CHAPTER XXIX THE OLD WELL
The announcement the young major made was true--the man who had come upwas really Sam Haverick, the horse-dealer, a fellow known far and widearound the lake for his sharp deals in horseflesh.
As soon as he caught sight of the cadets' uniforms his face took on asour look.
"Are you youngsters from Putnam Hall?" he asked, as he came to a haltunder the tree.
"We are," answered Pepper.
"How many of you up there?"
"Three."
"Humph! What are you doing there?"
"The dogs drove us up here," said Andy. Jack was purposely keeping inthe background.
"As they are your dogs we would like you to call them off," continuedPepper. "They have kept us treed about long enough."
"I guess they know you," said the horse-dealer, with a scowl. "One ofyou cadets killed one of their mates."
"The mad dog," said Andy.
"He wasn't mad! He only wanted to have some fun. Say, why don't you showyourself?" shouted the man, to Jack.
As there was no help for it, the young major stepped out on a tree-limbin full view.
"Oh, I see now. You are Jack Ruddy, the lad who shot my dog. Ain't thatso?"
"I did shoot the dog," answered Jack, boldly. "But I only did it becausehe was mad and because he wanted to bite Mrs. Bennington."
"Stuff and nonsense! You shot the dog because you thought it was smart!"growled the horse-dealer. "I ought to have had you locked up for it."
There was an awkward pause. The boys felt that they could expectanything but kind treatment from Sam Haverick.
"Are you going to call off the dogs?" asked Pepper, at last.
"I will--on one condition," answered the man, and there was a shrewdlook in his face as he spoke.
"What's that?" asked Jack, although he knew about what was coming.
"That you pay for the dog you shot."
"How much?"
"Fifty dollars."
"Do you think we have fifty dollars with us?" cried Andy. "Why, Ihaven't but eighty cents."
"And I have sixty-five cents," said Pepper.
"I've got two dollars and a quarter," put in Jack. "But I am not goingto give it to you," he added, with spirit.
"Humph! Then you can stay in the tree."
"We shan't do that either," said Pepper. "Call off those dogs and bequick about it. I am coming down, and if your dogs attack me, you'll goto prison for it."
"That's the talk," said Jack. "Call off the dogs, quick! Here I come!"And he started to drop down.
The horse-dealer was a good deal of a brute, but he was likewise acoward, and he did not dare to allow his dogs to attack the boys. Asthey came down out of the tree, he whistled to the bulldogs and theycrouched behind him.
"Suppose you think you're smart," he growled.
"We are standing up for our rights, that is all," answered Jack. "Now weare going on our way. If those dogs come after us again, I'll getCaptain Putnam to have you locked up for allowing such brutes atliberty."
"Oh, go to grass!" grumbled Sam Haverick, and strode off, with his dogsfollowing him.
As he went in one direction, the boys thought it wise to take the other.They continued on the road, and quarter of an hour later came in sightof a small farmhouse, perched on a hillside and surrounded with fieldsof grain.
"So you were really in that balloon!" said the farmer after he had heardtheir story. "Don't it beat all now! I wouldn't go up in one of thempesky things not fer a million dollars!"
"An' I wouldn't go fer three million," said his wife, who was in thekitchen baking.
The boys asked if they could purchase some lunch and were given somesandwiches, fresh cake, and all the milk they could drink. The farmerwanted no pay, but each cadet insisted upon giving his wife a quarter.
"This road will take you to Cedarville," said the farmer. "It's a longway around though. A short way is by the trail over yonder."
"Is the trail a good one?" asked Pepper, cautiously.
"You see, we don't want to lose our way again," explained Jack.
"I don't see how you can lose your way," answered the farmer. "Keep tothe trail until you come to some tall rocks. Then turn to your left, goaround the rocks, and you'll come out on the old Borden Road, which runsstraight down to Cedarville."
"That looks easy enough," said Andy.
The three cadets soon set off, and in a few minutes the farmhouse wasout of sight. They passed through a patch of woods, then across ameadow, and then followed the trail beside a tiny brook, which seemedalive with trout.
"This is the spot for fishing," exclaimed Pepper. "Don't I wish I had aline!"
"We can't stop to fish now," answered Jack. "Remember, the folks will beworried about us until we report."
"That is true. But we can come here some other day."
The trail left the brook a little further on, and then they came to apoint where the way was uncertain.
"Go slow now," cautioned the young major. "We don't want to becometangled up if we can possibly avoid it."
"Here seems to be a cleared spot," said Pepper, gazing around. "I wonderif there was once a farm here?"
"If there was it must have been abandoned years ago," answered Andy. "Tome it's a perfect wilderness."
They started to go on, when suddenly Andy sank down in the soil adistance of about two feet.
"Help!" he yelled, and scrambled out of the hole as quickly as he could.
"Humph! I wonder if that is another cave?" muttered Jack.
"I didn't seem to touch bottom," answered the acrobatic youth.
"Let us examine it, just for fun," said Pepper, and walked back beforethe others could stop him. He picked up a dead tree-branch and poked itinto the hole.
"I can't touch bottom," he declared.
"You had better come away before you fall in," said Jack.
"Do you know what I think?" went on the Imp. "I think it is an oldwell."
"A well? out here?" came from Andy, with a skeptical look.
"Look for yourself."
Both of the others were now interested, and made an examination.
"It certainly is a well, and the top had been choked up most likely foryears," declared the young major.
"I'll stick a tree-limb in the hole," said Pepper. "That will preventsomebody else from going down into it."
This was done, and they started to go ahead once more. They had coveredonly fifty feet when Jack suddenly came to a halt as if electrified.
"Well, I never!" he gasped, after a look ahead and then a look behind.
"What's up now?" asked Andy and Pepper, in a breath.
"Do you remember Mr. Strong's story about that hidden pot of gold?"
"Certainly," said Andy.
"You don't mean----" began Pepper.
"Don't you remember that his great-grandfather left a letter, statingthe pot of gold was hidden under the tree that had the stone in itsroots,--the tree that stood twenty paces north cf the old well?"
"Yes."
"Well, yonder is the old well, and here is the stone, about twenty pacesnorth of it. The tree blew down years ago, but here is a part of thestump."
"And do you think the pot of gold is there?" almost shouted Pepper.
"That remains to be found out," answered Jack.
CHAPTER XXX SOMETHING OF A FIND--CONCLUSION
The discovery which Jack had made filled all three of the cadets withexcitement, and they gazed at the rock and tree-root in wonder andexpectation.
"Oh, I hope the pot of gold is really there!" cried Andy.
"We'll have to dig for it," returned Pepper. "Come on! I wish I had aspade."
"So do I."
"We'll have to use our knives and some sticks," put in the young major."And our hands too."
They were soon digging away at the foot of the rock. Then they pulledaway some of the rott
en tree-roots that were near.
"Look out, there is a snake!" ejaculated Andy, a moment later. But thereptile was small and harmless, and quickly got out of sight in thebushes.
"I wonder if there are any more around," ventured Jack. He did not likesnakes in the least.
"We'll have to keep our eyes open," answered Pepper.
Once more they made the dirt fly, loosening it with their knives andsome sharp-pointed sticks, and scooping it away with their hands. Theydid not mind getting dirty--all their thoughts were on uncovering thepot of gold, if it was really there.
"This doesn't look like anything," grumbled Andy, after they had beendigging the best part of half an hour.
"Do you want to give up?" questioned Jack, quickly.
"Not yet."
"Here is a flat stone," said Pepper. "It is quite large, too. We willhave some trouble getting it up."
"Perhaps it is placed directly over the pot of gold," said Andy.
They worked all around the flat stone and then pried up one end with aheavy stick. Pepper placed his hand beneath.
"There is something under it," he announced. "Feels like an iron pot!"
"Let us get that stone up!" cried Jack.
They tugged and strained with might and main, and at last the flat rockcame up out of the hole. Beneath was the cover to an old rusty pot andbeneath this the pot itself, resting in a bed of dirt and small stones.
"Hurrah! here it is!" cried Andy. "Bring it up, Jack!"
It was no easy matter to bring up the iron pot, which was heavy, but atlast they had it out on the grass. The lid was rusted fast, but theyspeedily pried it off.
"Empty!" ejaculated Pepper, looking into the receptacle, and his facefell.
"All our work for nothing," murmured Andy.
"No, it is not empty," said Jack. "That is an iron plate resting nearthe bottom. Wait till I pry it up with my knife blade."
He set to work, and soon the iron plate came up. Beneath lay some dullyellow round pieces of metal.
"Gold!" shouted the young major. "Old English and Spanish gold!"
"Are you sure it is gold?" queried Pepper.
"Yes. Look for yourself," and Jack brushed off one of the pieces on hiscoat-sleeve. "Boys, we're in luck! We have certainly found the pot withgold in it that Mr. Strong has been looking for so long!"
"Not very much gold," said Andy. "I thought there would be a pot full."
"It doesn't take much gold to make quite a sum, Andy. You know aten-dollar gold piece isn't very large."
"That is true."
The boys inspected the pieces with interest and counted them up. Alltold there were four hundred and twenty-three pieces, some large andsome small, English, French, and Spanish gold, as they made out by someof the tarnished markings.
"Let us take the pot and all along," said Pepper. "Mr. Strong will wishto see the whole thing."
"And let us mark this place, so we can find it again," added Andy.
They hung the pot with its contents on a stout stick, and two carried itat a time. Having marked the neighborhood, they set off along the trail,and after a rather tedious walk reached the highway running intoCedarville.
"I know where we are now," said Jack. "We needn't go all the way toCedarville. We can branch off a little way below here and go directly toPutnam Hall."
They followed his advice, and half an hour later, just as the sun wassetting, came in sight of the school. They were soon seen, and a shoutwent up.
"There are Jack, Andy, and Pepper now!"
"Did you get hurt on your balloon trip?"
"Where did you leave the balloon?"
"We were afraid you were all killed."
Such were some of the remarks and questions uttered by those who hadreturned to the Hall after the departure of the balloon with the boys.
"We are safe and sound," said Jack, speaking for himself and his chums.
"What have you got there?" asked Dale.
"Something for Mr. Strong," whispered Pepper. "Where is he?"
"In the Hall. Captain Putnam is out hunting for you. He said if you werefound, to fire the cannon."
"All right, then fire it," said Andy.
The three boys marched into the Hall with their precious burden. Theywere told that Mr. Strong had gone to his room, and so followed up thestairs and knocked on the door.
"What! back, safe and sound!" cried the teacher. "I am more than glad tohear it."
"We are glad to be back," answered Jack.
"But what made you run off?"
"We didn't run off. We were carried off against our will."
"Well! well! I suppose---- What is that thing?"
"This, Mr. Strong, is something we suspect belongs to you," said Jack,proudly. "It is the missing pot of gold--only it isn't full by anymeans."
"The pot of gold? Surely I must be dreaming!" gasped the teacher. "Wheredid you get it?"
Their tale was speedily told in detail, and the gold was examined withmuch interest.
"It must be true," said George Strong. "What an extraordinary ending toan extraordinary adventure!"
Just then the cannon on the campus boomed out--the signal that the boyshad returned to Putnam Hall.
The shot soon brought Captain Putnam back to the school, and he listenedto the cadets' story with as close attention as had George Strong. Hehad already heard from Dale, Stuffer, Hogan, and Joe Nelson how theballoon had started away, and so could not blame the boys very much.
"It was imprudent for you to get into the basket," said he. "But asnobody was hurt, we will let it pass. But the balloonist wants hisballoon back."
"He can have it, and welcome," said Jack. "After this I'll do myballooning on the ground!"
"Ditto here," said Pepper.
"I rather enjoyed it," said Andy. "I'd go again--if I got the chance."
"Not while you are a pupil under my care," said Captain Putnam,decidedly.
On the following day the balloon was located by those who owned it andbrought over to Cedarville, and on Monday the professor gave anexhibition to which Captain Putnam and his pupils contributed liberally.This satisfied Professor Aireo and he departed for parts unknown, andthat ended the matter.
As soon as possible George Strong found out the value of the coins theiron pot had contained, and had the boys take him to the spot where thetreasure had been located.
"The gold is worth exactly six thousand and two hundred dollars," saidthe teacher. "I shall divide it up with my relatives. The question is,What part of the sum do you think you ought to have for finding it?"
"We'll leave that to you?" said Andy, who was not overly rich.
"Would a hundred dollars each suit you?"
"That suits me," said the acrobatic youth, and Jack and Pepper said theywere also satisfied. Later on each got the amount mentioned.
"Have you located those crazy men yet?" asked Jack.
"In a way, yes. They took a boat to Ithaca, and then a train for thenorth. Perhaps they have left the neighborhood for good." But in thisstatement George Strong was mistaken, as later events proved.
The balloon adventure made Andy, Jack, and Pepper the heroes of the Hallfor the time being.
"We'll never have another adventure as thrilling as that," said Pepper,but he was mistaken; they did have an adventure equally thrilling, andwhat it was I shall relate in another volume of this series, to becalled "The Putnam Hall Champions; or, Bound to Win Out." In that volumewe shall meet all our friends once more, and likewise some of theirenemies, and learn the particulars of a victory which led to a mostunlooked-for discovery.
Summer was now at hand, and one bright Saturday the boys had a regularfield-day, with a big spread afterwards. Jack, Andy, Pepper, and theothers did very well, winning several prizes. Harry Blossom made a neatspeech, and then all sat down to a meal which made Stuffer Singleton'seyes fairly glisten.
"This day is the limit!" cried Andy, while the eating was going on. "Iwas never so happy in my life before."
> "I don't think any schoolboys could be happier than we are," said Jack."Especially with old Crabtree gone."
"Drop Crabtree," sang out Dale. "He will come back all too soon, don'tfear!"
"Here comes Captain Putnam!" announced Pepper. "Let us give him acheer."
All agreed, and the cheer went echoing across the lake and the hills farand wide, and with that cheer let us take our departure.
THE END
BY THE SAME AUTHOR
THE PUTNAM HALL RIVALS; Or, Fun and Sport Afloat and Ashore. THE PUTNAM HALL CADETS; Or, Good Times in School and Out. THE ROVER BOYS ON THE PLAINS; Or, The Mystery of Red Rock Ranch. THE ROVER BOYS ON THE RIVER; Or, The Search for the Missing Houseboat. THE ROVER BOYS IN CAMP; Or, The Rivals of Pine Island. THE ROVER BOYS ON LAND AND SEA; Or, The Crusoes of Seven Islands. THE ROVER BOYS IN THE MOUNTAINS; Or, A Hunt for Fun and Fortune. THE ROVER BOYS ON THE GREAT LAKES; Or, The Secret of the Island Cave. THE ROVER BOYS OUT WEST; Or, The Search for a Lost Mine. THE ROVER BOYS IN THE JUNGLE; Or, Stirring Adventures in Africa. THE ROVER BOYS ON THE OCEAN; Or, A Chase for a Fortune. THE ROVER BOYS AT SCHOOL; Or, The Cadets of Putnam Hall.
_12mo, finely illustrated and bound in cloth._ _Price, per volume, 60 cents._
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THE ROVER BOYS ON THE FARM Or, The Last Days at Putnam Hall
The latest and best of all the Rover Boy Books. THE ROVER BOYS IN SOUTHERN WATERS Or, The Deserted Steam Yacht
A trip to the coast of Florida. THE ROVER BOYS ON THE PLAINS Or, The Mystery of Red Rock Ranch
Relates adventures on the mighty Mississippi River. THE ROVER BOYS ON THE RIVER Or, The Search for the Missing Houseboat
The Ohio River is the theme of this spirited story. THE ROVER BOYS IN CAMP Or, The Rivals of Pine Island
At the annual school encampment. THE ROVER BOYS ON LAND AND SEA Or, The Crusoes of Seven Islands
Full of strange and surprising adventures. THE ROVER BOYS IN THE MOUNTAINS Or, A Hunt for Fame and Fortune
The boys in the Adirondacks at a Winter camp. THE ROVER BOYS ON THE GREAT LAKES Or, The Secret of the Island Cave
A story of a remarkable Summer outing; full of fun. THE ROVER BOYS OUT WEST Or, The Search for a Lost Mine
A graphic description of the mines of the great Rockies. THE ROVER BOYS IN THE JUNGLE Or, Stirring Adventures in Africa
The boys journey to the Dark Continent in search of their father. THE ROVER BOYS ON THE OCEAN Or, A Chase for a Fortune
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The doings of Dick, Tom, and Sam Rover.
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The Putnam Hall Series
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The cadets are lively, flesh-and blood fellows, bound to make friendsfrom the start. There are some keen rivalries, in school and out, andsomething is told of a remarkable midnight feast and a hazing that hadan unlooked-for ending.
THE PUTNAM HALL RIVALS Or, Fun and Sport Afloat and Ashore
It is a lively, rattling, breezy story of school life In this country,written by one who knows all about its ways, its snowball fights, itsbaseball matches, its pleasures and its perplexities, its gloriousexcitements, its rivalries, and its chilling disappointments. It is acapitally written story which will interest boys vastly.
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Transcriber's Notes
--Copyright notice provided as in the original printed text--this e-text is public domain in the country of publication.
--Silently corrected palpable typos; left non-standard spellings and dialect unchanged.
--Moved promotional material to the end of the text.
--In the text versions, included italics inside _underscores_ (the HTML version replicates the format of the original.)
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