Pierre and his father were too angry to reply. They conversed a while in low tones, and then started down the gulley toward the beach. When they had disappeared, Chase blew out his lantern, and sitting down in the mouth of the cave with his axe in his hand, waited to see what they were going to do.
While these events were transpiring on the island, others, in which Chase would have been deeply interested could he have been made acquainted with them, were taking place on the main shore.
We left the Sportsman’s Club in great confusion. They saw the pirogue when she filled away for the mouth of the bayou, but they were too deeply interested in Perk’s welfare to pay any attention to her. The latter was in good hands, and before the pirogue was fairly out of sight he was safely landed on the bank, where he lay gasping for breath and almost benumbed with the cold.
“Start a fire, somebody,” exclaimed Walter, as soon as he had dragged his friend out of the water; “and the rest of you come here and help me rub some life into this fellow. Pierre shall suffer for this.”
When Walter uttered these words he uttered the sentiments of the entire party. Perk was a favorite with them all—even Wilson liked him now, after his daring attempt to rescue Chase—and they did not intend to see him abused. They worked for him like troopers—Wilson and Eugene kindling a fire, and the others stripping off his clothes and rubbing him with all their might. Fortunately there was not much the matter with him. The blow he had received was not serious, and after he had been relieved of his wet clothing and stretched out on a pile of overcoats before a roaring fire, he began to recover himself. The boys considered it a good sign when he cried out that he was all right, but kept on chafing him most unmercifully until they had got him on his feet.
The next thing was to dress him warmly to prevent him from taking cold, and that was quickly done; each boy, with the exception of Walter, who was as wet as a drowned rat, readily surrendering up to him some portion of his own dry clothing. In half an hour Perk was himself again; and after giving his companions a vivid description of his fight with Pierre and Coulte, he inquired what was to be done now? “It isn’t too late yet to try the plan I proposed,” said he. “Let’s go home and get the Banner and Uncle Dick, and pursue them at once. We know that they are going to Lost Island, so of course it will be no trouble to find them.”
“I’m in for that,” shouted Eugene, who was always delighted with the idea of a cruise, no matter how bad the weather was. “Let’s take a vote on it.”
“We can stop at the village and tell Mr. Craven that Fred is missing,” said Bab.
“And I will have something to say to my father and Mr. Chase,” chimed in Wilson. “Of course some of them will accompany us, and, with their assistance, we can capture Coulte and Pierre, if we find them.”
“We’ll do that anyhow,” replied Eugene; “especially if Uncle Dick goes with us. He can manage them both. It’s just gay, outside, to-night. The white-caps are running, and we’ll have a chance to see how the Banner will behave in a gale. I wish Featherweight was here. He does so enjoy a sail when the water is rough.”