Up The Baltic Part 29

"I don't know, and I don't care; I only know it is the wrong way.

Hallo!" he shouted to Sanford, and stopped his pony, which compelled three others behind him to stop also.

"What's the matter?" called Sanford.

"You are going the wrong way," replied the cashier.

"No, this is right; come along;" and the c.o.xswain started his team again.

But Burchmore refused to follow him, and continued to block the way against those behind him.

"Out of the way!" cried Clyde, who was in the rear.

"This is not the right way to Kongsberg," said Burchmore.

"Out of the way, or I'll smash you!" added the imperious Briton.

The cashier was a peaceable young gentleman, and turned his horse out of the road. The cariole of Sanford was now out of sight.

"Why don't you go ahead?" demanded Tinckner. "How do you know it is the wrong road?"

"I am certain of it. Those fellows are up to some trick."

As a portion of the procession did not follow its leader, Sanford and his companions turned back.

"What's the matter, Burchmore? Why don't you come along?" cried the c.o.xswain, angrily.

"This is not the right road."

"Isn't it, Ole?" added the c.o.xswain, turning to his companion in the cariole.

"Certainly it is."

"I know it isn't," protested the cashier, vehemently. "You are up to some trick."

"What trick?" asked Sanford, mildly, as he put on his look of injured innocence.

"I don't know what; but I know this is not the right road to Kongsberg."

"Who said anything about Kongsberg? We intend to go by the shortest way. Don't we, Ole?"

"To be sure we do," replied the ready waif. "We are not going way round by Kongsberg."

"You can't bluff me."

"Don't want to bluff you. Go whichever way you like; and the one who gets to Christiania first is the best fellow. That's all I have to say."

Sanford turned his pony, and drove off again, followed by Clyde, Stockwell, and Rodman.

"How do you know this isn't the right way?" inquired Tinckner.

"I'll tell you," replied the cashier, jumping out of the cariole, and taking the Hand-book from his pocket.

The others soon joined him, and exhibiting the map, he explained his position to his friends.

"Here's another road to Kongsberg," said Summers, indicating its direction on the map. "They may be going that way."

"It is possible," added Burchmore, puzzled by this discovery. "It is farther that way than by Lysthus."

"Not much; there's hardly any difference. I'm in favor of following Sanford."

So were nearly all of them, and the cashier finally yielded. The tourists resumed their seats, and soon overtook the c.o.xswain, who had evidently expected to be followed. Burchmore was annoyed by the discovery he had made, but as the pony attached to the cariole slowly climbed the hills, he studied the map and the text of the book he had bought.

"We can't go much farther on this tack," said he, as he folded up his map.

"What's to prevent us from keeping on to the north pole?" asked Churchill.

"It is almost night, in the first place, and in the second, we shall come to a lake in the course of an hour, where we must take boats."

"I don't believe anything is wrong about the matter."

"Don't you? Then what are we doing up here?"

"Never mind; we shall soon come to that other road, and then we shall know whether Sanford means to go to Kongsberg or not."

"He has stopped ahead of us. He is waiting for us to come up," added Burchmore.

"Yes; and there is the road which turns off to the right."

"Why don't he go ahead?"

Sanford and those who had arrived with him left the carioles, and gathered at the junction of the two roads. Burchmore followed their example.

"What's the matter? What are you stopping here for?" demanded Clyde Blacklock, rather imperiously.

"Some of the fellows think we are going to play them a trick," said Sanford, with his sweet and innocent smile.

"Who thinks so?" asked Clyde.

"Burchmore."

"Which is Burchmore?"

"That's my name," replied the cashier, rather indifferently.

"Are you the fellow that wants to break up the party?" bl.u.s.tered Clyde.

"No, I'm not. I'm the fellow that wants to go to Christiania. We ought to have kept to the right at the last station."

"I insist on going this way."