STEALING A MARCH UPON THE LEADER.
Bent Fillwing took the roll of bills from his pocket as he halted on the
forecastle. He had possessed himself of the principal secret of Tom
Topover, and he felt that he was in condition to dictate to his superior
if he was disposed to do so. He realized that Tom was not competent to
manage the schooner, and he had his doubts about his own ability.
He opened the roll of bills. The first one he saw was a ten. So was the
next one, and it soon appeared that the roll of bills were all of this
denomination. There were six of them, and the amount was sixty dollars.
It was a large sum of money for a boy to have, and he wondered where Tom
had obtained it. But it did not much matter to him, so far as the moral
question was concerned. The Topover must have stolen the money, for he
had no way to obtain it honestly.
But Tom had not been off the estate except in the boats; and, so far as
Bent had seen, there was no money left there so that it could be stolen.
It was possible that he had robbed the room of some teacher or other
person. When the loss was discovered, there would be a tremendous
tempest at Beech Hill. The absence of the Lily would be discovered about
the same time, and the roll would be called. They were sure to be
caught. There was no end of circus and theatre in the sum of sixty
dollars, to say nothing of what might be bought at the stores, or
obtained at the hotels.
But the risk was tremendous. Captain Gildrock would be up by this time.
It would be natural enough for him to discover the loss of the Lily,
when he took his first look at Beechwater. Taking the boat was one
thing, but stealing the sixty dollars was another thing, and the
principal might resort to a court to settle the matter. The schooner was
within four miles of Beech Hill, and many hours of the night had been
wasted.
Bent was full of doubts, and he cast anxious glances up and down the
lake to see if the Sylph or the Goldwing was not in pursuit of them. The
wind was fresh, but not as strong as it had been on Saturday. He could
not expect to escape the steamer, and hardly the Goldwing, with her
skilful skipper at the helm. He wished he was out of the scrape, not on
moral considerations, but because the risk was so great. Putting the
money in his pocket, he went aft, and seated himself in the
standing-room.
He looked at Kidd and Pell. They did not appear at all as though they
were having a good time. When he thought of the promised fun ahead, the
theatre and the circus, he could not help seeing that any enjoyment, if
there was any ahead, was to be purchased at the price of submission to
Tom Topover. He was carrying it with a lordly sway, and sailed under
"sealed orders."
"Do you think there is any fun ahead for us, Kidd?" he asked, after he
had thought of the situation for a while.
"I don't see any. I supposed we should be off Plattsburgh, or a good way
farther north than we are; and it looks more as though we should be
caught than that we should have a time," replied Kidd.
"We have nothing to eat on board," added Pell. "There may be some
crackers, or something of that sort; but we shall get no breakfast
unless we land at Burlington."
"How do you know Tom will let us land at Burlington?" asked Kidd. "I
know he didn't mean to stop there, for we are all too well known in the
city."
"If we want to land there, we can do so; for we are half of the party,
and we are as good as the other half," replied Bent.
"We haven't any money to get a breakfast, if we should land while Tom is
asleep," added Pell. "It will be a starving time, and I am sick of it. I
didn't want to come, and I am sorry now that Tom beat me into it."
"I have been sorry I came, ever since I got into the skiff. Tom never
used to be so topping, and now he treats us as though we were his
slaves."
"Precisely so; and, as you say, I have had about enough of it," said
Bent. "I expect to see the Sylph or the Goldwing after us before we can
get to Burlington, if we are going there;" and Bent looked up the lake
again.
"We can't get any thing to eat short of Burlington, and, after that,
nothing till we can get to Plattsburgh," continued Pell. "I know Tom
won't let us go ashore at Burlington; so that we are not likely to get
any thing to eat till noon, if we are not caught before that time. Tom
has the money, and he can starve us if we don't mind him."
Bent Fillwing pulled the roll of bills from his pocket, and held it up
before his companions. He explained how he had obtained it; and, for
some little time, they wondered where Tom got the money.
"Now, fellows, there are only two things that we can do," said Bent, who
had evidently come to a conclusion. "We have money enough to buy a
breakfast in Burlington; but we wear a uniform, and everybody will know
us as soon as we show our coats and caps. Captain Gildrock has found out
before this time that the Lily is gone. It is about six o'clock now, and
he can ascertain who have taken her by looking out for the absent
students. It would be like him to telegraph to Burlington to have us
arrested, or to have the boat captured if we don't go on shore. It will
be hot water ahead, whatever we do."
"I am in favor of going back to Beech Hill," said Kidd Digfield. "If I
had known the Lily was at anchor, I should have taken one of the boats
and gone ashore, or pulled back to the school."
"I was ready to go with him," added Pell Sankland. "We have been well
used at the school; and there is ten times as much fun there as there is
going off on a time as the slaves of Tom Topover."
"Shall we put about, and go to Beech Hill?" asked Bent.
"I am in favor of it," replied Kidd, and Pell agreed with him.
Kidd was the best sailor of the three; and he was allowed to retain the
wheel, and direct the movements of the others. Without any difficulty,
he brought the Lily on her course to the southward. The wind was
freshening all the time, and the sea was beginning to look very rough in
the broad lake ahead of them.
"We shall have a sweet row as soon as Tom Topover wakes up," said Bent,
when they had all resumed their places in the standing-room. "But I
don't care for that. Don't say a word about the money; and, as soon as
we get to Beech Hill, I will hand it over to Captain Gildrock."
"Not a word," replied Kidd. "Tom is sure to pitch into us as soon as he
finds that we are headed for Beech Hill."
"He will take the schooner away from us, and head her the other way,"
added Pell.
"I don't believe he will," replied Bent, shaking his head as though he
meant business. "There are three of us; and I will agree to take care of
Tom, if you will take care of the others. One of us ought to take the
lead; and you may as well do so, Kidd."
"I would rather have you do that; though I will handle the schooner as
well as I can, if you will prevent Tom from interfering with me,"
answered Kidd.
"I will do that," Bent assented; and he did not seem to think he had
taken a large contract.
"Tom Topover could lick any fellow in Genverres, and all of us used to
be afraid of him," said Pell.
"Since Dory Dornwood knocked him out, and Paul Bristol gave him more
than he could stomach, the fellows have not been afraid of him. Ash
Burton and Sam Spottwood were ready to stand up before him."
"I am not afraid of him," added Bent, who had been another such fellow
as Tom, in the town where he lived.
All these boys had been greatly influenced, and their characters
modified, by their residence at Beech Hill. Now that the three on deck
had taken the first step towards putting themselves right, they found a
certain strength which had not belonged to them before. They had taken
their position, and they were ready to carry it out in spite of the
blows and the ridicule of Tom. The two original Topovers were beginning
to understand why they had yielded to their old leader, but the fear of
his sharp sarcasm had been overcome.
The Lily sailed like a bird, having the wind nearly on the beam. It was
only four miles to the mouth of the river, with a leading wind all the
way up to the moorings. While they were talking, they heard a distant
church-clock strike six. They had got under way before five, and now
they were close to the mouth of the river.
Tom still slept; for he had been very tired, and he had been up till a
very late hour for him. The motion of the schooner was very easy, and
Bent had closed the doors of the cabin so that the conversation could
not be heard if any one waked below. After the Lily had come about, she
had held a straight course to the river. Not a sheet had been disturbed,
and not much change would be required until she reached the bend in the
outlet of Beechwater. Kidd had advised that no noise should be made, for
he wished to postpone as long as possible the row with Tom Topover.
The result of his cautionary measures resulted much better than he could
have anticipated. The Lily went into the river, and the increasing
breeze went with her. With a south-west wind, there was no difficulty at
the bend; though it was necessary to gybe her there. The wind was not
strong enough yet to make this a very dangerous manœuvre; and she came
about handsomely, and the mainsail was eased off so that it made but
little noise.
"Here we are!" exclaimed Bent in a low tone, when the schooner shot into
Beechwater. "There will be no row after all; or, if there is, the
principal can settle it. I hope we shall be able to get ashore before
Tom wakes."
"Then, if you will get the anchor ready, we will ease it into the water,
and haul the jib down without noise," added Kidd.
"We have stolen a march upon Tom, and I hope we shall get ashore without
waking him," said Pell, as he went forward with Bent.
At the right time Kidd luffed her up, and went forward to assist in the
work there. He hauled down the jib while his companions were easing the
anchor into the water. In a moment she was fast to the bottom. Tom had
not yet put in an appearance, and the rebels had succeeded beyond their
expectations.
"Don't go aft again," said Kidd, as he hauled the skiff up to the bow of
the schooner. He had preferred to anchor, lest the noise of mooring
should disturb the sleepers.
Bent got into the skiff, and was followed by the others. They paddled to
the shore, and left the Lily with her fore and main sail set. They
landed at the old wharf. As they had supposed, the principal was wide
awake, and had discovered the loss of the Lily. He had called the
students together, and had only just taken the names of the absent ones.
When he saw the Lily come into Beechwater, he walked at once to the old
wharf.
"Good-morning, Digfield! Good-morning, Fillwing! You have been taking an
early sail," said the principal in his usual tones.
Bent replied to the salutation, and then handed the roll of bills to
Captain Gildrock, who received them with astonishment, not to say
wonder.