Cast Away in the Cold Read online

  CAST AWAY IN THE COLD.

  CHAPTER I.

  Relates how an Ancient Mariner met three Little Peopleand promised them a Little Story.

  A bright sun shone on the little village of Rockdale; a bright glare wason the little bay close by, as on a silver mirror. Three bright childrenwere descending by a winding path towards the little village; a brightold man was coming up from the little village by the same path, meetingthem.

  The three children were named William Earnest, Fred Frazer, and Alice.Alice was William Earnest's sister, while Fred Frazer was his cousin.William Earnest was the eldest, and he was something more than elevenand something less than twelve years old. His cousin Fred Frazer wasnearly a year younger, while his sister Alice was a little more than twoyears younger still. Fred Frazer was on a holiday visit to hisrelatives, it being vacation time from school; and the three childrenwere ready for any kind of adventure, and for every sort of fun.

  The children saw the old man before the old man saw the children; forthe children were looking down the hill, while the old man, coming upthe hill, was looking at his footsteps.

  As soon as the children saw the old man, the eldest recognized him as afriend; and no sooner had his eyes lighted on him than, much excited, heshouted loudly, "Hurrah, there comes the ancient mariner!"

  His cousin, much surprised, asked quickly, "Who's the ancient mariner?"And his sister, more surprised, asked timidly, "What's the ancientmariner?"

  Then the eldest, much elated, asked derisively, "Why, don't you know?"And then he said, instructively: "He's been about here for ever so longa time; but he went away last year, and I haven't seen him for a greatwhile. He's the most wonderful man you ever saw,--tells such splendidstories,--all about shipwrecks, pirates, savages, Chinamen, bear-hunts,bull-fights, and everything else that you can think of. I call him the'Ancient Mariner,' but that isn't his right name. He's Captain Hardy;but he looks like an ancient mariner, as he is, and I got the name outof a book. Some of the fellows call him 'Old Father Neptune.'"

  "What a funny name!" cried Fred.

  "What do they call him Father Neptune for?" inquired Alice.

  "Because," answered William, looking very wise,--"because, you know,Neptune, he's god of the sea, and Captain Hardy looks just like thepictures of him in the story-books. That's why they call him Old FatherNeptune."

  By this time the old man had come quite near, and William, suddenlyleaving his companions, dashed ahead to meet him.

  "O Captain Hardy, I'm so glad to see you!" exclaimed the little fellow,as he rushed upon him. "Where did you come from? Where have you been solong? How are you? Quite well, I hope,"--and he grasped the old man'shand with both his own, and shook it heartily.

  "Well, my lad," replied the old man, kindly, "I'm right glad to see you,and will be right glad to answer all your questions, if you'll let themoff easy like, and not all in a broadside"; and as they walked on up thepath together, William's questions were answered to his entiresatisfaction.

  Then they came presently to Fred and Alice, who were introduced byWilliam, very much to the delight of Fred; but Alice was inclined to bea little frightened, until the strange old man spoke to her in such agentle way that it banished all timidity; and then, taking the handwhich he held out to her, she trudged on beside him, happy and pleasedas she could be.

  The party were not long in reaching the gate leading up to the house ofWilliam's father. A large old-fashioned country-house it was, standingamong great tall trees, a good way up from the high-road; and Williamasked his friend to come up with them and see his father, "he will be sodelighted"; but the old man said he "would call and see Mr. Earnest someother time; now he must be hurrying home."

  "But this isn't your way home, Captain Hardy,--is it?" exclaimedWilliam, much surprised. "Why, I thought you lived away down below thevillage."

  "So I did once," replied the old man; "that is, when I lived anywhereat all; but you see I've got a new home now, and a snug one too. Lookdown there where the smoke curls up among the trees,--that's from mykitchen."

  "But," said William, "that's Mother Podger's house where the smoke is."

  "So it was once, my lad," answered the old man; "but it's mine now; forI've bought it, and paid for it too; and now I mean to quit roamingabout the world, and to settle down there for the remainder of my days.You must all come down and see me; and, if you do, I'll give you a sailin my boat."

  "O, won't that be grand!" exclaimed William; and Fred and Alice bothsaid it would be "grand"; and then they all put a bold front on, andasked the old man if he wouldn't take them to see the boat now, theywould like _so_ much to see it.

  "Certainly I will," answered the old man. "Come along,"--and he led theway over the slope down to the little bay where the boat was lying.

  "There she is!" exclaimed he, when the boat came in view. "Isn't she asnug craft? She rides the water just like a duck,"--whereupon thechildren all declared that they had never, in all their lives, seenanything so pretty, and that "a duck could not ride the water half sowell."

  It was, indeed, a very beautiful little boat, or rather yacht, with acosey little cabin in the centre, and space enough behind and outside ofit for four persons to sit quite comfortably. The yacht had but onemast, and was painted white, both inside and out, with only the faintestred streak running all the way around its sides, just a little way abovethe water-line.

  Captain Hardy (for that was the old man's proper name and title, andtherefore we will give it to him) now drew his little yacht close in toa little wharf that he had made, and the children stepped into it, andran through the cosey cabin, which was but very little higher than theirheads, and had crimson cushions all along its sides to sit down upon.These crimson cushions were the lids of what the Captain called his"lockers,"--boxes where he kept his little "traps." In this little cabinthere was the daintiest little stove, on which the Captain said theymight cook something when they went out sailing.

  When they had finished looking at the yacht, they jumped ashore again,and then, after securing the craft of which he was so proud, the Captaintook the children to his house. It was a cunning little house, thishouse of the Captain's. It was only one story high, and it was as whiteand clean as a new table-cloth, while the window-shutters were as greenas the grass that grew around it. Tall trees surrounded it on everyside, making shade for the Captain when the sun shone, and music for theCaptain when the wind blew. In front there was a quaint porch, allcovered over with honeysuckles, smelling sweet, and near by, in acluster of trees, there was a rustic arbor, completely covered up withvines and flowers. Starting from the front of the house, a path woundamong the trees down to the little bay where lay the yacht; and on theleft-hand side of this path, as you went down, a spring of pure watergurgled up into the bright air, underneath a rich canopy of ferns andwild-flowers.

  William was much surprised to find that this house, which everybody knewas "Mother Podger's house," should now really belong to Captain Hardy;and he said so.

  "You'd hardly know it, would you, since I've fixed it up, and made itship-shape like?" said the Captain. "I've done it nearly all myself too.And now what do you think I've called it?"

  The children said they could never guess,--to save their lives, theynever could.

  "I call it 'Mariner's Rest,'" said the Captain.

  "O, how beautiful! and so appropriate!" exclaimed William; and Fred andAlice chimed in and said the same.

  "And now," went on the Captain, "You must steer your course for the'Mariner's Rest' again,--right soon, too, and the old man will be gladto see you."

  "Thank you, Captain Hardy," answered William, with a bow. "If we get ourparents' leave, we'll come to-morrow, if that will not too much troubleyou."

  "It will not trouble me at all," replied the Captain. "Let it be fouro'clock, then,--come at four o'clock. That will suit me perfectly; andit may be that I'll have," continued he, "a bit of a story or two totell you. Besides, I think I promised something of the kind before toWilliam,
when I came home this time twelvemonth ago. Do you remember it,my lad?"

  William said he remembered it well, and his eyes opened wide withpleasure and surprise.

  "Now what is it?" inquired the Captain, thoughtfully. "Was it a storyabout the hot regions, or the cold regions? for you see things don'tstick in my memory now as they used to."

  "It was about the cold regions, that I'm sure of," replied William; "foryou said you would tell me the story you told Bob Benton and DickSavery,--something, you know, about your being _'cast away in thecold,'_ as Dick Savery said you called it."

  "Ah, yes, that's it, that's it," exclaimed the old man, as if recallingthe occasion when he had made the promise with much pleasure. "Iremember it very well. I promised to tell you how I first came to go tosea, and what happened to me when I got there. Eh? That was it, Ithink."

  "That was exactly it, only you said you were 'cast away in the cold,'"said William.

  "No matter for that, my lad," replied the Captain, with a knowinglook,--"no matter for that. If you know how a story's going to end, itspoils the telling of it, don't you see? Consider that I didn't get castaway, in short, that you know nothing of what happened to me, only thatI went to sea, and leave the rest to turn up as we go along. And now,good-day to all of you, my dears. Come down to-morrow, and we'll havethe story, and maybe a sail, if the wind's fair and weather fine,--atany rate, the story."

  The children were probably the happiest children that were ever seen, asthey turned about for home, showering thanks upon the Captain with suchtremendous earnestness that he was forced in self-defence to cry,"Enough, enough! run home, and say no more."