Lucy listened. It was a sort of roaring sound down in the woods. Rollo at first thought it was a bear growling.
"Do you think it is a bear?" said he to Lucy, with a look of some concern.
"A bear!--no," said Lucy, laughing. "That is not the way a bear growls.
It is the freshet."
"The freshet!" said Rollo.
"Yes; it is the water roaring along the brook."
Rollo listened, and he immediately perceived that it was the sound of water, and he jumped and capered with delight, at thinking how fine a sight it must be.
At the tea-table Rollo"s father explained the plan he had formed for their going. He said it was rather a difficult thing to go and see a freshet without getting wet--especially for a girl. He and Rollo, he said, could put on their good thick boots, but Lucy had none suitable for such a walk, as it would probably be very wet and muddy in some places.
"What shall we do then?" said Rollo.
"I believe I shall let Jonas go down and draw Lucy in his wagon," said his father. "How should you like that, Lucy?"
Lucy said she should like it very well, and after tea they went out to the garden-yard door, where they found Jonas with his wagon all ready.
This wagon was one which Jonas had made to draw Rollo upon. It was plain and simple, but strong and convenient, and perfectly safe. They helped Lucy into it, and she sat down on the little seat. Rollo, with his hoots on, took hold behind to push, and Jonas drew. Rollo"s father walked behind, and thus they set off to view the freshet.
They moved along carefully through the yard, and then turned by the gate and went into the field. The path led them by the garden fence for some distance, and they went along very pleasantly for a time, until at length they came to a large pool of water covering the whole path. There were high banks on each side, so that the wagon could not turn out.
"What shall we do now?" said Rollo.
"I can go right through it," said Jonas; "it is not deep."
"And we can go along on the bank, by the side," said Rollo.
"Very well." said his father, "if you are not afraid, Lucy."
Lucy did feel a little afraid at first, but she knew that if her uncle was willing that she should go, there could not be any danger; so she made no objection. Besides, she knew that, as Jonas was to walk along before her, she could see how deep it was, and there could not be any deep places without his finding it out before the wagon went into them.
Jonas was barefoot, and did not mind wetting his feet; so he waded in, drawing the wagon after him. It was about up to his ankles all the way.
Lucy looked over the side of the wagon, and felt a little fear as she saw the wheels half under water; but they went safely through.
Presently they began to descend a path which led them into the woods.
They heard the roaring of the water, which grew louder and louder as they drew nigh, and then Rollo suddenly stopped and said,
"Why, father, it is raining here in the woods now."
Lucy listened, and they heard the drops of rain falling upon the ground all around them; and yet, looking up, they saw that the sky was almost perfectly clear. Presently they thought that this was only the drops falling off from the leaves of the trees.
Rollo said he meant to see if it was so, and he ran out of the path, and took hold of a slender tree with a large top of branches and leaves, and, looking up to see if any drops would come down, he gave it a good shake; and, true enough, down came a perfect shower of drops all into his face and eyes. At first he was astonished at such an unexpected shower-bath, but he concluded, on the whole, to laugh, and not cry about it; and he came back wiping his face, and looking comically enough. All the party laughed a little at his mishap, and then went on.
In a few minutes more, they came in sight of the foaming brook. The water was very high; in some places, the banks were overflowed, and the current swept along furiously, dashing against the rocks, and whirling round the projecting points.
The children stopped, and gazed upon the scene a little while, and then Rollo said he was going to sail his boats, which he had brought in his pocket.
Just then Jonas saw a plank which was lying partly on the bank and partly in the water, a little up the stream. It had been placed across the brook some distance above, for a bridge; but the freshet had brought it away, and it had drifted down to where it then was.
Jonas said he would find a place for Lucy to stand upon with it. So he went and pushed off this plank, and let it float down to where the children were standing; and then he drew it up upon the sh.o.r.e, and laid it along, so that Lucy could stand upon it safely, and launch the pea-pod boats.
These boats were soon all borne away rapidly down the stream, out of sight; and then they threw in sticks and chips, and watched them as they sailed away, and whirled around in the eddies, or swept down the rapids.
Thus they amused themselves a long time, and then slowly returned home.
BLUEBERRYING.
[Ill.u.s.tration: "The bower on the mountain."]
BLUEBERRYING.
OLD TRUMPETER.
Rollo"s mother advised him, when he went to bed the evening before the day fixed upon for the blueberrying, to rise early the next morning, and take a good reading lesson before breakfast. She said he would enjoy himself much more, during the day, if he performed all his usual duties before he went. Rollo accordingly arose quite early, and, when he came in to breakfast, had the satisfaction of telling his father that he had read his morning lesson, and prepared his basket, and was all ready to go.
He wanted Jonas to go too, and as, the last time when he asked his father"s permission that he should go, he lost his request by asking it in an improper manner, he determined to be careful this time.
So he was silent at breakfast time while his father and mother were talking, and then, watching an opportunity when they seemed disengaged, he asked his father if Jonas might not go with them.
"I do not think he can very well, for there is no room for him. Both the chaises will be full."
"But could not he ride on Old Trumpeter?" said Rollo.
Old Trumpeter was a white horse, that had served the family some time, but was now rather old, and not a very good traveller.
Rollo"s father hesitated a moment, and then said, perhaps he might. "You may go and tell him that we are going, and that if he thinks Old Trumpeter will do to carry him, he may go. He will be of great help to us, if we should get into any difficulty."
Rollo thought of the bears that he expected to see on the mountain, and ran to tell Jonas. Jonas was glad to go. So he went and gave Old Trumpeter some oats, and got the saddle and bridle ready. He also got out a pair of saddle-bags that he always used on such occasions, and put into them a hatchet, a dipper, a box of matches, and some rope. On second thoughts, he concluded it would be best to put these things into the chaise-box, and to put the saddle-bags on his horse empty, as he might want them to bring something home in.
After breakfast, Lucy and her father, Rollo"s uncle George, drove up to the door, for they were going too; and in a short time you might have seen all the party driving away from the door--Rollo"s father and mother in the first chaise, uncle George, and Rollo, and Lucy, in the second, and Jonas on Old Trumpeter behind.
They rode on for a mile or two, and then turned off of the main road into the woods, and went on by a winding and beautiful road until they came in sight of a range of mountains, one of which seemed very high and near.
"Is that Benalgon?" said Rollo.
"I do not know," said his uncle; "I have never been to it before; but I suppose Jonas can tell."
"I will call him," said Rollo. So he turned round, and kneeled up upon the seat, so that he could look out behind the chaise, for the back curtain was up. Lucy did the same, but Jonas was not to be seen. They looked a little longer, and presently saw him coming along round a curve in the road. They beckoned to him, and as he rode up, they saw he had a bush in his hand. He came up to the side of the chaise, and handed it to Rollo. It was a large blueberry-bush, covered with beautiful ripe blue berries. Rollo took them, and admired them very much; and at first he was going to divide them between Lucy and himself; but they concluded, on the whole, to send them forward to his mother. Jonas told them the mountain before them _was_ Benalgon, and rode on to carry the blueberry-bush to the other chaise. Presently he came back, bringing it with him, except a small sprig which Rollo"s mother had taken off. The rest she had sent back to the children.