Breaking Away; or, The Fortunes of a Student

by Oliver Optic

  CHAPTER XII.

  IN WHICH ERNEST RAISES THE SPLASH, AND THERE IS A GENERAL BREAKINGAWAY AMONG THE STUDENTS.

  I listened, with astonishment and dismay, to the tale which Bob Haletold me. I could not help asking myself to what extent I wasresponsible for the troubles which overwhelmed the Parkville LiberalInstitute. I told Bob how I felt, and he ridiculed the idea of myshouldering any portion of the blame.

  "Even the parson says you are not to blame, and that you have behavedlike a gentleman from the beginning," said he, alluding to HenryVallington, who, on account of his intended profession, often went bythe name of the "parson."

  "Can you imagine why Mr. Hardy was discharged?" I asked.

  "We don't know; but it is easy enough to see that he blamed Mr.Parasyte, though he never said a word to the fellows. The idea ofstaying at the Institute after Mr. Hardy goes is not to be thoughtof," replied Bob, who, like myself, was a day scholar at the school."What did Parasyte mean when he said your uncle wished him to flog youinto subjection?"

  "He meant that; my uncle told him to do so," I replied, with shame andmortification, not for myself, but for him who should have been myguardian and protector.

  "Did he, though? Well, that was amiable of him," added Tom Rush. "Heand Parasyte will do to go together."

  "They do go together. I find that Mr. Parasyte owes my uncle a largesum of money. I had no idea that they were even acquainted with eachother before," I continued.

  "Then I wonder that Parasyte made a row with you, if he owed youruncle so much money."

  "I don't understand it; but I think Mr. Parasyte didn't expect anytrouble. He judged hastily between Poodles and me, and when he hadgiven his decision, he was too proud and too obstinate to alter it. Isuppose he was a little afraid after what he had done, and went to seemy uncle and ask for instructions."

  "But it was cold-blooded for your uncle to say what he did."

  "Probably Parasyte told his own story," I replied, willing to shieldmy uncle as much as possible.

  "What did your uncle say to you when you went home?" asked Bob Hale,full of interest and sympathy.

  "We had some words, and he disowned and cast me out--to use his ownexpression."

  "Turned you out of house and home!" exclaimed Tom Rush.

  "That was what he meant."

  "Don't mind it, Ernest," interposed Bob. "You shall come to my house."

  "I can take care of myself, I think," was my reply, rather proudlyspoken.

  "Of course you can; but you shall have half my bed and half my dinneras long as I have any."

  "Thank you, Bob."

  "We will talk that over another time, Ernest; for at present we have abig job on our hands."

  "What is that?"

  "We'll tell you by and by. Parasyte says you assaulted him, and hithim over the head with a big ruler. How was that, Ernest?"

  I told them what had occurred after we left the school-room, and gavethem all the particulars of my battle with the principal.

  "Served him right," was the verdict of the boys. "He didn't tell usthat he attempted to flog you; only that you pitched into him,apparently without any cause or reason," added Tom Rush.

  "You all ran out of school," said I. "What is Mr. Parasyte going to doabout it?"

  "We don't know, and we don't care. He is a tyrant, and a toady; andall but about a dozen of the fellows are going to quit the school."

  "But where are you going?" I asked, surprised at this decided step.

  "We have it all arranged, and are going to break away in a bunch. Weare getting things ready; but we want you, Ernest."

  "Why me?"

  "Because you are a good sailor, and know all about boats?"

  That was highly complimentary in a direction where I was peculiarlyweak--my love of boats and boating. Bob Hale then informed me that thestudents were going into camp on their own hook this year. This was anannual institution at the academy. Belonging to the Institute wereseven tents, large enough to accommodate all the boys and all theteachers; and in the month of July the whole school camped out for oneor two weeks. This custom did more for the popularity of the Institutethan anything else, and without it, it was doubtful if the schoolcould have been kept together; for it was an offset to the dislikewith which a large majority of the boys regarded the principal.

  The students had begun to talk about camping out as soon as the springopened, and when the rebellion broke out, it immediately ran into thischannel. The camp during the preceding year had been in a piece ofwoods ten miles east of Parkville; but the rebels had already decidedto establish it, at the present time, on Cleaver Island, two milesnorth-west of the steamboat pier, and including an area of abouttwenty acres, well covered with wood.

  I could not say that I approved of this scheme; but Bob Hale and TomRush said the students had unanimously agreed to it. I was not infavor of insubordination and rebellion. But the moral sense of theboys had been outraged; Mr. Parasyte had resorted to the grossestinjustice, and they were determined to "break away" from him. Ratherreluctantly I consented to join the insurrection. I ought not to havedone so; but smarting as I then was under the injustice of my uncleand the principal, I found an argument to satisfy myself with myconduct.

  The Splash seemed to be necessary, in my estimation, for the successof the enterprise, and my friends volunteered to assist me in raisingher. I went to Parkville, and procured a long spruce pole, to whichthe blacksmith attached a hook. Without much difficulty the ballastwas hoisted out of the sunken craft, and obedient to the law ofgravitation, she came to the surface. We towed her to a bank of thelake in the town, near the shop of a wheelwright, who promised tohave her repaired in a few hours. One of the ribs was snapped off, andsix of the "streaks" stove in. We hauled her up on the shore, and gotthe water out of her; and the wheelwright went to work upon her atonce, assisted by his journeyman.

  I had regarded the Splash as a lost boat; and I was delighted with mysuccess in raising her, and with the prospect of having her again asgood as new; for the wheelwright assured me she was not materiallyinjured in her timbers. The result of this enterprise rather inflatedmy spirits, and not without good reason; for, as I was now to takecare of myself, it had already occurred to me that I could make moneyenough to support me by boating--for there were always residents andstrangers enough in the town who wanted to sail to afford me a goodbusiness for at least three months in the year.

  "Now, Ernest," said Bob Hale, who had embarked with me in my row-boat,"how shall we get the crowd, the tents, and the provisions over toCleaver Island?"

  "I don't think it is a very big job," I replied.

  "I do. Of course Parasyte will prevent us from going if he can," saidhe.

  "Too many cooks will spoil the broth," I added. "You want a leader, orcaptain, who shall manage the affair."

  "We will choose you."

  "No; I decline at the outset. I don't want the credit of being theringleader in this scrape after what has happened."

  "What do you say to the parson?" asked he.

  "Capital!"

  We consulted the students in the other boat, and they agreed to thisselection. Both boats then pulled to the pier at the Institute. As weapproached, all the rebels gathered around us. Bob Hale immediatelycalled them to order, and made a brief statement of the necessity ofthe hour, and then nominated Henry Vallington as leader of theenterprise. He was unanimously elected, and somewhat to my surprise heaccepted.

  "Fellow-students," said the parson, in accepting the position, "if Ididn't feel that every decent fellow in the Institute had beenoutraged and insulted by the conduct of the principal, I wouldn'thave anything to do with such an affair as this. I want you all tounderstand that I, for one, am going into this thing for a purpose,and on principle."

  "So say we all of us!" shouted the boys.

  "Now, you must obey orders, and have no rioting or rows. We shall dothis thing in order."

  The boys were excited; but the parson told them to keep cool, and,wh
en the orders came, to execute them promptly, which they promisedwith one voice to do. By this time I had a scheme arranged in my mindfor the conveyance of the forces to Cleaver Island, and the leader didme the honor to appoint me master of transportation. I stated my planto Vallington and two or three of the more influential of the boys. Itwas cordially approved.

  At half past twelve the dinner bell of the Institute rang, as usual;and the boys, who had no idea of being deprived of their rations,marched in to dinner in order; and I went home with Bob Hale, who hadinvited me to dine with him. On our return, we learned that Mr.Parasyte had made a stirring appeal to the students, in thedining-room, to support the discipline of the school, and hadintimated that he intended to prosecute Thornton in the courts for theassault upon him. I was rather startled at this intelligence, for acourt was an appalling affair to me.

  The boys heard in silence what the principal had to say, and left thedining-room in as good order as usual. At quarter before two theschool-bell rang; but only about twenty obeyed the summons. I was onthe pier at this time, and shortly after I saw Mr. Parasyte comingdown to see the students. Deeming it best to keep out of his way, Ipulled over to the wheelwright's, to look after the Splash. An hourlater, Bob Hale, Henry Vallington, and Tom Rush joined me, saying thatMr. Parasyte had been very gentle with the boys, and had used onlymild persuasions. Having failed in all, he had taken his horse andgone away. This was favorable to our operations, and I advised theparson to hasten back, and do the job at once.

  At four o'clock the Splash was finished, and a coat of paint put onthe new streaks. I got under way at once in her, taking my tender intow. Near the Institute lived a man who owned a large flat-boat, orscow, used for bringing wood down the lake. Tom Rush had hired thisclumsy craft for a week. The three row-boats belonging to theInstitute had been manned by the boys, and were towing this scow downto the pier, according to the plan I had suggested to the parson. Whenthe flat was near the pier, a signal was given, and the boys on shoreall rushed to the building in which the tents were stored. There wereenough of them to carry all the canvas, poles, and other materials atone load, and the students rushed down to the pier with them at arapid pace, so that the work was accomplished before any of theassistant teachers or laborers could interfere.

  The tents were tumbled into the scow, and all the boys not needed inthe row-boats embarked with the camp material.

  "All ready!" shouted Henry Vallington.

  "Give way!" I added to the oarsmen.

  OFF FOR THE ISLAND.--Page 143.]

  The long painter of the scow had been extended over, and fastened to,the three boats. As the wind was fresh, I went to the head of thisline, attached a rope to the painter, and the procession of boatsstraightened out and moved off, dragging the scow after them.