The Voyage of the Hoppergrass

shed his story there

d Maso

that

ed Mr. Daddles, "isn't that

, "it's sad enough, all right. Once or tw

uckled a little, c

u picked up a yarn like that,-for you hai

uch," said

the skipper, "for foolisher things was never invented. I wouldn't git

ell the truth, I've never been as far East as this but once before. I was here for a f

Jimmy Toppan,-"

ed Pe

he Captain. "I know his house,-

ere for a while, but she went away, about tw

looking toward the

pt

ree's, isn't

see old man Haskell. That's his shanty,-the one with the red doo

all cottages, set above high-water mark, three dories drawn up on the shore, and a hea

er sailed the "Hoppergrass" quarter of a mile below the beach, put about, and came back in time to pick them up when they returned in the tender. Mr. Da

e them into a soup," he observed, "w

roubled by the song o

"you take the wheel wh

'em?" asked

" the Capta

still look

f the shells,"

ome crackers, while I washed and peeled the potatoes. In about half an hour the dinner was ready. The Captain brought up the steaming kettle of chowder, and from

sked the Captain, as he prepared to cut the melon. "You r

would have the unpleasant job of washing the dishes. Ed Mason and I lost, and retired below to do the work. We

said Captain Bannister, "that yer meant something

ever hea

e folks was doin' it when my father was a boy. He had a try

the treas

inin' rod led him right up to a hummock in the middle of the island, an' they dug there, an' fetched up against the skeleton of an old dead hoss. That got 'em all excited, an' they pitched in an' dug like Sancho. But they never found nothin' 'cept the old hoss, an' so the wizard went back to town, an' took his divinin' rod with him. Then there was a lot of college felle

did y

see the island this afternoon, if yer want to. Just go over to the mainland, an' take the h

e head of the inlet. Behind them a road led up a hill, and then branched,-one road going off to the north-east, for the island was three or four miles long. The other road j

ff on our trip to the place where the treasure

Pike, all right,-I know where he hangs out, I guess. Take a good look

tarted up the wh

? There'll be hoss-car

in my p

n the boa

ne," sai

mine," sai

Daddles, "I've brought some

ne. Here was standing an old horse-car. The car was old, the horse was old, and the man who drove the h

coming across the causew

a sou

ght's well

watch out of

o you m

tch, so we couldn't ma

t was about

bud. "It's one fifty four. Didn't know but what Ike Flanders would be coming over, an'

e against rascals and swindlers. People were always coming around with some scheme to cheat him, but he had defeated them all. When he found that we were going to row across to Fishback Island, he said he guessed he could let us take a boat,-for f

aid he, "it's kinder choppy on this side sometimes, an' if my boat got a

," said Mr. Daddles; "wh

aps you might as well give me the fifteen

d. And he handed over the money. The man looked

e's going to do with t

hurry off and put it in the bank, before I

rden." "First," remarked Ed Mason, "he'll take it into t

en," Mr. Daddles reflected. "I won

would be foolish eno

"look

nd Jimmy rowing. A breeze had sprung up and the bay was a little choppy, so we splashed and bumped along at no great speed. Mr. Daddles did not pay much attention to the management of his long oar, but got into a discussion

funny. What wou

k of dy

te! Wha

w up th

ou want t

ves next door to me at home. She practises on it all day long. Som

or a horse, and

can dig up much trea

ot even if we find

y n

we got to

e had forgotten

eminded us. "We'll look around, and if we see any pla

ishback Island, as the car-driver had sug

or treasure," said he. "It's the most likely looking place for a pirate's lair I ever saw in

one had eaten luncheon. Then we started on an exploring trip around the island. It was almost bare of trees, rocky in many places, and partly covered with scrubby grass. We found half a do

to be buried," he remarked, "with the s

s buried," Ed Mason observed, diggin

" I said. "Why should they bring

Ed replied, "perhaps th

never made for a trea

dd

to the beach on the o

a smooth,

wimming down the

h certainly looked like a good place for a swim. The three of us ran down the hill, pulling off our

we strolled along, on the watch for anything we might discover. The shore of the cove where we landed was covered with flat stones, and we spent some time skipping

e," said he, "and it will be

sea, where a gray mas

les, "remember how sorry we'd be if someone else came

led around, kicking at loose rocks, and s

place," Mr. Daddles reminded us,

"the wind has come out east, and

here, boys,-we'll find it,

led around at

rned," said he, turn

energetically, pulling up grass by the roots, digging in the soil with his fingers, and kicking at stones with the toes of his tennis-shoes, u

etter start," s

ddles, poking about. "Hunt, boys, hunt,-I fe

th and sand around that tree, a

t find some treasu

ed Ed, "if there

is. I kno

ared

s, because I bu

en? How? Whe

buried all I had,-a dollar and a quarter,-two halves, two dimes, and a nickel. And now we've got to fi

elt in all the crevices of the rocks, and dug a toad out of his hole. He lo

ry to get you into al

leave it, I suppose,

lk-and if that

all right,"

re than a mile distant. We all knew enough about fogs not to want to be out in the bay in one,

asure on Fishback Island," reflected Mr

difference. We left the boat at the slip where we had first seen it. The horse-car was standing at the

t one of us had looked at the road much on the way over; we had been listening to the car-driver's battles with crime. It would n

is ours?" aske

" said Ed Mason, "fo

, "but there's a track

coin," I

ck to that isle of treas

ong, for after we had gone about a mile we met a man in

cross-roads! I begin to think I'll never see my home and mother again

ered out o

lers a ride, if there

ss. In an hour or more we reached the beginning of the cau

something to ea

nd eggs," I

overs," remarked Jimmy Toppan

ffee," said

e is any of that cho

always better

," said I. "And gone to bed, too," put in Mr.

t have been midnight. There was not a soul on th

hey go to be

e Captain. He expected

e his mind no

glad to get aboard the 'Hoppergrass.' There's nothing in th

ied down the wharf. The fog had lifted a li

, "I'd like to get into some dry c

ht again," I said, "w

tai

across the inlet. We looked at the spot where our boat had anchored,