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diff --git a/old/60890-0.txt b/old/60890-0.txt deleted file mode 100644 index 3438508..0000000 --- a/old/60890-0.txt +++ /dev/null @@ -1,7027 +0,0 @@ -Project Gutenberg's The Sportsman's Club in the Saddle, by Harry Castlemon - -This eBook is for the use of anyone anywhere in the United States and most -other parts of the world at no cost and with almost no restrictions -whatsoever. You may copy it, give it away or re-use it under the terms of -the Project Gutenberg License included with this eBook or online at -www.gutenberg.org. If you are not located in the United States, you'll have -to check the laws of the country where you are located before using this ebook. - -Title: The Sportsman's Club in the Saddle - -Author: Harry Castlemon - -Release Date: December 10, 2019 [EBook #60890] - -Language: English - -Character set encoding: UTF-8 - -*** START OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK THE SPORTSMAN'S CLUB IN THE SADDLE *** - - - - -Produced by David Edwards and the Online Distributed -Proofreading Team at http://www.pgdp.net (This file was -produced from images generously made available by The -Internet Archive) - - - - - - - - - - -[Illustration: THE SPORTSMAN’S CLUB AT HOME.] - - - - - _THE SPORTSMAN’S CLUB SERIES._ - - THE - SPORTSMAN’S CLUB - IN THE SADDLE. - - BY HARRY CASTLEMON, - AUTHOR OF “THE GUNBOAT SERIES,” “GO AHEAD SERIES,” - “ROCKY MOUNTAIN SERIES,” ETC. - - PHILADELPHIA - HENRY T. COATES & CO. - - - - -FAMOUS CASTLEMON BOOKS. - - -=GUNBOAT SERIES.= By HARRY CASTLEMON. 6 vols. 12mo. - - FRANK THE YOUNG NATURALIST. - FRANK IN THE WOODS. - FRANK ON THE LOWER MISSISSIPPI. - FRANK ON A GUNBOAT. - FRANK BEFORE VICKSBURG. - FRANK ON THE PRAIRIE. - -=ROCKY MOUNTAIN SERIES.= By HARRY CASTLEMON. 3 vols. 12mo. Cloth. - - FRANK AMONG THE RANCHEROS. - FRANK IN THE MOUNTAINS. - FRANK AT DON CARLOS’ RANCH. - -=SPORTSMAN’S CLUB SERIES.= By HARRY CASTLEMON. 3 vols. 12mo. Cloth. - - THE SPORTSMAN’S CLUB IN THE SADDLE. - THE SPORTSMAN’S CLUB AFLOAT. - THE SPORTSMAN’S CLUB AMONG THE TRAPPERS. - -=FRANK NELSON SERIES.= By HARRY CASTLEMON. 3 vols. 12mo. Cloth. - - SNOWED UP. - FRANK IN THE FORECASTLE. - THE BOY TRADERS. - -=BOY TRAPPER SERIES.= By HARRY CASTLEMON. 3 vols. 12mo. Cloth. - - THE BURIED TREASURE. - THE BOY TRAPPER. - THE MAIL-CARRIER. - -=ROUGHING IT SERIES.= By HARRY CASTLEMON. 3 vols. 12mo. Cloth. - - GEORGE IN CAMP. - GEORGE AT THE WHEEL. - GEORGE AT THE FORT. - -=ROD AND GUN SERIES.= By HARRY CASTLEMON. 3 vols. 12mo. Cloth. - - DON GORDON’S SHOOTING BOX. - THE YOUNG WILD FOWLERS. - ROD AND GUN CLUB. - -=GO-AHEAD SERIES.= By HARRY CASTLEMON. 3 vols. 12mo. Cloth. - - TOM NEWCOMBE. - GO-AHEAD. - NO MOSS. - -=FOREST AND STREAM SERIES.= By HARRY CASTLEMON. 3 vols. 12mo. Cloth. - - JOE WAYRING. - SNAGGED AND SUNK. - STEEL HORSE. - -=WAR SERIES.= By HARRY CASTLEMON. 5 vols. 12mo. Cloth. - - TRUE TO HIS COLORS. - RODNEY THE OVERSEER. - MARCY THE REFUGEE. - RODNEY THE PARTISAN. - MARCY THE BLOCKADE-RUNNER. - -_Other Volumes in Preparation._ - - - - - Entered according to Act of Congress, in the year 1873, by - R. W. CARROLL & CO., - In the Office of the Librarian of Congress, at Washington. - - - - -CONTENTS - - - CHAPTER I. - - Walter and Eugene Page 5 - - CHAPTER II. - - A Midnight Alarm 24 - - CHAPTER III. - - Bayard Bell and his Crowd 45 - - CHAPTER IV. - - Wild-Hog Hunting 65 - - CHAPTER V. - - Perk in a Predicament 84 - - CHAPTER VI. - - Bayard’s Plans 105 - - CHAPTER VII. - - Bayard visits the Schooner 129 - - CHAPTER VIII. - - What happened there 149 - - CHAPTER IX. - - Where Featherweight was 166 - - CHAPTER X. - - The Friend in the Corn-Crib 187 - - CHAPTER XI. - - The Siege 208 - - CHAPTER XII. - - How Wilson escaped 230 - - CHAPTER XIII. - - Perk takes a Bath 253 - - CHAPTER XIV. - - Chase turns the Tables 270 - - CHAPTER XV. - - The Revenue Cutter 289 - - - - -THE SPORTSMAN’S CLUB IN THE SADDLE. - - - - -CHAPTER I. - -WALTER AND EUGENE. - - -Which is the pleasantest season of the year, boy reader? No doubt you -have written more than one composition on the subject, and perhaps you -will say, as most boys do, that you like winter best. If you live in the -city you can spend your leisure hours at the skating-rink; or it may be -that your father owns an ice-boat, and you take great delight in riding -in it. Your cousin Tom, who lives in the country, will tell you that -winter is the time for him, for he is fond of sleigh-riding, and sees -any amount of sport at quiltings, apple-bees, corn-huskings and surprise -parties. If you had asked Walter and Eugene Gaylord what they thought -about it, Eugene, who was a lively, talkative fellow, would have answered -you something like this: - -“We see more real fun in one week during the winter time than in all the -rest of the year. The quails, that have been rearing their broods in -these fields during the summer, are in prime condition then, and if you -ever handled a shot-gun or owned a setter, you know there is no sport -in the world like shooting on the wing. Wild turkeys are plenty, also. -They come into the hills about here to feed on the beech-nuts. It is time -then to set traps for minks and to go coon-hunting. Minks are abundant -about here, and their skins are worth two dollars apiece. And then, is -there any music in the world that can equal the baying of a hound of a -clear, frosty morning? That brier patch down there covers more than two -hundred acres—father calls it his preserves—it is literally filled with -rabbits and foxes, and our club owns a pack of the best hounds in the -state. That sheet of water you see over there is an arm of the Gulf of -Mexico. I don’t exaggerate when I say that I have seen it black with wild -geese and ducks. They stay around here during the fall and winter. All -the shooting we can do will not frighten them away, for the bay is an -excellent feeding-ground, and it never freezes over. You know the winters -are not as cold down here as they are up North. Deer are plenty in the -swamp, bears are so abundant that they are really troublesome, wild hogs -you can find any day, and panthers are killed on our plantation every -winter. And then, if every other source of excitement should fail us, -there are Bayard Bell and his crowd of fellows, who are bound that the -members of our club shall not enjoy a minute’s peace if they can help -it. You see, while we were students at the Academy at Bellville last -summer, our club defeated Bayard and his crew in a four-oared race for -the championship, and that made him very angry. More than that, he wanted -to be commodore of the academy squadron, but when the election came off -he was badly beaten, and that was another thing that made him mad. He -has promised to square yards with every one of us this winter, and we -are waiting to see what he will do. I like these long evenings, too. -When the wind is whistling dismally without, and the rain and sleet are -rattling against the window-panes, isn’t it jolly to draw up in front of -a warm fire, and while away the hours with a game of chess or backgammon -with some good fellow, or listen to the stories of Uncle Dick, who has -travelled over every portion of the habitable globe? O, we always see -plenty of sport during the winter.” - -Two better boys than Walter and Eugene Gaylord never lived, and none -ever had a pleasanter home or a kinder father and mother. When we say -that they were good boys, we do not mean that they were perfect. We -would not give a fig for an army of perfect boys, even if there were -such impossible things in the world; but, thank goodness, they do not -exist outside of story-books. Walter and Eugene had their faults, and -some glaring ones, too, like all other live, wide-awake boys. They had -done things they were sorry for and did not mean to do again; and, on -more than one occasion—we regret to say it, but candor compels us—they -had been seen with very long faces walking reluctantly into the library, -whither they were followed by their father, who carried in his hand -something that looked very much like an apple-tree switch. But, for all -that, they were first-rate fellows—kind, obliging, and good-tempered. - -There was a year’s difference in their ages, and a great deal of -difference in their tastes, dispositions and habits. Walter, the older, -thoroughly enjoyed himself in a quiet way, and thought more of a good -book and a pair of slippers than he did of the ball club and debating -society. He owned a splendid double-barrel, and was an excellent shot on -the wing; but he had been known to sit for hours behind his brush-blind -on the banks of the bayou, and watch a flock of canvas-backs, which were -sporting about in the water within easy range of his gun, without firing -a shot at them. He was studying their habits, he said. Eugene, on the -other hand, was a wild, uneasy fellow, and he could not possibly enjoy -himself without plenty of noise. He was a capital sailor, and nothing -suited him better than to stand at the helm of the Banner (that was the -name of the yacht he and his brother owned, and a swift, beautiful little -craft she was) while she was bounding over the waves of the bay before -a stiff breeze with all her canvas spread. He was an enthusiastic and -skilful fisherman, a good shot, and woe to the squirrel or duck that -showed its head within range of his Smith & Wesson rifle. It made no -difference to him what the “habits” of the game were, so long as he -secured a respectable bunch to carry home. He had more than once been -capsized in the bay; had broken his arm in an attempt to climb one of -the lofty elm trees in the yard; had tumbled over cliffs while searching -for sea-gulls’ nests; and had fallen into quick-sands, while stalking -pelicans in the swamp, and narrowly escaped with his life; but he was -hale and hearty still, and none the worse for his adventures. - -Walter and Eugene lived in the state of Louisiana, about forty miles from -the thriving village of Bellville, in a large stone house which was so -completely concealed by the thick shrubbery and trees that surrounded -it, that not even its chimneys could be seen from the road. A gravelled -carriage-way led from the gate to the dwelling, and then turning abruptly -to the right ran down a steep bank to the boat-house. In front of the -boat-house a stone jetty extended out into the water; and at the end of -it was anchored a buoy, to which, had you been a visitor at the Gaylord -mansion during the summer, you would have seen moored a rakish little -schooner that held a high place in the estimation of our young friends. -And had you seen that same schooner under way, you would have noticed -that a Commodore’s broad pennant floated from her mast-head; for Walter -Gaylord was commander of the Columbia Yacht Club, and the Banner was his -flagship. At the time our story begins, however, the yachting season -was over, and the schooner, being too large to be stowed away in the -boat-house, had been hauled into a neighboring bayou and hidden among -the bushes, where she would be effectually protected from the fury of -the storms that visited the coast during the winter. She had sailed -many a race during the previous summer, and the pair of gold-mounted -field-glasses which occupied a prominent place on the centre-table in the -boy’s room, and which they never neglected to show to visitors, proved -that she had been victorious in at least one of them. Her young masters -thought that her work for the year was over, but it turned out otherwise. -She was destined before the winter was ended, to accomplish something -that far surpassed all her former exploits, and to sail in waters and -visit countries that none of her crew had ever seen before. - -On the floor of the boat-house lay a long narrow object covered with -canvas to protect it from the damp and dust. It was a four-oared shell, -the property of the SPORTSMAN’S CLUB. There were people in the village -who could say that they had seen the schooner beaten in a fair race, -but not one who could say the same of the Spray. Whether her success -was owing to the boat itself, or to the muscle and long wind of those -who handled the oars, is a question. The club gave all the credit to -the boat; and you would have had hard work to make them believe that -she did not go faster, and skim more lightly over the waves, ever since -that memorable afternoon in August when she wrested the champion colors -from the Emma, which everybody imagined to be the swiftest boat about -the village. Bayard Bell, the owner and stroke of the Emma, was highly -enraged over his defeat. He forthwith challenged the Spray to another -trial of speed, and sent to New Orleans for his cousins Will and Seth -Bell, who belonged to a boat club there, and who considered themselves -crack oarsmen, to come down and train his crew and pull in the race. -The contest came off in the presence of the village people and all the -students of the Academy, and the Spray walked away from the Emma and her -picked crew as easily as though the latter had been standing still. Then -Bayard was angrier than ever, and his city cousins, who had expected -to win an easy victory over the “country bumpkins,” were astonished. -The former declared that the Spray had been rowed in a race for the -last time, and Will and Seth said that if they could not beat her by -fair means they could by foul, and that when the next season opened the -village people would see the champion colors restored to the Emma, to -which they rightfully belonged. This threat reached the ears of Walter -and his crew, who, knowing what a vindictive, persevering fellow they -had to deal with, kept a close watch over their beloved boat, and never -allowed a day to pass without spending half an hour in swinging their -Indian clubs and dumb-bells. - -Outside the boat-house, and turned up against it, was the skiff which -Walter and Eugene used when they went hunting on the bay. On the ground -near it lay a pile of bushes which were used as a blind to conceal the -hunters when they were pulling toward the game. The window of their room -looked out upon the bay, and if they discovered a flock of geese or ducks -near the shore, it was but the work of a few minutes to launch the -skiff, put up the blind, and be off. In this way they had obtained many -an excellent dinner. - -About a hundred yards further up the bank, to the left of the boat-house, -were the stables where Mr. Gaylord kept his riding and some of his -farm-horses, and the kennels which afforded shelter to his hounds. -Horses and hounds were made much of in those days, and Mr. Gaylord and -his brother, Uncle Dick, took as much pride in theirs as any old English -huntsman. Walter and Eugene were well provided for in this particular, -and their saddle-nags and dogs were the envy of all the young hunters in -the parish. Walter rode a large, milk-white charger, which was like his -master in more respects than one. He was as steady as a plough-horse, -afraid of nothing, was generally very deliberate in his movements, and on -ordinary occasions went along at a snail’s pace, his head down, his eyes -half-closed, and his ears bobbing back and forth with every step he made. -But, after all, there was plenty of spirit in him. Let him once hear the -hounds in full cry, or let his rider tighten the reins and give him even -the slightest touch with the spur, and the old horse’s head would come -up, and he would step off in a way that made it exceedingly difficult -for any but a fleet-footed nag to keep pace with him. Eugene’s horse was -a different sort of animal altogether. He was a small, light-bodied roan, -fiery and vicious, and so restless that he never would stand still long -enough for his rider to become fairly seated in the saddle. But the two -got along very well together. The horse always wanted his own way, and -Eugene was quite willing that he should have it. - -There were seven dogs in their pack. Six of them were common -deer-hounds—large tan-colored animals, staunch and swift; and when they -once opened on a trail, how they would make the woods ring with their -music! The other was an Irish greyhound, a present from Uncle Dick. He -stood nearly three feet high at the shoulders, and was as fleet as the -wind. He was good-natured enough generally, but savage when aroused. - -The country about Mr. Gaylord’s plantation was but thinly populated, and -wild in the extreme. His nearest neighbor, Mr. Bell, lived three miles -away, and the nearest settlement was at Bellville, forty miles distant. -Mr. Gaylord’s family had but little intercourse with the family of Mr. -Bell. The younger members engaged in a pitched battle occasionally; and -their fathers, when they met on the road, merely saluted each other in a -dignified manner, and passed without speaking. Mr. Bell did not seem to -be on good terms with anybody except a brother who lived in New Orleans -(Will’s father and Seth’s), and who was equally unpopular with himself. -He had at one time stood high in the community (the village of Bellville -was named after him), but of late he had gone down hill rapidly in the -estimation of his former associates. There was a mystery surrounding -him that none could penetrate. He was engaged in business of some kind, -but no one knew what it was. For two years he had been making money -rapidly—much faster than he could have made it by cultivating his orange -plantation—and the settlers had at last become suspicious, and hinted -that he was engaged in some traffic that the authorities would one day -put a stop to. - -Walter and Eugene were students at the Bellville Academy—or rather -they _had_ been until a few weeks ago when the Fire King stepped in -and destroyed the buildings, and gave the scholars a long vacation. -Our heroes regarded this as a great calamity, and so did every one of -the students, for they loved the Academy and all its surroundings. It -was no wonder that they held the institution in high esteem, for the -faculty were men who understood the nature of boys, and knowing how to -combine profit with pleasure, they had made the school a sort of modern -Athens, where muscles were cultivated as well as brains. So varied were -the exercises and amusements that the most exacting students could -not fail to find something to interest them. For the sober, studious -ones who preferred quiet sport, there was the yacht club, and also the -classes in Geology, Botany, and Natural History, the members of which -spent a portion of each school term camping out in the woods with -their professors; and for the active boys, who delighted in violent -exercises, there were ball clubs, boat clubs, a gymnasium, and boxing -and fencing masters. Walter and Eugene were lonesome in their country -home, and looked forward with impatience to the coming summer, when the -new buildings would be ready for occupation. Uncle Dick, however, hinted -that it would be a long time before they, or any of the members of the -Sportsman’s Club, would enter the new academy as students; but when the -boys asked him what he meant, he poked them in the ribs with his finger, -looked very wise, and said nothing. - -The house in which Walter and Eugene lived looked like any other ordinary -country house on the outside, and on the inside too, for that matter, -except in one particular. Away up in the third story, next to the roof, -was a room, the like of which, we venture to say, was never seen in -any other dwelling. It belonged to Uncle Dick. It was a neat, cosy -apartment, and if you had been conducted into it blindfolded, you would -have thought, when you were permitted to use your eyes again, that you -were in the cabin of some splendid vessel. Indeed, Uncle Dick intended -that it should look as much like one as possible. He was an old sailor, -cherishing an affection for the blue water that nothing could change, and -he had been so long accustomed to life on shipboard that he found it hard -work to stay ashore. His cabin reminded him of his ocean home, and it did -not require a very great stretch of imagination for him to fancy himself -still on board his vessel. - -The apartment was just about the size of the cabin of an ordinary -merchantman. There were three small windows on one side of it, and under -them was a sofa, upon which Uncle Dick took his after-dinner nap as -regularly as he did while he was the commander of a whaler. The windows -on the other two sides were “bull’s eyes”—round, thick plates of glass -enclosed in iron frames and set into the wall. Uncle Dick always kept -these bull’s eyes open in fair weather, but as surely as a storm came up -he would close and fasten them. One would hardly suppose that a great -deal of rain could come in at these small openings, let the tempest be -never so furious; but Uncle Dick always thought of the waves he had seen -on the ocean. He said he did not want the sea to come rushing into his -cabin and spoiling all his fine furniture. When we remind you that the -house was three stories high, and tell you that it stood upon the top of -a hill at least five hundred yards from the bay, you will know how much -probability there was that salt water would ever wash in at those bull’s -eyes. - -There were no doors in the cabin; at least such doors as we have in our -houses. A small ladder on one side of the room led up to a trap-door in -the roof (the “deck,” Uncle Dick always called it), and that was the only -way one could go in and out of the cabin. There was one door that opened -into Uncle Dick’s state-room, but that was not hung on hinges; it worked -on a slide. - -The old sailor turned up his nose at a bedstead, and always slept in a -bunk. His looking-glass was fastened to the wall; his wash-stand was held -firmly in its place by screws; his centre-table, on which was always to -be found Bowditch’s Navigator, a chart or two, and a telescope, was also -screwed fast to the floor, and provided with a raised edge to keep the -articles from falling off when the old mansion was rocking and tumbling -about in a gale. Walter and Eugene always laughed when they saw this -contrivance. The idea that a solid stone house, that had withstood the -storms of a quarter of a century, could so far forget itself as to rock -about in the wind sufficiently to displace any of Uncle Dick’s furniture, -was highly amusing to them. But it was no laughing matter with the old -sailor. He was in earnest about it; and if he had been on the point of -starting with the mansion on a voyage across the Atlantic, he could not -have taken more pains to get everything in his cabin in readiness for the -storms he would be likely to meet on the way. - -There was one thing that did not look exactly ship-shape, and that was a -huge book-case which occupied one side of the cabin. A portion of it was -filled with books, and the rest with what Uncle Dick called his “relics.” -There were at least a hundred articles of every description in that -book-case, and there was not one among them that was not associated in -the mind of the old sailor with some exciting event. For example, there -was a harpoon, such as whalers use, with a long rope attached, which -was laid down in Flemish coil on the bottom of the book-case. Whenever -Uncle Dick looked at those articles it recalled to his mind the time -when that harpoon was buried in the side of a huge sperm whale, and that -rope caught around his leg and he was dragged into the water, and down, -down, it seemed to him, almost to the bottom of the ocean. There was a -condor of the Andes, stuffed and mounted, and looking so life-like that -one almost expected to see it spread its immense wings and come crashing -through the glass doors of the book-case. That reminded Uncle Dick of -a startling adventure in South America. In the same compartment was a -lance, with a bright iron head, and a long, slender shaft, ornamented -with a portion of a horse’s tail. That lance had come from the desert -of Sahara; and if you could have examined Uncle Dick’s right arm, you -would have found, among the flags, ships, anchors and other emblems with -which it was decorated, a long, ragged scar from a wound made by that -very lance. A little further on hung the bridle, saddle and turban of the -Bedouin who had handled the weapon when Uncle Dick received that wound. -There were the snow-shoes on which he had travelled over the plains of -the Red River of the North, and under them was the Indian canoe that -had carried him and a companion from Fort Churchill, one of the most -northern posts of the Hudson’s Bay Company, to the Red River settlement. -In the next compartment was the Esquimaux sled in which he had traversed -many a mile of the ice-fields of Greenland. Further on was the dragoon’s -carbine he had shouldered at the breaking out of the Mexican war, and the -major’s sword and sash he had worn when he entered the city of Mexico -with General Scott. And so we might go on for a whole chapter, and still -not notice all the different articles in the book-case. Besides these, -there were numerous others scattered about the room. In every corner, -hung upon the walls, and suspended from the ceiling, the eye rested on -tomahawks, bows and arrows, and scalping-knives from the plains; sharks’ -teeth and pearl-oyster shells from the South Pacific; reindeers’ antlers -and harpoons from Hudson’s Bay; and relics from Herculaneum and Pompeii, -which Uncle Dick had succeeded in smuggling out in spite of the vigilance -of the guard. In short, the cabin was a perfect curiosity shop, and was -a never-failing source of amusement and instruction to the boys who were -permitted to enter it, for at every visit they found something new to -admire and wonder at. The Sportsman’s Club regarded the room as their -headquarters. They visited it almost every night to listen to the old -sailor’s stories; and that was a privilege they prized highly, for it was -one that Uncle Dick granted to none except his nephews and their most -intimate friends. - - - - -CHAPTER II. - -A MIDNIGHT ALARM. - - -Uncle Dick Gaylord was a bluff, hearty old fellow, a sailor on the face -of him; no one ever took him for anything else. Walter and Eugene thought -he was nice to have in the house—he was so good-natured and obliging, -and was always in such excellent spirits. And then, what a laugh he had! -It was none of your tittering, affected laughs, but a jolly, heartfelt -roar of merriment that fairly shook the rafters, and made everybody else -laugh to hear it. He was a man a little below the medium height, with -very broad shoulders and muscles like a gold-beater’s. He always wore an -immense necktie and collar, and when he walked he rolled about like a -skiff in a gale of wind. He applied sea phrases to everything, and had so -funny a way of talking and acting that he kept the boys’ jaws and sides -aching continually. One thing he did was long remembered by every one of -the family. - -It was midwinter when he came home from his last voyage, and had his -cabin fitted up, and the first night he slept in it a furious storm -arose. It was terribly cold, and old Mrs. Gaylord, Uncle Dick’s mother -(with the maternal instinct still strong within her), thought of her -son away up in the top of the building, and wondered if he did not need -tucking up in bed. She seemed to forget that long years had passed since -she had packed him away in his crib and knelt at his side while he -whispered “Our Father,” and that during those years her little helpless -Dick had grown into a bold, resolute man, had roamed in every climate -under the sun, and faced death in a thousand terrible shapes. The mother -forgot all this. To her the hearty old sea-dog was still her little Dick, -and needed looking after. Heedless of the storm, she found her way to the -top of the house and into the sailor’s quarters; and after putting extra -clothing on the bed, she wrapped the quilts around his feet and tucked -the edges into the bunk, to keep them from falling off on the floor—the -weary mariner snoring terrifically during the whole proceeding. When she -went out she left a lighted lamp on the table, thinking that perhaps he -might want something during the night, and that he could not find it -conveniently in the dark. - -Shortly after Mrs. Gaylord left the room, Uncle Dick awoke with a start, -and with one furious kick and an impatient sweep of his arm, undid all -the work his thoughtful mother had been so long in performing. He saw -and heard something at the same moment. He saw the lamp on the table -and heard the howling of the storm. He had spent four years on his last -voyage, and having slept but three nights on shore, it was natural that -he should imagine himself still on board his vessel. He was out on the -floor in an instant. - -“Steward!” he yelled, with all the power of his stentorian voice, -“haven’t I told you more than once never to leave a lighted lamp about -the ship? The first thing you know we’ll be in flames. If you do it again -I’ll put you in irons!” - -With one vigorous blast from his capacious chest Uncle Dick extinguished -the light, and just then a fierce gust of wind swept over the house, -shaking the windows, and fairly making the solid stone walls tremble. -This gave Uncle Dick additional cause for alarm. Here was a gale on; -the ship, no doubt, was in great danger, and the officer of the watch -had I not been below to awaken him. He saw the necessity of prompt -action. Jerking open the door, he ran through the cabin and sprang up -the companion-ladder. When he had ascended about half way to the top he -missed his footing in the darkness and fell headlong to the floor. The -old sailor had but one explanation for this accident, and that was that -the ship had been thrown on her beam-ends. He was on his feet again in a -moment, and once more ran up the ladder, shouting lustily for his mates: - -“Mr. Jefferson! Mr. Cross!” he yelled. “Where is everybody? We’ll be a -wreck in five minutes, and the last man on board seems to be asleep!” - -Highly indignant at the gross negligence of his officers, Uncle Dick -groped his way with eager haste to the top of the ladder, threw open the -door and sprang out upon the roof; but bear in mind, reader, that he did -not know that he was on the top of his brother’s house. He was not fairly -awake yet, and he thought he was at sea and on board his vessel. - -Having gained the roof, Uncle Dick stood for an instant appalled at the -scene presented to his gaze. A furious gale was raging, the air was -filled with snow and sleet, and the old sailor felt the full force and -severity of the tempest in his exposed position, having been in too -great a hurry even to put on his hat before he left his state-room. He -looked all around for his crew, who ought to have been on deck attending -to things, but could not see a single man. He saw something else, -however, and that was a range of high hills about a mile distant from the -house—a famous place for squirrels and quails, and one of the favorite -hunting-grounds of his nephews; but the sailor thought they were the -headlands of an unfriendly shore upon which his ship was about to be cast -away. - -“I’ve sailed the blue water for thirty years without losing a single -vessel,” said Uncle Dick, with a groan, “and now I am going to be wrecked -at last. I can hear the breakers already. Helm hard a-starboard! Mr. -Cross, call all hands. Mr. Jefferson, stand by to put the ship about!” - -Uncle Dick shouted out these orders with an earnestness which showed that -he was fully alive to the dangers of the situation; but, to his great -amazement, he did not hear the accustomed responses, and neither did he -see the faithful crew tumbling up from below to execute his commands He -was fairly awake now, and a vague idea that things did not look natural -began to creep into his mind. He glanced at the hills, toward the place -where the man at the wheel ought to have been, at the tall elms which -lifted their swaying, leafless branches above his head, and then turned -and dived down the companion-ladder. He found his way to his state-room, -and after brushing off some of the snow which clung to him, he tumbled -into his bunk and settled himself snugly between the sheets. For five -minutes all was still; and then a roar of laughter that was plainly heard -above the noise of the storm, rang through the state-room. - -“I’ve done some queer things in my life,” said the sailor, as if -addressing some one near him, “but that was the first time I ever ordered -my mate to stand by to put a stone house about.” - -Uncle Dick had a keen sense of the ludicrous, and considering the story -as altogether too good to be kept to himself, he told it to the family -the next morning; and a merrier breakfast party than that which gathered -around Mr. Gaylord’s table was never seen anywhere. The members of the -household were kept in a broad grin for several days afterward, and even -now the old sailor would roar out heartily whenever he thought of it. - -This was but one of the many laughable incidents, of which Uncle Dick was -the hero, that happened in the mansion during the year; but if we should -stop to relate them, we should never begin the story of the Sportsman’s -Club’s adventures. - -Walker’s room and Eugene’s was in the second story of the house. It -was a large, cheerful apartment, nicely furnished, and contained three -beds—enough to accommodate all the members of the Club. Any one who had -taken a single glance at the room, would have gained a pretty good idea -of the tastes and habits of its young masters. The walls were adorned -with pictures of hunting scenes, regattas and boat-races, and with flags, -pennants and trophies of the chase. In one corner stood a book-case -containing a fine library; in another were deposited several pairs of -Indian clubs and dumb-bells; and a third seemed to be used as an armory, -for it was filled with rifles and shot-guns of all sizes and lengths, -each weapon enclosed in a case of strong cloth, to protect it from the -dust. Occupying a prominent place over the mantel was the flag which had -been the cause of so much hard feeling on the part of Bayard Bell. It -was made of blue silk, and in its centre bore the word “Champion!” in -gold letters. It was the handiwork of Emma Bell and some of her friends, -and had been made at the suggestion of Bayard, who declared that he -and his men could pull much faster if they had something besides the -championship to work for. Lucy Conklin, the pretty cousin of one of -Bayard’s crew, was selected to present the flag to the winning boat. -She expected to have the pleasure of giving it to Bayard, who was her -favorite; and when Walter Gaylord, with his cap in his hand, and his -handsome face flushed with exercise and triumph, stepped upon the tug -where she was standing, and approached to receive the colors, Lucy was -so surprised and indignant that she forgot the neat little speech she -had prepared for the occasion, and handed the flag to the victor without -saying a word. The Club thought a great deal of that little piece of blue -silk, and were determined to keep it. - -It is the night of the first of December, 18—. The boys’ room is -brilliantly illuminated by four large lamps suspended from the ceiling, -and a cheerful wood fire is burning on the hearth, and around it is -gathered a happy party consisting of all the members of the Sportsman’s -Club. That broad-shouldered, sturdy-looking fellow who is sitting on one -side of the centre-table with a book on his knee, and talking to the old -negro who stands with his hand on the door-knob, is Walter Gaylord, the -President of the Club. He and his companions have been discussing various -plans for their amusement, and having decided to pass the next day in -hunting coons, Walter is issuing his orders. “You’re sure the weather -will be favorable, are you, Sam?” he asks. - -“Yes, sar; sartin ob it,” replies the negro. “It’s snowin’ now, fast. -It’s boun’ to snow all night, and to-morrow’ll be just de day for -tracking de coon.” - -“Well, then, we’ll start as soon after daylight as we can get ready. We -shall want a warm breakfast before we go.” - -“Yes, sar.” - -“And, Sam, we shall want something more to eat at noon, and we can’t very -well carry it with us. About half past eleven put the pony into the cart -and bring us out a good dinner. Meet us in the swamp at the old bee-tree. -Put in plenty of sandwiches, for we shall be hungry. That’s all, Sam.” - -The negro disappears, and Walter again picks up his book, while the -rest of the Club resume the various occupations in which they had been -engaged, and which this conversation had interrupted. - -That curly-headed, blue-eyed boy standing in front of the fire-place, -working upon the lock of his rifle, which is out of order, is Eugene -Gaylord, who has probably performed as many exploits, and been the hero -of as many school-scrapes, as any fellow of his age in the country. He is -a small edition of his Uncle Dick, noisy and good-natured, and seems to -be literally brimming over with fun. - -There are three other members of the Club, whom we have not yet -introduced. They are Phil Perkins, Jasper Babcock and Fred Craven. They -live in Bellville, and have come up with their horses and hounds to spend -the holidays at the Gaylord mansion. The former (who always answers -to the name of “Perk”), although he is quick to learn and has always -occupied a respectable position in his class, is not much of a boy for -books; but he is quite at home in studying up plans for mischief, and can -carry them out, too, as well as his friend Eugene. He is the best gymnast -at the Academy, and can hold out a thirty-five pound dumb-bell in each -hand. He is a good oarsman, is fond of sailing, and during the regattas -always assists Walter and Eugene in handling the Banner. Jasper Babcock -(commonly called “Bab”) has more than once demonstrated his ability to -beat any boy at the Academy in pulling a single-scull race, and can boast -that he owns the swiftest yacht about Bellville. Another accomplishment -in which he cannot be beaten is in making a standing high jump. He can -place a pole at the height of his chin from the ground, and spring over -it with the greatest ease, alighting on the other side like a fallen -feather. These two boys are sitting with a board between them, engaged -in a game of backgammon. They are both experts and rivals; and although -they have been playing for years—almost ever since they first became -acquainted—the question of superiority is not yet decided. - -Fred Craven, the coxswain of the Spray, and secretary of the Sportsman’s -Club, is a year older than Walter and scarcely more than half as -large. He is a jolly little fellow, a great favorite with everybody, -except Bayard Bell and his crowd, and always answers to the name of -“Featherweight.” He is a good bat and short-stop, sails his own yacht, -is Vice Commodore of the Academy squadron, and his record as a student -is excellent. No one ever suspects him of being in a scrape, and his -influence goes a long way toward keeping such wild fellows as Perk and -Eugene within bounds. He now sits poring over his Virgil, and, like -Walter, is so deeply interested in his book that he does not hear the -rattle of the checkers or the conversation kept up by the other members -of the Club. - -There is another occupant of the room that we must not forget to speak -of, for he bears a somewhat important part in our story. It is Rex, the -Irish greyhound which lies stretched out on the rug in front of the fire. -The dog always sleeps in the same apartment with Walter, who is the only -one he acknowledges as his master, and whom he accompanies wherever he -goes. He does other things, too, that we shall tell of by and by. - -The hours fly rapidly when one is agreeably employed, and it was ten -o’clock before the boys knew it. Long before that time Eugene had -finished repairing his rifle and getting all his accoutrements ready -for the hunt on the morrow, and after trying different plans for his -amusement, such as reading, watching the game of backgammon, and teasing -Rex, he picked up his flute. He was a good performer, and when he -confined himself to music, the Club never grew tired of listening to him; -but on this occasion, being possessed with his usual spirit of mischief, -he imitated the squealing of pigs, the cackling of hens, the creaking -of wagons, and produced other doleful sounds that were enough to drive -one distracted. Walter endured it, and so did Perk and Bab. The former, -with his feet stretched out straight before him, his chin resting on his -breast, his eyebrows elevated, and both hands tightly clasping his book, -read on all unmindful of what was going on around him, and the others -rattled their pieces and talked and played without paying any heed to the -noise; but the nervous little Featherweight, finding it impossible to -construe his Latin with such a din ringing in his ears, raised a cry of -remonstrance. - -“I say! Hold on there!” he exclaimed. “What will you take to leave off -torturing that flute and go to bed?” - -“Well, Featherweight, seeing it’s you, I won’t charge anything,” replied -Eugene. “I have been thinking that we had all better go to bed if we -intend to get up at daylight. I’ll stop. I’ll go down and wind up -Walter’s alarm-clock, and then I’ll come back and court the embrace of -‘tired Nature’s sweet restorer, balmy sleep.’” - -“H’m! Shakespeare!” exclaimed Perk. - -“Young,” corrected Walter, laying down his book. - -“Pat him on the back, somebody,” suggested Bab. - -“Don’t do it. Put him out of doors,” said Featherweight. “He has violated -the rules of the Club by quoting poetry.” - -Amid a volley of such exclamations as these Eugene left the room and -went out to wind up his brother’s alarm-clock. Now, the only alarm-clock -that Walter possessed was his white horse (Tom, he called him), and the -way to “wind him up” was to turn him loose in the yard. He would stay -around the house all night, and at the first peep of day take his stand -under his master’s window and arouse him by his neighing. How he got -into the habit, or how he found out which was his window, Walter did not -know. There were half a dozen windows on that side of the house, but -the horse never made a mistake. And there was no use in trying to sleep -when Tom wanted him to get up; for he would keep on repeating his calls -until some one answered them. In some respects he was better than an -alarm-clock. - -In half an hour the Club were in bed and fast asleep—all except Perk and -Bab, who still played away as desperately as ever. Perk came out winner -at last, but he was a long time in doing it, and it was twelve o’clock -before they were ready to retire. While they were undressing Tom began -galloping frantically about the yard (he was as watchful as any dog the -boys had ever seen), and a moment afterward one of the hounds set up a -dismal howl. This was answered by every dog on the plantation; and then -arose a chorus of whines and bays and growls that would have done credit -to a small menagerie. While Perk and Bab stood looking at each other, a -door opened and closed below, a heavy step sounded in the hall, and Mr. -Gaylord’s voice rang out above the tumult. - -“Hi! hi!” he shouted. “Hunt him up, fellows! Take hold of him!” - -Rex jumped to his feet and barked furiously, and this aroused the -slumbering members of the Club, who were out on the door in an instant. -They did not ask what the matter was, for they had no difficulty in -guessing at the cause of the disturbance. - -“Bear!” shouted Featherweight. - -“Deer!” exclaimed Eugene. - -“Who knows but it’s a panther?” said Perk. - -“We’ll find out what it is before we go to bed again,” said Walter. -“The dogs are close at his heels, are they not?” he added, as the slow, -measured baying of the hounds changed to a sharp impatient yelp. “Hurry -up, fellows, or we shall miss all the fun.” - -These midnight alarms were not new chapters in the experience of the -Club. Wild animals were abundant, and it was by no means an uncommon -occurrence for the dogs to discover a bear or wildcat prowling about -the plantation during the night. Indeed, the boys had seen bears pass -through the cornfield in the day-time; and a few weeks previous to the -commencement of our story, Walter and Eugene stood on the back porch of -the house, and fired their guns at a deer that was feeding at one of the -fodder stacks. - -The boys hurried on their clothes without loss of time, and catching up -their guns and throwing their powder-flasks and shot-pouches over their -shoulders, ran down the stairs and out of the house. On the porch they -met Mr. Gaylord, who turned and gave them an approving nod. - -“What is it?” asked all the boys in a breath. - -“O, a bear, I suppose,” replied the gentleman. “The dogs have treed him, -and if you want a little sport, we’ll go down and take a look at him.” - -There are not many boys in the world who would be willing to go to bed -when they knew that a bear had been treed within a quarter of a mile -of them. Our heroes were not, by any means. If they could remain up -all night for the purpose of capturing a coon, as they had done many a -time, they could certainly afford to lose an hour’s sleep when they had -a prospect of trying their skill on larger and more valuable game. Mr. -Gaylord went into the house after his rifle; Eugene ran to the kitchen to -bring a fire-brand; Walter hurried off in search of a couple of axes; and -the rest of the club busied themselves in gathering a supply of dry chips -with which to kindle a fire. In a few minutes Mr. Gaylord came out again, -but he moved much too slowly and deliberately to suit the impatient boys, -who set out for the woods at a rapid run, leaving him to follow at his -leisure. They found the dogs—probably a score of them in all—gathered -about a tall oak that grew just outside the cotton-field. Some of the -experienced ones, like Rex, sat at a little distance and looked steadily -up into the branches; while the younger ones made desperate attempts to -run up the tree, and failing in that, fell to fighting among themselves. -A few harshly spoken words, and a flourish or two with the switch Eugene -carried in his hand, brought order out of the confusion, and put a stop -to the barking and quarrelling. - -The first business was to kindle a fire: and by the time this had been -done Mr. Gaylord came up. The fire cracked away merrily, the flames arose -higher and higher, and presently threw out so bright a light that the -hunters could discern the outlines of some dark object crouching in the -top of the tree. The boys yelled like young savages at the discovery, and -Perk, who carried a long, heavy deer-gun of wonderful range and accuracy, -requested his companions to stand back and see how nicely he could lift -him out of the tree at the first shot. - -“Don’t be in a hurry, boys!” said Mr. Gaylord. “Let me have a good -view of him before you shoot. There’s something about him that looks -suspicious.” - -“I was just thinking so myself,” exclaimed Featherweight, and his voice -trembled a little with excitement. “He keeps too still for a bear, and -when the fire blazes up so that I can see him quite plainly, I can make -out a long, slim body. If I know anything, it is a panther.” - -A panther! The boys repeated the word in tones of excitement, cocked -their guns rather hurriedly, and their fingers trembled as they rested on -the triggers. Mr. Gaylord walked around the tree, looking at the animal -from different positions, and several times raised his rifle as if he -were about to shoot. Finally he announced that they had certainly treed a -panther, adding that he was so effectually protected by the branches that -it would be a waste of ammunition to fire at him. They must cut the tree -down. - -This decision had no sooner been rendered, than the hunters proceeded -to act upon it. Walter and Bab pulled off their coats, and stationing -themselves on opposite sides of the tree went manfully to work, while -the others stood around with their guns in their hands, keeping their -eyes fastened on the game, and ready to take the place of the choppers -as soon as the latter grew tired. They were all intensely excited—they -could not be otherwise, standing as they were under a tree containing -a panther, and knowing that he could come down from his perch and make -short work with them at any moment. They all thought of the danger, -but there was not one among them who had any idea of standing back and -allowing the others to do all the work and gain all the applause. A -panther was something worth killing in those days. Aside from the honor, -there was money to be made by it, for the authorities of the parish paid -twenty-five dollars for the scalp of every one of these animals that was -killed within its limits. - -The choppers were at work upon the tree fully twenty minutes, and during -all this time the panther sat upon his perch glaring down at his foes, -and never once changing his position. But as the top of the oak began to -waver he looked about him uneasily, and when a loud crack announced that -it was about to fall, he started up and gathered himself for a spring. - -“Shoot away, boys!” cried Mr. Gaylord; “he’s going to run. If we allow -him to reach the woods we shall lose him.” - -Six guns cracked in quick succession, and bullets and buckshot rattled -through the top of the oak, bringing twigs and dead leaves down in a -perfect shower. But if any of the missiles struck the panther they failed -to reach a vital part, for the animal sprang into the air with all the -ease and agility of a squirrel, and alighting among the branches of a -tall hickory fully twenty feet distant, quickly disappeared from sight. -While the hunters stood looking at him the oak came down with a crash, -and in an instant the dogs were tumbling about among the branches, -searching everywhere for the game, and seemingly very much astonished at -not finding him. - -“The fun is over for to-night, boys,” said Mr. Gaylord, who being an old -sportsman took matters very coolly. “We’ll go to bed now, and in the -morning we’ll put the dogs on his trail and follow him up and finish him.” - -The Club exchanged significant glances when they heard this; but said -nothing until they reached the house, and then they stopped to hold a -consultation. - - - - -CHAPTER III. - -BAYARD BELL AND HIS CROWD. - - -The members of the Club had one and all made up their minds that the -panther should be killed in the morning if he could be found, and they -had resolved, too, that Mr. Gaylord and Uncle Dick should have no hand in -the business. They had won glory enough already. Mr. Gaylord had lived -in the country from early boyhood, and had trapped and shot scores of -panthers, while Uncle Dick had more than once tried his skill on lions, -tigers and elephants. The Club, however, could not boast of any such -exploits. They had shot any number of turkeys, had eaten many a dinner of -venison that they had brought home from the woods, and had been in at the -death of more than one bear; but not one of them, before that night, had -even levelled his gun at a panther. Now they had a capital opportunity to -exhibit themselves, and they were determined to show the old Nimrods in -the village that some folks could do things as well as others. - -“We’ll never have another chance like this,” whispered Bab, excitedly, -“and we must improve it. I know that panther has some of our bullets in -him, and that he can’t travel far to-night. Go and put your alarm-clock -in the stable, Walter.” - -“What for? Don’t we want to get up early in the morning?” - -“Certainly. But if the horse awakens us by neighing under our window, -won’t he arouse your father and Uncle Dick also? If they know when we go -out they will want to go with us, and that will knock all our fun in the -head. Trust me—I will have you out of bed at four o’clock.” - -Walter whistled for his horse, and the rest of the Club went up stairs. -Tom followed his master to the barn like a dog, and after Walter had put -him in his stall, he returned to his room and tumbled into bed. He did -not intend to go to sleep at all that night, but before he knew it he -was dreaming of panthers, wild-cats, and all sorts of savage animals. It -seemed to him that he had scarcely closed his eyes when some one seized -him by the shoulder. He glanced at the clock and saw that Bab had been -true to his promise, for the hands pointed to five minutes past four. -While the boys were dressing they stepped about the room very carefully, -for fear of awaking Mr. Gaylord, who always slept with one eye and both -ears open; and taking their boots in their hands they crept cautiously -down the stairs, followed by Rex, who seemed to know what was going on -and to understand the necessity of making as little noise as possible. -As they stepped upon the porch their hounds came up; and if some one -had told them what their masters’ arrangements were, and why they were -leaving the house in so stealthy a manner, they could not have behaved -more sensibly. - -It did not take them long to walk to the barn and saddle their horses; -and in ten minutes more they were sitting around the fire, which was -still burning brightly near the stump of the oak, comparing notes and -waiting impatiently for daylight. It came at last, and as soon as they -could see to ride through the woods, they led their hounds to the tree -and showed them the limb on which the panther had been sitting. They did -this so that the dogs might know what game they were expected to follow. -If their masters had simply ordered them into the woods, they would have -opened on the first trail they found, and it might have been that of a -rabbit or coon. But now they understood that the boys wanted them to -follow the panther; and they were so well trained that if a bear or deer -had run through the woods in plain sight, they would not have paid the -least attention to it. They smelt at the limb and began circling about -the tree in search of the trail. They worked faithfully for a quarter -of an hour, and then a long, deep-toned bay echoed through the woods, -telling the young hunters that their efforts had been successful. - -“Hurrah!” shouted Eugene. “To horse, my brave boys, and away! Hi! hi! -Hunt ’em up, there!” - -If you have never followed the hounds we cannot convey to you even the -slightest idea of the melody that filled the forest when that pack of -high-flyers opened in full chorus on the trail, or the excitement that -thrilled the hunters as they flew over the ground, leaping fences, -ditches and logs, each boy urging his horse forward at the top of his -speed, in the hope of distancing his companions, and being the first to -come up with the hounds when they brought the panther to bay. Walter’s -nag took the lead at once, and with a few of his long bounds brought his -rider to the place where the dogs had struck the trail. He saw the prints -of the panther’s great feet in the snow, and every track was marked with -blood. - -“The chase will not be a long one,” exclaimed Featherweight, dashing up -beside Walter and reining in his horse for a moment to glance at the -trail, “for he is too badly wounded to travel far. Now, every man for -himself, and three cheers and a tiger for the winner.” - -Once more the boys put spurs to their horses and went galloping through -the woods at break-neck speed. - -If you have ever ridden with experienced hunters, you will, perhaps, have -some idea of the manner in which Walter and his party intended to conduct -the chase; if you have not, a word of explanation may be necessary. To -begin with, they had no intention of following directly after the dogs, -or attempting to keep up with them, for that would have been useless. -They settled it in their minds beforehand which point in the woods the -game would run for, and then “cut across lots,” and tried to reach that -point before him. - -Wild animals have ways and habits of their own that a man who has often -hunted them understands. If he knows the country he can tell within fifty -yards where a deer or a bear will run when pursued by the dogs, and each -of the Club thought he knew just the place the panther would make for -when their hounds opened on his trail. While they were sitting beside -the fire waiting for daylight, Eugene said that if the trail ran toward -the swamps, he would ride for a certain ford in the bayou. That was the -point at which deer always crossed in going to and from the swamp, and he -thought it very probable that the panther would cross there also. Walter -did not agree with his brother, and intended to look elsewhere for the -game. There was a huge poplar tree about two miles from the plantation, -that went by the name of “the panther’s den;” and he was sure he would -find him there. Featherweight thought the animal would make the best -of his way to a certain canebrake where Uncle Dick had killed three or -panthers during the previous winter, and the others thought he would go -somewhere else. In short, they had all made up their minds what they were -going to do, and each fellow thought his place was the best. They agreed -that the first one who discovered the panther should announce the fact -to the others by blowing four long blasts on his hunting-horn. - -In less than two minutes after the hounds opened on the trail, the -hunters had scattered in all directions, and each boy was drawing a -bee-line for the place where he expected to find the panther. For a long -time Walter thought he was right in his calculations, for the music of -the hounds told him that they were running in the same direction in -which he was going; but presently the baying began to grow fainter and -fainter, and finally died away in the distance. Then Walter knew that -he was wrong, but still he kept on, determined to visit and examine -the “old panther’s den,” when suddenly he heard the notes of a horn -away off in the swamp. He listened and counted four long blasts. It was -Bab’s horn, and judging by the way that young gentleman rolled out the -signals, he was very much excited about something. Walter faced about at -once, and, guided by the music of the horn which continued to ring out -at short intervals, finally came within sight of a dense brier thicket -in the lower end of his father’s cornfield. There were several trees in -the thicket, and the hounds were running about among them, gazing up -into the branches and baying loudly. Bab was the only one of the Club -in sight. He sat on his horse just outside the fence, looking up at a -cottonwood that stood a little apart from the others, and following the -direction of his gaze, what was Walter’s amazement to see _two_ immense -panthers crouching among the branches! - -“Are we not in luck?” exclaimed Bab—“two panther-skins to show as -trophies of our skill, and fifty dollars to put into our pockets? This is -grand sport. I never was more excited in my life.” - -Walter thought it very likely. He did not see how any boy could possibly -be more excited than his friend was at that moment. There was not a -particle of color in his face; his voice trembled when he spoke, and the -hand in which he held his rifle shook like a leaf. - -“Humph!” said Walter; “are you not counting your young poultry a little -too early in the season? Those skins, that you intend to exhibit with -so much pride, are very animated skins just now, and the bone and -muscle in them may carry them safely out of our reach in spite of all -our efforts to prevent it. Have you never heard old Coulte talk about -panther-hunting?” (Coulte was a Creole who lived away off in the swamp. -He was a famous hunter, and had killed more panthers, bears, and deer -than any two other men in the parish.) “He says,” continued Walter, “that -‘ven ze Frenchman hunts ze paintare ze shport is fine, magnifique; but -when ze paintare hunts the Frenchman, Ah! oui! zare is ze very mischief -to pay!’ Suppose those panthers should show a disposition to jump down -from that tree and come at us; what then?” - -“Ah! oui!” said Bab, with a regular French shrug of his shoulders. “By -the time they touched the ground I would be a long way from here. That’s -our fellow,” he said, pointing to the nearest panther. “I caught sight -of him just now as he was ascending the tree, and noticed that he could -scarcely raise his fore-legs. He is badly wounded.” - -“Where did the other come from?” - -“I don’t know; he was in the tree when I came here. No doubt the dogs -started him up in the woods, and he ran with the other to keep him -company. Now, we don’t want to take any unfair advantage of the rest of -the Club, and I propose that we wait until they come up.” - -Of course Walter agreed to this—not simply for the reason Bab had given, -but because he thought it best to have a strong force at hand before -troubling those panthers. The other hunters were not a great way off. -Led by the sound of Bab’s horn, they came up one after the other; and -when Eugene, who was the last, made his appearance, they gathered around -Walter to hold a council of war. Their arrangements were all made in a -few minutes, and after throwing down a portion of the fence, they leaped -their horses into the cornfield, and rode toward the thicket. They -surrounded the cottonwood, and at a word from Walter, five guns were -pointed toward its branches, the sights covering the wounded panther’s -head. - -“One—two—three!” counted Walter, slowly. - -The guns belched forth their contents at the same instant, and through -the smoke that wreathed above their heads the hunters caught just one -glimpse of a limp, lifeless body falling to the ground. One enemy was -disposed of, and the fate of the other was sealed a moment afterward, for -Perk fired the second barrel of his deer-killer, and fifteen buckshot -found a lodgment in the panther’s head. Two more guns cracked while he -was falling through the air, and if he was not dead when he left the -branch on which he had been crouching, he certainly was before he touched -the ground. The work was easily done, but there was not one of the young -hunters who did not draw a long breath of relief when he saw that it was -over. They knew that panther-hunters do not often bag their game with as -little trouble and danger as they had in securing theirs. - -“Well, Walter, we’ve done it after all, haven’t we?” exclaimed Bab, -highly elated and excited. “Three cheers for the Sportsman’s Club one and -all!” - -When the cheer had been given, the boys dismounted to examine their -prizes. The one they had cut out of the tree the night before was an -immense animal for one of its species, and his teeth and claws were -frightful to see. The other, although not nearly as large, was still an -ugly-looking fellow, and, no doubt, before he received their bullets and -buckshot in his head, would have whipped them all in a fair fight, if he -had seen fit to descend from his tree and give them battle. - -“Now, the next thing to be done,” said Eugene, “is to go to the house for -a wagon.” - -“One of us can do that,” replied Walter, “and the rest had better stay -here and watch the game.” - -“Do you think there is any danger of their running away?” asked Perk. - -“No; but there may be danger that some one will run away with them if -we don’t keep our eyes open,” returned Walter, who was gazing intently -toward the woods. “There are other hunters coming, if my ears do not -deceive me.” - -After listening a moment, the boys all heard the noise that had attracted -Walter’s attention. It was the baying of hounds. The sound came faintly -to their ears at first, but grew louder and louder every moment, -indicating that the chase was tending toward the cornfield. - -“Now isn’t that provoking?” cried Eugene. “Pull off your coats, boys, and -get ready for a fight; for if we don’t have one in less than ten minutes, -I shall miss my guess.” - -“We can tell more about that when we see the hunters,” said Featherweight. - -“O, I know who they are,” replied Eugene. “I have heard those hounds -before, and I am certain that they belong to Bayard Bell and his crowd.” - -The other members of the Club thought so too, and they wished that Bayard -had stayed away half an hour longer, and given them time to remove their -game to a place of safety. - -Every section has some laws of its own that are not written in books; -and this is especially true of a new country, concerning the sharing of -the proceeds of a hunt. For example, a hunter sets out on the trail of -a deer that has travelled all night. A second hunter strikes the trail -in advance of him, and follows up the game and kills it. The first -man, if he comes up before the game is removed, and can prove that he -was on the trail at an earlier hour than his rival, can claim half the -deer, although he may have been miles away when it was killed. Game was -so abundant at the time of which we write, that there was seldom any -difficulty in regard to the division of the spoils. If the successful -hunter was generous, the other let him off very easily, perhaps taking -only a few steaks for his next morning’s breakfast; but if he showed -a disposition to be stingy, his rival always insisted on his rights, -and got them, too. In this case the Club thought they saw a chance -for trouble. Every one in that region knew that there was a standing -reward of twenty-five dollars offered for the scalp of every panther -killed in the parish, and they were afraid that the hunters who were -then approaching might endeavor to establish a claim to a portion of the -money. That was something they did not intend to allow. They found the -trail first, followed up the panther, and finding him in company with -another, killed them both, before any one, except Mr. Gaylord, knew that -they were in the neighborhood. They hurriedly discussed the matter while -they were awaiting the approach of the rival hunters, and resolved that -they would stand up for their rights. - -The noise of the chase continued to grow louder every moment, and -presently a pack of hounds, perhaps a dozen of them in all, emerged -from the woods, and leaping the fence came close upon the young hunters -before they discovered them. Then they ceased their baying, smelt of the -panthers, and tried to scrape an acquaintance with Rex and the rest of -the Club’s hounds; but their advances not being very graciously received, -they ran back to the fence to await the arrival of their masters. They -came at length, and when the foremost horseman appeared in sight, our -heroes exchanged significant glances and drew a little closer together, -while Eugene rested his gun against the nearest tree and began to -pull off his overcoat. “It is just as I expected,” said he, in great -disgust. “We’ll see fun now, for Bayard and his crowd are mean enough for -anything.” - -As Eugene spoke, a magnificent coal-black charger arose in the air, and, -sailing over the fence like a bird, came toward the thicket at a rapid -gallop. He carried on his back a dark sullen-looking boy about seventeen -years of age, who wore a military cloak and cap, heavy horseman’s boots -and gauntlet gloves, and carried a light rifle slung over his shoulder by -a broad strap. This was Bayard Bell, Walter’s rival in everything except -his studies. Close behind him came four other boys—Will and Seth Bell, -Henry Chase and Leonard Wilson—all finely mounted, neatly dressed, and -armed with shot-guns and rifles. These five boys had a society of their -own, something like the Sportman’s Club, and somehow they were always -opposing the members of the Club, and were invariably worsted by them. -They had claimed to be the champion oarsmen of the Academy, and in the -attempt to establish that claim, had been so badly beaten that their -friends were ashamed of them. Bayard and Henry Chase had been candidates -for the position of Commodore and Vice-Commodore of the Academy -squadron; but Walter and Featherweight had carried off the honors. -Bayard also wanted to be president of one of the literary societies of -the institution, and had worked hard for certain academic honors that he -thought he ought to have; but rattle-brained Eugene Gaylord had snatched -one of the prizes from his grasp, and the studious little Featherweight -had walked off with the other. As Bayard and his friends had been -confident of success in every one of these instances, their failures -were sore disappointments to them. They looked upon their defeats as -direct insults, and declared that they would never forget them. They had -generally tried to treat the Club with civility as long as they remained -at the Academy, but now that they were out from under the eyes of their -professors and away from the rest of the students, they thought they had -no reason to conceal the real state of their feelings. - -The attention of the new-comers was so fully occupied in guiding their -horses through the thicket and over the rough, uneven ground, that -they did not discover the members of the Club until they had dashed -into the very midst of them; and then they checked their horses so -suddenly that every one of them was thrown back upon his haunches. The -encounter was plainly unexpected, and very much of a surprise to them. -They gazed first at our heroes and then at the panthers, and taking in -the position of affairs at a glance, looked inquiringly at one another, -as if to ask: “What shall we do about it?” Bayard must have been able -to read the thoughts that were passing in the minds of his friends, or -else he received some sign from them indicative of their desires, for -he immediately assumed a swaggering, bullying air, which told the Club -plainly enough what was coming. - -“Well,” he snarled (he always talked in a snappish sort of way, as if -he were angry about something), “Who’s work is this? Who killed these -panthers?” - -“We did,” replied Eugene. - -“You!” echoed Bayard. He looked at the young hunters in amazement, and -then smiled derisively. “You can’t crowd any such story as that down our -throats,” said he, at length. “Your father and your uncle Dick killed -them, and you’re watching them while they go after a wagon to haul them -home. That’s the way the thing stands.” - -“You are nice-looking fellows to kill two panthers, are you not?” said -Seth, with a sneer. “You would run crying home to your mammas if you saw -the track of one.” - -“Have it your own way,” replied Walter, good-naturedly. “We killed them -without help from anybody, but there’s no law that I know of that compels -you to believe it.” - -“They’re done for, anyhow,” said Bayard, “and we are saved considerable -trouble and hard riding. We’ve been following them for more than an -hour—we found their trail down there on the banks of the bayou—and we -would have got them if we’d had to follow them clear to New York. If -you can prove that you shot them you will take a few dollars out of our -pockets.” - -Bayard and his men dismounted and proceeded to examine the animals very -closely. They looked at their teeth, lifted their paws, guessed at their -weight, and finally Bayard drew a hunting-knife from his boot, and after -trying the edge on his thumb, walked up to one of the panthers and took -hold of his ear. - -“Hold on, there!” exclaimed Eugene. “What are you about?” - -“What am I about?” repeated Bayard, as though he regarded the question -as a very strange one; “I am going to take this animal’s scalp—that’s -all. It is worth twenty-five dollars to us. We don’t care for the money, -but we have rights here, and we intend to enforce them. You can take the -other scalp—it belongs to you, or to whoever killed the panthers—and, as -we are not disposed to be mean, we will give you both the skins.” - -“Now, let me tell you something,” said Perk. “Keep away from there.” - -“Eh!” ejaculated Bayard, opening his eyes to their widest extent. -“Doesn’t half the fifty dollars these scalps are worth belong to us? It -does, and we’re going to have it.” - -Perk very deliberately pulled off his overcoat and threw it across his -saddle, and Bayard put up his knife and stepped back. Perk coolly seated -himself on the head of the largest panther, crossed his legs over the -other, and placed his hat beside him on the ground. When the Club -witnessed these movements, they told themselves that if they had belonged -to Bayard’s party, knowing their friend as well as they did, the offer of -double the value of the panthers’ scalps would not have induced them to -interfere with him then. - - - - -CHAPTER IV. - -WILD-HOG HUNTING. - - -“Well, this beats anything I ever heard of,” said Will Bell, angrily. “I -shouldn’t wonder if we had to fight for our share.” - -“That would be a bad job for you,” said Bab. “Now, Bayard, let me ask you -a question: when did you start the trail of these animals?” - -“At daylight,” was the prompt reply; “and you couldn’t have found it any -sooner than that, I guess. They were around our house all night, both of -them.” - -“That’s a—good morning,” said Featherweight. - -“It’s a truth, and I can prove it,” shouted Bayard, glaring savagely at -Featherweight. “Get away from there, Phil Perkins.” - -“Now, Bayard, if you will listen to me a moment I will tell you -something,” answered Perk. “I won’t budge an inch.” - -Bayard hesitated a moment as if undecided how to act, and then made a -sign to his men, who unslung their guns, and after hanging them upon the -horns of their saddles, pulled off their coats and came up around their -leader, while the Club moved up to support Perk. A collision seemed -imminent, and Walter, who did not believe in fighting, tried to reason -with his rival. - -“Look here, Bayard,” said he; “when you first came up you told us that -you had followed the trail of these two panthers for more than an hour, -and that you found it on the bank of the bayou.” - -“So I did, and I’ll stick to it.” - -“And a moment ago you declared that you discovered it at daylight, -somewhere near your house.” - -“Eh!” exclaimed Bayard, who could not help seeing that he had -contradicted himself. “I mean—you see—that’s the truth, too.” - -“Your stories don’t agree,” continued Walter. “The facts of the case are -that these two animals did not come together until this morning. The -larger one was prowling about our house until midnight, and our dogs -treed him. We cut the tree down, but he escaped; and at the first peep of -day we put our hounds on his track, and followed him up and killed him. -You struck the trail behind us, and consequently are not entitled to a -share of the reward.” - -This proved to Bayard’s satisfaction that the Club understood the matter -quite as well as he did. He and his men had been out coon-hunting, most -likely (their reputation as hunters did not warrant the supposition that -they were in search of larger game), and having stumbled upon the trail -of the panthers they had followed it up out of curiosity, and not with -any intention of attacking the animals if they had overtaken them. When -they found the Club alone with their prizes, they thought it would be -a good plan to pay off some of their old scores by robbing them of a -portion of their game. They were noted bullies and fighting characters, -and they thought the knowledge of this fact would awe the young hunters -into submission to any demands they might make upon them; but they had -reckoned without their host. Walter saw that what he had said made Bayard -and his friends very angry, and he was glad that he was not alone. - -“I see just how it is!” exclaimed Seth Bell, in a voice choked with -passion. “You have beaten us at so many things that you have got it into -your heads that you can ride over us rough-shod at any time you please; -but you will find that you can’t do it. We’ve got things fixed for one of -you, if you only knew it, and in less than two days—” - -“Hold on, Seth,” interrupted Bayard; “you’re talking too much. Get away -from there, Perkins.” - -“If it’s all the same to you, I’d as soon sit here as anywhere else,” was -the reply. “If you had any claim we wouldn’t say a word. It isn’t the -twenty-five dollars we care for. If you were in need of it we would give -it to you gladly; but you might as well understand, first as last, that -you can’t bully us out of our rights. If you don’t get anything to eat -until we surrender one of these scalps to you, you’ll be hungry—that’s a -fact.” - -This speech was delivered with the utmost good nature, but the Club knew, -and so did Bayard and his men, that it was quite useless to argue the -matter further. The actions of the latter indicated that they did not -intend to waste any more time in words, but had made up their minds to -try what virtue there was in their muscles; for they took off their caps, -rolled up their sleeves, and made other preparations to attack the Club -and drive them from the field. “Come on, fellows,” exclaimed Bayard; -“and every time you put in a blow think of that boat-race, and of the -election that was carried against us by fraud.” - -“I really believe there’s going to be a skirmish here,” said Perk, rising -to his feet and drawing himself up to his full height. “Now let me tell -you something: I am going to take the two biggest of you and knock your -heads together. Pitch in.” - -Bayard and his men, not in the least intimidated by this threat, took -Perk at his word. They set up a yell and sprang forward like a lot of -young savages; but before they had made many steps they were suddenly -checked by an unlooked-for incident that happened just then. A score -of hounds in full cry burst from the woods, and leaping the fence -came dashing into the thicket, following the trail of the panthers. A -half-dozen horsemen, two of whom were Mr. Gaylord and Uncle Dick, and the -rest negroes, followed close at their heels, and at the sight of them -the ardor of Bayard and his men cooled directly. They paused in their -headlong rush, and, acting with a common impulse, caught up their coats, -retreated quickly to their horses, and mounted with all possible haste. -When they found themselves safe in their saddles their courage returned, -and while the others contented themselves with shaking their fists at the -members of the Club, Seth stopped to say a parting word to them. - -“You haven’t seen the last of us, my young friends!” he exclaimed, in a -very savage tone of voice. “In less than two days one of you will find -himself——” - -Just then Bayard’s heavy glove came across Seth’s mouth with a sounding -whack, and the latter’s horse starting off with the others carried him -out of sight, to the great disappointment of the Club, who had listened -eagerly to his words, hoping to obtain some clue to the plans Bayard had -laid against them. They found out in due time what those plans were, and -in a way that one of their number, at least, did not like. - -“What’s the matter here, boys?” cried Uncle Dick, reining in his horse -with a jerk. “You did not come to blows with those—well, I declare!” - -Uncle Dick did not finish what he had to say. He glanced down at the game -and opened his eyes in amazement, and so did Mr. Gaylord; and for a few -seconds neither of them spoke. Eugene, however, was very talkative, and -while his father and uncle were examining the panthers, he entertained -them with a glowing description of the manner in which the Club had -accomplished their destruction and told what had passed between them and -Bayard. - -“I wouldn’t have anything to do with those fellows,” said Mr. Gaylord, -when Eugene had finished his story. “I would keep out of sight and -hearing of them as much as I possibly could. They are a hard lot, and as -you have been unfortunate enough to incur their enmity, they will seek -every opportunity to be revenged upon you. Bob,” he added, turning to one -of the negroes, “put these animals on your mule, and take them to the -house. Come, boys, you have done enough for one day.” - -The Club mounted their horses, and, accompanied by Mr. Gaylord and Uncle -Dick, rode toward the house, the negroes and the hounds bringing up the -rear. The panthers were left on the floor of the gin-house, and two -of the negroes were instructed how to remove and stretch the skins so -that they could be preserved; for Uncle Dick, who was very proud of the -exploit the boys had performed, although he had had but little to say -about it, declared that they ought to have something to remember that -morning’s hunt by, and announced that it was his intention to send the -skins to a taxidermist in New Orleans, and have them stuffed and mounted. - -After Uncle Dick left the gin-house, the boys stood for a long time -holding their horses by the bridle, watching the operation of skinning -the panthers, and wondering what they should do next. It was not yet -twelve o’clock, and there was a whole afternoon before them to be passed -in some way. Eugene, who did not care much what he did so long as he was -in motion, suggested that hunting wild-turkeys was fine sport; but as the -snow that had fallen the night before had already disappeared, and the -chances of tracking turkeys on the bare ground were slim indeed, the Club -said they would rather not attempt it. Featherweight reminded them of the -’coon-hunt they had decided upon the night before; but Walter declared -that it was not to be thought of. After killing two panthers, and defying -Bayard Bell and his crowd of fellows, ’coon-hunting would be very tame -sport. They must have something more exciting. - -“Well, den, I tells you what you kin do, Marse Walter,” said one of the -negroes, looking up from his work; “you ’members dem wild hogs that -wasn’t druv up last fall kase we couldn’t cotch ’em?” - -“Yes!” cried the boys in concert. - -“I knows right whar they uses,”[1] continued the negro. - - [1] In the South and West this word is used in the same sense - as _frequent_. If a hunter says that wild animals “use” any - particular portion of the woods, he means that they are - generally to be found there. - -“Now, that’s the very idea!” said Perk, excitedly. “There’s plenty of -sport in wild-hog hunting, and I move that we start out at once. Where -shall we go to find the hogs, uncle?” - -“You knows whar de ole bee-tree is?” replied the negro. “It’s holler, you -know. Well, dar dey is—fo’ on ’em—mighty big fellers, too, an’ savage, -kase I seed ’em yesterday when I went out fur to fotch up the mules.” - -“Let’s be off, fellows,” repeated Perk, impatiently. - -“Wouldn’t it be better to wait until to-morrow and make a day of it?” -asked Walter. “We’ll get some of the darkies to help us, and take the -cart along to haul the game home in.” - -“But what shall we do this afternoon?” asked Perk. “That’s the question -now before the house.” - -“As far as you are individually concerned,” replied Bab, “I will promise -you that the time shall not hang heavily on your hands. I’ll beat you at -playing backgammon.” - -The majority of the Club were in favor of Walter’s proposition, and, -after some remonstrance from Eugene, who couldn’t see how in the world he -was going to pass the rest of the day, as he was not much of a backgammon -player, and had no new book to read, it was finally adopted. The boys -then, suddenly remembering that they had eaten no breakfast and that they -were very hungry, put their horses in the stable and walked toward the -house. Sam speedily served them up a cold lunch, and at three o’clock -they were summoned to dinner, to which they did ample justice. - -Bab kept his promise to Perk, and during the whole of the afternoon, -and until late at night, made things exceedingly lively for that -young gentleman, beating him at every game of backgammon. Walter and -Featherweight passed the time with reading and studying; and Eugene, -after he had made all the necessary preparations for the hog-hunt on the -morrow, went up to the “cabin,” as Uncle Dick’s room was always called, -and, finding the old sailor absent, took possession of his sofa and went -to sleep. - -There were no panthers to prowl about and disturb their rest that night, -and the young hunters did not know that anything unusual happened on the -plantation. But, for all that, something unusual _did_ happen, and if the -boys had witnessed it, they would have been much more excited and alarmed -than they had been at any time during the day or previous night. About -eight o’clock two horsemen, one wearing a cloak and riding a white horse, -and the other wearing an overcoat and mounted on a bay horse, galloped -down the road and drew rein in front of the gate which opened into the -carriage-way leading to Mr. Gaylord’s dwelling. There they stopped and -held a long and earnest consultation, after which they opened the gate -and were on the point of riding toward the house, when two men suddenly -sprang from the thick bushes that grew on each side of the carriage-way, -and while one caught the bridle of the white horse and held fast to it, -the other seized his rider and pulled him to the ground. A few gruff -words were addressed to the other horseman, who sat motionless in his -saddle for a moment, then faced about and tore down the road as if all -the wolves in the parish were close at his heels, followed by the white -horse, which was riderless; and before the sound of their hoofs had -died away, the men had disappeared as quickly as they had come, taking -their prisoner with them, and the carriage-way was once more silent and -deserted. - -The Club, little dreaming that such a proceeding as this had taken place -almost within sight of their window, slept soundly all night, and bright -and early the next morning might have been seen with their overcoats, -comforters and gloves on, walking up and down the back porch of the -house, waiting for their horses to be brought out. In front of the -door stood a light two-wheeled cart, which, besides two large baskets -of eatables, contained the four negroes who were to assist the boys in -securing the wild hogs—three of them curled up among the straw on the -bottom of the vehicle, and the other sitting on the driver’s seat holding -the reins over a very old and infirm pony, which stood with his head down -and his eyes closed, as if fast asleep. Gathered about the foot of the -steps that led to the porch were the hounds, some lying down, others -walking restlessly about, and all of them showing by unmistakable signs -that they were impatient at the delay. Conspicuous among them stood -Rex, who was the Club’s main dependence that day—as indeed he was every -day—the other hounds not being considered of much service in wild-hog -hunting. - -“Cuff,” said Eugene, addressing himself to the driver of the cart, “you -might as well go ahead, and when you pass the stables hurry up those -horses. We’re tired of waiting for them. Let’s sing something, fellows.” - -Perk, Bab and Featherweight pulled their mufflers down from their faces -and moved up closer to Eugene, who coughed once or twice and sang in a -clear soprano voice:— - - “A southerly wind and a cloudy sky - Proclaim it a hunting morning; - Before the sun rises away we’ll fly, - Dull sleep and a downy bed scorning. - To horse, my brave boys, and away! - Bright Phœbus the hills is adorning; - The face of all nature looks gay; - ’Tis a beautiful scent-laying morning. - Hark! hark! forward! - Tan-ta-ra! tan-ta-ra! tan-ta-ra!” - -The song was not exactly appropriate to the occasion. The sky was not -cloudy, but perfectly clear; and instead of a “southerly wind” there was -a keen north wind blowing, which was so searching that the boys were -glad to pull their comforters up around their faces again as soon as the -song was finished, and walked up and down the porch beating their hands -together to keep them warm. But, for all that, it was well sung and worth -listening to; for these four boys understood music and delighted in it. -Eugene was a good soprano, Featherweight carried the alto, Bab sang a -fine tenor, and Perk’s bass was something better than common. Walter -was the only one of the Club who had no music in his soul. He generally -joined in the singing, and always made a discord; but on this particular -morning he held his peace, having something else to think about. He had -drawn back into the doorway to get out of the wind, and stood with one -hand in his pocket, and the other holding a newspaper, at which his right -eye, which was the only part of his face that could be seen over his -muffler, was looking intently. When the song was finished he uttered an -exclamation, and without stopping to explain read as follows:— - - “_Lafitte Redivivus._—A gang of desperate smugglers have taken - up their abode among the dark bayous and pestilent swamps of - that portion of Louisiana bordering on the Gulf coast. They - are composed of Chinamen, Malays, Portuguese and Creoles, and - are led by two Americans. The New Orleans Collector of Customs - expects soon to accomplish their detection, although he has - thus far been unable to gain the slightest clue to their - haunts, or to the manner in which their nefarious trade is - carried on.” - -“What do you think of that?” asked Walter, turning toward his companions -to observe the effect the reading of this article would have upon them. -He expected them to be astonished, and their actions indicated that they -certainly were. - -“I’ll tell you what I think about it,” said Perk, who was the first to -speak. “I don’t doubt the existence of such a band, for some of the -settlers have suspected it for a long time, and the presence of the -revenue cutters along the coast shows that the government suspects -it also; and I think that if we had got into a fight with those boys -yesterday, we would have whipped three of the relatives of the ringleader -of this organization.” - -The arrival of the horses at this moment put a stop to the conversation; -but when the young hunters had mounted and ridden into the lane that ran -across the cornfield toward the swamp, it was resumed, and the matter -discussed most thoroughly. But at the end of an hour, after each boy had -expressed an opinion and brought forward his arguments to establish it, -they knew no more about the smugglers than they did when they began the -debate. Their horses, however, had made better use of their time, for -while the discussion was in progress they had accomplished the four miles -that lay between the house and the swamp, and brought their riders within -a short distance of the old bee-tree. There the Club dismounted to await -the arrival of the cart and the negroes, and to decide upon the plan of -the hunt. They dropped the smugglers now, and talked about nothing but -wild hogs. - -At the time of which we write farming was carried on on an extensive -scale at the South. Mr. Gaylord had more than three thousand acres under -cultivation. He owned two hundred working mules and horses, double that -number of young cattle which ran loose in the swamp, and two thousand -hogs. These hogs were not managed as Northern farmers manage theirs. -They were allowed to roam at will in the woods from one year’s end to -another’s—all except those he intended to fatten, which were penned up -during the latter part of the autumn and fed until just before the -holidays, when they were slaughtered. Those that were permitted to run -at large fared sumptuously on beech-nuts, acorns, and hickory-nuts. -Mr. Gaylord’s neighbors all owned immense droves, which also ran loose -in the swamp, and, of course, it was necessary to have some way of -distinguishing them, so that each planter would know his property when he -saw it; consequently the hogs were all marked—that is, their ears were -cut in different ways. Mr. Gaylord marked his by cutting the left ear -entirely off; so whenever he found a one-eared hog in the woods, he was -pretty certain that it belonged to him. - -Catching these hogs was as much of a jubilee with Southern boys as a -corn-husking is with you fellows who live in the North. A planter set -a certain day for the business, and needing all the help he could get, -sent invitations to his neighbors, who responded by coming themselves -and bringing some of their negroes. The most of the hogs, being tame and -gentle, could be driven anywhere, and before night they would be confined -in pens previously made for their reception; but there were always some -wild ones among them that would take to their heels and seek refuge in -the deepest parts of the swamp. Then came the fun. These hogs must be -secured, and that could be done only by catching them with dogs and tying -them—an undertaking in which there was plenty of excitement, but which -was sometimes attended with considerable danger, as you will presently -see. The hogs of which Walter and his friends were now in pursuit, had -escaped from Mr. Gaylord’s drove during the previous autumn, and had -remained at large in spite of all the efforts made to capture them. - -In a few minutes the cart came up, and after a short consultation with -the driver the plan of the attack was decided upon. The pony was tied -to a sapling, the boys and negroes formed themselves into a line, and, -after sending the dogs on in advance, began to move toward the old -bee-tree, gradually lengthening the line as they approached it, in -order to surround the game. The dogs did not give tongue and run about -among the bushes, as they usually did, but, led by Rex, walked straight -ahead, as if they understood the matter in hand as well as their masters -did, and moved so slowly that the boys easily kept them in sight. They -had gone perhaps half a mile in this order, when the hounds suddenly -uttered a simultaneous yelp, which was followed by a loud grunt and a -violent commotion in the bushes directly in advance of them. The game was -started, and now the hunt began in earnest. - - - - -CHAPTER V. - -PERK IN A PREDICAMENT. - - -There are times when nothing in the world does one so much good as giving -vent to half a dozen terrific yells in quick succession, and we have -always thought that the occasion of a hog hunt is one of them. When the -sport first begins, and you hear the game, which is to you invisible, -crashing through the bushes on all sides of you; when you see your eager -dogs flying over the ground like “coursers in the race” (we never could -understand how any healthy boy can live without at least one good dog); -when your horse, hearing the sounds of the chase, pricks up his ears -and fairly trembles under the saddle with impatience; when you feel -your muscles growing rigid, and your heart swelling within you with -excitement;—in circumstances like these, is there anything that lets off -the surplus steam so easily and completely as a few good yells given with -your whole soul? It is one of the very best things in the world for the -health—at least the Club thought so; and if you could have heard the -yells they gave on that particular morning, you would have said that they -were blessed with extraordinary lungs. - -In less time than it takes to tell it, after the hounds gave them notice -that the game had been discovered, the young hunters had scattered in all -directions, and Walter found himself being carried through the bushes -with a rapidity that endangered not only his clothing but his skin, also. -His white charger, Tom, had engaged in wild-hog hunting so often that -he well understood his business, which was to follow Rex wherever he -went, and keep as close to his heels as possible; and Walter had nothing -to do but to lie flat along his neck, to avoid being swept out of the -saddle by the branches of the trees, shut his eyes and hold on like grim -death. This was not the most comfortable position in the world, for the -horse, which entered into the sport with as much eagerness as though he -possessed the soul to appreciate it, was not at all careful in picking -his way. He went like the wind, dodging around this stump, jumping over -that, plunging through thickets of briers and cane that seemed almost -impassable, and finally, without any word from his rider, suddenly -stopped. - -Walter looked up and found himself in a clear space about ten feet in -diameter, in which the bushes had been beaten down and trampled upon -until they presented the appearance of having been cut with a scythe. -Near the middle of this clear spot stood the faithful Rex, holding by the -ear the largest wild hog it was ever Walter’s fortune to put eyes on. His -attention was first attracted by a wound on the greyhound’s shoulder, -from which the blood was flowing profusely, and then his eyes wandered to -the enormous tusks that had made that wound. - -These tusks are two teeth in the lower jaw, one on each side, sometimes -represented as growing above the snout, as you see them in the pictures -in your geography and natural history. You may have regarded these -pictures as exaggerations, but if you could have seen the hog Rex caught -that morning you would have had reason to think differently. His tusks -were five inches in length. These teeth are not used in chewing the food, -but in fighting; and they are dangerous weapons. A wild hog does not bite -his enemy, as one might suppose; but strikes and wounds him with his -tusks; and wherever they touch they cut like a knife. - -A wild hog is the wildest thing that ever lived, not even excepting a -deer or turkey. He inhabits the darkest nooks in the woods, and, like -some other wild animals, feeds at night and sleeps in the day time. He -has one peculiarity: no matter how tight a place he gets into or how -badly he is hurt, he never squeals. More than that, a dog which has often -hunted wild hogs seems to fall into their habits, for during the hunt he -seldom growls or barks. - -Walter was highly enraged when he found that Rex was wounded, and told -himself that if he had had his double-barrel in his hands he would have -put an end to that hog’s existence then and there. But he was entirely -unarmed, and not possessing the courage to attack such a monster with -empty hands, he sat quietly in his saddle and watched the contest. -He had seen Rex in many a battle before that, and he saw him in some -desperate scrapes afterward, but he never knew him to fight with greater -determination than he exhibited that morning. Have you ever seen an ant -carrying off a grain of corn? If you have, you will gain some idea of -the great odds Rex had to contend with when we tell you that there was as -much difference in size between him and the hog, as between the ant and -the kernel of corn. He looked altogether too small to engage so large an -enemy; but his wound had enraged him, and when he once got his blood up, -he feared nothing. - -The hog was no coward, either. He had evidently made up his mind to win -the battle, and his movements were much more rapid than you would suppose -so large a mountain of flesh capable of. He struck at Rex repeatedly, and -tried hard to bring him within reach of those terrible tusks, one fair -blow from which would have ended the battle in an instant and left Walter -to sing: - - “No dog to love, none to caress.” - -But Rex understood all that quite as well as his master did. He sustained -his high reputation even in that emergency, holding fast to the hog’s -ear, keeping out of reach of the deadly teeth, and now and then giving -his antagonist a shake that brought him to his knees. It was genuine -science against Kentucky science—main strength and awkwardness. Neither -of the combatants uttered a sound; both fought in silence and with the -energy of desperation. - -Walter had watched the contest perhaps two or three minutes, not yet -having made up his mind what he ought to do, when he heard a crashing in -the bushes on the opposite side of the clearing, and presently a large -iron-gray horse appeared and stopped as his own had done. On his back he -bore an object that was almost covered up by a broad-brimmed planter’s -hat; and the removal of that hat revealed the flushed face and black -head of Phil Perkins. He gazed about him for a moment with a bewildered -air, and when his eyes rested on the greyhound and his huge antagonist, -he straightened up and prepared for action. His first move was to throw -back his head and give utterance to a yell that would have done credit -to a Choctaw brave in his war-paint, and his second to spring off his -horse and run to the hound’s assistance. He stopped for a moment to push -back his sleeves and settle his hat firmly on his head, and before Walter -could tell what he was going to do, he caught the hog by his hind legs -and with one vigorous twist lifted him from the ground and threw him on -his side. Holding him down with one hand, he fumbled in his pockets with -the other, and finally drew out a piece of rope, with which he proceeded -to confine the hog’s feet. - -Now, Perkins was quite as famous for his reckless courage as for his -strength, and when he appeared on the scene Walter knew that something -was going to happen to that hog; but he little thought his friend would -attack him with empty hands. “Perk!” he exclaimed, in great alarm, “get -away from there. Don’t you know you are in danger?” - -“No, I reckon not,” was Perk’s reply. “If I can’t manage any hog that -ever ran wild in Louisiana, when once I get a good hold of him, I will -make you a present of my horse.” - -“But, Perk, you’ve got hold of a varmint now. That fellow is as big as -two common hogs.” - -“No difference if he is as big as four. I am man enough for him.” - -At this moment, just as Walter was about to dismount to go to Perk’s -assistance, Cuff, one of the negroes, hurried up breathless and excited. -“Marse Walter!” he exclaimed, “I’se mighty glad I’se found you. Marse -’Gene say come dar right away. We got one cotched, but we needs help -mighty bad.” - -Thinking that his brother might be in trouble (Walter told himself that -that boy could not be easy unless he was in some sort of difficulty), -and not doubting that Perk, with the greyhound’s help, would be able to -manage his captive, Walter put spurs to his horse and followed Cuff, who -led the way to a ravine about a quarter of a mile distant, and there he -found the mate to the hog Rex had caught. He was almost as large, quite -as furious, and as fully determined to have things all his own way. -Eugene had thrown a rope around one of his hind legs and fastened it -to the nearest tree. He was assisted by Bab, the four negroes, and six -hounds; but the hog seemed in a fair way to whip them all. - -These hounds were unlike Rex in more respects than one. Not possessing -one quarter of his courage, they were out of place in a rough-and-tumble -fight—they could not be depended upon. When Eugene shouted to them they -would catch the hog and pull him to the ground, and the negroes would run -up to throw their ropes over his head and around his legs; but he fought -so desperately that the hounds would let go their hold, and then there -would be a scattering that would have been amusing had the struggle been -unattended with danger. The hog seemed to care nothing for the dogs. He -tried hard to reach his human enemies, and the only thing that protected -them from his fury was the rope—a piece of clothes-line—with which he -was tied to the tree. But even that would not long avail them, for, to -Walter’s intense horror, he saw that some of the strands had parted. - -“Eugene! Bab!” he cried, in a voice which he could scarcely raise above a -whisper, “that rope is breaking. Run for your lives!” - -The words were scarcely spoken when the hog made a savage lunge at -Eugene, who happened to be nearest him, and the rope, no longer strong -enough to sustain his weight, parted with a loud snap. Eugene’s face -grew as pale as death. He stood for an instant as if paralyzed, and then -turned and took to his heels, but before he had made a half dozen steps a -root caught his foot, and he fell heavily to the ground. - -A cry of horror burst from all who witnessed the peril of the unlucky -young hunter, and Bab stood motionless, while Walter sat in his saddle -looking fixedly at his brother without possessing the power to move hand -or foot. There was but one thing he could do, and that was to encourage -the hounds to catch the hog. That might delay him until Eugene could -reach his horse, and then he would be safe. As soon as he had recovered -the use of his tongue he set up a shout, and the dogs being well trained -and accustomed to obedience, seized the hog and pulled him to the ground. - -“Now, then, run in and catch him—all of us,” cried Walter, throwing -himself from his saddle. “Be in a hurry, and if you once get a good hold -of him, hang on with all the strength you’ve got.” - -But before Bab or any of the negroes had time to move, the hog scrambled -to his feet, and shaking off the dogs as easily as a giant would shake -off so many school-boys, again started after Eugene. So quickly had all -this been done that his intended victim had not yet arisen from the -ground, and before he could think twice the hog charged upon him like a -runaway locomotive. O! if Rex had only been there, or if Walter had had -his trusty double-barrel in his hands! - -The only weapon he could find was a short club which happened to be lying -near him on the ground, which, even had he been within striking distance -of the hog, would no more have checked him in his headlong rush than a -straw would stem the current of Niagara; still he caught it up and sprang -forward, determined to save his brother or share in his peril, when, just -in the nick of time—not one single instant too soon—help arrived, and -from a source from which he least expected it. He heard a yell of delight -from Bab, a gray streak flashed before his eyes, and just as Eugene put -up his arm to ward off the blow from those terrible tusks, which were now -almost within an inch of his face, the hog was jerked backward and thrown -struggling on the ground. It was out of his power to hurt anybody then, -for Rex the infallible had him. - -“Hurrah!” shouted Eugene, jumping to his feet, “he’s our hog now. Shake -him up a little, old fellow, to pay him for the scare he gave me.” - -Rex did shake him up, not only a little but a great deal; and in five -minutes more the hog was secured, his feet having been fastened together -so that he could not get up, and his mouth tied with ropes to prevent -him from using his teeth. But even then Walter could not help trembling. -What would have become of his brother if Rex had been one minute later? -His timely arrival had saved Eugene from death, or at least from -horrible mutilation, and do you wonder that he threw his arms around that -greyhound’s neck and actually hugged him? Eugene did not seem to mind it -in the least. With him the danger being out of sight, was out of mind. -The fight was over; he had come out of it without serious injury; and if -there had been another wild hog about he would have been the first to -start after it. - -“I am all right, Walter, don’t look so sober,” said he, rolling up his -sleeve to examine his arm, which had been pretty severely bruised by his -fall. “Now, then, where are Perk and Featherweight?” - -“I haven’t seen Featherweight,” replied Walter, “but I left Perk and Rex -attending to the mate of this hog. We’ll go and meet him. Bring up the -cart, Cuff, and take care of the game.” - -The three hunters mounted their horses and rode back to find Perk. As -they were considerably wearied by their recent exertions, they allowed -their horses to walk leisurely along, and they were probably a quarter -of an hour in reaching the spot where Walter had first discovered Rex -and his huge antagonist. They saw no signs of Perk, and neither did they -hear anything of him; and they concluded that he had tied his hog and -sat down to wait for them. They soon learned, however, that their friend -was not taking matters quite so easily as they had imagined, and that -there were things in the world against which even Perk, with all his -strength, activity and courage could not prevail; for, when they reached -the clearest space in the thicket of briers and cane where Walter had -left him, they saw a sight that filled them with amazement and alarm. It -was nothing less than a fight between Perk and the hog. The young hunter -was holding his antagonist by both hind feet, and the hog was kicking and -struggling and trying hard to get at Perk to strike him. The latter’s -face was white with terror, the perspiration was streaming from his -forehead, and the boys saw that it was with the greatest difficulty that -he could retain his hold. He looked up when he heard them approaching, -but was too exhausted to speak. - -[Illustration: PERK IN A PREDICAMENT.] - -Walter and his companions, comprehending the state of affairs at a -glance, threw themselves from their horses and hurried to Perk’s -assistance; but knowing that if he could not manage the hog they had no -business with him, they shouted lustily for Rex. The faithful animal -was always on hand when he was wanted, and before they had spoken his -name the second time he came dashing through the bushes and seized the -hog, just as Perk, completely exhausted, released his hold and sank to -the ground. The hog fought desperately with his new enemies, but Rex was -more than a match for him, and in a few minutes the boys had him securely -bound. After that they tied up his mouth, and then turned their attention -to Perk, who lay where he had fallen, panting loudly and utterly unable -to move or speak. They carried him out of the thicket and laid him upon -their overcoats, which they spread at the foot of a tree, and while -Walter supported his head and Bab fanned him with his hat, Eugene ran to -the bayou and presently returned with a cup of water. - -“I’m clean done out,” panted Perk, when he had drained the cup. “Now, -listen to me a moment and I’ll tell you something; that was the hardest -fight I ever had. Just look at that,” he added, extending his hands, -which were so badly cramped that he could not open them. - -It was fully half an hour before Perk’s face resumed its natural color, -and then he told his companions how he had got into the predicament in -which they found him. As he had a somewhat roundabout way of getting -at it, we will tell the story in our own words; and in order that you -may fully understand it, we must give you a little insight into Rex’s -character. - -The greyhound had but two faults in the world: He was a constitutional -thief, and he always kept as close to Walter as he could. He was master -of all the hounds on the plantation, and if he caught any of them in the -act of appropriating articles that did not belong to them, he did not -hesitate to thrash them soundly; and yet, at the same time, he stole more -than all the other dogs put together. He would sneak into the kitchen -when he thought no one was observing his movements, and purloin any -eatables that happened to be within his reach; and as for hens’ nests, -the Club used to say that he would have nosed out one on top of the -house, and conjured up some plan to rob it. Walter tried every way he -could think of to make an honest dog of him, and to induce him to abandon -this bad habit. He fed him until he refused to eat any more, thinking -that he would certainly have no inclination to steal for at least an -hour or two; but in less than ten minutes he would hear a rumpus in the -kitchen, and see Rex retreating toward the barn followed by a shower of -stove-wood. The habit could not be broken up—it was constitutional. - -The other habit was almost as annoying on some occasions as the first. -Rex kept close at his master’s side night and day. He would sleep in his -room if he left his door open, and if he did not, Rex would jump up on -the wood-shed, thence on to the kitchen, from which he could easily reach -the upper porch, that ran entirely around the main building, and so go in -at the window. It made no difference to him whether the window was open -or not, for he had been known to jump through the sash. He was regular in -his attendance at church, and whenever Walter went visiting, Rex always -went too. He seemed to take it for granted that he was welcome wherever -his master was, and if any one thought differently, and attempted to -drive him out of the house, he would stand his ground, and show his teeth -in the most threatening manner. As it was well known throughout the -settlement that Rex always used those teeth on anything that he got angry -at, he was generally allowed to have his own way. - -It was this habit that had saved Eugene’s life, and placed Perk in his -dangerous predicament. While Walter remained with him, Rex clung to the -game manfully; but when he went away to assist Eugene, Rex went too, -leaving Perk to manage the hog as best he could. The latter, having great -confidence in his endurance and power of muscle, did not at first feel at -all uneasy; but it was not long before he discovered that a hog, weighing -three hundred and fifty pounds, was an ugly customer to handle. He held -the animal by his hind legs, which he had lifted from the ground, and it -required the outlay of every particle of strength he possessed to retain -his hold. He could not manage the hog with one hand, and, of course, -while both his hands were employed he could not tie him. - -Bear in mind, now, that this was no tame hog, that would have run away -if Perk had released him. He was wild, savage and angry; and if he could -have reached his enemy the career of one of the Sportsman’s Club would -have been brought to a sudden close. The hog would have attacked him at -once, and Perk would have been easily overcome. - -The young hunter became alarmed when he saw what a scrape he had got -into, and began shouting for help; but the rest of the Club were too -far away to hear him, and finding that he was wasting his breath to no -purpose, he did the only thing he could do—he held fast to save his life. -Walter was gone fully three-quarters of an hour, and during all this time -Perk clung to that savage beast, afraid to let go, and almost unable to -hold on. His companions arrived just in time to save him; a moment more -would have sealed his fate. Perk had a high opinion of a hog’s strength -and endurance now, and wound up his story by declaring that he would a -heap sooner face a bear. - -“I believe I own more property now than I did this morning,” said Walter, -when Perk ceased speaking. “I think I heard you say that if you couldn’t -tie any hog that ever ran wild in Louisiana, you would make me a present -of your horse. I consider the animal mine, but you may use him until you -can provide yourself with another. Can any one tell what has become of -Featherweight?” - -No one could. Eugene said that when the hounds first discovered the wild -hogs, he and the missing member were riding side by side; and that the -last time he saw Featherweight he was galloping through the bushes at -the top of his speed. Every one wondered what had become of him. There -was plenty of room in the swamp for him to get lost, but still it was -not likely that such a misfortune had befallen him, for Featherweight -had hunted over the ground so often that he knew it like a book. Bab -suggested that it would be a good plan for some one to sound a horn, and -Eugene did so; but no response came. Again and again the horn was blown, -and finally they heard an answer, but it was not such as they expected. -It was the shrill neigh of a horse which rang through the swamps at -short intervals, and came nearer and nearer every moment. The Club began -to look at one another rather anxiously; and when at last a riderless -pony—Featherweight’s pony—burst from the bushes and galloped up to the -place where their own horses were standing, the boys were really alarmed. -Something had certainly happened to their friend; but whether he had been -thrown from his horse or had met with some more serious trouble, they had -no means of judging. - -“We must start in search of him at once,” said Walter. “Cuff,” he added, -addressing himself to the negro who at that moment drove up with the cart -in which lay the two wild hogs, securely bound; “tie that horse behind -your wagon, take him to the house with you, and tell father that Fred -Craven is missing, and that we are looking for him. If we are not at home -before dark he will know what detains us.” - -The boys did _not_ reach home before dark. It was long after midnight -when they entered their room and sat down before the fire to dry -their clothes, which were covered with mud; and they did not bring -Featherweight with them, and neither had he come home during their -absence. Bright and early the next morning they renewed their search, -accompanied by Mr. Gaylord, Uncle Dick, and some of the negroes. As -they were riding through the quarters they met the old servant whose -duty it was to feed and take care of the hounds, and he told them that -Featherweight’s dog had come home during the night all cut to pieces, -and so weak from loss of blood that he could scarcely stand. He declared -that the mischief had been done by a wild hog, and expressed the fear -that Featherweight might have been injured also. The boys were greatly -terrified by this piece of news. They went to the kennels to look at the -hound, which had been wrapped up in blankets and tended as carefully as -though he were a human being, and then set out for the woods. - -They rode all that day, and not only did they fail to find Featherweight, -but they did not see anybody until about three o’clock in the afternoon. -Then Walter and Perk, who had separated from the others, came suddenly -upon some one they did not expect to see. It was Wilson, but at first -they did not know him. His hands and face were as black as a negro’s, his -clothing was torn and covered with soot, and, taken altogether, he was -the worst-looking boy they had ever seen. They saw at a glance that he -had been in close quarters somewhere. - - - - -CHAPTER VI. - -BAYARD’S PLANS. - - -An angrier boy than Bayard Bell was, when he leaped his horse over the -fence and rode away from the thicket, which had so nearly been the scene -of a desperate conflict between his followers and the members of the -Sportsman’s Club, was never seen anywhere. He told himself over and over -again that Walter Gaylord had insulted him (although how he had done -so, it would have puzzled a sensible boy to determine), and declared -that he had done it for the last time, and that he had put up with his -meanness just as long as he could. Although Perk had said, almost in so -many words, that he was willing and even eager to fight, and Bab, Eugene -and Featherweight had shown by their actions that they were ready to -stand by their friend to the last, Bayard did not waste a thought upon -them, but laid all the blame upon Walter, who had conducted himself like -a young gentleman during the whole interview, and kept himself in the -back-ground as much as possible. The reason for this was, that Bayard had -long ago learned to hate Walter most cordially; and the cause of this -hatred was the latter’s popularity among the students at the Academy. -Bayard, like many a boy of our acquaintance, desired to be first in -everything. He wanted the students to look up to him and treat him with -respect, and yet he was not willing to make any exertions to bring about -this state of affairs. Besides being stingy and unaccommodating, he -showed his tyrannical disposition at every opportunity, and then wondered -why he had so few friends. Walter, on the other hand, was modest and -unassuming, never tried to push himself forward, was always polite to -his companions, and would put himself to any amount of trouble to do a -favor for one of them. The result was that, with the exception of a few -congenial spirits whom Bayard had gathered about him, the boys all liked -him, and showed it by every means in their power. The more Bayard thought -of it the angrier he became. - -“They’re conceited upstarts, the whole lot of them,” said he, turning -around in his saddle to face his companions, who were galloping along -behind him. “It’s lucky for them that Mr. Gaylord and those niggers came -up just as they did, for I was going to punch some of them.” - -“Perhaps it is fortunate for us that the fight didn’t come off,” said -Leonard Wilson, who, if he had no other qualities, was at least honest. -“Did you hear what Perkins said about knocking our heads together?” - -“O, he wouldn’t have done it,” said Will Bell, with a sneer; “he -couldn’t. He’s a regular milk-sop, and so are they all.” - -“Well, if they are, I don’t know it,” said Wilson. - -“No, nor nobody else,” chimed in Henry Chase. “That Phil Perkins is a -perfect lion, and Walter Gaylord isn’t a bit behind him. What a lovely -muscle Walter showed on the day we pulled that boat-race! Why, it was as -large as the boxing-master’s. And what long wind he has! And can’t he -pick up his feet, though, when he is running the bases?” - -Bayard looked sharply at Chase, and made no reply. He had commenced -by abusing and threatening the Sportsman’s Club, and expected to be -assisted in it by his men; but here was Chase praising his rival up to -the skies, and Wilson nodding his head approvingly, as much as to say -that he fully agreed with his companion, and that every word he uttered -was the truth. Bayard was very much disgusted at this, and showed it by -facing about in his saddle, and maintaining a sullen silence for the next -quarter of an hour. The deep scowl on his forehead indicated that he was -thinking busily, and his thoughts dwelt quite as much upon two of the -boys who were galloping along the muddy lane behind him, as they did upon -the members of the Sportsman’s Club. At last he seemed to have decided -upon something, for he straightened up, and began to look about him. - -“Fellows,” said he, “we are but a short distance from the bayou, and I -propose that we ride over there, water our horses, and eat our lunch. I’m -hungry.” - -“So am I,” replied Will; “but I’d rather go home. I can’t see any fun in -sitting down in the mud, and eating cold bread and meat, when there are a -comfortable room and a warm dinner awaiting us only three miles away.” - -Bayard paid no more attention to his cousin’s words than if they had -not been spoken at all, but turned his horse out of the lane into the -bushes, and rode toward the bayou. His companions hesitated a little, and -then followed after him; and in a few minutes more they were sitting on -the banks of the stream discussing their sandwiches, and gazing into the -water, as if they saw something there that interested them very much. No -one spoke, for Bayard was in the sulks, and that threw a gloom over them -all. - -If Bayard was hungry his actions did not show it, for he ate but a very -few mouthfuls of his sandwich, and finally, with an exclamation of -impatience, threw it into the water. The movement attracted the attention -of his cousins, and that seemed to be just what Bayard wanted, for he -began to make some mysterious signs to them, at the same time nodding -his head toward the bushes, indicating a desire to say a word to them in -private. - -Will and Seth must have understood him, for they winked significantly, -and went on eating their sandwiches, while Bayard, after yawning and -stretching his arms, arose to his feet and walked up the bayou out of -sight. As soon as he thought he could do so without exciting suspicion, -Will followed him; and shortly afterward Seth also disappeared. Wilson -and Chase gazed after him curiously, and as soon as the sound of his -footsteps had died away, turned and looked at one another. “What’s up?” -asked the latter. - -“That’s a question I can’t answer,” replied Wilson. “They’re going to -hold a consultation about something.” - -“Or somebody,” observed Chase. “I believe you and I will be the subjects -of their deliberations—in fact I know it. Didn’t you see how angry Bayard -looked over what we said about Walter and his crowd? I know him too well -to believe that he will allow that to pass unnoticed. He’s up to some -trick now, and if we creep through the bushes very carefully we can find -out what it is. We’d be playing eavesdropper though, and that would be -mean, wouldn’t it?” - -“I don’t see that it would. When one knows that a fellow like Bayard -Bell, who is bad enough for anything, is laying plans against him, he has -a perfect right to resort to any measures to find out what those plans -are. Come on; I’ll go if you will.” - -Chase, needing no second invitation, arose to his feet and stole up -the bayou in the direction Bayard and his friends had gone, closely -followed by Wilson. They moved very cautiously, and presently arrived -within hearing of the voices of the three conspirators, for such they -believed them to be. A few seconds afterward they came within sight of -them, and found them seated in a little thicket which grew on the bank -of the bayou, engaged in an earnest conversation. So deeply interested -were they in what they were saying that they thought of nothing else, -and the two eavesdroppers approached within twenty yards of them, and -took up a position from which they could observe their movements and hear -every word that was said. Bayard was talking rapidly, and the others were -listening with an expression of intense astonishment on their faces; and -Chase and Wilson had not been long in their concealment before they began -to be astonished too. - -“Everything I tell you is the truth,” said Bayard, emphatically. “There -is scarcely a person in the settlement who does not know that there is -such an organization in existence; but I do not suppose there is any one -outside of the band who knows who the members are except myself. I know -three of them, and I found them out by accident. They are the ones who -must do this work for us.” - -“Must!” repeated Seth. - -“Yes, they _must_, whether they are willing or not.” - -“Have you spoken to them about it?” - -“No, I have not had a chance.” - -“Why, you said you had got matters all arranged!” said Will. - -“I told you that in less than two days Walter Gaylord would find himself -miles and miles at sea, with a fair prospect of never seeing Louisiana -again,” replied Bayard. “It’s lucky I didn’t tell you any more, for you, -Seth, came near blabbing it on two different occasions. You never could -keep anything to yourself.” - -“I didn’t intend to tell them what we are going to do to them,” retorted -Seth, with some spirit. “I only wanted to give them to understand that we -have laid our plans to punish them in some way.” - -“And so put them on their guard!” snarled Bayard. “That’s a pretty way -to do business, isn’t it? Now, unless you promise faithfully to keep -everything I tell you a profound secret, I won’t say another word.” - -“I promise,” said Seth, readily. - -“So do I,” chimed in Will. - -“Well, then, I will tell you how I came to find out about these -smugglers,” continued Bayard, settling back on his elbow. “It happened -last summer, shortly after that boat-race. I felt so mean over our defeat -that I wanted to keep away from everybody, and you know that I left the -Academy and came home. One day I took my gun and strolled out into the -swamp. At noon I found myself about ten miles from home, and on the bank -of a little stream which emptied into the bay. I stopped there to rest, -and after eating my lunch, stretched myself out on the leaves and was -fast going off into a doze, when I was aroused by the sound of oars; and, -upon looking up, saw a large yawl just entering the bayou. There were -three men in it, and they were Coulte and his two sons.” - -“Coulte!” exclaimed Will, in amazement. “The old hunter?” - -“And his two sons!” echoed Seth. “Are they smugglers?” - -“Let me tell my story without interruption, if you please,” said -Bayard, impatiently. “You will know as much about it as I do when I am -done. I wondered what they could be doing there,” he continued, “and -raised myself to a sitting posture, intending to speak to them when they -came up, and would have done so, had I not noticed that they were very -stealthy in their movements, and that they did not pull the boat into the -bayou until they had looked up and down the bay, to make sure that there -was no one watching them. - -“Now, when one man sees another sneaking about, and showing by every -action that he is anxious to escape observation, it is natural that he -should want to see what he is going to do. I did not suppose that Coulte -was up to any mischief, for, like everybody else in the settlement, I -believed him to be an honest old fellow; but I knew that he did not want -to be seen, and that was enough for me. As quick as thought I slipped -behind a tree, whose high, spreading roots afforded me an excellent -concealment, and lying flat upon the ground, looked over into the bayou, -and watched the three men in the yawl as closely as ever a panther -watched his prey. They seemed to be satisfied at last that there was no -one in sight, for they pulled quickly into the bayou and stopped on the -opposite shore, directly in front of me. The bank, at that particular -place, was about twenty feet in height, and was partially concealed by -thick bushes, which grew up out of the water. When the boat stopped -Coulte raised his oar and thrust it into the bushes, where it came in -contact with something that gave out a hollow sound. He struck three -blows, and after waiting a moment struck three more; and presently I -heard something that sounded like an answering knock on the other side -of the bushes. Coulte replied with two knocks, and I distinctly heard -a latch raised and a door opened—although where the door was I do not -know—and a voice inquired: - -“‘How’s the wind to-day?” - -“‘South-south-west,’ replied Coulte, in his broken English. - -“‘How was it last night?’ - -“‘North-north-east.’ - -“‘Where from?’ asked the voice. - -“‘Havana, Galveston, and New Orleans.’ - -“‘Whither bound?’ - -“‘Here, and there, and everywhere.’” - -“What did they mean by talking that way?” asked Seth, who had listened -eagerly to his cousin’s story, but with an expression on his face which -said plainly that he did not believe a word of it. “I can’t make any -sense out of it.” - -“Neither could I—neither could anybody,” replied Bayard, “not even if -he were a member of the organization, because there is no sense in it. -But there was _use_ in it, for the man on the other side of the bushes -knew that Coulte was one of the smugglers by the way he answered the -questions; at least I thought he was satisfied of it, for he pulled aside -the bushes and showed himself. He shook hands with the men in the yawl, -and began a conversation with them. I heard every word that was said, but -the only information I gained was, that Coulte’s two sons were employed -as foremast hands on board the vessel in which the smuggling is carried -on. When the conversation was ended, Coulte passed out some bales and -boxes he had brought in his yawl, and then got out his oars and pulled -down the bayou.” - -“What do you suppose was on the other side of those bushes?” asked Will, -after a long pause. - -“I am sure I don’t know, unless it was a cave where the smugglers stowed -away their goods.” - -“What’s the reason you have never told this before?” inquired Seth. “Why -didn’t you go straight to your father with the news, and have him put the -authorities on the lookout? Don’t you know that there is a heavy reward -offered for any information that will lead to the breaking up of this -band?” - -“I do,” replied Bayard, leaning toward his cousins and sinking his voice -almost to a whisper, “but I don’t want the band broken up. I may join it -myself sometime.” - -“You!” cried his auditors, starting back in surprise. - -“Yes, I; that is if they will take me; and if they won’t, I will blow the -whole thing. Here’s where I have the advantage of them, and that’s the -way I am going to induce Coulte to help us carry out our plans against -Walter Gaylord. We’ll ride over and call on the old fellow this very -afternoon, and tell him that we want him and his boys to make a prisoner -of Walter at the very first opportunity, take him on board their vessel, -carry him to the West Indies, and lose him there so effectually that he -will never find his way home again.” - -As Bayard said this he settled back on his elbow and looked at his -cousins, and Seth and Will, too astonished to speak, settled back on -their elbows and looked at him. They had always known that Bayard was -cruel and vindictive, but they had never dreamed that he could conceive -of a plan like this. How coolly he talked about it, and how confident he -seemed of success! - -“I flatter myself that this is a grand idea, and one that nobody else in -the world would ever have thought of,” continued Bayard. - -“You’re right there,” replied Will. “I don’t suppose you have thought of -the obstacles in your way?” - -“You can’t mention one that I have not thought of and provided for. Try -it.” - -“Well, in the first place, suppose that Coulte declines to assist you in -carrying out your plans? He likes Walter.” - -“He likes his liberty better. If he refuses I will just say ‘law’ to him, -and that will bring him to terms.” - -“That’s so,” said Will, hesitatingly, as if he did not like to yield the -point. “In the next place, suppose that Coulte agrees to comply with your -demands and captures Walter, and the rest of the crew (I do not believe -that Coulte’s two sons comprise the entire company of the smuggling -vessel), refuse to take him to the West Indies; what then?” - -“No one except Coulte and his sons need know anything about it. They can -smuggle Walter on board at night, as if he were a bale of contraband -goods, and keep him concealed until the vessel reaches its destination.” - -“And then he will be set at liberty, and the first thing you know he will -come back here a hero, and you and Coulte will find yourselves in hot -water,” exclaimed Will. “That will be the upshot of the whole matter. I -don’t like those boys any better than you do, and should be glad to see -them brought up with a round turn; but this thing won’t work.” - -“Don’t I tell you that one part of my plan is to lose him so that he will -never find his way back here?” asked Bayard, angrily. “You are very dull, -both of you.” - -“I am not,” said Seth; “I understand it all, and begin to think that it -will prove a complete success. I never could have studied up a scheme -like that. It almost takes my breath away to think of it.” - -“I _know_ it will be successful,” said Bayard, confidently; “and if you -will ride over to Coulte’s with me, I will convince you of it in less -than a quarter of an hour after we get there.” - -“What shall we do with Chase and Wilson?” asked Seth. “Are you going to -take them into your confidence?” - -“Of course not. We must get rid of them immediately; for if they remain -with us they will want to accompany us to Coulte’s, and that is something -we can’t allow. We’ll raise a quarrel with them. We’ll ask them what -they meant by praising Walter and his crowd a little while ago, and as -they are very independent and spunky, they will be sure to give us some -impudence. When they do that, we’ll tell them that we have seen quite -enough of them, and that they can just pack up their traps and go home.” - -“It’s almost too bad to go back on them in that way,” said Seth. “They’ve -stuck to us like bricks.” - -“And if you send them off it will break up our society and boat-club,” -said Will. - -“No matter for that. The society and boat-club must not stand in the way -of this plan. I am going to carry it out if I lose every friend I’ve got -by it. You can stick to me or not, just as you please.” - -As Bayard said this he arose to his feet, indicating a desire to bring -the interview to a close, and Chase and Wilson retreated backward until -they were out of sight of the conspirators, and then took to their heels. -They made the best of their way to the place where they had left their -horses, and when Bayard and his cousins came in sight they were sitting -on the bank of the bayou, looking steadily into the water. Something in -their faces must have aroused Bayard’s suspicions, for he glanced from -one to the other and demanded: - -“What’s the matter with you fellows?” - -“Nothing,” replied Chase, sullenly. - -“I know better,” cried Bayard. - -“So do I!” exclaimed Seth. “Something’s the matter with you, or you would -not have stood up for Walter and his crowd as you did a while ago. We -think hard of you for that, and want to know what you meant by it. It -would serve you just right if we should put you where we’re going to -put——” - -When Seth’s tongue was once in motion he seemed to lose all control over -it. He was on the very point of divulging the secret which he had so -faithfully promised to keep inviolate; but an angry glance from Bayard, -and a timely pinch from his brother, cut short his words. - -“We haven’t said or done anything that we are ashamed of,” declared -Chase. “If you don’t like us or our ways, all you have to do is to tell -us so.” - -“Well, we don’t. There!” said Will. - -“All right. Let’s start for Bellville, Wilson. Good-by, fellows. When you -want to make up a crew next summer to pull against the Sportsman’s Club, -call on somebody besides us; will you?” - -Chase and Wilson sprang into their saddles and rode away, directing their -course toward Mr. Bell’s house, intending to get their saddle-bags, -which contained the few articles of clothing which they had brought with -them from home, and return to the village without the loss of a single -hour; while Bayard and his cousins, after dancing a hornpipe to show the -delight they felt at the success of their stratagem, set out for the -dwelling of the Frenchman, which was five miles distant. At the end of -half an hour’s rapid gallop they arrived within sight of it—a double -log-house, flanked by corn-cribs and negro quarters, and standing in the -middle of a clearing of about two hundred acres. Here old Coulte and -his sons lived isolated from everybody; and before they engaged in the -more lucrative business of smuggling, they had spent their summers in -superintending the cultivation of a few acres of cotton and corn, and -their winters in hunting. - -As Bayard and his friends approached the house a man, who was sitting in -the doorway smoking a cob-pipe, arose to welcome them. It was old Coulte -himself—a little dried-up, excitable Frenchman, whose form was half bent -with age, but who was nevertheless as sprightly as a boy of sixteen. -Bayard, who was leading the way, reined up his horse with a jerk, and -having come there on business opened it at once. - -“Hallo, Coulte!” he exclaimed: “you’re just the man I want to see. How’s -the wind to-day?” - -The Frenchman started, and removing his pipe from his mouth replied -slowly and almost reluctantly, as if the words were forcing themselves -out in spite of all his efforts to prevent it: “Sou’sou’-west.” Then, -as if he were alarmed at what he had done, he stamped his foot on the -ground, exclaiming: “Vat you know about ze wind, Meester Bayard?” - -“O, that’s all right,” replied Bayard, carelessly; “I know all about it. -If it is south-south-west to-day, it was north-north-east last night. -Coulte, may I say a word to you in private?” - -The Frenchman, who appeared to be utterly confounded, stared very hard -at the boys for a moment, took his pipe out of his mouth and gave a -loud whistle, then put it in again, and picking up his hat followed -Bayard, who dismounted and led the way toward a corn-crib that stood at -a little distance from the house. When he seated himself on the ground -and motioned Coulte to a place beside him, the latter gave another -whistle louder than before; and having by this means worked off a little -of his astonishment, he leaned forward and placed his hand on the boy’s -shoulder. “Meester Bayard,” said he in a low, excited voice, “be you one -of ze—ze—” - -The word seemed to stick in his throat, but Bayard spoke it without the -least difficulty. “One of the smugglers?” he inquired. “No; but I know -something about them. I say, Coulte, don’t you think you are engaging -in rather a risky business? Suppose it should be found out, what would -become of you?” - -The Frenchman took his pipe out of his mouth long enough to give another -whistle, and then went on with his smoking. - -“If I were disposed to be mean,” continued Bayard, looking down at -the ground and speaking in a low voice, as if he were talking more to -himself than for the benefit of his companion, “I could make plenty of -trouble for you by whispering about the settlement that your sons belong -to the crew of that smuggling vessel, and that you have been seen with -contraband goods in your possession. Let me see; the penalty is—I forget -just what it is, but I know it is something terrible.” - -“Whew!” whistled Coulte, his face turning pale with alarm. - -“Of course I have not the slightest intention of doing anything of the -kind,” continued Bayard; “for you and I are old friends. But I say that -if I _should_ do it, it would be bad for you, wouldn’t it? By the way—sit -down here; I have a favor to ask of you, and I am sure that you will not -refuse me.” - -Although the old Frenchman was one of the bravest hunters in the parish, -and would not have hesitated a moment to attack the largest bear or -panther single-handed, he was thoroughly cowed now. Bayard knew what he -was talking about when he said he was sure that Coulte would not refuse -him the favor he was about to ask of him, for the old man was so badly -frightened that he would have given up his ears if he had been commanded -to do so. He seated himself on the ground beside the boy, and listened -attentively while the latter unfolded his plans, only interrupting him -occasionally with long-drawn whistles, which were very low at first and -very loud at last, increasing in volume proportionately with the old -man’s astonishment. After Bayard finished his story, a few minutes’ -conversation followed, and finally the boy arose and walked toward his -companions, leaving Coulte standing as if he were rooted to the ground. - -“What success?” whispered Will, as Bayard swung himself into the saddle. - -“The very best,” was the exultant reply. “Walter Gaylord’s goose is -cooked now—done brown. In the first place, Coulte says that all the -smuggling is carried on in one small vessel named the Stella, which -sails from the coast once every ten days. She is now hidden in the bay -a few miles from here (I know right where she is, and have promised to -visit her early to-morrow morning), and will leave for Cuba day after -to-morrow. The only men on board are Coulte’s two sons, who stayed to -watch the vessel while the rest of the crew went to New Orleans to spend -their money. They will return some time to-morrow, and consequently the -work must be done to-night. Coulte says that he will go down at once -and talk to his boys, and that Walter Gaylord shall be secured before -morning. You’re sorry for it, are you not?” he demanded, turning fiercely -upon his cousins, who seemed to be disappointed rather than elated. - -“No,” replied Will, “I am not sorry, exactly, but I feel kind of—you -know.” - -“I don’t know anything about it,” answered Bayard. “I never have such -feelings.” - -“I feel afraid,” said Seth, honestly. “Suppose something should happen?” - -“O, now, what’s going to happen? The only thing I am afraid of is that -Walter will keep himself close to-night, or that if he does come out, -Coulte’s boys will miss him. If they meet him at all, it will probably -be while he is on horseback—the Club are always in the saddle—and I -described him so minutely that they cannot possibly mistake him. Coulte’s -sons are not very well acquainted with Walter, you know, and I told him -to tell them that if they saw a boy about my size and age riding a white -horse, and wearing a heavy dark-blue cloak with a red lining, to catch -him at all hazards and hold fast to him, for he is the fellow they want. -Wasn’t the old fellow taken down completely when I told him that I knew -he was a smuggler? He could scarcely speak.” - -The boys faced-about in the saddle, and gazed back at the house. The -Frenchman was still standing where they had left him, smoking furiously; -and as they turned to look at him he took his pipe out of his mouth, and -a long-drawn whistle came faintly to their ears. It was plain that he had -not yet recovered from his astonishment. - - - - -CHAPTER VII. - -BAYARD VISITS THE SCHOONER. - - -While Bayard and his cousins were galloping through the swamp on their -way to the old Frenchman’s house, Henry Chase and Leonard Wilson were -riding slowly along the road toward the residence of Mr. Bell. To say -that they were astonished at what they had heard would not half express -their feelings. They told themselves that they had never known anything -about Bayard before that day, and were glad indeed that he had not asked -their assistance in carrying out his plans. Chase was the first to speak. - -“What shall we do about it?” he asked. - -“I think our duty is very plain,” replied Wilson. “In the first place, -we ought to say that we will never have anything more to do with those -fellows.” - -“I don’t think we shall have any difficulty in carrying out that -resolution,” answered Chase, “for it is plain that they have made up -their minds to have nothing more to do with us.” - -“In the next place,” continued Wilson, “we ought to go straight to Walter -Gaylord and tell him to look out for himself, and to give Coulte and his -sons a wide berth. I never heard of such a cowardly way of taking revenge -before, and I could not sleep soundly again if I did not do something -to prevent it. And in the third place, we ought to go home and tell our -fathers everything we have heard. They will know just what ought to be -done.” - -“I will agree to that—all except calling on Walter,” replied Chase. “I -don’t want to meet him or any of the Club. If Mr. Gaylord or Uncle Dick -should see us in the yard, they would order us out without giving us time -to make known our business.” - -“We need not go there in the day-time. We will wait until after dark, and -tell the person who answers our knock at the door that we want to see -Walter a moment. Now that I think of it, what have these fellows done -that we dislike them so much?” - -If one might judge by Chase’s actions, it was a question that he did not -care to answer. He looked very sheepish, gazed down at the handle of his -riding-whip, and had nothing to say. - -“It was very mortifying to be beaten in that boat-race, after we had -bragged so lustily of our muscle and long wind, and all that,” continued -Wilson; “but it was fairly done, and we ought to have accepted the result -like gentlemen.” - -“That’s a fact,” said Chase; “although it was a severe blow to me to have -that little upstart, Fred Craven, elected Vice Commodore, when I wanted -the position so badly, and tried so hard to get it.” - -“Well, he is a good sailor, and popular among the students; and perhaps -you can thank yourself for your defeat. I tell you, Hank, this day’s work -has opened my eyes. I am going to turn over a new leaf and behave myself -from this time forward, if I know how. Why, man alive, just think of it! -What will the folks in Bellville say about us when it becomes known that -we have been associating with fellows who have dealings with smugglers? -Gracious! We’re getting rather low down in the world, the first thing you -know. Let’s whip up, and get our things out of that house before Bayard -returns.” - -The boys urged their horses into a gallop, and in half an hour drew rein -and dismounted in front of the porch at Mr. Bell’s dwelling—a rambling -old structure, which seemed in a fair way to crumble to pieces, and -from the outside looked as though it was entirely deserted. The wide -hall, which was destitute of furniture, echoed loudly as the boys passed -through it, and the stairs creaked as they ascended them. They made their -way to the room they occupied without meeting any one, and began to pack -up their clothing. Wilson put on his overcoat, while Chase threw his -cloak over his arm, picked up his saddle-bags, and turned and looked at -his companion. - -“I say!” he exclaimed, suddenly. “Don’t this look rather—it isn’t just -the right thing now, is it?” - -“What?” inquired Wilson. - -“It’s very ungentlemanly, not to say sneaking!” - -“What do you mean?” - -“Why, stealing out of the house without saying good-bye to anybody. -Bayard’s father and mother have treated us very kindly since we have -been here, and it would be rude in us to go off without taking leave of -them.” - -“I know that; but I don’t see how we are going to do it without telling -them we had a falling out with Bayard, and, of course, we can’t do that. -We’ll let him give his own version of the affair when he comes home, and -I know it will be anything but flattering to us. What shall we say to -them?” - -“Leave it to me,” replied Chase. “I’ll fix it all right.” - -The boys being ready for the start picked up their luggage, descended the -stairs, and in a few minutes more were standing in the library taking -leave of Mr. and Mrs. Bell. Chase did all the talking, and succeeded -in taking himself and companion through the interview in a perfectly -satisfactory manner. Without alluding in any way to what had passed -between them and Bayard, he gave their host to understand that certain -circumstances had happened which rendered it necessary for them to start -for home that very night; which, by the way, was the truth. - -“That’s over,” said Chase, mounting his horse—which looked enough like -the one Walter rode to have been his brother—and leading the way at a -rapid gallop toward the gate; “and now comes another unpleasant piece -of business, which is to call upon the President of the Sportsman’s -Club. After that, a forty-mile ride over the muddiest road in the United -States.” - -When the boys arrived within sight of the chimneys of Mr. Gaylord’s -dwelling, they became cautious in their movements, and if a stranger -had seen them loitering about on the edge of the woods, and peeping -through the bushes at the house, he would have looked at them rather -suspiciously. He would not have supposed from their actions that they -had come there on a friendly mission, but would have thought rather that -they were a couple of burglars, who were taking notes of the mansion and -its surroundings, and waiting for the darkness to hide their movements -in order that they might make a descent upon the silver. They repeatedly -declared that it “looked sneaking,” but they lacked the courage to ride -into the yard and face Walter Gaylord in broad daylight; although if -he had come out into the woods where they were, they would have met -him gladly. They watched the house closely, and Wilson kept his lips -puckered up in readiness for a whistle to attract the attention of the -Club if they came out; but Eugene was fast asleep on the sofa in his -uncle’s cabin, Walter and Featherweight were busy with their books, Perk -and Bab were deeply interested in their games of backgammon, and not one -of them showed himself. - -The afternoon wore slowly away; darkness came on apace, and Chase and -Wilson, hungry and shivering with the cold, began walking their horses up -and down the road, the former, who was to act as spokesman, repeating, -for the twentieth time, what he intended to say to Walter when he came -to the door. They passed the gate several times without possessing the -courage to enter it, and each time they did so two men, who were closely -watching all their movements, drew back into the bushes and concealed -themselves. - -“It must be done some time!” exclaimed Chase, at length, “and it might as -well be done first as last. The sooner it is over the sooner we can start -for home. Let’s go in now.” - -As Chase said this he turned his horse, and put him into a full gallop, -being determined to ride to the house and go through the interview with -Walter, while he was in the humor for it. Arriving at the gate, he bent -down from the saddle and raised the latch; but just then a thought struck -him, and he paused. - -“Suppose Walter puts no faith in our story,” said he; “what then? If he -isn’t suspicious that we are up to a trick of some kind, he will think it -very strange that we, who were so friendly to Bayard this morning as to -be willing to fight for him, should be at loggerheads with him now.” - -A long debate followed, the result of which was, that the boys determined -to adhere to their resolution and warn Walter of his danger, leaving him -to do as he pleased about believing their story. After that Chase once -more rehearsed his speech in order to fix it in his memory, and again -placed his hand on the latch; but just as the gate swung open and he was -on the point of riding through, two dark figures suddenly appeared beside -him; and while one seized his horse by the bridle, the other caught him -by the arm and dragged him to the ground, placing a brawny hand over his -mouth, to stifle his cries for help. - -[Illustration: CHASE CAPTURED BY THE SMUGGLERS.] - -“I’ve got him, Edmund,” said the latter, in a hoarse whisper. “Bring your -light. Make yourself scarce about here,” he added, addressing himself to -Wilson. - -The man who had been called Edmund released the horse, and hurrying -up to his companion, produced a dark-lantern from the pocket of his -coat, and turned the slide. When the light blazed up, Wilson, who had -sat motionless in his saddle, too nearly overwhelmed with astonishment -to hear the words that had been spoken to him, saw that the men wore -pea-jackets, and that they looked like sailors. He tried to get a glimpse -of their features, but the lower portions of their faces were concealed -by heavy mufflers, and their tarpaulins were slouched over their -foreheads, so that nothing but their eyes could be seen. - -“It’s him, ain’t it?” asked Edmund. “Here’s the white horse, the blue -cloak with the red lining, the long, curly hair, the heavy boots and -silver spurs, and the riding-whip with an ivory handle. Yes, it’s him. -If you want to see daylight again, you had better be getting away from -here,” he added, turning fiercely upon Wilson. - -As the man spoke, he thrust his hand into the pocket of his pea-jacket -and drew it out again, bringing with it a double-barrelled pistol. The -sight of the weapon must have restored Wilson’s power of action, for he -wheeled his horse and galloped swiftly down the road, closely followed by -Chase’s nag, which seemed unwilling to be left behind. - -The suddenness of the assault, and the violence with which he was -handled, rendered Chase for a few seconds speechless with surprise and -alarm; and when he recovered himself sufficiently to understand what was -going on, it was too late to resist and dangerous to cry out, for his -hands and feet were securely tied, and a pistol was levelled at his head. - -“We’ve got nothing against you, and we don’t want to hurt you,” whispered -the man who held the weapon; “but you mustn’t make any fuss—mind that.” - -“What are you going to do with me, anyhow? and what do you mean by -assaulting me in this manner?” asked Chase, as soon as he could speak. - -“Keep perfectly still, now, and don’t say another word,” was the -satisfactory reply. “It’s enough for you to know that you are wanted.” - -As the man said this he lifted his prisoner from the ground as easily as -though he had been an infant, and placing him on his shoulders started -through the bushes toward the beach; while the other put his lantern -into his pocket, and hurried along in advance of him, keeping a sharp -lookout on all sides. Although Chase’s brain was in a great whirl, he -retained his wits sufficiently to notice that the course the men were -pursuing would take them within a short distance of Mr. Gaylord’s house. -He could see the lights in the window, which appeared to be dancing -about among the trees as he bobbed up and down on the shoulders of the -man who carried him, and he listened intently, hoping that some of the -Club’s hounds would discover him and his captors, and give the alarm; but -nothing of the kind happened. The men moved rapidly, but with cautious -footsteps, and in a few minutes carried their prisoner down the bank -and laid him in a yawl, which was moored at the jetty in front of Mr. -Gaylord’s boat-house. - -As he was placed on the bottom of the boat, under the thwarts, with his -face downward, and the gunwales were so high that he could not look over -them, he could not tell in what direction the men were taking him. They -moved steadily for two hours without exchanging a word, and during that -time Chase had ample leisure to think over his situation. At last his -ears told him that the men had taken in their oars, and were pushing -the yawl through a dense thicket of bushes, and a few minutes afterward -a sudden jar, which was followed by a violent rocking of the boat, -indicated that it had come in contact with something. - -“Here we are at last,” said one of the men, and Chase thought, from the -tone in which he spoke the words, that he was glad that the work was over. - -“I wish I was somewhere else,” said the prisoner. “Now, perhaps you will -be good enough to tell me why you brought me here?” - -“That’s something that we have nothing to do with,” answered the man, as -he busied himself in untying his captive’s feet, while the rattle of the -painter showed that his companion was engaged in making the yawl fast. -“It is no part of our business to answer questions. All I can tell you is -that we’re not going to hurt you if you behave yourself.” - -This assurance removed a heavy burden of anxiety from the mind of the -prisoner, who now, being relieved of all apprehensions concerning his -personal safety, raised himself to a sitting posture and began to look -about him with some curiosity. He noted two things: that the yawl was -lying alongside a small schooner, and that the schooner was anchored -in a little cove which was surrounded on all sides by a dense wall of -trees and bushes. He did not have time to make any further observations, -for his captors, who seemed to be in a great hurry to dispose of him, -assisted him rather roughly out of the boat to the deck of the vessel, -dragged him down a hatchway, and thrusting him into a little locker, left -him to his meditations. - -Bayard Bell did not sleep a wink that night, but tossed uneasily on his -bed, thinking over his plans, and waiting impatiently for daylight. He -had heard of such things as smuggling vessels, and was anxious to see -one; and, more than that, he wanted to know how Walter Gaylord would look -bound hand and foot, and what he would say when he learned that he was to -be carried away from his home and put where he would never find his way -back to it again. - -“I’ll tell him that I am at the bottom of all his troubles,” said Bayard -to himself. “I’ll say to him: ‘Walter Gaylord, I studied up this plan -and put it into execution myself; and I have done it to show you that -no boy can treat me as you have done with impunity. You think yourself -some pumpkins because you beat me in that boat-race, and because the -fellows elected you Commodore of the Yacht Club over me. What good will -that office do you, I’d like to know? Where will you be when we go on -our regular cruise next summer? Somebody will command the yachts and fly -the Commodore’s broad pennant, but it won’t be you—it will be a fellow -about my size, and who looks just like me. And that same fellow will win -the champion colors, too, next summer, for you needn’t think that the -Sportsman’s Club is going to hold them.’ That’s the way I’ll talk to -him for a while, and then I will begin to abuse him. Perhaps he will be -impudent—I hope he will, for that will give me an excuse for hitting him -a cut or two with my riding-whip. I wish it was morning.” - -The long hours of the night wore away at last, and as soon as the first -gray streak of the dawn was seen in the east, Bayard sprang out of bed -and aroused his cousins. They, too, had passed an almost sleepless -night, and were ready to start for the smuggling vessel at once, and -without waiting for their breakfast. Their horses were quickly saddled, -and after a three hours’ hard gallop Bayard led his cousins into a -thickly-wooded ravine, and dismounted. - -“Coulte told me particularly to leave our nags here,” said he. “The -schooner is only about a quarter of a mile away, and if some one should -happen to be prowling about, and should find our horses hitched on the -bank near her hiding-place, it might lead to her discovery. I don’t want -to do anything to endanger the existence of that band, for I am going to -join it some day.” - -Having seen the horses concealed to his satisfaction, Bayard led his -companions out of the ravine and across a narrow bottom, which was -rendered almost impassable by the water and ice; and presently arrived on -the bank of the cove where the schooner was hidden. The crew had heard -them coming through the bushes and were evidently on the watch, for the -boys saw three pairs of eyes looking at them over the top of the rail. As -they stepped out into view the persons to whom the eyes belonged arose -from their crouching posture, and then the boys saw that they were Coulte -and his two sons. They saw at the same glance that the old man was -greatly troubled about something, for he was smoking fast and furiously, -and when he looked toward Bayard he wrung his hands and walked nervously -up and down the deck. While the boys stood watching him and wondering -what could be the matter, his sons clambered down into the yawl and came -to the shore after them. As they approached, Bayard told himself that -something had gone wrong with them too, for they took no notice of his -greeting, but glared savagely at him, as if they had half a mind to lay -violent hands upon him. Their looks were enough to frighten Will, who -whispered to his cousin:— - -“If we once get out of this scrape I’ll never have anything more to do -with these men. I am afraid of them.” - -“Nonsense! Don’t be uneasy,” replied Bayard, carelessly. “They are mad -because we know that they belong to the smugglers. Let’s see them help -themselves. We’ve got them completely under our thumbs.” - -Having by this time reached the schooner, Bayard sprang over the rail -and looked about him with much interest. Naval etiquette was strictly -enforced by the rules of the yacht club of which he was a member, and -his first move was to salute the quarter-deck, which he did with as -much dignity as though he had been an admiral, and his next to make a -hasty but critical examination of the schooner. She was about fifty tons -burden, long and narrow, with a black hull, and tall, raking masts, -and was supplied with more canvas than vessels of her size generally -carry. It was plain that she had been built for speed, and that she was -commanded by an experienced sailor, for her rigging was well kept, and -her deck was in the best possible order. Bayard was delighted with her. - -“Isn’t she a beauty?” he cried, turning to his cousins. “I don’t wonder -that she has never been caught; for I will warrant that she can out-sail -any revenue cutter in Uncle Sam’s service. Well, Coulte, good morning! -You didn’t sleep very well last night, judging by your appearance.” - -The Frenchman paused long enough to take his pipe out of his mouth -and give utterance to a shrill whistle, and then put it in again, and -continued his walk up and down the deck; while his boys folded their arms -and leaned sullenly against the rail. Bayard looked from one to the other -of them and exclaimed impatiently, - -“What’s the matter with everybody? That’s what I want to know. Coulte, -stand still and talk to me.” - -“O, Meester Payard!” cried the old man, wringing his hands violently; -“vat a grand mistake is here—one grand big mistake. Ah! oui! whew!” - -Coulte whistled long and loud, took a few more pulls at his pipe, and -went on, - -“You zee, Meester Payard, my leetle poys don’t know Meester Valter zo -very veil—zey don’t seen him very many times. Zey go down last night to -Meester Gaylord’s house, and zey—zey—whew!” - -“Well, what did they do? Go on,” commanded Bayard. - -The old Frenchman tried his best to comply, but his astonishment, or -perplexity, or something else choked his utterance. He took a few more -puffs at his pipe, and beckoning to Bayard, led the way forward and down -a ladder into the hold. - -“It’s all right, boys,” whispered Bayard, gleefully. “I thought at first -that they hadn’t got him. No doubt they hurt him a little in capturing -him, and that’s what troubles Coulte.” - -“Perhaps they hurt him too much,” said Will, with a look of alarm. “Who -knows that they didn’t kill him?” - -“Eh?” exclaimed Bayard, his face growing pale with apprehension. “O, no; -they didn’t do that; they wouldn’t be such fools.” - -Bayard spoke confidently enough, but the words of his cousin terrified -him, and it was with a great deal of impatience that he followed the -deliberate movements of the old Frenchman. When the latter reached the -hold, he paused long enough to light a lantern, after which he led the -way to a small locker in the extreme forward part of the vessel. He -opened the door, and handing the lantern to Bayard, stepped back and -motioned him to enter. The boy glanced timidly into the room, and then -looked suspiciously at Coulte, as if he feared that the latter were about -to try some trick upon him; but a second glance into the locker reassured -him. There was a prisoner there, and at the sight of him Bayard uttered -a shout of triumph. He did not see much of him—nothing but his boots, -for the rest of his body was hidden behind a coil of rope; but that was -enough for Bayard, who knew those boots and the little silver spurs -that were attached to the heels. He stepped quickly into the room, and -holding the lantern over the coil of rope so that its rays fell full upon -the face of the captive, exclaimed: - -“Well, my young boy, didn’t we tell you yesterday that you hadn’t seen -the last of us?” - -“Bayard Bell, is this some of your work?” asked a familiar voice. - -It was not Walter Gaylord’s voice. If it had been it would not have -produced such an effect upon Bayard and his cousins. The former started -back, almost dropping the lantern in his bewilderment, while Seth and -Will crowded into the locker and looked over their cousin’s shoulder. - - - - -CHAPTER VIII. - -WHAT HAPPENED THERE. - - -“Well, if this doesn’t beat anything I ever heard of!” said Seth, in a -frightened whisper. “That isn’t _him_, is it?” - -“No sir, it isn’t. It is somebody else, as sure as you are alive,” -replied Will. “It is—it is—” - -“I want to know if I have you to thank for this?” repeated the prisoner, -raising himself to a sitting posture, and looking over the coil of rope -at the astonished boys. “Why don’t you say something.” - -Bayard was so utterly confounded that for a few seconds he could not -speak. He stood as if he had been turned into a wooden boy, and then, -rubbing his eyes and staring hard at the prisoner, to make sure that he -was awake, called out in tones indicative of great excitement, “Hank -Chase!” - -“Yes, it is Hank Chase, and nobody else,” replied the owner of that name, -indignantly. “Now, I want to know what you brought me here for, and what -you intend to do with me?” - -Bayard, who quickly recovered from his bewilderment, leaned forward to -take a nearer view of the prisoner, and, paying no heed to his entreaties -that he would release him, or at least explain his reasons for having him -brought there, walked slowly out of the room, followed by his cousins. -After closing and fastening the door, he handed the lantern to Coulte, -and began pacing thoughtfully up and down the hold, thrashing his boots -with his riding-whip at every step. - -“Haven’t we got ourselves into a pretty scrape?” said Seth, after a -little pause. - -“Shut your mouth!” exclaimed Bayard, savagely. - -“Haven’t we, though?” cried Will. “That plan of yours, for getting even -with Walter Gaylord, has worked splendidly, hasn’t it? I wish I was a -million miles from here. I am going to start for home this very day.” - -“So am I,” said his brother. - -“Hold your tongues, I say; both of you,” shouted Bayard, raising his -riding-whip, as if he had half a mind to use it on them. - -“You zee, Meester Payard,” observed Coulte, shrugging his shoulders and -waving his hands, as if to say that _he_ was in no way to blame, “my -leetle poys have made one big—one magnifique mistake.” - -“Are these ‘the little boys’ who have made this ‘magnificent mistake?’” -asked Bayard, looking contemptuously at the two tall, broad-shouldered -men, who stood leaning against a stanchion close by, waiting to see how -the interview would end. “I call them pretty good-sized boys, and think -they might have known better. They are blockheads, both of them. Now, I -want you to tell me how you came to make this blunder.” - -Edmund and his brother were sullen at first, but after a few words of -encouragement from their father, they began and told the story of Chase’s -capture, just as we have related it. They wound up by saying that they -could not see where they were to blame. Their father had visited them the -day before, according to promise, and, after informing them that Bayard -had it in his power to make serious trouble for them if he chose to do -so, and gaining their consent to assist him in carrying out his plans, -had told them that if they saw a boy riding a white horse, and wearing -a blue cloak with a red lining, and heavy top-boots, armed with small -silver spurs, to make a prisoner of him. They had met a horseman who had -answered to the description perfectly, and had captured him according to -orders—a proceeding on their part that they were now heartily sorry for. -It was no fault of theirs that it proved to be the wrong boy, for they -did not know that there were two fellows in the settlement who rode white -horses, and wore blue cloaks with red linings, and besides, they were -not well enough acquainted with Walter Gaylord to tell him from anybody -else. When their father came over that morning to ascertain how they had -carried out their instructions, he saw at a glance that they had made -a mistake, and that was the first intimation they had had of the fact. -Some portions of their story must have astonished and alarmed Bayard, for -he stood with his mouth and eyes open, listening intently, and his face -was as pale as a sheet. When the men ceased speaking, he went into the -locker, closing the door after him. - -“Chase,” said he, “I want to ask you something: What were you and Wilson -doing in Mr. Gaylord’s yard last night after dark?” - -“Eh?” ejaculated the prisoner, surprised and disconcerted by the -abruptness with which the question was asked; “I—you see—” - -“Yes, I do see,” exclaimed Bayard, in a voice which trembled with anger -or terror, Chase could not tell which. “I see that my suspicions are -confirmed. I knew yesterday that I ought to look out for you, for there -was something in your eye that told me that you and Wilson had overheard -what I said to my cousins about the smugglers. This is what you get for -playing eavesdropper, my young friend, and by meddling with things that -do not concern you. It serves you just right.” - -Bayard came out and slammed the door of the locker, without waiting to -hear what else the prisoner had to say. His face was paler than it was -when he went in, but that was not to be wondered at, for he knew that -there was a boy in the settlement who was acquainted with his secret, -and that he had made an enemy of him. He was afraid of Wilson now. Where -was he? He might be in Bellville—very likely he was, for he rode a swift -horse which could easily carry him there in one night—and perhaps, by -this time, half the citizens of the place had heard of the plans Bayard -had laid against Walter Gaylord. He trembled when he thought what a -commotion the news would create in that quiet town. Everybody there -knew Walter and liked him; and every one able to ride a horse, from the -President of the Academy down to the smallest student, would turn out to -assist him and hunt down the smugglers; and what would they do with the -boy who had caused all this trouble? Bayard asked himself. The question -troubled him. He saw that he had got himself into a terrible scrape, -and was almost overwhelmed with alarm when he thought of the probable -consequences of his act; but when he spoke, it was with great calmness -and deliberation. - -“This is none of my funeral, Coulte,” said he, “and I wash my hands of -the whole affair. Two courses of action are open to you: You can release -your captive, or you can take him to the West Indies and lose him there, -as you intended to do with Walter Gaylord. My advice to you, however, is -to hold fast to him; for if you should set him at liberty he would blow -on you before night, and then where would you be? But the matter doesn’t -interest me one way or the other. Do as you please. Come on, fellows; -there is work before us, and we’ve not an instant of time to fool away.” - -As Bayard said this he placed his foot on the ladder and was about to -ascend to the deck, when a shrill whistle sounded from the shore. It had -a strange effect upon some of those who heard it, for Coulte once more -began to wring his hands, while his sons, Edmund and Pierre, started up -and looked about them in alarm. - -“What’s the trouble now?” asked Bayard. “Who’s out there?” - -“Ah! every dings is going wrong—oui! every dings,” exclaimed Coulte. -“Zare is ze captain Whew!” - -The old Frenchman had been terrified before; he was doubly so now. Bayard -did not pay much attention to him, for he knew that he was so excitable -that he sometimes became unreasonably agitated over a very trifling -matter; but when he saw that Edmund and Pierre were uneasy, he began to -think there might be good cause for alarm. - -“The captain!” repeated Bayard; “what would he say to us if he should -find us here?” - -“He mustn’t find you here,” said Edmund, who seemed to be alarmed at the -bare thought of such a thing. “And you won’t be safe any where now that -he has come, for he will look all over the vessel before he goes away, -to make sure that everything is right. I wish you were at home, where you -belong.” - -“So do I,” said Seth, heartily. - -“And I wish you had been in Guinea last night, for then you wouldn’t -have captured Hank Chase instead of Walter Gaylord,” said Bayard. “That -mistake will get you into serious trouble if you don’t mind what you are -about.” - -“Vel, vat shall be done,” asked Coulte, as another shrill whistle rang -through the vessel, this time louder than before, showing that the -captain was becoming impatient at the delay. “Vare shall ve hide these -leetle poys?” - -“Let them go into the cabin,” said Pierre, who had not yet spoken. -“Edmund and I will take the yawl and go off after the captain, and when -we come back we’ll make her fast to the stem of the schooner. Then let -the boys watch their chance, and when we come below with the captain, let -them climb out of the cabin windows into the yawl and put for the shore.” - -This plan seemed to meet with approval from everybody, for Pierre and his -brother at once ascended to the deck, and the boys followed Coulte, who -beckoned them toward the cabin. Bayard wondered how the captain would -get ashore if they went away with the boat, but as that was a matter of -no interest to him, he did not waste time thinking about it. He did not -care if the captain never set his foot on shore again, if he and his -companions could only leave the vessel before they were discovered by him. - -Arriving at the after-end of the hold, Coulte pushed open a door and -ushered the boys into the cabin; and after urging them to keep their -eyes and ears open, and to be ready to get into the yawl the moment they -heard the captain coming below, he closed the door and left them. Will -and Seth, who were intensely excited and alarmed, ran at once to the -window, drew aside the curtain and looked out; while Bayard, who seemed -disposed to take matters very coolly, and who was anxious to learn all he -could about the smuggling vessel during the few minutes he had to remain -on board of her, began to take a thorough survey of the cabin. It was a -gloomy uninviting apartment, and Bayard thought that if he had been the -master of the schooner he would have made a good many improvements in it. -There was no carpet on the floor, and a worn-out sofa, a table and two -or three chairs completed the furniture. Two doors, one on each side, -opened into dark, uncomfortable looking state-rooms, each containing a -bed which apparently had not been made up since it was brought on board -the vessel. Bayard told himself that he would be in no haste to join the -smugglers if he knew that he would be obliged to sleep in such beds as -those; and perhaps if he could have seen the bunks in the forecastle he -might have given up the idea altogether. - -While Bayard was making his observations, Seth and Will, who were -impatient to get a glimpse of the captain of the smugglers, ran their -eyes along the shore as far as they could see it from the window, and -presently discovered the object of their curiosity, who was leaning -against a tree, engaged in whittling a switch with his knife. His back -was turned partly toward them, and his hat was drawn over his forehead -so that they could not see his features; but they were certain that he -was no stranger to them, for there was something about him that looked -familiar. Just then the yawl pushed off from the schooner, and as it -approached the bank where he was standing, the man straightened up and -turned his face toward the boys at the window, so that they had a fair -view of it. Could they believe their eyes? They gazed at him a moment, -while an expression of blank amazement overspread their countenances, and -then dropping the curtain they drew back from the window with as much -haste as though the captain had suddenly levelled a revolver at them. - -“What’s the trouble now?” snarled Bayard. “Anything else wrong?” - -“Come here,” said Will, in reply, “and tell me if you think that is the -man who is the captain of this band of smugglers.” - -Bayard stepped to the window and looked out; but after he had taken one -short glance at the figure who was just then stepping into the yawl, he -sprang back into the middle of the cabin and gazed about him as if he -were searching for some avenue of escape. - -“It’s my father, as sure as the world,” said he, with a gasp. - -“I thought it was Uncle David,” exclaimed Will. - -“I was certain I couldn’t be mistaken,” chimed in Seth. - -“And I would rather it was anybody else on earth,” continued Bayard. -“I wouldn’t have him catch me here for any money. Why it doesn’t seem -possible, and I can’t understand it at all,” he added, stepping to the -window again and looking cautiously out. “But it must be that he belongs -here, for he has got into the yawl and is talking to Coulte’s boys.” - -Bayard’s surprise, perplexity, and terror were almost unbounded, and he -did not wonder now that Coulte was alarmed when he knew that the captain -was standing on the bank waiting to be brought on board the vessel. What -would Mr. Bell say to him and his cousins if he should chance to find -them in the cabin, and what would he do? This was something that Bayard -did not like to think about. He kept one corner of the curtain raised, so -that he could observe the movements of the yawl, while his cousins sank -helplessly down upon the sofa, listening intently, and scarcely daring -to breathe, lest their uncle should hear it. In a few minutes the boat -reached the schooner, and Bayard heard his father clamber over the side. -One of Coulte’s sons also sprang out, and the other dropped the yawl -astern and made it fast there in such a position that the painter hung -down directly in front of one of the windows. - -“That’s the idea!” said Bayard approvingly. “The way of escape is open to -us now. You listen at the door, Will, and tell me when you hear any one -coming down the ladder, and I will open the window, so that we can crawl -out at an instant’s warning.” - -“But how are we going to cast off the painter?” asked Seth. “It’s made -fast on deck, and of course we can’t go up there.” - -“We won’t stop to cast it off, we’ll cut it; and you had better have your -knife out, all ready.” - -“What do you suppose Uncle David will think, when he finds the painter -cut and the boat gone?” - -“We don’t care what he thinks. We’ll let Coulte and his boys explain that -in any way they please. We want to get out of this schooner as soon as we -can—that’s all that interests us just at present. Don’t this morning’s -work beat you?” - -While Bayard was speaking he had opened the window very slowly and -carefully, and seizing the painter drew the yawl close up under the -stern. Scarcely had this been done when Will announced, in an excited -whisper, that there was some one coming down the ladder. - -“It is time for us to be moving, then,” said Bayard, as soon as he had -satisfied himself that Will’s ears had not deceived him. “Seth, give me -your knife, and you and Will jump into the boat and be ready to shove off -when I say the word. Be lively, now, but don’t be in too great a hurry, -for the more haste the less speed, you know.” - -Had Bayard been as excited as his cousins were, it is very probable that -they would not have succeeded in effecting their escape from the cabin -in time to avoid discovery. The two brothers displayed a great deal of -awkwardness, and made considerable noise in getting through the window; -and had it not been for Bayard’s help they might have stuck fast there. -He held the curtain up with one hand, assisted his cousins with the -other, and at the same time kept his eyes fastened on the door which -he expected to see opened every instant. The voices and footsteps came -nearer and nearer, and, just as a hand was laid upon the latch, Bayard -dropped the curtain to its place, sprang lightly into the boat, and with -one swift blow with the knife cut the painter. Their escape had been a -very narrow one, and he too began to be excited. - -“Shove off,” said he, in a hoarse whisper, “and pull around the schooner, -for fear that father might come to the window and look out.” - -The bushes were thick, and it was a matter of some difficulty to push the -heavy yawl through them; but the boys exerted all their muscle, and made -such good use of their time that they succeeded in reaching the shore -before any of the crew returned to the deck. - -“That danger’s over,” said Seth, with a long breath of relief. - -“Yes, but there’s another hanging over our heads,” returned Will. -“Suppose Uncle David should happen to go into that locker and find Hank -Chase there?” - -“And suppose Leonard Wilson should happen to go to Bellville and tell all -he knows about us and our plans?” said Bayard. “That’s another danger -that you haven’t thought of.” - -“Leonard Wilson!” repeated Seth. “What does he know about us?” - -“He knows all about us. Didn’t Edmund and Pierre say that they saw him -and Chase going into Mr Gaylord’s yard? Now, what were they going to do -in there?” - -Seth and Will looked at their cousin, but made no reply. Their wits were -not as sharp as Bayard’s, and they did not understand the matter as well -as he did. - -“Humph!” exclaimed the latter, in great disgust; “can’t you see through -it yet? You are the most stupid fellows I ever met in my life. The amount -of the matter is, that, while I was telling you my plans yesterday those -fellows sneaked up on us and overheard every word I said. We made them -mad at us, and they thought they would block our game by putting a flea -in Walter Gaylord’s ear. They were on their way to call on him when -Edmund and Pierre captured Chase. Wilson was allowed to go free, and -of course he will put straight for the village, and tell everything he -knows. We’re in a pretty pickle, the first thing you know, but there is -one way of escape for us. We must—what’s that?” - -It was the sound of a horse’s hoofs that had attracted Bayard’s -attention. The boys all heard it now, and, if they had not been so fully -occupied with something else they might have heard it long before, for -the horseman was close upon them. They did not care to be seen by him, -for he might be one of the smugglers. They dived into the bushes with a -common impulse, and they were not an instant too soon, for scarcely had -they concealed themselves when a chestnut-sorrel pony appeared, running -at the top of his speed, his rider bending forward in his saddle, and -holding his arm before his face to prevent the bushes and the branches -of the trees from coming in contact with it. The pony stopped when he -arrived upon the bank of the cove, and his rider straightened up and -pushed back his hat, disclosing to view the features of Fred Craven, who -opened his eyes in surprise when he discovered the schooner lying at -anchor among the bushes. - - - - -CHAPTER IX. - -WHERE FEATHERWEIGHT WAS. - - -Fred Craven was a famous rifle-shot, and although he was a “towny,” he -was superior in all manner of backwoods accomplishments to any boy of -his age in the settlement—even to Walter and Eugene, who lived in the -woods, and who had handled shot-guns and rifles all their lives. He was -an enthusiastic and persevering sportsman, and boasted that he never came -back from a hunt empty-handed. When the Club went out on their shooting -excursions, Featherweight always strayed off by himself; and when he -met his companions again at night, he had more game to show than any of -them, sometimes beating all the rest of the Club put together. He thought -almost as much of his pony as he did of any of his friends, and took -great delight in training Flyaway, his favorite hound. - -Flyaway was a remarkable dog in the estimation of his young master, -although he did not stand very high in the opinion of the rest of the -Club. He would hunt a covey of quails with as much skill as any old -setter, would bring ducks out of the water as well as a spaniel, and -fight a bear as bravely as any dog in Mr. Gaylord’s pack; but he had -never hunted wild hogs, and Featherweight was anxious to see what work -he would make at it. While the line was being formed that morning, and -the boys and the negroes were about to advance toward the old bee-tree -to attack the hogs which made their harboring-place there, Walter, who -was a very prudent and cautious fellow, and seldom got into trouble, and -who knew that Featherweight was sometimes disposed to be a little too -reckless for his own good, thought it best to give him a word of advice. - -“Now, Fred,” said he, “wild hogs are things not to be fooled with, and if -I were in your place I wouldn’t put too much dependence on that animal -there,” pointing rather contemptuously at Flyaway. “He is a very good -turkey and deer dog, but when he presumes to hunt such game as this we -are after now, he is getting above his business. A full grown wild hog is -a terrible fighter.” - -“Having hunted them a few times in my life, I am not ignorant of that -fact,” replied Featherweight, assuming an air of importance that always -made the Club laugh, and speaking with as much dignity as so jolly a -little fellow could command. “While I entertain the very highest respect -for your opinions in general, and acknowledge that you are a good judge -of horses, and a passable hand at hunting small game, such as squirrels -and quails, I must be allowed to remark that I think you know nothing -whatever about dogs. ‘That animal,’ as you are pleased to call Flyaway, -has no superior in this parish.” - -“Well,” returned Walter, with a laugh, “keep close to us, and if you get -into a scrape we can lend you a hand.” - -But Featherweight, being plucky and independent, did not see fit to -follow this advice. He kept his hound close at his side while the line -was moving toward the old bee-tree, and when the hogs were started he -picked out the one that he thought was the largest and ordered Flyaway to -catch it. The hound sprang forward at the word, and in an instant both -he and the hog were out of sight in the cane. - -Featherweight’s pony had so often shown his heels to the other horses -owned by the Club, that his master had become vain of his speed, and -boasted that he could not be beaten by anything; but distancing a horse -on a smooth road, or over a level field, where there were no greater -obstructions than logs and low fences to be encountered, was one thing, -and running a race with a wild hog through a thick woods, the hog -having nearly a hundred yards the start, was another. The animal made -astonishing headway, and for a long time the boy could not come within -sight of him. The noise he occasioned in running through the cane, and -the angry yelps now and then uttered by the hound, guided the young -hunter in the pursuit; but although he urged his pony forward by voice, -whip and spur, he could not lessen the distance between them. - -“I never knew before that a hog could run so,” soliloquized -Featherweight; “and I never thought either that Flyaway was a coward. He -is keeping within sight of that hog all the time, but he won’t catch him. -Rex would have had him by the ear long ago. Hi! hi! Why don’t you take -hold of him there?” - -The hound replied with a short, quick bark, and a commotion in the bushes -told the young hunter that he was doing his best to obey the command. -Featherweight yelled encouragingly and urged on his horse, which with a -few more jumps brought his rider to the scene of the conflict—or, rather, -to the spot where it had taken place; for when Featherweight reached it -the struggle was over. Flyaway was a badly-whipped dog, and the wild hog -was out of sight. - -“Now just look at that!” exclaimed the boy, indignantly, gazing after -his hound which was retreating precipitately through the cane, with his -sides bleeding from several ugly-looking wounds made by the long teeth -of the wild hog. “That puts an end to your hunting for a month or two, -my fine fellow; perhaps for ever. I’ll capture that hog now if I have to -follow him for a week. I’ll try to tire him out and ride him down; and -if I can’t do that, I’ll head him off and turn him back toward the old -bee-tree, so that some of the other dogs can have a chance at him.” - -Featherweight, knowing that his wounded favorite would make the best of -his way to Mr. Gaylord’s house, and that when he arrived there he would -receive every attention from Uncle Jim, the old negro who had charge of -the hounds, once more put spurs to his pony and dashed through the cane -in hot pursuit of the hog. He did not follow directly after him, but -gradually turned off to the left of the trail, hoping to pass him and -compel him to turn back in the direction from which he had come. - -How long the chase continued Featherweight could not have told. The rapid -pace soon began to tell upon the pony, which showed a desire to settle -down into a slow gallop; but the hog went ahead as swiftly as ever. As -the boy had eyes and ears for nothing except the game he was pursuing, -he did not know in what direction he was going or where he was, until -he discovered an opening through the trees in front of him, and came -suddenly upon the bank of the cove where the smugglers’ schooner was -hidden. He thought he must be close upon the hog now, for, just as he -drew rein, he heard a rustling among the bushes a little distance off; -but had he investigated the manner, he would have found that the noise -was not occasioned by the wild hog, but by Bayard Bell and his cousins, -who were concealed behind a log, watching his movements. - -The sight of a schooner hidden away among the bushes in that lonely place -was a most unexpected one to the eyes of the young hunter, and speedily -drove all thought of the game out of his mind. He could not account for -her presence there, and the longer he looked at her the more he wondered, -and the more surprised he became. He ran his eye all over the vessel, -noting the fine points about her that had so deeply interested Bayard -Bell, but he could not discover anything that looked familiar, and he was -finally obliged to conclude that he never had seen her before. - -“I’ve lost the hog,” said Featherweight to himself, gazing all around -him to see if there were any of the crew of the vessel in sight, “but -I’ve found a schooner. Who owns her? Who brought her here? Where are the -men who belong to her, and why is she hidden away in this cove? I can’t -see any one about her,” he added, seizing a branch above his head and -standing erect in his saddle to obtain a view of her deck. “Yes, sir; -she’s deserted, and here’s her yawl lying on the shore. Now, that’s -lucky. I’ll just step aboard and examine into things a little.” - -As Featherweight said this he hitched his pony to a limb of the tree, -sprang to the ground, and in a few seconds more was pushing the yawl -through the bushes toward the schooner. Had he gone around the stern and -looked in at one of the windows—the curtains were raised now—he would -have seen that the vessel was not deserted, and that there were four men -there engaged in consultation: but he pulled straight toward the bow, and -after making the yawl’s painter fast to the bobstay, sprang over the rail -and looked about him. He could see no one. He listened, but could hear -nothing, for the door leading into the cabin was closed, thus shutting -out the sound of the conversation carried on by the captain and his men. -Stepping to the forehatch he looked down into the hold, and the first, -object that caught his eye was a lighted lantern, standing at the foot -of the ladder—the same one Bayard had used during his interview with the -prisoner. - -“That’s the very thing I need,” said Featherweight, as he descended into -the hold. “I will look all over this craft now, and see if I can find -something to tell me what she is and where she belongs. Suppose she -should prove to be a private yacht, whose owner has come up here with a -party of friends to go deer-hunting? If they should return suddenly and -find me prowling about, they might not like it. Perhaps it would teach -them that it is a good plan to leave a watch on board a vessel.” - -The first thing Featherweight noticed when he reached the bottom of the -ladder was, that for a vessel the size of the schooner, her hold was -very shallow. He could scarcely stand erect in it. He was surprised at -this, and he would have been still more surprised if he had known that -the floor of the hold was provided with a fore, main and after hatchway, -like the deck above, and that they led down into a second hold—the real -hold of the vessel, in fact—which was nearly as large as the one in which -he was then standing. He learned all about that, however, and about a -good many other things, before he got through with the schooner. If he -had known all that was to happen to him before he put his foot on shore -again, he would have got out of that vessel without the loss of a single -instant. - -The hold was empty, and Featherweight did not see anything to attract -his attention until he crawled through a narrow passage-way that led -around the forecastle to the extreme forward part of the vessel. There -he discovered a locker, and the key was in the door. Little dreaming -what was on the other side of that door, he turned the key, and holding -his lantern above his head looked into the room. He was not easily -frightened, but he saw something that made the cold chills creep all -over him, and caused him to utter a cry of alarm and stagger back into -the hold as if some one had struck him a blow. It was a pale, haggard -face which looked at him over the top of a coil of rope. He did not see -anything familiar in it, but he recognised the voice which asked in -indignant tones: - -“Are you ready to answer my question now?” - -The sound of the voice quieted Featherweight’s nerves, and after a -moment’s hesitation he stepped into the locker and lowered his lantern -so that he could obtain a fair view of the face. “It can’t be possible -that this—Chase, what in the name of wonder are you doing in this hole?” -he asked, as soon as he had satisfied himself as to the identity of the -occupant of the locker. - -“Fred Craven!” cried the prisoner, in great amazement. “Well, I am -beaten, now. I am taken all aback.” - -“So am I,” replied Featherweight. “What are you doing here?” - -“I didn’t know that you were one of these fellows.” - -“What fellows?” - -“I should be glad if you would bring me a mouthful to eat, for I am -almost famished,” continued Chase, without answering Featherweight’s -question. “But first I want to know why you brought me here, and what you -intend to do with me?” - -“I!” Featherweight almost shouted; “what did I have to do with bringing -you here?” - -“Well, you know something about it, don’t you?” - -“_I!_” repeated Featherweight, growing more and more bewildered. “Boy, -you’re crazy. Why don’t you get up and come out from behind that coil of -rope?” - -“Look here!” exclaimed the prisoner, who did not seem to understand the -matter at all; “are you not one of them?” - -“One of whom?” - -“Don’t you belong to the band?” - -“What band?” - -“Why, the smugglers.” - -“Eh! Chase, you’re dreaming.” - -“Do I dream that I am a prisoner?” - -“A prisoner!” - -“Yes; and that I have been shut up here ever since last night? If you are -not one of them, what made you come here? How did you get aboard?” - -“I came off in the yawl. I found it on shore.” - -“Did you?” exclaimed Chase, eagerly. “That accounts for it. I understand -the matter, now.” - -“I don’t,” replied Featherweight. “I am all in the dark.” - -“If you will release me I will soon enlighten you. You will have to use -your knife, for my hands are tied behind my back, and one end of the rope -is made fast to a ring-bolt in the deck, so that I can’t get up.” - -Featherweight was more amazed than ever when he found that Chase was a -prisoner, but he refrained from asking any questions, knowing that in -due time he would hear all about it. He forgot now that Chase was his -sworn enemy, and that only the day before he had been standing face to -face with him in a hostile attitude, and that when Bayard and his men -approached to attack the Sportsman’s Club, Chase had singled him out -as his own special object of vengeance, and made at him as though he -meant to tear him in pieces. Featherweight did not care to remember -this against him now; but Chase must have thought of it, for when his -visitor placed his lantern on the floor, and, clambering over the coil of -rope, bent down to untie the prisoner’s arms, the latter said, with some -embarrassment— - -“Fred, I little thought yesterday that I should ever have to ask a favor -of you.” - -“Never mind it now,” replied Featherweight. “I didn’t bear you any -ill-will, and I hope that from this time forward we will be fast friends.” - -“You may safely bet on me,” said Chase, earnestly, as Featherweight -helped him to his feet. “You have rendered me a great service, and I’ll -never forget it. Now, let’s leave here at once. I have passed a most -miserable night in this locker, and I want to get out of sight of it as -soon as I can. I will explain everything presently.” - -Featherweight knew from his companion’s manner that he had some exciting -revelation to make. Wondering what it could be, and impatient to hear -it, he picked up his lantern and started back through the passage-way, -closely followed by Chase, who kept looking back over his shoulder, as -if he were afraid that there might be some one pursuing him. When they -reached the ladder, and Featherweight was about to ascend to the deck, -Chase caught him by his sleeve and held him back. “Be very careful,” said -he, in a suppressed whisper, “there may be some of them still on board, -and if they see us we are done for.” - -“They? Who?” - -“Why, Coulte and his sons. Yes, they are members of the band,” added -Chase, in response to an inquiring look from his companion, “and they are -the ones who got me into this scrape.” - -“What have you done to them?” - -“Nothing. They were acting under instructions from Bayard and his -cousins. They attacked Wilson and me last night while we were in Mr. -Gaylord’s yard, and pulled me off my horse.” - -“Who did—Bayard and his cousins?” - -“No, Coulte’s boys.” - -While this conversation was going on the door of the cabin opened, and -the four men who had been holding their consultation there came out -and ascended to the deck. The moment Mr. Bell reached the top of the -companion-ladder he heard the sound of voices coming from the forehatch, -and his suspicions were aroused at once. - -“Who’s that?” he asked, turning to Coulte, who was close at his heels. - -The old Frenchman, who also heard the voices, was so astonished and -alarmed that he could not answer the question. He stepped cautiously to -the side of the vessel and saw the yawl made fast to the bobstays. Could -it be possible, he asked himself, that Bayard, instead of going ashore -with the boat, as he ought to have done, had pulled around the schooner, -and gone down into the hold to have another talk with the prisoner? If -such was the case, his discovery by his father was certain. Mr. Bell saw -from the expression of Coulte’s face that there was something wrong, and -ordering him and his sons in a low but stern voice, to remain perfectly -quiet, he walked forward on tip-toe. Arriving at the hatchway, he looked -down into the hold and saw the two boys there—Chase sitting on the lower -step of the ladder, gazing at his wrists, which were red and swollen from -having been so long confined, and Featherweight standing in front of him -with one hand in his pocket, and the other holding a lighted lantern. Mr. -Bell was about to call out to them and demand what they were doing there, -when something one of them said attracted his attention; and drawing back -from the hatchway so that he could not be seen if either of the boys -should chance to look toward the deck, he listened with all his ears. -The first word he heard brought an expression of amazement to his face, -which gradually changed to a look of intense alarm as the conversation -proceeded. - -“Chase,” said Featherweight, “I can’t make head or tail of what you are -trying to tell me. Now begin at the beginning and let me know how you -came here, who brought you, why you were bound and confined in that -locker, and all about it.” - -“Do you know that there is a gang of smugglers around here, and that -we see and talk to some of its members nearly every day?” asked Chase, -abruptly. - -“No,” replied Featherweight. “I knew there was such a band somewhere on -the coast, for Walter was reading about it this morning in the paper; -but I didn’t know that they were so near us.” - -Featherweight remembered that Perk had given it as his decided opinion -that, if the Sportsman’s Club and Bayard and his men had come to blows -on the preceding day, the Club would have whipped three of the relations -of the ringleader of the band; but he did not allude to it, for he was -not in the habit of repeating what was said to him by his friends. It was -this quality—the ability to hold his tongue, and a very rare one it is, -too—that had made Featherweight so many friends. If any of the students -at the Academy wanted a trustworthy confidant, they always selected him, -for he was never known to tell a secret. More than that, they could say -what they pleased before him about anything or anybody, so long as they -did not abuse any of his friends, and there was no danger that it would -ever be repeated. - -“Well, they do live near us—right here in our very midst,” continued -Chase; “and you are at this moment standing on board their vessel!” - -“No!” exclaimed Featherweight. - -“But I say, yes; you are. And now I will tell you how I came to find out -about them.” - -Chase settled himself into an easy position on the ladder, and proceeded -to give his companion a history of everything that had happened to him -since he had last seen the members of the Sportsman’s Club. He told how -Bayard and his cousins had excited the suspicions of himself and Wilson -by leaving them and going off together; how they had crept through the -bushes and overheard their conversation about the smugglers, and the -plans they had laid against Walter Gaylord; how Bayard, in order to get -him and Wilson out of the way, had raised a quarrel with them and told -them to go home; how they had waited until dark and then started for Mr. -Gaylord’s house, intending to see Walter and put him on his guard against -Coulte and his sons; how they had been waylaid at the gate by a couple -of sailors, who proved to be Pierre and Edmund; and wound up giving an -account of Bayard’s visit to the schooner that morning. - -“From some things Bayard said when he was here,” added Chase, “I have -come to the conclusion that they did not intend to capture me, but -mistook me for Walter. You know I ride a white horse and dress something -like him, and it is very easy for one to make a mistake in the dark. -Bayard was astonished and very angry when he found me in the locker, and -I heard him say to Coulte that it was none of his affair (alluding, I -suppose, to my capture), and that he washed his hands of it.” - -“Then why didn’t Coulte set you at liberty?” asked Featherweight. - -“I suppose he was afraid that I would go to the village and make trouble -for him,” replied Chase; “and I can assure him that his fears were well -founded. I am not going to be bound hand and foot and shut up in a dark -hole like that for nothing; now I tell you. If I don’t raise a breeze -in this settlement as soon as I put my foot on shore again, it will be -because I don’t know how. He didn’t help the matter much by keeping me a -prisoner, for Wilson is at liberty, and I know he won’t eat or sleep till -he tells my father everything.” - -“And so they intended to lose Walter in the West Indies? That’s a queer -idea.” - -“I call it absurd. That boy couldn’t be lost in any part of the world. He -would find his way home from the North Pole. But there’s another thing I -want to tell you,” added Chase, sinking his voice almost to a whisper, -and assuming a very mysterious air which made his companion impatient to -hear what he was about to say, “and that is, that Bayard’s father is the -leader of this gang.” - -“No!” cried Featherweight again. - -“It’s a fact. While Bayard was talking with Coulte just outside the -locker—I heard every word he said—some one whistled from the shore, -and the old Frenchman declared that it was the captain. I heard a boat -put off from the vessel and come back with Mr. Bell. I know it was he, -because I recognised his step and also his voice. I have heard him speak -a good many times during the three weeks I have been visiting at his -house, and it is impossible that I should be mistaken.” - -“Where do you suppose he is now?” asked Featherweight, who told himself -over and over again that Chase had certainly taken leave of his senses, -and didn’t know what he was talking about. - -“He may be on board the vessel, for all I know; or he may have gone -ashore with the yawl and left it where you found it. We’d better be -going, too.” - -“I should say we had,” replied Featherweight, making his way cautiously -up the ladder. Although he did not believe a word of the story he had -heard—he told himself it was utterly unreasonable—he thought it best to -be on the safe side, and to reconnoitre the deck before he went up there. -“I am glad I have been able to do you a service, Chase,” he added; “but -if I had known that this craft was a smuggler, you wouldn’t have caught -me——” - -Featherweight suddenly paused, his face grew as pale as death, and he -backed down from the ladder with much greater haste than he had ascended -it. While he was speaking he happened to look upward, and saw Mr. Bell -leaning over the combings of the hatchway, glaring down at him like a -caged hyena. He began to put a little more faith in Chase’s story, now. - - - - -CHAPTER X. - -THE FRIEND IN THE CORN-CRIB. - - -It is hard to tell which was the most astonished and alarmed—Mr. Bell or -the two boys. Chase and Featherweight stood at the foot of the ladder, -looking up into the scowling, angry face that was bending over them, and -Mr. Bell folded his arms and looked savagely at them in return. For fully -five minutes no one spoke; but at the end of that time the leader of -the smugglers seemed to have determined upon something, for he beckoned -to Coulte and his sons, who came up immediately. “Go down there and tie -those boys,” said he. “Tie them hard and fast.” - -Edmund went forward after a piece of rope, and Coulte and Pierre -descended the ladder, laid hold of the prisoners’ collars, and held on to -them without saying a word. Edmund presently came down with the rope, and -in two minutes more Chase and Featherweight were powerless. - -“Now come up here,” said Mr. Bell, who had watched the whole of the -proceeding from the head of the ladder. “I have a word to say to you.” - -Coulte and his sons ascended to the deck, and Mr. Bell began a -conversation with them which was carried on in a tone of voice loud -enough for the prisoners to hear every word that was said. Their minds -were at once relieved of all apprehension on one score, for they learned -that their captors did not intend to do them any bodily harm; but Mr. -Bell had formed some disagreeable plans concerning them, and their hearts -sank within them when they heard them unfolded and explained to Coulte -and his boys. - -“Now, then,” said Mr. Bell, who seemed anxious to have done with what he -had to say, and to get the subject off his mind as soon as possible, “I -don’t want any time wasted in excuses or explanations, for I know all -about it. You have got yourselves and me into a nice scrape, and we must -get out of it the best way we can. As you captured Chase on your own -responsibility and without any orders from me, you can take care of him -yourselves. The crew will begin to return very soon, and they must not -find him here. You will take him off the vessel at once—this very moment.” - -“But what shall we do with him?” asked Edmund. - -“I don’t care what you do with him, so long as you don’t hurt him. I know -what I shall do with Fred Craven. I shall start with him for Cuba this -very night, and hire a Spanish sea captain, who trades between Havana -and Vera Cruz, to ship him as a foremast-hand, and take him to Mexico. I -don’t care what becomes of him after that. All I want is to get him out -of the country until I can have time to pack up and leave for Europe. -Come, Edmund, bring the yawl alongside and stand by to take your prisoner -ashore, and, Coulte, while he is doing that, you and Pierre take Craven -into the hold and stow him away there.” - -The Frenchman and his boys, who were not at all pleased with this -arrangement, started off to obey the commands of their superior, and the -captives, who had listened eagerly to their conversation, turned and -looked at one another. “Good-by, old fellow,” said Featherweight, who -kept up a light heart in spite of the gloomy prospects before him. “Do -you suppose that we shall ever see each other again?” - -“We will if they ever give us half a chance to get away from them,” -replied Chase. “They had better never take their eyes off of me. But I -say, Fred, I believe I’d rather be in my boots than yours.” - -“I don’t doubt it. You will be on shore near friends all the time, and -your chances for escape or rescue will be much better than mine; for I -shall be shut up in a dark hole during a voyage of six hundred miles. -That’s not a pleasant idea, I tell you. Suppose the schooner should go -down in a storm while we are crossing the Gulf? They’d never think of -coming below to release me.” - -“And if you reach Havana in safety, there’s the Spanish sea captain,” -chimed in Chase. “A voyage under him will be the worst part of the whole -business, according to my way of thinking. Some of these old ship-masters -are so brutal. They’ll knock a foremast hand down with a belaying-pin -without any provocation at all. There they come—good-bye! I wish I could -shake hands with you.” - -The appearance of Coulte and Pierre, who came down the ladder at this -moment, put a stop to the conversation. The former carried an axe in -his hand and glared at Chase as if he had half a mind to use it on him; -but he had brought it down there for a different purpose. He picked up -the lantern, and walking around behind the ladder inserted the edge of -the axe into a crack in the deck, and after a little exertion succeeded -in prying open a small hatch which led down into the hold of the vessel, -and which fitted into the deck so nicely that a stranger might have -walked over it a hundred times without discovering it. After placing his -lantern upon the deck, so that its rays would shine into the opening, the -Frenchman jumped through the hatchway and held up his hands; whereupon -Pierre lifted Featherweight from the deck and lowered him down into the -arms of his father, who laid him away in the corner of the hold as if he -had been a log of wood. This done, he carefully examined the prisoner’s -bands, and having looked all around to make sure that everything was -right in the hold, sprang out of the opening, struck the hatch a few -blows with his axe to settle it in its place, and then ascended to the -deck. Featherweight heard him when he returned and carried Chase up the -ladder; knew when his companion in trouble was lowered over the side -into the yawl, and also when Mr. Bell left the vessel. After that silence -reigned, broken only by the footsteps of Edmund, who paced the deck -above. Featherweight waited and listened for a long time, hoping that -the man would come below and talk to him—anything was better than being -shut up alone in that dark place—and finally stretched himself out on the -boards and tried to go to sleep. - -Chase, who did not possess half the courage and determination that -Featherweight did, and who was inclined to look on the dark side of -things, began to be lonesome and down-hearted when he found himself -standing on the shore with Coulte and Pierre; and when he saw that they -continued to direct angry glances toward him, as though they regarded him -as the cause of all their trouble, he became alarmed, and told himself -that perhaps after all he would be much safer in Featherweight’s boots -than in his own. His mind would have been much relieved if he had only -known what his captors intended to do with him, but they did not show a -disposition to enlighten him, and he was afraid to ask them any questions. - -As soon as Edmund, who brought them off in the yawl, had returned to the -schooner, Coulte started on ahead to act as an advance guard, and to give -warning, in case he saw any one approaching, while Pierre busied himself -in untying Chase’s feet so that he could walk. After that he took his -prisoner’s arm and conducted him through the woods until they reached a -well-beaten bridle-path, leading from the cove to Coulte’s plantation, -which was about four miles distant. At the end of an hour’s rapid walk -they arrived within sight of the clearing, and discovered the old -Frenchman standing on the porch in front of the house waiting for them. -He was on the lookout, and when Pierre came into view he waved his hat as -a signal for him to approach. - -“When a man is engaged in business of this kind, he can’t be too -particular,” said Pierre, now speaking for the first time since he left -the schooner. “There may be some of your friends around here, for all I -know, and if they should see me marching you up to the house with your -hands bound behind your back, they would suspect something; so I will -untie you, but I wouldn’t advise you to try any tricks.” - -Chase had not the least intention of trying any tricks, for he was too -completely cowed. While Pierre was untying his hands, he looked all -around in the hope of seeing some friend approaching; but, with the -exception of the old Frenchman, there was no one in sight. For all that, -however, there was somebody near who saw all Pierre’s movements, and -understood the meaning of them. Chase passed within ten feet of him, when -he walked to the porch where Coulte was standing, the concealed friend -watching him closely, and mentally resolving that he would seize the very -first opportunity to make a demonstration in his favor. - -Chase had passed many a happy hour under the old Frenchman’s roof. In -company with Bayard Bell and his cousins he had eaten more than one good -dinner there, and had spent whole evenings listening to the stories of -Coulte’s hunting adventures; but he had never entered the house under -circumstances like these, nor had he ever before met with so cold a -reception. The Frenchman did not take his pipe out of his mouth, give a -long whistle, indicative of pleasure, and exclaim in his broken English, -“I been glad to zee you, Meester Shase,” as he usually did, but followed -him sullenly into the house, and without saying a word began to tie -him—an operation in which he was assisted by Pierre. When this had been -done, he picked up a lighted candle that stood on the table, raised a -trap-door in one corner of the room, and descended a flight of rickety -steps that led into the cellar, closely followed by Pierre, who carried -Chase on his shoulders. The prisoner was laid upon the floor in a dark -corner, and then the Frenchman and his son ascended to the room above -and sat down to smoke their pipes, and talk the matter over. Their -conversation came plainly to Chase’s ears through the wide cracks in the -floor, and through the trap-door which they had left open, and, although -it was carried on in the French language, he understood every word of it. - -“Well,” said Pierre, after a long pause, “what’s to be done? Have you -thought of anything?” - -“I have,” replied his father. “We’ll adopt Mr. Bell’s plan, only we’ll -have to carry it out on a smaller scale. He’s going to take his prisoner -to Cuba; but as we have no boat large enough to make so long a journey, -we’ll have to take ours to Lost Island, and leave him there.” - -“Why, that’s only forty miles away!” exclaimed Pierre. - -“That’s plenty far enough. He can’t swim that distance; there’s nothing -on the island that he can make a boat of; he will be out of the path of -vessels going to and from New Orleans, and I’d like to know how he will -reach the main shore again. He’ll stay there three or four days at any -rate, and that’s all we want. By the end of that time we will have sold -off our property, and taken ourselves safe out of the country; for, of -course, we can’t stay here any longer. If he gets back in time to upset -some of Mr. Bell’s plans, why, that’s no business of ours.” - -“But how can we go to the island without a vessel?” - -“We’ve got as good a vessel as we want. We’ll go in the pirogue. We’ll -have to take care that the boy doesn’t freeze or starve to death before -he is taken off the island,” continued Coulte, “and so we will give him -an axe, a flint and steel, a blanket or two, and provisions enough to -last him a week. When they are gone he must look out for himself.” - -Another long pause followed, during which Pierre was evidently thinking -over the plan his father had proposed. Chase thought it over too, and -the longer he pondered upon it, the more earnestly he hoped that Pierre -would find some serious objection to it, for it did not suit him at all. -In the first place, there was the voyage of forty miles in the pirogue, -the bare thought of which was enough to make Chase’s hair stand on end. -The pirogue was a large canoe capable of holding about twenty men. It -was furnished with a sail and centre-board, and before a light wind -could run, as the students used to say, “like a scared deer.” She had -considerable breadth of beam for a vessel of that description, and could -not be easily overturned; but still she was not the craft that Chase, if -he had been allowed to have his own way, would have selected for a voyage -of forty miles across the Gulf, especially at that season of the year. -There were not many chances in a thousand that she would accomplish the -journey in safety. - -In the next place there was the prospect of a lonely residence on the -island, and that, under the existing circumstances, was by no means a -pleasant thing to look forward to. Lost Island was a most inhospitable -place. No one lived on it, and Chase had never heard of a vessel stopping -there. It was low and sandy, and in calm weather there were perhaps a -thousand acres of it out of water; but during a storm the waves washed -all over the lower end of it, leaving in sight only a solitary bluff, -about a hundred feet high, which was the only spot on the island that -was covered with timber. Like most boys of his age, Chase had read and -admired Robinson Crusoe, and if his captors had only given him a gun, -plenty of ammunition, and a companion like his friend Wilson or the jolly -little Featherweight, he would have had no objections to imitating that -adventurer’s manner of life for a short time. There would be something -romantic in it, and they would have so much to talk about when they came -back! But to be put off there by himself in the dead of winter, with only -a week’s provisions, and a fair prospect of starving to death when the -supply was exhausted, was a different matter altogether. He could see -no fun or romance in that, and he didn’t want to go to Lost Island! but -Pierre evidently thought it just the place for him, for, after turning -the matter over in his mind for some minutes, he said to his father: - -“Your plan is the best that could be adopted. We’ll start this very -night, and we’ll go down now and put the pirogue in the water and get -every thing ready. I will go after the sail and oars, and you can lock -up the house.” - -Pierre left the cabin, and his father raised the trap-door and went down -into the cellar to take another look at the prisoner. He tightened up a -little on the ropes with which he was confined, and when he went out of -the cellar he piled the bureau, table and all the chairs upon the door so -that it could not be raised from below. Having thus, as he thought, put -it out of Chase’s power to ascend out of the cellar, even if he succeeded -in freeing his hands and feet, Coulte locked the door of the house and -joined Pierre, who stood with a sail on one shoulder and a pair of oars -on the other, ready to start for the bayou where the pirogue lay. - -Pierre little dreamed how near he came to discovering something, while he -was securing the sail and oars that belonged to the pirogue. They were -kept in one of the corn-cribs—a log building about twenty feet long and -fifteen feet high, which was filled with corn in the ear to a level with -the eaves. A ladder on the outside of the building led up to a small door -ten feet from the ground. As Pierre mounted this ladder he was surprised -to see that the door, which he was always careful to keep closed, was -ajar; and when he reached in to get the sail he found that, instead of -being rolled up as it was when he left it, it was spread out over the -corn. He thought, too, that the sail had increased wonderfully in weight -since the last time he handled it, for it was all he could do to pull -it out of the crib. But he got it at last, and the oars too; and after -closing and fastening the door he backed down the ladder to the ground. - -No sooner had the sound of his footsteps died away than a boy, who was -snugly hidden among the corn, lifted a very pale face and turned it -towards the door, and after picking up his hat, which had been knocked -off his head by the sail when Pierre drew it out of the crib, cautiously -raised himself to a sitting posture, and waited to recover from the -fright he had sustained. He listened intently all the while, and having -satisfied himself at last that Pierre did not intend to return to the -crib, he crept carefully over the corn to the opposite end of the -building, and, looking out between the logs, saw him and his father -disappear in the woods on the opposite side of the clearing. - -“Now, that’s what I call a close shave,” said he, drawing a long breath. -“I’d give something to know what they would have done with me if they -had found me here. That fellow who pulled the sail off me is one of -those who attacked us last night in Mr. Gaylord’s yard. I know him, if -he hasn’t got his pea-jacket and tarpaulin on. I wonder where they are -going, and whether or not they will be away long enough for me to do -something for Chase.” - -It was Leonard Wilson who spoke. Instead of riding straight for -Bellville, as Chase hoped and believed he would, he had loitered about -in the woods all night, turning over in his mind a hundred wild schemes -for assisting his distressed friend, and at no time had he been more than -five miles away from him. - -The last we saw of Wilson, he was riding down the road post-haste, eager -to put a safe distance between himself and the double-barrelled pistol -that one of Chase’s captors drew from his pocket. After he had run his -horse a few hundred yards it occurred to him that he was exhibiting -anything but a courageous spirit by deserting his companion in that -inglorious manner, when he had a gun slung at his back, both barrels of -which were heavily loaded with buckshot. As this thought passed through -his mind, he pulled up his horse with a jerk, and being determined -to make same amends for his cowardly behavior, faced about and went -tearing down the road towards the gate, unslinging and cocking his gun -as he went. It was his intention to ride boldly into the yard, level -his double-barrel at the heads of Chase’s assailants, and demand his -immediate release; but the plan was conceived a little too late in the -day to be successfully carried out; for when he reached the gate, he -found that both Chase and his captors had disappeared. - -“Never mind,” soliloquized Wilson, who thought that he understood the -matter as well as though it had been explained to him; “I am not beaten -yet. Those two fellows are Coulte’s boys, and they have made a mistake -and captured Chase instead of Walter Gaylord. But they shan’t keep him -long. Bayard said yesterday that Coulte is very much afraid of the law, -and I’ll test the truth of that assertion the first thing to-morrow -morning. If I catch the old fellow by himself, I will tell him if he -doesn’t have Chase set at liberty, I will lodge him in jail in less than -two hours. I ought to go to his house this very night, and I would, if I -were not afraid that I should find his boys there. I should not dare to -threaten them for fear they might not scare as easily as the old man.” - -While these thoughts were passing through Wilson’s mind he was riding -along the road toward the residence of the old Frenchman, still closely -followed by Chase’s horse, which galloped after him like a dog. He -approached as near the house as he dared, and then halted in a little -ravine and set about making himself comfortable for the night. He started -a fire with the flint and steel he always carried in the pocket of his -shooting-jacket, built a blind to protect him from the cold north wind -that was blowing, hobbled the horses and turned them loose in the cane -to graze, and after collecting a supply of fire-wood, sufficient to last -until morning, he scraped together a pile of leaves to serve as a bed, -pulled his overcoat over him and tried to go to sleep. But that was a -matter of some difficulty. The recollections of the exciting events -of the day, and his anxiety concerning the success of his plans for -effecting Chase’s release, banished sleep for the better part of the -night, and it was four o’clock before he closed his eyes. - -He awoke just as the sun was rising, and as soon as his eyes were -fairly open he was on his feet making preparations for visiting the old -Frenchman’s house. He pulled on his overcoat, slung his gun over his -shoulder, and stood for some minutes looking first at his saddle and -bridle which lay on the ground near him, and then toward the cane, where -he could hear his horse browsing, debating in his mind whether he had -better ride or walk. He finally decided on the latter course. His first -care must be to ascertain whether or not Coulte was at home, and if so -if he was alone; and, in order to accomplish this, he must approach -as near the cabin as he could without being discovered. If he went on -horseback, he would certainly be seen by any one who might happen to be -in the house before he was half way across the clearing; but if he went -on foot, he could make use of every tree and stump to cover his approach. -Having settled this point, Wilson set off at a brisk walk, and in half an -hour more was concealed in one of the old Frenchman’s corn-cribs waiting -to see what would turn up. He found the house deserted, Coulte having -started off at the first peep of day to visit the schooner, and ascertain -how his boys have succeeded in their efforts to capture Walter Gaylord. - -“I don’t know where the old fellow has gone,” said Wilson to himself, -taking up a position in the crib from which he could see every part of -the house, “but there is one thing certain, and that is that he can’t -remain away for ever. I’ll stay here and wait for him. If he comes back -alone I will go out and speak to him; but if his boys come with him I’ll -keep close. The wind blows cold through these cracks, but this sail will -serve me as an extra overcoat.” - -Wilson covered himself up with the sail, and for the next two hours -remained quiet in his concealment, awaiting the old Frenchman’s return -and wondering where he was, and why he stayed away so long. Coulte made -his appearance at last, and he came alone, too; but his actions indicated -that there was some one behind him whom he was expecting every moment. He -walked nervously up and down the porch, stopping every moment or two to -gaze at the woods and to run his eyes suspiciously around the clearing, -as if fearful that there might be some one approaching whom he did not -care to see. Wilson, whose curiosity was aroused, began to watch the -woods also, and presently discovered Pierre and Chase approaching. He -kept his gaze fastened on them as they walked past the corn-crib into the -house, and when Coulte and his son, after confining Chase in the cellar, -seated themselves in the doorway to hold their consultation, Wilson -listened eagerly, and was greatly disappointed because he was too far off -to hear what they said. He was frightened, indeed, when he saw Pierre -arise from his seat and approach the crib, but supposing that he wanted -some corn for his horse, and that when he got it he would go away again, -he drew the sail over his head and held fast to it to keep the wind from -blowing it off. Pierre seized the mast and gave a pull at the sail, but -could not start it. - -“What’s the matter here?” he growled, twisting the mast about and turning -it over as if he thought it had caught against the side of the crib. - -“If I let go and he lifts up the sail, it will be all over with me,” -soliloquized Wilson; and the thought frightened him, and he held on with -more determination than ever. “Why don’t he get his corn and clear out?” - -But Pierre wanted something besides corn. He wanted the sail, and he was -determined to have it, too. After a few unsuccessful attempts to lift it -from the corn he grew surprised and angry, and throwing all his strength -into his arms he gave a quick jerk and pulled the canvas out of Wilson’s -grasp. The latter gave himself up for lost, and was very much amazed as -well as relieved when he heard Pierre close the door and go back down the -ladder. He could scarcely realize that he had escaped, until he saw him -and his father disappear in the woods on their way to the bayou where the -pirogue lay. - - - - -CHAPTER XI. - -THE SIEGE. - - -“I’ve learned something,” said Wilson, as soon as he had satisfied -himself that Pierre and his father had really left the clearing; “and -that is that a Creole can’t see after twelve o’clock. I can’t account for -his blindness in any other way. Now, the next thing is to find Chase. -He’s somewhere in that house, and I will get him out if I have to burn it -over his head.” - -Talking thus to himself, Wilson scrambled over the corn to the door, -and there encountered an obstacle. The door was fastened on the outside -with a hasp and a wooden pin, and the openings between the logs were so -narrow that he could not get his arm through to take the pin out. After -several ineffectual attempts to reach the fastenings, he threw himself -flat on his back and sent both his heavy boots against the door with all -his strength; but finding that it resisted his efforts, and that he was -wasting his breath to no purpose, he jumped up and turned his attention -to the roof. The rafters, which were saplings three inches in diameter, -were placed about two feet apart and covered with narrow oak boards, laid -on like shingles, and held in position by small nails. A few determined -kicks scattered the boards right and left; and when he had made an -opening sufficiently large to admit his shoulders, he thrust his head out -and looked about him. He could see nobody (that, however, was no evidence -that there was no one in sight), and believing that his movements were -unobserved, he clambered out of the opening, slid down the roof to the -eaves, and dropped to the ground. A few hasty steps brought him to the -porch, and a few more to the wide hall which ran through the building. He -did not waste time in trying the door, for he knew that Coulte had locked -it and put the key in his pocket, but ran at once to a ladder which led -to a loft over one of the rooms. Ascending to the top with the agility of -a squirrel, he threw off one of the loose boards which formed the floor -of the loft, and looked down into the room below. When his eyes rested on -the articles that had been piled on the trap-door, he knew where to look -for his friend. - -“I say!” he cried, in a suppressed, hot, excited tone of voice. - -“Say it yourself,” was the answer which came faintly to his ears. “I knew -you would never desert me, old fellow. I am glad to see you.” - -Chase had not yet seen his friend, but he did see him a few minutes -afterward, for Wilson no sooner heard his voice coming from the cellar -than he dropped into the room as lightly as a cat, and began throwing -Coulte’s furniture about in the most reckless manner. He broke a leg -off the table, smashed a chair or two, upset the bureau, scattering its -contents over the floor, and having cleared the trap-door, he slammed it -back against the wall, and went down the rickety stairs in two jumps. - -“Speak up, Chase,” said he. “It’s as dark as a stack of black cats down -here.” - -“This way,” replied the prisoner. “Take it easy, and don’t knock your -brains out against the beams overhead. We’ve plenty of time, for Coulte -and Pierre won’t be back for two hours. They’ve gone down to the bayou to -launch the pirogue, and get it ready to take me to Lost Island to-night.” - -“Eh!” exclaimed Wilson, in great amazement. “Were they going to carry -you to sea in a dugout?” - -“Certainly. It was their intention to run me off to the island and leave -me there until they could have time to pack up and move to some other -country. That isn’t the most surprising thing I have to tell you, either. -What did you come here for?” - -It was no wonder that Chase expressed a little curiosity on this point, -for Wilson’s actions did not indicate that he had come there for any -purpose in particular. He stood with his hands in his pockets, looking -down through the darkness in the direction from which Chase’s voice -came, but he did not make any move to release him. He was thinking of -the proposed voyage in the pirogue, and wondering if the old Frenchman -and his son were really reckless enough to attempt it. The question -propounded by his friend brought him to his senses, however, and in a few -seconds more the prisoner was standing erect, and Wilson was shaking his -hand as though he had not met him for years. - -“We’ll not stay here another instant,” said Chase, hurriedly. “This is -the second time that my liberty has been restored to me to-day, and now -I intend to make use of it. Do you know anything about my horse?” - -“I left him in the canebrakes with mine, not a quarter of a mile from -here. We’ll be in the saddle, and on our way home in less than fifteen -minutes. Is there anything to eat in this house?” - -“Plenty of it. Coulte always keeps his larder well supplied.” - -“I wonder if he would raise any objections to our eating a loaf or two of -his bread, and drinking three or four pans of milk? I’m hungry. I haven’t -tasted a mouthful since we ate lunch yesterday.” - -“Neither have I. We don’t care whether he objects or not. He got us into -this scrape, and he certainly ought to feed us.” - -The boys had by this time reached the top of the cellar-stairs, and after -slamming down the door as if they meant to burst it off its hinges, they -made a movement toward the cupboard. The sight that met their eyes as -they opened the door was a most welcome one to them. There was bread, -meat and milk in abundance, and in a remarkably short space of time -the hungry boys had completely cleared some of the shelves. They kept -both hands employed—one in crowding the food into their mouths, and -the other in transferring it from the cupboard to the pockets of their -shooting-jackets, listening the while with all their ears, and trembling -with anxiety lest Coulte or Pierre should steal a march on them and -return before they knew it. After they had laid in a bountiful supply -of bread and meat, and made way with a pan of milk, they were ready to -leave the house; but just then Wilson suddenly ceased the working of his -jaws, turned his head on one side for a moment, and held up his finger -warningly. Chase looked his surprise; he could not say a word, for his -mouth was too full. - -“I heard a step in the hall,” whispered Wilson, as soon as he could speak. - -“It can’t be possible,” said Chase, in the same cautious whisper. “Coulte -hasn’t had time to get half way to the bayou yet.” - -“I don’t care, he’s out there; or somebody is, for I know I heard a -stealthy foot-fall.” - -The boys held their breath and listened, but the sound that had attracted -Wilson’s attention was not repeated. That, however, was not enough to -convince him that he had been mistaken, and after looking about the room -for a moment, and up at the opening through which he had come down from -the loft, he dropped the bread and meat with which his hands were filled, -and made a sign to Chase. The latter, comprehending his friend’s design, -took his stand under the opening, with his face to the partition, and in -a moment more Wilson was perched upon his shoulders, looking over into -the hall. As his head appeared above the opening, he was certain that -he saw some one spring around a corner of the building out of sight. He -kept his eyes fastened on the spot where the figure had disappeared, and -after the lapse of two or three minutes saw the top of a boy’s hat thrust -slowly and cautiously into view. Wilson quickly ducked his own head, but -not in time to escape discovery. - -“It’s he, as sure as the world!” exclaimed a familiar voice. - -Wilson, finding that he had been recognised, looked over into the hall -again, and boldly faced the unwelcome visitor. “Ah! my young friend,” -said he, “is that you?” - -“That’s what’s the matter,” replied the boy. “You’re just the fellow we -are looking for—the identical fellow.” - -“You’re sure of it, are you? Well, now that you have found me, what are -you going to do about it?” - -“We haven’t quite made up our minds yet. We’ll tell you in a few minutes.” - -“How are our friends, the smugglers, this fine morning; and how does -Walter Gaylord feel since Coulte’s boys made a prisoner of him? I say! -That little plan of yours didn’t work as smoothly as it might, did it?” - -These words seemed to enrage the boy, who began looking about for -some missile to throw at Wilson. The latter looked fiercely at him -for a moment, during which time two more boys came around the corner -of the building and entered the hall, and then swung himself off -Chase’s shoulders and dropped to the floor. “What’s to be done now?” he -whispered. “There are Bayard Bell and his cousins.” - -The last time we saw Bayard, he and Seth and Will were diving into the -bushes to conceal themselves from Featherweight, who was approaching -them at a rapid gallop. They had barely time to hide behind a log in the -thicket before he came up. They saw him open his eyes in astonishment -when he discovered the schooner, and watched him closely while he -hitched his horse, stepped into the yawl, and pushed off to visit her. -Every one of them regarded his appearance there at that particular time -as a most unfortunate occurrence, and they would have been glad to -prevent him from going on board the vessel, had it not been for the fear -of raising a disturbance with him and thus attracting the attention of -Mr. Bell. - -“Everything is going wrong,” said Bayard, angrily. “We ought to be -off now hunting for Wilson, but here’s another spy that demands our -attention. Why did he come here where he isn’t wanted?” - -“He’ll certainly be discovered,” remarked Seth. - -“And if he isn’t, we’ll catch him when he comes ashore,” said Bayard. “He -will learn some things he ought not to know, and it will never do to let -him go back to his friends. I’ll just creep up through the bushes and -catch his horse.” - -This was easier said than done. The pony was a vicious little fellow, -and did not care to have any one except his master approach him. When he -discovered Bayard advancing upon him through the thicket he laid back -his ears as if to warn him that he had come near enough; and when the -boy arose to his feet and extended his hand to seize him by the bridle, -the pony faced about, kicked at him with both heels, broke his halter, -and scampered away to carry consternation among the members of the -Sportsman’s Club, who were already growing weary at the non-appearance -of their jolly little Secretary. Bayard returned to his companions, -grumbling over his failure, and seating himself beside them in the -bushes, waited to see what was going to happen on board the schooner. Nor -was he obliged to wait long, for before the next quarter of an hour had -passed away the events we have already described had taken place; Coulte -and Pierre had gone ashore with Chase; and Mr. Bell had also left the -vessel and started for home. Nothing more was seen of Featherweight, and -Will declared that that was evidence enough that he had been discovered -and retained as a prisoner. - -“I think so too,” said Bayard, with a long sigh of relief. “He is out of -the way, but there is one left, and that is Wilson. He must be secured at -all hazards, and that too before he reaches the village.” - -“But what shall we do with him when we get him?” asked Seth. “We’ve no -place to keep him.” - -“Let’s catch him first, and talk about that afterward,” replied Bayard. -“I am more than ever interested in the welfare of this band, now that -I know that my father is connected with it. That gets ahead of me -completely, for I never dreamed of such a thing.” - -Bayard and his cousins, being eager to begin the pursuit, did not linger -to talk this matter over, but made the best of their way toward the -ravine where they had left their horses. After they had mounted, the -question arose: which way should they go to find Wilson? Considerable -time was consumed in debating this point, but it was finally decided -that the only thing they could do was to ride along the road toward the -village. If Wilson had not already gone there, they would certainly -intercept him by following this course; but if he had reached the town -and spread the alarm, why then the mischief was done and could not be -undone. They would then go to Mr. Bell and let him decide what steps -should be taken next. This being settled, they started off at a rapid -gallop, which they kept up until they had entered the old Frenchman’s -clearing and were half way across it, and then Bayard, who was leading -the way, suddenly pulled up his horse and pointed toward the house. His -cousins looked in the direction indicated just in time to see a boy, who -looked very much like the one of whom they were in search, drop down from -a corn-crib and run into the hall. - -“There he is!” exclaimed Bayard, gleefully. “We’re all right now. He -hasn’t been to the village at all, and consequently has told no one of -our secret.” - -“How do you know that?” asked Will, who thought his cousin rather hasty -in forming his conclusions. - -“Why, he’s here alone, isn’t he? If he had visited any of the settlers -and told them what he heard us say yesterday, and what happened last -night in Mr. Gaylord’s yard, some of them would have been here with him. -I feel greatly encouraged. Let’s surround the house and capture him.” - -“And if we come to close quarters with him, be careful to keep out of the -way of his fists,” added Will. “He’s as strong as a horse, and he isn’t -afraid of anything.” - -Bayard waved his hands right and left, and his cousins separated and -dismounted on opposite sides of the house. After hitching their horses -they entered the hall on tip-toe just as the fugitives had finished -their raid on the old Frenchman’s eatables, and were discovered in the -manner we have described. - -“Fellows,” whispered Bayard, when Wilson had dropped back into the room -after holding the short colloquy we have recorded, “there’s some one -in there with him, for I can hear them talking. It’s Chase, I’ll bet a -dollar.” Then raising his voice he called out: “You were getting ready -to leave, were you? It seems we arrived just in time. We’ve got you both -right where we want you. We’ll teach you to play eavesdropper before we -are done with you.” - -Chase and Wilson made no reply to this. The latter, who did not intend to -be cheated out of his dinner, even if there were enemies almost within -reach of him, once more picked up his bread and meat, and while he was -devouring it ran his eyes all around the room as if searching for some -avenue of escape. - -“You needn’t keep so still in there,” continued Bayard in a louder tone. -“We know just how the thing stands.” - -“Well, what of it?” demanded Chase. “What do you propose to do about it?” - -“Ah! my young boy, I thought you were there,” cried Bayard, recognising -Chase’s voice. “We don’t intend to do much. We’ll just keep you in that -room till Coulte comes home—that’s all.” - -“We’d like to see you do it,” replied Wilson, angrily. “We’re coming out -now, and if any of you stand in our way you’ll get hurt. We don’t want -anything more to do with you, and you will save yourselves trouble by -going off and minding your own business.” - -As Wilson said this he and Chase once more laid down their bread and -meat, and began making preparations to leave the room. - -As the door was locked and Coulte had the key in his pocket, there was -but one way this could be done, and that was by going out at the hole in -the floor of the loft where Wilson had come in. Their first move was to -restore the bureau to an upright position and pull it under the hole; -and their next to spring upon the top of it, settle their hats firmly -on their heads, push back their sleeves, and make other demonstrations -indicative of a resolve to give Bayard and his cousins a warm reception -if they dared to attack them. - -“I will go first,” said Wilson. “I know they will pitch into me the -moment I touch the floor, but I am good for two of them if you will -manage the other.” - -“Trust me for that,” said Chase. - -“Be ready to follow me without the loss of an instant,” continued Wilson, -earnestly. “Strike right and left, and don’t be at all particular where -you hit. As soon as we have beaten them off we’ll run for our horses.” - -While these preparations were being made on the inside of the room, -Bayard was equally busy on the outside. His ears kept him posted in all -that was going on on the other side of the partition, and when he heard -Chase and Wilson moving the bureau across the floor, he knew what they -intended to do, and set to work at once to defeat their designs. - -“Our only chance is to keep them in that room until Coulte returns,” said -he, to his cousins. “If we allow them to come out they will give us more -than we can attend to, for they are well nigh desperate. Seth, run to -the crib and bring us an armful of corn.” - -“What for?” asked that worthy. - -“Why, to throw at them, of course. Be quick, now.” - -Seth hurried off and presently returned with two or three dozen ears of -corn, which he deposited on the floor of the hall. Bayard and Will caught -up an ear in each hand, and placing themselves in favorable positions for -throwing, waited for one of the boys on the other side of the partition -to show himself. - -“Better keep close in there,” said Bayard, when he heard Chase and Wilson -push the bureau against the wall and spring upon it. “We’re ready for -you, and if you know when you are well off you won’t try to come out.” - -“Who asked for your advice?” demanded Chase. “We are coming, and when we -get out into that hall we don’t want to find you there.” - -“We’ll be in Bellville in about four hours,” chimed in Wilson; “and when -we get there won’t we have a nice story to tell about you? My eye! I -wouldn’t be in your place for a whole cart-load of money.” - -“You’re not in Bellville yet,” replied Bayard, in a voice that was -rendered almost indistinct with passion. “Keep down, I say. We give you -fair warning that the first one who shows himself will get his head -broken.” - -Wilson, not in the least daunted by this threat, seized the uppermost -log of the partition with both hands, and began scrambling out of the -hole; but scarcely had the top of his hat appeared in view when three -heavy ears of corn, propelled with all the force that sinewy arms could -give them, shot up from below—one passing within an inch of his head, -another knocking off his hat, and a third striking him on the shoulder -and sending him back into the room. He landed on his feet on the bureau, -but would have fallen if Chase had not caught him in his arms. - -“Are you hurt?” asked the latter, in alarm. - -“Not in the least, only astonished,” replied his companion. “They are too -sharp to allow us to come to close quarters with them. I didn’t think -they would resort to a trick like that, and I am satisfied now that we -can’t go out that way. I would as soon face bullets as those ears of -corn. We must try strategy.” - -“And we must be in a hurry about it, too,” replied Chase, “for we have -already wasted a good deal of valuable time. Coulte may return at any -moment.” - -“We’re in a bad scrape,” said Wilson, beginning to get discouraged. - -“Yes, we are; but still we are better off than Fred Craven. He’s in a -fix, I tell you; and he got into it by trying to help me. He’s a prisoner -on board——” - -A single word we utter, or an act that we perform, is sometimes recalled -to our minds when we least expect it, and not unfrequently makes great -changes in our prospects for the future. Chase did not have time to say -any more about the prisoner he had left on board the schooner, but what -little he did say was remembered by Wilson, who afterward repeated it to -one who instantly became interested in Chase’s welfare, and succeeded in -getting him out of the worst predicament he had ever got into. He was -going to tell how he had met Featherweight, and to repeat all that had -passed between them, when Bayard called out: - -“You haven’t started for Bellville yet, have you? I think it will be a -long time before you will have a chance to tell those stories about us. -Hollo, here! You’re just in time.” - -A heavy step sounded in the hall, and some one growled out in reply to -Bayard’s salutation: - -“Hollo yourself! What are you doing in this house? I’ve seen enough of -you, and you had better make yourselves scarce about here, sudden.” - -“That’s Pierre,” whispered Chase, in great alarm. “We’re done for now.” - -Yes, it was Pierre. When he reached the bayou he found that the pirogue -was in need of some repairs. Long exposure to the sun had opened wide -seams in her sides, and these must be caulked before she was put into -the water. Pierre at once returned to the house to get the necessary -implements, and arrived there just in time to be of assistance to Bayard -and his cousins. The fugitives were dismayed when they heard his voice. -They stood irresolute for a moment, and then began running about the -room, moving with cautious footsteps, and darting from side to side like -a couple of rats cornered in an oat-bin. They heard a few words of the -conversation that was carried on in the hall, but they were too nearly -overcome with terror, and too completely absorbed in their desire to -escape, to pay much attention to it. - -“If you knew what an important service we have just rendered you, you -wouldn’t be in such a hurry to order us to make ourselves scarce about -here,” said Bayard, addressing himself to Pierre. “You left a prisoner -here, didn’t you?” - -“What of him?” demanded Pierre, and this time he spoke in a very -different tone of voice. “Have you seen him? Has he escaped?” - -“Do you remember the fellow you allowed to go at liberty last night when -you captured Chase?” continued Bayard. “Well, he has been hanging around -here watching you; and a few minutes ago he came into the house, tore a -hole in the floor of the loft—” - -“Where is he now?” interrupted Pierre, who did not like Bayard’s -roundabout way of getting at things. - -“He’s in that room, and so is Chase. They would have come out and made -off if it hadn’t been for us; but we drove them back by throwing corn at -them.” - -Before Bayard had finished his explanation Pierre was trying to force an -entrance into the room. He produced a key from his pocket and unlocked -the door, but it refused to open for him, for it was securely fastened -on the inside by a heavy hickory poker, one end of which had been placed -under the lock, and the other firmly braced against the floor. - -“Open here!” shouted Pierre, “or it will be worse for you when I get -inside.” - -No answer was returned, and Pierre, filled with rage, began trying to -burst the door open by placing his brawny shoulders against it and -pushing with all his strength, and then kicking it with his heavy boots; -but his efforts were useless, and he finally desisted and turned his eyes -toward the ladder that led toward the loft. - -“Don’t try to go in that way,” said Bayard. “They are plucky fellows, and -they would throw something at you the moment you showed your face above -the partition. Cut the door down.” - -Pierre thought this good advice. He hurried out of the hall and presently -returned with an axe, with which he attacked the door furiously. The -hinges held, and so did the lock; but the inside of the door gave way, -and in a few seconds Pierre had cut a hole large enough to admit him into -the room. He cautiously thrust his head into it, but could see no one. -He reconnoitred the interior thoroughly, and finally, with an exclamation -of amazement, worked his way hastily through the opening. There was the -broken furniture which the boys had scattered about the room, the open -cupboard with the empty shelves, and the bread and meat they had left -behind them; but the boys themselves were nowhere to be seen. - - - - -CHAPTER XII. - -HOW WILSON ESCAPED. - - -Bayard and his cousins squeezed themselves through the hole in the -door, one after the other, all of them revolving in their minds some -tantalizing remarks they intended to address to Chase and Wilson when -they saw them; and the surprise and bewilderment they exhibited when -they found the room empty, were quite equal to Pierre’s. The latter, -after looking all about the apartment to make sure that the boys were not -there, lighted a candle, threw open the trap-door, and dived into the -cellar, where he spent some time in overturning the boxes and barrels -that were stowed around the walls; and when he came out again the -expression his face wore was a sufficient indication that his search had -been fruitless. - -“Now, see here,” said he, looking savagely at Bayard; “what sort of a -story is this you have been telling me?” - -“I told you the truth,” replied the boy, retreating hastily toward the -door as Pierre advanced upon him. “Wilson was certainly in this room, -because we all saw him when he made an attempt to climb out of that hole -in the loft. Look around a little. He’s here, I know he is.” - -Pierre, who believed that Bayard was trying to mislead him for some -purpose of his own, and who had been on the point of giving him a good -shaking with a view of forcing the real facts of the case out of him, -looked toward the other boys for a confirmation of this story. Seth -and Will loudly protested that their cousin had told the truth, and -nothing but the truth, and Pierre, being in some measure convinced by -their earnestness, lifted the table from the floor, and after pushing -it against the wall to enable it to retain an upright position, placed -his candle upon it, and set to work to give the apartment a thorough -overhauling. - -“If they were in the room when I reached the house, they must be here -now,” said he, “for there is no way for them to get out except through -the door and that hole in the loft. Move everything, and we’ll find them.” - -Suiting the action to the word, Pierre seized one of the beds, and -pulled it into the middle of the floor, and there, snugly hidden behind a -pile of saddles, old blankets, boots, hats, boxes, and a variety of other -articles that had been thrown under the couch for safekeeping, was Henry -Chase. Pierre had looked under that same bed when he first came in; but -as it was dark in the room—there being no windows in the house—and his -examination had been hastily made, Chase had escaped his observation. - -“Here’s one of them!” exclaimed Pierre, seizing the fugitive by the -collar and lifting him to his feet. - -“What did we tell you?” cried Bayard. “Are you satisfied now that we knew -what we were talking about?” - -“Where’s the other fellow—what’s his name?” demanded Pierre. - -“Wilson,” suggested Seth. - -“I’m sure I don’t know where he is,” answered Chase, and he told the -truth. Just before he dived under the bed, he saw Wilson running -frantically about the room as if he did not know which way to turn, but -where he went, Chase had not the remotest idea. “And if I did know I -wouldn’t tell you,” he added, boldly. - -“You _do_ know,” exclaimed Bayard. “He was in this room with you not five -minutes ago.” - -“I don’t deny that, but still I don’t know where he is. O, you may strike -me, if you feel so inclined,” added Chase, as Pierre drew back his -clenched hand, “but I can’t tell you a thing I don’t know, can I?” - -“Bring me something to tie him with,” said Pierre, turning to Bayard; -“one of those bridles will do. We’ll make sure of him, now that we have -got him, and then look for the other.” - -Bayard brought the bridle with alacrity, and even assisted in confining -Chase’s arms, the latter submitting to the operation without even a show -of resistance. Pierre used more than usual care in making the straps -fast, and when he had bound the boy so tightly that he could scarcely -move a finger, he pulled a chair into the middle of the room and pushed -him into it. His short experience with his prisoner had convinced him -that he was a very slippery fellow, and he thought it best to have him -where he could keep his eyes upon him. - -As soon as Chase had been disposed of, the search for Wilson was -renewed, Bayard and his cousins lending willing aid. They began by -examining every nook and corner of the cellar, and not finding him there, -they returned to the room above and pulled the beds to pieces, explored -the loft, and looked into all sorts of impossible places, even peering -under chairs, and taking out the bureau drawers; and finally, one after -another, they made a journey to the fire-place and looked up the chimney. -But they could see nothing there. There was a fire on the hearth, and -the smoke ascended in such volumes that it speedily filled their eyes -and nostrils, and they were glad to draw back into the room for a breath -of fresh air. Chase sat in his chair watching all their movements with -the deepest interest. His friend’s sudden and mysterious disappearance -astonished and perplexed him as much as it did anybody; but he exulted -over it, while Pierre and his young assistants seemed to be very much -dismayed, especially the former. After the house had been thoroughly -searched (even the apartment across the hall was examined, although -there was not the least probability that Wilson could have got into -it), Pierre walked once or twice across the room, and then taking down -a hunting-horn from its nail over the fire-place, went to the door and -blew it as if he meant that it should be heard by everybody for ten miles -around. When he came back he addressed himself rather sternly to Bayard. - -“Now, then, clear out,” said he. “Be off at once, and never let me see -your face again.” - -“What are you going to do with Chase, and what were you blowing that horn -for?” asked Bayard, who thought it might be policy to learn something of -Pierre’s plans before he left him. - -“That’s my own business,” was the gruff reply. “Do you see that hole in -the wall? It was left there for folks to go out of, and I advise you to -make use of it.” - -Pierre pointed toward the door, and Bayard, judging by the expression -of his countenance that it would be a dangerous piece of business to -irritate him by refusing to comply with his wishes, sprang out into the -hall, followed by his cousins. - -“That’s the return we get for doing him a favor,” said he, as he led the -way toward the place where their horses were tied. “However, I don’t mind -it much, for Chase is captured again, and if we can only secure Wilson -we are all right. As he is not in the house, it follows as a thing of -course that he must be out of it; although how he got out is a mystery to -me. He has taken to the woods, most likely, and if we start after him at -once we can catch him.” - -Bayard and his cousins mounted their horses and rode off at a gallop. -Pierre watched them until they were out of sight, and then went into the -house and renewed his search for Wilson, which he kept up until he was -interrupted by a hasty step in the hall, and Coulte appeared and looked -through the broken door. He had heard the sound of the hunting-horn, and -knowing from the peculiar manner in which it was blown, that there was -something unusual going on at the house, he had hurried back to see what -was the matter. A single glance at the inside of the room and at his -son’s face, was enough to tell him that the latter had some exciting news -to communicate. - -“Oh! Whew! Somedings is going wrong again!” he exclaimed, in a frightened -tone. - -Pierre replied that there were a good many things going wrong, and in a -few hurried words made him acquainted with all that had happened in the -house during the last fifteen minutes, adding a piece of information and -prediction that greatly alarmed Coulte, namely: that Wilson had again -escaped, and that in less than an hour he would return to the clearing -with an army of settlers at his heels. The old Frenchman listened eagerly -to his son’s story, only interrupting him with long-drawn whistles, which -were loud and frequent, and when it was finished declared that it was -necessary to make a change in their plans—that, instead of waiting until -night to begin the voyage to Lost Island, they must begin it at once. -They would sail down the bayou into the swamp, conceal themselves there -until dark, and then continue their journey. What they would do after -they had disposed of their prisoner, Coulte said he did not know; but -of one thing he was satisfied, and that was, that they could not return -to the settlement to sell their property, as they had intended to do. -They had worked hard for it, but they must give it up now, for it would -probably be confiscated when the authorities learned that he and his sons -belonged to the smugglers. This thought seemed to drive the old Frenchman -to the verge of distraction. He paced up and down the floor with his -beloved pipe tightly clenched between his teeth, swinging his arms wildly -about his head, talking loudly, sometimes in English and sometimes -in French, and declaring, over and over again, that this was the most -magnificent scrape he had ever got into. - -“Well, I can’t help it,” grumbled Pierre. “You know that I didn’t want -to have anything to do with it in the first place. I told you just how -it would end, and now there is no use in wasting words over it. Let’s be -moving, for as long as we stay here we’re in danger.” - -Pierre bustled out of the room, and presently returned with an axe, a -side of meat, a small bag of corn-meal, and a couple of old blankets, -which he deposited in the hall. He then approached the prisoner and -remarked, as he began untying his arms— - -“As those things are intended for you, you can take them down to the boat -yourself. Have you a flint and steel?” - -“I have,” replied Chase. “Is that all you are going to give me for an -outfit?” - -“Of course, and you may be glad to get it, too. What more do you want? -There’s grub enough to last you a week, blankets to keep you warm of -nights, and an axe to build your camp and cut fire-wood.” - -“Why, I want a gun and some ammunition. How am I going to get anything to -eat after that bread and meat are gone?” - -“Trap it, that’s the way. Your own gun is on board the schooner; we’ve -got none here to give you, and besides, you don’t need one, and shan’t -have it. Shoulder those things and come along; and mind you, now, no -tricks.” - -Chase picked up his outfit and followed his captors, who, after loading -themselves with various articles, which they thought they might need -during the voyage, led the way across the clearing at a rapid walk, -keeping a bright lookout on all sides to make sure that there was no one -observing their movements. - -About ten minutes after they left the house, an incident happened there -that would have greatly astonished Pierre and his father, could they have -witnessed it. At one side of the room in which happened the events that -we have just attempted to describe, was an immense fire-place. The lower -part of it was built of logs and lined with mud, which had been baked -until it was as hard as a rock. The upper part—that is, the chimney—was -built of sticks, and was also plastered with mud, both inside and out. -As the chimney had been standing nearly ten years it was in a very -dilapidated state, and leaned away from the house as though it meant to -fall over every moment. Near the top were several holes which had been -made by the sticks burning out and falling into the fire-place; and had -Coulte and his son thought to look up at the chimney when they left the -house, they would have found that some of these holes were filled with -objects they had never seen there before. One of them looked very much -like the toe of a heavy boot; and at another opening, about five feet -nearer the top, was something that might have been taken for a black hat -with three holes cut in it. But it was not a black hat; it was something -else. - -Shortly after Chase and his captors had disappeared in the woods, this -dilapidated structure began to rock and groan in the most alarming -manner. Huge cakes of mud fell down into the fire, and had there been -any one in the room at the time he would have said that there was some -heavy body working its way down the chimney. Presently a pair of boots -appeared below the mouth of the fire-place, then a portion of a pair of -trowsers, next the skirts of an overcoat, and at last a human figure -dropped down among the smouldering coals, and with one jump reached the -middle of the floor, where it stood stamping its feet to shake off the -sparks of fire that clung to them, pounding its clothes, scattering a -cloud of soot about the room, and gasping for breath. It was Leonard -Wilson, but he did not look much like the neatly-dressed young fellow who -had entered that room but a short half-hour before. - -When Wilson found that Pierre had returned, the first place he thought -of was the chimney, which he believed offered the best chances for -concealment. He did not like to enter it, for there was considerable wood -on the hearth; it was all in a blaze, and he was afraid to trust himself -among the flames; but when he heard the door groaning under the furious -blows of the axe, he knew that he had no alternative—he must brave the -flames or submit to capture. He saw Chase dive under the bed, and after -waiting a moment to screw up his courage, he bounded lightly across -the floor and sprang into the fire-place. He did not linger there an -instant—if he had, he must have been burned or suffocated, for the flames -leaped around his high top-boots, and the smoke ascended so thick and -fast that it was impossible to obtain even the smallest breath of air—but -mounted at once into the chimney, and placing his back against one side -and his knees against the other, quickly worked his way as near the top -as his broad shoulders would allow him to go. As it happened there were -two holes about half way up the chimney, which were just large enough to -admit the toes of his boots; and by forcing a foot into each, and placing -his face to another opening nearer the top, he was able to hold his -position without the outlay of a great deal of strength, and to obtain -all the fresh air he needed. The flimsy old chimney swayed like a tree in -a gale of wind as he was ascending it, and threatened to topple over with -him every instant; but it maintained its upright position in spite of his -additional weight, and afforded him as perfect a concealment as he could -have asked for. But, for all that, he was glad when he saw Coulte and his -son disappear in the woods, and felt still more at his ease when he found -himself safe out of his smoky hiding-place, and standing in the middle -of the room. - -“Another close shave,” panted Wilson, pulling out his handkerchief and -clearing his eyes of the dust and soot. “I put myself in danger for -nothing, for Chase is still a prisoner. I know what I shall do now: I’ll -go straight to Walter Gaylord and tell him everything that has happened. -Perhaps he won’t be very glad to see me after all the mean things I have -been guilty of, but I can’t help it.” - -[Illustration: WILSON’S UNEXPECTED APPEARANCE.] - -Wilson pulled off his overcoat and thumped it energetically, beat his -slouch hat on the table, wiped his face with his handkerchief, and having -thus made a little improvement in his personal appearance, he hurried out -into the hall to look for his gun, which he had laid at the foot of the -ladder before entering the room. He did not expect to recover it, and -consequently was not much disappointed when he found that it was gone. -Knowing that Coulte or Pierre had taken charge of the weapon, he did not -waste time in looking for it. He stopped long enough to shake his fist -at the woods where the two men had disappeared, and to utter the fervent -hope that the thief would be knocked heels overhead by the gun the first -time he fired it; and then jumping down the steps drew a bee-line across -the clearing toward the canebrake where he had left his horse. He carried -his coats on his arm, ready to drop them and put himself in light running -order in case he saw Pierre or Bayard Bell and his cousins approaching; -and not until he reached the cover of the woods did he regard his escape -as accomplished. He found the horses near the place where he had camped -the night before, and when he had saddled and bridled both of them, he -mounted his own steed and rode off at a gallop, followed by Chase’s nag, -which kept close behind. Taking the shortest course to Mr. Gaylord’s -house, which lay through the thickest part of the woods, he went at a -break-neck pace, leaping his horse over logs and fences, dashing through -thickets of briers and cane that seemed almost impassable, and came at -last to the bayou on the banks of which he had halted with his companions -the day before to eat his lunch. As he turned down the stream toward the -ford, his attention was attracted by a commotion in the bushes on the -opposite shore, and in a few seconds Walter Gaylord and Phil Perkins -dashed into view. They pulled up their horses when they discovered -Wilson, and after gazing at his black face and hands for a moment, Perk -called out: - -“Now just listen to me and I’ll ask you a question; have you turned -chimney-sweep?” - -“No,” replied Wilson. “I’ve been in a chimney; but I didn’t stop to -sweep it out. I’d like to talk to you fellows a few minutes.” He had -been impatient to find Walter and his friends, but now that he was in -their presence he wished that the interview might have been postponed a -little longer. He did not feel at all uneasy concerning the reception -he was likely to meet at their hands, for he knew that they were young -gentlemen, and above taking a cowardly revenge on any one; but he was -ashamed of the manner in which he had conducted himself toward them, and -did not want to be obliged to look them in the face. - -“Well, here we are,” replied Walter. “What have you got to tell us? Have -you seen anything of Featherweight?” - -“No—that is—yes; I have heard of him. I have a long story to tell you, -and there are some things in it that will astonish you. I hope you don’t -bear me any ill will for what happened yesterday, and for the other mean -tricks I have done you?” - -“No, we don’t,” replied Walter readily. - -“Now I’ll just tell you what’s a fact,” chimed in Perk; “we’ve got -nothing against you or any of your crowd; and if you will only be -friendly with us, we’ll meet your advances half way.” - -The boys turned their horses’ heads down the stream, and when they -reached the ford Walter and Perk crossed over to Wilson’s side, and, to -show that they meant all they had said, shook hands with him as heartily -as though they had always been on the most friendly terms. Their manner -put Wilson at his ease at once; and without any preliminary words he -began and told the story of the adventures that had befallen him during -the last twenty-four hours. To repeat what he said would be to write a -good portion of “THE SPORTSMAN’S CLUB IN THE SADDLE” over again. He did -not know where Featherweight was, for he had not seen him; and neither -could he tell what had happened to Chase, for during the short time -that they were besieged in Coulte’s house, he had not been allowed an -opportunity to talk to him; but he remembered the hint his companion had -given him of Featherweight’s condition, and repeated his words to Walter -and Perk. - -“I have not the least idea where you ought to go to find Fred,” said -Wilson, in conclusion; “but this much I do know—that he is in a terrible -scrape, and that he is on board some vessel. Chase knows all about him, -for he has seen him and talked with him. Now, my advice, if you will -allow me to offer it, is this: assist me in rescuing Chase, and he will -tell you where to find Fred Craven; and, more than that, he and I will -stand by you through thick and thin, and do all we can to help you. What -do you say?” - -Walter and Perk did not say anything immediately, for they were so -astonished at the story they had heard that it was a long time before -they could speak. They could hardly believe it possible that all the -events that Wilson had described had taken place in their immediate -neighborhood, and that, too, without their knowledge; and they would have -been still more amazed if they had known that only a part of the story -had been told them. What would they have thought if they had known that -Mr. Bell was the leader of the smugglers of whom Walter had read in the -paper the day before; that his vessel was hidden in a little cove not -more than two miles from the place where they were then standing; that -Featherweight was stowed away in the hold, waiting to be carried to Cuba; -and that when he arrived there he was to be shipped as a foremast hand on -board a strange vessel and sent off to Mexico? - -“Isn’t it the strangest thing in the world that Chase should have been -mistaken for me?” cried Walter, as soon as he could speak. “Of course -we’ll stand by him. How shall we go to work? Suggest something, one of -you.” - -“Now, just listen to me a minute and I’ll tell you what I would do,” -exclaimed Perk. “Wilson, you said that Coulte is going to take Chase down -the bayou in the pirogue, didn’t you? Well, let’s go home and get the -Banner, and be ready to catch him when he comes out.” - -“Perhaps he wouldn’t stop when we told him to,” said Wilson. - -“We’d make him. We’d run over the pirogue and sink her. He’d stop then, -wouldn’t he?” - -“But we’d waste too much time in following that course,” said Walter. -“We’re six miles from home, and it would take two hours to go there and -get the Banner under way. By that time it would be pitch dark. It is -forty miles to the village, and ten more along the coast to the bayou, so -that we would have to run fifty miles while the pirogue was running about -one fifth as far. Another thing,” added Walter, looking up at the clouds, -“it’s going to be a bad night, and I don’t care to trust my yacht outside -in a gale.” - -Walter was in earnest when he said this, and it would have been hard work -for any one to have made him believe that he was destined to spend, not -only the greater portion of that night, but the whole of the succeeding -week on the Gulf, while the wind was blowing, the sleet flying, and the -waves running as high as his mast-head. But he did it. - -“I think the best plan would be,” he continued, “to ride at once for the -bayou and cut a tree across it—you know that the stream is very narrow -for a long distance above its mouth—so that Coulte can’t sail out with -the pirogue. If we can keep him in the swamp until morning, we can get -help and capture him. What do you think of that, Wilson?” - -“I like your plan the best,” was the reply. “We need not go a step out -of our way for an axe, for we can get one at Coulte’s house.” - -While the boys were discussing the matter, the clear, ringing blast of -a hunting-horn echoed through the woods. Perk sounded his own horn in -reply, and presently Eugene and Bab galloped up. Their appearance was -most opportune, and saved Walter the trouble of riding in search of them. -They were surprised to see Wilson—they were obliged to take two looks at -him before they recognised him—and Eugene at first scowled at him, and -acted very much as though he would like to settle up some of the little -accounts he held against him; but when Walter, after telling him that he -had brought news of Featherweight, repeated the story of his adventures, -and described the plan they had just decided upon, Eugene changed his -mind, and extended a most cordial greeting to Wilson, in which he was -joined by Bab. - -Of course there were a thousand and one questions to be asked and -answered, and during the ride to the bayou the Club kept Wilson talking -continually. They compelled him to tell his story over and over again, -and each time expressed their astonishment and indignation in no measured -terms. They all gave it as their opinion that Featherweight had somehow -managed to fall into the hands of the smugglers, and that he was detained -by them: but, of course, they could not determine upon any plans for his -release until they knew where he was confined, and that could not be -ascertained until they had rescued Chase. - -In half an hour the boys reached Coulte’s plantation, and after -reconnoitering the premises to make sure that none of the family had -returned, they dismounted in front of the porch and went into the house -to secure the axe, and to look at the room in which Chase and Wilson -had been besieged. Everything in and about the apartment—the shattered -door, the hole in the floor of the loft, the broken furniture, the empty -shelves in the cupboard, and the huge cakes of mud in the fire-place, -which Wilson had knocked off while he was coming out of the chimney, bore -testimony to the truthfulness of his story. The members of the Club were -interested in everything they saw, and would have overwhelmed Wilson with -questions, had not Walter reminded them that the longer they lingered, -the longer they would be separated from Featherweight. The mention of -the secretary’s name brought them to their saddles again; and in a few -minutes more they had left the old Frenchman’s house behind them, and -were galloping through the woods toward the bayou. - - - - -CHAPTER XIII. - -PERK TAKES A BATH. - - -As soon as they had left the clearing, Walter, who led the way and acted -as commander of the expedition, changed his course, and instead of going -directly toward the bayou, held his way through the woods parallel with -the stream, and about a mile distant from it. He was afraid that if he -and his companions followed the bank of the bayou they might stumble upon -Coulte before they knew it, and he hoped by this course to avoid meeting -him altogether. Their object was to get ahead of him, and reach the mouth -of the bayou first, and that, too, without giving the old Frenchman any -reason to believe that he was pursued. If the latter knew that there was -some one on his trail, he might remain in the swamp, or try to reach the -Gulf by some other route; in which case they would lose the opportunity -of rescuing Chase. - -For the next ten miles the boys rode at a full gallop, and never once -drew rein until they arrived on the bank of the bayou about a mile above -its mouth. This was the narrowest part of the stream, and they had -selected it as the best point at which to intercept the pirogue; but, -to their great delight, they found that the wind had anticipated their -designs, and that it would not be necessary to use their axe at all. A -large poplar, which leaned over the bayou, having been uprooted, had -fallen into the water, the top resting near one shore and the butt on the -other. If they had felled the tree themselves they could not have placed -it in a better position for blockading the bayou. It lay so close to the -surface of the water that the smallest canoe could not go under it, and -was so high that a vessel of the size of the pirogue could not be easily -dragged over it. The only way that Coulte could pass would be to take the -pirogue ashore and carry it around the obstruction; but that was a thing -that Walter and his friends did not intend to allow him to do. He _did_ -do it, however, and not one of the Club made the least effort to prevent -him. - -The boys dismounted near the tree, and Perk, after hitching his horse, -sprang upon it and walked out over the water to see if he could discover -any signs of the pirogue. It was already dark—so dark that he was -obliged to exercise considerable caution in moving along the log. The -trees threw a deep shade into the water on each side of the bayou; but -there was a bright streak in the middle, extending up and down the -stream as far as his eyes could reach, and Perk was certain that he -saw something in it. He listened, and distinctly heard a rushing sound -such as a boat makes when passing rapidly through the water. He was all -excitement in a moment. - -“Keep close there, fellows,” he whispered, addressing himself to his -companions on the bank. “We’re just in time. They’re coming as sure as -the world. And like a steamboat, too,” he added, mentally. “I hope they -will strike the tree and smash their old pirogue into kindling-wood.” - -Perk being afraid to return to the bank lest he should be discovered by -the men in the pirogue, stretched himself out at full length on the log -and kept his eyes fastened on the approaching vessel. In a few seconds -she began to loom up more distinctly through the darkness, and Perk was -astonished at the amount of canvas she carried and the manner in which -she was handled. Her huge sail extended up into the air until it seemed -to reach above the tops of the trees, and, although Pierre and Coulte -had seated themselves as far back in the stern-sheets as they could get, -her bow, instead of riding gracefully over the waves, was forced down -into them by every gust of wind that filled the canvas. It was plain that -Coulte and his son were in a great hurry, and that they thought more of -speed than they did of their own comfort or the safety of the vessel. - -“They’ve more faith in that old tub than I would have if I was in her,” -soliloquized Perk. “If she labors so badly here in the bayou, where the -water is comparatively smooth, and the wind hasn’t half a chance at her, -what would she do if she was out in the Gulf? But she’ll never get out -there. She’s going to smash herself into a million pieces.” - -The boys on the bank, who had by this time discovered the pirogue, -thought so, too. She continued to approach the log at almost railroad -speed, and Perk held his breath in suspense, and even clasped his arms -around the tree as if he feared that the concussion might knock him off -into the water; but Pierre, who handled the helm, was on the watch, and -when the pirogue had arrived within ten feet of the obstruction, he -discovered the danger and with one sweep of his arm escaped it. - -“Whew!” whistled Coulte, clenching his teeth tightly on the stem of his -never-failing pipe, and holding fast to the stern-sheets with both hands; -“somedings wrong again!” - -“Yes, of course there is,” replied Pierre. “Haven’t things been going -wrong with us ever since we began to meddle with this business? Here’s -a log extending clear across the bayou, and I came within an inch of -running into it. We’ll have to go ashore and pull the boat around it.” - -While this conversation was going on the pirogue, which had been thrown -up into the wind, was drifting down the stream broadside on, and now -brought up against the log directly in front of the place where Perk lay. -Coulte and his son both saw him there, but did not take a second look at -him, supposing him to be a huge knot on the body of the tree. While Perk -was waiting to be discovered, and expecting it every moment, a brilliant -idea occurred to him. He looked over into the pirogue, which was bobbing -up and down with the waves scarcely two feet from him, and just then a -figure, which was stretched out in the stern of the boat, raised itself -to a sitting posture and said, in a frightened voice: - -“I hope there is no danger. Remember that I am tied hand and foot, and -that if we are capsized I can’t swim a stroke.” - -“Lie down, and hold your tongue,” replied Pierre, savagely. “Small loss -it will be to us or anybody else, if you do go to the bottom!” - -In obedience to Pierre’s order Chase—for it was he who spoke—tried to -lie down again, and was a good deal astonished to find that he could not -do it. A pair of arms were suddenly thrust out of the darkness, strong -fingers fastened into his collar, and in a twinkling Chase found himself -lifted bodily out of the pirogue and thrown across the log. He looked up -and saw a dark form kneeling beside him, which quickly jumped to its feet -and catching him up in its arms, started with him toward the bank. It was -Perk, who highly elated with the exploit he had performed, called out to -his companions on shore: - -“Now just listen to me a moment, and I’ll tell you what’s a fact: I’ve -got him.” - -It was so dark that Walter and his friends could not see what was going -on at the middle of the bayou. They were at a loss to determine whether -Perk had got hold of Chase, or Coulte, or Pierre; but knowing by the -tones of his voice that he was highly excited over something, they sprang -upon the log and ran toward him. “Hold fast to him, whoever he is,” cried -Walter. “We’re coming.” - -“I’ll do it,” replied Perk. “I’ve got him, as sure as I am an inch high.” - -“Have you?” exclaimed a gruff voice. “Then bring him back here and give -him to me.” - -There was a shuffling of feet and other indications of a brief struggle -on the log, and angry exclamations from Perk, two or three savage -blows that were plainly heard by the boys on the bank, and then a loud -splashing in the water, followed by a hoarse, gurgling sound, as if some -one was gasping for breath. The boys stood transfixed with horror, fully -aware that a desperate fight was going on before them in the darkness, -but not knowing which way to turn or what to do to assist their friend. -The rapidity with which this state of affairs had been brought about -utterly bewildered them, and for a moment they stood speechless and -motionless. - -“Don’t desert me, Perk,” cried Chase, his voice coming from the water. “I -am helpless.” - -“Never fear,” was Perk’s encouraging reply. “It isn’t my style to desert -a fellow when he’s in trouble. Let go his collar, Coulte, or I’ll pull -you overboard.” - -“Whew! Whew! Everydings is going wrong again,” exclaimed the old -Frenchman; and the boys knew from the tones of his voice and the manner -in which he spoke that he was struggling desperately with some one. “Ah! -oui! everydings. Leave go, Meester Perkins.” - -“Now just listen to me a moment and I’ll tell you what is a fact: let go -yourself, or come out of that boat.” - -“Take that! and that!” shouted Pierre; and then came the sound of heavy -blows on the water and a cry of distress from Perk. - -All these things happened in much less time than we have taken to -describe them. It was probably not more than half a minute from the time -that Perk lifted Chase out of the boat until the fight was over, but -during that time his triumph had been turned into utter defeat. When -Walter and his friends reached the middle of the log the pirogue had -disappeared, and there was no one in sight. - -Perk had begun to exult over his victory a little too soon. His plan -for releasing Chase was a bold one, and the suddenness with which it -was carried into execution struck both Pierre and his father dumb with -astonishment. They saw the object, which they imagined to be a knot on -the tree, spring into life and action, seize their prisoner by his collar -and pull him out of the boat, and they never made a move to prevent it. -It was not until they heard the sound of Perk’s voice and saw him jump -to his feet and run along the log toward the bank, that they seemed to -realize what was going on. Then Pierre aroused himself, and after a short -fight, during which he received one or two blows from the boy’s hard -fist that made him see stars, succeeded in catching him by the ankle and -pulling him off the log. - -Perk’s sudden immersion in the cold water almost took his breath away, -and made him feel for a moment as if every drop of blood in his body had -been turned into ice; still he retained his presence of mind and all his -courage, and as soon as he arose to the surface, he caught the helpless -Chase by the collar, and lifting his head above the water struck out -for shore. But Coulte had by this time recovered himself, and he, too, -seized Chase and held fast to him. Both boys struggled hard to break -his hold, but finding that the old Frenchman hung on like grim death, -Perk laid hold of his hair and exerted all his strength to drag him -overboard—an undertaking that he would have quickly accomplished had not -Pierre snatched up an oar and struck him a severe blow with it. That did -the business for Perk. With a cry of pain he released his hold of Chase’s -collar, and, as he sank slowly out of sight in the water, Coulte pulled -his prisoner into the boat, while Pierre seized the helm and pulled away -for the opposite side of the bayou. - -“Where are you, Perk?” shouted Walter, running up and down the log, and -looking in vain for his friend. “Sing out.” - -“What’s that?” exclaimed Wilson, pointing to a dark object which just at -that moment arose from under the log, and floated slowly down the stream. - -“It’s a head!” cried Bab, with blanched cheeks. - -“And Perk’s head, too!” gasped Eugene. “I would know that long black hair -of his anywhere.” - -Fortunately, Walter was not in the least excited or dismayed; if he had -been, Perk might have drifted on down the stream, and sunk for good -before any effort was made to assist him. While the others stood with -their necks outstretched, their mouths wide open, and their eyes almost -starting from their sockets, staring hard at the object in the water, and -wondering if it was really a human head, or only a piece of driftwood, -Walter had hurriedly divested himself of both his coats, kicked off his -boots, and taken a header from the log. The object was still bobbing -about in the waves, and floating slowly down the stream, and a few swift -strokes brought Walter close up to it. It was Perk’s head, sure enough. -The brave young fellow was struggling feebly, but with a very poor -prospect of extricating himself from his dangerous situation, for the -blow that Pierre dealt him had taken away all his strength, and his heavy -clothing, which hung upon him like so many pounds of iron, weighed him -down in the water until nothing but the top of his head could be seen -above the surface. - -Walter was quick in his movements, knowing that there was not an instant -to be lost, but cautious also. Having learned by experience that it -is a dangerous piece of business to trust one’s self within reach of -a drowning person, he swam up behind his friend, and, watching his -opportunity, seized him by the back of the neck, lifted his head above -the water, and held him off at arm’s length. Perk kicked and thrashed -about wonderfully, beating the water into foam, making blind clutches -at the empty air, and trying hard to turn about, so that he could take -hold of Walter; but the latter held his arm as stiff as an iron bar, and -having secured a firm hold of Perk’s long hair, he compelled the latter -to keep his back toward him, and held him in that position while he -carried him toward the shore. - -In the mean time the old Frenchman and his son were not idle. Taking -advantage of the confusion that prevailed among the Club, they filled -away for the shore, took down the sail, dragged the boat around the -obstruction, launched it again on the other side, and resumed their -voyage toward the Gulf—Pierre expressing great astonishment at the whole -transaction, and swearing lustily at the delay that had been occasioned, -and at the wind which continued to increase in fury as night came on; -Coulte wondering at the recklessness Perk had displayed in attacking them -single-handed, and feeling his head, which still ached from the effects -of the strong pulls the boy had given at his hair; and Chase, encouraging -himself one moment with the hope of a speedy rescue, and the next -holding his breath in dismay, when he thought of the dangers yet to be -encountered. - -Poor Chase was in a miserable condition. His hands and feet were still -bound, his clothes were dripping with water that was almost cold enough -to freeze, and he was exposed to the full force of the wind, every gust -of which seemed to cut him to the bone. But, after all, he did not mind -this so much as he did the voyage into the Gulf, which, unless something -happened to prevent it, would be commenced in less than ten minutes. -Suppose the boat should go down, what chance had he for his life? He -tried to induce his captors to release him, assuring them that there was -no possible chance for him to escape now that they were so far from the -shore; but not only did they refuse to grant his request, but they would -not even permit him to see what was going on around him. As soon as the -pirogue was once more fairly under way, Coulte forced him to lie down on -the bottom of the boat, and threw a blanket over his head. This, in some -measure, protected him from the wind and the spray, but he would much -rather have been exposed to the full fury of the gale, if he had only -been allowed the free use of his eyes. To be blindfolded, so that he -could not see when danger approached, was positive torture to him. - -The journey to the island was by this time fairly begun, and it continued -four long hours. The wind blew even harder on the Gulf than Chase had -imagined, the waves rolled higher, and the voyage was quite as perilous -as he had expected it would be. Nothing but the greatest skill and the -most watchful care on Pierre’s part, kept the pirogue right-side up. He -had his hands full in minding the helm, and Coulte had as much as he -could do to bail out the water as fast as it came in. It began to gain -at last, and Chase was glad of it, for it was the means of securing his -release. - -“Whew! I don’t can shtand dis no longer,” panted the old Frenchman, -after he had used his bucket until every bone in his old body ached with -fatigue. “Meester Shase must help, or we goes to ze bottom.” - -“Untie him then,” growled his son. “I guess there’s no danger now that he -will jump overboard and swim ashore.” - -The pirogue was rolling and pitching in the most alarming manner, and -Coulte, not having his sea-legs on, found it a matter of some difficulty -to work his way back to the stern where Chase was lying. During the time -that he was employed in freeing the prisoner’s hands and feet, short as -it was, the water gained rapidly; and when Chase sprang up and seized the -bucket, it was almost knee deep in the bottom of the pirogue. - -As soon as Chase found himself at liberty his courage all returned. -Having been brought up on board a yacht, like all the rest of the -Bellville boys, he was not very much afraid of a gale, although he could -not help being appalled at the scene that was now presented to his gaze. -The sky was clearing up a little to windward, and there was light enough -for him to see that the water was in a frightful commotion. One moment -the pirogue would be riding on the top of a wave, which to a landsman -would have looked as high as a mountain; the next she would sink down -into an abyss that appeared to be almost bottomless, and the huge billows -would come rolling after her, seemingly on the point of engulfing her -every instant. Chase looked at the waves and then at his captors to see -what they thought about it, and he was satisfied that if they could have -put the boat about without danger of swamping her, and gone back to the -shore, they would have done it gladly. She was now running before the -wind, and consequently was comparatively safe; but an attempt on the part -of her crew to bring her about and to beat back to the main land, would -have resulted in her destruction. She must go on, for she could not turn -back. Pierre and Coulte both knew that as well as Chase did. The old -Frenchman was literally shaking with terror, while Pierre was as white as -a sheet. - -When Chase had noted these things, he went to work with his bucket, and -for two hours scarcely paused to take breath. At the end of that time -Pierre began to keep a sharp lookout in front of him, knowing that if -he had not missed his course he ought to be somewhere near the island. -Presently Chase discovered it looming up through the darkness, looking a -thousand-fold more gloomy and uninviting than it had ever before appeared -in his eyes, and then he too began to be uneasy, lest the pirogue -should be dashed upon the beach and broken in pieces by the surf. But -the good fortune that had attended them during the voyage had not yet -deserted them, and in spite of the wind and the waves Pierre succeeded -in piloting the boat between two high points, and running her ashore in -a little cove where she was effectually protected from the fury of the -gale. - - - - -CHAPTER XIV. - -CHASE TURNS THE TABLES. - - -When Chase, who was the first to spring ashore, had drawn the bow of the -pirogue out of the water, he took a turn up and down the beach and looked -about him. This was not the first time he had visited the island. He had -often been there in company with Wilson and Bayard Bell and his cousins, -and he knew every tree and stump on it. It was a favorite shooting and -fishing ground of his, and he thought it a fine place to camp out for -a night or two; but he had never wanted to live there. He was thinking -busily while he was walking up and down the beach, and revolving -something in his mind that made his heart beat a trifle faster than -usual. He did not want to remain there alone, and he was determined that -he would not. He would return to the village if he could that very night; -but if he was obliged to stay, Coulte and Pierre should stay with him. - -The cove in which the pirogue landed, and which was large enough to -receive and shelter a vessel of a hundred tons burden, was surrounded -on three sides by a high bluff thickly covered with bushes from -base to summit. In these bluffs were two or three caves in which -cooking-utensils, old-fashioned weapons, and rusty pieces of money had -been found, giving rise to the supposition that the island had at one -time been the harboring-place of the noted Lafitte. The story-tellers -of the village declared that some thrilling scenes had been enacted -there. Whether or not this was true we cannot tell; but this we do know: -that before Chase set his foot on the mainland again, he saw as much -excitement and adventure there as he wanted, and even more than enough to -satisfy him. - -“Well,” exclaimed Pierre, who seemed to be greatly relieved to find -himself on solid ground once more, “we did it, didn’t we? We’re here at -last.” - -“I’d rather be somewhere else,” replied Chase. “Do you know, Pierre, that -I shall be hard up for bread while I stay here? The corn-meal in that bag -is thoroughly soaked with salt water.” - -“The bacon is all right,” returned Pierre. “When you got tired of living -on that you can catch a wild duck.” - -“By putting salt on its tail, I suppose,” interrupted Chase. “I don’t see -how else I am to catch it.” - -“Take this lantern and axe and look around and find something to start -a fire with,” continued Pierre. “We’ll have to stay here with you until -the wind goes down, because we can’t beat up against it in the pirogue. -Even if we could, I wouldn’t try it. I’ve seen enough of the Gulf for one -night.” - -“I believe you,” said Chase to himself. “If I can make things work to my -satisfaction you’ll never sail that pirogue back to the village. As soon -as you are asleep I’ll run her around under the lee of the island, and -stay there until the wind goes down and the sea falls, and then I’ll fill -away for home. If I can’t do that, I’ll take possession of the eatables, -knock a hole in the pirogue, and get out of your way by intrenching -myself in the ‘Kitchen.’ By doing that I can make prisoners of you and -your father as effectually as though you were bound hand and foot.” - -Chase was so highly elated over his plans for turning the tables upon -his captors, and so sure that one or the other of them would operate -successfully, that he allowed a smile to break over his face. Pierre saw -it, and interpreted it rightly. It put an idea into his head, and he -determined to watch Chase as closely now as he had done before. - -“I want to ask you a question,” said Pierre, while Chase was trying to -light the lantern with some damp matches Coulte had given him. “Did those -fellows we had the fight with at the log know that we were going to take -you to this island?” - -“Of course they did; Wilson told them. He was there with them, because I -heard his voice. They’ll come over here with an officer or two as soon as -the wind dies away a little, and they will be looking for you as well as -for me. What good will it do you now that you have brought me here? It -seems to me that by doing it you have made your situation worse instead -of better. You are prisoners here the same as I am.” - -Chase knew by the expression which settled on his face that he had -started a train of serious reflections in Pierre’s mind. Leaving him to -follow them out at his leisure he picked up the lantern, shouldered the -axe, and after looking about among the bushes for a few minutes, found -a dry log from which he cut an armful of chips with which to start the -fire. He worked industriously, and by the time that the old Frenchman and -his son had unloaded the pirogue and hauled her out upon the beach, he -had a roaring fire going, and a comfortable camp made behind a projecting -point of one of the bluffs. He then returned to the canoe to bring up the -blankets belonging to the outfit with which Pierre had provided him; and -when he had spread them and his coats out in front of the fire to dry, -he went to work to cook his supper and prepare his bed. Neither of these -duties occupied a great deal of time. All he had in the way of eatables -was the bacon, a few slices of which he cut off and laid upon the coals; -and for a bed he scraped together a few armfuls of leaves, and deposited -them at the roots of a wide-spreading beech which extended its limbs -protectingly over the camping-ground. When Pierre and his father came up -he was sitting before the fire in his shirt sleeves, turning his bacon -with a sharp stick. - -“What made you locate the camp so far away from the boat?” asked the -former, looking suspiciously at his prisoner. - -“Why, you don’t want to watch her all night, do you? I selected this -point because it is sheltered from the wind. Don’t you think it a good -idea? If you want any supper help yourselves; only touch that bacon -lightly, for it is all I shall have to eat until I see home again.” - -“What’s got into you all of a sudden?” asked Pierre, who could not -understand why his prisoner, who had heretofore been so gloomy and -disheartened, should suddenly appear to be much at his ease. “What trick -are you up to?” - -“I don’t know that I am particularly jolly—I feel much better than I did -a few hours ago,” replied Chase. “I am dry and warm now; and another -thing, I know that I shall not be obliged to stay here as long as I at -first feared. I’ll be taken off before to-morrow night, and then you had -better look out for me. I’ll show you—” - -Chase was going on to say that he would show Pierre and his father, and -Bayard Bell and every one else who had had a hand in his capture, that -there was a law in the land, and that they could not waylay peaceable -young fellows and shut them up in smuggling vessels and starve them and -carry them off to desert islands with impunity; but Pierre glared at him -so savagely that he thought it best to hold his peace. - -Coulte and his son were not slow to follow the example set them by their -captive. If one might judge by the numerous slices of bacon they cut off -and laid upon the coals, the fright they had sustained during the voyage -to the island had not injured their appetites in the least. They helped -themselves most bountifully, and while their supper was cooking pulled -off their coats, and spread the blankets and other articles that composed -the cargo of the pirogue, in front of the fire to dry. - -The meal was not as good as some Chase had eaten on that same island, -but it served to satisfy the cravings of his hunger, and when the last -piece of bacon had disappeared he spread one of his coats upon his bed -of leaves, drew the blanket over him, thrust his feet out toward the -fire and closed his eyes—but not to sleep. Tired, and almost exhausted, -as he was, that was a thing that did not enter his head. He had better -business on hand, and that was to watch Coulte and Pierre. They ate their -bacon very deliberately, smoked two or three pipes of tobacco, and then -arose and walked out on the beach. This movement was enough to arouse the -suspicions of the prisoner, who, as soon as they were out of sight and -hearing, sprang to his feet and looked around the point of the bluff to -see what they were going to do. - -“There’s one of my plans knocked into a cocked hat,” said Chase, as he -watched the proceedings of the two men; “but I have another in reserve, -and I know it will work. I am afraid I have done something to excite -their suspicions.” - -He certainly had. The smile that Pierre had seen on his face had made -him alert and watchful, and he and his father thought it best to put it -out of Chase’s power to leave the island without their knowledge. They -went straight to the pirogue, and after turning it bottom upward, moved -it close to a tree at the base of the bluff, and made it fast with a -chain and padlock. Not satisfied with this, they carried the sail and -oars into the bushes and concealed them there; and when they came out -they shouldered their guns and returned to the camp. They looked at their -prisoner as they walked past him, but he lay with a blanket over his -head, apparently fast asleep. - -Coulte and Pierre were ready to go to bed now, and the captive was quite -willing that they should do so. They began snoring lustily almost as soon -as they touched their blankets, but Chase, being cautious and crafty, -and unwilling to endanger the success of his scheme by being too hasty, -for a long time made no movement. Being convinced at last that they were -really asleep, and not trying to deceive him, he threw the blanket off -his head and slowly arose to his feet. His first move was to pull on -his overcoat and boots; his next to secure possession of the meat and -axe; and his third to light the lantern with a brand from the fire. He -looked wishfully at the guns which Pierre and his father had taken care -to put under their blankets before lying down, but he could not secure -them without arousing one or the other of the men. However, it was some -consolation to know that the weapons would be of very little use to their -owners. They had not more than two or three charges of dry powder between -them, for the large flask that Pierre carried had been thoroughly soaked -during the voyage to the island. - -Having lighted his lantern Chase rolled up his blankets and put them -under his arm, picked up the meat, shouldered the axe, and, thus -equipped, walked rapidly around the bluff toward the place where the -pirogue lay. He spent some time in searching among the bushes for the -sail, and having found it at last he pulled it out of its hiding-place, -and bent his steps toward the interior of the island. After walking -about a hundred yards he entered a little gulley, which seemed to run -up the side of the bluff, and a short distance further on his progress -was stopped by a perpendicular cliff, which arose to the height of forty -or fifty feet. By the aid of his lantern he closely surveyed the face -of this cliff, and having at last discovered some object of which he -appeared to be in search, he rested the mast, which was rolled up in the -canvas, against a projecting point of the cliff; and after making sure -that the lower end was placed firmly on the ground so that it would not -slip, he ran his arm through the ring in the lantern and began to climb -up the sail. When he arrived at the top he pushed aside the bushes, -disclosing to view a dark opening, which appeared to run back into the -cliff. Thrusting his lantern into it he surveyed it suspiciously for a -moment, as if half afraid to enter, and then clambered up and crept into -the opening on his hands and knees. After working his way along a dark -and narrow passage he found himself in a cave about twenty feet long and -half as wide, which was known among the village boys as “The Kitchen”—so -called from the fact that it was here that the cooking utensils had been -found—and this Chase intended should be his hiding-place and his fortress -as long as he remained on the island. It promised to answer his purpose -admirably. It was so effectually concealed that a dozen men might have -searched the island for a month without discovering it, and it could be -easily defended in case of an attack. The bluff in which it was located -was perpendicular on all sides, and the only way one could get into it -was by making use of a ladder or pole, as Chase had done. - -Chase raised his lantern above his head, and surveyed the cave with a -smile of satisfaction. In one corner were the remains of a fire which he -and his companions had built the last time they camped there, and over it -was a narrow crevice extending to the tops of the bluff, and answering -all the purposes of a window and chimney. In the opposite corner was a -supply of wood sufficient to cook his meals for three or four days, and -in another was a pile of leaves that had more than once served him for -a bed. His camp was all ready for occupation, and he had nothing to do -but to bring up the outfit he had left at the foot of the bluff. This -required two journeys up and down the sail. He brought the meat first, -the blankets next, and after stowing them away in the cave was ready to -carry out the second and most dangerous part of his programme. He tied -the lantern to the bushes at the mouth of the cave so that its rays -would shine down into the gulley below, divested himself of his coat, -and sliding down the sail to the ground, shouldered his axe and started -back for the beach. He left the axe by the pirogue, and approached the -camp on tip-toe to look at Coulte and his son. They were still sleeping -soundly, and Chase, lingering long enough to shake his clenched hand -at each of them, and to mutter something about their being astonished -when they awoke in the morning, hurried back to the pirogue and caught -up his axe. “Turn about is fair play, Pierre,” said he, as he swung the -implement aloft. “You have had things all your own way this far, and now -I’ll manage affairs for awhile. I’ll teach you to think twice before you -tie a boy hand and foot again and take him to sea in a dugout.” - -Whack! came the axe upon the pirogue, the force with which it was driven -sinking it almost to the handle in the soft wood, and opening a wide seam -along the whole length of the little vessel. Another blow and another -followed; but just as he raised his axe for the fourth time he heard an -exclamation of wonder, and looked up to see Pierre and Coulte standing at -the foot of the bluff. - -“Ah! whew!” exclaimed the latter, comprehending the state of affairs at -once. - -“Ah! oui!” replied Chase, exactly imitating the old Frenchman’s way of -talking; “somedings is wrong again, and dis times it is somedings pooty -bad. Whew!” - -“What are you about there?” demanded Pierre. - -“O, nothing,” answered Chase, bringing his axe down with greater force -than before; “only I am tired of seeing this old boat lying around. You -don’t want to use her any more, do you? You’ll go back to the village in -style, you know. The people there think so much of you that they’ll send -a yacht after you.” - -Pierre uttered something that sounded very much like an oath, and came -down the beach with all the speed he could command; but Chase, as active -as a cat, darted into the woods and was half way up the gulley before -the clumsy smuggler had taken a dozen steps. It was dark in the bushes, -and the noise he made in running through them guided his enemies in the -pursuit; but he succeeded in climbing up the sail, encumbered as he was -with the axe, and pulled it up after him. He did not have time to remove -the lantern before Coulte and Pierre came up. The former, as usual, -expressed his astonishment and rage by loud whistles, while Pierre looked -about for some means of ascending the bluff. Knowing himself to be in a -safe position, Chase was disposed to be facetious. - -“I say, Pierre,” he exclaimed; “what will you give me if I will pass the -sail down to you? That’s the only way you can come up here, seeing that -you have no axe to cut a pole with.” - -“I’ll give you something you won’t like when I get my hands on you,” -hissed Pierre, between his clenched teeth. “Come down from there.” - -“Do you want me to come now, or will you wait till I do come? You won’t -go back to the village to-morrow and leave me here all alone, will you? -You’ll stay, like a good fellow, till the yacht comes, won’t you? If you -want anything to eat in the mean time, you can catch a wild duck, you -know.” - -Pierre and his father were too angry to reply. They conversed a while in -low tones, and then started down the gulley toward the beach. When they -had disappeared, Chase blew out his lantern, and sitting down in the -mouth of the cave with his axe in his hand, waited to see what they were -going to do. - -While these events were transpiring on the island, others, in which Chase -would have been deeply interested could he have been made acquainted with -them, were taking place on the main shore. - -We left the Sportsman’s Club in great confusion. They saw the pirogue -when she filled away for the mouth of the bayou, but they were too deeply -interested in Perk’s welfare to pay any attention to her. The latter was -in good hands, and before the pirogue was fairly out of sight he was -safely landed on the bank, where he lay gasping for breath and almost -benumbed with the cold. - -“Start a fire, somebody,” exclaimed Walter, as soon as he had dragged his -friend out of the water; “and the rest of you come here and help me rub -some life into this fellow. Pierre shall suffer for this.” - -When Walter uttered these words he uttered the sentiments of the entire -party. Perk was a favorite with them all—even Wilson liked him now, after -his daring attempt to rescue Chase—and they did not intend to see him -abused. They worked for him like troopers—Wilson and Eugene kindling a -fire, and the others stripping off his clothes and rubbing him with all -their might. Fortunately there was not much the matter with him. The blow -he had received was not serious, and after he had been relieved of his -wet clothing and stretched out on a pile of overcoats before a roaring -fire, he began to recover himself. The boys considered it a good sign -when he cried out that he was all right, but kept on chafing him most -unmercifully until they had got him on his feet. - -The next thing was to dress him warmly to prevent him from taking cold, -and that was quickly done; each boy, with the exception of Walter, who -was as wet as a drowned rat, readily surrendering up to him some portion -of his own dry clothing. In half an hour Perk was himself again; and -after giving his companions a vivid description of his fight with Pierre -and Coulte, he inquired what was to be done now? “It isn’t too late yet -to try the plan I proposed,” said he. “Let’s go home and get the Banner -and Uncle Dick, and pursue them at once. We know that they are going to -Lost Island, so of course it will be no trouble to find them.” - -“I’m in for that,” shouted Eugene, who was always delighted with the idea -of a cruise, no matter how bad the weather was. “Let’s take a vote on it.” - -“We can stop at the village and tell Mr. Craven that Fred is missing,” -said Bab. - -“And I will have something to say to my father and Mr. Chase,” chimed -in Wilson. “Of course some of them will accompany us, and, with their -assistance, we can capture Coulte and Pierre, if we find them.” - -“We’ll do that anyhow,” replied Eugene; “especially if Uncle Dick goes -with us. He can manage them both. It’s just gay, outside, to-night. The -white-caps are running, and we’ll have a chance to see how the Banner -will behave in a gale. I wish Featherweight was here. He does so enjoy a -sail when the water is rough.” - -It was wonderful how the members of the Club missed the Secretary at -every turn. They were very lonesome without him, and now that there was -a prospect of their going on a cruise, they wanted him more than ever. -He was the life of the Club at all times, and more particularly while -they were on shipboard. He was fond of the water, and took to a boat as -naturally as though he had been born on board of one. With the exception -of Walter, who had no superior among boys of his age anywhere, he was the -best sailor at the Academy, and so skilful was he that his friends used -to say that he could make his yacht walk squarely into the wind’s eye. He -was a wonderful fellow to carry sail, and would keep every inch of his -canvas spread long after vessels larger than his own had begun to haul -it down. This made the students afraid of him; and when the yacht-club -was getting ready to go on its annual cruise, Featherweight sometimes -found it hard work to raise a crew for his vessel. But, after all, he was -fortunate, and always brought his yacht back to the village in just as -good trim as she was when she went out. The Club, while regretting his -absence, and telling one another that he was losing a great deal in not -being there to accompany them on their cruise, little imagined that he -was destined to feel as much of the Gulf-breeze that night as any of them. - -“I can see that you are all in favor of Perk’s plan,” said Walter; “so -there’s no need of taking a vote on it. Let’s put out the fire and be -off. No lagging behind, now.” - -The Club were fifteen miles from Mr. Gaylord’s house. For half the -distance their course lay along a bridle-path which ran through the -thickest part of the woods, and the deep shade cast by the trees made -it so dark that they could not see their hands before them. The way was -obstructed by logs and thickets of briers and canes, and the branches -of the trees hung over the path, and struck them violently in the face -as they passed. It was not a pleasant road to travel in the day-time, -and still less so on a night like this, and with such a leader as Walter -Gaylord, who was quite as dashing and reckless a rider as Featherweight -was a sailor. He kept Tom in a full gallop, which he never once slackened -until he bent from his saddle to open the gate that led into the -carriage-way. - - - - -CHAPTER XV. - -THE REVENUE CUTTER. - - -“Now fellows,” said Walter, as they rode along the carriage-way, “let’s -divide the work, so that there may be no delay. Eugene, put the horses in -the stable and feed them. Bab and Wilson, go down and pull the Banner out -of the bayou, loosen the sails, and get everything ready for an immediate -start. While you are doing that, Perk and I will go in and get on some -dry clothing, and tell father and Uncle Dick what has happened. When we -come down to the boat we’ll bring a couple of baskets of provisions with -us.” - -As soon as the boys reached the house they sprang from their saddles, and -hurried off to perform the work assigned them. Ten minutes afterwards, -when Walter and Perk, none the worse for their cold bath in the bayou, -joined the rest of the Club on board the yacht, they found her all ready -for sea. The hatches had been thrown open, the cabin unlocked, the -binnacle lighted, the lamps hoisted at the catheads, the sails were loose -and flapping in the wind, and the little vessel was held to the bank by -a bow and stern line, both ends of which were made fast on deck so that -they could be cast off without going ashore. - -“Fellows, I am afraid that you have done all this work for nothing,” -exclaimed Walter, as he and Perk sprang over the rail and deposited their -baskets of provisions on deck. “Uncle Dick has not got back yet, and -neither has father.” - -The expression of disappointment that settled on the faces of the yacht’s -crew, as well as the exclamations they uttered, showed that this was -anything but a pleasant piece of news. Uncle Dick was just the man for -the occasion. He would have entered heartily into their scheme—he was -interested in everything his young friends did—and he would have carried -it out successfully, too. - -“They are still out looking for Featherweight,” continued Walter, “and -haven’t been home since morning. I told mother where we are going and -what we intend to do, and she says that when they return she will send -them after us in the Lookout.” - -The Lookout was Mr. Gaylord’s yacht. When the season closed she had been -left at the village for repairs; and although the work on her was all -completed, she had not yet been brought home. The boys would have been -glad to make the cruise with her instead of the Banner, for she was a -much swifter boat; but it required a crew of ten men to handle her, and -that was a larger force than they could raise. - -“Shall we wait for Uncle Dick, or go without him?” asked Walter, in -conclusion. - -“Let’s go now,” exclaimed Eugene. “There’s no knowing what we may lose by -an hour’s delay. I’d as soon trust myself on the Gulf with you as with -Uncle Dick.” - -The other boys expressed the same unlimited confidence in their young -commander, and urged an immediate departure; and Walter, who, like -all modest young fellows, had a poor opinion of his abilities, turned -to Perk, whom he had selected to act as his assistant, and rather -reluctantly ordered him to get the yacht under way. - -The members of the Club were in their element now, and if Featherweight -had only been with them they would have been as happy as boys could well -be. They loved their horses, and were quite at home in the saddle; but a -staunch, swift vessel was what they most delighted in. The Banner suited -them exactly. She was small—not more than one-fourth the size of the -smuggling vessel—but she had been built under Walter’s own supervision, -with an eye to comfort and safety rather than speed, and the boys knew -that they could trust her anywhere. - -In the forward part of the vessel, where the forecastle would have been -located if she had had one, was the galley. It was a small apartment, -of course, but it was well fitted up, and provided with everything in -the shape of pots, pans, and kettles that any cook could possibly find -use for. A door in one side of it opened directly into the cabin, which -occupied the whole of the after-part of the vessel, no space being taken -up with state-rooms. It was carpeted, and furnished with a small writing -desk and chairs in abundance. Two lockers, one on each side, extended the -whole length of it, and in them were stored away the hammocks in which -the crew slept, the dishes, knives, forks and other things belonging to -the table, and there was also plenty of space for the Club’s hunting -and fishing accoutrements. The top and sides of the lockers were -upholstered, and they were supplied with pillows so that they could be -used as lounges or beds. - -Under the hatchway, which opened into the cabin from the deck, was -suspended a long, wide board, painted and varnished like the rest of the -furniture. This was the table. When in use it was lowered into the cabin -and kept in position—not by legs, like ordinary tables, but by polished -iron rods which came down from the beams overhead. If that table could -have found a tongue it would have told some interesting stories of the -glorious times the Club and their friends had had while seated around -it—of the quantities of roast duck, venison, oysters, catfish, quails, -and other good cheer that had been placed upon it by old Sam, the cook, -to be swept off by the hungry young yachtsmen; of the jokes that had -been passed, and the funny things that had been said after the cloth was -removed, and oranges, raisins, almonds and lemonade brought on; and of -the speeches that had been made, the stories that had been told, and the -hearty applauding blows that had been showered upon it by the Club as -Featherweight finished singing one of his favorite songs. And not only -the table, but everything else in the cabin was associated in the minds -of the Club with some exciting cruise or some pleasing event. It was -no wonder that they liked to be there, for a more cosy and comfortable -apartment could not have been found anywhere. - -In the hold of the schooner were stowed away the water-butts, the seven -tons of stone-coal that served her for ballast, extra sails and ropes, -two large anchors with cables complete, a chest of carpenter’s, calker’s, -and sail-maker’s tools, an abundance of fuel for the galley—in fact -everything that the little vessel could possibly need during a voyage -could be found here. Walter, besides superintending the building of -the yacht, had provided the outfit himself, and consequently there was -nothing wanting. Everything was kept in the best order, too. There was -never a rope out of place, or a drop of paint or grease on the deck. She -was a model yacht. We have been thus particular in describing her because -she is an old favorite of ours; and, as we shall have a good deal to say -about her and her exploits, we want everybody to know how she looks. - -“All hands stand by to get ship under way,” shouted Perk, repeating the -order Walter had given him. - -The boys sprang at the word, and in five minutes more the mainsail, -foresail and jib had been run up, and the yacht began to careen as she -felt the wind, as if impatient to be off. Eugene went to the wheel, -Wilson and Bab cast off the lines, the Banner raised herself almost on -her side, and taking a bone in her teeth, went tearing down the bayou at -a terrific rate of speed. - -“Now, I’ll tell you what’s a fact,” said Perk, pulling his collar up -around his ears and moving back into the standing-room to get out of the -reach of the spray which was dashing wildly about the bows, “this feels -natural. It is perfectly delightful. Wouldn’t she stand a little more, -Commodore—just an inch or two? We want to make good time, you know.” - -Walter looked up at the masts and thought she would bear the topsails; -but just as he was on the point of telling Perk that he might have them -given to the wind, he recollected that Eugene was at the helm. Knowing -that he was a very careless, and even reckless fellow, and that he would -almost as soon carry away a mast or capsize the boat as to luff an inch, -the young captain said he thought he would make the run with the canvas -he had already hoisted. - -“Well, then,” said Perk, “as the work is over until we reach the village, -Eugene and I can sail her. You and Bab and Wilson consider it your watch -below and turn in. I’ll call you when we come in sight of the wharf.” - -Walter thought this good advice. He went down into the cabin and closing -the door, thus shutting out all sounds of the wind and the waves, -arranged a bed on the lee locker, and stretched himself upon it. Bab and -Wilson came down one after the other, and before the yacht had left her -anchorage a mile behind, all three were sleeping soundly. When Eugene -came in to call them about one o’clock the lights on the wharf were in -plain sight. - -There was only one berth at the wharf in which a vessel could lie with -safety during a high wind, and it was already occupied by a little -schooner which was evidently getting ready to begin her voyage that -night; for her crew were busily engaged in loading her. Walter would have -been astonished had he know what consternation the sudden appearance of -his yacht produced in the minds of at least three of that schooner’s -company. A foremast hand, who was assisting another in rolling a -hogshead of hams up the gang-plank, ceased his work the instant his eyes -rested on her, and leaving his companion to himself, dived down into -the hatchway. Two men who were walking up and down the quarter-deck, -arm in arm—one dressed in broadcloth and the other in rough sailor -garments—stopped and gazed at her with mouth and eyes wide open. They -conversed a moment in low, hurried tones, and then the man in broadcloth -beat a hasty retreat down the companion ladder; while the other pulled -his tarpaulin down over his forehead, turned up the collar of his -pea-jacket, and having by these movements concealed every portion of his -face except his eyes and whiskers, thrust his hands into his pockets and -sauntered up to the rail. - -“Schooner ahoy!” shouted Walter, as the Banner dashed up. - -“Hallo!” was the reply. - -“I’d like to tie up alongside of you for about five minutes.” - -“Can’t do it,” answered the master of the schooner, for such he was. -“We’re going to sail immediately.” - -“All right. When you are ready to start, I’ll get out of your way. Will -you stand by to catch a line?” - -The captain of the schooner, although he heartily wished the yacht -a hundred miles away, could not well refuse to listen to so fair a -proposition as this. He caught the line as it came whirling over his -head, and made it fast on board his vessel; and in ten minutes more the -Banner was lying alongside the schooner, and Walter and Wilson were -walking up the street as fast as their legs could carry them—one to call -on Mr. Craven, and the other to find his father and Mr. Chase. The rest -of the Club remained on board to watch the yacht. Perk and Bab paced the -deck, talking over the exciting events of the day, and wondering what -else was in store for them, while Eugene clambered over the rail and went -on board the schooner. He took his stand at the forehatch and looked -down into the hold, where some of the crew were at work stowing away an -assorted cargo, and the first thought that passed through his mind was, -that for a vessel of her size she had very little capacity. What would he -have thought if he had known that there was another hold under the one he -was looking into; that it was filled with a variety of articles that had -that very afternoon been brought from New Orleans in wagons, and which -were to be smuggled into Cuba; and that in a dark corner among those -articles Fred Craven lay, still bound as securely as he was when we last -saw him? If Chase had been there he could have told some strange stories -about that schooner; but as none of the crew of the yacht had ever seen -her before (the reason was that she always left and entered port during -the night), they took her for just what she appeared to be—a trader. - -While Eugene stood looking down into the hold, the master of the -schooner, a short, thick-set, ugly-looking man, with red whiskers and -mustache, came swaggering up and tried to enter into conversation with -him. He wanted to know whose yacht that was, what she had come there for, -where she was going, why Walter and Wilson had been in such haste to get -ashore, and asked a good many other questions that Eugene did not care -to answer. He could see no reason why he should tell the man the Club’s -business; and the latter, finding that he could get nothing out of him, -turned on his heel and walked off. - -In half an hour Walter and Wilson returned, accompanied by Mr. Chase and -Mr. Craven. Wilson’s father was out of town, and consequently he had not -seen him. They were overwhelmed with astonishment at the stories the boys -had told them, and Eugene thought as he looked into Mr. Craven’s face -and glanced at the butt of the navy revolver which protruded from the -inside pocket of his coat, that he wouldn’t like to be in Pierre’s place -if Fred’s father ever met him. They were impatient to get under way. They -hurried across the deck of the schooner—passing directly over the head of -one of the boys they were so anxious to find, and so close to him that he -heard the sound of their footsteps—and springing over the yacht’s rail -lent a hand in hoisting the sails, and obeyed Walter’s orders as readily -as any of the crew. The master of the schooner saw them as they stepped -upon the deck, and pulled his collar up closer around his face; and when -the yacht veered around and filled away for the Gulf, he hurried below to -talk to the man in broadcloth. - -Under a jib and close-reefed main and foresail, the Banner made good -weather of it when she reached the Gulf. She skimmed over the waves -like a bird, and, guided by Bab’s careful hands, never shipped so much -as a bucket of water. As the lights in the village began to fade away in -the distance, other lights came into view in advance of them—a red and -a green light. Then the boys knew that they were not alone on the Gulf, -for those lights were suspended from the catheads of some approaching -vessel. Like old sailors, they began to express their opinions concerning -the stranger. She was a sailing-vessel, because if she were a steamer -they would see the lights in her cabin windows. She was not bound to New -Orleans, for she was not headed that way—she was coming toward them. She -was going to the village, and was, most likely, some small trader like -the one they had left at the wharf. - -“Better keep away a little, Bab,” said Walter. “We don’t care to go too -close to her in this wind.” - -Bab altered the course of the yacht a point or two, and in a few minutes -the position of the lights changed, showing that the vessel in front of -them had altered her course also, and that she intended to pass close -to the yacht whether her captain was willing or not. Believing from -this that the stranger had something to say to him, Walter brought his -trumpet out of the cabin and walked forward. The lights continued to -approach, becoming more and more distinct every moment, and presently -a trim little schooner hove in sight and came up into the wind within -hailing distance. Walter also threw the yacht up into the wind, and -waited for the stranger to make known his wants. - -“Schooner ahoy!” came the hail out of the darkness. - -“Ay, ay, Sir!” replied Walter through his trumpet. - -“What schooner is that?” - -“The yacht Banner, from Bellville, bound for Lost Island. What schooner -is _that_?” - -“We want to send a boat aboard of you,” shouted the voice, without -replying to Walter’s question. - -“Very good, sir. What schooner is that?” - -Still no reply. The stranger evidently did not care to tell who and what -she was. Walter was amazed at this want of courtesy, and wondering why a -vessel that he had never seen before should want to send a boat aboard -of him, sprang down from the rail and looked at the schooner through his -night-glass. All he could make out was that her hull was long and narrow -and sat low in the water, that her masts were tall and raking, that her -sails looked much too large for her, and that taken altogether she was -a very handsome vessel, and plainly a swift sailer. While Walter was -looking at her, her boat came into view. It was crowded with men, and as -it approached within the circle of light thrown out by the lanterns that -Perk and Eugene held over the side, Walter saw that they were dressed in -the uniform of the revenue cutter service, and that they were all armed. -Even the two officers who sat in the stern-sheets wore their swords. -Walter, more bewildered than ever, looked toward Mr. Craven for an -explanation; but the blank look on that gentleman’s face showed that he -did not understand the matter any better than Walter did. Before either -of them could say a word, the revenue officer boarded the yacht, followed -by some of their men—the former staring at Walter and his crew with an -air of surprise, and the sailors looking all around as if expecting an -attack from some quarter. - -“Who’s the master of this craft?” asked one of the officers. - -“I am, sir,” replied Walter. - -“You!” exclaimed the lieutenant. The surprise he had at first exhibited -seemed to be greatly increased by this answer. He looked at his -companion, then swept his eyes all around the vessel, and finally turned -them upon the young commander, whom he scrutinized closely. “You’re -beginning this business rather early in life, are you not? You are not -just the sort of a fellow I expected to see, and neither are your crew -the desperadoes I thought them.” - -“I don’t understand you, sir,” said Walter. - -“You will soon enough. May I trouble you to show me your papers?” - -“My papers! I haven’t any.” - -“Ah! I thought so. Mr. Butler,” added the lieutenant, turning to his -companion, “we’ve got them at last. Bring your men aboard and assume -charge of the vessel. I will take the captain and these gentlemen on -board the cutter, and the rest of the crew you will put under guard. -Follow in our wake when we fill away for Bellville.” - -Walter and the rest of the Club were struck dumb with amazement. The -former looked at the lieutenant to see if he was really in earnest, -then at the sailors who began to clamber out of the boat, and tried to -protest against what he regarded as a most unwarrantable and high-handed -outrage; but he could not find words strong enough to express his -indignation. Mr. Craven, however, stepped forward and spoke for him. - -“Mr. officer,” said he, “may I ask you to explain the meaning of this?” - -“Certainly. We have a description of a smuggler that has been eluding us -for a long time, and this vessel answers that description perfectly. We -think you are the gentlemen we have been looking for, and we are going to -take you back to Bellville with us.” - -“Oh!” exclaimed Walter, drawing a long breath of relief; “but you have -made a great mistake, a most ridiculous mistake.” - -“You certainly have,” said Mr. Craven. “We are all well known in -Bellville, and assure you that we and our vessel are all right. My -brother is collector of the port.” - -“I know him, but I don’t know you.” - -“We don’t want to go back to the village,” continued Mr. Craven. “A -matter of the utmost importance to this gentleman and myself demands our -immediate attention. You never saw a smuggler fitted up like this yacht. -Look about her, and you can easily see that she has no place for stowing -away a cargo.” - -“That is no part of my duty,” replied the officer. “I was told what to do -under certain circumstances, and I must obey orders. I’ll trouble you to -step into this boat.” - -By this time the yacht was in full possession of the cutter’s men. The -boy-crew had been ordered below, and were now in the cabin under arrest; -a sailor had taken Bab’s place at the wheel, and Lieutenant Butler stood -on the quarter-deck with Walter’s speaking-trumpet in his hand. It made -Walter angry to see his beloved yacht under the control of strangers; but -knowing that there was but one way out of the difficulty, he sprang into -the boat, followed by Mr. Chase and Mr. Craven. - -“Don’t take it so much to heart,” said the latter, addressing the -dejected young captain. “This man is only a second lieutenant, and of -course he is acting under orders. When we arrive on board the cutter -we’ll talk to the captain. If he wants to find the smugglers we can tell -him where to look for two of them.” - -Walter caught at the encouragement thus held out, as drowning men catch -at straws; but his hopes fell again as soon as he found himself in the -presence of the captain of the cutter. The latter, who was a very pompous -man, and for some reason or other seemed to think himself of considerable -importance, listened to the report of his officer, and after telling him -that he had done perfectly right, and that the prisoners looked like a -desperate lot, turned on his heel, and ordered the first lieutenant to -fill away for Bellville. Mr. Craven tried to gain his ear for a moment, -but the captain told him rather sternly that he was very busy just then, -and would attend to him after awhile. - -Walter had not been long aboard the cutter before he became aware that he -was an object of interest to her crew. The officer who had commanded the -boat pointed him out to his mess as the captain of the yacht, and they -all looked at him with curiosity, especially the young third lieutenants -attached to the vessel, who congregated in the waist, and stared at -him as long as he remained on deck. Walter was a handsome fellow, as -neat and trim as the vessel he commanded, and the lieutenants told one -another that he looked every inch a sailor; but they could hardly believe -that he was the chief of the band of outlaws of whom they had heard so -much. Walter was nettled by their close scrutiny, and, when the captain -of the cutter, unbending a little from his dignity, intimated that, if -his prisoners had anything of importance to say to him, they might step -down into the cabin, he gladly accepted the invitation. He thought, -however, that he and his friends might as well have stayed on deck and -kept silent, for the captain wouldn’t believe a word of their story. He -wasn’t going back to Lost Island on any wild goose-chase, he said. There -might be two smugglers there with a boy prisoner, and there might not—he -neither knew nor cared. When they reached the village he would go with -Mr. Craven and his two friends to the collector of the port, and see if -they were really what they represented themselves to be, and that was all -he would do. That settled the matter; and Walter, greatly disgusted with -the captain’s obstinacy, bolted out of the cabin, slamming the door after -him. - -The cutter stopped once on the way to the village long enough to overhaul -a schooner that was coming out of the harbor. The second lieutenant -boarded her, and when he came back reported that she was all right. She -was the Stella, bound to Havana with an assorted cargo. But she was _not_ -all right, if the lieutenant had only known it. She had some articles on -board that were not mentioned in her manifest, and among them was a boy -named Fred Craven. - -To Walter’s great relief the village was reached at last, and as soon -as the cutter had dropped her anchor he stepped into the boat with -the captain and the two gentlemen, and put off for shore to visit the -collector of the port. Having business on hand that would admit of no -delay, Mr. Craven did not hesitate to call him out of his bed to listen -to their story and set them right with the captain of the cutter. The -collector, little dreaming what had taken his brother into the Gulf at -that time of night, laughed heartily at the idea of his being taken for -a smuggler; and the revenue captain, finding that he had committed a -blunder, apologized so freely and seemed to regret the circumstance so -much, that Walter was almost ready to forgive him. Mr. Craven, however, -was not so easily appeased, and neither was Mr. Chase. They had lost more -than three hours by their forced return, and they did not know what might -have become of their boys in the mean time. - -We have no space in this volume to relate the further adventures of -our heroes. It will be enough to say that the Banner sailed away from -Bellville that very night—this time armed with documents that would carry -her in safety through a whole fleet of revenue cutters—but her cruise -did not end when she reached Lost Island. It extended hundreds of miles -beyond it; and what she and her gallant young crew did during the voyage -shall be told in “THE SPORTSMAN’S CLUB AFLOAT.” - - -THE END. - - - - -[Illustration: Specimen Cover of the Gunboat Series.] - -THE FAMOUS CASTLEMON BOOKS. - -BY HARRY CASTLEMON. - -No author of the present day has become a greater favorite with boys -than “Harry Castlemon;” every book by him is sure to meet with hearty -reception by young readers generally. 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