The Adventure Club Afloat

by Ralph Henry Barbour

  CHAPTER II

  THE CLUB GROWS

  And that is the way in which it happened. It began in fun and endedquite seriously. They sat up in Number 17 Sumner until long afterbedtime that night, figuring the cost of the expedition, planning thecruise, even listing supplies. The more they talked about it the moretheir enthusiasm grew. Perry was for having Steve send a night messagethen and there to his father asking for the boat, but Steve preferred towait until he reached home and make the request by word of mouth.

  "He would just think I was fooling or crazy if I telegraphed," heexplained. "Tomorrow we'll try to dig up three other fellows to goalong, and then, as soon as we all get home, we'll find out whether ourfolks will stand for it. You must all telegraph me the first thing.Don't wait to write, because I must know as soon as possible. I dare saythere's work to be done on the _Cockatoo_ before she's ready for thewater, and we don't want to have to wait around until the end of July.The fun of doing anything is to do it right off. If you wait you losehalf the pleasure. Now you'd better beat it, Perry. It's after ten. Ifyou meet a proctor close your eyes and make believe you're walking inyour sleep."

  Perry reached his own room, on the floor above, without being sighted,however, and subsequently spent a sleepless hour in joyous anticipationof at last finding some of those adventures that all his life he hadlonged for. And when he did at length fall asleep it was to have themost outlandish dreams, visions in which he endured shipwreck, foughtpirates and was all but eaten by cannibals. The most incongruous phaseof the dream, as recollected on waking, was that the _Cockatoo_ hadbeen, not a motor-boat at all, but a trolley-car! He distinctlyremembered that the pirates, on boarding it, had each dropped a nickelin the box!

  Fortunately for the success of the Adventure Club, the next morning heldno duties. In the afternoon the deciding baseball game was to be played,but, except for gathering belongings together preliminary to packing,nothing else intervened between now and the graduation programme of themorrow. Hence it was an easy matter to hold what might be termed thefirst meeting of the club. Besides the originators there were presentMessrs. Fairleigh, Hanford and Brazier. After Steve had locked the doorto prevent interruption, he presented to the newcomers a summary of thescheme. It was received with enthusiasm and unanimous approval, but NeilFairleigh and Oscar Brazier sadly admitted that in their cases parentalpermission was extremely doubtful. George Hanford, whose parents weredead and who was under the care of a guardian, thought that in his casethere would be no great difficulty. The other two viewed him a trifleenviously. Then, because one may always hope, they had to hear theparticulars and each secretly began to fashion arguments to overcome theobjections at home. Finally Oscar Brazier inquired interestedly:

  "Who is going to cook for you?"

  "Oh, we'll take turns, maybe," answered Joe. "Or we might hire a cook."

  Joe stole a look at Steve. Oscar only shuffled his feet.

  "I say hire," remarked Perry. "Any of us could do it after a fashion, Idare say, but you get frightfully hungry on the water and need goodstuff well cooked, and lots of it."

  "Yes," agreed Steve, "any of us would make an awful mess of it.Cooking's an art."

  Oscar cleared his throat and frowned. "You'd have to pay a lot for acook," he said. "It isn't hard, really. I could do it--if I were goingalong."

  "That's so," George Hanford confirmed. But the rest seemedunflatteringly doubtful. The silence was almost embarrassing. At lastJoe said hurriedly:

  "Well, we don't have to decide that now. Besides, if you can't come withus--um--" His voice trailed off into a relieved silence. Oscar smiledhaughtily.

  "That's all right," he said. "If you prefer a cook, say so. Only, if Idid go I'd be willing to do the cooking, and I'll bet I could do it aswell as any cook you could hire. Isn't it so, Han?"

  "Yes, I call you a mighty nifty cook, Ossie. I've eaten your biscuitsmore than once. Flapjacks, too."

  "Well," said Joe politely, "camp cooking is um--different, I guess, fromregular cooking. Of course, I don't say Ossie couldn't do it, mind you,but--we wouldn't want to take chances. On the whole, I think it would bebest to have a regular cook."

  "We might let Ossie try it," suggested Perry judicially.

  "Oh, I'm not crazy about it," disclaimed Oscar, piqued. "If you preferto pay out good money for a cook--"

  "Not at all," interrupted Steve soothingly. "We want to do the wholething as cheaply as we can. I see no harm in leaving the cooking end ofit to you, Brazier; that is, if you can go."

  "I'm going to make a big try for it," declared Oscar resolutely. "If myfolks won't let me, they--they'll wish they had!"

  Whereupon, emboldened by Oscar's stand, Neil Fairleigh expressed theconviction that he, too, could manage it some way. "I dare say that if Itell my dad that all you chaps are going he will think it's all right.It wouldn't be for all Summer, anyway, would it?"

  "The idea now," responded Steve, "is to start out for a month's cruiseand extend it if we cared to. I suppose any of us that got tired couldquit after the month was up." He smiled. "We'd all have to sign-on for amonth, though."

  "Right-o," agreed Hanford. "What about electing officers? Oughtn't we todo that? Someone ought to be in charge, I should think."

  "Sure!" exclaimed Joe. "We'll ballot. Throw that pad over here, Ossie."

  "Wait a minute," said Steve. "I've been thinking, fellows. The_Cockatoo_ will hold six comfortably. The main cabin has berths for fourand the owner's cabin for two, but if I'm not mistaken the berths in theowner's cabin are extension, and if they are we could bunk three fellowsin there, or even four at a pinch. That would give us room for seven oreight in all. Eight might make it a bit crowded, but she's a big, roomyboat and I think we could do with seven fellows all right. And seven's alucky number, too. So suppose we take in one more while we're at it?"

  "The more the merrier," agreed Joe. "Who have you got in mind?"

  Steve shook his head. "No one, but I guess we can think of a fellow.There's--"

  Steve was interrupted by a knock on the door, and when Hanford, who wasnearest, had, at a nod from Steve, unlocked the portal a tall, ratherserious-faced youth of seventeen entered.

  "Oh, am I butting-in?" he asked. "I didn't know. I'll come back later,Joe." Philip Street smiled apologetically and started a retreat, butSteve called him back.

  "Hold on, Phil!" he cried. "Come in here. You're the very fellow wewant. Close the door and find a seat, will you?"

  "By Jove, that's so!" exclaimed Joe, and the others heartily endorsedhim. Oddly enough, not one would have thought of Phil Street in allprobability, but each recognised the fact that he was the ideal fellowto complete the membership. Steve, Joe aiding and the others attemptingto, outlined the plan. If they had expected signs of enthusiasm fromPhil they were doomed to disappointment, for that youth listenedsilently and attentively until they had ended and then asked simply:

  "When are you planning to get away?"

  "As near the first of the month as we can," replied Steve.

  "I'm afraid I couldn't go, then," said Phil. "I'm a delegate to the C.B.Convention, you see, and that doesn't end until the sixth."

  "I'd forgotten that," said Joe disappointedly.

  "What's C.B. stand for?" inquired Hanford.

  "Christian Brotherhood," supplied Steve. "Look here, Phil, could you goafter the sixth?"

  "Yes, I'd love to, thanks."

  "All right then, you're signed-on. If we get away before that we'll pickyou up somewhere. If we don't you can start with us. How is that?"

  "Quite satisfactory," answered Phil.

  "But are you sure your folks will let you?" asked Perry.

  "Oh, yes, I spend my Summers about as I like."

  "Think of that!" sighed Perry. "Gee, I wish my folks were like that."

  "I guess," said Steve, "that Phil's folks know he won't get intotrouble, Perry, while yours are pretty certain that you will. It makes adifference. Now we can go ahead with that election, can't we? How aboutno
minations?"

  "No need of them," declared Joe. "What officers do we want?"

  "Well, this is a club--the Adventure Club, Phil, is the name we'vechosen--and so I suppose we ought to have a president and avice-president and--"

  "Rot!" said Perry. "Too high-sounding. Let's elect a captain and atreasurer and let it go at that."

  "I never heard of a club having a captain," Oscar Brazier objected.

  "Nor anyone else," agreed Joe. "Let's follow the Nihilist scheme andelect a Number One, a Number Two and a Number Three. Number One can bethe boss, a sort of president, you know, Number Two can correspond to avice-president and Number Three can be secretary and treasurer. How'sthat?"

  "Suits me," said Steve. "Tear up some pieces of paper, Perry. We'll eachvote for the three officers, writing the names in order, then the fellowgetting the most votes--"

  "I don't know as I ought to vote," said Neil Fairleigh, "because I'm notsure I can go. Maybe I'd better not, eh?"

  "Oh, shucks, never mind that," replied Perry. "You can join the club,anyway, and be a sort of non-resident member. Here you are, fellows.Who's got a pen or something?"

  During the ensuing two or three minutes there was comparative silence inNumber 17, and while the seven occupants of the room busy themselveswith pens or pencils let us look them over since we are likely to spendsome time in their company from now on.

  First of all there is Steve Chapman, seventeen years of age, a tall,well-built and nicely proportioned youth with black hair and eyes, aquick, determined manner and an incisive speech. Steve was FootballCaptain last Fall. Next him sits George Hanford. Han, as the boys callhim, is eighteen, also a senior, and also a football player. He is bigand rangey, good-natured and popular, and is president of the seniorclass.

  Joe Ingersoll's age is seventeen. He is Steve's junior by two months. Heis of medium height, rather thin, light complexioned and has peculiarlypale eyes behind the round spectacles he wears. Joe is first baseman onthe Nine, and a remarkably competent one. He is slow of speech andpossesses a dry humour that on occasion can be uncomfortably ironical.Beside him, Perry Bush is a complete contrast, for Perry islarge-limbed, rather heavy of build, freckle-faced, red-haired andjolly. He has very dark blue eyes and, in spite of a moon-shapedcountenance, is distinctly pleasing to look at; he is sixteen.

  Neil Fairleigh and Phil Street are of an age, seventeen, but in otherregards are quite unalike. Neil is of medium height, with his fullallowance of flesh, and has hair the hue of new rope and grey-blue eyes.He is even-tempered, easy-going and, if truth must be told, somewhatlazy. Phil Street is quite tall, rather thin and dark complexioned, anice-looking, somewhat serious youth whose infrequent smile is worthwaiting for. He is an Honor Man, a distinction attained by no othermember of our party save Steve. The last of the seven is Oscar Brazier,and Ossie, as the boys call him, is sixteen years old, short andsquare, strongly-made and conspicuous for neither beauty nor scholarlyattainments. Ossie has a snub nose, a lot of rebellious brown hair, redcheeks and a wide mouth that is usually smiling. Renowned for hisgood-nature, he is nevertheless a hard worker at whatever he undertakes,and if he sometimes shows a suspicious disposition it is only becausehis good-nature has been frequently imposed on.

  When the last pencil had stopped scratching Joe gathered the slipstogether and after a moment's figuring announced that Steve had beenelected Number One without a dissenting vote, that he himself had beenmade Number Two and that Phil was Number Three. If Perry feltdisappointment he hid it, and when Phil declared that in his opinionPerry should have been elected instead of him, since Perry was, so tosay, a charter member, Perry promptly disclaimed any desire of the sort.

  "No, thanks," he said. "If I was secretary I'd have to keep the accountsand all that sort of thing, and I'm no good at it. You're the veryfellow for the job, Phil."

  The assemblage broke up shortly after, to meet again that evening ateight, Steve undertaking to have a map on hand then so that they mightplan their cruise. As none of the seven was bound to secrecy, whathappened is only what might have been expected. By the time the ballgame was half over Steve and Joe had received enough applications formembership in the Adventure Club to have, in Joe's words, filled anocean liner. It is probable that a large proportion of the applicantscould not have obtained permission to join the expedition, but they wereeach and all terribly enthusiastic and eager to join, and it requiredall of Steve's and Joe's diplomacy to turn them away without hurtingtheir feelings. Wink Wheeler--his real name was Warren, but no one evercalled him that--refused politely but firmly to take no for an answer.Wink said he didn't care where he bunked and that he never ate anythingon a boat, anyway, because he was always too seasick to bother aboutmeals.

  "One more won't matter, Steve," Wink pleaded. "Be a good chap and let mein, won't you? My folks are going out to California this Summer and Idon't want to go, and they'll let me do anything I like. Tell you what,Steve. If you'll take me I'll buy something for the boat. I'll make theclub a present of--of a tender or an anchor or whatever you say!"

  Steve found it especially hard to turn Wink down, because he liked thefellow, just as everyone else did. Wink was eighteen and had been fiveyears getting through school, but he was a big, good-hearted, jovialboy, and, as Steve reflected, one who would be a desirable companion onsuch an adventure as had been planned. Steve at last told Wink that hewould speak to the others about him that evening, but that Wink was notto get his hopes up, and Wink took himself off whistling cheerfully andquite satisfied. But when Steve tentatively broached the matter ofincluding one more member in the person of Wink Wheeler, Joe staggeredhim by announcing that he had promised Harry Corwin to intercede for thelatter.

  "He pestered the life out of me," explained Joe ruefully, "and I finallytold him I'd ask you fellows. But I suppose we can't take two more. Ninewould--um--be rather overdoing it, eh?"

  Everyone agreed that it would. Han suggested that Wink Wheeler and HarryCorwin might toss up for the privilege of joining the club. "After all,"he added, "we aren't all of us certain that we can go. If one or two ofus drop out there'll be room for Wink and Harry, too."

  "Seems to me," said Phil Street, "it might be a good plan to enlargethe membership to, say, twelve, and let the new members find a boat oftheir own. I dare say they could. Then--"

  "Fine!" exclaimed Joe. "Harry and his brother have some sort of amotor-boat. He told me so today. That's a bully idea, Phil! With twelveof us we could divide up between the two boats--"

  "How many will Corwin's boat hold?" asked Neil.

  "I don't know. I'll see him and find out. But it ought to be big enoughto hold four, anyway. There are seven of us now, and Wink and Harry andhis brother Tom would make ten, and we could easily pick out two more."

  "Let's make the membership thirteen," said Perry.

  "Thirteen!" echoed Han. "Gee, that's unlucky!"

  "Rot! Why, you've got thirteen letters in your name. George Hanford."Perry counted on his fingers. "This is the Adventure Club, isn't it?Well, starting out with thirteen members is an adventure right at thestart!"

  "Sure!" agreed Ossie. "Let's take a chance. It's only a sillywhat-do-you-call-it anyway."

  "Meaning superstition?" asked Steve. "Well, I'm agreeable. Who else dowe want? Bert Alley asked to join, and so did George Browne."

  "And Casper Temple," added Joe. "And they're all good fellows. But Iwant it distinctly understood that I'm going on the _Cockatoo_."

  "Me too!" exclaimed Perry. "All of us fellows must go on the _Cockatoo_.We were the first."

  "But suppose Corwin's boat won't hold five?" said Han.

  "We can squeeze eight into the _Cockatoo_, if we have to," said Steve."Joe, you cut along and find Corwin and bring him up here. We might aswell settle the thing now."

  "All right, but don't settle about the cruise while I'm gone," answeredJoe. "I'll have him here in ten minutes."

  When the meeting adjourned that evening the club had added six newmembers and enlarged its fleet by the
addition of the cabin-cruiser,_Follow Me_. It was just half-past ten when Joe and Steve produced thelast of their supply of ginger-ale from under the window-seat and,utilising glasses, tooth-mugs and pewter trophies, the members presentdrank success to the Adventure Club.