CHAPTER I--THE SCHOOLBOY CHUMS
"Come on, fellows, if you are going! It's a good six-mile skate toSquirrel Island, and we've got to hustle if we want to get there in timefor lunch."
"Wait till I fix my right skate, Dave," returned Phil Lawrence. "I don'twant to lose it on the way."
"Say, that puts me in mind of a story," came from another of the groupof schoolboys who were adjusting their skates. "Once a man asked for apair of skates for----"
"Stow it, Shadow!" interrupted Dave Porter. "We haven't any time now tolisten to stories. You can tell them while we are resting up at theisland."
"Shadow can tell stories while we put away the lunch," observed RogerMorr, with a grin.
"Not much!" cried the lad mentioned. "I guess that skate will make me ashungry as anybody--and the stories will keep."
"I thought Ben Basswood was going, too?" came from another of theschoolboys.
"Here he comes, Lazy," answered Dave, and as he spoke he pointed to apath across the snow-covered campus, along which another boy washurrying, skates in hand.
"Co-couldn't get here an-any so-sooner!" panted Ben, as he dropped on abench to adjust his skates. "Old Haskers made me do some extra work inLatin! Wow, but don't I love that man!"
"We all do," answered Phil. "We are going to get up a testimonial tohim. A silver-mounted----"
"Slice of punk, with an ancient lemon on top," finished Dave. "It's justwhat he's been waiting for." And at this sally there was a generallaugh.
"Well, I'm ready," went on Phil, as he arose from the bench. "Say, butisn't it just a glorious day for the outing?" he added, casting his eyesaround and drawing in a deep breath of the pure, cold air.
"It couldn't be better, Phil," answered Dave. "And we ought to have afine time at the island, bringing down rabbits and squirrels. Old JerryLusk told me that hunting was never better."
"What's the matter with having some of the rabbits and squirrels forlunch?" asked Sam Day.
"Perhaps we can cook them, Sam," returned Dave. "But we had betterdepend on the lunch hamper for something to eat. By the way, we'll haveto take turns carrying the hamper. It is rather heavy."
"Chip Macklin and I are going to carry it first," said a tall, strongyouth named Gus Plum. "It's not so very heavy, although it is filledwith good things."
"Don't lose it, on your life!" cried Phil.
"Lose it!" echoed Roger Morr. "Banish the thought! We'll form a guardaround Gus and Chip, so they can't get away with it on the sly."
"Not so much as a doughnut must be eaten until we reach the island andstart a campfire," said Dave. "Those are orders from headquarters," headded, with a grand flourish.
"Orders accepted, admiral!" cried Gus, and made a bow so profound thathis skates went from under him, sending him to his knees. This caused awild laugh, and the powerfully-built youth got up in a hurry, lookingrather sheepish.
"I'm ready now," said Ben, as he left the bench and settled his skatingcap on his head. "Come on, let's get away before old Haskers calls usback for something or other. He just loves to spoil a fellow's outing."
"There he is at one of the windows!" cried Roger, pointing back to theschool building. "I really believe he is beckoning to us!"
"Don't look," cautioned Dave. "He'll want us to go back, to put awaysome books, or clean our desks, or something. Doctor Clay said we couldtake this outing, and I'm not going to let any teacher spoil it.Forward!" and away from the shore he skated, with his chums around him.They had scarcely covered a distance of a dozen yards when a window wasthrown up hastily, and Job Haskers thrust his head through the opening.
"Boys! boys!" called out the Oak Hall teacher. "Wait a minute! I want toknow where you are going, and if all of you have finished studying."
"Don't look back, and don't answer!" said Roger, in a hoarse whisper.
"Give the school yell!" suggested Phil.
"Just the thing!" returned Sam Day. "Now then, all together!" And aninstant later through the clear, wintry air, rang the well-known OakHall slogan:
"Baseball! Football! Oak Hall Has the call! Biff! Boom! Bang! Whoop!"
Three times the boys gave the cry, and by that time they had skated farup the river and out of sight of the window at which the teacher wasstanding. Job Haskers looked after them glumly, and then closed thewindow with a bang.
"They must have heard me--I don't see how they could help it," hemuttered to himself. "Such disrespect! I'll make them toe the mark forit when they get back! Bah! Doctor Clay is altogether too easy with theboys. If I were running this school I'd make them mind!" And the teachershut his teeth grimly. He was a man who thought that the boys ought tospend all their time in studying. The hours devoted to outdoor exercisehe considered practically wasted. He was too short-sighted to realizethat, in order to have a perfectly sound mind, one must likewise have asound body.
"He'll have it in for us when we get back," murmured Chip Macklin. "My!how he does love to stop a fellow's fun!"
"Don't worry," chimed in Roger. "Sufficient unto the hour is the lecturethereof. Let us enjoy this outing while it lasts, and let come what willwhen we get back."
"Which puts me in mind of another story," broke in Shadow Hamilton. "Afellow used to eat too much, and he had to take his medicine regularly,to keep from getting indigestion. So once--wow!" And Shadow broke offshort, for Phil had suddenly put out his foot, sending the story-tellerof Oak Hall sprawling.
"So he had to take his medicine," repeated Dave, gravely.
"Did the medicine agree with him?" asked Roger, innocently.
"He took it lying down, didn't he?" questioned Gus.
"I'll 'medicine' you!" roared Shadow, as he scrambled to his feet. Thenhe made a wild dash after the youth who had tripped him up, but Phil hadskated on ahead and he took good care that Shadow did not catch him. "Iwon't tell you another story for a year!" the story-teller growled,after the chase was at an end.
"Phew! Shadow says he is going to reform!" murmured Ben.
"Let it pass, Shadow!" cried Dave, not wishing the story-teller to takethe matter too seriously. "You can tell all the stories you pleasearound the campfire. But just now let us push on as fast as we can. Iwant a chance to do some rabbit and squirrel hunting, and you know we'vegot to be back on time, or we'll have trouble with Doctor Clay as wellas with old Haskers."
"Yes, and I want to take some pictures before it gets too dark," saidSam, who had his camera along.
"Do you know what Horsehair told me?" came from Roger. "He said we werefixing for another snowstorm."
"It doesn't look so now," returned Dave. "But Horsehair generally hitsit on the weather, so maybe we'll catch it before we get back."
"Wonder if we'll meet any of the Rockville cadets?" remarked Phil, as heand Dave forged to the front, they knowing the way up the river betterthan did some of the others.
"It is possible, Phil. All of them have guns, and I should think theywould like to go hunting."
"I guess most of their firearms are rifles, not fowling-pieces."
"Not more than half--I learned that from Mallory, when we played hockey.He said they had some shotguns just for hunting and camping outpurposes."
"Well, those chaps have a holiday to-day, the same as we have, so someof them may be up around Squirrel Island. But I'd rather not meet them,"and Dave's face became serious.
"Humph! If those military academy fellows try to play any tricks on us Ireckon we can give 'em as good as they send," growled Phil.
"To be sure we can, Phil. But I'd rather keep out of trouble to-day andhave some good, clean sport. I haven't been hunting this season and I'mjust itching to draw a bead on a fat bunny, or squirrel, or somepartridges. You know, I used to go hunting in the woods aroundCrumville, when I was home."
"Why, of course! Didn't Roger and I go along once? But we didn't getmuch that trip, although we did get into a lively row with Nat Poole."
"Oh, yes, I remember now. I wish----" And then Dave Porter came to asudden sil
ence.
"What is it, Dave?" and Phil looked closely at his chum.
"Oh, not much," was the evasive answer.
"But I know something is worrying you," insisted the shipowner's son."I've noticed it for several days, and Roger noticed it, too."
"Roger?"
"Yes. He came to me yesterday and said that he was sure you hadsomething on your mind. Now, maybe it is none of our business, Dave. Butif I and Roger can help you in any way, you know we'll be only too gladto do it." Phil spoke in a low but earnest voice.
"Hi, what's doing in the front rank?" cried a cheery voice at thisjuncture, and Roger Morr skated swiftly up beside Dave and Phil.
"I'm glad you came," said Phil, and he looked at the senator's son in apeculiar fashion. "I was just speaking to Dave about how we had noticedsomething was wrong, and how we were willing to help him, if he neededus."
"Sure, we'll help you every time, Dave; you know that," returned Roger,quickly.
"I don't know that I need any help," answered Dave, slowly. "The fact ofthe matter is, I don't know what can be done."
"Then something is wrong?" cried both of his chums.
"Yes, if you must know. I was going to keep it to myself, for I didn'tthink it would do any good to tell about it. I'll tell you, but I don'twant it to go any further, unless it becomes necessary to speak."
"Before you tell us, let me make a guess about this," said Phil. "Someof your old enemies are trying to make trouble for you, is that right?"
"Yes."
"And those enemies are Link Merwell and Nick Jasniff," cried Roger.
"Yes, again," answered Dave.
"What are they up to now, Dave?" The eager question came from Phil.
"They are up to a number of things," was the grave response of DavePorter. "They are evidently going to do their best to disgrace my familyand myself, and ruin us."