inspection of the schooner.—captain pratt to the rescue.—his engines and his industry.—up she rises!—who’ll go for captain corbet?

captain pratt was the first to break the silence.

“wal,” said he, at last, “whar’s corbet?”

“he’s home.”

“home? why don’t he do something?”

“why, what can he do?”

“do? everything.”

“he says the schooner’s lost.”

“lost!”

“yes.”

“did he say so himself?”

“he said the schooner was ‘a gone sucker.’ those were his own words.”

“and didn’t he try to do anything?”

“no.”

“what—didn’t even try?”

“no.”

“wal, i declare! i never did think that corbet had much brains; but this beats everything. to go and let his schooner go to destruction in this way, and not even try to save her, is a little beyond what i expected even of him. but how did it happen?”

the boys told him.

“and so,” said captain pratt, “he came here next day, and found the schooner lying here, and did nothing—jest sot down and lamented over her. why, what’s the man made of? he’s about the only man i ever heard of that could sit still and see his property perish.”

“but all the people in the village thought it was lost.”

“of course. if he said so, they believed him. if he did nothing, why should they try to do anything? if a man won’t help himself, you don’t suppose other people’s goin to help him—do you?”

“and do you think, after all, that she could have been saved?”

“course she could.”

“and she wasn’t lost?”

“course she wasn’t.”

“could she be saved now?”

“course she can.”

“what! and she isn’t lost, after all?”

“course she isn’t.”

at this astounding intelligence the boys looked at one another in silent amazement.

“why, look here,” said captain pratt; “what happened to that there schooner often happens to others. it’s a mighty unpleasant thing to happen; but schooners do get over it, after all. i’ve helped friends out of similar scrapes, and have sot several schooners right side up in worse places than this.. there’s nothing so very bad about this. the position is a good one for working in, too; and the mud here isn’t so soft as it is in other places around here by a long chalk. but whatever got into corbet’s head i can’t imagine. it beats me.”

“can you really save her then, after all—you yourself?”

“course i can—only not single-handed. i’d want some help.”

“and will you?”

“course i will, with the above proviso. captain pratt’s a man that’s always ready to help a neighbor, and though this here neighbor doesn’t seem altogether inclined to help himself, yet i’m ready to do what i can.”

at the generous offer of captain pratt the joy of the boys was inexpressible. they at once poured forth a torrent of questions as to when he could begin his work, and where, and how, and what they could do to help him, and whether they could do anything at all; which questions being all asked at once could not be immediately answered.

“you see, boys,” said captain pratt, “i’ll need some help.”

“we’ll do what we can.”

“that’s right. i’ll have to rely on you. i’ve only got two men in the schooner, and we can’t do all. if you know any men about the village, send them or bring them along. send for corbet, too.”

“o, we want to have it all done without captain corbet knowing anything about it till it’s all over.”

“why not let him come, and take his share in the work?”

“o, it would be better fun to get him down here, and let him see his vessel afloat.”

“fun, you call it! wal, i won’t dispute about words. at any rate, it ought to teach him a lesson.”

“but when can we begin?—now?”

“now?” replied captain pratt, with a smile. “wal—hardly—not just now, i should say. you see the vessel’s partly in the mud, and a good deal in the water, and it would be rather difficult to get at her so as to go to work.”

“how long will it be before we can begin?”

“not till the tide leaves her.”

“that will be after dark.”

“yes, this evening; but to-morrow morning the tide will be out, and everything can be done then.”

“but then we shall be in school.”

“so you will. well, it’ll have to be managed without you. but, after all, you won’t be wanted till the evening. my men and i can do all the fixins. we’ll get everything ready when the tide is out, and then in the evening, when you come, you will be able to help without getting up to your eyes in mud.”

“o, well, we’ll all be down.”

“how many can you muster? a dozen boys like you will be enough.”

“o, we can muster more than that, if you wish it. we will bring down the whole school.”

“all right then. you see it will be about eight men’s work. i and my men make three, and you lads ought to make up the rest. it’ll be mostly pullin that you’ll be wanted for.”

“pulling?”

“yes—histin. i’ll rig some tackle for you. besides, i’ll have to get the vessel clear of mud at low tide. there can’t be much in her here.”

“why, we thought, from what captain corbet said, that by this time she would be sunk so deep that she would be half buried in the mud, and half full of it.”

“nonsense! the mud just here on this slope isn’t very deep. six or eight inches of mud is about all she’d sink in. two or three hours’ work will clear all that away, and then all that is left for us to do is to get her right side up, and i’ll rig the tackle for that.”

“i must say, captain pratt,” said bart, “it’s un commonly good in you to take so much time and trouble.”

“o, as for that,” said captain pratt, “neighbors must be neighborly, and seafarin men most so. besides, i hain’t got anything in particular to do to-morrow, and i’d like very well to turn a hand to this. but i don’t see yet why corbet should go and be such a precious old goose. the vessel ain’t worth much, but she’s worth settin right side up; that i’ll maintain.”

the captain then proceeded to explain his plan of action to the boys more minutely, so that at last they perceived how very simple and feasible it was, and wondered now that captain corbet should have given up his vessel so readily, without making any effort, where an effort would have been so very easy.

“i understand now, i think,” said bart, “why captain corbet gave up the vessel. it was the babby. he wanted to be able to devote himself altogether to his domestic cares.”

after spending some further time the boys took their departure, with the understanding that they were to return on the following day after school, with all the boys that they could muster.

by seven o’clock on the following morning, captain pratt was at work at the antelope. the tide had retreated far enough to allow of an investigation of her condition, though the water which had filled her at the last tide had not run out of her. his first work was to bore a few auger holes along the lower part of her deck, to let all the water run out. the antelope was not, after all, so very deep in the mud as had been supposed by the boys. it had covered her taffrail some inches, but this could be shovelled away without any very severe exertion; and it was to this that captain pratt and his men first directed their energies. two hours’ work sufficed for them to clear away all this, after which they turned their attention to other things. first of all, as the water had now run out, captain pratt stopped up the auger holes tightly, and then prepared to close the hatchways. this was a work of extreme difficulty. the hatches which belonged to the schooner had floated away long ago, and it was necessary to make new ones. this was at length done by working up some stuff that was on board captain pratt’s vessel, which they then proceeded to fasten to the hatchways of the antelope. the position in which the schooner lay made it excessively difficult. she was on her side on a slope in such a way that her deck overhung them somewhat as they worked, so that they labored at a great disadvantage; however, they persevered, and at length had the satisfaction of seeing that the new hatches were fastened in with sufficient firmness to suit their purposes, and were judged to be sufficiently water-tight for the present emergency.

the work thus far, important though it was, had been essentially preliminary; and now the machinery had to be arranged for the immediate work of raising the fallen vessel to her proper position. captain pratt and his men took a number of spars from their schooner, and selecting three of them, bound their ends together, and stood these three like a tripod, as near to the schooner as possible, and close by the foremast. three more bound together in a similar way were placed near the mainmast. from the top of each of these a tackle-block was suspended, and a line also was passed from each, and run around a tree which stood about a dozen yards away from the edge of the bank. another line passed from each tackle-block, and was fastened around each mast of the schooner.

captain pratt’s design was now evident.

first of all he had cleared away the mud that had covered the taffrail of the schooner, and emptied her of water; then he had battened down the hatches so that at the next rising tide no water should enter her; and finally he had rigged the tackle-blocks so as to hoist up the schooner to an erect position by means of the united efforts of all that could be mustered. but the schooner, as she now lay, could not be raised by such means. it was necessary to have additional help, and that help was to be found in the rising tide. when the water should rise so as to be deep enough for the schooner to float in, the task of pulling her up to an erect position would be comparatively easy.

captain pratt’s labors were energetically performed, and finally, just as he had completed his tackle arrangements, the tide began to flow around the schooner.

in another hour the water was high around her; still another, and the tide was at its fullest height, and captain pratt began to look anxiously for the boys.

meanwhile the boys on the hill had all heard of the proposed enterprise, and, from the largest to the smallest, were filled with intense excitement. they chafed impatiently against the restraints of the school, and waited with extreme difficulty for the closing hour. at last it came; and then, with loud shouts, and screams, and laughter, the whole school set off at a run for the scene of action, which they reached just as captain pratt began to feel impatient.

“hooray!” shouted the gallant captain, as he saw them pouring down towards the wharf. “here you are,—and lots of you, too. you’re just in time, too. the tide’s up, the tackle is rigged, and all we’ve got to do now is to go to work.”

the boys looked hastily around, and though they could not see all that had been done, yet they could comprehend the purpose of the tackle which they saw before them, and had no doubt whatever that the undertaking would be perfectly successful.

“now, boys,” said captain pratt, “you can’t all bear a hand, but you small boys’ll have to be satisfied with lookin on. i’ll choose the biggest to help me, and show you where you’ve got to pull.”

saying this, he selected from among the boys: bruce, arthur, bart, tom, phil, jiggins, muckle, sammy ram ram, johnny blue, billymack, bogud, and pat, and these he stationed at the tackle which was attached to the foremast, while he himself and his two men went to the lines which were attached to the mainmast.

“now, boys,” said he, “it’s no use to pull every which way. pull together as i give the word. mind—it’s a long pull, a strong pull, and a pull all together. i’ll sing, and you pull at the chorus—-that’s the way.”

saying this, captain pratt burst forth with a rude song, which was,

"up she rises;

hi ho, cheerly, men!

heave her up;

hi ho, cheerly, men!

all together;

hi ho, cheerly, men!

heave with a will;

hi ho, cheerly, men!”

and at every cry, “hi ho, cheerly, men,” captain pratt and his men gave a pull, and the boys, watching him, pulled also. at first they were a little irregular, but they soon caught the time, and pulled as regularly as the men. and thus, with a long pull, and a strong pull, and a pull all together, they sought to raise up the fallen schooner.

the schooner felt it. already the mud had been detached from its grasp, and the water which flowed around formed an additional assistant, buoying it up, and supporting it as they pulled. the clinging mud was the only thing to contend with. the first pull loosened its hold somewhat, the second and third did this still more, and finally the fourth raised the masts above the surface of the water. again and again they pulled, and higher and higher came the masts, until at last, when high up in the air, all further pulling was rendered unnecessary by the schooner, which threw herself upon her keel in the water, and thus righted herself of her own accord. she did not sit very fair, it is true, for the mud which had accumulated on one side of her hold gave her a lop-sided appearance; but that mattered little to the boys. it was enough triumph to them that she was afloat, and so they celebrated their triumph in long, loud cheers.

having thus righted the schooner, captain pratt prepared to secure her in a proper manner.

“we’ve righted her, boys,” said he, “and now let’s take care that she shan’t be wronged.”

with this end in view, lines were fastened from the schooner to the shore, and captain pratt finally pronounced her free from danger.

the boys now crowded around the antelope to see what marks she bore of her late calamities. there she floated before them, her masts and rigging plastered with mud, yet afloat, and able once more to plough the seas after her own fashion. a few among them managed to scramble on board, the righted schooner. the scene around was not particularly attractive. the mud still clung close to the deck and rigging, and even captain pratt’s work around the hatches was already coated over with thick slime. the scene was not an attractive one, and they did not remain there long.

“she wants cleanin,” remarked captain pratt, after a long survey,—“that’s a fact; an what’s more, she wants corkin—no doubt,—an a good coat o’ tar. she wants new spars, an riggin, an chains, an anchors,—a new deck, too, and pumps wouldn’t be out of the way; and for that matter, while they were about it, they might as well put a new hull onto her. by that time she’d be fit to carry taters, and corbet might make a little money out of her. but it would cost a good bit to do all that, and so i dar say corbet’ll sail her as she stands,—if he sails her at all. arter all, he might as well, bein as she’s jest as good now as ever she was. she never was much; but then she’s been lucky, and did well enough for corbet. it would be kind of onnateral to see him aboard of any other craft than this here.”

“boys,” said bart, “something ought to be done in honor of this great occasion; and above all, we ought to make up some way to bring corbet face to face with his restored antelope. shall we tell him at once, and let him come down?”

“no, let’s leave it till he finds out. let’s give him a shock of surprise.”

“but how will we know anything about his surprise, unless we are here on the spot at that great meeting between corbet and his lost but restored schooner?”

“o, we’ll have to manage it so as to be here when he comes down to see it.”

“we ought to arrange some plan.”

“shall we let him know what has happened, or get him to come down here for something else?”

“o, we ought to get him to come for something else, and then his surprise will be all the greater.”

“but what else?”

“that we’ll have to think over.”

“we ought to make haste about it, then.”

“yes, we ought to decide before the end of the week.”

“the end of the week! nonsense! why not to-day?”

“to-day?”

“of course. now’s the time. we must get him down to-day, while we’re all here. if we don’t, he’ll be certain to hear all about it before tomorrow from some one else.”

“yes, of course.”

“to-day’s the time.”

“yes, to-day. we’re all here. i want to see the meeting. i wouldn’t lose the sight for anything.”

“well—what shall we get up to bring him here?”

“o, let’s send word that captain pratt wants to see him on very particular business.”

“that won’t bring him, especially if he’s got the babby. he wouldn’t come down before when the business was still more important.”

“we couldn’t send some word about a potato freight, i suppose.”

“no, for three reasons; first, because it isn’t the truth; secondly, because he believes that he has no schooner; and thirdly, because he is indifferent to potato freights.”

“well, what shall we tell him, then?”

this conversation went on, every one speaking at once; but no one being able to think of any plausible message to send to captain corbet which should be true, and at the same time not disclose the actual facts. at last they concluded that it was impossible to make up such a message; and as the time was passing, they determined to send for him at all hazards.

but who would go?

pat at once offered, much to the relief of all the others, who wanted to be on the spot when captain corbet arrived. pat, however, was very good-natured, and didn’t at all mind the long walk, but promised to be back in an hour, along with captain corbet.

“don’t tell him about the schooner, unless you have to,” said bruce.

“sure an what’ll i tell him, thin?”

“o, tell him anything at all, so long as it’s the truth, and no humbug, you know. just tell him in a general way something or other.”

“somethin or other in a gineral way?” repeated pat.

“yes, something that’ll make him come down, you know; and don’t tell him about the schooner, unless you have to.”

“deed, thin, an i won’t. i’ll tell him somethin in gineral, an nothin in particular.”

“but no humbug, you know.”

“no—surely not; it’s mesilf that won’t.”

and with these words pat took himself off.