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COMRADES ON RIVER AND LAKE
BY
RALPH VICTOR
AUTHOR OF "THE BOY SCOUTS SERIES," ETC.
ILLUSTRATED BY S. SCHNEIDER
New York
THE PLATT & PECK CO.
THE COMRADES SERIES
By RALPH VICTOR
Ralph Victor is probably the best equipped writer of up-to-date boys'
stories of the present day. He has traveled or lived in every land, has
shot big game with Sears in India, has voyaged with Jack London, and was
a war correspondent in Natal and Japan. The lure of life in the open has
always been his, and his experiences have been thrilling and many.
In this series the author gets full opportunity to exhibit his unusual
talent for the description of American field sports and the boys who
take part in them, with a dash to arouse the enthusiasm of every reader.
Comrades in Camp
Comrades in New York
Comrades on the Ranch
Comrades in New Mexico
Comrades on the Great Divide
Comrades at School
Comrades at Winton Hall
Comrades on Winton Oval
Comrades on River and Lake
Comrades with the Winton Cadets
Illustrated, 12mo, Cloth
Price per Volume, 40 Cents
Copyright, 1910, by The Platt & Peck Co.
[Illustration: YOU WILL HAVE NO NEED FOR YOUR WEAPON.]
Contents
CHAPTER I--THE COMRADES LEAVE WINTON
CHAPTER II--THE FIRST NIGHT OUT
CHAPTER III--THE RACE
CHAPTER IV--THE FIGHT ON THE CATBOAT
CHAPTER V--THE BOYS ARRIVE AT BERT'S
CHAPTER VI--GETTING READY FOR THE GAME
CHAPTER VII--THE BASEBALL GAME
CHAPTER VIII--THE GAME END
CHAPTER IX--ON LAKE CHAMPLAIN
CHAPTER X--A SURPRISE IN THE DARK
CHAPTER XI--A LIVELY EVENING
CHAPTER XII--THE FIGHT ON THE LAKE
CHAPTER XIII--DOWN THE RICHELIEU RIVER
CHAPTER XIV--IN MONTREAL
CHAPTER XV--THE THOUSAND ISLANDS AT LAST
CHAPTER XVI--MR. LAWRENCE OF WINNSOCKET LODGE
CHAPTER XVII--MYSTERY
CHAPTER XVIII--THE MYSTERY DEEPENS
CHAPTER XIX--IMPORTANT DISCOVERIES
CHAPTER XX--A CAPTURE
CHAPTER XXI--AT BAY
CHAPTER XXII--THE REVENUE OFFICERS
CHAPTER XXIII--A SURPRISE FROM MR. LAWRENCE
CHAPTER XXIV--IN MORTONVILLE AGAIN
CHAPTER XXV--CONCLUSION
CHAPTER I--THE COMRADES LEAVE WINTON
Commencement days were coming, and soon the members of the first class
would leave Winton Hall to return no more. They were a fine lot of boys,
verging into manhood, and Commandant Cullum was proud of the fact that
he had been instrumental in turning them out with a military training
and good education to face the battle of life.
Vacation was but a week away when one afternoon Fleet Kenby dashed into
the room occupied by his chums, Chot Duncan and Tom Pratt.
"Sh----" he cried.
"Well, what?" interrupted Chot.
"Yes; what?" echoed Tom.
"Well, I wanted to tell you fellows that----"
"Well, why don't you tell us?"
"Yes, don't get that old habit of cutting off your sentences just when
you've aroused our curiosity."
"Give me a chance to----"
"Surely; take it!"
"Help yourself, old boy. If you see any chances lying around loose,
absorb them."
"Now, see here," said Fleet, "you've tried this game on me several times
and I'm getting tired of it."
"He's tired of our game," said Chot, with a glance at Tom.
"He's tired of our game," said Tom, returning Chot's look.
"Comes in here arousing our curiosity, then refuses to tell us what he's
getting at."
"Then says he's tired of our game."
"I don't see any game."
"Neither do I."
"Well, I do," fumed Fleet. "I won't tell you now; I'll get out of
here--that's what I'll do."
He made a dash for the door, but Tom blocked the passage.
"No, you don't," said he. "You're going to tell us what you came in to
tell us, whether you want to tell us or not. Make up your mind to that."
Then Tom gave the fleshy lad a punch that sent him into Chot's arms, and
Chot shoved him on to one of the beds in a sitting posture. Then the
boys tipped Fleet over, one sat on his chest, the other on his feet, and
despite his struggles, he was unable to do anything but writhe and
twist.
"Nice way to treat a fellow," he cried. "Nice--"
"Whoa!" shouted Tom. "Now, tell us what you were going to."
"I refuse!"
"Then take this," said Chot, and plunging his fingers into Fleet's ribs,
he tickled him until he fairly squealed.
"Oh, I'll tell--I'll tell!" cried Fleet. "You fellows think you're
smart, don't you, but I'll get square for this."
"Oh, he's going to get square," said Chot. "He don't want anything out
of that box we received from home to-day."
"No; express packages from Mortonville don't interest Fleet," Tom
replied.
"Especially when they contain jam and cookies."
"Eh? What's that?" cried Fleet, trying to sit up. He stopped struggling.
"I was just speaking to Tom," Chot replied. "You and I, Tom, will eat
raspberry jam, chocolate cake, currant jelly and brown bread."
"Oh, yum, yum!" cried Fleet. "Let me up this minute and I'll forget you
ever sat on me."
"Shall we let him up?" asked Tom.
"May as well. I think he has learned his lesson. The next time he has
something to tell us, he'll tell it, and not make us ask him over and
over."
A moment later Fleet was on his feet.
"Where's the box?" he demanded, looking around.
"First, what are you going to tell us?"
"Aw--that can wait--I'm hungry."
"You're always hungry. Tell us."
"Well, the canoes have come," said Fleet. "I came in to tell you so Pod
wouldn't hear."
"Pod's came with ours?"
"Yes; and mine came in from Mortonville. Funny, wasn't it, they all came
on the same day?"
"Yes," said Chot "I ordered Pod's name put on his. I thought that would
please him."
They were planning the way to tell Pod of his good fortune, when the
little fellow came dashing into the room.
"What do you think?" he cried. "There's a package of freight down at the
depot for me, and I don't even know what it is."
"That so?" said the Comrades in the same breath. No one cracked a smile
and Pod continued:
"Will you fellows go down with me? There may be freight charges. If so,
I shall want to borrow a little till I get my next allowance from Mr.
Hounson."
"That'll be all right," said Chot. "We were going down to the depot,
anyway. Fleet has ordered his canoe sent over from Mortonville and it
should be here to-day."
The boys left the barracks together and walked toward the depot. Pod was
scarcely able to conceal his curiosity. Never before had he received a
package of any nature, and he wondered who could have sent him this.
When the boys entered the depot freight room a few moments later and saw
the four canoes spread out before them, all were thrilled with delight.
There was Fleet's canoe from Mortonville, and three brand new ones that
had come by freight from New York. And staring up from one of them in
the blackest of black letters was the name "Pod Meelick."
"Say, fellows, am I dreaming?" cried Pod. "That--that surely isn't for
me?"
"Must be--your name is on it," said Tom.
"But I never ordered anything like that--I--"
Seeing tears in the little lad's eyes, the Comrades burst into a roar of
laughter, and Pod after a moment joined them, but his was a laugh
bordering on the hysterical. It was several minutes before they got him
calmed down, and told him that the canoe was a present from the
Experience Club.
"And you mean--you mean that I am going on your canoe trip?" asked Pod,
his eyes fairly bulging from their sockets.
"If you will do us the honor," said Chot.
"Oh, this is the best thing that has ever happened to me. I was just
wondering what I would do during vacation. It would certainly have been
lonesome in Bayville after the good times I've had."
They arranged to have the canoes taken to the Winton boat house, where
they could be kept until the day after commencement, when the boys were
to start on their summer trip up the river.
On their way back to the school the boys met Truem Wright, who came
toward them along the sidewalk in front of the gym. Truem looked rather
glum, they thought, and to show their good will each of the boys spoke
courteously to him.
"I've been looking for you fellows," he surprised them by saying.
"I--I----"
"Come along with us, Truem," said Chot, kindly, as the other hesitated.
"Well, if you don't mind," he said, and falling into step with them,
walked on toward the barracks. "Vacation's pretty near," Truem went on
after a moment, looking at the ground as he walked along, "and I hate to
leave Winton without telling you boys what you've done for me."
"What we've done for you!" gasped Tom, with a queer look at his chums.
"Yes, what you've done for me. You've made me see myself as I was. I
know now that I've been a cad--I knew it all along, but didn't have
sense enough to admit it. You fellows have always been on the square
with me, while I've tried to injure you on every occasion. I'm sorry for
everything I've done. I'm tired of having the whole school down on me,
and feeling that I have no friends among the cadets except certain ones
whose friendship is not desirable. I don't ask you to take me into your
set--I realize that would be asking too much--but I want to ask you
right out to be my friends."
When Truem paused there was a moment of silence. This was broken by Pod.
"Do you include me in that, Truem?" he asked.
"Yes, kid, of course I do. I've treated you worse than anyone, because I
picked on you for years back in Bayville. I'm sorry for that, too. I
want to earn the regard and friendship of you all."
"You've earned that already, Truem, by expressing sorrow for what you've
done," said Chot. "We've never had anything against you--in fact, we've
always thought that you had the material in you for the making of a
mighty nice fellow, and now that you've found it out yourself, no one
will be readier to offer you friendship than we. Am I right, boys?"
"You bet you are," said Fleet.
"You've treated us rather meanly, Truem," said Tom, who was the most
reluctant to give in. "But a man who can pitch a baseball game as well
as you can't be very bad, so here's my hand, and I'm your friend as long
as you want me to be."
Each of the boys shook hands with Truem. And as they did so they looked
up to see Bert Creighton, Wilkes Davis, Dan Kirlicks and Randy Denton
approaching. With the Comrades and Pod, these boys had become known at
Winton as the inseparable eight.
"We've taken Truem into the fold, fellows," said Chot, in answer to the
looks of surprise on their faces.
"I'm sorry for everything," said Truem. "I want your friendship. Can I
have it?"
"You can have anything I've got if Chot Duncan says so," said Wilkes
Davis, extending his hand. The other boys made remarks appropriate to
the occasion, then all tried to make Truem feel at home, and when they
reached the barracks had succeeded in relieving him of the most of his
embarrassment.
The boys soon began to get ready for their canoe trip. One of the first
things they did was to arrange with Commandant Cullum to leave their ice
yachts in the Winton boat house during the summer. The boat house was a
commodious one, and the yachts were pulled up onto a platform in one
end, and covered with pieces of tarpaulin.
"I wish I could take the voyage with you," said Truem Wright, one day,
when the Comrades were busy laying in a small stock of provisions and
otherwise equipping their canoes for the trip.
"You're welcome, if you can get a canoe," said Tom.
"It's too late for that now," said Truem. The tone in which he said it
told plainly that he wished it wasn't.
"Well, I'll tell you what you do. By the middle of July we'll be in camp
somewhere among the Thousand Islands. You'll be welcome there at any
time, Truem. Shall we look for you?"
"Yes," responded the Bayville boy, a grateful look in his eyes. "I'll be
there all right, and thank you."
"Come along and be one of us. The more the merrier."
Truem became the wonder of the other boys. To those who had known him as
an enemy, the change was a revelation of what could happen when a boy
realized that he was a cad and was anxious to make amends. With Truem
making friends, and Roy Damon already on fairly intimate terms, the
Comrades had but one enemy left--Dill Newman.
"And he's going to be against us during our entire course at Winton,"
said Tom, to which Chot and Fleet nodded a vigorous assent.
It was arranged before the boys parted from Bert Creighton that they
should stay at least a week at his home on Lake George.
"And who knows," said Bert, "I may go on up the country with you."
The day after commencement the academy was deserted. All of the cadets
were anxious to be off to their homes or on vacation trips, and finally
only the Comrades and Pod were left. They had sent their trunks to their
homes in Mortonville intending to go after them before the fall term
opened.
Toward evening of the day after commencement, when the sun was getting
ready to dip behind the hills on the west bank of the river, they pushed
out into the stream, these four strong, sturdy fellows, on a journey
that was to be full of surprising adventures.