The Young Oarsmen of Lakeview. Stratemeyer Edward
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want to get square, and this is the chance of our lives to do it.”
“We can give him the tar and feathers and then leave him tied up in such a fashion that he can get free, but not before we have had a chance to make good our escape and get home and to bed.”
“That’s the way to fix it.”
“It will teach Lakeporters a good lesson,” put in one of the unknowns. “My! but ain’t I down on every one of ’em.”
“And so am I!”
“And I!”
“And I!”
In the meanwhile the young oarsman was trying his best to work himself free of his bonds. He felt that unless he escaped he would surely be tarred and feathered.
He tugged at the ropes around his body, and after a hard struggle he managed to free his left arm.
His right arm followed, although this cost him a bad cut on the wrist, from which the blood flowed freely.
But he gave the wound no thought, and in haste began to work at the rope at his waist.
Now that was loosened, only the one around his knees remained.
He looked anxiously toward the fire. The masked boys were still in deep discussion, and not a single eye was directed toward the prisoner.
Oh, for three minutes more time!
He worked with feverish haste.
And now he was practically free!
Si Peters turned and beheld him as he took a step behind the tree, out of the glare of the fire.
“He has got away, fellows!” he shouted. “After him, quick!”
A yell went up, and the crowd rushed forward.
“He mustn’t escape us!”
“We worked too hard to capture him!”
“See, he is limping! The rope is still fastened to one of his legs!”
Like a pack of wolves after a rabbit they came after Jerry.
Our hero did his best to out-distance them, and he would have succeeded had it not been for the rope around one knee, which caught in a tree root and threw him down flat on his face. In another moment the crowd was on top of him.
They showed him no mercy. Si Peters was particularly brutal and kicked Jerry heavily in the side half a dozen times.
“I’ll teach you to crawl away, you sneak!” he cried. “You can’t fool us in this fashion.”
The kicks stunned Jerry and deprived him of his wind. He fought as best he could, but he was no match for six strong boys.
Again he was overpowered. Then the gang dragged him to the side of the roaring camp fire and threw off their masks.
“Now we’ll strip him,” said Wash Crosby. “The tar is all ready and so are the feathers.”
Jerry’s struggles availed him nothing. His coat and vest were literally ripped from his body, and his shirt followed.
“Give me the brush. I want to give him the first dose,” sang out Si Peters.
The old whitewash brush was handed to the leader. Si dipped it deeply into the pot of hot tar, and approached the young oarsman.
“Now, Jerry Upton, we’ll tar and feather you in spite of your threats,” he said.
CHAPTER X.
WHAT TOWSER DID
“Well, by creation? what does this mean?”
The speaker was Mr. Upton, Jerry’s father. He was gazing at the hay-rick, which was coming down the road to the barn at a lively gait.
As the boys who had captured Jerry had thought, the horses had found their way home alone.
Anxiously, Mr. Upton looked around for Jerry, and then he stopped the team and put them up in the barn.
Running into the house he told his wife of the state of affairs. Instantly Mrs. Upton grew alarmed.
“Perhaps they ran away and threw Jerry out!” she cried.
“It ain’t likely they could get away with Jerry,” replied Mr. Upton. “But I allow it is curious.”
A half hour went by, and the farmer determined to start on a hunt for his son. He went off on horseback, and took with him Towser, the farm dog.
Towser was an old and faithful animal, a prime favorite with Jerry, and he trotted along beside the horse as if he knew something was wrong.
“We want to find Jerry, Towser,” said Mr. Upton. “Jerry, Towser, Jerry!”
And the dog wagged his tail as if to say that he understood perfectly.
It was now quite dark. The farmer had brought along a lantern, and this he lit and swung around first on one side of the road and then on the other. As he journeyed along he remembered Jerry’s troubles with the Rockpoint boys.
“Maybe he has had another fight,” he thought. “It was foolish to let him go over there.”
Inside of an hour the other side of the lake was reached, and they struck the lonely road leading into Rockpoint.
As the farmer went on he became more and more sober in mind. He seemed to feel in his mind that something was wrong.
Towser let out a mournful howl.
“Jerry, Towser, Jerry!”
Again the dog howled. Then he came to an unexpected halt and although Farmer Upton went on, the dog refused to budge.
“What is it, Towser?”
For reply the dog started into the bushes, and this at first made the old farmer angry, for he did not understand the dog.
“Come, Towser!” he cried. “We are not after game just now!”
But the dog would not come. He wanted to enter the brush.
At last Mr. Upton went to catch him by the collar, but just as he did so the dog gave a short bark and picked up something from among the bushes.
“Hullo!”
No wonder the old farmer was surprised. The article Towser had discovered was a sling-shot Jerry often carried with him.
“Must have come in here,” mused Farmer Upton.
Then of a sudden he began to examine the ground. It was soft in spots and plainly showed the footmarks of Jerry and the Si Peters crowd.
“He’s in trouble!” said the old farmer to himself. “Maybe some tramps have carried him off and robbed him.”
Urging on the faithful dog, Mr. Upton hurried along the path through the woods, leaving the horse tied to a tree.
It was an uneven way, and he stumbled many times. But he did not mind – his one thought was to reach his son and find out the boy’s condition.
Towser ran ahead, howling dismally at every few yards. But the faithful dog did not lose the scent.
Presently, through the bushes, Farmer Upton caught sight of a distant camp fire.
“Hist!” he called to Towser. “Go slow, now! Down!”
And the dog obeyed and howled no longer.
A hundred yards more were passed, when a loud cry rent the air.
“Help! help!”
It was Jerry’s voice. Si Peters was in the act of applying the first brushful of tar to his back. Utterly helpless, there was nothing left for Jerry to do but to use his lungs.
“Shut up!” cried Si Peters. “Yell again and I’ll hit you in the mouth with the tar.”
“You are an overgrown coward!” retorted Jerry. “Give me a fair show, and I’ll knock you out in short order.”
And