The Log Canoe.
Every thing went on very prosperously, for a week or two, in the
little study. Marco became more and more attentive to his studies, and
more and more interested in them. He was often getting into little
difficulties, it is true, and giving trouble to his uncle and aunt;
but then he generally seemed sorry afterward for the trouble which he
had thus occasioned, and he bore reproof, and such punishments as his
cousin thought it necessary to inflict, with so much good-humor, that
they all readily forgave him for his faults and misdemeanors.
One day, however, about a fortnight after he had commenced his
studies, he got led away, through the influence of a peculiar
temptation, into a rather serious act of transgression, which might
have been followed by very grave consequences. The circumstances were
these. He had commenced his studies as usual, after having received
his half-hour's instruction from Forester, and was in the midst of the
process of reducing the fraction 504/756 to its lowest terms, when he
happened to look out of the window and to see two boys climbing over
a garden fence belonging to one of the neighbor's houses, at a little
distance in the rear of his uncle's house. It was a very pleasant
morning, and Marco had the window open; so he could see the boys very
plainly. They stopped on the farther side of the fence which they had
got over, and though they were partially concealed by the fence, yet
Marco could plainly perceive that they were busily employed in doing
something there, though he could not imagine what. He wished very much
to go and see; but he knew that it would be in vain to make request
for permission, and so he contented himself with watching them.
Just at this moment his uncle opened the door which led into the
little study, and asked Forester if he would step into the office.
Forester did so; and then, after a few minutes, he returned, put up
his books, and said that he had got to go away, and that perhaps he
should not be back till noon. Marco had often been left alone at his
studies for a time, but never for a whole morning before. He knew that
he was to go on with his work just as if Forester had remained. So
Forester bade him good morning, and then went away.
Marco watched the boys, wondering more and more what they could be
doing. They kept stooping down to the ground, and moving about a
little, as if they were planting seeds. But as it was entirely the
wrong season for any such work, Marco concluded that they must be
hiding something in the ground. "Perhaps," said he to himself, "they
have been stealing some money, and are burying it. I wish I could go
and see."
If there had been a door leading directly from the study into the
yard, Marco would have left his studies and have gone out at once; but
as it was, he could not get out without going through the office where
his uncle was sitting. At last the thought struck him that he might
jump out the window. He felt some hesitation at taking this step, but
finally he concluded that he would do it, and just go near enough to
see what the boys were hiding, and exactly where they were putting it,
so that he could go afterward and find it without fail. He determined
to return then immediately.
"I shall not be out longer than five minutes," said he to himself,
"and I will let it go for my recess."
So he took his cap from the nail where he was accustomed to hang it,
while he was at his studies, and then climbing out the window, feet
foremost, he let himself down gently to the ground. He then crept
slyly along through the yards and gardens, until he got pretty near
the place where the boys were at work. The mystery, however, was
rather increased than diminished by the near view. He could make
nothing of the operations which they were engaged in; and while he was
hesitating whether to go nearer, one of the boys happened to look up
and spied him. Marco had intended to keep himself concealed by a tree,
behind which he had taken his station, but the boy having looked up
suddenly, at a moment when he happened to be off his guard, saw him
before he had time to draw back under the cover he had chosen.
"Holloa, Marco," said the boy, "come here."
Marco was astonished at this frank and open invitation. He had
expected that the boys, when they saw him, would have dropped at once
behind the fence to conceal themselves, or that they would have caught
up what he supposed they were burying, and have run away. Their
accosting him in this fearless manner deranged his ideas about their
probable object, and increased his curiosity to know what they were
doing. So he came forth from his concealment and went toward them.
When he reached the spot, the mystery was suddenly dispelled by his
finding out that they were digging worms for bait, to go a-fishing.
Marco's curiosity was now changed to eager desire. The boys told him
that they were going down to the river to fish for eels, and Marco's
soul was all on fire to accompany them. He had never fished for eels.
He knew the boys very well, and they offered to lend him a hook and
line. But Marco thought that on the whole it would not do. He tried to
persuade them to wait until the afternoon, but they would not consent
to such a postponement of their pleasure. So Marco wished them good
luck, and began to mount the fence again, with the intention of
returning to his studies.
On looking toward the office, he saw his uncle coming out of the door
in the rear of it, and walking toward the house. Marco immediately
reflected that it would not answer for him to meet his uncle, and he
descended from the fence again on the same side with the boys, until
his uncle should go back. The boys thought he came back because he
was undecided whether to go with them or not, and they renewed their
invitations with redoubled urgency. Marco did not reply, but looked
steadily toward the house. He saw a man standing in the yard with a
small ladder in his hand. A moment afterward, Marco's uncle came out
of the house, and, to Marco's great consternation, he perceived that
he had a saw and a hatchet in his hand, and then he recollected that
his uncle had been intending to prune some trees that forenoon. The
trees were situated in various positions about the yard, so that Marco
could neither go in at the front door of the office, nor climb in at
the window, without being discovered. He did not know what to do.
In the mean time, the boys urged him to go with them. They did not
know any thing about his studies, and supposed that his hesitation was
only owing to his want of interest in the object of the expedition.
Finally, Marco concluded to go. He supposed that he should not be able
to get back into his study till noon, as he recollected that his
uncle expected to be employed all the forenoon about his pruning.
He thought, therefore, that his chance of detection would not be
increased by staying out an hour or two longer, and so he told the
boys that he would go.
When they had procured sufficient bait, they went toward the river.
Their way led them not very far from the house, and they were several
times in situations where they were exposed to view, in case Marco's
uncle had looked toward them. Marco, however, contrived to walk by
these places in such a manner as to cover himself as much as possible
from view by the other boys; and besides, he hoped that his uncle was
too much occupied with his pruning, to notice what boys were prowling
about the village. They passed across the street in this manner, and
then went down over the intervales toward the river. Marco felt quite
relieved at seeing that his uncle kept steadily at his work, holding
the ladder for the other man to mount by, or sawing off low branches
himself, without appearing to notice the boys at all.
The river was circuitous in its course, and its banks were in some
places steep, and in others low and sandy. The water was generally
shallow, but in some places it was deep,--especially under the high
banks. In many places there were willows and elms, overhanging the
water. It was in one of these places that the boys were going to fish
for eels. It was a point where the river took a sudden turn, forming a
sort of angle in the stream, where the water was very dark and deep.
The bank was high at that place, and it was covered with trees and
bushes. Some of these trees had been undermined, and their roots and
branches were floating in the water. The boys scrambled down to the
brink and made ready for fishing. They cut slender poles in the
bushes, for fishing-poles. There was a trunk of a tree lying along
the shore, extending obliquely out a little way over the water, which
furnished them a convenient footing. They stood or sat upon it, baited
their hooks, and threw them over into the water. They followed the
bait with their eyes as it sunk slowly down into the dark depths,
among the logs, and roots, and trunks of trees, which were lying
submerged in the water.
The boys remained here an hour, but they caught no eels. Either there
were none there, or for some reason or other they chose not to bite.
They had some talk about going to another place, but before they
decided upon that plan, Marco's attention was arrested by the sight of
what appeared to be a large log floating down the river. He pointed it
out to the other boys, and, on closer examination, they saw that it
was an old canoe, of the kind that are formed by hollowing out a log.
It was not of very large size and it appeared to be rather old and
decayed. Still, the boys wanted to get it very much. They gathered in
their lines, and ran along the bank, keeping pace with the boat as it
floated down.
[Illustration: BOAT ADRIFT.]
They very soon came to a reach of the river,--that is, to a length
of it between one bend and another, where the water was swift and
shallow. So the two boys who had been fishing with Marco threw off
their shoes, and pulled up their trowsers, and ran down the bank, and
into the river. The boat was far out in the stream, and they had to
wade some distance before they came to it. Besides, as the boat was
floating down all the time, while they were wading across, it got some
distance down the stream before they could reach it. They, however,
succeeded in getting it at last, and, with much floundering in the
water and many shouts of laughter, they brought it over to Marco.
Marco was much pleased with the prize. It was in better condition than
they had expected to find it. There was, indeed, a piece knocked out
at one end, near the upper edge, but they found that it would support
all three of the boys, if they sat in it carefully, and with their
weight principally at the other end. For want of oars or paddles they
cut poles on the banks, thinking that they could push the boat along,
by planting the poles against the bottom, as the water was not deep.
They drew the boat up to the shore, and poured out some water which
had got into her, and then they all carefully embarked, intending to
make a little voyage.
It happened that just below the place to which the boat had drifted
before they overtook it, the water became somewhat deeper, and of
course more smooth and still, so that it afforded a favorable place
for navigating such a boat. In fact, the character of the stream,
throughout its whole course for several miles, was to present a
constant succession of changes, from deep and almost still water, to
shallow and rapid currents, rippling over beds of sand and gravel.
One of these rapids, or rips, as they were called, the boys had just
passed; it being in one of them, though one more broad and less rapid
than many of the others, that they had pursued and overtaken the
boat. In the smooth and still water below, therefore, they had a very
favorable opportunity to try their boat, for the water, though not so
shallow as it was above, was still not so deep as to prevent their
propelling their boat, by pushing their poles against the bottom. It
required some care to preserve their equilibrium, but then the water
was not deep, and they knew, therefore, that there was no danger of
being drowned if they should upset.
Things went on very prosperously, until, after a few minutes, the boys
suddenly found themselves drifting into deeper water. Their poles
would scarcely touch the bottom. Marco, who was not much accustomed to
this kind of navigation, was at first somewhat alarmed, but the other
boys told him to keep quiet, and they would soon drift into shallow
water again. They accordingly drew in their poles, and began to look
over the edge of the boat into the water, to see if they could see
any eels. They saw no eels, but the water soon began to grow shallow
again, and so the boys, feeling that they were in no danger, remained
quietly in their places, looking idly into the water, talking about
the various objects which they saw upon the bottom.
After some minutes spent in this manner, one of the boys looked down
the stream, and saw that the boat was gradually approaching another of
the rapids.
"Come, boys," said he, "we must go to work, or we shall be down over
the rips."
So the boys all took their poles and began to push the boat up the
stream; but they found it harder than they had expected. In fact, the
boat had drifted down nearer to the rapids than they ought to have
allowed it to go. The water was running quite swiftly where they were,
and they soon found that all their efforts were not sufficient to stem
the current. The boat was carried round and round in every direction,
excepting up the stream. In fact the current was rapidly acquiring the
entire mastery over them, and hurrying them down to a point where the
water poured on in a furious torrent through a long narrow passage
between beds of stone and gravel.
"Pull, boys, pull!" said Marco; "we shall go down over the rips in
spite of every thing."
The boys did pull, but they could effect nothing. The water was
sweeping them along with great rapidity, notwithstanding all their
struggles. Finally, when they found that they could not make head
against it, so as to go up the stream, they concluded to pull for the
shore. They were not in any great fear, for the river was very narrow
and not more than knee deep in the rapids, so that there was no real
danger of any calamity greater than getting well wet. They seemed to
be also in a fair way to escape this, for they found that they could
make some progress in getting their boat toward the shore. But, just
as they began to think their object was about to be accomplished, they
were arrested by a sudden mishap. It happened that there was a little
snag in the river, nearly in the direction in which they were going.
It was the end of a small log, which rose almost to the surface of the
water. The greater part of the log was firmly imbedded in the sand,
but there was a small portion of it which projected so far as barely
to be submerged. The boys did not notice this, and, in their eagerness
to run the boat ashore, it happened that they were running it across
the current, just above this snag. But as the current was sweeping
them down the stream at the same time that they were pushing
themselves across it, it carried the boat with great force against
this snag. The bottom of the boat was confined by it, while the force
of the current, still pressing upon the side, overset it in a moment,
and threw all the boys out into the water.
The boys scrambled out without much difficulty, and stood upon the
gravelly beach. They saw at the same moment a man on the bank of the
river above, who looked as if he was about to run to their aid; but
when he saw that they were safe, he turned around immediately and
disappeared. An instant afterward, Marco, finding that his cap was not
upon his head, looked around for it, and, to his dismay, he saw it
floating swiftly away down the rapids. He ran into the water and
seized the boat, which was then beginning also to go away. He called
upon the boys to help him pull it up and pour the water out. He then
lanched it again with all speed, seized one of the poles, clambered
into it, and pushed off into the swiftest part of the current, and
away he went after his cap.
[Illustration: CAP GONE.]
He resorted to this desperate measure, because he was greatly alarmed
at the idea of going home without his cap. It would have certainly
insured his detection, and, as he supposed, a double punishment. He
now was as eager to go down the rapids as he had before been to escape
them. His only care was to keep his boat head down, so that if he
should encounter any snag or rock he might not be thrown broadside on.
He kept a good lookout too ahead. The boat shot through the water like
an arrow, and was soon clear of the rapids in the comparatively still
water below.
Marco contrived to paddle with his pole, so as to overtake the cap and
recover it. Then he went to the shore and landed. He drew up the
boat as high as he could, and went back to seek the other boys. He
concluded that it was time to go home. His conscience now began to
reproach him with the wrong which he had been doing. His promised
pleasure had failed. His clothes were wet and uncomfortable. His mind
was anxious and unhappy. With a heavy heart he began to retrace his
steps, sure of detection when he reached home, and of punishment. He
did not, however, dread the punishment so much as the just displeasure
which his cousin would manifest, and the evidence of the pain which he
knew his cousin would suffer, when he came to learn how his pupil had
betrayed the confidence which had been reposed in him. Before he set
out for home, however, he took off such of his clothes as were most
wet, and wrung out the water as well as he could, and then put them on
again.
When he drew near to the house, he expected to see his uncle still at
work, but he was not there. Marco reconnoitered the place carefully,
and then went into the office. His uncle was not in the office. He
passed through into the study. He was afraid that Forester would be
there, but, to his surprise and joy, he was not, and there was no sign
that he had been there since the morning. Marco looked at the watch,
and found that it was only about half-past eleven. So he took down
a volume of the Encyclopedia and began to read. He read the article
_canoe_, and he found some information about the bark canoes made
by Indians, but nothing about log canoes. In about fifteen minutes he
heard the office door open, and his cousin Forester came in. Forester
walked into the study, but said nothing to Marco. Marco kept at his
work, without speaking to his cousin. He began to hope that he might
yet escape. His only fear now was lest his wet clothes should be
observed. He put his hand down many times to his knees, to ascertain
how fast they were drying. The clothes that he wore were of woolen,
and of a dark color, so that they did not show the wet very
distinctly, and, besides, the sun and the air were warm that day, and
the clothes had dried fast. In a word, when twelve o'clock arrived and
Marco put his books away, nobody would have observed that his clothes
had been wet. He ran about in the open air until dinner-time, and
though, when he went in to dinner, he felt oppressed with a sense of
guilt and of self-condemnation, he was satisfied that no one suspected
him. Marco thought that he had had a very lucky escape.