the cliff, where they could conveniently be got at in case the commander
of the "Sally D." made another attempt to burn the shanty, and, this
done, there was nothing more to be done in the way of defense.
Now that he had time to consider the situation more calmly, and while
they were waiting for Captain Doak to reappear, Tom began to have some
misgivings regarding their ability to hold possession of the island
against a man armed with a deadly weapon.
"Are you certain that gun of his ain't in condition?" he asked
anxiously, and Sam replied with a laugh, as if there was no question
whatsoever in his mind:
"I heard the cap'en say it had been loaded more'n two years, an' in that
time, for it has been hangin' up in the 'Sally's' cabin all the while,
it stands to reason it must have gathered considerable rust. Rube Rowe
said he'd rather stand in front than behind it, in case anybody was
crazy enough to pull the trigger."
"Then I reckon it's all right," Tom said with a sigh of relief. "I
ain't backin' down any when it comes to stoppin' that bloomin' fisherman
from burnin' your Uncle Ben's shanty; but I ain't had any too much
experience in fightin' with guns. When I lived with Mother Sharkey it
was only a case of dodgin' anythin' she could lay her hands on, an' I'm
way up on tricks like that, 'cause you see I had to be mighty spry or
catch it hot; but----"
"There comes Cap'en Doak, an' he's got the gun with him!" Sam cried, for
he could make out, in the gloom, the outlines of a man emerging from the
cabin of the schooner. "P'rhaps he's jest crazy-mad enough to fire off
the thing without stoppin' to think of the rust!"
"I don't see but that we'll have to take our chances on it, 'cause it's
too late to make a move now. Get a couple of rocks ready, an' when I
say the word let 'em drive the best you know how. We're bound to do him
all the damage we can. He started all this, and its his fault if he
gets hurt."
Sam armed himself as his companion had suggested, but at the same time
he was far from feeling comfortable in mind. It was to him a very
serious matter, this attempting to work injury to a human being, and the
idea came into his mind that he would be solely responsible for whatever
might happen, because, by at once giving himself up, to his stepfather,
he could put an end to further trouble on the island, but in such case
he would receive most terrible punishment.
"Look here, Tom," he said in a tearful tone as he allowed the rocks to
drop from his hands, "this row wouldn't have come off if I hadn't run
away from the schooner an' I can stop it all now by goin' aboard the
'Sally' an' takin' what the cap'en sees fit to deal out in the way of a
thumpin'. I'm goin' to give in, an' then there won't be any danger
Uncle Ben's shanty will be burned."
"You ain't goin' to do any sich foolish thing!" Tom cried, excitedly.
"An' what's more, your Uncle Ben's shanty won't be burned while there
are plenty of rocks near by! S'pose you hadn't run away, where'd I be
now? Swashin' 'round off the shore with the fish havin' a Thanksgivin'
dinner, an' on account of that I'm bound to hold up the biggest end of
this 'ere scrimmage. You won't go aboard the schooner to-night, not if
I have to hold you on this cliff with one hand while I fight the cap'en
with the other. Here comes the old pirate, so get busy!"
Captain Doak had lost no time in coming ashore after getting possession
of his weapon, and as Tom spoke he was advancing rapidly toward the
shanty, apparently confident of speedily reducing the defenders to
subjection.
"Hold on there! You've come far enough!" Master Falonna cried when the
angry captain was a hundred feet away. "The next time we knock you down
it won't be so easy to get up!"
"I'll shoot you loafers full of holes!" the commander of the "Sally D."
cried, the tremor of his voice telling that he was almost beside himself
with rage; but to Tom's relief, he took good care to remain at a
respectful distance from the foot of the cliff. "I'm willin' to give
you one chance more, an' if you ain't wise enough to take it, there's
goin' to be a whole lot of trouble on this island. Let that worthless
Sam go aboard the 'Sally' this minute, an' I'll get the schooner under
way in a jiffy. If he----"
"Never mind 'bout the rest of it, mister, 'cause Sam's goin' to stay
right where he is, 'less we have ter come down an' wipe the earth up
with you. I reckon you're right when you say there's goin' to be
trouble; but you're the one what'll have it!"
For reply Captain Doak raised the gun as if to take aim, and Tom
whispered excitedly:
"He's goin' to shoot! Let him have it!"
At the same instant he suited the action to the words; four missiles
came skimming down the cliff, one of them striking the rusty gun within
an inch of the captain's face, and another hitting the commander of the
"Sally D." on the left leg with a thud that could be distinctly heard.
The ancient weapon was knocked from the captain's hands, or fell when he
grasped the injured limb as if in greatest distress, and then came from
his lips a regular torrent of abuse and threats.
"I don't allow you're doin' us any damage by usin' your tongue so much;
but at the same time I ain't willin' to stand here doin' nothin' while
you're shootin' your mouth off at sich a rate," Tom said threateningly,
as he armed himself with more rocks. "Get on down toward the beach, or
I'll try my hand at bruisin' your other leg!"
To the surprise of both the boys, Captain Doak hastily obeyed this
command, hobbling off as if it caused him keenest pain to use the
injured member, but at the same time taking good care not to linger
within range of those whom he had attempted to bully.
"What do you think of that?" Tom cried in astonishment as he watched the
commander of the "Sally D." hurrying to gain the beach.
"He has gone off to try some other game, an' when he comes again we'll
get it hotter," Sam whispered timidly, and Tom replied scornfully,
almost as if disappointed because the battle had been ended so suddenly:
"Unless he puts up somethin' hotter we've wasted our time by luggin' up
so many rocks. He's nothin' but a great big bully, that's what he is,
an' the minute things ain't runnin' his way he's ready to cry baby. I'm
goin' to get that gun!"
"Don't! Don't leave the cliff, or he'll serve you out terrible!" Sam
cried, trying to prevent his companion from scrambling down the rocky
descent, but Tom pushed him aside as he said disdainfully:
"It'll be a cold day when he uses me so very terrible, the big bag of
wind!" and down he ran at full speed, Captain Doak apparently giving no
heed as the lad captured the rusty gun.
In less than sixty seconds Tom was on the top of the cliff again,
brandishing his trophy as he shouted to the commander of the schooner
who, seated on the sand, was rubbing his injured limb energetically:
"It's time you went aboard, 'less you want to get another dose. We're
here to look after things while Uncle Ben is away, an' don't count on
havin' sich as you 'round here after dark! I'm goin' to pile a lot of
rocks on this gun, when it has been pointed straight for you, an' then
tie a string to the trigger so I can pull it without takin' the chances
of havin' my head blown off. If you're in the way there'll be a mighty
good show of gettin' hurt."
"What's goin' on over there?" a voice cried from across the water, and
as the boys remained silent in surprise they heard the splash of oars in
the distance.
"Uncle Ben has come back!" Sam shouted, in a tone of most intense
relief, and immediately after came the question:
"What's the matter ashore?"
"Cap'en Doak has been tryin' to burn the shanty!" Tom replied, and from
the deck of the schooner Rube Rowe took part in the conversation by
saying irritably:
"I reckon you haven't got back any too soon, Uncle Ben. The skipper is
crazier than a woodchuck, an' if the boys hadn't put up a pretty stiff
fight he'd cut quite a swarth!"
There was no reply, but Sam fancied that the oars were worked more
energetically, as if the old lobster catcher was in a hurry to gain the
shore, and Tom whispered, as he made careful selection of two rocks:
"Let's get down on the beach about as soon as your Uncle Ben comes
ashore, for there's no tellin' what that bloomin' stepfather of yours
may try to do to the old man."
It is possible that Sam would not have ventured down from the cliff
alone; but he could do no less than follow the example set by his
companion and by the time Uncle Ben's dory struck the shore the two lads
were so near that they might easily have fallen upon Captain Doak before
he could do a mischief.
The old lobster catcher hauled his boat far up on the beach and threw
out the anchor, lest she should drift away when the tide rose again,
before saying anything to the man whom he had warned against trespassing
on Apple Island. Then, instead of speaking in an angry tone, he said
placidly:
"You are only makin' matters worse for yourself, Eliakim, by tryin' to
work mischief. I allowed you'd let your temper get the upper hand an' so
did what I could to protect Sam Cushing. I've finished the business at
the Port, 'cordin' to what I promised, an' if you lay the weight of your
finger on the lad ag'in you'll be buckin' agin the whole state of Maine,
'cause you've no longer got a shadder of a claim on him."
"What's the meanin' of all that, you old idjut?" Captain Doak cried
angrily, looking toward Uncle Ben for the first time since he had come
ashore.
"I mean that a legal guardian will be app'inted for the boy you've
wronged outer his mother's house, an' his case will be looked inter by
the judge. As for your bein' here, that's another matter, an' I've
found out jest what rights I've got to this 'ere island, seein's how I
pay rent for it. You're to keep a proper distance, Eliakim Doak, for
I'm warnin' you off of what is the same as my property, an' if you put
your foot on this place ag'in I'll have you sued for trespass."
"Hurray for Uncle Ben," said Tom gleefully. Sam was too astonished to
speak.
"It takes considerable to get me started," Uncle Ben went on, "an' you
mustn't think that all this has come on me sudden-like; I've had it in
mind ever since the day you sold Sam's house, puttin' the money inter
your own pocket, but didn't get 'round to straightenin' things till you
allowed he was obleeged to stop aboard with you, doin' a man's work an'
gettin' nothin' in the way of wages." Then walking toward his shanty,
giving no heed as to what Captain Doak might propose to do, the old man
said to the boys, "I reckon it is time you turned in, for the night is
gettin' old. Come with me, for growin' lads need a good bit of sleep to
keep 'em in shape."
Tom and Sam followed Uncle Ben; but before entering the shanty both
looked back to see what the commander of the "Sally D." was doing, and,
much to their surprise, saw that he remained seated on the sand as when
the old lobster catcher came ashore.
"He's not goin' to leave," Tom announced, as he closed the door behind
him lest the subject of their conversation should overhear the words,
and Uncle Ben replied placidly:
"He'll go aboard after a spell, an' get the schooner under way. An
obstinate man is Eliakim Doak, an' it goes agin the grain to be forced
inter doin' what he don't like. Have you had much trouble with him?"
Both lads told the story of what had happened on the island, giving the
story in a fragmentary way, but none the less clearly, and when the
recital was done Uncle Ben said in a tone of conviction:
"It's lucky he didn't have his will, an' p'rhaps it's well he kicked up
a row, else I might have fiddled over my plan till there wasn't life
enough left in me to carry it out as I've figgered on. Now it's the
same as started, an' all owin' to Eliakim's bad temper."
Sam and Tom looked at each other in perplexity. Uncle Ben appeared to
think he had accomplished something of importance, and yet they failed
to understand what he meant, for to mix a plan of his with the actions
of Captain Doak seemed much like trying to combine oil with water.
"What is it, Uncle Ben?" Sam asked after waiting in vain for the old man
to make the necessary explanations. "How did Cap'en Doak's tryin' to
burn the shanty have anythin' to do with your plan?"
"It wasn't what he tried to do since I left that made any difference;
but only because I knew he was out to make trouble. I'll get a bite to
eat, fill my pipe, an' then, while I'm takin' comfort, you shall hear
all about it."
The old man set about making ready a meal, and while he was thus engaged
Tom crept out to learn what move Captain Doak might have made, returning
five minutes later with the report that the commander of the "Sally D."
yet remained on the beach as when they had left him.
*CHAPTER VIII*
*UNCLE BEN'S "PLAN"*
Before Uncle Ben's "bite" had been made ready the boys understood that
it was quite time for them to have breakfast. Already the first gray
light of the coming day could be seen in the eastern sky. and it
surprised them not a little at thus realizing how long a time had been
spent in defending the shanty.
"It didn't seem to be as if we'd been foolin' with Cap'en Doak so long,
but 'cordin' to the looks of things he's made a night of it," Sam said
in surprise, as he looked out of the shanty door at the sky.
"I'm reckonin' you got so excited that you couldn't keep any very close
run of the time," and as he spoke Uncle Ben displayed a slice of juicy
steak he had brought from the mainland. "What do you think of that? It
ain't very often I allow myself to buy meat when there's plenty of fish
to be had for the takin', but this seemed to be what you might call an
extry occasion on account of its bein' the beginnin' of my plan."
"You said you'd tell us what that was," Sam suggested carelessly, and
the old man replied with a merry laugh:
"That part of the story will come in reg'lar order, but not till I've
wore the edge off my appetite, for it makes a man feel mighty sharkish
to pull the greater part of the way from Southport to Apple Island."
"Why didn't you wait till mornin', same's you figgered on?"
"Wa'al, I'd got through with the business concernin' Eliakim Doak, an'
somehow--I can't rightly say why--it seemed as if I was needed here, so
I made sail. P'rhaps it was lucky I did, for that stepfather of yourn
had let himself drop inter a bit of temper."
"Temper!" Tom repeated with a laugh. "He was boilin' mad, that's what
ailed him, an' ready for all kinds of trouble. Couldn't you use the
dory's sail?"
"None to speak of, lad, none to speak of. A dory makes more leeway than
headway, when it comes to standin' up agin the wind, so after foolin'
'round with the canvas for a spell I took to the oars. Time was when I
didn't mind a pull from here to the Port, but now it seems like a
longish job. This meat smells good, eh?"
"That's what it does!" Tom replied emphatically. "I haven't had
anythin' to eat but fish for so long that it seems like I must be
growin' fins."
"Wa'al, we've got plenty of time to enjoy this, 'cause we won't need to
pull pots till well toward noon. Jest take a squint outside, an' see if
Eliakim is still nestlin' in the sand."
"He isn't on the beach, an' the dory has disappeared, so I reckon he's
on board the 'Sally,'" Sam reported after a brief survey of the shore.
"We'll hope he's got sense enough left to give Apple Island a wide berth
in the future, for I've made up my mind that he shan't hang round here
makin' trouble. The time has come when, if my plan is to amount to
anythin', I've got to stick up for all the rights the law allows. I
reckon you lads may as well fall to, for the meat is cooked, an' I've
got two loaves of baker's bread to go with it, sayin' nothin' of these
pertaters what are browned to a turn."
The boys did not need to be urged; both were hungry, as well they might
be after the exertions of the night, and Tom was about to make an attack
upon the potatoes without waiting for Uncle Ben to serve him, when he
saw that Sam was sitting with bowed head, as if waiting for some
ceremony to be performed.
"What seems to be the trouble?" he asked with a laugh, which died away
very suddenly when the old lobster catcher began thanking his heavenly
Father for the food with which they had been provided.
"It's the least we can do, Tom, to thank the Lord for all the blessin's
He's allowin' us, for certain it is we don't deserve any," Uncle Ben
said when his prayer was finished and he had begun to attend to the
wants of his guests. "I ain't countin' on tryin' to read you a lesson,
for any lad what's got common sense can see how much he owes his Maker;
but I hope you'll kinder keep your weather eye liftin' till you come to
realize how the thing stands."
Tom's face flushed, and Uncle Ben, understanding that he felt ashamed,
set about telling of his doings in Southport, and how much of stores he
was counting to bring from the mainland on the next trip.
Once during the meal Sam looked out of the door to make certain that the
commander of the "Sally D." was not lurking in the vicinity; but nothing
was seen to cause alarm. The schooner remained at anchor in the cove,
and it was not yet sufficiently light to make out whether any person was
on deck.
When hunger had been appeased, Sam insisted that he and Tom be allowed
to wash the dishes while Uncle Ben was filling his pipe, and the old man
was hardly more than ready to explain his "plan" before the lads were at
liberty to act the part of listeners.
"I've had this 'ere thing on my mind for many a year, but never seemed
able to get 'round to it till I heard how Eliakim Doak was treatin'
Sammy, an' then I says to myself, says I, 'Benny, this is the time when
you oughter be gettin' your plan under way,'" and Uncle Ben leaned back
in his chair with the smoke clouds curling around his head. "I allowed
that I'd take Sammy in an' care for him, seein's how he didn't have
anybody to look after him proper like. Then come the idea that if I
could lend a hand to Sammy, why couldn't I do the same to half a dozen
lads what was needin' a home; but the thing didn't come out straight in
my mind till I was on my way to Southport yesterday."
"I can't seem to make out exactly what you mean," Sam said in perplexity
as the old man ceased speaking, much as if his story had been told.
"It'll all come plain after a bit, lad, 'cause you see I ain't got inter
my yarn yet, so to speak. Wa'al, I was turnin' the matter over in my
mind jest before Tom takes it inter his head to show up, an' then I says
to myself, says I, 'Benny, it's all bein' worked out for yer, so go
ahead an' do the rest,' an' that's what I did yesterday, so to speak."
"But what did you do yesterday, Uncle Benny?" Sam asked in perplexity.
"That's jest what I'm tryin' to tell you, lad; but first an' foremost
you must know what the plan really is. I allowed that this 'ere island
was big enough for quite a family, an' that a good-sized school of boys
might get a decent livin' here, if so be they was willin' to work. You
see it wouldn't be much of a job to raise all the vegetables that a big
lot of people could eat in a winter. Then ag'in, if we had a schooner
the size of the 'Sally D.,' an' boys enough to run her, we'd be makin' a
large dollar by fishin', with the lobster business goin' on same as
ever. Now do you catch on to the plan?"
"You mean to hire a lot of boys to come here an' work for you!" Tom
cried, believing he understood the drift of the old man's remarks.
"I don't mean to hire 'em, lad; but when we find a boy like you was
yesterday, we'll say to him somethin' like this: 'If you're willin' to
pay your own way in the world, want a home, an' will live peaceable one
with another, come inter your Uncle Ben's family, an' we'll share an'
share alike.' Now here are you two, both willin' to do a full share of
work, an' here's me with the island, boats an' lobster gear for a start.
We've already set ourselves up as a family, an' if so be we run across a
decent lad who's in need of a home--mind you, we won't cavort 'round the
country huntin' for 'em, but if we come across one, we'll give him a
show on Apple Island, leavin' him at liberty to turn his back on us when
things ain't to his likin'."
"Is it kind of a 'sylum that you're startin', sir?" Tom asked in a tone
of disappointment, and Uncle Ben replied emphatically:
"Not a bit of it, lad, not a bit of it! We'll jest gather a family
here, with no charity business 'bout it. Each one shall do what he can
for the good of himself an' all around him. We'll have some rules,
same's would be found in every proper kind of a family, an' when we
can't live up to 'em, we'll separate peaceable an' friendly. It'll be a
case of workin' for a livin', an' workin' hard; but we'll be able to
live snug, lads, for Apple Island ain't the worst place in the world,
an' if so be the family grows till this shanty is too small for it, why
all we have to do is build another."
Tom's face was aglow with pleasure, and Sam stood by the old man's chair
that he might show his joy by caressing Uncle Ben's hand, worn and horny
though it was with hard labor.
"Like the plan, eh?" and the lobster catcher appeared to be well pleased
by the expression on the faces of the boys. "Wa'al, the Lord has been
mighty good to me all my life, an' I've laid by a tidy bit of money,
thinkin' the day might come when I could help them as hadn't had it as
easy in this world as has been my lot, an' I reckon it's close at hand.
When the family grows big enough, I can buy, an' pay cash for, a trim
little schooner 'bout the size of the 'Sally D.,' an' then we'll carry
on a reg'lar wholesale business in the fishin' line. I've jest taken a
new lease for the island, runnin' twenty years, an' when that time has
come to an end I'll be in the other world, while one of you is keepin'
the family goin'."
"But what if Cap'en Doak should keep on tryin' to get hold of me now,
when everythin' looks so fine?" Sam asked in a whisper, as if afraid of
expressing his fears in words.
"You needn't have any trouble on that score, lad. When Eliakim turns up
in Southport ag'in, he'll find out what I've been doin' an' won't dare
to raise so much as a finger agin you."
"S'posin' there should be five or six boys here at one time, do you
reckon we could all earn a livin'?" Tom asked.
"Earn a livin'? Why, the lobster fishin', carried on industriously,
would run the whole family, an' if we have a schooner for deep sea work,
there's no reason why we couldn't lay by considerable money. I'm
countin' that when the time comes for me to go over the dark river, if
so be the plan is carried out, I can leave you boys with a handsome
capital. But remember this, an' don't let it out of your mind once, that
the whole plan depends on every member of the family doin' his level
best in the way of work. There'll be plenty of times when we'll have a
chance for play; but while business is to be looked after, it's a case
of hustle, 'cause lobsters an' fish don't hang 'round cryin' for lazy
folks to catch 'em."
Then, his "plan" having thus far been given in detail, Uncle Ben went
out of the shanty, much as if believing that these, the first two
members of his "family," might want to discuss the matter, and no sooner
had he gone than Tom exclaimed with a long-drawn sigh.
"Well I'll be blowed, if he ain't the best kind of a man I ever run
across! Jest think of his workin' all these years with the idee of
spendin' his money on a bloomin' lot of duffers like us!"
"He's mighty good, an' it makes me feel awful mean when I think that if
it hadn't been for you I wouldn't had the nerve to stand Cap'en Doak off
when he was tryin' to burn the shanty!" Sam said mournfully, and hie
companion cried cheerfully:
"Don't let any sich notions get to worryin' yer, Sam. If you'd been
here alone I'm allowin' you'd perked up in great shape; but that pirate
had kept the upper hand so long that you'd got kinder shaky. I wonder
if he's had sense enough to make sail?"
By way of answering his own question Tom opened the door of the shanty,
and an exclamation of mingled surprise and anger burst from his lips as
he looked out:
"Well, he's the worst ever! Will you look at the miserable sneak comin'
ashore again! Now what game is he tryin' to work, I wonder?"
By this time the new day had fully come, and as Sam peered out over his
companion's shoulder he could see Rube Rowe sitting idly on the rail of
the "Sally D.," while Captain Doak was rowing ashore alone in the dory.