CHAPTER XVII
LOST AT SEA
And then there came an unhappy time indeed for Bobby Blake. In the backof his mind, for weeks, had been the uncertainty about his father andmother. Now that uncertainty suddenly developed into a great andlingering horror--a horror from which not even the elasticity of youthcould easily rebound.
One morning Dr. Raymond sent a note into Mr. Carrin's school. Had notBobby been so busy at his work, he would have seen the pale facedteacher grow still more pallid, and look at him.
Mr. Carrin arose and walked up and down the room. The boys soondiscovered that he was not watching them. Occasionally he stole aglance at Bobby, but he noticed no other boy.
Then, without saying another word, he went out, and in a minute cameback with Barry Gray. Barry looked startled himself, and very serious.He stood in the doorway and said:
"Blake! Doctor Raymond wants you in his office. You are to come withme."
Bobby got up quickly, and with a suddenly beating heart. He believed hemust have done something to bring down upon his head the wrath of thegood Doctor. He could not imagine what it was, but he was frightened.
You see, Bobby had gotten it into his head that possibly he _might_ havea chance at the Medal of Honor. He was trying to be an exemplaryscholar for that reason--and because he knew it would delight his absentfather and mother, if he gained such an honor.
Now, this sudden and unexpected call shocked him. Fred grabbed his handsecretly as he passed his seat and squeezed it. Bobby knew that hischum, thoughtless as Fred usually was, appreciated his present feelings.
When he reached the door, his own face was aflame. He knew all the boysof the Lower School were looking at him. Mr. Carrin, too, seemed to bestaring at Bobby in a strange way.
Barry put his arm across the smaller boy's shoulder just as soon as theclassroom door closed behind them.
"Buck up, old man!" he said, with a funny choke in his voice. "Thingsare never so hard as they seem at first. And there's such a lot ofuncertainty about such reports--"
"What reports, sir?" asked Bobby, breathlessly.
"Didn't Carrin tell you a _thing_?" gasped Barry, stopping short.
"No! What have I done? What's Doctor Raymond going to do with me?"
"Why, you poor little kid!" ejaculated the big boy, grabbing Bobbytightly again. "You mustn't be afraid of the Old Doc. He wouldn't hurta fly. And you're not in bad with him--don't think it!"
"But what is the matter, then?" demanded Bobby.
"It's your folks, Bob," blurted out Barry. "There's uncertain news aboutthem--"
"They're not sick--not _dead_?" cried Bobby, shaking all over.
"No, no! Of course not," returned Barry, heartily. "Nothing as bad asthat."
"What is it, then?"
"Why, it's only a shipwreck, or something like that. Of course they'vebeen rescued; folks always are, you know. And they'll have lots ofadventures to write you about."
Bobby was speechless. His pretty, delicate mother _shipwrecked_! Ofcourse, his father would save her, but she might get wet and catch cold;that was the first thought that took form in his mind.
"News has come about the big ship they sailed away on," Barry Gray wenton, cheerfully. "Another ship has found part of the deckworks of yourfather's steamship, all scorched and burned. There must have been afire at sea."
"Well, don't you s'pose they could put the fire out with so much wateraround?" asked Bobby, seriously.
"That's right!" exclaimed Barry. "But perhaps the machinery was hurt,so the ship couldn't be made to go. There wasn't any sails to her, ofcourse."
"I see," said Bobby, gravely, nodding.
"So they had to take to the boats. You know how it is: Women andchildren first! The sailors are always so brave. And the officersstand by to the last--and if the ship sinks, the captain always goesdown with her, standing on the quarter deck, with the flags flying.You've read about it, Bobby!"
"Sure!" choked Bobby.
"Of course there are always boats enough for the passengers--andlife-rafts. And they float about for a while and are either picked upby other ships, or the natives row out in their canoes and save them."
"Yes!" gasped Bobby, letting out the great fear at his heart. "But--butsuppose she should get cold? You know she has a weak throat. Thedoctor always tells her to look out for bron--bron-_skeeters_, orsomethin' like that."
"_Who_ has bronchitis?" demanded Barry, rather puzzled.
"My mother."
"Oh! don't you know it's a warm climate down there? Sure! It's in theTropics. No chance of catching cold--not at all."
"Oh!" murmured Bobby, and he felt somewhat relieved.
"And they've been picked up by some ship bound around the world,maybe--that is why you haven't heard from them. You won't hear tillthey touch at some port clear across the world, from which they can sendmail.
"Or perhaps," said the comforting captain, "they have gone to sometropic island, where boats don't often touch. And the sailors willbuild shelters for the passengers against the coming of the rainyseason, and then a boat-load of volunteers will hike out looking for acivilized port, and it will be months and months before help comes tothe island.
"Meanwhile," said the imaginative youngster, his eyes glowing and hischeek flushed, "your mother and the other ladies will get well andstrong, and all brown like Indians. And the men will have to dress ingoat-skins, for their clothes will wear out, and they'll learn to makefire by rubbing two sticks together, and they'll have fights withjaguars--But no!" exclaimed the big boy, suddenly; "of course, therewill be no harmful creatures on an _island_.
"Say! I guess they're having fun all right. Don't you worry, Bobby."
They halted at the doctor's door, and Barry rapped. The voice of thebig principal told them to "Enter!" and the bigger boy pushed open thedoor.
"Here he is, sir," said Barry, winking fast over the head of the smallerboy at Dr. Raymond. "I have just been telling him what a jolly good timehis folks are likely having right now. It must be _so_ interesting tobe shipwrecked."
Bobby Blake at Rockledge School; or, Winning the Medal of Honor Page 17