Altogether the scene was as novel as it was interesting, and after remaining to talk with the men and to bestow some small coins upon the bashful children, as the camp on Pine Tree Island had long since disappeared from sight, they soon departed, thanking the people for their kindness in explaining all the details to them.
The boys succeeded in embarking safely and then set sail for the Island, where they arrived about three-quarters of an hour afterward. Ethan and Tom had already departed for the day, and the campers were now waiting for the arrival of Mr. Clarke’s steam-yacht, which was to convey them to his cottage.
“I’m going down there in a canoe,” exclaimed Ben. “Any of you fellows want to come along with me?”
“Nay, verily,” said Jock. “You have a fancy for appearing before the girls in your wet clothes. For my part, I don’t enjoy that.”
“I’ll not tip you over,” replied Ben. “I’m learning about all there is to learn in handling canoes. It’s as easy as—as Latin, when you once get the notion of it.”
None of the boys could be persuaded, however, and soon Ben departed alone. He placed two paddles in the smaller of the canoes, and then spreading his sail, departed from the camp amidst the cheers of his friends, not one of whom expected to see him in a presentable condition when they should arrive at “The Rocks.”
Ben, however, was unmindful of their scepticism and sailed away as if no shadow of possible ill clouded his vision. In spite of his many mishaps he was determined to master the canoe, and no matter how many upsettings he had, they all only strengthened him in his purpose.
It was a perfect day for his venture. A gentle breeze slightly ruffled the surface of the river and bore the light little canoe steadily on in its course. The water was so transparent that in places, as Ben occasionally glanced over the side of his boat into the river, he could see the rocks upon the bottom, and several times beheld the hungry bass as they darted swiftly away at his approach. The sound of a belated mowing-machine came faintly from the shore where he could see men toiling in the fields. The reflections of the islands were so clear and distinct that he could hardly have determined which part was above and which below the surface as he glided past them. The bold rocks, the deep green of the bordering trees, and the many-colored cottages provided variety in the scene about him, and as Ben moved onward before the gentle breeze, at times it almost seemed to him that he was in fairy-land.
His first interruption came when a steamer approached, and not yet ready to test his prowess too severely, he turned out of the course far enough as he thought to place him beyond all danger; but he soon discovered that the wash of the steamer reached far that morning, and in a moment his frail craft was being tossed about as if it had been a leaf in the current of the mighty stream.
However, he managed to hold his boat, and soon the troubled waters subsided, though he could see that the motion of the waves had extended even to the shores of a far-distant island.