A FIGHT AND A FIRE.
To go rowing on the River Thames became a favorite amusement with
Robert, and many an hour was spent thus, when Mrs. Vernon did not need
him.
Occasionally the lady would go with our hero, but she was now
suffering from rheumatism, and the dampness affected her so that she
soon preferred to remain in the cozy boarding house.
"But do not remain in on my account, Robert," she said one day, on
declining his suggestion to go out. "A boy like you needs all the
fresh air and exercise he can get."
"I hate to go and leave you alone," he replied.
"You are with me enough. While you are gone I shall do a little fancy
work and read, and perhaps lie down for a nap."
Secretly Mrs. Vernon was much worried over the outcome of her letter
to Mr. Farley concerning Frederic's communication, but she did not let
on to her young secretary.
"It will do no good," she thought. "There is already enough trouble as
it is."
There was a brisk wind blowing when Robert made his way to the dock
where he usually hired his boat, but otherwise the day promised to be
a perfect one.
Our hero generally obtained his craft from an old tar named Jack
Salter, but on reaching the landing place he was disappointed to find
Salter nowhere in sight.
"He must have gone out to fish," he said to himself. "I wonder if I
dare take a boat without asking him? I suppose it will be all right."
He was looking the boats over when suddenly several big boys came
rushing out of a building nearby and surrounded him. The leader of the
crowd was Sammy Gump, the bully of the village.
"Hi, there!" bawled Sammy. "What are you doing among Jack Salter's
boats?"
"I was going to hire one," answered Robert quietly, although he did
not like the looks of the crowd that surrounded him.
"Hire one?" sneered Sammy. "It's more than likely you were going to
take one without hiring it."
Robert's face flushed and his eyes blazed as he faced the bully.
"Do you mean to say that I was going to steal one?" he demanded.
"Never mind what I meant. You leave Jack Salter's boats alone."
"I believe I have as much right here as you."
"Hear him!" sneered several. "Don't the Yankee think he's big!"
"Jack Salter isn't going to let you have any more boats," put in Bob
Snipper, who was Sammy Gump's particular toady.
"And why not?"
"Because we told Jack not to," answered Sammy Gump. "We haven't any
boats for such fellows as you."
"I think Jack Salter will let me have all the boats I want if I pay
for them," returned Robert sharply. "Anyway, this is a public dock and
a public business, and you have no right to interfere with my
affairs."
"Don't you talk like that, or you'll catch it," growled Sammy.
"From you?" answered Robert quickly. "Perhaps you have forgotten our
encounter of the other day."
"You took an unfair advantage of me then," went on the bully. "I'm
going to teach you a lesson for it."
He made a signal to his companions and of a sudden all of the English
boys hurled themselves upon our hero.
Robert was not expecting such a combined attack, and before he could
save himself he was down on his back, with three of his tormentors on
top of him.
"Now give it to him, fellows!" cried Sammy. "Pound him as hard as you
can!"
"Not much!" answered Robert, as he let out with his foot. The blow
landed on the bully's knee and made him howl with pain.
But Robert could not throw the others off at once, and they hit him
half a dozen times. At last he got up with a quick side movement, and
hauling off he hit Bob Snipper such a blow that the toady lost his
balance and went backward with a loud splash into the river.
"Bob's overboard!" was the cry. "He'll be drowned!"
"Save me! save me!" yelled Snipper. "I--I can't swim!" And then
throwing up both arms he disappeared from view.
"You've killed him!" cried Sammy hoarsely.
"He had no right to attack me," answered Robert. "But he is not dead
yet, and I think we can get him ashore if we hurry."
He leaped from the dock into the nearest boat. As he cast off he
looked at the others, expecting one or more to follow him to the
rescue, but nobody volunteered. Nearly all were too dazed to act.
Snipper had gone down, and when he came up it was fully twenty feet
from where the boat rode. Seizing an oar, Robert paddled toward the
unfortunate youth.
"Keep up!" he cried encouragingly. "I will help you in half a minute!"
Bob Snipper saw Robert approaching and it gave him a little hope. He
had forgotten all about how badly he had treated our hero. He made a
clutch at the oar Robert extended toward him, and having secured a
firm hold was quickly drawn aboard of the rowboat.
"Now, I guess you are all right," said Robert, who was hardly excited
at all.
"I--I--suppose I am," gasped the bully's toady. "I--I--am much obliged
to you for hauling me out of the water."
"So you got him out, eh?" remarked Sammy, as Robert paddled back to
the dock.
"Yes."
"It wasn't much to do. I would have gone for him myself if you had
given me the chance."
"There was no time to waste," was Robert's brief reply. "Come, you can
jump ashore now," he added, to his dripping passenger.
"Aren't you coming ashore?" said Snipper slowly.
"No, I am going out on the river. I don't think any of you will stop
me from using this boat now."
"You can take it so far as I am concerned," answered the bully's
toady, with a face full of shame. "I shan't set myself up against you
again, I can tell you that!"
"Yes, go on and take the boat, Frost," put in one of the other boys.
"You're the right sort, and I'm sorry we attacked you."
One of the other boys also spoke up, expressing his regrets at the
encounter. But Sammy Gump remained silent, his face just as sour as
before.
"I'm awfully thankful he pulled me out," said Bob Snipper, after
Robert had left the vicinity of the dock. "If he hadn't I would have
been drowned."
"That's right, Bob," said one of the others.
"Humph!" muttered Sammy. "You are trying to make a regular hero out of
him, when he is nothing of the sort."
"Well, why didn't you come and pull me out?" asked Bob.
"I was going to--but he got ahead of me."
"I can't swim, and it wouldn't have taken me long to drown, I can tell
you that."
"He did very well," said another lad of the crowd. "After this I am
going to be friendly with him."
"All right, Dick Martin, do as you please. I'll never be friendly with
him," answered Sammy Gump, and strode away in as bad a humor as ever.
As Bob Snipper was soaked to the skin, there was nothing for him to do
but to either go home and change his clothes, or else go bathing and
let his suit dry in the meantime.
Afraid of a scolding if he went home, the boy concluded to go bathing,
and Dick Martin and one other lad accompanied him, while the others
hurried away after Sammy Gump.
"I don't believe the American boy is half a bad sort," said Dick
Martin, as the three moved up the Thames to where there was a tiny
inlet well screened with trees and bushes. "He had a perfect right to
hire a boat if he wanted it and could pay for it."
"We made a big mistake to follow Sammy into the game," said Harry
Larkly, the third boy. "Sammy was mad at him because of a row the two
had on the road some time ago."
"After this I am going to treat him as a friend," said Dick Martin.
"It's all tom-foolery to give him the cold shoulder just because he's
an American. Why, I've got half a dozen cousins in America."
"So have I," put in Bob Snipper. "And when my father went to Boston
last year the folks over there treated him first-rate. We were fools
to let Sammy lead us around by the nose."
"Well, we'll know better next time," said Harry Larkly. "If Sammy
won't do the right thing by him, why, I'm going to cut Sammy, that's
all."
The swimming place was soon gained, and having placed his garments in
the sun to dry, Bob Snipper went in for a second bath, but this time
taking very good care not to go out over his depth.
The others soon followed, and went out a considerable distance, for
both were good swimmers.
"Why can't you swim, Bob?" asked Dick.
"I don't know, I'm sure. Every time I try my head goes down like a
lump of lead."
"That's queer."
"My brother is the same way--and my father says he could never learn
either."
"It must run in the family," said Harry, with a grin. "Like wooden
legs among soldiers. I think you can learn if you'll only try and keep
cool. You get too excited."
The boys remained in the water for nearly an hour. By this time the
wind and the sun had about dried Bob's garments, and then all began to
dress.
"Hullo, what's that?" cried Dick suddenly, as he pointed toward the
village. "See the heavy smoke."
"It's some place on fire!" burst out Bob. "I wonder what place it can
be?"
All three boys ran toward the river road, putting on the last of their
garments on the way.
"It's Mrs. Barlow's boarding house!" ejaculated Dick Martin. "Say,
fellows, this wind is going to sweep the house to the ground!"
"Mrs. Barlow's?" repeated Harry Larkly. "Why, that is where that
American boy and his lady companion board."
"That's so, Harry," said Bob. "And that is where Norah Gump, Sammy's
sister, works, too," he added. "I hope none of those people are in
danger of being burnt up."