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growing altogether too personal to please the old sailor, for he knew perfectly well that he had been more than
foolish in giving such free rein to his temper and grief when the perfidy of the strangers was first made
apparent, and, like many others, he did not care to be told of his faults.
He proposed to further repair the damage done the Sea Bird by planking outside the canvas, and to procure the
necessary lumber he must take it from the bulk-head between the after-cabin and the engine-room.
This he now proceeded to do, and while the pounding and hammering went on below, as if the little steamer
was being torn to pieces, Joe continued what was both a difficult and laborious task. A piece of metal such as
could have been cut and planed down into the required shape in half a day with the proper tools, he was forced
to fashion from thick plates with nothing more effective than a file. Although accustomed to "look upon the
bright side of trouble," it was impossible to conceal from himself the unpleasant fact that two or three weeks
might elapse before the job could be finished satisfactorily, and during such time a gale from the east might
make the Sea Bird a total wreck.
These disagreeable thoughts did not prevent him from working industriously on what seemed an almost
endless task, and he had not ceased his labors for a single moment, even though fully two hours were passed,
when a loud noise from the shore attracted his attention.
"Something has gone wrong with the boys!" he shouted; and Bob rushed on deck in the greatest excitement as
he asked, impatiently:
"What's the matter? Have you seen anything?"
"No; but listen to that yelling. It isn't possible they have found human beings on the key, and unless they're in
trouble I don't see why there should be such an uproar."
There was but little time for speculation. Almost before Joe ceased speaking the boys came from the
underbrush at full speed and leaped into the boat after launching her, Jim and Walter pulling energetically at
the oars while Harry waved some small object above his head.
CHAPTER XVIII. 69
CHAPTER XVIII.
A SINGULAR DOCUMENT.
In order to better understand the cause of the boys' excitement it will be well to follow them from the time
they stepped ashore on the little key in search of water; otherwise it might require the reader more time than it
did Bob and Joe to learn all the details of the story.
The novelty of standing on the solid earth once more, after having been tossed about by the sea, was very
pleasant, and the boys enjoyed it hugely. The sun had not yet heated the cool night-air which lingered among
the underbrush, and they plunged through the dense portions of the thicket as if the very contact of the foliage
was a luxury.
The oddly-shaped leaves, unfamiliar trees and wire-like grass claimed their attention for fully half an hour to
the exclusion of everything else, and it is barely possible that the purpose for which they landed might have
been forgotten if Jim had not reminded them of the fact by saying:
"Look here, fellers, it won't do for us to caper 'round here much longer, 'cause Bob'll be hoppin' mad if we
ain't back soon to tell him whether there's a supply of water. We'll have plenty chances to come ashore before
the Sea Bird is repaired, an' to steer clear of a row we'd better get to work."
Thus reminded of their duties, Harry and Walter assumed a business-like air, and under the direction of Jim
set about exploring the key in a methodical manner.
Before proceeding more than fifty yards straight back from the cove the question of water was settled, at the
same time that evidences of the men who had done them such grievous injury were found.
In the sand amid a thicket of palms was a spring whose clear, sparkling water bubbled up apparently through
the solid rock, forming a tiny stream which flowed toward the east some distance and was then lost amid the
dazzling sand. Near by the underbrush had been trampled down, while a quantity of embers told unmistakably
that here the three men had camped several days.
"They wasn't very near starvin' if this was where they hung out," Jim said as he lifted from amid the foliage a
small sack of yams and another half-filled with ship's-biscuit. "Here's enough to keep 'em alive longer'n they
had any right to live, an' by the looks of them oyster-shells I should think it had been a reg'lar Thanksgivin'
Day with 'em."
"All three ate as if they were hungry when they came aboard the brig," Harry suggested.
"That was to throw dust into Bob's eyes. Anyhow, these bags show as how the villains weren't left here by
accident. If we could know all about the crowd I reckon we'd think ourselves lucky in gettin' rid of them with
only the loss of the brig."
The thought of how they were tricked was one Harry did not care to entertain very long just at this time, when
he had succeeded in partially banishing his great grief, and as a means of checking such conversation he said:
"I suppose we ought to go back and tell Bob there is plenty of water here."
"We've got time enough for that. Let's look 'round a little more, for I'd like to find out where them oysters
came from," Jim replied; and Walter started at once through the thicket as if eager to hide from view this very
unpleasant reminder of their enemies.
CHAPTER XVIII. 70
"It won't take long to walk across the key," Jim said as he followed close behind the leader; "an' if we keep
straight ahead there's no chance of gettin' lost."
"We can go on for awhile, at any rate," Harry replied, "and if the distance is too great there's nothing to
prevent us from turning around."
[Illustration: Harry sprung forward with a shout as he pointed to a small, dark object.--(See page 155.)]
It was destined, however, that they should not penetrate very far into the interior of the island. Walter had led
the party little more than a quarter of a mile when he halted in front of a veritable hut in the midst of a
palmetto thicket.
Just for an instant the boys believed the key was inhabited; but as they pushed further among the luxuriant
vegetation that question was settled, at least so far as this particular building was concerned. It had originally
been a rude affair about ten feet square, and evidently built from the fragments of a vessel, but was now little
more than a pile of timbers. One end and part of a side yet remained standing, the balance thrown down as if
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| Cytat |
Dobre pomysły nie mają przeszłości, mają tylko przyszłość. Robert Mallet
De minimis - o najmniejszych rzeczach.
Dobroć jest ważniejsza niż mądrość, a uznanie tej prawdy to pierwszy krok do mądrości. Theodore Isaac Rubin
Dobro to tylko to, co szlachetne, zło to tylko to, co haniebne.
Dla człowieka nie tylko świat otaczający jest zagadką; jest on nią sam dla siebie. I z obu tajemnic bardziej dręczącą wydaje się ta druga. Antoni Kępiński (1918-1972)
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