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The raft drew beyond the middle of the river; the boys pointed her head right, and then lay on their oars.

The river was not high, so there was not more than a two or three mile current. Hardly a word was
said during the next three-quarters of an hour. Now the raft was passing before the distant town. Two or three glimmering lights showed where it lay, peacefully sleeping, beyond the vague vast sweep of star-gemmed water, unconscious of the tremendous event that was happening.

• The Black Avenger stood still with folded arms, “looking his last” upon
• the scene of his former joys and his later sufferings, and wishing
• “she” could see him now, abroad on the wild sea, facing peril and death with dauntless heart, going to his doom with a grim smile on his lips. It was but a small strain on his imagination to remove Jackson Island
• beyond eyeshot of the village, and so he “looked his last” with a
• broken and satisfied heart. The other pirates were looking their last
• too; and they all looked so long that they came near letting the

current drift them out of the range of the island. But they discovered the danger in time, and made shift to avert it. About two oclock in the morning the raft grounded on the bar two hundred yards above the head of the island, and they waded back and forth until they had landed their freight.

Part of the little raft belongings consisted of an old sail, and this they spread over a nook in the bushes for a tent to shelter their provisions; but they themselves would sleep in the open air in good weather, as became outlaws.

1. They built a fire against the side of a great log twenty or thirty
2. steps within the sombre depths of the forest, and then cooked some
3. bacon in the frying-pan for supper, and used up half of the corn “pone”
4. stock they had brought. It seemed glorious sport to be feasting in that
5. wild, free way in the virgin forest of an unexplored and uninhabited
6. island, far from the haunts of men, and they said they never would
7. return to civilization. The climbing fire lit up their faces and threw
8. its ruddy glare upon the pillared tree-trunks of their forest temple,
9. and upon the varnished foliage and festooning vines.

When the last crisp slice of bacon was gone, and the last allowance of corn pone devoured, the boys stretched themselves out on the grass, filled with contentment. They could have found a cooler place, but they would not deny themselves such a romantic feature as the roasting camp-fire.

Chasing musical legends in Joshua Tree National Park

The wide opens spaces, accommodating inns and restaurants, and the echoes of Gram Parsons draw them to the desert each year. But during this visit, a lively 3-year-old is in the mix.

Reporting from Twentynine Palms — Typically, we go to the desert at least once a year. We love the expansive space, several of the inns and restaurants and, of course, the otherworldly foliage of Joshua Tree National Park. We also enjoy the musical legacy of Gram Parsons, the former Byrd who overdosed in Joshua Tree in 1973, at age 26, after virtually inventing the alt-country movement that would blossom two decades later. We feel these echoes and others — the twangy music, the lands natural contours, the local cuisine — when were there.
But this year, my wife, Sara — a former music journalist — and I had one complication: our eager but mischievous son. Ian is no more difficult than the typical 3-year-old boy, but he loves life so unambiguously that he can be hard to corral. Traveling with a toddler is a whole different ballgame: We figured some things would be better, some things worse, but we did know quite how it would all work out.

BP debt rating is cut as gulf oil leak costs mount

Moodys Investors Service and Fitch Ratings reduce their credit ratings for the oil giant, which estimates the cleanup and containment could cost it $3 billion.Some oil industry analysts say BP might have to sell assets to pay for efforts to stop the Gulf of Mexico oil leak, including the drilling of a relief well, above, and clean up the mess. Others say the company has enough cash to foot the bill. BP is becoming the new pariah of the oil industry and faces the possibility of having to sell assets if it cant show some success in the coming weeks at stemming the flow of crude into the Gulf of Mexico, Wall Street analysts and energy experts say.

The fallout from the deadly Deepwater Horizon drilling rig explosion in April continued Thursday, when credit rating firms Moodys Investors Service and Fitch Ratings reduced their assessments of BPs long-term debt.Fitch cut the oil giant to AA from AA-plus, citing the potential for civil and criminal charges and saying “risks to both BPs business and financial profile continue to increase.Fitch estimated that the company could spend as much as $3 billion on cleanup and containment this year. The federal government Thursday sent BP its first bill covering oil-spill response costs so far, totaling $69 million.

Moodys lowered BP to AA2 from AA1 and put it on review, which might lead to another downgrade. Moodys said costs related to the protracted oil leak will “weigh significantly” on BPs cash and “constrain its ability to focus on other key areas of the company business.

Philadelphia Folk Festival

The hills of Schwenksville, Pennsylvania come alive every summer when music legends like Arlo Guthrie, Pete Seeger and Richie Havens share the sunlight at this festival of folk music and dance in the green valley of Schwenksville´s Old Poole Farm.

This year´s 48th annual festival features such notable acts as Adrien Reju, the Del McCoury Band and Iron and Wine, among others. All told, the festival features more than 75 hours of great folk music and more than 60 talented musicians.

Join thousands of people sprawled out on the hillside as you sing along, clap or just enjoy the music that fills the pastoral landscape. Five stages operate simultaneously, and daytime showcase concerts feature an array of exciting new performers.

Music is everywhere – from late-night singalongs, to bonfires in the festival campgrounds, to parking lot pickers having their own impromptu jam sessions. Don´t miss it!

History

The festival, which is produced and run by volunteers and sponsored by the non-profit Philadelphia Folksong Society, has been bringing world-class folk music to the area for nearly 50 years, and many music fans plan their vacations around the event.

The Philadelphia Folksong Society, the premiere folk organization in the greater Philadelphia region, is known nationally and internationally for producing the famous festival. It offers a wealth of member benefits, including Free House Concerts and Workshops and Sings as well as discounts to many other events.

COME PREPARED

Tickets range in price according to length of stay at the event, and you get a discount if you buy them in advance.

DON´t MISS

A mind-boggling craft show, which offer demonstrations as well as merchandise. And if you´re up for a fun weekend of camping, check out the special free concert in the campground Thursday night, which is only open to Festival Camping ticket holders.
Outsider Tip

Prominent artists like Bob Dylan, Tommy Smothers and Bonnie Raitt have shown up unannounced at the festival so look out for familiar stars.

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