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 Another Random Document on
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Tom was quiet since morning. The prisoners were taken from their
rooms, and marched to the steamer.
 CHAPTER XV.

FIRST LESSONS IN DISCIPLINE.

C aptain Gildrock had business in Burlington; and it was more

convenient for him to go by the Sylph than by rail, as then he
could return when he pleased. Besides, the cool air of the lake was
very enjoyable in the hot weather. It required at least three persons
to manage her, which took the greater part of the home force; and
the principal did not care to leave the prisoners in the dormitory
when so many of them were absent.
He expected to have a great deal of trouble with them; and he
thought that the sooner he brought them into a state of subjection,
the better it would be for the new pupils, and the better for the
school. When the family went with him, the cook, and one or two of
the domestics, who enjoyed these excursions, were taken, and
housekeeping was carried on aboard the yacht.
Tom Topover had passed a very uncomfortable night in the brig, with
nothing but a sheet-iron floor to sleep upon. When he was brought
out of his dungeon by Bates, who was the turnkey on such
occasions, he looked a good deal the worse for the wear. The other
three had been more sensible, and had slept very well. The uniform
of the steamer had been carried into their rooms, and three of them
had put it on; but Tom refused to do so. They had all been supplied
with a good breakfast; and, taken separately, all but Tom were
disposed to submit. They walked quietly to the yacht when Bates
told them what they were to do. Tom did not make any forcible
resistance, but he was still stubborn and sullen.
The principal was on the forecastle when they arrived. He looked at
them, and saw that three of them had put on the uniform, which
indicated that they were in a better frame of mind. He spoke to
these three, and told them they were to be part of the ship's
company, and would do duty as deck-hands. If they were willing and
tractable, they would be treated as well as any students of the
school. They said nothing, and the principal did not ask them to
make any promises. He preferred to judge them by what they did,
rather than by what they said.
"I see that you have not yet put on the new uniform, Thomas
Topover," said the principal, approaching the chief of the ruffians.
"I ain't going to put on any uniform!" growled Tom in reply. "I don't
belong to the school, and I ain't going to join it."
"If you want to knock your head against solid walls of stone and
iron, you will have the privilege of doing so until you are tired of it;
for you will not hurt the walls, and you will hurt your head—Bates,"
called the captain.
The old salt presented himself; and the principal directed him to tie
the hands of Tom behind him, and confine him to a stanchion.
"I ain't going to be tied up any more!" protested Tom.
But Bates proceeded to obey the order just as though he had said
nothing. The prisoner had lost a great deal of the pluck he exhibited
the night before, and his opposition was very feeble. His three
companions looked on while he was secured: they did not say he
was a fool to kick when it did no good, but they thought so.
"When you are ready to put on your uniform, and act like a
reasonable being, you will be released, and be allowed to join your
companions," said the principal curtly.
"You haven't any right to tie me up in this way, and I won't stand it,"
grumbled Tom.
"I will take care of that part of the business, and will settle the
question of my right with any one who disputes it," added Captain
Gildrock. "As long as you choose to be obstinate, and refuse to put
on your uniform, you will remain in your present condition. When
you want to put on your uniform and do your duty, you have only to
say so, and you will be set at liberty, as your companions are."
Perhaps these last words were said quite as much for the benefit of
Spinner and Sinker, the fathers of the two missing boys, who had
just come on board. They saw three of the four prisoners on duty,
for they were sweeping up the deck. They hardly knew them in their
new uniform.
"That's the right way to serve them," said Spinner to the principal. "I
hope you will make my boy mind, for I don't have time to look out
for him when I have work."
"The one thing required of the boys, above all others, is, that they
shall obey orders," replied Captain Gildrock. "If they do that, and try
to discharge their duty, they will be all right here; for I give them
plenty of recreation, and provide them with the means to be happy
and contented."
The steamer backed away from the wharf, and commenced her trip
down Beechwater. Bates remained on the forecastle; and when he
found that the three boys were willing to obey, or that they did obey,
whether they were willing or not, he did not give them any hard
work to do. He limbered up his tongue, and began to explain their
duties to them. In spite of themselves, they were interested.
He took them to all parts of the steamer, and pointed out the lines
they were to handle in making fast to a wharf. He showed them how
the boats were lowered into the water, and manned, and gave them
all the instruction they could digest. Kidd Digfield was not willing to
confess it, but he found that he rather liked life on board of a
steamer.
When he had finished his lesson, the quartermaster went on deck to
report to Captain Gildrock, that the three boys were as tame as
kittens, and he did not think there would be any trouble with them.
The captain was not at all confident that this would be the case, and
asked Bates if he had left them alone; suggesting that they might
release Tom, and take to one of the boats, which he had instructed
them how to put into the water.
"I want Kidd Digfield and Nim Splugger to say a word or two to Tom,
and I have given them a chance to do so," replied Bates. "They will
tell him that he is a fool to resist."
"Perhaps they will," added the principal, with a smile.
"I know they will, and Tom will ask to put on the uniform in less than
half an hour," persisted Bates.
And he was right. The old man had had a great deal of experience,
and could form some idea of what the young ruffians were thinking
about. He went to the ladder, and looked down to the forecastle,
without allowing them to see him. As he supposed they would, they
went to Tom as soon as they saw that they were alone. But Tom had
been the first to speak.
"You are the three biggest fools I ever saw!" he muttered, as they
walked towards him. "What did you cave in for? You are acting like
so many spring chickens."
"What would you have us do?" asked Kidd, with a broad grin; for he
felt that he ought to apologize for his submission, when his chief had
resisted to the utmost.
"If you would do as I do, they would soon get sick of it, and let us
go," replied Tom.
"It's no use to buck your head against a stone wall. You don't hurt
the wall any, as the captain says; and you do hurt your head,"
replied Nim Splugger. "We are going to take things easy till we have
a good chance to do something, and then we are going to do it."
"That's the best way," added Kidd. "They think we have given in,
and treat us very well."
"We had a good bed last night, and every thing was nice. If we had
done as you did, we should have had to sleep on the floor," argued
Nim.
"But I won't stand it."
"You can't help yourself, Tom."
The chief had begun to weaken. Even if he wanted to escape, the
best way was to do as his companions had done. When Bates had
allowed them time enough to consider the matter, he came below.
Tom at once asked him for the uniform. He was released, and taken
to a stateroom, from which he soon came out dressed like his
companions. His duties were explained to him, and he listened in
sullen silence.
The day was very pleasant, with scarcely any wind; and, when the
Sylph had passed Split Rock, Dory discovered a sailboat trying to get
ahead in the light breeze. With the glass, he discovered that it
contained a man and two boys. Paul Bristol was doing duty as
wheelman, and he was sent to the principal to report the fact.
The boat had scarcely a particle of wind, and had not yet made half
the distance to Burlington. The two boys, Rag Spinner and Ben
Sinker, had been broiling in the hot sun all the forenoon; and they
were willing enough to accept the invitation to go on board of the
steamer, though without understanding the reason for the request.
The man in the boat asked to be taken in tow; but Captain Gildrock
ordered the Sylph to go ahead, without heeding the request.
Raglan Spinner was not a little astonished to find his father on board
of the steamer, and Ben Sinker was hardly less surprised. At the next
glance they saw their companions of the day before dressed in the
uniform of the Industrial School, and this was a still greater surprise.
They began to see why they had been invited to go on board of the
Sylph.
"So you were going to run away, Raglan, were you?" said Mr.
Spinner sternly, as he confronted his son. "Why didn't you come
home last night?"
"I didn't like to after the scrape we got into yesterday," pleaded Rag,
with a laugh; and it was apparent that he did not stand in awe of his
father.
"I have put you where I can find you when I want you," continued
the carpenter. "You will spend the next three years in the care of
Captain Gildrock."
"All right: we shall have plenty of boating," replied the boy.
The two boys were immediately supplied with a uniform, and took
their places with the other Topovers on the forecastle. Bates
proceeded to go over his instructions for deck-hands again, for the
benefit of the new-comers.
Before they reached Burlington the principal shot a duck on the
wing, and the bird dropped into the water. The steamer was
stopped, and the captain gave the order for the port-quarter boat to
be put into the water, and the bird secured. Under the direction of
Bates, the deck-hands had an opportunity to apply the knowledge
they had gained. The original Topovers were ordered to the thwarts,
and Bates acted as coxswain. The bird was dead, and not likely to
escape; so that the officer in charge of the boat did not hurry
himself. He took time to instruct his pupils in pulling a man-of-war
stroke; and, before they reached the duck, they did tolerably well,
for they had learned to row before.
When the steamer reached her destination, she did not go up to a
wharf as usual; but the order was given to let go the anchor just
outside of the breakwater. The principal, with a smile, said it would
be cooler here than at the wharf, while those on board were waiting
for him. The boat was dropped into the water again, and the same
crew pulled the captain to the shore. While he was attending to the
business of the bank, of which he was a director, Bates gave his
pupils a lesson in managing the boat, and handling the oars. In an
hour the principal was ready to go on board, and the steamer
returned to Genverres.
 CHAPTER XVI.

THE PUPILS FOR THE NEXT YEAR.

A s soon as the fathers of the last two recruits to the school had been
landed, the Sylph went out to the lake again, and started on a
long cruise, from which she did not return till after dark. The
principal went ashore at Plattsburgh, and the boys took some more
lessons in rowing.
At dinner and supper on this day, the Topovers were seated with the
family, and were not required to sit at a second table. On the return,
Kidd Digfield was sent to the pilot-house to take a lesson in steering,
for any of the deck-hands were liable to be called upon to act as
wheelmen. The reprobate was not willing to confess that he was
delighted with this occupation, even though he had to act under the
orders of Dory Dornwood.
He soon got the hang of the wheel; and because he was interested
in his occupation, in spite of his efforts to appear otherwise, he was
an apt scholar. It was not a difficult thing to learn, as long as a
course was given to him; and he soon felt quite at home at the
wheel.
"I rather like this thing," said Kidd, when he joined his associates on
the lower deck. "I have steered the steamer nearly all the way since
we left Plattsburgh."
"You are a traitor, Kidd Digfield!" was the reply with which the chief
Topover received this manifestation of pride on the part of one of his
band. "You will give us all away."
"What do you mean by traitor, Tom Topover?" demanded Kidd.
"Do you think I would let Dory Dornwood boss me?" growled Tom.
"He is the captain of the steamer; and I would rather have him boss
me in the steamer, than have you do it in a sailboat, for he knows
what he is about every time."
"All right! You have gone over to the enemy."
"What's the use to talk about bossing, Tom?" interposed Nim
Splugger. "You want to be boss all the time; and, in a boat, you are
ten times as rough with a fellow as Dory Dornwood. He is as polite
as a dancing-master."
"Then you are going to leave me to fight this thing out alone?"
demanded Tom, disgusted with the admissions of his friends. "You
don't catch me bending my knee to Dory Dornwood."
"He don't ask any fellow to bend his knee to him. He shows you how
to do a thing, and don't bully, like you do, Tom," added Kidd.
"If you think more of him than you do of me, you can throw me
over," added Tom, with a show of meekness. "But I thought you
were going to make the best of it till we had a good chance to make
a strike."
"I am making the best of it, and I am getting along first-rate," added
Kidd, as he turned upon his heel and walked away.
"When there is a chance to do any thing, you will find us there,"
added Nim Splugger. "But I think you are making a fool of yourself,
by setting your teeth even against things you like. I have had a first-
rate time to-day, and we are living as well as we should at the hotel."
"And when you go on shore you will be locked into a room with iron
bars on the windows," sneered Tom.
"The room has a good bed, and every thing a fellow wants in it. The
lock and the bars don't hurt me, but they will not be kept up a great
while. I didn't expect to like it; but I do like it, and we are having
plenty of fun every hour in the day."
"I don't want to cave in, but I like this thing as well as Kidd and
Nim," added Pell Sankland.
"It is vacation now, and we are doing nothing but play with this
steamer. What will you do when you are set down to your books, or
made to shove a foreplane all the afternoon?" asked Tom, with the
curl of disgust hanging about his lips still.
"What did we build the Thunderer for?" demanded Nim sharply.
"For fun, of course. We shouldn't have done it if it had been hard
work."
"All the tools we had were a shingling-hatchet, a bucksaw, and a
half-inch auger; and we worked for a week for the fun of it!"
exclaimed Nim warmly. "Do you think there will be any less fun in
working three or four hours in the afternoon with good tools, and
machinery to help us?"
"It's no use to talk with you, Nim Splugger. You have sold out,"
replied Tom. "You want to be under Dory Dornwood's thumb; and
you may do it if you like, I shall not."
"You will be under his thumb just as much as I am, whether you like
it or not; and if you want to get licked into doing what you are told,
like a contrary horse, you can do it if you like," answered Nim, as he
turned on his heel, as his companion had done, and left the
impracticable leader.
"Those fellows don't like to study their lessons any better than I do,
and I guess they will have enough of it here," added Tom.
"We can all read, write, and cipher; and we don't have to study such
things as we did at the town-school," replied Pell Sankland.
"I am not going to stay in this school any longer than I can help. As
soon as I get a chance, I shall be among the missing, though all the
rest of the fellows have deserted me," added Tom.
"I don't believe in kicking at nothing, Tom," argued Pell. "It only
wrenches a fellow's foot. We have all had a good time since we were
raked in, and I don't believe in making a row as long as things go
well with us. You don't get such roast beef as we had for dinner to-
day when you are at home, nor such puddings and pies."
"The grub is good enough, but I would rather be free than to be well
fed. I must have my liberty."
"We have liberty enough for me on board of this steamer," said Pell,
as in turn he, too, turned on his heel, and left the chief to his own
reflections.
Tom Topover was restored to the room in which he had first been
placed; and he had a good bed, though he was locked in, and the
iron bars confronted him at the windows. As the recruits were not
outwardly refractory, they were taken to the table in the house, with
the others of the principal's family; for he regarded his students as a
part of his family, and treated them as such.
Every day during the week the Sylph was moving about the lake. In
conformity with his new idea, the principal was notifying the parents
of the new pupils he had decided to accept for the term of the
coming year. They were all the sons of poor people, and some of
them were quite as hard boys as Tom Topover. In fact, he had
selected them because they were not controllable by their parents
and teachers. The Beech-Hill School was to assume the character, in
part, of a reformatory institution.
The half of the school that remained over were in excellent discipline,
and would give the principal no trouble. Three days before the term
was to begin, there were still six vacancies in the roll, and the
principal was in doubt. Just at this time he received a visit from the
six young firemen, as he called them to distinguish them from the
rest of the Topovers, with whom they had been associated. The
principal was rather surprised to see them. He had learned from his
sister, that they had been actively employed in rendering assistance
to the Widow Sankland since the fire, not only in soliciting articles of
clothing and food for them, but in sawing and splitting her wood, and
doing other chores about the house. Two of them had even spent
three days in taking care of the children when she was at work; for
the fire, and the "advertising" it had given her, had brought her a
considerable increase of customers.
"Well, boys, what can I do for you this time?" asked the principal,
with a pleasant smile; for he was very kindly disposed towards them
since he had heard of their good deeds.
"We are almost sorry that we were not captured with the rest of the
Topovers, in the Goldwing," said Ash Burton, with a smile, to indicate
that he did not quite mean what he said.
"If you had been, perhaps I should have prosecuted the whole of
you," replied the captain, pleasantly. "But I don't quite understand
the force of your remark."
"Tom Topover and the rest of them have been rewarded for their part
in the affair by being admitted as pupils of the Beech-Hill Industrial
School," continued Ash. "If we had been caught in the boat, and
stuck to the lies Tom told, we might have been admitted also."
"Rewarded?" exclaimed Captain Gildrock. "They have been close
prisoners since they were admitted. They are locked into their rooms
at night, and the windows are protected with iron bars. Do you call
that rewarding them?"
"I shouldn't care any thing about the barred windows if I could only
be admitted," said Sam Spottwood. "I don't say that if stealing a boat
is the way to get in, we shall try to get in that way; but some other
fellows might say so."
"But all four of the original Topovers fought with all their might
against the discipline, till we brought them to terms; and I am sure
they do not consider their admission as a reward, but as a severe
punishment, even worse than being brought up before a court."
"They have been in the school over a week, sir: do they still keep up
the fight?" asked Ash.
"No: they have had enough of it, and are behaving very well," replied
the principal thoughtfully.
"We have talked the matter over among ourselves, and with our
parents. We all agree that the Topovers were lucky to get into the
school, and we all wish we were in their shoes."
"Then I will admit you all," replied Captain Gildrock.
"Will you indeed, sir? We will not give you any trouble, and we won't
run away if you don't lock us up nights!" exclaimed Sam.
The boys went home to inform their parents of the good news. They
were all the children of parents who could not afford to pay their
tuition in any school, whatever they might learn there; and, in this
respect, they were within the rule the principal had laid down for his
guidance. He had been thinking over this question of admission that
day. He had already decided to receive ten refractory boys, and he
thought this would be enough to enable him to try the question of
reform.
He was not pleased with the statement that he had rewarded the
Topovers by receiving them, and he was willing to do something to
remove such a mistaken impression in the community. The ranks of
both classes were full now, and he had only to think of the actual
work of the first term. Before the end of the last week, the
instructors arrived; and they were not especially pleased when they
learned the character of some of the new scholars.
The principal explained his new idea to them, and they were willing
to co-operate with him in carrying out his purpose. Mr. Brookbine,
the master carpenter, was a disciplinarian himself; and he did not
object to the original Topovers, or to the hard boys from Whitehall,
Plattsburgh, and Burlington. He was confident that he could make
them work. If they did not take kindly to the use of tools, he would
set them to lugging lumber, or something of that sort, till they got
over their sulkiness.
"As we used to say in the navy, we must keep every thing 'all taut,'
and we shall get along very well," said the principal.
 CHAPTER XVII.

TOM TOPOVER FINDS HIMSELF IGNORED.

O n the first day of the new term, Captain Gildrock made his usual
speech of welcome and explanation. Just one-half of the school
were new scholars, and it took a week to get them properly
classified. Nearly one-third of the number were "hard boys;" though
six of them had been disciplined for two weeks, on board of the
steamer. But the new pupils had not learned their duties in the
schoolroom.
Tom Topover had come to that part of the programme of the
institution, where he expected to recover his lost prestige as a leader
of his gang. Study had always been an abomination to him; and he
supposed it was to his companions, the original Topovers. For
himself, he refused to make any effort to apply himself; and, when
called upon for a recitation, he was entirely unprepared. He thought
he could get the better of his teachers and the principal in this
department.
Mr. Darlingby sent him to his room to learn his lesson when he
failed. Tom laughed in his sleeve, at this sort of discipline. He
stretched himself on the bed, and went to sleep. At dinner-time his
meal consisted of nothing but bread and butter, and cold water. Tom
did not touch it; for he was disgusted with such food, after the good
living he had so greatly enjoyed since he came to the school.
Kidd Digfield and the others did the best they could with their
lessons, and were subjected to no discipline on account of them.
They had been to the grammar school, and were fair scholars in the
ordinary branches. No difficult tasks were assigned to them, and
they passed the forenoon with infinitely better satisfaction to
themselves than they had expected.
In the afternoon, when the students were assembled in the shops,
they all felt more at home. They were provided with tools, all in
good order, and required to make a box two feet long, a foot wide,
and eight inches deep. This was the work of all the new boys; and
the use of the tools was explained to them, precisely as it had been
to all the classes who had preceded them.
All of them, wherever they came from, took kindly to this lesson. It
was a new thing to most of them, even to those who had some little
skill in tinkering. Kidd Digfield declared at night, when the shopwork
was finished, that he had had a first-rate time. In fact, he and his
companions, with the exception of Tom, were fairly reconstructed. It
was nothing but fun to make a box, with such excellent tools as they
were provided with; and they laughed when they thought of the
bungling work they had done on the Thunderer.
After supper, there was still an hour and a half of daylight, and the
barges were manned with their new crews. One of them was
assigned to the new pupils for the first lessons, and Dory Dornwood
was to act as coxswain. But Captain Gildrock was in the Marian, with
a crew of five of the old boys; and he kept near enough to quell a
rebellion if one should break out. But this was fun for the boys; and
they were instructed according to the man-of-war rules, rather than
those of the sporting fraternity.
Tom Topover, from the grated window of his chamber, saw his
companions in the boats, and wished he were with them. It had not
occurred to him that he was to be deprived of his air and exercise,
and be kept in his room after the closing of the study-hours. He
realized now, that he was to be kept a prisoner in his room, on
bread and water, until he learned his lesson.
He had some mechanical taste; and he had looked forward, with
something like pleasure, to the time when he should be required to
handle the tools in the shop. Enough had been said among the boys
in regard to this part of their daily duties to inspire his ambition, and
he expected to distinguish himself in this department. On Saturday
the ship's company of the Sylph was to be organized, as it had been
in the two preceding years; but the lessons came first.
The supper of the prisoner was the same as his dinner had been. He
was so faint, that he ate his allowance, and drank the glass of water
that came with the food; but he did it with a rebellious soul. In the
evening he heard the voices of his companions about the dormitory.
The excited speech and the noisy laugh in the adjoining rooms, as
his late associates talked over the experiences of the day, indicated
that they were all happy. But no one went near him after he had
eaten his supper. As he listened to the sounds which came to him,
he heard his friends say that the bars had been removed from the
windows of their rooms sometime during the day.
In fact, Tom's three cronies were on precisely the same footing now
as even the older pupils of the school. They were not locked into
their rooms that night; for they had accepted the situation, and were
doing all that was required of them in a cheerful spirit. In the boat,
Dory Dornwood had instructed them in the use of the oars; but he
had done it so pleasantly and politely, that they could not find a
word of fault with him.
It was plain to Tom, that his friends had surrendered without
conditions; though they still said they were acting only from motives
of policy. It was no use, they continued to say, to buck their heads
against a stone wall. It was easier to do their duty than it was to
rebel, and take the consequences.
At about dark the rebellious chief heard the voices of his cronies in
the next room, which was Kidd Digfield's. The discipline had been
relaxed in their favor, for they had not before been allowed to visit
one another's rooms. They did not talk about him: he had not heard
his name mentioned by them. He felt very lonely, and very much
hurt by the want of loyalty to him on their part. He rapped several
times on the wall. It was more to see if they would notice his signal
than for any other reason.
Kidd knocked on the wall, in reply to the call. Tom asked him to
come to the door, and speak to him through the keyhole. Kidd
replied that he could not do it, they were forbidden to have any
communication with him. This he said loud enough to be heard by
the prisoner. He did not care who else heard him, though he
suspected that Bates could not be far off.
The answer roused the anger of the bully, and he began to use
some strong language. Nim Splugger advised Kidd not to make any
reply. This increased Tom's wrath; and he called them traitors, so
that his voice could be heard half the length of the hall. Then, in his
anger, he resorted to kicking against the wall again. This soon
brought Bates. The door was unlocked; and, without a word of any
kind, the old salt collared him, and marched him to the brig. The
furniture had not been restored to its place, and he was left alone in
the iron-bound cell.
To Tom Topover, the most galling feature of the discipline was in the
fact that no notice had been taken of him. Even his companions
would have no intercourse with him. He was shut up in the brig, and
as fully ignored as though he had been dead and buried. But he had
decided not to study his lessons, and he could not give up. He spent
a miserable night in the gloom of the dark prison. His breakfast was
brought to him in the morning, but it was the same as his dinner
and his supper the day before. Without a word of explanation, he
was conducted back to his chamber, and locked into it. The book he
had brought from the schoolroom was there.
All he had to do in order to end his term of imprisonment, was to
learn the lesson assigned to him. The book was a simple treatise on
natural philosophy. He was not required to commit any thing to
memory, only to read over the first half-dozen pages. It was simply a
question of will. He had refused even to look into the book. No one
came near him during the forenoon, and he hardly heard a sound.
His slices of bread and butter, and his glass of water, came to him at
noon.
"How long have I got to stand this thing?" asked Tom, in a tone of
utter disgust, when Bates put his dinner on the table.
The old man made no reply to him, and would not even look at him.
He would not come again till supper-time; and Tom saw that he
must back down then, or there would be no chance to do so before
night. But he had not the moral courage to say he would learn his
lesson. When the door was locked upon him, he picked up the book;
but, before he had looked into it, he began to cry, though he was a
great fellow of fifteen. It took him an hour to get over this feeling of
depression, and then he looked into the book. He began to read the
lesson which had been assigned to him.
It was simple reading, and about matters within his comprehension.
Before he realized that he was actually engaged in learning the
lesson assigned to him, he was interested in the subject. It had been
chosen for this reason,—that he could hardly help enjoying what he
read. He found a solace in the book during the afternoon; and, when
his supper was brought to him, he informed Bates that he had
learned his lesson. The old man did not say a word, even to hint that
he heard him; but, in a few minutes, Mr. Darlingby appeared. He had
nothing to say on the question of discipline, but took the book at
once, and proceeded to examine Tom on the first pages. The
rebellious pupil was well posted in every thing he had read, and had
studied far beyond the task assigned to him.
All the instructor did when he had finished the recitation, was to
inform him that he was at liberty to leave his room. He made no
remarks, did not preach to him, or even point a moral from the
events of his imprisonment. Tom went out of the room, and
descended the stairs. The students were just coming out of the
mansion after their supper, and they were hurrying to the boat-
house. Tom showed himself among them; but not one of them
manifested any surprise at seeing him, or said a word to him about
his conduct.
All this was very strange. He hastened to Kidd Digfield when he saw
him coming, and was thinking how he should explain to his crony
the fact that he had given in. He had yielded, and that was a thing
he was not in the habit of doing; and he felt that some apology was
necessary to atone for his wickedness.
"We are going to row in the Gildrock," said Kidd, as soon as he saw
his defeated chief. "There is a place for you in the boat, Tom."
"All right: I shouldn't mind taking a turn at the oars," replied Tom, as
they were joined by Nim and Pell.
"You are No. 11, next to the stroke oar," added Nim.
"I am No. 2," added Pell, as if he was simply recalling the locality of
his place in the barge.
Not a word about his imprisonment, not a hint in relation to their
opinion of his conduct. Tom thought it was very strange. He was
allowed to take his place in the ranks of the students, and no one
seemed to know that he had been standing out against orders. The
same state of things had bothered delinquents in years before, and
they could not explain it. Others could, if they had been disposed to
do so.
The principal had requested all the pupils not to allude to any
matters of discipline to offenders. If one had been punished, they
were not to talk about the matter, and not to inform the delinquent
that they even knew of the fact. To the reformed Topovers, it
seemed more like a good joke on Tom not to notice what had
happened; and they took pleasure in complying with the principal's
request. He had made quite a speech in regard to this matter. Tom's
vanity had no standing-room. Nobody seemed to care whether he
had been punished or not.
 CHAPTER XVIII.

NAUTICAL INSTRUCTION ON THE WHARF.

T he first two weeks of the term were devoted to giving the new
students a proper start in their studies, and in the work of the
shop. At the same time they learned to pull an oar, and to handle a
rowboat. At the end of that time the crew of the Winooski could pull
a very fair stroke, and were tolerably obedient to the orders of the
coxswain. A Whitehall fellow undertook to have his own way at one
time, and the boat went to the shore at once. In five minutes more
he was locked up in his room.
The next day, after he had backed down, and resumed his place in
the schoolroom, he took his oar again. No one appeared to know
that he had disobeyed orders; no one said anything; he received no
sympathy, and was subjected to no condemnation, among his
associates. He had a good chance to turn over a new leaf if he was
disposed to do so. The very fact that he was ignored, proved that his
fellow-students were in full sympathy with the principal.
The students were simply requested to ignore any offender, and they
could disregard the request if they were desirous of doing so. If
there was any real or fancied grievance among the pupils, of course
they would disregard it; but just now all was serene, and even the
bad boys were delighted with the routine of the institution. The early
lessons were given out with a view to interest them. In the shop,
they were set to making something,—a box at first,—which could
not help amusing them.
On the first Saturday of the term the ship's company of the Sylph
were organized. Dory Dornwood was captain again; though only for
the first month, while the new scholars were broken in. It was
understood that Oscar Chester was to take his place from the first of
October. The principal offices were filled by the old students, who
were qualified to instruct their subordinates. The recruits were
scattered about: some were firemen, some were stewards, and most
of them were deck-hands.
The day was devoted to exercising the students in their new duties.
Of course, there was considerable friction in places, but not so much
as the principal had expected. As long as the boys tried to do their
duty, their short-comings and their failures were overlooked. If one
refused to obey an order, he was shut up in a storeroom; and
excellent discipline prevailed on the second Saturday, when the
practice was repeated.
On the following Monday afternoon, all hands were ordered to the
boat-house after dinner, in place of going to the shops. The Lily,
which the students had built in the earlier part of the year, had been
brought alongside of the wharf by Bates and Mr. Bristol. The work of
rigging the boat was to be begun at this time. On the wharf lay the
two masts of the schooner, which had been made in Burlington, and
brought down a few days before. There were several other sticks on
the wharf, whose use most of the students did not understand. Lying
on the top of the masts were a great number of small pieces of
rope; and old Bates was as busy as a bee, with a lot of things which
were incomprehensible to even the old students.
The principal was the instructor on the present occasion; for, of the
subjects to be treated, the other teachers were as ignorant as the
pupils. The boys were requested to seat themselves on the spars
and timbers. Captain Gildrock picked out one of the pieces of rope
about three feet long, from the pile, and then mounted a box where
he could be seen by all hands; and several of the teachers were
present.
"The next business in order is to rig the boat we have built," he
began. "It is not a very complicated matter to rig a fore-and-aft
schooner."
"What does that mean?" asked Sax Coburg, one of the hard fellows
from Burlington, though he was interested in rigging the boat.
"I will tell you in a moment, when I have spoken of the general plan
of proceeding while we are rigging the boat," replied the principal,
who encouraged the pupils in asking sensible questions. "It is a
comparatively simple matter to rig a schooner; but, in connection
with it, I shall endeavor to have you learn something of the rig of
other kinds of vessels. Those of you who live on Lake Champlain
never see any sailing craft on its waters, except schooners and
sloops. Now, may I ask some student to tell me what a ship is, as he
understands it?"
Most of the boys thought they knew all about it, and raised their
hands to indicate that they wished to speak, as they had been
instructed to do.
"Bark Duxbury," said the principal, calling upon one of the old boys
of the school.
"A vessel with three masts," replied the student called.
"Is that the entire definition?"
"It is all the definition I know," replied Bark.
"What do you say, Leo Pownall?"
"A vessel with three masts and square-rigged," answered Leo.
"What's square-rigged?" interposed Jack Dumper.
"Raise your hand if you wish to ask a question; but no question
should be put in the midst of one subject, which relates to another,
till a fit time comes to do so," said the principal. "Leo Pownall is
nearer right than Bark was, but the definition is not accurate. I dare
say you could all give an opinion, and I should like to hear you all on
the subject if I had more time. A ship is a vessel with three masts,
square-rigged on the fore, main, and mizzen masts. You cannot
correctly define a ship in less words."
At this point Jack Dumper raised his hand again, and the principal
indicated that he would hear him. He said he did not know what a
ship was, for the reason that he did not know what square-rigged
meant. This time Captain Gildrock approved the question, and
nodded to Mr. Jepson, who planted a large easel on a box near the
one on which the principal stood. He placed on it a great pile of
large papers; and, of course, the attention of the pupils was strongly
attracted to what was coming.
"The eye must help the ear in this lesson," said the principal, as he
turned over the paper on the top of the pile. It was a picture of a
ship under full sail. "This is a full-rigged ship," said he.
When the students had looked at it a minute or two, he selected
another paper, and placed it on the easel so that it could be seen by
all.
"This is a fore-and-aft schooner. What difference do you notice
between the two vessels?" he asked.
"The ship is square-rigged, and the schooner is not," replied Fred
Grafton, when the captain pointed to him.
"Right: one has yards, and the other has not;" and half a dozen
hands were raised, before the words were fairly out of his mouth.
"What are yards? is the question you wish to ask," continued the
principal, as he exhibited the picture of the ship again. "The sticks
across the masts are yards; and the sails are hung down from them,
like the banner of the engine-company on parade. A schooner of this
kind," added the principal, as he presented the schooner again, "has
no yards on her masts."
"I see it!" exclaimed Jack Dumper, with enthusiasm.
"I am glad you do; but you need not take the trouble to mention it,"
added Captain Gildrock, with a smile. "Now, your eye has taught you
the difference between a full-rigged ship and a fore-and-aft
schooner. One has yards, and the other has no yards. Here is
another vessel with three masts."
The picture was displayed on the easel, and a few of the boys put
up their hands to indicate that they knew what to call her.
"What is it, Pinkler?"
"A bark."
"Why a bark?"
"Because she is not square-rigged on her hind-mast," replied Archie
Pinkler.
"Hind-mast is rather rough to a nautical ear," said the principal, "but
you are right. Fore, main, and mizzen mast are the proper names;
and you had better begin now to use these terms. I heard a young
lady singing the other day, 'My bark is on the wave!' Did she mean
this kind of a vessel?"
Some of the older students laughed, and some were puzzled. The
question looked as though there was a catch under it, and they were
shy about answering it.
"We read in the Good Book, about those 'who go down to the sea in
ships.' Does it mean square-rigged on the fore, main, and mizzen
masts? We find in the New Testament frequent allusions to the ships
on the Lake of Galilee. Were these square-rigged vessels?"
"They were nothing but boats," replied Tucker Prince, when his
name was called. "The word ship and bark are used, in a general
sense, to mean any kind of a vessel."
"That is entirely correct, Prince.—How many fingers have you, Kidder
Digfield?" asked the principal.
"Eight, sir," replied the ex-Topover, with a grin.
"I have ten, and I am apparently more fortunate than you are; but I
use the word fingers in a general sense. When you come down to
particulars, you say, very properly, that you have eight fingers."
"I don't think thumbs are fingers," added Kidd, when the principal
nodded to him.
"All right: you have a perfect right to your own opinion. How many
toes have you?"
"Ten."
"But two of them are big toes. Why not say that you have eight toes
and two big toes?" added the captain. "Now you know what a ship
is, and that the word is used, in a general sense, to mean any kind
of vessel. We speak of the ship's company, in general terms, on
board of a craft of any size. The ocean and coast steamers are called
ships, and some of the former have four masts. A few sailing-ships,
like the Great Republic, have been rigged with four masts."
"What do they call the after-mast when there are four?" asked Dick
Short.
"The usage differs somewhat: some call it the jigger-mast, and
those of more dignity call it the after-mizzen-mast. In a vessel with
two masts, the terms are main and mizzen mast. I have shown you
a ship and a bark; what is this?" asked the captain, as he displayed
another picture.
"A brig," replied Con Bunker; though none spoke unless they were
called upon.
"Right; and what is a brig, properly defined?"
"A vessel with two masts, square-rigged on both," replied Hop
Cabright.
"What is this?" and the principal showed another drawing.
Such a craft had never been seen on the lake; and only Matt
Randolph, and a few others from New York and Boston, could
answer.
"It is a three-masted schooner," answered Tucker Prince. "Her masts
have the same names as those of a ship."
"And she is a fore-and-after," added Captain Gildrock.
The next picture was a puzzle to all except Matt Randolph.
 CHAPTER XIX.

THE DIFFERENT RIGS OF VESSELS.

"W ell, Randolph, you seem to be the only one who can give the
name of a vessel with this rig," said Captain Gildrock, calling
upon the New-Yorker.
"She is a barkentine," replied Matt. "The rig is new, and the name
has not yet got into the dictionary."
"And I hope it will not get there as you pronounce it, and as the
newspapers usually spell it," added the principal. "The word
'brigantine' is spelled with an a; and there is no reason why it should
not be a barkantine, rather than a barkentine."
"But 'bark' was formerly 'barque,'" suggested Matt.
"If she were a barquentine, that would be another thing. Some
people still insist upon writing a bank 'cheque;' but there are a score
of words that might as well be spelled the same way, if the fashion
had not changed.—I suppose you have seen four-masted schooners,
Matt?"
"Yes, sir, a few of them; though they are not very common," replied
the New-Yorker.
"Many of these three-masted schooners are three times as big as a
full-rigged ship used to be in old times; and I mean within my
recollection. They were first used as coalers, vessels which had to
work up Delaware Bay and River; and these schooners could be kept
closer to the wind in beating.—What is this?" asked the captain, as
he changed the picture.
"A brigantine," replied Lon Dorset when called.
"I think not," added the principal.
"I have heard of a vessel like that, rigged like a ship forward, and
like a schooner aft, called a brigantine," persisted Lon.
"So have I; but this is an hermaphrodite brig, though she is
sometimes called a brig simply, for short," added Captain Gildrock.
"What is a brigantine, then?" asked Lon.
"It is a rig you seldom, if ever, see in a sailing vessel in these days;
though it is sometimes applied to steamers."
"It is called a small brig, in the dictionary," said Lon.
"Some of the dictionaries are not correct on nautical matters. I
should say that a brigantine was a fore-and-main-topsail schooner;
that is, a vessel with two masts, fore and aft sails below, and with a
topsail and topgallant-sail on each mast. A full-rigged vessel carries
a royal above these, and may have a skysail also."
"What is a moon-raker?" asked Thad Glovering with a laugh.
"That is a fancy sail, a term applied to a sail set above the skysail.
There is another distinction between a full-rigged mast and that of a
schooner. The former is provided with a top, which is wanting in the
latter. A brig has a top on each mast, while a schooner or a
brigantine has none. A top is a kind of platform, on which several
men may stand, in large vessels, over which the futtock shrouds
pass," continued the principal, as he pointed it out on the foremast
of the vessel in the picture.—"What is this?" he asked, displaying
another drawing.
"A topsail schooner," answered Bent Fillwing.
"She is sometimes called a fore-topsail schooner, but the expression
is redundant, since there is no such craft as a main-topsail schooner.
She carries a topsail and topgallant-sail on her foremast."
"She would be a brigantine if she had the same rig on her mainmast,
without any tops," added Matt Randolph.
"There is only one other craft which we shall notice," continued the
principal, changing the drawing. "What is it?"
"A sloop," replied Nat Long. "We have plenty of them on Lake
Champlain."
"This is the simplest rig of all. But sloops, especially in yachts, vary a
great deal. This is the rig of the English cutter, in the main; though
some of them have a couple of yards on the mast, as you never see
it in an ordinary sloop. As I have said before, there are many
variations in all these rigs. Some vessels are provided with sails
which others of the same rig do not have. The fashions change also.
A ship now is quite a different thing from what it was forty years
ago. The study is to work a vessel with the fewest men that can
handle her; for, the less the number, the smaller the expense, and
the more profitable the vessel is to her owners.
"For example, mercantile ships, as distinguished from naval vessels,
have a different rig from what they had twenty-five years ago.
Instead of one large topsail, they have two sails, called the upper
and lower topsails, with an extra yard. It saves handling the larger
sail, and avoids much of the difficult and dangerous work of reefing
in heavy weather. But you do not see this rig in the navy. Men-of-war
are always heavily manned, and they have force enough to handle
any sail. Now we will turn to the business of rigging this schooner. It
is better for you to learn the names and the uses of things as you
proceed with the work, rather than attempt to get at them in a
lesson.
"Nautical terms look very formidable to shore-people; and so they
are, in fact, though not so much so as people generally imagine.
There is a certain system about naming the various spars and pieces
of rigging, which simplifies the whole subject. In a ship, the three
words 'fore,' 'main,' and 'mizzen' distinguish the fore and aft position
of every thing. For the elevation we have the word simply; then with
the addition of top, topgallant, and royal, we fix the position above
the deck.
"To indicate the side to which a part belongs, we say weather and
lee if the vessel is under way, or starboard and port if she is at rest.
The weather-maintop-gallantbrace covers the whole matter. If you
know what a brace is, you can describe any similar piece of rigging
in the ship. To-morrow afternoon, when some drawings I am having
made are done, I shall explain the rigging of a ship.
"I might talk all the afternoon about the rigging of even a fore-and-
aft schooner, but I am afraid it would only perplex you. There are at
least thirty different kinds of blocks, each with its proper name,
indicating its position or use."
"What is a block?" asked Sax Coburg.
"It is a kind of pulley," replied the principal, picking one up from the
pile on the wharf. "It consists of a shell, which is the wooden frame,
the sheave or wheel, the pin, or axis on which the wheel turns, and
the strap, which is the rope or iron by which it is secured to some
other body. The sides of a shell, which usually round outward, are
called the cheeks. That's all we need say about blocks till we come
to use them in setting up the rigging."
"The two round sticks, squared at the top, are the masts. Are they of
the same length?"
"These seem to be," replied Luke Bennington, "but the mainmast is
generally longer than the foremast."
"These are of the same length. This afternoon we will put them in
their places. The first thing to do is to rig the shears. Do you know
what they are?"
"Something to cut with—a pair of scissors," replied a shore-boy.
"Not exactly, though it is rigged something like a pair of shears. It is
a kind of derrick, used for hoisting heavy weights."
Bates had been at work for some time on a couple of the long round
sticks on the wharf, and had lashed them together at a point about
three feet from the smaller ends. The students were required to
carry this machine to the deck of the Lily; and, after guy-lines had
been attached to it, it was raised in the forward part of the deck. A
purchase-block had been attached to the lashing, and a single block
to one of the arms of the shears above.
A noose was then slipped on the mast just above the centre of
gravity, to which the purchase-block was hooked. A couple of lines
were fastened to the top of the spar, so that it could be swayed in
any direction desired.
"Now we need a snatch-block," said the principal; and Bates
immediately brought one from the pile on the wharf. "What is a
block for?"
"To increase the effect of the power applied," answered Leo Pownall,
who had been called upon as one who would be likely to know.
"Is that so?" asked the principal, looking around among the
students.
"No, sir," replied one indicated. "The power is gained only with
movable blocks."
"It takes ten pounds to balance the same weight by a line passed
over a single fixed pulley, or through a block," continued the
principal. "You gain nothing except at the expense of time. If you
pull one rope down a foot, the other is raised only a foot. With a
movable pulley, you have to pull down two feet to raise the weight
one foot. With one pound of power, you raise two pounds of weight.
Now, if there are two pounds of weight, and you exert only one
pound of power, what becomes of the other pound?"
"It is supported by the fixed end of the line."
"In the purchase-block attached to the mast, we must exert a power
equal to one-half of the weight of the mast, the other half being
supported by the shears. Bates has made fast the snatch-block in
the deck, but we gain nothing in power by its use. What is it for
then?"
A dozen hands were raised, but most of the boys were studying the
problem. The principal waited until one of these appeared to have
made up his mind.
"Without the snatch-block we could only pull on the up-and-down
rope, and not more than three or four of us could get hold of it for
the want of room to stand near it," replied the student indicated.
"That's the idea exactly," replied the principal.
"Forty of us could get hold of the rope while it is run out from the
snatch-block, parallel with the deck," added the thoughtful boy.
"Precisely so; well answered. Then the snatch-block only enables us
to change the direction in which the power may be applied. In
unloading vessels, they often use a horse to hoist the cargo. The
animal could not pull straight down on the rope, but the snatch-
block enables him to draw the rope parallel with the top of the
wharf. I think you will remember what a snatch-block is, and what it
is for. Now man the line."
The students took hold of the line, and walked away with it. The
mast rose in the air, and hands were then placed at the guy-lines to
keep it in place. When the lower end of the mast was above the
deck, Bates took the girt-line attached to the shear-head, and drew
the mast into position. Two of the students were sent into the hold
to direct the tenon into its step, which is the mortice above the
keelson.
The mast was lowered slowly into its place, the square tenon
adjusting itself in its place as it belonged, so that there was nothing
more to be done, except to wedge it in at the mast-hold in the deck.
 CHAPTER XX.

THE SPARS, SAILS, AND RIGGING OF A SHIP.

B efore night the two masts of the Lily were in their places, and
wedged up so that they would stand alone. After supper there
was another lesson in rowing given to the new scholars, and they
crossed the lake for the first time.
After the recitations the next day, the students were called to the
schoolroom after dinner; and they found on the wall several nautical
drawings. The first was a full-rigged ship, "The Queen of the West,"
a large merchant-vessel. It was drawn in outline, and was so plain
that all its parts could be easily seen. The principal stepped upon the
platform in front of this drawing, with the pointer in his hand.
"I am going to give you a general idea of the rigging of a ship," said
he, when the attention of the school was directed to him. "To obtain
all the details, nothing but practice will suffice. Only a small portion
of the rigging of a ship is delineated in this drawing. A sailor has to
be so familiar with every part, that he can find any rope in the
darkest night, when he cannot see his hand before him.
A FULL-RIGGED SHIP.
1. Bowsprit.
2. Jib-boom.
3. Flying Jib-boom.
4. Flying Jib.
5. Jib.
6. Fore-topmast-stays.
7. Fore-stays.
8. Jib Martingales.
9. Flying-jib Martingales.
10. Martingale.
11. Foremast.
12. Fore Yard and Sail.
13. Fore-topmast.
14. Fore-topsail Yard and Sail.
15. Fore-topgallant-mast.
16. Fore-topgallant Yard and Sail.
17. Fore-royal-mast.
18. Fore-royal Yard and Sail.
19. Fore-lift.
20. Fore-braces.
21. Fore-topsail-braces.
22. Fore-topgallant-braces.
23. Fore-royal-braces.
24. Fore-topgallant-stay.
25. Main-skysail-stay.
26. Main-royal-stay.
27. Main-topgallant-stay.
28. Main-topmast-stays.
29. Main-stays.
30. Fore-spencer-gaff.
31. Fore-topmast-backstays.
32. Fore-topgallant-backstays.
33. Fore-royalmast-backstays.
34. Fore-rigging.
35. Fore-topmast-rigging.
36. Fore-topgallant-rigging.
37. Bobstays.
38. Bowsprit Shrouds.
39. Slings Foreyard.
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