XVII
JOEL'S ADVENTURE
Joel rushed along at a breakneck pace to make up for lost time. How good itwas to sniff the fresh air, and to be free, and then to think of that hourput into solid work over the book-list! Why, he glowed all over withdelight at the very thought.
"Whoopity-la!" Down the bank of Spy Pond into one of the curves mostfrequented by the boys of his set, he ran. "My! but I'm glad to get here,though! Hey, there?"
There was no response as Joel dashed into what the boys called their camp,a rough enclosure the wealthy men who owned the pond on the outskirts ofthe town had allowed to be built. As some of the boys were their own sons,every indulgence in the way of using the pond had been granted, and Mr.Horatio King being the largest owner and the most indulgent, Joel's set, toa boy, decided to call it the "King Camp." It was in a knot of pines, andin the summer was a most attractive place, overrun with vines and creepersand gay with the colored boat-cushions that were always thrown about.
"Hey there!" shouted Joel again, running about within and without thelittle wooden structure. "Are you all deaf? Hey--whoopity-la!" but nobodyanswered, save a little bird from the tip of the tallest tree.
Joel stood transfixed with amazement; then he dashed off suddenly down adescent to the little cove. "It must be that they are out on the pond," hesaid to himself, in vexation, and he craned his neck and peered up and downthe shining water as well as he was able for the many curves. "But I don'tsee how they can be, for Larry's boat is here"--he had dashed up again tothe camp--"and Mr. Hersey's, that's the one they would take"--surveying thecollection of rowboats and dories drawn up on the beach--"and Webb'sfather's and Porter Knapp's." Besides, there was a goodly number of others,all in such situations as by no means suggested a party expected to be onthe pond at short notice that morning.
"Well, I'm going out, anyway," declared Joel, snapping his fingers, "andcatch up with them. Most likely they've taken the fishing-tackle; I won'tstop for that." So, pushing off his row-boat, he picked up the oars andheaded down the pond in the direction most likely in his mind to overtakethem.
But although he pulled lustily at his oars and ran his boat in and out thecurves and hallooed and shouted, he didn't catch a glimpse of them; and thepine groves and wooded glens that ran down to the curving bank only echoedhis own calls, or sent a bird note out to him. There wasn't the firstsuggestion of a boy anywhere about.
"Where in the world are they?" cried Joel in vexation, resting on his oars."Hi--there they are!" He turned suddenly, knocked against one of the oars,it slipped, and before he knew what it was about, there it was in thewater. And to make matters worse, the sound that had filled him withdelight proved to be a big, black dog, scrambling through a thicket ofunderbrush, and coming out to stare at him from the edge of the pond.
"Oh, you beggar!" exclaimed Joel, not to the dog, but to the oar driftingoff quickly. It was an easy thing, however, so he thought, to recover it,and he made no special haste to paddle along as best he might after it.Just at this moment another boat came suddenly in sight around a curve. Itdidn't hold Joel's friends, but a wholly different set, some city boys whohad no rights on the pond. And having stolen their opportunity, and helpedthemselves to a boat down below, they meant to have as good a time aspossible, knowing it would probably be their last. So here was a grandchance, a boy alone in a rowboat, and at their mercy, one of his oarsdrifting off.
"Hi--fellows!" When they saw it, they yelled with glee.
The black dog on the bank, who belonged to them and was following, as besthe might, their course, danced about and gnashed his teeth in his rage thathe couldn't join actively in the excitement, sniffing at the water anddrawing back as it lapped his feet.
"Now then, look alive," cried the one who appeared to be the leader, andthe whole crew bent to their oars with a right good will; and grinning allover their faces with the prospect of fun ahead, they made straight forJoel in his boat.
Joel drew himself up, his black eyes flashing, and paddled with all hismight. But it was no use; his boat went round and round, or zigzaggedalong, and in a trice the unlucky oar was seized by the triumphant crew, asit was drifting off into some lily pads, and drawn with a worse yell thanever into their boat. Good luck! here would be easy game!
"Now then!" There was no limit to their delight as they saluted Joel inevery conceivable way best fitted to get him worked up. "How are you, snob?Don't you want your oar?" and such things, every boy contributing at leasta few selections to the general hubbub, the black dog on the bank emittingshrill, ear-splitting barks of distress.
"Give me back my oar," roared Joel, sitting very straight and unconsciouslyrolling up his sleeves.
"Hi there! Come on and fight, if you want to," cried several of the crew,with sneers and catcalls, and they brandished the oar at him over theirheads, yelling, "Why don't you come on and fight?"
The unlucky oar was seized by the triumphant crew]
"If you don't give me back my oar," cried Joel angrily, and paddling fordear life toward them, "it 'll be worse for you, I can tell you. MyGrandpapa----"
He was drowned in a storm of yells: "Your granddaddy? Fellows, this baby istalking of his granddaddy," and they screamed in derision, snapping theirfingers and swinging the oar as high as they could tantalizingly at him.
Round and round went Joel's boat, describing a series of curves, thatdespite all his efforts only carried him away from his tormentors. What hewould have done, had he reached them, hadn't entered his head, his onlythought being to get up to them. In the midst of this interestingproceeding, a sharp clap of thunder reverberated over their heads, to bealmost immediately followed by a piercing gleam of lightning. It producedthe greatest consternation in the boat-load, and a sudden jump on the partof nearly every boy in it, made it careen, then turn completely over, andbefore they were fully aware, every single one was in the water, screamingand struggling wildly.
In the upset Joel's oar had been carried out, too; and as it happened todrift toward him, he leaned over the side of his boat, managing to reach itwith the other one.
"Don't catch hold of each other," he yelled, his mind intent on helpingsome of them into his boat. But as well talk to the wind. The boys whocouldn't swim--and most of them were in that plight--were grabbing this wayand that, to seize upon anything that would give them a support.
"Catch hold of your boat," roared Joel at them. But instead of that, someof them preferred to catch hold of his, the consequence being that it wouldsoon have been upset, had he not screamed at them (and they knew he meantit), "I'll bang you across the head if you try it"--lifting his oarsturdily.
"You fellows who can swim, hold up the others, and I'll take you all off tothe bank, if you won't crowd."
And seeing that this was all they could get, and that Joel was as good ashis word, one after another was helped in, the others wisely catching holdof the overturned boat--an example speedily followed, till all were eitherin Joel's boat and rowing quickly off to shore, or hanging to their owncraft.
The leader of the crew huddled sheepishly down over his oar, which Joelhanded him to do some of the rowing, and he didn't look at the owner of theboat, till, just as they neared the bank, he glanced up suddenly and said:
"Say, you, I s'pose you'll tell on us."
"What do you take me for?" cried Joel, in extreme disgust, and plying hisoar briskly. All this time the rain had come down in torrents, till therewasn't much difference between the boys who had been in the water and theone who had kept out, and the lightning played over their heads inunpleasant zigzag streaks, and the thunder rolled and rumbled.
The leader shivered and ducked till he couldn't by any possibility be saidto look at Joel.
"Well, I would if I was you." The words came in a burst from a boy supposedto be in such a half-drowned condition that he wouldn't care to take partin any conversation, who was crouched down in the bottom of the boat. "I'dtell every single thing about it." He raised himself and shook his fist atth
e leader's very face. "If it hadn't been for you, Mike," he said, "wewouldn't have come."
"Don't fight," said Joel, in consternation at any such settling of theirdifferences in his boat; "you'll upset us all."
"Humph!" the boy in the bottom of the boat sneered. "He won't fight, Mikewon't," he said.
And really Mike didn't look as if he would, for he crouched and coweredlower yet, till Joel began to say, "Give me the oar," for it wabbled sothat it played a small part only in getting the craft to the shore.
"Some other fellow take it," said the boy who had done all the talking. "Iwould"--he lifted a red and ashamed face--"only my arm----"
"Is it hurt?" asked Joel, rescuing the other oar from Mike, whose nervesseemed to have all gone to pieces.
"D'no; never mind," said the other boy, looking more ashamed still. "Here,Jimmy, you take the oar, and row lively now." So, with Jimmy's help, theboat ran up to the bank.
"There you are," cried Joel, as they were dumped out, to keep company withthe big, black dog, who sniffed them contemptuously and walked around theirdripping bodies as they sank on the bank. This wasn't the kind of fun hehad meant when he followed his master out, and not at all to his taste.
But Joel was just in his element, and when he brought the rest off from theoverturned boat, he couldn't conceal his satisfaction.
"Some one has got to tell about that boat." He pointed to the overturnedone.
"I knew you would blab." Mike turned, his shame disappearing, to grow redwith passion.
"Shut up." It was the other boy that roared at him, who, injured arm ornot, could somehow inspire the former leader with fear. "I'm going to tellmyself; an' if any of you fellows has got spunk, he'll tell, too." It wassuch a battle cry that Mike's head went down. He knew as well as afterwardthat his leadership was gone, and that every one of the crew had gone overto the other boy.
"Hi--yes, we'll tell." If Jack, their new leader, could decide to, theywould follow him, and they yelled it out much better than any one wouldsuppose possible after their fright, turning their backs on Mike.
"That's good," said Joel, bobbing his black curls, from which the rain wasstreaming, at the whole bunch of boys in approval, and taking up his oarshe prepared to move off. "If you'll only tell about the boat."
"Oh, I say"--Jack seeing that he was now the recognized leader, was goingto do the whole thing up in good shape--"we're much obliged, and who areyou, anyway?" he broke off awkwardly.
"I'm Mr. King's grandson," said Joel "Well, good-bye."
"Mr. King's!" Jack gave a roll over and groveled in the wet moss. "Oh, it'sall up with us, fellows," he groaned. The black dog, who belonged to him,came and licked him all over, glaring between whiles at Joel, as if he werethe cause of the whole trouble. The bunch of boys said nothing, butshivered in silence.
"Well, good-bye," said Joel, as he pushed off, feeling it necessary forsome one to speak, "and I hope you haven't hurt your arm much," to therecumbent figure.
"Don't let him hurt these chaps--your grandfather I mean." Jack threw uphis head and pointed to the boys. "Only get Mike licked. We'd all of uslike that."
"What?" cried Joel over his shoulder, stopping his busy oars.
"Why, when you tell him how mean we used you, don't let him get those chapsinto trouble, 'cause----"
"When I tell him!" cried Joel. "What do you mean?"
"Why, of course you'll tell him," blurted Jack. Mike had taken to his heelsand was making quick tracks with his sodden shoes through the undergrowth.Things were not going to his taste now.
"See here." Joel made quick passes now with the oars, and brought his boatup alongside the bank. "I'm not going to tell my Grandpapa about whatyou've done, 'Tisn't any matter."
"You ain't?" cried Jack, getting up so quickly he upset the next boy, whorolled over the big, black dog. "Great Scott! You ain't going to tell theold gentleman?"
"No," said Joel, "I don't care anything about it; you didn't hurt me any."
"Well, if I ever!" It was all that Jack, the leader, could get out. AndJoel, seeing there was nothing to wait for, set to work again, andpresently amid the rain and the lightning gleams, his boat was only alittle speck on the surface of the pond, as viewed by the group of boys onthe bank.