CHAPTER XXXII.
JOY.
It was useless for the boys to argue with themselves that the rapiddischarge of musketry could have no sinister meaning. They were in thatframe of mind when no silver lining can be seen, even to the smallestcloud; and against their own better judgment they decided that thestrange schooner either would be of no assistance to them, or that shewas manned by a crew which might attempt to inflict further injuries.
Joe thoughtlessly suggested that perhaps the red-nosed man was incommand, and had come to get the Bonita's cargo. This was said more injest than as something with a possible foundation of truth; but it wassufficient to excite all of Jim's fears, and he actually tried to induceHarry and Walter to go with him into the thicket, where they might hideuntil the schooner had left the vicinity.
While the boys would not agree to anything quite as wild as this, theywere seriously alarmed; and when the rattle and splash of oars broke thestillness Walter was almost sorry he had not followed the youngfisherman's advice.
"We haven't got to wait long before findin' out if they'll take us awayfrom this blessed key!" Bob said cheerily. "Here comes a boat, an'unless I'm makin' a big mistake we'll soon, be leavin' this 'ere covebound for some civilized port!"
Louder and more distinctly sounded the clink of oars in the row-locksuntil from out the darkness came the welcome hail:
"Ahoy, on the island!"
"Halloo!" Bob shouted with a roar, as if afraid any ordinary cry wouldnot be heard by those from whom he expected assistance.
"Have you got three boys there who were carried away from the Isle ofShoals in the brig Bonita?"
"Ay! ay! an' they'll be mighty glad of a chance to leave!"
This question surprised the boys almost to the verge of bewilderment. Itwas positive the red-nosed man would not ask for them so solicitously;and yet, who else in that lonely portion of the ocean knew anythingregarding their mishaps?
Harry and Walter clasped hands as if in a daze, both so excited as to beunable to speak until a second voice from out the darkness shouted:
"Are you there, Harry?"
"It's father! It's father!" Harry screamed, as he ran toward the water;and there, with Walter at his side, he stood straining his eyes in thevain effort to see the boat, but in his joyful astonishment giving noheed to the apparently strange fact that those whom he loved had knownso well where to look for the Bonita's involuntary crew.
It was not possible for the little craft to land with safety on thebeach, where the surf was breaking with sufficient force to overturn ifnot stave her to pieces, and he who had first hailed now cried:
"Is there a landing-place near by?"
"You're at the mouth of a cove in which there's water enough to float aship," Joe replied. "I'll walk along the beach to where there is nosurf."
By shouting continually he succeeded in piloting the boat behind thepoint where a landing could be effected, and a few moments later bothHarry and Walter were clasped in Mr. Vandyne's arms.
For some moments no word was spoken, and then the boys poured forth aflood of questions regarding the loved ones from whom they had been solong separated.
"They are all well at home," Mr. Vandyne replied laughingly; "but we hadbetter settle down for the night before I attempt to give you theinformation required. Shall we go aboard the schooner?"
In their exceeding great joy the boys had forgotten the treasureentirely, and it is quite probable they would have said "Yes" to thelast question but for Bob. He had not been in such a state of despairprior to the coming of the boat as to render happiness so bewildering,and he also had a very clear idea of what should be done.
"I axes your pardon for interfering sir," he said, stepping very closeto Mr. Vandyne and speaking in a low tone, "but there's particularreasons why you'd better have a chance to talk with us alone afore yourcrew comes ashore or we leave the key!"
Harry's father was considerably mystified by this odd statement; but hehesitated only an instant before asking:
"Have you got any kind of a shelter?"
"A decently good tent, with a couple of mattresses to lie on," Bobreplied. "It ain't the best that ever was, but you can manage to getalong one night, I reckon."
"It's something we've found that he wants you to see," Harry whispered;and turning to the crew, who were lying on their oars a short distanceaway, Mr. Vandyne said:
"I will stay on shore until morning. Go back to the yacht; and atsunrise, if you think there's no danger, bring her into this cove."
"Ay, ay, sir," a voice replied; and then the sound of oars in the watertold that the boat was leaving the harbor, probably steering for a tinyred light which could now be seen some distance off the land.
"What have you got which there is so much mystery about?" Mr. Vandyneasked, as the gentle splash and ripple of water which told that thesailors were returning to their craft died away in the distance.
"We have found a pirate's treasure," Harry said in a whisper. "There arenineteen bags full of all kinds of money."
"Pirates' treasure!" his father repeated in astonishment.
"What the lad says is a fact, sir;" and Bob stepped forward once more."We had no way of findin' out how much it was worth; but there'saltogether too big an amount for us to run the risk of lettin' strangerssee the pile."
"Where is it?"
"At the camp, sir. I'll lead the way. Jim, you foller behind me an' letJoe bring up the rear."
Then Bob set out at such a rapid pace that there was but littleopportunity for conversation until the entire distance had beentraversed.
Joe and Jim built a huge camp-fire, and after Harry introduced hisfather to the three members of the party who were strangers, Bob pulledfrom beneath the mattresses one of the treasure bags.
"There are eighteen more jes' like that," he said, as he slashed thetarred canvas with his knife until the yellow coins fell in a goldenstream at Mr. Vandyne's feet. "We haven't overhauled many of 'em; butone's a fair sample of the lot."
"Why, you've got a fortune here!" the gentleman cried in surprise as heassured himself that the pieces were gold and of large denomination."Where and how did you find it?"
"It'll need a pretty long yarn to give you an understandin' of the wholecruise, an' we'll each do a share of the spinnin' so the thing will comeout ship-shape," Bob said, as he began to fill a pipe, that hischaracter of story-teller might be enacted properly. "You've got allnight for the hearin', so there's no pertic'lar hurry. Harry shallbegin, an' I'll chip in when he comes to the pickin' up of me after I'dthinned down pretty nearly to a ghost."
Perhaps Mr. Vandyne would have preferred to hear the story in fragmentsrather than at one sitting; but Bob was bent on spinning a yarn, and asthere was no practicable alternative he was forced to submit.
Harry began without delay, Jim and Walter interrupting whenever heneglected to give all the details. The old sailor then related theparticulars of the involuntary cruise up to the time Joe came aboard. Hein turn told of the disaster to the Sea Bird, and Bob finished thestory, which occupied considerably more than an hour in the telling.
"We shall have to let the crew know what you've got here, althoughthere's no necessity of explaining where or how it was found, for theywill be needed to take the bags aboard," Mr. Vandyne said, after thelengthy "yarn" had been spun. "There is no danger, for the schooner iscommanded by a man in whom I have every confidence, and there won't be apiece missing when we arrive in New York."
"Now tell us how you knew where we were?" Harry asked.
"The party who came in search of the murderers gave your written storyto the newspapers in Savannah, and it was copied all over the country."
Then Mr. Vandyne briefly related what had previously been done towardfinding the boys.
When the Sally Walker failed to return it was supposed she had beenblown out to sea, and every available craft was hired to search for themissing party. When a week passed without the hoped-for result, itseemed certain that all were dead,
and they were mourned for until thenewspaper articles appeared.
The remainder of the story was brief. Mr. Vandyne had just purchased theschooner-yacht Lorlie--the same craft which was now hove-to off thekey--and in her he started for the Bahamas.
"What was the meaning of those pistol-shots we heard, sir?" Joe asked."They sounded like a fight rather than a signal."
"I wanted to let you understand we were coming, and emptied my revolverat the same moment the captain did his. There was considerable noise,I'll admit; but knowing we should land in a few moments, I paid littleattention to it at the time."
The sun was already sending forth heralds of his coming when the happyparty exhausted their questions and explanations, and half an hour laterthe Lorlie was anchored in the cove, with the five who had passedthrough so many adventures eating a hearty breakfast in herluxuriously-furnished cabin.
After the meal had been concluded the work of taking the gold on boardwas begun, and before nine o'clock the yacht was slipping swiftly out ofthe harbor, heading for Nassau, all her white sails filled by a strongnorth-westerly breeze.
Instead of going directly to New York, it was Mr. Vandyne's intention torun down the shoal for the purpose of sending wreckers to the key, inthe hope of saving such cargo from the Bonita as was on or near theisland.
The three boys were standing aft as she passed the point where Walterhad done duty as sentinel with such happy results, and it was verydifficult for either to restrain his joy at thus bidding adieu to thekey.
"When I get my ship I won't come within a hundred miles of this place,"Jim said emphatically; and his companions were quite positive it wouldnot give them any pleasure to return.
Swiftly the gallant yacht sped on, bowing her long, tapering spars tothe ocean swell, until the key was hardly more than a spot of blue onthe horizon, and the accidental cruise was well-nigh at an end.