The Young Marooners on the Florida Coast Page 11

  CHAPTER VIII

  MAROONING AND THE MAROONING PARTY

  The work of house-building and improvement now went forward with visiblerapidity. By the first day of October, the new dwelling-house wassufficiently advanced to allow the family to move into it; and in afortnight more, the new kitchen was covered, and such other changesmade, in and about the house, as to give it quite a genteel andcomfortable appearance. As it became necessary about this time for theworkmen to attend to some inside work, which could be more easilyaccomplished by having the family out of the way, Dr. Gordon stopped theyoung people after school, and said to them:

  "Children, I have a proposition to make. But before doing so, who cantell me what 'marooning' means?"

  All turned their eyes to Robert, whom they regarded as a sort of walkingdictionary; and he answered with a slight hesitation--"I should say,living pretty much in the way we have lived most of the time since wecame to Bellevue. A person maroons when he lives in an unsettledstate."

  "You are nearly right; but to be more critical. The word 'maroon' is ofWest Indian origin--coming I think from the island of Jamaica. It meantat first a free negro. But as those who ran away from their mastersbecame virtually free for the time, it came afterwards to mean a runawaynegro. To maroon therefore means to go from home and live like arunaway negro. I wish to ask if any one present is in favour ofmarooning?"

  All were silent, and Dr. Gordon continued, "To maroon means also to goto some wild place, where there is plenty of game or fish, and to liveupon what we can obtain by our own skill. Are there any persons now infavour of marooning?"

  "I am--and I--and I!" was the universal response. "When shall it be?Where shall it be?"

  "You are too fast," said the Doctor. "I have one of two propositions tomake. We must for a few days give up the house to the workmen. Now thequestion to be decided is, Shall we return to Fort Brooke, and spend ourtime among the guns and cannons; or shall we go to Riley's Island at themouth of the bay, and spend it among the deer and turkeys, the fish andoysters, of which we have heard so much? There are advantages anddisadvantages on both sides; and my own mind is so perfectly balancedthat I will leave the decision to you."

  Harold's eyes flashed fire at the prospect of his old employment; stillhe said nothing; he waited to know what the others preferred. Robertlooked at him, and in a moment caught the contagion. Indeed it seemedas if a sort of mesmeric influence had swayed the whole party, for theydid nothing more than exchange with each other one hurried glance, andthen unanimously cried out, "Riley's Island! Riley's Island!"

  "Remember," said Dr. Gordon, "that in marooning we must wait uponourselves. William is the only servant I can take. His time will befully occupied with cooking, and other duties belonging to the tent. Wecannot depend on him for anything more than is absolutely necessary.Are you still of the same mind?"

  "The same!" they all replied.

  "Still I will not hold you to your promises until you have had furthertime for reflection," said he. "You may not have looked at all thedifficulties of the case. I will give you until dinner-time to make upyour minds; and to help your thoughts, I will assign to each of you anoffice, and make you responsible for providing all things necessary fora week's excursion, to begin in the morning.

  "Harold, I appoint you master of the hunting and fishing departments.

  "Robert shall be sailing-master, and provide for the literature of theparty.

  "Mary shall be housekeeper still, and mistress of the stores.

  "And Master Frank shall be--I know not what to make him, unless_supercargo_."

  "Now I wish you each to sit down at your leisure, and make out a writtenlist, to be presented to me at dinner-time, of all things needed in yourseveral departments."

  They responded very heartily, and were about to retire, when Dr. Gordon,observing a comical expression on Frank's face, said, "What is thematter, Frank? Are you not willing to be supercargo?"

  "I do not know what supercargo is," answered Frank, "unless it issomebody to catch rabbits. But I know how to do that. So I mean totake my dog and hatchet, and a box of matches."

  "Well done, Frank," said his father; "you have the marooning spirit ifyou do not know what supercargo is. But where did you learn the art ofcatching rabbits?"

  "Oh, I learnt it from cousin Harold," said he. "We got a rabbit into ahollow tree, and caught him there. _I_ caught him, father, with my ownhand; I know exactly how to catch a rabbit."

  "Very well, Mr. Supercargo, carry what you will. But go along all ofyou, and be ready with your lists against dinner-time."

  They retired in great glee to plan out and prepare. Robert and Harold,having first gone to the beach to think alone, were to be seen, half anhour afterwards, in their room, busily engaged with pencil in hand. Atthis time Frank came in. He had been almost frantic with joy at theprospect of the change; and after having romped with his dog Fidelle andthe goats in the yard, he had come to romp with any one who would joinhim in the house.

  "Brother Robert and cousin Harold," said he, "what are you doing? Areyou writing? are you ciphering? are you studying? Why do you not answerme?" He was evidently in a frolic.

  "Go to your play, Frank, and do not bother us," returned Robert,impatiently; "we are thinking."

  "I know you are; for father said we are thinking all the time we areawake, and sometimes while we are asleep. But I want to know what youare thinking about so hard."

  "Don't you know," Harold answered, mildly, "that we are going to Riley'sIsland tomorrow, and that Robert and I have to make out a list of whatwe are to carry? We are making our lists."

  "Ah ha! but I have to carry some things too," said he. "Father is goingto let me catch the rabbits there; and he called me a ----, some kind ofa ----; I forget the name, but it means the person to catch rabbits.What is the name, brother?"

  "Supercargo?"

  "Yes, that's it--supercargo. Mustn't I think of something too?"

  "Certainly," replied Harold, humouring the joke. "But the way _we_ did,was first to go off by ourselves, and think of what we were to carry;then to come in and write off our lists. Do you go now and think overyours, and when you come in I will write it for you."

  Frank went out, but he was not gone long. He insisted on having hislist made out at once.

  "What do you wish to carry?" Harold asked. Frank told him.

  "Now," said Harold, "I will make a bargain with you. If you do nottrouble us before we have finished our work, I will write your list foryou so that you yourself can read it. Will you stay out now?"

  "That I will. But can you write it so that I can read it?"

  "Yes, and will not print it either."

  "Well, then you must be a very smart teacher, almost as smart as thefoxes; for father has been teaching me this summer to make writingmarks, but I have never made one of the writing marks yet."

  Harold however persisted in his promise, and he and Frank were as goodas their several words. Frank, it is true, did creep on tip-toe, andpeep through the crack of the door, but he disturbed nobody; and when atlast the boys came out, Harold presented him with a folded paper, whichhe instructed him to put into his pocket, and not to open till the listswere called for.

  At the appointed hour they all assembled. The meal passed pleasantlyoff; not an allusion had as yet been made to the proposed excursion. Itwas a part of Dr. Gordon's training to practise his children inself-restraint. He could however discern by their looks that theirdecisions remained as before. Said he, "I presume you have all made upyour minds to the marooning party; am I correct?"

  "O yes, sir, yes," was the answer, "and we are all ready to report, notexcepting Frank and William."

  "Really, you have done wonders! But let me call upon you each in turn.Harold McIntosh, you are hunting and fishing-master. Let me hear yourreport."

  Harold took from his pocket a piece of paper about as broad as his hand,and a little longer. Besides the a
rms, ammunition and appurtenances,fishing-hooks, lines and nets, he closed his list with reading"brimstone."

  "And what use," asked his uncle, "do you expect to make of that?"

  "Taking bee-trees," he replied. "Brimstone is used in driving bees fromthe honey."

  "Whether we meet with bee-trees or not, the brimstone will be innobody's way; let it go. Mr. Hunting-master your list is perfect. NowRobert, yours."

  His list embraced all that the boat would need for comfort, or forrepair in case of accident. The books selected had reference to thetaste of each. Shakespeare for his father, Goldsmith's Natural Historyfor Harold, Scott's Napoleon for himself, Robinson Crusoe and Botany forhis sister, and (in a spirit of mischief) Old Mother Hubbard for Frank.

  But Frank was quite indignant at what he knew to be an insinuationagainst his childish taste. "I will not have old Mother Hubbard for mybook," he said, as soon as he heard the list read. "I have passed thatlong ago; I wanted to carry Jack the Giant Killer."

  "Scratch out Mother Hubbard," said his father to Robert, "and put downJack. Your list, Master Robert, is pretty good; but I shall take theliberty of adding several volumes to the stock, in case of bad weather.And beside this, I should advise you all to carry your pocketTestaments, that you may continue your plan of daily reading. I shouldbe sorry, and almost afraid, to let our sports interfere with ourdevotions."

  Up to this time Frank had been listening to what had been read orspoken. But now, on a sign from Harold, he took a paper from hispocket, and, looking at its contents, commenced capering round the room,saying, "I _can_ read it--I can read every word of it!"

  "Read what?" asked his father.

  "My list," replied Frank, "that cousin Harold wrote for me. I can readit all!"

  "Then let us have it."

  pictures of items on the list]

  "Here," said he, "is my hatchet."

  "And here is my bow and arrows."

  "And here is my dog; only it is not half so pretty as Fidelle."

  "And down here at the bottom--that is--that is--I believe it is--eithera block or a brick-bat. O, now I remember, it is my box of matches."

  "Bravo, Frank," said his father, "you do credit to your teacher. Idoubt whether I could myself have guessed what that last thing wasintended for. Your list may pass also.

  "Now, Miss Mary, let us have yours. You have had more to think of thanall the others put together, and yet I'll warrant you are nearly asperfect in proportion."

  Mary blushed to hear the commendation bestowed upon her on trust, andreplied, "I doubt it, father. For though it is very long, I am all thewhile thinking of something else to be added, and I am pretty sure thereis a great deal yet that I have forgotten." She then read her own list,containing about thirty-five articles, and William's, embracing half adozen more; upon which her father continued to bestow praise for thehouse-wifery they showed, and to each of which he made some slightadditions.

  "Now, William," said he, "do you select two moderately sized boxes, andaid Miss Mary to pack everything in her line so as not to crowd theboat. Remember, too, to put in for Riley a half bushel of salt, a loafof sugar, and a peck of wheat flour. Pack the boat, and have itcomplete this evening, however late it should take you, that there maybe no delay in the morning."

  They were no sooner dismissed from table than all went vigorously towork. Guns were cleaned--hooks and lines examined--boxes packed--allthings being done by classes. Then each person put up an extra suit ortwo of clothing, in case of accidents. And so expeditiously did thework go forward, that by five o'clock that evening the boat was readyfor her trip.