Frank, the Young Naturalist by Harry Castlemon

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CHAPTER V.

A Fishing Excursion.

Precisely at the time agreed upon, Frank might have been seen sitting
on the wharf in front of Mr. Butler's house. In his hand he carried a
stout, jointed fish-pole, neatly stowed away in a strong bag of
drilling, and under his left arm hung his fish-basket, suspended by a
broad belt, which crossed his breast. In this he carried his hooks,
reels, trolling-lines, dinner, and other things necessary for the
trip. Brave stood quietly by his side, patiently waiting for the word
to start. They were not obliged to wait long, for hasty steps sounded
on the gravel walk that led up to the house, the gate swung open, and
George and Harry appeared, their arms filled with their
fishing-tackle.

"You're on time, I see," said Harry, as he climbed down into a large
skiff that was tied to the wharf, "Give us your fish-pole."

Frank accordingly handed his pole and basket down to Harry, who stowed
them away in the boat. He and George then went into the boat-house,
and one brought out a pair of oars and a sail, which they intended to
use if the wind should be fair, and the other carried two pails of
minnows, which had been caught the night before, to serve as bait.

They then got into the boat, and Frank took one oar and Harry the
other, and Brave stationed himself at his usual place in the bow.
George took the helm, and they began to move swiftly down the creek
toward the river. About a quarter of a mile below the mouth of the
creek was a place, covering half an acre, where the water was about
four feet deep, and the bottom was covered with smooth, flat stones.
This was known as the "black-bass ground," and large numbers of these
fish were caught there every season. George turned the boat's head
toward this place, and, thrusting his hand into his pocket, drew out a
"trolling-line," and, dropping the hook into the water behind the
boat, began to unwind the line. The trolling-hook (such as is
generally used in fishing for black-bass) can be used only in a strong
current, or when the boat is in rapid motion through the water. The
hook is concealed by feathers or a strip of red flannel, and a piece
of shining metal in the shape of a spoon-bowl is fastened to it in
such a manner as to revolve around it when the hook is drawn rapidly
through the water. This is fastened to the end of a long, stout line,
and trailed over the stern of the boat, whose motion keeps it near the
surface. It can be seen for a great distance in the water, and the
fish, mistaking it for their prey, dart forward and seize it.

A few moments' pulling brought them to the bass ground, and George,
holding the stick on which the line had been wound in his hand, waited
impatiently for a "bite." They had hardly entered the ground when
several heavy pulls at the line announced that the bait had been
taken. George jerked in return, and, springing to his feet, commenced
hauling in the line hand over hand, while whatever was at the other
end jerked and pulled in a way that showed that he was unwilling to
approach the surface. The boys ceased rowing, and Frank exclaimed,

"You've got a big one there, George. Don't give him any slack, or
you'll lose him."

"Haul in lively," chimed in Harry. "There he breaches!" he continued,
as the fish--a fine bass, weighing, as near as they could guess, six
pounds--leaped entirely out of the water in his mad efforts to escape.
"I tell you he's a beauty."

Frank took up the "dip-net," which the boys had used in catching the
minnows, and, standing by George's side, waited for him to bring the
fish within reach, so that he might assist in "landing" him. The
struggle was exciting, but short. The bass was very soon exhausted,
and George drew him alongside the boat, in which he was soon safely
deposited under one of the seats.

They rowed around the ground for half an hour, each taking his turn at
the line, and during that time they captured a dozen fish. The bass
then began to stop biting; and Frank, who was at the helm, turned the
boat toward the "perch-bed," which was some distance further down the
river. It was situated at the outer edge of a bank of weeds, which
lined the river on both sides. The weeds sprouted from the bottom in
the spring, and by fall they reached the hight of four or five feet
above the surface of the water. They were then literally swarming with
wild ducks; but at the time of which we write, as it was only the
latter part of June, they had not yet appeared above the water. The
perch-bed was soon reached, and Harry, who was pulling the bow-oar,
rose to his feet, and, raising the anchor, which was a large stone
fastened to the boat by a long, stout rope, lifted it over the side,
and let it down carefully into the water. The boat swung around until
her bow pointed up stream, and the boys found themselves in the right
spot to enjoy a good day's sport.

Frank, who was always foremost in such matters, had his pole rigged
in a trice, and, baiting his hook with one of the minnows, dropped it
into the water just outside of the weeds. Half a dozen hungry perch
instantly rose to the surface, and one of them, weighing nearly a
pound, seized the bait and darted off with it, and the next moment was
dangling through the air toward the boat.

"That's a good-sized fish," said Harry, as he fastened his reel on his
pole.

"Yes," answered Frank, taking his prize off the hook and throwing it
into the boat; "and we shall have fine sport for a little while."

"But they will stop biting when the sun gets a little warmer; so we
had better make the most of our time," observed George.

By this time the other boys had rigged their poles, and soon two more
large perch lay floundering in the boat. For almost two hours they
enjoyed fine sport, as Frank had said they would, and they were too
much engaged to think of being hungry. But soon the fish began to stop
biting, and Harry, who had waited impatiently for almost five minutes
for a "nibble," drew up his line and opened a locker in the stern of
the boat, and, taking out a basket containing their dinner, was about
to make an inroad on its contents, when he discovered a boat, rowed by
a boy about his own age, shoot rapidly around a point that extended
for a considerable distance out into the river, and turn toward the
spot where they were anchored.

"Boys," he exclaimed, "here comes Charley Morgan!"

"Charley Morgan," repeated Frank. "Who is he?"

"Why, he is the new-comer," answered George. "He lives in the large
brick house on the hill."

Charley Morgan had formerly lived in New York. His father was a
speculator, and was looked upon by some as a wealthy man; but it was
hinted by those who knew him best that if his debts were all paid he
would have but little ready money left. Be that as it may, Mr. Morgan
and his family, at any rate, lived in style, and seemed desirous of
outshining all their neighbors and acquaintances. Becoming weary of
city life, they had decided to move into the country, and, purchasing
a fine village lot in Lawrence, commenced building a house upon it.
Although the village could boast of many fine dwellings, the one on
Tower Hill, owned by Mr. Morgan, surpassed them all, and, as is always
the case in such places, every one was eager to discover who was to
occupy the elegant mansion. When the house was completed, Mr. Morgan
returned to New York to bring on his family, leaving three or four
"servants," as he called them, to look after his affairs; and the
Julia Burton landed at the wharf, one pleasant morning, a splendid
open carriage, drawn by a span of jet-black horses. The carriage
contained Mr. Morgan and his family, consisting of his wife and one
son--the latter about seventeen years old. At the time of his
introduction to the reader they had been in the village about a week.
Charles, by his haughty, overbearing manner, had already driven away
from him the most sensible of the village boys who had become
acquainted with him; but there are those every-where who seem, by some
strange fatality, to choose the most unworthy of their acquaintances
for their associates; and there were several boys in Lawrence who
looked upon Charles as a first-rate fellow and a very desirable
companion.

George and Harry, although they had frequently seen the "new-comer,"
had not had an opportunity to get acquainted with him; and Frank who,
as we have said, lived in the outskirts of the village, and who had
been very busy at work for the last week on his boat, had not seen him
at all.

"What sort of a boy is he?" inquired the latter, continuing the
conversation which we have so unceremoniously broken off.

"I don't know," replied Harry. "Some of the boys like him, but Ben.
Lake says he's the biggest rascal in the village. He's got two or
three guns, half a dozen fish-poles, and, by what I hear the boys
say, he must be a capital sportsman. But he tells the most ridiculous
stories about what he has done."

By this time Charles had almost reached them, and, when he came
alongside, he rested on his oars and called out,

"Well, boys, how many fish have you caught?"

"So many," answered George, holding up the string, which contained
over a hundred perch and black-bass. "Have you caught any thing?"

"Not much to brag of," answered Charles; "I hooked up a few little
perch just behind the point. But that is a tip-top string of yours."

"Yes, pretty fair," answered Harry. "You see we know where to go."

"That does make some difference," said Charles. "But as soon as I know
the good places, I'll show you how to catch fish."

"We will show you the good fishing-grounds any time," said George.

"Oh, I don't want any of your help. I can tell by the looks of a place
whether there are any fish to be caught or not. But you ought to see
the fishing-grounds we have in New York," he continued. "Why, many a
time I've caught three hundred in less than half an hour, and some of
them would weigh ten pounds."

"Did you catch them with a hook and line?" inquired George.

"Of course I did! What else should I catch them with? I should like to
see one of you trying to handle a ten or fifteen-pound fish with
nothing but a trout-pole."

"Could you do it?" inquired Harry, struggling hard to suppress a
laugh.

"Do it? I _have_ done it many a time. But is there any hunting around
here?"

"Plenty of it."

"Well," continued Charles, "I walked all over the woods this morning,
and couldn't find any thing."

"It is not the season for hunting now," said George; "but in the fall
there are lots of ducks, pigeons, squirrels, and turkeys, and in the
winter the woods are full of minks, and now and then a bear or deer;
and the swamps are just the places to kill muskrats."

"I'd just like to go hunting with some of you. I'll bet I can kill
more game in a day than any one in the village."

The boys made no reply to this confident assertion, for the fact was
that they were too full of laughter to trust themselves to speak.

"I'll bet you haven't got any thing in the village that can come up to
this," continued Charles; and as he spoke he raised a light,
beautifully-finished rifle from the bottom of the boat, and held it up
to the admiring gaze of the boys.

"That is a beauty," said Harry, who wished to continue the
conversation as long as possible, in order to hear some more of
Charles's "large stories." "How far will it shoot?"

"It cost me a hundred dollars," answered Charles, "and I've killed
bears and deer with it, many a time, as far as across this river
here."

Charles did not hesitate to say this, for he was talking only to
"simple-minded country boys," as he called them, and he supposed he
could say what he pleased and they would believe it. His auditors, who
before had been hardly able to contain themselves, were now almost
bursting with laughter. Frank and George, however, managed to draw on
a sober face, while Harry turned away his head and stuffed his
handkerchief into his mouth.

"I tell you," continued Charles, not noticing the condition his
hearers were in, "I've seen some pretty tough times in my life. Once,
when I was hunting in the Adirondack Mountains, in the northern part
of Michigan, I was attacked by Indians, and came very near being
captured, and the way I fought was a caution to white folks. This
little rifle came handy then, I tell you. But I must hurry along now;
I promised to go riding with the old man this afternoon."

And he dipped the oars into the water, and the little boat shot
rapidly up the river. It was well that he took his departure just as
he did, for our three boys could not possibly have contained
themselves a moment longer. They could not wait for him to get out of
sight, but, lying back in the boat, they laughed until the tears
rolled down their cheeks.

"Well, Frank, what do you think of him?" inquired Harry, as soon as he
could speak.

"I think the less we have to do with him the better," answered Frank.

"I did think," said Harry, stopping now and then to indulge in a
hearty fit of laughter, "that there might be some good things about
him; but a boy that can tell such whopping big lies as he told must be
very small potatoes. Only think of catching three hundred fish in less
than half an hour, and with only one hook and line! Why, that would be
ten every minute, and that is as many as two men could manage. And
then for him to talk about that pop-gun of his shooting as far as
across this river!--why, it's a mile and a half--and I know it
wouldn't shoot forty rods, and kill. But the best of all was his
hunting among the Adirondack Mountains, in Michigan, and having to
defend himself against the Indians; that's a good joke."

And Harry laid back in the boat again, and laughed and shouted until
his sides ached.

"He must be a very ungrateful fellow," said Frank, at length. "Didn't
you notice how disrespectfully he spoke of his father? He called him
his 'old man.' If I had a father, I'd never speak so lightly of him."

"Yes, I noticed that," said George. "But," he continued, reaching for
the basket which Harry, after helping himself most bountifully, had
placed on the middle seat, "I'm hungry as blazes, and think I can do
justice to the good things mother has put up for us."

After eating their dinner they got out their fishing-tackle again; but
the perch had stopped biting, and, after waiting patiently for half an
hour without feeling a nibble, they unjointed their poles, drew up the
anchor, and Frank seated himself at the helm, while George and Harry
took the oars and pulled toward home.

CHAPTER VI.

The Regulators

One of the range of hills which extended around the western side of
the village was occupied by several families, known as the "Hillers."
They were ignorant, degraded people, living in miserable hovels, and
obtaining a precarious subsistence by hunting, fishing, and stealing.
With them the villagers rarely, if ever, had intercourse, and
respectable persons seldom crossed their thresholds. The principal man
among the Hillers was known as Bill Powell. He was a giant in strength
and stature, and used to boast that he could visit "any hen-roost in
the village every night in the week, and carry off a dozen chickens
each time, without being nabbed." He was very fond of liquor, too
indolent to work, and spent most of his time, when out of jail, on the
river, fishing, or roaming through the woods with his gun. He had one
son, whose name was Lee, and a smarter boy it was hard to find. He
possessed many good traits of character, but, as they had never been
developed, it was difficult to discover them. He had always lived in
the midst of evil influences, led by the example of a drunken, brutal
father, and surrounded by wicked companions, and it is no wonder that
his youthful aspirations were in the wrong direction.

Lee and his associates, as they were not obliged so attend school, and
were under no parental control, always amused themselves as they saw
it. Most of their time was spent on the river or in the woods, and,
when weary of this sport, the orchards and melon-patches around the
village, although closely guarded, were sure to suffer at their hands;
and they planned and executed their plundering expeditions with so
much skill and cunning, that they were rarely detected.

A day or two after the events related in the preceding chapter
transpired, Charles Morgan, in company with two or three of his chosen
companions, was enjoying a sail on the river. During their
conversation, one of the boys chanced to say something about the
Hillers, and Charles inquired who they were. His companions gave him
the desired information, and ended by denouncing them in the strongest
terms.

Charles, after hearing them through, exclaimed, "I'd just like to
catch one of those boys robbing our orchard or hen-roost. One or the
of us would get a pummeling, sure as shooting."

"Yes," said one of the boys, "but, you see, they do not go alone. If
they did, it would be an easy matter to catch them. But they all go
together, and half of them keep watch, and the rest bag the plunder;
and they move around so still that even the dogs don't hear them."

"I should think you fellows here in the village would take the matter
into your own hands," said Charles.

"What do you mean?" inquired his companions.

"Why don't you club together, and every time you see one of the
Hillers, go to work and thrash him like blazes? I guess, after you had
half-killed two or three of them, they would learn to let things
alone."

"I guess they would, too," said one of the boys.

"Suppose we get up a company of fifteen or twenty fellows," resumed
Charles, "and see how it works. I'll bet my eyes that, after we've
whipped half a dozen of them, they won't dare to show their faces in
the village again."

"That's the way to do it," said one of the boys. "I'll join the
company, for one."

The others readily fell in with Charles's proposal, and they spent
some time talking it over and telling what they intended to do when
they could catch the Hillers, when one of the boys suddenly exclaimed,

"I think, after all, that we shall have some trouble in carrying out
our plans. Although there are plenty of fellows in the village who
would be glad to join the company, there are some who must not know
any thing about it, or the fat will all be in the fire."

"Who are they?" demanded Charles.

"Why, there are Frank Nelson, and George and Harry Butler, and Bill
Johnson, and a dozen others, who could knock the whole thing into a
cocked hat, in less than no time."

"Could they? I'd just like to see them try it on," said Charles, with
a confident air. "They would have a nice time of it. How would they go
to work?"

"I am afraid that, if they saw us going to whip the Hillers, they
would interfere."

"They would, eh? I'd like to see them undertake to hinder us. Can't
twenty fellows whip a dozen?"

"I don't know. Every one calls Frank Nelson and his set the best boys
in the village. They never fight if they can help it; but they are
plaguy smart fellows, I tell you; and, if we once get them aroused, we
shall have a warm time of it, I remember a little circumstance that
happened last winter. We had a fort in the field behind the
school-house, and one night we were out there, snowballing, and I saw
Frank Nelson handle two of the largest boys in his class. There were
about a dozen boys in the fort--and they were the ones that always go
with Frank--and all the rest of the school were against them. The fort
stood on a little hill, and we were almost half an hour capturing it,
and we wouldn't ever have taken it if the wall hadn't been broken
down. We would get almost up to the fort, and they would rush out and
drive us down again. At last we succeeded in getting to the top of the
hill, and our boys began to tumble over the walls, and I hope I may be
shot if they didn't throw us out as fast as we could get in, and--"

"Oh, I don't care any thing about that," interrupted Charles, who
could not bear to hear any one but himself praised. "If I had been
there, I would have run up and thrown _them_ out."

"And you could have done it easy enough," said one of the boys, who
had for some time remained silent.

"Frank Nelson and his set are not such great fellows, after all."

"Of course they ain't," said the other. "They feel big enough; but I
guess, if we get this company we have spoken of started, and they
undertake to interfere with us, we will take them down a peg or two."

"That's the talk!" said Charles. "I never let any one stop me when I
have once made up my mind to do a thing. I would as soon knock Frank
Nelson down as any body else."

By this time the boat, which had been headed toward the shore, entered
the creek, and Charles drew up to the wharf, and, after setting his
companions ashore, and directing them to speak to every one whom they
thought would be willing to join the company, and to no one else, he
drew down the sails, and pulled up the creek toward the place where he
kept his boat.

A week passed, and things went on swimmingly. Thirty boys had enrolled
themselves as members of the Regulators, as the company was called,
and Charles, who had been chosen captain, had carried out his plans so
quietly, that he was confident that no one outside of the company knew
of its existence. Their arrangements had all been completed, and the
Regulators waited only for a favorable opportunity to carry their
plans into execution.

Frank, during this time, had remained at home, working in his garden
or shop, and knew nothing of what was going on.

One afternoon he wrote a letter to his cousin Archie, and, after
supper, set out, with Brave at his heels, to carry it to the
post-office. He stopped on the way for George and Harry Butler, who
were always ready to accompany him. On the steps of the post-office
they met three or four of their companions, and, after a few moments'
conversation, William Johnson suddenly inquired,

"Have you joined the new society, Frank?"

"What society?"

"Why, the Regulators."

"I don't know what you mean," said Frank.

"Yes, I guess they have managed to keep it pretty quiet," said
William. "They don't want any outsiders to know any thing about it.
They asked me to join in with them, but I told them that they ought to
know better than to propose such a thing to me. Then they tried to
make me promise that I wouldn't say any thing about it, but I would
make no such promise, for--"

"Why, Bill, what are you talking about?" inquired Harry. "You rattle
it off as if we knew all about it."

"Haven't you heard any thing about it, either?" inquired William, in
surprise. "I was certain that they would ask you to join. Well, the
amount of it is that Charley Morgan and a lot of his particular
friends have been organizing a company for the purpose of thrashing
the Hillers, and making them stop robbing hen-roosts and orchards and
cutting up such shines."

"Yes," chimed in James Porter, "there are about thirty of them, and
they say that they are going to whip the Hillers out of the village."

"Well, that's news to me," said Frank.

"For my part," said Thomas Benton, "I, of course, know that the
Hillers ought to be punished; but I do not think it is the duty of us
boys to take the law into our own hands."

"Nor I," said James Porter.

"Well, _I_ do," said Harry, who, as we have said, was an impetuous,
fiery fellow, "and I believe I will join the Regulators, and help whip
the rascals out of the country. They ought, every one of them, to be
thrashed for stealing and--"

"Now, see here, Harry," interrupted George. "You know very well that
such a plan will never succeed, and it _ought_ not to. You have been
taught that it is wrong to take things that do not belong to you, but
with the Hillers the case is different; their parents teach them to
steal, and they are obliged to do it."

"Besides," said Frank, "this summary method of correcting them will
not break up their bad habits; kindness will accomplish much more than
force."

"Kindness!" repeated Harry, sneeringly; "as if kindness could have any
effect on a Hiller!"

"They can tell when they are kindly treated as well as any one else,"
said George.

"And another thing," said Ben. Lake; "these Regulators must be a
foolish set of fellows to suppose that the Hillers are going to stand
still and be whipped. I say, as an old sea-captain once said, when it
was proposed to take a man-o'-war with a whale-boat, 'I guess it will
be a puttering job.'"

"Well," said James, "I shall do all I can to prevent a fight."

"So will I," said Frank.

"_I_ won't," said Harry, who, with his arms buried almost to the
elbows in his pockets, was striding backward and forward across the
steps. "I say the Hillers ought to be thrashed."

"I'm afraid," said William, without noticing what Harry had remarked,
"that our interference will be the surest way to bring on a fight;
because, after I refused to join the company, they told me that if any
of us attempted to defend the Hillers, or break up the company, they
would thrash us, too."

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