Page:Bedford-Jones--Boy Scouts of the Air at Cape Peril.djvu/55

This page has been validated.
At Cape Peril
53

sent him yelping back up the ladder and Legs was more than avenged.

Hardy kept a close eye on the swimmers, taking an occasional header himself, until they all had their fill of fun and salt water and wended their way back to Seagulls' Nest.

Seven o'clock, the time set for Hardy's promised jamboree, finally arrived. A royal feast was the preliminary—spots and hogfish, ham and celery, vegetables to match, and the most savory plum pudding that a boy ever ate. Even after all this, the chinks had to be filled up with nuts and candy.

Stuffed but happy, the party started the rough-house. There was a jew's-harp performance by Turner, and a guitar offering by Hardy, with a breakdown chorus. Then, as soon as digestion permitted, Legs and Jimmy staged a boxing bout that threw the spectators into a roar. A mock jujutsu exhibition by Cat, with Legs as the victim, was next on the program, which ended with a minstrel show in which the whole establishment participated. Of this last, Luke was easily the star.

Finally, as the evening wore on to the end,