Otis James
A Runaway Brig: or, An Accidental Cruise
CHAPTER XXVIII.
SHORE LIFE
The little party on the beach remained as if spell-bound while the fire destroyed what seemed like the last link which bound them to home. The only sounds to be heard, save the roaring of the flames, were when a deep, quivering sigh came from Walter's lips, or Joe gave vent to a suppressed groan.
The fire leaped and danced as if in fiendish glee, devouring the wood-work of the Sea Bird, and warping the machinery beyond all further usefulness, until there was no longer anything above water for it to feed upon. Then slowly, with many a protesting hiss and puff of steam, it gradually died away, the last smouldering ember expiring in less than two hours from the discovery of the danger.
Nothing was left of what had been a jaunty little craft save the blackened lines which marked the position of the hull lying in six feet of water.
When all was over and the smoke no longer arose, Bob said with an evident effort:
"Well, lads, we're what you might call shipwrecked at last, though it jes' the same as took two good vessels an' a tug to finish us up. Whinin' won't do any good, an' we've got to make some kind of a start at buildin' a hut, for we're here till a craft puts in by mistake an' takes us off."
"I'm the one to blame for this last disaster," Joe said moodily. "Nobody but a fool would have left a roaring fire in the galley without so much as looking at it now and then!"
"Don't go to kickin' up a fuss with yourself," Bob said soothingly. "We all know it was an accident, for you set even more by the steamer than we did. What puzzles me, though, is how it could 'a' happened, no matter how much fire there was."
"In order to heat the iron I took off the top of the stove and opened the entire front. On leaving I paid no attention to closing it, and of course some of the coals must have fallen out."
"We was rich once, anyhow," Jim said with a sigh. "It's too bad we worked so hard to get the gold aboard, for it didn't have a chance to do us any good."
"Jes' about this time grub is worth more to us than all the money pirates ever saw!" Bob replied quite sharply, as if realizing the necessity of arousing his companions from their unavailing sorrow. "We've got a tidy bit of work that must be done between this an' sunset, an' it's time we were beginning."
As he spoke he went up the beach a short distance, to where the raft had grounded in twelve inches of water, and began to unload her, carrying the goods beyond the line of sand to the edge of the thicket.
He was not allowed to labor alone but a few moments. The others were soon at his side, working with a will; and this necessary exertion was most beneficial, since it prevented the little party from dwelling on their misfortunes.
The awning was among the articles saved from the steamer, and the first task after the raft had been unloaded was to set this up as a tent in the same place where the red-nosed man and his companions had encamped. Then it was necessary to build a fire-place, bring all the goods from the shore, and stow the perishable articles under the canvas, where they would not be destroyed in case of a storm.
In order to complete this work before sunset it was essential that each member of the party should do his best regardless of fatigue, and when the task was finished, just as the sun began to descend beyond the horizon, the boys were so nearly exhausted that Bob said:
"Crawl under the tent and lay down. I'll see to what little cookin' we've got on hand, an' it shall be your watch below till mornin'."
The canvas had been fastened to four trees in such a manner as to form a shed-like roof, and while it would be of but little service in event of a heavy storm, it afforded sufficient shelter to protect the homeless ones from the dew and the sun; therefore until the weather changed it was all that could be desired.
The question of food was the most disheartening and caused Bob no slight amount of anxiety. They had saved only such articles as chanced to be on deck. A round of pork which Jim brought from the fore-peak and left under the awning, quite by accident, when he was preparing for the voyage in the yawl; half a dozen pounds of ship's-biscuit from the cabin-locker; a sheet of corn-bread which, together with a jug of molasses, the workmen had taken from the galley to serve as lunch, and about a peck of potatoes, made up the total amount of provisions for five people until aid in some form should come.
There was barely enough for two days' consumption, and no one knew better than Bob how long a time might elapse before a vessel approached near enough to be signaled.
This was the one thought in his mind as he built a small fire and broiled a limited number of slices cut from the pork, while Joe was busily engaged stowing the last of their belongings under the canvas.
"It's a case of turtle-huntin' to-morrow, I reckon," he said grimly as the engineer, having arranged the goods to his satisfaction, threw himself on the grass near the fire. "It'll be mighty short rations for all hands unless we look sharp."
"There ought to be plenty of fish in the cove," Joe replied after a moment's thought. "I'll make something that'll serve as a hook, and the boys can spend their time on the raft. There are oysters here, most likely; and if the Bonita struck the shoal anywhere near, something eatable may have been washed ashore."
"I hadn't thought of that!" and Bob's face brightened as he spoke. "You an' I will take a trip around the key in the mornin', an' then perhaps things will look more cheerful. I reckon we're all tired enough to sleep to-night, but from the next sunrise somebody must be on watch for a sail every hour. It's the only chance we've got now of ever leavin' this blessed place."
"Then send Walter out on the point after breakfast. For the next few days standing watch will be the lightest work, an' he, being the smallest, should have the softest job."
"I guess that's about the way we'll fix things," Bob replied as he laid the last slice of smoked and blackened pork on a broad leaf. "Let's have supper an' turn in, so's to be on deck early in the mornin'."
It was not a very palatable meal to which the boys were summoned. A small piece of corn-bread, two ship's-biscuit, and one thick slice of the poor apology for meat was what Bob portioned out to each, and when the unsatisfactory repast was ended all save Joe crawled under the canvas on the two mattresses. He remained by the fire until a rude fish-hook had been fashioned from a stout piece of iron wire, when, joining the others, he also was soon wrapped in the blissful unconsciousness of sleep.
At a very early hour next morning Jim resumed his duties as cook, and the breakfast was even less appetizing than the supper.
Then Bob read the party a short lesson which he thought, and with good reason, they needed:
"Now, my hearties, work is what we all want, to keep us from thinkin' too much of the little steamer that has gone up in smoke, an' there must be a good bit of it unless we're willin' to go hungry. Don't worry about anything, but remember some kind of craft is bound to put in here before long; an' if the gold is frettin' you, why I'm bound to say there's no reason to look on it as lost."
This last remark caused no amount of surprise among his audience, and noting the good effect, he spoke more decidedly:
"The treasure was packed under the ballast, an' before the fire could get anywhere near it the hull must 'a' been full of water. Now, to pull it out ain't much more'n child's play; but it's our duty to lay in a fair stock of grub before tacklin' the job, an' we can work knowin' all hands are as rich as they were before the fire started."
This little speech did a wonderful amount of good. Despite their forlorn and perhaps dangerous position, every member of the party had bewailed the loss of the gold more than any other thing. But now that Bob spoke of recovering it in such a matter-of-fact tone, they suddenly regained all their lost courage, and were ready to begin the labors of the day.
Immediately after being awakened Joe had begun the tedious task of weaving a fishing-line from the strands of the heaving-rope, and by the time Bob concluded his inspiriting speech a cord thirty feet long was completed.
To attach the rudely-fashioned hook and a rock to serve as sinker required only a few moments, and then Jim and Harry had their portion of the work mapped out.
"Use the pork as bait, an' when you've caught fish enough for dinner knock off. We've got nothin' to cure 'em with, an' there's no sense in takin' more'n we can eat at one time. Walter is to stand watch on the north point, an' you can join him when your job is finished."
Then the two men and the boy started off around the shore to the only place on the key from which a passing craft could be seen, and the young fisherman, with some pieces of half-burned planks as oars, sculled the raft out into deep water.
A brisk walk of half an hour was necessary before a sightly spot for the sentinel could be found; and Joe said, as he and Bob continued on around the beach to search for oysters:
"It'll be a bit lonesome here, Walt; but you must do a share of the work. Keep your weather-eye lifting all the time, an' if you see any kind of a craft sing out till we answer."
Walter did feel a trifle nervous at being left alone so far from his companions; but he made a manly effort to appear brave, and said, as the men walked swiftly away:
"Don't trouble yourselves about me. I can stand watch as well as any one else, and if a sail does heave in sight you shall know it."
"That's right, lad; keep up your courage whatever may happen, an' everything will come out ship-shape!" Bob shouted cheerily as he and Joe disappeared around a clump of bushes, leaving Walter alone with the mournful lip, lip, lip of the sea ringing in his ears like a funeral dirge.
CHAPTER XXIX.
PREPARING THE BEACONS
After leaving the sentinel on duty Bob and Joe walked around the shore at a rapid pace, for it was their purpose to explore the island while searching for food and wreckage; and since it would be almost dangerous to remain on the open beach after the sun was high in the heavens, there was really but a few hours during which their investigations could be pursued.
As a matter of course they were eager to get some definite idea of where the Bonita had been stranded in order to know at which point the wreckage would be likely to come ashore, and this information was soon gained. After a brisk walk of half an hour the searchers were at the most northerly end of the key, and directly before them, not more than half a mile from the beach, in a westerly direction, was the wreck.
The gale which had driven the Sea Bird ashore had torn and riven the ill-fated brig until she was little more than a shapeless mass of timbers, and then thrown her high up on the sands, where she presented a mournful-looking spectacle. In every direction could be seen casks, spars, cordage and splintered timbers, some half-buried on the beach, while others dotted the shoals along the west side of the key.
"It will be a good week's work to overhaul all that stuff," Joe said after the two had surveyed the scene of desolation several moments in silence. "There is plenty of material with which to make a flare in case it should be needed."
"That's what we'd better prepare fer before doin' anything else," Bob replied. "Those casks are full of alcohol, an' by rollin' half a dozen to different points along the shore from here to where we left Walter, I reckon we can make sich a show of fireworks that none but a blind crew could get past without seein' us."
"I'm beginning to think vessels don't come this way. We shouldn't have seen a single one since we've been here if that schooner hadn't put in for the express purpose of capturing those men."
"Don't get sich an idee into your head, lad," the old sailor said cheerily. "We're right in the track of traders an' steamers; but this is the wrong season of the year. A month from now you'll see two or three a week."
"That's a long while to wait on short allowance."
"It's way ahead of how we might 'a' been fixed. Now, instead of moonin' 'bout what can't be helped, s'pose we get the casks where they can be used when the right time comes."
Joe's depression was but momentary. He understood quite as well as did his companion the evils of giving way to dismal thoughts when so much depended upon their own efforts, and without further words the task was begun.
To roll the heavy casks over the loose sand was fatiguing, and when the sun climbed so high that the heat became almost unbearable, only three of the barrels were in position. The first of these was at the most northerly point of the island; another had been set on end beyond reach of the tide, two hundred yards south, and the last was about the same distance down the shore.
These could be made ready for lighting in a few seconds, since it was proposed only to knock in the heads, pour out half the contents to prevent the possibility of an explosion, and set fire to the remainder.
"By rollin' thirty or forty casks beyond high-water mark we shall have plenty of fuel in case the first attempt is a failure!" Bob said as they walked down the beach to where Walter was on watch. "There won't be any change in the weather for a week or more, an' in that time we can gather a good stock of alcohol."
When Bob and Joe arrived at the point there was little need of asking if the sentinel had sighted anything resembling a sail, for while working they were able to gain even a more extended view than he, and not so much as a sea-gull's wing could be seen.
Jim and Harry were with Walter, they having accomplished their task in the most satisfactory manner.
"It didn't take ten minutes to catch all we can eat between now an' mornin'!" Jim said in reply to Joe's question. "If the Mary Walker was here she could get a full fare in half a day, for the fish bite like mackerel. Jes' say the word an' I'll roast some now, so we sha'n't have to walk back to the tent."
"Go ahead, lad; an' after the sun gets a little lower we'll take you an' Harry up the beach, where there's considerable work to be done."
Anticipating that his proposition would be accepted, Jim had made ready for the culinary operations to the extent of collecting a goodly supply of fuel, and in less than an hour the little party were feasting on fish roasted in leaves among the hot ashes.
Until about three o'clock they remained within shelter of the foliage near the sea enjoying the siesta, even though their condition was well calculated to dishearten the most sanguine, and then Bob proposed that they continue the work of preparing beacons.
In this labor the two boys could accomplish quite as much as Bob and Joe, and half an hour before sunset ten casks were in the desired positions. Now it would be possible in a very short time to send up such a volume of flame as would illumine all that portion of the coast, and from a craft within ten miles of the key it could readily be seen.
"We can reckon on leavin' this place aboard the first vessel that heaves in sight," Bob said in a tone of satisfaction as they walked leisurely along the shore of the harbor toward the camp. "Of course it wouldn't do any good to stand watch after dark; but some one must be on the point every hour of daylight, an' the boys can divide that work to suit themselves."
It would not be the most cheerful task, this remaining alone on the shore gazing out over the restless ocean; but only through such work was there a probable chance of rescue, and the discomfort or weariness did not have so much as a place in their thoughts.
The preparations for attracting attention had caused the boys to believe their time of imprisonment was rapidly drawing to a close. Bob's positive statement that the chain of flares could not fail of being seen caused them to appear like the first real step taken toward home, and the thought of the pirates' treasure came uppermost in the minds of all.
"Why not begin work on it to-morrow?" Jim asked, when Bob referred to the task as one easy of accomplishment. "Harry an' I can catch fish enough in half an hour to last a week, an' if we wait too long another storm may break up the hull so that the gold can't be found."
"I reckon we've got little to fear from storms yet awhile," Bob replied carelessly. "This weather is likely to hold for a week or more."
"That may be," Joe said; "and then, again, it's possible for you to be mistaken. I think as Jim does – that we ought to save it while there's a chance. If this weather holds, the casks of alcohol will stay where they are, and it is as well to let that portion of the work wait as delay the other and more important."
"I'm agreeable to anything, only I didn't feel as if there was a great call to be in a hurry, 'cause it would have to be a roarin' old gale that could do much damage to the hulk;" and Bob looked across the harbor to the narrow line of charcoal and blackened timbers which might be seen just above the surface of the water. "If things are as I think, it won't be a long job, an' we can finish it up in one day."
"Then what's the use of wasting time? If a vessel puts in here we would be ready to leave at once; and her crew might think themselves entitled to a good slice of the money if they helped us get it out of the wreck."
The boys agreed perfectly with Joe, and since Bob had no objections to the plan, it was decided that the work should be begun on the following morning.
The little party were in the tent by the time this decision was arrived at; and the shelter had been gained none too soon, for the gloom of another night had already settled down over the key. Although all hands were tired no one cared to go to sleep just then because of the excitement caused by mention of the treasure, and a small fire was built for the double purpose of driving away mosquitoes and lending a more cheerful aspect to the encampment.
While Bob and Joe discussed plans for the next morning's work the boys listened intently, and it was not until a very late hour in the night that any one thought of retiring. Then the old sailor said gruffly, as if some peremptory command of his had been disobeyed:
"Don't you ever mean to turn in, or must I lay every blessed son of you away? All hands want to become divers; but unless we get some sleep before mornin' there won't be much work done!"
"I s'pose we can keep awake as long as the skipper does," Jim said laughingly; and for reply Bob picked him up bodily and threw him on one of the mattresses, with strict injunctions to "snore in five minutes or expect a taste of the rope's-end."
Never since the day when the Bonita ran away with the crew of the Sally Walker had the boys been so cheerful, and this enviable frame of mind was brought about by the preparations made for signaling a vessel. They were not one whit nearer being rescued; but yet it seemed as if the time for leaving the key was already very close at hand.
"If ten casks of alcohol can make this crowd feel so good we'd better end-up about a hundred to-morrow," Joe said as the camp-fire was extinguished and all hands crept under the canvas.
"It seems as if we were going to see home at last," Harry replied. "Bob says we are certain of being sighted by the first crew that passes, and in that case it isn't likely we shall have to stay here much longer."
"You can take my word for it, lad, that before another week goes by we shall be on our way either to the States or Nassau; so go to sleep, for I reckon on callin' all hands mighty early in the mornin'."
It was not so easy for the boys to close their eyes in slumber owing to the unusual excitement; but they did finally succeed, and when Bob shouted "All hands on deck!" just as the sun showed his glowing face above the waters once more, every member of the party leaped to his feet ready for the day's work.
Their toilets were soon made by a hurried plunge into the sea, and a not very pleasant "rub-down" with a piece of canvas – which does not make a satisfactory towel – and then, while Jim prepared breakfast from the limited material at his command, Bob went out to the point for his regular morning's survey of the surrounding waters.
"There's nothin' in sight," he reported on his return in obedience to the cook's summons; "but we mustn't get discouraged if a craft don't show up for a week. Walter is to go on guard as soon as he gets breakfast, an' one of you boys can spell him toward noon."
The toasted pork and ship's-biscuit was not so inviting as to induce any of the party to linger very long over the meal, and in a few moments after the old sailor's return all hands were ready to begin the work which would settle the question as to whether the treasure could be recovered, or if it had been found only to be lost forever.
