The Jester of St. Timothy's Part 4

"What's a water duel?" asked Irving.

"They go out in canoes, two in each canoe," answered Scarborough. "One fellow paddles, and the other stands up in the bow with a long pole and a big fat sponge tied to the end of it. Then the two canoes manuvre, and try to get within striking distance, and the fellow or canoe that gets upset first loses. We had a tournament last spring, and these two pairs came through to the finals, but never fought it out-baseball or tennis or something always interfered."

"It must be quite an amusing game," said Irving.

"Come up to the swimming hole to-morrow afternoon if you want to see it," said Collingwood, hospitably. "I'll just about drown Westby. It will be a good show."

"Thank you; I'd like to-"

"But don't you think, Mr. Upton,"-again it was Westby, with his cajoling voice and his wheedling smile,-"that I might have just one evening's moonlight practice for it?"

"Oh, I don't believe you need any practice."

"But you said I might if Mr. Randolph would consent. I don't see why you shouldn't be independent, as well as liberal."

There was a veiled insinuation in this, for all the good-natured, teasing tone, and Irving did not like it.

"No," he said. "I'm sorry, but I'm afraid I can't let you go swimming to-night.-I'm glad to have met you all." And so he took his departure, and presently the sound of banjo and singing rose again from Westby's room.

Irving proceeded to visit the other rooms of the dormitory and to make the acquaintance of the occupants-boys engaged mostly in arranging bureau drawers or hanging pictures. They were all friendly enough; it seemed to him that he could get on with boys individually; it was when they faced him in numbers that they alarmed him and caused his manner to be hesitating and embarra.s.sed. One big fellow named Allison was trying to hang a picture when Irving entered; it was a large and heavy picture, and Irving held it straight while Allison stood on a chair and set the hook on the moulding. Allison thanked Irving with the grat.i.tude of one unaccustomed to receiving such consideration; indeed, his uncouthness and unkemptness made him one of those unfortunate boys who suffered now and then from persecution. Irving learned afterwards that the crowd he had met in Westby's room hung together and were the leaders not merely in the affairs of the dormitory, but of the school.

At half past nine the big bell on the Study building rang twice-the signal for the boys to go to their respective rooms. Irving had been informed of the little ceremony which was the custom; he stepped out in front of his door at the end of the corridor, and one after another the boys came up, shook hands with him, and bade him good-night. Westby came to him with the engaging and yet somewhat disquieting smile which recalled to Irving Mr. Wythe's words, "He smiles and smiles, but is a villain still." It was a smile which seemed to suggest the discernment and enjoyment of all one's weak spots.

"_Good_-night, Mr. Upton," said Westby, and his voice was excessively urbane. It made Irving look forward to a better acquaintance with both expectancy and apprehension.

The first morning of actual school work went well enough; Irving met his cla.s.ses, which were altogether in mathematics, a.s.signed them lessons, and managed to keep them and himself busy. From one of them he brought away some algebra exercises, which he spent part of the afternoon in correcting. When he had finished this work, the invitation to witness the water duel occurred to his mind.

He found no other master to bear him company, so he set off by himself through the woods which bordered the pond behind the Gymnasium. He came at last to the "isthmus"-a narrow d.y.k.e of stones which cut off a long inlet and bridged the way over to a wooded peninsula that jutted out into the pond. On the farther side of this peninsula, secluded behind trees and bushes, was the swimming hole.

As Irving approached, he heard voices; he drew nearer and saw the bare backs of boys undressing and heard then the defiances which they were hurling at one another-phrased in the language of Ivanhoe.

"Nay, by my halidome, but I shall this day do my devoir right worthily upon the body of yon false knight," quoth Westby, as he carefully turned his shirt right side out.

"A murrain on thee! Beshrew me if I do not spit thee upon my trusty lance," replied Collingwood, as he drew on his swimming tights.

Then some one trotted out upon the spring-board, gave a bounce and a leap, and went into the water with a splash.

"How is it, Ned?" called Westby; and Irving came up as Morrill, reaching out for a long side stroke, shouted, "Oh, fine-warm and fine."

"h.e.l.lo, Mr. Upton." It was Baldersnaith who first saw him; Baldersnaith, Dennison, and Smythe were fully dressed and were sitting under a tree looking on.

"You're just in time," said Collingwood.

Scarborough, stripped like Westby and Carroll and Morrill and Collingwood, was out on the pond, paddling round in a canoe. He was crouched on one knee in the middle, and the canoe careened over with his weight, so that the gunwale was only an inch or two above the surface.

He was evidently an expert paddler, swinging the craft round, this way and that, without ever taking the paddle out of the water.

Two other canoes were hauled up near the spring-board; Carroll was bending over one of them.

"Bring me my lethal weapon, Carrie," Westby commanded. "I want to show Mr. Upton.-Is the b.u.t.ton on tight?"

Carroll produced from the canoe a long pole with an enormous sponge fastened to one end; he pulled at the sponge and announced, "Yes, the b.u.t.ton's on tight," and pa.s.sed the pole over to Westby.

Westby made one or two experimental lunges with it and remarked musingly, "When I catch him square above the bread line with this-!"

"Come on, then!" said Collingwood. "Come here, Ned!"

Morrill swam ash.o.r.e and pushed off in one of the canoes with Collingwood-taking the stern seat and the paddle. Collingwood knelt in the bow, with his spear laid across the gun-wales in front of him. In like manner Westby and Carroll took to the water.

"This is the best two bouts out of three," called Scarborough, as he circled round. "Don't you want to come aboard, Mr. Upton, and help judge?"

"Why, yes, thank you," said Irving.

So Scarborough called, "Wait a moment, fellows," and paddling ash.o.r.e, took on his pa.s.senger. Then he sped out to the middle of the bay; the two other canoes were separated by about fifty feet.

"Charge!" cried Scarborough, and Morrill and Carroll began paddling towards each other, while in the bows Collingwood and Westby rose to their feet and held their spears in front of them. They advanced cautiously and then swung apart, evading the collision-each trying to tempt the other to stab and overreach.

"Oh, you're both scared!" jeered Baldersnaith from the sh.o.r.e.

The canoes swung about and made for each other again; and this time pa.s.sed within striking distance. Westby's aim missed, his sponge-tipped lance slid past Collingwood's shoulder, and the next instant Collingwood's sponge-well weighted with water-smote Westby full in the chest and hove him overboard. For one moment Carroll struggled to keep the canoe right side up, but in vain; it tipped and filled, and with a shout he plunged in head foremost after his comrade.

They came up and began to push their canoe ash.o.r.e; the two other canoes drew alongside and a.s.sisted, Scarborough and Morrill paddling, while Irving and Collingwood laid hold of the thwarts.

"That's all right; I'll get you this time," spluttered Westby. "We're going to use strategy now."

They emptied the water out of the canoe and proceeded again to the battleground. Then, when Scarborough gave the word, Carroll began paddling madly; he and Westby bore down upon their antagonists at a most threatening speed. Morrill swung to the right to get out of their path; and then suddenly Carroll swung in the opposite direction-with what strategic purpose neither Irving nor Scarborough had time to conjecture.

For they were loitering close on that side, not expecting any such manuvre; the sharp turn drove the bow of Carroll's canoe straight for the waist of Scarborough's, and Westby with an excited laugh undertook to fend off with his pole, lost his balance, and trying to recover it, upset both canoes together.

Irving felt himself going, heard Westby's laughing shout, "Look out, Mr.

Upton!" and then went under.

[Ill.u.s.tration: THE CANOES SWUNG ABOUT AND MADE FOR EACH OTHER]

CHAPTER III

WESTBY'S AMUs.e.m.e.nTS

The water was warm, but Irving swallowed a good deal of it and also was conscious of the fact that he had on a perfectly good suit of clothes.

So he came to the surface, choking and annoyed; and when he recovered his faculties, he observed first of all Westby's grinning face.

"You can swim all right, can't you, Mr. Upton?" said Westby. "I thought for a moment we might have to dive for you."

Irving clutched at the stern of the capsized canoe and said, rather curtly, "I'm not dressed to enjoy swimming."

"I'm awfully sorry," said Scarborough. "But I never thought they were going to turn that way; I don't know what Carrie thought he was doing-"