Up The Baltic Part 28

"Neither a lake nor a river," replied Ole. "It's a big waterfall.

_Fos_, on the end of a word, always makes a waterfall of it. There's another, the Voringfos; but that's too far away."

"How far is it?"

"I don't know; but it's a long distance," added Ole. "All the other fellows think we are going to Christiania in the morning."

"All but Stockwell and Rodman," answered Sanford, who had told Ole about the new recruit.

"So you are going to play it upon them--are you?" laughed Clyde.

"Just a little. We don't want to leave Norway without seeing something of the country, and the rest of the fellows won't go. So we are going to take them along with us."

"Excellent! That will be a magnificent joke," exclaimed Clyde. "I'm with you. I suppose you all ran away from the ship when you found the tyranny was too much for you."

"O, no! We didn't run away. We wouldn't do that. Somehow, by an accident, our boat was stove, and we were carried off by a steamer.

Then we couldn't get back to Christiansand before the ship sailed, and we were obliged to come across the country to Christiania, you see."

"I see," replied Clyde, knowingly. "But you don't mean to go back to the ship--do you?"

"Certainly we do," protested Sanford.

"Then you are bigger spoonies than I thought you were."

"But we are afraid the ship will be gone before we can reach Christiania."

"O, you are afraid of it."

"Very much afraid of it."

"You wouldn't cry if you found she had gone--would you?"

"Well, perhaps we should not cry, for we think we ought to be manly, and not be babies; but, of course, we should feel very bad about it."

"O, you would!"

"Certainly we should; for if we were caught running away, staying away longer than is necessary, or anything of that sort, our liberty would be stopped, and we should not be allowed to go on sh.o.r.e with the rest of the fellows."

"You are a deep one, Mr. c.o.xswain," added Clyde.

"O, no! I'm only a simple-minded young man, that always strives to do his duty as well as he knows how."

"I dare say you think it is your duty to visit the--what-ye-call-it?--the waterfall."

"You see it is just as near to go that way as the other."

"Is it?"

"Well, if it isn't, we shall not know the fact till after we have been there."

"I think I understand you perfectly, Mr. c.o.xswain; but I don't intend to return to the ship under any circ.u.mstances."

"You can do as you please, but if we should happen to miss the ship, why, we shall be obliged to travel till we find her."

"Exactly so," laughed Clyde.

"But don't understand me that we mean to run away, or to keep away from the ship any longer than is absolutely necessary; for we are all good boys, and always mean to obey our officers."

"I don't mean to do any such thing. After I hear that the ship has left Christiania, I shall go there, find my mother, and travel where I please."

The next morning the party started on their journey, and by the middle of the afternoon arrived at a station between Lysthus and Tinoset, where the road to the Rjukanfos branched off from that to the capital. They were compelled to wait an hour here for a change of horses. Rogues rarely believe that they are suspected, and Sanford was confident that his companions, with the exception of Rodman and Stockwell, had no idea of his intentions. Burchmore had not failed to notice the repeated conferences between those who were plotting the mischief. He was not quite satisfied with the delay which had enabled the party to catch that solitary salmon at Apalsto. He was one of the first to enter the station-house where the carioles stopped. On the table he found "The Hand-book of Norway," which contained a large map.

He was anxious to possess this book.

"_Hvor_?" said he, using a word he had learned of Ole, which meant "how much," at the same time holding up the book, and exhibiting his money.

"_Tre_," replied the woman in the room; by which he understood her to mean three marks, for at the same time she laughingly held up three fingers.

Burchmore paid the money, and put the book into his pocket. Retreating behind the stable with Churchill, who rode in the cariole with him, he produced the volume, and spread out the map. Without much difficulty he found the road by which the party had come. Everything was right so far, and he was satisfied that they should arrive at Kongsberg that night.

"Can you make out what's up, Burchmore?" asked Churchill, with whom the former had discussed his doubts and fears.

"No; everything is right. Here we are, at the branching off of these two roads," replied Burchmore, indicating the locality with the point of his knife.

"But Sanford is up to something. He, and Ole, and Stockwell are whispering together half the time. Perhaps they mean to leave us somewhere on the road."

"They can, if they like," added Burchmore. "I am cashier, you know.

Each fellow has paid me seven pounds, which I have changed into species and marks. No other one has any Norwegian money, or, at least, not more than a specie or two. They won't leave me."

"They wouldn't make anything by it."

"And Sanford runs with that English fellow, who seems to be a little fast."

"He's a hard one," added Churchill, shaking his head.

"Let them go it; I can keep the run of them now," said Burchmore, as he folded up the map, and put the Hand-book in his pocket. "Don't say anything about this book, Churchy."

"Not a word."

"I know where we are now, and I think I shall know better than to wait a whole day for horses again. That was a sell."

"Do you think so?"

"I thought so at the time, but I didn't want to make a fuss. I changed a sovereign for Ole yesterday, and I believe Sanford has bought him up. Never mind; we take the right hand road here, and as long as we keep moving I haven't a word to say."

In less than an hour the horses were ready, and the procession of carioles moved off. Ole and Sanford led the way, and turned to the left, instead of the right.

"That's wrong," said Burchmore, very much excited.

"But what do they mean by going this way?" added Churchill.