nt to Parkville, and procured a long spruce pole, to which
the blacksmith attached a hook. Without much difficulty the ballast
was hoisted out of the sunken craft, and obedient to the law of
gravitation, she came to the surface. We towed her to a bank of the
lake in the town, near the shop of a wheelwright, who promised to
have her repaired in a few hours. One of the ribs was snapped off, and
six of the "streaks" stove in. We hauled her up on the shore, and got
the water out of her; and the wheelwright went to work upon her at
once, assisted by his journeyman.

I had regarded the Splash as a lost boat; and I was delighted with my
success in raising her, and with the prospect of having her again as
good as new; for the wheelwright assured me she was not materially
injured in her timbers. The result of this enterprise rather inflated
my spirits, and not without good reason; for, as I was now to take
care of myself, it had already occurred to me that I could make money
enough to support me by boating--for there were always residents and
strangers enough in the town who wanted to sail to afford me a good
business for at least three months in the year.

"Now, Ernest," said Bob Hale, who had embarked with me in my row-boat,
"how shall we get the crowd, the tents, and the provisions over to
Cleaver Island?"

"I don't think it is a very big job," I replied.

"I do. Of course Parasyte will prevent us from going if he can," said
he.

"Too many cooks will spoil the broth," I added. "You want a leader, or
captain, who shall manage the affair."

"We will choose you."

"No; I decline at the outset. I don't want the credit of being the
ringleader in this scrape after what has happened."

"What do you say to the parson?" asked he.

"Capital!"

We consulted the students in the other boat, and they agreed to this
selection. Both boats then pulled to the pier at the Institute. As we
approached, all the rebels gathered around us. Bob Hale immediately
called them to order, and made a brief statement of the necessity of
the hour, and then nominated Henry Vallington as leader of the
enterprise. He was unanimously elected, and somewhat to my surprise he
accepted.

"Fellow-students," said the parson, in accepting the position, "if I
didn't feel that every decent fellow in the Institute had been
outraged and insulted by the conduct of the principal, I wouldn't
have anything to do with such an affair as this. I want you all to
und