the next morning, directly after breakfast, joe was reminded of his promise, and approaching mr. bernard, he said, "i want to ask a favour, sir."

"very well, joe."

"we boys, the whole crowd of us, want to go off on a lark."

"that is frankly said, joe," said mr. bernard smiling.

joe laughed, and continued, "we want to go over to a fishing-place john tells about, where the fish are extra big and quick to bite."

"i am willing, joe, perfectly willing."

"but that isn't all, mr. bernard," said joe reddening, and finding it harder to ask the favour than he expected. "we want to go on our own hook, and not have any one to look after us."

"that would be sorry fishing, to get on your own hooks, chester," was the laughing reply. "but i understand: you object to the company of the teachers. is that it?"

that did not sound just right to joe, but it was the truth; so he laughed and admitted the fact. "what have you against us, joe? are we too strict?" asked mr. bernard good-naturedly. "have we offended your majesties in any way?"

"oh no, sir. the teachers are very nice; but some of the boys think they are tied up too much, and get kind of uneasy."

mr. bernard glanced over the crowd of boys gathered round to hear the decision, and seemed to be studying the question.

"we would be just as careful as if the teachers were there," interposed lewis swift; and many other voices added a like assurance.

"very well, boys. if you will all be careful, i will agree to your going without a leader. i think myself that it is much wiser to have one of the teachers with such a troop of boys. when men gather in companies, they always appoint a leader, and consider it no disgrace to them."

"that's so," said joe chester. "i never thought of that; did you, walt?"

"no, but i'm for a day of freedom!" replied walter in a low tone. then aloud he said, "so we may go, mr. bernard, may we?"

"yes, you may go. success to you, and a safe return!"

"three cheers for the teachers!" cried ned gould, waving his cap, and adding in a low tone to walter, "nice fellows--at a distance!"

jonas grumbled a good deal at having so many lunches to put up.

"it's worse than getting dinner for you! it will take all my bread and gingerbread."

"put in plenty; we'll be hungry as sharks," said david, bringing along a good-sized basket.

"put in some potatoes, jonas, and we'll make a fire and cook some for dinner ourselves. i can fry fish on a stick," said joe.

"now, you youngsters, save all the fish you catch, and freitag and i'll come over and fetch 'em back."

"all right, jonas; we'll have a big load for you."

mr. bernard gave them numerous cautions; and, promising to remember them, the boys hurried away, laden with baskets of lunch, fishing-rods, and bait.

they were in high spirits, and mr. bernard could hear them, long after they were out of sight, singing, "cheer, boys, cheer."

"this is something like--don't you say so, boys? it seems good to be our own masters. i'm sick of hearing 'don't do this,' and 'you'd better not do that.' it spoils all the fun of camping out."

"well, walt, we are free for once. let's enjoy our liberty, and not grumble," said joe.

they made a second breakfast of blueberries on the way, and arrived at the fishing-place in the best of spirits.

they found the sport, as john had told them, the liveliest kind imaginable; and all were soon engaged with hook and line.

the tide was quite low, but coming in steadily, and they found it necessary to retreat before it continually. sometimes the advancing waves would overtake them in their eagerness for one more bite, and as a result it was necessary now and then to remove their rubber boots and empty out the water.

"i guess there'll be more fish than jonas and his man friday will want to carry," said dave, as he began to gather the fish from the rocks to put them in the basket. "let's have a lunch."

"so say i," said donald parker. "there's plenty of drift-wood close at hand."

the fires were soon built, the potatoes were put to roast, and the fish were hung by the gills on sticks over the coals.

there was a great deal of laughing and shouting over the preparation for "lunch no. 1," as they called this, intending to save enough food to have several more during the day.

some began to eat their fish before they were half cooked, and others found theirs burned or smoked; but all were merry over the gipsy meal, when joe, standing up and looking around, said, "where are walt and ned?"

"sure enough, where are they?" asked dave, dropping his fish into the fire. "i haven't heard their voices for ever so long."

"nor i," said several boys.

"not since we first got here."

"walt martin! ned gould!"

"ned! walt!" shouted the crowd, making war-whoops with their hands over their mouths.

"shout again, all together!"

again they all shouted, loud enough to frighten the mermaids in the sea.

"ho, walt!"

only a prolonged echo came back, and seemed to mock them.

"now it's mean for those fellows to go off and frighten us!" cried joe indignantly.

"i say as much. they've hid somewhere to make us hunt them up. i move we let them wait, and eat our lunch."

so they began eating again, talking meanwhile of their missing companions.

no one remembered anything about them after they reached the rocks.

each boy had been busy selecting his place, baiting hooks, and pulling in fish, with the frequent shout, "look out there! big wave coming!"

then would be a rushing back, and dragging of lines, as the tide pursued them further and further back.

"perhaps they've gone up to the lighthouse," suggested dave. "i'll go up and see."

"hold on, dave; i'll go too," said joe, disposing hastily of a large piece of gingerbread. "one of you fellows tend my fish."

"all right! eat it, too, if you want us."

joe and david met john and jerry coming rapidly down over the rocks.

"we heard an awful yelling, and thought we'd come and see what the matter was."

"we were calling walt and ned. we thought perhaps they had come up here. have you seen anything of them?"

"no; they haven't been near us. perhaps they've tumbled into the sea."

"cheerful suggestion!" said joe, shrugging his shoulders.

"they'd hardly be likely to do so without one yell at least; and both of them together would make a considerable noise. no; i suppose they are hiding somewhere to frighten us."

"what are you doing--fishing?"

"yes; you see we are over here by ourselves--no teachers with us," said joe.

"wish there was now!" added dave.

"so do i. if one of the teachers had come, those boys wouldn't be playing their pranks this way."

"what's the matter?" shouted mr. kramer, coming out on the ledge before his door. "what are you youngsters howling about?"

"we can't find two of the boys."

"can't find 'em! where were they when you see 'em last?"

"they came over from camp with us, and we all began to fish; that's the last any of us saw of them."

"humph! that's a nice business," said the light-keeper thoughtfully, knocking the ashes out of his pipe, and tucking it in the pocket of his monkey-jacket.

"we didn't miss them until we made our fires and were cooking our fish."

jacob kramer said nothing, but started across the ledge that paved his yard.

"how long have you been over there fishing?"

"oh, we got there by nine o'clock."

"and now it is about eleven," said kramer, looking at the sun.

"yes, sir," replied joe, referring to his little silver watch; "it is five minutes past."

"if they went around the cliff just beyond the fishing-place, and didn't watch, the tide would soon cut them off."

joe and dave looked frightened.

"where would they be now? can they get over the cliff?"

"over the cliff? not much, unless they can walk up a wall like a fly. it isn't less than forty feet high in any place right there, and part o' the way it's sixty and seventy, straight up and down. i'll go and look over."

he led the way to the brow of the cliff, about twenty yards off; and, lying down flat, looked over the edge.

the boys held their breath until he spoke.

"yes; there are the young scamps!"

joe and dave threw themselves upon the ground and crept to the edge also.

"keep back there, you rascals! this is no place for you."

the boys crept back until it was safe to stand again, saying, "i saw them!"

"so did i! what a place!"

"hullo, down there!" shouted mr. kramer.

ned and walter looked up in evident surprise and relief.

"o mr. kramer, can't you get us off?" they screamed.

"i don't think i can."

"the tide is coming higher and higher, and we have climbed as far as we can. will we have to drown?"

the light-keeper looked down some time before answering--it seemed an hour to joe--then he said in a tone the boys below could not hear, "the tides are so much higher now, and the sea so rough since the storm, there's no knowin' how high it will get."

the boys below, tired of waiting for an answer, screamed, "mr. kramer, do something to help us. bring a boat around here and take us off."

"that's the worst place on the island to take a boat. the water drives in furiously, and then sucks back enough to drag the solid cliff after it, if it wasn't anchored very strong."

this the light-keeper said to the two boys near him; and ned and walter, in their perilous position under the cliff, waited breathlessly for an answer, nearly frantic at the delay.

"mr. kramer, o mr. kramer! how high does the tide come here?"

"i can't see. can't you tell by the looks of the rocks?"

"no, we don't know how."

"you can tell how high it comes generally by the seaweed and barnacles. i think it won't come up to you," he said at last.

this was sorry comfort.

"but you are not sure! oh, come round in the boat, please."

"i shan't risk my boat in there unless it's a case of life or death, for she'd be smashed in a moment, and no one could save himself in that whirlpool."

"but can't you go out in the boat and be near, so you could get to them if the water got too high where they are?" asked joe eagerly.

kramer hesitated.

"oh, do, mr. kramer," urged joe. "we boys will make up a purse and pay you."

"nonsense, boy! if i do it at all it won't be for money. i tell you a boat would get smashed there very quick. it would go against the rocks in spite of me. i'll get some of those wrecked fellows waked up, and go out. i suppose the youngsters will feel better to see the boat."

"oh yes," said joe; "we shall all feel easier."

"it is almost half an hour yet before the tide is high," said the light-keeper meditatively as he looked below again.

"here, you down there! i'll come around in the boat.--john, you run to the house and wake up a couple of those men. you needn't disturb the captain. i only want two. fetch 'em along quick down to the boat-landing!"

john was off in a minute, and joe and dave ran down to the boat with kramer, who, now he had made up his mind, seemed inclined to hurry.

the two men from the house soon followed, and the boat was quickly launched.