*CHAPTER III.*
*OFF FOR WHALEBACK.*
In the early morning Joe heard the shouts of the merry crowd as theywent down through the Academy grounds to the river where the steamer waswaiting to take the party out to the island. The boys were laden withblankets, fishing-rods, guns, or other warlike implements; while tentsand cooking utensils were taken along in a waggon.
David Winter remained behind with Joe until the whistle sounded, feelingsure that the culprit would confess at the last moment, and that Joewould go after all.
Finding that the hope had been a vain one, he gave Joe a parting hugthat would have done credit to the most affectionate bear in the world,and without a word darted out of the room.
As soon as Joe was alone he opened a little note that he had beenholding tight in his hand--one that Mr. Bernard had put there himselfwhen he came to the door to say good-bye.
It was a short note, but it gave Joe a great deal of pleasure,
"DEAR BOY,--I am sure you know that I am more than sorry to leave youbehind.
"It seems to me the only way to reach the offender, and I hope he willyet confess. Be sure I shall send for you at once if he should do so.Meanwhile don't go home. The summons may come at any time. Yours withaffection, J. W. BERNARD."
The boat was gay with flags that streamed from every available point,and the band was playing the liveliest airs as the boys stepped onboard.
"Are we all here?" asked Mr. Bernard, as he stood on the top of thesaloon and glanced over the crowd of lads.
"All but little Joe!" said one or two boys a little spitefully.
"Carver isn't here yet, sir!" said another.
"Sure enough; where is Carver?" asked the teacher.
"Blow the whistle again!" shouted Mr. Bernard.
"Drayton is missing too!" exclaimed Mr. Andrews.
"O father, here's a note one of the chambermaids gave me for you. Iforgot all about it," cried Max Bernard, the teacher's little son, whowas to make one of the party.
Mr. Bernard opened the note hastily and read:--
"MR. BERNARD,--I can't go with you. Let Joe Chester go, please. I didthe mischief, and was afraid to tell. Ben Carver knew about it, but didnot do it. We are going off together. Please send our fathers word thatwe are safe. RALPH DRAYTON.
"_P.S._--I was never sorrier in my life, Mr. Bernard."
Mr. Bernard read the note again carefully, and then said to the waitingcrowd,--
"Drayton and Carver have gone, they do not say where; but in this notewhich they leave behind, Drayton confesses that he is the guiltyperson."
A murmur of astonishment passed around the throng of boys, which waschanged to a cheer when Mr. Bernard added,--
"Who will go back for Chester?"
A score of eager voices shouted, "I, sir!" and before he could speakagain a dozen boys had leaped ashore, led by David Winter, and werescampering like a herd of wild deer across the fields towards theAcademy boarding-house, each determined to be first in announcing thegood news to Joe Chester.
It was at least a mile from the shore to the house, and the boys racedas they had never raced before, Dave, Joe's "chum" and room-mate,keeping the lead all the way, but with such an effort that he onlyreached the head of the stairs as one or two of the other boys reachedthe foot.
Without stopping to knock, he pushed open the door, and fell upon Joe,who, hearing the rush of feet, had come forward with eager expectation.
He pushed open the door and fell upon Joe.]
"What's the matter, Dave?" Joe cried in real alarm, as the boy, toobreathless to speak, incoherently gasped, "It's all right! You are togo. Come on, old boy!"
The other boys were in the room now, and as all were panting and holdingtheir sides, it was rather difficult for Joe to make out the story theyhad come to tell.
But he was to go to the island after all; he knew that, and that wasgood news enough.
He gathered, also, that Drayton had confessed and was missing.
"Where did you say they are gone?"
"Nobody knows."
"Nobody cares!" added another.
"I care," said Joe boldly. "I wish I had time to hunt him up!"
"You, of all fellows! You hunt him up!" exclaimed Frank Furman.
"The idea of your troubling yourself about him!" cried Dave angrily."You make me mad, Joe!"
"But I know something how he was feeling, and what a hard thing it wasfor him to confess."
"Never mind him!" said Dave impatiently. "The boat is waiting! Where'syour baggage?"
"I'll take your rod," said Ned Gould, taking Joe's fishing-rod from thehooks.
"No, not that one. Ralph left his for me. The janitor brought itaround; he said he found it in the hall. Poor Ralph!" said Joe,examining the paper tied to the rod with the address, "For Joe Chester."
"Humph! that's the least he could do!" grumbled Dave. "Come, get yourthings together quick!" and he pulled Joe's valise from under the bed.
Joe was too excited to help much, but among them all they soon had thevalise filled; and with a whoop that would have delighted the heart of ared Indian, the boys dashed downstairs, nearly crushing the janitor, whowas labouring slowly up to investigate the noise coming from Room 8.
The race back to the steamboat was not quite so brisk as that to thehouse had been, but they were not long on the way.
They were hailed by the throng of boys on the boat with cheer aftercheer as they came in sight, and most of the boys leaped ashore andrushed to greet the hero of the occasion, who was quite overcome withcongratulations and expressions of delight.
Mr. Bernard had gone to make inquiries about the two missing boys, andthe boat was kept waiting till nearly noon, when he came with thetidings that Drayton and Carver had sailed that morning in afishing-smack from that very wharf.
Mr. Bernard had also written to the boys' parents, giving a briefaccount of the trouble, with information in regard to their sailing, thename of the vessel, and the time when it might be expected to return toport. At the close he had expressed his regret that he must decline toreceive the boys again as pupils.
"Gone in a fishing-smack!"--"Such high-toned fellows, too!"
These were some of the exclamations of the boys.
The delay was over at last.
The boat swung around from the pier and steamed away; the band played"Bonnie Dundee," and the boys' shouts quite drowned the music.
The day was beautiful and bright, and every one was in high spirits, asthe little boat puffed its way out between the capes and towardsWhaleback, which lay within sight, and among scores of white sails, fromthat of the tiniest wherry up to the broad canvas of the huge shipssailing proudly away to foreign ports.
They passed one fishing-smack on which somebody thought he espied twoboys who looked about Drayton and Carver's size; but when they passed itno one but the captain and his one helper could be seen.
"I'll bet Drayton and Carver are down in that cabin. I just know I sawthem dodge; besides, I saw the twinkle in that old fisherman's eye,"said Dick Wooster.
The orders were for the steamboat to land its passengers on the southernside of Whaleback; and as they steamed past the lighthouse on its rockyperch, and the long line of jagged coast against which the waves weredashing furiously, the boys wondered how they were to get ashore. Onrounding the southern end, a fine pebbly beach, sheltered a little byprojecting points of land, offered a comfortable entrance for boats.
The steamboat anchored outside, and four boats were lowered and speedilyfilled with boys, who were almost ready to jump overboard and swimashore in their eagerness to land.
The landing occupied some time, as the boats made many trips before allthe boys, tents, bedding, stove, cooking utensils, and, last but notleast, the provisions for the hungry crowd, could be put on shore.
Jonas Brown, the cook, and his man Freitag (conveniently translated bythe boys, "Friday"), attended to tha
t part of the labour, and longbefore the boxes and barrels were all ashore, the boys were demandingsomething to eat.
Some started off on an exploring tour; others helped to put up thetents; and some of the hungriest went grubbing in the clam-beds,[#]still wet with the receding tide.
[#] Clams are shell-fish, used for food.
"Here are clam-forks, boys," shouted Jonas. "Glad to have your help.You dig the clams, and I'll build up my fire and get ready for a bake.I reckon that will taste as good as anything."
"A clam-bake! a clam-bake! Who will dig clams?"
More boys volunteered than could find forks to dig with; but not to beoutdone, some of them worked with sticks, prying in the mud wherever thelittle holes indicated the presence of the shell-fish.
Jonas showed those who had forks how to strike them deep into the beds,and the boys were apt scholars; so that by the time the rocks were wellheated, and the sea-weed gathered, there were clams enough piled up onthe shore to furnish a feast even for such a crowd of boys.
While the clams were slowly baking under their sea-weed cover, Jonas andhis Friday pitched their cook-tent, set up their stove, and bakedbiscuits to be eaten with the clams.
Long before the roast was pronounced "done," the boys were on handwaiting for the sea-weed to be removed, and a hungrier pack of youngsavages never danced around a clam-pile.
A barrel of biscuits had been opened on their first arrival at theisland, and the boys had "taken the sharp edge off their appetite," asthey said, by eating them; otherwise Jonas would never have been able tobring those clams to the stage of perfection that he did.
"Come, Jonas! they are done to a turn!" cried the impatient boys.
"They will lose all their goodness in that good smell," said Joe,sniffing the air.
All noses went up, and fifty boys gave a prolonged "Ah! Isn't thatgul--orious?"
It did seem that Jonas was provokingly slow in testing those clams; butat last he said, in his drawling way, "Well, now, I reckon them'll do!"
The boys cheered this remark, and hastened to offer their assistance inremoving the sea-weed; but Jonas declined their offer in a most decidedway.
"Now, you just move off, every boy of you! or you shan't have a clam.Off with you, till I get 'em out in piles, and give every one a fairchance!"
The boys knew by experience that it was policy to keep Jonasgood-natured; so, with a good deal of pushing and whooping, they widenedthe circle, and contented themselves with watching the operations andexhorting Jonas to "hurry up."
"Now, that there pile belongs to the gentlemen!" said Jonas, pointing tothe first heap that he threw down on the clean pebbles.
"O Jonas! aren't we all gentlemen?" asked Walter Martin, and a chorus ofgroans followed from the other boys.
Jonas vouchsafed no reply, but continued to shovel out clams and dividethem into a half-dozen piles along the beach; while the boys dancedaround, awaiting the signal of the bell.
Freitag presently appeared with the great bell, and, although thesummons was wholly unnecessary so far as the boys were concerned, asthey had been at the scene of action for nearly an hour, it brought theteachers from their work of tent-raising.
After a blessing asked by Mr. Bernard, permission was given to thehungry crowd to attack the shellfish.
There were three courses provided--roast clams, then warm biscuit, andfinally a dessert of gingersnaps, a barrel of which stood open fromwhich all helped themselves.
Fortunately the boys were not difficult to suit, and they pronounced ita meal fit for a king.