Brave and Bold; Or, The Fortunes of Robert Rushton

by Jr. Horatio Alger

  CHAPTER XIII.

  REVENGE.

  In spite of his wounded arm Ben Haley succeeded in propelling the boatto the opposite shore. The blood was steadily, though slowly, flowingfrom his wound, and had already stained his shirt red for a considerablespace. In the excitement of first receiving it he had not felt the pain;now, however, the wound began to pain him, and, as might be expected,his feeling of animosity toward our hero was not diminished.

  "That cursed boy!" he muttered, between his teeth. "I wish I had hadtime to give him one blow--he wouldn't have wanted another. I hope thewound isn't serious--if it is, I may have paid dear for the gold."

  Still, the thought of the gold in his pockets afforded somesatisfaction. He had been penniless; now he was the possessor of--asnear as he could estimate, for he had not had time to count--fivehundred dollars in gold. That was more than he had ever possessed beforeat one time, and would enable him to live at ease for a while.

  On reaching the shore he was about to leave the boat to its fate, whenhe espied a boy standing at a little distance, with a hatchet in hishand. This gave him an idea.

  "Come here, boy," he said.

  The boy came forward, and examined the stranger with curiosity.

  "Is that your hatchet?" he asked.

  "No, sir. It belongs to my father."

  "Would you mind selling it to me if I will give you money enough to buya new one?"

  "This is an old hatchet."

  "It will suit me just as well, and I haven't time to buy another. Wouldyour father sell it?"

  "Yes, sir; I guess so."

  "Very well. What will a new one cost you?"

  The boy named the price.

  "Here is the money, and twenty-five cents more to pay you for yourtrouble in going to the store."

  The boy pocketed the money with satisfaction. He was a farmer's son, andseldom had any money in his possession. He already had twenty-five centssaved up toward the purchase of a junior ball, and the stranger'sgratuity would just make up the sum necessary to secure it. He was in ahurry to make the purchase, and, accordingly, no sooner had he receivedthe money than he started at once for the village store. His departurewas satisfactory to Ben Haley, who now had nothing to prevent hiscarrying out his plans.

  "I wanted to be revenged on the boy, and now I know how," he said. "I'llmake some trouble for him with this hatchet."

  He drew the boat up and fastened it. Then he deliberately proceeded tocut away at the bottom with his newly-acquired hatchet. He had a strongarm, and his blows were made more effective by triumphant malice. Theboat he supposed to belong to Robert, and he was determined to spoil it.

  He hacked away with such energy that soon there was a large hole in thebottom of the boat. Not content with inflicting this damage, he cut itin various other places, until it presented an appearance very differentfrom the neat, stanch boat of which Will Paine had been so proud. Atlength Ben stopped, and contemplated the ruin he had wrought withmalicious satisfaction.

  "That's the first instalment in my revenge," he said. "I should like tosee my young ferryman's face when he sees his boat again. It'll costhim more than he'll ever get from my miserly uncle to repair it. Itserves him right for meddling with matters that don't concern him. Andnow I must be getting away, for my affectionate uncle will soon beraising a hue and cry after me if I'm not very much mistaken."

  He would like to have gone at once to obtain medical assistance for hiswound, but to go to the village doctor would be dangerous. He must waittill he had got out of the town limits, and the farther away the better.He knew when the train would start, and made his way across the fieldsto the station, arriving just in time to catch it. First, however, hebound a handkerchief round his shoulder to arrest the flow of blood.

  When he reached the station, and was purchasing his ticket, thestation-master noticed the blood upon his shirt.

  "Are you hurt, sir?" he asked.

  "Yes, a little," said Ben Haley.

  "How did it happen?" inquired the other, with Yankee inquisitiveness.

  "I was out hunting," said Ben, carelessly, "with a friend who wasn'tmuch used to firearms. In swinging his gun round, it accidentally wentoff, and I got shot through the shoulder."

  "That's bad," said the station-master, in a tone of sympathy. "You'dbetter go round to the doctor's, and have it attended to."

  "I would," said Ben, "but I am called away by business of the greatestimportance. I can get along for a few hours, and then I'll have a doctorlook at it. How soon will the train be here?"

  "It's coming now. Don't you hear it?"

  "That's the train I must take. You see I couldn't wait long enough forthe doctor," added Ben, anxious to account satisfactorily for hisinattention to the medical assistance of which he stood in need.

  When he was fairly on board the cars, and the train was under way, hefelt considerably relieved. He was speeding fast away from the man hehad robbed, and who was interested in his capture, and in a few days hemight be at sea, able to snap his fingers at his miserly uncle and theboy whom he determined some day to meet and settle scores with.

  From one enemy of Robert the transition is brief and natural to another.At this very moment Halbert Davis was sauntering idly and discontentedlythrough the streets of the village. He was the son of a rich man, or ofone whom most persons, his own family included, supposed to be rich; butthis consciousness, though it made him proud, by no means made himhappy. He had that morning at the breakfast table asked his father togive him a boat like Will Paine's, but Mr. Davis had answered by adecided refusal.

  "You don't need any boat," he said, sharply.

  "It wouldn't cost very much," pleaded Halbert.

  "How much do you suppose?"

  "Will Paine told me his father paid fifty dollars for his."

  "Why don't you borrow it sometimes?"

  "I can't borrow it. Will started a day or two since for boardingschool."

  "Better still. I will hire it for you while he is away."

  "I thought of it myself," said Halbert, "but just before he went awayWill lent it to the factory boy," sneering as he uttered the last twowords.

  "Do you mean Robert Rushton?"

  "Yes."

  "That's only a boy's arrangement. I will see Mr. Paine, and propose topay him for the use of the boat, and I presume he will be willing toaccede to my terms."

  "When will you see him?" asked Halbert, hopefully.

  "I will try to see him in the course of the day."

  It turned out, however, that there was no need of calling on Mr. Paine,for five minutes later, having some business with Mr. Davis, he rangthe bell, and was ushered into the breakfast-room.

  "Excuse my calling early," he said, "but I wished to see you about----"and here he stated his business, in which my readers will feel nointerest. When that was over, Mr. Davis introduced the subject of theboat, and made the offer referred to.

  "I am sorry to refuse," said Mr. Paine, "but my son, before going away,passed his promise to Robert Rushton that he should have it during hisabsence."

  "Do you hold yourself bound by such a promise?" inquired Mrs. Davis,with a disagreeable smile.

  "Certainly," said the lawyer, gravely. "Robert is a valued friend of myson's, and I respect boyish friendship. I remember very well my ownboyhood, and I had some strong friendships at that time."

  "I don't see what your son can find to like in Robert Rushton," saidMrs. Davis, with something of Halbert's manner. "I think him a verydisagreeable and impertinent boy."

  Mr. Paine did not admire Mrs. Davis, and was not likely to be influencedby her prejudices. Without inquiry, therefore, into the cause of herunfavorable opinion, he said, "I have formed quite a different opinionof Robert. I am persuaded that you do him injustice."

  "He attacked Halbert ferociously the other day," said Mrs. Davis,determined to impart the information whether asked or not. "He has anungovernable temper."

  Mr. Paine glanced shrewdly at Halbert, of whose arrogant a
nd quarrelsomedisposition he had heard from his own son, and replied, "I make it apoint not to interfere in boys' quarrels. William speaks very highly ofRobert, and it affords him great satisfaction, I know, to leave the boatin his charge."

  Mrs. Davis saw that there was no use in pursuing the subject, and itdropped.

  After the lawyer had gone Halbert made his petition anew, but withoutsatisfactory results. The fact was, Mr. Davis had heard unfavorablereports from New York the day previous respecting a stock in which hehad an interest, and it was not a favorable moment to prefer a requestinvolving the outlay of money.

  It was this refusal which made Halbert discontented and unhappy. Thefactory boy, as he sneeringly called him, could have a boat, while he, agentleman's son, was forced to go without one. Of course, he would notstoop to ask the loan of the boat, however much he wanted it, from a boyhe disliked so much as Robert. He wondered whether Robert were out thismorning. So, unconsciously, his steps led him to the shore of the river,where he knew the boat was generally kept. He cast his eye toward it,when what was his surprise to find the object of his desire half full ofwater, with a large hole in the bottom and defaced in other respects.