to think of turning
homeward. But this was a very different proposition. The wind was dead
against us and to try to tack from side to side of the road was useless,
because we would hardly get under way on one tack before we had to swing
around on the other tack, losing all our momentum. It ended up by our
lowering sail and ignominiously trundling the yacht back to school.
After that we carefully selected our course, and never sailed away from
home before the wind unless we knew of a roundabout way that would lead
us back to port on a couple of reaches (long tacks).

CHAPTER XX.

EASTER VACATION.

Just before Easter that year Bill's Aunt Dorothy invited him to spend
Eastertide with her and bring along his roommate. I accepted the
invitation with alacrity. Bill had once spent a whole summer at his
aunt's home, and when we arrived there he had many old haunts to visit.
We spent the first day rambling through the woods, in the hills and back
of the house.

BILL'S CAVE.

He introduced me to a cave which he believed was known to only two other
boys, both of whom had since moved to New York city. The mouth of the
cave was almost closed by a large boulder that had lodged in front of
it. We had to climb to the top of this rock, and then letting ourselves
down with a rope we slid down the sloping rear face of the boulder into
a crevice in the rocks. Then after squirming under a ledge we emerged
into a large chamber, which appeared to be as dark as night after our
sudden entrance from the outer light.

[Illustration: Fig 226. Sliding Down into the Cave.]

Bill lighted a candle which projected from a chink in the wall. By its
light I saw that there was a pool in the center of the cave fed from a
spring at one point. From the pool the water trickled off into a tiny
stream to the mouth of the cave, where it was lost in a crack in the
rocks. The water was ice cold and clear as crystal. Around the pool were
several chairs and a table made by Bill and his two friends. That was
evidently where Bill had gotten his idea of a subterranean club.

THE BARREL STAVE HAMMOCK.

[Illustration: Fig. 227. The Barrel Stave Hammock.]

[Illustration: Fig. 228. Tying the Staves Together.]

Hanging between a couple of projecting rocks was a hammock made of
barrel staves. The hammock was a very simple affair, made by drilling a
1-inch hole in each end of each barrel stave. The staves were then
connected by two ropes on each side