The Voyage of the Hoppergrass

The Voyage of the Hoppergrass

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Pearson)
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Title: The Voyage of the Hoppergrass
Author: Edmund Lester Pearson
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THE VOYAGE OF THE HOPPERGRASS
BY EDMUND LESTER PEARSON
AUTHOR OF "THE BELIEVING YEARS"

TO PHILIP RICHARDSON PEARSON
Dear Philip,--
This is the book you have asked me about,--once or twice. You
remember "The Believing Years," don't you? That was a book about
some boys I knew, and although it was written for grown-up readers,
there were boys--yourself amongst them--who claimed to have read it.
This story is about boys and men. There are two kinds of pirates in it.
One kind is for readers from about eight years old to, say, sixteen. The
other kind is recommended from sixteen up to ninety- seven, or eight.
There are other things beside the pirates, of course.
It would do no harm, I think, after you have read the book, to let your
Father try it. And if Elizabeth and Katharine think they would like it,
why, give them 'a chance to find out. That is an advantage girls have
over us,--they usually like our books, while we seldom care very much
for theirs. I have sent Constance a copy, so you will not have to lend
this one to her.
Your uncle,
EDMUND LESTER PEARSON
July 28, 1913
(The anniversary of the sailing of the "Hoppergrass.")

CONTENTS
I. THE BEGINNING OF THE VOYAGE II. A MAN ON A DESERT
ISLAND III. THE LAST OF THE PIRATES IV. WELL BURIED
TREASURE V. MIDNIGHT BURGLARS VI. WE ARE OFFERED
LODGINGS VII. BUT WE DECIDE TO GO VIII. HUNTING THE
HOPPERGRASS IX. THE GOLD COMPANY X. MR. SNIDER XI.
PIRATES IN TROUBLE XII. THE VOYAGE BEGINS AGAIN

THE VOYAGE OF THE HOPPERGRASS

CHAPTER I
THE BEGINNING OF THE VOYAGE
It was a lucky thing that the "Hoppergrass" was a large boat. When we
started there were only four of us,--counting Captain Bannister. But we
kept picking up passengers--unexpected ones-- until the Captain said
"we'd have the whole County on board." It was not as bad as that, but
we were glad before we came home again, that we had a comfortable
cabin, with plenty of sleeping room.
She was a big, white cat-boat, with her name in gilt letters on the stern.
On the day when our voyage began she lay quietly at anchor, well out
toward the middle of the river. It was still early,--shortly after five of a
morning in July. The river was quiet, with only one or two boats
moving,--as quiet as the streets of the town through which we had
walked on our way to the wharf. There had been a shower just before
daylight, and this had discouraged us a little, but now the sun was
coming through the clouds, and there were white spirals of mist rising
from the water. Across the river, on Fisher's Island, two or three men
were moving about their dories, and smoke poured steadily from the
chimneys of the houses. A man's head looked out of the cabin of the
"Hoppergrass."
"There's someone on board her," said Jimmy Toppan.

"Yes," replied Captain Bannister, "it's Clarence. He's havin' some
breakfast, I guess. He helped me bring her up river last night, and he
slept on board. He aint goin' with us, but he'll help us with this stuff."
Then he shouted: "Hey! Clarence!"
The "Hoppergrass" was Captain Bannister's boat,--he had just bought
her. He did not like the name,