AN OLD BOY.
By the exercise of wonderful self-control, Frank and Johnny succeeded in
restraining their risibilities until they reached the barn, and then one
leaned against the door-post, while the other seated himself upon the
floor, both holding their sides, and giving vent to peals of uproarious
laughter.
"O dear!" exclaimed Frank, "I shall never dare look that fellow in the
face again. 'Icebergs of India!' 'Burning sands of Patagonia!' How my
jaws ache!"
"I wonder what part of Europe he visited to find his lions and tigers?"
said Johnny. "And how do you suppose he escaped from the Indians when
they had him bound to the stake? We must ask him about that."
"How old is he?" inquired Frank.
"He says he is sixteen."
"Well, he is older than that, if he risked his life in battles with the
Algerians; for, if my memory serves me, Decatur settled our accounts
with those gentlemen in the year 1815. That would make our new friend
old enough to be a grandfather. He holds his age well, doesn't he?"
Then the two boys looked up at the rafters, and laughed louder than
ever.
"I remember of hearing old Captain Porter say," observed Johnny, as soon
as he could speak, "that the strongest and most active man that ever
lived could not whip a grizzly in a fair fight; and that the bravest
hunter would take to his heels if he found himself in close quarters
with one of those animals, and would not think he was guilty of
cowardice, either."
"And what I have seen with my own eyes confirms it," said Frank. "While
we were camped at the Old Bear's Hole, Dick Lewis got into a fight with
a grizzly, and, although it didn't last more than half a minute, he was
so badly cut up that his own mother wouldn't have recognized him. Dick
is a giant in strength, and as quick as a cat in his movements, and if
he can't whip a grizzly, I am sure that Arthur Vane can't."
"Humph!" said Johnny, "he never saw a grizzly. I never did either, and
there are plenty of them in this country. Arthur had better be careful
how he talks in Captain Porter's hearing. The rough old fellow will see
through him in an instant, and he may not be as careful of his feelings
as we have been."
Johnny, having by this time saddled his horse, he and Frank returned to
the house, where they found Archie deeply interested in one of Arthur's
stories. "That is high up, I should think," they heard the former say.
"Yes, higher than the tops of these trees," replied Arthur. "I was
relating some of the incidents of one of my voyages at sea," he
continued, addressing himself to Frank. "I was telling Archie how I used
to stand on the very top of the mast and look out for whales."
"Which mast?" asked Frank.
"Why, the middle mast, of course. What's the matter with you?" he added,
turning suddenly upon Archie, who seemed to be on the point of
strangling.
"Nothing," was the reply, "only something got stuck in my throat."
Arthur had taken up a dangerous subject when he began to talk about
nautical matters; for they were something in which Frank and his cousin
had always been interested, and were well posted. Archie lived in a
sea-port town, and, although he had never been a sailor, he knew the
names of all the ropes, and could talk as "salt" as any old tar. He
knew, and so did Frank, that what Arthur had called the "middle mast,"
was known on shipboard as the mainmast. They knew that the "very top" of
the mainmast was called the main truck; and that the look-outs were not
generally stationed so high up in the world.
"We can talk as we ride along," said Johnny. "We have ten miles to go,
and we ought to reach the captain's by twelve o'clock. The old fellow
tells a capital story over his after-dinner pipe."
The boys mounted their horses, and, led by Johnny, galloped off in the
direction of the old fur-trader's ranch. They rode in silence for a few
minutes, and then Archie said:
"If you wouldn't think me too inquisitive, Arthur, I'd like to know at
what age you began your travels?"
"At the age of eleven," was the prompt reply, "I was a midshipman in the
navy, and made my first voyage under the gallant Decatur. I spent four
years at sea with him, and during that time I had those terrible fights
with the Algerines, of which I have before spoken. In the last battle, I
was captured, and compelled to walk the plank."
"What do you mean by that?" asked Johnny, who had never devoted any of
his time to yellow-covered literature.
"Why, you must know that the inhabitants of Algiers, and the adjacent
countries, were, at one time, nothing but pirates. When they captured a
vessel, their first hard work, after taking care of the valuable part of
the cargo, was to dispose of their prisoners. It was too much trouble to
set them ashore, so they balanced a plank out of one of the
gangways--one end being out over the water, and the other on board the
ship. The pirates placed their feet on the end inboard, to hold it in
its place, and then ordered their prisoners, one at a time, to walk out
on the plank. Of course, they were compelled to obey; and, when they got
out to the end of the plank over the water, the pirates lifted up their
feet, and down went the prisoners; and they generally found their way to
the bottom in a hurry. I escaped by swimming. I was in the water
twenty-four hours, and was picked up by a vessel bound to New York."
"I suppose you had a life-preserver," said Johnny.
"No, sir. I had nothing to depend upon but my own exertions."
"You must be some relation to a duck," said Archie, speaking before he
thought.
"I suppose you mean to convey the idea that I am an excellent swimmer,"
said Arthur, turning around in his saddle, and looking sharply at
Archie.
"Yes; that's what I intended to say," replied Archie, demurely.
"The vessel landed me in New York," continued Arthur, "and I went home;
and, having become tired of wandering about, and our troubles with
Algiers being settled, I led the quiet life of a student until the
Florida war broke out, and then I enlisted in the army."
"Now, then," thought Archie, who had been paying strict attention to all
Arthur said, "I have got a basis for a calculation, and I am going to
find out how old this new friend of ours is. War was declared against
Algeria (not Algiers) in March, 1815; and on the 30th day of June, in
the same year, the Dey cried for quarter, and signed a treaty of peace.
If Arthur began his wanderings at eleven, and spent four years with
Decatur, he must have been fifteen years old when the war closed. After
that, he led the quiet life of a student until the Florida war broke
out. That commenced in 1835; so Arthur must have spent just twenty years
at school. By the way, it's a great pity that he didn't devote a portion
of his time to geography and natural history, for then he would have
known that there are no icebergs and polar bears in India, or Arabs and
burning sands in Patagonia, or wild lions and tigers in Europe. If he
spent twenty years at school, and was fifteen years old when he had
those terrible battles with the Algerians, he must have been
thirty-five years old when the Florida war broke out."
"Did you go through the war?" Johnny asked.
"I did."
"How long did it last?" inquired Frank, "and what was the cause of it?"
"It continued nearly two years, and was brought about by the hatred the
Choctaws cherished toward the white people."
"Three mistakes there," thought Archie. "The war lasted seven years, and
cost our Government forty millions of dollars. The Choctaws had nothing
to do with it. It was the Seminoles and Creeks--principally the former.
The immediate cause of the trouble was the attempt on the part of the
Government to remove those tribes to the country west of the
Mississippi. They didn't want to go, and they were determined they
wouldn't; and, consequently, they got themselves decently whipped. If
Arthur was thirty-five years of age when he went into the war, and spent
two years in it, he was thirty-seven when he came out."
"After the war closed," continued Arthur, "I went to Patagonia, and
there I spent five years."
"Thirty-seven and five are forty-two," said Archie, to himself.
"I had a great many thrilling adventures in Patagonia. The country is
one immense desert, and being directly under the equator, it is--if you
will for once allow me to use a slang expression--as hot as a
frying-pan. The Arabs are hostile, and are more troublesome than ever
the Indians were on the plains. From Patagonia I went to Europe, and
there I spent six years in hunting lions and tigers."
"Forty-eight," thought Archie; "and Patagonia isn't under the equator,
either."
"That must have been exciting," said Frank, while Johnny looked over his
shoulder, and grinned at Archie.
"It was indeed exciting, and dangerous, too. It takes a man with nerves
of iron to stand perfectly still, and let a roaring lion walk up within
ten paces of him, before he puts a bullet through his head."
"Could you do it?"
"Could I? I have done it more than once. If one of those ferocious
animals were here now, I would give you a specimen of my shooting, which
is an accomplishment in which I can not be beaten. I expect that you
would be so badly frightened that you would desert me, and leave me to
fight him alone."
"Wouldn't you run?"
"Not an inch."
"Would you fire that blunderbuss at him?" asked Johnny.
"Blunderbuss?" repeated Arthur.
"That shot-gun, I mean."
"Certainly I would. You see I have the nerve to do it. From Europe I
went to India, and there I risked my life for six years more among the
polar bears."
"Forty-eight and six are fifty-four," soliloquized Archie.
"After that I went to the plains, where I remained three years; and when
the governor wrote to me that he was about to remove from Kentucky, I
resigned my commission as captain of scouts, and here I am. I must
confess that I am sorry enough for it; for I never saw a duller country
than California. There's no society here, no excitement--nothing to
stir up a fellow's blood."
"Fifty-four and three are fifty-seven," said Archie.
Arthur had evidently finished the history of his exploits, for he had
nothing more to say just then. Archie, after waiting a few minutes for
him to resume his narrative, pulled his sombrero down over his eyes, and
thrust his hands into his pockets--two movements he always executed when
he wished to concentrate his mind upon any thing--and began to ponder
upon what he had just heard.
"Vane," said he, suddenly, an idea striking him, "who commanded your
vessel when you were captured?"
Arthur knitted his brows, and looked down at the horn of his saddle, as
if thinking intently, and finally said: "Why, it was Mr.--, Mr.--; I
declare, I have forgotten his name."
Archie again relapsed into silence.
"We had two wars with those pirates," thought he. "The first was with
Tripoli; but as that happened in 1805, Arthur, of course, could not have
taken part in it, for he made his first voyage at sea in 1815. We lost
but one vessel, and that was captured in 1803--two years before war with
Tripoli was declared. It was the frigate Philadelphia, and she wasn't
whipped, either, but was run aground while pursuing a piratical vessel.
She was commanded by Captain Bainbridge, who surrendered himself and
crew. They were not compelled to 'walk the plank,' however, but were
reduced to a horrible captivity, and treated worse than dogs. The
Tripolitans never got a chance to use the Philadelphia against us, for
Decatur--who was at that time a lieutenant serving under Commodore
Preble, who commanded our navy in those waters--boarded her one night
with twenty men while she was lying in the harbor, swept the deck of
more than double that number of pirates, burned the vessel under their
very noses, and returned to his ship with only one man wounded. I never
did care much for history, but a fellow finds a great deal of
satisfaction sometimes in knowing a little about it."
Archie had at first been highly amused by what Arthur had to say; but
now, that the novelty had somewhat worn off, he began to wonder how it
was possible for a boy to look another in the face and tell such
improbable stories. If Arthur was not ashamed of himself Archie was
heartily ashamed for him, and he was more than half inclined to put
spurs to Sleepy Sam and start for home. He was not fond of such company.
Arthur Vane is not an imaginary character. There are a great many like
him in the world, boys, and men, too, who endeavor to make amends for
the absence of real merit by recounting just such impossible exploits.
The result, however, is always the exact reverse of what they wish it to
be. Instead of impressing their auditors with a sense of their great
importance, they only succeed in awakening in their minds feelings of
pity and contempt.
After Arthur had finished the history of his life, he rode along
whistling snatches of the "Hunter's Chorus," happy in the belief that
his reputation was established. Well, it was established, but how?
Archie thought: "Brag is a splendid dog, but Holdfast is better. Perhaps
we may have a chance to test the courage of this mighty man of valor."
Johnny soliloquized: "Does this fellow imagine that we are green enough
to believe that he would stand and let a lion walk up within ten paces
of him? Hump! a good-sized rabbit would scare him to death."
Frank, who had taken but little part in the conversation, told himself
that he had never become acquainted with a boy as deserving of pity as
was Arthur Vane. He was not a desirable companion, and Frank hoped that
he would not often be thrown into his society.
For a long time the boys rode in silence, keeping their horses in an
easy gallop, and presently they entered the woods that fringed the base
of the mountains, through which ran a bridle-path that led toward the
old fur-trader's ranch. Two young hounds belonging to Johnny led the
way, Johnny came next, and Frank and Archie brought up the rear. They
had ridden in this order for a short distance, when the singular
movements of the hounds attracted their attention, and caused them to
draw rein. The dogs stood in the path, snuffing the air, and gazing
intently at the bushes in advance of them, and then, suddenly uttering
a dismal howl, they ran back to the boys, and took refuge behind them.
At the same instant, the horse on which Johnny was mounted arose on his
hind feet, turned square around, and, in spite of all the efforts of his
rider to stop him, dashed by the others, and went down the path at the
top of his speed.
"Good-by, fellows," shouted Johnny; "and look out for yourselves, for
there is"--
What else Johnny said the boys could not understand, for the clatter of
his horse's hoofs drowned his voice, and in a moment he was out of sight
among the trees.
"There's something in those bushes," said Frank, with difficulty
restraining his own horse, which seemed determined to follow Johnny,
"and who knows but it might be a grizzly?"
"I am quite sure it is," said Archie. "Don't you remember how badly
frightened Pete used to be when there was one of those varmints around?"
As Archie said this, the bushes were violently agitated, and the twigs
cracked and snapped as if some heavy body was forcing its way through
them. The hounds, waiting to hear no more, turned and fled down the
path, leaving the boys to themselves. Frank turned and looked at Arthur.
Could it be possible that the pale, terror-stricken youth he saw before
him was the one who but a few moments ago had boasted so loudly of his
courage? That noise in the bushes had produced a great change in him.