The Adventure Club Afloat | Page 4

aboard."
"I once sailed a knockabout," said Perry.
"And I had a great-grandfather who was a sea captain," offered Joe
encouragingly. "What price great-grandfather?"
"Don't see where your grandfather and Perry's grandmother come into
this," replied Steve. "How would it do if we gathered up two or three
other fellows? The Cockatoo will accommodate six."
"Who could we get?" asked Joe dubiously.
"Neil Fairleigh, for one."
"How about Han?" offered Joe.
"Hanford always wants to boss everything," objected Perry.
"He knows boats, though, and so does Neil," said Steve. "And they're
both good fellows. That would make five of us, and five isn't too many.
We can't afford to hire a cook, you know; at least, I can't; and someone
will have to look after that end of it. Who can cook?"
"I can't!" Perry made the disclaimer with great satisfaction.
"No more can I," said Joe cheerfully. "Let Neil be cook."
"I guess we'll all have to take a try at it. I dare say any of us can fry an
egg and make coffee; and you can buy almost everything ready to eat
nowadays."

"Tell you who's a whale of a cook," said Perry eagerly. "That's Ossie
Brazier. Remember the time we camped at Mirror Lake last Spring?
Remember the flapjacks he made? M-mm!"
"I didn't go," said Steve. "What sort of a chap is Brazier? I don't know
him very well."
"Well, Oscar's one of the sort who will do anything just as long as he
thinks he doesn't have to," replied Joe. "If we could get him to come
along and tell him that he--um--simply must not ask to do the cooking,
why--there you are!"
"Merely a matter of diplomacy," laughed Steve. "Well, we might have
Brazier instead of Hanford--or Neil."
"Why not have them all if the boat will hold six?" asked Joe. "Seems to
me the more we have the less each of us will have to do. I mean," he
continued above the laughter, "that--um--a division of labour--"
"We get you," said Perry. "But, say, I wish you'd stop talking about it,
fellows. I'm going to be disappointed when I wake up and find it's only
a bright and gaudy dream."
"It isn't a dream," answered Steve, "unless you say so. I'll go, and I'll
guarantee to get the Cockatoo without expense other than the cost of
running her. If you and Joe can get your folks to let you come, and we
can get hold of, say, two other decent chaps to fill the crew, why, we'll
do it!"
"Do you honestly mean it?" demanded Perry incredulously. "Gee, I'll
get permission if I have to--to go without it!"
"How about you, Joe?"
"Um--I guess I could manage it. How long would we be gone?"
"A month. Two, if you like. Start the first of July, or as soon after as
possible, and get back in August."

"How much would it cost us?" inquired Perry. "I'm not a millionaire
like you chaps."
"Wouldn't want to say offhand. We'd have to figure that. That's another
reason for filling the boat up, though. The more we have the less
everyone's share of the expense will be."
"Let's have the whole six, then, for money's scarce in my family these
days. Let's make it a club, fellows. The Club of Six, or something of
that sort. It sounds fine!"
"Take in another fellow and call it The Lucky Seven," suggested Joe.
"We might not be lucky, though," laughed Steve. "I'll tell you a better
name."
"Shoot!"
"The Adventure Club."
CHAPTER II
THE CLUB GROWS
And that is the way in which it happened. It began in fun and ended
quite seriously. They sat up in Number 17 Sumner until long after
bedtime that night, figuring the cost of the expedition, planning the
cruise, even listing supplies. The more they talked about it the more
their enthusiasm grew. Perry was for having Steve send a night
message then and there to his father asking for the boat, but Steve
preferred to wait until he reached home and make the request by word
of mouth.
"He would just think I was fooling or crazy if I telegraphed," he
explained. "Tomorrow we'll try to dig up three other fellows to go
along, and then, as soon as we all get home, we'll find out whether our
folks will stand for it. You must all telegraph me the first thing. Don't
wait to write, because I must know as soon as possible. I dare say

there's work to be done on the Cockatoo before she's ready for the
water, and we don't want to have to wait around until the end of July.
The fun of doing anything is to do it right off. If you wait you lose half
the pleasure. Now