"Nor I, for another," added Monroe.
So said half a dozen others.
"Well, what are you going to do about it?" demanded Adler. "Here we are, and we can"t get ash.o.r.e."
"Perhaps we can," said Wilton, as he led the way to a retired part of the deck, where they could talk without being overheard. "Did any one ever hear of such a thing as keeping the fellows on board on the Fourth of July? Why, every little Greek in the city yonder has his liberty on that day; and we are to be cooped up here like a parcel of sick chickens! I suppose we shall have to recite history and French, and shake out topsails, as usual."
"It"s outrageous. I don"t believe the fellows will stand it," added Adler, who did not know how bad the case was, until it had been rehea.r.s.ed by Wilton, who, in the absence of Shuffles, had become the leader of a certain clique on board, given to taking opposite views.
"But I don"t see what we can do," said Monroe.
"We will do something. I won"t stand it. If I stay on board the ship to-morrow, it will be as a prisoner," answered Wilton.
"It"s a hard case; but what can we do about it?" asked Sanborn.
"Suppose we go to Lowington, and state the case to him," suggested Adler.
"What"s the use of that? Of course the first lieutenant spoke by the card. He had his orders to say what he did, and I"m sure they came from Lowington."
"There can be no doubt of that; but it would be better to have it from him."
"I"m willing to ask Lowington for the day, if the fellows want me to do so; but it won"t do any more good than it would to bark at the mainmast," continued Wilton. "I have an idea in my head, if the fellows will stand by me," he added, in a lower tone, as he looked over the rail at the swinging boom, to which the boats in constant use were made fast.
"What is it?" asked Monroe, eagerly.
"Keep shady, for a while. How many fellows can we muster?"
"I don"t know."
"Well, don"t stir the matter yet. Here comes Lowington and we will talk to him first. Come, fellows, let"s make a dive at him."
Wilton, attended by his companions, walked up to the princ.i.p.al, as he was going forward. Touching his cap respectfully, as the discipline of the ship required, he opened the case.
"Mr. Lowington, some of the students would like to go on sh.o.r.e to-morrow, to celebrate the Fourth. Can"t we have liberty?"
"You know the rule; you should apply to the first lieutenant for leave of absence," replied Mr. Lowington.
"We have, sir, and been refused."
"Then there is nothing more to be said. The first lieutenant speaks with authority."
"I beg your pardon, sir, but are we to stay on board all day to-morrow?"
"That is certainly the arrangement, Wilton."
"Some of us would like to celebrate the day, sir, and we think it is rather hard to be obliged to do duty on the Fourth of July."
"I intend to have the day celebrated in a proper manner. I have made preparations for a gala day on board."
"If you please, sir, we would rather go on sh.o.r.e."
"I am very sorry, for your sake, that I shall be unable to reverse the answer of the first lieutenant. If I permit one or a dozen to go ash.o.r.e, I cannot refuse any, and all must go. I think the boys will be satisfied with the arrangements I have made for the day."
"I never was kept in school on the Fourth of July before, sir," growled Wilton.
"Then this will be a new event in your experience," answered Mr.
Lowington, coldly, as he turned from the pet.i.tioners, and went forward.
There were a great many wild boys on board of the Young America, and it was morally impossible for the whole crew to attend the celebration in the city, without more or less of them getting into a sc.r.a.pe. They had been kept on board for two months, and not allowed to go on sh.o.r.e, except under the supervision of one of the instructors; and to let any considerable number of them loose on such a day as the Fourth of July, would only be courting trouble, for they would be all the more disorderly after the long period of restraint.
Mr. Lowington did not willingly deprive the boys of any innocent gratification. He had faithfully considered the matter of celebrating the day, and taken the advice of the instructors on the subject. It had been proposed to procure a band of music, and visit the city in a body, under the usual discipline; but there were many difficulties attending such a plan. The boys were all the sons of rich men, and most of them were abundantly supplied with pocket money. As it would be impossible to prevent the escape of some of them from the procession, in the crowded streets, it was feared that their money would prove to be "the root of all evil." The project had finally been abandoned; and, as a subst.i.tute, a programme for a celebration on board had been arranged, for there the students would be entirely under the control of the instructors, who would check all excesses. It was antic.i.p.ated that a few discontented spirits would grumble, but no rebellion was expected.
Wilton and his companions were dissatisfied, and disposed to be rash.
They felt that they had been harshly and cruelly denied a reasonable privilege. The subject of celebrating the Fourth had been under consideration for a long time among the boys, and it had been generally believed that all hands would be permitted to go on sh.o.r.e, with perfect liberty, on that day; and many of them had already arranged their plans for the occasion.
"Well, what do you think now?" said Wilton, as Mr. Lowington walked forward.
"I think it"s too bad," replied Adler. "It is meaner than dirt to make us stay on board on the Fourth of July."
"But I don"t see how we are going to help ourselves," added Monroe, looking at Wilton for a solution of this difficult problem.
"I do."
"How?"
"Keep still; don"t say a word here," continued Wilton. "Scatter, now, and I will be on the top-gallant forecastle in a few minutes."
Wilton strolled about the deck a short time, and then went to the place of meeting, where he was soon joined by the rest of the discontented pupils.
"How many fellows can we muster?" asked he, when his a.s.sociates in mischief had again gathered around him.
"I know at least a dozen, who are up to anything," replied Monroe; "but some of them are in the other watch. What are you going to do?"
"I"ll tell you: There are the professors" barge and the third cutter at the swinging boom. We will drop into them when the instructors go down to supper, and make for the sh.o.r.e. All the rest of the boats are at the davits; and before they can get them into the water, we shall be out of their reach. What do you think of that for a plan!"
"I think it is a first-rate one. But hadn"t we better wait till the instructors turn in?" suggested Adler.
"No; the boats will all be hoisted up to the davits at sunset. We must do it while the professors are at supper, or not at all. We want eight oars for the barge, and six for the third cutter; that makes fourteen fellows. Can we raise as many as that?"
"Yes, I think we can; we will try, at any rate."
"But you must look out, or some fellow will blow the whole thing," added Wilton. "Mind whom you speak to."
The trustworthiness of the various students was canva.s.sed, and it was decided what ones should be invited to join the enterprise. The discontented boys separated, and went to work with great caution to obtain the needed recruits. Unfortunately, in such a crowd of young men, there are always enough to engage in any mischievous plot, and it is quite likely that twice as many as were wanted could have been obtained to man the boats in the runaway expedition.
Wilton missed Shuffles very much in arranging the details of the present enterprise. While at the Brockway Academy, they had plotted mischief so often that each seemed to be necessary to the other. But Shuffles had reformed; he was now third lieutenant of the ship, and it was not safe to suggest a conspiracy to him, for he would attempt to gain favor with the princ.i.p.al by exposing or defeating it.
Yet Shuffles was so bold in thought, and so daring in execution, that Wilton could hardly abandon the hope of obtaining his a.s.sistance; besides, the third lieutenant would be officer of the deck when the professors went to supper, and might wink at their departure in the boats, if he did not actually help them off.