But another rule said that the committee might in certain cases suspend or alter the rules.
Whereupon Percy moved, and Ashby seconded, the following resolution: "That this shop be, and is, hereby opened for the s.p.a.ce of five minutes." The motion was carried unanimously.
D"Arcy and Cottle, whose turn it was to be on duty, solemnly took down the shutters, and ranged themselves behind the counter.
"What can I do for you, my little dears?" said the former, encouragingly. "Money down. No tick. Try some of our Rollitt"s particular--three-halfpence each."
"No, they"re not, you cheat!--they"re a penny. We"d better have two each," said Wally.
"Hullo! I say," exclaimed D"Arcy. "Look here, you fellows."
He pointed to the heap of Abernethy biscuits, on the top of which lay a sixpence.
"That"s what you call looking after the money," said Wally. "Left that there all night."
"No--not a bit of it. But I tell you what," said D"Arcy, who had rapidly been counting the pile of biscuits; "there were twenty-four biscuits there when we left last night. I"m certain of it; weren"t there, young Cottle?"
"Yes. I remember that," testified Cottle.
"Very well; then some one"s been here in the night, for there are only eighteen biscuits now, and this sixpence."
"Perhaps Yorke got some before he started?"
"How could he? No one can get in here without the latch-key; and only the two chaps who are on duty keep that."
"Perhaps it"s the owls in the belfry?"
"They don"t generally pay ready money for what they take."
"I say!" exclaimed Wally; "I expect it"s Rollitt. He"d have finished his others by this time, and he sneaked back in the night for some more.
Good old Rollitt!"
Wally did not stay to explain how Rollitt could have got in any more than any one else. His suggestion made a deep impression. It touched them to feel that, amid all his distresses, Rollitt was loyal to the School shop; and if anything was needed to spur them on to his rescue, this did it.
They bought up the remaining eighteen biscuits between them, and sallied forth.
"You see," said Wally, "it"s much more likely to be the island than the mountain. There"s water there, for one thing."
"There"s water on the mountain," said Ashby; "plenty."
"But not good to drink, you a.s.s!" argued Wally.
"And there"s that old broken boat-house to live in, and lots of wood to make fires, and ducks to bag and fish to catch. I say! I expect he"s having rather a lark."
The prospect of sharing in his wild sports urged them on still faster.
At the lake-side a new problem arose. If Rollitt was on the island, how had he got there? And, still more important, how were they to get there? Widow Wisdom"s boat had already been laid up for the winter; and the few others, which in the summer were generally kept at the river- mouth for the use of the boys, had been taken back to Penchurch. The only craft available was a flat-bottomed punt used by fishermen, and at present moored to a stake at the river-bank. It was capacious, certainly, but not exactly the sort of boat in which to get up much pace, particularly as its sole apparent mode of propulsion was by means of two very long boat-hooks, one on either side. These details, however, presented few obstacles to the minds of the enterprising explorers. The punt was in many ways adapted for a voyage such as they proposed to take. There was room to walk about in it. Nay, who should say the boxing-gloves and football might not have scope for themselves within its ample lines?
The one question was whether the boat-hooks were long enough to touch bottom all the way from the sh.o.r.e to the island. Wally paced one, and found it measured eighteen feet.
"Ought to do," said he; "it"s bound not to be deeper than that."
So the punt, which was christened the "c.o.c.k-house" for the occasion, was loosed from her moorings, the Abernethys and knuckle-bone and other stores were put on board, the boat-hooks, by a combined effort, were got into position, and the party embarked for the rescue of Rollitt.
Thanks to the stream, their progress at first was satisfactory. They were delighted to find how easily they went. Wally with one boat-book on one side, and Percy with the other on the other side, had comparatively little to do except to prevent their hooks getting stuck in the mud at the bottom, and refusing to come out. Any one watching them would have said these boys had been born in a barge. They carried their long poles to the prow, and plunged them in there with a mighty splash. Then they shoved away, till the end of the poles came within reach of their hands. Then, in perfect step and time, they started to march, each down his own side of the boat, calling on their friends and admirers to get out of the way. Then, as they neared the stern, and the prospect of pulling up their hooks and returning fora"d for another "punt" loomed ahead, their faces grew anxious and concerned. They began to hold on "hard all," a yard from the end of the walk, and tug frantically to get themselves free. Sometimes the hook came out easily, in which case they fell backwards into the arms of their friends. At other times it stuck, and they had to detain the progress of the boat a minute or more to get it out. And sometimes it all but escaped them, and continued sticking up out of the water while the barge itself floated on. Happily, the last tragedy never quite came off, although it was periodically imminent.
When, however, the stream opened into the lake, the progress became much less exciting. The water was a little lumpy, and had a tendency, while they were walking back at the end of one punt in order to start another, of jumping the "c.o.c.k-House" back into precisely the same position from which she had lately started.
After about half an hour"s fruitless efforts the twins were seized with a generous desire not to monopolise the whole of the fun of the voyage.
"Like to have a go!" said Wally to D"Arcy.
"You may have a turn if you like, Lick," said Percy.
Whereupon D"Arcy and Lickford took up the rowing for the "c.o.c.k-House,"
greatly a.s.sisted and enlivened in their operations by the advice and encouragement of the late navigators.
"Two to one on Lick," cried Wally, as the two started their mad career down the boat. "Look out! he"s gaining."
"You"ve made her go an inch and a half," said Percy.
"Hang on tight now, and pull it up," said Wally, as Lickford, red in the face with excitement, was straining himself to release the hook from the mud.
"Keep her trim," said Percy, laying hold of D"Arcy"s feet, as the latter was gradually letting himself be hauled out of the boat by his refractory pole.
In due time D"Arcy and Lickford unselfishly gave up the poles to Cottle and Ashby; and they, after a reasonable season of struggle and peril, n.o.bly ceded them to Ramshaw and Cash, Fisher minor waiving his claim, and electing to sit "odd man out" and steer.
As at the end of an hour and a half"s manful shoving the net progress made was a yard back into the stream of the river, the talents of the helmsman were not put to a very severe test.
"I say, it"s rather slow," said Wally; "let"s have some of Rollitt"s particular."
So while Percy with a small pair of scissors--none of the party, marvellous to relate, had brought a knife--was carving the remnant of ham, and Ashby was counting out nine brandy-b.a.l.l.s from the bag, each member of the party produced one of his Abernethys, and fell-to with all the appet.i.te that waits on hard and honest toil.
"Not much of a pace yet," remarked D"Arcy. "Why, we"re going better now we"ve stopped rowing than we were before."
"That"s because the wind"s changed," said Wally. "If we"d only got a sail we could make her go."
"Why not stick up the two poles, and fasten our coats or something between for a sail!" suggested Percy.
"Good idea! the poles are long enough for all the nine. One of "em can go through right sleeves, and the other through left. It"ll make a ripping sail."
So, despite the season of the year, the nine voyagers divested themselves of their coats, which were industriously threaded by the sleeves on either pole. The top coat was spiked by the hooks, and those below were ingeniously b.u.t.toned one to the other to keep them up.
Every one agreed it made a ripping sail. The difficulty was to hoist it. There were no holes in which to fix the parallel masts. They would have to be held in position, as the breeze was stiffening, and it required all hands aloft.
At length, by superhuman exertions, the complex fabric was slowly hoisted to the perpendicular, looking very like a ladder, up which nine scarecrows were clambering. However, no matter what it looked like now, as Wally predicted, they"d spank along.
"We"re going already," gasped he, panting with the exertion of holding up his mast. "Look out now! here"s a nice breeze coming."