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  COMRADES ON RIVER AND LAKE

  BY

  RALPH VICTOR

  AUTHOR OF "THE BOY SCOUTS SERIES," ETC.

  ILLUSTRATED BY S. SCHNEIDER

  New York THE PLATT & PECK CO.

  THE COMRADES SERIES

  By RALPH VICTOR

  Ralph Victor is probably the best equipped writer of up-to-date boys'stories of the present day. He has traveled or lived in every land, hasshot big game with Sears in India, has voyaged with Jack London, and wasa war correspondent in Natal and Japan. The lure of life in the open hasalways been his, and his experiences have been thrilling and many.

  In this series the author gets full opportunity to exhibit his unusualtalent for the description of American field sports and the boys whotake part in them, with a dash to arouse the enthusiasm of every reader.

  Comrades in Camp Comrades in New York Comrades on the Ranch Comrades in New Mexico Comrades on the Great Divide Comrades at School Comrades at Winton Hall Comrades on Winton Oval Comrades on River and Lake Comrades with the Winton Cadets

  Illustrated, 12mo, Cloth Price per Volume, 40 Cents

  Copyright, 1910, by The Platt & Peck Co.

  YOU WILL HAVE NO NEED FOR YOUR WEAPON.]

  Contents

  CHAPTER I--THE COMRADES LEAVE WINTON CHAPTER II--THE FIRST NIGHT OUT CHAPTER III--THE RACE CHAPTER IV--THE FIGHT ON THE CATBOAT CHAPTER V--THE BOYS ARRIVE AT BERT'S CHAPTER VI--GETTING READY FOR THE GAME CHAPTER VII--THE BASEBALL GAME CHAPTER VIII--THE GAME END CHAPTER IX--ON LAKE CHAMPLAIN CHAPTER X--A SURPRISE IN THE DARK CHAPTER XI--A LIVELY EVENING CHAPTER XII--THE FIGHT ON THE LAKE CHAPTER XIII--DOWN THE RICHELIEU RIVER CHAPTER XIV--IN MONTREAL CHAPTER XV--THE THOUSAND ISLANDS AT LAST CHAPTER XVI--MR. LAWRENCE OF WINNSOCKET LODGE CHAPTER XVII--MYSTERY CHAPTER XVIII--THE MYSTERY DEEPENS CHAPTER XIX--IMPORTANT DISCOVERIES CHAPTER XX--A CAPTURE CHAPTER XXI--AT BAY CHAPTER XXII--THE REVENUE OFFICERS CHAPTER XXIII--A SURPRISE FROM MR. LAWRENCE CHAPTER XXIV--IN MORTONVILLE AGAIN CHAPTER XXV--CONCLUSION

  CHAPTER I--THE COMRADES LEAVE WINTON

  Commencement days were coming, and soon the members of the first classwould leave Winton Hall to return no more. They were a fine lot of boys,verging into manhood, and Commandant Cullum was proud of the fact thathe had been instrumental in turning them out with a military trainingand good education to face the battle of life.

  Vacation was but a week away when one afternoon Fleet Kenby dashed intothe room occupied by his chums, Chot Duncan and Tom Pratt.

  "Sh----" he cried.

  "Well, what?" interrupted Chot.

  "Yes; what?" echoed Tom.

  "Well, I wanted to tell you fellows that----"

  "Well, why don't you tell us?"

  "Yes, don't get that old habit of cutting off your sentences just whenyou've aroused our curiosity."

  "Give me a chance to----"

  "Surely; take it!"

  "Help yourself, old boy. If you see any chances lying around loose,absorb them."

  "Now, see here," said Fleet, "you've tried this game on me several timesand I'm getting tired of it."

  "He's tired of our game," said Chot, with a glance at Tom.

  "He's tired of our game," said Tom, returning Chot's look.

  "Comes in here arousing our curiosity, then refuses to tell us what he'sgetting at."

  "Then says he's tired of our game."

  "I don't see any game."

  "Neither do I."

  "Well, I do," fumed Fleet. "I won't tell you now; I'll get out ofhere--that's what I'll do."

  He made a dash for the door, but Tom blocked the passage.

  "No, you don't," said he. "You're going to tell us what you came in totell us, whether you want to tell us or not. Make up your mind to that."

  Then Tom gave the fleshy lad a punch that sent him into Chot's arms, andChot shoved him on to one of the beds in a sitting posture. Then theboys tipped Fleet over, one sat on his chest, the other on his feet, anddespite his struggles, he was unable to do anything but writhe andtwist.

  "Nice way to treat a fellow," he cried. "Nice--"

  "Whoa!" shouted Tom. "Now, tell us what you were going to."

  "I refuse!"

  "Then take this," said Chot, and plunging his fingers into Fleet's ribs,he tickled him until he fairly squealed.

  "Oh, I'll tell--I'll tell!" cried Fleet. "You fellows think you'resmart, don't you, but I'll get square for this."

  "Oh, he's going to get square," said Chot. "He don't want anything outof that box we received from home to-day."

  "No; express packages from Mortonville don't interest Fleet," Tomreplied.

  "Especially when they contain jam and cookies."

  "Eh? What's that?" cried Fleet, trying to sit up. He stopped struggling.

  "I was just speaking to Tom," Chot replied. "You and I, Tom, will eatraspberry jam, chocolate cake, currant jelly and brown bread."

  "Oh, yum, yum!" cried Fleet. "Let me up this minute and I'll forget youever sat on me."

  "Shall we let him up?" asked Tom.

  "May as well. I think he has learned his lesson. The next time he hassomething to tell us, he'll tell it, and not make us ask him over andover."

  A moment later Fleet was on his feet.

  "Where's the box?" he demanded, looking around.

  "First, what are you going to tell us?"

  "Aw--that can wait--I'm hungry."

  "You're always hungry. Tell us."

  "Well, the canoes have come," said Fleet. "I came in to tell you so Podwouldn't hear."

  "Pod's came with ours?"

  "Yes; and mine came in from Mortonville. Funny, wasn't it, they all cameon the same day?"

  "Yes," said Chot "I ordered Pod's name put on his. I thought that wouldplease him."

  They were planning the way to tell Pod of his good fortune, when thelittle fellow came dashing into the room.

  "What do you think?" he cried. "There's a package of freight down at thedepot for me, and I don't even know what it is."

  "That so?" said the Comrades in the same breath. No one cracked a smileand Pod continued:

  "Will you fellows go down with me? There may be freight charges. If so,I shall want to borrow a little till I get my next allowance from Mr.Hounson."

  "That'll be all right," said Chot. "We were going down to the depot,anyway. Fleet has ordered his canoe sent over from Mortonville and itshould be here to-day."

  The boys left the barracks together and walked toward the depot. Pod wasscarcely able to conceal his curiosity. Never before had he received apackage of any nature, and he wondered who could have sent him this.

  When the boys entered the depot freight room a few moments later and sawthe four canoes spread out before them, all were thrilled with delight.

  There was Fleet's canoe from Mortonville, and three brand new ones thathad come by freight from New York. And staring up from one of them inthe blackest of black letters was the name "Pod Meelick."

  "Say, fellows, am I dreaming?" cried Pod. "That--that surely isn't forme?"

  "Must be--your name is on it," said Tom.

  "But I never ordered anything like that--I--"

  Seeing tears in the little lad's eyes, the Comrades burst into a roar oflaughter, and Pod after a moment joined them, but his was a laughborde
ring on the hysterical. It was several minutes before they got himcalmed down, and told him that the canoe was a present from theExperience Club.

  "And you mean--you mean that I am going on your canoe trip?" asked Pod,his eyes fairly bulging from their sockets.

  "If you will do us the honor," said Chot.

  "Oh, this is the best thing that has ever happened to me. I was justwondering what I would do during vacation. It would certainly have beenlonesome in Bayville after the good times I've had."

  They arranged to have the canoes taken to the Winton boat house, wherethey could be kept until the day after commencement, when the boys wereto start on their summer trip up the river.

  On their way back to the school the boys met Truem Wright, who cametoward them along the sidewalk in front of the gym. Truem looked ratherglum, they thought, and to show their good will each of the boys spokecourteously to him.

  "I've been looking for you fellows," he surprised them by saying."I--I----"

  "Come along with us, Truem," said Chot, kindly, as the other hesitated.

  "Well, if you don't mind," he said, and falling into step with them,walked on toward the barracks. "Vacation's pretty near," Truem went onafter a moment, looking at the ground as he walked along, "and I hate toleave Winton without telling you boys what you've done for me."

  "What we've done for you!" gasped Tom, with a queer look at his chums.

  "Yes, what you've done for me. You've made me see myself as I was. Iknow now that I've been a cad--I knew it all along, but didn't havesense enough to admit it. You fellows have always been on the squarewith me, while I've tried to injure you on every occasion. I'm sorry foreverything I've done. I'm tired of having the whole school down on me,and feeling that I have no friends among the cadets except certain oneswhose friendship is not desirable. I don't ask you to take me into yourset--I realize that would be asking too much--but I want to ask youright out to be my friends."

  When Truem paused there was a moment of silence. This was broken by Pod.

  "Do you include me in that, Truem?" he asked.

  "Yes, kid, of course I do. I've treated you worse than anyone, because Ipicked on you for years back in Bayville. I'm sorry for that, too. Iwant to earn the regard and friendship of you all."

  "You've earned that already, Truem, by expressing sorrow for what you'vedone," said Chot. "We've never had anything against you--in fact, we'vealways thought that you had the material in you for the making of amighty nice fellow, and now that you've found it out yourself, no onewill be readier to offer you friendship than we. Am I right, boys?"

  "You bet you are," said Fleet.

  "You've treated us rather meanly, Truem," said Tom, who was the mostreluctant to give in. "But a man who can pitch a baseball game as wellas you can't be very bad, so here's my hand, and I'm your friend as longas you want me to be."

  Each of the boys shook hands with Truem. And as they did so they lookedup to see Bert Creighton, Wilkes Davis, Dan Kirlicks and Randy Dentonapproaching. With the Comrades and Pod, these boys had become known atWinton as the inseparable eight.

  "We've taken Truem into the fold, fellows," said Chot, in answer to thelooks of surprise on their faces.

  "I'm sorry for everything," said Truem. "I want your friendship. Can Ihave it?"

  "You can have anything I've got if Chot Duncan says so," said WilkesDavis, extending his hand. The other boys made remarks appropriate tothe occasion, then all tried to make Truem feel at home, and when theyreached the barracks had succeeded in relieving him of the most of hisembarrassment.

  The boys soon began to get ready for their canoe trip. One of the firstthings they did was to arrange with Commandant Cullum to leave their iceyachts in the Winton boat house during the summer. The boat house was acommodious one, and the yachts were pulled up onto a platform in oneend, and covered with pieces of tarpaulin.

  "I wish I could take the voyage with you," said Truem Wright, one day,when the Comrades were busy laying in a small stock of provisions andotherwise equipping their canoes for the trip.

  "You're welcome, if you can get a canoe," said Tom.

  "It's too late for that now," said Truem. The tone in which he said ittold plainly that he wished it wasn't.

  "Well, I'll tell you what you do. By the middle of July we'll be in campsomewhere among the Thousand Islands. You'll be welcome there at anytime, Truem. Shall we look for you?"

  "Yes," responded the Bayville boy, a grateful look in his eyes. "I'll bethere all right, and thank you."

  "Come along and be one of us. The more the merrier."

  Truem became the wonder of the other boys. To those who had known him asan enemy, the change was a revelation of what could happen when a boyrealized that he was a cad and was anxious to make amends. With Truemmaking friends, and Roy Damon already on fairly intimate terms, theComrades had but one enemy left--Dill Newman.

  "And he's going to be against us during our entire course at Winton,"said Tom, to which Chot and Fleet nodded a vigorous assent.

  It was arranged before the boys parted from Bert Creighton that theyshould stay at least a week at his home on Lake George.

  "And who knows," said Bert, "I may go on up the country with you."

  The day after commencement the academy was deserted. All of the cadetswere anxious to be off to their homes or on vacation trips, and finallyonly the Comrades and Pod were left. They had sent their trunks to theirhomes in Mortonville intending to go after them before the fall termopened.

  Toward evening of the day after commencement, when the sun was gettingready to dip behind the hills on the west bank of the river, they pushedout into the stream, these four strong, sturdy fellows, on a journeythat was to be full of surprising adventures.