The Launch Boys' Cruise in the Deerfoot

In Short

Edward Sylvester Ellis delivers a breezy 1912 coastal adventure following Alvin Landon, his chum Chester Haynes, and their irrepressible Irish companion, Mike Murphy. When Alvin’s father buys him the high-speed motorboat Deerfoot, the boys look forward to a summer cruising the Kennebec River and the bays around Southport. Their idyllic vacation takes a sharp turn after a late-night assault by mysterious strangers leads to the theft of their vessel, a wild goose chase across local islands, and an accidental kidnapping by a local constable. Ellis's tale endures through its vivid maritime setting and buoyant camaraderie.

The Story

The adventure begins on a soft summer night when seventeen-year-old Alvin Landon is ambushed by two unknown assailants while walking home through a dark pine forest near Southport, Maine. With the unexpected arrival of Mike Murphy—a quick-tempered, fiercely loyal Irish youth—the attackers are driven off. The fleeing culprits leave behind only a bruised nose, a black eye, and a fine summer hat bearing the unusual name "O Noxon." Grateful for Mike’s brave intervention, Alvin intervenes to save the lad from a woodshed thrashing by his father, inviting Mike to join him and his friend Chester Haynes as first mate aboard Alvin’s brand-new gasoline launch, the Deerfoot.

What begins as a pleasant fortnight of cruising the Maine inlets quickly turns into a high-stakes mystery. While the boys are enjoying lunch near an old blockhouse, bold thieves cast off the Deerfoot and speed away toward Sheepscot Bay. The loss sets off a chaotic sequence of events. Mike impulsively takes off on foot down the shoreline to race the twenty-mile-per-hour boat, while Alvin and Chester cross toward Wiscasset to alert the authorities. Along the road, the duo is wrongfully arrested by a bumbling local constable who mistakes their matching yachting suits for the attire worn by a gang of post office robbers active in the region. Fortunately, a prominent local acquaintance, Keyes Richards, happens by in his automobile and laughs the mortified officer into releasing them.

Determined to recover the launch, Alvin and Chester track leads across the archipelago, navigating Barter, Hodgdon, and Sawyer Islands. Along the way, they cross paths with a mysterious, quiet man in a gray suit carrying a small handbag, who seems to appear wherever they go. They also find warm hospitality at the home of eighty-two-year-old Ben Trotwood and his mute wife, Peggy.

Meanwhile, Mike’s independent search leads to his own series of mishaps. Reunited with the stolen boat, the well-meaning but inexperienced mate takes the Deerfoot on an unauthorized night cruise to sea. Completely ignorant of federal motorboat lighting laws and navigation signals, Mike runs the craft out of gasoline, drifts into the Atlantic, and ends up stranded on a barren, rocky islet.

Back in town, Alvin and Chester discover the empty, drifting Deerfoot and fear their friend has drowned. Their grief transforms into pure joy when they spot the marooned Mike dancing frantic jigs on the rocks to catch their attention. After a triumphant rescue and a heartwarming family reunion at the Murphy cottage, the boys return home to find a final surprise: the enigmatic man in gray is waiting in Alvin’s library to deliver a startling revelation.

How It Unfolds

The midnight scuffle Walking home through a pitch-dark pine forest near Southport, Alvin Landon is set upon by two unknown thugs. The sudden, noisy arrival of young Mike Murphy scatters the attackers, leaving behind a clue in the form of a lost summer hat stamped with the name "O Noxon."

A launch and a new crew Alvin saves Mike from a household punishment by asking his parents to lend the Irish youth for the summer. Joining Alvin and his constant companion Chester Haynes, Mike is triumphantly appointed first mate of the shiny new motorboat Deerfoot.

Stolen from the moorings While the three friends are eating lunch onshore near an old fort, unknown thieves cast off the Deerfoot and start the engine. Mike recklessly tries to outrun the swift boat on foot down the rocky coast, separating himself from his companions.

Arrested on suspicion Pursuing their missing boat, Alvin and Chester are flagged down and placed under arrest by a overzealous constable. The officer mistakes the youths for a criminal gang wanted for local post office robberies, until a mutual friend intervenes to clear up the ridiculous error.

Islands and enigmatic strangers Tracking the boat's trail across Barter and Sawyer Islands, the boys repeatedly encounter a silent man in a gray suit carrying a handbag. The lads take shelter with an eccentric eighty-two-year-old elder named Ben Trotwood and his silent wife, who feed them a hearty feast.

Adrift and marooned Mike manages to locate the boat on his own but takes it on an unauthorized night cruise, completely unaware of maritime lighting rules. The engine runs out of fuel, leaving him to drift onto a desolate ocean islet where he faces the prospect of starvation.

The cry across the waters Alvin and Chester locate the drifting, empty Deerfoot and fear the worst, assuming their mate has drowned. Relief arrives when they spot Mike jumping and shouting frantically from the rocks of a nearby islet, leading to a joyful rescue and a mystery visitor at home.

The People

• Alvin Landon: A courageous, level-headed seventeen-year-old youth and the proud owner of the gasoline launch Deerfoot. He serves as the thoughtful leader of the trio, using his quick wits to navigate lost boats, suspicious officers, and treacherous currents.
• Chester Haynes: Alvin’s steadfast chum and second mate. Pragmatic and observant, he balances Alvin's quick instincts and serves as a reliable partner throughout the wild search across the Maine coastline.
• Mike Murphy: A warm-hearted, fiercely loyal, and hot-tempered Irish lad appointed as the Deerfoot's first mate. His total lack of maritime knowledge and reckless habit of acting before thinking propel much of the story's trouble, though his deep devotion to Alvin makes him indispensable.
• The Man in Gray: A secretive stranger carrying a small handbag who repeatedly crosses paths with the boys across various islands and steamboat landings, ultimately reappearing in Alvin’s own living room.
• Ben Trotwood: An eccentric, spry eighty-two-year-old islander living on Barter Island who proudly boasts of his booming singing voice and offers warm hospitality to the searching boys.

In Its Own Voice

"I overheerd ivery word that was said, Captain, and it's Mike Murphy that's thankful for yer kindness. I'm wid ye to the ind."

Mike eagerly accepts his role as first mate after Alvin convinces his parents to let him join their summer motorboat expeditions.

"So you took those two youngsters for burglars of the post office at Rockledge! The joke is on you, Gabe, and I'll make sure all your friends hear of it. Haw! haw! haw!"

Keyes Richards thoroughly enjoys the sight of a local constable arresting Alvin and Chester under the mistaken belief that their yachting outfits mark them as infamous criminals.

"I would display a flag of distriss on the top of a pole, if it warn't fur two raisons. The first is I haven't any pole to erict on these rocks, and the ither is that I'd have to use me own clothes for the flag, which the same would be apt to drive away all hilp."

Stranded alone on a rocky islet in the ocean, Mike maintains his humorous perspective while trying to figure out how to signal passing ships.

What It's Really About

Beneath its swift-moving coastal adventure, The Launch Boys' Cruise in the Deerfoot explores themes of boyhood loyalty, class crossing, and self-reliance. Edward Sylvester Ellis contrasts the privileged background of Alvin Landon with the humble, rough-and-tumble domestic life of the Murphy family, showing how mutual respect and brave action instantly bridge social gaps.

The narrative tests the physical and moral maturity of its young heroes. It highlights how sudden crises—a stolen vessel, an unjust arrest, or a friend lost at sea—require calm resourcefulness rather than panicked action. The book also captures the dawn of early twentieth-century leisure technology, examining how new inventions like gasoline motorboats and automobiles expanded the horizons of youth while bringing unexpected responsibilities and legal rules to navigate.

Why Read It Today

Modern readers looking for a crisp, nostalgic getaway will find much to admire in this 1912 adventure. Ellis writes with clean, uncomplicated prose that paints an authentic picture of coastal Maine’s islands, steamboats, and pine forests long before the modern highway era. The chemistry between the disciplined Alvin and the wildly impulsive Mike provides genuine humor that keeps the plot moving at a brisk clip.

Readers should be prepared for period conventions common to early twentieth-century juvenile fiction. Mike Murphy’s dialogue is written in a heavily stylized, turn-of-the-century Irish dialect ("spalpeen," "howld on," "begorrah") that can take a few pages to adjust to. Additionally, the plot reflects the episodic structure of serial adventure books of its era, concluding with a deliberate cliffhanger designed to push readers directly into the next installment. Yet for those who appreciate classic maritime mysteries, vintage nautical lore, and unpretentious tales of steadfast friendship, this cruise through Maine's historic waterways remains an endearing and entertaining voyage.