The Young Ship Builders of Elm Island 31

The Young Ship Builders of Elm Island 31

Charlie wanted the cove, the long point, a growth of white oak which

extended several rods beyond the short point, and the pond and brook.

These he meant to have, even if he had to buy more land than he

actually wanted. Mr. Pickering wrote to Uncle Isaac, who was an old

acquaintance of his, that he was willing to take Rhines’s survey, if he

would go with them and carry the chain.

 

When they arrived at the spot with the new instruments Mr. Welch had

given him, Charlie wanted to begin at the shore line, above Long Point;

but Ben told him if he did he would lose the point, as he could only

hold what was within his lines. They therefore began on the shore,

below the short point, ran the lines, and made a description by which

to write the deed, as follows: Beginning at a blazed yellow birch

tree, standing in a split rock on the shore, twenty rods south-west

from Bluff Point, so called; thence running south-east four hundred

and fifty rods to a blazed pine, marked C. B. (Charlie’s initials),

south-east corner; thence north-east one hundred and fifty rods to a

blazed pine tree, marked C. B., north-east corner; thence north-west

four hundred and six rods to a blazed red oak tree on the shore,

marked C. B.; thence along the shore of Pleasant Point, so called, at

low-water mark, to the point of the high ledge at the westerly end of

the same; thence west by south forty rods to the south-westerly end of

said Pleasant Point at low-water mark; the line thence to the point

begun at, being below low-water mark, across the mouth of Pleasant

Cove, containing three hundred and sixty-three acres, more or less,

thirty-seven being deducted for the contents of Pleasant Cove.

 

“I must go to the brook and get a drink of water,” said Charlie, when

they had finished.

 

“We’ll go to Cross-root Spring,” said Uncle Isaac. “That’s something

you’ve not seen yet, and it’s one of the best pieces of property you’ve

got.”

 

Uncle Isaac led the way along the shore to the head of the cove. There

the land rose gradually into a very gentle swell. A few rods from the

water’s edge, on the breast of this slight elevation, were two large

birches, whose branches interlocked; two of their main roots, crossing

each other, grew together, and between them quivered, in transient

gleams of sunlight, the clear waters of a noble spring.

 

Charlie looked down into it. The white sand was rolling over and over,

as the bubbling water flung it up from the bottom. All around were the

footprints of sea and land birds and animals. Uncle Isaac pointed out

the track of a wolf, coons, and the print of a bear’s foot.

 

“There,” said he, “is a well that God Almighty dug for the good of

his creatures. You see they know where it is. More red than white men

have drank at this spring. It is a priceless gift! Let us drink, and

remember the Giver.”

 

These details may not be very interesting to us, but they were

intensely so to Charlie, who felt his hand was almost upon the prize he

had so long desired. It had already been productive of one good result.

It had given him an excellent practical knowledge of surveying and

mathematics, most useful in his mechanical pursuits.

 

When Ben had written out the description, after returning to the

island, he gave it to Charlie, and said, “When you pay your money, and

get a deed of the land thus described, you’ve got all the land that

belongs to you, and as good a farm as there is in town.”

 

In due time Charlie received his deed, which, he being a minor, ran to

Uncle Isaac in trust for him.

 

 

 

 

CHAPTER XIX.

 

CHARLIE IN THE SHIP-YARD.

 

 

PERHAPS the readers of the previous volumes will recollect that Isaac

Murch became so much interested in the account given him, in Havana,

by Captain Rhines, of the noble conduct of Flour in respect to his

old master, aiding him in his poverty, and also of his kindness and

fidelity to himself when sick, that he determined to teach him to read

and write, and he made some progress during the passage home. When

Isaac went to sea again, John Rhines became his teacher, and when John

went to learn a trade, Captain Rhines undertook the task himself. It

was quite pleasing to note the respect with which Flour was treated by

the whole community since he had begun to respect himself, had become

a temperate man, and was acquiring knowledge; for, not satisfied with

teaching him to read, Captain Rhines was instructing him in arithmetic.

He spent the rainy days, and other leisure moments he could spare

from his labor, in studying. Nobody now called him Flour, except

occasionally from long habit.

 

It was now James, or Peterson, or even Mr. Peterson. He was an

excellent calker and rigger. Captain Rhines introduced him at

Wiscasset, where they built many large vessels to carry ton-timber and

spars, as a reliable workman, and he had all the work he wanted. The

captain also gave him a piece of land, put him up a houseframe, and

boarded it. He was able to finish it, little by little, himself, and

leave the money, which was in Captain Rhines’s hands, on interest. He

had a boy, Benjamin, named after Captain Rhines, nineteen years old, a

stout, smart fellow, with very handsome form and features, all the boy,

now John Rhines was gone, that Charlie couldn’t throw; but he was so

black he shone.

 

Before this, Flour lived near Captain Rhines’s pasture, in a half-faced

log cabin, where he had squat. It stood among a bed of thistles, with

heaps of clam shells all around. Destitute of a chimney, the smoke went

through a hole in the roof of his cabin, and he was called Old Flour.

 

No one but they who had lived on Elm Island could imagine what a

convenience the Perseverance, Jr. had become. Indeed, not a member of

the family would have parted with her for any consideration.

 

Sunday morning, no matter if it was quite rough, they would all but

Sally Merrithew or Mrs. Rhines, get in and go to meeting. On pleasant

days they would take the baby, and then all could go. If it was calm it

did not matter in the least. Ben would take two oars, and, sitting on

the forward thwart, row cross-handed, while Charlie would pull one oar

aft, and Sally, assisted, or rather bothered, by Ben, Jr., would steer.

 

The boat had not been in the water a week before Mrs. Rhines and Mary

discovered that they had never seen the baby, and must see it; and

Charlie had to bring them on.

 

It was so convenient, too, for Sally’s mother, who was no more afraid

of the water than a coot, to come and see her daughter! and even Mrs.

Rhines, naturally timorous on the water, was not afraid to come in

_that_ boat.

 

Tige came on with the Rhines girls. _He_ wanted to see the baby; and

such a frolic as he had with Ben, Jr., and the little one you never

saw! Tige played rather rough. Every once in a while he would get the

whole top of Bennie’s head into his mouth, and scrape the scalp with

the points of his teeth, till the child would sing out at the top of

his voice, and quit playing till it had done smarting, and then begin

with new zeal. Bennie had a great chunk of meat that Tige wanted; but

Ben wouldn’t give it to him. Tige followed him round, and when his

attention was occupied, licked it out of his hand; but before he could

swallow it, Ben got bold of one half, and it was which and t’other,

till, Ben’s fingers slipping on the greasy meat, he went over backwards

on the floor, and the meat disappeared down Tige’s throat in a moment.

 

The child, provoked, began to strike him; but all the notice Tige took

of it was to wag his tail in complacent triumph, and lick the child’s

greasy fingers.

 

“It wouldn’t be a very safe operation for a man to pull meat out of

Tige’s mouth, and strike him in that way,” said Ben, patting fondly the

noble brute; “his life wouldn’t be worth much.”

 

While Charlie was thus pleasantly and profitably occupied in

boat-building, a cousin of Captain Rhines, Mr. Foss, who was employed

in ship-building at Stroudwater, came to visit him. Captain Rhines

brought him on to the island to see Ben. He conceived a great liking

for Charlie, who then had two boats set up in the shop, and partly

done. Charlie, in the course of conversation, told him of his desire

and intention one day to become a ship-builder.

 

“If that is your intention,” was the reply of Mr. Foss, “you have

worked long enough on boats.”

 

“Why so, sir; is it not much the same thing?”

 

“Not by any means; the proportions are very different. A full boat

would be a very sharp ship--too sharp: the scale is larger, and the

distances longer. What would be a proper dead rise in a boat would be

quite another thing, come to let it run the length of a vessel’s floor,

three times as wide as the whole boat. I’m going to set up a vessel

when I go back; if you will go with me and work till spring, I’ll give

you good wages, and learn you all I know; with the practice you have

had on boats, you will learn very fast.”

 

Ben expressed his willingness.

 

“But I have these boats to finish.”

 

“Mr. Foss will not go for a week; what is not done by that time, I will

do.”

 

“What will you do, if I take the tools?”

 

“You need take no more than a broadaxe, adze, square, rule, and

compasses,” said Mr. Foss; “I’ve got tools enough.”

 

It was so late in the year, Ben thought he should not be able to cross

to the main land much more, and told them to take the boat.

 

They accordingly furnished themselves with provision, water, and a

compass, and set out, Charlie consoling himself for leaving Elm Island

by the prospect of being only three or four miles from John.

 

He was now to leave Elm Island for the first time since he came on to

it, and he went all around to take a last look at his pets, and bid

them “good by,” and even to the top of the old maple and big pine,

where he had spent so many happy hours.

 

They had a pleasant time up, either a fair wind or calm, did not have

to row but little till they ran her right into Stroudwater River, and

into the ship-yard.

 

The next Saturday evening about eight o’clock, John Rhines was told

that some one wished to see him at the door; and going without a light, he landed in the embrace of Charlie.