The Young Ship-Builders of Elm Island

  CHAPTER XVI.

  WHY CHARLIE DIDN’T WANT TO SELL THE WINGS OF THE MORNING.

  THE next morning, Charlie, arrayed in his best, went over to see UncleIsaac, landing first at the wharf, and having a little conference withFred, looking over his fish flakes, into the fish-house and store,after which he made sail, and soon ran over to Uncle Isaac’s Point. Hefound his canoe at the shore, aground forward, but her stern afloat.He did not want to let his boat ground, and had just put his hand onthe canoe to shove her into the water, that he might put his boat offat anchor, when he espied the birch, bottom up, under a tree, andcarefully covered with spruce boughs to protect her from the sun. Anirresistible desire instantly seized upon him to get into the birch.Indeed, he wanted, and had determined to, the first time he ever sawher, which was when Uncle Isaac came on to Elm Island to announce thearrival of the Ark in Havana, but the good news had driven it all outof his head till too late.

  This was an opportunity too good to lose. He drew her carefully intothe water, and fastening her to his boat, rowed both off, till asufficient distance from the shore, when, after anchoring the boat andfurling the sails, he prepared to get into the birch. He had heard thatit was a very difficult matter to go in one; but he was exceedinglylithe of limb, a proficient in wrestling, accustomed to put himself inall manner of shapes, and used to going in ticklish gunning floats,and considered the notion that he couldn’t manage a birch as simplyridiculous.

  He got in, and disdaining the dictates of prudence, which promptedto a sitting posture, began to paddle towards the shore. He was morethan three times the length of the canoe from the boat, when, he knewnot how or wherefore, the birch in a moment slid from under him, andinstantly righting, went gayly off before the wind towards Elm Island.

  With a wild, astonished look, he swam to the boat, and, pulling upthe anchor, caught the canoe, expecting to find her half full ofwater; but there was not a drop in her. “That is curious enough,”said Charlie. He was now in a fine plight to go visiting! His newbeaver (three-cornered), his ruffled-bosomed shirt (the first hehad ever owned), and his new waistcoat and breeches, and steelshoe-buckles--for with some of his venture-money he had treated himselfto a go-to-meeting suit--were all soaked in salt water.

  He debated the matter some time in his mind, whether he should go homeor go on, but at length concluded to go on.

  “I can’t be any worse off,” said he. “I’ll master that birch.”

  He stripped, and got into her, but sat down, when he found he couldkeep her on her bottom. After paddling a while in this way, he got uponhis knees, and could paddle much better. He then stood up once more,and went on very well for a while. At length she began to wiggle, atfirst slowly, then faster and faster, till out she went from under him,as though she had been made of quicksilver! Charlie swam up to her, andpushed her before him to the shore, got in, and went out again, till hefinally succeeded.

  Resuming his wet clothes, he set out for Uncle Isaac’s, and found himat work in his shop.

  “You are all wet, Charlie!” said he, after the first greetings hadpassed. “Where have you been?”

  “Overboard;” and he told him the story. “Are you busy, Uncle Isaac?”

  “Busy? No; you know I can’t keep still. I happened to have some walnut,and was turning out some ox-bows, just to keep myself from idleness.”

  “I have finished Captain Rhines’s boat, and came over to see if youwouldn’t like to take a sail with me in my boat.”

  “Shouldn’t like anything better. But come, go into the house. It’s pastthe middle of the forenoon. We’ll have an early dinner, rig you outwith some dry clothes, and start right off. We can take a bite withus, and come back when we like. There’s no moon, but it will be brightstarlight.”

  Charlie was a great favorite with Hannah Murch. No sooner was she madeaware of his misfortune than she exerted herself to put matters torights.

  There happened to be in the house a shirt and waistcoat that hisnephew, Isaac Murch, had left there. She cut off a part of UncleIsaac’s breeches, and hunted up a fisherman’s knit frock.

  “It’s no matter how you look,” said she; “there’s nobody to look atyou in the woods and on the water. Salt water won’t hurt your hat orclothes one mite. I’ll press them with a hot iron while they are damp,and iron the hat. That ain’t wet inside, and there’s no nap on it.I’ll oil the shoes before they are quite dry, and rub the buckles withvinegar and ashes, wash your shirt, and do up the bosom, and nobodywill know that anything has happened.”

  “I make you a great deal of trouble, Mrs. Murch.”

  “Not a bit of it! I love boys, and often wish I had one to make metrouble. I’ve brought up a whole family of them, but they are all goneto shift for themselves, and sometimes Isaac and I are real lonesome.”

  They took Uncle Isaac’s stuffed seal with them, and their guns, and setout.

  “I’ll haul up the anchor and make sail, Uncle Isaac. You take thetiller. I want you to see how well she steers.”

  “She works like a pilot-boat!” said he, after he had put her about;“and carries a little weather helm, which she ought to. A boat with alee helm isn’t safe. She won’t luff quick enough to shake out a flaw.You have to let the sheet fly, and then she ain’t safe, because sheloses her headway.”

  They shot some birds, as the people there called sea-fowl, and, as theyoung flood began to make, towards night went on to a ledge Charliehad never seen before. There was a part of this ledge that was nevercovered with water. On it was a great quantity of dry eel-grass andlogs, that had come out of the river, and been flung up by high tides.

  They hauled the boat out, took down her masts, and covered her up ineel-grass. Uncle Isaac then wet the seal, so that it would present thatshiny appearance seals have when they come out of the water. Then theypiled eel-grass on slabs laid over a log, crawled under it, and atetheir supper. Towards sunset, Uncle Isaac began to make a noise likea seal, and Charlie was astonished at the accuracy of the imitation,and actually shrank, as though a real animal was beside him. He wouldcry first like an old seal, then like a young one. By and by one sealafter another showed their heads above water, and some of them replied.After a while, they swam up to the rock, and began to crawl towards thedecoy; but before they reached it, Uncle Isaac gave the signal to fire,and three of them lay dead on the rock.

  “They will come here no more to-night, nor for many a month,” saidUncle Isaac, rising up, and flinging off the sea-weed. “It was a longshot, but we’ve done well.”

  Charlie had been all day on the eve of making a communication to UncleIsaac, but somehow or other could not muster courage. He thought heshould do it while they were coming along, but didn’t. Then he wasquite sure he should while they were under the eel-grass; but thatexcellent opportunity passed away unimproved. It was now or never.Charlie was glad there was no moon. He almost wished there were nostars. He managed to get Uncle Isaac to steer, while he sat on theafter thwart, back towards him.

  “Uncle Isaac--” A long pause.

  “Well, what is it, Charlie?”

  “Have you seen Fred lately?”

  “Yes.”

  “Did he ask you anything?”

  “Yes, he asked me if I had any corn to spare, and I told him I wouldlet him have five bushels.”

  “Was that all?”

  “Yes; I was in a hurry; went down to get some tobacco; didn’t get offthe horse; he brought it out.” A longer pause.

  “Fred was over to the island. He wanted me to ask you something.”

  “Did he? What was it?”

  “Whether--He wanted me to ask if you thought Captain Rhines and hiswife would let the girls go to sail in this boat with him--HenryGriffin and Fred’s sister.”

  “But ain’t you going?”

  “Yes, sir; they wanted me to go with them.”

  Charlie’s face, as he got off all this, was much the hue of a bloodbeet; but Uncle Isaac didn’t notice it, as there was no moon, andCharlie sitting back
towards him.

  “You know,” continued he, gathering courage now the ice was broken,“that Captain Rhines’s folks have been very kind to me. John and I arejust like brothers. When we made the garden, she gave me some beautifulflower roots and bushes, and I want to let them know that I’m sensibleof it. Fred feels just so. He says that when he was bitten so terribly,and almost at death’s door, Elizabeth and her mother took care of himin the daytime, and John nights; that Elizabeth kept the flies fromhim, bathed his head, gave him drink, and fanned him, for it was rightin the heat of summer.”

  “To be sure they’ll let them go. Why shouldn’t they?”

  “We didn’t know.”

  “But I know.”

  “How shall we ask them?”

  “Go right to the house, and ask them.”

  “Fred says he don’t like to, because, though Captain Rhines has beenreal kind to him, yet he was such a bad boy, and went there in suchshape after the dog bit him; and you know I came here in bad company,and, though they may like us and wish us well, perhaps they might notlike for us to go with the girls in that way.”

  “Benjamin Rhines was a poor boy, as myself, and we have got what wehave by hard knocks. He is the last person, or his wife, either, to paythe least regard to all these things that you and Fred have conjuredup. I’ll fix it for you.”

  “O, if you would! That was what I wanted to ask you all the time, butdidn’t know how to.”

  “There’s nothing Captain Rhines likes so well as a coot stew. It’stheir turn to come to our house, for we were there last. Sam Hadlockis coming here to-morrow morning, little after sunrise, to get Fred’scorn. I’ll send over by him, and invite all Captain Rhines’s folks,and tell them to be sure and come, Tige and all. The captain and hiswife will come on the horse, and the girls will walk. I’ll tell Samto invite Fred. You can all go out berrying in our pasture, and thenask them. They will ask their mother. You can go home with them in theevening, and make all your plans.”

  “But do you think Mrs. Rhines will say yes?”

  “I know she will.”

  “Where is a good place to get berries, when we go to sail?”

  “Smutty Nose--that’s burnt ground. There’s lots of them there.”

  “Where’s a good place to get some fish for a chowder? You know we don’twant to go outside, because ’twould take too much time out of the day.”

  “And you had rather be ashore picking berries, and sitting under thetrees talking?”

  “That’s it.”

  “I’ll tell you: a haddock is a good fish for a chowder. Do you knowwhere Pettigrew’s house is?”

  “Yes, sir.”

  “Do you know where Ransom’s Ledge is?”

  “Yes, sir. That great dry ledge, with a big, round rock right on thehighest part of it.”

  “Run off south from Smutty Nose till you bring Pettigrew’s chimbly tobear over that rock. Now for an up-and-down mark. Did you ever noticea very high bluff, two mile or more up the bay, bare of trees, all theclear spot for miles around, with a house right in the middle of it?”

  “O, yes, sir! That’s one of the marks for Atherton’s Shoal.”

  “Right! Bring that house right over the lone spruce on Kidder’s P’int.You’ll drop your anchor in about twenty fathoms of water, and findplenty of haddock, and once in a while pick up a small cod. If youcatch a cusk, tell Fred to corn him for me; and shoot me a coon onSmutty Nose, if you can.”

  “We will, Uncle Isaac, if there’s any on the island.”

  “Let me tell you where to look: round the banks of Horse Shoe Cove,where the great basswood trees are.”

  “I know, Uncle Isaac. They have holes under their roots.”

  Under the direction of Uncle Isaac and Hannah Murch everything wenton like clock-work. Captain Rhines and his wife came early in theafternoon, as was the custom of that day, both on one horse; the girlsan hour and a half later, protected by Tige, and accompanied by Fred,who, by pure accident, taking a short cut through the woods, hadovertaken them. After supper they went blueberrying.

  “Why, girls,” said Mrs. Rhines, “the blueberries are not very thick.”

  “Yes, they are,” said Hannah Murch; “the ground is blue with them.”

  “Then I guess they didn’t find the right place, for they have hardlycovered the bottoms of their pails.”

  Mrs. Rhines made not the least objection to the girls going, providedthe boys would promise to carry but one sail.

  “We shan’t want to carry the mainsail, Mrs. Rhines,” said Charlie; “forthe boom will be right in the way, and she works well under a foresail.”

  They had a splendid time, a pleasant day; found the fishing ground bythe marks, and girls and boys caught haddock and cod, but no cusk;found plenty of berries; and while the girls were making the chowder,the boys got a coon for Uncle Isaac, and shot some coots; they didn’thave to row home. Tige contributed his full share to the interest ofthe occasion, for he dug out and killed the coon, brought ashore thebirds that were shot, appeared exceedingly happy, and moreover couldtell no tales out of school.

  “Have you had a good time, Charlie?” asked his mother, at his return.

  “A glorious time, mother; never had such a good time in my life.”

  “Is Uncle Isaac well?”

  “Yes, mother; they are all first rate.”

  “How did the girls enjoy their sail?”

  “Enjoy their sail!”

  “Yes, their sail; and Fred, and Henry, and Nancy Williams; you didn’tknow we had a spyglass on Elm Island. I have found out what I neverknew before.”

  “What is that, mother?”

  “That you can be as sly as other folks. I suppose you are all rightnow, and can finish the shop, and Uncle Isaac’s boat.”

  “Yes, mother, all right now; some time I’ll tell you all about it.”

  “No matter; I know why you wouldn’t sell the boat.”

  Charlie now went to work with his father clearing more land, andworking upon the shop in the intervals of other work, and on rainydays. They also rafted boat timber to the mill, and had it sawed toproper dimensions; dug out roots, procured crooked timber, and stuck upthe boards in the shop chamber to season. Charlie also set up UncleIsaac’s boat, in order that he might work on it in moments of brokentime.

  Boat-building was fast becoming something more than an amusement forCharlie: he had already received thirty-six dollars, and was disposedto devote to the business all the time he could spare from necessaryfarm work.