"Waddy Walsh!" exclaimed Bluff, showing sudden interest. "Let me look,
Jerry!"
"Will you give an honest opinion, regardless of any bias, one way or the
other?" demanded the other, whose father was a leading lawyer in
Centerville.
"Of course I will. What do you take me for, anyway?" replied Bluff,
aggrieved.
"Then look, and tell the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the
truth," and Jerry handed him the reading-glass.
"Well, what's the verdict?" asked Frank, after Bluff had studied the
picture for a full minute.
"I won't be as positive as our friend here, but I'm inclined to think
that it may be Waddy, all right; anyhow, he's about his size, and
there's something in his way of standing that reminds me of the fellow,"
announced Bluff.
"Talk to me about your hedging, what d'ye think of that? Of course it's
Waddy, as big as life, grown somewhat, and with torn clothes and dirty
face; but I'd know his attitude among a dozen. Consider that point
settled, Frank."
"Well, it doesn't matter much to us at all. If the sheriff, Mr. Dodd,
manages to catch up with the runaways, Mr. Waddy will have a chance to
go back to where he came from--the reform school. Now, let's drop those
two, and talk over our proposed visit to Wildcat Island," remarked
Frank.
"Have you got all the supplies?" asked Will.
"Here's the list. Look it over, and if anybody wants to suggest other
things all they have to do is to put them down. We're willing to lug
stuff there to the limit of our canoes," answered Frank.
When they had made all arrangements the meeting was adjourned to the
time when they expected to start from the boathouse just after noon on
the following day.
"How about the weather--do we go, regardless?" asked Will, again.
"True canoeists laugh at the weather. Come rain, come storm, they buck
up against whatever the day brings forth. At one, then, every fellow be
on hand. I'll have the supplies there before that. I've got a surprise
in store for you boys, too," remarked Frank.
"Tell me about that, will you; he's going to let us lie awake all night
trying to guess the great conundrum. Say, it hasn't anything to do with
the girls coming over some day to take dinner with us, has it?" asked
Jerry.
"Oh! say, that would be immense, only too good to be true," cried Bluff,
who, be it known, was rather inclined to be sweet on Frank's only
sister, Nellie.
"They've promised to come, all right; but this has nothing to do with
that. You just wait and see, that's all I'll say. Now come into the
front room, fellows. Nellie has had several friends over, and we're
going to make a delightful evening of it."
Frank would not listen to any protest, but ushered his three chums into
the parlor where they found four lively girls enjoying themselves with
music, and waiting for the meeting of the club to come to an end.
For the next hour they romped as only a lot of young people may, for
whom the morrow has no terrors. Will's twin sister, Violet, was, of
course, there, as were Mame Crosby and Susie Prescott, the former of
whom was never so happy as when teasing Jerry, and getting him to
"spout" after the fashion of his learned father when pleading for a
prisoner before the bar.
It was about half-past ten that they separated, after enjoying some
simple refreshments in the way of cake and lemonade.
The boys saw the girls home, Will taking his sister; while Bluff,
secretly informing Nellie Langdon that he only did it out of pure
courtesy, saw that Susie was properly escorted through the quiet streets
of Centerville, and reached her father's house in safety.
When Frank reached the boathouse, just at half-past twelve on the
following day, he found all of his companions there ahead of him.
"You slow coach, think we've got the whole afternoon to get started?"
demanded Bluff, who was bustling around as usual, yet accomplishing very
little.
"Well, if you examine closer you'll find that I've been here most of the
morning, and packed the things in several bundles. These go in the big
canoe; those yonder you must stow away, Bluff, while Jerry will take
care of the rest," replied Frank, paying little attention to the way in
which he was addressed, because he knew it was mere talk, and no slur
intended.
"Sure you didn't miss anything?" asked Jerry, smiling grimly; for he
pretended to scorn this wholesale carrying of stuff into the woods, and
always declared he could exist happily with a blanket, a coffee-pot, a
frying-pan, some salt and pepper, coffee and ship biscuit, depending on
rod and gun to supply all else.
Nevertheless, when the "duffle" was lugged into the woods he considered
it a sacred duty to do his utmost to lessen the supplies, possibly for
fear they would have to "tote" them out again, as Bluff used to
sarcastically remark.
"Not that I know of. If you are afraid, why we might go over the list
again, and see what else we can use," said Frank, with a wink toward
Will.
"I beg of you don't. My poor canoe would sink of fright or freight.
Besides, I want you to notice that it's kind of rough out on the lake,
and as it stands we're taking big chances of being swamped. Come on,
fellows, load your cargo!" called Jerry.
"What's this funny bundle in our boat?" demanded Will, suddenly.
"Ask no questions and I'll give you no yarns. Just possess your souls in
patience, and you'll see after a while," came Frank's answer, as he went
on loading systematically, taking heed of the fact that they would need
to buck up against some rather heavy seas from the south while on the
way, and that everything must be protected from the wet by covers.
"I bet it's a new patent stove he's got along," suggested Will.
"Oh! that's in my boat already. It burns kerosene, and makes a blue gas.
Frank says it's the boss in rainy weather, with those aluminum camp
kettles for cooking. I reckon it must be a box of cake and pies the
girls have supplied," ventured Bluff.
"You're away off, for they're going to bring those things when they
come. Besides, this isn't in the shape of a box at all," laughed Frank.
"That's a fact, and it looks more like a spare blanket or two," came
from Jerry.
"Well, give it up, boys. I don't believe you'd guess in a month of
Sundays. Now, are you all ready?" queried the leader of the club, as he
took up his paddle and prepared to look after the port side while Will
worked the starboard.
Frank, being the more experienced of the twain, had the stern seat, as
that is usually considered the post of greater responsibility in
clearing rocks while running rapids, and generally guiding the craft.
"Say when!" called Jerry.
"The _Red Rover_ is ready to meet the storm!" announced Bluff, whose
little craft had a narrow band of red around its gunwale.
"Go!"
The four paddles dipped deeply into the water, and simultaneously the
little canoes started into the teeth of the wind. There were a few
shouts from the shore, and considerable waving of snowy 'kerchiefs from
a group of girls standing before Frank's house, which latter brought a
series of salutes from the paddlers until the commodore of the flotilla
sternly warned them that unless they paid more attention to what they
were doing an upset would mark the beginning of their Spring outing.
After that they kept their eyes straight ahead. And, indeed, there was
really need for all attention, since the waves were running quite high
for such small vessels to meet. Still, a canoe, if properly handled, can
live in a sea that will sink a much larger boat; since the tiny cedar
craft mounts to the crests of the waves with the buoyancy of a cork.
They paddled strenuously for an hour toward the south, and by that time
were beginning to feel their muscles growing somewhat sore. The season
was young, and they had not as yet become wholly accustomed to hard
manual labor, though all of them used the school gymnasium through the
winter months in the endeavor to keep in condition.
"Talk about your combers, these are the real thing," grunted Jerry, as
he shot up on the crest of a wave, from which exalted position he had a
fleeting view of the island dead ahead; and was then swept down into
what seemed to be a valley.
The fact that each boat was so heavily laden added to the danger of
their swamping if once they turned sideways to the seas, or broached to;
but the boys were conscious of this ever-impending peril, and fought
tooth and nail to prevent it.
Wildcat Island was quite a large piece of ground, standing in the lake
at some little distance from either shore, but much nearer the western
one, that upon which the town of Newtonport was situated, with its
distant range of hills, called the Sunset Mountains by the natives.
This island lay not far from the foot of the lake, while another, going
by the name of Snake Island, was situated close to the lumber camp at
the head of the body of water, which was some ten miles long by between
one and two wide.
With a strong south wind blowing, a heavy sea could be kicked up, though
naturally this would be found much worse the farther up the lake one
went.
"Ten minutes more will see us there, boys!" shouted Frank.
He feared that one of the other paddlers might be getting pretty near
his last effort, and wished to encourage the balance of his chums to
renewed efforts.
"We're all right; don't worry about us," called back Bluff, who happened
to be a little bit ahead.
He had hardly spoken than he came close to the verge of disaster. To
make his voice carry the better, Bluff had half turned his head, and in
doing this lost his advantage just a trifle. So it came that the next
sea struck the _Red Rover_ on the forward port side, instead of head on.
This caused the frail canoe to sheer out of her course, amid frantic
efforts of her wearied skipper to regain a straightaway heading; and
only for the fact that a second sea did not follow closely on the heels
of the first, he might have met with an upset.
Presently they ran into the lee of the island, where the water was
smoother.
This revived the flagging energies of Bluff and Jerry, always rivaling
each other in whatever they attempted; so they set up a little race for
the shore.
"Who won, Frank?" demanded Bluff between gasps, as all of them landed.
"Well," remarked the other, with a sly wink at Will, which at the time
the latter did not fully understand, though its import was made plain
later, "I'd declare it a dead heat! You two fellows are so evenly
matched it's hard to decide which is the better."
"All but our lung capacity; there I've got him beaten every time,"
insisted Bluff.
"You have, eh? Wait until the opportunity comes, and you'll just see how
easy I put you on the mat. Ashore it is, my hearties! We're castaway
sailors for a week!" exclaimed Jerry, suiting the action to the word,
and dragging his canoe up on the little shelving beach, beyond which lay
the bristling thickets, hiding all the mysteries of Wildcat Island.
"Monarch of all we survey. Here we hide from the world, and forget dull
care," sang Will, prancing about to ease up his strained muscles.
"Here, lend a helping hand, you shirk!" called Frank, who was dragging
the big canoe ashore alone.
Suddenly there was a shriek from Will that made the others spring up.
Frank's hand involuntarily reached out for the double-barreled shotgun
that lay in its waterproof case on top of the stuff in his canoe.
"Look! look! the wild man!" shouted Jerry.
They all saw a hideous face framed among the branches and twigs of the
thicket close by. One second only was it in view, hardly long enough for
them to make out that it was human rather than that of an immense ape.
Then the ugly face vanished from their sight, leaving the four canoeists
gaping at each other as though unable to positively decide whether they
had really seen the mysterious wild man of the island, or something
which their imaginations had conjured up instead.