'You who will not agree to join us, must promise not to tell,' said the captain; 'for if you do, we will never forgive you, nor speak to you again. Promise solemnly.' They all promised, well knowing that their residence in the school would be intolerable, under the odium of the character of tale bearers. The captain added, 'we shall work first, and play last. First, we must get all our trees, roots, and flowers, and fill the cart; then, we will meet on the flat rock, at the top of yonder hill, and eat our dinner, and then I will explain, and hope you will consent to join the majority.'
When this was accomplished, and the feast spread out, the boys became merry, and talkative. The captain in an insinuating way, divulged their purpose, and produced the box containing the balloon, from among the bundles of cloaks, which as Frank now perceived, were taken only for the sake of concealing it. The phosphoric matches were then displayed; the method of inflating the balloon described; and its beautiful appearance and ascent represented, in glowing language. All were excited and exclaimed, 'let us see it, let us see it.' When it was opened, and the gay colours and streamers met the view, their pleasure rose still higher, one or two of those who refused at first to join in the plan, now said, they saw no harm in it, and that they should like to see it go up.
'That is as you please,' said the captain—'if you stay to see it go up, you are each one of us, and take your share in the blame and the danger; if you will not run this risk, file off to the other end of the wood, and amuse yourselves with picking flowers; for you had better keep your eyes on the ground; it will go up so high in the air, that you can't help seeing it, if you look up; and this you will have to own, should any one ask if you saw the balloon.'
'Perhaps it will never be heard of,' said one.
'I shall take care of that,' replied William Gardiner, 'if it goes well. I have written a paragraph already, which I intend to put in the newspaper, describing the ascent of a beautiful and mysterious balloon, which, it is presumed, must have come from the clouds, and contain a heavenly visitant, as no trace or account of it whatever, can be found on the earth.'
'That will set people a guessing well,' said one of the group.
'Now let us begin to prepare; there is no time to be lost,' said the captain. 'You ten, who came on my right this morning, I count my own, if you are true men; for a deserter is a meaner fellow than a coward.'
Whatever good resolutions, were rising in Frank's mind, were all put down, by this last remark.
'I say,' said Thomas Blanchard, one of the five, 'I see no harm in setting off a balloon for our amusement, if we had asked Mr. Reed's consent, and if it were not for the fire; but you know, Gardiner, we have been forbid to take fire into the woods, ever since the time, when we liked to have burned up the country, by leaving some there, which kindled and spread so fast, it might not have been extinguished, but for a lucky shower; and you know, I promised Mr. Reed I would have nothing to do with fire, in the woods again; and he said as I was the ringleader, if I did not, he should hope the others would not.'
'There is more than one ringleader in the school, luckily for the cause of fun,' said Gardiner. 'But if you have promised, there is an end of it—start off. The only reason why we did not tell of the balloon, was on account of the fire. But we made no promise. So we are not obliged to keep any. We only listened, but did not speak. Besides, that was in August, when every thing was as dry as tinder; there is no chance of burning any thing at this early season. Move off with your five righteous, they can't save the city.'