"only two more days, boys, and the boat will be here for us, and the tents will have to come down," exclaimed joe, as he stood on the beach with a handful of pebbles, skipping one after another out over the swimming-pool.
"that's so," said ben, sighing over lost opportunities.
"the question is what to do first now. shall we show ralph and you the sights?"
"oh, it's jolly just to be here, joe, without hunting up any fun!" said ralph, leaning back in his rocky seat. "i could lie on the rocks here, and be comfortable, and call it a good time, too, after our dismal experience."
"having had that, it's all the more reason you should have all the pleasure we can crowd into these two days," said joe, putting his hand on ralph's shoulder.
"yes," said dave; "we must stretch these next two days over all the fun we can."
"the archery and rifle matches come off this afternoon; but i shan't fire another arrow till then. it is too bad your bow and rifle were left behind, boys: but you can use my bow, ralph; and there are plenty of fellows in the rifle club to lend you a rifle, ben," said joe.
the offers followed at once, but the two boys declined, and ben, who was a member of the rifle club, and one of the best marksmen, said, "no, indeed; i haven't practised for a fortnight, and i should disgrace my record if i should join in the match to-day. no; i'll look on and applaud."
"let's go and swim a while, and after that take a run over to the lighthouse," suggested joe.
"and show the boys the place where walt and ned acted robinson crusoe," added don.
"which was robinson, and which friday?"
"i don't think that question was ever decided," answered ned good-naturedly.
"ho, for a swim! who will go in?" cried fred.
"i," and "i," answered the boys, as they ran for their bathing-suits.
they soon appeared dressed in all imaginable costumes, and a band of fantastics could hardly have been funnier. into the water they walked or leaped or dived, with much shouting and shrieking over the cold. ralph was a timid swimmer, and did not like the water well enough to attempt any fancy motions, contenting himself with paddling about where he could reach the shore very quickly, if he chose. ben, however, was strong and bold, and followed joe and the others in diving from the rocks and swimming under water. nearly the whole school were in the water together this morning, to celebrate ralph and ben's arrival. the two boys from the lighthouse were there also, and under joe's instruction were learning to "strike out" quite boldly. little max was also learning, and he shouted to his father, who sat on the rocks, laughing at the antics of his boys, "see, father, how many strokes i can take. now you count. i can go 'dog paw,' too."
the time passed so quickly that the boys could hardly believe that mr. bernard's watch was reliable when he gave the signal for an exodus from the water. as usual, there was pleading for a few minutes more,--one more dive, or one more race across the pool,--then a great splashing and dashing and general commotion, as the multitude obeyed the order, followed by a scamper of the dripping mermen to the tents. after dressing, they met for further discussion as to the next thing in order, and, after much debate, most of those who were not intending to practise for the matches decided to go over to the lighthouse.
"is the wreck there now?" asked ralph.
"yes, it's there, what there is of it, but it is 'most all to pieces," answered john kramer.
"and where are the men?"
"oh, father took them across in his boat after they had done all they could to save things. i tell you, they were awful plucky about getting things out. father says he wouldn't have risked his bones on the old hull for nobody."
"no, i don't believe he would, boy," said walter dryly, recalling the slowness with which he responded to their petitions for help when he and ned were in trouble. "your father will never come to his death through want of care for himself, rest sure of that, johnny; so don't you lie awake at night worrying about him."
the path to the lighthouse lay through that part of the pasture where the blueberries were most plentiful and tempting, so it was long before the boys reached their destination; and their blue mouths told the secret of their delay.
after the lighthouse had been visited and examined, the boys led the way to the fishing-ground, where the tide had come up over their fish and lunches and rods. here all began to talk together, relating the experience of that eventful day, and though they all spoke one language, it seemed like a second babel, but little inferior in point of sound to the first. each boy having had an experience that differed a little from his neighbour's, felt it necessary to make a statement of facts. after a while joe shouted above the din,--
"see here, boys, it is low tide; let's go around and see the 'exiles' rock!'" and he led the way down to the spur around which walter and ned had run to hide.
"look out there! you fellows will be caught just as we were," shouted walter.
"no, we won't. we know too much for that," answered dave.
"come on and visit the scene of your fame and glory, walt!" exclaimed ned.
"no, sir; the fame and glory were too slim to tempt me again," was the laughing reply, as walter threw himself down on the rocks to wait for the others.
"i am going. i feel curious to know how it seems to be there again," and ned ran after the other boys, who had disappeared around the spur. "imagine these waves ten times rougher and fiercer, leaping and roaring away up by your very feet, with the spray flying in your faces, and you can have some idea how walt and i felt here," he said, after he reached his companions; then he added, "and yet you can't; for the worst of it all was that we didn't know where the tide would stop, or whether it would stop at all until it had washed us off our perch."
"there couldn't be a much worse place to get caught!" exclaimed ben, shrugging his shoulders, as he always did, to express the feeling that matters and things were in a bad condition.
"let's get away from here," said ralph. "i have had all the experience with the raging seas that i want."
then, with many similar comments, the crowd of boys surged back to the place where they had left walter.
"now for spouting horn!" cried joe. "here, not that way. the low-tide spouter is on this side," he added, as the boys were starting off.
"it is just about time to see the pool, too," said fred.
"yes, we will do both. there'll be time enough to see that after we have watched the spout a while."
"there she blows!" exclaimed don, as they came near the place in time to hear the report, as the column of water shot up into the air and fell in delicate spray.
a prolonged "oh--h!" ending in a whistle from ralph, expressed his admiration of the wonderful sight; and he and ben hastened forward to be as near as possible before it spouted again.
"i don't want to hurry you, boys," said joe, "but we have another sight to show, and the tide has turned. in a little while it will be too late to see the pool."
there was another race of the multitude, and in spite of their haste the tide had crept nearly up to the place they had come to see. the waves were beginning to flow up over the barrier separating the pool from the ocean, and there was only time to secure a few specimens of star-fish and sea-urchins, and to admire the natural aquarium; then they were obliged to retreat before the rushing water.
ben, who was lying flat on the rocks, trying to get possession of a beautiful lilac-coloured sea-anemone, would not heed the shouts and shrieks of warning from his comrades, and as a result, before he could scramble to his feet, a succession of waves rolled over him, hiding him from view. when the waves rolled back he was blowing the water from mouth and nose, and laughing as heartily as those who had been spectators of the ludicrous sight.
"the great atlantic merman!" shouted dave, as he rolled on the rocks in a fit of laughter.
"i got the creature though!" ben cried triumphantly. then seeing the mass of jelly in his hand, with no trace of the beauty he had sought to seize upon, he threw it down with an expression of disgust. "pooh! is that the thing? i don't want that!" he exclaimed. "alas! i got ducked for nothing, except to make sport for the rest of you. well, look at me and laugh all you want to," he added good-naturedly, as he tried to wring himself out. there was no need to tell the boys that, and the shrieks of laughter continued long after they started campward.
"see! see!" shouted the archers, as the boys tramped past the targets. "a wreck! a wreck! ben carver rescued from the briny deep."
"why this wetness, benjamin?" cried henry burnham, as he paused, with his arrow on the string.
"oh, that was acquired in my thirst for science."
"couldn't be satisfied without going into it head over heels, eh?"
"here, come to our tent. i carried your valise there, ben," said joe. "your teeth are chattering now; i am going to get jonas to make you some ginger-tea. that'll warm you up, i tell you."
away ran joe, and by the time ben had changed his garments, he returned with a mug.
"here it is, piping hot. drink that, ben, and i'll warrant you'll be able to melt out the inside of an iceberg by just breathing on it."
ben took the mug, and, after eying the contents with a comical look of distrust, took one sip, then with a wry face he said, "here, boys, pass this beverage around. there's nothing mean about me. i always share my treats. this will warm you so much, you will love even the misguided wretch who invented logarithms."
the offer was laughingly declined, and ben, pouring the contents on the ledge, returned the mug to jonas with many thanks for his liberality.
