"ho, for the match! come, dave, bring out your weapons; the boys are gathering."
dave quickly obeyed joe's summons, and the two friends, with bows and quivers, followed by ralph and ben, joined the archers. fourteen boys composed the club, and at the time appointed they, as well as the spectators, were ready for the signal. mr. andrews kept the score, and there was great excitement as the shots were registered; but in spite of much loud talk the match ended satisfactorily to all outsiders, and to most of the participants, for joe chester won. a prolonged shout announced joe's victory, not only to all on the island, but to vessels far out on the water.
before the excitement had fairly abated, the signal for the rifle match was given, and away started the crowd to that part of the island where the targets were set for the marksmen. ben being one of the best of the club, was particularly interested in this match, and he watched eagerly the movement of every rifle, longing for his own, and the chance to use it. many rifles were offered to him, and every one urged him to join in the trial of skill; but his answer was, "no, indeed; i shan't risk my reputation now without any practice." mr. andrews kept the score here also, and although there were some hot disputes over the shots, donald parker was pronounced the winner of the prize.
"now i'll try a rifle," exclaimed ben.--"here, don, lend me yours."
most of the boys were gathered in knots, eagerly discussing the match, but at the sound of ben's firing they gathered around him.
"hurrah for ben!"
"that's a good one!"
"there's another!"
he fired the same number of shots as that allowed to the club, and the score was better than any made by the others, beating even that of the prize-winner.
"i thought i could do it," he said, with sparkling eyes, "but i didn't want to risk it in the match. perhaps i couldn't have done it, either. i shouldn't have been so cool."
the boys were too excited over the long-talked-of matches to enter upon any other sport, and they gathered in knots on the ledges and in front of the tents, talking about this and that rifle or bow, or the scores of the different marksmen, comparing them with those of former matches.
"come--to-morrow is packing-up day, and we've got to be up early.--and have all the fun we can before the steamboat swoops down on us."
"like a wolf on the fold," added fred.
"oh, that dreadful monster!" cried max. "if it would only forget to come."
"or break its paddle-wheel," added ned.
"humph!" exclaimed jonas, who was already beginning to pack baking-tins and things he did not intend to use. "if she doesn't come in time, you'll find yourself on short rations, i can tell you. we are on our last barrel of biscuits. haven't flour enough for more than one batch of bread; and not a drop of treacle, even if we had the flour, for gingerbread."
"nor any ginger, even if we had the treacle and flour," added ben, with a mischievous twinkle of the eye. "of course there is no ginger, jonas was so generous with that in my tea."
the boys laughed, but jonas, indifferent to that, continued his deficit list. "the coffee's gone, and the butter-tub is scraped clean."
"mercy!" cried dave. "this is getting melancholy. it's worse than mother hubbard's bare cupboard."
"yes," added joe with a sigh. "it's nothing but a howling wilderness here, and the sooner we get out of it the better. no, i'll take that back. i'm willing to live on blueberries if everything else gives out. the blueberries are plentiful still."
"yes, and the clam-beds are not quite cleaned out," said ben cheerily.
"a fellow that would starve on the edge of the clam-beds deserves to die."
"i suppose there are some fish left in the sea too," suggested max.
"yes, a few. very likely those the tide carried off with our baskets, the day we had our freedom, came to life again, and are out of hospital by this time," said joe.--"you can't scare us, jonas. we don't feel a bit afraid of starving."
"no, maybe not, but you'd grumbled well if you didn't get nothin' but fish and berries for fare. you would," answered jonas, as he nailed down the top of the box.
"i suppose we would," said joe, "but i'd like to wait over and try it.--come on, ralph; you and ben can have a shake-down in our tent.--no, you other fellows can't have them; they've taken apartments with us. good-night to the rest of you."
"oh, don't leave us so soon. this is the last night. only think--to-morrow we shall scatter on the four winds," said walter.
"not to meet again till the roll is called in september," added ned with a doleful whistle.
"that sounds pretty bad, but i think we'll be able to bear it, considering that we are going to our own homes," answered joe.--"but this has been a good time, ralph--so much better than you or i dreamed possible the day school closed," he added as they walked off arm in arm.
"yes, indeed, it looked gloomy enough then; i couldn't see the way ahead at all, and i felt that there never would be any more good times for me in the world. i tell you, joe, i didn't deserve to have it turn out so. two or three times to-day i have wondered if i am not dreaming, and if i shall not wake up in the cabin of the una with that awful sea-sick feeling."
"but it's no dream, old fellow," said joe cheerily. "you are back among us, and every boy in the crowd was glad enough to see you. mr. bernard, too, was as happy as the rest of us."
"that's so queer. i thought he would never forgive me. i wonder if my own father will? joe, will you do me a favour? will you stop at my home on your way through? i'm going to tell father the whole story, and let him know the worst of it. i want you to go along and keep my courage up."
joe laughed and said, "want me for a body-guard, do you?"
"my father is a very strict man, and he hasn't any patience with anybody that is mean; and that's just what i was, besides being bad. i don't mean to excuse myself a bit, whether you are there or not; but if you would stop with me, i'd like it. i want him to see you too, joe."
"enough said; i'll stop. here's the tent; walk in. dave and ben are already in the bunk. well, you and i will take the shake-down."
"we thought you would be waking us up if we slept on the floor, so we crawled in here to be out of the way," explained dave.
"that's all right, dave.--now, ralph, you and i have the floor; let the other fellows keep quiet. it isn't the softest bed i ever saw, but it is a good deal better than that you have had for some nights past."
"yes, especially if you haven't anything you want to hide. i tell you it's good to be free of that. i'll never forget what captain dare said, and i can say it to myself now."
after the other boys were sound asleep, ralph lay thinking over the weeks that had passed since he had burned the leaves in the garden at the back of the school-house. all the way along he followed the story again. he heard the roll called for the guilty boy; and saw again mr. bernard's face as he looked around upon his boys in astonishment and grief, as he said, "is it possible that we have a liar among us? a liar!" then he saw joe chester's face as he was summoned to mr. bernard's room to be questioned. he remembered how he felt when it was announced that joe chester must remain behind unless the guilty boy confessed; and the miserable days that followed, when, ashamed of himself, he still pretended to be innocent. then followed the last night of school when the question was decided, and he determined to go on no further with the deceit. this was the turning-point, and he felt that the worst was over when he thought of the letter of confession, the flight from the house, and the refuge with captain dare, which, in spite of all the discomfort resulting from it, had proved such a blessing to him. he remembered the very words of the old captain that had awakened the good resolutions in his heart, and he at last fell asleep feeling glad that he had opened his heart, and that there was nothing he wanted to conceal from god's eyes.
