*CHAPTER IX.*
*A DAY OF FREEDOM.*
The next morning, directly after breakfast, Joe was reminded of hispromise, and approaching Mr. Bernard, he said, "I want to ask a favour,sir."
"Very well, Joe."
"We boys, the whole crowd of us, want to go off on a lark."
"That is frankly said, Joe," said Mr. Bernard smiling.
Joe laughed, and continued, "We want to go over to a fishing-place Johntells about, where the fish are extra big and quick to bite."
"I am willing, Joe, perfectly willing."
"But that isn't all, Mr. Bernard," said Joe reddening, and finding itharder to ask the favour than he expected. "We want to go on our ownhook, and not have any one to look after us."
"That would be sorry fishing, to get on your own hooks, Chester," wasthe laughing reply. "But I understand: you object to the company of theteachers. Is that it?"
That did not sound just right to Joe, but it was the truth; so helaughed and admitted the fact. "What have you against us, Joe? Are wetoo strict?" asked Mr. Bernard good-naturedly. "Have we offended yourmajesties in any way?"
"Oh no, sir. The teachers are very nice; but some of the boys thinkthey are tied up too much, and get kind of uneasy."
Mr. Bernard glanced over the crowd of boys gathered round to hear thedecision, and seemed to be studying the question.
"We would be just as careful as if the teachers were there," interposedLewis Swift; and many other voices added a like assurance.
"Very well, boys. If you will all be careful, I will agree to yourgoing without a leader. I think myself that it is much wiser to haveone of the teachers with such a troop of boys. When men gather incompanies, they always appoint a leader, and consider it no disgrace tothem."
"That's so," said Joe Chester. "I never thought of that; did you,Walt?"
"No, but I'm for a day of freedom!" replied Walter in a low tone. Thenaloud he said, "So we may go, Mr. Bernard, may we?"
"Yes, you may go. Success to you, and a safe return!"
"Three cheers for the teachers!" cried Ned Gould, waving his cap, andadding in a low tone to Walter, "Nice fellows--at a distance!"
Jonas grumbled a good deal at having so many lunches to put up.
"It's worse than getting dinner for you! It will take all my bread andgingerbread."
"Put in plenty; we'll be hungry as sharks," said David, bringing along agood-sized basket.
"Put in some potatoes, Jonas, and we'll make a fire and cook some fordinner ourselves. I can fry fish on a stick," said Joe.
"Now, you youngsters, save all the fish you catch, and Freitag and I'llcome over and fetch 'em back."
"All right, Jonas; we'll have a big load for you."
Mr. Bernard gave them numerous cautions; and, promising to rememberthem, the boys hurried away, laden with baskets of lunch, fishing-rods,and bait.
They were in high spirits, and Mr. Bernard could hear them, long afterthey were out of sight, singing, "Cheer, boys, cheer."
"This is something like--don't you say so, boys? It seems good to be ourown masters. I'm sick of hearing 'Don't do this,' and 'You'd better notdo that.' It spoils all the fun of camping out."
"Well, Walt, we are free for once. Let's enjoy our liberty, and notgrumble," said Joe.
They made a second breakfast of blueberries on the way, and arrived atthe fishing-place in the best of spirits.
They found the sport, as John had told them, the liveliest kindimaginable; and all were soon engaged with hook and line.
The tide was quite low, but coming in steadily, and they found itnecessary to retreat before it continually. Sometimes the advancingwaves would overtake them in their eagerness for one more bite, and as aresult it was necessary now and then to remove their rubber boots andempty out the water.
"I guess there'll be more fish than Jonas and his man Friday will wantto carry," said Dave, as he began to gather the fish from the rocks toput them in the basket. "Let's have a lunch."
"So say I," said Donald Parker. "There's plenty of drift-wood close athand."
The fires were soon built, the potatoes were put to roast, and the fishwere hung by the gills on sticks over the coals.
There was a great deal of laughing and shouting over the preparation for"Lunch No. 1," as they called this, intending to save enough food tohave several more during the day.
Some began to eat their fish before they were half cooked, and othersfound theirs burned or smoked; but all were merry over the gipsy meal,when Joe, standing up and looking around, said, "Where are Walt andNed?"
"Sure enough, where are they?" asked Dave, dropping his fish into thefire. "I haven't heard their voices for ever so long."
"Nor I," said several boys.
"Not since we first got here."
"Walt Martin! Ned Gould!"
"Ned! Walt!" shouted the crowd, making war-whoops with their hands overtheir mouths.
"Shout again, all together!"
Again they all shouted, loud enough to frighten the mermaids in the sea.
"Ho, Walt!"
Only a prolonged echo came back, and seemed to mock them.
"Now it's mean for those fellows to go off and frighten us!" cried Joeindignantly.
"I say as much. They've hid somewhere to make us hunt them up. I movewe let them wait, and eat our lunch."
So they began eating again, talking meanwhile of their missingcompanions.
No one remembered anything about them after they reached the rocks.
Each boy had been busy selecting his place, baiting hooks, and pullingin fish, with the frequent shout, "Look out there! Big wave coming!"
Then would be a rushing back, and dragging of lines, as the tide pursuedthem further and further back.
"Perhaps they've gone up to the lighthouse," suggested Dave. "I'll goup and see."
"Hold on, Dave; I'll go too," said Joe, disposing hastily of a largepiece of gingerbread. "One of you fellows tend my fish."
"All right! Eat it, too, if you want us."
Joe and David met John and Jerry coming rapidly down over the rocks.
"We heard an awful yelling, and thought we'd come and see what thematter was."
"We were calling Walt and Ned. We thought perhaps they had come uphere. Have you seen anything of them?"
"No; they haven't been near us. Perhaps they've tumbled into the sea."
"Cheerful suggestion!" said Joe, shrugging his shoulders.
"They'd hardly be likely to do so without one yell at least; and both ofthem together would make a considerable noise. No; I suppose they arehiding somewhere to frighten us."
"What are you doing--fishing?"
"Yes; you see we are over here by ourselves--no teachers with us," saidJoe.
"Wish there was now!" added Dave.
"So do I. If one of the teachers had come, those boys wouldn't beplaying their pranks this way."
"What's the matter?" shouted Mr. Kramer, coming out on the ledge beforehis door. "What are you youngsters howling about?"
"We can't find two of the boys."
"Can't find 'em! Where were they when you see 'em last?"
"They came over from camp with us, and we all began to fish; that's thelast any of us saw of them."
"Humph! that's a nice business," said the light-keeper thoughtfully,knocking the ashes out of his pipe, and tucking it in the pocket of hismonkey-jacket.
"We didn't miss them until we made our fires and were cooking our fish."
Jacob Kramer said nothing, but started across the ledge that paved hisyard.
"How long have you been over there fishing?"
"Oh, we got there by nine o'clock."
"And now it is about eleven," said Kramer, looking at the sun.
"Yes, sir," replied Joe, referring to his little silver watch; "it isfive minutes past."
"If they went around the cliff just beyond the fishing-place, and di
dn'twatch, the tide would soon cut them off."
Joe and Dave looked frightened.
"Where would they be now? can they get over the cliff?"
"Over the cliff? Not much, unless they can walk up a wall like a fly.It isn't less than forty feet high in any place right there, and part o'the way it's sixty and seventy, straight up and down. I'll go and lookover."
He led the way to the brow of the cliff, about twenty yards off; and,lying down flat, looked over the edge.
The boys held their breath until he spoke.
"Yes; there are the young scamps!"
Joe and Dave threw themselves upon the ground and crept to the edgealso.
"Keep back there, you rascals! This is no place for you."
The boys crept back until it was safe to stand again, saying, "I sawthem!"
"So did I! What a place!"
"Hullo, down there!" shouted Mr. Kramer.
Ned and Walter looked up in evident surprise and relief.
"O Mr. Kramer, can't you get us off?" they screamed.
"I don't think I can."
"The tide is coming higher and higher, and we have climbed as far as wecan. Will we have to drown?"
The light-keeper looked down some time before answering--it seemed anhour to Joe--then he said in a tone the boys below could not hear, "Thetides are so much higher now, and the sea so rough since the storm,there's no knowin' how high it will get."
The boys below, tired of waiting for an answer, screamed, "Mr. Kramer,do something to help us. Bring a boat around here and take us off."
"That's the worst place on the island to take a boat. The water drivesin furiously, and then sucks back enough to drag the solid cliff afterit, if it wasn't anchored very strong."
This the light-keeper said to the two boys near him; and Ned and Walter,in their perilous position under the cliff, waited breathlessly for ananswer, nearly frantic at the delay.
"Mr. Kramer, O Mr. Kramer! How high does the tide come here?"
"I can't see. Can't you tell by the looks of the rocks?"
"No, we don't know how."
"You can tell how high it comes generally by the seaweed and barnacles.I think it won't come up to you," he said at last.
This was sorry comfort.
"But you are not sure! Oh, come round in the boat, please."
"I shan't risk my boat in there unless it's a case of life or death, forshe'd be smashed in a moment, and no one could save himself in thatwhirlpool."
"But can't you go out in the boat and be near, so you could get to themif the water got too high where they are?" asked Joe eagerly.
Kramer hesitated.
"Oh, do, Mr. Kramer," urged Joe. "We boys will make up a purse and payyou."
"Nonsense, boy! If I do it at all it won't be for money. I tell you aboat would get smashed there very quick. It would go against the rocksin spite of me. I'll get some of those wrecked fellows waked up, and goout. I suppose the youngsters will feel better to see the boat."
"Oh yes," said Joe; "we shall all feel easier."
"It is almost half an hour yet before the tide is high," said thelight-keeper meditatively as he looked below again.
"Here, you down there! I'll come around in the boat.--John, you run tothe house and wake up a couple of those men. You needn't disturb thecaptain. I only want two. Fetch 'em along quick down to theboat-landing!"
John was off in a minute, and Joe and Dave ran down to the boat withKramer, who, now he had made up his mind, seemed inclined to hurry.
The two men from the house soon followed, and the boat was quicklylaunched.