CHAPTER XIX.

A MOONLIGHT SAIL.

The alarm of the boys was in nowise decreased when they were unable to discover a trace of the missing Ben. The clear water enabled them to look far down into the depths, but only the rocks upon the bottom of the river could be seen. Their alarm had become consternation now, and they glanced into each other's faces with an expression of fear, which was increased by the shouts of the girls on the dock and the calls of those who were still on the yacht.

As the boys changed the course of the skiff, Bert suddenly exclaimed, "Look at that, will you? See that canoe!"

The canoe in which Ben had capsized had been left to itself and was steadily drifting toward the shore of the island. Suddenly it was lifted from the water, and the long form of Ben appeared as he carried the little craft upon his shoulders, his head still remaining concealed beneath the boat.

Not heeding the shout which greeted his welcome appearance, Ben waded ashore, and after depositing his burden upon the bank, turned and quietly faced his companions.

His solemn manner, his dripping clothing, and above all the relief which all felt at his escape caused the shouts to be renewed; but Ben slowly approached the group of girls and said, "Miss Bessie, I'm ready to try it again. Shall we take the same course?"

"No, sir!" exclaimed that young lady. "You've frightened us almost to death, and I'll not be responsible for your safety any more."

"But I was safe, perfectly safe," replied Ben, soberly. "I'm at home in the water, every time."

"It's a pity you're not more at home on it, then," replied Bessie, with a nervous little laugh. "How did you escape? Where were you?"

"Who, me? Why, I swam up under the canoe, it sheltered my delicate face from the sun, you see, and I just pushed it ashore."

The others had landed by this time, and although the boys joined in the laughter, Ben could see that Mr. Clarke was annoyed by the trick he had played.

"Go up to the house," said Mr. Clarke, quietly, "and I'll get you a change of clothing. But you ought never to play such a prank as that again. It's altogether too serious a matter. This water is so cold that it is very easy for a man to be taken with a cramp in it, and sink before any aid could come to him. Don't do it again."

Ben, somewhat chagrined, made no reply, and followed Mr. Clarke to the house. When he reappeared he found his friends seated on the broad piazza, and they hailed his coming with shrieks of laughter, for Ben once more had been compelled to don the garments of their host, and as they were much too small for him, the sight he presented was ludicrous in the extreme.

"I think, Mr. Dallett," said one of the girls, "that you ought to buy that suit of Mr. Clarke. You don't know how becoming it is to you."

"No, I don't believe I do know," replied Ben, ruefully, glancing down at his wrists, which protruded several inches below his sleeves. "I'm not just sure whether I wouldn't have felt better to have stayed out there in the river."

"A trifle too short and a shaving too lean, But a _nice_ young man as ever was seen,"

murmured Bob.

Even Ben, and Mr. Clarke, who had now joined the group, were compelled to join in the laugh which followed, and soon the good nature of all was apparently restored, Ben himself adding to the fun by the nonchalance with which he paraded in his "uniform" before the admiring gaze of the assembly.

After dinner had been served, the group returned to the piazza and seated themselves in the chairs, evidently at peace among themselves and with all the world. The cottage, as has been said, was situated on a high bluff, and from it a view could be obtained of the majestic river for miles in either direction. The bracing air, the sparkling water, the sight of passing yachts and of swiftly moving canoes, all lent an additional charm to the occasion, and for two hours they remained there, enjoying themselves as only light-hearted young people can.

At last Mr. Clarke proposed that they should take a trip with him in the yacht, and as they eagerly hailed the invitation, all, including Mr. and Mrs. Clarke, were soon seated on board. There they sang songs and told stories and commented upon the constantly changing scene of beauty into which they moved. Darting in and out among the islands the fleet little yacht, skilfully handled by the pilot and engineer, daintily seemed to pick its way, as if it too shared in the delight of the company. Beautiful cottages, palaces they seemed to the boys, were passed, and quaint little spots, dotted by tents or rude huts, whither some humble family had come for an outing, were frequently seen. Fishing parties were discovered among the bays, and parties of campers, living much as did our boys in their camp on Pine Tree Island, were passed; and when at last the yacht turned homeward, all were ready to declare that never before had they had so enjoyable an afternoon.

To the proposition of the boys that they should return to their camp, a strong objection was offered by Mrs. Clarke, who declared that they must remain for supper; and we may be sure no great amount of urging was required to make them yield.

"I'll take you back to camp this evening," said Mr. Clarke, when they all resumed their seats on the piazza.

"I thought I'd go back in my canoe," suggested Ben, who was clad in his proper garments now. "I want the practice, you see."

"No, sir!" said Mr. Clarke, sharply. "You are to go back with us. I'll not be responsible for your safety in that shell of yours."

Ben made no reply, and soon was sharing in the enjoyment of the party. The sun was now low in the western sky, and as its departing beams fell across the waters it made them glow like a veritable lake of fire. The wind had all died away, and the surface of the river was almost like glass. A scene of greater beauty or of more indescribable peace and calm they never before had seen.

But the laughter which came from the piazza of Mr. Clarke's cottage, and the enjoyment of the assembly there, were not to be checked even by the solemn stillness of the river.

"One would never think," said Mr. Clarke, when a break of a moment came, "that this peaceful river was ever the scene of bloodshed."

"Bob, here, knows all about that," said Bert. "He puts us to sleep every night with his stories of the early discoverers. We almost feel as if we were on their trail."

"So you are, for it's all historic ground," replied Mr. Clarke; "but I wasn't thinking of the discoveries just then, but rather of the struggle along the border here in the War of 1812, and of the pirates."

"Pirates?" exclaimed Miss Bessie, quickly. "Why, you never told us there were any pirates here. I shall be afraid to go out in my canoe again--unless I have Mr. Dallett along to protect me," she added.

Ignoring the laugh which followed, her father said, "Well, there were pirates here, for you can't call them by any other name. There are none here now, of course, but in what was poetically called 'The Patriot War,' it wasn't the same peaceful St. Lawrence that we see."

As all appeared to be interested in his words, Mr. Clarke continued. "This patriot war, so called, occurred along about 1837-40. It really was an attempt to revolutionize Canada by a lot of desperadoes, or pirates, as I call them, who were filled with hatred as bitter as it was unreasonable against our sister country, and the worst leader of them all was a William Johnston, or Bill Johnston, as he was more familiarly known by his neighbors along the St. Lawrence River. He lived near here, you see.

"In December, 1837, a band of disguised men from Canada set fire to the steamer Caroline out near Niagara Falls, and aroused great excitement all along the border. The next month Congress appropriated $625,000 for the protection of the northern frontier, and called for volunteers. On the very same day a circular was issued over here at Watertown, signed by six prominent men, asking for money and help for the so-called refugees from Canada. The signers professed to be law-abiding citizens and all that, and _perhaps_ they were, though there were serious doubts about the matter then and since.

"In most of the villages secret organizations had been formed, known as Hunter Lodges, and they were making plans for raising money and men to invade Canada. Indeed, they had their preparations all made for crossing on the ice as soon as the river here was frozen over, and falling upon Kingston.

"One night in February the arsenal at Watertown was broken into and four hundred stands of arms were stolen by men who were thought to be engaged in the proposed movement. Some of the things were afterward recovered, and a reward was offered for the capture of the men.

"Matters were made worse by the fact that the arsenals at Elizabethtown and Batavia were also broken into at about the same time. The very next day after the affair at Watertown, men began to arrive at Clayton, which used to be called French Creek, and it is said that there were four thousand stands of arms there, five hundred long pikes, and twenty barrels of cartridges; but what they lacked was men, for, though nominally there were a good many there, there were few if any real _men_ among them, as you can readily imagine.

"There was no discipline, and less order, and when, at last, less than two hundred of the rascals crossed over to Wolf Island, they were more like a mob than an army. The Kingston people were badly frightened, though they had slight cause to be alarmed, and they sent over a force of sixteen hundred soldiers to meet the 'invading army'; but when they arrived at the island, the 'army' had pretty much melted away. Still the country was pretty thoroughly stirred up, and forces were stationed at Cape Vincent, Clayton, and other places to maintain order. Congress also took further action, and most of the people thought the troubles were ended.

"But in the last of May, 1838, the steamer _Sir Robert Peel_ was plundered and burned over here at Wells Island. She was a large boat, I understand, and some hundred and sixty feet long. She started from Brockville, and there were threats made before she set sail that she would have trouble, but no attention was paid to them. The passengers were all asleep when she arrived at Wells Island, and the crew were taking on wood, when a band of men, disguised as Indians, and rejoicing in such fictitious names as Tecumseh, Judge Lynch, Bolivar, Captain Crocket, and I don't know what all, rushed out of the woods, and, yelling, 'Remember the _Caroline_,' drove away the crew and passengers, and taking the steamer out into the channel, set it on fire.

"First they had seized the money on board and such valuables as they could find, you may be sure.

"Of course there was a great stir then in the country. This Bill Johnston I mentioned a little while ago was one of the leaders, and both the Canadian governments and our own offered big rewards for him and the other men. I believe Governor Marcy placed the reward for the arrest of Johnston at $500 and $250 was offered for some of the others, while some were thought to be worth only $100 each. The Earl of Durham did better still, for he promised to give £1000 for the conviction of any of the parties engaged in the outrage. Some of them were arrested and tried over at Watertown, but it was almost impossible to convict them, and the jury brought in a verdict of 'not guilty.'"

"Was Johnston captured then?" inquired Jock.

"He was captured, but not then. He was taken later, but not until some other stirring events had occurred, and even then it didn't do much good. But I'll have to reserve the other parts of the story of the St. Lawrence pirates until your next visit, for if I'm going to take you back to camp, we must be starting."

When the boys went down to the dock they found that the girls also were to accompany them. Ben's canoe was taken on board, and then the party started on one of the most enjoyable experiences on the great river--a moonlight sail among the islands.

The time passed rapidly, and when they came out into the channel near their camp they discovered one of the great river steamers before them. To the eager request of Miss Bessie "to take the breakers," Mr. Clarke reluctantly consented, and the little yacht was headed for the waves which could be seen in the wake of the steamer.

The conversation ceased as the yacht approached. Ben had taken his seat in the bow, and the girls were huddled together amidships, half dreading and yet eager for the exciting experience.

Nearer and nearer came the little craft, and soon it was lifted high on the crest of the waves. Down it went into the trough of the sea and rose again as the swell lifted it. On the third attempt, however, it failed to respond as promptly as it had done before, and instead of rising on the crest of the billow it struck it fairly in the midst, and in a moment a great flood of water fell upon the yacht and swept over its entire length.