Harry Castlemon

“ BOB FIGHTS FOR HIS LIBERTY.
To say that the fisher-boy was astonished at what had taken place, would not half express his feelings. He had never imagined Sam to be so desperate a character, and never, until then, had he felt in the least afraid of him. He had always believed himself to be able to beat the bully at any of his games; but he now had learned that he had to deal with one who was quite as smart as himself. Being taken prisoner, and confined like a felon, were new chapters in his experience. There was no playing about it; it was a reality; and Sam and his band were in earnest. ”

“ Bob threw his basket on the beach, pulled down his sail, and, after rolling it up, carried it around behind the house, and put it in its accustomed place. He then walked round to the other side of the cabin, and eagerly read some rude characters which he had cut in the boards, close up under the eaves. This was, no doubt, an unusual way to raise one's spirits, but it seemed to have that effect upon Bob, for he shook his head and whispered to himself:
"I'm not discouraged yet. If a boy lives up to that motto, he'll make a man of himself, I don't care how poor he is." ”

“ Tom bent his steps toward Mr. Graves's ship-yard, and the first thing he saw, as he entered the gate, was the Storm King, riding proudly at her moorings in the harbor, with her sails hoisted, all ready for the start. Three or four men, who comprised the crew that was to manage her during the trial trip, were lounging about the decks, and Mr. Graves stood on the beach talking to a crowd of eager, excited boys, who were examining the yacht with critical eyes, and begging the boat-builder to reveal to them the name of the owner. ”

“ You go in debt for a splendid little skiff, somebody steals her from you, you don't pay a cent on your note, and you suddenly disappear, and nobody knows were you have gone. What else could we suppose? There are no such things as kidnappers nowadays."
"There was such a thing as a Crusoe band, though!" replied Bob, who was astonished and indignant that any one should suppose him mean and dishonest enough to absent himself on account of a paltry debt of twenty-six dollars. ”

“ On the thwarts, the gunwales, the oar with which he was steering, and even on the bottom, where the water stood three inches deep, appeared the mysterious words, which, under ordinary circumstances, never failed to prove a sure source of cheerfulness and contentment to the fisher-boy.
"They called me a ragamuffin," continued Bob, looking down at his patched garments, "and perhaps I am; [15] but I know one thing, and that is, a ragged coat has covered the back of many an honest man. I believe I am honest, for I never, knowingly, cheated a man out of a cent. ”

“ They appeared to be intensely delighted about something, and Tom was afraid that his secret was already known.
"How are you, captain!" cried Johnny Harding. "That's a splendid little craft of yours!"
"She is, indeed!" replied Tom, who resolved to "stick it out" as long as possible. "She's the finest boat about Newport. She sails like lightning, and is fitted up like a parlor." ”

“ The fisher-boy would have been very different from most youngsters of his age, if he had not felt angry at Sam Barton for what he had done. He thought it was a cowardly way of taking revenge upon a rival, and if the bully had been upon the wharf at that moment, he might have discovered, to his cost, that Bob's muscles were very strong, and his fists very hard. But a boy who can be guilty of so mean a trick is never possessed of a great deal of courage, and Sam was wise enough to keep out of the fisher-boy's way. ”

“ Mrs. Jennings was not at all surprised when Bob told her that Mr. Graves had taken his boat away from him. She only said it was "just what she had been expecting," and then listened patiently as the fisher-boy unfolded his plans for the future. They were not very numerous or complicated, for now that his skiff was gone, there was but one way in which he could earn a livelihood, and that was by doing odd jobs about the village. "As for going to sea," said Bob, "I have almost given it up. I never can save thirty dollars, and I'll have to be a fisherman as long as I live." ”

“ Money is what I need now, and I can make more by sawing wood than I can by helping you in your grand schemes."
"Stick to it, then," said Tom, angrily. "I hope you will be a poor man as long as you live. Look out for me, now. You are going back on me like all the rest of the Spooneys, and I'll be sure to get even with you."
The fisher-boy did not quite understand this last remark; but, before he had time to ask any questions, Tom had walked to the edge of the wharf, and was beckoning to Sam Barton. When the yawl came up, he climbed down into it, and was ferried across the harbor. ”

“ Tear it up!" cried Tom, his tears bursting out afresh. "I wish I had ten dollars more, to send on for that lucky package."
"It would only be money wasted," said Bob. "The whole thing is a humbug!"
"I know better," shouted Tom. "You'll never be a rich man so long as you allow your doubts to stand in your way. What will all the fellows say when they find out that I ordered that splendid little yacht, and then couldn't pay for her?"
Tom cried harder than ever as he asked this question, which excited a serious train of reflections in the mind of the fisher-boy. ”

“ He had often heard her say that when a person was in debt he was in danger; but now, Bob thought differently. He did not see how he could get himself into trouble, simply because he had gone in debt for a boat worth twenty-six dollars. Even if the lottery scheme failed—an event which he now imagined to be impossible—he would have no difficulty in settling the note when it fell due, for, if fishing did not pay him, ferrying would; and, if business in the harbor should become dull, he would devote all his time to fishing. ”

“ By thus dividing his force, Sam had got the students completely surrounded. The chief and his squad followed the sentinel down the companion ladder, while the captain and his men rushed into the galley, and thence into the forecastle, where they surprised four students, asleep in the bunks, and a corporal, nodding in his chair. The noise made by the attacking party, and the bright light that flashed in their faces, when Tom turned up the lamp that hung suspended from the beams overhead, aroused the guard, who, upon beholding the intruders, reached rather hurriedly for their muskets. ”

“ Newcombe was more than half inclined to believe that Tom did not understand it himself. If his prize failed to come to hand, he would earn the four hundred dollars to pay for the yacht by trading; but he was still depending upon the lottery to furnish the money to hire his crew and buy his first cargo. The merchant had never listened to such reasoning before, and it was no wonder he could not understand it.
"Tom," said he, at length, "are you really foolish enough to put faith in any such nonsense as this? Do you honestly believe that these men are what they represent themselves to be?" ”

“ Graves, kindly, "you have not lost much."
"I have lost a great deal, sir," replied Bob. "I can't live without a boat."
"Of course you can't," said Mr. Graves, briskly. "You must get another. Now, perhaps I can sell you one of my nice little skiffs. They are very cheap, and warranted fast. Better take one of 'em, Bob, and then you can pay off Sam Barton by taking all his passengers away from him. Wouldn't that be glorious?"
The boat-builder evidently became excited as he said this, for he punched Bob in the ribs with his fingers, and laughed so loudly that he was heard all over the ship-yard. ”

“ His yawl had received a fresh coat of paint outside; and the thwarts were supplied with cushions, so that his passengers might have the benefit of easy seats. Sam was rigged out in a brand-new suit of clothes, and he sculled about among the ferry-boys as if he felt himself to be very important.
"What do you think of me an' my yawl, now, Bobby Jennings?" asked Sam, as he dashed up along-side the fisher-boy, who was seated in his scow watching the wharves on both sides of the harbor, in the hope of discovering a passenger. "Ain't we gay? That hundred dollars came in handy, I tell you." ”

“ Suppose you are not able to pay for your boat at the end of three months?"
"Now, mother," said Bob, "there's no need of supposing any thing of the kind. I'll work night and day, and I know that, with that nice boat I can earn twenty-six dollars in less than ninety days. If I can't, I had better shut up shop. I tell you, mother, it isn't every ferry-boy that can go to Mr. Graves and get trusted for a skiff. I've got a good reputation, and I mean to keep it. And I'll tell you another thing," he added, mysteriously, "we are not going to live in this tumble-down shantee much longer. ”

“ If the students had been on equal terms with their assailants, all the shouting Sam could have done would not have decided the battle in his favor. The boys composing the guard belonged to the Storm King, and among them were several officers—lieutenants, masters, and midshipmen—who would willingly have borne almost any amount of bodily suffering rather than surrender the yacht. Like all "old sailors," they had become strongly attached to their vessel, and they defended her with as much resolution as they would have exhibited had she been a human being, capable of appreciating their affection. ”

“ Since the vessel was completed and ready for sea, the boat-builder thought there was no further necessity for keeping the affair a secret. If Tom wanted to create a sensation what better chance could he have?
"Captain!" chorused all the boys, crowding up around Tom. "Do you own that beautiful yacht, Newcombe?"
"I do!" was the very dignified reply.
"Well, you're a lucky fellow," exclaimed one.
[131]
"You've got the best father in the world!" said another.
"Are you ready, captain?" asked Mr. Graves, stepping into a skiff and picking up the oars. "If you are, we'll go aboard!" ”

“ Henry had hired some one else.
"Never mind," said the fisher-boy to himself. "I haven't lost much. Twenty-five cents for two hours' hard work is small pay. I've seen the day that I would have been glad to take all such jobs, but I'm better off in the world now; at least I soon will be."
All that forenoon, Bob walked up and down the wharf, watching the men at work about him, wishing that five o'clock would come, so that he might take possession of his new boat, and all the while wondering why it was that he was so miserable, while every one around him seemed to be so supremely happy. ”

“ Suppose you write to those men, telling them to select the lucky package for you, and that if it draws a prize, they can keep their ten dollars out of it, and send you the remainder. In that way you will stand just as good a chance of drawing the five thousand dollars as you do now; and besides, you will not risk any of your own money."
"O, now, that's no way to do business!" drawled Tom. "Don't you see that they have made it a rule never to take notice of any letters unless they contain money?"
"They will not run any risk," replied Bob, "for the cash is in their own hands." ”

“ On the way to the 'squire's office, the bully repeatedly protested his innocence; assured the officer that Bob could not point to a firmer friend in the village than he had always shown himself to be, and he even had the impudence to appeal to the fisher-boy to substantiate all he said. But Bob declined to have any thing to say to him. He was as firmly convinced of Sam's guilt as if he had seen him take the skiff; and he did not believe that a boy who could deliberately perform so mean an act ought to be noticed by any respectable person. ”

“ It will make a rich man of you, and you can begin the life of a sailor at once."
"But if I use any of my money I want to buy a skiff with it. I need one badly."
"O, go in debt for it," said Tom. "Go to Mr. Graves, the boat-builder, tell him that you want a nice little skiff, the finest one he has on hand, and that you will pay him for it in one month. You may safely do that, for in less than a week you will be rich enough to buy out his whole ship-yard."
This was something entirely new to the fisher-boy. ”

“ Newcombe talking to Tom just before he sailed in the Savannah. He said: 'Be sure you are right, and then go ahead, and I'll answer for your success in life.'"
"And if Tom had been sensible enough to pay some attention to it, he would have been of some use in the world now," said the gentleman. "He goes ahead when he knows he is wrong, and that's the reason he gets into so much trouble. What's the other motto?"
"Owe no man a penny," replied Bob. ”