i listened, with astonishment and dismay, to the tale which bob hale told me. i could not help asking myself to what extent i was responsible for the troubles which overwhelmed the parkville liberal institute. i told bob how i felt, and he ridiculed the idea of my shouldering any portion of the blame.
"even the parson says you are not to blame, and that you have behaved like a gentleman from the beginning," said he, alluding to henry vallington, who, on account of his intended profession, often went by the name of the "parson."
"can you imagine why mr. hardy was discharged?" i asked.[133]
"we don't know; but it is easy enough to see that he blamed mr. parasyte, though he never said a word to the fellows. the idea of staying at the institute after mr. hardy goes is not to be thought of," replied bob, who, like myself, was a day scholar at the school. "what did parasyte mean when he said your uncle wished him to flog you into subjection?"
"he meant that; my uncle told him to do so," i replied, with shame and mortification, not for myself, but for him who should have been my guardian and protector.
"did he, though? well, that was amiable of him," added tom rush. "he and parasyte will do to go together."
"they do go together. i find that mr. parasyte owes my uncle a large sum of money. i had no idea that they were even acquainted with each other before," i continued.
"then i wonder that parasyte made a row with you, if he owed your uncle so much money."
"i don't understand it; but i think mr. parasyte didn't expect any trouble. he judged hastily be[134]tween poodles and me, and when he had given his decision, he was too proud and too obstinate to alter it. i suppose he was a little afraid after what he had done, and went to see my uncle and ask for instructions."
"but it was cold-blooded for your uncle to say what he did."
"probably parasyte told his own story," i replied, willing to shield my uncle as much as possible.
"what did your uncle say to you when you went home?" asked bob hale, full of interest and sympathy.
"we had some words, and he disowned and cast me out—to use his own expression."
"turned you out of house and home!" exclaimed tom rush.
"that was what he meant."
"don't mind it, ernest," interposed bob. "you shall come to my house."
"i can take care of myself, i think," was my reply, rather proudly spoken.
"of course you can; but you shall have half my bed and half my dinner as long as i have any."
"thank you, bob."[135]
"we will talk that over another time, ernest; for at present we have a big job on our hands."
"what is that?"
"we'll tell you by and by. parasyte says you assaulted him, and hit him over the head with a big ruler. how was that, ernest?"
i told them what had occurred after we left the school-room, and gave them all the particulars of my battle with the principal.
"served him right," was the verdict of the boys. "he didn't tell us that he attempted to flog you; only that you pitched into him, apparently without any cause or reason," added tom rush.
"you all ran out of school," said i. "what is mr. parasyte going to do about it?"
"we don't know, and we don't care. he is a tyrant, and a toady; and all but about a dozen of the fellows are going to quit the school."
"but where are you going?" i asked, surprised at this decided step.
"we have it all arranged, and are going to break away in a bunch. we are getting things ready; but we want you, ernest."[136]
"why me?"
"because you are a good sailor, and know all about boats?"
that was highly complimentary in a direction where i was peculiarly weak—my love of boats and boating. bob hale then informed me that the students were going into camp on their own hook this year. this was an annual institution at the academy. belonging to the institute were seven tents, large enough to accommodate all the boys and all the teachers; and in the month of july the whole school camped out for one or two weeks. this custom did more for the popularity of the institute than anything else, and without it, it was doubtful if the school could have been kept together; for it was an offset to the dislike with which a large majority of the boys regarded the principal.
the students had begun to talk about camping out as soon as the spring opened, and when the rebellion broke out, it immediately ran into this channel. the camp during the preceding year had been in a piece of woods ten miles east of parkville; but the rebels had already decided to establish it, at[137] the present time, on cleaver island, two miles north-west of the steamboat pier, and including an area of about twenty acres, well covered with wood.
i could not say that i approved of this scheme; but bob hale and tom rush said the students had unanimously agreed to it. i was not in favor of insubordination and rebellion. but the moral sense of the boys had been outraged; mr. parasyte had resorted to the grossest injustice, and they were determined to "break away" from him. rather reluctantly i consented to join the insurrection. i ought not to have done so; but smarting as i then was under the injustice of my uncle and the principal, i found an argument to satisfy myself with my conduct.
the splash seemed to be necessary, in my estimation, for the success of the enterprise, and my friends volunteered to assist me in raising her. i went to parkville, and procured a long spruce pole, to which the blacksmith attached a hook. without much difficulty the ballast was hoisted out of the sunken craft, and obedient to the law of gravitation, she came to the surface. we towed her to a bank of the lake[138] in the town, near the shop of a wheelwright, who promised to have her repaired in a few hours. one of the ribs was snapped off, and six of the "streaks" stove in. we hauled her up on the shore, and got the water out of her; and the wheelwright went to work upon her at once, assisted by his journeyman.
i had regarded the splash as a lost boat; and i was delighted with my success in raising her, and with the prospect of having her again as good as new; for the wheelwright assured me she was not materially injured in her timbers. the result of this enterprise rather inflated my spirits, and not without good reason; for, as i was now to take care of myself, it had already occurred to me that i could make money enough to support me by boating—for there were always residents and strangers enough in the town who wanted to sail to afford me a good business for at least three months in the year.
"now, ernest," said bob hale, who had embarked with me in my row-boat, "how shall we get the crowd, the tents, and the provisions over to cleaver island?"
"i don't think it is a very big job," i replied.[139]
"i do. of course parasyte will prevent us from going if he can," said he.
"too many cooks will spoil the broth," i added. "you want a leader, or captain, who shall manage the affair."
"we will choose you."
"no; i decline at the outset. i don't want the credit of being the ringleader in this scrape after what has happened."
"what do you say to the parson?" asked he.
"capital!"
we consulted the students in the other boat, and they agreed to this selection. both boats then pulled to the pier at the institute. as we approached, all the rebels gathered around us. bob hale immediately called them to order, and made a brief statement of the necessity of the hour, and then nominated henry vallington as leader of the enterprise. he was unanimously elected, and somewhat to my surprise he accepted.
"fellow-students," said the parson, in accepting the position, "if i didn't feel that every decent fellow in the institute had been outraged and in[140]sulted by the conduct of the principal, i wouldn't have anything to do with such an affair as this. i want you all to understand that i, for one, am going into this thing for a purpose, and on principle."
"so say we all of us!" shouted the boys.
"now, you must obey orders, and have no rioting or rows. we shall do this thing in order."
the boys were excited; but the parson told them to keep cool, and, when the orders came, to execute them promptly, which they promised with one voice to do. by this time i had a scheme arranged in my mind for the conveyance of the forces to cleaver island, and the leader did me the honor to appoint me master of transportation. i stated my plan to vallington and two or three of the more influential of the boys. it was cordially approved.
at half past twelve the dinner bell of the institute rang, as usual; and the boys, who had no idea of being deprived of their rations, marched in to dinner in order; and i went home with bob hale, who had invited me to dine with him. on our return, we learned that mr. parasyte had made a[141] stirring appeal to the students, in the dining-room, to support the discipline of the school, and had intimated that he intended to prosecute thornton in the courts for the assault upon him. i was rather startled at this intelligence, for a court was an appalling affair to me.
the boys heard in silence what the principal had to say, and left the dining-room in as good order as usual. at quarter before two the school-bell rang; but only about twenty obeyed the summons. i was on the pier at this time, and shortly after i saw mr. parasyte coming down to see the students. deeming it best to keep out of his way, i pulled over to the wheelwright's, to look after the splash. an hour later, bob hale, henry vallington, and tom rush joined me, saying that mr. parasyte had been very gentle with the boys, and had used only mild persuasions. having failed in all, he had taken his horse and gone away. this was favorable to our operations, and i advised the parson to hasten back, and do the job at once.
at four o'clock the splash was finished, and a[142] coat of paint put on the new streaks. i got under way at once in her, taking my tender in tow. near the institute lived a man who owned a large flat-boat, or scow, used for bringing wood down the lake. tom rush had hired this clumsy craft for a week. the three row-boats belonging to the institute had been manned by the boys, and were towing this scow down to the pier, according to the plan i had suggested to the parson. when the flat was near the pier, a signal was given, and the boys on shore all rushed to the building in which the tents were stored. there were enough of them to carry all the canvas, poles, and other materials at one load, and the students rushed down to the pier with them at a rapid pace, so that the work was accomplished before any of the assistant teachers or laborers could interfere.
the tents were tumbled into the scow, and all the boys not needed in the row-boats embarked with the camp material.
"all ready!" shouted henry vallington.
"give way!" i added to the oarsmen.
off for the island.—page 143. off for the island.—page 143.
[143]
the long painter of the scow had been extended over, and fastened to, the three boats. as the wind was fresh, i went to the head of this line, attached a rope to the painter, and the procession of boats straightened out and moved off, dragging the scow after them.
