Part 10

"But it's no dream, old fellow," said Joe cheerily. "You are back among us, and every boy in the crowd was glad enough to see you. Mr. Bernard, too, was as happy as the rest of us."

"That's so queer. I thought he would never forgive me. I wonder if my own father will? Joe, will you do me a favour? Will you stop at my home on your way through? I'm going to tell father the whole story, and let him know the worst of it. I want you to go along and keep my courage up."

Joe laughed and said, "Want me for a body-guard, do you?"

"My father is a very strict man, and he hasn't any patience with anybody that is mean; and that's just what I was, besides being bad. I don't mean to excuse myself a bit, whether you are there or not; but if you would stop with me, I'd like it. I want him to see you too, Joe."

"Enough said; I'll stop. Here's the tent; walk in. Dave and Ben are already in the bunk. Well, you and I will take the shake-down."

"We thought you would be waking us up if we slept on the floor, so we crawled in here to be out of the way," explained Dave.

"That's all right, Dave.--Now, Ralph, you and I have the floor; let the other fellows keep quiet. It isn't the softest bed I ever saw, but it is a good deal better than that you have had for some nights past."

"Yes, especially if you haven't anything you want to hide. I tell you it's good to be free of that. I'll never forget what Captain Dare said, and I can say it to myself now."

After the other boys were sound asleep, Ralph lay thinking over the weeks that had passed since he had burned the leaves in the garden at the back of the school-house. All the way along he followed the story again. He heard the roll called for the guilty boy; and saw again Mr. Bernard's face as he looked around upon his boys in astonishment and grief, as he said, "Is it possible that we have a _liar_ among us? A _liar_!" Then he saw Joe Chester's face as he was summoned to Mr. Bernard's room to be questioned. He remembered how he felt when it was announced that Joe Chester must remain behind unless the guilty boy confessed; and the miserable days that followed, when, ashamed of himself, he still pretended to be innocent. Then followed the last night of school when the question was decided, and he determined to go on no further with the deceit. This was the turning-point, and he felt that the worst was over when he thought of the letter of confession, the flight from the house, and the refuge with Captain Dare, which, in spite of all the discomfort resulting from it, had proved such a blessing to him. He remembered the very words of the old captain that had awakened the good resolutions in his heart, and he at last fell asleep feeling glad that he had opened his heart, and that there was nothing he wanted to conceal from God's eyes.

*CHAPTER XXI.*

*A FULL DAY.*

As soon as daylight began to dawn Joe was awake, and pulling open the flap of the tent, he glanced anxiously around. "Hurrah! a pleasant day," he exclaimed under his breath.

"Boys, wake up, and let's have a row. The water is smooth, and we'll have a jolly pull all by ourselves before the other fellows are stirring. Don't make a noise."

The four boys threw off their blankets, and dressed as hurriedly and quietly as possible, and ran down to the beach, where the boat was fastened, high and dry above high-water mark.

"Whew!" whistled Ben, looking with dismay at the long stretch of beach, down which they must drag or push the boat before it could float. "The tide doesn't favour us in this job, does it?"

"No, but the boat isn't heavy. We have pushed it down many a time," said Joe courageously.

"Never, with only four pairs of hands," added Dave, not quite so enthusiastic as his friend.

"Oh, come on. If we wait for the tide to come up, we shall have a whole posse of boys crowding in."

"All right; a long pull and a strong pull and a pull all together."

"There she goes."

"'She starts, she moves, she seems to feel The thrill of life along her keel,'"

said Dave in declamatory style.

"Well may she feel it, grating over these stones," said Ben, laughing and pushing with all his strength.

"Whew! Now! There, all together again."

*[Illustration: "Now! All together!" (missing from book)]*

If was a hard push, but the boat was launched at last, and the four boys in. Each took an oar and pulled hard and fast.

"Let's go over to 'Gull Rock,'" said Joe. "We are headed that way, and it will make just a good trip before breakfast."

"Which is Gull Rock?" asked Ralph, looking over his shoulder as he rowed.

"That long line of dark off there just to the left of that brig."

"Joe Chester! are you crazy?"

"We can do it, and be back in time for breakfast. I know we can."

"All right; go ahead! let's try it," said Ben. "This is my first and last row this vacation, and I'm ready to put in my best stroke. When I invested in this boat I expected to get my money's worth of fun out of it; but--

'The best-laid schemes o' mice and men Gang aft agley.'"

"Especially when you have a scapegrace for a chum," said Ralph soberly. "If it hadn't been for me you would have been here through it all. I declare it is too bad, Ben."

"Nonsense! I haven't grumbled, have I? Wait till I do, old chap. I reckon I needed the lesson I got as much as you did, and I'm not sorry that I had to learn it. Now, don't let's groan," and Ben began to sing,--

"'I never was on the dull, tame shore, But I loved the great sea more and more.'"

"But how was it when you were on the great sea in a fog-storm?" interrupted Ralph laughingly.

"Oh, go away. This is poetry; that wasn't."

"Not by any manner of means. You are right there."

"There's Jonas going to market to get fish for breakfast," said Joe, as he saw Jonas and Friday coming down the rocks with basket and fishing-rods.

"You ought to be phosphorescent enough to be useful as matches, if you have been having fish morning, noon, and night for a fortnight," suggested Ben.

"Very likely we are. The nights have been so bright we haven't needed to light candles, so we haven't had any use for matches; but I imagine we would all throw out a faint light if we got where it was dark enough."

"We'll have two more chances to add to our stock of phosphorus. Fish for breakfast and fish for dinner! I see the gulls on the rocks now. We must be two-thirds across, boys," said Dave. "I tell you we are doing strong pulling."

"Yes, but nothing fancy about it," laughed Ben. "I reckon an amateur boat-crew would hoot us."

"Who cares for style? I go in for speed. I can feather my oar every stroke if I want to," said Dave.

They pulled steadily, and Gull Rock was readied at last.

"Shall we land?"

"Yes, if we find a good place. Let's row along-shore and see what the chances are."

"There!" exclaimed Joe, "there's a fine chance up in that cove. There are lots of nests there; see the gulls fly up! We'll carry back some eggs, or the boys won't believe we've been so far."

"All right; in she goes," said Ben, lifting his dripping oar.

Dave did the same, and the two oars on the other side brought the boat quickly around, so Ben could seize the rock and jump ashore with the rope. Before he had fastened it the other boys had leaped ashore also, and were hunting for gulls' eggs.

"Oh, here they are by the hatful!" cried Joe. "We can get all we want and take only one egg from a nest, so the old birds won't be discouraged," he said, taking his round cap off, and going from nest to nest until he had filled it.

The others did the same, and after taking a hasty run over the island, they jumped into the boat again, pulled in the rope, and were homeward bound. The pull back was more leisurely; and, as Ben said, "they paid more attention to style." The other boys were at the landing when the boat arrived with its bare-headed crew, and the caps were speedily emptied of the eggs, which were eagerly taken by the crowd to keep as mementoes of the vacation. After breakfast Jonas was besieged by one after another, begging to have the eggs boiled hard, so they would be safer to carry.

"Well, bring 'em all along, and I'll make one job of it," said Jonas good-naturedly. "I'll put on a kettle and boil the whole lot, and you can divide 'em afterwards."

There was a general scramble for the boiled eggs, but every boy got one or more to put away in his valise as treasures to be taken home and preserved for the sake of the pleasant vacation days. Such a motley collection as these boys had got together during the two weeks--sticks and stones and rubbish of all kinds, mementoes of some good time; and they must be taken from the island whether the more valuable property could be carried or not!

The steamboat was not expected till the afternoon, and during the early part of the day some of the boys went rowing, some to wander in the woods. Ralph and Ben joined a fishing-party going to the place from which they had been driven by the tide "on Liberty Day," as they laughingly called it.

"Do me the honour to use my rod, Ralph," said Joe. "I think you have seen it before."

Ralph pretended to be ignorant of his meaning. He admired the rod, but said, "No, Joe; I am going to cut one yonder that will do just as well for me."

"It is not; it is yours."

"Well, call it mine. I'm much obliged; but really now, I don't want to fish. I've had enough of that. I am going to search for bait, and keep the hooks supplied. Just give me one half the glory of catching the fish."

"All right. We'll make it a point to keep you busy, boy. Here, bait's wanted," cried Ralph, jointing the rod and untwisting the line. "I can't start with a bare hook."

"Hold on till I get started in the business. I haven't got in my supplies," answered Joe, leaning down over the side of the rocks and pulling off winkles that were fastened to it. "There now; go at it. Both hooks are baited, and more meat's ready. Who wants bait? Here are fine fat winkles to cover bare hooks."

"Bait mine."--"My hook is bare," was the constant cry, as the boys crowded around Joe, who patiently baited the hooks with the meat taken from the little shells, until his fingers were dyed purple.

"Well, you are a good-natured fellow, sitting here and doing this while we have the fun," exclaimed Ned, coming for the twentieth time to have his hook baited.

"That depends on how you look at it," was the philosophical answer. "I might say you are the good-natured fellows to catch my fish for me, while I sit here and smash shells in a lazy way. This is just as good fun as fishing when you like to do it."

"I'm glad you like it," said Walter. "It is a good deal livelier work for us than if we had to stop and search for bait ourselves."

"I move that we return a vote of thanks to Joe Chester for his philanthropy or some kind of an opy--perhaps that isn't the right word--and then go back to camp. It must be near dinner-time, and Jonas will want these fish," suggested Ben. "Cheers for Chester! He's 'a gentleman and a scholar.' Hip! hip! hip!"

The cheers were given with a will. The boys were always ready to cheer on the slightest provocation, partly because they felt free to make as much noise as they liked on this island, so far out on the sea, and partly because they appreciated all good-natured acts, and this was their way of expressing their thanks.

Joe laughingly declared that they did him too much honour, and then, to change the subject, said, "Let's string the biggest fish on sticks, and take them to camp that way. Enough for dinner, you know. We can carry them easier that way."

This was soon done, and with their fish and rods they sauntered leisurely back to the camp, stopping here and there where the hillocks tempted them with blueberries.

"I hope Mr. Bernard will make arrangements to have the camp here next summer. He couldn't find a jollier place," exclaimed Ben.

"No; this beats all the camps we ever had," said Joe. "I move that we ask Mr. Bernard to come here again."

"Any fish?" shouted Jonas, as they came near the camp ground.

The boys held up the sticks for their answer, and Jonas gave a grunt of satisfaction as he paused in dipping water from the spring to relieve them of their burden.

"We need a good bath," said Joe, looking at his stained hands and soiled jacket. "I, for one, will have a final swim."

"You had the _last_ yesterday, I thought," said Dave.

"Yes, but this is an appendix." And in a few minutes he had changed his fishing for a bathing suit, and was diving off the rocks. Several others followed, but the sport was interrupted by the dinner-bell; and Joe hastened to make his toilet and join his friends at the table.

"Well, boys, this has been a successful trip, has it?" asked Mr. Bernard, as he glanced from one bright face to another. "Have you had all the pleasure you anticipated?"

"Oh yes, and more too," was the enthusiastic answer. "It has been a splendid time--the best camp we ever had."

"And we want to thank you for it," said Joe, leaning forward to look at Mr. Bernard, who stood at the other end of the long table. "We don't know any other way to express our feelings except by giving three cheers. Will that do?" he asked laughingly.

"Oh yes, that will express them better than anything you could say," was the laughing reply.

"I move three cheers for our teachers--the best teachers any boys ever had. Hip! hip! hip!"

Then followed a deafening shout that came from the hearts as well as from the throats of the boys.

*CHAPTER XXII.*

*TENTS DOWN.*

The boat was due at four, and the tents were to be down and ready at the landing. So as soon as dinner was over every one went to work.

Jonas made a great rattling of pots, pans, and plates, as he packed them away in barrels and boxes.

"No more use for them until next summer, and there's no knowin' who of us will be alive to use 'em then!" exclaimed Jonas, with a wise shake of the head.

"That's so," said Friday solemnly.

"'Tain't noways likely that the same crowd will get together again. Somebody'll be missing. They are a fine set o' fellows, take 'em all around. Some o' them are as good as you'd find anywhere.--Here, Freit, lend a hand on this 'ere box. No, roll that barrel down to the beach; I'll see to this."

While they were thus engaged, the boys were packing their valises, and trying to decide what to take and what to leave.

"I've got rocks enough to stock a cabinet, and only one valise, that was full when I came," said Joe, kneeling before said valise, with his arms full of "specimens."

"To ballast a ship, you'd better say," added Ben, laughing. "What do you want that rubbish for?" and he pulled over the precious collection in a contemptuous way.

"Hands off, Vandal! Avaunt! You'll smash that infant star-fish!" cried Joe. "I've tramped miles and risked my neck getting these together, and now you call them rubbish! Avaunt, I say!"

"Tents down!" called Mr. Andrews, passing along, and seeing some of the tents still standing.

"Yes, sir," answered Joe, placing the "rubbish," as Ben called it, in an old jacket, and tying the bundle with fish-line. "There, I'm all right; I'll take this in my hands. There'll be room enough in my trunk when we get back to school."

Ben laughed, and said, "You'll have your labour for your pains. You'll throw the whole lot over the back-yard fence, or your mother or sisters will for you, before many weeks."

"Nay, nay! You haven't half looked at the things; or, worse still, are no judge, boy. Mr. Bernard said they were good specimens."

"All right--carry them home; but if your folks are like mine the things will disappear. I got a lot of snakes once, the prettiest fellows you ever saw, and had them in a wire box; but no one would go near my room to clear it up, and because I wouldn't throw them away, my sisters hired a fellow to drop the box in the pond. Wasn't I angry?"

"That's different; I don't much blame them," said Joe. "Nobody will bother my collection. There, my luggage is ready."

"So is mine," said Ralph, who had been sitting on his valise outside, listening to the conversation. "Where's Dave?"

"Oh, he went to the shore long ago. There he stands with his spy-glass, watching for the steamboat, as if it would be the most welcome sight in the world; and he doesn't want to leave any more than we do.--Now, down with the tent! Pull up those stakes, boys. Mine are up. Down she goes! Let's write our names on the canvas; perhaps we shall get the same tent next year."

"Oh, doesn't the place look forsaken?" groaned Joe, as he saw the tents, one after another, rolled up and carried by the boys to the beach, where the baggage was piled.

"I see the smoke!" cried Dave.

A chorus of groans from the crowd answered this announcement.

"Hush, raven! don't croak. Don't bring your bad news here. Get down from your watch-tower, and let's have a game of leap-frog, and forget the steamboat," said Ned.

There were boys enough answering this summons to make the leaping process long and tiresome; and by the time a dozen boys had gone the length of the row, they were glad to unbend their backs and throw themselves on the grass to rest.

Nearer and nearer came the boat, and no spy-glass was needed to tell the party that it was coming for them. Straight toward the island it steamed, and it was only a question of minutes when the motion would cease and the anchor drop.

Another chorus of groans from the waiting crowd was the only greeting extended even when the band began to play. Unmindful of the cool reception, the boat swung around as near to the rocks as possible, and the great wheels ceased to revolve.

"All ready there!" shouted the captain, hat in hand.

"All ready," was the answer.

The small boats belonging to the school were already laden with baggage, and the boys began to row across with the load. The larger boats belonging to the steamer were soon plying to and fro, carrying the camp outfit. This occupied a long time, and then the boys reluctantly followed.

John and Jerry with their father were there to see them off and hear the music. The last boatful of boys had come up the side of the steamer, and the last boat had been hoisted on board.

"Are we all here?" asked Mr. Bernard, looking anxiously around over the crowd under his care.

"He ought to count us," suggested Dave. "Perhaps some of the fellows are hid under the bushes."

Jonas and Freitag were the last on board, and they gave the assurance that "nothin' nor nobody wasn't left behind."

The whistle sounded; the escaping steam was turned down to work again; the water foamed, and the wheels were in motion.

Here was another chance to cheer, and what schoolboy would allow such an opportunity to be wasted? So cheers were given and caps waved by the party on deck and the three people on the shore. The band played "Home, Sweet Home," and the steamboat bore them toward the Cape.

"Alas, and alack! and is it over?" sighed Joe, as he looked longingly back at the receding shores of the island. "And you had so little of the fun, Ralph."

"I don't know," answered Ralph. "It is a question whether you enjoyed more in the whole fortnight than Ben and I did in these two days. Just the pleasure of getting back among you all and being friends with Mr. Bernard would have been treat enough for me, after my experience."

"And for me too," interposed Ben soberly--"to say nothing of the good times fishing, swimming, rowing, and tramping about through the woods and over the shore. If you enjoyed it any more than I did, I don't know how you managed to bear it, Joe."

It was a sun-burned, rugged-looking set of boys that landed at the Cape, and, with valises in hand, started across the fields to the Academy, talking, as they sauntered along, of the good times they had enjoyed. They were to spend one night there, and get their worldly possessions in readiness to take, or to leave till another term.

"Ben Carver, are you the same fellow that stole out of this room with me a fortnight ago?" asked Ralph, as they entered their room together and shut the door.

"Am I, or am I not? Sure enough. Only a fortnight ago! Think of it! Why, I feel as if it were years ago. We little thought we would be back here now, and feeling as comfortable as we do, when we stole down the stairs that night, and went across the fields to hide from Mr. Bernard."

"Yes, from him and every one else. I wanted never to see Joe or any of the boys again--never!"

"May I come in?" said Joe's voice at the door.

"Come."

"We are to have the hall all to ourselves this evening, and talk over our camp life--all speaking at once, if we want to."

"And we shall want to," said Ben.

"Very likely," laughed Joe. "We generally do. Mr. Bernard says if we can't think of anything to say he will come in and help us. We told him he would be welcome, but that he probably wouldn't be able to get a word in."

"Not the least chance."

"Come on; there's the bell! Supper, and after that the jollification in the hall. Then we'll pack and say good-bye to the old Academy, and each other too, until next September."

"Remember you are going home with me," said Ralph as they ran down the stairs, and slackened their pace to enter the dining-room less like whirlwinds.

"Remember? Ah, yes; I remember that. Isn't it odd to be sitting instead of standing at the table, and using napkins and glasses? I like the camp tables best, though, as it is."

After supper, the boys gathered in the hall, and talked over their life in camp. Even the dark, foggy days, that seemed so uncomfortable at the time, were spoken of now with pleasure.

Mr. Bernard came later in the evening, and after joining in the merry-making a while, and listening to the stories of the boys, he said some pleasant good-bye words, thanking them that they had given so little trouble; and then leaving them all in the hands of the Great Master, and asking him to be their friend and helper in all the future, he shook hands with each one, with an added "God bless you" for Ralph, and said good-bye.

We cannot follow these boys to their homes, pleasant as that would be, so we will join in the general farewell that sounded on every hand as the boys went back to their friends.

THE END.

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