The Young Oarsmen of Lakeview Part 17

"Help me!" came faintly from Blumpo.

Before the others could realize it, Jerry had leaped back to the other side of the opening. Catching hold of a jutting rock with one hand, he grasped Blumpo's wrist with the other.

"Now let go below and I'll haul you up, Blumpo," he said.

The frightened youth did as requested, and slowly but surely Jerry dragged him up to a safe spot.

"Good for you, Jerry!" shouted Harry.

"By golly! but dat was a close call!" shuddered the homeless youth.

Then, with tears in his big, honest eyes, he wrung our hero's hand.

"You dun sabed my life, Jerry!" he declared solemnly. "I won't forgit dat, neber!"

The nervous boy was averse to attempting a second jump, and so the party walked along the opening until a much narrower spot was reached.

Once over, the upward climb was again begun. By noon they reckoned that they were within half a mile of the top. But all were exhausted, and glad enough to rest and take a bite to eat.

A fine spring was found, and here they washed up and quenched their thirst before resuming the journey.

They found a large quant.i.ty of huckleberries growing on the hillside, and these made very acceptable eating.

"A fellow could put in a month here," remarked Jerry. "But, heigho! the vacation will soon be ended, and then for school again."

The rest over, they went up and up again.

"Beat you to the summit!" cried Jerry, and started up the last stretch on a rush. Harry followed, and Blumpo was not far behind.

What a splendid panorama was spread before them! They could see clear to either end of the lake and off to the hills east and west.

"I see the church steeple!" cried Jerry.

"Look! look!" exclaimed Harry, suddenly.

He pointed down the lake to where a yacht was bowling along before the breeze.

"Si Peters' boat!"

"I wonder if Peters knows we are still on the island?" mused Jerry.

"I reckon he does."

"It's a wonder he and his crowd never came up to make more trouble for us."

"Perhaps he dun got scared at dis hoss pistol ob mine," put in Blumpo.

To him that "hoss" pistol was a mighty weapon, greatly to be feared.

A little back of the summit of rocks was a gra.s.sy plateau, and here the boys decided to camp for the night.

"What a beautiful place for a picnic!" said Harry.

"Rather hard to get to, though," returned Jerry. "I wonder if there is a spring handy?"

"A spring away up heah!" exclaimed Blumpo. "Yo' expect watah to run up hill? Ha, ha!"

"Yes, Blumpo; strange as it may seem, the finest springs are found at the very tops of mountains. Come on and look for one."

The homeless youth showed his surprise, but he readily joined in the hunt, and so did Harry. There was a patch of brush behind the plateau, and this they skirted. Ere long Jerry found a tiny rivulet flowing in a well-worn hollow.

"The head of this rill of water will bring us to the spring," he said.

They began to follow the watercourse. It led around half a dozen big rocks.

"Halt!"

All three of the boys sprang back in amazement. From whence had that unexpected command proceeded?

"Halt, I say!"

They stopped short.

"Who are you?" asked Jerry quickly.

"I am the Lonely Man. Leave me!"

"The Lonely Man," repeated Jerry.

"Yes. Depart, my boys, at once."

"Are you the man they call the hermit of the island?" asked Harry.

"I presume so. Now leave me. I have not spoken to other men for years."

"We would like to get a little water first, if you please," said Jerry.

"Surely so good an old man as you will not refuse us that."

This way of talking evidently struck the hermit's fancy, for there was a rustle of bushes, and the hermit of the island stepped into view.

All of the boys stared at him in blank amazement. He was a reddish-black individual, with snow white hair and long flowing beard.

Blumpo grew so frightened that he immediately fell on his knees.

"De voodoo doctor, suah!" he muttered.

Like many other ignorant people, he was very superst.i.tious and believed in charms and voodooism.