Dave Porter and his Classmates/Chapter 24
CHAPTER XXIV
ON BUSH ISLAND
The three boys had covered less than a third of the distance to Bush Island when they passed two rowboats, one containing Roger, Ben, and two others, and another containing Doctor Clay and Andrew Dale.
"Hello! lots of folks but this afternoon," was Phil's comment.
"This is the first time I have seen the doctor and Mr. Dale out," said Dave. "They row very well, don't they?"
"The doctor was once a college oarsman," put in Plum. "I suppose he likes to get out here for the sake of old times."
"Well, Mr. Dale pulls as well as he does," returned Dave. "Both of them pull a perfect stroke."
"Wonder if old Haskers ever rows?" mused Phil.
"Guess he doesn't do much of anything but teach and find fault," grumbled Gus Plum.
The craft containing the doctor and the first assistant was heading for the east shore of the river and was soon out of sight around a point of rocks. The other boat had turned around, so the boys did not have a chance to speak to their fellow-students.
"Here comes a motor boat!" cried Dave, as a steady put-put! reached his ears.
"It's Nat Poole's boat," said Phil as the craft came into view.
Soon the motor boat came close to them and they saw that Poole and Merwell were on board. The pair were smoking, as usual, but placed their cigarettes on the seats, out of sight.
"Where are you going?" demanded Nat Poole, abruptly.
"Rowing," answered Phil, dryly.
"Humph! Don't you wish you had this motor boat?"
"Not particularly."
"A motor boat beats a rowboat all hollow," went on the dudish student.
"Not for rowing," vouchsafed Dave.
"Well, you can row if you want to," sneered Poole. "I prefer to let the motor do the work," and then he steered away, giving the rowboat all the wash possible as he passed.
"Wonder where they are going?" said Link Merwell, as he looked back to see if the rowboat had shipped any water from the wash.
"Well, you can row if you want to," sneered Poole.
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"I don't know, I'm sure."
"Perhaps they'll land somewhere. If they do, we can play a trick on 'em, Nat."
"How?"
"By taking their rowboat when they are out of sight. We can easily tie the boat on behind and tow it to the boathouse. Then those fellows would have to walk back to Oak Hall."
"Good! That would be great!" ejaculated Nat Poole. "I wish they would land and leave the boat to itself for a while."
"Let us watch 'em," suggested Merwell, and to this his crony readily agreed.
It did not take Dave and his friends long to reach Bush Island. Beaching the rowboat, they went ashore and took a walk around.
"It certainly is a nice spot for a picnic," was Phil's comment. "I don't wonder that the town folks come here—and the Sunday schools. I'd like to have a picnic myself here—when it gets a little warmer."
"We might come over some holiday—and bring a basket of grub along," said Plum.
"Oh, we'd have to have something good to eat," put in Dave. "That's three-quarters of the fun."
Much to their surprise, in walking to the center of the island, they ran into Doctor Clay and Mr. Dale. Both had some bits of rocks in their hands and the doctor had a geologist's hammer as well.
"Well, boys, what brought you?" asked the head of the school, pleasantly.
"Oh, we just stopped for fun," answered Dave. "We didn't know you rowed so far."
"We are knocking off a few geological specimens for the school cabinet," answered Doctor Clay. "These are not particularly valuable—but every little helps."
The boys remained with the men for a quarter of an hour, and then walked back to the shore. As they did this, Dave suddenly put up his hand.
"What is it?" asked Phil and Plum, in a breath.
"Thought I heard a motor boat."
"Perhaps Nat Poole's boat is near the island," suggested Gus.
"Oh, there are a dozen motor boats on the river now," answered Phil. "There, I heard it, but it's a good distance off."
No more was said about the motor boat, and they continued on their walk to the shore. Here they found their rowboat as they had left it, and entering, shoved off, and continued their row. They went a little further than at first anticipated, and consequently had to hurry to get back in time for supper, and even then were the last students to enter the dining hall.
As he passed to his seat Dave had to walk close to Link Merwell. When the bully saw him he started and stared in amazement. Then he looked around and stared at Phil and Gus. He leaned over and spoke to Nat Poole, who sat close at hand.
"They are back!" he whispered.
"Who? Porter and his crowd?" And now the dudish pupil looked equally amazed.
"Yes,—look for yourself."
Nat Poole did look, and his face became a study. As soon as possible he and Merwell finished their evening meal and went outdoors.
"Somebody must have stopped at the island and taken them off," said Merwell, when he felt safe to speak without being overheard.
"I suppose that must be it or else" Nat Poole stopped short and turned pale.
"Or what?"
"Perhaps we took some other boat, Link! Oh, if we did that, the owner might have us arrested!"
"Nonsense! It was an Oak Hall boat—I looked to make sure, when I tied it to the motor boat."
"Let us go down and see."
"Can't you take my word for it? " asked Merwell, roughly.
"Yes. But I want to know just what boat it was."
"If they see you hanging around the boathouse they may smell a mouse."
"I'll be careful. I have a right to look after my motor boat, you know."
"That's so—I forgot that."
The youths walked to the boathouse and, on the sly, looked at the craft they had towed over from Bush Island. It was certainly an Oak Hall rowboat, and Nat breathed a little sigh of relief.
The two lads were just on the point of leaving the boathouse when Job Haskers came in, followed by a man who took care of the boats.
"Siller tells me you were out in your motor boat this afternoon," said Job Haskers. "Did you see anything of Doctor Clay and Mr. Dale?"
"No, sir," answered Nat Poole.
"Were they out in a boat?" asked Merwell.
"Yes, they went for a row about four o'clock, and they have not yet got back. It is strange, for they said nothing about being away for supper."
"Well, we didn't see them," answered both Poole and Merwell. Then both left the boathouse and took their way to the gymnasium.
Here, as fate would have it, they ran into Messmer and Henshaw, who were doing some turns on the bars, in company with Gus Plum, who, since his good work on the ball-field, was becoming quite a favorite.
"I don't think I can do many turns to-night," they heard Plum say. "I am tired out from a row Dave Porter, Phil Lawrence, and myself took to Bush Island."
"How did the island look?" asked Messmer, carelessly.
"Very nice. We walked all around it and ran into Doctor Clay and Mr. Dale. They were there gathering geological specimens."
"I'd like to make a collection," put in Henshaw. "By the way, Mr. Dale wasn't at supper. Did he come home with you?"
"No, we left him and the doctor there knocking off the bits of rock," answered Plum.
Merwell and Poole listened to this conversation with keen interest. They exchanged glances, and then the dudish pupil pulled his crony by the coat-sleeve and led the way to a lonely part of the campus.
"Oh, Link, do you think we took the doctor's boat by mistake?" asked Poole, with something akin to terror in his tones.
"Hush! not so loud!" warned Merwell. "If we did, you don't want to let anybody know it."
"But what shall we do? The doctor and Mr. Dale can't leave the island without a boat."
"I know that. But don't you say anything—unless you want to get into hot water."
"But they may have to stay there all night!" continued the thoroughly frightened Nat.
"Oh, I reckon somebody will come to take them off."
"Do you sup—suppose they saw us run away with their boat?" Poole was now so scared he could scarcely talk.
"No. We didn't see them, and consequently I can't see how they'd know us. But you want to keep mum."
"Maybe somebody saw us bring in the empty rowboat."
"I don't think so; nobody was around when we came in. Now you just keep quiet and it will be all right."
"If they have to stay on the island all night they'll be as mad as hornets."
"I don't care—I'd like to pay them both back for some of the mean things they've done to us."
"I don't know that they've done any mean thing to me," answered Nat Poole. He felt that he would give a good deal not to have touched the rowboat found on the shore of Bush Island tied to a tree. That it had been a craft used by Doctor Clay and Mr. Dale there was now not the slightest doubt.
Dave was in the library of the school, consulting a history of Rome, when Ben came in with news that Doctor Clay and Mr. Dale were missing. It was almost time to go to bed and a number of the students had already retired.
"Missing!" cried Dave, and put down the volume in his hands. "What do you mean, Ben?"
"They are missing—isn't that plain enough? They went for a row on the river this afternoon, and they have not come back."
"Why, we met them at Bush Island," and Dave explained the occurrence. "Maybe I'd better tell Haskers," he added, and hurried off.
He found the assistant teacher in the office, considerably worried. That evening he and the doctor were to have gone over some school matters that needed attention. The non-return of the master of the Hall was therefore good cause for alarm.
"What do you want, Porter?" he asked, coldly, for he had not yet forgotten the quarrel in that very room some months previous.
"I understand Doctor Clay and Mr. Dale are missing, Mr. Haskers."
"Well?"
"I only wish to tell you that Phil Lawrence, Gus Plum, and I were out rowing this afternoon and we went to Bush Island, and there we met the doctor and Mr. Dale, who had come in a rowboat."
"Indeed! Did they say anything about coming back?"
"No, sir. We left them there, gathering geological specimens."
"They wouldn't stay there unless there was a reason for it," mused Job Haskers.
"Perhaps their boat sprung a leak, or something like that."
"Ahem! Such a thing is possible."
"Would you like some of us to go to the island and find out?"
"No. If I want that done I can send Siller."
"You might go to the island in Poole's motor boat. She could make the trip in no time."
"I'll think of it," answered Job Haskers, shortly. He did not wish to give Dave any credit for the suggestion.
Nevertheless, he acted on the advice, and less than a quarter of an hour later, with the searchlight on, the motor boat left the school dock, carrying on board Nat Poole, Siller, and Job Haskers. Poole was badly frightened, fearing that what he and Merwell had done would be found out.