MAROONING AND THE MAROONING PARTY
The work of house-building and improvement now went forward with visible
rapidity. By the first day of October, the new dwelling-house was
sufficiently advanced to allow the family to move into it; and in a
fortnight more, the new kitchen was covered, and such other changes
made, in and about the house, as to give it quite a genteel and
comfortable appearance. As it became necessary about this time for the
workmen to attend to some inside work, which could be more easily
accomplished by having the family out of the way, Dr. Gordon stopped the
young people after school, and said to them:
"Children, I have a proposition to make. But before doing so, who can
tell me what ’marooning’ means?"
All turned their eyes to Robert, whom they regarded as a sort of walking
dictionary; and he answered with a slight hesitation--"I should say,
living pretty much in the way we have lived most of the time since we
came to Bellevue. A person maroons when he lives in an unsettled
state."
"You are nearly right; but to be more critical. The word ’maroon’ is of
West Indian origin--coming I think from the island of Jamaica. It meant
at first a free negro. But as those who ran away from their masters
became virtually free for the time, it came afterwards to mean a runaway
negro. To maroon therefore means to go from home and live like a
runaway negro. I wish to ask if any one present is in favour of
marooning?"
All were silent, and Dr. Gordon continued, "To maroon means also to go
to some wild place, where there is plenty of game or fish, and to live
upon what we can obtain by our own skill. Are there any persons now in
favour of marooning?"
"I am--and I--and I!" was the universal response. "When shall it be?
Where shall it be?"
"You are too fast," said the Doctor. "I have one of two propositions to
make. We must for a few days give up the house to the workmen. Now the
question to be decided is, Shall we return to Fort Brooke, and spend our
time among the guns and cannons; or shall we go to Riley’s Island at the
mouth of the bay, and spend it among the deer and turkeys, the fish and
oysters, of which we have heard so much? There are advantages and
disadvantages on both sides; and my own mind is so perfectly balanced
that I will leave the decision to you."
Harold’s eyes flashed fire at the prospect of his old employment; still
he said nothing; he waited to know what the others preferred. Robert
looked at him, and in a moment caught the contagion. Indeed it seemed
as if a sort of mesmeric influence had swayed the whole party, for they
did nothing more than exchange with each other one hurried glance, and
then unanimously cried out, "Riley’s Island! Riley’s Island!"
"Remember," said Dr. Gordon, "that in marooning we must wait upon
ourselves. William is the only servant I can take. His time will be
fully occupied with cooking, and other duties belonging to the tent. We
cannot depend on him for anything more than is absolutely necessary.
Are you still of the same mind?"
"The same!" they all replied.
"Still I will not hold you to your promises until you have had further
time for reflection," said he. "You may not have looked at all the
difficulties of the case. I will give you until dinner-time to make up
your minds; and to help your thoughts, I will assign to each of you an
office, and make you responsible for providing all things necessary for
a week’s excursion, to begin in the morning.
"Harold, I appoint you master of the hunting and fishing departments.
"Robert shall be sailing-master, and provide for the literature of the
party.
"Mary shall be housekeeper still, and mistress of the stores.
"And Master Frank shall be--I know not what to make him, unless
_supercargo_."
"Now I wish you each to sit down at your leisure, and make out a written
list, to be presented to me at dinner-time, of all things needed in your
several departments."
They responded very heartily, and were about to retire, when Dr. Gordon,
observing a comical expression on Frank’s face, said, "What is the
matter, Frank? Are you not willing to be supercargo?"
"I do not know what supercargo is," answered Frank, "unless it is
somebody to catch rabbits. But I know how to do that. So I mean to
take my dog and hatchet, and a box of matches."
"Well done, Frank," said his father; "you have the marooning spirit if
you do not know what supercargo is. But where did you learn the art of
catching rabbits?"
"Oh, I learnt it from cousin Harold," said he. "We got a rabbit into a
hollow tree, and caught him there. _I_ caught him, father, with my own
hand; I know exactly how to catch a rabbit."
"Very well, Mr. Supercargo, carry what you will. But go along all of
you, and be ready with your lists against dinner-time."
They retired in great glee to plan out and prepare. Robert and Harold,
having first gone to the beach to think alone, were to be seen, half an
hour afterwards, in their room, busily engaged with pencil in hand. At
this time Frank came in. He had been almost frantic with joy at the
prospect of the change; and after having romped with his dog Fidelle and
the goats in the yard, he had come to romp with any one who would join
him in the house.
"Brother Robert and cousin Harold," said he, "what are you doing? Are
you writing? are you ciphering? are you studying? Why do you not answer
me?" He was evidently in a frolic.
"Go to your play, Frank, and do not bother us," returned Robert,
impatiently; "we are thinking."
"I know you are; for father said we are thinking all the time we are
awake, and sometimes while we are asleep. But I want to know what you
are thinking about so hard."
"Don’t you know," Harold answered, mildly, "that we are going to Riley’s
Island tomorrow, and that Robert and I have to make out a list of what
we are to carry? We are making our lists."
"Ah ha! but I have to carry some things too," said he. "Father is going
to let me catch the rabbits there; and he called me a ----, some kind of
a ----; I forget the name, but it means the person to catch rabbits.
What is the name, brother?"
"Supercargo?"
"Yes, that’s it--supercargo. Mustn’t I think of something too?"
"Certainly," replied Harold, humouring the joke. "But the way _we_ did,
was first to go off by ourselves, and think of what we were to carry;
then to come in and write off our lists. Do you go now and think over
yours, and when you come in I will write it for you."
Frank went out, but he was not gone long. He insisted on having his
list made out at once.
"What do you wish to carry?" Harold asked. Frank told him.
"Now," said Harold, "I will make a bargain with you. If you do not
trouble us before we have finished our work, I will write your list for
you so that you yourself can read it. Will you stay out now?"
"That I will. But can you write it so that I can read it?"
"Yes, and will not print it either."
"Well, then you must be a very smart teacher, almost as smart as the
foxes; for father has been teaching me this summer to make writing
marks, but I have never made one of the writing marks yet."
Harold however persisted in his promise, and he and Frank were as good
as their several words. Frank, it is true, did creep on tip-toe, and
peep through the crack of the door, but he disturbed nobody; and when at
last the boys came out, Harold presented him with a folded paper, which
he instructed him to put into his pocket, and not to open till the lists
were called for.
At the appointed hour they all assembled. The meal passed pleasantly
off; not an allusion had as yet been made to the proposed excursion. It
was a part of Dr. Gordon’s training to practise his children in
self-restraint. He could however discern by their looks that their
decisions remained as before. Said he, "I presume you have all made up
your minds to the marooning party; am I correct?"
"O yes, sir, yes," was the answer, "and we are all ready to report, not
excepting Frank and William."
"Really, you have done wonders! But let me call upon you each in turn.
Harold McIntosh, you are hunting and fishing-master. Let me hear your
report."
Harold took from his pocket a piece of paper about as broad as his hand,
and a little longer. Besides the arms, ammunition and appurtenances,
fishing-hooks, lines and nets, he closed his list with reading
"brimstone."
"And what use," asked his uncle, "do you expect to make of that?"
"Taking bee-trees," he replied. "Brimstone is used in driving bees from
the honey."
"Whether we meet with bee-trees or not, the brimstone will be in
nobody’s way; let it go. Mr. Hunting-master your list is perfect. Now
Robert, yours."
His list embraced all that the boat would need for comfort, or for
repair in case of accident. The books selected had reference to the
taste of each. Shakespeare for his father, Goldsmith’s Natural History
for Harold, Scott’s Napoleon for himself, Robinson Crusoe and Botany for
his sister, and (in a spirit of mischief) Old Mother Hubbard for Frank.
But Frank was quite indignant at what he knew to be an insinuation
against his childish taste. "I will not have old Mother Hubbard for my
book," he said, as soon as he heard the list read. "I have passed that
long ago; I wanted to carry Jack the Giant Killer."
"Scratch out Mother Hubbard," said his father to Robert, "and put down
Jack. Your list, Master Robert, is pretty good; but I shall take the
liberty of adding several volumes to the stock, in case of bad weather.
And beside this, I should advise you all to carry your pocket
Testaments, that you may continue your plan of daily reading. I should
be sorry, and almost afraid, to let our sports interfere with our
devotions."
Up to this time Frank had been listening to what had been read or
spoken. But now, on a sign from Harold, he took a paper from his
pocket, and, looking at its contents, commenced capering round the room,
saying, "I _can_ read it--I can read every word of it!"
"Read what?" asked his father.
"My list," replied Frank, "that cousin Harold wrote for me. I can read
it all!"
"Then let us have it."
[Illustration: pictures of items on the list]
"Here," said he, "is my hatchet."
"And here is my bow and arrows."
"And here is my dog; only it is not half so pretty as Fidelle."
"And down here at the bottom--that is--that is--I believe it is--either
a block or a brick-bat. O, now I remember, it is my box of matches."
"Bravo, Frank," said his father, "you do credit to your teacher. I
doubt whether I could myself have guessed what that last thing was
intended for. Your list may pass also.
"Now, Miss Mary, let us have yours. You have had more to think of than
all the others put together, and yet I’ll warrant you are nearly as
perfect in proportion."
Mary blushed to hear the commendation bestowed upon her on trust, and
replied, "I doubt it, father. For though it is very long, I am all the
while thinking of something else to be added, and I am pretty sure there
is a great deal yet that I have forgotten." She then read her own list,
containing about thirty-five articles, and William’s, embracing half a
dozen more; upon which her father continued to bestow praise for the
house-wifery they showed, and to each of which he made some slight
additions.
"Now, William," said he, "do you select two moderately sized boxes, and
aid Miss Mary to pack everything in her line so as not to crowd the
boat. Remember, too, to put in for Riley a half bushel of salt, a loaf
of sugar, and a peck of wheat flour. Pack the boat, and have it
complete this evening, however late it should take you, that there may
be no delay in the morning."
They were no sooner dismissed from table than all went vigorously to
work. Guns were cleaned--hooks and lines examined--boxes packed--all
things being done by classes. Then each person put up an extra suit or
two of clothing, in case of accidents. And so expeditiously did the
work go forward, that by five o’clock that evening the boat was ready
for her trip.