Frank R. Stockton

“ Here is Phœnix, who didn’t want to stop and fish, and who grumbled and croaked, and didn’t believe there were any fish in the river, even after he got to work; and he must catch the channel-bass, while Phil and I, who were in for the thing from the beginning, and full of honest ardor, didn’t get a bite. Haul up the sails and pull in the anchor, and let us away! It’s no use struggling against blind luck. Virtue and enthusiasm don’t count. ”

“ When Captain King sets his hand to a boy’s story he is sure to be an ideal creator of heroes. Redskins and blue-jackets, and lovely girls and daring youngsters are in his dramatic company; camp-fires, blazing villages, rifle-reports, and narrow escapes. He is never coarse nor sensational, but with his sweeping style carries you on from start to finish like a stiff and wholesome breeze. ”

“ Chap now asked the Indians where they supposed the two fellows would take the boat.
“Go up river back here,” said the Indian who did the most talking. “Think you won’t find ’em and go home. Then they shoot ’gators and have fun.”
“But why should they take our boat?” asked Chap. “They have one of their own.”
“P’raps she leak. Yours good boat,” said the other. “But some men bad, nobody knows why.”
To this piece of philosophy the other nodded assent, and then, for a few minutes, the two talked together in their own language. ”

“ For a moment Chap gazed on his prize with triumphant delight, and then he gave a shout, which brought Phœnix, and soon after, Adam.
Phœnix was almost as delighted as Chap himself. [47] This was something like fishing. He had never seen a fish like this in his life.
“Now, then,” cried Chap to Adam, “what do you say to that? Is that fellow big enough for you?”
“Yes,” said Adam, “it’s big enough, and it’s too big. That’s a cavalio, and people eat them when they can’t get anything else; but its flesh is pretty coarse, and I couldn’t manage to cook a fish that size the way I’m goin’ to do it.” ”

“ The pull back through the breakers was harder than the coming in, but the four men knew their business, and the stanch life-boat easily breasted every line of surf.
In five minutes they were out in smooth water and pulling hard for the steamer. As soon as they reached it the boat was hauled up, the vessel was put about, and with a farewell blast from her steam-whistle, she proceeded on her way.
“Hurrah!” cried Chap, waving his cap over his head. “Now I feel that we are really our own masters, and that we’re going to have the rarest old time we’ve ever known. ”

“ The river here was very broad, it being six miles across to the wide, low island which separated it from the sea, but for a long way out from the shore it was very shallow, and a party of boys with rolled-up trousers, waded out with their cast-nets to a distance which very much astonished our friends upon the pier.
“Well, I tell you what it is!” cried Chap; “we’ve got to do something, or go somewhere. We won’t leave this town till Wednesday, and that gives us two clear days, and we don’t want to waste them. Now, the point is, what is there to do that we can get the most fun out of?” ”

“ Chap had read tales of man-of-war life and of whaling voyages, and he knew that the way to make men row hard and fast was to yell and shout at them like mad, and for work of this kind no one was better adapted than the captain of the Rolling Stones.
The negroes became so excited that they made the boat spin over the water. It stopped directly in the course of the Humphrey Giles, when that boat was a quarter of a mile away. ”

“ Adam tucking the other under his left arm.
Phil gave a shout of triumph when he hurried up behind Adam and saw the dead bear.
“Why, this is glorious!” he cried. “Who could have thought you would have shot a real wild bear? Are you sure it’s dead?”
“Oh, yes,” said Adam, cautiously punching the animal with the end of the gun; “bears don’t play ’possum. I put both loads into her head. And I didn’t do it any too soon, either. In two seconds more she’d a’ been out after me.”
“Can’t we skin her?” cried Phil. “It would be a splendid thing to take home a bear-skin that we got ourselves.” ”

“ The sea was quiet, with the exception of a long and gentle swell, and the first part of the little trip seemed like rowing on a river. But when they neared the shore and saw the long lines of surf rolling in front of them, the boys began to feel a little uneasy. This was something entirely novel [35] to them, and, although they were not exactly afraid, they could not say that they felt altogether comfortable at the idea of going through these roaring breakers. ”

“ As soon as they were fairly under way, Adam gave the tiller to one of the boys, and set about taking care of his young bears. A small quantity of condensed milk in tin cans had been purchased of Mr. Brewer, and some of this, mixed with water, was fed to the cubs. They were very hungry, and soon lapped it up eagerly.
“It seems like a cruel thing,” said Chap, “to break up a family in that manner.”
“Well,” replied Adam, “the only way bears can be made of any good to anybody is to kill ’em or carry ’em off for shows. If people didn’t do that, there’d better be no bears. ”

“ Break your bones! Give way, boys, give way! Why don’t you pull? Jerk her out, boys! jerk her out!”
And the two negroes, with bare heads, perspiration rolling down their cheeks, and their eyes and teeth glistening, as they rose in their seats with every wild pull at the oars, did almost jerk the boat out of the water in their frantic efforts to earn the money Chap had promised them.
There was no rudder to the boat; but Chap sat in the stern, and by gestures and commands directed the oarsmen. He did not row toward the Winkyminky, but kept directly after the boat containing the countess. ”

“ Their eyes were now so accustomed to the obscurity of the night, and there was so much reflected starlight from the water, that they could plainly see the panther’s head as it swam, and Phœnix’s form was very distinct as he stood with uplifted hatchet.
They saw that Chap had the gun, and each in his heart hoped that he might fire it and frighten away the beast.
When the gun was fired, and the triumphant [198] cries of the boys were heard, Adam shouted across the water,—
“Look out! he’ll be at you again!” ”

“ Phil now came running up, carrying a fish nearly as long as his arm. As he came near, he raised the flapping fish, whose tail had been dragging in the sand, and gave a shout; but when he saw the magnificent creature, which was still plunging and rolling at the end of the line which Chap held firmly in his hand, his countenance fell.
“What a whopper!” he cried. “Why, mine is nothing to it!”
“No,” said Adam, “but yours is a blue-fish, [48] and we’ll have him for supper. Don’t be cast down, captain; you’ll have plenty of chances yet for blue-fish, bass, and lots of other good fellers. ”

“ The panther, as it came up the beach, passed so near to the house that even Mr. Pitman was amazed, and thought that he would not have slept so soundly during the many nights he had spent in that house, if he had known that a panther would dare to prowl so near its windows. But this beast was unusually rash or courageous, and it is seldom indeed that a panther will venture so near a human habitation; but among wild animals, as well as men, there are individuals who are more daring and reckless of consequences than their fellows ”

“ One of the men on The Rolling Stone was already using a pole to assist the progress of the boat; but when Adam called Phil to the tiller and seized the pole which lay on the deck of the Maggie, it soon became evident that a small boat was much better than a larger one, when each was pushed through the water by means of a pole.
Adam was a strong man and accustomed to hard work, and his vigorous efforts made the Maggie glide so fast through the water that she rapidly gained upon the foremost boat. ”

“ As far as the eye could reach—and as the river here bent away from them on either hand, they could see the bank on which they stood for a long distance up and down—not a house, or clearing, or sign of human habitation, could be seen, and on the river there was not a sail or boat.
“I haven’t struck just the place I want to get to,” said Adam, “for the house I’m after is just above this bend where the river turns due north agen; but then it couldn’t be expected I’d pick out the very place I wanted when I was on board a steamer nearly a mile from shore. ”

“ Phœnix agreed to stay and help Adam, while Phil and Chap got out their lines.
“I was afraid your hooks wouldn’t be big enough,” said Adam, taking up their lines; “but this is a regular deep-sea tackle.”
“Yes; my uncle gave us the lines,” said Phil. “He thought we might get some fishing down at the Breakwater.”
“Well, all you got to do,” said Adam, “is to go down to the beach and throw out your lines as fur as they will go. We’ll have to bait at first with a little piece of meat from the rations the captain gave us. Of course, you needn’t fish if you don’t want to. ”

“ For all we know, there’s a savage bear raging through the woods after some of us, and out there in the river there’s an exasperated shark waiting till one of the party is foolish enough to go in to swim or accidentally tumbles overboard. Let’s up sail and be off!”
“Well,” said Adam, “as there’s a good breeze gettin’ up from the sou’east, that’s about the best thing we can do, even if we don’t take into account bears and sharks.” ”

“ The time will come when you’ll want the longest line you can get.”
The tarpaulin was thrown over the low rope, and its edges held out by cords and pegs, which Adam had prepared while the supper was being cooked.
“It’ll be pretty close quarters,” he said, looking into the little tent, “but you fellers can squeeze into it, and I can sleep outside as well as not. The sand is as dry as a chip, and if you put on your overcoats, and take your carpet-bags for pillows, you’ll be just as comfortable as if you was at home in your feather beds.” ”

“ The way from the beach back to the river was a very hard one, and a good deal longer than Adam had expected it to be.
For a time they walked over loose, soft sand, which was piled into little hills by the wind, then they came to a thick growth of palmetto-trees, the ground being covered with underbrush of the most disagreeable kind, consisting mainly of a low bush, called the “saw-palmetto,” which was made up of leaves three or four feet long, with sharp teeth at each edge. ”

“ The Indians, who understood all that Mary Brown said, and had listened to her with great attention, now expressed themselves as well satisfied with the plan she proposed. If the men would give up the boat without fighting, what was the good of fighting? But this did not satisfy Chap.
“I want the rascals punished,” he said.
“Humph!” said The Talker. “S’pose you first one shot. Won’t do you no good then to lick ’em.”
“They won’t believe you,” said Chap to Mary, “when you tell them there are five of us. They’ll think it a trick.” ”

“ The panther was now within four or five feet of the boat, and Phœnix stood ready, with his hatchet raised. Chap kneeled down, and leaned over the boatside, and as he did so, he involuntarily reached out his gun toward the panther. This action seemed to irritate the beast, and he was so near that he actually opened his mouth, and took hold of the muzzle of the gun. At this instant Chap pulled both triggers, and two loads of number two shot, in almost compact masses, entered the panther’s brain. ”

“ We can’t live straight along on fish, you know.”
A few minutes after this conversation, Adam Guy walked up to Mr. Brewer, who was leaning on the fence of his little garden.
“Look here, John Brewer!” he cried; “what did you mean by sayin’ that we couldn’t get a boat to go up the river in? In that little creek back there, there’s a boat plenty big enough for us. Don’t she belong to you?”
“Yes,” said Mr. Brewer, “she’s mine, but her mast’s unshipped, and her main-sail’s in the house to be mended.”
“Can’t we ship the mast and mend the sail?” asked Adam. ”

“ We’ll be gone two days and a night. And I tell you what it is, boys, it will be more than glorious! We’re going down after a big steamer, that’s broken her propeller-blades and has to be towed up to the city. I came up to tell you fellows, and see what my people said about it. But I know they’ll agree, and I don’t want you to let your folks put in any objections. It’ll be just as safe as staying at home, and there’s entirely too much fun in it for any of us to miss it.”
Neither Phil nor Phœnix hesitated for an instant in agreeing that Chap’s idea was a splendid one. ”

“ They’ll be short o’ hands then, for some of the crew are to be discharged at Nassau, but I don’t want to go to that old English town. I’ve been there, and I’ve had enough of it.”
“But what are we going to do?” asked Phil. “We can’t jump overboard and swim ashore.”
“No,” said Adam, “we can’t do that, but I’ve a plan in my head. Before we git to Jupiter light, the water is so deep near the coast that steamers [30] often run in very close. Now, if the captain would lie-to there and send you fellers and me ashore in a boat, it would be the best thing he could do for us.” ”

“ CHAP’S ALLIGATOR.
The preparations for the night were very simple. Adam, whose previous experience in camping and rough life had made him think, before leaving the steamer, of a good many little things that might be useful on a journey such as the one proposed, had brought with him a long, thin rope, something like a clothes-line.
“There’s nothin’ like havin’ plenty of line along,” he said, as he fastened one end of this to a low branch of a tree. “It always comes in useful. I’m goin’ to hang the tarpaulin on this, and make a tent of it.”
“The rope is long enough,” said Phœnix. ”