Chapter 20

RICHARD VISITS GREEN ISLAND, AND THE REGULATORS CONSIDER THEIR PLANS.

The evening exercises proceeded as usual, no allusion whatever being made to the absence of the mutineers, after the facts had been revealed. But no one supposed that the energetic principal would drop the matter where it then stood.

Richard had been "putting that and that together" since the events which had transpired in the grove, till he was pretty well satisfied that the mutineers now upon Green Island were the Regulators. The evidences which led him to this conclusion had been carefully collected from the time he had been whipped by them in the woods near the camp. Though Nevers had appeared to be very friendly since the race, his conduct had not been above suspicion.

During the evening the boys had a great deal to say about the mutiny, and some of them even regretted that they had not joined, especially as the colonel did not seem to care much about the affair. About eight o'clock in the evening, Richard was sent for by the principal.

"Grant," said Colonel Brockridge, as Richard entered the office, "I have heard all about your conduct, and I wish to express to you my approbation. You have, indeed, turned over a new leaf, as you told the boys, and I congratulate you upon your success in keeping your good resolution. I have just written a letter to your father, which you may read."

The principal handed him the letter, and with a glow of pride and satisfaction, Richard read the high commendation which was bestowed upon him. There was no allusion to the affair of the day, and the praise covered his general conduct since he had been at Tunbrook.

"I learn that you have been true to yourself, and true to the rules of the Institute, under peculiar trials. I sympathize with you. But you have won the respect and regard of all the good boys. You can afford to be disliked by the others."

"I have tried to do my duty, sir," replied Richard, blushing at the praise bestowed upon him.

"You have done well. I know how fond you are of exciting adventure, and I wonder that you had the strength to resist this temptation."

"I am surprised myself," added Richard.

"If I except the fight, which was greatly palliated by the circumstances, and the sleeping on guard when we were in camp, your conduct has been entirely unexceptionable since you came to the Institute. Sleeping on guard is not----"

"I didn't sleep on guard, sir," interposed Richard, mildly and respectfully. "I am prepared to explain all about that now."

"Indeed? It is rather late now," said the principal, shaking his head.

"I think I have unearthed the Regulators."

"The Regulators? I haven't heard any thing of them for a year. I supposed they no longer existed."

"They do exist," added Richard. "I happen to know something about them."

"What do you know?"

In reply to this question, Richard narrated all the particulars of his abduction from his post while doing guard duty.

"But why didn't you tell me about this?" demanded the colonel, surprised and indignant at the audacity of the Regulators. "Why did you suffer the penalty of deserting your post, when you were innocent?"

"I thought it would be better in the end, sir. I wanted to find out who the Regulators were."

"Well, have you found out?"

"I think I have, sir."

"Who are they?"

"I am pretty well satisfied that they are encamped upon Green Island just now," said Richard, with a smile.

"What evidence have you?"

Richard stated, at considerable length, the facts and incidents which had led him to this conclusion: but the colonel was not fully satisfied.

"If you will permit me, sir, I think I could prove what I say to your entire satisfaction."

"What do you wish to do?"

"I wish to visit Green Island," replied Richard, boldly.

"They would whip you again."

"I am not afraid of them."

"How will you get over to the island? The young rascals have taken all the boats."

"I can borrow a skiff; if not, I can go over on a plank."

"But they would handle you rather roughly."

"I don't intend to let them see me. I think I can manage the matter, sir."

"Well, Grant, your plan will harmonize with mine. I intend to punish these mutineers, as they foolishly call themselves, in a novel way; and I have already made my arrangements to do so. But you shall carry out your scheme first."

"I should be very glad to do so, and I am confident that I shall succeed."

"You shall try it, at all events."

"Will you let Bailey go with me?" asked Richard.

"No; I do not wish to expose him to danger. You can take care of yourself, it appears, if you get into trouble. Do you want some one with you?"

"I think it would be better."

"Mr. Gault shall accompany you, but you shall manage the matter yourself."

"Very well, sir. What shall I do for a boat?"

"You shall have one of the pontoon boats. It will be better than a skiff."

"Good! I didn't think of that," said Richard, with enthusiasm.

"Now, Grant, not a word must be said of the events of to-night."

It was after nine o'clock when this conference was finished, and the boys had retired. Richard and the principal left the office, and repaired to the stables, where they found three of the instructors, including Mr. Gault. The horses were attached to the pontoon wagon, ready for a start. The whole party seated themselves in the vehicle, and were driven by the public road to a spot near the shore of the lake. One of the rubber boats was unloaded, and Mr. Gault and Richard carried it down to the bank.

The night was cloudy and dark. Green Island was half a mile from the place where they proposed to embark, and there was no danger that the mutineers would see or hear them. The boat was filled with air, by the aid of a bellows, and placed in the water. Richard requested Mr. Gault to lie down in the boat, and, with a short paddle he had brought for the purpose, he propelled the light craft towards her destination.

The utmost care and quiet were necessary to prevent the mutineers from gaining any knowledge of the movement; and when the boat was within a few rods of the island, Richard laid aside his paddle and listened. He could hear the Regulators talking and laughing at some distance from the shore, and he soon satisfied himself that no sentinels had been detached to guard the approaches. With a few strokes of his paddle, he brought the boat alongside the island.

Richard seemed to be a master of strategy, and conducted his movements with such skill and prudence, that he and Mr. Gault succeeded in effecting a landing without disturbing the mutineers.

"Now, sir, we must lie down and crawl upon the ground till we get within hearing distance of them," whispered Richard.

"I will follow you, Grant," replied the instructor.

"We must move very slowly."

"There is plenty of time."

Richard led the way, crawling like a snake upon the grass, so slowly and so cautiously that not a particle of noise seemed to be made. Near the centre of the island there was a clump of trees, which had been dignified by the title of a grove. The mutineers were seated upon the ground in this place. Though the distance to the grove from the place where Mr. Gault and Richard had landed was only a few rods, more than half an hour was consumed in reaching a spot which would be near enough to enable them to hear what was said.

The deep gloom beneath a spreading oak afforded them a friendly shelter; and here they disposed of themselves to the best advantage to effect the object in view. For half an hour they listened to conversation on all topics. Various wild schemes were proposed to bring the colonel to terms. Some declared their intention to spend a week on the island.

"We should freeze and starve," said another.

"No; Leslie--I mean Kennedy--said he would supply us with food; and we can make a tent of the sails of the boat."

"Let us stick together, whatever we do," added another. "If we could only have got Grant over here, we should have fixed him."

"Thank you," said Richard to himself; and he listened to this kind of talk for some time, beginning to fear that he should not obtain the information for which he came.

"Regulators, come to order!" said Nevers, at last, much to the satisfaction of the listeners. "Are all present Regulators?"

"They are," replied Redman.

"Guards, to your stations."

Richard could not see where their stations were; and he hoped the line of their duty would not lead them to the oak under which Mr. Gault and himself were seated.

"It is a long time since we have had a chance to hold a regular meeting; and it may be a long time before we are able to do so again. Perhaps it was lucky that all except the Regulators backed out," continued Nevers. "You all know the business we have on our hands."

"We do," replied several.

"By a judicious use of _watermelons_ and _sleep-walking_, we shall accomplish our purpose," continued Nevers.

"We must do it before the next election, my chief," said Redman.

"It is of no use to attempt to whip him, or any thing of that sort," answered "my chief," which seemed to be the official designation of the presiding officer.

"I have a plan which I think will procure his expulsion from the school."

"State it; and every Regulator will remember the penalty of disclosing one of the society's secrets."

"He shall be pounded till he is black and blue," said the members, in concert.

"And every Regulator shall despise him as man and boy, to the end of his life."

"That's so," responded the members.

"Go on, Redman," said the chief.

"Next Sunday night, the sheds, near the grove, will be set on fire. On Friday night Grant's French exercise book will be taken from his desk. He will fail in his lesson on Saturday, and the colonel must punish him. This will make him mad. The exercise book will be torn up, and pieces of it, especially the cover with his name on it, will be found near the burnt building. Masters, who is on good terms with Grant, on a certain pretence, known to him and me, will induce him to wait at the shed until after dark, where he will be seen by Mr. Gault, when he goes his rounds. A broken bunch of matches will be found in Grant's closet, where no fellow is allowed to keep matches. Other suspicious circumstances will appear at the time for they are in charge of proper persons."

"You hear," said the chief.

"I don't like the plan," said one.

"Nor I," chimed in a dozen others.

"It is a mean thing," added the first objector.

"How many officers has the Society of Regulators?" demanded the chief, sternly.

"One, whom all obey," replied the members.

"Who is he?"

"Nevers."

"I am chief, and I command that this be done," said the chief.

Twenty or thirty of the members, as Richard judged by the voices, protested against the scheme; but the measure was ordered in spite of this opposition.

"Is there a traitor here?" demanded the chief.

"Not one," replied the members.

The chief then urged the necessity of using strong measures. He pointed out the danger of permitting Grant to remain in the school; and the plan would insure his expulsion. But still the intractable ones objected, and their names were ordered to be given. As they were announced, Mr. Gault, aided by faith rather than sight, wrote them down on the back of some letters he had in his pocket. The business was finished, and it was proposed to establish a watch on the island for the night.

"We must go," whispered Richard; and he crawled off, followed by Mr. Gault.

They reached the water without being discovered, and embarked in the rubber boat.

"If they place sentinels on the watch, the colonel's plan will be defeated," said Mr. Gault.

"What is his plan?"

"To get all the boats away from them, and keep them on the island till they have had enough of it."

"We must do it before the watch is set," added Richard.

To accomplish this purpose, he paddled the float to the place where the boats were moored, and cast them all adrift. The slight current of the lake carried them slowly down to the river, and the listeners returned to the shore, and reported what they had done to the colonel. The whole party were then driven round to the outlet of the lake, where they secured the boats as they floated down.

The business of the night was done, and the party retired to their several apartments.