Inspection of the Schooner.—Captain Pratt to the Rescue.—His Engines and his Industry.—Up she rises!—Who’ll go for Captain Corbet?

CAPTAIN Pratt was the first to break the silence.

“Wal,” said he, at last, “whar’s Corbet?”

“He’s home.”

“Home? Why don’t he do something?”

“Why, what can he do?”

“Do? Everything.”

“He says the schooner’s lost.”

“Lost!”

“Yes.”

“Did he say so himself?”

“He said the schooner was ‘a gone sucker.’ Those were his own words.”

“And didn’t he try to do anything?”

“No.”

“What—didn’t even try?”

“No.”

“Wal, I declare! I never did think that Corbet had much brains; but this beats everything. To go and let his schooner go to destruction in this way, and not even try to save her, is a little beyond what I expected even of him. But how did it happen?”

The boys told him.

“And so,” said Captain Pratt, “he came here next day, and found the schooner lying here, and did nothing—jest sot down and lamented over her. Why, what’s the man made of? He’s about the only man I ever heard of that could sit still and see his property perish.”

“But all the people in the village thought it was lost.”

“Of course. If he said so, they believed him. If he did nothing, why should they try to do anything? If a man won’t help himself, you don’t suppose other people’s goin to help him—do you?”

“And do you think, after all, that she could have been saved?”

“Course she could.”

“And she wasn’t lost?”

“Course she wasn’t.”

“Could she be saved now?”

“Course she can.”

“What! and she isn’t lost, after all?”

“Course she isn’t.”

At this astounding intelligence the boys looked at one another in silent amazement.

“Why, look here,” said Captain Pratt; “what happened to that there schooner often happens to others. It’s a mighty unpleasant thing to happen; but schooners do get over it, after all. I’ve helped friends out of similar scrapes, and have sot several schooners right side up in worse places than this.. There’s nothing so very bad about this. The position is a good one for working in, too; and the mud here isn’t so soft as it is in other places around here by a long chalk. But whatever got into Corbet’s head I can’t imagine. It beats me.”

“Can you really save her then, after all—you yourself?”

“Course I can—only not single-handed. I’d want some help.”

“And will you?”

“Course I will, with the above proviso. Captain Pratt’s a man that’s always ready to help a neighbor, and though this here neighbor doesn’t seem altogether inclined to help himself, yet I’m ready to do what I can.”

At the generous offer of Captain Pratt the joy of the boys was inexpressible. They at once poured forth a torrent of questions as to when he could begin his work, and where, and how, and what they could do to help him, and whether they could do anything at all; which questions being all asked at once could not be immediately answered.

“You see, boys,” said Captain Pratt, “I’ll need some help.”

“We’ll do what we can.”

“That’s right. I’ll have to rely on you. I’ve only got two men in the schooner, and we can’t do all. If you know any men about the village, send them or bring them along. Send for Corbet, too.”

“O, we want to have it all done without Captain Corbet knowing anything about it till it’s all over.”

“Why not let him come, and take his share in the work?”

“O, it would be better fun to get him down here, and let him see his vessel afloat.”

“Fun, you call it! Wal, I won’t dispute about words. At any rate, it ought to teach him a lesson.”

“But when can we begin?—now?”

“Now?” replied Captain Pratt, with a smile. “Wal—hardly—not just now, I should say. You see the vessel’s partly in the mud, and a good deal in the water, and it would be rather difficult to get at her so as to go to work.”

“How long will it be before we can begin?”

“Not till the tide leaves her.”

“That will be after dark.”

“Yes, this evening; but to-morrow morning the tide will be out, and everything can be done then.”

“But then we shall be in school.”

“So you will. Well, it’ll have to be managed without you. But, after all, you won’t be wanted till the evening. My men and I can do all the fixins. We’ll get everything ready when the tide is out, and then in the evening, when you come, you will be able to help without getting up to your eyes in mud.”

“O, well, we’ll all be down.”

“How many can you muster? A dozen boys like you will be enough.”

“O, we can muster more than that, if you wish it. We will bring down the whole school.”

“All right then. You see it will be about eight men’s work. I and my men make three, and you lads ought to make up the rest. It’ll be mostly pullin that you’ll be wanted for.”

“Pulling?”

“Yes—histin. I’ll rig some tackle for you. Besides, I’ll have to get the vessel clear of mud at low tide. There can’t be much in her here.”

“Why, we thought, from what Captain Corbet said, that by this time she would be sunk so deep that she would be half buried in the mud, and half full of it.”

“Nonsense! The mud just here on this slope isn’t very deep. Six or eight inches of mud is about all she’d sink in. Two or three hours’ work will clear all that away, and then all that is left for us to do is to get her right side up, and I’ll rig the tackle for that.”

“I must say, Captain Pratt,” said Bart, “it’s un commonly good in you to take so much time and trouble.”

“O, as for that,” said Captain Pratt, “neighbors must be neighborly, and seafarin men most so. Besides, I hain’t got anything in particular to do to-morrow, and I’d like very well to turn a hand to this. But I don’t see yet why Corbet should go and be such a precious old goose. The vessel ain’t worth much, but she’s worth settin right side up; that I’ll maintain.”

The captain then proceeded to explain his plan of action to the boys more minutely, so that at last they perceived how very simple and feasible it was, and wondered now that Captain Corbet should have given up his vessel so readily, without making any effort, where an effort would have been so very easy.

“I understand now, I think,” said Bart, “why Captain Corbet gave up the vessel. It was the babby. He wanted to be able to devote himself altogether to his domestic cares.”

After spending some further time the boys took their departure, with the understanding that they were to return on the following day after school, with all the boys that they could muster.

By seven o’clock on the following morning, Captain Pratt was at work at the Antelope. The tide had retreated far enough to allow of an investigation of her condition, though the water which had filled her at the last tide had not run out of her. His first work was to bore a few auger holes along the lower part of her deck, to let all the water run out. The Antelope was not, after all, so very deep in the mud as had been supposed by the boys. It had covered her taffrail some inches, but this could be shovelled away without any very severe exertion; and it was to this that Captain Pratt and his men first directed their energies. Two hours’ work sufficed for them to clear away all this, after which they turned their attention to other things. First of all, as the water had now run out, Captain Pratt stopped up the auger holes tightly, and then prepared to close the hatchways. This was a work of extreme difficulty. The hatches which belonged to the schooner had floated away long ago, and it was necessary to make new ones. This was at length done by working up some stuff that was on board Captain Pratt’s vessel, which they then proceeded to fasten to the hatchways of the Antelope. The position in which the schooner lay made it excessively difficult. She was on her side on a slope in such a way that her deck overhung them somewhat as they worked, so that they labored at a great disadvantage; however, they persevered, and at length had the satisfaction of seeing that the new hatches were fastened in with sufficient firmness to suit their purposes, and were judged to be sufficiently water-tight for the present emergency.

The work thus far, important though it was, had been essentially preliminary; and now the machinery had to be arranged for the immediate work of raising the fallen vessel to her proper position. Captain Pratt and his men took a number of spars from their schooner, and selecting three of them, bound their ends together, and stood these three like a tripod, as near to the schooner as possible, and close by the foremast. Three more bound together in a similar way were placed near the mainmast. From the top of each of these a tackle-block was suspended, and a line also was passed from each, and run around a tree which stood about a dozen yards away from the edge o............