It was useless for me to remain any longer in the wheel-house, and I descended by the forward ladder to the deck. I was indignant, but I was determined to "face the music." The best of friends are liable to "fall out" at times, and no better than Vallington and myself had ever existed. He was burdened by the responsibility of the position he had assumed, and perhaps did not feel just right about the course he had taken. These things may have made him irritable. Though I had never before known him to be unkind or uncourteous, he had certainly "pitched into me," on the present occasion, in a manner which my self-respect would not permit me to endure.
I had been acting, in charge of the wheel, to thebest of my ability; and I was perfectly confident that nothing would have gone wrong with the steamer if the engineer had not stopped the wheels. However I felt on the general question of duty, I was quite satisfied that I had been faithful to the interests of the expedition upon which we had embarked; and I could not bear to be "snapped up," and treated like an inferior in knowledge and skill, even by my chosen leader. I was "chief of navigation," at least; and I felt that the general had interfered with my part of the work. He accused me of causing the mischief, when he had been the author of it himself; and this was so plain to me that I could not help resenting it.
Very likely my face was flushed with anger and excitement when I confronted Vallington on the forward deck. If it was, his was not less so, and there was a lively prospect of a "family quarrel." With my strong consciousness that I had done right, or, at least, intended to do right, so far as our expedition was concerned, I could have afforded to refrain from heated expressions; and it would have been better if I had done so. It is no reason, becauseone person gets mad, that another should. It is more dignified, manly, and Christian for one always to control his temper. Let the truth be spoken forcibly, if need be, but kindly.
"We are in for a pretty scrape now," said Vallington, sternly and angrily, as I walked up to him.
"It isn't my fault if we are," I answered, sharply.
"Why do you say it isn't your fault, Thornton? Didn't you pilot the steamer into this hole?"
"I didn't pilot her aground. When you stopped her there were two or three feet of water under her keel."
"What did you bring her in here for? If I hadn't stopped her when I did, you would have smashed her up."
"Perhaps I should," I answered with a sneer, when I found it was impossible to make any headway against the general's unreasonable speech.
"You were going at full speed; and it is lucky I happened to see the shore and stop her when I did."
"I have nothing more to say," I replied, seating myself on the rail of the steamer.
"I don't think there is much more to be said. Here we are, hard aground; and anybody that has a mind to come after us can take us."
I made no reply. Vallington went to the gangway and looked over into the shallow water. Then he walked over to the other side, and I had no doubt our situation looked hopeless to him. After he had walked about a while, his anger abated; and perhaps he was conscious that he had been too fast in expressing himself.
"What's to be done? That's the next question," said he.
"I suppose nothing can be done," replied Tom Rush, who was more disappointed than any other fellow on board. "They say the Champion will be down after us this afternoon. Perhaps she will drag us off, and then our tyrants will treat us as they think proper."
"You needn't disturb yourselves about the Champion," I interposed. "She can't come within half a mile of us at least."
"Is that so?"
"That is so."
"It doesn't make much difference whether she can or not. We must stay here till some one helps us out of the scrape," added Vallington. "It was stupid to come in here."
"I don't think so," said Bob Hale, decidedly.
"Here we are aground, anyhow."
"Harry," continued Bob, gently and kindly, "I think Ernest was right in what he said. If you hadn't stopped the engine, we should have gone through well enough."
Vallington bit his lips, and he and Bob walked aft together. They were absent a few moments; and when he returned, the general's face wore a different expression.
"Thornton, I acknowledge that I was wrong," said he, extending his hand to me.
The boys standing around us immediately began to clap their hands in token of their satisfaction. In matters of navigation they were more willing to believe in me than in Vallington; and probably most of them were satisfied that I had been in the right.
"Don't say another word," I replied, jumping down from my seat, and grasping his offered hand.
"You will excuse my hasty language," he continued.
"Certainly; and I ask the same favor of you," I replied.
"I irritated you, commodore, by my unreasonable words, and I am willing to bear all the blame."
"You don't deserve it all."
If Vallington had been less noble and manly, we might have had a bad quarrel; as it was, our differences were promptly healed.
"Now, what's to be done, commodore?" the general proceeded. "I have got you into the scrape; but I hope you will be able to get out of it."
"I think I shall," I replied, confidently.
"They say we are to be chased by the Champion this afternoon; but just now we don't seem to be in condition to be chased even by a scow."
"We are not very hard aground; we only drifted on the shoal bottom; and if I mistake not, we can work her off. So far as the Champion is concerned, I am satisfied she will be after us as soon as she has landed her passengers at Parkville; but that will not be for a couple of hours yet."
"Then you really expect her."
"I certainly do; and when we float again, I don't care how soon she comes. I came into this place, which you call a hole, general, simply to get ready for the Champion; for she draws too much water to pass through this channel."
"Well, that's a double proof that I have wronged you, and I am all the more sorry for my unkindness."
"Don't mention that again, Vallington," I replied, touched by his magnanimity.
"Fellows," said Vallington, turning to the boys, "I resign my commission as general-in-chief of this expedition."
"No, no!" shouted the students.
"We are on the water now, and it is more proper that the commodore should have the entire command. When we are on shore again, I will resume my office. I will obey all the commodore's orders now, and the rest of you will do the same."
I protested, but the general insisted. We finally agreed to the proposition, and for the time I became the commander of the expedition. Our first business was to float the steamer. Vallington went back tothe engine-room, and I resumed my place at the wheel. I rang to back her, and the paddles slapped the water furiously for a time, but without producing any effect. The steamer had taken the ground harder than I supposed. She had run her bow upon the gradual slope of the bottom till the wheels were powerless to move her.
The boys looked at one another in blank dismay, and seemed to feel just as though the enemy were to "bag" them, as a sportsman does the game he has brought down. I did not despair yet. From the wheel-house I had surveyed the surroundings, and a plan had occurred to me by which I hoped to work the Adieno out of her uncomfortable position.
"No go," said Vallington, as we met together on the main deck.
"Not yet; but we won't give it up. The bow had dug into the bottom more than I supposed. We must carry a line ashore, and make fast to one of those trees; then I think we can pull her off."
Bob Hale, with two others, was sent ashore on the North Sister in the Splash, carrying the end of a long rope. When he had secured it to a largetree on the shore, I took the other end, the line passing through a round hawse-hole forward, and conveyed it aft to the shaft. After winding it four or five times round the shaft, I told the boys to haul it taut; and about twenty of them laid hold of the rope to "take in the slack," if we were fortunate enough to obtain any.
"Bully for you," said Vallington, as he comprehended my arrangement.
"If the rope don't break, something will come," I replied.
I had been obliged to join several ropes, in order to form one long enough; but having carefully avoided "granny knots," I hoped it would hold. The bearing of the line was at the hawse-hole, near the bow of the boat; and as the power was applied to the rope by turning the wheel and shaft, the tendency was to haul the forward end of the boat off the ground into the deeper water.
"All ready now, Vallington," I continued, when the preparations were completed. "Back her slowly."
He started the engine, as I directed.
"Haul taut on that rope!" I shouted to the boys at the line.
The wheels turned, and the shaft revolved. The rope groaned and strained.
"Stop her!" I added to the engineer, afraid to risk the strain. "Run aft the chain-box."
My orders were obeyed; and as the boat floated at her stern, the weight of the chain-box was sensibly felt.
"Back her slowly again," I continued.
Again the rope groaned and strained as though too much was expected of it.
"She starts!" cried the boys forward. "She is coming off!"
I heard the keel scraping upon the bottom; and as the rope wound up, the Adieno slid off into the deep water.
"Hurrah!" shouted the boys.
"Let go the rope!" I called to the boys aft. "Stop her, Vallington."
I hastened up to the wheel-house, the better to work her. I found she lay in good position to go ahead, and I shouted to Bob Hale to cast off the rope from the tree, directing the boys on the forward deck to haul it on board. I rang one bell,and the boat moved ahead slowly towards the wood pier. The boys cheered lustily, and were overjoyed at our good fortune in getting out of the scrape. In a few moments I ran the bow of the steamer up to the pier, and she was made fast to the ring.
"Now we are all hunky-dory," said Tom Rush, who was rather given to "expressions," and who was overjoyed to find there was still a chance for an excitement.
"Not quite," I added.
"What's the matter now?"
"We want some dinner."
"You shall have it in half an hour."
And while Tom was superintending the cooking, Vallington, Bob Hale, and myself had a consultation in the wheel-house.
"If you ask for my opinion," said Bob Hale, "I say we had better return to Parkville at once, and not wait to be driven back."
"It is easy enough for you to say that," replied Tom Rush, who had joined us. "You live there, and all you have to do is to go home; but what are the fellows who reside a hundred miles from there to do?"
"They will not be any worse off there than they will be here. The question is only between going back and being driven back," added Bob.
"I suppose that we are to acknowledge that breaking away has been a failure," said Vallington.
"Not at all; I, for one, won't have any more to do with Mr. Parasyte," answered Bob. "What do you say, Ernest?"
"I probably shall not go back to the Institute, whatever happens," I replied. "My breaking away is not from school only, but from all the home I ever knew. I have been thrown out upon the world, to take care of myself."
For a moment my friends seemed to forget that we were in council to determine what should be done for the rebels in their sympathy for me; but I assured them I was not at all concerned about myself, and felt abundantly able to make my way without any help.
"But what an old humbug your uncle is!" said Tom.
"He is a strange man. He seemed to have turned me out because I displeased him in resisting Mr. Parasyte's injustice. He is afraid my conduct will lessen the value of his mortgage on the Parkville Liberal Institute."
"I think Mr. Parasyte's conduct has lessened it," said Vallington. "But all this is neither here nor there. What shall we do with this steamer?"
"Take her back to Parkville, and leave her there," answered Bob.
"What are the fellows to do?" asked Tom.
"Let them go back to the Institute, and lie back till something happens."
"I don't believe anything will happen this year," laughed Tom, who was always light-hearted in any emergency.
"Now, I think something will happen within a few days. I know that certain persons in Parkville, who have long been dissatisfied with Mr. Parasyte, intended to have a change months ago; and if I mistake not, this affair of ours will bring matters to a head," said Bob.
"What can they do? Mr. Parasyte is as obstinate as a mule, and owns the Institute himself," added Vallington.
"Not quite; my uncle will own the most of it if his note isn't paid," I interposed.
"I am not at liberty to tell even what I know, which is not much; but I believe something will turn up which will put things right at the Institute. All we have to do is to go back to Parkville and make our peace with the steamboat folks the best way we can," continued Bob.
We all agreed that the steamboat enterprise was a bad affair for us; but we were just as unanimous in the opinion that we could not have done otherwise than take her as we did. It was mean of her captain to lend himself and his boat to such a man as Mr. Parasyte. We could not stay on Pine Island without food and without shelter. But we hoped to return the Adieno uninjured, and, through the powerful influence of Bob Hale's father, who was the wealthiest man in the county, to escape without any serious consequences. It was decided, therefore, to return to Parkville just as soon as we had eaten our dinner.
Tom Rush's cooks were either very dilatory, or they had not got the hang of the steamer's kitchen, for we had to wait an hour for the meal. We dined in the cabin, where we found everything we needed to set the table; and in spite of the desperate condition of our affairs, we enjoyed ourselves very much. Some one ventured to inquire if we could not charter the Adieno for a week, and finish our breaking away in her, it would be so pleasant to live on board, and cruise up and down the beautiful lake. But it was satisfactorily shown that our finances, however they might be improved by letters from home, would not warrant such a piece of extravagance.
This was the last day of the breaking away, at least on the lake and in camp, and we were disposed to make the most of it. As soon as it was announced that we were to return to Parkville, though some of the students murmured, and wished to make a trip down the lake before we went back, the plan was accepted, and the boys were disposed to improve the remainder of the cruise. They persisted in enjoying it; and before the boat left the wood pier, they were skylarking and training as though the future would require no account to be rendered of their past conduct.
Vallington went to the engine-room, and directed the boys below to start up the fires. With Bob Hale I went to the wheel-house; while Tom Rush, as he had been directed by our chief, had all the dishes washed, and everything put in order in the cabin and kitchen, for we wished to leave the boat in as good condition in every respect as we found her.
"Cast off the fasts!" I called to the boys on the forward deck, when Vallington informed me that he had steam enough.
"All clear!" replied those who were doing duty as deck hands.
I rang to back her; and when the bow of the Adieno was clear of the wharf, I started her forward slowly; and keeping her in the middle of the channel, she passed in safety out into the broad lake.
"We are too late; we ought to have gone before," said Bob, impatiently. "There comes the Champion. I was certain she would be after us—as certain as you were. What shall we do?"
I headed the Adieno down the lake when I saw the Champion—that is, away from Parkville.
"We must take our chances; we can't do anything else," I replied to Bob, as I threw the wheel over.
"But you are not headed for Parkville."
"Not yet; for I don't mean to be captured."
"How can you help it?"
"Perhaps I can't help it; but I can try."
I notified Vallington through the speaking-tube that the Champion was in sight, and headed towards us.
"We mustn't let her overtake us, if we can help it. I will put on the steam," he replied.
"All right; I can keep out of her way," I answered.
"Why not surrender?" said Bob, who stood at my side watching the Champion.
"Surrender!" I exclaimed.
"Why not? What harm will it do?"
"I have no idea of throwing myself into the hands of those steamboat men. Don't you see the Champion is full of men?"
"Do you suppose they would harm us?"
"I do. No doubt Mr. Parasyte is on board, and he will give them liberty to maul us as much as they please."
"Perhaps you are right; I didn't think of Mr. Parasyte's being with them."
"Of course he is; and I think we can make better terms by fighting it out. For my own part, I would run the steamer ashore and take to the woods, rather than give myself up to Mr. Parasyte and such a gang as he has now."
Bob did not fully agree with me, though he thoughtwe had better get back to Parkville, if we could. This was not an easy matter, for the Champion lay between us and our destination, and could cut us off if we attempted to pass her. She could run up alongside of the Adieno, if we attempted to dodge her, and throw her men on our decks.
The Sisters lay near the middle of the lake, and the Champion must go to the north or to the south of them. I made a blunder; I ought to have waited at the end of the channel until our pursuer had reached his most southern or most northern point in coming round the shoal, and then gone off in the opposite direction; but even then he might have put about, and headed us off. It was hard to decide what to do, and I continued to go to the westward until the Champion, which had chosen the southern passage, was due south of The Sisters, when I stood away to the northward.
But the pursuer "had me;" and finding it was useless to attempt to get by her, I headed the boat down the lake again. The Champion then crowded on all steam and chased us. This was exactly what I wished her to do, and I led her five miles down the lake.
"I don't know about it, Ernest," said Bob, shaking his head. "I think she will catch us. This boat is the fastest, but we don't understand her well enough to make her do her best."
"I am afraid of that; but don't talk to me, if you please, now," I replied.
I led the Champion to the northward of an island at this point; and here her captain made a blunder, which restored to me the advantage I had lost before. When the Champion was well by the island, I turned the Adieno to the southward, and went round the island, which prevented our pursuer from cutting us off, and saving any of the distance, as he might have done, in the open lake.
"There, Bob, I have done it now, and I am satisfied," I said. "She can't cut us off, and it will be a square race up the lake."
"The Champion is gaining on us every moment," replied Bob.
THE RACE BETWEEN THE ADIENO AND THE CHAMPION.—Page 275.THE RACE BETWEEN THE ADIENO AND THE CHAMPION.—Page 275.
The other steamer was certainly overhauling us. The superior skill of the men in charge of her gave them the advantage. I told Vallington of the fact, and soon the roaring of the furnaces and the creaking of the boat assured me he was in earnest. But in spite of his renewed exertions, the Champion was gaining a little, and I was sure that she would overtake us long before we could reach Parkville. I headed her for The Sisters, therefore, determined to put in force the plan I had devised before dinner. I ran directly for the channel, and the Champion followed.
The pursuer was almost upon us when we came within a quarter of a mile of the end of the channel. Both boats were shaking and trembling under the high pressure of steam, and every fellow on board the Adieno was in a fever of excitement.
"Crowd her, Vallington!" I shouted through the tube.
"The Champion's bow is within ten feet of us!" exclaimed Bob.
"Stop her, you villains!" cried the captain of the boat from the bow of the Champion.
"Give it to her, Vallington! In two minutes more we are safe!" I yelled through the tube.
"She is almost upon us!" said Bob, tremulously.
At that moment we heard the engine bell of theChampion ring, as the Adieno approached the narrow channel. Her wheels stopped, and she began to back vigorously.
"Give them three cheers!" I called to the students, as the pursuer backed out; and they were given with a will.
The Champion could not pass through the narrow and shoal channel between The Sisters, and my calculation had been correct. I was so elated at the victory that I could not refrain from calling for the cheers, though it was bad policy for us to crow over such rivals. A moment before, the nerves of all on board of the Adieno had been strained to their utmost tension by the exciting peril of the moment. The bow of our pursuer had actually lapped over the stern of our steamer, and we expected the captain of the Adieno, who stood on the rail, holding on to an awning stanchion, would leap on board of us, after he had bawled himself hoarse in ordering us to stop.
The pilot of the Champion was evidently the coolest man in the steamer, and he had run her to thevery mouth of The Sisters Channel; but he knew that she could not go through, and at the last practicable instant, he had "stopped" and "backed," leaving the victory with us. It was a tremendous relief when the pressure was removed from our overstrained nerves; and never were cheers given more enthusiastically, even madly, than those which saluted the people of the Champion at the dawn of our triumph.
The Adieno had entered the narrow channel, and I doubt not her appalled captain on the deck of the other boat expected to see her "take the ground" and be smashed to pieces. The moment I saw the pursuer was backing out, I rang to stop her, and then to go ahead slowly; for I had no more idea of smashing her than I had of smashing my own head.
"Silence, now!" I shouted to the boys on deck, who were still yelling to the utmost capacity of their lungs; for I was afraid the noise might drown the sound of the bell in the engine-room, in case I had occasion to ring it.
The students hushed up instantly. They hadclimbed upon the rails, and secured other positions where they could obtain a view of our discomfited pursuer; and a more excited and delighted set of fellows never gathered on the deck of a steamer.
"Have your eye on the Champion, Bob, and tell me what she does," said I to my companion in the wheel-house; for I needed both of my own eyes to keep the Adieno in the channel, where a slight mistake on my part would have ruined all my plans, and perhaps the steamer in which we sailed.
"I will," replied he.
"What is she doing?"
"Nothing."
"Don't she move?"
"No—she hasn't started yet. They probably expect us to go ashore before we get through the channel."
"Well, the longer she waits there, the better for us, for she can't come through," I added.
The Adieno passed safely through the channel, and came out into the broad lake beyond The Sisters. I rang to go ahead at full speed again, for we had now a clear run to Parkville before us.
"The Champion has started her wheels again, Ernest," said Bob Hale, as I rang the bell; "she is backing out of the inlet into the open lake."
"All right—let her back. We have a good three miles the start of her, and she can't catch us before we get to Parkville," I replied.
I informed Vallington through the speaking tube in regard to the situation, with which he was entirely satisfied. I asked him to keep the boat moving at her best pace, assuring him, if he did so, that we were perfectly safe from capture. In half an hour we passed Pine Island, with the Champion, which did not appear to be straining herself, fully three miles astern. I was afterwards told that the captain of the Adieno held her back, fearing that if she crowded us again, we should run ashore, burst the boiler, or otherwise damage his steamer.
In an hour and a half after the passage of The Sisters Channel, we were off the bluff, within half a mile of the steamboat pier, which we saw crowded with people. It was plain that we had succeeded in creating an excitement, and not a few of us had somedelicacyabout landing in the presence of the multitude. The Champion still kept her relative distance from us, and was now more than a mile beyond Cleaver Island.
"Where shall we land?" I asked of Vallington through the tube, after Bob and I had considered the matter a little.
"Wherever you please, commodore," replied our chief.
"What do you say, Bob?" I added, turning to my companion.
"Can't we land at the boat pier, in front of the Institute?"
"No; there isn't water enough to float the Adieno. In fact the only safe place is the regular steamboat pier."
"I suppose my father is there, and I don't like to meet him just yet," replied Bob, earnestly.
"We can anchor within a few rods of the Institute pier, and land in the Splash," I suggested.
"I like that better."
"But the Splash would have to go three or four times to land the fellows, and the Champion would be upon us before we could all get ashore," I added.
I stated the plan and the objections to Vallington.
"Let us face the music like men," said he, decidedly.
"I think that is the better way," I continued to Bob. "So far as we have done wrong, let us acknowledge the corn, and take the consequences."
Bob Hale assented, overcoming his modesty with an effort, and I headed the Adieno for the steamboat pier. I think we all felt a little bashful about landing in the presence of so many people. The students were directed to make no noisy demonstrations of any kind, and to repair directly to the school-room of the Institute, where Mr. Parasyte would soon find us, and where we hoped to make a final adjustment of all the difficulties.
As we approached the pier, the boat was "slowed down," and the fasts got ready for landing; and other work was done as regularly and properly as though we were all old steamboat men. At the regular time, I stopped her wheels, and she ran her bow up gently to the wharf, and the line was thrown ashore. A couple of turns of the wheels backward brought the Adieno to a stand-still, and our cruise was ended. Vallington let off steam, and we formed in a body, intending to march ashore as compactly as possible, in order to feel the full force of the bond of association.
With Vallington at the head of the procession, we landed. Some of the crowd hooted at us, others laughed, and a few steamboat owners berated usroundly. We heeded none of them, but made our way through the mob, up the pier. Before we reached the street, it suddenly occurred to me that I had left the Splash made fast to the stern of the steamer. I had forgotten her in the exciting whirl of events. When I told Bob Hale and Tom Rush that I must return for my boat, they volunteered to accompany me.
"Robert," said a stern voice, as we moved down the wharf.
We halted, and Bob's father confronted him.
"What does all this mean?" demanded Mr. Hale. "Are you one of those who ran away with the steamer?"
"I am, sir," replied Bob, squarely, but with due humility.
Mr. Hale bit his lips with chagrin. Probably he had hoped that his son was not one of the reckless fellows who had taken possession of the Adieno. But Bob was a noble fellow, and seldom gave his father any cause to complain of his conduct,—so seldom that he appeared to be appalled at the magnitude of the present offence.
"Robert was opposed to taking the steamer fromthe first," I interposed, hoping to save him from some portion of his father's displeasure.
"I went with the rest of the fellows, and I am willing to bear my share of the blame."
"What does all this mean? What possessed you to do such a thing?" asked Mr. Hale.
"We could not endure the injustice of Mr. Parasyte any longer; that was the beginning of it. And when he came in the steamer to Pine Island, and took away our provisions, we ran off with the steamer rather than be starved out," answered Bob.
"What business had you on Pine Island?"
"We have been breaking away."
"Breaking away! I should think you had! Were you concerned in these disgraceful proceedings, Robert?"
"I was, sir. I am willing to own that I have done wrong."
Mr. Hale's stern look softened down, and I ventured to ask him to take a seat in my boat, and go over to the Institute, where he would have an opportunity to hear the whole story of the "breaking away," and judge for himself. During this conversation, a crowd had gathered around us, curious to know what had happened; and the charge we madeagainst Mr. Parasyte was publicly proclaimed. Mr. Hale accepted my invitation, and we shoved off from the Adieno just as the Champion came up to the pier.
"Stop them! Stop them!" shouted the captain of the Adieno, as I was hoisting the jib.
No one ventured to stop a boat in which Mr. Hale, the most important person in the county, was seated.
"We want those boys!" called the angry captain again. "They are the ones who ran off with the boat."
"Captain Woelkers," said Mr. Hale, mildly.
"Ah, Mr. Hale!" exclaimed the captain, as he recognized the principal owner of the steamer he commanded.
"By whose authority did you take the Adieno to Pine Island to-day?"
"Mr. Parasyte wanted her, and I let him have her," stammered the captain.
"Did you consult the agent?"
"No, sir; he was not at home."
"Do you generally leave your boat with steam up without an engineer?"
"I never did before, but we needed every man to bring off the things on the island," replied Captain Woelkers, his confusion crimsoning his face.
"It appears that you have used the boat without authority, and permitted her to be taken from you by a parcel of boys. I will see you at my house this evening. You may fill away, Ernest, if you are ready."
Mr. Hale did not say another word, and I ran the Splash over to the Institute pier. I landed my passengers, and we all walked up to the school-room, where the rebels had by this time assembled.
"Henry Vallington, I am sorry to see you engaged in such a disgraceful affair as this," said Mr. Hale, when he met our leader.
"I am very glad you have come, sir, for I feel that we need counsel," replied Vallington. "Perhaps you will not consider the affair so disgraceful, after you have heard the whole truth."
"Nothing can justify your conduct in running away with the steamer. It is a miracle that you were not blown up, or sunk in the lake."
Vallington handed our distinguished guest one of the circulars he had procured at the printer's on his way up to the Institute, the "copy" of which had been given out before the "breaking away."
Mr. Hale put on his spectacles and read the circular, which had been carefully prepared by several of the best scholars in the school; but he was already familiar with the facts it contained. He knew that Mr. Parasyte was a tyrant, and that he was very unpopular with the boys. It was a fact that only a few of the students remained at the Institute for any considerable length of time, and that its numbers had never equalled its capacity.
He had hardly finished reading the circular before Mr. Parasyte, followed by Poodles, Pearl, and the rest of the deserters, entered the hall. All of them had been passengers on the Champion, and of course they didn't feel very good after being beaten by the Adieno. Mr. Hale was evidently glad to see theprincipal of the academy, for he did not seem to know what to do after he had finished the circular.
"I am glad you have come, Mr. Parasyte," said he; "it seems these boys have been running away with one of our steamers."
"They have; and I hope you will punish the ringleaders as they deserve," replied Mr. Parasyte, wiping his brow, as he was wont to do when excited.
"My son is one of them," added Mr. Hale, with a smile.
"Not one of the ringleaders, sir—by no means. Thornton, Rush, and Vallington are the leaders in this enterprise."
"No more than myself, father. I have done as much as they have, and I am willing to bear my share of the blame," said Bob.
The boys clapped their hands at this interposition. Bob was not a fellow to shirk when the time of settlement came.
"My boy behaves like a man, and I honor him for that," replied Mr. Hale, proudly; "but he shall be punished if the others are. Mr. Parasyte, things seem to be at rather loose ends in the Institute just now."
"Yes, sir; I am sorry to say they are. One bad boy can stir up a whirlwind of mischief," answered Mr. Parasyte, looking at me.
"These boys seem to be pretty well agreed in this matter."
"But this trouble has all been made by one boy—and that one is Ernest Thornton. I expelled him once; but out of regard for his uncle, to whom I am under great obligations, I reversed my sentence, and endeavored to reduce him to proper subjection."
"Have you seen this paper, Mr. Parasyte?" continued the visitor, handing him the circular. "It seems to be signed by nearly all the students in the Institute."
Mr. Parasyte took the printed document, and proceeded to read it. When he had gone far enough to comprehend the nature of the paper, he turned red; and when he came to the long array of signatures, he became very pale.
"May I inquire the object of this paper?" demanded the principal, with quivering lips.
"I'm sure I don't know. I never saw or heardof it till I entered this room," replied Mr. Hale "I see that it is addressed to the parents of the students."
"I need not say that the statements contained in this circular are, without a single exception, infamous falsehoods and slanders. I think you know me well enough, Mr. Hale, to understand that justice and fairness have always characterized my dealings with my pupils."
Mr. Hale did not so understand it. He knew that the reverse of this statement was the truth. Mr. Parasyte then insisted on relating the facts connected with the "breaking away." He told the story of my misconduct, as he termed it, and embellished it with sundry flourishes about his own impartiality and magnanimity. He said that after it had been fairly proved that I had assaulted my schoolmate, in consideration of my previous good conduct, he had only required that I should apologize in private to the one I had injured. Forbearance could extend no farther than this; but I had even refused to make this slight reparation for the offence I had committed. Then I had openly disobeyed and insulted him in the presence of the whole school.
"Of course, after this," continued Mr. Parasyte, "I could do nothing more for him. My gentleness was not appreciated; my leniency was despised. My mistake was in treating him too kindly—in not resorting to the strong arm in the beginning. Then, as I might have expected of such an obdurate boy, I was subjected to a personal assault."
"But all the boys seemed to be on his side," said the matter-of-fact Mr. Hale.
"Very true. Thornton keeps a boat, and almost any boy may be bought or sold with a boat. He has sailed them on the lake, and won them by his arts."
"Isn't it possible that there was some mistake in the matter of the quarrel between Thornton and Poodles?"
"It is quite impossible that there should have been any mistake," replied Mr. Parasyte, with a look of injured innocence. "I investigated the matter very carefully and impartially."
"I should really like to hear what the boys have to say about it," added Mr. Hale.
"It would be useless for you to talk with them, and it would be an insult to me for you to do so. Do you doubt my word, Mr. Hale? Do you think I have not told you the truth?" said the principal, rather warmly.
"But there may be some mistake."
"I have said that it was quite impossible there should be any mistake."
"Have you any objections to my asking the boys a few questions, Mr. Parasyte?"
"Certainly I have. I am not willing to be arraigned and tried before my own school."
"O, very well!" exclaimed Mr. Hale, nodding his head significantly; and without saying anything more, he left the school-room.
The students felt that they had a friend in Mr. Hale, and even did not fear a prosecution for running away with the steamer. We judged that the captain of the Adieno would have to bear all the blame of that occurrence.
"What are these circulars for?" demanded Mr. Parasyte, when the visitor had departed. "Vallington, as the ringleader in this conspiracy, I call upon you for an answer."
"Those whose names are signed to the paper intend to send them to their parents."
"They do—do they?" exclaimed the principal, with compressed lips. "Are you aware that published slanders of this kind subject those who utter them to a severe penalty?"
"We can prove all we assert, and should be glad of an opportunity to do so," replied Vallington, firmly.
"There is not a word of truth in the paper," added Mr. Parasyte, wiping his brow.
He walked up and down the platform two or three times in silence. With him the case was desperate. He knew not what to do. He had learned that the students would not be browbeaten or bullied.
"Scholars," said he, at last, "I think we are all too much fatigued and excited to consider this difficult problem this afternoon. In spite of the ill treatment I have received at your hands, I am still your friend, as I have always been. By and by you will see that you have done wrong. To-morrowmorning, if you will meet at the usual hour in the school-room, I shall have a proposition to make, which I am confident will restore peace to the Parkville Liberal Institute. You are dismissed now, for the day."
Mr. Parasyte left the hall, and we held a meeting there on our own account. If the principal did not know what to do, we were no better off, and we finally separated without any fixed plans. We agreed to meet in the school-room in the morning, though we all doubted whether Mr. Parasyte would have any proposition to submit. The students decided not to send the circulars to their parents until the next day.
We wanted advice, and our hope was with Mr. Hale. At Vallington's suggestion, half a dozen of us were appointed a committee to wait upon him. He had expressed a desire to hear "the other side" of the case. We went to Mr. Hale's house, and found there Mr. Hardy, the assistant teacher, who had been discharged. We told our story, and related the facts as they occurred. Mr. Hardy said nothing in our presence, and we left him with Mr.Hale, who, we afterwards learned, had sent for him.
Bob invited me to spend the night with him, and having no home now, I was glad to accept. After supper, I was called into the library, and questioned at great length by Mr. Hale and Mr. Hardy in regard to the affairs of the Institute. While we were thus engaged, Bob was sent to deliver several notes to prominent and wealthy men in the place. At seven o'clock there were not less than half a dozen of the "heavy men" of Parkville in the library.
Of course Bob and I did not know what was going on, but we were confident that the affairs of the Institute were under discussion. At a later hour, Mr. Hale and another gentleman drove off, in a buggy, towards the cottage of my uncle, where I heard one of them say they were going. Bob and I went to bed, tired out, and did not ascertain what had been done by the gentlemen who assembled that evening.
At nine o'clock in the forenoon of the next day, the students were all in their seats, in the school-room; but Mr. Parasyte did not appear. It was reported that there were half a dozen gentlemen with him in his office, and that my uncle Amos was one of them. I was astonished at this intelligence. I subsequently heard that he was there on business, and hardly spoke a word during a long and stormy interview between Mr. Parasyte and his visitors.
The clock on the school-house struck ten, and still Mr. Parasyte did not come. It was deeply impressed upon our minds that something was about to happen, and we waited with intense anxiety for the event. At half past eleven o'clock, Mr. Parasyte entered the school-room. He looked sad and subdued, and his coming was the signal for a breathless silence among the boys. It was evident that he had a proposition to make.
"Young gentlemen, I appear before you now for the last time," said he.
He paused, and his words made a tremendous sensation, though, I am happy to say, there was no demonstration of any kind. We looked upon him as a fallen man.
"I have sold the Parkville Liberal Institute to a company composed of the citizens of this town, who have made me an offer for the property, so liberal that I could not afford to refuse it. Until about a week ago, my relations with the students have been exceedingly pleasant. I shall not allude to recent events. I take my leave with many regrets, and I sincerely desire that prosperity and happiness may attend you in the future. Good by."
"Good by," replied a large number of the boys, and Mr. Parasyte bowed and left the room.
As he went out at one door, the "company" entered at another. Mr. Hale went upon the platform, and repeated what Mr. Parasyte had told us, that the Institute had been purchased by a number of the citizens of Parkville, and in future its affairs would be managed by a board of trustees, of which he had the honor to be chairman. The trustees had just appointed Mr. Hardy as principal,—here he was interrupted by a spontaneous burst of cheers,—and the school would be reorganized by him in the afternoon. The "boarders" were requested to write to their parents and guardians, informing them of the change.
Mr. Hale dismissed the students, after he had assured them that the domestic part of the establishment would remain as before. The boys went out upon the play ground, and gave three rousing cheers for the new company, trustees, and principal. I went home to dinner with Bob, and learned that the purchase of the Institute had been contemplated for some months, by prominent citizens, who were aware that the school was badly managed. They acted, many of them, simply as business men, for the interests of the town. The Institute was "running down," and they had taken this step to build it up. They knew that Mr. Hardy was a true man and a good teacher, and as he was popular among the boys, he was promptly elected principal.
Mr. Hale told Bob and me that the conduct of the students in "breaking away" was strongly condemned by the gentlemen who had discussed the affair, and he by no means approved of it himself; but the injustice of Mr. Parasyte had provoked them to such a degree that the misdemeanor was palliated, if not excused, and it was deemed best to say nothing about it. The mortgage which my uncle held was paid, and he had fled the instant the business was finished.
Mr. Parasyte had long and obstinately refused to sell the property, even for a third more than its actual value; but finally, convinced that the Institute would not succeed under his administration, he had yielded the point. The next day he left Parkville, with his family, "bag and baggage;" and so disagreeable was he to me, that I hoped I never should see his face again.
In the afternoon we went to school, and Mr. Hardy appeared upon the platform. We attempted to cheer him, but he silenced us. He made quite a speech, in which, however, he did not allude to recent events, and in half an hour the students were all at work on the old track. While I was in school that afternoon for the last time, as I believed, I received a note from my uncle. It was as brief as his speech. "If you wish to return to your home, you may." This, with the signature, was all it contained. I went home that night, but my uncle did not see me—would not see me.
I went to school as usual for several months, untilthe following spring, when an event occurred which made me a wanderer on the earth; which sent me to "seek and find" the mother, for whom I longed and prayed in my loneliness, and which shall be related in another story.
Our rebellion at the Institute had been successful. We had driven the tyrant from his throne, and seated another person in his place, who was fit to teach and to rule. Mr. Hardy was, perhaps, more severe than his predecessor, but he was just and fair. He had no favorites—at least none who did not win their high place in his esteem by being faithful and earnest in all things. Certainly he never gave the students occasion even to think of such a doubtful expedient as "Breaking Away."