That made the Captain laugh, and he now turned and said: “Run to cover now, boys! I’m goin’ to light th’ fuse!”
So the boys scrambled up the pathway while Fred and the Captain lit the fuse and then ran to hide behind a big spruce. But Paul, curious to note the effect of that harmless looking cheese, lingered behind the other boys, thus hoping to get a closer view of the explosion.
Just as the terrific blast rumbled, Fred sighted the tardy boy. He dashed out, grabbed him roughly, yanked him back to safety, and then pitched into him.
“Don’t—you’re hurtin’ me, Fred!” whimpered Paul, with a better realisation of his danger as the rocks began raining down upon the spot where he had just stood.
“You ought to be hurt—good and plenty, too! Just so you’ll never do such a fool thing again! I’m Chief of this Island, I’ll have you to know, and you’ve got to obey orders!”
Billy and Dudley ran to see what had caused the quarrel and the Captain, who had seen the rescue, came over to tell Paul a story as a warning in the future.
“You boys know the light-house just down off Spruce Island? Well, last year, ol’ Captain Ball was blastin’ out some rocks in the road near his barn. He got keerless like at the last and stood too near—right out in the open. And by heck! a chunk of rock as big as my two fists come plumb down on top of his head and killed him then and thar! Not a minit t’ think of what he wanted done ’bout things!”
After an impressive silence the Captain added with a certain feeling of satisfaction: “But he had a grand funeral! The finest ever given in these parts. One of them Dark Harbour millionaires lent the widder his big private yacht to carry the remains to Metinicus, where the Cap’n hailed from.
“Seein’ she hadn’t got to pay any costs for shippin’, Mrs. Ball put all that money in a casket and it was so fine that it seemed like a shame to put all them silver handles and satin puffs in the ground.
“Widder Ball invited everybody to make the trip with the Cap’n an’ most every one accepted the invitation, too. Thar would have been room on that yacht fer a few more—it was that big.