There are some proud, spirited natures which resent rules and laws onprinciple as attempts to interfere with the rights of the citizen. Asthe Duchess in the play said of her son, who had had unpleasantnesswith the authorities at Eton because they had been trying to teach himthings, "Silwood is a sweet boy, but he will not stand thebearing-rein". Dunstable was also a sweet boy, but he, too, objected tothe bearing-rein. And Linton was a sweet boy, and he had similarprejudices. And this placing of the town out of bounds struck both ofthem simultaneously as a distinct attempt on the part of the headmasterto apply the bearing-rein.
"It's all very well to put it out of bounds for the kids," saidDunstable, firmly, "but when it comes to Us--why, I never heard of sucha thing."Linton gave it as his opinion that such conduct was quite in a class ofits own as regarded cool cheek.
"It fairly sneaks," said Linton, with forced calm, "the Garibaldi.""Kids," proceeded Dunstable, judicially, "are idiots, and can't beexpected to behave themselves down town. Put the show out of bounds tothem if you like. But We--""We!" echoed Linton.
"The fact is," said Dunstable, "it's a beastly nuisance, but we shallhave to go down town and up the river just to assert ourselves. Wecan't have the thin end of the wedge coming and spoiling our liberties.
We may as well chuck life altogether if we aren't able to go to thetown whenever we like.""And Albert will be pining away," added Linton.
* * * * *"Hullo, young gentlemen," said the town boatman, when they presentedthemselves to him, "what can I do for you?""I know it seems strange," said Dunstable, "but we want a boat. We arethe Down-trodden British Schoolboys' League for Demanding Liberty andseeing that We Get It. Have you a boat?"The man said he believed he had a boat. In fact, now that he came tothink of it, he rather fancied he had one or two. He proceeded to getone ready, and the two martyrs to the cause stepped in.
Dunstable settled himself in the stern, and collected the rudder-lines.
"Hullo," said Linton, "aren't you going to row?""It may be only my foolish fancy," replied Dunstable, "but I ratherthink you're going to do that. I'll steer.""Beastly slacker," said Linton. "Anyhow, how far are we going? I'm notgoing to pull all night.""If you row for about half an hour without exerting yourself--and I cantrust you not to do that--and then look to your left, you'll see acertain hostelry, if it hasn't moved since I was last there. It'scalled the 'Blue Boar'. We will have tea there, and then I'll pullgently back, and that will end the programme.""Except being caught in the town by half the masters," said Linton.
"Still, I'm not grumbling. This had to be done. Ready?""Not just yet," said Dunstable, looking past Linton and up thelanding-stage. "Wait just one second. Here are some friends of ours."Linton looked over his shoulder.
"Albert!" he cried.
"And the who struck me divers blows in sundryplaces. Ah, they've sighted us.""What are you going to do? We can't have another scrap with them.""Far from it," said Dunstable gently. "Hullo, Albert. _And_ myfriend in the moth-eaten bowler! This is well met.""You come out here," said Albert, pausing on the brink.
"Why?" asked Dunstable.
"You see what you'll get.""But we don't want to see what we'll get. You've got such a narrowmind, Albert--may I call you Bertie? You seem to think that nobody hasany pleasures except vulgar brawls. We are going to row up river, andthink beautiful thoughts."Albert was measuring with his eye the distance between the boat andlanding-stage. It was not far. A sudden spring....
"If you want a fight, go up to the school and ask for Mr Drummond. He'sthe gentlemen who sent you to hospital last time. Any time you'repassing, I'm sure he'd--"Albert leaped.
But Linton had had him under observation, and, as he sprung, pushedvigorously with his oar. The gap between boat and shore widened in aninstant, and Albert, failing to obtain a foothold on the boat, fellback, with a splash that sent a cascade over his friend and theboatman, into three feet of muddy water. By the time he had scrambledout, his enemies were moving pensively up-stream.
The boatman was annoyed.
"Makin' me wet and spoilin' my paint--what yer mean by it?""Me and my friend here we want a boat," said Albert, ignoring the mainissue.
"Want a boat! Then you'll not get a boat. Spoil my cushions, too, wouldyou? What next, I wonder! You go to Smith and ask _him_ for aboat. Perhaps he ain't so particular about having his cushions--""Orl right," said Albert, "_orl_ right."Mr Smith proved more complaisant, and a quarter of an hour afterDunstable and Linton had disappeared, Albert and his friend were on thewater. Moist outside, Albert burned with a desire for Revenge. He meantto follow his men till he found them. It almost seemed as if therewould be a repetition of the naval battle which had caused the town tobe put out of bounds. Albert was a quick-tempered youth, and he hadswallowed fully a pint of Severn water.
* * * * *Dunstable and Linton sat for some time in the oak parlour of the "BlueBoar". It was late when they went out. As they reached the water's edgeLinton uttered a cry of consternation.
"What's up?" asked Dunstable. "I wish you wouldn't do that so suddenly.
It gives me a start. Do you feel bad?""Great Scott! it's gone.""The pain?""Our boat. I tied it up to this post.""You can't have done. What's that boat over there! That looks likeours.""No, it isn't. That was there when we came. I noticed it. I tied oursup here, to this post.""This is a shade awkward," said Dunstable thoughtfully. "You must havetied it up jolly rottenly. It must have slipped away and gonedown-stream. This is where we find ourselves in the cart. Right amongthe ribstons, by Jove. I feel like that Frenchman in the story, wholost his glasses just as he got to the top of the mountain, and missedthe view. Altogezzer I do not vish I 'ad kom.""I'm certain I tied it up all right. And--why, look! here's the ropestill on the pole, just as I left it."For the first time Dunstable seemed interested.
"This is getting mysterious. Did we hire a rowing-boat or a submarine?
There's something on the end of this rope. Give it a tug, and see.
There, didn't you feel it?""I do believe," said Linton in an awed voice, "the thing's sunk."They pulled at the rope together. The waters heaved and broke, and upcame the nose of the boat, to sink back with a splash as they loosenedtheir hold.
"There are more things in Heaven and Earth--" said Dunstable, wipinghis hands. "If you ask me, I should say an enemy hath done this. A boatdoesn't sink of its own accord.""Albert!" said Linton. "The blackguard must have followed us up anddone it while we were at tea.""That's about it," said Dunstable. "And now--how about getting home?""I suppose we'd better walk. We shall be hours late for lock-up.""You," said Dunstable, "may walk if you are fond of exercise and aren'tin a hurry. Personally, I'm going back by river.""But--""That looks a good enough boat over there. Anyhow, we must make it do.
One mustn't be particular for once.""But it belongs--what will the other fellow do?""I can't help _his_ troubles," said Dunstable mildly, "havingenough of my own. Coming?"* * * * *It was about ten minutes later that Sheen, approaching the waterside inquest of his boat, found no boat there. The time was a quarter to six,and lock-up was at six-thirty.
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