Books: The Rover Boys on the Ocean
A >>
Arthur M. Winfield >> The Rover Boys on the Ocean
Pages:
1 |
2 |
3 |
4 |
5 |
6 |
7 |
8 |
9 |
10 |
11 This eBook was prepared by John Pobuda.
THE ROVER BOYS ON THE OCEAN
OR A CHASE FOR A FORTUNE
BY Arthur M. Winfield
(Edward Stratemeyer)
INTRODUCTION
My dear Boys: "The Rover Boys on the Ocean" is a complete tale in
itself, but forms a companion volume to "The Rover Boys at
School," which preceded it.
In the former volume I tried to give my young readers a glimpse
of life as it actually is in one of our famous military boarding
schools, with its brightness and shadows, its trials and
triumphs, its little plots and counterplots, its mental and
physical contests, and all that goes to make up such an
existence; in the present tale I have given a little more of
this, and also related the particulars of an ocean trip, which,
from a small and unpretentious beginning, developed into
something entirely unlooked for an outing calculated to test the
nerves of the bravest of American youths. How Dick, Tom, and
Sam, and their friends stood it, and how they triumphed over
their enemies, I will leave for the story itself to explain.
This volume will be followed by another, to be entitled, "The
Rover Boys in the jungle," telling of curious adventures in the
heart of Africa.
As the first volume of the series was so I well received, my one
wish is that the present tale may find equal favor at your hands.
Affectionately and sincerely yours,
EDWARD STRATEMEYER
September 20, 1899
THE ROVER BOYS ON THE OCEAN
CHAPTER I
SOMETHING ABOUT THE ROVER BOYS
"Luft up a little, Sam, or the Spray will run on the rocks."
"All right, Dick. I haven't got sailing down quite as One as you
yet. How far do you suppose we are from Albany?"
"Not over eight or nine miles. If this wind holds out we'll make
that city by six o'clock. I'll tell you what, sailing on the
Hudson suits me first-rate."
"And it suits me, too," put in Tom Rover, addressing both of
his brothers. "I like it ten times better than staying on Uncle
Randolph's farm."
"But I can't say that I like it better than life at Putnam Hall,"
smiled Sam Rover, as he threw over the tiller of the little
yacht. "I'm quite anxious to meet Captain Putnam and Fred,
Frank, and Larry again."
"Oh, so am I," answered Tom Rover. "But an outing on the Hudson
is just the best of a vacation. By the way, I wonder if all f
our old friends will be back?"
"Most of them will be."
"And our enemies?"
"Dan Baxter won't come back," answered Dick seriously. "He ran
away to Chicago with two hundred dollars belonging to his father,
and I guess that's the end of him -- so far as Putnam Hall and we
are concerned. What a bully was!"
"I feel it in my bones, Dick, that we'll meet Dan Baxter again,"
came from Sam Rover.
"Don't you remember that in that note he left when he ran away he
said he would take pains to get square with us some day?"
"He was a big blower, Sam," put in Tom. "I am not afraid of him.
An his chum, Mumps, was a regular sneak coward. I hope Putnam
Hall will be free from all such fellows during the next term.
But we -- Hold hard, Sam -- there is another yacht bearing down
upon us!"
Tom Rover leaped to his feet and so did Dick. Tom was right;
another craft, considerably larger than their own, was headed
directly for them.
"Throw her over to starboard!" sang out, Dick Rover. "And be
quick about it -- or we'll have a smashup sure!" And he leaped
to his brother's, assistance, while Tom did the same.
The Rover brothers were three in number -- Dick, the oldest and
most studious; Tom next, is full of fun as an egg is full of
meat, and Sam the youngest.
In a former volume of this series, entitled, "The Rover Boys at
School," I related how the three youths had been sent by their
uncle, Randolph Rover, to Putnam Hall, a military boarding
school, situated upon Cayuga Lake, in New York State.
Whether the three boys were orphans or not was a question that
could not be answered. Their father, Anderson Rover, had been a
geological expert and rich mine owner, and, returning from the
West, had set sail for Africa, with the intention of exploring
the central region of that country in the hope of locating some
valuable gold mines. The boys and their uncle knew that he had
journeyed from the western coast toward the interior with a
number of natives, and that was all they did know, although they
had made numerous inquiries, and hoped for the best. The lads'
mother was dead; and all these things had happened years before
they had been sent to boarding school.
Randolph Rover was an eccentric but kind hearted man, given over
entirely to scientific farming, of which, so far, sad to relate,
he had made a rather costly failure. He spent all of his time
over his agricultural books and in the fields, and was glad
enough to get the boys off his hands by sending them to the
military school.
When vacation came he wondered what he should do with them during
the summer, but the problem was solved by the boys, who hated to
think of remaining on the farm, and who proposed a trip up and down
the Hudson River and through Long Island Sound, providing their
guardian would furnish the boat and bear the expense of the outing.
The outcome was the chartering of the yacht Spray, and all of the
boys took lessons in sailing from an old tar who knew exactly how
such a craft should be handled.
At Putnam Hall the boys had made a number of friends, and also
several enemies, and had had several surprising adventures, as my
old readers already know. Who their friends and their enemies
were, and what further adventures were in store for the three
brothers, I will leave for the pages following to reveal. At
present let us turn our attention to the boat which seemed on
the point of running down the Spray.
Like their own craft, the other boat carried but a single mast.
But the stick was at least ten feet longer than the mast of the
Spray, and the boat was correspondingly larger in every respect.
As she came nearer the Rover boys saw that she contained two
occupants, a boy and a somewhat elderly man.
"Sheer off there!" cried Dick, at the top of his lungs. "Do you
want to run us down?"
"Get out of the way yourself!" came back the answer from the boy
in the other boat.
"We can't get out -- we are almost on the rocks now!" yelled Tom.
Then he gave a start of surprise. "Why, it's Mumps!"
"By jinks, it is John Fenwick!" muttered Dick. "I remember now
that he came from the Hudson River and that his folks owned a
boat." He raised his voice, "Are you going to sheer off or not?"
By this time the two boats were nearly bowsprit to bowsprit, and
Sam Rover's heart almost stopped beating. But now Mumps spoke to
the man with him, and his craft, called the Falcon, sheered to
port, scraping the Spray's side as she did so.
"Mumps, what do you mean by such work?" demanded Dick, when the
immediate danger was past.
"Ha! ha! I thought I would give you a scare," laughed the former
sneak of Putnam Hall.
"You needn't be afraid but what I and old Bill Goss here know how
to keep the Falcon out of danger."
"It was foolishness to run so close," said Tom.
"Don't you talk to me, Tom Rover. I've had enough of you, mind
that."
"And I want you to mind and keep off next time, Mumps. If you
don't --"
"What will you do?"
"I'll be tempted to come aboard the Falcon and give you a
thrashing."
"You'll never set foot on my boat, and I'm not afraid of you,"
roared Mumps. "You think you got the best of me at Putnam Hall,
but you didn't, and I want you to know it."
"How is your friend, Dan Baxter?" cried Sam. "Has he landed in
jail yet?"
"Never mind Dan Baxter," growled Mumps, growing red in the face;
and then the two yachts moved so far apart that further talk was
impossible.
"Well, I didn't expect to meet him," muttered Dick, after the
three brothers had cooled down a bit. "He must have known we
were in this boat."
"I saw his craft last night, down near Catskill," said Tom.
"I'll wager he has been following us up."
"He wouldn't do that unless he had some reason for it."
"I believe he would sink us if he could," put in Sam. "To my
mind he is almost as bad as Baxter."
"Hardly, Sam; Dan Baxter is a thief and the son of a thief," came
from Tom. "By the way, I wonder if Arnold Baxter is still in the
hospital at Ithaca."
"More than likely, since he was so badly hurt by that fall from
the train. If we -- Look, Mumps has turned around and is
following us!"
Sam pointed to the Falcon, and his brothers saw that he was
right. Soon the larger craft was again within hailing distance.
"Hi, Mumps, what are you following us for?" demanded, Dick, as he
stepped up on the stern seat.
"Didn't know I was following you," was the sour rejoinder. "I
have a right to sail where I please."
"If you have any game in mind I advise you not to try it on."
"What game would I have, Dick Rover?"
"Some game to get yourself into trouble."
"I know my own business."
"Alright, you can go about your business. But don't try to step
on our toes - or you'll get the worst of it."
"So you're going to play the part of a bully?"
"No; I'm only giving you fair warning. If you let us alone we'll
let you alone."
"You have been watching the movements of the Falcon since day
before yesterday," went on Mumps, slowly and distinctly, as
though he expected his words to have a great effect.
"Watching your boat - " began Dick and Tom simultaneously
"Yes, watching my boat - and I don't like it," answered Fenwick,
and his face grew dark.
"Why should we watch your boat?" demanded Sam.
"Never mind why. You've been watching her, and that's enough."
"And why should we put ourselves out to that extent - when we are
merely out for pleasure," said Dick. "There is no fun in
watching a fellow like you, I'm sure."
"John is right; ye have been a-watchin' this boat," growled the
old sailor named Bill Goss, who, it may be as well to state here,
was thoroughly under his younger master's thumb for reasons best
known to himself. "If I had my way I'd wollop the lot on ye!"
And he shook his fist at the occupants of the Spray.
"You keep your oar out!" cried Dick sternly. "You are entirely
mistaken in your suspicions. We are not spying on you or
anybody, and if you -"
Dick was permitted to go no further. While Bill Goss was
speaking to the Spray had been caught by a sudden puff of wind
and sent over to starboard. Now the Falcon came on swiftly, and
in an instant her sharp bow crashed into the Rover boy's boat.
The shock of the collision caused the Spray to shiver from stem
to stern, and then, with a jagged hole in her side, she began to
slowly sink.
CHAPTER II
THE ENCOUNTER ON THE RIVER
For the instant after the collision occurred none of the Rover
boys uttered a word. Tom and Sam stared in amazement at Mumps,
while Dick gazed helplessly at the damage done.
"Pull her away, quick, Bill!" cried Mumps in a low voice to the
old sailor, who at once sprang forward and shoved the two yachts
apart with a long boat-hook. Then the rudder of the Falcon was
put hard a port, and she swung, away for a distance of half a
dozen yards.
"We are sinking!" gasped Tom, who was the first of the three
brothers to find his voice.
"Mumps, you rascal, what do you mean by this work?" demanded
Dick. And then, without waiting for an answer, he turned to Sam.
"Steer for the shore and beach her -- if you can."
"I don't believe we can make it, Dick. But we can try."
"We'll have you locked up for this, Mumps," shouted Tom.
"I couldn't help It -- it was an accident," returned the former
sneak of Putnam Hall glibly. "You should have kept out of the
way."
"We'll see about that later on."
"Maybe you want us to help you."
"We shan't ask you for the favor," burst out Sam. "I'd rather
drown first." But Sam did not exactly mean this. He and his
brothers could all swim, and he felt certain that they were in no
immediate danger of their lives.
"You had better not ask any favors. I wouldn't pick you up for a
barrel of money."
"I think we'll have to settle this in court, Mumps," said Dick,
as quietly as he could.
"You can't prove I ran you down."
"Don't you dare to have us hauled up," put in Bill Goss. "It was
an accident, jest as John says. I reckon as how it will teach ye
a lesson not to follow us ag'in."
By this time the two yachts were once more so far apart that
talking from one to the other became difficult. Besides this,
the Rover boys felt that they must turn their whole attention to
the Spray, so no more was said.
The yacht had been struck just at the water line and the hole
made in her side was all of six inches in diameter. Through this
the water was pouring into the hold at a lively rate.
"We're going down as sure as guns," groaned Tom. "Steer her
right for the shore, Sam." This was done, and just as the Spray
began to settle they ran upon a muddy and rocky flat about thirty
feet from the river bank proper.
"There, we can't go down now," said Dick, with something of a
sigh of relief. "Let us lower the mainsail and jib before the
wind sends us over on our beam ends."
The others understood the value of the advice, and soon the
mainsail of the yacht came down with a bang, and the jib
followed. The Spray seemed inclined to list to port, but stopped
settling when her deck line touched the surface of the river.
"That settles yachting for the present," said Dick in deep
disgust.
"And the worst of it is, we haven't even a small boat to go
ashore in," added Sam. "What's to do?"
"There is a rowboat putting out from the shore now," cried Tom.
"Hullo, there!" he shouted, and waved his hand.
The shout was returned, and the rowboat was headed, in their
direction. As it came closer they saw that its occupant was a
middle-aged man of pleasant appearance.
"So you had a smash-up, eh?" shouted the man, as soon as he came
near. "Anybody hurt?"
"Our boat is hurt," answered Tom dryly.
"Much of a hole?"
"Big enough to put us on the bottom."
"So I see. Want me to take you ashore?"
"Yes," put in Dick, "if you will be kind enough to do it."
"Certainly; always willing to aid anybody in distress. That
other craft run you down in short order, didn't she?"
"Did you see it?" burst out Sam eagerly.
"To be sure I did."
"Then you know it was her fault."
"I do. She had no right to follow you up as she did."
"I'm glad you saw the mix-up, Mr..."
"Martin Harris is my name. I'm an old boatman around here --
keep boats to hire, and the like. And who is this I'm to take
ashore?"
"My name is Sam Rover. These are my two brothers, Dick and Tom."
"Do you know who it was ran into you?"
"It was the Falcon, a yacht owned by a Mr. Fenwick. His son and
a man he called Bill Goss were aboard."
At this Martin Harris drew down his mouth. "A bad set, those. I
know 'em well."
"And we know, Fenwick, too," put in Dick, "He's a regular sneak."
"That's right -- takes after his father, who did his best to
defraud me in a boat deal. And that Bill Goss is a sneak, too,
and worse," and Martin Harris shook his head decidedly.
"Well, we can't talk about those people now," said Dick. "We're
in a mess and must get out of it the best way we can. As you are
an old boatman, what would you advise us to do?"
"Come ashore with me and then get Dan Haskett to take your boat
in charge and fix her up. He can stop that leak somehow and pump
her out and have her all right inside of twenty-four hours."
"Where can we find this Haskett?"
"Come into my boat and I'll take you to him."
The rowboat was now close at hand, and one after another the
Rover boys stowed themselves away in the craft. Then Martin
Harris took up the oars and started for the river bank. He
turned down the stream a bit and landed them at an old dock over
which hung the sign: "Daniel Haskett, Boat Builder and Repairer
jobs Promptly Attended to -- Charges Small."
Dan Haskett proved to be an elderly man, who was somewhat deaf,
and it took the boys some time to make him understand the
situation.
"We've had a smash-up," began Dick.
"Cash up?" said the deaf man. "Cash UP to what?"
"We've had a smash-up!" repeated the boy in a louder tone. "We
want our boat mended."
"What's ended?" asked the boat builder. "Your boat?"
"Almost ended," roared Tom. "We-want you-to-fix-up-our-boat," he
yelled.
"Oh, all right. Where is she?"
Dick pointed with his finger, and at once the boat builder
understood. "There's a hole in her side," bawled the boy. "We
want it patched up."
"All right; I can do that."
"Can we have her by tomorrow?"
"How's that?" And Dan Haskett placed his hand to his ear.
"Can-we-have-her-by-tomorrow?" yelled Dick.
"I guess so. I'll have to see how badly she is damaged first."
Haskett got out a small boat of his own and, taking Dick with
him, rowed over to the wreck. He pronounced the injury small and
said the boys could have their boat by noon the next day. The
charges would be twelve or fifteen dollars.
"We'll be getting off cheaper than I thought," said Tom, on
Dick's return. "Ought to come out of Mumps' pocket."
"That's so," added Sam. "By the way, I wonder what he meant by
saying we were dogging him?"
"I can't say," replied Dick. "But I've been thinking that he
can't be up to any good, or he wouldn't be so suspicious."
"Just exactly my idea!" burst out Tom. "Do you know what I half
imagine?"
"Well?"
"That Mumps is cruising around waiting for Dan Baxter to join
him."
"But Baxter went to Chicago."
"He won't stay there -- not as long as his father is in the East.
He will be back before long, if he isn't back already."
"But he took that money belonging to hi! father."
"What of that? His father can't do anything against him, for he
himself is worse than his son, as we all know. Besides, his
father is most likely still in the hospital."
"If you young gentlemen want to sail around until tomorrow noon,
I can take you out in one of my boats," remarked Martin Harris.
"I've got a first-class yacht, the Searchlight, that I can let
you have reasonably."
"Thanks, but I would just as lief stay on shore until our boat is
mended," answered Dick. "But I want to pay you for what you did
for us," he added.
"Oh, that's all right."
But the boys thought otherwise, and in the end gave Martin Harris
two dollars, with which the boatman was highly pleased.
"Remember, I saw that accident," he said, on parting. "I can
prove it was the Falcon's fault."
"We'll remember that," answered Dick.
From time to time they had watched the Falcon's course until the
yacht had disappeared down the river.
After a short debate the brothers decided to put up at a hotel
which stood not far away, on a high cliff overlooking the noble
Hudson.
"We've been on the water for nearly two weeks now," said Dick,
"and to sleep in a real bed will be something of a novelty."
As it was in the height of the summer season the hotel was
crowded; but some guests were just departing, and they managed to
get a fairly good room on the second floor. This had a double
bed, and a cot was added, to accommodate Sam; Dick and Tom
sleeping together, as usual.
It was supper time when the boys arrived, and as soon as they had
registered and washed up and combed their hair, they descended to
the spacious dining room, where fully a score of tables were set.
"This way, please," said the head waiter, and showed them to a
table at one side, overlooking one of the wide verandas of the
hotel.
"I'm as hungry as a bear!" exclaimed Tom. "You can't serve us
any too quick," he added, to the waiter who came up to take their
orders.
"Yes, sah, do the best I can, sah," grinned the colored man.
"What kind of soup, please?"
"I'll have ox-tail -- " began Tom, when he happened to glance out
of the window. As his gaze fell upon a man sitting in an easy
chair on the veranda he uttered a low whistle. "By jinks, boys,
look! Josiah Crabtree, as sure as you're born!" he whispered.
CHAPTER III
JOSIAH CRABTREE FREES HIS MIND
Then individual to whom Tom referred had been a former master at
Putnam Hall, but his disagreeable ways had led to his dismissal
by Captain Putnam.
Josiah Crabtree was a tall, slim individual, with a sharp face
and a very long nose. During the past term at Putnam Hall he had
been very dictatorial to the Rover boys, and it must be confessed
that they had made life anything but a bed of roses for him.
Crabtree had been very desirous of marrying a certain widow by
the name of Stanhope, but the marriage was opposed by Dora, the
widow's daughter, and as Dick was rather sweet on Dora, he had
done all he could to aid the girl in breaking off the match, even
going so far as to send Crabtree a bogus letter which had taken
the teacher out to Chicago on a hunt for a position in a private
college that had never existed. Dick knew that Crabtree was
comparatively poor and wished to marry the widow so that he could
get his hands on the fortune which the lady held in trust for her
only child.
"It is Crabtree," said Dick, as he gave a look.
"I wonder how he liked his trip to Chicago?" laughed Sam.
"Perhaps the Mid-West National College didn't suit his lofty
ideas."
"Hush! don't let him hear you talk of that," returned Dick. "He
might get us into trouble."
"What kind of soup, sah?" interrupted the waiter, and then they
broke off to give their order, and the waiter hurried off to fill
it.
"I'd like to know if he has been around the Stanhope cottage
again," mused Dick, as he sipped his soup.
"Dick can't bear to think of anybody around Dora," laughed Tom.
"I don't want him around," retorted the elder Rover, growing red
in the face. "He wants the Stanhopes' money and that's all he
does want. I don't believe he really loves Mrs. Stanhope."
"But why does she encourage him?" came from Sam. "Why don't she
send him about his business?"
"Oh, she is sickly, as you know, and he seems to have a peculiar
hypnotic influence over her, at least that's what Dora thinks."
"What are you laughing at, Tom?"
"I - I was thinking of the time we put the crabs in old
Crabtree's bed," answered the younger brother.
"No, you, weren't -"
"Well?" demanded Tom, as Dick paused.
"You were laughing because I mentioned Dora, and -"
"'Pon my honor I wasn't," smiled Tom, but his look belied his
words.
"You were. If I mention her cousins, Grace and Nellie Laning, I
guess the laugh will be on you and Sam --"
"We'll call it quits," answered Tom hurriedly.
"They're all nice girls, eh, Sam?"
"To be sure. But, I say, hadn't we best keep out of old
Crabtree's way?"
"I don't know as it's necessary," said Dick.
"I'm not afraid of him, I'm sure."
"Oh, neither am I, if you are going to put it that way," answered
the youngest Rover.
"If he's stopping here I'm going to have some fun with him,"
grinned Tom.
The evening meal was soon finished, and the boys took a stroll
around the grounds. They were just on the point of retiring when
Dick drew his brothers' attention to a figure that was stealing
through a nearby grove of trees.
"There goes Crabtree."
"I wonder where he is going," mused Sam. "Where does that path
lead to?"
"Down to the river," came from Tom. And then he added suddenly:
"Come, let us follow him."
"What's the good," grumbled Dick. "I'm tired out."
"There may be some chance for fun. Come on," and thus urged Dick
and Sam followed their fun-loving brother.
The path through the grove ran directly to the cliff overlooking
the Hudson, at a point where a series of stone steps led up from
the water's edge. As they gained a spot where they could look
down upon the river, Dick uttered a short cry.
"Look, boys, a Yacht!" he said, pointing through the moonlight.
"I'll wager it is the Falcon!"
"And Mumps is coming to meet Josiah Crabtree," put in Sam.
"But what would he want to see Crabtree about?" demanded Tom.
"Remember at Putnam Hall the only friends Josiah Crabtree had
were Dan Baxter and Mumps."
"That is true, Dick. See, Crabtree has his handkerchief out and
is waving it as a signal."
"And here comes somebody up the steps. Mumps, sure enough,"
whispered Sam.
"Let us get behind the trees and learn what is going on," came
from Dick, and the three brothers lost no time in secreting
themselves in the immediate vicinity.
"Well, John, I've been waiting for you," said Josiah Crabtree, as
Mumps came forward and the two shook hands.
"So have I been waiting for you," returned the former sneak of
Putnam Hall. "Why didn't you come yesterday?"
"It was impossible to do so, my lad. Is that the Falcon down
there?"
"It is."
"Who is in charge of her?"
"A sailor named Bill Goss."
"Is he a -- ahem -- a man to be trusted?"
"I guess I can trust him," snickered Mumps.
"If he dared to give me away, I could send him to jail."
"You mean that you - er -- have him -- ahem -- in your power?"
"That's it, Mr. Crabtree."
"Very good. And is be, a good sailor?"
"As good as any on the river."
"Then he can sail the yacht down the river without mishap?"
"He can take her to Florida, if you wish to go that far."
Pages:
1 |
2 |
3 |
4 |
5 |
6 |
7 |
8 |
9 |
10 |
11