> - -<p>"Can't you do something more than that?" demanded Bissell, in shaky -tones.</p> - -<p>"I will send two hands on board to assist you," added Dick. "Dory, you -will go on board of the Silver Moon. Take any one you please with you, -and report what you think should be done."</p> - -<p>"As Paul Bristol is of the least use in the barge, I will take him," -replied Dory, as he unshipped his oar.</p> - -<p>"He is not the best boatman on board," added the coxswain.</p> - -<p>"If he will only obey orders, that is all I want<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_142" id="Page_142">[Pg 142]</a></span> of him," answered -Dory, as he made his way to the bow of the barge.</p> - -<p>A standing order to all hands was never to stand up in a boat when it -could possibly be avoided, and Dory crawled on all fours, from thwart to -thwart, between the oarsmen. He was followed by Paul, in the same safe -though undignified manner, for he thought it was not derogatory to -follow the example of the skipper of the Goldwing. The bowman hauled the -boat up so that the two hands could get on board of her.</p> - -<p>Just at that moment all the girls screamed, or, as Paul expressed it, -"squealed," and the lee side of the Silver Moon rolled under, taking in -a barrel or two of water.</p> - -<p>"We shall all be drowned!" shrieked one of the ladies, as they all -sprang out of their seats and rushed over to the weather side, throwing -the boat out of trim so that she took in another barrel of water over -the port side.</p> - -<p>"She won't sink yet, ladies, unless you sink her," said Dory, rather -sharply. "Three of you on each side, and don't move for your lives. You -will certainly swamp the boat if you don't keep still. Don't one of you -move again without orders."</p> - -<p><span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_143" id="Page_143">[Pg 143]</a></span></p><p>"That's what's the matter," said the skipper. "I can't keep them -still."</p> - -<p>"They must keep still," added Dory with emphasis.</p> - -<p>Just at that moment came another roll, and Dory told Paul to stand in -the middle of the boat, and allow none of the passengers to move. He -took position near him, and together they kept the ladies quiet, and -very little water was taken aboard.</p> - -<p>"I am about used up," said Bissell, who was still baling with all his -might, though he was nearly exhausted. "I have been throwing out the -water for more than an hour."</p> - -<p>"You might as well try to bail out Lake Champlain as this boat, while -she lies in her present position. The water comes in faster than you can -throw it out," said Dory. "Here come our other barges. Don't be alarmed, -ladies. Even if the boat sinks, we can save every one of you. Do as you -are told, and you shall be made comfortable in a few minutes."</p> - -<p>Oscar Chester put the Gildrock about with consummate skill, though the -barge shipped some water during the manœuvre. Thad Glovering did -quite as well in the Winooski. In a few moments, the<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_144" id="Page_144">[Pg 144]</a></span> three barges had -brought their bows up to the water-logged sloop. The oars were trailed, -and bunters put over the sides to prevent the boats from grinding -against each other. The Silver Moon smoothed the water for them a -little, and they rode very easily on the swell.</p> - -<p>Dick Short reported to the acting commodore what he had done, and Oscar -said he should not interfere. At this time, Dory reported the condition -of the sloop, and advised that two of the six ladies be taken into each -barge. With great difficulty, on account of the uneasy motion of the -boats, the passengers were transferred to the stern-sheets of the -barges. They were all wet through, but the commodore would not allow the -boats to leave the scene of the disaster until the safety of the Silver -Moon was assured.</p> - -<hr /> - -<p><span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_145" id="Page_145">[Pg 145]</a></span></p> - -<h2><span>CHAPTER XIV.</span> <span class="smaller">THE WORK OF AN INCOMPETENT SKIPPER.</span></h2> - -<p>The removal of the six ladies made the Silver Moon a little more -buoyant; but she was in hardly less peril than before, for she rolled -even worse than when her passengers were on board. Dory formed a very -unfavorable opinion of the seamanship of Bissell almost as soon as he -had put his foot over the gunwale of the sloop. Nothing at all was the -matter with the Silver Moon. Her rudder was not disabled, and the -halyards on the mainsail were in working condition. The craft had lost -nothing, but the skipper had lost his head.</p> - -<p>But the Beech Hiller did not utter a word of rebuke, or even a critical -comment on the management of the sloop. He saw how it was, and -understood the situation perfectly, but he did not feel called upon to -censure the action which had been taken, or the steps which had been -neglected. The craft was in the trough of the sea, and half full of -water. He looked about him, and discovered a<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_146" id="Page_146">[Pg 146]</a></span> pair of oars stowed away -under the seats in the large room.</p> - -<p>"As you are tired out, Mr. Bissell, Paul will bale for a while till you -get rested," said Dory, as soon as the passengers had been transferred -to the barges, and without any of the delay indicated by the printed -page.</p> - -<p>"I can do that first-rate," replied Paul, who had wondered what he could -do in a sailboat, in the management of which he was comparatively -ignorant.</p> - -<p>Paul took the bucket; and it is safe to say that he threw out more water -than the skipper could have done in his exhausted condition. But the -baling appeared to have little or no effect on the large quantity of -water in the standing room.</p> - -<p>"I am about tuckered out, but what do you think I had better do?" asked -the skipper, as he gave up the bucket to the fresh hand.</p> - -<p>"I think you had better rest yourself," replied Dory, as he drew out the -oars from under the seats. "I will look out for the boat, and I think -she will come out of the scrape all right."</p> - -<p>"What are you going to do? Do you mean to row her over to Westport?" -asked Bissell, panting with his last exertions.</p> - -<p><span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_147" id="Page_147">[Pg 147]</a></span></p><p>"No; I don't think we should make much trying to row this boat nearly -four miles against a head sea," answered Dory.</p> - -<p>"But you can't land over on this side of the lake. Just see the waves -breaking on the shore in Button Bay. The Silver Moon would be smashed -into a thousand pieces," protested the skipper.</p> - -<p>"Of course we can't make a landing on a lee shore in this weather," -answered Dory, as he went forward.</p> - -<p>Bissell could not make anything of Dory, and he looked at him only to -wonder what he was going to do. The skipper had always believed that he -knew all about sailing a boat; and in a moderate, or even a fresh -breeze, he could do very well when everything went along smoothly. But -he had never been trained, as the students at Beech Hill had, for -seasons of emergency.</p> - -<p>The Silver Moon miss-stayed probably because she had not a "good full," -had fallen off into the trough of the sea, and rolled herself half full -of water before the skipper thought of doing anything to overcome the -difficulty. Under these trying circumstances, he was not instructed -either by precept or actual trial what to do.</p> - -<p>The throat halyard of the sail, Dory found when<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_148" id="Page_148">[Pg 148]</a></span> he went forward, had -not been cast off. He got hold of the peak halyard and hauled on it till -he got a good set on the mainsail.</p> - -<p>"What are you about?" cried Bissell. "You will upset her as sure as you -live! I let that part of the sail down because it blowed so hard. I was -going to lower the whole sail, but I hadn't time. I was afraid the boat -would sink if I didn't bale with all my might."</p> - -<p>Dory secured the peak halyard without paying any attention to the shout -of the skipper. When he had put on the half hitch, he went aft again.</p> - -<p>"Let the sail down just as quick as you can!" yelled Bissell.</p> - -<p>"I think not," replied Dory quietly.</p> - -<p>"If you don't, I shall lower it myself. I can't stand this!" added the -frightened skipper.</p> - -<p>"This boat belongs to you, Mr. Bissell, and you can do what you please -with her, and I shall not quarrel with you about it. If you don't want -any assistance, Paul and I will return to the barge."</p> - -<p>"But I don't want anybody to sink her," protested the skipper.</p> - -<p>"I shall not sink her; but it is all nonsense to think of baling her out -while she is in the trough of the sea, shipping water as fast or faster -than you<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_149" id="Page_149">[Pg 149]</a></span> can throw it out. I am not willing that Paul should wear -himself out for nothing."</p> - -<p>"That's the only way to keep her from sinking."</p> - -<p>"You have a perfect right to your own opinion, as I have to mine. I am -confident that I can get the sloop out of this scrape, if you will allow -me to do it; if not, Paul and I will return to the barges."</p> - -<p>"But I want you to help bale out the boat. She will sink if the water -rises any higher in her," the skipper insisted.</p> - -<p>At that moment, a heavier wave than usual struck her, and rolled the -boat over till she took in at least a barrel of water. Bissell sprang -from his seat as though he expected the Silver Moon to go to the bottom -at that instant. But she did not sink, though her floating power seemed -to be very nearly exhausted.</p> - -<p>"Do you see that?" demanded the skipper, as though he regarded the water -just shipped as a triumphant vindication of his opinion.</p> - -<p>"I see it; and I should say she will go down after she has done that -thing once or twice more," replied Dory calmly. "Say quick whether I am -to get the sloop under way, or whether I am to leave her! Do as you -please about it. The barges will save you when she sinks."</p> - -<p><span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_150" id="Page_150">[Pg 150]</a></span></p><p>"I will see what you are going to do," replied Bissell doggedly; and he -was by no means convinced, though he was satisfied that he could do -nothing alone to save the craft.</p> - -<p>Dory made no reply, for he was rather disgusted with the obstinacy and -nautical ignorance of the skipper. Taking one of the oars in his hand, -he went to the side of the boat and hailed the commodore of the -barge-fleet.</p> - -<p>"I am going to get under way now, for there is nothing the matter with -the boat," said Dory.</p> - -<p>"All right, Dory," replied Oscar, as he looked about him to determine -the best way to separate the barges, and get them clear of the Silver -Moon.</p> - -<p>They were all lying close together, the Gildrock being nearest to the -bow of the sloop. The commodore ordered the Winooski to cast off first. -With her port oars she kept her head up to the sea till those on the -other side of the boat were clear of the Marian, which was next to her. -When her twelve oars were in the water, the boys backed her clear of the -other boats, and then the crew were ordered to lay on their oars. In the -same manner the other two boats backed into safe positions. The barges -pitched tremendously, and the ladies were inclined to "squeal." When any -of them attempted<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_151" id="Page_151">[Pg 151]</a></span> to stand up, the gallant coxswains pulled them back -into their seats.</p> - -<p>"Are they going to quit us?" asked Bissell, as he looked with something -like dismay upon the movements of the barges.</p> - -<p>"We could not get the sloop under way with all those boats hanging to -her," replied Dory. "They will be here quick enough if they are wanted. -But we are not going to ship any more water; we shall leave the rest of -it in the lake."</p> - -<p>"I don't see how you are going to help taking in all the water that -rolls in," growled the skipper.</p> - -<p>"If you keep your eyes wide open tight for one minute more, I will show -you that the Silver Moon is the mistress of the situation, and Lake -Champlain will have to stay out in the cold," replied Dory, as he -shipped his oar between a couple of thole-pins on the quarter.</p> - -<p>"There is another oar under the seats," added Bissell.</p> - -<p>"One is enough to do the business," said Dory, as he began to pull with -all his might.</p> - -<p>The water-logged craft moved as though it had been fastened to the -bottom. The boom was still hanging out at right angles with the keel, -and the main sheet was flopping about in the water.</p> - -<p><span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_152" id="Page_152">[Pg 152]</a></span></p><p>"Can't I help you?" asked Bissell.</p> - -<p>"You may take the other oar, if you please."</p> - -<p>The skipper pulled out the oars, and was about to ship it on the weather -side when Dory interposed, and, shifting his own blade to the fore -rigging, directed his companion to ship his between the thole-pins he -had left.</p> - -<p>"On this side? Who ever heard of rowing in that way?" blustered Bissell. -"Both oars on the same side!"</p> - -<p>"We have no time to argue the question now, if you want to keep your -boat on the top of the water instead of the bottom," said Dory sharply.</p> - -<p>Bissell did as he was told, though he had no faith in rowing with two -oars on one side of the boat. The united strength of the two was -immediately seen in the motion of the boat. Her bow was soon thrown up -to the wind, and then the boom swung in over the standing room. This was -the acting skipper's object, and as soon as he could reach the main -sheet, he dropped his oar. Grasping the rope, he carried it aft, and got -a turn with it over the cleat above the rudder head.</p> - -<p>The sail filled as soon as he hauled in the sheet, and Dory got hold of -the tiller. The sloop heeled over till Bissell declared that the new -skipper<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_153" id="Page_153">[Pg 153]</a></span> would upset her. Paul continued to bale with all his might. -Dory trimmed the sail down as flat as he could, and soon had perfect -control of the craft, heavy as her movements were in her water-logged -condition. He was obliged to touch her up in the fierce blasts which -struck her, but he had her well balanced, and she did not realize any of -the evil predictions of her incompetent skipper. On the other hand, she -did not dip up any more water over her gunwale, and all that came into -her was in the form of spray.</p> - -<p>At Dory's suggestion, Bissell got out a firkin in which the lunch for -the party had been brought on board, and assisted Paul in the work of -baling. But there were hogsheads of water in her, and the process of -relieving her was very slow. The three barges were still laying on their -oars, watching the movements of the Silver Moon. Dory ran for Button -Island, which was separated from the main land only by a narrow channel. -Slacking off the sheet, he ran her aground in the sand behind the point, -where the water was as smooth as the lake in a calm.</p> - -<p>"She is aground!" exclaimed Bissell, as the keel grated on the bottom.</p> - -<p>"I know it; and that is where I intended to have her," replied Dory, as -he left the tiller.</p> - -<p><span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_154" id="Page_154">[Pg 154]</a></span></p><p>Bissell began to protest that he would not have the boat aground; but -the new skipper paid no attention to him. Taking the bucket from Paul, -he told him to rest. Dory worked hard at baling for half an hour, and -Bissell did his part as soon as he found that his protest was not -heeded. By this time the water had dropped so it had to be dipped out of -the well. It was all out at last, and the well sponged dry. To the -stupid astonishment of Bissell, the Silver Moon was again afloat.</p> - -<hr /> - -<p><span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_155" id="Page_155">[Pg 155]</a></span></p> - -<h2><span>CHAPTER XV.</span> <span class="smaller">"ROLL ON, SILVER MOON."</span></h2> - -<p>For about three-quarters of an hour the three barges had waited, pulling -just enough to keep their heads up to the sea. By this time, the ladies -had become accustomed to the motion of the boats; and, in spite of their -wet and bedraggled condition, they began to be very jolly. The long -boats rose and fell with the waves, and occasionally the spray was -dashed over the bows, and carried the whole length of the craft. At -last, they began to sing, and the students joined them. It was getting -to be a very merry time on the rough waters, but the confidence of the -crews inspired the ladies with courage.</p> - -<p>As soon as the Silver Moon was free from her burden of water, Dory -examined the sail, and, finding it all right, he shoved off. As Paul -Bristol had said, the Silver Moon was about the size of the Goldwing, -and was a very good boat.</p> - -<p>"I have not the least idea that you can sail this<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_156" id="Page_156">[Pg 156]</a></span> boat over to Westport -in this blow," said Bissell, as Dory shoved the sloop out of the shoal -water.</p> - -<p>"What's to prevent?" asked the new skipper coldly.</p> - -<p>"It blows too hard, and the sea is too heavy for any boat, I don't care -how good she is," answered the owner of the Silver Moon. "I think this -boat is as good as any of them, but I had rather walk twenty miles than -cross Lake Champlain in her in this blow."</p> - -<p>"The sloop belongs to you, sir, and you can do as you please about -crossing," answered Dory. "You can anchor and stay here till to-morrow -if you like."</p> - -<p>"Do you think it is safe to cross the lake in a sailboat when the wind -blows as it does now, and has since ten o'clock?" asked Bissell.</p> - -<p>"I have been off Burlington, where the lake is twelve miles wide, when -the sea was a good deal worse than it is here, and I did not think I was -in any greater danger than if I had been on shore."</p> - -<p>"If you are not afraid, I ought not to be," added the owner of the -craft, evidently laboring to stimulate his courage. "I guess I will risk -it, as those barges will be near enough to pick us up if anything -happens."</p> - -<p><span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_157" id="Page_157">[Pg 157]</a></span></p><p>"All right," answered Dory, as he hauled down the sheet, and let the -boat go ahead. "Why did you come out in such a blow, if you don't think -it is safe?"</p> - -<p>"The girls hadn't anything to do to-day, and wanted to go down to Port -Henry. We started at six o'clock this morning, and got there at eight. -It began to blow pretty hard by nine, and we started back, though we -intended to stay at the Port all day. I got along very well, though the -girls were scared, till we got down to Barber's Point; and after that it -blew like tophet."</p> - -<p>"You had the full rake of the wind across North West Bay then," added -Dory.</p> - -<p>"Yes; and I had to beat all the way home right against it," continued -the skipper. "I thought we should tip over every minute. If I let her -off enough to make her go ahead, she tipped so that the girls all -screamed. When I was half way over to Button Island I tacked, but the -boat would not come about. She lay there with her sail banging. Then the -wind caught the sail again, and tipped her so she took in some hogsheads -of water. She got in between the waves, and began to roll like a chip. I -thought it was time to haul down the sail, and I went forward<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_158" id="Page_158">[Pg 158]</a></span> to do so. -Then the main sheet run out, and I couldn't get it again."</p> - -<p>"It was a bad situation," added Dory, as Bissell paused and looked at -him, apparently as if to ascertain what he thought of the skipper's -management; but Dory expressed no opinion.</p> - -<p>"I let go the peak halyard, and did the best I could to get the boom in, -but I couldn't do a thing with it. The boat kept rolling in the water -all the time, and I had to take the bucket and bale with all my might. I -was afraid to haul the sail down then, for it would have gone into the -water, and helped drag her over on one side."</p> - -<p>Dory, as an expert, had a very decided opinion in regard to the -skipper's management; but he did not feel called upon to express it, for -Bissell was an obstinate man, and he did not care to dispute with him. -The Silver Moon was running out close-hauled from the lee of Button -Island, which carried her to windward of the fleet of barges. Dory had -taken the helm when she got under way; and as long as the skipper did -not object, he retained it.</p> - -<p>"The boat don't work very well without the jib, and that was what made -all the trouble," continued the skipper. "But it blowed so like all -possessed, that I couldn't carry it."</p> - -<p><span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_159" id="Page_159">[Pg 159]</a></span></p><p>Dory doubted whether this was all, or even the principal trouble, but -he made no remark. He was not satisfied with the working of the boat, -and without saying anything to the skipper, he put her about, and ran -back to the lee of the island. Getting her forefoot on the sand far -enough to hold her, he let go the halyards, and lowered the mainsail a -few feet.</p> - -<p>"What are you going to do now?" asked Bissell, who had watched the -movements of the acting skipper with interest and anxiety.</p> - -<p>"I am going to put a single reef in the mainsail. Where do you keep the -reef pendant?" replied Dory.</p> - -<p>The skipper had no reef pendant, and probably did not know what it was. -But Dory found a couple of ropes which answered his purpose. Having -lashed down the clew and tack, with the assistance of Paul, he tied the -reef-points. Hoisting the sail up to a good set, he shoved off with the -boat-hook, and was soon standing out from the shore again. Keeping his -place at the helm, Dory stood out to the fleet of barges. The wind had -not abated a particle of its force, and even with the reef in the -mainsail, she was inclined to bury herself in the waves. Dory was not -yet<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_160" id="Page_160">[Pg 160]</a></span> satisfied, and under his direction Paul pulled up a couple of loose -boards in the floor of the standing-room, and lifted out a couple of -cast-iron blocks of ballast. These were placed in the stern, and the bow -was lifted a little more out of the water.</p> - -<p>"What's all that for?" asked Bissell.</p> - -<p>"To change her trim a little," replied Dory. "She was ballasted too much -by the head. She works better now."</p> - -<p>The sloop was less inclined than before to bury her bow in the waves, -and was more buoyant forward. She dashed ahead at a gallant speed, and -in a few minutes she was approaching the barges. The passengers in the -stern sheets of the boats were very merry by this time, and seemed to be -actually enjoying the motion of the boats. As the sloop came within hail -of the barges, the ladies struck up "Roll on, silver moon," in which all -the students who could sing joined, and it made a very effective chorus.</p> - -<p>"Very appropriate," said Dory, laughing; "but she don't do that now. She -has done rolling for the present."</p> - -<p>"The girls are jolly enough now; and they don't seem to be a bit -scared," added Bissell.</p> - -<p><span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_161" id="Page_161">[Pg 161]</a></span></p><p>"Will you take them on board again?" asked the acting skipper.</p> - -<p>"I don't know; what do you think?"</p> - -<p>"If you don't know, you had better leave it to them," replied Dory. -"Hail them, and ask them what they will do."</p> - -<p>"I say, girls, are you ready to come on board of the Silver Moon?" -called Bissell, in a loud voice, as the sloop passed astern of them.</p> - -<p>"No!" screamed the whole of them, almost with one voice. "We are going -back to Westport in the barges," added one of them.</p> - -<p>"Just as you like," returned Bissell.</p> - -<p>"Roll on, silver moon," the girls struck up again, and the boys took up -the chorus with enthusiasm.</p> - -<p>"That settles it," added Bissell.</p> - -<p>"Then we may as well return to the Marian, Paul," said Dory.</p> - -<p>"I am ready to do just as you say," replied the spare hand.</p> - -<p>"You don't mean to leave me, do you?" demanded Bissell, aghast at the -proposition. "I don't want you to go."</p> - -<p>"I thought you might prefer to handle your own boat," suggested Dory.</p> - -<p><span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_162" id="Page_162">[Pg 162]</a></span></p><p>"I guess I'd rather have you take her over to Westport, if you will," -replied the skipper, anxiously.</p> - -<p>"Even if we remain on board of the sloop, you had better take the helm," -added Dory, who had some curiosity to see how Bissell worked the boat.</p> - -<p>"I'd rather have you steer her. I don't know but you can manage her -better than I can."</p> - -<p>"You ought to be able to handle your own boat better than any one else -can. You have sailed her more than any other person, and a boat is -something like a horse, and does better in the hands of one who is used -to her."</p> - -<p>"I bought the Silver Moon last year, and got a man to show me how to -manage her. I was out in her every day last summer, but I never went out -when it blew very hard. Folks say it is dangerous sailing on Lake -Champlain, there are so many currents and flaws from the hills."</p> - -<p>"There is no doubt about the flaws and currents, but I look upon them as -bugbears. A skipper must keep his craft in hand all the time, and then -he is ready for flaws and squalls."</p> - -<p>"One of the girls has taken your place at the stroke oar, Dory," said -Paul, who was watching<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_163" id="Page_163">[Pg 163]</a></span> the barges as they began to move over the savage -waves.</p> - -<p>"So I see," replied Dory. "Dick is coaching her, and I have no doubt she -will make good my absence."</p> - -<p>"It is Susy Wellington; and she knows how to row better than most of the -men," added Paul.</p> - -<p>At this moment, the acting skipper went in stays, and though he had -given her a good full, he had some doubts about her; but she came up to -the wind handsomely, and went on the port tack as promptly as the -Goldwing could have done it. As she filled away, she heeled over till -her washboard was almost buried; but she righted a little in a moment, -and dashed off on her course like a racehorse. She rose and fell on the -waves, with her gunwale under all the time, but with eight inches of -washboard above the water.</p> - -<p>The wind was rather flawy, and, of course, the boat heeled over more -when the puffs struck her, so that most of the washboard was sometimes -under water. But the sloop, in her altered trim, was as steady as an old -horse on a smooth road. As the Silver Moon was close-hauled, she struck -the seas constantly; and the waves broke with no little<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_164" id="Page_164">[Pg 164]</a></span> noise against -her bows, tossing the spray from stem to stern.</p> - -<p>Bissell watched the lee washboard all the time, and seemed to be very -nervous. He did not heed the singing in the barges, which greatly -interested the acting skipper. The owner evidently expected the sloop -would ship a sea every moment, which would fill her half full of water -as she had been before. But she tore along on her course without taking -in a drop of water over her lee side, unless when a wave broke there, -and spit the spray over the washboard.</p> - -<p>"You will put the Silver Moon on the bottom before you get her over to -Westport," said Bissell, when he could hold in no longer, and his mental -excitement had become intense.</p> - -<p>"I certainly shall not do it after we get to Westport," replied Dory, -with a smile. "But if you wish to take the helm, of course you can do -so. I suppose you can swim, Paul?"</p> - -<p>"I could swim in Sandy Bay, but I don't think I could in these waves," -answered Paul.</p> - -<p>"I don't think it is safe to sail along in this way with the gunwale -under water all the time," said Bissell, as the water rose nearly to the -top of the washboard.</p> - -<p><span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_165" id="Page_165">[Pg 165]</a></span></p><p>"Then you take the tiller, Mr. Bissell," replied Dory, rising and -offering his place on the weather-side to the skipper.</p> - -<p>Bissell was clearly full of doubts, but he took the tiller. His first -movement was to put the helm down a little, so that the reefed mainsail -began to shake slightly, and of course the gunwale was lifted out of the -water. He kept the tiller shaking all the time, as the boat was in -danger of broaching to.</p> - -<p>When he had steered about a quarter of an hour, it was seen that the -barges were rapidly overhauling the Silver Moon, though she gained on -them while Dory had the tiller. But it was necessary to tack, and the -skipper put the helm hard down. The sail shook, and the boat did -precisely what Dory knew she would do—she miss-stayed, and then began -to roll in the trough of the sea. She had little headway when the helm -was put down, and her momentum was not sufficient to carry her around -against the head sea.</p> - -<p>The water began to roll into her on the sides; but Dory seized one of -the oars, and with a few smart pulls, threw her head up into the wind. -The instant the sail began to fill, which it did with a rush, Bissell -put his helm hard down. Dory plied the oar once more.</p> - -<p><span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_166" id="Page_166">[Pg 166]</a></span></p><p>"I wish you would take the helm again," said Bissell.</p> - -<p>"I will, if you say so," replied Dory, who had entirely satisfied his -curiosity in regard to the seamanship of the skipper.</p> - -<hr /> - -<p><span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_167" id="Page_167">[Pg 167]</a></span></p> - -<h2><span>CHAPTER XVI.</span> <span class="smaller">DORY DORNWOOD GIVES A LESSON IN BOAT-SAILING.</span></h2> - -<p>It was absolutely certain that Bissell was not a reckless and -over-daring skipper, which is often the most glaring fault of those in -charge of sailboats. He erred in the opposite extreme,—he was too -timid. He had not pluck enough when it was blowing fresh to keep his -sail full. The barges were overhauling her, because she had hardly any -headway; and when she went in stays, she had not speed enough to meet -the fierce waves.</p> - -<p>Dory took the helm, while the skipper, with the bucket, dipper and -sponge, soon removed the water from the well. The sail was permitted to -fill, and the Silver Moon dashed on her course at a lively rate again. -The barges pulling against a head sea could not keep within hail of her -when she was on her long tack.</p> - -<p>"I have about made up my mind that you can handle this sloop better than -I can," said Bissell, when he had wiped out the well with the sponge.</p> - -<p><span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_168" id="Page_168">[Pg 168]</a></span></p><p>Paul Bristol burst out into a loud laugh at this remark.</p> - -<p>"What are you laughing at, Paul?" asked the skipper, looking rather -severely at the spare hand.</p> - -<p>"I was only thinking it had taken you a long time to make up your mind, -Mr. Bissell," replied Paul, suppressing his risibles when he saw that -Dory looked as serious as a judge.</p> - -<p>"I suppose you think I am not much of a skipper, Paul," added Bissell, -evidently annoyed by the laugh of the spare hand.</p> - -<p>"I don't know much about sailing a boat, and I think I had better not -say anything," answered Paul prudently.</p> - -<p>"I never got into such a scrape before with the boat," continued the -owner. "This boat will be for sale after I get ashore."</p> - -<p>"She is a very good boat, and works well," said Dory; but, cautious in -regard to offending the skipper by any criticisms, he was not willing to -have the boat blamed for the fault of the man.</p> - -<p>"I always thought so myself till to-day; and I have always believed I -could handle her better than any other man. It goes a little hard with -me to give in to one boy and have another laugh at me," replied the -skipper. "I should like to have<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_169" id="Page_169">[Pg 169]</a></span> you tell me just what ails my -management of the boat."</p> - -<p>"I don't volunteer any criticism; but if you will not be offended with a -boy for expressing his mind plainly, I will do so," added Dory.</p> - -<p>"That's what I want you to do, and I shall not get mad, though it hurts -for me to give in on handling the Silver Moon.</p> - -<p>"You are just a little too careful; and that is what has made the -mischief every time," Dory began. "If you don't give your boat a good -full, she won't go about in stays. That was the trouble when you had the -ladies on board."</p> - -<p>"The man that showed me how to sail a boat said I could not be too -careful," protested Bissell, astonished at the remark of the acting -skipper.</p> - -<p>"I don't quite agree with him, though he is right in the main. Most of -the accidents happen because the skippers are careless. Your sloop was a -little out of trim. When it blows too hard for you to carry the jib, you -must put a single reef in the mainsail. With a whole mainsail, the mast -ought to be farther forward. Since I shifted the ballast, she carries a -stronger weather helm."</p> - -<p>It was necessary to tack again, and Dory explained more fully what he -meant by a "good<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_170" id="Page_170">[Pg 170]</a></span> full," and then put the helm down. The sloop's head -flew up into the wind at a lively pace, and the mainsail went over; but -the helmsman righted the helm, and met her with it so that she should -not fall off too far, thus putting her lee gunwale under.</p> - -<p>Bissell was deeply interested, and began to learn what he had not before -acquired. He took her, and made the next tack, under the direction of -the acting skipper, himself. From that time he retained the helm, and -Dory continued to instruct him until the Silver Moon got into -comparatively still water.</p> - -<p>Dory and his pupil had made more tacks than were necessary, in order to -illustrate the subject. The boats came up with the sloop just as she was -going in at the wharf. The ladies and the crews were still singing, and -their merry voices attracted quite a collection of people.</p> - -<p>"When I was over off Button Island I did not expect ever to see Westport -again," said Bissell, after he had made the Silver Moon fast at the -wharf. "I have only ten dollars in my pocket, now, but I want you to -take that and let me owe you another ten."</p> - -<p>"You must excuse me, Mr. Bissell," protested Dory.</p> - -<p><span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_171" id="Page_171">[Pg 171]</a></span></p><p>"It ain't enough, I know; and I will make it up to fifty dollars when I -get to the store," added the skipper.</p> - -<p>"It is enough, and more than enough, Mr. Bissell. I cannot take a single -cent for that kind of service. Captain Gildrock would put me into the -brig if I took money for assisting anyone in distress on the water," -said Dory earnestly. "Sailors are bound to help each other always when -in danger."</p> - -<p>The store-keeper pressed Dory quite warmly to take the money, but the -latter was as firm as a rock. Then he tried to give a few dollars to -Paul, but the spare hand, though he wanted the money for his mother, -took his cue from Dory, and refused to take a cent. Bissell expressed -his gratitude in very warm terms, and said he should like to take some -more lessons in sailing a boat from such a skilful master. He would -gladly pay for the time and trouble, and he concluded not to sell the -Silver Moon at present.</p> - -<p>It was now nearly two o'clock, and the students thought it was about -time to attend to the contents of the lunch baskets. The ladies had been -landed, and were profuse in their expressions of delight at their trip -in the barges. The Beech<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_172" id="Page_172">[Pg 172]</a></span> Hillers landed, and camped under a tree to -dispose of their lunch. Dory and Paul joined them, and it took some time -for the former to explain what he had done on board of the sloop. He did -not say any unpleasant things about the skipper, or dwell upon his -mistakes.</p> - -<p>Before the boys had made any deep inroads into their stock of -provisions, Bissell and the ladies appeared laden with ice cream, pies, -and cake, which were a welcome addition to the lunch. The "girls," as -Bissell called them, waited upon their deliverers, and gushed over the -delightful time they had had in the barges.</p> - -<p>"There come the Chesterfield barges," said John Brattle when the clock -indicated half past two. "I wonder what they are going to do over here."</p> - -<p>"I thought they had business about this time over at Sandy Point," added -Tuck Prince.</p> - -<p>"Don't say a word about the cottage, fellows," interposed Paul Bristol, -with a good deal of earnestness. "I know what they come here for; at -least, I think I know."</p> - -<p>"Why don't you let on then, Paul?" demanded Phil Gawner.</p> - -<p>"They have come over here after Major Billcord, for I am sure he will -want to see the cottage pitched<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_173" id="Page_173">[Pg 173]</a></span> into the lake. I am almost sure now -that none of them know the house is gone," replied Paul, rubbing his -hands with delight when he thought of the disappointment of his -oppressors.</p> - -<p>"If you like, Mr. Bissell, I will sail down the lake with you as far as -Sandy Point," Dory proposed, while the boys were digesting what Paul had -said. "The coxswain consents to my absence; but I must return to Beech -Hill in the Marian."</p> - -<p>"All right, for I want very much to see you sail the Silver Moon with a -heavy wind on the beam or over the quarter," replied the store-keeper. -"But I must go up to the house and change my clothes, for I am as wet as -a drowned rat."</p> - -<p>Bissell hastened to his house, which was only a short distance from the -head of the landing. The Chesterfield barges had just reached the wharf, -and the young gentlemen were coming up the steps. The boats had pulled -around under the lee of the land, so that they had not been seen until -near the wharf.</p> - -<p>The Chesterfield students formed a procession on the wharf, and it was -evident that they intended to escort Major Billcord, who was fond of -parades, to the boats. The ladies waiting on the students from the other -side said this was the meaning of<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_174" id="Page_174">[Pg 174]</a></span> the procession, which was not a -strange sight in the streets of the town.</p> - -<p>"You will take no notice of them whatever, fellows," said Commodore -Chester very impressively. "If they salute us properly, which they are -not likely to do, we must be as polite as they are, and more so, if -possible. If they call us 'tinkers' and 'chip-makers,' which they are -more likely to do, make no answer of any kind. I will report any student -who utters an offensive word to them. You all know that this is the -order of the principal, and not mine."</p> - -<p>For some reason the procession of Chesterfields did not pass near the -tree under which the Beech Hillers were lunching. Paul pointed out the -elegant mansion of Major Billcord, and the students of the institute -marched in that direction.</p> - -<p>"While we are waiting for Mr. Bissell, I should like to go up to his -house and get my sister's valise, which she left there," said Paul to -the coxswain of the Marian.</p> - -<p>Dick consented, though he would not have permitted any of the crew to -leave without a good reason for it while the Chesterfields were so near. -Paul hastened up to the main street. He saw the institute students halt -in the grounds of Major<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_175" id="Page_175">[Pg 175]</a></span> Billcord's mansion. They broke ranks, and the -magnate was talking to them.</p> - -<p>"I will give twenty-five dollars to any student or party of students -that will capture that young scoundrel, Paul Bristol, and hand him over -to me at Sandy Point." This was what the great man said to a group of -half a dozen of the students.</p> - -<p>The party in front of him promised to carry out his wishes if he would -not mention the matter to the rest of the students.</p> - -<hr /> - -<p><span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_176" id="Page_176">[Pg 176]</a></span></p> - -<h2><span>CHAPTER XVII.</span> <span class="smaller">THE MISSION OF THE SIX RUFFIANS.</span></h2> - -<p>Paul Bristol saw the conference between the six Chesterfield students -and Major Billcord; but he could not hear what passed between them, and -had no suspicion that he was the subject of remark. None of them saw -Paul when he entered the gate to Mr. Bissell's premises, though his -curiosity prompted him to stand there a few minutes to observe the -proceedings of the party.</p> - -<p>He expected to see nothing more than a sort of reception of the magnate, -who was evidently to be their passenger to Sandy Point, and the students -proposed to take him to the scene of the afternoon's sport in state. But -Major Billcord appeared to have selected the six ruffians best suited to -the undertaking in which they were to engage. He had called them aside, -and made his offer to them.</p> - -<p>Those who were near enough to the magnate to see his face could not help -noticing that he had a<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_177" id="Page_177">[Pg 177]</a></span> pair of black eyes. In this respect he was the -counterpart of his hopeful son, though the mourning of the latter was of -a deeper shade than that of his father. The major had remained in his -elegant mansion all the forenoon, for he was more modest in the display -of the weeds under his eyes than he was of his person generally. -Doubtless he had often looked in his lofty mirrors to observe the -condition of his face.</p> - -<p>He did not like the looks of himself with the marks Paul had left on his -face, for they certainly added nothing to the dignity of his expression. -He was a pompous, overbearing, and tyrannical man, and every time he saw -his mourning organs they filled him with wrath, and inspired him to seek -a wholesale revenge. He did not give a thought to the insult his son had -offered to Miss Lily. She was of not the slightest consequence, and it -would have been quite proper, in his opinion, for her to submit in -silence to the pleasure of the reckless young man.</p> - -<p>On the way home from the scene of his signal defeat at the hands of Paul -Bristol, he had called at the institute, and intimated that he had a -mission for the students, at the point, on the following day. He wished -them to call for him at his house<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_178" id="Page_178">[Pg 178]</a></span> in the afternoon, and he would insure -them an hour or more of the liveliest recreation. He did not say what he -had in view, and he had cautioned Walk not to mention the business in -which the young men were to be engaged.</p> - -<p>As Walk went home with his father, he had no opportunity to let the cat -out of the bag, even if he had been so disposed. Father and son had -spent the rest of the day in studying out an adequate punishment for -Paul. If they could have "hung, drawn, and quartered" him, it might have -satisfied them. Walk suggested that he should be prosecuted, and that -the justice would send him to prison for a month or two. But his father -saw that such a course would bring out the whole story of the son's -assault upon Miss Lily, and the judge might not regard the affair in the -same light as the sufferers did.</p> - -<p>They could agree upon nothing, but before morning Major Billcord had -devised the scheme he had now taken the first step to carry out. He -thought it wise not to implicate his son in the outrage, for he might be -prosecuted and compelled to pay a fine for himself and those he employed -to do the actual work. The vengeance of the magnate was to be -administered to Paul at Sandy Point.<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_179" id="Page_179">[Pg 179]</a></span> The plant for the black eyes had -been set out near the doomed cottage, and it was proper that the -punishment should be inflicted on the same spot.</p> - -<p>Walk Billcord had not been in condition to return to the institute that -day, for he did not care to put his mourning on exhibition, and to -answer all the questions that it would call forth. But he was going to -Sandy Point in the boat to which he belonged, for he was anxious to take -part in the destruction of the cottage. After the students marched up to -the mansion of the magnate, they had informed him of the presence of the -Beech Hillers, and of Paul, in Westport. The story of the Silver Moon's -mishap had been related to them at the wharf when they landed. The -students from the other side had come to the town to convey the ladies -from the disabled boat; and this sufficiently accounted for their -presence.</p> - -<p>Nothing was said about Paul, except that he had come in the sloop. Major -Billcord had no doubt that his stalwart foe was still staying at the -point, and he had arranged his plan on the supposition that he would be -found in that vicinity. But when he was informed of his presence in -Westport, he had been obliged to make a slight change in his scheme. He -had not intended to mention it till the<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_180" id="Page_180">[Pg 180]</a></span> students landed at Sandy Point. -He had before selected his ruffians, and he was simply obliged to make -his offer a little sooner than before arranged.</p> - -<p>Paul Bristol went into Mr. Bissell's house and obtained his sister's -valise. As he was about to depart, the owner of the Silver Moon came -down stairs in his changed dress, with a letter in his hand.</p> - -<p>"Paul, do you know where Captain Bleeker lives?" asked Bissell, as soon -as he saw the boy with the valise in his hand.</p> - -<p>"Of course I do," replied Paul. "I used to work for him on his place -when he had anything for me to do."</p> - -<p>"I am going to Sandy Point in the sloop, and Dory is waiting for me," -continued the skipper. "I am in a hurry to be off, and if you will go -round by Captain Bleeker's and leave this letter at his house, I will -carry your valise down to the boat. I will put it on board of the -Marian."</p> - -<p>"All right, if you will tell the coxswain to wait for me; for I suppose -I am to go in the barge," replied Paul, as he took the letter.</p> - -<p>Bissell hastened to the wharf with the valise, and Paul started for his -destination, which was on a street in the rear of Major Billcord's -mansion. The<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_181" id="Page_181">[Pg 181]</a></span> procession had re-formed in the spacious grounds to escort -the magnate to the wharf. The six ruffians had been excused from -marching in the line, by request of the major, and they were consulting -in regard to their mission in the street in front of the house.</p> - -<p>Paul was obliged to take a cross street to reach the house of Captain -Bleeker, and he had to pass within a few rods of the elegant mansion. As -he turned the corner, the chief of the six ruffians, who was called Buck -Lamb by his fellow-students, discovered him, and the conference came to -a sudden conclusion. The time for council had passed, and the time for -action had come. Buck Lamb was an acknowledged leader, and, without any -appointment as such, he assumed the position and began to give off his -orders.</p> - -<p>Paul was in sight, going up the cross street with a letter in his hand. -The back street ran parallel to the main street, and the object of the -attack must be going to some house in that direction. Buck sent two of -his force to the cross street next beyond that taken by Paul, with -orders to intercept the victim if he went that way. Two more were to -remain near the mansion of the magnate, and Buck himself, with Ham -Jackson, followed<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_182" id="Page_182">[Pg 182]</a></span> Paul. One of the two parties was sure to meet him, or -if they failed, by any accident, the pair on the main street were in -position to capture him. It was a quiet little place, and there was -scarcely a person in the streets after the procession had marched to the -wharf.</p> - -<p>Paul Bristol, all unconscious of what had been done to make him a -prisoner, walked with a rapid step towards the house of the person to -whom the letter was addressed. He had not noticed the movements of the -six ruffians, or even that any of the Chesterfields had been left -behind. He was thinking that the students would soon reach Sandy Point -with Major Billcord, and he was engaged in picturing their astonishment -and disappointment when they discovered that the cottage had taken to -itself wings, and that the locality had assumed its original appearance.</p> - -<p>He went up to the door of the house, and rang the bell. It was answered -by Captain Bleeker himself. He seemed to be somewhat surprised when he -saw Paul, for he had been expecting another person.</p> - -<p>"Is that you, Paul? I was in hopes that it was Bissell; for I expected -an important letter as soon as the mail got in, and he promised to bring -it over to me," said the captain.</p> - -<p><span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_183" id="Page_183">[Pg 183]</a></span></p><p>"He asked me to bring the letter over, and here it is," replied Paul, -as he handed the important missive to him.</p> - -<p>"Good! It contains a draft which I need as much as I need the air I -breathe," added Captain Bleeker, as he took the letter, and thrust his -hand deep into one of his trousers pockets, drawing forth a quarter. "I -am more glad to see you than I should be to meet my grandmother, who -died twenty-five years ago. Here is something to prove it;" and he -handed him the quarter.</p> - -<p>"I don't want anything for this errand; I only did it because Mr. -Bissell asked me to."</p> - -<p>"Take the money," said the captain imperatively. "If you come over here -in about a week, I shall have something for you to do, for it will be -time then to hoe the garden."</p> - -<p>"I don't think I can come, sir, for I have a place now, with steady -work, on the other side of the lake," replied Paul.</p> - -<p>"All right," added Captain Bleeker, as he broke the seal of the letter, -and proceeded to close the door, manifesting no interest in the -messenger's new position.</p> - -<p>Paul put the quarter in his pocket, thinking there had been no time in -two years when it was so little<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_184" id="Page_184">[Pg 184]</a></span> needed as at present, thanks to Captain -Gildrock. But he did not lose a moment, for he thought that by this time -the crew of the Marian might be waiting for him. He walked at his most -rapid pace up the street in the direction by which he had come. There -was not a person to be seen in the back street, though Buck Lamb and Ham -Jackson had reached the corner.</p> - -<p>Paul saw them approaching him on the same side of the street. If he had -seen them in the neighborhood of the institute, he might have known -them; as it was, he did not recognize them, though they wore the barge -uniform. Being in a hurry, he deserted the sidewalk to cut off the angle -at the corner of the street. But the two ruffians promptly placed -themselves in front of him in the middle of the highway.</p> - -<p>"Stop where you are!" said Buck Lamb, in an imperative tone.</p> - -<p>"What am I to stop for?" asked Paul, with a smile, and with the -simplicity of an infant.</p> - -<p>"You are to stop because I order you to do so," replied Buck, who was of -the genus bully, and could not well help manifesting authority, whether -he had it or not.</p> - -<p>"As I am in a hurry to join my boat, I don't<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_185" id="Page_185">[Pg 185]</a></span> think that is a sufficient -reason for my stopping," replied Paul, with abundant cheerfulness. "If -you will excuse me, I had rather not stop just now."</p> - -<p>"But I order you to stop!" said Buck savagely.</p> - -<p>"Oh, you do!" added the intended victim. "Then I must take the liberty -to disobey your orders."</p> - -<p>"When I order you to stop, I mean to enforce my order," said Buck, with -his teeth set fast together.</p> - -<p>"I can't stop to jaw with you now; for, as I told you, I am in a hurry," -replied Paul, beginning to be a little indignant at the interruption.</p> - -<p>"If you move another step, I shall hit you," continued the bully, -placing himself in front of the victim, with his fists clinched ready to -execute his threat.</p> - -<p>Paul dodged back, and attempted to pass the ruffians, but Buck got in -front of him again.</p> - -<hr /> - -<p><span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_186" id="Page_186">[Pg 186]</a></span></p> - -<h2><span>CHAPTER XVIII.</span> <span class="smaller">THE RESULT OF AN UNEQUAL CONFLICT.</span></h2> - -<p>Buck Lamb evidently considered himself as more than a match for Paul -Bristol, for neither Walk Billcord nor his father had given the students -the particulars of the battle at Sandy Point. All the magnate said was -that he and his son had been insulted and assaulted by the ungrateful -son of the woman he had harbored on his land. Buck was a stout fellow, -who had the reputation of possessing scientific skill in the noble art -of pugilism, and who was ready for any fellow of his avoirdupois, either -with soft gloves or with hard gloves, or with no gloves at all.</p> - -<p>Happily, Paul had no knowledge of the reputation of the bully, which the -more knowing of the students would have said was only reputation. In his -ignorance of the accredited accomplishments of Buck Lamb, Paul was not -in the least afraid of him. Possibly, though not probably, if he had -known what a bruiser the leader of the six ruffians claimed<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_187" id="Page_187">[Pg 187]</a></span> to be, he -would have taken to his heels and escaped in the best way he could, or -expressed his willingness to obey the imperative order of his assailant.</p> - -<p>Buck not only intercepted his intended victim, but he levelled a blow -with his iron fist, as he called it, at the modest nose of Paul Bristol. -This was enough to satisfy the son of toil, who had often hoed corn and -potatoes in the garden near the corner, that his opponent meant -business. He parried the blow aimed at him successfully, and it was the -right time for him to have returned it; but Paul did not yet mean -business, for he was not a fighting character, and despised the whole -subject of pugilism. Instead of striking, he looked about him for the -means of escape, and discovered two more of the ruffians running with -all their might towards the scene of the encounter. They wore the -uniform of the barges of the institute, as did Buck and Ham. There was -no chance of escape, and Paul was beginning to get a glimmering idea of -the purpose of the assault. He concluded that the fellows before and -behind him were to punish him for what he had done the day before at -Sandy Point.</p> - -<p>Buck Lamb did not wait for the second pair of the ruffians to join him; -and in that he made a<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_188" id="Page_188">[Pg 188]</a></span> bad mistake for himself. His blow had been -parried, and he began to think that his antagonist had some skill in the -sublime art of pugilism; in this he was again mistaken, for Paul had -never learned the first thing about it. He was fully roused, and he -aimed a second blow at Paul, which was not as successfully warded off as -the first had been, and he received a portion of its force in his right -cheek.</p> - -<p>Perhaps this hit was needed to render Paul fully equal to the needs of -the occasion; at any rate, it roused all the tiger of his nature, and -then he was ready for anything that might come. He attempted to parry -the blow with his left arm; but as soon as the hit was felt on his -cheek, he struck a tremendous blow with his right hand. It was the -stroke of a son of toil, whose muscles had been hardened by constant -labor. It fell between the eyes of the bully, which seemed to be a -favorite locality for Paul.</p> - -<p>The pugilist of the institute reeled backwards, and then fell over into -the dirt in the middle of the street. Doubtless he saw all the stars his -vision could encompass, and his ideas were awfully confused. At any -rate, he did not "come to time," but lay on the ground where he had -fallen.</p> - -<p><span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_189" id="Page_189">[Pg 189]</a></span></p><p>Ham Jackson was appalled at the result of the first onslaught, which -was accomplished in a tenth part of the time it has taken to narrate it. -Perhaps he was not a pugilist; but it was certain from his actions that -he was not prepared for the state of things now existing. He seemed to -be quite as much bewildered as his companion in the dirt. But he -recovered himself more quickly, and rushed upon Paul with the apparent -intention of seizing him by the collar of his coat. But the son of toil -did not know what he meant, and only saw him coming. Without waiting to -inquire into his purpose Paul gave him the counterpart of the blow which -had upset Buck Lamb. The effect was precisely the same, and Ham went -over backwards.</p> - -<p>The two students approaching from the rear were only a few rods distant, -and Paul did not wait for them to come any nearer. As he would gladly -have done in the first place, he took to his heels and ran as fast as he -could towards the main street. Before he reached it, he looked back to -see if his enemies were pursuing him. The two who had just come up with -their unhorsed companions were picking them up, and there was no effort -yet made to overtake him.</p> - -<p><span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_190" id="Page_190">[Pg 190]</a></span></p><p>Paul slacked his speed to a walk, and as he approached the main street -he saw two more students in the barge uniform. The instant they -discovered him, they rushed to a position in front of him. One of them -commanded him to stop; but he declined to do so. One of them attempted -to seize the collar of his coat, and Paul felt obliged to hit again. His -blow was parried better than either of his former assailants had been -able to do it, but he repeated the attempt with success. The blood -spurted from the nose of the foremost student, but he was not upset by -the shock.</p> - -<p>Both of them came upon him then, the second putting one of his feet -between Paul's legs while he was attending to the first, and tripping -him up. Down went the son of toil, and the two ruffians pounced upon him -with the intention of holding him till the rest of the party joined -them. But Paul did not hold still worth a cent; and with his great -strength he shook off his assailants.</p> - -<p>The last couple were more plucky than the first had proved to be, and -they followed him up very closely. The victim rained blows upon them -without regard to the belt, hitting them where he could. He was furious, -and raging like a lion. It was a very uneven combat, and Paul was -rapidly<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_191" id="Page_191">[Pg 191]</a></span> exhausting himself. The second of his present antagonists used -his boots almost exclusively. He kicked the son of toil in the shins, -and labored to trip him up again. Just as Paul had given the one who -used fists a blow between the eyes, which upset him, the leg operator -succeeded, by an attack in the rear, in bringing the victim to the -ground.</p> - -<p>As soon as Paul was down, Mad Twinker, who was the one who demonstrated -with his boots, jumped upon him, and clawed his fingers into the throat -of the unfortunate son of toil. Just at this moment the party from the -back street came up, and the two fresh ruffians assisted Mad in securing -the victim. They had obtained a couple of pieces of bedcord at the house -of the major, and they tied his arms behind him.</p> - -<p>Paul was so exhausted that he could make no further resistance, and he -submitted to be bound. His breath was hardly shorter than that of his -last opponents, who were now wiping the blood from their faces. The -ruffians had earned their money, so far as the capture of the victim was -concerned; and it only remained for them to deliver the prisoner to -Major Billcord at Sandy Point.</p> - -<p>Two of the ruffians went to a pump and wet their handkerchiefs, with -which they washed their<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_192" id="Page_192">[Pg 192]</a></span> own faces. Paul's handkerchief was taken from -his pocket, and the stains of blood were removed from his battered face. -In a few minutes they had wiped away the traces of the conflict. Then -two of the students, one on each side, took Paul by the arms and marched -him towards the wharf. When they came in sight of it, they saw that all -the barges were manned, and had pulled a short distance from the shore, -where they awaited the absent members of the crews. The Beech Hillers -had taken position off the end of the pier, while the Chesterfields were -near the land.</p> - -<p>There was still quite a collection of people on the wharf, drawn thither -for the purpose of seeing the barges, and possibly expecting a race or a -fight, the latter being more probable in the opinion of the spectators; -the battles of the previous season having been duly reported in the -town. The Silver Moon, with Bissell and Dory in the standing-room, was -running with the wind on her beam for Scotch Bonnet. The six ruffians -halted when they came in sight of the wharf, and gathered around their -prisoner.</p> - -<p>"This will never do," said Mad Twinker, shaking his head. "We can't take -him through that crowd of people on the wharf."</p> - -<p><span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_193" id="Page_193">[Pg 193]</a></span></p><p>"That's so," replied Buck Lamb, who had lost some of his prestige since -his overthrow, and Mad Twinker had come to the front. "Four of us can -handle him well enough now. Jeff Monroe, and you, Steve Douglas, go and -get Bissell's four-oar boat."</p> - -<p>"Bissell isn't there now," replied Jeff.</p> - -<p>"Stop at his store as you go along, hire it for a couple of hours, and -get the key," continued Mad Twinker. "Pull up to the creek at the head -of the bay, and we will meet you there."</p> - -<p>Though there appeared to be no one in the streets, for all the idlers -had gone down to the wharf, there were people in the houses. Among the -latter was Miss Susy Wellington, who had pulled an oar in the Marian. -She had gone home to change her wet dress for a dry one, and saw from -her chamber window the capture of Paul Bristol by the ruffians. She had -heard something in the boat about Paul's battle with Major Billcord and -his son, and she had some idea of the occasion of the assault upon the -son of toil.</p> - -<p>While Mad Twinker and his fellow-ruffians were hurrying their prisoner -to the creek, she hastened down to the wharf. On her way she stopped at -Bissell's store, where she had worked with Lily<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_194" id="Page_194">[Pg 194]</a></span> Bristol. She learned -that her employer had gone off in the sloop again, and that some of the -Chesterfields had just hired the four-oar boat. She continued on her -way, and soon saw the two students in her employer's boat, pulling -rapidly towards the head of the bay. When she reached the end of the -wharf she waved her handkerchief to the Marian, and beckoned with all -her might with her hand.</p> - -<p>Dick Short gave the order "Stern all!" and the barge backed up within -hail of the fair oarswoman. The coxswain asked her if she desired to -pull an oar in the barge again.</p> - -<p>"We are waiting for Paul Bristol, and he ought to be on board by this -time," added Dick. "If he don't come, you can take his place."</p> - -<p>"No, I thank you, Mr. Coxswain," replied Miss Susy, and she proceeded to -detail what she had seen from her window.</p> - -<p>"Paul a prisoner!" exclaimed Dick, thoroughly aroused by the -intelligence. "Stand by! Give way lively!"</p> - -<p>He ran the Marian under the stern of the Gildrock, and reported the -astounding intelligence to Commodore Chester.</p> - -<p>"A prisoner!" exclaimed Oscar, startled by the news. "Where is he now?"</p> - -<p><span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_195" id="Page_195">[Pg 195]</a></span></p><p>"Do you see that boat near the head of the bay? Two of the six fellows -who captured Paul were sent for the boat, while the others took him in -that direction."</p> - -<p>"This looks like serious business. The Chesterfield barges both lie -between us and that small boat," continued Oscar Chester.</p> - -<p>The Gildrock was hauled around so that the commodore could confer with -Thad Glovering. The details were repeated so that all the students in -the three barges heard the whole story.</p> - -<p>"It looks as though the rascals were going to bring Paul off in that -boat, and put him on board of the Racer or the Dasher," which were the -names of the two Chesterfield barges.</p> - -<p>"Then, if we pull up there in a hurry, we may be able to get him away -from them," added Thad Glovering.</p> - -<p>"On the other hand, if the fellows in charge of the prisoner see our -barges coming, they will put Paul ashore."</p> - -<p>It was a difficult point to settle.</p> - -<hr /> - -<p><span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_196" id="Page_196">[Pg 196]</a></span></p> - -<h2><span>CHAPTER XIX.</span> <span class="smaller">A DEADLOCK AT THE HEAD OF THE BAY.</span></h2> - -<p>It was finally decided by the commodore that all the Beech Hill barges -should proceed to the head of the bay, and if the ruffians landed with -their prisoner, or did not put him in the boat, they should follow them -on shore and rescue Paul at all hazards. Oscar Chester gave the word, -and the Gildrock dashed off, with the other two barges following her. -The crews were not spared, and the boats appeared to leap over the -water, which was tolerably smooth under the lee of the land.</p> - -<p>The Chesterfield barges still lay near the shore, above the wharf, and -in order to avoid them the commodore headed the Gildrock across the bay. -In the absence of the spare hand and Dory, the Marian was one oarsman -short, and Dick Short missed the stroke very much. The Silver Moon was -not more than a quarter of a mile from the wharf, for Dory was showing -off the sloop in various points of sailing. Very likely he desired to -keep the Beech Hill barges in sight as long as the Chesterfields were -near.</p> - -<p><span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_197" id="Page_197">[Pg 197]</a></span></p><p>Dick Short waved his handkerchief in the direction of the sloop. Dory -saw the signal, and headed the Silver Moon to the head of the bay. -Before the commodore changed the course of the fleet, he ran across the -stern of the Marian.</p> - -<p>"The Chesterfields have made Paul a prisoner!" shouted Dick Short.</p> - -<p>Dory heard the announcement, and then the sloop passed out of speaking -distance. He was not a little astonished at the information, and fully -realized the peril of the son of toil. Glancing at the Chesterfield -barges, he saw Major Billcord seated in the stern-sheets of the Dasher, -and it did not need a very vivid imagination to comprehend the programme -of the enemy.</p> - -<p>"I must ask you to excuse me to-day, and I will come over some other -time when the wind blows, and put the Silver Moon through her paces," -said Dory to the owner of the sloop.</p> - -<p>"What's the trouble here?" asked Bissell.</p> - -<p>The acting skipper explained the situation to him, including enough of -the proceedings at Sandy Point the day before to enable him to -understand it.</p> - -<p>"Major Billcord is as savage as a wild hyena when he gets mad," added -Bissell. "He is bound<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_198" id="Page_198">[Pg 198]</a></span> to have his own way against everybody else. He -tries to rule the town, though most of the people hate him."</p> - -<p>Dory tacked and stood back to the Marian. He hailed the coxswain and -asked to be taken on board. Dick told him to come alongside as quick as -he could, and he would be ready for him.</p> - -<p>"I wonder if I can't do something to help you," said Bissell. "You -fellows have done me a good turn to-day, and I shouldn't mind helping -you out if I could."</p> - -<p>"You will only offend Major Billcord, and I think we can manage the -affair," replied Dory.</p> - -<p>"No matter whom I offend; Paul worked well in the sloop, and he seems to -be the bottom dog in this business, and if I see a chance to do anything -for him I shall do it, if the major bu'sts over it."</p> - -<p>By this time the Marian was close under the bow of the Silver Moon. Dick -checked the headway of the barge, and Dory put the helm down. Up went -the starboard oars on the Marian, and the sloop was alongside of her the -next minute. Dory leaped into the stern-sheets, and took his place at -the stroke oar. The sailboat fell astern, and the crew gave way again.</p> - -<p>Dick gave Dory all the information he had in<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_199" id="Page_199">[Pg 199]</a></span> regard to the capture of -Paul. Both of them were satisfied that the poor fellow would be beaten -half to death if he was not rescued from the enemy. By the time the -story had been told, the Gildrock changed her course, and pointed her -bow for the creek at the head of the bay. On the shore they could see -several young men in the uniform of the Chesterfield barges, and they -could be no other than the captors of Paul. The four-oar boat was just -making a landing.</p> - -<p>When the commodore changed his course, the barges of the two schools -were at about the same distance from the mouth of the creek. Oscar's -strategy had given Beech Hill this equal advantage. The movement of the -barges created a sudden sensation on board of the Racer and the Dasher. -Major Billcord began to demonstrate, and a good deal of violent jawing -came from the crews. The magnate had seen the two ruffians take the boat -from the wharf, and pull to the head of the bay. He could not fail to -understand that the prisoner was to be brought off in her.</p> - -<p>Doubtless, he commended the prudence of the ruffians in avoiding the -crowd on shore. He had kept faith with his hired villains for his own -sake as well as for theirs, and he was the only person<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_200" id="Page_200">[Pg 200]</a></span> in the barges -who expected Paul to be put on board, or who comprehended the movements -of the six absentees from the boats. It was evident to him that the -Beech Hillers had discovered what was going on, though it was a mystery -to him how they had obtained their information, for the coming of Susy -Wellington had not been observed.</p> - -<p>"Run for the head of the bay, Jack Woodhorn!" exclaimed Major Billcord, -when he saw the Beech Hill barges headed in that direction. "You must -get there before those rascals from the other side do, or they will -thrash the six boys of the institute who are there."</p> - -<p>"We can't do anything, sir; we are four oars short in this boat, and two -in the other," replied the coxswain of the Dasher.</p> - -<p>"Don't waste a second, Jack!" protested the magnate. "Do the best you -can. You have the inside track, and you ought to beat them with half a -crew."</p> - -<p>Woodhorn gave the order to give way, and the eight rowers in his boat -were soon pulling with all their might. The Racer followed her, and, -having ten oars, she passed her. It looked like a race between the two -schools, though it was a very unequal one. The Chesterfield students had -improved<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_201" id="Page_201">[Pg 201]</a></span> in rowing a great deal since the last season, but discipline -was still the wanting element in their organization, and though they had -never measured speed with the Beech Hill boats, they were no match for -them.</p> - -<p>The boys from the other side did not seem to hurry themselves, but only -pulled a steady and strong stroke. In five minutes it was clear enough -that they were beating their opponents. The magnate urged the -Chesterfields to greater exertion, and did more harm than good by his -ill-timed interference.</p> - -<p>Dory had shaken out the reef in the Silver Moon, and made an additional -change in the ballast, so that she was now behaving remarkably well. -Bissell had run over to the north side of the bay, and now had a slant -which would carry him to the mouth of the creek. Oscar Chester had kept -his gaze fixed on the party on the shore. He saw the six ruffians, and -recognized Paul Bristol with his arms still bound behind him. The -four-oar boat lay at the mouth of the creek, but the six ruffians had -retreated to the high ground in the rear of the landing.</p> - -<p>The approach of the three Beech Hill barges had completely upset the -calculations of the <span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_202" id="Page_202">[Pg 202]</a></span>ruffians. They stood looking down upon the lake, -and appeared to be entirely non-plussed. The Gildrock was bearing -towards the Westport side of the bay, and was coming between the shore -and the Chesterfield barges. It was plainly folly to put the prisoner -into the boat that had come for him. In the barges there were -thirty-five Beech Hillers, and only twenty belonging to the institute. -Besides, the boats from the other side had always been victorious over -their own.</p> - -<p>The Gildrock came to a stand, with the crew lying on their oars, and the -other two barges followed her example at the order of the commodore. If -the Chesterfields advanced, they would have to break their way through -the Beech Hill line of boats. Jack Woodhorn ordered a halt before he -came up with the formidable line in front of him. Colonel Buckmill, the -principal, who was not present, had told the students of the institute -never to come in collision with any of the boats from the other side, -and the coxswains were disposed to obey their orders, especially as all -the chances were against them.</p> - -<p>"What are you stopping for, Jack Woodhorn?" demanded Major Billcord, -when the oarsmen in the Dasher brought their blades to a level.</p> - -<p><span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_203" id="Page_203">[Pg 203]</a></span></p><p>"We can go no farther without running into those barges," replied the -coxswain.</p> - -<p>"Run into them, then! Smash them if they don't get out of your way. Are -you afraid of those chip-makers?" blustered the magnate.</p> - -<p>"The principal ordered us never to come in collision with any of the -boats from the other side, sir," replied Woodhorn respectfully.</p> - -<p>"Are you going to leave your fellow-students on the shore to be mauled -by those rascals?"</p> - -<p>"I don't believe the tinkers will meddle with them as long as they stay -on shore."</p> - -<p>"But you want the rest of your oarsmen, and I want you all at Sandy -Point. There is the biggest pile of fun for you over there that you ever -had in your lives," continued Major Billcord, moderating his tone a -little when he found his own wishes were in conflict with the orders of -the principal.</p> - -<p>Neither Jack Woodhorn nor Phil Fessenden, the coxswain of the Racer, was -disposed to get into a row with the Beech Hillers. Both of them had been -in the barges the summer before in all their tilts with the Gildrock and -the Winooski, and they had learned wisdom from experience. It was in -vain, therefore, that Major Billcord coaxed and threatened them. With a -pair of black eyes<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_204" id="Page_204">[Pg 204]</a></span> out of the battle of the day before, Walk was hardly -inclined to support his father, though he was quite as anxious as the -magnate to get Paul into their possession.</p> - -<p>For full a quarter of an hour the boats remained in the same relative -position. The six ruffians on the shore had come to the conclusion that -there was no getting out of the deadlock, and that the only way for them -to earn their money was to march their prisoner to Sandy Point by land, -a distance of two miles.</p> - -<p>Bissell had run the Silver Moon into the mouth of the creek, and had -been waiting for some movement on the part of the combatants in which he -might do something to serve his friends. The ruffians were jawing among -themselves as to what it was best to do, but he could not hear enough of -their talk to understand their plans, if they had any. The skipper's -patience was exhausted, and, taking his painter in his hands, he went on -shore. Securing the rope, he walked up the bank.</p> - -<p>"What are you trying to do?" he asked, addressing his remark to Mad -Twinker.</p> - -<p>"We want to put this fellow on board of the Dasher," replied the leader, -as he had been since the overthrow of Buck Lamb.</p> - -<p><span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_205" id="Page_205">[Pg 205]</a></span></p><p>"Well, why don't you do it?" asked Bissell briskly.</p> - -<p>"Because the tinkers will interfere."</p> - -<p>"I will take him in the Silver Moon if you like," added the skipper -indifferently.</p> - -<p>"Will you take the rest of us too?" asked Mad.</p> - -<p>"Yes; I can carry a dozen well enough," replied Bissell.</p> - -<p>About all the students were small customers at Bissell's store, and were -well acquainted with him. They had no suspicion of any treachery on his part.</p> - -<hr /> - -<p><span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_206" id="Page_206">[Pg 206]</a></span></p> - -<h2><span>CHAPTER XX.</span> <span class="smaller">THE REBELLIOUS SKIPPER OF THE SLOOP.</span></h2> - -<p>"What are you going to do with Paul Bristol, Mad Twinker?" inquired -Bissell, as they marched him down to the sloop.</p> - -<p>"We are not going to do anything with him. Major Billcord wants to see -him, and we promised to take him over to Sandy Point for him," answered -the chief ruffian.</p> - -<p>"Oh, that's all, is it?" added the skipper. "What is the major going to -do with him?"</p> - -<p>"We don't know; and it's none of our business."</p> - -<p>"Of course it isn't," replied Bissell cheerfully, as he hauled up the -bow of the boat so that the party could get on board. "How are you -feeling now, Paul?"</p> - -<p>"I think I am all right. I have got some hard cracks since I saw you at -your house, but I guess I shall come out of it all right," replied the -prisoner, looking with interest and anxiety into the face of the -store-keeper.</p> - -<p><span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_207" id="Page_207">[Pg 207]</a></span></p><p>Just then, while the ruffians were picking their way into the boat, -Bissell gave the prisoner an almost imperceptible wink, which Paul saw -and comprehended. It was full of hope to him, for he did not see how the -skipper could deliver him over to the magnate after the good service he -had rendered, in his humble way, on board of the Silver Moon. Besides, -he was a Beech Hiller now, and the store-keeper knew it. He was under -great obligations to them, and Paul did not believe he would betray one -of their number.</p> - -<p>The skipper had not lowered his mainsail when he made the landing, and -the sloop was all ready to shove off. After two of the ruffians were in -the standing-room, the prisoner was conducted on board between two -others. At this point, Bissell went on board and took a stand near the -tiller.</p> - -<p>"It blows like Sam Hill to-day," said he, "and I want you to keep your -places, and not move out of them. There are eight of us now, and sit -four on a side. Here, Paul, you sit there," and he shoved the prisoner -into the place next to his own, on the port side.</p> - -<p>"But you won't have to go out into the rough water to get to Sandy -Point," suggested Mad Twinker.</p> - -<p><span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_208" id="Page_208">[Pg 208]</a></span></p><p>"We must go out some distance, for there is hardly any wind under the -bluffs," replied the skipper. "You take a seat in that corner, Mad;" and -he crowded him into the place opposite his own.</p> - -<p>The other ruffians were arranged to suit him, and then he shoved the -sloop off into deep water. The sail filled on the port tack, and the -Silver Moon went off with the wind a little abaft of the beam. The shore -was low at the head of the bay, and the sloop got her full share of the -breeze. She struck into an eight-knot speed at once.</p> - -<p>"It was lucky for us that you came up to the creek, Mr. Bissell," said -Mad Twinker, as the boat shot ahead.</p> - -<p>"Perhaps it was," replied the skipper; but there was not much enthusiasm -in the remark.</p> - -<p>"Those villains from the other side blocked us in so that we couldn't do -anything, and we were thinking of walking Paul over by land," added the -leader. "But some of us are about used up, and we did not like the idea -of such a tramp through the woods."</p> - -<p>As he spoke he glanced at the battered faces of some of his companions. -They all looked as though they had been through the wars.</p> - -<p><span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_209" id="Page_209">[Pg 209]</a></span></p><p>"The head boat of the tinkers is swinging around," said Alf Sumner, as -the Gildrock turned her bow towards the shore.</p> - -<p>"I wonder what they are going to do now," added Mad Twinker, with no -little anxiety in his expression.</p> - -<p>"The rest of the tinker boats are following her," continued Ham Jackson.</p> - -<p>The Gildrock made a graceful sweep before the sloop came up with the -position of the last barge in the line, and was abreast of the Silver -Moon about as soon as she was under full headway. The Beech Hillers now -laid themselves out, though they could hardly expect to keep up with the -sailboat in that wind.</p> - -<p>"Can't you outsail those barges, Mr. Bissell?" asked Mad Twinker.</p> - -<p>"Every time when we have as much breeze as we have now," replied the -skipper. "And we shall have a good deal more before we have any less."</p> - -<p>"There goes the Dasher," said Alf Sumner. "The Racer is after her."</p> - -<p>"And both of them will be a long way after the tinkers," added Ham -Jackson.</p> - -<p>"We want you to put us ashore on the Sandy<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_210" id="Page_210">[Pg 210]</a></span> Bay side of the point," said -Mad Twinker. "Of course, we shall pay you the dollar an hour for the -boat and boatman for all the time we have her."</p> - -<p>"That's all right," answered the skipper, as he headed the Silver Moon -farther out into the bay, and let off the main sheet to suit the change.</p> - -<p>In a few minutes more the boat was in rough water, and she began to -pitch and roll in a manner somewhat trying to the nerves of persons not -used to it. The six ruffians, who were no boatmen, for they had very -seldom been allowed in a sailboat, did not like it.</p> - -<p>"What's the use of going out so far from the shore, Mr. Bissell?" -demanded Mad Twinker.</p> - -<p>"I don't think it is safe to sail near the bluffs, for the wind is flawy -and snappish there," replied the skipper. "I don't know but I shall have -to put a reef in the mainsail, for the gusts come heavier than I thought -for."</p> - -<p>As he spoke he hauled out a lot of rope from the locker under the -tiller. He began to fuss over the lines to find a reef pendant. He took -his knife from his pocket, and cut one of them off the right length. He -laid the knife down by his side on the seat, and then returned all the -ropes, except the one he had cut off, to the locker.</p> - -<p><span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_211" id="Page_211">[Pg 211]</a></span></p><p>"I may not want to reef, but it is best to be ready," continued the -skipper, shifting the tiller a couple of notches on the comb. "Do you -think those barges will come up with us, Mad?"</p> - -<p>"I should judge that they would not," replied the leader.</p> - -<p>"The Beech Hillers are putting in some strong strokes," added Bissell.</p> - -<p>"So are our boats," replied Mad.</p> - -<p>"They are getting up quite a smart race. Will you fellows bet on your -own boats?" asked the skipper, with a cheerful smile.</p> - -<p>"Of course we won't while the Dasher is four hands short of her -complement," said Jeff Monroe.</p> - -<p>"But your boats are doing their prettiest, and I shouldn't wonder if -they got the best of it in the end. Don't you see that the Dasher is -gaining on the Marian?" continued Bissell, with a great deal of -earnestness.</p> - -<p>"I don't think she is gaining at all," put in Steve Douglas.</p> - -<p>But the six ruffians were gazing with all their eyes at the five barges; -and this was the one thing that Bissell most desired. While he held on -to the tiller with his right hand he had picked up his knife<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_212" id="Page_212">[Pg 212]</a></span> with the -other. Reaching around behind him, he got hold of the cord which bound -Paul Bristol. Making sure that the blade was in the right place, in -which he was assisted by the prisoner, he cut the rope.</p> - -<p>"Is the Dasher gaining anything, Mad?" he asked when he had accomplished -his purpose without attracting the attention of the ruffians.</p> - -<p>"Not a hair; she is losing, and the tinkers are running away from our -boats. They ought to when our fellows are short-handed."</p> - -<p>"I guess you are right, Mad," added the skipper, as he looked about him, -as if in search of something. "The wind comes stronger and stronger, and -I think I shall want my long tiller. It is in the cuddy forward; Will -you hand it to me, Jeff Monroe?"</p> - -<p>Jeff produced the spare tiller, and passed it astern to the skipper. It -was about three feet long, and was made of the toughest oak. Bissell -took it, and placed it at his side, between himself and the prisoner. -Though Paul knew that his arms were free, he had not removed them from -the position in which the cord had kept them, and no one but the skipper -suspected that he was not still in bonds.</p> - -<p><span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_213" id="Page_213">[Pg 213]</a></span></p><p>All that the owner had said about rough seas had been uttered to blind -the six ruffians. It was rough, but not nearly so bad as it had been in -the forenoon farther from the land. Bissell had become more interested -that day in sailing a boat than he had ever been before. He had obtained -a good many new ideas on the subject, and was really desirous of -reducing them to practice. Without saying anything about his intention, -he had gradually let off the sheet, and put up the helm until the Silver -Moon was now a full mile from the shore, and was exposed to the entire -force of the moderate gale.</p> - -<p>The Beech Hill barges followed the sloop, but the Chesterfields were -inclined to keep near the shore. The latter were short-handed, and this -was doubtless their excuse. The sailboat was now at least half a mile -from the Gildrock. Bissell was glowing with his new ideas, and he was -disposed to profit by the instructions of the skipper of the Goldwing -while they were fresh in his mind. Suddenly he hauled in the sheet, and -threw the sloop up into the wind and then let her off on the starboard -tack. Laying a course which would take him back to the mouth of the -creek, he trimmed the sail and let her drive.</p> - -<p><span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_214" id="Page_214">[Pg 214]</a></span></p><p>"What under the canopy are you doing, Mr. Bissell?" demanded Mad -Twinker angrily.</p> - -<p>"I am afraid the Dasher will not catch us if I run off any farther," -replied Bissell.</p> - -<p>"No matter whether she catches you or not. All you have to do is to land -us at Sandy Point, on the bay side," added the leader of the ruffians.</p> - -<p>"I guess we had better run back a piece," said Bissell, unmoved by the -wrath of his passengers.</p> - -<p>"We don't wish to go back," protested Jeff Monroe. "Do you want the -tinkers to board us and take our prisoner out of the sloop?"</p> - -<p>"I don't know that I care if they do."</p> - -<p>"Don't you? Well, we do! We won't stand this sort of thing. We hire the -boat, and she must go where we say," replied Jeff, rising from his seat, -boiling over with wrath. "We won't stand it!"</p> - -<p>"What are you going to do about it?" inquired Bissell in the mildest of -tones.</p> - -<p>"I order you to come about and take us to Sandy Point, as you agreed to -do."</p> - -<p>"I didn't agree to do anything of the kind. I told you I would take Paul -on board, and then the rest of you, when you asked me to do so. That's -the whole of it."</p> - -<p><span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_215" id="Page_215">[Pg 215]</a></span></p><p>"This is treachery," yelled Mad Twinker.</p> - -<p>"Well, if it is, I think we have carried this thing about far enough. I -hadn't any idea of helping you to hand Paul over to Major Billcord. I -would sink my carcass to the bottom of the lake first," continued the -skipper of the Silver Moon, warmly.</p> - -<p>"All we have to do, fellows, is to take possession of the boat," shouted -Jeff Monroe, as he made a rush aft.</p> - -<p>"Back into your seat, or I will spill you into the lake!" said Bissell -sharply.</p> - -<p>But Jeff was not to be intimidated by a threat, and, supported by Mad, -he made a dive at the skipper. Suddenly the spare tiller appeared in -air, in the hands of Paul, and then it came down upon the head of Jeff Monroe.</p> - -<hr /> - -<p><span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_216" id="Page_216">[Pg 216]</a></span></p> - -<h2><span>CHAPTER XXI.</span> <span class="smaller">AN OUTRAGE IN THE STANDING-ROOM OF THE SLOOP.</span></h2> - -<p>Jeff Monroe fell all in a heap at the door of the cuddy; but his fall -did not deter his fellow-ruffians from advancing upon the skipper. Buck -Lamb threw himself in front of Mad Twinker, as though he intended to -redeem his escutcheon from the stain of defeat. Bissell was no more a -fighting character than Paul, and he had not the least idea of -"science." Buck was in proper position to make or receive an attack, and -the skipper had risen from his sitting posture when the prisoner did.</p> - -<div class="center"><img src="images/i216.jpg" alt="His fall did not prevent his fellow-ruffians from -advancing upon the skipper" /></div> - -<p class="bold">"His fall did not prevent his fellow-ruffians from -advancing upon the skipper."—Page 216.</p> - -<p>Instead of hitting as a pugilist should, Bissell reached out his long -arm, and took the bully by the collar of his uniform, jerked him over -once, and then tossed him upon the prostrate form of Jeff Monroe. Mad -Twinker had bravely followed up the attack until he was in reach of the -skipper's arm, and he was tumbled over in a heap.</p> - -<p><span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_217" id="Page_217">[Pg 217]</a></span></p><p>But Bissell could not do duty with his long arms and steer at the same -time; and the Silver Moon, now having a strong weather helm, came up -into the wind, and, with her boom shaking in the midst of the -combatants, began to roll as though she intended to pitch the ruffians -overboard without any help from her owner. Jackson, Sumner and Douglas -had retreated from the after part of the standing-room, and the motion -of the boat, made more unsteady by the movements of the ruffians, -pitched them all into the seats.</p> - -<p>Buck Lamb and Mad Twinker rose to their feet as soon as they could, but -Jeff Monroe was not yet in a condition to move. The skipper put the helm -up, and the sloop filled away again. Paul had advanced a pace, and taken -a seat near the skipper, but with the spare tiller ready to deal a blow -as soon as a head came near enough to receive it.</p> - -<p>The ruffians looked at the heavy tiller in the hand of Paul, and then -they looked at the long arms of the skipper. While they were gazing -there was a halt all along the line, which afforded an opportunity for -reflection. Some of them cast their eyes about them for something in the -shape of a weapon. The spare tiller seemed to be the only stick that -would answer the purpose of a club,<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_218" id="Page_218">[Pg 218]</a></span> except the crutch used to support -the boom when the sail was furled, and that was under the owner's seat.</p> - -<p>Both Mad and Buck seemed to realize that they could do nothing without -bringing that tiller down upon their heads, and its descent was almost -sure to reduce them to the condition of Jeff Monroe, who was just -beginning to show some signs of life. While they were thinking about it, -the skipper came about, and headed the sloop towards the shore. When he -had done so, he picked up the crutch, and placed it on the seat, by his -side.</p> - -<p>The Silver Moon was now headed in the direction of Sandy Point. The -Beech Hill barges were some distance astern of her, and the -Chesterfields at least a quarter of a mile farther to the westward.</p> - -<p>"I don't think it is quite safe, Paul, to leave these fellows lying -round loose in the standing-room," said Bissell, when he had the boat -well in hand on the new tack. At the same time he drew out from the -locker under him the ropes from which he had selected the reef pendant.</p> - -<p>"What do you mean by that?" demanded Mad Twinker, before Paul had time -to reply.</p> - -<p>"I mean that I shall be under the disagreeable necessity of tying your -arms behind you, just as<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_219" id="Page_219">[Pg 219]</a></span> you had Paul when you brought him on board," -replied Bissell; but his tone and manner did not indicate that the duty -was a very unpleasant one.</p> - -<p>"But we won't stand it!" replied Mad angrily.</p> - -<p>"Won't you?" continued Bissell, as he took the crutch in his hand.</p> - -<p>"I protest against such an outrage!" exclaimed Ham Jackson.</p> - -<p>"Oh, you protest, do you? And you really think it would be an outrage?" -said Bissell, in a mocking tone.</p> - -<p>"We are students in the Chesterfield Collegiate Institute, and we are -the sons of gentlemen," returned Ham, with dignity. "Of course, it would -be an outrage to put us in bonds, like common felons."</p> - -<p>"Precisely so; then we will tie your hands behind you like uncommon -felons. We won't quarrel about words, for you can beat me every time in -that line. I suppose it was not an outrage for you to attack Paul -Bristol, six to one, in the street, and tie his hands behind him," -replied the skipper, with a very heavy sneer. "He don't happen to belong -to the Institute, but he is a member of the Beech Hill School."</p> - -<p><span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_220" id="Page_220">[Pg 220]</a></span></p><p>"We don't care what he is," interposed Mad Twinker. "We won't submit to -be bound! We won't stand such an indignity!"</p> - -<p>"You think you won't? I don't believe I shall have much trouble in tying -the hands behind him of that fellow on the floor," continues Bissell. -"It is for you to decide whether you will have your hands tied before or -after you are knocked stiff. I will begin with you, Mr. Twinker."</p> - -<p>"No, you won't!" cried Mad, as he sprang from his seat, and rushed madly -upon the skipper.</p> - -<p>Bissell was on his feet, and, reaching out his long arm, he took his -assailant by the throat, in spite of the wild blows he aimed at him. -This time he did not pitch him on the floor, but choked him till the -ruffian began to feel weak, and to relax his struggles.</p> - -<p>"You take the tiller, Paul, but don't let go the spare one. If one of -them moves aft, knock him as you did the first fellow," said Bissell, as -he picked up the reef pendant he had cut off.</p> - -<p>Paul took the helm. He had steered a sailboat before, though he knew -next to nothing about the general management of the craft, and kept her -as she was. By this time Mad was decidedly faint, and the owner had no -difficulty in tying his arms<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_221" id="Page_221">[Pg 221]</a></span> behind him. When he had done so, he picked -up the crutch again, and stepped forward. His next victim was Buck Lamb; -but as about all the vim had gone out of the bully, it was an easy job -to secure him. The other four ruffians made no resistance worth -mentioning, for the crutch in the hand of the skipper was an awful -weapon; so was the spare tiller which Paul wielded. If the ruffians -could have got hold of anything in the way of clubs, doubtless they -would have held out longer.</p> - -<p>As it was, they were completely vanquished. Bissell had ranged them -three on a side as he bound them, and they had not been inclined to -move. Possibly they thought they were in a bad condition to save -themselves if the Silver Moon had taken it into her head to upset and -spill them into the angry lake.</p> - -<p>"We are all right now, Paul. Don't you say so?" said the skipper, as he -seated himself on the weather side and took the helm.</p> - -<p>"I should say that we were," replied the late prisoner heartily. "You -have saved me, Mr. Bissell, from an awful pounding at the hands of Major -Billcord and his son; and I owe you a thousand thanks. I shall never -forget what you have done for me to-day."</p> - -<p><span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_222" id="Page_222">[Pg 222]</a></span></p><p>"I think I got saved myself this forenoon," added the skipper; "and I -guess I know how it feels. I think we should all have been drowned in -the Silver Moon if it hadn't been for the Beech Hillers; and I don't -feel as though I could ever do half enough for them. We are not square -yet, Paul, and you did your share."</p> - -<p>"I didn't do much; it was Dory Dornwood who did it all," answered Paul -modestly.</p> - -<p>"It cut me like a sharp razor to give in to a mere boy on sailing, but -Dory knows more about a boat with his eyes shut than I do with mine wide -open. He didn't put on any airs, either," continued Bissell, with -enthusiasm.</p> - -<p>"By the big wooden spoon, there comes the Sylph!" exclaimed Paul, as the -steam yacht came out from behind Barber's Point. "Captain Gildrock is on -board of her, and you may be sure he will put things to rights in double -quick time."</p> - -<p>"All right; I am glad he is coming, for I don't know what to do with -these fellows, now that we have them where they can't set the lake on -fire," added the skipper, as he glanced at the Sylph. "We will keep on -as we are, for I suppose she is going over to Beaver River."</p> - -<p>"I think you have carried this thing about far<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_223" id="Page_223">[Pg 223]</a></span> enough, Mr. Bissell," -said Mad Twinker, after he had taken a glance at the steam yacht.</p> - -<p>"Not quite, Mr. Twinker," replied the skipper, with a smile. "I shall -carry it about as far as that steam yacht, and then I don't care a -button what becomes of it."</p> - -<p>"You mean by that to hand us over to the principal of the Beech Hill -School?" inquired Ham Jackson.</p> - -<p>"I reckon it amounts to that."</p> - -<p>"If you settle the thing that way, you will have to answer to Colonel -Buckmill," added Mad Twinker.</p> - -<p>"I am ready to answer to him. Do you think the principal of the -Chesterfield school will justify you in committing such an outrage as -you have put on Paul Bristol?" demanded Bissell indignantly.</p> - -<p>"Then why don't you hand us over to Colonel Buckmill?"</p> - -<p>"So I would if he happened along here at about this time. Perhaps the -other principal will pass you over to Colonel Buckmill," suggested the -skipper, with a sort of chuckle, as though he had his doubts on the -subject. "Six of you set upon Paul in the most cowardly manner, and—"</p> - -<p><span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_224" id="Page_224">[Pg 224]</a></span></p><p>"Only two at a time," interposed Buck Lamb.</p> - -<p>"How was it, Paul?" asked Bissell.</p> - -<p>The intended victim of the ruffians told his story in full, not omitting -to mention the punishment he had bestowed upon his assailants. Bissell -expressed himself very emphatically in regard to the cowardly character -of the assault, and was glad Paul had defended himself till he was -overpowered by numbers. The faces of some of the ruffians bore the marks -of his hard fists, and they were probably booked for mourning eyes by -the next day.</p> - -<p>By this time the Silver Moon was off Sandy Point. Paul had watched with -interest the movements of the Sylph. When first seen she was headed for -Scotch Bonnet, which was her direct course when homeward bound; but she -soon shifted her helm, as though she was going up to Westport.</p> - -<p>"She is going to make a landing at the town," said Paul, when he noticed -the change of course.</p> - -<p>"I am sorry for that, for I thought she was coming over this way," -replied Bissell.</p> - -<p>"Captain Gildrock must see all the barges, and I am sure he will run -over here as soon as he makes them out," added Paul.</p> - -<p><span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_225" id="Page_225">[Pg 225]</a></span></p><p>The words were hardly out of his mouth before the head of the steamer -was turned in the direction of the Beech Hill barges, which were not -half a mile astern of the Silver Moon. The skipper decided to come -about, and stand back to the fleet. Before he could reach the boats, the -Sylph had stopped her screw, and was hailing the Gildrock. Oscar Chester -informed him that Paul Bristol had been taken a prisoner by six of the -Chesterfields, and that the skipper of the sloop was conveying him to -Sandy Point. This was all the commodore knew about the matter, but it -was enough for the captain. He started the screw again, and in a few -moments he had overhauled the Silver Moon.</p> - -<p>From the pilot-house the principal could see the condition of things in -the standing-room of the sloop. Again Captain Gildrock rang one bell, -and then two. As the steamer lost her headway the Silver Moon rounded to -under her lee side, where she had still water.</p> - -<hr /> - -<p><span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_226" id="Page_226">[Pg 226]</a></span></p> - -<h2><span>CHAPTER XXII.</span> <span class="smaller">AN INVITATION TO SANDY POINT.</span></h2> - -<p>"I should like to hand these fellows over to you, Captain Gildrock," -said Bissell, hailing the principal. "We have tied their hands behind -them, and they won't set the lake on fire just yet."</p> - -<p>"I should like to know something more about the case. Will you send -Bristol on board to report to me?" replied Captain Gildrock. "Mr. -Wolfenden, of Westport, is on board, and will join you in the boat."</p> - -<p>"Wolfenden! Why, he is the deputy sheriff!" exclaimed Bissell. "I guess -he is the very man we want."</p> - -<p>"Mr. Bulfington is also on board," added the principal.</p> - -<p>"Perhaps both of us had better go on board of the Silver Moon," said Mr. -Wolfenden, for both he and Bulfington, who was a constable, were in the -pilot-house.</p> - -<p><span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_227" id="Page_227">[Pg 227]</a></span></p><p>"I should like to have one of you remain and hear the statement of -Bristol, upon whom this outrage has been perpetrated," added Captain -Gildrock. "As Bulfington is the constable, perhaps he had better -remain."</p> - -<p>The deputy sheriff was satisfied to let it be so, and he went on board -of the sloop. The two officers had been down to Port Henry on official -business, and, manifesting quite an interest in the Sylph, the principal -had invited them to take passage to Westport in her. As the officer went -on board of the sloop, Paul left her, and hastened to the pilot-house.</p> - -<p>"Well, Bristol, it seems that you did not see the last of the trouble at -Sandy Point yesterday," said the principal, bestowing a look of kindness -and sympathy upon the new pupil. "Your face looks as though you had had -a hard time of it to-day."</p> - -<p>"The toughest time I have had yet, but not so tough as it would have -been if Mr. Bissell had not stood by me, and got me out of the scrape. -We did him a good turn this forenoon, and he did not forget it," replied -Paul.</p> - -<p>"I am glad to see you, Paul," added Mr. Bulfington, taking him by the -hand. "It is about<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_228" id="Page_228">[Pg 228]</a></span> time the pranks of those students should come to an -end; and I think the people of Westport have had about enough of them."</p> - -<p>"What service did you render to Mr. Bissell?" asked Captain Gildrock.</p> - -<p>"It is rather a long story, sir;" but Paul proceeded to relate it in -full, and he soon found that both of his auditors were deeply interested -in it.</p> - -<p>"My daughter was one of the six girls," said Mr. Bulfington, when the -spare hand had finished his narrative. "I am sure I owe the boys a debt -of gratitude which I shall never expect to discharge."</p> - -<p>Paul then gave the particulars of the assault upon him very minutely, -and described the events which had followed his capture up to the -present moment.</p> - -<p>"It would have gone terribly hard with you, Paul, if Major Billcord had -got you over to the point, for there is no more reason or mercy in him -than there is in a fighting bulldog," added the constable. "He has got -money enough to pay all damages, and he would not mind a thousand or two -if he got his revenge in full."</p> - -<p>"These boys must have been employed to <span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_229" id="Page_229">[Pg 229]</a></span>capture Bristol," said the -principal, whose face was flashed with indignation. "Mrs. Bristol this -morning gave her son into my charge, and he shall not be abused while he -is in my care."</p> - -<p>"What do you intend to do about it, Captain Gildrock?" asked Mr. -Bulfington.</p> - -<p>"I shall prosecute the ruffians first; and if I can prove that Major -Billcord employed them to assault my pupil, I will prosecute him," -replied the captain.</p> - -<p>The principal went to the side and had a brief talk with Bissell. It was -arranged that the skipper should convey the boys to Westport, the -constable going with him. Mr. Wolfenden returned to the steamer, and -instructed the captain in the proper method of procedure in the court.</p> - -<p>Bissell lost no time in getting under way. The ruffians were utterly -crestfallen when they understood that they were to be prosecuted for the -outrage upon Paul. Very likely Colonel Buckmill and the magnate would -choose to regard it as a mere lark, a little wildness, on the part of -the students, which ought to be passed over without any appeal to the -courts.</p> - -<p>Before this time the Beech Hill barges had come to the side of the -Sylph. The Chesterfield barges<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_230" id="Page_230">[Pg 230]</a></span> had given the steamer a wide berth. They -were close up to the shore, and were pulling in the direction of Sandy -Point. Major Billcord could not help seeing his minions on board of the -sailboat, and to suspect that they had come to grief; but he could not -prevail on the coxswains to go near any of the craft from the other side -of the lake.</p> - -<p>Paul remained on board of the Sylph, for his evidence was needed in -Westport in getting out the warrant for the arrest of the ruffians. The -principal gave no orders of any kind to the commodore of the fleet, and -he was left to do as he pleased. The students were consulted in regard -to their wishes. Dory had gone on board of the Silver Moon as soon as -the Marian came alongside of the steamer, and had obtained from Bissell -all the details of the capture of Paul, and the subsequent events.</p> - -<p>The Sylph stood over to the town, and the three boats locked together -for a conference. The first thing was to hear Dory's account of Paul's -adventures. Then they decided to wait until the Sylph started for home, -for they were filled with curiosity to know what might be done with the -ruffians.</p> - -<p>Just then they discovered that the Chesterfield<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_231" id="Page_231">[Pg 231]</a></span> barges were lying on -their oars off the southern arm of Sandy Point. They had some curiosity, -and doubtless were more interested than their rivals. All the boats -retained their positions for over an hour, when the Sylph was seen to -leave the wharf. In a few minutes more she had crossed the bay, and -stopped her screw near the Marian. The eight-oar barge was ordered to -come alongside the steamer, and Paul was taken on board.</p> - -<p>Of course they could not separate until the students had heard the news -from Westport. In a few words the spare hand informed them that a -warrant had been issued on the testimony of Paul and Bissell, and the -six ruffians had been committed to the lockup. They were to be examined -the next day, and the witnesses were duly summoned. In the presence of -the magistrate Buck Lamb had broken down, and he declared that they had -been employed by Major Billcord to capture Paul for the sum of -twenty-five dollars. Two of the others indorsed this statement, and the -principal had procured a warrant for his arrest, which was now in the -hands of the constable. Captain Gildrock had procured the services of -the best lawyer in the county of Essex to look after the business for -him.</p> - -<p><span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_232" id="Page_232">[Pg 232]</a></span></p><p>The news from Westport was very satisfactory, and the question seemed -to be whether or not a man who had money enough to pay the bills could -outrage a poor boy with impunity. Captain Gildrock's blood boiled, -though it did not bubble, or otherwise manifest its condition.</p> - -<p>The commodore gave the order for a start, and in a short time the barges -came up with the Chesterfields, though they were a quarter of a mile -farther out in the lake. The Sylph was hardly moving through the water, -the principal doubtless holding her back to see that no trouble arose -between the two schools. He took the precaution to run the steam yacht -between the two parties, and soon found himself within hailing distance -of the Dasher, with Major Billcord in the stern-sheets.</p> - -<p>The two gentlemen were somewhat acquainted, and had occasionally met on -the lake and at the bank in Burlington. As the Sylph went lazily along, -the captain discovered a white handkerchief hoisted on a stick, and saw -that the Dasher was pulling towards the steamer. He rang his bell to -stop her, and she awaited the pleasure of the barge.</p> - -<p>"Captain Gildrock, you and I have always been good neighbors, though we -don't live on the same<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_233" id="Page_233">[Pg 233]</a></span> side of the lake," said Major Billcord, standing -up in the stern-sheets of the barge. "I feel it my duty to give you a -friendly warning. I learn that a young scoundrel by the name of Paul -Bristol, whose family I have charitably harbored on my land without the -payment of rent, came over to Westport to-day with the students of your -school. He is a young villain, and I warn you not to trust him."</p> - -<p>"I had come to the conclusion that he was a very good boy," replied the -captain.</p> - -<p>"You are utterly mistaken, sir!" protested the major. "He assaulted both -my son and myself, for which I intend to punish him in the severest -manner. His mother and sister live on the point here, in a cottage owned -by the woman; and the boy lived here before he went to Genverres, if he -has gone over there. I warned the woman to move her house at once. She -has not done it, and I shall tumble the building into the lake. It will -make some sport for our boys, and I thought yours might like to see the -fun, and learn a good lesson in the administration of human justice. I -should be happy to have your steamer and your barges take position near -the point, where you can see the proceedings."</p> - -<p><span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_234" id="Page_234">[Pg 234]</a></span></p><p>Captain Gildrock made no reply, and the Dasher pulled away without -waiting for any. The two Chesterfield barges ran their bows into the -sand in front of where the cottage had stood, and the Sylph, after -whistling for the Beech Hill barges to approach, followed the Dasher. -The barges from the other side pulled to the entrance of the bay, and -lay upon their oars.</p> - -<p>"Now is the time for the fun to begin, and we are invited to see it," -said Dick Short to Paul, who sat by his side.</p> - -<p>"I think there will be some fun, though it will not be what Major -Billcord and his crowd came to see," added Dory.</p> - -<p>On board of the Dasher, Jack Woodhorn had risen from his seat, after he -had given the order for the oarsmen to boat their oars. All the students -were busy attending to their blades. Woodhorn was evidently looking for -the cottage; but he did not see it. Then the magnate stood up; then all -the students in the two boats stood up, and then both barges were nearly -upset by this folly, and the coxswains ordered their crews to be seated.</p> - -<p>"Did I understand you to say there was a cottage here to be tumbled into -the lake to illustrate<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_235" id="Page_235">[Pg 235]</a></span> the administration of human justice, Major -Billcord?" called Captain Gildrock, who had placed the bow of the Sylph -within a few feet of the stern of the Dasher.</p> - -<p>"I don't understand this," replied the magnate. "The cottage was here -yesterday, and it was quite impossible for the woman to move it. Send -the young gentlemen ashore to see if they can find it."</p> - -<p>The young gentlemen could not find it. The site where it had stood was -smoothed over as nicely as though the building had never been there. The -major said it was a great mystery.</p> - -<p>"No human justice to-day, then?" queried the principal of the Beech Hill -school. "Perhaps divine justice had got ahead of human justice in this -instance, as it sometimes does."</p> - -<p>"Do you know anything about it, sir?" demanded the major angrily.</p> - -<p>"The cottage was removed to Genverres by the students of the Beech Hill -Industrial School last night," replied the captain.</p> - -<hr /> - -<p><span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_236" id="Page_236">[Pg 236]</a></span></p> - -<h2><span>CHAPTER XXIII.</span> <span class="smaller">THE PROCEEDINGS AT SANDY POINT.</span></h2> - -<p>It is to be regretted that Major Billcord set a very bad example to the -Chesterfield students by using profane language when the Beech Hill -principal "let the cat out of the bag." At first he was not inclined to -believe the statement, for it seemed incredible to him that any company -of boys should have been able to put the cottage on a boat and convey it -across the lake.</p> - -<p>Captain Gildrock was obliged to explain how the work had been done, -before he would accept the solution of the mystery. The principal -offered to take him over to the school grounds and show him the cottage -if he had any doubts on the subject.</p> - -<p>"It was a shabby trick on your part, after all," said Major Billcord, -when he had got the explanation through his head. "I don't interfere -with your affairs on the other side of the lake, and I don't know of any -reason why you should meddle with mine."</p> - -<p><span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_237" id="Page_237">[Pg 237]</a></span></p><p>"As I understand the matter, major, you warned Mrs. Bristol to remove -her cottage within twenty-four hours, or you would tumble it into the -lake," replied the captain. "I simply allowed the students to assist the -good woman in doing what you required her to do."</p> - -<p>"You knew very well that this was a case of discipline on this side of -the lake," replied the major, waxing exceedingly wrathy. "My son was -attacked in the most brutal manner by that woman's cub, and she upheld -the young villain, and would not allow him to be punished as he -deserved. Of course, I knew the woman could not remove the cottage, and -it would have been here now if you had not meddled with my business, -like a very bad neighbor."</p> - -<p>"I don't care to discuss the assault, as you call it, with you, but I -think the boy and his mother were fully justified in their action," -replied the principal, in firm but gentle tones.</p> - -<p>"You do, do you?" demanded the major. "The young rascal abused my son. -Look at his face," and he pointed at the interesting features of Walk, -who sat in the boat listening to what his father said. "When I -interfered to save my son from serious injury, he flew at me like a -wildcat, and look at my eyes."</p> - -<p><span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_238" id="Page_238">[Pg 238]</a></span></p><p>"Why didn't you prosecute the boy in the court, and have him properly -punished?" suggested the captain, looking rather sarcastically at the -magnate.</p> - -<p>"I don't do business in that way," returned the major, boiling over with -anger. "I shall punish the young rascal myself! I shall do it here at -Sandy Point, where the outrage was committed. I have taken steps to have -him brought here for that purpose."</p> - -<p>"Then you expect Paul to be brought here, do you?" asked Captain -Gildrock, astonished at the remarks of the magnate, for he had not a -doubt that he had seen what had transpired while the sailboat was -alongside the Sylph.</p> - -<p>"I do expect him here very soon; and I shall tie him up to a tree and -give him such a thrashing that he won't get off his bed for one month -after it!" exclaimed Major Billcord, flourishing a rawhide in the air as -he spoke.</p> - -<p>"This strikes me as rather brutal," added the principal.</p> - -<p>"Brutal? Look in Walker's face! Look in my face! Were the blows that -made these marks brutal, or were they not? I shall have satisfaction for -them!"</p> - -<p><span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_239" id="Page_239">[Pg 239]</a></span></p><p>Captain Gildrock was trying to explain to himself how it happened that -the magnate knew nothing of what had taken place alongside the steam -yacht. As he thought the matter over he understood it better. The Sylph -had been between the Silver Moon and the Chesterfield barges, so that -they could not see what took place on the lee side of her.</p> - -<p>While Paul was telling his story in the pilot-house, the Chesterfields, -finding the Beech Hill boats gathering around the steamer, had pulled -close up to the shore, and continued on their way to Sandy Point. -Neither Major Billcord nor the students with him had been troubled with -a doubt in regard to the fidelity of Bissell to their interests. Even if -he was faithless, he had the six ruffians with him, and they would be -more than a match for a single man.</p> - -<p>However it had happened, it appeared that the magnate and the crews with -him knew nothing at all about the capture of the ruffians. They had -waited off the point till the Beech Hill fleet came up, and they -concluded that the sloop was standing off towards Westport to avoid a -meeting with the "tinkers."</p> - -<p>The magnate wished the visitors from the other<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_240" id="Page_240">[Pg 240]</a></span> side to see the -destruction of the cottage, and he had invited them to be spectators of -the expected frolic. He had decided to attend of the cottage first, so -that the Beech Hillers might see the fun, and to administer the -punishment to Paul Bristol after they had gone, for he did not care to -have them witness that spectacle.</p> - -<p>"I am afraid you are laboring under a mistake, Major Billcord," -continued Captain Gildrock. "Did I understand you to say that you -expected Paul here to be punished for his brutality?"</p> - -<p>"That is precisely what I do expect; and he will be here in the course -of half an hour. But I need not detain you any longer, sir," replied the -magnate, with very ill grace. "There is no mistake about it, you may -depend upon it."</p> - -<p>"If you will pardon me, there is some mistake, for Paul Bristol is here -now," added the captain. "Marian, ahoy! Back down this way," he shouted -to the barges, which were lying at the entrance to Sandy Bay.</p> - -<p>The crews were lying on their oars, and Dick Short promptly gave the -order, "Stern all," and the Marian soon put her stern very near the bow -of the steamer.</p> - -<p>"Stand up, Bristol, and show yourself," said the captain.</p> - -<p><span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_241" id="Page_241">[Pg 241]</a></span></p><p>Paul stood up in the stern-sheets of the barge, and Major Billcord -looked at him as though he had been a spectre from some neighboring -graveyard. Then he had a moment's animated conversation with the -coxswain at his side. It was another mystery, and possibly the magnate -thought he was in the middle of the last chapter of a novel. How had it -been possible for him to get out of the clutches of the six ruffians?</p> - -<p>But the mystery suddenly paled, and the major threw himself into a -towering passion. The object of his intended vengeance was before him. -Jack Woodhorn, at the request of the magnate, summoned his crews from -the shore. It looked as though the enraged major intended to attempt the -capture of his victim under the very eyes of the Beech Hillers.</p> - -<p>"That is Paul Bristol, as you may see for yourself, Major Billcord," -said Captain Gildrock, when he observed the preparations on the part of -the Chesterfields to do something. "He is now a student in the Beech -Hill Industrial School; and to him, for the time being, I stand in the -relation <i>in loco parentis</i>; I shall protect him to the fullest extent."</p> - -<p>"Captain Gildrock, this is unfriendly to me, and—"</p> - -<p><span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_242" id="Page_242">[Pg 242]</a></span></p><p>"But friendly to the boy and his mother, who need a friend more than -you do," interposed the principal. "The six ruffians you hired to -capture that poor boy have been arrested and committed to the lockup. -Some of them admitted that they were employed by you to do this piece of -villany, and there is a warrant out for your arrest. Doubtless, the -facts will all come out at the examination to-morrow forenoon; and if it -appears that I have done you any wrong, I shall be prepared to make you -abundant reparation."</p> - -<p>"A warrant for my arrest!" exclaimed Major Billcord, sinking down into -his seat.</p> - -<p>"I have employed the Hon. Richard Lawbrook to look after the case in my -absence, and I hope justice will be done," added the captain as he rang -two bells in the pilot-house.</p> - -<p>At the same time the principal made a motion with his hand, in the -direction of home, to the boats ahead of the steamer. The barges backed -into position, and the commodore shouted the order to give way. In a -minute more they were in line, pulling down the lake, but keeping near -the shore.</p> - -<p>Major Billcord did not utter a word to anyone. He was in deep thought. -Very likely his <span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_243" id="Page_243">[Pg 243]</a></span>impulsive nature had led him to organize the plan for -the capture of Paul without any consideration of the possible -consequences. He was by far the richest man in that region, and owned no -end of shares in all the industrial and commercial enterprises of that -part of the State. He was a man of large influence, and was not -over-scrupulous in regard to the use of it. With such power, he was in -the habit of having his own way, though there were a few people in the -neighborhood who contrived to maintain their own independence, even at -the risk of quarrelling with the magnate.</p> - -<p>Among the latter was the Hon. Richard Lawbrook, a prominent lawyer in -the county, who had been made a senator, though without pledges, in part -by the influence of the major. But when the legislator was requested and -pressed to promote by his eloquence a more than questionable enterprise, -his conscience revolted, and he refused his aid. This had produced a -bitter quarrel between himself and the magnate, though all the honest -people believed that the senator was an upright and just man.</p> - -<p>Doubtless, the mention of the senator's name had produced a decided -effect upon the mind of the magnate. Mr. Lawbrook was a man of -influence,<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_244" id="Page_244">[Pg 244]</a></span> who believed that the laws should be impartially executed -upon the rich as well as the poor. The prospect ahead was not pleasant.</p> - -<p>There was no "pile of fun" to be had at the point that day, and -Commodore Woodhorn backed away from the beach as soon as his crews were -in a condition to do so. Without asking the major any questions, he -conveyed his distinguished passenger over to the town, and landed him at -the steps. The procession was formed to escort him to his elegant -mansion when Mr. Bulfington appeared, and respectfully announced that he -had a warrant for the arrest of the object of the parade. The major was -impatient when the officer presented himself, and told him to call at -his house if he had any business with him.</p> - -<p>The constable politely intimated that it was a criminal proceeding, and -that he was under the necessity of taking his prisoner wherever he could -find him. He treated the culprit just as though he had been a poor man, -which was a new experience to the magnate. He was taken to the lockup, -and confined in a cell. With the major behind the bars, Mr. Bulfington -was complaisant enough to do anything he required. A couple of wealthy -friends were sent for, and the major and<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_245" id="Page_245">[Pg 245]</a></span> the six ruffians were bailed -out in the course of an hour.</p> - -<p>There had been some earnest talk between Captain Gildrock and Mr. -Lawbrook, for the former wished to know whether justice represented a -substantial idea in the State of New York. The senator was confident -that all men were equal before the law; and as he had more influence -with the constable than any other person had, Mr. Bulfington was -unwilling to assume any special responsibility in regard to his powerful -prisoner.</p> - -<p>The Beech Hill fleet went home, and not only the students, but the -families at the mansion and at Hornet Point had enough to talk about for -the rest of the day. The next morning, when all the students except Paul -were at their studies in the school-room, the Sylph, with Mrs. Bristol -and Lily on board with Paul, sailed for Westport.</p> - -<hr /> - -<p><span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_246" id="Page_246">[Pg 246]</a></span></p> - -<h2><span>CHAPTER XXIV.</span> <span class="smaller">THE STUDENTS DECIDE "WHAT'S IN A NAME."</span></h2> - -<p>Major Billcord had the services of a distinguished lawyer from -Plattsburgh and of another from Elizabethtown to defend himself and the -six ruffians. They almost made a "celebrated case" of it. They got the -trial into the county court, and the six ruffians were sentenced to ten -days confinement in the county prison, and the major himself to thirty -days.</p> - -<p>The assault and the conspiracy were too outrageous, in the opinion of -the justice, to be punished with a simple fine. The workingmen and the -farmers had got hold of the case and talked a great deal about it. -Against the advice of the eminent legal gentlemen he employed, Paul -Bristol was prosecuted for the first assault upon Walker Billcord, and -this brought in the testimony of Lily and her mother, which the lawyers -wanted to keep out. This evidence completed the history of the case by -filling in the beginning of the trouble.</p> - -<p><span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_247" id="Page_247">[Pg 247]</a></span></p><p>Paul was fully justified and acquitted, and the people praised him for -his defence of his sister. Fathers and mothers were interested, for they -looked to the law for the protection of their children. Every effort was -made to save the magnate from the disgrace of being confined in a common -prison, but public sentiment would have been indignant, and he had to -serve out his time.</p> - -<p>The farmers and mechanics were inclined to go as far the wrong way in -one direction as the major and his friends were in the other. The -magnate was a "soulless capitalist," a "bloated bondholder," and he -suffered, especially among the mill hands, for this senseless reason. -But the judge was even-handed between the two parties, and the major -learned a lesson which was worth half his fortune to him—that before -the law he was no more than the equal of the poor man.</p> - -<p>Four of the six ruffians were taken from the institute by their parents, -who had sent them there to be fitted for college, and they were sure -that their sons had been led away by the influence of Major Billcord, -and by the lack of proper discipline in the school. Three others were -removed for the same reason. The loss of these pupils was a severe blow -to Colonel Buckmill, who had<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_248" id="Page_248">[Pg 248]</a></span> condemned the conduct of the major from -the first.</p> - -<p>Though other students were soon obtained to take their places, and even -to increase the number of pupils in the school, the colonel realized -that he was not managing the institution on the right principle. The -magnate had lost much of his influence in the vicinity, and the -principal found that he could afford to be independent of him, for it -would pay better.</p> - -<p>On the day of the examination, Captain Gildrock called the students of -Beech Hill together in the school-room in the afternoon, after the -studies had been finished. The model to which he had alluded at the time -of his lecture on shipbuilding was still on the table where it had been -placed on that occasion. The students had examined it with a great deal -of interest. They had read all they could find in the books in the -library on the subject, and studied the three plans on the wall.</p> - -<p>They were very impatient, as young men always are, to begin the actual -work of building the boat. It was even more to their taste than erecting -a house, though many of them were now competent to frame a building from -the plans.</p> - -<p>The subject of a name for the craft had engaged<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_249" id="Page_249">[Pg 249]</a></span> their attention, and -they had given a great deal of thought to it. They were all ambitious to -name the schooner, and a great variety of names was likely to be -presented. They had all been handed in; and when the principal announced -that the first business was to select one from them, Mr. Bentnick handed -him the envelope which contained them.</p> - -<p>"Lily," said the captain, laughing, as he took the first paper from the -enclosure.</p> - -<p>All the boys looked very good-natured, though something like -embarrassment appeared upon the faces of not a few of them.</p> - -<p>"Lily," continued the captain, reading the second suggestion.</p> - -<p>The good-natured looks expanded into smiles.</p> - -<p>"Lily," the principal said again, as he drew out the third paper. The -smile became a little more intense.</p> - -<p>"Lily," repeated the principal once more, and then he emptied all the -slips of paper from the envelope, and began to sort them over.</p> - -<p>Principal, instructors and students were all laughing merrily by this -time. It was evident that the boys were very impressible fellows, and -had been captivated by the beauty of Miss Bristol.<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_250" id="Page_250">[Pg 250]</a></span> Possibly some of -them were disturbed because they found that others had made the same -selection as their own.</p> - -<p>"They are not all alike," said Captain Gildrock, when he had finished -sorting the papers. "Only about two thirds of them are 'Lily.' It is -certainly a very pretty name, and there is no flower more pure and -beautiful than the lily. But the name is rather general and indefinite. -We have the tiger lily, the lily of the valley, the pond lily, and other -kinds. What do you say to calling the schooner the Pond Lily?"</p> - -<p>"No, sir!" shouted a majority of the students, with one voice.</p> - -<p>"The Tiger Lily, then?"</p> - -<p>"No, sir," was the emphatic reply.</p> - -<p>"Then Lily of the Valley?"</p> - -<p>"No, sir!" again voted the majority.</p> - -<p>"Perhaps I shall have to ask Miss Millweed for the names of other kinds -of lilies," added the principal, with a very pleasant smile.</p> - -<p>"None of them!" exclaimed the crowd, encouraged by the cheerful -expression of the captain.</p> - -<p>"None of them?"</p> - -<p>"Lily Bristol!" called Luke Bennington. "I put in another name, but that -is what the fellows mean."</p> - -<p><span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_251" id="Page_251">[Pg 251]</a></span></p><p>"Yes, sir!" cried the majority.</p> - -<p>Captain Gildrock improved this opportunity to say something about the -influence of female society, and especially of young ladies. If Beech -Hill were not a school of mechanic arts, he should be in favor of having -as many young ladies as young gentlemen on its roll of pupils. He was in -favor of co-education, whereat Mr. Bentnick shook his head, and seemed -to be uneasy in his seat, though Mr. Darlingby showed a disposition to -clap his hands. The captain was an old-fashioned man, he said, but he -hoped he had modern and progressive ideas. He was not in favor of -"pretty girls."</p> - -<p>At this point about half a dozen of the students gave something like a -suppressed groan. The principal paused, the dissentients wished they had -said nothing; but he did not add a word. He seemed to feel that they had -as much right to express themselves in this manner as to applaud, or -express themselves in other ways.</p> - -<p>"I don't believe in pretty girls as such," he continued, "because they -monopolize the sole attention of young men, to the exclusion of others -even more worthy who are personally less attractive. But I hardly expect -young gentlemen to adopt<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_252" id="Page_252">[Pg 252]</a></span> my views on this subject before they have -lived to be as old as I am. When you have an opportunity, boys, bestow -some attention upon the 'wallflowers.'"</p> - -<p>He had not intended to say so much on this part of the subject, and he -resumed the general topic. Ladies should be treated with the utmost -respect, whether attractive or not, and even if they did not conduct -themselves like ladies. He did not prohibit the students from -associating with the young ladies of Genverres and the neighboring -towns, under proper circumstances, and thought female society was -beneficial to them. But profound respect must be the basis of such -relations. There should be nothing like undue familiarity with them, and -a young lady, even if not more than fifteen, should not be addressed by -her Christian name except by her relatives. It must always be "Miss -Bristol," and not "Lily," or even "Miss Lily."</p> - -<p>"Not Miss Lily?" said a puzzled student.</p> - -<p>"That is a grade of familiarity between the surname and the given name, -proper enough for persons who are intimate enough to use it, but not -applicable in the present instance. Now, to return to the name of the -schooner, from which the papers<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_253" id="Page_253">[Pg 253]</a></span> withdrew my attention. I am entirely -willing that you should give her a name."</p> - -<p>After what the principal had said about pretty girls, most of the -students concluded that any attempt to give the name of one of that -sisterhood to the craft would be vetoed. They were not quite satisfied -to have their wishes disregarded. His last words, however, gave them a -little encouragement. The principal picked up the slips of paper and -counted them, or a portion of them.</p> - -<p>"Twenty-three have given in the name of 'Lily,'" said he, taking up -those which indicated some other name. "'Champlain,' 'Lake Bird,' 'Lake -Gem,' 'Saranac,' and the names of most of the lakes and rivers in -Vermont. Among them are 'Addison' (our county), 'Genverres,' either of -which would be a very good, and a very appropriate name. I don't like -the fancy names, such as 'Gem of the Lake,' as well as the more -substantial ones. Now you may vote on the question, and the name among -those I have read which has a majority shall be the one selected."</p> - -<p>This announcement brought out some applause. Then the captain said it -would be in order for any student who wished to recommend any particular -name, to say what he pleased on the subject.<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_254" id="Page_254">[Pg 254]</a></span> This permission brought -Luke Bennington to his feet.</p> - -<p>"I don't believe there is a craft on the lake now called the -'Champlain.' There has been a large steamer, but she is no longer in -existence," said the speaker, with considerable earnestness. "In my -opinion—and I have seen the lakes of Scotland and Switzerland—Lake -Champlain is the finest lake in the world."</p> - -<p>"Oh! Oh! Oh!" murmured several listeners.</p> - -<p>"Of course the size of the lake comes into the comparison, or Lake -George might be nothing by the side of a little pond between a couple of -hills. We have the Adirondacks on one side, and the Green Mountains on -the other; and, taking everything into consideration, I vote for Lake -Champlain as the finest. For this reason, and because it is the element -on which the schooner is to figure, I hope its name will be given to -her."</p> - -<p>Another student spoke in favor of "Battenkill," but he proved to be the -only one who had ever heard the name. He explained that it was a river -which had its source in Vermont, though it soon wandered into New York. -A third student spoke for "Addison," and a fourth for "Genverres." The -advocates of "Lily" seemed to be conscious<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_255" id="Page_255">[Pg 255]</a></span> of their strength, and all -of them were too bashful to make a speech in its favor.</p> - -<p>Mr. Darlingby passed around the box, and all voted. The ballots were -quickly counted by the instructors, who appeared to be quite as much -interested as the boys, and the principal read the result. It was -evident then that a few did not care a straw for the name, and voted for -the fun of it.</p> - -<p>"Tiger Lily, 1; Pond Lily, 1; Lake Gem, 1; Genverres, 1; Addison, 1; -Battenkill, 1; Champlain, 2; Lily, 28," the principal read from the -paper made out by Mr. Bentnick.</p> - -<p>The vote was received with tremendous applause, and the students -continued to clap their hands until the captain raised his linger as a -signal for them to cease.</p> - -<p>"The schooner will be called the 'Lily,'" added the principal.</p> - -<hr /> - -<p><span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_256" id="Page_256">[Pg 256]</a></span></p> - -<h2><span>CHAPTER XXV.</span> <span class="smaller">BUILDING THE BOAT.</span></h2> - -<p>While the boys were getting over the excitement attending the vote on -the name of the unbuilt schooner, Captain Gildrock moved the table on -which the model of the craft stood to the front of the platform, where -all could see it. It was a very graceful form, and the nautical boys -were sure that the schooner would be a fast sailer.</p> - -<p>"I told you before," said the principal, "that this model was -constructed on a new plan; but I have since learned that the idea is not -as original as I supposed it was, and that boats have been built by this -method. I supposed I should be the first to introduce it, but I find I -am not, though the model-maker had never made one before.</p> - -<p>"The plans are drawn and the model made on the scale of one inch to a -foot. Whatever measures an inch in the plan or model measures a foot in -the boat. Every stick in the craft will <span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_257" id="Page_257">[Pg 257]</a></span>therefore be twelve times the -size it is in this model. The Lily will have a beam of thirteen feet, -which is a little more than one-third of the length.</p> - -<p>"This model is made of soft pine and mahogany. The ribs are to be -twenty-one inches from the centre of one to the centre of the next one. -What looks to you like the space between the timbers, or ribs, is pine. -The mahogany strips, which are comparatively narrow, represent the -timbers. The pieces are transverse sections of the hull, made separately -and put together.</p> - -<p>"This is the stem," continued the principal, detaching the piece from -the model. "A model of it is to be made of soft wood, enlarged to twelve -times the size of this piece. Removing a piece of the pine, we come to a -mahogany section. As the bow is round, these sections radiate from a -shorter line on the keel than the horizontal line above it on the deck -would be."</p> - -<p>The captain held up one of these diagonal sections, the top or deck part -of which was in the shape of a triangle with a very acute angle. The -parts were in pairs, one belonging on each side of the bows.</p> - -<p>"The outer edge of this half section gives the shape of the bow where -this piece belongs. If<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_258" id="Page_258">[Pg 258]</a></span> you lay it on a smooth board, you can mark from -it the exact curve of the timber which is to go where this piece is -taken out. It must be enlarged to twelve times the size of the section. -Of course the outer surface of the section only is of any use to you; -but having obtained the exact shape of the outside, the rib may be made -of any width and thickness we wish."</p> - -<p>The principal removed several of the diagonal half sections, all of -which were to be treated like the first one. At the widest part of the -model he came to pieces which were of uniform thickness. These were also -in pairs, separated on the vertical plane above the keel. The lines of -the outer surface in these half sections were to be transferred and -enlarged as before, and the mould or pattern was to be made from them.</p> - -<p>In this manner the model was pulled to pieces, and from the edges of the -transverse sections the shape of the craft was to be obtained. The -stern-post, stern-knees and transoms were to be shaped in the same way. -The captain stated that the model represented the craft after she was -planked, and it would be necessary, in drafting the moulds, to allow for -its thickness.</p> - -<p>Mr. Jepson then took the platform and explained<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_259" id="Page_259">[Pg 259]</a></span> in what manner the -outlines of the half sections were to be enlarged. To give all the -details would take a whole volume, and doubtless it would be very dry -reading to most young people. Only an idea of how the work was to be -done can be given, and those who wish to build such a craft as the Lily, -or even a boat or a canoe of a third of her length, need full drawings -and very minute explanations.<a name="FNanchor_A_1" id="FNanchor_A_1"></a><a href="#Footnote_A_1" class="fnanchor">[A]</a></p> - -<p>These lectures used up the rest of the afternoon. The next day was -devoted to making the moulds. At the end of ten days the frame was ready -to set up. The keel was laid down at an angle of three-quarters of an -inch to the foot, so that it would readily slide off when the time came -to launch it. The boys had been studying on the subject, and the -principal had supplied the library with all the available works. They -labored very hard because they were very deeply interested.</p> - -<p>Setting up the frame was an exceedingly exciting labor with them; but -when it was up they found the shape corresponded with the model. Some<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_260" id="Page_260">[Pg 260]</a></span> -had done their work better than others, and here and there it was -necessary to do considerable fitting. In another week the frame was -ready for the planking. Captain Gildrock gave frequent lectures on the -proper methods of doing the work, and explained the construction of -larger vessels than the Lily.</p> - -<p>A part of the Champlain mechanics, as they still called themselves, -worked in the shop, and a part in the building-shed. There were a great -many bolts of iron and copper, and a great many metal plates, braces and -straps to be prepared, which gave abundant employment to the machinists, -who had been instructed by the head of this department in forge-work, as -well as filing and turning.</p> - -<p>The carpenters had plenty to do in the shop, with abundant opportunity -to learn many things which are not required in the ordinary experience -of such mechanics. There was also room enough for the exercise of their -inventive powers.</p> - -<p>With so many enthusiastic workmen, who found abundant variety in their -operations as the schooner advanced towards completion, the planking was -soon finished. Then a dozen of the carpenters went to work upon it with -the smoothing-planes, and the outer surface was made as smooth as a -floor.</p> - -<p><span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_261" id="Page_261">[Pg 261]</a></span></p><p>The hull rested in the cradle which had been erected for it, and the -tops of the timbers were secured in their places by cross-stays. So far, -little or nothing had been said about the interior of the hull, for the -reason that the frame and planking had absorbed all the attention of the -workmen. The next step was to put in the deck-beams, and secure the -shelves on which they were to rest.</p> - -<p>"Now, boys, we must decide upon the plan for the inside of the -schooner," said the principal, when he had called the students together -in the building-shed. "What accommodations shall we provide on board?"</p> - -<p>"A cabin and a standing-room," replied Life Windham.</p> - -<p>"Like the Goldwing," suggested Matt Randolph.</p> - -<p>"The Goldwing contains a cabin, cook-room and standing-room. We can have -all these on a larger scale in the Lily; and there will be space in the -run for a store-room and ice-house, with a door into it from the cabin."</p> - -<p>"Behind the steps at the companion-way," added Matt.</p> - -<p>"There is no other way to reach it unless you put a scuttle in the floor -of the standing-room,<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_262" id="Page_262">[Pg 262]</a></span> which is liable to leak," replied the principal. -"The steps can be hung on hinges and turn up, but I think it is better -to slip them back out of the way. How long will you have the cabin?" -"How much clear space have we inboard?" asked Luke Bennington.</p> - -<p>"About thirty feet, after allowing for the bend of the bows and the rake -of the stern," answered the principal.</p> - -<p>"Cabin fourteen feet, I should say," continued Luke. "That will leave -eight feet besides the overhang for the standing-room, and the same for -the cook-room."</p> - -<p>"That was my calculation," replied Captain Gildrock. "Then we want a -trunk fourteen feet long, which may be about nine feet wide on the main -deck. This will make a very roomy apartment for a lake craft. On each -side of it we must build up transoms, or divans, for seats or berths. As -we have no centreboard in the middle of it, there will be nothing in our -way." "Why didn't we build a centreboard boat?" asked Matt Randolph.</p> - -<p>"I think a keel boat is safer and stiffer. In Lake Champlain we have -plenty of water, though we shall draw about five feet aft. There are -shoal<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_263" id="Page_263">[Pg 263]</a></span> places, but there isn't the least need of running over them."</p> - -<p>"In a centreboard boat, if you get aground, there is a chance for you to -work off when you cannot in a keel," said Matt.</p> - -<p>"That is very true; but I think the stiffness of the keel craft more -than compensates for the advantage of light draft in these waters."</p> - -<p>The principal then made a drawing to illustrate the method of putting in -the beams and the knees that were to support them. As only a portion of -the beams could extend entirely across the boat, on account of the -elevation of the trunk, it required careful work and planning to secure -the necessary strength. But this problem had been solved by the -instructors, and the descriptions of the timbers were obtained.</p> - -<p>In a few days more the frame of the trunk and deck was in place. While a -part of the workmen were planking the deck, the rest were putting down -the floor of the cabin, and building the transoms. Before the 1st of -July the work on the hull was completed. The boys had contrived a great -many lockers in the cook-room and cabin, for the storage of dishes and -cooking utensils, and for everything needed on board.</p> - -<p><span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_264" id="Page_264">[Pg 264]</a></span></p><p>Inside and outside, all hands went over the work with sandpaper. A gang -of calkers had already filled the seams with oakum. Tar, pitch, and -putty had been used where they were needed, and no one considered it -possible for the craft to leak a drop.</p> - -<p>A thin coat of lead color was then put on the outside, and one of white -inside. The boys had some skill in painting, for they had been called -upon to do all kinds of work, from laying brick up to tinkering a watch. -Several coats were given to the whole, but the last two on the outside -were of black.</p> - -<p>Captain Gildrock had decided to have an iron false keel added, partly to -protect the wood and partly to serve as ballast. A pattern of the -casting had been made and sent up to Port Henry to be cast. It was in -one piece, and weighed over a ton. Of course, it had to be bolted on -before the Lily was launched. It was too heavy and cumbrous to be -transported on the Sylph; but Mr. Miker had to deliver a cargo of stone -at Port Henry, and it could be brought down on the gundalow. It was -nothing but fun for the students to tow the unwieldy craft about the -lake, and the next Saturday holiday was to be used for this purpose.</p> - -<p><span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_265" id="Page_265">[Pg 265]</a></span></p><p>At eight o'clock in the morning the Sylph, fully manned by the students -this time, started out of the creek with her tow. Paul Bristol had been -assigned to a place as a deck hand on board, and he had made several -trips in the steamer. On the present occasion he had asked to be -excused, in order to attend to some work for his mother.</p> - -<p>For two weeks before, Lily had been at work for Mr. Bissell, taking the -place of Susy Wellington, who had gone to visit her friends in Albany. -She had written to her mother that she should like to spend Sunday at -home. It was difficult and expensive to get from Westport to Genverres -then, for the steamers did not go up Beaver River.</p> - -<p>Paul thought he could manage it. As it was a still day on the lake, he -was going after her in the flatboat, in the afternoon. It was a ten-mile -pull, but he was good for that. He had hauled up the boat after dinner -to put it in order, when he discovered a queer-looking craft coming down -the creek.</p> - -<div class="footnotes"><h3>FOOTNOTE:</h3> - -<div class="footnote"><p><a name="Footnote_A_1" id="Footnote_A_1"></a><a href="#FNanchor_A_1"><span class="label">[A]</span></a> The editor of "Forest and Stream" has prepared a work for -amateurs, called "Canoe and Boat Building," which may be obtained of the -publishers of that valuable paper, or at the bookstores.</p></div></div> - -<hr /> - -<p><span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_266" id="Page_266">[Pg 266]</a></span></p> - -<h2><span>CHAPTER XXVI.</span> <span class="smaller">THAT CUNNING TOM TOPOVER.</span></h2> - -<p>The strange craft appeared to be modelled after the catamaran, though -the builder thereof had never seen one. It consisted of two logs a foot -in diameter and ten feet long, which were placed three feet apart. In -the middle of the supports two boards were nailed on the sticks, so that -the thing looked more like the letter H than it did like a catamaran.</p> - -<p>On the cross-boards was an old window-glass box; and on the box was -seated Tom Topover. He was the naval architect of the structure which -bore him, and the craft was not at all creditable to his ingenuity. If -he had nailed the cross-boards across the ends of the logs, there would -have been more stability to the affair, though in that case it would -have been stigmatized as a raft.</p> - -<p>In his hand Tom held a rude paddle with which he was trying to control -the movements of the aquatic chariot. It had no propelling power, and<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_267" id="Page_267">[Pg 267]</a></span> -floated with the current down the creek. A bend of the stream threw the -force of the water against Hornet Point, and Tom was trying to keep it -from going against the rocks. He did not succeed at all, and one of the -logs, striking the bank, twisted the structure entirely out of shape.</p> - -<p>The two logs came together, the nails which held the cross-pieces -twisting off with the slight shock. Paul saw that Tom was in peril, and -he rushed into the house to get his oars, which he kept in his chamber, -in the attic, for he was afraid that some of the hard-looking boys of -the Topover herd might steal his boat. He had heard of Tom before, but -he had never seen him, and he did not know that the fellow on the queer -craft was he.</p> - -<p>Tom Topover dropped from the box down upon the log, allowing his seat to -fall into the water. With the paddle in his hand he threw around the end -of the affair, till it was within reach of Paul's flatboat. Reaching -out, he hauled it in, and jumped into it. The logs floated off with the -current of the little lake.</p> - -<p>"You are there, are you?" said Paul, as he returned with the oars.</p> - -<p>"Yes I am. How are you, Paul Bristol?" replied Tom, with a grin from ear -to ear.</p> - -<p><span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_268" id="Page_268">[Pg 268]</a></span></p><p>"Well, I thank you; how are you?" added Paul. "I thought you were -booked for a bath, and I went in for my oars."</p> - -<p>"That's right, and you are a good fellow. They say you are a Bristol -brick."</p> - -<p>"Perhaps I am, but I don't happen to know you, and can't say what sort -of a brick you may be," replied Paul.</p> - -<p>"I'm a perfect brick. Gi' me them oars and I'll pick up them logs," -continued Tom, extending his hand to receive them.</p> - -<p>"I'll help you do it," replied Paul, taking the painter and hauling in -the boat.</p> - -<p>"What's your name?"</p> - -<p>"Jack Sheppard," replied Tom, with a fresh grin.</p> - -<p>"Have you got a rope, Jack Sheppard?"</p> - -<p>"Never mind the logs; they don't belong to me, and I don't care for 'em. -Can't you lend me this boat a little spell? I want to git some saxifax -over there for my mother."</p> - -<p>"I can't spare her now; I have to go over to Westport after my sister," -answered Paul.</p> - -<p>"Be you, though? I guess I'll go over with you," said Tom, with -refreshing confidence.</p> - -<p>"I thought you were going to get some <span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_269" id="Page_269">[Pg 269]</a></span>sassafras for your mother," added -Paul, who had by this time come to the conclusion that his visitor was -as queer as the craft upon which he had come.</p> - -<p>"I guess I'll git it another time. I want to go over to Westport to see -a feller I know there."</p> - -<p>"But I can't bring you back, for my sister is coming with me, and the -boat won't carry more than two," answered Paul, supposing this would end -the matter.</p> - -<p>"All right; I will stay with the feller I know all night," replied the -accommodating stranger. "I'll help you row the boat over."</p> - -<p>Paul was quite willing to have the queer fellow go with him, even if he -had to row all the way himself, for the flatboat worked better with two -in her than with one. Without a passenger she was too deep in the water -forward, and dug her nose into the wave. He had not the least idea who -his visitor was, but did not believe he had given his right name. If he -had known him, he would have given him the cold shoulder at once.</p> - -<p>"I am not ready to go yet; I have to fix up the boat a little," -continued Paul, as he laid the oars on the beach.</p> - -<p>"How long before you can go? I don't want to wait all day, Bristol -Brick," added Tom.</p> - -<p><span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_270" id="Page_270">[Pg 270]</a></span></p><p>"You needn't wait one minute if you don't wish to," replied Paul, who -wondered in what school of politeness his involuntary companion had been -brought up. "I am going to wash out the boat and let her dry a little -before I go."</p> - -<p>"What's the use of washing her out? She is clean enough for any feller -to eat his dinner in," growled Tom.</p> - -<p>"Perhaps she is if the fellow's a pig," said Paul, as he hauled the boat -up on the beach, nearly upsetting the Topover in the act.</p> - -<p>"Mind out! What are you doing? Do you mean to spill me into the drink?" -demanded the saucy visitor.</p> - -<p>"If you don't get out of the boat, you will be likely to get a ducking," -added Paul, as he took up a pail and a broom he had brought from the -house before.</p> - -<p>Tom looked at the owner of the Dragon; in fact, he eyed him from head to -foot. Tom was a pugilist, or he thought he was. He was a fighting -character, and possibly he was thinking whether he could whip the son of -toil, whose story had been told all over Genverres as well as on the -other side of the lake.</p> - -<p>The Chesterfields had patronized and <span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_271" id="Page_271">[Pg 271]</a></span>encouraged Tom Topover the season -before, because they believed that he and his vicious companions could -assist them in their encounters with the Beech Hillers.</p> - -<p>During the present season the students of the two schools had not come -in collision, for the reason that Colonel Buckmill had forbidden his -pupils to meddle with their old enemies. Since the removal of the -cottage from Sandy Point the Chesterfield barges had been down to -Porter's Bay, where Tom had met Walker Billcord. The Topover and his -gang had fully discussed the attempt to capture Paul Bristol, and were -familiar with all the particulars.</p> - -<p>Tom wished the magnate had offered <i>him</i> twenty-five dollars for -capturing the fellow, and handing him over to the major at Sandy Point. -This he said to Walk. He would be willing to do the job for ten dollars. -He didn't think it was a great undertaking.</p> - -<p>"You had better try it on, then," added Walk, morosely, for he hated -Paul not a particle less than when the son of toil had laid him out on -the point. "He will knock you out every time, without half trying."</p> - -<p>"I should like to see the feller that can do that!" exclaimed Tom, -clenching his dirty fists.</p> - -<p><span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_272" id="Page_272">[Pg 272]</a></span></p><p>"Haven't you seen Paul Bristol?" asked Walk.</p> - -<p>"I saw him on the other side of the pond; I never see him close to. But -I ain't afear'd on him. I'll bet I can lick him so he won't know whether -it's Sunday or Thanksgiving," blustered Tom. "Will your old man give a -feller anything now for ketchin' him?" inquired Tom, looking anxiously -into the face of Walk.</p> - -<p>"He don't make any offers for him now," added the son cautiously. "He -don't want to get into any more rows about the fellow."</p> - -<p>"Oh, he don't?" muttered Tom, evidently greatly disappointed. "If your -old man will only do the handsome thing, I'll scrape this Bristol Brick -till there ain't nothin' left on him."</p> - -<p>Walk Billcord looked at the ugly customer at his side, and his thirst -for vengeance stirred all the bad blood in his veins. He had plenty of -spending money, and he could even afford to give ten dollars himself for -satisfactory vengeance. Nim Splugger and Kidd Digfield, as rough -specimens as the Topover himself, would assist Tom. But Walk's father -had just been discharged from confinement, and there was great risk in -making the trade suggested.</p> - -<p>"You would be prosecuted if you did anything,"<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_273" id="Page_273">[Pg 273]</a></span> suggested Walk. "Then it -would come out that I had a hand in the business."</p> - -<p>"Not a bit on 't!" exclaimed Tom, very positively. "Jest as quick as I -git the ten dollars, nobody won't see nothin' more of me within a -hund'ed miles of Lake Champlain."</p> - -<p>"What do you mean by that, Tom?" asked Walk curiously.</p> - -<p>"I'm go'n to run away. My old man is so hard on me that I can't stand it -no longer. I'm go'n' to New York to ship in a pirate vessel. I shan't be -caught nohow."</p> - -<p>"I would give ten dollars quick enough to see Paul tied to a tree and -lathered with a cowhide for twenty minutes or half an hour; but I don't -make any offers, and I won't hire any fellow to do such a thing," added -Walk, as he considered the appalling risk.</p> - -<p>"I cal'late I know jest what you mean, and you don't make me no offers. -You don't promise to give me no money," protested Tom.</p> - -<p>"What are you jawing about, Walk?" asked Ham Jackson, coming up at this -moment.</p> - -<p>"Tom Topover offers to catch Paul Bristol, and give him a lathering that -will keep him on his bed a month, for ten dollars; but I won't do -anything<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_274" id="Page_274">[Pg 274]</a></span> of the sort. I don't offer him a cent. I won't give him a -penny if he kills the rascal," said Walk, with as much earnestness as -though he meant every word he said.</p> - -<p>"That's jest how it is. He won't give me nothin', and says he won't," -added Tom.</p> - -<p>"If you choose to larrup him on your own account, it is none of my -business," continued Walk.</p> - -<p>"Of course it isn't," Ham Jackson chimed in. "I should like to pay that -fellow off for the few cracks he gave me, but they go to law on this -side, and it isn't safe."</p> - -<p>"Of course I can lick him if I want to, and 't ain't nobody's business," -added Tom, who thought he was very cunning. "I guess I understand you, -and you understand me. About next Saturday night at Sandy Point, say."</p> - -<p>The coxswain's call summoned them to the boat, and they parted from Tom -Topover. The latter believed he had made a square bargain with Walk -Billcord, and ten dollars would take him to New York and pay his way -till he could ship in a "pirate vessel." He meant a pilot-boat, for he -had heard some one talking about one of these brisk little schooners a -few days before.</p> - -<p>Since that interview Tom had watched the school<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_275" id="Page_275">[Pg 275]</a></span> grounds all the time. -Paul lived on the point, and he could catch him alone there some -evening. He had built the queer craft for use in his great enterprise. -He had seen the Sylph go down the river in the morning, and he intended -to put his scheme in operation that evening. Paul often sat on the rocks -about dark, and the opportunity would not be wanting.</p> - -<p>While he was nailing the logs together on the other side of the creek, a -little way up, he saw Paul in his flatboat. Then it seemed to him that -the son of toil was as good as bagged. He was absolutely sure he could -handle him, in spite of the experience of the kid-glove chaps on the -other side. But Tom was cunning in his own estimation. Paul was going to -Westport, and it was safer to do the job near Sandy Point than on the -school premises.</p> - -<p>He could hardly help bullying, but he refrained as soon as he thought -what he was doing; and half an hour later he embarked in the flatboat -with his victim.</p> - -<hr /> - -<p><span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_276" id="Page_276">[Pg 276]</a></span></p> - -<h2><span>CHAPTER XXVII.</span> <span class="smaller">THE BRILLIANT STRATEGY OF THE BRUISER.</span></h2> - -<p>That cunning Tom Topover was actually behaving himself in something like -a civilized manner, in his desire not to alarm his victim. Just now he -was engaged in a strategetic enterprise, and found it necessary to -display only the fur side of his nature, though even that was very like -the bristles of a pig. He did his best, which was not saying much, to -keep on the right side of his intended victim. But Paul was a -good-natured fellow, and it was an easy matter to conciliate him.</p> - -<p>The son of toil rowed down the river, and crossing the shoal water of -Field's Bay, took a straight course for his destination. Tom sat at the -stern, and did not seem to be as much inclined to talk as he had been -immediately after the wreck of the queer craft. In fact, he was turning -over in his mind sundry cunning propositions, to accomplish the purpose -for which he had embarked in the present venture.</p> - -<p><span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_277" id="Page_277">[Pg 277]</a></span></p><p>It was a good six-mile pull to Westport, but Paul was used to the -Dragon, and she went ahead without much effort on his part. The lake was -as smooth as glass, and the rower wondered that it could ever be as -rough as it had been the day the Silver Moon was so nearly wrecked. -Though he was as tough as an oak knot, and had not yet become tired, he -thought it was about time for the stranger in the stern to begin to do -his share of the pulling, for the boat was now about half way to -Westport. Sandy Point was half a mile ahead, and Paul mentioned the fact -as a hint that his companion had better take the oars.</p> - -<p>"They say you used to live there, Bristol Brick," said Tom in reply, and -without taking the hint, which was altogether too indefinite for one -with a skin so thick and dirty as the bruiser had.</p> - -<p>"I lived there two years," replied Paul indifferently.</p> - -<p>"Sho'! You don't say so!" exclaimed Tom, albeit there was nothing very -astonishing in the statement. "They say the Beech Hill fellers kerried -the house you lived in over to Hornet P'int one night, and left -everything jest as though there never hadn't been no house there."</p> - -<p>"That's all very true. Major Billcord warned<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_278" id="Page_278">[Pg 278]</a></span> my mother to move the -cottage within twenty-four hours, and told her he should pitch it into -the lake if she didn't do it," added Paul; and the stranger seemed to be -the only person in Addison County who didn't know all the particulars of -the affair.</p> - -<p>"I guess the major was a little struck up when he found it had scooted," -said Tom, with a cheerful grin, as he looked ahead at the point where he -had suggested a meeting of the oarsman with Walk Billcord on the evening -of that day.</p> - -<p>"He was very much astonished, and so were the students of the institute, -to whom he had promised a pile of fun in tipping the cottage and all -that it contained into the lake."</p> - -<p>"I don't see how the Beech Hill fellers could move the house. I don't -believe they did it," added Tom, shaking his head.</p> - -<p>Paul explained how the job had been done, and assured his companion he -had seen the whole work himself. Tom insisted on being incredulous, for -just then he believed he was particularly cunning.</p> - -<p>"I never went ashore at Sandy Point, Bristol Brick, and I should like to -see how the land lays there," suggested Tom, with one of his cheerful -grins, exaggerated for the occasion.</p> - -<p><span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_279" id="Page_279">[Pg 279]</a></span></p><p>"You can see the whole of the shore from here," replied Paul, turning -around and pointing out the locality of the cottage.</p> - -<p>"But I want to see the place, and 't won't take two minutes for me to -run up to where the house was," Tom insisted. "Then I will row the rest -of the way over to Westport, and nobody won't git hurt none."</p> - -<p>Paul had started more than an hour earlier than he had intended, and -would reach his destination before Lily had finished her day's work. -Besides, he had a kind of affection for the place where he had lived two -years. Just then it flashed upon his mind that he had never visited the -hollow tree which had done duty as a safe for the two dollars and the -gold rings belonging to his mother.</p> - -<p>In the excitement of his last visit to the point at the invitation of -the magnate, he had forgotten all about the treasure. His mother had -spoken of it often, but Paul had no doubt it was safe in its -hiding-place, for the money and rings had been put at a tin box.</p> - -<p>His mother had spoken of it, and so had he, at the time of it, but -latterly it seemed to have passed out of the memory of all the family. -Paul pulled to the shore as soon as the treasure came into his<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_280" id="Page_280">[Pg 280]</a></span> mind, -and he wondered that he had not thought of it before. His mother had -plenty of money now, and that seemed to be the reason it had been -forgotten.</p> - -<p>When Paul swung the boat around, and headed it for the point, he took a -look down the lake. Over in the direction of Button Bay he saw a steam -yacht. There were several such craft on the lake, though all or nearly -all of them were kept farther down. The yacht looked exactly like the -Sylph, and he had no doubt it was she.</p> - -<p>"I wonder what the Sylph is doing over there," said he, continuing to -pull for the beach before him. "She went down to Port Henry towing the -gundalow with a cargo of stone."</p> - -<p>"I guess the fellers are taking a little turn in her while the men are -unloadin' the stone," suggested Tom, who was not at all pleased to find -the Beech Hill steamer in this part of the lake.</p> - -<p>"She is headed this way, and perhaps she is going back to Beech Hill -after something that was forgotten," added Paul, as the Dragon struck -the sand on the beach.</p> - -<p>Paul took the painter in his hand and stepped ashore. He paused a moment -to take another look at the Sylph. She was coming up from Button<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_281" id="Page_281">[Pg 281]</a></span> Bay on -the east shore of the lake, and this course would carry her within a -mile of Sandy Point. It was now four o'clock in the afternoon, and the -steamer, with her heavy tow, must have reached Port Henry by eleven at -the latest. If anything had been forgotten, they must have found it out -earlier in the day.</p> - -<p>While he was looking at the steam yacht and wondering what she was doing -in this part of the lake without her tow, she suddenly changed her -course and stood over in the direction of Westport. This settled it that -nothing had been forgotten, for she was not going back to Beech Hill. -She was sailing very fast, and seemed to be shaken by the effort of her -engine. They were certainly driving her at a very unusual speed.</p> - -<p>Tom Topover was walking about the point, apparently engaged in a very -minute inspection of the locality. Paul saw him looking at the former -site of the cottage, and then he disappeared in the woods. The owner of -the Dragon drew his boat a little farther up on the beach, but he -continued to watch the movements of the steamer; and he was so absorbed -in the effort to fathom her strange behavior that he was in danger of -again forgetting the treasure in the tin box.</p> - -<p><span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_282" id="Page_282">[Pg 282]</a></span></p><p>From his position on the point Paul could see the steamboat wharf at -Westport, or, rather, he could see where it was, for it was over two -miles distant. But the steam yacht did not go to it; and for a short -time she disappeared from his view behind the trees on the lower arm of -the point. But he knew she must come in sight again soon, for there was -no landing-place above the wharf, and the water was shoal.</p> - -<p>In a few minutes she did reappear, and now she was close inshore, -following the southern trend of the bay. She had reduced her speed -somewhat, but she was still sailing faster than her standard rate. Paul -watched her till she reached Barber's Point, behind which she again went -out of sight. He could make nothing of her erratic movements, and he was -forced to the conclusion that Tom was right, and that the fellows were -taking a little turn in her while waiting for the cargo of the gundalow -to be discharged, or for the iron shoe for the keel of the Lily.</p> - -<p>By this time Tom Topover appeared to have completed his survey of the -locality of the cottage, and joined Paul on the beach. The cunning -fellow seemed to be somewhat uneasy and excited, though his companion -was too much absorbed in the wonder of the steam yacht to notice it.</p> - -<p><span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_283" id="Page_283">[Pg 283]</a></span></p><p>"Be you about ready to start on?" asked Tom, after he had looked about -him for a few minutes. "I guess I've seen the whole thing now."</p> - -<p>"I can't make out what the Sylph is doing," said Paul, still perplexed -by the problem, though there wasn't the least reason why he should -bother his head at all about her strange movements; but, like the -average boy of intelligence, he desired to know what everything meant.</p> - -<p>"She's only cruising about for the fun on't," grinned Tom. "I guess I -don't want to stop no longer."</p> - -<p>That cunning reprobate had arranged his plan of operations. In the -darkness of the woods he had examined the tarred spun-yarn which filled -one of his trousers pockets. He had taken it from a new building on the -back road, where it had been used to secure bundles of laths. He had -coiled up the single lengths in such a way that they would be ready for -use when wanted. With these he intended to bind his victim hand and -foot, and then tie him to a sapling, which he had selected for the -purpose, in the woods back of the cottage site, where the prisoner could -not be seen or heard from the lake.</p> - -<p>He had promised to row the Dragon from Sandy<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_284" id="Page_284">[Pg 284]</a></span> Point to Westport; and it -was with a purpose that he had proposed to do so. Paul was to sit in the -stern, and would have to get into the boat first. Tom would be close -behind him, and when he took the first step, he would seize him by the -throat, throw him down on the beach, and lie down on him. With the -spun-yarn in his pocket he could easily secure his hands behind him. He -had picked up a stout stick in the woods, which he dropped carelessly on -the shore, where it would be available in case of need.</p> - -<p>Tom had no doubt whatever of his ability to carry out this -nicely-arranged programme. Paul was a stout fellow, and events at the -point and elsewhere proved that he had plenty of pluck, and that he hit -hard. But if he took him behind, what could Paul do? What could any -fellow do, under such unfavorable circumstances? The blunder of the six -ruffians, in Tom's estimation, was in attacking him in front instead of -in the rear.</p> - -<p>The cunning bruiser was ready to execute the plan his busy brain had -contrived, and he was a little nervous and uneasy, as before noted. He -did not take the least interest in the movements of the steamer, though -he was rather pleased to<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_285" id="Page_285">[Pg 285]</a></span> find Paul so much absorbed in anything that -kept his mind occupied.</p> - -<p>"You git in fust, as I'm go'n to row the rest of the way," said Tom, as -he took the oars from the boat, the blades of which were projecting over -the bow.</p> - -<p>"I am not quite ready to go yet; I have to go over after something I -left in the hollow of a tree," replied Paul, as he turned away from the -boat.</p> - -<p>"In the holler of a tree!" exclaimed Tom.</p> - -<p>"That's what I said," added Paul. "It is a tin box containing a little -money and a couple of gold rings. It won't take me long to get them."</p> - -<p>"How fur off is it?" asked the bruiser, much interested when he heard -there was money in the box, for he was sure to get it.</p> - -<p>Paul said it was up in the hollow, and started off.</p> - -<hr /> - -<p><span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_286" id="Page_286">[Pg 286]</a></span></p> - -<h2><span>CHAPTER XXVIII.</span> <span class="smaller">A HARD BATTLE AT SANDY POINT.</span></h2> - -<p>The brilliant strategy of the bruiser was not affected by the visit of -Paul Bristol to the hollow tree. On the contrary, it improved its -prospects of success. The intimation that there was even a little money -in the tin box was encouraging, for it would add something to the ten -dollars he was to receive on account of his blind bargain with Walk -Billcord.</p> - -<p>As soon as Paul disappeared in the woods, Tom took the boathook from the -Dragon, the oars being already in his possession, and hastened off in -the direction to which he had carried his previous survey of the -locality. He had found a low place beyond the site of the cottage, where -a rotten log lay on the ground. Beneath this decayed wood he deposited -the oars and boathook. Pulling off enough of the punky wood to cover the -articles, he returned to the boat with a rapid step.</p> - -<p>He had been absent but a few minutes, and<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_287" id="Page_287">[Pg 287]</a></span> Paul had not yet appeared -with the tin box. If the cunning strategist had been asked why he -concealed the oars and the boathook, very likely he would have replied -that he had done so to prevent the possibility of an escape on the part -of his victim. But Tom was a cunning fellow, and this was by no means -his object. If he failed to accomplish his purpose in the first -onslaught, there is not the slightest doubt that he would have been -entirely willing that his intended victim should escape, and even be -glad to have him do so, even if he had been left to find his way on foot -from the point.</p> - -<p>The three implements which constituted the furniture of the Dragon might -be dangerous weapons in the hands of a resolute fellow like Paul -Bristol. He had secured a club for himself, and picking it up, he was -plying it as a cane and plaything, in order to avert any suspicion as to -its probable use.</p> - -<p>Paul soon returned with the tin box in his hand. It was an old mustard -can, and it was not a convenient thing to have in his pocket, and was of -no value. He took the rings and money from it, and put them into his -pocket, throwing away the can.</p> - -<p>"How much money have you got, Bristol Brick?" asked Tom, with his usual -grin.</p> - -<p><span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_288" id="Page_288">[Pg 288]</a></span></p><p>"Only a two-dollar bill, and that belongs to my mother," replied Paul, -who did not know his companion, and would not have been afraid of losing -the money if he had.</p> - -<p>"Ain't you goin' to spend it down to Westport, and treat a feller that -helps you row the boat?" asked Tom, with a mighty grin.</p> - -<p>"Of course not; I don't spend my mother's money for anything, without -her orders to do so," replied Paul.</p> - -<p>"What odds does it make?"</p> - -<p>"It makes a good deal of odds to me, for I don't spend what don't belong -to me. By the big wooden spoon! There comes the Sylph again, and without -the gundalow in tow. She is going as though she were running a race too. -It looks to me just as though Captain Dory Dornwood had gone crazy, and -I shouldn't wonder if Captain Gildrock hauled him over the coals for -it."</p> - -<p>"Is the cap'n aboard?" inquired Tom.</p> - -<p>"No; he went to Burlington this morning in the cars."</p> - -<p>"Then he won't know nothin' about it."</p> - -<p>"Some one will be sure to tell him; but the officers have to keep a log, -and put down the speed every hour. I am afraid Dory will catch<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_289" id="Page_289">[Pg 289]</a></span> it, for -that steamer is running fifteen knots an hour. They say she can do it, -but the fellows are not allowed to do more than twelve."</p> - -<p>"All right; but I guess we can watch her from the boat just as well as -we can here," suggested the strategist, placing himself close behind his -victim, and bracing up for the effort he was to make.</p> - -<p>"If she comes near us, we can hail her, and find out what she is doing, -for I should like to know," added Paul, as he stepped down to the beach, -in the direction of the bow of the boat; but his eyes were fixed all the -time on the steamer, which was certainly going like the Flying Dutchman.</p> - -<p>"Jump in, Bristol Brick, and I will take the oars."</p> - -<p>Paul had reached the stem of the Dragon by this time, still closely -observing the steamer. He was just beginning to wonder if she would not -blow up under such a tremendous pressure of steam as she appeared to -have on, when the arms of the cunning strategist encircled his neck, and -his right knee was applied to the small of his back. He had raised one -foot to step into the boat, but he had no chance to bring it down, for -he went over backwards on the beach.</p> - -<p><span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_290" id="Page_290">[Pg 290]</a></span></p><p>The bruiser had the club in his hand when he passed his arm around the -neck of his victim. In the suddenness of the attack Tom Topover had it -all his own way, as he had intended to have it. As he drew his prisoner -back, he threw him over so that he fell on his face, and Tom came down -on top of him. He hugged him with all his might. Dropping the stick, he -fixed his grip on the throat of Paul, and began to jam down upon him -with his knees.</p> - -<p>But Paul soon came to a realizing sense of his situation, and he was not -at all inclined to submit to the sharp discipline of his companion. He -began to struggle with all the energy of desperation. His hands were at -liberty, and, reaching down with them, he succeeded in getting hold of -the legs of his assailant. He immediately put a stop to the action of -the assailant's knees, and then, with a mighty effort, rolled over so -that Tom was under him, though Paul was still wrong side up.</p> - -<p>With the weight of his victim upon him, Tom could no longer kick or use -his knees, and Paul's hands were relieved for other duty. He brought -them up and got hold of Tom's hair, getting two fistfuls of it, for the -bruiser did not wear a fighting cut just then. He pulled with all his -strength, <span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_291" id="Page_291">[Pg 291]</a></span>increased by his desperation. At the same time the struggle -with the other parts of the body continued, Tom's hair was coming out by -the roots, and the intense pain caused him to yield a little of his hold -at the prisoner's neck.</p> - -<p>Paul felt his advantage, and, seizing the hands of his foe, dragged them -from his throat. This enabled him to turn over in part so that he could -use his fists. He did not wait for any preliminaries, but rained his -blows upon the head of his assailant in the agony of his desperation. -Tom could no more stand this treatment than he could have endured the -pounding of a trip-hammer. He begged for mercy, and Paul let him up.</p> - -<p>Neither of them could speak, and Tom's dirty face was covered with -blood. Both were gasping for breath, and an involuntary truce prevailed. -Paul had received no blows in the face, though his throat was -considerably lacerated by the nails of his cowardly enemy. Tom was now -in a position to understand the reason why the six ruffians had been so -badly used before they succeeded in making a prisoner of Paul. It seemed -to make no difference in the end whether the attack was made in the -front or the rear. Possibly, the brilliant strategist was willing to -believe that he had<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_292" id="Page_292">[Pg 292]</a></span> made a mistake in the quality and quantity of his -intended victim.</p> - -<p>A couple of minutes were enough to enable the combatants to recover -their breath. Neither of them said a word, but Tom suddenly made a -spring at Paul, this time with clenched fists. But the latter had been -looking for something of this kind, and he easily parried the blows -aimed at him, and then upset the bruiser with a heavy blow between the -eyes. Paul realized that he could do this sort of thing till the sun -went down, but he was tired of it.</p> - -<p>Tom lay still for a minute or so after his fall, for his ideas were -doubtless greatly confused. Paul looked at him; and as he did so he saw -one of the coils of rope-yarn sticking out of his trousers pocket. He -seized it at once, and, turning his assailant over, tied his hands -behind him, and then secured his arms at the elbows. As Tom came to a -realizing sense of his defeat, he began to resist, but the bruiser was -about played out, and Paul dragged him to a tree and made him fast.</p> - -<p>"You don't fight fair, Bristol Brick," said he, rather feebly, and he -made a weak attempt to break from his bonds.</p> - -<p>"I don't mean to fight fair with such fellows as<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_293" id="Page_293">[Pg 293]</a></span> you are," replied -Paul, looking with disgust at his prisoner. "I suppose you do, though, -and that's the reason you pitched into me when my back was turned. You -may call it fair to jump on a fellow's back and pull him down."</p> - -<p>"But 't ain't fair for you to tie me afore we have done," groaned Tom. -"That's mean, and Tom Topover never lets up on a feller that don't fight -fair."</p> - -<p>"Oh, then, you are Tom Topover, are you?" exclaimed Paul, looking over -his victim from head to foot. "Why didn't you tell me who you were when -I asked you?"</p> - -<p>"I was afear'd you'd run away if I told you who I was," answered the -bruiser, who was likely to be a bully to the end.</p> - -<p>"I don't believe I should have run away," added Paul, with a smile on -his face. "I don't run away from such carrion as you are."</p> - -<p>"You haven't seen the end of this thing yet. I can lick you in fair -fight any time," blustered Tom, as he began to regain his strength.</p> - -<p>"Will you do it now if I let you loose?" demanded Paul sharply.</p> - -<p>"I don't feel very well to-day," replied Tom, after some hesitation. "I -ain't in fightin' trim <span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_294" id="Page_294">[Pg 294]</a></span>nohow, and that's the reason I got the worst -on't so fur."</p> - -<p>"What did you pitch into me for if you are not in good condition?" -demanded Paul, who was good-natured enough by this time to smile.</p> - -<p>"I didn't think you was so much of a feller, and I had to do what I did -to-day," muttered Tom.</p> - -<p>"Why to-day?" demanded Paul.</p> - -<p>"Well, I agreed to do it."</p> - -<p>"Whom did you agree with?" continued Paul, picking up the stick the -mighty strategist had brought from the woods.</p> - -<p>"It don't make no difference," whined Tom, evidently startled when he -saw the weapon in the hand of his conqueror.</p> - -<p>"Yes, it does make all the difference in the world; and if you don't -tell me in two seconds, I will take it out of your hide!" exclaimed the -son of toil, demonstrating violently with the stick.</p> - -<p>"I didn't agree to do it, but Walk Billcord was to give me ten dollars -for the job. He didn't say he would, but we understood one another," -answered Tom, in mortal terror.</p> - -<p>"That's all I want to know," added Paul, as he walked towards the boat.</p> - -<p><span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_295" id="Page_295">[Pg 295]</a></span></p><p>He looked into the Dragon, but did not see the oars. He searched all -about the beach without being able to find them. While he was thus -engaged, the steamer came within a few feet of the shore. He concluded -that the absence of the oars was a part of the cunning strategist's -plan; and he was about to return to the tree where Tom was tied, when -the steamer rang one bell, followed by two. This meant stop and back her.</p> - -<p>Paul picked up the stick he had brought to the water side, and, without -looking particularly at the Sylph, he pushed off the boat, and then gave -it a hard shove with the short pole. The impetus carried the Dragon to -the side of the steam yacht, and he sprang on board of her with the -painter in his hand.</p> - -<hr /> - -<p><span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_296" id="Page_296">[Pg 296]</a></span></p> - -<h2><span>CHAPTER XXIX.</span> <span class="smaller">THE ENGINEER OF THE UNDINE.</span></h2> - -<p>Paul Bristol was somewhat excited after his tough conflict with the -strategetical bruiser. He was not a little startled to find that the -Billcords were still trying to punish him for defending his sister from -insult. Captain Gildrock was his friend and his mother's friend, and he -was unwilling to do anything more with the pestilent bully without his -advice and direction. He was confident that the exhibition of the stout -stick would induce Tom to tell him where the oars were; but as the -steamer was close to the shore, he preferred to take counsel before he -acted any further.</p> - -<p>At first he forgot that the principal was not on board of the Sylph, but -it came to his mind before he reached the bulwarks. But Dory was -certainly on board, and he could advise and assist him. Passing the -painter over a stanchion, he leaped over the rail. Then it struck him as -a little<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_297" id="Page_297">[Pg 297]</a></span> strange that he saw none of the large ship's company that had -manned her when she left the wharf in Beechwater that morning.</p> - -<p>A man who was an entire stranger to him stood on the forecastle, but not -a single Beech Hiller was to be seen. He looked up at the windows of the -pilot-house, where he expected to see the face of Oscar Chester and the -second pilot; but another stranger stood at the wheel.</p> - -<p>"Cast off that boat!" called the man at the wheel to the one on the -forecastle.</p> - -<p>Before Paul could interfere the deck hand had detached the painter from -the stanchion and dropped it into the water. At the same moment two -bells rang, and the steamer backed away from the point.</p> - -<p>"What did you do that for?" demanded Paul of the deck hand.</p> - -<p>"I have to obey my orders," replied the man.</p> - -<p>The son of toil looked at him and wondered who he was, for he had never -seen his face before. He went to the bow and saw the Dragon, fifty feet -from him by this time, and the steamer still backing. He had been sure -of obtaining good advice and strong support from his friends on board, -but he could not even find a person that he knew.</p> - -<p><span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_298" id="Page_298">[Pg 298]</a></span></p><p>He walked aft, and looked into the engine-room. There was a man there, -but he was bending over the machinery, and he did not see his face, but -he appeared to be a stranger like all the others he had seen. He -continued his walk to the door of the after cabin, but not a single -Beech Hiller could he find. It looked to him as though, if the thing had -been possible, the Sylph had been captured by an enemy, who were then in -full possession of her.</p> - -<p>Paul returned to the forecastle, and again looked up at the windows of -the pilot-house. The man at the wheel appeared to be talking to some -person or persons behind him, who were not in sight. At this moment the -engine stopped again, and the steamer was at rest on the smooth water. -Paul was confident that the persons in the pilot-house had seen the -whole or a portion of the hard battle at Sandy Point, for the tree where -he had secured Tom Topover was in plain sight from the lake.</p> - -<p>The deck hand seemed to take no notice of him, though he could not help -seeing him, and observing all his movements. As the steamer had stopped -her propeller, and run close in to the shore, she must be there for a -purpose.<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_299" id="Page_299">[Pg 299]</a></span> The last he had seen of her before the bruiser opened the -fight, she was running with tremendous speed down the lake. After that -she slowed down, and headed for the point, for he had obtained an -occasional glimpse of her even in the heat of the struggle with the -strategist.</p> - -<p>"Is Captain Dory Dornwood on board, sir?" asked Paul, very respectfully, -of the deck hand, who had walked forward to look out.</p> - -<p>"I don't know him," replied the man shortly, but civilly enough.</p> - -<p>"Are none of the Beech Hill fellows on board?"</p> - -<p>"I don't know the Beech Hill fellows," answered the man.</p> - -<p>Paul was utterly bewildered. He looked up at the pilot-house once more -to find a solution of the mystery if he could. The stranger still stood -at the wheel, and was still talking with some one not in sight. Just -then it occurred to Paul that there was something wanting in the -appearance of the pilot-house. In the station bill he belonged on the -forecastle of the Sylph, and was more familiar with this part of her -than with any other. He studied the situation for some time before he -could determine what was wanting to complete the usual appearance of the -steamer. At last he was able<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_300" id="Page_300">[Pg 300]</a></span> to supply the deficiency. On the front and -on each side of the pilot house was a sign on which was painted the name -of the craft. They were not there; and if the strangers had captured the -Sylph they had removed these signs. There was nothing in sight to -indicate that the vessel was the Beech Hill steam yacht.</p> - -<p>Paul looked around him on the forecastle, and some other familiar -objects were missing. Suddenly it flashed into his mind that this was -not the Sylph after all; but the absurdity of his making a mistake in -the identity of the steamer which he was accustomed to see at the wharf -in Beechwater every day, and in which he had made so many trips to -Westport and elsewhere, was so apparent to him that he instantly -rejected the idea.</p> - -<p>To his mind, in spite of the absence of the signs on the pilot-house, -and other familiar objects, the steamer was the Sylph. The mystery of -her being in possession of other persons than the Beech Hillers seemed -to thicken upon him. She had taken position not fifty feet from the -water side, and there she lay. Paul wondered what she was waiting for, -and why she did not do something. If any person on board was to be -landed at the point, it was about time to lower<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_301" id="Page_301">[Pg 301]</a></span> one of the quarter -boats, which hung on davits abaft the engine. But nothing was done, and -no one said anything; and Paul was getting desperate.</p> - -<p>There was a mystery about the steamer, which, in spite of the good order -which prevailed on board of her when her regular ship's company were on -duty, presented a very lively aspect. Paul was not patient in the -presence of mysteries which concerned him, as in the present instance, -for since the setting adrift of the Dragon he was practically a prisoner -on board of her. He decided to solve the problem of the strangeness of -things on the deck, and for this purpose he went aft to the ladder on -the port side which led to the hurricane deck. He was determined to have -a pow-wow with the pilot, and to ascertain who were the modest persons -that concealed themselves in the back part of his quarters.</p> - -<p>He reached the deck on which the pilot-house stood, without impediment, -and walked to the door. It was locked, which was not usual on board of -the Sylph. He passed on to the side window, where the man at the wheel -suddenly confronted him. He had seen this man before, but he had no -acquaintance with him.</p> - -<p><span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_302" id="Page_302">[Pg 302]</a></span></p><p>"Will you be kind enough to tell me what steamer this is?" Paul began, -in his efforts to solve the mystery.</p> - -<p>"The Undine, of Westport," replied the pilot, for such he undoubtedly -was.</p> - -<p>"I never heard of her before," added Paul, overwhelmed to find that she -was not the Sylph.</p> - -<p>"As she came into the lake for the first time this morning, you were not -in the way of hearing of her," answered the man, rather stiffly.</p> - -<p>"But she looks exactly like the Sylph, which belongs to the Beech Hill -Industrial School," said Paul, trying to get a sight of the persons on -the sofa of the room.</p> - -<p>But the pilot kept himself directly in front of him, and he was unable -to gratify his curiosity.</p> - -<p>"The builder has sent out at least half a dozen steam yachts of the -hundred-feet order which are so near like this one that you could not -tell the difference in them," added the pilot in answer to his remark.</p> - -<p>"If this is not the Sylph, I have no business on board of her," -continued Paul. "I shall be very much obliged to you if you will put me -on shore, or pick up my boat for me, though I am very sorry to trouble -you."</p> - -<p><span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_303" id="Page_303">[Pg 303]</a></span></p><p>"You were not invited on board, and you must look out for yourself."</p> - -<p>"Why did you cast off the painter of my boat?" asked Paul, not pleased -with the situation.</p> - -<p>"I obey my orders."</p> - -<p>"Who gave the order, if you please?"</p> - -<p>"The owner," replied the pilot. "Something was going on ashore there -just before we came over here. It looked like a very hard fight between -two fellows."</p> - -<p>"It was a hard fight," answered Paul.</p> - -<p>"And you were one of the fellows in it?"</p> - -<p>"I was; and the other fellow is tied to a tree on shore," replied Paul, -pointing in the direction of the tree, which he could see from his -position on the hurricane deck.</p> - -<p>"What was it all about? Speak up a little louder, for I am rather deaf," -added the pilot, as he glanced behind him. "Who was the other fellow?" -And the last question seemed to be prompted by the person on the sofa.</p> - -<p>"It was Tom Topover," answered Paul; and in answer to questions put by -the pilot, he told the whole story of his affair that day with the -brilliant strategist, from the time he had appeared in the creek on his -queer-looking craft.</p> - -<p><span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_304" id="Page_304">[Pg 304]</a></span></p><p>The pilot occasionally told him to speak louder, and at last he -concluded that he was giving the narrative for the benefit of the -concealed listeners.</p> - -<p>"But what made Tom Topover attack you?" asked the man at the wheel.</p> - -<p>"He was hired to do it by Major Billcord's son, Walk Billcord," replied -Paul bluntly.</p> - -<p>"Do you mean to say that my son hired that rough to attack you?" -demanded the magnate of Westport, suddenly rushing to the door of the -pilot-house, and throwing it wide open. Close behind him was Walk -himself.</p> - -<p>"I didn't know you were here!" exclaimed Paul, starting back with -astonishment when he saw the major; and he had not had the remotest -suspicion that he was the owner of the steam yacht, for the pilot had -prevented him from asking who owned the craft.</p> - -<p>"No matter if you didn't know it," replied the major angrily. "I asked -you a question. Answer it!"</p> - -<p>"Tom Topover said he was to get ten dollars from your son for doing the -job. He didn't say Mr. Walker agreed to give him the money, but there -was an understanding between them to this effect," replied Paul.</p> - -<p><span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_305" id="Page_305">[Pg 305]</a></span></p><p>"Tom Topover is a liar!" exclaimed Walk.</p> - -<p>"He was to do the job to-day; and you seem to be here at Sandy Point to -attend to the prisoner if Tom got him," added Paul.</p> - -<p>Major Billcord was not in the habit of controlling his wrath, and he -made a spring at the son of toil; but Paul beat a hasty retreat, for he -dreaded another encounter with the magnate. He went aft and descended to -the main deck; but he soon discovered that he was not pursued. He heard -two bells in the engine-room, and the Undine began to back. Paul came to -a halt under the starboard quarter boat, and devoted himself to an -examination of the falls by which it was secured to the davits.</p> - -<p>While he was thus engaged, one bell struck in the engine-room, followed -by another, and the Undine went ahead. A moment later the jingle bell -rattled, and the craft began to go at full speed. Paul heard steps on -the hurricane deck above him, and he concluded that the major and Walk -were after him. He walked astern to the doors of the main cabin. They -were open, and he decided to retreat into this apartment if he was -pursued.</p> - -<p>"Engineer!" called Major Billcord.</p> - -<p><span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_306" id="Page_306">[Pg 306]</a></span></p><p>"On deck, sir," replied the man in charge of the engine, as he stepped -out of his room.</p> - -<p>The sound of the engineer's voice was a familiar one, and it startled -the son of toil as much as the sound of an earthquake would at that -moment.</p> - -<p>"Keep an eye on that boy down on the main deck, and don't let him touch -the boats," continued Major Billcord, who suspected the purpose of the -object of his hatred. "Don't let him escape on any account, for I shall -have a reckoning with him before we part."</p> - -<p>This looked like a threat, and Paul realized that he was in the hands of -the enemy. In spite of his imprisonment, the magnate intended to punish -him for what he had done at the point, and the poor fellow began to be -very much discouraged.</p> - -<p>"I will see to him," replied the engineer.</p> - -<p>The engine of the Undine was working at a moderate speed, and the -engineer walked aft to get a view of his prisoner. Paul looked at him as -he approached, for the sound of his voice had prepared him for an early -meeting. He thought no more of getting away in the boat. He gazed with -all his eyes at the man walking towards him.</p> - -<p>"Why, father!" exclaimed he, rushing upon him with extended hand.</p> - -<p><span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_307" id="Page_307">[Pg 307]</a></span></p><p>"Why, Paul, my son! Is it possible that it is you?" cried the engineer, -grasping the extended hand. "But come into the engine-room."</p> - -<p>Mr. Bristol led the way, still holding his son's hand. They had scarcely -entered the apartment before there was a whistle at the speaking-tube.</p> - -<p>"Take that boy into the engine-room, and don't let him get away," said -the magnate through the tube.</p> - -<p>"All right; I have him here," replied the engineer. "What does all this -mean, Paul?" asked the astonished father, turning to his son.</p> - -<p>Paul related all the events in the family history since the assault upon -Lily at the point; and the returned wanderer fully understood the feud -between Paul and the magnate. His blood boiled at the insult to his -daughter, and the persecution to which his son had been subjected. He -had put his hand on the wheel to shut off the steam, when Paul asked him -where he had been for two years, and why he had not written to his -family.</p> - -<p>The engineer did not turn the wheel, for the wanting letters were an -imputation upon him. He was not a scholar, but he had written a score of -letters and had never had a reply to one of them. Before he left, -something had been said<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_308" id="Page_308">[Pg 308]</a></span> between himself and his wife about her going to -the home of an uncle in Iowa. He had invited them to visit him and take -care of him, for he was a bachelor. He would support them, and they -could do work enough to earn their living. They had expected to hear -from him every day at the time Peter Bristol left home.</p> - -<p>The father had no doubt they would go there, and had directed his -letters after the first one to their new home. A few days after his -departure for New York, where he hoped to find work, the letter came -from the West to Mrs. Bristol, but it brought no hope. The writer had -bought a ranch in Texas, had married, and could do nothing for the -family of his brother. This clearly explained the miscarriage of the -letters.</p> - -<p>Peter Bristol had worked as a fireman on a railroad. When he got to New -York he found a situation as an oiler on a steamer bound to Havana. In -Cuba he soon secured a good situation to run an engine on a plantation. -He saved his money, and did his best to find what had become of his -family. At last it occurred to him to write to the postmaster of his -brother's late residence in Iowa. Nothing was known of his family, his -brother had gone to Texas, and a score of letters for his wife had gone -to the dead-letter office.</p> - -<p><span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_309" id="Page_309">[Pg 309]</a></span></p><p>Then he had written to a friend in Westport, and learned that his -family were still at Sandy Point, and were very poor. When this last -letter came, nearly two years after he had left home, he was filled with -sorrow and anxiety. He wrote no more letters, but started for home with -all the money he had saved. About the first person he met when he landed -in New York was Wheeler, whom he had known as a pilot on Lake Champlain. -He had been sent by Major Billcord to take his steamer, just purchased, -up to the lake by the way of the Hudson and the canal. He wanted an -engineer, and, after a deal of talk, employed Peter Bristol.</p> - -<p>Wheeler had his doubts about the competency of Bristol. The magnate -wanted a suitable engineer, and would give him good wages. He might -object to a man who had been known on the lake as nothing but a boatman. -Peter wanted the place, and had been running an engine for two years. -Wheeler agreed to do what he could for him with the magnate; but he -thought it best for him not to say who he was for the present. Time and -the tropical sun had so changed him that he was not likely to recognize -him if he was careful.</p> - -<p><span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_310" id="Page_310">[Pg 310]</a></span></p><p>Peter Bristol had served as engineer on the way up, and Major Billcord -and Walk had joined the vessel at Whitehall in the morning. The steamer -was on trial, and the major wanted her run at her highest speed a part -of the time. The magnate had hardly looked at the engineer, he was so -interested in the machinery and the craft, and Bristol had had no -trouble in concealing his identity so far. This was the story he told -Paul, and repeated to his wife and Lily in the evening.</p> - -<p>Paul had looked out at the door and saw that the Undine was near -Westport. She did not go to the shore, but when she came about and -headed down the lake again, Peter Bristol turned the wheel and shut off -the steam. There was a ringing of the bell, and then a call through the -tube.</p> - -<p>"I shall run her no longer!" replied the engineer, emphatically, at the -mouthpiece.</p> - -<p>Major Billcord came below, followed by Walk. Mr. Bristol stated his -position, and took no further pains to conceal his identity. The father -spoke to him like a man, and insisted upon being landed at Westport with -his son. The magnate was taken all aback. He could do nothing without an -engineer, and he could not punish Paul in the presence of his father. -The engineer would take the<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_311" id="Page_311">[Pg 311]</a></span> steamer up to the wharf, but in no other -direction. The magnate had to yield, and father and son, both the -Bristol and the Billcord, landed.</p> - -<p>Lily was found, and she had a joyful meeting with her father. Bissell -was very willing to loan his four-oar boat to convey them to Beech Hill. -On the way they released Tom Topover, and, putting him into the Dragon, -towed him back to Hornet Point. The happy re-union in the transplanted -cottage need not be described.</p> - -<hr /> - -<p><span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_312" id="Page_312">[Pg 312]</a></span></p> - -<h2><span>CHAPTER XXX.</span> <span class="smaller">LAUNCHING THE BOAT.</span></h2> - -<p>The Sylph, with the gundalow, did not arrive till it was nearly dark. -The shoe was not done when the scow was ready to take it on board, and -they had to wait for the workmen to drill the holes for the bolts. The -ship's company had seen the Undine when she passed Port Henry, but no -one there knew to whom she belonged, or anything whatever in regard to -her. They saw that she was the counterpart of the Sylph, and knew that -she was one of the celebrated class to which she belonged.</p> - -<p>Some of the students thought there might be a chance for a race between -her and the Beech Hill steamer; but Dory was sure enough that Captain -Gildrock would not permit the Sylph to race with anything that went by -steam.</p> - -<p>The principal had returned from Burlington in the afternoon, and when he -saw the four-oar boat, with the Dragon in tow, moving up to Hornet<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_313" id="Page_313">[Pg 313]</a></span> -Point, he walked over to the cottage. He was a spectator of the -affecting interview between Mrs. Bristol and her husband, even before -the Dragon was hauled up to the shore.</p> - -<p>Tom Topover was very much battered in the conflict with Paul. He was -sure of two very black eyes, and he could hardly walk when he was helped -out of the flatboat. The principal thought he had been punished enough -for the present; and as he seemed to be very humble, for him, he was -allowed to limp home, after a strong admonition from the captain.</p> - -<p>The principal had been so good a friend to the family, that Mrs. Bristol -begged him to stay and hear her husband's story, and listen to the -adventures of Paul since he left in the afternoon. The moving of the -cottage had to be related by Paul. The prolonged conversation was -interrupted only by the arrival of the Sylph. After the shoe was landed -at the boat-shed, and the gundalow towed to the stone quarry, the -students learned all about the new steamer, in which they were very much -interested, though they were sorry to learn that Major Billcord was her -owner.</p> - -<p>On Monday afternoon, the shoe was bolted to the keel of the Lily, and -the inside work, which<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_314" id="Page_314">[Pg 314]</a></span> had been left unfinished for this job, was -completed. The following Saturday was appointed for the launch of the -boat, for this day would complete the school year of the institution. -Invitations had been sent to the gentlemen who had served as examiners -the preceding year, and on Friday afternoon the Sylph, fully manned, and -dressed in gay colors, brought up Mr. Bridges, Mr. Ritchie, and Mr. -Plint. They were hospitably entertained at the mansion.</p> - -<p>In the forenoon a sort of public exhibition took place in the great hall -of the boat-house, which delighted the spectators, and gave them a very -high idea of the progress of the students in the mechanic arts, as well -as in the book studies. After this show, the visitors went through the -shops, and inspected the Lily as she stood on the stocks. A brass band -played a portion of the time, and in the middle of the day a choice -collation was served on the green.</p> - -<p>About all the young ladies in Genverres, and not a few from Burlington -and Westport, were present. Possibly there was some heavy flirting done, -for again the students in their uniform were lions of the first order.</p> - -<p>But the great event of the day was to be the<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_315" id="Page_315">[Pg 315]</a></span> launch of the Lily. She -had been fully prepared in the morning for the exciting occasion, and -two jury-masts had been put up on board, and she was covered with flags -and streamers. The boat was to move from the ways at four, and an hour -before that time the students and the principal were not a little -astonished to see the two Chesterfield barges pull into the Beechwater, -and take positions near the farther side of the lake.</p> - -<p>Captain Gildrock sent Mr. Bentnick, the principal instructor, to invite -them on shore to partake of a collation. Colonel Buckmill sat in the -stern-sheets of the Dasher, but he politely declined the invitation, -with profuse thanks. His young gentlemen desired to see the launch, but -he would not give the principal any trouble on such a busy day.</p> - -<p>The captain was sorry for this refusal, but he seemed to insist that the -hospitality of Beech Hill should not suffer in the estimation of the -students from the other side, and he sent a boat loaded with ice-cream, -cake, and lemonade to the unwonted visitors, which were accepted with -more thanks.</p> - -<p>At a few minutes before four, the principal and a small party, including -not more than half a dozen<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_316" id="Page_316">[Pg 316]</a></span> of the students, went on board of the Lily. -A little later, the gallant captain of the Sylph escorted Miss Lily -Bristol to the deck of the boat. Her appearance was the occasion of the -most tremendous applause on the part of the students and the crowd -assembled on shore. It was observed that the Chesterfields joined in -this demonstration, with a vigor which astonished their former foes.</p> - -<p>Captain Gildrock gave certain orders, which were followed by the sound -of hammers as the hands knocked away the wedges. The principal raised -his hand, which was followed by one discharge of a cannon. At this -instant the hull began to move very slowly. Assisted by Captain -Dornwood, Lily Bristol ascended to the heel of the bowsprit with a -bottle in her hand.</p> - -<p>What this bottle contained no one but the captain knew. According to -tradition and custom, it ought to be filled with wine; but the principal -was a very strong, practical temperance man. However, as the contents of -the bottle were to be dashed into the lake, it did not much matter what -they were.</p> - -<p>The velocity of the moving hull increased as she descended the inclined -plane; and as soon as she<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_317" id="Page_317">[Pg 317]</a></span> was under full headway, Lily broke the bottle -over the bow of the schooner.</p> - -<p>"I give to this vessel the name of Lily, and may she be prosperous on -the element to which she belongs," said she.</p> - -<p>Then the band struck up "Hail to the Chief," and all the students and -everybody else yelled and applauded with all their might. The ladies -waved their handkerchiefs, and a salvo of artillery followed. The Lily -struck the water, and ploughed her way nearly to the other side of the -lake, where she was brought up by the lines attached to her. She rested -on the water as gracefully as a swan, and as soon as she was fairly -afloat, another series of ringing cheers saluted her.</p> - -<p>The Sylph, under the charge of the first officer, immediately fastened -to her, and she was towed to her berth at the wharf, where she was to -remain until the next school year began, in September. But the visitors -were eager to examine her, and an arrangement was made by which all who -desired could pass on board, make the circuit of her deck and then leave -without causing an uncomfortable crowd. Through the cabin doors and the -opening for the skylight they could see something<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_318" id="Page_318">[Pg 318]</a></span> of the cabin, while -the fore-scuttle gave a partial view of the cook-room.</p> - -<p>The young officers and crew of the Sylph told their friends they should -see her after she was rigged, her sails bent on, and the cabin and -cook-room were furnished. There could be no doubt, so far as the -students were concerned, that the young ladies who gushed so prettily -over the craft would be invited to sail in her.</p> - -<p>With this great event ended the second school year of the Beech Hill -Industrial School. The students were certainly satisfied with the -experience they had had there, and, notwithstanding the sharpness of the -discipline, they had only pleasant memories of the past. Those who had -been there two years were well prepared to earn their own living. Though -none of the machinists or carpenters could be called finished workmen, -they were skilled enough to obtain moderate wages. It would require more -years of study and practice to make them into first-class mechanics.</p> - -<p>None of them had yet completed the course of instruction, though the -needs of their parents compelled seven of them to leave the school and -assist in supporting families. By this time the reputation of the school -had been established, and there<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_319" id="Page_319">[Pg 319]</a></span> were applications for three times as -many young men to work as engineers, carpenters, and machinists. Good -places were secured for those who were obliged to leave.</p> - -<p>Three of them were to run stationary engines, one was to work as a -carpenter, and three more were to learn trades for which their education -had fitted them to a considerable degree. The principal had given them a -lecture on the subject of wages, in which he bluntly told them that they -could not expect full wages, for they were not competent to earn them. -They were not yet physically able to do the work of a man, and they were -not competent to do all that would be required of them in their several -trades and callings. They had learned a great deal, and had acquired -considerable dexterity; but if they were judged by what they did not -know, they would stand as weak vessels. No man ever learned out in his -trade, and the time never came when there was nothing more to learn.</p> - -<p>A certain very wise man, as men are measured, declared that he had only -learned enough to realize what a fool he was. The principal told the -graduates that one of their greatest perils was that of knowing too -much. Modesty in regard to<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_320" id="Page_320">[Pg 320]</a></span> the measurement of their own skill and -knowledge was essential to them. It was better that others should find -out how much they knew rather than themselves.</p> - -<p>On Monday morning the Sylph went up the lake with the examiners and -others who were to spend their vacations at home. In the afternoon she -went down the lake with those who were going in that direction, and the -ship's company was considerably smaller when the steamer returned to -Beech Hill.</p> - -<p>Mr. Bristol went on the afternoon trip, for Corny Minkfield and John -Brattle, the engineers, were to be left at Burlington. Mr. Jepson was -privately instructed by the principal to test his qualifications. It -appeared that while he had but little scientific knowledge, he was as -competent to run an engine as the majority of those who were employed in -this capacity.</p> - -<p>"I confess, Mr. Bristol, that I am very much interested in your family, -and I shall be glad to retain you at the school," said Captain Gildrock. -"I find that Mr. Jepson's duty in connection with the running of the -engines in the shops interferes with his usefulness as an instructor. I -shall relieve him entirely of the laborious task he has<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_321" id="Page_321">[Pg 321]</a></span> hitherto -performed in the most faithful manner, for he is too valuable as a -teacher to have any of his time wasted. I shall appoint you as engineer -of the shops, though you are to serve in the steamer when required."</p> - -<p>"I thank you, sir, with all my heart," replied Mr. Bristol. "You have -done so much for my family, that I already owe you a debt of gratitude I -could never repay."</p> - -<p>"What I have done has afforded me as much pleasure as it has the members -of the family," added the principal.</p> - -<p>"The moving of the cottage was the greatest and the most timely thing -that ever was done. But, Captain Gildrock, I saved considerable money, -for a poor man, and I should like to buy a lot of land for my wife's -cottage, and put a cellar under it."</p> - -<p>"How do you like its present location?" asked the captain.</p> - -<p>"Paradise has no finer spot, sir."</p> - -<p>"Then I will give you a deed of the lot on which the house stands, -without any money, for it will be a great protection to my estate to -have your family in just that locality."</p> - -<p>Mr. Bristol was overwhelmed at this generous<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_322" id="Page_322">[Pg 322]</a></span> offer, and he accepted it -with a heart full of gratitude. During the vacation the house was raised -somewhat and a cellar put under it. The Topovers, who had troubled the -captain for years by their incursions, ceased to come in by the road to -the stone-quarries.</p> - -<p>Though it was vacation at Beech Hill, and only a very few of the boys, -who had no homes, remained during the summer months, there were some -lively times there. The instructors were all gone, but plenty of company -came from the cities. Almost every day there was some kind of an -excursion, and Mr. Bristol was available as engineer, so that the Sylph -was constantly in use.</p> - -<p>Captain Gildrock had another idea come into his fertile brain. The Lily -was so great a success that he decided to build a steam yacht about half -the length of the Sylph, and to have the engine constructed in the shops -by the students. He found they enjoyed their work more when they were -doing something which they could use when it was completed. However, he -did not say much about it.</p> - -<p>Dory Dornwood, though his uncle suggested a trip to New York, Niagara, -or Montreal, found more pleasure in staying at home, strange as it<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_323" id="Page_323">[Pg 323]</a></span> may -seem. Paul made himself useful as fireman or deck hand on board of the -steam yacht, or as a foremast hand in the Goldwing. Mrs. Bristol and -Lily were almost always passengers when either craft made an excursion, -and so were Mrs. Dornwood and Marian.</p> - -<p>The young captain of the Sylph spent a good deal of time at the cottage -on Hornet Point, possibly because he had conducted the enterprise of -transporting the structure from Sandy Point to its present locality. The -captain and Dory's mother laughed a great deal about his constant -visits, but as he never called the young lady anything but "Miss -Bristol," the visits were not regarded as dangerous for the present.</p> - -<p>Major Billcord and Walk sailed the Undine all over the lake, but she was -apt to give the Sylph a wide berth. The testimony of Tom Topover was not -considered sufficient to convict Walk of bribing him to capture Paul. -Certainly, Tom got the worst of it, and the magnate was content to let -the punishment of the son of toil go by default.</p> - -<p>The third school year opened as prosperously as either of its -predecessors, and the next volume of the series will doubtless contain -as many of the adventures of the students on the lake and <span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_324" id="Page_324">[Pg 324]</a></span>elsewhere as -the former ones, as well as complete the unfinished work on the Lily; -and, of course, the reader will find everything "All Taut" about the -schooner after they have finished "Rigging the Boat."</p> - -<hr /> - -<h2><i>OLIVER OPTIC'S BOOKS.</i></h2> - -<hr /> - -<div class="box3"> -<p class="bold2">ARMY AND NAVY STORIES.</p> - -<p class="center">Six Volumes. Illustrated. Per vol., $1.50.</p> - -<hr class="smler" /> - -<blockquote><p>1. THE SOLDIER BOY;<br /> -<span class="s3"> </span>Or, Tom Somers in the Army.<br /><br /> -2. THE SAILOR BOY;<br /> -<span class="s3"> </span>Or, Jack Somers in the Navy.<br /><br /> -3. THE YOUNG LIEUTENANT;<br /> -<span class="s3"> </span>Or, Adventures of an Army Officer.<br /><br /> -4. THE YANKEE MIDDY;<br /> -<span class="s3"> </span>Or, Adventures of a Navy Officer.<br /><br /> -5. FIGHTING JOE;<br /> -<span class="s3"> </span>Or, The Fortunes of a Staff Officer.<br /><br /> -6. BRAVE OLD SALT;<br /><span class="s3"> </span>Or, Life on the Quarter-Deck.</p></blockquote> - -<hr class="smler" /> - -<p>This series of six volumes recounts the adventures of two brothers, Tom -and Jack Somers, one in the army, the other in the navy, in the great -civil war. The romantic narratives the fortunes and exploits of the -brothers are thrilling in the extreme. Historical accuracy in the -recital of the great events of that period is strictly followed, and the -result is not only a library of entertaining volumes, but also the best -history of the civil war for young people ever written.</p></div> - -<hr /> - -<div class="box3"> -<p class="bold2">YOUNG AMERICA ABROAD.</p> - -<p class="center">FIRST SERIES.</p> - -<p class="center">A Library of Travel and Adventure in Foreign Lands. 16mo.<br />Illustrated by -Nast, Stevens, Perkins, and others. Per volume, $1.50.</p> - -<hr class="smler" /> - -<blockquote><p>1. OUTWARD BOUND;<br /> -<span class="s3"> </span>Or, Young America Afloat.<br /><br /> -2. SHAMROCK AND THISTLE;<br /> -<span class="s3"> </span>Or, Young America in Ireland and Scotland.<br /><br /> -3. RED CROSS;<br /> -<span class="s3"> </span>Or, Young America in England and Wales.<br /><br /> -4. DIKES AND DITCHES;<br /> -<span class="s3"> </span>Or, Young America in Holland and Belgium.<br /><br /> -5. PALACE AND COTTAGE;<br /> -<span class="s3"> </span>Or, Young America in France and Switzerland.<br /><br /> -6. DOWN THE RHINE;<br /><span class="s3"> </span>Or, Young America in Germany.</p></blockquote> - -<hr class="smler" /> - -<p>The story from its inception and through the twelve volumes (see <i>Second -Series</i>), is a bewitching one, while the information imparted, -concerning the countries of Europe and the isles of the sea, is not only -correct in every particular, but is told in a captivating style. "Oliver -Optic" will continue to be the boy's friend, and his pleasant books will -continue to be read by thousands of American boys. What a fine holiday -present either or both series of "Young America Abroad" would be for a -young friend! It would make a little library highly prized by the -recipient, and would not be an expensive one.—<i>Providence Press.</i></p></div> - -<hr /> - -<div class="box3"> -<p class="bold2">YOUNG AMERICA ABROAD.</p> - -<p class="center">SECOND SERIES.</p> - -<p class="center">A Library of Travel and Adventure in Foreign Lands. 16mo.<br />Illustrated by -Nast, Stevens, Perkins, and others.<br />Per volume, $1.50.</p> - -<hr class="smler" /> - -<blockquote><p> -<span class="s3"> </span>Or, Young America in Norway, Sweden, and Denmark.<br /> -<br /> -2. NORTHERN LANDS;<br /> -<span class="s3"> </span>Or, Young America in Russia and Prussia.<br /> -<br /> -3. CROSS AND CRESCENT;<br /> -<span class="s3"> </span>Or, Young America in Turkey and Greece.<br /> -<br /> -4. SUNNY SHORES;<br /> -<span class="s3"> </span>Or, Young America in Italy and Austria.<br /> -<br /> -5. VINE AND OLIVE;<br /> -<span class="s3"> </span>Or, Young America in Spain and Portugal.<br /> -<br /> -6. ISLES OF THE SEA;<br /> -<span class="s3"> </span>Or, Young America Homeward Bound.</p></blockquote> - -<hr class="smler" /> - -<p>"Oliver Optic" is a <i>nom de plume</i> that is known and loved by almost -every boy of intelligence in the land. We have seen a highly -intellectual and world-weary man, a cynic whose heart was somewhat -imbittered by its large experience of human nature, take up one of -Oliver Optic's books and read it at a sitting, neglecting his work in -yielding to the fascination of the pages. When a mature and exceedingly -well-informed mind, long despoiled of all its freshness, can thus find -pleasure in a book for boys, no additional words of recommendation are -needed.—<i>Sunday Times.</i></p></div> - -<hr /> - -<div class="box3"> -<p class="bold2">WOODVILLE STORIES.</p> - -<p class="center">Uniform with Library for Young People. Six vols. 16mo.<br />Illustrated. Per -vol., $1.25.</p> - -<hr class="smler" /> - -<blockquote><p>1. RICH AND HUMBLE;<br /> -<span class="s3"> </span>Or, The Mission of Bertha Grant.<br /><br /> -2. IN SCHOOL AND OUT;<br /> -<span class="s3"> </span>Or, The Conquest of Richard Grant.<br /><br /> -3. WATCH AND WAIT;<br /> -<span class="s3"> </span>Or, The Young Fugitives.<br /><br /> -4. WORK AND WIN;<br /> -<span class="s3"> </span>Or, Noddy Newman on a Cruise.<br /><br /> -5. HOPE AND HAVE;<br /> -<span class="s3"> </span>Or, Fanny Grant among the Indians.<br /><br /> -6. HASTE AND WASTE;<br /> -<span class="s3"> </span>Or, The Young Pilot of Lake Champlain.</p></blockquote> - -<hr class="smler" /> - -<p>Though we are not so young as we once were, we relished these stories -almost as much as the boys and girls for whom they were written. They -were really refreshing even to us. There is much in them which is -calculated to inspire a generous, healthy ambition, and to make -distasteful all reading tending to stimulate base desires.—<i>Fitchburg -Reveille.</i></p></div> - -<hr /> - -<div class="box3"> -<p class="bold2">THE STARRY FLAG SERIES.</p> - -<p class="center">Six volumes. Illustrated. Per vol., $1.25.</p> - -<hr class="smler" /> - -<blockquote><p>1. THE STARRY FLAG;<br /> -<span class="s3"> </span>Or, The Young Fisherman of Cape Ann.<br /><br /> -2. BREAKING AWAY;<br /> -<span class="s3"> </span>Or, The Fortunes of a Student.<br /><br /> -3. SEEK AND FIND;<br /> -<span class="s3"> </span>Or, The Adventures of a Smart Boy.<br /><br /> -4. FREAKS OF FORTUNE;<br /> -<span class="s3"> </span>Or, Half Round the World.<br /><br /> -5. MAKE OR BREAK;<br /> -<span class="s3"> </span>Or, The Rich Man's Daughter.<br /><br /> -6. DOWN THE RIVER;<br /> -<span class="s3"> </span>Or, Buck Bradford and the Tyrants.</p></blockquote> - -<hr class="smler" /> - -<p>Mr. Adams, the celebrated and popular writer, familiarly known as -"Oliver Optic," seems to have inexhaustible funds for weaving together -the virtues of life; and notwithstanding he has written scores of books, -the same freshness and novelty runs through them all. Some people think -the sensational element predominates. Perhaps it does. But a book for -young people needs this; and so long as good sentiments are inculcated -such books ought to be read.—<i>Pittsburg Gazette.</i></p></div> - -<hr /> - -<div class="box3"> -<p class="bold2">THE ONWARD AND UPWARD</p> - -<p class="bold">SERIES.</p> - -<p class="center">Complete in six volumes. Illustrated. In neat box.<br />Per volume, $1.25.</p> - -<hr class="smler" /> - -<blockquote><p>1. FIELD AND FOREST;<br /> -<span class="s3"> </span>Or, The Fortunes of a Farmer.<br /><br /> -2. PLANE AND PLANK;<br /> -<span class="s3"> </span>Or, The Mishaps of a Mechanic.<br /><br /> -3. DESK AND DEBIT;<br /> -<span class="s3"> </span>Or, The Catastrophes of a Clerk.<br /><br /> -4. CRINGLE AND CROSS-TREE;<br /> -<span class="s3"> </span>Or, The Sea Swashes of a Sailor.<br /><br /> -5. BIVOUAC AND BATTLE;<br /> -<span class="s3"> </span>Or, The Struggles of a Soldier.<br /><br /> -6. SEA AND SHORE;<br /> -<span class="s3"> </span>Or, The Tramps of a Traveller.</p></blockquote> - -<hr class="smler" /> - -<p>Paul Farringford, the hero of these tales, is, like most of this -author's heroes, a young man of high spirit, and of high aims and -correct principles, appearing in the different volumes as a farmer, a -captain, a bookkeeper, a soldier, a sailor, and a traveller. In all of -them the hero meets with very exciting adventures, told in the graphic -style for which the author is famous.—<i>Native.</i></p></div> - -<hr /> - -<div class="box3"> -<p class="bold2">FAMOUS "BOAT-CLUB" SERIES.</p> - -<p class="center">Library for Young People. Six volumes, handsomely illustrated.<br />Per -volume, $1.25.</p> - -<hr class="smler" /> - -<blockquote><p>1. THE BOAT CLUB;<br /> -<span class="s3"> </span>Or, The Bunkers of Rippleton.<br /><br /> -2. ALL ABOARD;<br /> -<span class="s3"> </span>Or, Life on the Lake.<br /><br /> -3. NOW OR NEVER;<br /> -<span class="s3"> </span>Or, The Adventures of Bobby Bright.<br /><br /> -4. TRY AGAIN;<br /> -<span class="s3"> </span>Or, The Trials and Triumphs of Harry West.<br /><br /> -5. POOR AND PROUD;<br /> -<span class="s3"> </span>Or, The Fortunes of Katy Redburn.<br /><br /> -6. LITTLE BY LITTLE;<br /> -<span class="s3"> </span>Or, The Cruise of the Flyaway.</p></blockquote> - -<hr class="smler" /> - -<p>This is the first series of books written for the young by "Oliver -Optic." It laid the foundation for his fame as the first of authors in -which the young delight, and gained for him the title of the Prince of -Story-Tellers. The six books are varied in incident and plot, but all -are entertaining and original.</p></div> - -<hr /> - -<div class="box3"> -<p class="bold2">THE GREAT WESTERN</p> - -<p class="bold">SERIES.</p> - -<p class="center">Six Volumes. Illustrated. Per vol., $1.50.</p> - -<hr class="smler" /> - -<blockquote><p>1. GOING WEST;<br /> -<span class="s3"> </span>Or, The Perils of a Poor Boy.<br /><br /> -2. OUT WEST;<br /> -<span class="s3"> </span>Or, Roughing it on the Great Lakes.<br /><br /> -3. LAKE BREEZES;<br /> -<span class="s3"> </span>Or, The Cruise of the Sylvania.<br /><br /> -4. GOING SOUTH;<br /> -<span class="s3"> </span>Or, Yachting on the Atlantic Coast.<br /><br /> -5. DOWN SOUTH;<br /> -<span class="s3"> </span>Or, Yacht Adventures in Florida. (In Press.)<br /><br /> -6. UP THE RIVER;<br /> -<span class="s3"> </span>Or, Yachting on the Mississippi. (In Press.)</p></blockquote> - -<hr class="smler" /> - -<p>This is the latest series of books issued by this popular writer, and -deals with Life on the Great Lakes, for which a careful study was made -by the author in a summer tour of the immense water sources of America. -The story, which carries the same hero through the six books of the -series, is always entertaining, novel scenes and varied incidents giving -a constantly changing, yet always attractive aspect to the narrative. -"Oliver Optic" has written nothing better.</p></div> - -<hr /> - -<div class="box3"> -<p class="bold2">YACHT CLUB SERIES.</p> - -<p class="center">Uniform with the ever popular "Boat Club," Series, Completed<br />in six -vols. 16mo. Illustrated. Per vol., $1.50.</p> - -<hr class="smler" /> - -<blockquote><p>1. LITTLE BOBTAIL;<br /> -<span class="s3"> </span>Or, The Wreck of the Penobscot.<br /><br /> -2. THE YACHT CLUB;<br /> -<span class="s3"> </span>Or, The Young Boat-Builders.<br /><br /> -3. MONEY-MAKER;<br /> -<span class="s3"> </span>Or, The Victory of the Basilisk.<br /><br /> -4. THE COMING WAVE;<br /> -<span class="s3"> </span>Or, The Treasure of High Rock.<br /><br /> -5. THE DORCAS CLUB;<br /> -<span class="s3"> </span>Or, Our Girls Afloat.<br /><br /> -6. OCEAN BORN;<br /> -<span class="s3"> </span>Or, The Cruise of the Clubs.</p></blockquote> - -<hr class="smler" /> - -<p>The series has this peculiarity, that all of its constituent volumes are -independent of one another, and therefore each story is complete in -itself. "Oliver Optic" is perhaps the favorite author of the boys and -girls of this country, and he seems destined to enjoy an endless -popularity. He deserves his success, for he makes very interesting -stories, and inculcates none but the best sentiments; and the "Yacht -Club" is no exception to this rule.—<i>New Haven Jour. and Courier.</i></p></div> - -<hr /> - -<div class="box3"> -<p class="bold2">THE LAKE SHORE SERIES.</p> - -<p class="center">Six volumes. Illustrated. In neat box. Per vol., $1.25.</p> - -<hr class="smler" /> - -<blockquote><p>1. THROUGH BY DAYLIGHT;<br /> -<span style="margin-left: 3em;">Or, The Young Engineer of the Lake Shore Railroad.</span><br /> -<br /> -2. LIGHTNING EXPRESS;<br /> -<span class="s3"> </span>Or, The Rival Academies.<br /><br /> -3. ON TIME;<br /> -<span class="s3"> </span>Or, The Young Captain of the Ucayga Steamer<br /><br /> -4. SWITCH OFF;<br /> -<span class="s3"> </span>Or, The War of the Students.<br /><br /> -5. BRAKE-UP;<br /> -<span class="s3"> </span>Or, The Young Peacemakers.<br /><br /> -6. BEAR AND FORBEAR;<br /> -<span class="s3"> </span>Or, The Young Skipper of Lake Ucayga.</p></blockquote> - -<hr class="smler" /> - -<p>"Oliver Optic" is one of the most fascinating writers for youth, and -withal one of the best to be found in this or any past age. Troops of -young people hang over his vivid pages, and not one of them ever learned -to be mean, ignoble, cowardly, selfish, or to yield to any vice from -anything they ever read from his pen.—<i>Providence Press.</i></p></div> - -<hr /> - - - - - - - - -<pre> - - - - - -End of the Project Gutenberg EBook of Stem to Stern, by Oliver Optic - -*** END OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK STEM TO STERN *** - -***** This file should be named 52978-h.htm or 52978-h.zip ***** -This and all associated files of various formats will be found in: - http://www.gutenberg.org/5/2/9/7/52978/ - -Produced by Chris Curnow, Martin Pettit and the Online -Distributed Proofreading Team at http://www.pgdp.net (This -file was produced from images generously made available -by The Internet Archive) - -Updated editions will replace the previous one--the old editions will -be renamed. - -Creating the works from print editions not protected by U.S. copyright -law means that no one owns a United States copyright in these works, -so the Foundation (and you!) can copy and distribute it in the United -States without permission and without paying copyright -royalties. 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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: Stem to Stern - or building the boat - -Author: Oliver Optic - -Release Date: September 4, 2016 [EBook #52978] - -Language: English - -Character set encoding: ASCII - -*** START OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK STEM TO STERN *** - - - - -Produced by Chris Curnow, Martin Pettit and the Online -Distributed Proofreading Team at http://www.pgdp.net (This -file was produced from images generously made available -by The Internet Archive) - - - - - - -OLIVER OPTIC'S - -BOAT-BUILDER SERIES. - - -STEM * TO * STERN. - -BOSTON, -LEE _AND_ SHEPARD -PUBLISHERS. - - -[Illustration: "Walk Billcord rushed out from the bushes."--Page 19.] - - -_THE BOAT-BUILDER SERIES_ - -STEM TO STERN - -OR - -BUILDING THE BOAT - -BY - -OLIVER OPTIC - - AUTHOR OF "YOUNG AMERICA ABROAD," "THE GREAT WESTERN SERIES," "THE - ARMY AND NAVY SERIES," "THE WOODVILLE SERIES," "THE STARRY-FLAG - SERIES," "THE BOAT-CLUB STORIES," "THE ONWARD AND - UPWARD SERIES," "THE YACHT-CLUB SERIES," "THE - LAKE-SHORE SERIES," "THE RIVERDALE SERIES," - "ALL ADRIFT," "SNUG HARBOR," - "SQUARE AND COMPASSES," - ETC., ETC. - -With Illustrations - -BOSTON - -LEE AND SHEPARD PUBLISHERS - -NEW YORK CHARLES T. DILLINGHAM -1886 - - -_Copyright, 1885_, -BY WILLIAM T. ADAMS. - -_All Rights Reserved._ - -STEM TO STERN. - - -ELECTROTYPED BY -C. J. PETERS & SON, BOSTON. - - -TO - -MY ADOPTED "NEVVY," - -JOHN S. SHRIVER - -OF BALTIMORE, - -THIS BOOK IS AFFECTIONATELY DEDICATED. - - - - -The Boat-Builder Series. - - 1. ALL ADRIFT; OR, THE GOLDWING CLUB. - - 2. SNUG HARBOR; OR, THE CHAMPLAIN MECHANICS. - - 3. SQUARE AND COMPASSES; OR, BUILDING THE HOUSE. - - 4. STEM TO STERN; OR, BUILDING THE BOAT. - - 5. ALL TAUT; OR, RIGGING THE BOAT. - - 6. READY ABOUT; OR, SAILING THE BOAT. - - - - -PREFACE. - - -"STEM TO STERN" is the fourth volume of the "BOAT-BUILDER SERIES." Most -of the characters connected with the Beech Hill Industrial School -continue to take part in the action of the story. Like its predecessors, -a considerable portion of the work is devoted to business and mechanical -information. The writer finds it quite impracticable to give as minute -directions for the building of a boat as a few of his young readers may -desire, for the entire volume would hardly afford sufficient space for -all the details of planning and constructing a yacht. But he has -endeavored to impart some information in a general way in regard to -shipbuilding, and has indicated in what manner the ambitious young -boat-builder may obtain the amplest instruction in this difficult art. -It is necessary to assure his young friends that, with all the -book-knowledge it is possible to obtain on the subject, it will require -a great deal of skill and not a little scientific and technical learning -to enable him to construct anything more elaborate than an ordinary -flatboat. Nothing but assiduous practice can procure the skill, and -nothing but hard study the geometrical and technical details of the art. - -As in the preceding volumes of the series, "STEM TO STERN" is largely a -story of adventure on Lake Champlain and its shores. A new character is -introduced as the leading spirit of the story, whose struggles with the -difficulties in his life-path can hardly fail to interest the young -reader. Though he is peaceful and submissive under ordinary -circumstances, with none of the swellish importance of many boys of his -years, he is not a milk-and-water youth, and has pluck and strength -enough to "stand up" for those whom misfortune has placed under his -protection. - -Although the two remaining volumes of the series are especially devoted -to rigging and sailing a boat, the present and the preceding books -incidentally treat of these subjects. While so many young men on the -sea, lakes and rivers seem to inherit or early acquire a taste for boats -and boating, it is important that they should understand the theory of -managing a sailing craft, though nothing but intelligent practice can -make a competent "skipper." With such knowledge and skill, boat-sailing -is a safe, as well as a healthy and improving sport. - -As in former volumes, the writer has endeavored to interest his young -readers in mechanical operations and pursuits; and he hopes the series -will contribute its mite in influencing boys to respect manual labor and -to adopt it as a pastime or the business of life. - -DORCHESTER, MASS., August 17, 1885. - - - - -CONTENTS. - - -CHAPTER I. - PAGE -LILY BRISTOL AND HER TORMENTOR 13 - -CHAPTER II. - -THE SON OF TOIL FIGHTS HIS OWN BATTLE 25 - -CHAPTER III. - -THE FINAL MANDATE OF MAJOR BILLCORD 35 - -CHAPTER IV. - -THE ABSENCE OF THE TRUANT DRAGON 45 - -CHAPTER V. - -THE GOLDWING AT SANDY POINT 55 - -CHAPTER VI. - -A CALL FOR ALL HANDS AT BEECH HILL 65 - -CHAPTER VII. - -AN EXPEDITION BY MOONLIGHT 75 - -CHAPTER VIII. - -A CHANGE OF LOCATION 85 - -CHAPTER IX. - -THE JANITOR OF THE BOAT-HOUSE 95 - -CHAPTER X. - -A LECTURE ON SHIP-BUILDING 105 - -CHAPTER XI. - -ROUGH WATER ON LAKE CHAMPLAIN 117 - -CHAPTER XII. - -A SAILBOAT IN THE TROUGH OF THE SEA 126 - -CHAPTER XIII. - -THE DISASTER TO THE SILVER MOON 135 - -CHAPTER XIV. - -THE WORK OF AN INCOMPETENT SKIPPER 145 - -CHAPTER XV. - -"ROLL ON, SILVER MOON" 155 - -CHAPTER XVI. - -DORY DORNWOOD GIVES A LESSON IN BOAT-SAILING 167 - -CHAPTER XVII. - -THE MISSION OF THE SIX RUFFIANS 176 - -CHAPTER XVIII. - -THE RESULT OF AN UNEQUAL CONFLICT 186 - -CHAPTER XIX. - -A DEADLOCK AT THE HEAD OF THE BAY 196 - -CHAPTER XX. - -THE REBELLIOUS SKIPPER OF THE SLOOP 206 - -CHAPTER XXI. - -AN OUTRAGE IN THE STANDING-ROOM OF THE SLOOP 216 - -CHAPTER XXII. - -AN INVITATION TO SANDY POINT 226 - -CHAPTER XXIII. - -THE PROCEEDINGS AT SANDY POINT 236 - -CHAPTER XXIV. - -THE STUDENTS DECIDE "WHAT'S IN A NAME" 246 - -CHAPTER XXV. - -BUILDING THE BOAT 256 - -CHAPTER XXVI. - -THAT CUNNING TOM TOPOVER 266 - -CHAPTER XXVII. - -THE BRILLIANT STRATEGY OF THE BRUISER 276 - -CHAPTER XXVIII. - -A HARD BATTLE AT SANDY POINT 286 - -CHAPTER XXIX. - -THE ENGINEER OF THE UNDINE 296 - -CHAPTER XXX. - -LAUNCHING THE BOAT 312 - - - - -STEM TO STERN; - -OR, - -BUILDING THE BOAT. - - - - -CHAPTER I. - -LILY BRISTOL AND HER TORMENTOR. - - -"I don't want anybody to row for me, Mr. Walker; I came out to take a -little exercise, and I can do it best when I am all alone," said Miss -Lily Bristol to a young gentleman of about eighteen who stood on the -sandy beach. - -"But it will be a good deal more sociable to have company," replied Walk -Billcord with a smile and a smirk. - -Lily Bristol had the reputation of being a very pretty girl, and fame -had not exaggerated her beauty. She was very plainly dressed, but she -was as neat as though she had just come out of the bureau-drawer. She -was seated in a rude flatboat, with a pair of oars in her hands, which -she seemed to know how to use. - -The boat was only a rod or two from the end of Sandy Point, at the -southern side of the entrance to a bay with the same name. It was in the -spring of the year, and the water in Lake Champlain was at its highest. - -Hardly more than a rod from the point where the rippling waves sported -with the bright sand was a small and lightly-built cottage. It contained -two rooms on the lower floor, with two small attic chambers over them. -The structure rested on posts set in the sand, and looked as light and -airy as a bird-cage. - -This cottage was the home of Peter Bristol, or, rather, of his wife and -two children; for the father of the family had been away for two years, -seeking to better his impaired fortunes. Peter had always been a poor -man, and was always likely to be. He had been a sort of -Jack-at-all-trades, not particularly good at any. He had been a fireman -on a railroad, a farm-hand, a general jobber; he had tried his hand at -almost everything without much success. - -Major Billcord owned all the land near Sandy Point. Some years before, -he had taken it into his head that the high ground in the rear of Sandy -Bay would be an excellent site for a hotel. Some of his friends did not -agree with him, and assured him that a hotel could not live in this -location. - -But the major was an obstinate man, and had his own way. He erected a -structure of fifty rooms, with the intention of adding a hundred more -after the first season. But for half a dozen reasons the hotel was a -dreary failure. It never contained more than half a score of guests at -any one time. - -Included in this small number was Colonel Buckmill, who was then looking -for a suitable site for an academy. The owner of the estate would not -admit that the hotel was a failure, but he hinted that the building -might be obtained for the school. It exactly suited Colonel Buckmill, -and a bargain was soon made for a lease of it. In this manner the -Sunnyside Hotel became the Chesterfield Collegiate Institute in the -autumn of the same year. - -Of course, one of the attractions of the Sunnyside was to be boating on -the lake, and Major Billcord provided two sailboats and some rowboats; -and Peter Bristol, who Was a good boatman, was engaged to take care of -the boats, and act as skipper when required. The poor man, taking his -cue from his employer, believed he had fallen upon a bonanza. His -fortune was made, and the rest of his days would be spent at Sandy -Point. - -His wife had over three hundred dollars in her own right in a savings -bank, which she was willing to put into a house, and the cottage on the -point was built. The family moved into it, and were delighted with the -situation, though it was a rather dismal place in the winter. Peter was -to have half the money derived from letting the boats; but he soon found -that he had nothing to do. The few guests did not care to row or sail. - -The boatman had no rent to pay, for the major had given him permission -to put his house on the point without charge; but he found it was very -hard work to get enough for his family to eat. Lily obtained work in -Westport, and Paul attended to the boats while his father worked at -haying, and they got through the season. But the dream of fortune had -collapsed. - -Peter Bristol was discouraged, and went to New York to find work. He -obtained no situation, and shipped for the West Indies. A letter from -him informed his family that he was at work on a plantation, and he -hoped to do well after a while. Since that, nothing had been heard from -him in two years. - -Paul obtained a little work at the institute, and Lily kept her place in -Westport; so that the family had worried along until the daughter lost -her situation for the want of sufficient work at the store in which she -was employed. Then it was difficult even to obtain enough to eat. Paul -did his best, and allowed himself to be bullied and kicked by the -gentlemanly students of the institute, while he could make an occasional -quarter. - -Major Billcord lived in Westport, and his son had lately become a pupil -in the institute. He was older than most of the students, and was a wild -young fellow. In the early spring he had seen Lily Bristol. He agreed -with others who had seen her that she was a remarkably pretty girl, and -he had made frequent visits to Sandy Point. - -"I prefer to be in the boat alone," Lily replied to the young -gentleman's remark that it would be more sociable to have company. - -"But I want to see you, Lily, and have a talk with you," persisted -Walker Billcord. - -"I will see you at the cottage if you desire," answered Lily. - -"But I wish to see you alone." - -"You cannot see me alone, sir," replied the pretty maiden with a great -deal of spirit. - -"What's the reason I can't? I shall not hurt you. I think I know how to -behave like a gentleman." - -"Perhaps you do," added Lily rather doubtfully, for Walk Billcord's -reputation was none of the best. - -"If you will come to the shore, I will row you all about the bay," Walk -insisted. "I will make it as pleasant for you as possible." - -"No, I thank you," replied the damsel decidedly. - -"What's the matter with you? I hope you don't think I mean to do you any -harm." - -"I am not afraid of you, but I choose to be alone in the boat." - -With this she pulled away from the shore, though he continued to call -out to her as long as she was within hearing. She did not like the young -man at all, but rather despised than feared him. He had often thrown -himself in her way, and exerted himself to please her. She was civil to -him, and that was all. - -Lily remained in the boat, pulling about the little bay for over an -hour. Walk had stood upon the beach for at least half an hour, waiting -for her return to the shore. Then he had retired, and the fair maiden -supposed he had gone back to the institute. When she had taken all the -air and exercise she thought she needed, she rowed back to the shore. -Just as she had driven the bow of the flatboat as far as she could on -the sand, Walk Billcord rushed out from the bushes, where he had -concealed himself, and prevented her from getting out of the boat. - -She had put the oars under the thwarts, and arranged everything inside -of the boat, which had delayed her a few moments. But as soon as she saw -her tormentor running to the waterside, she attempted to leap out of the -boat. - -"No, you don't, my pretty maiden!" exclaimed Walk, as he seized her by -the shoulders, and crowded her back to her seat in the stern. - -Under the impetus of the force applied to her by the young man, Lily -dropped into the seat, and was obliged to grasp the gunwale of the boat -to avoid being thrown into the water. The fair face of the young lady -was flushed with anger, as well it might have been, for she had not -suspected that her tormentor would resort to violence. - -She was not inclined to submit quietly to the will of Walk, for she -immediately drew out one of the oars from under the thwarts, and poised -it in the air, as though she intended to defeat the intentions of the -reckless young gentleman even by meeting force with force. - -Walk Billcord stood for a moment holding on at the prow of the boat, as -though he was undecided as to his next step. Doubtless he felt that he -had already passed the bounds of propriety, and appeared to be -considering whether it was prudent to proceed any further. A glance at -the glowing and indignant face of Lily increased his interest in the -adventure, and he was not willing to leave her in the moment of her -heightened beauty. - -Lily was the daughter of a poor dependent of his father: at least, he so -regarded her, and thought he had some right to subject her to his own -whim. He wanted to row her about the bay, and talk with her; and this -was the extent of his present wishes. It was only a "bit of a lark," a -harmless pleasantry, on his part, as he afterward explained it, and he -had not the slightest intention of injuring her. - -The fair maiden did not regard herself as a proper subject for the young -gentleman's pleasantry, and she was prepared to bring down the blade of -the oar upon his head if the occasion should require. In the attitude of -defence she waited for his next demonstration. The upraised oar rather -tempted Walk to proceed, and he pushed the bow of the boat from the -sand, springing into the foresheets as he did so. - -As this was not a direct assault upon her, Lily did not bring down the -oar upon his head, as she would under greater provocation, but she -dropped it into the water at the stern of the boat. The water was shoal; -and, setting the blade upon the sand at the bottom, she dexterously -whirled the craft about, bringing the stern within a few feet of the dry -sands on the shore. - -Mr. Walk Billcord did not object to this movement, as it was necessary -to head the boat away from the shore; but he deemed it prudent to secure -the other oar before his fair companion could do so. He stooped down and -got hold of the blade end of it. It required a little tact to remove it -from its position under the thwarts; and, while he was engaged in doing -it, Lily gave the oar another push, forcing the boat close up to the -shore. - -Without waiting for her tormentor to get the second oar over the forward -thwart, she leaped lightly upon the dry sand, effecting her landing -without wetting the soles of her shoes. She still held the oar in her -hand, and stood on the shore, waiting for the next move of her -unwelcome companion. - -She was too proud to run away from such a contemptible being as she -considered Mr. Walk Billcord. She looked as though she felt abundantly -able to defend herself from any attack on the part of the unmanly -persecutor. She evidently believed that he had no serious intention to -harm her, but was simply making her the sport of his whim. - -The moment she leaped ashore, Walk realized that she had got the better -of him. Whatever he intended, he did not like to be outdone by a feeble -girl. It was not pleasant for him, even in fun, to be outwitted by a -weak maiden. He felt that he had not been smart, and he was annoyed at -the situation. His vanity demanded that he should do something to get -"even" with his intended victim. - -The confident look and attitude of Lily on the shore disconcerted him, -and invited further action on his part. He had not yet obtained -possession of the oar, for it had to be shoved back before it could be -passed over the forward thwart. But he had no present need of the -implement, and he abandoned it to survey the position of Lily. He -interpreted her looks and attitude as a defiance. - -The boat, detached from the sand, was floating away from the shore. -With a long leap he planted his feet on the land, and the effect of his -movement was to drive the boat farther from the beach. A gentle breeze -from the westward was driving it farther away, and Lily saw that it -would soon be out of her reach. - -She rushed to the water's edge, and, reaching out as far as she could, -she succeeded in placing the end of the blade on the prow. She began to -draw the truant craft toward the shore, when Walk put himself at her -side. He took the oar from her hand, and pulled the craft up till its -bottom grated on the sand. - -Lily took a stick, and tried to get hold of the painter. As soon as she -had it in her hand, Walk took it from her. He not only took the rope, -but the hand which held it. He grasped her wrist with one hand, while he -tried to drag the boat ashore with the other. He soon found that he had -his hands full, both literally and figuratively. - -Lily attempted to shake him off; but Walk tightened his hold upon her -wrist, though he had to drop the painter of the boat, which, having no -hold upon the land, began to float off into the open lake. The fair -maiden turned and twisted in her efforts to escape, but the young -ruffian held on like a vise. - -In a moment or two she was exhausted with the violence of her exertions, -and by this time she was thoroughly frightened. Very likely Walk had no -worse intentions than at first, and was simply engaged in the business -of getting "even" with the weak maiden who had outwitted him. - -"What do you mean, you wretch? Let go of me!" gasped Lily, her chest -heaving with terror and emotion. - -"Don't make a fuss, my pretty one; I will not harm you," replied Walk. - -"Let go of me, Mr. Billcord! I thought you claimed to be a gentleman! -Let go, or I will scream," panted Lily. - -"I only want to take a little row with you, and I shall, you may depend -upon that," added Walk, picking up the oar which had fallen on the -beach. "Don't make a fuss, and I won't hurt you." - -But Lily again renewed the struggle with all her might. Just at that -moment, Paul Bristol and his mother came out of the cottage. The boy was -a stout youth of fifteen, and, the moment he saw what was going on, he -broke into a run. - - - - -CHAPTER II. - -THE SON OF TOIL FIGHTS HIS OWN BATTLE. - - -Paul Bristol seemed to have made only a couple of bounds before he had -covered the distance between the cottage and the shore. He saw his -sister struggling to release herself from the grasp of Walk Billcord. -All the indignation Nature had portioned out to him was roused, and he -did not stop to ask any questions. He did not even utter a word of -warning or reproach. - -His two fists were clinched in hard knots before he reached the scene of -the encounter, and, without waiting to consider the situation, he -planted a blow with his right fist between the two eyes of his sister's -persecutor, and then did the same with the left. The effect was instant -and decisive. Walk went over backwards upon the sand, and his hold upon -the fair maiden was released. - -By this time Mrs. Bristol had come to the spot, and, putting her arm -around her panting, trembling daughter, she led her to the cottage -without taking note of the result of the battle, though she could not -help seeing that the tormentor had been vanquished in the first -onslaught. - -Walk Billcord was utterly astonished as well as effectually upset. Paul -Bristol had always been meek and subservient in his dealings with the -students, and no one could have suspected that there was anything like a -claw in his hard paws. If Mr. Walker was astonished the first moment -after his unexpected fall, he was indignant and boiling over with wrath -the second. - -Though it was probable that both of the young gentleman's eyes had been -put into mourning for the coming week, he was not otherwise damaged, and -he leaped to his feet as soon as he could realize what had happened. He -saw that he had been struck down by one whom he had always regarded as a -son of toil,--a sort of cur about the premises of the institute. His -blood boiled, and, without a word of any kind, he proceeded to "pitch -into" his late assailant with all the physical vigor he could bring to -bear upon him. - -Paul warded off the wild blows aimed at him, and soon planted one of his -own on the end of the young gentleman's nose, which caused the blood to -flow in a stream from that organ. But Walk did not mind this little -incident, though Paul was rather startled to see what he had done. The -latter was inclined to deal as gently as he could with his gentlemanly -opponent; but he found it necessary to defend himself from the impetuous -charges of Walk. In doing so he delivered a hard hit, which carried his -foe to the ground again. - -The young gentleman was not yet satisfied, though he realized that he -was not a match for his toil-hardened opponent. He sprang to his feet -once more, out of breath, but unwilling to yield a hair to such an -assailant. Grasping the stick Lily had used to haul in the boat, he -again rushed upon Paul, and aimed a blow at his head; but Paul retreated -a few steps, and picked up the oar which had dropped on the beach. - -Paul Bristol was entirely cool, now that his sister was no longer in -peril, and he began to realize that a quarrel with the son of the -proprietor of the domain was a very serious matter. With the oar he -warded off the blows of his insane adversary, and this was all he wished -to do. He could easily have "laid him out" again, but the fear of -consequences kept him within bounds. - -Walk exhausted himself to no purpose. He could not hit his opponent, and -his strength and his wind were soon used up. He drew back a little, and -fixed a savage gaze upon his stalwart enemy. He panted like a wild beast -at bay, and his blood boiled all the more because he could accomplish -nothing. - -"I'll settle you yet, Paul Bristol!" exclaimed Walk as he stepped down -to the edge of the water and began to wash the blood from his face. - -"I'm settled now," replied Paul calmly. "I have had enough of it, and I -should like to stop where we are." - -"You won't stop where we are, not till I have beaten you to a jelly. I -shall break every bone in your dirty carcass before I get through with -you," gasped Walk, struggling for an even supply of breath. - -"When I say I have got enough of it, that ought to end the affair," -added Paul with a cheerful smile on his face. - -"I don't care what you say; you haven't got enough. You have given me -two sore eyes and a bloody nose, and you haven't got anything to balance -it," growled Walk. "I mean to break your head, and then I will call it -square." - -"But I don't want my head broken, if it is all the same to you," replied -Paul, leaning on the oar. "My head is of some use to me, and it would -not be pleasant to have it broken." - -"You began it, and you shall have enough of it before we are done," -added Walk, beginning to breathe a little more freely. - -"I began it?" queried Paul with the same cheerful smile. "I don't think -so, and I should like to argue the question with you." - -"Didn't you hit me first, you nunkhead?" demanded Walk. - -"Didn't you lay hold of my sister first, and frighten her half out of -her wits?" - -"I didn't hurt her, and I was only fooling with her." - -"Fooling with her! That's just what I was doing with you. I was only -fooling with you, Mr. Walker." - -"I don't like that sort of fooling, you speckled cur!" - -"My sister didn't like your sort of fooling any better than you like -mine. But, if you want to stop fooling, now is a good time to begin." - -"I will stop when I get even with you, and not before," snapped Walk. -"You struck the first blow, and I mean to strike the last." - -By this time the young gentleman had fairly recovered his wind, but -nothing like coolness had come over his temper. Dropping the stick, he -rushed upon Paul again with his naked fists. He was savage, and the -boatman's son soon found that he could not passively defend himself, and -the result was that Walk soon went under again. - -This disaster made him madder than ever, and when he rose from the beach -he seized the stick again, which Paul met with the oar. Paul liked this -way of carrying on the combat better than the other, for he could defend -himself without inflicting any injury on his furious opponent. - -While Walk was thus wearing himself out, a gentleman with a riding-whip -in his hand came out of the path through the woods. As soon as he -discovered what was going on upon the beach, he quickened his pace, and -reached the scene of the conflict at a sharp run. It was Major Billcord, -the father of Paul's wrathy opponent. - -"What does all this mean?" demanded the major when he had come within -speaking distance of the combatants. "How dare you strike my son with -that oar?" - -"I haven't struck him once with it," replied Paul, aghast at the -presence of the mighty proprietor of the domain. "I am only defending -myself, sir." - -"You have no business to defend yourself against my son, you dirty -puppy. How dare you lift a weapon against him?" stormed Major Billcord; -and to him there was only one side to the controversy, whatever it was. - -Walk had dropped his stick as soon as he heard the voice of his father, -and Paul had done the same with the oar. The latter felt that he had got -into a very bad scrape. The major was a magnate of the first order, and -he was supreme on his own domain. His mother was a tenant at will at the -cottage. All the money she had inherited from her father's estate, and -all she had in the world, was invested in that cottage. The mighty major -could turn them out of house and home at a moment's notice, as they paid -no rent. - -"What does all this mean, my son? I am sorry to see you fighting with -such a cur as that," said Major Billcord when the battle was suspended -for the moment. - -"It means that he struck me first, and I intend to get even with him if -I fight till Lake Champlain dries up," blustered Walk, as he clinched -his fists again; and doubtless he had a clear idea of his father's views -on the subject of pugilism. - -"He struck first! You did quite right, my son. Never take a blow from -any one," added the major. - -"But he insulted my sister, sir! He had seized hold of her, and held her -when I hit him, sir," pleaded Paul with proper deference; and he felt -that he had a good defence. - -"A fight begins with the first blow, and we needn't ask what happened -before it was struck. You admit that you struck the first blow, -Bristol?" continued Major Billcord, sitting in judgment on the case. - -"I did strike the first blow, sir; and a fellow that wouldn't hit hard -when his sister was insulted, and held as a prisoner, don't amount to -much," Paul replied rather warmly. - -"You struck the first blow; and that's all I want to hear about it," -added the major sharply. "My son has done quite right to resent a blow -with another blow; and if he is not satisfied with the punishment he has -given you, you vagabond, I will stand by and see fair play till he is -satisfied." - -Mr. Walker did not quite approve the ground taken by his father, and -wanted him to do something more than stand by and see fair play. But the -major had spoken, and the son realized that he had nothing to do but to -take the broad hint the patriarch had given him. Clinching his fists -again, he rushed upon Paul for the third time. Paul was indignant at the -decision of the magnate, and felt as though he had been commanded by the -great man to permit his son to insult his sister. - -Walk rushed upon him, but Paul's back was up for the first time since he -had relieved his sister from the grasp of her assailant. His paws were -not velvet: they were all fangs. At the first onslaught of Walk, that -young gentleman went over on his back with the blood gushing from his -nostrils. Twice more he renewed the attack, with about the same result. - -Mr. Walker was so full of wrath that he could no longer control himself, -and he laid hold of the stick again. Paul picked up the oar once more. -The son of toil knocked the stick out of the hands of his opponent, and -it flew into the lake. Walk could not find another, and Paul dropped the -oar. It was naked fists again, with the same effect as before. - -By this time Major Billcord was as full of wrath as his son, and without -regard to fair play, of which he stood as champion, he rushed to the -assistance of his defeated son. Paul picked up the oar and retreated -before the two. - -"Stop a moment, if you please, Major Billcord," shouted Paul. "I don't -want to hit you sir, and I won't if I can help it." - -"But I am going to flog you within an inch of your life!" yelled the -major. - -Paul had gone as far as he could without retreating into the cottage, -and he was unwilling to carry the battle into the presence of his mother -and sister. He halted; the major wrenched the oar from his grasp. He -struck the son of toil with it. Paul's blood was up; he gave the magnate -a blow between the eyes, under which he went down. Walk "pitched in" -again, and was planted by the side of his father. - - - - -CHAPTER III. - -THE FINAL MANDATE OF MAJOR BILLCORD. - - -Major Billcord was a short, puffy man, inclined to corpulency. The blow -of the son of toil, and his fall upon the sand, proved to be enough for -him. He was all foam and fury in consequence of his signal defeat. -Possibly he had thought that a poor dependent upon his bounty would not -dare to strike him; and, in truth, Paul felt that it was something like -treading upon the Bible. - -He had attempted to take the stalwart youth by the collar, and had -struck him with his riding-whip in a tender place. The pain was nothing, -but the indignity was great; and Paul's impulse had led him farther than -he would have gone if he had considered what he was doing. - -The major and his son picked themselves up, and for a moment they gazed -with something like wonder upon the victor in the unequal contest. But -all three of them had been beside themselves for the moment. Paul -realized what he had done; and so did his mother and sister, for they -came out of the cottage while father and son were getting up from the -ground. - -"Woman, do you see what your son has done?" demanded Major Billcord, who -was the first to break the impressive silence. - -"I am very sorry, sir," pleaded the poor woman, stepping between Paul -and his victims, in order to prevent him from doing them any further -mischief if he should be disposed to renew the combat. - -"Sorry for it!" exclaimed the magnate, as if simple regret could atone -for a blow given by a plebeian to a patrician. "Is this the way you -bring up your son?" - -"I am very sorry, Major Billcord, but he has been greatly provoked. By -your leave, sir, it was Mr. Walker that began it." - -"It is false, marm! Your brute of a son struck the first blow; he has -confessed it to me," puffed the magnate. - -"But Mr. Walker had first insulted my daughter; he had seized hold of -her, and was trying to force her into the boat when Paul interfered," -Mrs. Bristol explained with as much meekness as the subject would -permit. - -"Nonsense, woman! Seized hold of your daughter! Don't talk such stuff -to me. Walker did not mean to do her any harm," added Major Billcord -with the utmost contempt. - -"I only asked her to let me row her about the bay in the boat," the -young gentleman explained. - -"It was impertinent in her to refuse when my son honored her with his -notice," continued the major. - -"I thought she had a right to choose her own company," said Mrs. Bristol -with proper humility. - -"I have allowed you to live on my land for two years without a penny of -rent, woman; and this is the return I get for it," replied the great -man, in whose heart the poor woman's ingratitude was beginning to make -havoc. - -"You have been very kind to us, Major Billcord, and we are very grateful -for all you have done for us. I am so sorry that this sad thing has -happened!" pleaded Mrs. Bristol. - -"And still you try to fasten the blame on my son," retorted the -proprietor of Sandy Point and its surroundings. - -"I am very sorry he meddled with Lily; if he hadn't done it, there would -have been no trouble, for Paul has always treated Mr. Walker with -respect." - -"At it again!" exclaimed the major. "You will insist that my son was to -blame, simply because he was polite enough to invite your daughter to -take a row with him in the boat." - -"She was not willing to go; and I didn't know that she was obliged to go -out on the lake with him. She declined his invitation, and Mr. Walker -tried to force her into the boat." - -"It was not civil in her to decline the invitation, and I don't wonder -that Walker was a little vexed at her refusal. She is a pert minx, marm, -and has not been well brought up, or she would have known better than to -decline," added the magnate, bestowing a look of severity upon the fair -maiden. - -Mrs. Bristol and Paul saw that it was useless to attempt to reason with -such a man, and they were silent. The major took out his handkerchief, -and wiped the perspiration from his face. Then he felt of his nose and -the region about his two eyes, between which the son of toil had planted -his hard fist. Doubtless there was a soreness in those parts, and -perhaps the visual organs of the father would be clothed in sable -wreaths by the next day. - -"That boy must be punished, severely punished, for what he has done," -the major resumed. "He has had the audacity to strike me in the -face,--me, the benefactor of the whole family!" - -"Didn't you catch me by the throat, and hit me with your riding-whip, -sir?" asked Paul calmly and meekly. - -"What if I did! Do you mean to put yourself on a level with me, you -young reprobate?" demanded the magnate, his wrath beginning to boil -again. "Woman, I say that boy must be severely punished for this," he -continued, turning to Mrs. Bristol again. "He must be whipped till he -can't stand up!" - -"Who will whip him, sir?" asked the poor woman innocently. - -"I will do it, if you don't, marm," replied the major savagely. - -"I could not whip him, sir; he is a great deal stronger than I am; and, -if he is whipped at all, you must do it, sir;" but Mrs. Bristol seemed -to think there was something a little satirical in what she said. - -"Then I will do it!" said the magnate, raising his riding-whip. - -"Perhaps he will not allow you to whip him, sir," suggested Mrs. -Bristol; and even her anger appeared to be approaching the -boiling-point. - -"The boy deserves to be severely punished. If he submits to the -whipping which Walker and I will give him, we may be willing to let the -matter drop where it is." - -"You had better arrange it with Paul, sir. I should as soon think of -whipping Colonel Buckmill as my son," replied the poor woman with a -decided touch of satire in her tones and manner. - -"If the young villain submits, very well." - -"If you should begin to punish him, I have no doubt he will speak or act -for himself," she added. - -"Bristol, you hear what has been said. Will you submit to the punishment -you deserve?" demanded the major severely, turning to the culprit. - -"No, sir, I will not." - -"Do you hear him, marm?" - -"I do, sir; and he answers just as I supposed he would." - -"Then you uphold him in his treacherous treatment of my son? Then you -countenance him in biting the hand that feeds him?" - -Mrs. Bristol made no reply, for she did not wish to irritate the -powerful man unnecessarily. She looked at her son, and she was proud of -him. - -"Bristol, you refuse to submit to the whipping you deserve?" demanded -Major Billcord, approaching the stout youth with the riding-whip -upraised. - -"If you hit me with that whip, sir, I will knock you as far beyond the -middle of next week as I can," replied Paul firmly and quietly. "Your -son insulted my sister, and I treated him as he deserved, and just as I -would another time if he did the same thing. My sister is a poor girl, -but she is just as good as you are, and just as good as Mr. Walker is. -If she is insulted, sir, I will stand up against five hundred Billcords -as long as there is anything left of me." - -"Is this your gratitude for what I have done for the family?" asked the -major, knitting his brow into a knot of wrinkles. - -"Yes, sir; this is my gratitude. Do you think, because you allowed my -father to put his cottage on your land, that you and your son have the -right to insult my sister?" demanded Paul with considerable energy. - -"No one insulted her, you young reprobate!" interposed the father. "Is a -civil and gentlemanly invitation an insult?" - -"If he had stopped there, we should have had no trouble." - -"But she refused the invitation." - -"She had as much right to decline it as any lady in Westport would -have." - -"Was it treating a member of my family properly, after all I have done -for you?" demanded the major more calmly, but with a terrible havoc in -his tender feelings. - -"You have had a good deal to say about what you have done for us, Major -Billcord. The land on which that cottage stands," continued Paul, -pointing to it, "is not worth ten dollars. At ten per cent, the ground -rent would be one dollar a year, or two dollars for the two years it has -stood there. I have done work enough for you in the shape of errands, -taking care of your boat, and in other ways, to pay for the land twice -over. I have carried the first black bass of the season to your house, -when I could have sold the fish for a dollar apiece, for two years. As I -look at the question of gratitude, there is a balance of at least twenty -dollars in my favor; but I give it to you with all my heart, and I don't -claim the privilege of insulting your daughter for what I have done." - -"You are a glib-talking puppy, and there is no more reason or common -sense in you than there is in a heifer calf. I have had enough of you, -and so has my son," responded the major, choking with wrath over the -unanswerable argument of the poor dependent. - -"If you have had enough of me, you and Mr. Walker, I am satisfied to let -the matter drop where it is; but if Mr. Walker, or any other student of -the Chesterfield Collegiate Institute, insults my sister, I shall hit -him as hard as I can," replied Paul coolly. - -"Woman, you have heard the insulting words of your son, and you uphold -him in his wickedness. I must take the next step. I will not have such a -vile reprobate on my land. I will not have you or your ungrateful -daughter on my territory. You are a tenant at will. That cottage must -not remain another day on my premises. Remove it at once. If it is here -at three o'clock to-morrow afternoon, I will give the students -permission to tumble it into the lake. Do you hear me, woman?" stormed -the major fiercely. - -"I hear you, sir," replied Mrs. Bristol, covering her face with her -handkerchief, and beginning to weep bitterly. - -"You needn't cry about it, marm. You and that graceless son of yours -have brought it on yourselves; and I think the students will enjoy the -fun of pitching the shanty into the lake." - -"It is all the property I have in the world, Major Billcord," pleaded -the poor woman. "Give me a little time to remove the cottage, I implore -you!" - -"Don't implore me, marm! Thank your wretch of a son for it. By three -o'clock to-morrow afternoon, if you haven't removed it in the mean time, -the shanty shall be rolled into the lake." - -"I cannot get it through the woods to remove it," groaned Mrs. Bristol. - -"That's your lookout, marm," said the major as he and Walk departed. - -Mrs. Bristol seated herself on the lower step of the cottage, and -continued to weep bitterly. - - - - -CHAPTER IV. - -THE ABSENCE OF THE TRUANT DRAGON. - - -The cottage of the Bristols had been framed in Burlington, and brought -down to Sandy Point on a schooner. As it stood, it was estimated to be -worth about three hundred and fifty dollars, which was the cost of it to -the poor woman when she invested her all in what was to be a home for -the family. - -It was a small sum the cottage cost, but to the poor woman it was as big -as a million to a millionnaire. She had been well brought up in her -father's house, and she could not exist like a Chinaman or a Hottentot, -and it had cost the family a struggle to live during the absence of the -father. - -Now all that she had was to be taken from her. As they had paid no -ground rent for the site, the law could do nothing for her. She was a -tenant on suffrance rather than a tenant at will, and had no rights -whatever. The magnate could tumble the cottage into the lake, and the -wind would carry it where it listed. It would probably be broken up on -the rocks or shoals, and the major might as well set it on fire as turn -it adrift on the lake. - -The rich man intended to execute his mandate in the cruelest manner -possible. The students were to have a frolic in tumbling it into the -lake. The humble structure contained all their household goods, all the -little articles they valued far beyond the money they cost. It was -hardly possible to remove them in the time allowed for the purpose, for -everything would have to be carried by hand or transported in the -flatboat. - -No team could be driven down to the point, for the major would not allow -a tree to be felled to make a road, and the owner had been compelled to -leave his saddle-horse at a considerable distance from the lake when he -visited it. Of course, the cruel magnate understood all this, and -realized that his final mandate doomed the cottage and all it contained -to certain destruction, for neither he nor his persecuted tenants could -see any means of relief. - -Even if they could carry away their goods, they had no place to put -them. The brief period of probation given them was not more than enough -to enable the poor woman to find another tenement. It was two miles to -Westport, and five to Genverres, by water. The situation looked entirely -hopeless to Mrs. Bristol; and the more she thought of it, the more -bitterly she wept. - -"I don't know what will become of us," said she when she had vented her -grief for a time. - -"Don't cry, mother: we shall get out of the scrape in some way," replied -Paul in as soothing tones as he could command, for the situation was -hardly more hopeful to him than to his mother. - -"I don't see that we can do anything but submit to the loss of -everything we have," moaned Mrs. Bristol. "We can't stay here any -longer, and we have no place to go to in the wide world. The students -will take a wicked delight in breaking up everything we have. I cannot -stay here to see them revel in the destruction of our home, which has -been as dear to me as though it had been a palace. But where can I go?" - -"We had better go to Westport, mother," said Lily, wiping the tears from -her eyes. "We can take a few things with us in the boat." - -"The boat went adrift in the row, and I saw it halfway over to Scotch -Bonnet," interposed Paul as he strained his eyes to discover the truant -craft. - -"Then we can walk over to Westport; but we can't carry much of anything -in our hands in a walk of two miles," added Lily gloomily. - -"Where shall we go in Westport when we get there?" asked Mrs. Bristol. -"We can't go to a hotel or boarding-house, for we haven't money enough -to pay our way for three days." - -"I don't see that we can do a thing, mother," said Paul when he had -carefully looked over the situation. "I would borrow a boat, if there -was one to be had; but I am sure the institute boatman would not lend me -one now. Major Billcord's story will be all over the neighborhood in a -few hours. I could get one in Westport; but it might take me a whole day -to find our flatboat, for it must have been driven ashore on the other -side of the lake. Some vessel may have picked it up, for I saw two or -three going up the lake." - -"I saw a sailboat go by while you were talking to the major," said Lily. - -"I noticed her; it was one of the Beech Hill boats," added Paul. "One of -these vessels may have picked up the 'Dragon,'" as he had named the -flatboat, "and it may be five miles from here by this time." - -"We are in the hands of Providence, and as helpless as babies," -continued Mrs. Bristol. "I don't see that we can do a single thing for -ourselves, and we must trust in a higher power than man." - -"We can stay in the cottage over night, at least, and it will be our -last in our happy home," said Paul. "The students will all be at their -studies in the forenoon, and then you and Lily can walk over to -Westport." - -"What are you going to do, Paul?" inquired his mother, bestowing a look -of the deepest interest upon him. - -"I shall stay here and save what I can." - -"You must not stay here!" protested his mother warmly. "The students -will kill you, under the lead of Walker Billcord." - -"I am not afraid of them." - -"You must not stay here: if you do, I shall stay with you," replied the -devoted mother. - -"There is that sailboat, Paul," said Lily, who had been gazing blankly -out upon the lake. "She looks as though she was headed for the point." - -"That's the 'Goldwing,'" added Paul. "I hope Dory Dornwood is on board -of her. He is a good fellow, and he may do something to help us. If she -comes near enough, I will hail her." - -"But Dory Dornwood will not do anything for any one on this side of the -lake," replied Mrs. Bristol. "The two schools have waged the fiercest -war upon each other." - -"I know Dory Dornwood very well, mother. I had a long talk with him -about the war between the schools, and I know that the Beech-Hillers -have done all they could to keep out of trouble with the Chesterfields. -I am sure he will do anything he can for us. He don't like Major -Billcord any better than I do at this moment, for he had a row with him -when he was a waiter on a steamer." - -"I don't see that he can do anything for us, even if he does come near -enough for you to hail him," added Mrs. Bristol, hardly less despondent -than before. - -"He can take some of our things on board his boat, and carry them to a -place where they will be safe until we want them again." - -Paul was quite hopeful that something would come of the visit of the -"Goldwing" to the point, if she came there. Without stopping to argue -the possibilities with his mother, he hastened to the shore. The -"Goldwing" was headed down the lake, and, with all sail set, she was -dashing over the waves at a tremendous high speed. She was towing a -small boat astern of her, but Paul could not tell whether it was the -"Dragon" or her usual tender. - -The wind was exactly west, and the schooner was going free. When Paul -saw her before, she was on the easterly side of the lake, where she got -a better breeze than on the opposite side. He was satisfied that she -headed for the vicinity of the point; for she would have started her -sheets when she came up with Scotch Bonnet, if she had been bound -directly down the lake. - -Though she was approaching the point, it was by no means certain that -she intended to make a landing there. The boat she was towing was astern -of her, and Paul could not see it plainly, as the hull of the yacht -obstructed his view. As on all occasions, he determined to do the best -he could. Running back to the house, he borrowed a tablecloth of reddish -hue, and fastened it to the oar. Elevating it as a signal to the -"Goldwing," he held it in position at the very apex of the point. - -Lily and her mother were not inclined to join him, for they did not feel -in the mood to meet any young men, however civil they might be. They -remained seated on the steps of the cottage; but they watched the sails -of the yacht with as deep an interest as Paul did, for it was at least -possible that the party on board of her might help them in their -present dire emergency. - -"She is headed for the point!" shouted Paul, when he had satisfied -himself of the fact. - -"I pray that a kind Providence has sent her to our relief," replied Mrs. -Bristol. - -Paul watched her with the most intense interest. When the "Goldwing" was -within a quarter of a mile of the point, the party on board of her waved -their handkerchiefs as a reply to Paul's signal. The hopes of the -watcher on the shore ran high, but he could not yet see whether or not -she had the "Dragon" in tow. - -Sandy Point was a kind of double cape. It was shaped like a letter T. -The cottage was on the northeast point, inside of which was Sandy Bay, -where the Beech Hill students sometimes came to bathe. The other arm of -the point extended to the southwest, and inside of it was the station of -the boats belonging to the institute. - -"Is that you, Paul Bristol?" shouted some one on board of the -"Goldwing." - -"Yes! Is Dory Dornwood on board?" replied Paul. - -"He is! Have you lost a flatboat?" called the speaker from the yacht. - -"I have!" - -The schooner kept well off the point, and appeared now to be headed for -the shore on the opposite side of Sandy Point. As she came abreast of -the shore, Paul saw that she had the "Dragon" and her tender in tow. The -return of the "Dragon" was a godsend, even if nothing else resulted from -the visit of the yacht. The "Goldwing" ran over towards the opposite -shore, and then tacked. The wind was light inside of the bay, and the -schooner circled gracefully about, coming up into the wind off the point -where Paul stood. Down went her jib in the twinkling of an eye, and over -went her anchor. In a moment she had come up to her cable, with her -mainsail fluttering in the breeze. - -One of the party hauled up the "Dragon," and, casting off the painter, -sculled her ashore with the single oar that remained on board of her. - -"This is your boat, I suppose," said Tucker Prince, one of the new -students of the Beech Hill Industrial School, as he stepped on shore -with the painter in his hand. - -"It is my boat, and I owe you a thousand thanks for bringing her back to -me," replied Paul. - -"The skipper wants to know if any accident has happened by which she -was turned adrift," continued Tuck Prince, whom the New-Yorkers called a -"Bosting boy." - -"No accident; but who is the skipper?" - -"Dory Dornwood." - -"I would give more to see him than I would to meet my grandmother," -added Paul. - -In a few moments more Paul Bristol had Dory by the hand. - - - - -CHAPTER V. - -THE "GOLDWING" AT SANDY POINT. - - -Dory Dornwood had been to the point before, and had met Paul Bristol -there. Of course, the son of toil had never associated with the -Chesterfields on anything like an equality, and he had no especial -interest in them or their affairs. In the quarrels between the two -schools he had been entirely neutral, for the reason that he had not -been called upon to take part in any of the battles, and his opinion of -the merits of either side was of no consequence. - -Dory gave the resident of the point his hand, as he came on board of the -"Goldwing," and was glad to see him. Possibly the skipper was willing to -have a friend in this particular locality, though he knew that Paul had -no influence with the gentlemanly students of the institute. - -"I picked up your boat over by Scotch Bonnet," said Dory. "It was just -going on the rocks, and I thought it would have a hard time there. I -knew from the direction of the wind that it must have come from this -region, and I was afraid some one had been upset in her, for there was -only one oar in the boat." - -"No one was upset in her, though the 'Dragon' is not inclined to stay -right side up when the sea is heavy," replied Paul. "I am more thankful -to you than I can tell for bringing her back at just this time. If you -are willing to hear me, I should like to tell you how she happened to -get adrift, and why I am so glad to get her back." - -"I am in no hurry, and I am ready to hear anything you wish to say to -me," replied Dory, as he invited Paul to take a seat in the -standing-room. - -There were five other Beech Hill students in the boat, and they seemed -to be as willing to hear the story as the skipper was. All of them -judged by the manner of the Sandy-Pointer that he had something of -interest and importance to tell. Paul gave his account of the trouble -between Lily and Walk Billcord without exaggeration or embellishment, -though he did not do justice, in his modesty, to his own prowess in the -battles with the magnate and his son. - -The narrative was exciting enough to secure the closest attention of -his auditors; and, when it was finished, all of them had some questions -to ask, and most of them some comments to make. As they were not -prejudiced in favor of the major or his son, they agreed that the son of -toil had served them right. Dory said he should have been very sorry to -strike a man of the age of Major Billcord, but he did not see how he -could have helped doing so under the circumstances. - -"And he has ordered you to remove the cottage at less than a day's -notice?" continued the skipper. - -"He has, and at a time when my boat had gone adrift, and I had no way to -move a single thing which we could not carry two miles in our hands. -That is the reason why I was so glad to see the 'Dragon' coming back to -the point," replied Paul, looking at the skipper of the "Goldwing" with -the deepest interest. "But the water is rather rough this afternoon out -on the lake, and I am afraid I can't do much towards moving my mother -and sister and all the furniture in that flatboat." - -"Then you mean to leave the cottage to be pitched into the lake?" added -Dory. - -"I don't see that we can do anything else," replied Paul blankly. "It is -about a quarter of a mile through the woods to the road, and Major -Billcord will not allow a tree to be cut down. I could not move it if I -had a hundred men to help me. I might take it to pieces, if I had time -enough to do the job; but we have little time, and not much money." - -"Suppose we go on shore and take a look at the cottage," suggested Dory, -who seemed to be doing some heavy thinking, though he did not hint that -he knew of any remedy for the misfortunes of the Bristols. The tender -was brought up to the gangway, and Dory went ashore in it, accompanied -by Tuck Prince, while Paul took the "Dragon" back. - -The skipper walked up to the cottage, and Paul introduced him to his -mother and sister. Dory had never seen Lily Bristol before, but he was -perfectly willing to agree with the "speech of people," that she was the -prettiest girl in the State of New York, and possibly in the State of -Vermont. But she looked very sad, and so did her mother, and Dory said -nothing to them about the mandate of the magnate. - -The visitor looked at the house, and got its approximate dimensions in -his mind. He examined the foundations of the structure, and the land -upon which it lay. He was thinking, but he said nothing. - -"Of course, Major Billcord knows very well that we cannot move the -cottage without making a pathway for it through the grove," said Paul, -who had observed the expression on Dory's face with the utmost interest. - -But he had not expected that the skipper of the "Goldwing" could do -anything about moving the dwelling: the most he had hoped was that the -visitor would volunteer to assist in the transportation of the -furniture, or a portion of it, to some safe place, if such could be -found. But Dory was provokingly silent, and did not hint at anything. -When he had completed his examination of the premises, he walked towards -the end of the point again. - -"I suppose you will agree with me that not a thing can be done," said -Paul as he followed the skipper; and he began to be very much -discouraged at the prospect. - -"I don't know whether anything can be done or not," replied Dory, -musing. "I can't do anything myself, for I don't feel at liberty to act -without the knowledge of my uncle, Captain Gildrock," replied Dory. "If -you could move the cottage, have you any other place to put it?" - -"Not a place. My mother owns a house, but not a foot of land in the -wide universe," answered Paul gloomily. - -"It is not very easy to think of any plan for moving the building when -we haven't any idea of what is to be done with it," added Dory, -surveying with his eye the ground between the cottage and the water of -the lake. - -"I didn't suppose you could do anything for us in that way," continued -Paul. "I thought we might save some of our furniture in the 'Dragon.'" - -"You couldn't even get a bureau on board of her," replied Dory, glancing -at the flatboat. "If you laid it across the gunwales, it would upset -her. But I have an idea, though it may not amount to much. What are your -mother and sister going to do? I take it they will not stay here to see -the Chesterfields destroy your cottage and its contents?" - -"No; they will leave in the morning; but there is no place under the sun -for them to go. We have no relations, and hardly any friends," answered -Paul very sadly. - -"As I said before, I can't do anything without orders in a case like -this. I am very sorry for you. If the situation were what my uncle -defines as an emergency, I should be permitted to do what is required -to save life or property. But there is nearly a whole day's leeway in -this case," continued the skipper. - -"I didn't know but you might carry some of our things over to the other -side in the 'Goldwing,' Paul hinted very timidly. - -"I might be able to take some of them; but the schooner would not hold -one-half of the goods. I hope to do something better than that, though I -can't promise anything. So far as the furniture is concerned, I don't -think you need to worry about that, for there will be time enough to -remove it to-morrow morning," said Dory. - -"Plenty of time, if I have any help," added Paul. - -Dory hoped he should be able to do something better than this; and the -words had given Paul a strong hope, though he wished the skipper would -speak out plainly, and say what he thought of doing. - -"It is now about five o'clock," continued Dory, looking at his watch. -"We have plenty of time, and I have something to propose. I can't do -anything without my uncle's knowledge, but I should like to have your -mother and sister go over to Beech Hill in the 'Goldwing;' and you too, -Paul, if you don't think it necessary to remain here and look out for -the cottage." - -"What should they go over there for?" asked the son of toil. - -"To tell my uncle your story. If Captain Gildrock decides that nothing -can be done for you, I will bring your mother and sister back before -dark. Then I will take a cargo of your goods to any place you say in -this part of the lake. That is all I feel at liberty to do under the -present circumstances," added Dory. "But I am pretty sure that something -more will be done for you." - -"I will speak to my mother about it," replied Paul. "Will you come with -me, Dory?" - -The skipper followed him to the cottage, and Paul stated the case to his -mother. She was willing to do anything her son thought best. She did not -think it was necessary for Lily to go if Paul was to remain in charge of -the house; but Dory thought she was a part of the story, and anticipated -some hard questions from his uncle which she could answer better than -any other person. Mrs. Bristol yielded the point, and in a few minutes -they were ready for the trip. - -The ladies were seated in the standing-room, and the Beech-Hillers were -as polite as so many dancing-masters, "tinkers" though they were. A -short distance from the shore the wind was still fresh; and in half an -hour the "Goldwing" was in Beechwater, as the principal of the school -generally called the lake. - -Without waiting to moor the schooner, which he left in charge of Tuck -Prince, Dory pulled the ladies to the new boat-house in the tender. They -landed at the steps, and the skipper conducted them to Captain -Gildrock's library. They were pleasantly welcomed by the principal, -though they were entire strangers to him. - -Dory stated that he had brought Mrs. Bristol and Miss Lily from Sandy -Point, and he wished his uncle to hear the story they had to tell. He -hinted that the visitors had better confine themselves to the facts in -the case, without any comments; and, as Lily had been the principal and -first actor in the drama, he thought she had better open the narrative. - -Possibly Dory thought an account of the opening proceedings from the -lips of so pretty a girl as Lily might have more influence with his -bachelor uncle. The captain smiled graciously, and bowed encouragingly -to the fair maiden. She began in a very straightforward way with the -narrative, and Dory was glad the occasion permitted him to gaze at her -without staring. - -When she had completed her narrative, there was but little more for her -mother to say. The principal asked a few questions, and then he was in -possession of all the facts. He knew all about Major Billcord, and he -had no difficulty in believing the simple and unadorned statement to -which he had listened. Very likely he was as indignant as any Christian -man would have been at the outrage of the magnate and his son, but he -did not express himself in this direction. - -When Mrs. Bristol and Lily had said all they had to say, the captain -looked at Dory to see if he had anything to offer. Dory was not slow to -take a hint, and he made quite an energetic speech of considerable -length, setting forth his views of the situation. - - - - -CHAPTER VI. - -A CALL FOR ALL HANDS AT BEECH HILL. - - -"I am very sorry, Mrs. Bristol, that you should have been placed in such -an unpleasant situation," said Captain Gildrock when Dory had brought -his speech to a square conclusion, which some orators find it very -difficult to do. "Your son did no more than I would have done in the -same circumstances. It was highly proper for him to defend his sister -with his fists; and after that he acted only on the defensive." - -"I was very well satisfied with Paul, sir," added Mrs. Bristol. - -"I think you have reason to be. You have heard what my nephew has said, -and I fully indorse the plan he has outlined. I shall leave it to him to -carry it out in his own way." - -"You are very kind, Captain Gildrock, and I shall be grateful to you as -long as I live," replied Mrs. Bristol, with enthusiasm. "Paul says your -students were always much better behaved than those of the institute." - -"Unfortunately our relations with the school on the other side of the -lake are not as pleasant as I could wish; but I do not intend that our -young men shall be offensive to their neighbors." - -"The Goldwing is all ready to take you back to Sandy Point, Mrs. -Bristol," Dory interposed. - -"But why should you return, madam?" said the principal. "I think you had -better remain here. We have plenty of spare rooms, and we will do all we -can to make you comfortable." - -"Thank you, sir; but I am afraid Paul will be uneasy in my longer -absence." - -"Dory shall run over to Sandy Point, and inform your son what is to be -done, and can bring you anything you may want," suggested Captain -Gildrock. - -The principal gave some strong reasons why she and Lily had better -remain at the mansion over night, and she finally consented to do so. -Mrs. Dornwood and Marian, Dory's mother and sister, were called, and -they soon made the visitors feel quite at home. Dory returned to the -Goldwing, and was soon standing out of Beechwater. - -In less than half an hour the schooner was at the point. Paul was -greatly astonished, and not a little troubled, when he saw that his -mother and sister were not on board of her. But the skipper soon -explained their absence, and stated what was to be done with the -permission of his uncle. Paul went to the cottage for a few articles -which his mother had desired, in a note, while the skipper looked over -the situation of the cottage again, and arranged his plans for action. - -"We shall disappoint the Chesterfields once more, Paul," said Dory, when -the son of toil joined him. "We have spoiled some of their little -arrangements before." - -"They will miss the fun the major has promised them, but I think he will -feel the loss of it more than they will. Of course, all he wants is to -punish us," replied Paul, with a cheerful smile. - -"You can go over to Beech Hill with me if you like," continued Dory, -when they reached the tender. - -"I must stay here and watch the cottage. Some of the students might -think it was fun to set it on fire to-night, though it would not make a -very brilliant light in the moonshine," replied Paul. - -"Do you expect any of the Chesterfields at the point to-night, Paul?" -asked Dory with some anxiety, for their presence might interfere with -his plan. - -"No; I hardly expect any of them. I don't know that Major Billcord has -told them about the fun in store for them yet, though he was so mad when -he left the point that he could hardly keep it in," answered Paul. - -"Well, if they come to-night, we can't help it," added Dory, as he -stepped into the tender. "We shall be here all the same, and we shall do -the work we have laid out." - -The Goldwing got up her anchor, and filled away. Paul watched her till -she disappeared in Beaver River. The situation had changed entirely, and -Paul was as happy as though there had been no tempest at the point that -day. His mother and sister were in good quarters, and he did not much -care if the Chesterfields came down upon him in full force. As soon as -the schooner was out of sight he went into the house to get his supper. - -As soon as the Goldwing was moored, and her crew had eaten their supper, -there was a call for all hands to assemble at the new boat-house. The -famous structure had been finished nearly a year before, for it was in -the month of May that the trouble at Sandy Point took place. The school -year began in the September preceding. - -After considering the subject during the summer, Captain Gildrock had -decided to increase the number of pupils in the Beech Hill Industrial -School. But he was a prudent and practical man, and he had taken only a -dozen additional scholars. Two had left to take good-paying situations, -and the whole number now was thirty-six. There was room in the enlarged -dormitory for a dozen more, and space enough for them at the benches in -the shops. - -A third class had been formed of the beginners; and, as they had been -under instruction for eight months, some of them had acquired -considerable skill in the use of tools. Another barge had been procured, -and the "green hands" had all learned to row, to swim, and a few of them -to handle a sailboat. The school was now larger than the one on the -other side of the lake. But the Chesterfields, after having been -defeated several times in their assaults upon the Beech Hillers, had -confined their attention more to their own affairs than formerly. They -were satisfied to give the barges of the "tinkers" a wide berth on the -lake; and the boating season closed without any more serious quarrels on -the water. - -The Topovers had never accomplished anything by meddling with the -students on their side of the lake. A little discipline in one of the -courts had kept them at a distance for a time. When the fruit was ripe, -Mr. Brookbine's big dog became a terror to them; for the master -carpenter had built a house for him near the rear fence of the orchard, -and the animal understood his duty perfectly. - -The call for the students after supper was unusual, and no one but the -members of the acting crew of the yacht knew what it meant; and even -they knew nothing of the plan they were to assist in carrying out. Since -the former season there had been some changes in the organization of the -students. Captain Gildrock was no longer the actual captain of the -Sylph, the beautiful steam yacht connected with the institution. - -The position had been given to Dory Dornwood, and the students generally -sailed her without the interference of the principal or any of the -instructors. Mr. Jepson, the master-machinist, was no longer the chief -engineer, and was therefore at no time under the orders of any of the -juvenile officers. Corny Minkfield, who had served one season as first -assistant-engineer, had been promoted to the highest place, and the -second to the place thus made vacant. - -Oscar Chester was the first pilot. He had been a diligent student in -the pilot-house, and knew the lake almost as well as the captain. All -the places had been filled after the first appointments in accordance -with the merits of the students, though of necessity "civil service" -rules prevailed, for the reason that the members of the ship's company -had become more skilful in the departments in which they had been -employed than in any other. - -The only violent changes made were those which gave the cooks and -stewards a chance to learn seamanship or the management of the engine -and furnaces. As waiters they learned out in a few months, and even the -rather limited routine of cookery required on board was exhausted in the -same time. Old deck hands and firemen became stewards, while those who -had served in the fireroom and cabins were transferred to the deck. - -The increase in the number of students allowed a very large force of -seamen, and the vessel was now heavily manned. Crews for the quarter -boats were appointed for permanent service, and four quartermasters were -added to the organization, who had regular tricks at the wheel in the -pilot-house under the direction of the first or second pilot. - -Dory Dornwood had been in command of the steamer for the three months -at the close of the last season of navigation, and every Saturday he -exercised his ship's company in as long cruises us the length of Lake -Champlain would permit. Sometimes the principal was on board, and -sometimes he was not. If he had anything to say, he said it to Captain -Dory Dornwood; and the discipline was as perfect as though the steamer -had been in the navy. - -In the beginning of Captain Dornwood's administration there had been -considerable difficulty. Boys from the country, or even from the city, -were not very prompt to see the necessity of obeying orders without -asking any questions. But as this was one of the principal lessons the -steam yacht was to impart to the pupils, there was no relaxation of the -discipline to accommodate those who were dilatory or rebellious. - -If an officer was in the slightest degree disobedient to those above him -in rank, he was "broken" as soon as the case was proved to the -satisfaction of the principal. If the delinquent was a seaman, -under-steward, or fireman, he was relieved from further duty on board, -and required to stay on shore under the eye of the instructors, or of -Bates, the old salt, who obeyed orders as though they were all written -down in the constitution of the State. - -As this was the severest punishment that could be inflicted upon any of -the students, it soon had its effect. Before the season closed, the -ship's company were as obedient to the new officers as they had ever -been when Captain Gildrock was in command. More than this, Dory was very -popular in the school; he was not unreasonable, snobbish, or tyrannical, -and never did violence to the self-respect of any of his shipmates. -After they had learned the trick of doing it, it was a pleasure to obey -orders. - -The students assembled in the boat-house, and all eyes were fixed upon -Captain Dornwood, who was to have command of the expedition to Sandy -Point, for the operations on shore as well as those on board of the -Sylph. - -"Perhaps I ought to call for volunteers for the work of to-night, for -some of you may not want to sit up so late as the business in hand may -require," the captain began, with a cheerful smile on his handsome face, -for his good looks had certainly improved in the last two years. - -"All night if you like!" shouted Bob Swanton. - -"The principal instructed me to say that the early bell will not be -rung to-morrow morning," continued Dory. "There will be a good deal of -hard work to be done, including some lifting, though there are enough of -us to make the task easy. These are the hardships of the trip; and if -any student prefers to stay at the school, he will be permitted to do -so. If there are any such they will please step forward." - -Of course, there was not a single one who wished to be excused from -duty. The captain of the Sylph explained that they were to make a trip -up the lake by moonlight in the steamer, and do a smart job on the other -side. This was all he would tell them at that time, and he directed them -to put on their uniform. - - - - -CHAPTER VII. - -AN EXPEDITION BY MOONLIGHT. - - -The Sylph lay at the new wharf, and as soon as the students had put on -their uniforms they went on board of her. Chief-engineer Minkfield was -directed to get up steam at once. Captain Dornwood ordered one of the -quarter boats to be lowered into the water and manned. Taking Thad -Glovering, the first officer, with him, he embarked. - -At the order of the coxswain the bowman shoved off, and the oars were -dropped into the water. The boat was pulled up the little lake to the -stone quarries. Mr. Miker, the lessee of the quarries, had made good use -of some of the ideas of Bolly Millweed, the architect of the boat-house. -The _caisson_, on which the stone posts for the foundations of the -structure had been transported, had suggested to him the building of a -huge raft, or scow. - -He called the craft a "gundalow," which appears to be a corruption of -gondola, though the affair bore but little resemblance to the airy boat -of the Venetians. It was fifty feet long and sixteen feet wide. It was -decked over and caulked, so that it was as tight as a ship on the ocean. -It had a stow-hole at each end; but these compartments were perfectly -tight, so that if any water flowed into them it could not get into the -large middle chamber upon which the craft depended for its power of -flotation. - -When heavily loaded with stone, the deck was only a few inches above the -level of the water outside. Mr. Miker's principal market for the -production of the quarries was at Genverres, though he had sold a large -quantity of stone to be delivered in Burlington. In the centre of the -deck was a derrick, which was used as a mast when the gundalow went out -upon Lake Champlain. She was provided with a large, square sail, but it -could be used only when the wind was fair. - -On her trips to Genverres she was poled by four or six men, and made -very slow progress. But Captain Gildrock had offered Mr. Miker the use -of the Sylph to tow her when he wished, for this was nothing but fun to -the ship's company, and, as it looked like business to them, they -enjoyed it more than mere sailing without a purpose. - -The principal made no charge for the use of the steamer, and Mr. Miker -was grateful for the service rendered by the yacht and the students. The -gundalow was just the thing Captain Dornwood wanted for the operations -of the night. When the boat reached the quarry, the captain went on -board and measured it. But the derrick was in the way, and unless it -could be removed, the craft would be useless to him. - -Returning to the boat, he proceeded farther up the creek, to a point -near Mr. Miker's house. Landing again, he found the quarryman in his -garden. He stated his business. Of course he could have the use of the -gundalow, and the derrick could be taken out of her. The man of stone -was enthusiastic to serve the students, and he did not even ask to what -use the craft was to be applied, though Dory volunteered the information -that the plan he was to carry out was approved by the principal. - -Mr. Miker hastened to summon all his men, who lived near the quarries, -and by eight o'clock they were on the deck of the gundalow. But it was -no small undertaking to remove the derrick, for the mast was a very -heavy spar, and was stepped in the bottom of the scow. - -The rigging and the long arm were taken from it, and then one of the -movable derricks used in the quarries was brought on deck, and guyed up -for work. With the aid of this machinery the mast was taken out, and -deposited on the shore. The mast-hole was covered with a tight scuttle -made for the purpose, and the gundalow was adapted to the business for -which she was to be used in the expedition to Sandy Point. - -By this time it was nine o'clock, and the moon was just beginning to -cast its silvery light upon the still waters of the little lake. Captain -Dornwood promised to return the scow to the quarries before morning; but -Mr. Miker said he should not use her for a week, and the captain could -keep her as long as he wished. - -"We shall want a lot of blocks, planks, and timbers, but we have plenty -of them on the school grounds, though we shall have to lug them a -considerable distance to put them on board of the gundalow," said -Captain Dornwood, as he was about to step into the boat. - -"Hold on then, Dory! I have everything you can possibly want in that -line," interposed Mr. Miker. "The students have saved my men a vast deal -of hard work in towing the gundalow, and they will be glad to put all -the lumber you need on board of the scow." - -"That we will!" exclaimed several of the men in the same breath. - -"I don't want to give you and your men, who have been at work all day, -any unnecessary trouble," added Dory. - -"No trouble at all!" protested the men, as they began to put the timbers -on board. - -Dory was very grateful to them, and pointed out the kind of stuff he -wanted, including a large pile of rollers used in moving heavy blocks of -stone. In half an hour the gundalow was loaded with the materials Dory -had indicated. In the little time at his disposal, the energetic leader -of the enterprise had made a list of the material he was likely to -require. He had been at work, while the men were loading the blocks and -planks, with his pencil and paper, and had thought of several things -that were of prime importance. - -"I am very much obliged to you, Mr. Miker, and I shall be still more so, -if you will lend us eight jack-screws, for we have not enough of them at -the shops," continued Dory. - -"Are you going to move a meeting-house, Dory?" asked the quarryman, -laughing. - -"We are going to do something of that sort," replied the leader of the -enterprise. "But I don't let on just yet." - -"All right; you know what you are about every time, and it is best to -keep your mouth shut, in ease you should not succeed as well as you -expect. I have a dozen rather small jack-screws, and I will have all of -them put on the deck of the gundalow," added Mr. Miker, as he ordered -his men to bring them from a shanty where they were kept under lock and -key. - -"I will see that everything is brought back again before morning," said -Dory, as he stepped into his boat, and gave the order to return to the -Sylph. - -It was now nearly ten o'clock on as beautiful an evening as ever -gladdened the heart of any night wanderers. The full moon gave an -abundance of light, and the operations of the students could be as -readily conducted as in the day-time. Everything that would be needed, -with the exception of a few coils of rope, was on board of the gundalow. -A party was sent to the shops for them; and when these necessary -articles were obtained, the fasts were cast off, and the steamer stood -up to the quarries. - -The gundalow had been so often towed by the Sylph, that the business was -perfectly understood. In a few moments more she was made fast to the -steamer by the double tow-lines, so that the awkward craft could be -steered even around a corner without any difficulty. Will Orwell, the -second officer, was detailed to take charge of a party of six on board -of the tow. But before the steamer got under way again, Captain Dornwood -called all hands together on the forward deck. - -"Now we shall know what sort of a racket this is going to be," said Dick -Halifax, as they hastened to the place of meeting. - -"No, you won't," replied Dick Short, to whom the remark was addressed. -"You won't know anything at all about it until we come to the work to be -done." - -"Why don't he tell us what we are to do?" asked Dick. "I should like to -know something about it." - -"It was a trick of Captain Gildrock to keep his business to himself, and -Dory takes after him. The principal thinks the fellows can obey orders -better when they don't know what is coming than they can when they -understand all about it. Every fellow thinks he knows best how to do -almost anything." - -"I don't know but he is right. I never saw a horse tumble down in the -street, but every one of the crowd around him wanted to boss the job of -getting him on his feet again," added Dick. - -"I have called you together, fellows, to say that it will be necessary -to keep as still as possible on the expedition of to-night;" said -Captain Dornwood, when the ship's company had all gathered on the -forward deck. "I don't know that a noise would defeat our plans, but I -am very much afraid it would cause us some trouble. I don't believe in -any yelling when we are on duty, but I fear it would make mischief -to-night. Please to observe this request in the strictest possible -manner." - -"Where are we going, Captain Dornwood?" asked Bark Duxbury, one of the -new students. - -"Going to work now," replied the captain with a smile. "All hands to -their stations." - -The ship's company separated, and all the officers and seamen went to -the places where they belonged. Though no meals were to be served during -the night, so far as was known, the cooks went to the galley, and the -stewards to the forward cabin. The second officer, with his gang, went -on board of the gundalow, and at the order from the captain the pilot on -duty rang the bell to back her. By this movement the scow was hauled out -from the wharf, and the bell to go ahead was given. - -Mr. Miker and some of his men stood on the shore watching the departure -of the expedition, and wondering what sort of a mission the students -were going upon at that time in the evening. But the Sylph and her tow -soon disappeared beyond the trees at the lower end of Beechwater. Dory -was on the hurricane deck, keeping a sharp lookout upon everything that -was done. - -At the V-point the pilot slowed down without any order from the captain, -and the scow was switched around it without touching the mud. There was -now nothing to do outside of the engine-room and pilot-house; and the -crew gathered into companies in various parts of the deck to speculate -upon the nature of the expedition in which they were engaged. They -guessed a hundred things. The crew of the Goldwing were pretty sure they -were going to Sandy Point. - -The Sylph was approaching the mouth of the river, and it would soon be -necessary for Captain Dornwood to say something. For, if the expedition -was bound to the northward, she would take that course as soon as she -came up with the point on that side of the river; if she was going to -the southward, she would have to keep her present course half a mile -farther out into the lake to avoid the shoals off Field's Bay. - -Oscar Chester and Dick Short, the latter of whom had been promoted from -a deck-hand to the position of second pilot, were in the pilot-house. No -order came to alter the course at the north point, but a few minutes -later the captain entered the pilot-house. - -"We are bound to Sandy Point," said he; and the head of the steamer was -turned to the southwest. - -In less than half an hour, the Sylph was close in to the end of the -point, and Dory discovered Paul on the shore. The steamer was headed -into the bay, and the gundalow brought up to a point directly in front -of the cottage. - - - - -CHAPTER VIII. - -A CHANGE OF LOCATION. - - -Both of the quarter boats of the Sylph were lowered into the water, and -a shore party landed with Captain Dornwood. The steamer was then left in -charge of the first pilot. The hands on board of the gundalow had poled -her up to the beach where she had grounded. - -"I am glad to see you, Dory," said Paul Bristol, when the captain went -on shore. "It was so late that I was afraid you were not coming." - -"We have plenty of time to do the job, for I don't think it will take us -a great while. Have you seen anything of the Chesterfields this -evening?" - -"Not one of them has been near the point, so far as I know, and I don't -expect to see any of them. I suppose they are dreaming of the fun they -will have in pitching the cottage into the lake to-morrow afternoon," -added Paul, with a cheerful smile. "But I don't see how you are going to -move the building, Dory." - -"If you keep your eye on us sharp for an hour or so you will see," -replied the leader of the enterprise, as he turned his attention to the -business before him. - -After half an hour's hard work, the lumber, blocks, and rigging on the -deck of the scow were landed on the beach. With thirty pairs of hands -the work was not very hard, and they tossed the large sticks about as -though they had been nothing but chips. By this time they understood -what was to be done, and the students were full of enthusiasm. They were -required to work in silence; for though the Chesterfield school was all -of half a mile from Sandy Point, Dory was very anxious lest their -operations should be disturbed by the institute people. - -Two heavy timbers were placed under the cottage; the jack-screws were -put in position under them, and the building raised from the posts which -supported it. A plankway was laid on the smooth sand, the posts were -removed, and the cottage set on rollers. The plankway was continued to -the water. - -There was a considerable descent from the site of the cottage to the -water. Two heavy ropes were attached to the building, and passed around -a couple of large trees in the rear of it. The plankway was an inclined -plane, and it required but little force to start the cottage on its -journey. With a couple of turns around the trees, the hands stationed at -the check-lines easily controlled its movements, and slacked off only as -the captain gave the word. - -In a few minutes the building was rolled down almost to the water. The -gundalow was aground on the shore end. Two heavy timbers were extended -from the deck to the beach and supported by blocks so that they would -bear the weight of the structure. These beams lay nearly level when they -were in position, and just reached the end of the plankway on shore. The -check-lines were eased off again when smooth bearings for the rollers -had been prepared. - -When the cottage was about half on the timber-ways the force of gravity -was no longer available, and the building refused to budge another inch. -While Captain Dornwood was on the front of the structure, some twenty of -the students in the rear tried to push it toward the gundalow; but they -could not start it. - -"Enough of that!" called Dory, as soon as he saw what they were doing. -"You are acting without orders, and wasting your strength for nothing." - -"But the building sticks fast where it is," said Ben Ludlow. - -"If you think you can push it ahead you are mistaken," added the -captain. "It has gone as far as I expected it to go of itself." - -The two check-lines were then carried on board of the scow, and the -Sylph was backed up to her. The lines were made fast at the quarters of -the steamer. Dory stood on the after end of the gundalow, and, with a -boatswain's whistle, made a signal agreed upon with the pilot to go -ahead. - -The lines stiffened and strained, and then the cottage began to move -again. The timber ways had been continued on the deck of the scow, and -the building moved very slowly until the captain gave a second signal -with the whistle. - -The rollers were instantly blocked by hands under the direction of the -first officer. But the rear of the cottage just reached the stern of the -gundalow. At least half of the weight of the building rested upon the -sand at the bottom. The water deepened very rapidly near the shore on -the outside of the point, and it became necessary to handle the heavy -burden with the greatest care, for the forward end of the craft would -settle down as soon as the structure was moved any further, forming an -inclined plane, on which the cottage might roll overboard. - -There were four iron rings at the stern of the scow, and check-lines -were extended from them to the structure. A double turn was taken in -each over a cleat, and hands placed at these ropes. The signal was again -given for the steamer to go ahead. The building moved a few feet -further, and the rollers were promptly chocked when the captain gave the -whistle to "stop her." - -The cottage was not yet exactly in the middle of the deck, and another -movement was necessary. The bow of the scow settled down, but the -check-lines held the house firmly in position. The second move was so -well timed that it placed the building in exactly the right place. - -The check-lines were belayed under the direction of the first officer, -while the second officer proceeded to fasten the cottage to the rings in -the bow of the scow. It was to remain on the rollers during the trip to -its destination, and Captain Dornwood made sure that it was secured -beyond the possibility of any accident. - -All the spare hands were then ordered to the shore, Dory leading the -way. The lumber, jack-screws, blocks, and other material were put on the -scow, for there was still abundance of space forward and abaft the -house. Everything connected with the cottage was put on board. - -"By the big wooden spoon!" exclaimed Paul, when the burden of the work -was done. "I didn't believe you could do it with a hundred men." - -"We haven't finished the job yet," replied Dory, laughing. - -"But I believe you can do all the rest of it," added Paul, filled with -admiration. "These students are good for something besides keeping bread -and meat from spoiling." - -"They are good fellows," answered Dory, "but we have not quite finished -over here yet." - -"You fellows might come over here some night and carry off the building -of the Chesterfield Collegiate Institute if you felt like it. I don't -see what more there is to do." - -A lot of shovels, hoes, and iron rakes had been brought over on the -steamer, and these were now carried on shore. The post-holes under the -cottage were filled up, every particle of rubbish was removed, and the -ground raked over until every thing was as smooth as though no human -being had ever resided within a mile of the spot. - -"By the big wooden spoon!" shouted Paul. "It looks just as it did when -we first came here." - -"We will leave everything in good order and condition so that Major -Billcord shall have nothing to complain of," replied Dory. "Now make the -Dragon fast to the stern of the gundalow, and we will get under way. I -think you had better stay in the house to see that everything goes right -there." - -"All right, Dory, I will do just as you say; but I don't believe you -have started a joint in the cottage. I went up to look at the chimney -with a lantern while you were shifting it, and there is not a crack in -it." - -The chimney reached only from a beam to the ridge pole, and a couple of -feet above it, so that the brickwork had required no special -consideration. But the building had been subjected to no hard usage, and -no damage had been done to it. All the furniture remained just as it had -been for two years, and Mrs. Bristol might have kept house in it as well -as when it was stationary. - -As soon as the ship's company were all on board of the steamer, or the -scow, the captain gave the word to go ahead. The tow-lines had been -adjusted before. The end of the gundalow, which was aground, grated a -little on the sand, but it came off without difficulty, and the Sylph -with her tow headed down the lake. - -The officers of the steamer were so well accustomed to handling the -gundalow that no difficulty was experienced in getting the cottage to -its destination, which was to be at Hornet Point, near the outlet of the -creek into Beechwater. The location had been suggested by Dory, and -agreed to by Captain Gildrock. It was quite as pleasant a spot as the -former site of the cottage, and was but a short distance from the new -boat-house. - -The plank and timber ways were laid down as they had been on the other -side of the lake, and the building was moved to the shore as readily as -it had been put on board of the gundalow. By two o'clock in the morning -it was in position on the posts upon which it had rested at Sandy Point. -The materials were all conveyed to the quarry, and the gundalow was left -at its usual moorings. - -By this time most of the students were gaping fearfully, and were very -tired. Paul remained at the cottage and went to bed after the departure -of the Sylph. The ship's company were dismissed at the wharf, and before -half past two they were all asleep in the dormitory. Mrs. Bristol and -Lily were up early in the morning, and went out to walk by six o'clock. - -After the departure of the students the night before in the steamer, -they had not heard a word about the cottage. They walked over to the -boat-house, where they found the principal, who was an early riser. The -cottage could not be seen from the boat-house, though it could from the -wharf. Bates was bringing up a boat in which the captain was going out -to inspect the operations of the night. - -"Good morning, Mrs. Bristol; good morning, Miss Lily. You are up early," -said the principal. - -"But I don't see anything of the cottage," replied Mrs. Bristol, after -they had returned the pleasant salutations of the captain. "I did not -hear a sound in the night, and I suppose Dory was not able to carry out -the plans we talked about." - -"They certainly did not make any noise about it; but if you and Miss -Lily will take a seat in this boat, we shall soon ascertain what has -been done," said the captain, as Bates brought one of the four-oar boats -to the landing steps. - -The ladies seated themselves in the stern-sheets of the boat, and the -boatman pulled out into the lake. But he kept near the shore, and the -overhanging trees obstructed the view of Hornet Point. In a few -minutes, however, the boat was out far enough to afford its occupants a -view of the mouth of the creek. - -"Why, there's the cottage!" exclaimed Lily. "It looks as though it had -stood there since it was built." - -"The boys have done their work very well," added Captain Gildrock. - -The party landed and walked up to the cottage. Not a particle of rubbish -had been left on the premises; not a plank or a block. Where the sand on -the beach had been disturbed it had been raked over, and everything -looked as neat as though the family had lived there for a year. They -went to the front door and the back door, but both were locked. Paul was -still fast asleep in his chamber, and they did not disturb him. - - - - -CHAPTER IX. - -THE JANITOR OF THE BOAT-HOUSE. - - -Captain Gildrock was delighted with the skill and the industry which the -students had displayed in the removal of the cottage. It was not the -difficulty of the feat they had accomplished so much as the neat and -orderly as well as quiet manner in which the work had been done. Usually -boys cannot do anything without a great noise and not a little bluster. -But the Beach Hillers had not disturbed any one on either side of the -lake. - -With the machinery at their command it was not a great achievement to -move a building no larger than the home of the Bristols across the lake. -The principal had as yet no report of the work, but, taking the -appearance of the cottage at Hornet Point as a specimen of the labor -done, nothing could be better. - -"Everything seems to be in good order here, Mrs. Bristol," said Captain -Gildrock, when he had examined the cottage and its surroundings. - -"I can't see for the life of me how the students brought the cottage -over here and put it on the posts just as it was before, and in the -night, too," added Mrs. Bristol. - -"And everything is just as neat as wax-work," said Lily. - -"Just beyond the quarries is what we call the lake road, which is the -boundary of my land on the east side. There is a driveway from it -through the quarries, near the shore of the creek. I shall continue this -road to Beechwater, which will carry it by the end of the cottage," -continued Captain Gildrock, pointing out the locality. "By this road you -can go to the town without passing through the school-grounds, though -you are entirely welcome to use the latter." - -"You are very kind, sir," replied Mrs. Bristol. "I am sure I have not -the slightest claim upon you for anything, and you have done more for me -already than all others. We shall be grateful to you as long as we -live." - -"I think you are a very worthy woman, and I am very glad to be able to -serve you," replied the captain. "But I have come to the conclusion that -my mission in the world is to help others to help themselves. You have a -son and a daughter." - -"And they are both able and willing to work," added the woman. - -"So I have heard from my nephew; and I expect to put you in the way of -earning your living. In the first place what is to be done with your -son?" - -"He will do any kind of work he can get to do--work in a store or on a -farm." - -"If he goes into a store, he has about one chance in ten of becoming -something more than a counter-jumper on five dollars a week. But he -ought to learn a trade." - -"I should be very glad to have him do so, but we are dependent upon him -just now for the means of living. When Lily had a place in Westport, she -received only a dollar a week besides her board; and sometimes Paul -could not make any more than that." - -"I have a place for Paul. I want a janitor for the boat-house, for Bates -is getting rather too old to do such work. I will give your son a salary -of twenty dollars a month for the service." - -"You are very kind, sir; that is more than we ever had to live on," -replied Mrs. Bristol. - -"But I think he had better join the school at the same time. We can make -a carpenter or a machinist of him; and if he prefers some other trade, -what he learns here will not come amiss. He can do his work in the -boat-house and be a member of the school at the same time, though he -will have to work some part of the day while the students are at play." - -"Paul will be very glad to work and never play, for he has always been a -very good boy," added the devoted mother. - -"Your daughter, you said, had worked at the millinery business, and -perhaps a place can be found for her in Genverres," continued the -captain, as he led the way back to the boat. "We will go to breakfast -now." - -The family took their morning meal at the usual hour; but not a single -student had yet appeared on the grounds. The principal would not allow -them to be disturbed until nine o'clock, when the bell was rung in the -dormitory, though a few of the boys had turned out at this hour. At -half-past nine breakfast was served to them; and they all appeared to be -in as good condition as usual. - -Paul was invited to join them, though he was to board at home as soon as -his mother was established in the cottage. By this time he was pretty -well acquainted with the students, and was very popular among them. The -story of his fight with Walk Billcord and his father had been told on -board of the Sylph on the passage to Sandy Point, and his prowess made -him a hero among the boys. - -"Paul, did you take the tin box from the hollow of the tree?" asked Mrs. -Bristol, as her son was leaving the mansion with the rest of the -students, for Fatima Millweed had already entered his name on the roll. - -"I never thought a word about it, mother," replied Paul, not a little -mortified at the neglect. "I was so busy and so anxious that it never -came into my head. But I will go over in the Dragon and get it right -off." - -"But Captain Gildrock has a place for you as janitor of the boat-house, -and perhaps he cannot spare you," added Mrs. Bristol. - -"Janitor of the boat-house!" exclaimed Paul, opening his eyes very wide. - -"And your salary is to be twenty dollars a month," continued Mrs. -Bristol. "The captain says his mission is to help those who are willing -to help themselves. Besides this, you are to be one of the students, and -learn to be a carpenter or a machinist." - -"One of the students!" almost screamed Paul. - -"But you will have to work while the other students play, my son." - -"By the big wooden spoon! I shall be willing to work all night if I can -learn what the other fellows learn," replied Paul. - -His mother explained to him more fully the intentions of the principal, -and the son of toil was more delighted than if a fortune had suddenly -dropped into his lap. He knew all about the course of study at Beech -Hill, and thought it was the finest school in the world. He had long -wished that he might learn a trade, and he would have sought a place -with a carpenter before, but he would have to work for nothing at first, -and his mother needed the dollar or two a week he could earn. - -"When will Paul begin his work as janitor?" asked Mrs. Bristol, as the -principal was passing them in the hall. - -"At once, Mrs. Bristol. His wages shall begin to-day," replied Captain -Gildrock. "But if you want him at the cottage till you get settled we -can spare him, though he had better join his class to-day." - -"I wanted him to go over to Sandy Point," continued Mrs. Bristol, who -then explained the errand upon which she proposed to send Paul. "The -tin box contains my wedding ring, my mother's gold ring, and a -two-dollar bill. I was afraid to keep them in the house, for rough -characters sometimes land at the point. I didn't think of the box till I -wanted the money to buy some provisions." - -"But Paul would have to row ten miles to get the box," added the -principal. "This is a broken day, and we shall not do much in the school -or the shops, and he can go over in the Goldwing after the students are -dismissed. I will pay Paul's first month's wages in advance, for I am -sure you will want some money." - -The good woman took the money under protest, though it was true that she -needed it. The gold rings were of more value to her than any sum of -money, and she hoped they would not be lost. - -At ten o'clock the bell rung for the forenoon studies. Paul took a desk -assigned to him, and no other boy was ever more interested in a circus -than he was in the exercises of the school-room. As soon as the school -was assembled, Captain Gildrock took the platform and called upon the -leader of the moonlight expedition to report upon the action he had -taken. - -Dory modestly related all the particulars of the trip to Sandy Point, -and the removal of the cottage, and warmly commended the ship's company -for the good order they had maintained, the promptness with which his -orders had been obeyed, and the quietness with which all had done their -duty. - -The principal believed in giving reasonable commendation when it was -deserved, and he bestowed handsome praise upon them on this occasion. - -When the boys came into the school-room, they noticed upon the wall in -the rear of the platform a large drawing which they had never seen -before. It consisted of three plans of a vessel. On a table was a model -of the hull of a craft of some sort, resting in a cradle. The students -had kept their eyes fixed on the drawings and the model most of the time -while they listened to the commendation of the principal and the report -of their leader. - -They manifested a very strong interest in these things, and they were -likely soon to forget the operations of the night before. For six months -there had been a great deal of talk among them about building a boat, -and the project was a very attractive one to them. But up to the present -time nothing had officially been said or done about it. As soon as the -spring opened, they had been required to erect a sort of shop on the -very bank of the little lake, near the old wharf of the steamer. - -This structure was seventy-five feet long, with plenty of windows, and -was entirely open on the water side. In accordance with the general -policy of the principal, its use had not been explained; but all the -students believed it was to contain the ways on which the boat was to be -built. It looked now as though the desired information in regard to the -building of the boat was to be communicated to them. - -"I need not ask you if you have noticed these drawings, and this model -of a vessel," said Captain Gildrock, after he had finished what he had -to say about the moving of the cottage; "for you have been looking at -these things most of the time since you came into the school-room." - -"Are we to begin on the boat to-day?" Lon Dorset asked; and he was one -of the new students, not yet thoroughly broken in with the customs of -the school. - -"When I set you at work you will begin; not before. It always affords me -very great pleasure to answer sensible questions, boys, and I shall do -everything I can to encourage you to ask them; but I don't believe in -foolish questions. Such is the character of all questions relating to -what we are going to do. You are never required to do anything until an -order is given. Foolish questions take up as much time as sensible -ones." - -Lon Dorset was somewhat abashed at the manner in which his inquiry had -been treated; but the principal knew that some of the boys would talk -all day about nothing, if permitted to do so; and the questions he -tolerated and encouraged were those which brought out real information, -and revealed the condition of the inquirer's mind. - -"The building of the boat has been somewhat delayed on account of the -difficulty of obtaining suitable lumber," continued the principal. "A -load which came from Boston yesterday will enable us to make a -beginning." - -Some of the new pupils were disposed to give three cheers. - - - - -CHAPTER X. - -A LECTURE ON SHIP-BUILDING. - - -"We are not ship-builders, boys; in fact, there is not a ship-builder -connected with the school, and I do not intend to engage one even as an -instructor," said the principal, continuing his remarks on the platform. -"In the present depressed state of this important industry, perhaps it -is not advisable to devote much time to the study of scientific -construction in ship-building. It looks now as though the ships of the -future were to be of iron; and many vessels of this material are built -in this country at the present time. - -"But perhaps ship-building is rather too ambitious a term to apply to -our intended operations. We shall build a boat of considerable size, and -while we are doing the work we shall learn what we can about -ship-building. Many years ago I built a ship for myself, and -superintended its construction from the keel to the trucks. In building -our boat we shall not put in every stick used in a ship. - -"Did any of you ever tow a log in the water?" asked the principal, -pausing for a reply. - -"I have," answered Leo Pownall, whose father owned a saw-mill. "I have -towed lots of them on the mill-pond." - -"To which end of the log did you make fast?" inquired the captain. - -"To either end; just as it came handy," replied the student. - -"Then you sometimes did more work than was necessary with your oars. A -log tows easier when you make fast to the big end," continued the -principal, waiting for the pupils to digest the idea. - -"I don't see what difference it can make," added Leo. "If anything, I -should say that the small end would open a passage through the water -more readily than the big end." - -"I suppose none of you ever saw a whale, but most of you have caught -horn-pouts, or bullheads." - -"I have seen a whale on exhibition in New York," interposed Luke -Bennington. - -"What was the shape of his head?" - -"The one I saw was round; but I have seen pictures of whales in which -the head was nearly square." - -"How is it with the pout!" - -"His mouth is about the widest part of him," laughed Alick Hartford. - -"Take fishes in general, in what part of the body do you find the -greatest girt?" asked the principal. - -"Just astern of the head," replied Kit Burlington. - -"In some fishes, about one third of the length from the mouth," added -Bark Duxbury. - -"Very good; you are about right, though some fishes vary from the -general rule. Now don't you think Nature made a mistake, Leo Pownall, -and that fishes ought to swim tail first instead of head first, as you -would tow a log?" - -"I suppose God made the fishes all right; but He gave some of them very -sharp noses," returned the saw-mill owner's son. - -"Corresponding to the shape of the butt of a log after it has been -felled; but the greatest girt is still near the head. This is the -general shape of the hull of a vessel." - -"But the head of a sperm whale is almost square; and no other fish is -like him," added Phil Gawner. - -"The whale is not a fish, Gawner. I have seen a school of porpoises -alongside an ocean steamer. Their greatest girt is one third of the -length from the head end; but they will swim past a fast steamer, and -make something like twenty knots an hour," said Captain Gildrock. - -"I was trying to find the porpoise in Wood's Natural History the other -day; but there is no such fish in the book," added Sol Guilford. - -"Where did you look?" - -"In the volume about fishes." - -"The porpoise is not a fish, and you would have found it in the volume -marked 'Mammalia,'" replied the principal with a smile. - -"But isn't the porpoise a fish? He lives in the water." - -"So do hippopotami; but they are not fishes. Whales, porpoises, -dolphins, seals, and some others, are mammals; that is, they suckle -their young as a cow does a calf. Properly they are not fishes, though -they are very often called so." - -These were the kind of questions the captain believed in encouraging, -though they sometimes led the conversation out of the legitimate -channel. They elicited useful information; and he was careful not to let -the students wander too wide of the subject under discussion. - -"I don't know now why a log or a fish goes best with the big end -ahead," said Leo Pownall. - -"After the passage for a moving body in the water is opened, this fluid -follows its own laws, and seeks an equilibrium. As it moves back to its -natural level, it crowds in upon the after part of the body, whether it -be a log, a fish, or a ship, and thus pushes it ahead. Under the stern -of a vessel, the hull is curved, or hollowed out, just as the size of a -fish diminishes at the tail, which is the fish's rudder. - -"But the shape of the hull is varied according to the use to which the -vessel is to be put; but the rule will hold good in the main. In -building a ship the beginning of the work is done on paper. As in -erecting a house, the first thing is to obtain the plans, which are made -by the naval architect. In fact, the entire shape of the vessel is laid -down on the drawing-board. From these the builder gets his dimensions, -all the curves, and the form of every timber and piece of wood used. - -"On the drawing on the wall," continued the principal, taking the -pointer and indicating the plans, "everything is put down that can be -needed in the construction of the boat we intend to build. There are -three plans, you will observe. I had them drawn by a naval architect in -New York. This," and the principal pointed to the highest one on the -paper, "is the sheer plan. It shows the side or profile of the hull on a -flat surface. It looks just as the broadside of the Sylph would, if she -were too far off for you to get any idea of the curves in her sides. - -"This plan gives the exact curve of the bow, and the exact slant of the -stern-post. The three straight lines extending the whole length of the -hull are the levels to which the water would stand if the vessel were -submerged to three different depths. This drawing is made on a scale of -one inch to a foot. The sheer plan is a vertical plane through the keel. -From it we get the length and height. The red lines which extend from -certain points at the bow to the lower part of the stern post indicate -the various curves of the hull at different distances from the vertical -plane of the keel. In other words, they are three vertical planes, -parallel with the central plane. - -"The next plan, of the same length as the first, shows you one half of -the deck of the boat, and is called the half-breadth plan. All the plans -are on the same scale. The straight lines on the deck are the curved -lines of the sheer plan, or the tops of the several vertical planes. -This plan reversed would show the other side of the vessel. - -"The third is the body plan, and exhibits a vertical section of the -hull, looking at it end-on, at the point where it has the greatest -breadth. The right-hand half of it shows the bows, and the left the -stern. The curved lines are the same as those on the sheer plan, though, -of course, they are shown only at the bow and stern, for you cannot see -a line when you look end-on. - -"With the making of these plans the task of the naval architect comes to -an end, unless he is employed to superintend the construction of the -vessel. From the plans the builder gets the exact size and shape of the -craft he is to build. From it the moulds, or patterns, of all parts of -the hull are made. In an apartment called the moulding-room, with which -every ship-yard is provided, full-sized plans of the vessel are drawn on -the floor. I do not mean that the entire ship is drawn at the same time. - -"If the bow or stern was accurately transferred to the floor, enlarged -to the actual size of the hull, the exact form of the stem or stern post -could be marked off. From this, a mould or pattern could be made of -board or plank. As a matter of fact, a mould is made for every part -used in the construction of the ship, not every piece of wood, for what -is used for one side may do just as well for the other side. For -example, a timber on one side is exactly like the one on the opposite -side. - -"In ship-building, the word timber has two meanings. As in general use, -it may be any large stick of wood. In the technical sense, it is one of -the ribs of the vessel. The means of understanding which is meant will -be given you as you proceed with the work. The keel is the backbone of -the vessel, and the strength of the hull depends largely upon it. - -"The keel corresponds with the backbone of your bodies. At the forward -end of it is the stem, shaped as you see in the sheer plan. At the after -end is the stern-post; and these three parts form the profile of the -vessel. Between them are the timbers, or ribs, curved as required by the -shape of the hull. To the timbers, the stem and stern-post, the -planking, or outer skin of the ship, is fastened. If you were to build a -canvas canoe, you would make a frame such as I have described. The cloth -part would correspond to the planking. - -"But, besides the principal parts I have mentioned, of course there is -a vast number of other parts, whose names you could not remember if I -gave them to you. I shall add only a few of the principal ones. The -timbers--I use the word in its technical sense--are set up about three -feet apart, sometimes a little more, and sometimes a little less. The -lower end of each is fastened to the keel, and of course each timber has -to be shored up, and carefully secured in its proper position. - -"The timbers are at right angles with the keel, and in large vessels are -formed of several pieces. Across the keel is laid the floor timber, -which is the connecting link between the pair of ribs. In the middle of -the ship, the floor is nearly flat; but near the stern-post the timbers -strike the keel at an acute angle, and in the same manner at a less -angle at the bows. - -"Above the floor timbers is laid the keelson, which is a large and -strong timber a foot square or more in large vessels. These pieces are -fitted together, and bolted to the keel through the timbers. The sharp -angle at the stern is filled with solid wood. As you have seen, the -floor timbers are parts of the ribs," continued the principal, pointing -to a diagram of a full rib. "The next two sticks, forming the sharpest -bend in the timber, are the futtocks, above which are the top timbers -and the lengthening pieces. The plankshear is placed on the top of the -timbers, extending from bow to stern, even with the upper deck, if there -is more than one. - -"Large ships have two, three, and even four decks. Fastened to the -timbers are pieces called shelves, upon which rest the beams or timbers -extending across the ship, upon which the decks are laid. In the -corners, where the beams join the ribs, are placed the knees (timbers -like brackets) in which the angle is formed by the natural growth of the -wood. Of course all these pieces are bolted together in the strongest -manner. - -"The timbers next to the stem are the knight-heads. They extend upwards -higher than the tops of the other ribs, and assist in the support of the -bowsprit. In the keel, stem, and stern-post, a rabbet, or triangular -groove, is cut out, into which the planks are extended. The first course -of the planking, next to the keel, whether composed of one or many -pieces, is called the garboard streak. This word is often written -_strake_. The other word is more commonly used in this country. - -"The next coarse above the garboard streak is the bilge streak, which -may consist of several widths of plank. Above there are the wales, and -still higher the shear streaks. Some of these terms are applied to the -parts of the ship as localities. The bilge is where the sharpest bend -comes in the hull; the wales are the sides near the load line. - -"I have tried to give you a general view of ship-building, with a few of -the more important technical terms, some of which most of you have -learned before. As I have said, we shall not use all these pieces in -building the boat. For example, a false keel is put under the true keel -of a ship. It is a timber of the toughest wood, from four to six inches -thick, which is bolted to the keel after the keelson is secured. It is -but lightly fastened, for it is intended to come off, if the vessel -strikes a shoal, and thus allow the true keel to slide off. We shall not -need this addition, unless we require it to increase the depth of the -keel. In that case, it would be better to have the part corresponding to -the false keel made of lead or iron, and then it will serve as so much -ballast. - -"On the table you see a wooden model of the boat we are to build. Its -form and size are exactly indicated by the three plans I have -explained. We are not ship-builders, only amateurs; and, while I shall -take pains to have you understand the theory and practice of the art, I -do not feel obliged to follow all the methods in use. So far as I know, -no such model as the one on the table was ever made before. As I shall -direct the construction of the boat, I shall do it in my own way, though -it may not be according to the accepted rules. - -"I have kept you now longer than I intended, for, after the hard work -you did last night, and the very quiet and business-like way in which -you did it, I shall make the rest of the day a holiday. The Beech Hill -fleet is at your service, and you may spend the day in any proper manner -that you please. To-morrow afternoon we will dissect this model, and -give out the work of building the boat. In the meantime I shall be glad -to receive suggestions as to her name; but no student must send in more -than one name, for I wish you to have decided opinions." - - - - -CHAPTER XI. - -ROUGH WATER ON LAKE CHAMPLAIN. - - -The wind was very fresh from the northwest on the lake, and its surface -was covered with white-caps. Above Split Rock Point the lake looked like -a sea of foam, and heavy waves rolled in upon the beach in Porter's Bay. -Even Beechwater was considerably agitated. Prudent mothers would have -thought it dangerous to go out upon the lake at such a time. - -Apparently for the reason that the water was rough on Lake Champlain, -the students elected to have an excursion in the barges. The principal -did not object, for the boys had been trained to rough weather, and they -knew how to handle the boats in any sea that ever was stirred up on -fresh water, albeit the waves are often more perilous on large lakes -than on the ocean. - -Oscar Chester was the coxswain of the Gildrock, and Thad Glovering of -the Winooski. The former was still used by the first class, and the -latter by the second. But the classes had been considerably changed, -and vacancies in the first had been filled from the second and from the -most advanced of the new pupils. The third class consisted mainly of new -scholars. - -The twelve-oar barges each had a crew of thirteen, including the -coxswains. Nine of the third class were detailed for service in the new -eight-oar barge, and there was one who had no station in any boat. One -of the thirty-six students to which the school was now limited had been -taken sick, and returned to his home in the winter. He was from the far -South, and the climate was too severe for him. His place had not been -filled before the coming of Paul Bristol. He was to be a spare hand for -the present, and was to take the place of any one who was absent. - -The eight-oar barge was the Marian, in honor of Dory's sister, and the -name had been given by the students. Paul had spoken to Dory about the -tin box in the hollow of the tree, and it had been arranged to visit -Sandy Point in the Goldwing: but when the students decided to go out in -the barges, the plan had been changed. Dick Short, though a first-rate -mechanic, and one of the best boatmen in the fleet, had been transferred -to the third class because he was deficient in some of his book -studies, and could not keep up with his class-mates. - -Dick had been elected coxswain in the Marian. Dory had trained the new -crew, but he declined to be the chief in the boat. He pulled the stroke -oar, though he exchanged places with the coxswain when the boys were in -training. The crew of the Marian generally manned the Goldwing, though -the schooner was often used by other parties. - -A lunch had been put up for each of the crews of the barges, and they -were expected to be absent all the rest of the day. Sometimes Captain -Gildrock was called by business or pleasure to visit Burlington, -Plattsburgh, or other places on the lake, when the students were at -their studies, or off in the barges. At such times he was his own pilot, -Mr. Jepson was the engineer when not instructing in the shop or -drawing-room, Bates was deck-hand, and Collins, the gardener, was the -fireman. - -Before the students were dismissed from the school-room, steam was up on -the Sylph, and the barges had hardly departed before she left the wharf. -If she had any particular destination, it was unknown to most of the -students; and possibly the principal desired to take a view of Sandy -Point after the event of the preceding night. - -It was half-past eleven when the barges backed out of the boat-house. -Paul was seated in the stern-sheets of the Marian. He had not yet been -trained to pull with the crew, though he would have gladly taken an oar. -On the present occasion his mission related to business. While they were -at breakfast, Lily had spoken to him about a valise she had been obliged -to leave at the house of her former employer in Westport. Paul had -promised to get it when he could. - -The Marian led the way down the creek into the river, and then out into -the lake. The other barges followed at a respectful distance, and their -crews did not seem to be inclined to engage in any scrub races. The -speed of the eight-oar boat had not yet been tested, and it had always -been taken for granted that either of the other barges could beat her -without half trying. But it was no time to indulge in a race when the -water was so rough. - -The waves were dashing smartly over the point at the mouth of Beaver -River, and the bow of the Marian was lifted up in the air as she plunged -in among the white-caps. Dick Short got the hang of the waves as soon as -they struck the boat. Paul thought it was about as rough a time as he -had ever seen on the lake during the season of navigation; but he had -never been in the barge before, and everything was new to him. - -"By the big wooden spoon!" exclaimed the passenger, when the Marian was -in the thickest of the miniature billows, and the water was occasionally -slopping in over the bow. "Don't you expect you will all get drowned?" - -"You can't tell about that," replied the coxswain, who felt as much at -home in the boat as he would in the school-room. "We are not prophets, -and we can't tell what is going to happen." - -"Don't you think it is dangerous to come out here when the lake is -boiling after this sort?" asked Paul, as he looked at the angry waves -around him. - -"I suppose it is. There is always water enough in the lake to drown the -whole of us," answered Dick Short, who was rather inclined to work upon -the fears of a timid voyager. - -"Then what do you come out here for?" - -"For fun." - -"Is there any fun in being drowned, Dick Short?" asked Paul seriously, -as he glanced at Dory, whose face was as calm as the minister's on -Sunday. - -"Any fun in being drowned? How should I know? I never tried it," -returned the coxswain. - -"But don't you think it is dangerous to be out here in such a blow?" -Paul insisted; and he really believed he was in peril. - -"Of course it is." - -"Then don't you think you had better put back into the river?" - -"But it is dangerous in there," added Dick. "Suppose a tree should blow -down and kill every fellow in the boat? Suppose the sea-serpent should -be having a vacation up Beaver River, and take it into his head to -swallow us all, one at a time? Suppose the river should catch fire and -burn us all up? Suppose the sky should fall, as Chicken Little said it -would, and smash us all to jelly?" - -"You are making fun of me, Dick," said Paul, laughing. - -"The principal says it is useless to worry about anything. We do the -best we can with the boat; and if she spills us into the fluid, all we -have to do is to get out if we can." - -"I think I can stand it as well as any of the rest of the fellows can, -and I don't mean to worry," returned Paul. "I never was out on the lake -when it was anything near as rough as it is to-day, and it looks -dangerous to me." - -"If you don't feel right about it, we will put you ashore," added the -coxswain. - -"I am not scared; I can stand it as well as the rest of you. I was only -asking about it for information," continued Paul. - -"I don't believe you are scared; if you had pluck enough to stand up -against Walk Billcord and his father, I don't believe you will mind a -little ripple on the lake like this," replied Dick, laughing. - -"You said it was dangerous." - -"Well, an ox-team is dangerous if you let the beasts run off a -precipice. It is dangerous to go to bed, for the house may burn up -before morning." - -"We don't think we are in any more danger here, Paul, than we are every -hour of the day on shore," added Dory. "Dick could upset the boat, and -spill us all into the drink, if he did not understand his business and -attend to it." - -"All right; I am satisfied," replied the son of toil. "But I thought you -were going up to Sandy Point." - -"So we are; but the direct course would be about southwest, and that -would put us into the trough of the sea and keep us rolling the gunwale -under all the time," replied Dick. "The principal don't allow the -fellows to be reckless. There comes the Sylph out of the river, and -Captain Gildrock is on board of her. If he should see me letting the -barge wallow about in the trough of the sea, when there is no need of -it, he would give me fits." - -"We could go direct to Sandy Point, though at a little risk. We should -take in a good deal of water, and it would be uncomfortable," said Dory. -"In a small boat in a blow, or in a squall, the safe way is to keep her -head up to the sea." - -"The other boats are following us." - -"The coxswain of each can do as he pleases; but the fellows all know -there is no fun in being knocked about in the trough of a smart sea," -added the coxswain. "Do you expect to find any one at the point when we -get there, Paul?" - -"No; it isn't twelve o'clock yet. The Chesterfields are in school from -eight to one, and then go to dinner. They won't get away from the house -before two," replied Paul. "I don't believe any one at the school has -any idea of what was done at the point last night." - -"I should like to be where I could see them when they get to the point, -and find that the cottage is missing," added Dick, chuckling. "Major -Billcord will be the maddest man in the State of New York when he finds -it is gone." - -"Of course he will be. He don't care anything about the land over there, -and all he wanted was to punish us for resisting his saintly son." - -"I don't believe it will be safe for you to show your head in Westport -again, Paul, or let any of the Chesterfields see you." - -"Land me in Westport and see," laughed Paul. - -Dick agreed to do so. - - - - -CHAPTER XII. - -A SAILBOAT IN THE TROUGH OF THE SEA. - - -When the Marian was half-way across the lake, the waves began to -diminish in force; and within an eighth of a mile of the high shore the -water was comparatively smooth. The barge was then headed to the -southwest, and had a quiet time of it till she reached Sandy Point. The -Gildrock and the Winooski had followed her, and were now about an eighth -of a mile astern of her. - -Dory Dornwood was very popular with all the students, not because he was -the nephew of the principal, but on account of his fairness, his pluck, -and his good judgment. Though Captain Gildrock believed and trusted in -him, no one could accuse him of partiality. Perhaps the coxswains of the -two twelve-oar barges, who knew that Dory was on board of the Marian, -considered it wise and prudent to follow the lead of the eight-oar barge -for this reason. - -On shore everything was as silent as the tomb. At Sandy Point, Paul -looked with deep interest for the appearance of any person in the -vicinity of the site where the cottage had stood. It was possible that -Major Billcord had sent one of his men from Westport to ascertain what -the Bristol family intended to do about the removal of the cottage or -the furniture which it contained; but Paul could see no one. - -"It looks as though the coast was clear," said he, when he had completed -his survey of the point and the woods in the rear. "I don't believe any -one has been here since we left last night." - -"Major Billcord must have regarded it as utterly impossible for your -mother or you to do anything more than remove some of your furniture," -added Dory. "I am sure he did not think of such a thing as your taking -the cottage away; and I don't believe he would have considered it -possible for the Beech Hillers to do such a job. Probably he did not -count us in, or think of us at all." - -"It was lucky for my mother that you came along in the Goldwing as you -did, for you have saved her all she had in the world," said Paul, with -enthusiasm. - -"Now, where is the tin box in the hollow of a tree?" asked Dick Short, -as the barge approached the entrance to Sandy Bay. - -"The tree is near the neck, and I had to climb up about ten feet to -reach the hollow in which the tin box was put," replied Paul. "As the -Chesterfields are expecting to have a big time in dumping the cottage -into the lake, this afternoon, they may come up early. I have no doubt -they will pull around here in their boats." - -"Then I think we had better get away from the point as soon as -possible," replied the coxswain. "We don't want to get into any row with -them." - -"I suppose you are not afraid of them," added Paul, laughing. - -"I don't think we are, and most of the fellows wouldn't enjoy anything -better than a skirmish with them," replied Dick Short. "But the student -that does anything to bring on a row with them would be out of favor -with the principal, and might have to spend a few days in the brig for -it." - -Paul had never heard of the brig, and Dick described the strong-room, or -black hole, to him. The brig is the place of confinement, or prison, on -board ships of war, and the principal had such an apartment in the -dormitory. But there had been very little use for it since the earlier -days of the school, and not half a dozen of the students had ever seen -the inside of it. - -"I don't see any of the Chesterfield boats," added Paul, as he looked -along the shore. "By the big wooden spoon! Isn't the lake stirred up -ahead of us!" - -"The wind has full sweep across North West Bay, where the lake is four -miles wide. It looks decidedly foamy over in Button Bay," replied Dick -Short. - -"By the big wooden spoon!" repeated Paul, as he rose in his seat in the -stern-sheets. - -"Sit down, Paul," said the coxswain, rather sharply. "We don't allow any -fellow to stand up in this boat when he gets excited. What is the matter -now?" - -"There is a sailboat over there, and she looks as though she was tipping -over!" exclaimed Paul, dropping into his seat. - -"She is over, as true as you live," added Dick, rather louder than he -usually spoke, but with hardly more excitement, so thoroughly had the -students been trained to keep cool in emergencies. - -At the same time he glanced at his crew; but not one of them had turned -around to obtain a view of the event described by Paul and the -coxswain, for they had been schooled to keep their eyes on the officer -of the boat. The crew took more pride in observing this general order -than almost any other. - -Dick Short gazed with all his might at the struggling sailboat, for a -moment, but he seemed to be in doubt, for the craft was at least a mile -distant. Besides himself, no one but Paul, whose judgment in regard to -the management of a sailboat was not to be relied upon, had even glanced -in the direction indicated. - -"Stand by to toss!" called Dick. "Toss!" - -At the last word the crew brought their oars to a perpendicular. - -"Now you can look, and I wish you would do so," continued the coxswain, -as he fixed his own gaze upon the sail, which was dead to leeward, and -some distance south of Button Island. - -The students were glad enough of the permission, for they had as much -curiosity, and were as much disposed to get excited, as the average of -boys. They gazed with all their eyes at the sail in the distance. - -"What do you think of it, Dory?" asked Dick Short. - -"I should say that sailboat is half full of water, and that the skipper -has lost his head," replied Dory, after he had taken in the situation. -"She is rolling in the trough of the sea, and they seem to be trying to -take in sail." - -All the crew gazed in silence at the sailboat; but no one of them -ventured to give an opinion, if he had any, in relation to the disaster. -Dory had more experience in sailing a boat than any other student, and -perhaps they were not inclined to speak in the presence of an expert. -But Dick Short was an excellent boatman, and he deferred only to the -skipper of the Goldwing. - -"She must be rolling the water into her all the time, and she may go to -the bottom at any moment," added the coxswain, whose opinion coincided -with that of Dory. "We must go to their assistance at once." - -Dory indicated his assent to this proposition only by a nod of his head, -for he did not like to appear before the crew to be even an adviser of -the coxswain. - -"Ready!" called Dick; at which every member of the crew at the oars -fixed his eyes upon the officer. - -"Let fall!" and all the blades dropped into the water. "Give way!" and -the rowers bent to their oars. - -The Marian was headed towards the disabled sailboat, and in a few -moments she was going at full speed. The coxswain did not hurry the -oarsmen, for he knew better than to exhaust them before the hard work -came on. The lake was comparatively smooth under the lee of the land, -but in a few minutes they would be in the boiling waves of the broad -bay. - -"Have you seen anything of the Sylph?" asked Dory of the coxswain. - -"She went up the lake when we crossed to the west shore," replied Dick. -"The last I saw of her she was off Scotch Bonnet. I think the principal -has gone up to Port Henry to order a barge-load of coal, for I heard him -tell Mr. Jepson he should do so soon." - -"Then by this time he is too far off to see that sailboat," added Dory. - -"He couldn't do much if he did see it, for he has not hands enough to -handle the steamer and man a boat," said Dick. - -"He would manage to render all the assistance needed if he saw the -boat," replied Dory, with a smile; for he could not conceive of such a -thing as his uncle failing in any duty in an emergency. "He could put -the sailboat under the lee of the Sylph, and take every person out of -her." - -"Of course he would do all he could, and he would save the people at all -hazards," continued Dick, still straining his vision to get a better -idea of the situation of the sailboat. "But how about the tin box in the -hollow of the tree, Paul?" - -"I shall have time enough to get that before the fellows go to the point -to tip the cottage over into the lake," replied Paul. "This boat begins -to leap like a greyhound chasing a rabbit." - -"The boat will do very well as long as we can keep her end-on to the -sea," added Dory, who thought the new pupil might be alarmed when the -barge got into the worst of it. "But remember that you are to do nothing -without orders from the coxswain. Simply keep your seat and look out for -yourself." - -"I think I can stand it as long as the rest of you," replied Paul, with -a cheerful smile. "I won't meddle with anything till I am told to do -so." - -"The Gildrock and the Winooski are following us, and the fellows are -putting in the heavy strokes," said Dory. - -"Are they gaining on us?" asked Dick. - -"I think not." - -The sea was very heavy ahead of the Marian, but the waves were not like -those of the ocean. They were shorter and more "choppy." But the boats -made tolerably good weather among them. In a smart sea, speed is -desirable; and it is the element in the progress of the boat which -insures safety. At such a time there are two forces acting, the -propelling power of the boat and the action of the waves. In heavy -weather there is a struggle between the two forces. In the case of the -sailing craft, the waves had got the better of the boat. - -With the three barges, the advantage was on the side of the boats. They -went ahead fast enough to keep the upper hand of the waves. - - - - -CHAPTER XIII. - -THE DISASTER TO THE SILVER MOON. - - -The stout students at the oars of the Marian drove the barge ahead, -helped somewhat by the wind, so that the great billows seemed to have no -effect upon her. In a few minutes she was in the midst of the heaviest -of the waves. Sometimes she trembled and shook, but she did not yield -sensibly to the power which was opposed to her. - -"I think that is Tom Bissell's boat," said Paul Bristol, who was -watching the craft in trouble very attentively. "When I went to see my -sister in Westport, about a month ago, she was sewing a full moon into a -blue flag." - -"A full moon?" queried Dick. - -"It was a round piece of white stuff, and it looked like a full moon." - -"She has a burgee with a white circle on a blue ground," added Dick. -"Then that must be Tom Bissell's boat?" - -"She is a sloop as big as the Goldwing," continued Paul. - -"Who is Tom Bissell?" asked the coxswain. - -"He runs a store in Westport, and his wife keeps a millinery shop in the -same building. My sister worked for them," replied Paul. - -"Does he know how to handle a sailboat?" - -"He thinks he does, and most people believe he does." - -"Perhaps he does, and has met with some accident to his sail or -rigging," added Dick. "I believe there are some ladies in the boat." - -"I shouldn't wonder, for his wife is as fond of sailing as he is; and -sometimes he takes out the girls that work for them," said Paul. - -"The sloop is in the trough of the sea, rolling very badly. She is -having a rough time of it," continued Dick, as the Marian came near -enough for him to see the position of the craft. - -"I am very sure that is the Silver Moon," added Paul. - -"If it is, it looks like a wet moon, as Bates calls it, when he looks to -the silvery orb for the state of the weather," said Dick. - -The waves were certainly having it all their own way so far as the -Silver Moon was concerned. The peak of the mainsail had been dropped, -and the main sheet had run out so that the boom stood at right angles -with the keel. Either the halyards were foul, or the rudder had given -out, or she was suffering from both of these mishaps. As the sloop -rolled with a heavy jerk in the violent seas, the ladies screamed as -though they expected each movement would send them to the bottom. - -The craft contained six ladies and one man. The latter was baling out -the boat with a bucket, and was working with all his might. He had pluck -enough; but the sloop seemed to be dipping up more water than he could -possibly throw out, though he had doubtless delayed a little the -catastrophe which awaited him. - -[Illustration: "The craft contained six ladies and one man."--Page 137.] - -Dick looked back at the other barges, and he was confident that they had -not gained even a length upon the Marian since they all started for the -craft in peril. He had not driven his crew, though he had kept them at -work briskly. In the barge fleet, Oscar Chester, as coxswain of the -senior boat, as the Gildrock was ranked, was the acting commodore. When -the barges were within hail of each other, he was in command of the -fleet. If the Winooski and Marian were within hail, the command devolved -upon Thad Glovering. - -As long as the other barges were as far off as at present, Dick Short -was in full command. He could use such measures as he thought best, but -the coxswain of either of the other boats could take the management of -the affair into his own hands, if he chose to do so. As the Marian -approached the sloop, Dick quickened the movements of his crew, for he -desired to take some action before he was superseded in the command. - -The Silver Moon was headed to the northeast, and lay in the trough of -the sea. She was rolling like a round log in the heavy waves. She had -settled down deep in the water, and behaved like a stick of wood. The -skipper was doing nothing at all to combat with the waves. As there was -no power exerted to force the boat ahead, she had no steerage way, and -the rudder was as useless as the spare tiller. - -The Marian went as closely astern of the Silver Moon as she could -without fouling the port oars. The moment they were clear of the hull of -the sloop it was time to execute the difficult manoeuvre of the -occasion. In coming entirely about it was necessary to put the barge in -the trough of the sea for an instant, and this was the dangerous point. - -But Dick Short had decided to pass this point of danger as nearly under -the lee of the Silver Moon as he could. The water on the starboard of -the sloop was a trifle smoother for a couple of fathoms. It required a -nice measurement of distances with the eye to handle the boat, and a -prompt obedience of orders on the part of the crew. - -"Port side! Stand by to lay on your oars!" called the coxswain, when the -Marian was astern of the sloop. "Oars!" he added, as soon as the last -blade on the port was clear of the hull. "On the starboard, give way -lively!" - -The effect of the first stroke of the starboard oars, after the order -was given, was to throw the head of the barge to port. A few more pulls -brought the boat into the trough of the sea; but it remained in that -position only an instant. - -"Port oars!" continued Dick. "Hold water! Stern all!" - -The port oarsmen backed water as the starboard rowers gathered up their -blades, so that no confusion occurred, and in less than half a minute -the Marian was headed up to the sea, with her stem within a few feet of -the sloop. - -"On the port, oars!" At this command, the oarsmen indicated lay upon -their oars again, and seemed as unmoved as though they had been in the -school-room, and not one of them looked behind him. - -All the crew had obtained a single glance at the interior of the Silver -Moon the moment before the barge began to swing around; but this was all -they knew about the sloop, except what they had heard the coxswain say. - -"Stand by, all, to lay on your oars!" called Dick, as coolly as though -nothing was the matter with the Silver Moon, and her passengers were in -a frolic rather than in mortal peril. "Oars!" And every blade was poised -and feathered on a level above the water. - -"Bowman, stand by with the boat-hook!" continued Dick. "One stroke! Give -way!" - -This single stroke brought the bow up near enough to the sloop to enable -the bowman to fasten the boat-hook to the gunwale of the helpless craft. -The crew lay upon their oars, ready to obey the next order, but not one -of them manifested the slightest interest in the Silver Moon, so far as -any look or movement was concerned. Paul Bristol was excited and uneasy, -and once he was on the point of standing up to get a better view of the -interior of the sloop. But he remembered the order of the coxswain in -season to restrain himself. - -"On board the Silver Moon!" shouted the coxswain, but not louder than -was necessary to make the skipper hear him above the noise of the wind -and the water. "What is the matter?" - -"I miss-stayed in going about, and shipped a sea. The boat is half full -of water, and I can't do anything with her," replied Bissell, in tones -which indicated that he was in utter despair. "The girls are frightened -out of their wits, and the water comes in faster than I can get it out." - -"Do you want assistance?" asked the coxswain. - -"Of course I do!" exclaimed the skipper. "We shall all go to the bottom -in a few minutes, for there is a good deal of ballast in the boat." - -"All right! We will stand by you," replied Dick. - -"Can't you do something more than that?" demanded Bissell, in shaky -tones. - -"I will send two hands on board to assist you," added Dick. "Dory, you -will go on board of the Silver Moon. Take any one you please with you, -and report what you think should be done." - -"As Paul Bristol is of the least use in the barge, I will take him," -replied Dory, as he unshipped his oar. - -"He is not the best boatman on board," added the coxswain. - -"If he will only obey orders, that is all I want of him," answered -Dory, as he made his way to the bow of the barge. - -A standing order to all hands was never to stand up in a boat when it -could possibly be avoided, and Dory crawled on all fours, from thwart to -thwart, between the oarsmen. He was followed by Paul, in the same safe -though undignified manner, for he thought it was not derogatory to -follow the example of the skipper of the Goldwing. The bowman hauled the -boat up so that the two hands could get on board of her. - -Just at that moment all the girls screamed, or, as Paul expressed it, -"squealed," and the lee side of the Silver Moon rolled under, taking in -a barrel or two of water. - -"We shall all be drowned!" shrieked one of the ladies, as they all -sprang out of their seats and rushed over to the weather side, throwing -the boat out of trim so that she took in another barrel of water over -the port side. - -"She won't sink yet, ladies, unless you sink her," said Dory, rather -sharply. "Three of you on each side, and don't move for your lives. You -will certainly swamp the boat if you don't keep still. Don't one of you -move again without orders." - -"That's what's the matter," said the skipper. "I can't keep them -still." - -"They must keep still," added Dory with emphasis. - -Just at that moment came another roll, and Dory told Paul to stand in -the middle of the boat, and allow none of the passengers to move. He -took position near him, and together they kept the ladies quiet, and -very little water was taken aboard. - -"I am about used up," said Bissell, who was still baling with all his -might, though he was nearly exhausted. "I have been throwing out the -water for more than an hour." - -"You might as well try to bail out Lake Champlain as this boat, while -she lies in her present position. The water comes in faster than you can -throw it out," said Dory. "Here come our other barges. Don't be alarmed, -ladies. Even if the boat sinks, we can save every one of you. Do as you -are told, and you shall be made comfortable in a few minutes." - -Oscar Chester put the Gildrock about with consummate skill, though the -barge shipped some water during the manoeuvre. Thad Glovering did quite -as well in the Winooski. In a few moments, the three barges had brought -their bows up to the water-logged sloop. The oars were trailed, and -bunters put over the sides to prevent the boats from grinding against -each other. The Silver Moon smoothed the water for them a little, and -they rode very easily on the swell. - -Dick Short reported to the acting commodore what he had done, and Oscar -said he should not interfere. At this time, Dory reported the condition -of the sloop, and advised that two of the six ladies be taken into each -barge. With great difficulty, on account of the uneasy motion of the -boats, the passengers were transferred to the stern-sheets of the -barges. They were all wet through, but the commodore would not allow the -boats to leave the scene of the disaster until the safety of the Silver -Moon was assured. - - - - -CHAPTER XIV. - -THE WORK OF AN INCOMPETENT SKIPPER. - - -The removal of the six ladies made the Silver Moon a little more -buoyant; but she was in hardly less peril than before, for she rolled -even worse than when her passengers were on board. Dory formed a very -unfavorable opinion of the seamanship of Bissell almost as soon as he -had put his foot over the gunwale of the sloop. Nothing at all was the -matter with the Silver Moon. Her rudder was not disabled, and the -halyards on the mainsail were in working condition. The craft had lost -nothing, but the skipper had lost his head. - -But the Beech Hiller did not utter a word of rebuke, or even a critical -comment on the management of the sloop. He saw how it was, and -understood the situation perfectly, but he did not feel called upon to -censure the action which had been taken, or the steps which had been -neglected. The craft was in the trough of the sea, and half full of -water. He looked about him, and discovered a pair of oars stowed away -under the seats in the large room. - -"As you are tired out, Mr. Bissell, Paul will bale for a while till you -get rested," said Dory, as soon as the passengers had been transferred -to the barges, and without any of the delay indicated by the printed -page. - -"I can do that first-rate," replied Paul, who had wondered what he could -do in a sailboat, in the management of which he was comparatively -ignorant. - -Paul took the bucket; and it is safe to say that he threw out more water -than the skipper could have done in his exhausted condition. But the -baling appeared to have little or no effect on the large quantity of -water in the standing room. - -"I am about tuckered out, but what do you think I had better do?" asked -the skipper, as he gave up the bucket to the fresh hand. - -"I think you had better rest yourself," replied Dory, as he drew out the -oars from under the seats. "I will look out for the boat, and I think -she will come out of the scrape all right." - -"What are you going to do? Do you mean to row her over to Westport?" -asked Bissell, panting with his last exertions. - -"No; I don't think we should make much trying to row this boat nearly -four miles against a head sea," answered Dory. - -"But you can't land over on this side of the lake. Just see the waves -breaking on the shore in Button Bay. The Silver Moon would be smashed -into a thousand pieces," protested the skipper. - -"Of course we can't make a landing on a lee shore in this weather," -answered Dory, as he went forward. - -Bissell could not make anything of Dory, and he looked at him only to -wonder what he was going to do. The skipper had always believed that he -knew all about sailing a boat; and in a moderate, or even a fresh -breeze, he could do very well when everything went along smoothly. But -he had never been trained, as the students at Beech Hill had, for -seasons of emergency. - -The Silver Moon miss-stayed probably because she had not a "good full," -had fallen off into the trough of the sea, and rolled herself half full -of water before the skipper thought of doing anything to overcome the -difficulty. Under these trying circumstances, he was not instructed -either by precept or actual trial what to do. - -The throat halyard of the sail, Dory found when he went forward, had -not been cast off. He got hold of the peak halyard and hauled on it till -he got a good set on the mainsail. - -"What are you about?" cried Bissell. "You will upset her as sure as you -live! I let that part of the sail down because it blowed so hard. I was -going to lower the whole sail, but I hadn't time. I was afraid the boat -would sink if I didn't bale with all my might." - -Dory secured the peak halyard without paying any attention to the shout -of the skipper. When he had put on the half hitch, he went aft again. - -"Let the sail down just as quick as you can!" yelled Bissell. - -"I think not," replied Dory quietly. - -"If you don't, I shall lower it myself. I can't stand this!" added the -frightened skipper. - -"This boat belongs to you, Mr. Bissell, and you can do what you please -with her, and I shall not quarrel with you about it. If you don't want -any assistance, Paul and I will return to the barge." - -"But I don't want anybody to sink her," protested the skipper. - -"I shall not sink her; but it is all nonsense to think of baling her out -while she is in the trough of the sea, shipping water as fast or faster -than you can throw it out. I am not willing that Paul should wear -himself out for nothing." - -"That's the only way to keep her from sinking." - -"You have a perfect right to your own opinion, as I have to mine. I am -confident that I can get the sloop out of this scrape, if you will allow -me to do it; if not, Paul and I will return to the barges." - -"But I want you to help bale out the boat. She will sink if the water -rises any higher in her," the skipper insisted. - -At that moment, a heavier wave than usual struck her, and rolled the -boat over till she took in at least a barrel of water. Bissell sprang -from his seat as though he expected the Silver Moon to go to the bottom -at that instant. But she did not sink, though her floating power seemed -to be very nearly exhausted. - -"Do you see that?" demanded the skipper, as though he regarded the water -just shipped as a triumphant vindication of his opinion. - -"I see it; and I should say she will go down after she has done that -thing once or twice more," replied Dory calmly. "Say quick whether I am -to get the sloop under way, or whether I am to leave her! Do as you -please about it. The barges will save you when she sinks." - -"I will see what you are going to do," replied Bissell doggedly; and he -was by no means convinced, though he was satisfied that he could do -nothing alone to save the craft. - -Dory made no reply, for he was rather disgusted with the obstinacy and -nautical ignorance of the skipper. Taking one of the oars in his hand, -he went to the side of the boat and hailed the commodore of the -barge-fleet. - -"I am going to get under way now, for there is nothing the matter with -the boat," said Dory. - -"All right, Dory," replied Oscar, as he looked about him to determine -the best way to separate the barges, and get them clear of the Silver -Moon. - -They were all lying close together, the Gildrock being nearest to the -bow of the sloop. The commodore ordered the Winooski to cast off first. -With her port oars she kept her head up to the sea till those on the -other side of the boat were clear of the Marian, which was next to her. -When her twelve oars were in the water, the boys backed her clear of the -other boats, and then the crew were ordered to lay on their oars. In the -same manner the other two boats backed into safe positions. The barges -pitched tremendously, and the ladies were inclined to "squeal." When any -of them attempted to stand up, the gallant coxswains pulled them back -into their seats. - -"Are they going to quit us?" asked Bissell, as he looked with something -like dismay upon the movements of the barges. - -"We could not get the sloop under way with all those boats hanging to -her," replied Dory. "They will be here quick enough if they are wanted. -But we are not going to ship any more water; we shall leave the rest of -it in the lake." - -"I don't see how you are going to help taking in all the water that -rolls in," growled the skipper. - -"If you keep your eyes wide open tight for one minute more, I will show -you that the Silver Moon is the mistress of the situation, and Lake -Champlain will have to stay out in the cold," replied Dory, as he -shipped his oar between a couple of thole-pins on the quarter. - -"There is another oar under the seats," added Bissell. - -"One is enough to do the business," said Dory, as he began to pull with -all his might. - -The water-logged craft moved as though it had been fastened to the -bottom. The boom was still hanging out at right angles with the keel, -and the main sheet was flopping about in the water. - -"Can't I help you?" asked Bissell. - -"You may take the other oar, if you please." - -The skipper pulled out the oars, and was about to ship it on the weather -side when Dory interposed, and, shifting his own blade to the fore -rigging, directed his companion to ship his between the thole-pins he -had left. - -"On this side? Who ever heard of rowing in that way?" blustered Bissell. -"Both oars on the same side!" - -"We have no time to argue the question now, if you want to keep your -boat on the top of the water instead of the bottom," said Dory sharply. - -Bissell did as he was told, though he had no faith in rowing with two -oars on one side of the boat. The united strength of the two was -immediately seen in the motion of the boat. Her bow was soon thrown up -to the wind, and then the boom swung in over the standing room. This was -the acting skipper's object, and as soon as he could reach the main -sheet, he dropped his oar. Grasping the rope, he carried it aft, and got -a turn with it over the cleat above the rudder head. - -The sail filled as soon as he hauled in the sheet, and Dory got hold of -the tiller. The sloop heeled over till Bissell declared that the new -skipper would upset her. Paul continued to bale with all his might. -Dory trimmed the sail down as flat as he could, and soon had perfect -control of the craft, heavy as her movements were in her water-logged -condition. He was obliged to touch her up in the fierce blasts which -struck her, but he had her well balanced, and she did not realize any of -the evil predictions of her incompetent skipper. On the other hand, she -did not dip up any more water over her gunwale, and all that came into -her was in the form of spray. - -At Dory's suggestion, Bissell got out a firkin in which the lunch for -the party had been brought on board, and assisted Paul in the work of -baling. But there were hogsheads of water in her, and the process of -relieving her was very slow. The three barges were still laying on their -oars, watching the movements of the Silver Moon. Dory ran for Button -Island, which was separated from the main land only by a narrow channel. -Slacking off the sheet, he ran her aground in the sand behind the point, -where the water was as smooth as the lake in a calm. - -"She is aground!" exclaimed Bissell, as the keel grated on the bottom. - -"I know it; and that is where I intended to have her," replied Dory, as -he left the tiller. - -Bissell began to protest that he would not have the boat aground; but -the new skipper paid no attention to him. Taking the bucket from Paul, -he told him to rest. Dory worked hard at baling for half an hour, and -Bissell did his part as soon as he found that his protest was not -heeded. By this time the water had dropped so it had to be dipped out of -the well. It was all out at last, and the well sponged dry. To the -stupid astonishment of Bissell, the Silver Moon was again afloat. - - - - -CHAPTER XV. - -"ROLL ON, SILVER MOON." - - -For about three-quarters of an hour the three barges had waited, pulling -just enough to keep their heads up to the sea. By this time, the ladies -had become accustomed to the motion of the boats; and, in spite of their -wet and bedraggled condition, they began to be very jolly. The long -boats rose and fell with the waves, and occasionally the spray was -dashed over the bows, and carried the whole length of the craft. At -last, they began to sing, and the students joined them. It was getting -to be a very merry time on the rough waters, but the confidence of the -crews inspired the ladies with courage. - -As soon as the Silver Moon was free from her burden of water, Dory -examined the sail, and, finding it all right, he shoved off. As Paul -Bristol had said, the Silver Moon was about the size of the Goldwing, -and was a very good boat. - -"I have not the least idea that you can sail this boat over to Westport -in this blow," said Bissell, as Dory shoved the sloop out of the shoal -water. - -"What's to prevent?" asked the new skipper coldly. - -"It blows too hard, and the sea is too heavy for any boat, I don't care -how good she is," answered the owner of the Silver Moon. "I think this -boat is as good as any of them, but I had rather walk twenty miles than -cross Lake Champlain in her in this blow." - -"The sloop belongs to you, sir, and you can do as you please about -crossing," answered Dory. "You can anchor and stay here till to-morrow -if you like." - -"Do you think it is safe to cross the lake in a sailboat when the wind -blows as it does now, and has since ten o'clock?" asked Bissell. - -"I have been off Burlington, where the lake is twelve miles wide, when -the sea was a good deal worse than it is here, and I did not think I was -in any greater danger than if I had been on shore." - -"If you are not afraid, I ought not to be," added the owner of the -craft, evidently laboring to stimulate his courage. "I guess I will risk -it, as those barges will be near enough to pick us up if anything -happens." - -"All right," answered Dory, as he hauled down the sheet, and let the -boat go ahead. "Why did you come out in such a blow, if you don't think -it is safe?" - -"The girls hadn't anything to do to-day, and wanted to go down to Port -Henry. We started at six o'clock this morning, and got there at eight. -It began to blow pretty hard by nine, and we started back, though we -intended to stay at the Port all day. I got along very well, though the -girls were scared, till we got down to Barber's Point; and after that it -blew like tophet." - -"You had the full rake of the wind across North West Bay then," added -Dory. - -"Yes; and I had to beat all the way home right against it," continued -the skipper. "I thought we should tip over every minute. If I let her -off enough to make her go ahead, she tipped so that the girls all -screamed. When I was half way over to Button Island I tacked, but the -boat would not come about. She lay there with her sail banging. Then the -wind caught the sail again, and tipped her so she took in some hogsheads -of water. She got in between the waves, and began to roll like a chip. I -thought it was time to haul down the sail, and I went forward to do so. -Then the main sheet run out, and I couldn't get it again." - -"It was a bad situation," added Dory, as Bissell paused and looked at -him, apparently as if to ascertain what he thought of the skipper's -management; but Dory expressed no opinion. - -"I let go the peak halyard, and did the best I could to get the boom in, -but I couldn't do a thing with it. The boat kept rolling in the water -all the time, and I had to take the bucket and bale with all my might. I -was afraid to haul the sail down then, for it would have gone into the -water, and helped drag her over on one side." - -Dory, as an expert, had a very decided opinion in regard to the -skipper's management; but he did not feel called upon to express it, for -Bissell was an obstinate man, and he did not care to dispute with him. -The Silver Moon was running out close-hauled from the lee of Button -Island, which carried her to windward of the fleet of barges. Dory had -taken the helm when she got under way; and as long as the skipper did -not object, he retained it. - -"The boat don't work very well without the jib, and that was what made -all the trouble," continued the skipper. "But it blowed so like all -possessed, that I couldn't carry it." - -Dory doubted whether this was all, or even the principal trouble, but -he made no remark. He was not satisfied with the working of the boat, -and without saying anything to the skipper, he put her about, and ran -back to the lee of the island. Getting her forefoot on the sand far -enough to hold her, he let go the halyards, and lowered the mainsail a -few feet. - -"What are you going to do now?" asked Bissell, who had watched the -movements of the acting skipper with interest and anxiety. - -"I am going to put a single reef in the mainsail. Where do you keep the -reef pendant?" replied Dory. - -The skipper had no reef pendant, and probably did not know what it was. -But Dory found a couple of ropes which answered his purpose. Having -lashed down the clew and tack, with the assistance of Paul, he tied the -reef-points. Hoisting the sail up to a good set, he shoved off with the -boat-hook, and was soon standing out from the shore again. Keeping his -place at the helm, Dory stood out to the fleet of barges. The wind had -not abated a particle of its force, and even with the reef in the -mainsail, she was inclined to bury herself in the waves. Dory was not -yet satisfied, and under his direction Paul pulled up a couple of loose -boards in the floor of the standing-room, and lifted out a couple of -cast-iron blocks of ballast. These were placed in the stern, and the bow -was lifted a little more out of the water. - -"What's all that for?" asked Bissell. - -"To change her trim a little," replied Dory. "She was ballasted too much -by the head. She works better now." - -The sloop was less inclined than before to bury her bow in the waves, -and was more buoyant forward. She dashed ahead at a gallant speed, and -in a few minutes she was approaching the barges. The passengers in the -stern sheets of the boats were very merry by this time, and seemed to be -actually enjoying the motion of the boats. As the sloop came within hail -of the barges, the ladies struck up "Roll on, silver moon," in which all -the students who could sing joined, and it made a very effective chorus. - -"Very appropriate," said Dory, laughing; "but she don't do that now. She -has done rolling for the present." - -"The girls are jolly enough now; and they don't seem to be a bit -scared," added Bissell. - -"Will you take them on board again?" asked the acting skipper. - -"I don't know; what do you think?" - -"If you don't know, you had better leave it to them," replied Dory. -"Hail them, and ask them what they will do." - -"I say, girls, are you ready to come on board of the Silver Moon?" -called Bissell, in a loud voice, as the sloop passed astern of them. - -"No!" screamed the whole of them, almost with one voice. "We are going -back to Westport in the barges," added one of them. - -"Just as you like," returned Bissell. - -"Roll on, silver moon," the girls struck up again, and the boys took up -the chorus with enthusiasm. - -"That settles it," added Bissell. - -"Then we may as well return to the Marian, Paul," said Dory. - -"I am ready to do just as you say," replied the spare hand. - -"You don't mean to leave me, do you?" demanded Bissell, aghast at the -proposition. "I don't want you to go." - -"I thought you might prefer to handle your own boat," suggested Dory. - -"I guess I'd rather have you take her over to Westport, if you will," -replied the skipper, anxiously. - -"Even if we remain on board of the sloop, you had better take the helm," -added Dory, who had some curiosity to see how Bissell worked the boat. - -"I'd rather have you steer her. I don't know but you can manage her -better than I can." - -"You ought to be able to handle your own boat better than any one else -can. You have sailed her more than any other person, and a boat is -something like a horse, and does better in the hands of one who is used -to her." - -"I bought the Silver Moon last year, and got a man to show me how to -manage her. I was out in her every day last summer, but I never went out -when it blew very hard. Folks say it is dangerous sailing on Lake -Champlain, there are so many currents and flaws from the hills." - -"There is no doubt about the flaws and currents, but I look upon them as -bugbears. A skipper must keep his craft in hand all the time, and then -he is ready for flaws and squalls." - -"One of the girls has taken your place at the stroke oar, Dory," said -Paul, who was watching the barges as they began to move over the savage -waves. - -"So I see," replied Dory. "Dick is coaching her, and I have no doubt she -will make good my absence." - -"It is Susy Wellington; and she knows how to row better than most of the -men," added Paul. - -At this moment, the acting skipper went in stays, and though he had -given her a good full, he had some doubts about her; but she came up to -the wind handsomely, and went on the port tack as promptly as the -Goldwing could have done it. As she filled away, she heeled over till -her washboard was almost buried; but she righted a little in a moment, -and dashed off on her course like a racehorse. She rose and fell on the -waves, with her gunwale under all the time, but with eight inches of -washboard above the water. - -The wind was rather flawy, and, of course, the boat heeled over more -when the puffs struck her, so that most of the washboard was sometimes -under water. But the sloop, in her altered trim, was as steady as an old -horse on a smooth road. As the Silver Moon was close-hauled, she struck -the seas constantly; and the waves broke with no little noise against -her bows, tossing the spray from stem to stern. - -Bissell watched the lee washboard all the time, and seemed to be very -nervous. He did not heed the singing in the barges, which greatly -interested the acting skipper. The owner evidently expected the sloop -would ship a sea every moment, which would fill her half full of water -as she had been before. But she tore along on her course without taking -in a drop of water over her lee side, unless when a wave broke there, -and spit the spray over the washboard. - -"You will put the Silver Moon on the bottom before you get her over to -Westport," said Bissell, when he could hold in no longer, and his mental -excitement had become intense. - -"I certainly shall not do it after we get to Westport," replied Dory, -with a smile. "But if you wish to take the helm, of course you can do -so. I suppose you can swim, Paul?" - -"I could swim in Sandy Bay, but I don't think I could in these waves," -answered Paul. - -"I don't think it is safe to sail along in this way with the gunwale -under water all the time," said Bissell, as the water rose nearly to the -top of the washboard. - -"Then you take the tiller, Mr. Bissell," replied Dory, rising and -offering his place on the weather-side to the skipper. - -Bissell was clearly full of doubts, but he took the tiller. His first -movement was to put the helm down a little, so that the reefed mainsail -began to shake slightly, and of course the gunwale was lifted out of the -water. He kept the tiller shaking all the time, as the boat was in -danger of broaching to. - -When he had steered about a quarter of an hour, it was seen that the -barges were rapidly overhauling the Silver Moon, though she gained on -them while Dory had the tiller. But it was necessary to tack, and the -skipper put the helm hard down. The sail shook, and the boat did -precisely what Dory knew she would do--she miss-stayed, and then began -to roll in the trough of the sea. She had little headway when the helm -was put down, and her momentum was not sufficient to carry her around -against the head sea. - -The water began to roll into her on the sides; but Dory seized one of -the oars, and with a few smart pulls, threw her head up into the wind. -The instant the sail began to fill, which it did with a rush, Bissell -put his helm hard down. Dory plied the oar once more. - -"I wish you would take the helm again," said Bissell. - -"I will, if you say so," replied Dory, who had entirely satisfied his -curiosity in regard to the seamanship of the skipper. - - - - -CHAPTER XVI. - -DORY DORNWOOD GIVES A LESSON IN BOAT-SAILING. - - -It was absolutely certain that Bissell was not a reckless and -over-daring skipper, which is often the most glaring fault of those in -charge of sailboats. He erred in the opposite extreme,--he was too -timid. He had not pluck enough when it was blowing fresh to keep his -sail full. The barges were overhauling her, because she had hardly any -headway; and when she went in stays, she had not speed enough to meet -the fierce waves. - -Dory took the helm, while the skipper, with the bucket, dipper and -sponge, soon removed the water from the well. The sail was permitted to -fill, and the Silver Moon dashed on her course at a lively rate again. -The barges pulling against a head sea could not keep within hail of her -when she was on her long tack. - -"I have about made up my mind that you can handle this sloop better than -I can," said Bissell, when he had wiped out the well with the sponge. - -Paul Bristol burst out into a loud laugh at this remark. - -"What are you laughing at, Paul?" asked the skipper, looking rather -severely at the spare hand. - -"I was only thinking it had taken you a long time to make up your mind, -Mr. Bissell," replied Paul, suppressing his risibles when he saw that -Dory looked as serious as a judge. - -"I suppose you think I am not much of a skipper, Paul," added Bissell, -evidently annoyed by the laugh of the spare hand. - -"I don't know much about sailing a boat, and I think I had better not -say anything," answered Paul prudently. - -"I never got into such a scrape before with the boat," continued the -owner. "This boat will be for sale after I get ashore." - -"She is a very good boat, and works well," said Dory; but, cautious in -regard to offending the skipper by any criticisms, he was not willing to -have the boat blamed for the fault of the man. - -"I always thought so myself till to-day; and I have always believed I -could handle her better than any other man. It goes a little hard with -me to give in to one boy and have another laugh at me," replied the -skipper. "I should like to have you tell me just what ails my -management of the boat." - -"I don't volunteer any criticism; but if you will not be offended with a -boy for expressing his mind plainly, I will do so," added Dory. - -"That's what I want you to do, and I shall not get mad, though it hurts -for me to give in on handling the Silver Moon. - -"You are just a little too careful; and that is what has made the -mischief every time," Dory began. "If you don't give your boat a good -full, she won't go about in stays. That was the trouble when you had the -ladies on board." - -"The man that showed me how to sail a boat said I could not be too -careful," protested Bissell, astonished at the remark of the acting -skipper. - -"I don't quite agree with him, though he is right in the main. Most of -the accidents happen because the skippers are careless. Your sloop was a -little out of trim. When it blows too hard for you to carry the jib, you -must put a single reef in the mainsail. With a whole mainsail, the mast -ought to be farther forward. Since I shifted the ballast, she carries a -stronger weather helm." - -It was necessary to tack again, and Dory explained more fully what he -meant by a "good full," and then put the helm down. The sloop's head -flew up into the wind at a lively pace, and the mainsail went over; but -the helmsman righted the helm, and met her with it so that she should -not fall off too far, thus putting her lee gunwale under. - -Bissell was deeply interested, and began to learn what he had not before -acquired. He took her, and made the next tack, under the direction of -the acting skipper, himself. From that time he retained the helm, and -Dory continued to instruct him until the Silver Moon got into -comparatively still water. - -Dory and his pupil had made more tacks than were necessary, in order to -illustrate the subject. The boats came up with the sloop just as she was -going in at the wharf. The ladies and the crews were still singing, and -their merry voices attracted quite a collection of people. - -"When I was over off Button Island I did not expect ever to see Westport -again," said Bissell, after he had made the Silver Moon fast at the -wharf. "I have only ten dollars in my pocket, now, but I want you to -take that and let me owe you another ten." - -"You must excuse me, Mr. Bissell," protested Dory. - -"It ain't enough, I know; and I will make it up to fifty dollars when I -get to the store," added the skipper. - -"It is enough, and more than enough, Mr. Bissell. I cannot take a single -cent for that kind of service. Captain Gildrock would put me into the -brig if I took money for assisting anyone in distress on the water," -said Dory earnestly. "Sailors are bound to help each other always when -in danger." - -The store-keeper pressed Dory quite warmly to take the money, but the -latter was as firm as a rock. Then he tried to give a few dollars to -Paul, but the spare hand, though he wanted the money for his mother, -took his cue from Dory, and refused to take a cent. Bissell expressed -his gratitude in very warm terms, and said he should like to take some -more lessons in sailing a boat from such a skilful master. He would -gladly pay for the time and trouble, and he concluded not to sell the -Silver Moon at present. - -It was now nearly two o'clock, and the students thought it was about -time to attend to the contents of the lunch baskets. The ladies had been -landed, and were profuse in their expressions of delight at their trip -in the barges. The Beech Hillers landed, and camped under a tree to -dispose of their lunch. Dory and Paul joined them, and it took some time -for the former to explain what he had done on board of the sloop. He did -not say any unpleasant things about the skipper, or dwell upon his -mistakes. - -Before the boys had made any deep inroads into their stock of -provisions, Bissell and the ladies appeared laden with ice cream, pies, -and cake, which were a welcome addition to the lunch. The "girls," as -Bissell called them, waited upon their deliverers, and gushed over the -delightful time they had had in the barges. - -"There come the Chesterfield barges," said John Brattle when the clock -indicated half past two. "I wonder what they are going to do over here." - -"I thought they had business about this time over at Sandy Point," added -Tuck Prince. - -"Don't say a word about the cottage, fellows," interposed Paul Bristol, -with a good deal of earnestness. "I know what they come here for; at -least, I think I know." - -"Why don't you let on then, Paul?" demanded Phil Gawner. - -"They have come over here after Major Billcord, for I am sure he will -want to see the cottage pitched into the lake. I am almost sure now -that none of them know the house is gone," replied Paul, rubbing his -hands with delight when he thought of the disappointment of his -oppressors. - -"If you like, Mr. Bissell, I will sail down the lake with you as far as -Sandy Point," Dory proposed, while the boys were digesting what Paul had -said. "The coxswain consents to my absence; but I must return to Beech -Hill in the Marian." - -"All right, for I want very much to see you sail the Silver Moon with a -heavy wind on the beam or over the quarter," replied the store-keeper. -"But I must go up to the house and change my clothes, for I am as wet as -a drowned rat." - -Bissell hastened to his house, which was only a short distance from the -head of the landing. The Chesterfield barges had just reached the wharf, -and the young gentlemen were coming up the steps. The boats had pulled -around under the lee of the land, so that they had not been seen until -near the wharf. - -The Chesterfield students formed a procession on the wharf, and it was -evident that they intended to escort Major Billcord, who was fond of -parades, to the boats. The ladies waiting on the students from the other -side said this was the meaning of the procession, which was not a -strange sight in the streets of the town. - -"You will take no notice of them whatever, fellows," said Commodore -Chester very impressively. "If they salute us properly, which they are -not likely to do, we must be as polite as they are, and more so, if -possible. If they call us 'tinkers' and 'chip-makers,' which they are -more likely to do, make no answer of any kind. I will report any student -who utters an offensive word to them. You all know that this is the -order of the principal, and not mine." - -For some reason the procession of Chesterfields did not pass near the -tree under which the Beech Hillers were lunching. Paul pointed out the -elegant mansion of Major Billcord, and the students of the institute -marched in that direction. - -"While we are waiting for Mr. Bissell, I should like to go up to his -house and get my sister's valise, which she left there," said Paul to -the coxswain of the Marian. - -Dick consented, though he would not have permitted any of the crew to -leave without a good reason for it while the Chesterfields were so near. -Paul hastened up to the main street. He saw the institute students halt -in the grounds of Major Billcord's mansion. They broke ranks, and the -magnate was talking to them. - -"I will give twenty-five dollars to any student or party of students -that will capture that young scoundrel, Paul Bristol, and hand him over -to me at Sandy Point." This was what the great man said to a group of -half a dozen of the students. - -The party in front of him promised to carry out his wishes if he would -not mention the matter to the rest of the students. - - - - -CHAPTER XVII. - -THE MISSION OF THE SIX RUFFIANS. - - -Paul Bristol saw the conference between the six Chesterfield students -and Major Billcord; but he could not hear what passed between them, and -had no suspicion that he was the subject of remark. None of them saw -Paul when he entered the gate to Mr. Bissell's premises, though his -curiosity prompted him to stand there a few minutes to observe the -proceedings of the party. - -He expected to see nothing more than a sort of reception of the magnate, -who was evidently to be their passenger to Sandy Point, and the students -proposed to take him to the scene of the afternoon's sport in state. But -Major Billcord appeared to have selected the six ruffians best suited to -the undertaking in which they were to engage. He had called them aside, -and made his offer to them. - -Those who were near enough to the magnate to see his face could not help -noticing that he had a pair of black eyes. In this respect he was the -counterpart of his hopeful son, though the mourning of the latter was of -a deeper shade than that of his father. The major had remained in his -elegant mansion all the forenoon, for he was more modest in the display -of the weeds under his eyes than he was of his person generally. -Doubtless he had often looked in his lofty mirrors to observe the -condition of his face. - -He did not like the looks of himself with the marks Paul had left on his -face, for they certainly added nothing to the dignity of his expression. -He was a pompous, overbearing, and tyrannical man, and every time he saw -his mourning organs they filled him with wrath, and inspired him to seek -a wholesale revenge. He did not give a thought to the insult his son had -offered to Miss Lily. She was of not the slightest consequence, and it -would have been quite proper, in his opinion, for her to submit in -silence to the pleasure of the reckless young man. - -On the way home from the scene of his signal defeat at the hands of Paul -Bristol, he had called at the institute, and intimated that he had a -mission for the students, at the point, on the following day. He wished -them to call for him at his house in the afternoon, and he would insure -them an hour or more of the liveliest recreation. He did not say what he -had in view, and he had cautioned Walk not to mention the business in -which the young men were to be engaged. - -As Walk went home with his father, he had no opportunity to let the cat -out of the bag, even if he had been so disposed. Father and son had -spent the rest of the day in studying out an adequate punishment for -Paul. If they could have "hung, drawn, and quartered" him, it might have -satisfied them. Walk suggested that he should be prosecuted, and that -the justice would send him to prison for a month or two. But his father -saw that such a course would bring out the whole story of the son's -assault upon Miss Lily, and the judge might not regard the affair in the -same light as the sufferers did. - -They could agree upon nothing, but before morning Major Billcord had -devised the scheme he had now taken the first step to carry out. He -thought it wise not to implicate his son in the outrage, for he might be -prosecuted and compelled to pay a fine for himself and those he employed -to do the actual work. The vengeance of the magnate was to be -administered to Paul at Sandy Point. The plant for the black eyes had -been set out near the doomed cottage, and it was proper that the -punishment should be inflicted on the same spot. - -Walk Billcord had not been in condition to return to the institute that -day, for he did not care to put his mourning on exhibition, and to -answer all the questions that it would call forth. But he was going to -Sandy Point in the boat to which he belonged, for he was anxious to take -part in the destruction of the cottage. After the students marched up to -the mansion of the magnate, they had informed him of the presence of the -Beech Hillers, and of Paul, in Westport. The story of the Silver Moon's -mishap had been related to them at the wharf when they landed. The -students from the other side had come to the town to convey the ladies -from the disabled boat; and this sufficiently accounted for their -presence. - -Nothing was said about Paul, except that he had come in the sloop. Major -Billcord had no doubt that his stalwart foe was still staying at the -point, and he had arranged his plan on the supposition that he would be -found in that vicinity. But when he was informed of his presence in -Westport, he had been obliged to make a slight change in his scheme. He -had not intended to mention it till the students landed at Sandy Point. -He had before selected his ruffians, and he was simply obliged to make -his offer a little sooner than before arranged. - -Paul Bristol went into Mr. Bissell's house and obtained his sister's -valise. As he was about to depart, the owner of the Silver Moon came -down stairs in his changed dress, with a letter in his hand. - -"Paul, do you know where Captain Bleeker lives?" asked Bissell, as soon -as he saw the boy with the valise in his hand. - -"Of course I do," replied Paul. "I used to work for him on his place -when he had anything for me to do." - -"I am going to Sandy Point in the sloop, and Dory is waiting for me," -continued the skipper. "I am in a hurry to be off, and if you will go -round by Captain Bleeker's and leave this letter at his house, I will -carry your valise down to the boat. I will put it on board of the -Marian." - -"All right, if you will tell the coxswain to wait for me; for I suppose -I am to go in the barge," replied Paul, as he took the letter. - -Bissell hastened to the wharf with the valise, and Paul started for his -destination, which was on a street in the rear of Major Billcord's -mansion. The procession had re-formed in the spacious grounds to escort -the magnate to the wharf. The six ruffians had been excused from -marching in the line, by request of the major, and they were consulting -in regard to their mission in the street in front of the house. - -Paul was obliged to take a cross street to reach the house of Captain -Bleeker, and he had to pass within a few rods of the elegant mansion. As -he turned the corner, the chief of the six ruffians, who was called Buck -Lamb by his fellow-students, discovered him, and the conference came to -a sudden conclusion. The time for council had passed, and the time for -action had come. Buck Lamb was an acknowledged leader, and, without any -appointment as such, he assumed the position and began to give off his -orders. - -Paul was in sight, going up the cross street with a letter in his hand. -The back street ran parallel to the main street, and the object of the -attack must be going to some house in that direction. Buck sent two of -his force to the cross street next beyond that taken by Paul, with -orders to intercept the victim if he went that way. Two more were to -remain near the mansion of the magnate, and Buck himself, with Ham -Jackson, followed Paul. One of the two parties was sure to meet him, or -if they failed, by any accident, the pair on the main street were in -position to capture him. It was a quiet little place, and there was -scarcely a person in the streets after the procession had marched to the -wharf. - -Paul Bristol, all unconscious of what had been done to make him a -prisoner, walked with a rapid step towards the house of the person to -whom the letter was addressed. He had not noticed the movements of the -six ruffians, or even that any of the Chesterfields had been left -behind. He was thinking that the students would soon reach Sandy Point -with Major Billcord, and he was engaged in picturing their astonishment -and disappointment when they discovered that the cottage had taken to -itself wings, and that the locality had assumed its original appearance. - -He went up to the door of the house, and rang the bell. It was answered -by Captain Bleeker himself. He seemed to be somewhat surprised when he -saw Paul, for he had been expecting another person. - -"Is that you, Paul? I was in hopes that it was Bissell; for I expected -an important letter as soon as the mail got in, and he promised to bring -it over to me," said the captain. - -"He asked me to bring the letter over, and here it is," replied Paul, -as he handed the important missive to him. - -"Good! It contains a draft which I need as much as I need the air I -breathe," added Captain Bleeker, as he took the letter, and thrust his -hand deep into one of his trousers pockets, drawing forth a quarter. "I -am more glad to see you than I should be to meet my grandmother, who -died twenty-five years ago. Here is something to prove it;" and he -handed him the quarter. - -"I don't want anything for this errand; I only did it because Mr. -Bissell asked me to." - -"Take the money," said the captain imperatively. "If you come over here -in about a week, I shall have something for you to do, for it will be -time then to hoe the garden." - -"I don't think I can come, sir, for I have a place now, with steady -work, on the other side of the lake," replied Paul. - -"All right," added Captain Bleeker, as he broke the seal of the letter, -and proceeded to close the door, manifesting no interest in the -messenger's new position. - -Paul put the quarter in his pocket, thinking there had been no time in -two years when it was so little needed as at present, thanks to Captain -Gildrock. But he did not lose a moment, for he thought that by this time -the crew of the Marian might be waiting for him. He walked at his most -rapid pace up the street in the direction by which he had come. There -was not a person to be seen in the back street, though Buck Lamb and Ham -Jackson had reached the corner. - -Paul saw them approaching him on the same side of the street. If he had -seen them in the neighborhood of the institute, he might have known -them; as it was, he did not recognize them, though they wore the barge -uniform. Being in a hurry, he deserted the sidewalk to cut off the angle -at the corner of the street. But the two ruffians promptly placed -themselves in front of him in the middle of the highway. - -"Stop where you are!" said Buck Lamb, in an imperative tone. - -"What am I to stop for?" asked Paul, with a smile, and with the -simplicity of an infant. - -"You are to stop because I order you to do so," replied Buck, who was of -the genus bully, and could not well help manifesting authority, whether -he had it or not. - -"As I am in a hurry to join my boat, I don't think that is a sufficient -reason for my stopping," replied Paul, with abundant cheerfulness. "If -you will excuse me, I had rather not stop just now." - -"But I order you to stop!" said Buck savagely. - -"Oh, you do!" added the intended victim. "Then I must take the liberty -to disobey your orders." - -"When I order you to stop, I mean to enforce my order," said Buck, with -his teeth set fast together. - -"I can't stop to jaw with you now; for, as I told you, I am in a hurry," -replied Paul, beginning to be a little indignant at the interruption. - -"If you move another step, I shall hit you," continued the bully, -placing himself in front of the victim, with his fists clinched ready to -execute his threat. - -Paul dodged back, and attempted to pass the ruffians, but Buck got in -front of him again. - - - - -CHAPTER XVIII. - -THE RESULT OF AN UNEQUAL CONFLICT. - - -Buck Lamb evidently considered himself as more than a match for Paul -Bristol, for neither Walk Billcord nor his father had given the students -the particulars of the battle at Sandy Point. All the magnate said was -that he and his son had been insulted and assaulted by the ungrateful -son of the woman he had harbored on his land. Buck was a stout fellow, -who had the reputation of possessing scientific skill in the noble art -of pugilism, and who was ready for any fellow of his avoirdupois, either -with soft gloves or with hard gloves, or with no gloves at all. - -Happily, Paul had no knowledge of the reputation of the bully, which the -more knowing of the students would have said was only reputation. In his -ignorance of the accredited accomplishments of Buck Lamb, Paul was not -in the least afraid of him. Possibly, though not probably, if he had -known what a bruiser the leader of the six ruffians claimed to be, he -would have taken to his heels and escaped in the best way he could, or -expressed his willingness to obey the imperative order of his assailant. - -Buck not only intercepted his intended victim, but he levelled a blow -with his iron fist, as he called it, at the modest nose of Paul Bristol. -This was enough to satisfy the son of toil, who had often hoed corn and -potatoes in the garden near the corner, that his opponent meant -business. He parried the blow aimed at him successfully, and it was the -right time for him to have returned it; but Paul did not yet mean -business, for he was not a fighting character, and despised the whole -subject of pugilism. Instead of striking, he looked about him for the -means of escape, and discovered two more of the ruffians running with -all their might towards the scene of the encounter. They wore the -uniform of the barges of the institute, as did Buck and Ham. There was -no chance of escape, and Paul was beginning to get a glimmering idea of -the purpose of the assault. He concluded that the fellows before and -behind him were to punish him for what he had done the day before at -Sandy Point. - -Buck Lamb did not wait for the second pair of the ruffians to join him; -and in that he made a bad mistake for himself. His blow had been -parried, and he began to think that his antagonist had some skill in the -sublime art of pugilism; in this he was again mistaken, for Paul had -never learned the first thing about it. He was fully roused, and he -aimed a second blow at Paul, which was not as successfully warded off as -the first had been, and he received a portion of its force in his right -cheek. - -Perhaps this hit was needed to render Paul fully equal to the needs of -the occasion; at any rate, it roused all the tiger of his nature, and -then he was ready for anything that might come. He attempted to parry -the blow with his left arm; but as soon as the hit was felt on his -cheek, he struck a tremendous blow with his right hand. It was the -stroke of a son of toil, whose muscles had been hardened by constant -labor. It fell between the eyes of the bully, which seemed to be a -favorite locality for Paul. - -The pugilist of the institute reeled backwards, and then fell over into -the dirt in the middle of the street. Doubtless he saw all the stars his -vision could encompass, and his ideas were awfully confused. At any -rate, he did not "come to time," but lay on the ground where he had -fallen. - -Ham Jackson was appalled at the result of the first onslaught, which -was accomplished in a tenth part of the time it has taken to narrate it. -Perhaps he was not a pugilist; but it was certain from his actions that -he was not prepared for the state of things now existing. He seemed to -be quite as much bewildered as his companion in the dirt. But he -recovered himself more quickly, and rushed upon Paul with the apparent -intention of seizing him by the collar of his coat. But the son of toil -did not know what he meant, and only saw him coming. Without waiting to -inquire into his purpose Paul gave him the counterpart of the blow which -had upset Buck Lamb. The effect was precisely the same, and Ham went -over backwards. - -The two students approaching from the rear were only a few rods distant, -and Paul did not wait for them to come any nearer. As he would gladly -have done in the first place, he took to his heels and ran as fast as he -could towards the main street. Before he reached it, he looked back to -see if his enemies were pursuing him. The two who had just come up with -their unhorsed companions were picking them up, and there was no effort -yet made to overtake him. - -Paul slacked his speed to a walk, and as he approached the main street -he saw two more students in the barge uniform. The instant they -discovered him, they rushed to a position in front of him. One of them -commanded him to stop; but he declined to do so. One of them attempted -to seize the collar of his coat, and Paul felt obliged to hit again. His -blow was parried better than either of his former assailants had been -able to do it, but he repeated the attempt with success. The blood -spurted from the nose of the foremost student, but he was not upset by -the shock. - -Both of them came upon him then, the second putting one of his feet -between Paul's legs while he was attending to the first, and tripping -him up. Down went the son of toil, and the two ruffians pounced upon him -with the intention of holding him till the rest of the party joined -them. But Paul did not hold still worth a cent; and with his great -strength he shook off his assailants. - -The last couple were more plucky than the first had proved to be, and -they followed him up very closely. The victim rained blows upon them -without regard to the belt, hitting them where he could. He was furious, -and raging like a lion. It was a very uneven combat, and Paul was -rapidly exhausting himself. The second of his present antagonists used -his boots almost exclusively. He kicked the son of toil in the shins, -and labored to trip him up again. Just as Paul had given the one who -used fists a blow between the eyes, which upset him, the leg operator -succeeded, by an attack in the rear, in bringing the victim to the -ground. - -As soon as Paul was down, Mad Twinker, who was the one who demonstrated -with his boots, jumped upon him, and clawed his fingers into the throat -of the unfortunate son of toil. Just at this moment the party from the -back street came up, and the two fresh ruffians assisted Mad in securing -the victim. They had obtained a couple of pieces of bedcord at the house -of the major, and they tied his arms behind him. - -Paul was so exhausted that he could make no further resistance, and he -submitted to be bound. His breath was hardly shorter than that of his -last opponents, who were now wiping the blood from their faces. The -ruffians had earned their money, so far as the capture of the victim was -concerned; and it only remained for them to deliver the prisoner to -Major Billcord at Sandy Point. - -Two of the ruffians went to a pump and wet their handkerchiefs, with -which they washed their own faces. Paul's handkerchief was taken from -his pocket, and the stains of blood were removed from his battered face. -In a few minutes they had wiped away the traces of the conflict. Then -two of the students, one on each side, took Paul by the arms and marched -him towards the wharf. When they came in sight of it, they saw that all -the barges were manned, and had pulled a short distance from the shore, -where they awaited the absent members of the crews. The Beech Hillers -had taken position off the end of the pier, while the Chesterfields were -near the land. - -There was still quite a collection of people on the wharf, drawn thither -for the purpose of seeing the barges, and possibly expecting a race or a -fight, the latter being more probable in the opinion of the spectators; -the battles of the previous season having been duly reported in the -town. The Silver Moon, with Bissell and Dory in the standing-room, was -running with the wind on her beam for Scotch Bonnet. The six ruffians -halted when they came in sight of the wharf, and gathered around their -prisoner. - -"This will never do," said Mad Twinker, shaking his head. "We can't take -him through that crowd of people on the wharf." - -"That's so," replied Buck Lamb, who had lost some of his prestige since -his overthrow, and Mad Twinker had come to the front. "Four of us can -handle him well enough now. Jeff Monroe, and you, Steve Douglas, go and -get Bissell's four-oar boat." - -"Bissell isn't there now," replied Jeff. - -"Stop at his store as you go along, hire it for a couple of hours, and -get the key," continued Mad Twinker. "Pull up to the creek at the head -of the bay, and we will meet you there." - -Though there appeared to be no one in the streets, for all the idlers -had gone down to the wharf, there were people in the houses. Among the -latter was Miss Susy Wellington, who had pulled an oar in the Marian. -She had gone home to change her wet dress for a dry one, and saw from -her chamber window the capture of Paul Bristol by the ruffians. She had -heard something in the boat about Paul's battle with Major Billcord and -his son, and she had some idea of the occasion of the assault upon the -son of toil. - -While Mad Twinker and his fellow-ruffians were hurrying their prisoner -to the creek, she hastened down to the wharf. On her way she stopped at -Bissell's store, where she had worked with Lily Bristol. She learned -that her employer had gone off in the sloop again, and that some of the -Chesterfields had just hired the four-oar boat. She continued on her -way, and soon saw the two students in her employer's boat, pulling -rapidly towards the head of the bay. When she reached the end of the -wharf she waved her handkerchief to the Marian, and beckoned with all -her might with her hand. - -Dick Short gave the order "Stern all!" and the barge backed up within -hail of the fair oarswoman. The coxswain asked her if she desired to -pull an oar in the barge again. - -"We are waiting for Paul Bristol, and he ought to be on board by this -time," added Dick. "If he don't come, you can take his place." - -"No, I thank you, Mr. Coxswain," replied Miss Susy, and she proceeded to -detail what she had seen from her window. - -"Paul a prisoner!" exclaimed Dick, thoroughly aroused by the -intelligence. "Stand by! Give way lively!" - -He ran the Marian under the stern of the Gildrock, and reported the -astounding intelligence to Commodore Chester. - -"A prisoner!" exclaimed Oscar, startled by the news. "Where is he now?" - -"Do you see that boat near the head of the bay? Two of the six fellows -who captured Paul were sent for the boat, while the others took him in -that direction." - -"This looks like serious business. The Chesterfield barges both lie -between us and that small boat," continued Oscar Chester. - -The Gildrock was hauled around so that the commodore could confer with -Thad Glovering. The details were repeated so that all the students in -the three barges heard the whole story. - -"It looks as though the rascals were going to bring Paul off in that -boat, and put him on board of the Racer or the Dasher," which were the -names of the two Chesterfield barges. - -"Then, if we pull up there in a hurry, we may be able to get him away -from them," added Thad Glovering. - -"On the other hand, if the fellows in charge of the prisoner see our -barges coming, they will put Paul ashore." - -It was a difficult point to settle. - - - - -CHAPTER XIX. - -A DEADLOCK AT THE HEAD OF THE BAY. - - -It was finally decided by the commodore that all the Beech Hill barges -should proceed to the head of the bay, and if the ruffians landed with -their prisoner, or did not put him in the boat, they should follow them -on shore and rescue Paul at all hazards. Oscar Chester gave the word, -and the Gildrock dashed off, with the other two barges following her. -The crews were not spared, and the boats appeared to leap over the -water, which was tolerably smooth under the lee of the land. - -The Chesterfield barges still lay near the shore, above the wharf, and -in order to avoid them the commodore headed the Gildrock across the bay. -In the absence of the spare hand and Dory, the Marian was one oarsman -short, and Dick Short missed the stroke very much. The Silver Moon was -not more than a quarter of a mile from the wharf, for Dory was showing -off the sloop in various points of sailing. Very likely he desired to -keep the Beech Hill barges in sight as long as the Chesterfields were -near. - -Dick Short waved his handkerchief in the direction of the sloop. Dory -saw the signal, and headed the Silver Moon to the head of the bay. -Before the commodore changed the course of the fleet, he ran across the -stern of the Marian. - -"The Chesterfields have made Paul a prisoner!" shouted Dick Short. - -Dory heard the announcement, and then the sloop passed out of speaking -distance. He was not a little astonished at the information, and fully -realized the peril of the son of toil. Glancing at the Chesterfield -barges, he saw Major Billcord seated in the stern-sheets of the Dasher, -and it did not need a very vivid imagination to comprehend the programme -of the enemy. - -"I must ask you to excuse me to-day, and I will come over some other -time when the wind blows, and put the Silver Moon through her paces," -said Dory to the owner of the sloop. - -"What's the trouble here?" asked Bissell. - -The acting skipper explained the situation to him, including enough of -the proceedings at Sandy Point the day before to enable him to -understand it. - -"Major Billcord is as savage as a wild hyena when he gets mad," added -Bissell. "He is bound to have his own way against everybody else. He -tries to rule the town, though most of the people hate him." - -Dory tacked and stood back to the Marian. He hailed the coxswain and -asked to be taken on board. Dick told him to come alongside as quick as -he could, and he would be ready for him. - -"I wonder if I can't do something to help you," said Bissell. "You -fellows have done me a good turn to-day, and I shouldn't mind helping -you out if I could." - -"You will only offend Major Billcord, and I think we can manage the -affair," replied Dory. - -"No matter whom I offend; Paul worked well in the sloop, and he seems to -be the bottom dog in this business, and if I see a chance to do anything -for him I shall do it, if the major bu'sts over it." - -By this time the Marian was close under the bow of the Silver Moon. Dick -checked the headway of the barge, and Dory put the helm down. Up went -the starboard oars on the Marian, and the sloop was alongside of her the -next minute. Dory leaped into the stern-sheets, and took his place at -the stroke oar. The sailboat fell astern, and the crew gave way again. - -Dick gave Dory all the information he had in regard to the capture of -Paul. Both of them were satisfied that the poor fellow would be beaten -half to death if he was not rescued from the enemy. By the time the -story had been told, the Gildrock changed her course, and pointed her -bow for the creek at the head of the bay. On the shore they could see -several young men in the uniform of the Chesterfield barges, and they -could be no other than the captors of Paul. The four-oar boat was just -making a landing. - -When the commodore changed his course, the barges of the two schools -were at about the same distance from the mouth of the creek. Oscar's -strategy had given Beech Hill this equal advantage. The movement of the -barges created a sudden sensation on board of the Racer and the Dasher. -Major Billcord began to demonstrate, and a good deal of violent jawing -came from the crews. The magnate had seen the two ruffians take the boat -from the wharf, and pull to the head of the bay. He could not fail to -understand that the prisoner was to be brought off in her. - -Doubtless, he commended the prudence of the ruffians in avoiding the -crowd on shore. He had kept faith with his hired villains for his own -sake as well as for theirs, and he was the only person in the barges -who expected Paul to be put on board, or who comprehended the movements -of the six absentees from the boats. It was evident to him that the -Beech Hillers had discovered what was going on, though it was a mystery -to him how they had obtained their information, for the coming of Susy -Wellington had not been observed. - -"Run for the head of the bay, Jack Woodhorn!" exclaimed Major Billcord, -when he saw the Beech Hill barges headed in that direction. "You must -get there before those rascals from the other side do, or they will -thrash the six boys of the institute who are there." - -"We can't do anything, sir; we are four oars short in this boat, and two -in the other," replied the coxswain of the Dasher. - -"Don't waste a second, Jack!" protested the magnate. "Do the best you -can. You have the inside track, and you ought to beat them with half a -crew." - -Woodhorn gave the order to give way, and the eight rowers in his boat -were soon pulling with all their might. The Racer followed her, and, -having ten oars, she passed her. It looked like a race between the two -schools, though it was a very unequal one. The Chesterfield students had -improved in rowing a great deal since the last season, but discipline -was still the wanting element in their organization, and though they had -never measured speed with the Beech Hill boats, they were no match for -them. - -The boys from the other side did not seem to hurry themselves, but only -pulled a steady and strong stroke. In five minutes it was clear enough -that they were beating their opponents. The magnate urged the -Chesterfields to greater exertion, and did more harm than good by his -ill-timed interference. - -Dory had shaken out the reef in the Silver Moon, and made an additional -change in the ballast, so that she was now behaving remarkably well. -Bissell had run over to the north side of the bay, and now had a slant -which would carry him to the mouth of the creek. Oscar Chester had kept -his gaze fixed on the party on the shore. He saw the six ruffians, and -recognized Paul Bristol with his arms still bound behind him. The -four-oar boat lay at the mouth of the creek, but the six ruffians had -retreated to the high ground in the rear of the landing. - -The approach of the three Beech Hill barges had completely upset the -calculations of the ruffians. They stood looking down upon the lake, -and appeared to be entirely non-plussed. The Gildrock was bearing -towards the Westport side of the bay, and was coming between the shore -and the Chesterfield barges. It was plainly folly to put the prisoner -into the boat that had come for him. In the barges there were -thirty-five Beech Hillers, and only twenty belonging to the institute. -Besides, the boats from the other side had always been victorious over -their own. - -The Gildrock came to a stand, with the crew lying on their oars, and the -other two barges followed her example at the order of the commodore. If -the Chesterfields advanced, they would have to break their way through -the Beech Hill line of boats. Jack Woodhorn ordered a halt before he -came up with the formidable line in front of him. Colonel Buckmill, the -principal, who was not present, had told the students of the institute -never to come in collision with any of the boats from the other side, -and the coxswains were disposed to obey their orders, especially as all -the chances were against them. - -"What are you stopping for, Jack Woodhorn?" demanded Major Billcord, -when the oarsmen in the Dasher brought their blades to a level. - -"We can go no farther without running into those barges," replied the -coxswain. - -"Run into them, then! Smash them if they don't get out of your way. Are -you afraid of those chip-makers?" blustered the magnate. - -"The principal ordered us never to come in collision with any of the -boats from the other side, sir," replied Woodhorn respectfully. - -"Are you going to leave your fellow-students on the shore to be mauled -by those rascals?" - -"I don't believe the tinkers will meddle with them as long as they stay -on shore." - -"But you want the rest of your oarsmen, and I want you all at Sandy -Point. There is the biggest pile of fun for you over there that you ever -had in your lives," continued Major Billcord, moderating his tone a -little when he found his own wishes were in conflict with the orders of -the principal. - -Neither Jack Woodhorn nor Phil Fessenden, the coxswain of the Racer, was -disposed to get into a row with the Beech Hillers. Both of them had been -in the barges the summer before in all their tilts with the Gildrock and -the Winooski, and they had learned wisdom from experience. It was in -vain, therefore, that Major Billcord coaxed and threatened them. With a -pair of black eyes out of the battle of the day before, Walk was hardly -inclined to support his father, though he was quite as anxious as the -magnate to get Paul into their possession. - -For full a quarter of an hour the boats remained in the same relative -position. The six ruffians on the shore had come to the conclusion that -there was no getting out of the deadlock, and that the only way for them -to earn their money was to march their prisoner to Sandy Point by land, -a distance of two miles. - -Bissell had run the Silver Moon into the mouth of the creek, and had -been waiting for some movement on the part of the combatants in which he -might do something to serve his friends. The ruffians were jawing among -themselves as to what it was best to do, but he could not hear enough of -their talk to understand their plans, if they had any. The skipper's -patience was exhausted, and, taking his painter in his hands, he went on -shore. Securing the rope, he walked up the bank. - -"What are you trying to do?" he asked, addressing his remark to Mad -Twinker. - -"We want to put this fellow on board of the Dasher," replied the leader, -as he had been since the overthrow of Buck Lamb. - -"Well, why don't you do it?" asked Bissell briskly. - -"Because the tinkers will interfere." - -"I will take him in the Silver Moon if you like," added the skipper -indifferently. - -"Will you take the rest of us too?" asked Mad. - -"Yes; I can carry a dozen well enough," replied Bissell. - -About all the students were small customers at Bissell's store, and were -well acquainted with him. They had no suspicion of any treachery on his -part. - - - - -CHAPTER XX. - -THE REBELLIOUS SKIPPER OF THE SLOOP. - - -"What are you going to do with Paul Bristol, Mad Twinker?" inquired -Bissell, as they marched him down to the sloop. - -"We are not going to do anything with him. Major Billcord wants to see -him, and we promised to take him over to Sandy Point for him," answered -the chief ruffian. - -"Oh, that's all, is it?" added the skipper. "What is the major going to -do with him?" - -"We don't know; and it's none of our business." - -"Of course it isn't," replied Bissell cheerfully, as he hauled up the -bow of the boat so that the party could get on board. "How are you -feeling now, Paul?" - -"I think I am all right. I have got some hard cracks since I saw you at -your house, but I guess I shall come out of it all right," replied the -prisoner, looking with interest and anxiety into the face of the -store-keeper. - -Just then, while the ruffians were picking their way into the boat, -Bissell gave the prisoner an almost imperceptible wink, which Paul saw -and comprehended. It was full of hope to him, for he did not see how the -skipper could deliver him over to the magnate after the good service he -had rendered, in his humble way, on board of the Silver Moon. Besides, -he was a Beech Hiller now, and the store-keeper knew it. He was under -great obligations to them, and Paul did not believe he would betray one -of their number. - -The skipper had not lowered his mainsail when he made the landing, and -the sloop was all ready to shove off. After two of the ruffians were in -the standing-room, the prisoner was conducted on board between two -others. At this point, Bissell went on board and took a stand near the -tiller. - -"It blows like Sam Hill to-day," said he, "and I want you to keep your -places, and not move out of them. There are eight of us now, and sit -four on a side. Here, Paul, you sit there," and he shoved the prisoner -into the place next to his own, on the port side. - -"But you won't have to go out into the rough water to get to Sandy -Point," suggested Mad Twinker. - -"We must go out some distance, for there is hardly any wind under the -bluffs," replied the skipper. "You take a seat in that corner, Mad;" and -he crowded him into the place opposite his own. - -The other ruffians were arranged to suit him, and then he shoved the -sloop off into deep water. The sail filled on the port tack, and the -Silver Moon went off with the wind a little abaft of the beam. The shore -was low at the head of the bay, and the sloop got her full share of the -breeze. She struck into an eight-knot speed at once. - -"It was lucky for us that you came up to the creek, Mr. Bissell," said -Mad Twinker, as the boat shot ahead. - -"Perhaps it was," replied the skipper; but there was not much enthusiasm -in the remark. - -"Those villains from the other side blocked us in so that we couldn't do -anything, and we were thinking of walking Paul over by land," added the -leader. "But some of us are about used up, and we did not like the idea -of such a tramp through the woods." - -As he spoke he glanced at the battered faces of some of his companions. -They all looked as though they had been through the wars. - -"The head boat of the tinkers is swinging around," said Alf Sumner, as -the Gildrock turned her bow towards the shore. - -"I wonder what they are going to do now," added Mad Twinker, with no -little anxiety in his expression. - -"The rest of the tinker boats are following her," continued Ham Jackson. - -The Gildrock made a graceful sweep before the sloop came up with the -position of the last barge in the line, and was abreast of the Silver -Moon about as soon as she was under full headway. The Beech Hillers now -laid themselves out, though they could hardly expect to keep up with the -sailboat in that wind. - -"Can't you outsail those barges, Mr. Bissell?" asked Mad Twinker. - -"Every time when we have as much breeze as we have now," replied the -skipper. "And we shall have a good deal more before we have any less." - -"There goes the Dasher," said Alf Sumner. "The Racer is after her." - -"And both of them will be a long way after the tinkers," added Ham -Jackson. - -"We want you to put us ashore on the Sandy Bay side of the point," said -Mad Twinker. "Of course, we shall pay you the dollar an hour for the -boat and boatman for all the time we have her." - -"That's all right," answered the skipper, as he headed the Silver Moon -farther out into the bay, and let off the main sheet to suit the change. - -In a few minutes more the boat was in rough water, and she began to -pitch and roll in a manner somewhat trying to the nerves of persons not -used to it. The six ruffians, who were no boatmen, for they had very -seldom been allowed in a sailboat, did not like it. - -"What's the use of going out so far from the shore, Mr. Bissell?" -demanded Mad Twinker. - -"I don't think it is safe to sail near the bluffs, for the wind is flawy -and snappish there," replied the skipper. "I don't know but I shall have -to put a reef in the mainsail, for the gusts come heavier than I thought -for." - -As he spoke he hauled out a lot of rope from the locker under the -tiller. He began to fuss over the lines to find a reef pendant. He took -his knife from his pocket, and cut one of them off the right length. He -laid the knife down by his side on the seat, and then returned all the -ropes, except the one he had cut off, to the locker. - -"I may not want to reef, but it is best to be ready," continued the -skipper, shifting the tiller a couple of notches on the comb. "Do you -think those barges will come up with us, Mad?" - -"I should judge that they would not," replied the leader. - -"The Beech Hillers are putting in some strong strokes," added Bissell. - -"So are our boats," replied Mad. - -"They are getting up quite a smart race. Will you fellows bet on your -own boats?" asked the skipper, with a cheerful smile. - -"Of course we won't while the Dasher is four hands short of her -complement," said Jeff Monroe. - -"But your boats are doing their prettiest, and I shouldn't wonder if -they got the best of it in the end. Don't you see that the Dasher is -gaining on the Marian?" continued Bissell, with a great deal of -earnestness. - -"I don't think she is gaining at all," put in Steve Douglas. - -But the six ruffians were gazing with all their eyes at the five barges; -and this was the one thing that Bissell most desired. While he held on -to the tiller with his right hand he had picked up his knife with the -other. Reaching around behind him, he got hold of the cord which bound -Paul Bristol. Making sure that the blade was in the right place, in -which he was assisted by the prisoner, he cut the rope. - -"Is the Dasher gaining anything, Mad?" he asked when he had accomplished -his purpose without attracting the attention of the ruffians. - -"Not a hair; she is losing, and the tinkers are running away from our -boats. They ought to when our fellows are short-handed." - -"I guess you are right, Mad," added the skipper, as he looked about him, -as if in search of something. "The wind comes stronger and stronger, and -I think I shall want my long tiller. It is in the cuddy forward; Will -you hand it to me, Jeff Monroe?" - -Jeff produced the spare tiller, and passed it astern to the skipper. It -was about three feet long, and was made of the toughest oak. Bissell -took it, and placed it at his side, between himself and the prisoner. -Though Paul knew that his arms were free, he had not removed them from -the position in which the cord had kept them, and no one but the skipper -suspected that he was not still in bonds. - -All that the owner had said about rough seas had been uttered to blind -the six ruffians. It was rough, but not nearly so bad as it had been in -the forenoon farther from the land. Bissell had become more interested -that day in sailing a boat than he had ever been before. He had obtained -a good many new ideas on the subject, and was really desirous of -reducing them to practice. Without saying anything about his intention, -he had gradually let off the sheet, and put up the helm until the Silver -Moon was now a full mile from the shore, and was exposed to the entire -force of the moderate gale. - -The Beech Hill barges followed the sloop, but the Chesterfields were -inclined to keep near the shore. The latter were short-handed, and this -was doubtless their excuse. The sailboat was now at least half a mile -from the Gildrock. Bissell was glowing with his new ideas, and he was -disposed to profit by the instructions of the skipper of the Goldwing -while they were fresh in his mind. Suddenly he hauled in the sheet, and -threw the sloop up into the wind and then let her off on the starboard -tack. Laying a course which would take him back to the mouth of the -creek, he trimmed the sail and let her drive. - -"What under the canopy are you doing, Mr. Bissell?" demanded Mad -Twinker angrily. - -"I am afraid the Dasher will not catch us if I run off any farther," -replied Bissell. - -"No matter whether she catches you or not. All you have to do is to land -us at Sandy Point, on the bay side," added the leader of the ruffians. - -"I guess we had better run back a piece," said Bissell, unmoved by the -wrath of his passengers. - -"We don't wish to go back," protested Jeff Monroe. "Do you want the -tinkers to board us and take our prisoner out of the sloop?" - -"I don't know that I care if they do." - -"Don't you? Well, we do! We won't stand this sort of thing. We hire the -boat, and she must go where we say," replied Jeff, rising from his seat, -boiling over with wrath. "We won't stand it!" - -"What are you going to do about it?" inquired Bissell in the mildest of -tones. - -"I order you to come about and take us to Sandy Point, as you agreed to -do." - -"I didn't agree to do anything of the kind. I told you I would take Paul -on board, and then the rest of you, when you asked me to do so. That's -the whole of it." - -"This is treachery," yelled Mad Twinker. - -"Well, if it is, I think we have carried this thing about far enough. I -hadn't any idea of helping you to hand Paul over to Major Billcord. I -would sink my carcass to the bottom of the lake first," continued the -skipper of the Silver Moon, warmly. - -"All we have to do, fellows, is to take possession of the boat," shouted -Jeff Monroe, as he made a rush aft. - -"Back into your seat, or I will spill you into the lake!" said Bissell -sharply. - -But Jeff was not to be intimidated by a threat, and, supported by Mad, -he made a dive at the skipper. Suddenly the spare tiller appeared in -air, in the hands of Paul, and then it came down upon the head of Jeff -Monroe. - - - - -CHAPTER XXI. - -AN OUTRAGE IN THE STANDING-ROOM OF THE SLOOP. - - -Jeff Monroe fell all in a heap at the door of the cuddy; but his fall -did not deter his fellow-ruffians from advancing upon the skipper. Buck -Lamb threw himself in front of Mad Twinker, as though he intended to -redeem his escutcheon from the stain of defeat. Bissell was no more a -fighting character than Paul, and he had not the least idea of -"science." Buck was in proper position to make or receive an attack, and -the skipper had risen from his sitting posture when the prisoner did. - -[Illustration: "His fall did not prevent his fellow-ruffians from -advancing upon the skipper."--Page 216.] - -Instead of hitting as a pugilist should, Bissell reached out his long -arm, and took the bully by the collar of his uniform, jerked him over -once, and then tossed him upon the prostrate form of Jeff Monroe. Mad -Twinker had bravely followed up the attack until he was in reach of the -skipper's arm, and he was tumbled over in a heap. - -But Bissell could not do duty with his long arms and steer at the same -time; and the Silver Moon, now having a strong weather helm, came up -into the wind, and, with her boom shaking in the midst of the -combatants, began to roll as though she intended to pitch the ruffians -overboard without any help from her owner. Jackson, Sumner and Douglas -had retreated from the after part of the standing-room, and the motion -of the boat, made more unsteady by the movements of the ruffians, -pitched them all into the seats. - -Buck Lamb and Mad Twinker rose to their feet as soon as they could, but -Jeff Monroe was not yet in a condition to move. The skipper put the helm -up, and the sloop filled away again. Paul had advanced a pace, and taken -a seat near the skipper, but with the spare tiller ready to deal a blow -as soon as a head came near enough to receive it. - -The ruffians looked at the heavy tiller in the hand of Paul, and then -they looked at the long arms of the skipper. While they were gazing -there was a halt all along the line, which afforded an opportunity for -reflection. Some of them cast their eyes about them for something in the -shape of a weapon. The spare tiller seemed to be the only stick that -would answer the purpose of a club, except the crutch used to support -the boom when the sail was furled, and that was under the owner's seat. - -Both Mad and Buck seemed to realize that they could do nothing without -bringing that tiller down upon their heads, and its descent was almost -sure to reduce them to the condition of Jeff Monroe, who was just -beginning to show some signs of life. While they were thinking about it, -the skipper came about, and headed the sloop towards the shore. When he -had done so, he picked up the crutch, and placed it on the seat, by his -side. - -The Silver Moon was now headed in the direction of Sandy Point. The -Beech Hill barges were some distance astern of her, and the -Chesterfields at least a quarter of a mile farther to the westward. - -"I don't think it is quite safe, Paul, to leave these fellows lying -round loose in the standing-room," said Bissell, when he had the boat -well in hand on the new tack. At the same time he drew out from the -locker under him the ropes from which he had selected the reef pendant. - -"What do you mean by that?" demanded Mad Twinker, before Paul had time -to reply. - -"I mean that I shall be under the disagreeable necessity of tying your -arms behind you, just as you had Paul when you brought him on board," -replied Bissell; but his tone and manner did not indicate that the duty -was a very unpleasant one. - -"But we won't stand it!" replied Mad angrily. - -"Won't you?" continued Bissell, as he took the crutch in his hand. - -"I protest against such an outrage!" exclaimed Ham Jackson. - -"Oh, you protest, do you? And you really think it would be an outrage?" -said Bissell, in a mocking tone. - -"We are students in the Chesterfield Collegiate Institute, and we are -the sons of gentlemen," returned Ham, with dignity. "Of course, it would -be an outrage to put us in bonds, like common felons." - -"Precisely so; then we will tie your hands behind you like uncommon -felons. We won't quarrel about words, for you can beat me every time in -that line. I suppose it was not an outrage for you to attack Paul -Bristol, six to one, in the street, and tie his hands behind him," -replied the skipper, with a very heavy sneer. "He don't happen to belong -to the Institute, but he is a member of the Beech Hill School." - -"We don't care what he is," interposed Mad Twinker. "We won't submit to -be bound! We won't stand such an indignity!" - -"You think you won't? I don't believe I shall have much trouble in tying -the hands behind him of that fellow on the floor," continues Bissell. -"It is for you to decide whether you will have your hands tied before or -after you are knocked stiff. I will begin with you, Mr. Twinker." - -"No, you won't!" cried Mad, as he sprang from his seat, and rushed madly -upon the skipper. - -Bissell was on his feet, and, reaching out his long arm, he took his -assailant by the throat, in spite of the wild blows he aimed at him. -This time he did not pitch him on the floor, but choked him till the -ruffian began to feel weak, and to relax his struggles. - -"You take the tiller, Paul, but don't let go the spare one. If one of -them moves aft, knock him as you did the first fellow," said Bissell, as -he picked up the reef pendant he had cut off. - -Paul took the helm. He had steered a sailboat before, though he knew -next to nothing about the general management of the craft, and kept her -as she was. By this time Mad was decidedly faint, and the owner had no -difficulty in tying his arms behind him. When he had done so, he picked -up the crutch again, and stepped forward. His next victim was Buck Lamb; -but as about all the vim had gone out of the bully, it was an easy job -to secure him. The other four ruffians made no resistance worth -mentioning, for the crutch in the hand of the skipper was an awful -weapon; so was the spare tiller which Paul wielded. If the ruffians -could have got hold of anything in the way of clubs, doubtless they -would have held out longer. - -As it was, they were completely vanquished. Bissell had ranged them -three on a side as he bound them, and they had not been inclined to -move. Possibly they thought they were in a bad condition to save -themselves if the Silver Moon had taken it into her head to upset and -spill them into the angry lake. - -"We are all right now, Paul. Don't you say so?" said the skipper, as he -seated himself on the weather side and took the helm. - -"I should say that we were," replied the late prisoner heartily. "You -have saved me, Mr. Bissell, from an awful pounding at the hands of Major -Billcord and his son; and I owe you a thousand thanks. I shall never -forget what you have done for me to-day." - -"I think I got saved myself this forenoon," added the skipper; "and I -guess I know how it feels. I think we should all have been drowned in -the Silver Moon if it hadn't been for the Beech Hillers; and I don't -feel as though I could ever do half enough for them. We are not square -yet, Paul, and you did your share." - -"I didn't do much; it was Dory Dornwood who did it all," answered Paul -modestly. - -"It cut me like a sharp razor to give in to a mere boy on sailing, but -Dory knows more about a boat with his eyes shut than I do with mine wide -open. He didn't put on any airs, either," continued Bissell, with -enthusiasm. - -"By the big wooden spoon, there comes the Sylph!" exclaimed Paul, as the -steam yacht came out from behind Barber's Point. "Captain Gildrock is on -board of her, and you may be sure he will put things to rights in double -quick time." - -"All right; I am glad he is coming, for I don't know what to do with -these fellows, now that we have them where they can't set the lake on -fire," added the skipper, as he glanced at the Sylph. "We will keep on -as we are, for I suppose she is going over to Beaver River." - -"I think you have carried this thing about far enough, Mr. Bissell," -said Mad Twinker, after he had taken a glance at the steam yacht. - -"Not quite, Mr. Twinker," replied the skipper, with a smile. "I shall -carry it about as far as that steam yacht, and then I don't care a -button what becomes of it." - -"You mean by that to hand us over to the principal of the Beech Hill -School?" inquired Ham Jackson. - -"I reckon it amounts to that." - -"If you settle the thing that way, you will have to answer to Colonel -Buckmill," added Mad Twinker. - -"I am ready to answer to him. Do you think the principal of the -Chesterfield school will justify you in committing such an outrage as -you have put on Paul Bristol?" demanded Bissell indignantly. - -"Then why don't you hand us over to Colonel Buckmill?" - -"So I would if he happened along here at about this time. Perhaps the -other principal will pass you over to Colonel Buckmill," suggested the -skipper, with a sort of chuckle, as though he had his doubts on the -subject. "Six of you set upon Paul in the most cowardly manner, and--" - -"Only two at a time," interposed Buck Lamb. - -"How was it, Paul?" asked Bissell. - -The intended victim of the ruffians told his story in full, not omitting -to mention the punishment he had bestowed upon his assailants. Bissell -expressed himself very emphatically in regard to the cowardly character -of the assault, and was glad Paul had defended himself till he was -overpowered by numbers. The faces of some of the ruffians bore the marks -of his hard fists, and they were probably booked for mourning eyes by -the next day. - -By this time the Silver Moon was off Sandy Point. Paul had watched with -interest the movements of the Sylph. When first seen she was headed for -Scotch Bonnet, which was her direct course when homeward bound; but she -soon shifted her helm, as though she was going up to Westport. - -"She is going to make a landing at the town," said Paul, when he noticed -the change of course. - -"I am sorry for that, for I thought she was coming over this way," -replied Bissell. - -"Captain Gildrock must see all the barges, and I am sure he will run -over here as soon as he makes them out," added Paul. - -The words were hardly out of his mouth before the head of the steamer -was turned in the direction of the Beech Hill barges, which were not -half a mile astern of the Silver Moon. The skipper decided to come -about, and stand back to the fleet. Before he could reach the boats, the -Sylph had stopped her screw, and was hailing the Gildrock. Oscar Chester -informed him that Paul Bristol had been taken a prisoner by six of the -Chesterfields, and that the skipper of the sloop was conveying him to -Sandy Point. This was all the commodore knew about the matter, but it -was enough for the captain. He started the screw again, and in a few -moments he had overhauled the Silver Moon. - -From the pilot-house the principal could see the condition of things in -the standing-room of the sloop. Again Captain Gildrock rang one bell, -and then two. As the steamer lost her headway the Silver Moon rounded to -under her lee side, where she had still water. - - - - -CHAPTER XXII. - -AN INVITATION TO SANDY POINT. - - -"I should like to hand these fellows over to you, Captain Gildrock," -said Bissell, hailing the principal. "We have tied their hands behind -them, and they won't set the lake on fire just yet." - -"I should like to know something more about the case. Will you send -Bristol on board to report to me?" replied Captain Gildrock. "Mr. -Wolfenden, of Westport, is on board, and will join you in the boat." - -"Wolfenden! Why, he is the deputy sheriff!" exclaimed Bissell. "I guess -he is the very man we want." - -"Mr. Bulfington is also on board," added the principal. - -"Perhaps both of us had better go on board of the Silver Moon," said Mr. -Wolfenden, for both he and Bulfington, who was a constable, were in the -pilot-house. - -"I should like to have one of you remain and hear the statement of -Bristol, upon whom this outrage has been perpetrated," added Captain -Gildrock. "As Bulfington is the constable, perhaps he had better -remain." - -The deputy sheriff was satisfied to let it be so, and he went on board -of the sloop. The two officers had been down to Port Henry on official -business, and, manifesting quite an interest in the Sylph, the principal -had invited them to take passage to Westport in her. As the officer went -on board of the sloop, Paul left her, and hastened to the pilot-house. - -"Well, Bristol, it seems that you did not see the last of the trouble at -Sandy Point yesterday," said the principal, bestowing a look of kindness -and sympathy upon the new pupil. "Your face looks as though you had had -a hard time of it to-day." - -"The toughest time I have had yet, but not so tough as it would have -been if Mr. Bissell had not stood by me, and got me out of the scrape. -We did him a good turn this forenoon, and he did not forget it," replied -Paul. - -"I am glad to see you, Paul," added Mr. Bulfington, taking him by the -hand. "It is about time the pranks of those students should come to an -end; and I think the people of Westport have had about enough of them." - -"What service did you render to Mr. Bissell?" asked Captain Gildrock. - -"It is rather a long story, sir;" but Paul proceeded to relate it in -full, and he soon found that both of his auditors were deeply interested -in it. - -"My daughter was one of the six girls," said Mr. Bulfington, when the -spare hand had finished his narrative. "I am sure I owe the boys a debt -of gratitude which I shall never expect to discharge." - -Paul then gave the particulars of the assault upon him very minutely, -and described the events which had followed his capture up to the -present moment. - -"It would have gone terribly hard with you, Paul, if Major Billcord had -got you over to the point, for there is no more reason or mercy in him -than there is in a fighting bulldog," added the constable. "He has got -money enough to pay all damages, and he would not mind a thousand or two -if he got his revenge in full." - -"These boys must have been employed to capture Bristol," said the -principal, whose face was flashed with indignation. "Mrs. Bristol this -morning gave her son into my charge, and he shall not be abused while he -is in my care." - -"What do you intend to do about it, Captain Gildrock?" asked Mr. -Bulfington. - -"I shall prosecute the ruffians first; and if I can prove that Major -Billcord employed them to assault my pupil, I will prosecute him," -replied the captain. - -The principal went to the side and had a brief talk with Bissell. It was -arranged that the skipper should convey the boys to Westport, the -constable going with him. Mr. Wolfenden returned to the steamer, and -instructed the captain in the proper method of procedure in the court. - -Bissell lost no time in getting under way. The ruffians were utterly -crestfallen when they understood that they were to be prosecuted for the -outrage upon Paul. Very likely Colonel Buckmill and the magnate would -choose to regard it as a mere lark, a little wildness, on the part of -the students, which ought to be passed over without any appeal to the -courts. - -Before this time the Beech Hill barges had come to the side of the -Sylph. The Chesterfield barges had given the steamer a wide berth. They -were close up to the shore, and were pulling in the direction of Sandy -Point. Major Billcord could not help seeing his minions on board of the -sailboat, and to suspect that they had come to grief; but he could not -prevail on the coxswains to go near any of the craft from the other side -of the lake. - -Paul remained on board of the Sylph, for his evidence was needed in -Westport in getting out the warrant for the arrest of the ruffians. The -principal gave no orders of any kind to the commodore of the fleet, and -he was left to do as he pleased. The students were consulted in regard -to their wishes. Dory had gone on board of the Silver Moon as soon as -the Marian came alongside of the steamer, and had obtained from Bissell -all the details of the capture of Paul, and the subsequent events. - -The Sylph stood over to the town, and the three boats locked together -for a conference. The first thing was to hear Dory's account of Paul's -adventures. Then they decided to wait until the Sylph started for home, -for they were filled with curiosity to know what might be done with the -ruffians. - -Just then they discovered that the Chesterfield barges were lying on -their oars off the southern arm of Sandy Point. They had some curiosity, -and doubtless were more interested than their rivals. All the boats -retained their positions for over an hour, when the Sylph was seen to -leave the wharf. In a few minutes more she had crossed the bay, and -stopped her screw near the Marian. The eight-oar barge was ordered to -come alongside the steamer, and Paul was taken on board. - -Of course they could not separate until the students had heard the news -from Westport. In a few words the spare hand informed them that a -warrant had been issued on the testimony of Paul and Bissell, and the -six ruffians had been committed to the lockup. They were to be examined -the next day, and the witnesses were duly summoned. In the presence of -the magistrate Buck Lamb had broken down, and he declared that they had -been employed by Major Billcord to capture Paul for the sum of -twenty-five dollars. Two of the others indorsed this statement, and the -principal had procured a warrant for his arrest, which was now in the -hands of the constable. Captain Gildrock had procured the services of -the best lawyer in the county of Essex to look after the business for -him. - -The news from Westport was very satisfactory, and the question seemed -to be whether or not a man who had money enough to pay the bills could -outrage a poor boy with impunity. Captain Gildrock's blood boiled, -though it did not bubble, or otherwise manifest its condition. - -The commodore gave the order for a start, and in a short time the barges -came up with the Chesterfields, though they were a quarter of a mile -farther out in the lake. The Sylph was hardly moving through the water, -the principal doubtless holding her back to see that no trouble arose -between the two schools. He took the precaution to run the steam yacht -between the two parties, and soon found himself within hailing distance -of the Dasher, with Major Billcord in the stern-sheets. - -The two gentlemen were somewhat acquainted, and had occasionally met on -the lake and at the bank in Burlington. As the Sylph went lazily along, -the captain discovered a white handkerchief hoisted on a stick, and saw -that the Dasher was pulling towards the steamer. He rang his bell to -stop her, and she awaited the pleasure of the barge. - -"Captain Gildrock, you and I have always been good neighbors, though we -don't live on the same side of the lake," said Major Billcord, standing -up in the stern-sheets of the barge. "I feel it my duty to give you a -friendly warning. I learn that a young scoundrel by the name of Paul -Bristol, whose family I have charitably harbored on my land without the -payment of rent, came over to Westport to-day with the students of your -school. He is a young villain, and I warn you not to trust him." - -"I had come to the conclusion that he was a very good boy," replied the -captain. - -"You are utterly mistaken, sir!" protested the major. "He assaulted both -my son and myself, for which I intend to punish him in the severest -manner. His mother and sister live on the point here, in a cottage owned -by the woman; and the boy lived here before he went to Genverres, if he -has gone over there. I warned the woman to move her house at once. She -has not done it, and I shall tumble the building into the lake. It will -make some sport for our boys, and I thought yours might like to see the -fun, and learn a good lesson in the administration of human justice. I -should be happy to have your steamer and your barges take position near -the point, where you can see the proceedings." - -Captain Gildrock made no reply, and the Dasher pulled away without -waiting for any. The two Chesterfield barges ran their bows into the -sand in front of where the cottage had stood, and the Sylph, after -whistling for the Beech Hill barges to approach, followed the Dasher. -The barges from the other side pulled to the entrance of the bay, and -lay upon their oars. - -"Now is the time for the fun to begin, and we are invited to see it," -said Dick Short to Paul, who sat by his side. - -"I think there will be some fun, though it will not be what Major -Billcord and his crowd came to see," added Dory. - -On board of the Dasher, Jack Woodhorn had risen from his seat, after he -had given the order for the oarsmen to boat their oars. All the students -were busy attending to their blades. Woodhorn was evidently looking for -the cottage; but he did not see it. Then the magnate stood up; then all -the students in the two boats stood up, and then both barges were nearly -upset by this folly, and the coxswains ordered their crews to be seated. - -"Did I understand you to say there was a cottage here to be tumbled into -the lake to illustrate the administration of human justice, Major -Billcord?" called Captain Gildrock, who had placed the bow of the Sylph -within a few feet of the stern of the Dasher. - -"I don't understand this," replied the magnate. "The cottage was here -yesterday, and it was quite impossible for the woman to move it. Send -the young gentlemen ashore to see if they can find it." - -The young gentlemen could not find it. The site where it had stood was -smoothed over as nicely as though the building had never been there. The -major said it was a great mystery. - -"No human justice to-day, then?" queried the principal of the Beech Hill -school. "Perhaps divine justice had got ahead of human justice in this -instance, as it sometimes does." - -"Do you know anything about it, sir?" demanded the major angrily. - -"The cottage was removed to Genverres by the students of the Beech Hill -Industrial School last night," replied the captain. - - - - -CHAPTER XXIII. - -THE PROCEEDINGS AT SANDY POINT. - - -It is to be regretted that Major Billcord set a very bad example to the -Chesterfield students by using profane language when the Beech Hill -principal "let the cat out of the bag." At first he was not inclined to -believe the statement, for it seemed incredible to him that any company -of boys should have been able to put the cottage on a boat and convey it -across the lake. - -Captain Gildrock was obliged to explain how the work had been done, -before he would accept the solution of the mystery. The principal -offered to take him over to the school grounds and show him the cottage -if he had any doubts on the subject. - -"It was a shabby trick on your part, after all," said Major Billcord, -when he had got the explanation through his head. "I don't interfere -with your affairs on the other side of the lake, and I don't know of any -reason why you should meddle with mine." - -"As I understand the matter, major, you warned Mrs. Bristol to remove -her cottage within twenty-four hours, or you would tumble it into the -lake," replied the captain. "I simply allowed the students to assist the -good woman in doing what you required her to do." - -"You knew very well that this was a case of discipline on this side of -the lake," replied the major, waxing exceedingly wrathy. "My son was -attacked in the most brutal manner by that woman's cub, and she upheld -the young villain, and would not allow him to be punished as he -deserved. Of course, I knew the woman could not remove the cottage, and -it would have been here now if you had not meddled with my business, -like a very bad neighbor." - -"I don't care to discuss the assault, as you call it, with you, but I -think the boy and his mother were fully justified in their action," -replied the principal, in firm but gentle tones. - -"You do, do you?" demanded the major. "The young rascal abused my son. -Look at his face," and he pointed at the interesting features of Walk, -who sat in the boat listening to what his father said. "When I -interfered to save my son from serious injury, he flew at me like a -wildcat, and look at my eyes." - -"Why didn't you prosecute the boy in the court, and have him properly -punished?" suggested the captain, looking rather sarcastically at the -magnate. - -"I don't do business in that way," returned the major, boiling over with -anger. "I shall punish the young rascal myself! I shall do it here at -Sandy Point, where the outrage was committed. I have taken steps to have -him brought here for that purpose." - -"Then you expect Paul to be brought here, do you?" asked Captain -Gildrock, astonished at the remarks of the magnate, for he had not a -doubt that he had seen what had transpired while the sailboat was -alongside the Sylph. - -"I do expect him here very soon; and I shall tie him up to a tree and -give him such a thrashing that he won't get off his bed for one month -after it!" exclaimed Major Billcord, flourishing a rawhide in the air as -he spoke. - -"This strikes me as rather brutal," added the principal. - -"Brutal? Look in Walker's face! Look in my face! Were the blows that -made these marks brutal, or were they not? I shall have satisfaction for -them!" - -Captain Gildrock was trying to explain to himself how it happened that -the magnate knew nothing of what had taken place alongside the steam -yacht. As he thought the matter over he understood it better. The Sylph -had been between the Silver Moon and the Chesterfield barges, so that -they could not see what took place on the lee side of her. - -While Paul was telling his story in the pilot-house, the Chesterfields, -finding the Beech Hill boats gathering around the steamer, had pulled -close up to the shore, and continued on their way to Sandy Point. -Neither Major Billcord nor the students with him had been troubled with -a doubt in regard to the fidelity of Bissell to their interests. Even if -he was faithless, he had the six ruffians with him, and they would be -more than a match for a single man. - -However it had happened, it appeared that the magnate and the crews with -him knew nothing at all about the capture of the ruffians. They had -waited off the point till the Beech Hill fleet came up, and they -concluded that the sloop was standing off towards Westport to avoid a -meeting with the "tinkers." - -The magnate wished the visitors from the other side to see the -destruction of the cottage, and he had invited them to be spectators of -the expected frolic. He had decided to attend of the cottage first, so -that the Beech Hillers might see the fun, and to administer the -punishment to Paul Bristol after they had gone, for he did not care to -have them witness that spectacle. - -"I am afraid you are laboring under a mistake, Major Billcord," -continued Captain Gildrock. "Did I understand you to say that you -expected Paul here to be punished for his brutality?" - -"That is precisely what I do expect; and he will be here in the course -of half an hour. But I need not detain you any longer, sir," replied the -magnate, with very ill grace. "There is no mistake about it, you may -depend upon it." - -"If you will pardon me, there is some mistake, for Paul Bristol is here -now," added the captain. "Marian, ahoy! Back down this way," he shouted -to the barges, which were lying at the entrance to Sandy Bay. - -The crews were lying on their oars, and Dick Short promptly gave the -order, "Stern all," and the Marian soon put her stern very near the bow -of the steamer. - -"Stand up, Bristol, and show yourself," said the captain. - -Paul stood up in the stern-sheets of the barge, and Major Billcord -looked at him as though he had been a spectre from some neighboring -graveyard. Then he had a moment's animated conversation with the -coxswain at his side. It was another mystery, and possibly the magnate -thought he was in the middle of the last chapter of a novel. How had it -been possible for him to get out of the clutches of the six ruffians? - -But the mystery suddenly paled, and the major threw himself into a -towering passion. The object of his intended vengeance was before him. -Jack Woodhorn, at the request of the magnate, summoned his crews from -the shore. It looked as though the enraged major intended to attempt the -capture of his victim under the very eyes of the Beech Hillers. - -"That is Paul Bristol, as you may see for yourself, Major Billcord," -said Captain Gildrock, when he observed the preparations on the part of -the Chesterfields to do something. "He is now a student in the Beech -Hill Industrial School; and to him, for the time being, I stand in the -relation _in loco parentis_; I shall protect him to the fullest extent." - -"Captain Gildrock, this is unfriendly to me, and--" - -"But friendly to the boy and his mother, who need a friend more than -you do," interposed the principal. "The six ruffians you hired to -capture that poor boy have been arrested and committed to the lockup. -Some of them admitted that they were employed by you to do this piece of -villany, and there is a warrant out for your arrest. Doubtless, the -facts will all come out at the examination to-morrow forenoon; and if it -appears that I have done you any wrong, I shall be prepared to make you -abundant reparation." - -"A warrant for my arrest!" exclaimed Major Billcord, sinking down into -his seat. - -"I have employed the Hon. Richard Lawbrook to look after the case in my -absence, and I hope justice will be done," added the captain as he rang -two bells in the pilot-house. - -At the same time the principal made a motion with his hand, in the -direction of home, to the boats ahead of the steamer. The barges backed -into position, and the commodore shouted the order to give way. In a -minute more they were in line, pulling down the lake, but keeping near -the shore. - -Major Billcord did not utter a word to anyone. He was in deep thought. -Very likely his impulsive nature had led him to organize the plan for -the capture of Paul without any consideration of the possible -consequences. He was by far the richest man in that region, and owned no -end of shares in all the industrial and commercial enterprises of that -part of the State. He was a man of large influence, and was not -over-scrupulous in regard to the use of it. With such power, he was in -the habit of having his own way, though there were a few people in the -neighborhood who contrived to maintain their own independence, even at -the risk of quarrelling with the magnate. - -Among the latter was the Hon. Richard Lawbrook, a prominent lawyer in -the county, who had been made a senator, though without pledges, in part -by the influence of the major. But when the legislator was requested and -pressed to promote by his eloquence a more than questionable enterprise, -his conscience revolted, and he refused his aid. This had produced a -bitter quarrel between himself and the magnate, though all the honest -people believed that the senator was an upright and just man. - -Doubtless, the mention of the senator's name had produced a decided -effect upon the mind of the magnate. Mr. Lawbrook was a man of -influence, who believed that the laws should be impartially executed -upon the rich as well as the poor. The prospect ahead was not pleasant. - -There was no "pile of fun" to be had at the point that day, and -Commodore Woodhorn backed away from the beach as soon as his crews were -in a condition to do so. Without asking the major any questions, he -conveyed his distinguished passenger over to the town, and landed him at -the steps. The procession was formed to escort him to his elegant -mansion when Mr. Bulfington appeared, and respectfully announced that he -had a warrant for the arrest of the object of the parade. The major was -impatient when the officer presented himself, and told him to call at -his house if he had any business with him. - -The constable politely intimated that it was a criminal proceeding, and -that he was under the necessity of taking his prisoner wherever he could -find him. He treated the culprit just as though he had been a poor man, -which was a new experience to the magnate. He was taken to the lockup, -and confined in a cell. With the major behind the bars, Mr. Bulfington -was complaisant enough to do anything he required. A couple of wealthy -friends were sent for, and the major and the six ruffians were bailed -out in the course of an hour. - -There had been some earnest talk between Captain Gildrock and Mr. -Lawbrook, for the former wished to know whether justice represented a -substantial idea in the State of New York. The senator was confident -that all men were equal before the law; and as he had more influence -with the constable than any other person had, Mr. Bulfington was -unwilling to assume any special responsibility in regard to his powerful -prisoner. - -The Beech Hill fleet went home, and not only the students, but the -families at the mansion and at Hornet Point had enough to talk about for -the rest of the day. The next morning, when all the students except Paul -were at their studies in the school-room, the Sylph, with Mrs. Bristol -and Lily on board with Paul, sailed for Westport. - - - - -CHAPTER XXIV. - -THE STUDENTS DECIDE "WHAT'S IN A NAME." - - -Major Billcord had the services of a distinguished lawyer from -Plattsburgh and of another from Elizabethtown to defend himself and the -six ruffians. They almost made a "celebrated case" of it. They got the -trial into the county court, and the six ruffians were sentenced to ten -days confinement in the county prison, and the major himself to thirty -days. - -The assault and the conspiracy were too outrageous, in the opinion of -the justice, to be punished with a simple fine. The workingmen and the -farmers had got hold of the case and talked a great deal about it. -Against the advice of the eminent legal gentlemen he employed, Paul -Bristol was prosecuted for the first assault upon Walker Billcord, and -this brought in the testimony of Lily and her mother, which the lawyers -wanted to keep out. This evidence completed the history of the case by -filling in the beginning of the trouble. - -Paul was fully justified and acquitted, and the people praised him for -his defence of his sister. Fathers and mothers were interested, for they -looked to the law for the protection of their children. Every effort was -made to save the magnate from the disgrace of being confined in a common -prison, but public sentiment would have been indignant, and he had to -serve out his time. - -The farmers and mechanics were inclined to go as far the wrong way in -one direction as the major and his friends were in the other. The -magnate was a "soulless capitalist," a "bloated bondholder," and he -suffered, especially among the mill hands, for this senseless reason. -But the judge was even-handed between the two parties, and the major -learned a lesson which was worth half his fortune to him--that before -the law he was no more than the equal of the poor man. - -Four of the six ruffians were taken from the institute by their parents, -who had sent them there to be fitted for college, and they were sure -that their sons had been led away by the influence of Major Billcord, -and by the lack of proper discipline in the school. Three others were -removed for the same reason. The loss of these pupils was a severe blow -to Colonel Buckmill, who had condemned the conduct of the major from -the first. - -Though other students were soon obtained to take their places, and even -to increase the number of pupils in the school, the colonel realized -that he was not managing the institution on the right principle. The -magnate had lost much of his influence in the vicinity, and the -principal found that he could afford to be independent of him, for it -would pay better. - -On the day of the examination, Captain Gildrock called the students of -Beech Hill together in the school-room in the afternoon, after the -studies had been finished. The model to which he had alluded at the time -of his lecture on shipbuilding was still on the table where it had been -placed on that occasion. The students had examined it with a great deal -of interest. They had read all they could find in the books in the -library on the subject, and studied the three plans on the wall. - -They were very impatient, as young men always are, to begin the actual -work of building the boat. It was even more to their taste than erecting -a house, though many of them were now competent to frame a building from -the plans. - -The subject of a name for the craft had engaged their attention, and -they had given a great deal of thought to it. They were all ambitious to -name the schooner, and a great variety of names was likely to be -presented. They had all been handed in; and when the principal announced -that the first business was to select one from them, Mr. Bentnick handed -him the envelope which contained them. - -"Lily," said the captain, laughing, as he took the first paper from the -enclosure. - -All the boys looked very good-natured, though something like -embarrassment appeared upon the faces of not a few of them. - -"Lily," continued the captain, reading the second suggestion. - -The good-natured looks expanded into smiles. - -"Lily," the principal said again, as he drew out the third paper. The -smile became a little more intense. - -"Lily," repeated the principal once more, and then he emptied all the -slips of paper from the envelope, and began to sort them over. - -Principal, instructors and students were all laughing merrily by this -time. It was evident that the boys were very impressible fellows, and -had been captivated by the beauty of Miss Bristol. Possibly some of -them were disturbed because they found that others had made the same -selection as their own. - -"They are not all alike," said Captain Gildrock, when he had finished -sorting the papers. "Only about two thirds of them are 'Lily.' It is -certainly a very pretty name, and there is no flower more pure and -beautiful than the lily. But the name is rather general and indefinite. -We have the tiger lily, the lily of the valley, the pond lily, and other -kinds. What do you say to calling the schooner the Pond Lily?" - -"No, sir!" shouted a majority of the students, with one voice. - -"The Tiger Lily, then?" - -"No, sir," was the emphatic reply. - -"Then Lily of the Valley?" - -"No, sir!" again voted the majority. - -"Perhaps I shall have to ask Miss Millweed for the names of other kinds -of lilies," added the principal, with a very pleasant smile. - -"None of them!" exclaimed the crowd, encouraged by the cheerful -expression of the captain. - -"None of them?" - -"Lily Bristol!" called Luke Bennington. "I put in another name, but that -is what the fellows mean." - -"Yes, sir!" cried the majority. - -Captain Gildrock improved this opportunity to say something about the -influence of female society, and especially of young ladies. If Beech -Hill were not a school of mechanic arts, he should be in favor of having -as many young ladies as young gentlemen on its roll of pupils. He was in -favor of co-education, whereat Mr. Bentnick shook his head, and seemed -to be uneasy in his seat, though Mr. Darlingby showed a disposition to -clap his hands. The captain was an old-fashioned man, he said, but he -hoped he had modern and progressive ideas. He was not in favor of -"pretty girls." - -At this point about half a dozen of the students gave something like a -suppressed groan. The principal paused, the dissentients wished they had -said nothing; but he did not add a word. He seemed to feel that they had -as much right to express themselves in this manner as to applaud, or -express themselves in other ways. - -"I don't believe in pretty girls as such," he continued, "because they -monopolize the sole attention of young men, to the exclusion of others -even more worthy who are personally less attractive. But I hardly expect -young gentlemen to adopt my views on this subject before they have -lived to be as old as I am. When you have an opportunity, boys, bestow -some attention upon the 'wallflowers.'" - -He had not intended to say so much on this part of the subject, and he -resumed the general topic. Ladies should be treated with the utmost -respect, whether attractive or not, and even if they did not conduct -themselves like ladies. He did not prohibit the students from -associating with the young ladies of Genverres and the neighboring -towns, under proper circumstances, and thought female society was -beneficial to them. But profound respect must be the basis of such -relations. There should be nothing like undue familiarity with them, and -a young lady, even if not more than fifteen, should not be addressed by -her Christian name except by her relatives. It must always be "Miss -Bristol," and not "Lily," or even "Miss Lily." - -"Not Miss Lily?" said a puzzled student. - -"That is a grade of familiarity between the surname and the given name, -proper enough for persons who are intimate enough to use it, but not -applicable in the present instance. Now, to return to the name of the -schooner, from which the papers withdrew my attention. I am entirely -willing that you should give her a name." - -After what the principal had said about pretty girls, most of the -students concluded that any attempt to give the name of one of that -sisterhood to the craft would be vetoed. They were not quite satisfied -to have their wishes disregarded. His last words, however, gave them a -little encouragement. The principal picked up the slips of paper and -counted them, or a portion of them. - -"Twenty-three have given in the name of 'Lily,'" said he, taking up -those which indicated some other name. "'Champlain,' 'Lake Bird,' 'Lake -Gem,' 'Saranac,' and the names of most of the lakes and rivers in -Vermont. Among them are 'Addison' (our county), 'Genverres,' either of -which would be a very good, and a very appropriate name. I don't like -the fancy names, such as 'Gem of the Lake,' as well as the more -substantial ones. Now you may vote on the question, and the name among -those I have read which has a majority shall be the one selected." - -This announcement brought out some applause. Then the captain said it -would be in order for any student who wished to recommend any particular -name, to say what he pleased on the subject. This permission brought -Luke Bennington to his feet. - -"I don't believe there is a craft on the lake now called the -'Champlain.' There has been a large steamer, but she is no longer in -existence," said the speaker, with considerable earnestness. "In my -opinion--and I have seen the lakes of Scotland and Switzerland--Lake -Champlain is the finest lake in the world." - -"Oh! Oh! Oh!" murmured several listeners. - -"Of course the size of the lake comes into the comparison, or Lake -George might be nothing by the side of a little pond between a couple of -hills. We have the Adirondacks on one side, and the Green Mountains on -the other; and, taking everything into consideration, I vote for Lake -Champlain as the finest. For this reason, and because it is the element -on which the schooner is to figure, I hope its name will be given to -her." - -Another student spoke in favor of "Battenkill," but he proved to be the -only one who had ever heard the name. He explained that it was a river -which had its source in Vermont, though it soon wandered into New York. -A third student spoke for "Addison," and a fourth for "Genverres." The -advocates of "Lily" seemed to be conscious of their strength, and all -of them were too bashful to make a speech in its favor. - -Mr. Darlingby passed around the box, and all voted. The ballots were -quickly counted by the instructors, who appeared to be quite as much -interested as the boys, and the principal read the result. It was -evident then that a few did not care a straw for the name, and voted for -the fun of it. - -"Tiger Lily, 1; Pond Lily, 1; Lake Gem, 1; Genverres, 1; Addison, 1; -Battenkill, 1; Champlain, 2; Lily, 28," the principal read from the -paper made out by Mr. Bentnick. - -The vote was received with tremendous applause, and the students -continued to clap their hands until the captain raised his linger as a -signal for them to cease. - -"The schooner will be called the 'Lily,'" added the principal. - - - - -CHAPTER XXV. - -BUILDING THE BOAT. - - -While the boys were getting over the excitement attending the vote on -the name of the unbuilt schooner, Captain Gildrock moved the table on -which the model of the craft stood to the front of the platform, where -all could see it. It was a very graceful form, and the nautical boys -were sure that the schooner would be a fast sailer. - -"I told you before," said the principal, "that this model was -constructed on a new plan; but I have since learned that the idea is not -as original as I supposed it was, and that boats have been built by this -method. I supposed I should be the first to introduce it, but I find I -am not, though the model-maker had never made one before. - -"The plans are drawn and the model made on the scale of one inch to a -foot. Whatever measures an inch in the plan or model measures a foot in -the boat. Every stick in the craft will therefore be twelve times the -size it is in this model. The Lily will have a beam of thirteen feet, -which is a little more than one-third of the length. - -"This model is made of soft pine and mahogany. The ribs are to be -twenty-one inches from the centre of one to the centre of the next one. -What looks to you like the space between the timbers, or ribs, is pine. -The mahogany strips, which are comparatively narrow, represent the -timbers. The pieces are transverse sections of the hull, made separately -and put together. - -"This is the stem," continued the principal, detaching the piece from -the model. "A model of it is to be made of soft wood, enlarged to twelve -times the size of this piece. Removing a piece of the pine, we come to a -mahogany section. As the bow is round, these sections radiate from a -shorter line on the keel than the horizontal line above it on the deck -would be." - -The captain held up one of these diagonal sections, the top or deck part -of which was in the shape of a triangle with a very acute angle. The -parts were in pairs, one belonging on each side of the bows. - -"The outer edge of this half section gives the shape of the bow where -this piece belongs. If you lay it on a smooth board, you can mark from -it the exact curve of the timber which is to go where this piece is -taken out. It must be enlarged to twelve times the size of the section. -Of course the outer surface of the section only is of any use to you; -but having obtained the exact shape of the outside, the rib may be made -of any width and thickness we wish." - -The principal removed several of the diagonal half sections, all of -which were to be treated like the first one. At the widest part of the -model he came to pieces which were of uniform thickness. These were also -in pairs, separated on the vertical plane above the keel. The lines of -the outer surface in these half sections were to be transferred and -enlarged as before, and the mould or pattern was to be made from them. - -In this manner the model was pulled to pieces, and from the edges of the -transverse sections the shape of the craft was to be obtained. The -stern-post, stern-knees and transoms were to be shaped in the same way. -The captain stated that the model represented the craft after she was -planked, and it would be necessary, in drafting the moulds, to allow for -its thickness. - -Mr. Jepson then took the platform and explained in what manner the -outlines of the half sections were to be enlarged. To give all the -details would take a whole volume, and doubtless it would be very dry -reading to most young people. Only an idea of how the work was to be -done can be given, and those who wish to build such a craft as the Lily, -or even a boat or a canoe of a third of her length, need full drawings -and very minute explanations.[A] - -These lectures used up the rest of the afternoon. The next day was -devoted to making the moulds. At the end of ten days the frame was ready -to set up. The keel was laid down at an angle of three-quarters of an -inch to the foot, so that it would readily slide off when the time came -to launch it. The boys had been studying on the subject, and the -principal had supplied the library with all the available works. They -labored very hard because they were very deeply interested. - -Setting up the frame was an exceedingly exciting labor with them; but -when it was up they found the shape corresponded with the model. Some -had done their work better than others, and here and there it was -necessary to do considerable fitting. In another week the frame was -ready for the planking. Captain Gildrock gave frequent lectures on the -proper methods of doing the work, and explained the construction of -larger vessels than the Lily. - -A part of the Champlain mechanics, as they still called themselves, -worked in the shop, and a part in the building-shed. There were a great -many bolts of iron and copper, and a great many metal plates, braces and -straps to be prepared, which gave abundant employment to the machinists, -who had been instructed by the head of this department in forge-work, as -well as filing and turning. - -The carpenters had plenty to do in the shop, with abundant opportunity -to learn many things which are not required in the ordinary experience -of such mechanics. There was also room enough for the exercise of their -inventive powers. - -With so many enthusiastic workmen, who found abundant variety in their -operations as the schooner advanced towards completion, the planking was -soon finished. Then a dozen of the carpenters went to work upon it with -the smoothing-planes, and the outer surface was made as smooth as a -floor. - -The hull rested in the cradle which had been erected for it, and the -tops of the timbers were secured in their places by cross-stays. So far, -little or nothing had been said about the interior of the hull, for the -reason that the frame and planking had absorbed all the attention of the -workmen. The next step was to put in the deck-beams, and secure the -shelves on which they were to rest. - -"Now, boys, we must decide upon the plan for the inside of the -schooner," said the principal, when he had called the students together -in the building-shed. "What accommodations shall we provide on board?" - -"A cabin and a standing-room," replied Life Windham. - -"Like the Goldwing," suggested Matt Randolph. - -"The Goldwing contains a cabin, cook-room and standing-room. We can have -all these on a larger scale in the Lily; and there will be space in the -run for a store-room and ice-house, with a door into it from the cabin." - -"Behind the steps at the companion-way," added Matt. - -"There is no other way to reach it unless you put a scuttle in the floor -of the standing-room, which is liable to leak," replied the principal. -"The steps can be hung on hinges and turn up, but I think it is better -to slip them back out of the way. How long will you have the cabin?" -"How much clear space have we inboard?" asked Luke Bennington. - -"About thirty feet, after allowing for the bend of the bows and the rake -of the stern," answered the principal. - -"Cabin fourteen feet, I should say," continued Luke. "That will leave -eight feet besides the overhang for the standing-room, and the same for -the cook-room." - -"That was my calculation," replied Captain Gildrock. "Then we want a -trunk fourteen feet long, which may be about nine feet wide on the main -deck. This will make a very roomy apartment for a lake craft. On each -side of it we must build up transoms, or divans, for seats or berths. As -we have no centreboard in the middle of it, there will be nothing in our -way." "Why didn't we build a centreboard boat?" asked Matt Randolph. - -"I think a keel boat is safer and stiffer. In Lake Champlain we have -plenty of water, though we shall draw about five feet aft. There are -shoal places, but there isn't the least need of running over them." - -"In a centreboard boat, if you get aground, there is a chance for you to -work off when you cannot in a keel," said Matt. - -"That is very true; but I think the stiffness of the keel craft more -than compensates for the advantage of light draft in these waters." - -The principal then made a drawing to illustrate the method of putting in -the beams and the knees that were to support them. As only a portion of -the beams could extend entirely across the boat, on account of the -elevation of the trunk, it required careful work and planning to secure -the necessary strength. But this problem had been solved by the -instructors, and the descriptions of the timbers were obtained. - -In a few days more the frame of the trunk and deck was in place. While a -part of the workmen were planking the deck, the rest were putting down -the floor of the cabin, and building the transoms. Before the 1st of -July the work on the hull was completed. The boys had contrived a great -many lockers in the cook-room and cabin, for the storage of dishes and -cooking utensils, and for everything needed on board. - -Inside and outside, all hands went over the work with sandpaper. A gang -of calkers had already filled the seams with oakum. Tar, pitch, and -putty had been used where they were needed, and no one considered it -possible for the craft to leak a drop. - -A thin coat of lead color was then put on the outside, and one of white -inside. The boys had some skill in painting, for they had been called -upon to do all kinds of work, from laying brick up to tinkering a watch. -Several coats were given to the whole, but the last two on the outside -were of black. - -Captain Gildrock had decided to have an iron false keel added, partly to -protect the wood and partly to serve as ballast. A pattern of the -casting had been made and sent up to Port Henry to be cast. It was in -one piece, and weighed over a ton. Of course, it had to be bolted on -before the Lily was launched. It was too heavy and cumbrous to be -transported on the Sylph; but Mr. Miker had to deliver a cargo of stone -at Port Henry, and it could be brought down on the gundalow. It was -nothing but fun for the students to tow the unwieldy craft about the -lake, and the next Saturday holiday was to be used for this purpose. - -At eight o'clock in the morning the Sylph, fully manned by the students -this time, started out of the creek with her tow. Paul Bristol had been -assigned to a place as a deck hand on board, and he had made several -trips in the steamer. On the present occasion he had asked to be -excused, in order to attend to some work for his mother. - -For two weeks before, Lily had been at work for Mr. Bissell, taking the -place of Susy Wellington, who had gone to visit her friends in Albany. -She had written to her mother that she should like to spend Sunday at -home. It was difficult and expensive to get from Westport to Genverres -then, for the steamers did not go up Beaver River. - -Paul thought he could manage it. As it was a still day on the lake, he -was going after her in the flatboat, in the afternoon. It was a ten-mile -pull, but he was good for that. He had hauled up the boat after dinner -to put it in order, when he discovered a queer-looking craft coming down -the creek. - -FOOTNOTE: - -[A] The editor of "Forest and Stream" has prepared a work for -amateurs, called "Canoe and Boat Building," which may be obtained of the -publishers of that valuable paper, or at the bookstores. - - - - -CHAPTER XXVI. - -THAT CUNNING TOM TOPOVER. - - -The strange craft appeared to be modelled after the catamaran, though -the builder thereof had never seen one. It consisted of two logs a foot -in diameter and ten feet long, which were placed three feet apart. In -the middle of the supports two boards were nailed on the sticks, so that -the thing looked more like the letter H than it did like a catamaran. - -On the cross-boards was an old window-glass box; and on the box was -seated Tom Topover. He was the naval architect of the structure which -bore him, and the craft was not at all creditable to his ingenuity. If -he had nailed the cross-boards across the ends of the logs, there would -have been more stability to the affair, though in that case it would -have been stigmatized as a raft. - -In his hand Tom held a rude paddle with which he was trying to control -the movements of the aquatic chariot. It had no propelling power, and -floated with the current down the creek. A bend of the stream threw the -force of the water against Hornet Point, and Tom was trying to keep it -from going against the rocks. He did not succeed at all, and one of the -logs, striking the bank, twisted the structure entirely out of shape. - -The two logs came together, the nails which held the cross-pieces -twisting off with the slight shock. Paul saw that Tom was in peril, and -he rushed into the house to get his oars, which he kept in his chamber, -in the attic, for he was afraid that some of the hard-looking boys of -the Topover herd might steal his boat. He had heard of Tom before, but -he had never seen him, and he did not know that the fellow on the queer -craft was he. - -Tom Topover dropped from the box down upon the log, allowing his seat to -fall into the water. With the paddle in his hand he threw around the end -of the affair, till it was within reach of Paul's flatboat. Reaching -out, he hauled it in, and jumped into it. The logs floated off with the -current of the little lake. - -"You are there, are you?" said Paul, as he returned with the oars. - -"Yes I am. How are you, Paul Bristol?" replied Tom, with a grin from ear -to ear. - -"Well, I thank you; how are you?" added Paul. "I thought you were -booked for a bath, and I went in for my oars." - -"That's right, and you are a good fellow. They say you are a Bristol -brick." - -"Perhaps I am, but I don't happen to know you, and can't say what sort -of a brick you may be," replied Paul. - -"I'm a perfect brick. Gi' me them oars and I'll pick up them logs," -continued Tom, extending his hand to receive them. - -"I'll help you do it," replied Paul, taking the painter and hauling in -the boat. - -"What's your name?" - -"Jack Sheppard," replied Tom, with a fresh grin. - -"Have you got a rope, Jack Sheppard?" - -"Never mind the logs; they don't belong to me, and I don't care for 'em. -Can't you lend me this boat a little spell? I want to git some saxifax -over there for my mother." - -"I can't spare her now; I have to go over to Westport after my sister," -answered Paul. - -"Be you, though? I guess I'll go over with you," said Tom, with -refreshing confidence. - -"I thought you were going to get some sassafras for your mother," added -Paul, who had by this time come to the conclusion that his visitor was -as queer as the craft upon which he had come. - -"I guess I'll git it another time. I want to go over to Westport to see -a feller I know there." - -"But I can't bring you back, for my sister is coming with me, and the -boat won't carry more than two," answered Paul, supposing this would end -the matter. - -"All right; I will stay with the feller I know all night," replied the -accommodating stranger. "I'll help you row the boat over." - -Paul was quite willing to have the queer fellow go with him, even if he -had to row all the way himself, for the flatboat worked better with two -in her than with one. Without a passenger she was too deep in the water -forward, and dug her nose into the wave. He had not the least idea who -his visitor was, but did not believe he had given his right name. If he -had known him, he would have given him the cold shoulder at once. - -"I am not ready to go yet; I have to fix up the boat a little," -continued Paul, as he laid the oars on the beach. - -"How long before you can go? I don't want to wait all day, Bristol -Brick," added Tom. - -"You needn't wait one minute if you don't wish to," replied Paul, who -wondered in what school of politeness his involuntary companion had been -brought up. "I am going to wash out the boat and let her dry a little -before I go." - -"What's the use of washing her out? She is clean enough for any feller -to eat his dinner in," growled Tom. - -"Perhaps she is if the fellow's a pig," said Paul, as he hauled the boat -up on the beach, nearly upsetting the Topover in the act. - -"Mind out! What are you doing? Do you mean to spill me into the drink?" -demanded the saucy visitor. - -"If you don't get out of the boat, you will be likely to get a ducking," -added Paul, as he took up a pail and a broom he had brought from the -house before. - -Tom looked at the owner of the Dragon; in fact, he eyed him from head to -foot. Tom was a pugilist, or he thought he was. He was a fighting -character, and possibly he was thinking whether he could whip the son of -toil, whose story had been told all over Genverres as well as on the -other side of the lake. - -The Chesterfields had patronized and encouraged Tom Topover the season -before, because they believed that he and his vicious companions could -assist them in their encounters with the Beech Hillers. - -During the present season the students of the two schools had not come -in collision, for the reason that Colonel Buckmill had forbidden his -pupils to meddle with their old enemies. Since the removal of the -cottage from Sandy Point the Chesterfield barges had been down to -Porter's Bay, where Tom had met Walker Billcord. The Topover and his -gang had fully discussed the attempt to capture Paul Bristol, and were -familiar with all the particulars. - -Tom wished the magnate had offered _him_ twenty-five dollars for -capturing the fellow, and handing him over to the major at Sandy Point. -This he said to Walk. He would be willing to do the job for ten dollars. -He didn't think it was a great undertaking. - -"You had better try it on, then," added Walk, morosely, for he hated -Paul not a particle less than when the son of toil had laid him out on -the point. "He will knock you out every time, without half trying." - -"I should like to see the feller that can do that!" exclaimed Tom, -clenching his dirty fists. - -"Haven't you seen Paul Bristol?" asked Walk. - -"I saw him on the other side of the pond; I never see him close to. But -I ain't afear'd on him. I'll bet I can lick him so he won't know whether -it's Sunday or Thanksgiving," blustered Tom. "Will your old man give a -feller anything now for ketchin' him?" inquired Tom, looking anxiously -into the face of Walk. - -"He don't make any offers for him now," added the son cautiously. "He -don't want to get into any more rows about the fellow." - -"Oh, he don't?" muttered Tom, evidently greatly disappointed. "If your -old man will only do the handsome thing, I'll scrape this Bristol Brick -till there ain't nothin' left on him." - -Walk Billcord looked at the ugly customer at his side, and his thirst -for vengeance stirred all the bad blood in his veins. He had plenty of -spending money, and he could even afford to give ten dollars himself for -satisfactory vengeance. Nim Splugger and Kidd Digfield, as rough -specimens as the Topover himself, would assist Tom. But Walk's father -had just been discharged from confinement, and there was great risk in -making the trade suggested. - -"You would be prosecuted if you did anything," suggested Walk. "Then it -would come out that I had a hand in the business." - -"Not a bit on 't!" exclaimed Tom, very positively. "Jest as quick as I -git the ten dollars, nobody won't see nothin' more of me within a -hund'ed miles of Lake Champlain." - -"What do you mean by that, Tom?" asked Walk curiously. - -"I'm go'n to run away. My old man is so hard on me that I can't stand it -no longer. I'm go'n' to New York to ship in a pirate vessel. I shan't be -caught nohow." - -"I would give ten dollars quick enough to see Paul tied to a tree and -lathered with a cowhide for twenty minutes or half an hour; but I don't -make any offers, and I won't hire any fellow to do such a thing," added -Walk, as he considered the appalling risk. - -"I cal'late I know jest what you mean, and you don't make me no offers. -You don't promise to give me no money," protested Tom. - -"What are you jawing about, Walk?" asked Ham Jackson, coming up at this -moment. - -"Tom Topover offers to catch Paul Bristol, and give him a lathering that -will keep him on his bed a month, for ten dollars; but I won't do -anything of the sort. I don't offer him a cent. I won't give him a -penny if he kills the rascal," said Walk, with as much earnestness as -though he meant every word he said. - -"That's jest how it is. He won't give me nothin', and says he won't," -added Tom. - -"If you choose to larrup him on your own account, it is none of my -business," continued Walk. - -"Of course it isn't," Ham Jackson chimed in. "I should like to pay that -fellow off for the few cracks he gave me, but they go to law on this -side, and it isn't safe." - -"Of course I can lick him if I want to, and 't ain't nobody's business," -added Tom, who thought he was very cunning. "I guess I understand you, -and you understand me. About next Saturday night at Sandy Point, say." - -The coxswain's call summoned them to the boat, and they parted from Tom -Topover. The latter believed he had made a square bargain with Walk -Billcord, and ten dollars would take him to New York and pay his way -till he could ship in a "pirate vessel." He meant a pilot-boat, for he -had heard some one talking about one of these brisk little schooners a -few days before. - -Since that interview Tom had watched the school grounds all the time. -Paul lived on the point, and he could catch him alone there some -evening. He had built the queer craft for use in his great enterprise. -He had seen the Sylph go down the river in the morning, and he intended -to put his scheme in operation that evening. Paul often sat on the rocks -about dark, and the opportunity would not be wanting. - -While he was nailing the logs together on the other side of the creek, a -little way up, he saw Paul in his flatboat. Then it seemed to him that -the son of toil was as good as bagged. He was absolutely sure he could -handle him, in spite of the experience of the kid-glove chaps on the -other side. But Tom was cunning in his own estimation. Paul was going to -Westport, and it was safer to do the job near Sandy Point than on the -school premises. - -He could hardly help bullying, but he refrained as soon as he thought -what he was doing; and half an hour later he embarked in the flatboat -with his victim. - - - - -CHAPTER XXVII. - -THE BRILLIANT STRATEGY OF THE BRUISER. - - -That cunning Tom Topover was actually behaving himself in something like -a civilized manner, in his desire not to alarm his victim. Just now he -was engaged in a strategetic enterprise, and found it necessary to -display only the fur side of his nature, though even that was very like -the bristles of a pig. He did his best, which was not saying much, to -keep on the right side of his intended victim. But Paul was a -good-natured fellow, and it was an easy matter to conciliate him. - -The son of toil rowed down the river, and crossing the shoal water of -Field's Bay, took a straight course for his destination. Tom sat at the -stern, and did not seem to be as much inclined to talk as he had been -immediately after the wreck of the queer craft. In fact, he was turning -over in his mind sundry cunning propositions, to accomplish the purpose -for which he had embarked in the present venture. - -It was a good six-mile pull to Westport, but Paul was used to the -Dragon, and she went ahead without much effort on his part. The lake was -as smooth as glass, and the rower wondered that it could ever be as -rough as it had been the day the Silver Moon was so nearly wrecked. -Though he was as tough as an oak knot, and had not yet become tired, he -thought it was about time for the stranger in the stern to begin to do -his share of the pulling, for the boat was now about half way to -Westport. Sandy Point was half a mile ahead, and Paul mentioned the fact -as a hint that his companion had better take the oars. - -"They say you used to live there, Bristol Brick," said Tom in reply, and -without taking the hint, which was altogether too indefinite for one -with a skin so thick and dirty as the bruiser had. - -"I lived there two years," replied Paul indifferently. - -"Sho'! You don't say so!" exclaimed Tom, albeit there was nothing very -astonishing in the statement. "They say the Beech Hill fellers kerried -the house you lived in over to Hornet P'int one night, and left -everything jest as though there never hadn't been no house there." - -"That's all very true. Major Billcord warned my mother to move the -cottage within twenty-four hours, and told her he should pitch it into -the lake if she didn't do it," added Paul; and the stranger seemed to be -the only person in Addison County who didn't know all the particulars of -the affair. - -"I guess the major was a little struck up when he found it had scooted," -said Tom, with a cheerful grin, as he looked ahead at the point where he -had suggested a meeting of the oarsman with Walk Billcord on the evening -of that day. - -"He was very much astonished, and so were the students of the institute, -to whom he had promised a pile of fun in tipping the cottage and all -that it contained into the lake." - -"I don't see how the Beech Hill fellers could move the house. I don't -believe they did it," added Tom, shaking his head. - -Paul explained how the job had been done, and assured his companion he -had seen the whole work himself. Tom insisted on being incredulous, for -just then he believed he was particularly cunning. - -"I never went ashore at Sandy Point, Bristol Brick, and I should like to -see how the land lays there," suggested Tom, with one of his cheerful -grins, exaggerated for the occasion. - -"You can see the whole of the shore from here," replied Paul, turning -around and pointing out the locality of the cottage. - -"But I want to see the place, and 't won't take two minutes for me to -run up to where the house was," Tom insisted. "Then I will row the rest -of the way over to Westport, and nobody won't git hurt none." - -Paul had started more than an hour earlier than he had intended, and -would reach his destination before Lily had finished her day's work. -Besides, he had a kind of affection for the place where he had lived two -years. Just then it flashed upon his mind that he had never visited the -hollow tree which had done duty as a safe for the two dollars and the -gold rings belonging to his mother. - -In the excitement of his last visit to the point at the invitation of -the magnate, he had forgotten all about the treasure. His mother had -spoken of it often, but Paul had no doubt it was safe in its -hiding-place, for the money and rings had been put at a tin box. - -His mother had spoken of it, and so had he, at the time of it, but -latterly it seemed to have passed out of the memory of all the family. -Paul pulled to the shore as soon as the treasure came into his mind, -and he wondered that he had not thought of it before. His mother had -plenty of money now, and that seemed to be the reason it had been -forgotten. - -When Paul swung the boat around, and headed it for the point, he took a -look down the lake. Over in the direction of Button Bay he saw a steam -yacht. There were several such craft on the lake, though all or nearly -all of them were kept farther down. The yacht looked exactly like the -Sylph, and he had no doubt it was she. - -"I wonder what the Sylph is doing over there," said he, continuing to -pull for the beach before him. "She went down to Port Henry towing the -gundalow with a cargo of stone." - -"I guess the fellers are taking a little turn in her while the men are -unloadin' the stone," suggested Tom, who was not at all pleased to find -the Beech Hill steamer in this part of the lake. - -"She is headed this way, and perhaps she is going back to Beech Hill -after something that was forgotten," added Paul, as the Dragon struck -the sand on the beach. - -Paul took the painter in his hand and stepped ashore. He paused a moment -to take another look at the Sylph. She was coming up from Button Bay on -the east shore of the lake, and this course would carry her within a -mile of Sandy Point. It was now four o'clock in the afternoon, and the -steamer, with her heavy tow, must have reached Port Henry by eleven at -the latest. If anything had been forgotten, they must have found it out -earlier in the day. - -While he was looking at the steam yacht and wondering what she was doing -in this part of the lake without her tow, she suddenly changed her -course and stood over in the direction of Westport. This settled it that -nothing had been forgotten, for she was not going back to Beech Hill. -She was sailing very fast, and seemed to be shaken by the effort of her -engine. They were certainly driving her at a very unusual speed. - -Tom Topover was walking about the point, apparently engaged in a very -minute inspection of the locality. Paul saw him looking at the former -site of the cottage, and then he disappeared in the woods. The owner of -the Dragon drew his boat a little farther up on the beach, but he -continued to watch the movements of the steamer; and he was so absorbed -in the effort to fathom her strange behavior that he was in danger of -again forgetting the treasure in the tin box. - -From his position on the point Paul could see the steamboat wharf at -Westport, or, rather, he could see where it was, for it was over two -miles distant. But the steam yacht did not go to it; and for a short -time she disappeared from his view behind the trees on the lower arm of -the point. But he knew she must come in sight again soon, for there was -no landing-place above the wharf, and the water was shoal. - -In a few minutes she did reappear, and now she was close inshore, -following the southern trend of the bay. She had reduced her speed -somewhat, but she was still sailing faster than her standard rate. Paul -watched her till she reached Barber's Point, behind which she again went -out of sight. He could make nothing of her erratic movements, and he was -forced to the conclusion that Tom was right, and that the fellows were -taking a little turn in her while waiting for the cargo of the gundalow -to be discharged, or for the iron shoe for the keel of the Lily. - -By this time Tom Topover appeared to have completed his survey of the -locality of the cottage, and joined Paul on the beach. The cunning -fellow seemed to be somewhat uneasy and excited, though his companion -was too much absorbed in the wonder of the steam yacht to notice it. - -"Be you about ready to start on?" asked Tom, after he had looked about -him for a few minutes. "I guess I've seen the whole thing now." - -"I can't make out what the Sylph is doing," said Paul, still perplexed -by the problem, though there wasn't the least reason why he should -bother his head at all about her strange movements; but, like the -average boy of intelligence, he desired to know what everything meant. - -"She's only cruising about for the fun on't," grinned Tom. "I guess I -don't want to stop no longer." - -That cunning reprobate had arranged his plan of operations. In the -darkness of the woods he had examined the tarred spun-yarn which filled -one of his trousers pockets. He had taken it from a new building on the -back road, where it had been used to secure bundles of laths. He had -coiled up the single lengths in such a way that they would be ready for -use when wanted. With these he intended to bind his victim hand and -foot, and then tie him to a sapling, which he had selected for the -purpose, in the woods back of the cottage site, where the prisoner could -not be seen or heard from the lake. - -He had promised to row the Dragon from Sandy Point to Westport; and it -was with a purpose that he had proposed to do so. Paul was to sit in the -stern, and would have to get into the boat first. Tom would be close -behind him, and when he took the first step, he would seize him by the -throat, throw him down on the beach, and lie down on him. With the -spun-yarn in his pocket he could easily secure his hands behind him. He -had picked up a stout stick in the woods, which he dropped carelessly on -the shore, where it would be available in case of need. - -Tom had no doubt whatever of his ability to carry out this -nicely-arranged programme. Paul was a stout fellow, and events at the -point and elsewhere proved that he had plenty of pluck, and that he hit -hard. But if he took him behind, what could Paul do? What could any -fellow do, under such unfavorable circumstances? The blunder of the six -ruffians, in Tom's estimation, was in attacking him in front instead of -in the rear. - -The cunning bruiser was ready to execute the plan his busy brain had -contrived, and he was a little nervous and uneasy, as before noted. He -did not take the least interest in the movements of the steamer, though -he was rather pleased to find Paul so much absorbed in anything that -kept his mind occupied. - -"You git in fust, as I'm go'n to row the rest of the way," said Tom, as -he took the oars from the boat, the blades of which were projecting over -the bow. - -"I am not quite ready to go yet; I have to go over after something I -left in the hollow of a tree," replied Paul, as he turned away from the -boat. - -"In the holler of a tree!" exclaimed Tom. - -"That's what I said," added Paul. "It is a tin box containing a little -money and a couple of gold rings. It won't take me long to get them." - -"How fur off is it?" asked the bruiser, much interested when he heard -there was money in the box, for he was sure to get it. - -Paul said it was up in the hollow, and started off. - - - - -CHAPTER XXVIII. - -A HARD BATTLE AT SANDY POINT. - - -The brilliant strategy of the bruiser was not affected by the visit of -Paul Bristol to the hollow tree. On the contrary, it improved its -prospects of success. The intimation that there was even a little money -in the tin box was encouraging, for it would add something to the ten -dollars he was to receive on account of his blind bargain with Walk -Billcord. - -As soon as Paul disappeared in the woods, Tom took the boathook from the -Dragon, the oars being already in his possession, and hastened off in -the direction to which he had carried his previous survey of the -locality. He had found a low place beyond the site of the cottage, where -a rotten log lay on the ground. Beneath this decayed wood he deposited -the oars and boathook. Pulling off enough of the punky wood to cover the -articles, he returned to the boat with a rapid step. - -He had been absent but a few minutes, and Paul had not yet appeared -with the tin box. If the cunning strategist had been asked why he -concealed the oars and the boathook, very likely he would have replied -that he had done so to prevent the possibility of an escape on the part -of his victim. But Tom was a cunning fellow, and this was by no means -his object. If he failed to accomplish his purpose in the first -onslaught, there is not the slightest doubt that he would have been -entirely willing that his intended victim should escape, and even be -glad to have him do so, even if he had been left to find his way on foot -from the point. - -The three implements which constituted the furniture of the Dragon might -be dangerous weapons in the hands of a resolute fellow like Paul -Bristol. He had secured a club for himself, and picking it up, he was -plying it as a cane and plaything, in order to avert any suspicion as to -its probable use. - -Paul soon returned with the tin box in his hand. It was an old mustard -can, and it was not a convenient thing to have in his pocket, and was of -no value. He took the rings and money from it, and put them into his -pocket, throwing away the can. - -"How much money have you got, Bristol Brick?" asked Tom, with his usual -grin. - -"Only a two-dollar bill, and that belongs to my mother," replied Paul, -who did not know his companion, and would not have been afraid of losing -the money if he had. - -"Ain't you goin' to spend it down to Westport, and treat a feller that -helps you row the boat?" asked Tom, with a mighty grin. - -"Of course not; I don't spend my mother's money for anything, without -her orders to do so," replied Paul. - -"What odds does it make?" - -"It makes a good deal of odds to me, for I don't spend what don't belong -to me. By the big wooden spoon! There comes the Sylph again, and without -the gundalow in tow. She is going as though she were running a race too. -It looks to me just as though Captain Dory Dornwood had gone crazy, and -I shouldn't wonder if Captain Gildrock hauled him over the coals for -it." - -"Is the cap'n aboard?" inquired Tom. - -"No; he went to Burlington this morning in the cars." - -"Then he won't know nothin' about it." - -"Some one will be sure to tell him; but the officers have to keep a log, -and put down the speed every hour. I am afraid Dory will catch it, for -that steamer is running fifteen knots an hour. They say she can do it, -but the fellows are not allowed to do more than twelve." - -"All right; but I guess we can watch her from the boat just as well as -we can here," suggested the strategist, placing himself close behind his -victim, and bracing up for the effort he was to make. - -"If she comes near us, we can hail her, and find out what she is doing, -for I should like to know," added Paul, as he stepped down to the beach, -in the direction of the bow of the boat; but his eyes were fixed all the -time on the steamer, which was certainly going like the Flying Dutchman. - -"Jump in, Bristol Brick, and I will take the oars." - -Paul had reached the stem of the Dragon by this time, still closely -observing the steamer. He was just beginning to wonder if she would not -blow up under such a tremendous pressure of steam as she appeared to -have on, when the arms of the cunning strategist encircled his neck, and -his right knee was applied to the small of his back. He had raised one -foot to step into the boat, but he had no chance to bring it down, for -he went over backwards on the beach. - -The bruiser had the club in his hand when he passed his arm around the -neck of his victim. In the suddenness of the attack Tom Topover had it -all his own way, as he had intended to have it. As he drew his prisoner -back, he threw him over so that he fell on his face, and Tom came down -on top of him. He hugged him with all his might. Dropping the stick, he -fixed his grip on the throat of Paul, and began to jam down upon him -with his knees. - -But Paul soon came to a realizing sense of his situation, and he was not -at all inclined to submit to the sharp discipline of his companion. He -began to struggle with all the energy of desperation. His hands were at -liberty, and, reaching down with them, he succeeded in getting hold of -the legs of his assailant. He immediately put a stop to the action of -the assailant's knees, and then, with a mighty effort, rolled over so -that Tom was under him, though Paul was still wrong side up. - -With the weight of his victim upon him, Tom could no longer kick or use -his knees, and Paul's hands were relieved for other duty. He brought -them up and got hold of Tom's hair, getting two fistfuls of it, for the -bruiser did not wear a fighting cut just then. He pulled with all his -strength, increased by his desperation. At the same time the struggle -with the other parts of the body continued, Tom's hair was coming out by -the roots, and the intense pain caused him to yield a little of his hold -at the prisoner's neck. - -Paul felt his advantage, and, seizing the hands of his foe, dragged them -from his throat. This enabled him to turn over in part so that he could -use his fists. He did not wait for any preliminaries, but rained his -blows upon the head of his assailant in the agony of his desperation. -Tom could no more stand this treatment than he could have endured the -pounding of a trip-hammer. He begged for mercy, and Paul let him up. - -Neither of them could speak, and Tom's dirty face was covered with -blood. Both were gasping for breath, and an involuntary truce prevailed. -Paul had received no blows in the face, though his throat was -considerably lacerated by the nails of his cowardly enemy. Tom was now -in a position to understand the reason why the six ruffians had been so -badly used before they succeeded in making a prisoner of Paul. It seemed -to make no difference in the end whether the attack was made in the -front or the rear. Possibly, the brilliant strategist was willing to -believe that he had made a mistake in the quality and quantity of his -intended victim. - -A couple of minutes were enough to enable the combatants to recover -their breath. Neither of them said a word, but Tom suddenly made a -spring at Paul, this time with clenched fists. But the latter had been -looking for something of this kind, and he easily parried the blows -aimed at him, and then upset the bruiser with a heavy blow between the -eyes. Paul realized that he could do this sort of thing till the sun -went down, but he was tired of it. - -Tom lay still for a minute or so after his fall, for his ideas were -doubtless greatly confused. Paul looked at him; and as he did so he saw -one of the coils of rope-yarn sticking out of his trousers pocket. He -seized it at once, and, turning his assailant over, tied his hands -behind him, and then secured his arms at the elbows. As Tom came to a -realizing sense of his defeat, he began to resist, but the bruiser was -about played out, and Paul dragged him to a tree and made him fast. - -"You don't fight fair, Bristol Brick," said he, rather feebly, and he -made a weak attempt to break from his bonds. - -"I don't mean to fight fair with such fellows as you are," replied -Paul, looking with disgust at his prisoner. "I suppose you do, though, -and that's the reason you pitched into me when my back was turned. You -may call it fair to jump on a fellow's back and pull him down." - -"But 't ain't fair for you to tie me afore we have done," groaned Tom. -"That's mean, and Tom Topover never lets up on a feller that don't fight -fair." - -"Oh, then, you are Tom Topover, are you?" exclaimed Paul, looking over -his victim from head to foot. "Why didn't you tell me who you were when -I asked you?" - -"I was afear'd you'd run away if I told you who I was," answered the -bruiser, who was likely to be a bully to the end. - -"I don't believe I should have run away," added Paul, with a smile on -his face. "I don't run away from such carrion as you are." - -"You haven't seen the end of this thing yet. I can lick you in fair -fight any time," blustered Tom, as he began to regain his strength. - -"Will you do it now if I let you loose?" demanded Paul sharply. - -"I don't feel very well to-day," replied Tom, after some hesitation. "I -ain't in fightin' trim nohow, and that's the reason I got the worst -on't so fur." - -"What did you pitch into me for if you are not in good condition?" -demanded Paul, who was good-natured enough by this time to smile. - -"I didn't think you was so much of a feller, and I had to do what I did -to-day," muttered Tom. - -"Why to-day?" demanded Paul. - -"Well, I agreed to do it." - -"Whom did you agree with?" continued Paul, picking up the stick the -mighty strategist had brought from the woods. - -"It don't make no difference," whined Tom, evidently startled when he -saw the weapon in the hand of his conqueror. - -"Yes, it does make all the difference in the world; and if you don't -tell me in two seconds, I will take it out of your hide!" exclaimed the -son of toil, demonstrating violently with the stick. - -"I didn't agree to do it, but Walk Billcord was to give me ten dollars -for the job. He didn't say he would, but we understood one another," -answered Tom, in mortal terror. - -"That's all I want to know," added Paul, as he walked towards the boat. - -He looked into the Dragon, but did not see the oars. He searched all -about the beach without being able to find them. While he was thus -engaged, the steamer came within a few feet of the shore. He concluded -that the absence of the oars was a part of the cunning strategist's -plan; and he was about to return to the tree where Tom was tied, when -the steamer rang one bell, followed by two. This meant stop and back -her. - -Paul picked up the stick he had brought to the water side, and, without -looking particularly at the Sylph, he pushed off the boat, and then gave -it a hard shove with the short pole. The impetus carried the Dragon to -the side of the steam yacht, and he sprang on board of her with the -painter in his hand. - - - - -CHAPTER XXIX. - -THE ENGINEER OF THE UNDINE. - - -Paul Bristol was somewhat excited after his tough conflict with the -strategetical bruiser. He was not a little startled to find that the -Billcords were still trying to punish him for defending his sister from -insult. Captain Gildrock was his friend and his mother's friend, and he -was unwilling to do anything more with the pestilent bully without his -advice and direction. He was confident that the exhibition of the stout -stick would induce Tom to tell him where the oars were; but as the -steamer was close to the shore, he preferred to take counsel before he -acted any further. - -At first he forgot that the principal was not on board of the Sylph, but -it came to his mind before he reached the bulwarks. But Dory was -certainly on board, and he could advise and assist him. Passing the -painter over a stanchion, he leaped over the rail. Then it struck him as -a little strange that he saw none of the large ship's company that had -manned her when she left the wharf in Beechwater that morning. - -A man who was an entire stranger to him stood on the forecastle, but not -a single Beech Hiller was to be seen. He looked up at the windows of the -pilot-house, where he expected to see the face of Oscar Chester and the -second pilot; but another stranger stood at the wheel. - -"Cast off that boat!" called the man at the wheel to the one on the -forecastle. - -Before Paul could interfere the deck hand had detached the painter from -the stanchion and dropped it into the water. At the same moment two -bells rang, and the steamer backed away from the point. - -"What did you do that for?" demanded Paul of the deck hand. - -"I have to obey my orders," replied the man. - -The son of toil looked at him and wondered who he was, for he had never -seen his face before. He went to the bow and saw the Dragon, fifty feet -from him by this time, and the steamer still backing. He had been sure -of obtaining good advice and strong support from his friends on board, -but he could not even find a person that he knew. - -He walked aft, and looked into the engine-room. There was a man there, -but he was bending over the machinery, and he did not see his face, but -he appeared to be a stranger like all the others he had seen. He -continued his walk to the door of the after cabin, but not a single -Beech Hiller could he find. It looked to him as though, if the thing had -been possible, the Sylph had been captured by an enemy, who were then in -full possession of her. - -Paul returned to the forecastle, and again looked up at the windows of -the pilot-house. The man at the wheel appeared to be talking to some -person or persons behind him, who were not in sight. At this moment the -engine stopped again, and the steamer was at rest on the smooth water. -Paul was confident that the persons in the pilot-house had seen the -whole or a portion of the hard battle at Sandy Point, for the tree where -he had secured Tom Topover was in plain sight from the lake. - -The deck hand seemed to take no notice of him, though he could not help -seeing him, and observing all his movements. As the steamer had stopped -her propeller, and run close in to the shore, she must be there for a -purpose. The last he had seen of her before the bruiser opened the -fight, she was running with tremendous speed down the lake. After that -she slowed down, and headed for the point, for he had obtained an -occasional glimpse of her even in the heat of the struggle with the -strategist. - -"Is Captain Dory Dornwood on board, sir?" asked Paul, very respectfully, -of the deck hand, who had walked forward to look out. - -"I don't know him," replied the man shortly, but civilly enough. - -"Are none of the Beech Hill fellows on board?" - -"I don't know the Beech Hill fellows," answered the man. - -Paul was utterly bewildered. He looked up at the pilot-house once more -to find a solution of the mystery if he could. The stranger still stood -at the wheel, and was still talking with some one not in sight. Just -then it occurred to Paul that there was something wanting in the -appearance of the pilot-house. In the station bill he belonged on the -forecastle of the Sylph, and was more familiar with this part of her -than with any other. He studied the situation for some time before he -could determine what was wanting to complete the usual appearance of the -steamer. At last he was able to supply the deficiency. On the front and -on each side of the pilot house was a sign on which was painted the name -of the craft. They were not there; and if the strangers had captured the -Sylph they had removed these signs. There was nothing in sight to -indicate that the vessel was the Beech Hill steam yacht. - -Paul looked around him on the forecastle, and some other familiar -objects were missing. Suddenly it flashed into his mind that this was -not the Sylph after all; but the absurdity of his making a mistake in -the identity of the steamer which he was accustomed to see at the wharf -in Beechwater every day, and in which he had made so many trips to -Westport and elsewhere, was so apparent to him that he instantly -rejected the idea. - -To his mind, in spite of the absence of the signs on the pilot-house, -and other familiar objects, the steamer was the Sylph. The mystery of -her being in possession of other persons than the Beech Hillers seemed -to thicken upon him. She had taken position not fifty feet from the -water side, and there she lay. Paul wondered what she was waiting for, -and why she did not do something. If any person on board was to be -landed at the point, it was about time to lower one of the quarter -boats, which hung on davits abaft the engine. But nothing was done, and -no one said anything; and Paul was getting desperate. - -There was a mystery about the steamer, which, in spite of the good order -which prevailed on board of her when her regular ship's company were on -duty, presented a very lively aspect. Paul was not patient in the -presence of mysteries which concerned him, as in the present instance, -for since the setting adrift of the Dragon he was practically a prisoner -on board of her. He decided to solve the problem of the strangeness of -things on the deck, and for this purpose he went aft to the ladder on -the port side which led to the hurricane deck. He was determined to have -a pow-wow with the pilot, and to ascertain who were the modest persons -that concealed themselves in the back part of his quarters. - -He reached the deck on which the pilot-house stood, without impediment, -and walked to the door. It was locked, which was not usual on board of -the Sylph. He passed on to the side window, where the man at the wheel -suddenly confronted him. He had seen this man before, but he had no -acquaintance with him. - -"Will you be kind enough to tell me what steamer this is?" Paul began, -in his efforts to solve the mystery. - -"The Undine, of Westport," replied the pilot, for such he undoubtedly -was. - -"I never heard of her before," added Paul, overwhelmed to find that she -was not the Sylph. - -"As she came into the lake for the first time this morning, you were not -in the way of hearing of her," answered the man, rather stiffly. - -"But she looks exactly like the Sylph, which belongs to the Beech Hill -Industrial School," said Paul, trying to get a sight of the persons on -the sofa of the room. - -But the pilot kept himself directly in front of him, and he was unable -to gratify his curiosity. - -"The builder has sent out at least half a dozen steam yachts of the -hundred-feet order which are so near like this one that you could not -tell the difference in them," added the pilot in answer to his remark. - -"If this is not the Sylph, I have no business on board of her," -continued Paul. "I shall be very much obliged to you if you will put me -on shore, or pick up my boat for me, though I am very sorry to trouble -you." - -"You were not invited on board, and you must look out for yourself." - -"Why did you cast off the painter of my boat?" asked Paul, not pleased -with the situation. - -"I obey my orders." - -"Who gave the order, if you please?" - -"The owner," replied the pilot. "Something was going on ashore there -just before we came over here. It looked like a very hard fight between -two fellows." - -"It was a hard fight," answered Paul. - -"And you were one of the fellows in it?" - -"I was; and the other fellow is tied to a tree on shore," replied Paul, -pointing in the direction of the tree, which he could see from his -position on the hurricane deck. - -"What was it all about? Speak up a little louder, for I am rather deaf," -added the pilot, as he glanced behind him. "Who was the other fellow?" -And the last question seemed to be prompted by the person on the sofa. - -"It was Tom Topover," answered Paul; and in answer to questions put by -the pilot, he told the whole story of his affair that day with the -brilliant strategist, from the time he had appeared in the creek on his -queer-looking craft. - -The pilot occasionally told him to speak louder, and at last he -concluded that he was giving the narrative for the benefit of the -concealed listeners. - -"But what made Tom Topover attack you?" asked the man at the wheel. - -"He was hired to do it by Major Billcord's son, Walk Billcord," replied -Paul bluntly. - -"Do you mean to say that my son hired that rough to attack you?" -demanded the magnate of Westport, suddenly rushing to the door of the -pilot-house, and throwing it wide open. Close behind him was Walk -himself. - -"I didn't know you were here!" exclaimed Paul, starting back with -astonishment when he saw the major; and he had not had the remotest -suspicion that he was the owner of the steam yacht, for the pilot had -prevented him from asking who owned the craft. - -"No matter if you didn't know it," replied the major angrily. "I asked -you a question. Answer it!" - -"Tom Topover said he was to get ten dollars from your son for doing the -job. He didn't say Mr. Walker agreed to give him the money, but there -was an understanding between them to this effect," replied Paul. - -"Tom Topover is a liar!" exclaimed Walk. - -"He was to do the job to-day; and you seem to be here at Sandy Point to -attend to the prisoner if Tom got him," added Paul. - -Major Billcord was not in the habit of controlling his wrath, and he -made a spring at the son of toil; but Paul beat a hasty retreat, for he -dreaded another encounter with the magnate. He went aft and descended to -the main deck; but he soon discovered that he was not pursued. He heard -two bells in the engine-room, and the Undine began to back. Paul came to -a halt under the starboard quarter boat, and devoted himself to an -examination of the falls by which it was secured to the davits. - -While he was thus engaged, one bell struck in the engine-room, followed -by another, and the Undine went ahead. A moment later the jingle bell -rattled, and the craft began to go at full speed. Paul heard steps on -the hurricane deck above him, and he concluded that the major and Walk -were after him. He walked astern to the doors of the main cabin. They -were open, and he decided to retreat into this apartment if he was -pursued. - -"Engineer!" called Major Billcord. - -"On deck, sir," replied the man in charge of the engine, as he stepped -out of his room. - -The sound of the engineer's voice was a familiar one, and it startled -the son of toil as much as the sound of an earthquake would at that -moment. - -"Keep an eye on that boy down on the main deck, and don't let him touch -the boats," continued Major Billcord, who suspected the purpose of the -object of his hatred. "Don't let him escape on any account, for I shall -have a reckoning with him before we part." - -This looked like a threat, and Paul realized that he was in the hands of -the enemy. In spite of his imprisonment, the magnate intended to punish -him for what he had done at the point, and the poor fellow began to be -very much discouraged. - -"I will see to him," replied the engineer. - -The engine of the Undine was working at a moderate speed, and the -engineer walked aft to get a view of his prisoner. Paul looked at him as -he approached, for the sound of his voice had prepared him for an early -meeting. He thought no more of getting away in the boat. He gazed with -all his eyes at the man walking towards him. - -"Why, father!" exclaimed he, rushing upon him with extended hand. - -"Why, Paul, my son! Is it possible that it is you?" cried the engineer, -grasping the extended hand. "But come into the engine-room." - -Mr. Bristol led the way, still holding his son's hand. They had scarcely -entered the apartment before there was a whistle at the speaking-tube. - -"Take that boy into the engine-room, and don't let him get away," said -the magnate through the tube. - -"All right; I have him here," replied the engineer. "What does all this -mean, Paul?" asked the astonished father, turning to his son. - -Paul related all the events in the family history since the assault upon -Lily at the point; and the returned wanderer fully understood the feud -between Paul and the magnate. His blood boiled at the insult to his -daughter, and the persecution to which his son had been subjected. He -had put his hand on the wheel to shut off the steam, when Paul asked him -where he had been for two years, and why he had not written to his -family. - -The engineer did not turn the wheel, for the wanting letters were an -imputation upon him. He was not a scholar, but he had written a score of -letters and had never had a reply to one of them. Before he left, -something had been said between himself and his wife about her going to -the home of an uncle in Iowa. He had invited them to visit him and take -care of him, for he was a bachelor. He would support them, and they -could do work enough to earn their living. They had expected to hear -from him every day at the time Peter Bristol left home. - -The father had no doubt they would go there, and had directed his -letters after the first one to their new home. A few days after his -departure for New York, where he hoped to find work, the letter came -from the West to Mrs. Bristol, but it brought no hope. The writer had -bought a ranch in Texas, had married, and could do nothing for the -family of his brother. This clearly explained the miscarriage of the -letters. - -Peter Bristol had worked as a fireman on a railroad. When he got to New -York he found a situation as an oiler on a steamer bound to Havana. In -Cuba he soon secured a good situation to run an engine on a plantation. -He saved his money, and did his best to find what had become of his -family. At last it occurred to him to write to the postmaster of his -brother's late residence in Iowa. Nothing was known of his family, his -brother had gone to Texas, and a score of letters for his wife had gone -to the dead-letter office. - -Then he had written to a friend in Westport, and learned that his -family were still at Sandy Point, and were very poor. When this last -letter came, nearly two years after he had left home, he was filled with -sorrow and anxiety. He wrote no more letters, but started for home with -all the money he had saved. About the first person he met when he landed -in New York was Wheeler, whom he had known as a pilot on Lake Champlain. -He had been sent by Major Billcord to take his steamer, just purchased, -up to the lake by the way of the Hudson and the canal. He wanted an -engineer, and, after a deal of talk, employed Peter Bristol. - -Wheeler had his doubts about the competency of Bristol. The magnate -wanted a suitable engineer, and would give him good wages. He might -object to a man who had been known on the lake as nothing but a boatman. -Peter wanted the place, and had been running an engine for two years. -Wheeler agreed to do what he could for him with the magnate; but he -thought it best for him not to say who he was for the present. Time and -the tropical sun had so changed him that he was not likely to recognize -him if he was careful. - -Peter Bristol had served as engineer on the way up, and Major Billcord -and Walk had joined the vessel at Whitehall in the morning. The steamer -was on trial, and the major wanted her run at her highest speed a part -of the time. The magnate had hardly looked at the engineer, he was so -interested in the machinery and the craft, and Bristol had had no -trouble in concealing his identity so far. This was the story he told -Paul, and repeated to his wife and Lily in the evening. - -Paul had looked out at the door and saw that the Undine was near -Westport. She did not go to the shore, but when she came about and -headed down the lake again, Peter Bristol turned the wheel and shut off -the steam. There was a ringing of the bell, and then a call through the -tube. - -"I shall run her no longer!" replied the engineer, emphatically, at the -mouthpiece. - -Major Billcord came below, followed by Walk. Mr. Bristol stated his -position, and took no further pains to conceal his identity. The father -spoke to him like a man, and insisted upon being landed at Westport with -his son. The magnate was taken all aback. He could do nothing without an -engineer, and he could not punish Paul in the presence of his father. -The engineer would take the steamer up to the wharf, but in no other -direction. The magnate had to yield, and father and son, both the -Bristol and the Billcord, landed. - -Lily was found, and she had a joyful meeting with her father. Bissell -was very willing to loan his four-oar boat to convey them to Beech Hill. -On the way they released Tom Topover, and, putting him into the Dragon, -towed him back to Hornet Point. The happy re-union in the transplanted -cottage need not be described. - - - - -CHAPTER XXX. - -LAUNCHING THE BOAT. - - -The Sylph, with the gundalow, did not arrive till it was nearly dark. -The shoe was not done when the scow was ready to take it on board, and -they had to wait for the workmen to drill the holes for the bolts. The -ship's company had seen the Undine when she passed Port Henry, but no -one there knew to whom she belonged, or anything whatever in regard to -her. They saw that she was the counterpart of the Sylph, and knew that -she was one of the celebrated class to which she belonged. - -Some of the students thought there might be a chance for a race between -her and the Beech Hill steamer; but Dory was sure enough that Captain -Gildrock would not permit the Sylph to race with anything that went by -steam. - -The principal had returned from Burlington in the afternoon, and when he -saw the four-oar boat, with the Dragon in tow, moving up to Hornet -Point, he walked over to the cottage. He was a spectator of the -affecting interview between Mrs. Bristol and her husband, even before -the Dragon was hauled up to the shore. - -Tom Topover was very much battered in the conflict with Paul. He was -sure of two very black eyes, and he could hardly walk when he was helped -out of the flatboat. The principal thought he had been punished enough -for the present; and as he seemed to be very humble, for him, he was -allowed to limp home, after a strong admonition from the captain. - -The principal had been so good a friend to the family, that Mrs. Bristol -begged him to stay and hear her husband's story, and listen to the -adventures of Paul since he left in the afternoon. The moving of the -cottage had to be related by Paul. The prolonged conversation was -interrupted only by the arrival of the Sylph. After the shoe was landed -at the boat-shed, and the gundalow towed to the stone quarry, the -students learned all about the new steamer, in which they were very much -interested, though they were sorry to learn that Major Billcord was her -owner. - -On Monday afternoon, the shoe was bolted to the keel of the Lily, and -the inside work, which had been left unfinished for this job, was -completed. The following Saturday was appointed for the launch of the -boat, for this day would complete the school year of the institution. -Invitations had been sent to the gentlemen who had served as examiners -the preceding year, and on Friday afternoon the Sylph, fully manned, and -dressed in gay colors, brought up Mr. Bridges, Mr. Ritchie, and Mr. -Plint. They were hospitably entertained at the mansion. - -In the forenoon a sort of public exhibition took place in the great hall -of the boat-house, which delighted the spectators, and gave them a very -high idea of the progress of the students in the mechanic arts, as well -as in the book studies. After this show, the visitors went through the -shops, and inspected the Lily as she stood on the stocks. A brass band -played a portion of the time, and in the middle of the day a choice -collation was served on the green. - -About all the young ladies in Genverres, and not a few from Burlington -and Westport, were present. Possibly there was some heavy flirting done, -for again the students in their uniform were lions of the first order. - -But the great event of the day was to be the launch of the Lily. She -had been fully prepared in the morning for the exciting occasion, and -two jury-masts had been put up on board, and she was covered with flags -and streamers. The boat was to move from the ways at four, and an hour -before that time the students and the principal were not a little -astonished to see the two Chesterfield barges pull into the Beechwater, -and take positions near the farther side of the lake. - -Captain Gildrock sent Mr. Bentnick, the principal instructor, to invite -them on shore to partake of a collation. Colonel Buckmill sat in the -stern-sheets of the Dasher, but he politely declined the invitation, -with profuse thanks. His young gentlemen desired to see the launch, but -he would not give the principal any trouble on such a busy day. - -The captain was sorry for this refusal, but he seemed to insist that the -hospitality of Beech Hill should not suffer in the estimation of the -students from the other side, and he sent a boat loaded with ice-cream, -cake, and lemonade to the unwonted visitors, which were accepted with -more thanks. - -At a few minutes before four, the principal and a small party, including -not more than half a dozen of the students, went on board of the Lily. -A little later, the gallant captain of the Sylph escorted Miss Lily -Bristol to the deck of the boat. Her appearance was the occasion of the -most tremendous applause on the part of the students and the crowd -assembled on shore. It was observed that the Chesterfields joined in -this demonstration, with a vigor which astonished their former foes. - -Captain Gildrock gave certain orders, which were followed by the sound -of hammers as the hands knocked away the wedges. The principal raised -his hand, which was followed by one discharge of a cannon. At this -instant the hull began to move very slowly. Assisted by Captain -Dornwood, Lily Bristol ascended to the heel of the bowsprit with a -bottle in her hand. - -What this bottle contained no one but the captain knew. According to -tradition and custom, it ought to be filled with wine; but the principal -was a very strong, practical temperance man. However, as the contents of -the bottle were to be dashed into the lake, it did not much matter what -they were. - -The velocity of the moving hull increased as she descended the inclined -plane; and as soon as she was under full headway, Lily broke the bottle -over the bow of the schooner. - -"I give to this vessel the name of Lily, and may she be prosperous on -the element to which she belongs," said she. - -Then the band struck up "Hail to the Chief," and all the students and -everybody else yelled and applauded with all their might. The ladies -waved their handkerchiefs, and a salvo of artillery followed. The Lily -struck the water, and ploughed her way nearly to the other side of the -lake, where she was brought up by the lines attached to her. She rested -on the water as gracefully as a swan, and as soon as she was fairly -afloat, another series of ringing cheers saluted her. - -The Sylph, under the charge of the first officer, immediately fastened -to her, and she was towed to her berth at the wharf, where she was to -remain until the next school year began, in September. But the visitors -were eager to examine her, and an arrangement was made by which all who -desired could pass on board, make the circuit of her deck and then leave -without causing an uncomfortable crowd. Through the cabin doors and the -opening for the skylight they could see something of the cabin, while -the fore-scuttle gave a partial view of the cook-room. - -The young officers and crew of the Sylph told their friends they should -see her after she was rigged, her sails bent on, and the cabin and -cook-room were furnished. There could be no doubt, so far as the -students were concerned, that the young ladies who gushed so prettily -over the craft would be invited to sail in her. - -With this great event ended the second school year of the Beech Hill -Industrial School. The students were certainly satisfied with the -experience they had had there, and, notwithstanding the sharpness of the -discipline, they had only pleasant memories of the past. Those who had -been there two years were well prepared to earn their own living. Though -none of the machinists or carpenters could be called finished workmen, -they were skilled enough to obtain moderate wages. It would require more -years of study and practice to make them into first-class mechanics. - -None of them had yet completed the course of instruction, though the -needs of their parents compelled seven of them to leave the school and -assist in supporting families. By this time the reputation of the school -had been established, and there were applications for three times as -many young men to work as engineers, carpenters, and machinists. Good -places were secured for those who were obliged to leave. - -Three of them were to run stationary engines, one was to work as a -carpenter, and three more were to learn trades for which their education -had fitted them to a considerable degree. The principal had given them a -lecture on the subject of wages, in which he bluntly told them that they -could not expect full wages, for they were not competent to earn them. -They were not yet physically able to do the work of a man, and they were -not competent to do all that would be required of them in their several -trades and callings. They had learned a great deal, and had acquired -considerable dexterity; but if they were judged by what they did not -know, they would stand as weak vessels. No man ever learned out in his -trade, and the time never came when there was nothing more to learn. - -A certain very wise man, as men are measured, declared that he had only -learned enough to realize what a fool he was. The principal told the -graduates that one of their greatest perils was that of knowing too -much. Modesty in regard to the measurement of their own skill and -knowledge was essential to them. It was better that others should find -out how much they knew rather than themselves. - -On Monday morning the Sylph went up the lake with the examiners and -others who were to spend their vacations at home. In the afternoon she -went down the lake with those who were going in that direction, and the -ship's company was considerably smaller when the steamer returned to -Beech Hill. - -Mr. Bristol went on the afternoon trip, for Corny Minkfield and John -Brattle, the engineers, were to be left at Burlington. Mr. Jepson was -privately instructed by the principal to test his qualifications. It -appeared that while he had but little scientific knowledge, he was as -competent to run an engine as the majority of those who were employed in -this capacity. - -"I confess, Mr. Bristol, that I am very much interested in your family, -and I shall be glad to retain you at the school," said Captain Gildrock. -"I find that Mr. Jepson's duty in connection with the running of the -engines in the shops interferes with his usefulness as an instructor. I -shall relieve him entirely of the laborious task he has hitherto -performed in the most faithful manner, for he is too valuable as a -teacher to have any of his time wasted. I shall appoint you as engineer -of the shops, though you are to serve in the steamer when required." - -"I thank you, sir, with all my heart," replied Mr. Bristol. "You have -done so much for my family, that I already owe you a debt of gratitude I -could never repay." - -"What I have done has afforded me as much pleasure as it has the members -of the family," added the principal. - -"The moving of the cottage was the greatest and the most timely thing -that ever was done. But, Captain Gildrock, I saved considerable money, -for a poor man, and I should like to buy a lot of land for my wife's -cottage, and put a cellar under it." - -"How do you like its present location?" asked the captain. - -"Paradise has no finer spot, sir." - -"Then I will give you a deed of the lot on which the house stands, -without any money, for it will be a great protection to my estate to -have your family in just that locality." - -Mr. Bristol was overwhelmed at this generous offer, and he accepted it -with a heart full of gratitude. During the vacation the house was raised -somewhat and a cellar put under it. The Topovers, who had troubled the -captain for years by their incursions, ceased to come in by the road to -the stone-quarries. - -Though it was vacation at Beech Hill, and only a very few of the boys, -who had no homes, remained during the summer months, there were some -lively times there. The instructors were all gone, but plenty of company -came from the cities. Almost every day there was some kind of an -excursion, and Mr. Bristol was available as engineer, so that the Sylph -was constantly in use. - -Captain Gildrock had another idea come into his fertile brain. The Lily -was so great a success that he decided to build a steam yacht about half -the length of the Sylph, and to have the engine constructed in the shops -by the students. He found they enjoyed their work more when they were -doing something which they could use when it was completed. However, he -did not say much about it. - -Dory Dornwood, though his uncle suggested a trip to New York, Niagara, -or Montreal, found more pleasure in staying at home, strange as it may -seem. Paul made himself useful as fireman or deck hand on board of the -steam yacht, or as a foremast hand in the Goldwing. Mrs. Bristol and -Lily were almost always passengers when either craft made an excursion, -and so were Mrs. Dornwood and Marian. - -The young captain of the Sylph spent a good deal of time at the cottage -on Hornet Point, possibly because he had conducted the enterprise of -transporting the structure from Sandy Point to its present locality. The -captain and Dory's mother laughed a great deal about his constant -visits, but as he never called the young lady anything but "Miss -Bristol," the visits were not regarded as dangerous for the present. - -Major Billcord and Walk sailed the Undine all over the lake, but she was -apt to give the Sylph a wide berth. The testimony of Tom Topover was not -considered sufficient to convict Walk of bribing him to capture Paul. -Certainly, Tom got the worst of it, and the magnate was content to let -the punishment of the son of toil go by default. - -The third school year opened as prosperously as either of its -predecessors, and the next volume of the series will doubtless contain -as many of the adventures of the students on the lake and elsewhere as -the former ones, as well as complete the unfinished work on the Lily; -and, of course, the reader will find everything "All Taut" about the -schooner after they have finished "Rigging the Boat." - - - - -_OLIVER OPTIC'S BOOKS._ - - -ARMY AND NAVY STORIES. - -Six Volumes. Illustrated. Per vol., $1.50. - -1. THE SOLDIER BOY; -Or, Tom Somers in the Army. - -2. THE SAILOR BOY; -Or, Jack Somers in the Navy. - -3. THE YOUNG LIEUTENANT; -Or, Adventures of an Army Officer. - -4. THE YANKEE MIDDY; -Or, Adventures of a Navy Officer. - -5. FIGHTING JOE; -Or, The Fortunes of a Staff Officer. - -6. BRAVE OLD SALT; -Or, Life on the Quarter-Deck. - -This series of six volumes recounts the adventures of two brothers, Tom -and Jack Somers, one in the army, the other in the navy, in the great -civil war. The romantic narratives the fortunes and exploits of the -brothers are thrilling in the extreme. Historical accuracy in the -recital of the great events of that period is strictly followed, and the -result is not only a library of entertaining volumes, but also the best -history of the civil war for young people ever written. - - -YOUNG AMERICA ABROAD. - -FIRST SERIES. - -A Library of Travel and Adventure in Foreign Lands. 16mo. Illustrated by -Nast, Stevens, Perkins, and others. Per volume, $1.50. - -1. OUTWARD BOUND; -Or, Young America Afloat. - -2. SHAMROCK AND THISTLE; -Or, Young America in Ireland and Scotland. - -3. RED CROSS; -Or, Young America in England and Wales. - -4. DIKES AND DITCHES; -Or, Young America in Holland and Belgium. - -5. PALACE AND COTTAGE; -Or, Young America in France and Switzerland. - -6. DOWN THE RHINE; -Or, Young America in Germany. - -The story from its inception and through the twelve volumes (see _Second -Series_), is a bewitching one, while the information imparted, -concerning the countries of Europe and the isles of the sea, is not only -correct in every particular, but is told in a captivating style. "Oliver -Optic" will continue to be the boy's friend, and his pleasant books will -continue to be read by thousands of American boys. What a fine holiday -present either or both series of "Young America Abroad" would be for a -young friend! It would make a little library highly prized by the -recipient, and would not be an expensive one.--_Providence Press._ - - -YOUNG AMERICA ABROAD. - -SECOND SERIES. - -A Library of Travel and Adventure in Foreign Lands. 16mo. Illustrated by -Nast, Stevens, Perkins, and others. Per volume, $1.50. - -1. UP THE BALTIC; -Or, Young America in Norway, Sweden, and Denmark. - -2. NORTHERN LANDS; -Or, Young America in Russia and Prussia. - -3. CROSS AND CRESCENT; -Or, Young America in Turkey and Greece. - -4. SUNNY SHORES; -Or, Young America in Italy and Austria. - -5. VINE AND OLIVE; -Or, Young America in Spain and Portugal. - -6. ISLES OF THE SEA; -Or, Young America Homeward Bound. - -"Oliver Optic" is a _nom de plume_ that is known and loved by almost -every boy of intelligence in the land. We have seen a highly -intellectual and world-weary man, a cynic whose heart was somewhat -imbittered by its large experience of human nature, take up one of -Oliver Optic's books and read it at a sitting, neglecting his work in -yielding to the fascination of the pages. When a mature and exceedingly -well-informed mind, long despoiled of all its freshness, can thus find -pleasure in a book for boys, no additional words of recommendation are -needed.--_Sunday Times._ - - -WOODVILLE STORIES. - -Uniform with Library for Young People. Six vols. 16mo. Illustrated. Per -vol., $1.25. - -1. RICH AND HUMBLE; -Or, The Mission of Bertha Grant. - -2. IN SCHOOL AND OUT; -Or, The Conquest of Richard Grant. - -3. WATCH AND WAIT; -Or, The Young Fugitives. - -4. WORK AND WIN; -Or, Noddy Newman on a Cruise. - -5. HOPE AND HAVE; -Or, Fanny Grant among the Indians. - -6. HASTE AND WASTE; -Or, The Young Pilot of Lake Champlain. - -Though we are not so young as we once were, we relished these stories -almost as much as the boys and girls for whom they were written. They -were really refreshing even to us. There is much in them which is -calculated to inspire a generous, healthy ambition, and to make -distasteful all reading tending to stimulate base desires.--_Fitchburg -Reveille._ - - -THE STARRY FLAG SERIES. - -Six volumes. Illustrated. Per vol., $1.25. - -1. THE STARRY FLAG; -Or, The Young Fisherman of Cape Ann. - -2. BREAKING AWAY; -Or, The Fortunes of a Student. - -3. SEEK AND FIND; -Or, The Adventures of a Smart Boy. - -4. FREAKS OF FORTUNE; -Or, Half Round the World. - -5. MAKE OR BREAK; -Or, The Rich Man's Daughter. - -6. DOWN THE RIVER; -Or, Buck Bradford and the Tyrants. - -Mr. Adams, the celebrated and popular writer, familiarly known as -"Oliver Optic," seems to have inexhaustible funds for weaving together -the virtues of life; and notwithstanding he has written scores of books, -the same freshness and novelty runs through them all. Some people think -the sensational element predominates. Perhaps it does. But a book for -young people needs this; and so long as good sentiments are inculcated -such books ought to be read.--_Pittsburg Gazette._ - - -THE ONWARD AND UPWARD SERIES. - -Complete in six volumes. Illustrated. In neat box. Per volume, $1.25. - -1. FIELD AND FOREST; -Or, The Fortunes of a Farmer. - -2. PLANE AND PLANK; -Or, The Mishaps of a Mechanic. - -3. DESK AND DEBIT; -Or, The Catastrophes of a Clerk. - -4. CRINGLE AND CROSS-TREE; -Or, The Sea Swashes of a Sailor. - -5. BIVOUAC AND BATTLE; -Or, The Struggles of a Soldier. - -6. SEA AND SHORE; -Or, The Tramps of a Traveller. - -Paul Farringford, the hero of these tales, is, like most of this -author's heroes, a young man of high spirit, and of high aims and -correct principles, appearing in the different volumes as a farmer, a -captain, a bookkeeper, a soldier, a sailor, and a traveller. In all of -them the hero meets with very exciting adventures, told in the graphic -style for which the author is famous.--_Native._ - - -FAMOUS "BOAT-CLUB" SERIES. - -Library for Young People. Six volumes, handsomely illustrated. Per -volume, $1.25. - -1. THE BOAT CLUB; -Or, The Bunkers of Rippleton. - -2. ALL ABOARD; -Or, Life on the Lake. - -3. NOW OR NEVER; -Or, The Adventures of Bobby Bright. - -4. TRY AGAIN; -Or, The Trials and Triumphs of Harry West. - -5. POOR AND PROUD; -Or, The Fortunes of Katy Redburn. - -6. LITTLE BY LITTLE; -Or, The Cruise of the Flyaway. - -This is the first series of books written for the young by "Oliver -Optic." It laid the foundation for his fame as the first of authors in -which the young delight, and gained for him the title of the Prince of -Story-Tellers. The six books are varied in incident and plot, but all -are entertaining and original. - - -THE GREAT WESTERN SERIES. - -Six Volumes. Illustrated. Per vol., $1.50. - -1. GOING WEST; -Or, The Perils of a Poor Boy. - -2. OUT WEST; -Or, Roughing it on the Great Lakes. - -3. LAKE BREEZES; -Or, The Cruise of the Sylvania. - -4. GOING SOUTH; -Or, Yachting on the Atlantic Coast. - -5. DOWN SOUTH; -Or, Yacht Adventures in Florida. (In Press.) - -6. UP THE RIVER; -Or, Yachting on the Mississippi. (In Press.) - -This is the latest series of books issued by this popular writer, and -deals with Life on the Great Lakes, for which a careful study was made -by the author in a summer tour of the immense water sources of America. -The story, which carries the same hero through the six books of the -series, is always entertaining, novel scenes and varied incidents giving -a constantly changing, yet always attractive aspect to the narrative. -"Oliver Optic" has written nothing better. - - -YACHT CLUB SERIES. - -Uniform with the ever popular "Boat Club," Series, Completed in six -vols. 16mo. Illustrated. Per vol., $1.50. - -1. LITTLE BOBTAIL; -Or, The Wreck of the Penobscot. - -2. THE YACHT CLUB; -Or, The Young Boat-Builders. - -3. MONEY-MAKER; -Or, The Victory of the Basilisk. - -4. THE COMING WAVE; -Or, The Treasure of High Rock. - -5. THE DORCAS CLUB; -Or, Our Girls Afloat. - -6. OCEAN BORN; -Or, The Cruise of the Clubs. - -The series has this peculiarity, that all of its constituent volumes are -independent of one another, and therefore each story is complete in -itself. "Oliver Optic" is perhaps the favorite author of the boys and -girls of this country, and he seems destined to enjoy an endless -popularity. He deserves his success, for he makes very interesting -stories, and inculcates none but the best sentiments; and the "Yacht -Club" is no exception to this rule.--_New Haven Jour. and Courier._ - - -THE LAKE SHORE SERIES. - -Six volumes. Illustrated. In neat box. Per vol., $1.25. - -1. THROUGH BY DAYLIGHT; -Or, The Young Engineer of the Lake Shore Railroad. - -2. LIGHTNING EXPRESS; -Or, The Rival Academies. - -3. ON TIME; -Or, The Young Captain of the Ucayga Steamer - -4. SWITCH OFF; -Or, The War of the Students. - -5. BRAKE-UP; -Or, The Young Peacemakers. - -6. BEAR AND FORBEAR; -Or, The Young Skipper of Lake Ucayga. - -"Oliver Optic" is one of the most fascinating writers for youth, and -withal one of the best to be found in this or any past age. Troops of -young people hang over his vivid pages, and not one of them ever learned -to be mean, ignoble, cowardly, selfish, or to yield to any vice from -anything they ever read from his pen.--_Providence Press._ - - - - - -End of the Project Gutenberg EBook of Stem to Stern, by Oliver Optic - -*** END OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK STEM TO STERN *** - -***** This file should be named 52978.txt or 52978.zip ***** -This and all associated files of various formats will be found in: - http://www.gutenberg.org/5/2/9/7/52978/ - -Produced by Chris Curnow, Martin Pettit and the Online -Distributed Proofreading Team at http://www.pgdp.net (This -file was produced from images generously made available -by The Internet Archive) - -Updated editions will replace the previous one--the old editions will -be renamed. - -Creating the works from print editions not protected by U.S. copyright -law means that no one owns a United States copyright in these works, -so the Foundation (and you!) can copy and distribute it in the United -States without permission and without paying copyright -royalties. 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