CHAPTER XXI.
A BOLD DASH.
Frank's first action was to bend over the wireless apparatus and sendflashing and crackling across the air a message to Camp Walrus to berelayed in haste to the _Tarantula_. The members of the youngadventurers' party left at the camp were to remain there, ordered Frank,till the _Golden Eagle II_ returned. Lathrop was instructed to informthe _Tarantula_ of the whereabouts of the submarine so that LieutenantSelby might head her off in case the boys were unsuccessful in the questfor the missing naval officer which Frank felt bound to prosecute, evenat the risk of letting the formula of the explosive get out of thecountry.
"Will do as instructed. Gee! but you are all right," was Lathrop'sadmiring response, which made both boys smile in spite of themselves andtheir heavy hearts.
"What do you propose to do now?" asked Harry, as Frank cut out thecircuit from the wireless and turned away from the instrument.
"Go back there as soon as we have had breakfast and make another try,"was the young leader's instant response.
"Go back?" echoed Harry in amazement.
"We must," said Frank earnestly, "a man's life may depend on how quicklywe act."
"But do you think there is any likelihood of our succeeding in gettingnear enough to their camp to aid Lieutenant Chapin materially,"persisted the younger brother.
"I don't know yet, but I have an idea that by landing on the other sideof the island we might come up overland behind the settlement we sawlast night and gain some idea of what has become of Lieutenant Chapin."
"By George, Frank, you are a wonder," said Harry, admiringly. "You areright," he went on, "there is a chance and we'll take it."
"I knew you'd say so, old fellow," responded Frank, warmly grasping hisbrother's hand, "and now for breakfast. It may be the last we'll get forsome time."
Both boys fell to with hearty appetites on wild guava, avocado pears,broiled doves and two cups a piece of Quatty's coffee, which he madewith the skill of a French chef.
"I feel ready to tackle a regiment," declared Harry as the last morselsdisappeared.
So far Quatty had had no idea of the plan on foot and when he did hearit he set up a series of loud lamentations that could be heard a mile.It was all in vain, however. Remorselessly Frank ordered him down to theboat with his pole. Had either of the boys been expert in the handlingof a boat with this oar of the 'glades they would not have compelled thebadly-scared black to accompany them, but it is an art which is onlyacquired by long practice and it was absolutely necessary that they havethe benefit of his expertness. In the event, that even were the worst tohappen, and they were to be themselves captured, it was not likely thatany harm would come to Quatty; so neither of their consciences hurt themmuch as Quatty shoved off and they once more glided down the narrowwater-course they had threaded the night before.
By daylight their progress was more rapid than it had been in thedarkness of the previous night, and it was not long before they gainedthe point at which the narrow stream they were threading branched intothe broad main water-course. Of course it was not a feasible idea tofollow this and after some searching they managed to find a tiny,shallow runnel that proceeded through the saw-grass in the directionthey wished to go but was small enough not to render it probable that itwas a main traveled stream. To their great disappointment, however, thiscanoe path came to an end altogether after they had reached a pointabout opposite the trees that abutted on the plotters' settlement at theeasterly end of their collection of huts. It continued on through thesaw-grass, however, in the form of a muddy Indian trail and the boys,after a short consultation, decided to leave the boat behind in Quatty'scharge and take to the trail.
Rifles in hand and revolvers on their hips, they struggled bravely alongthrough the mud, that sometimes came up to their knees and sometimesonly to their ankles. It was killing work, for as the sun worked higherthe heat grew almost intolerable. Innumerable varieties of smallstinging insects too, settled about them in swarms and added to theirdiscomfort.
From time to time, in addition, a fat cotton-mouth would wiggle acrossthe trail or occasionally open its mouth in a loud hiss, showing thewhite fangs that give it its name. Frank killed one of these reptileswith the butt of his rifle. The others they had to avoid as best theycould. Of course they did not dare to discharge one of their weapons. Tohave done so would have brought the whole settlement about their ears.
Frank consulted his pocket compass from time to time, having taken thegeneral bearing of the island from the boat before they started. Thecompass was the only means they had of knowing if they were following acorrect course, as the saw-grass was so high on either side of thenarrow trail that to see over it was an impossible feat.
"Phew!" whispered Harry, as they floundered along through the wet,steamy earth, "I've been in warm places but this is certainly thehottest of them all."
"We cannot have much further to go," replied Frank, encouragingly, "asfar as I could judge when we left the boat the island was about twomiles away."
"I feel as if we'd traveled ten at least," gasped poor Harry. "Hark!"
His exclamation was called forth by a rustling in the tall grassdirectly ahead of them.
"Get ready for trouble," whispered Frank.
Both boys got out their revolvers, as being handier weapons at closequarters than the rifles. The trail took an abrupt turn just beyond thepoint at which they stood, so that it was impossible to see who or whatit was that was approaching.
The rustling grew steadily nearer and both boys, while their hearts beatthickly, determined that if the persons coming down the path werefoemen, to sell their lives dearly.
The next minute they had a great surprise.
Round the curve in the trail swung two of the beautiful small Evergladedeer. It was a question which was the most astonished, the boys or thedeer, at the encounter. For a fraction of a second the deer stood gazingwith their big, liquid eyes, at the boys and the boys stared back at thedeer. Then, as the boys broke into a smothered laugh at their needlessanxiety, the two animals swung round and galloped back the way they hadcome.
"Well, we are getting as nervous as a pair of kittens," laughed Frank.
"They made as much noise as a regiment," replied Harry, echoing theother's merriment, "I always understood that the deer was a quietretiring animal. Now I know different."
"At all events our encounter with them proves one valuable piece ofinformation," said Frank.
"What?" demanded his brother.
"That what we had supposed was an island must in reality be joined tothis trail by solid land."
"How do you make that out?"
"Well, those deer wouldn't go into the saw-grass, the stuff cuts like aknife. Therefore they didn't get to the trail that way."
"Well?"
"And their coats were not wet. I notice, therefore, they had not swumany creek to get here. All of which goes to show to my mind that if wefollow this trail we will get dry-shod to the island."
"Dry-shod?" echoed Harry, pointing to his muddied legs.
"I mean that we shall not, as I began to fear, have to swim any creeksor wade runnels to gain it."
It was as Frank had assumed. A few minutes more tramping through thesticky black ooze brought them to a point where the trail widened, andthey could see beyond the tops of the cabbage palms that fringed theedge of the island.
"We are here at last," whispered Frank, "now we shall have to go verycarefully till we find out the lay of the land. There's no use walkinginto a trap for the lack of a little caution."
Slowly the boys crept on down the short section of trail now remaining.Frank carefully noted the comparatively dry ground--where the marks ofthe deers' hoofs still showed--that there were no human tracks visibleand this was in itself a good sign as it showed that the trail was alittle used one.
They emerged at length into a thickly-grown cabbage palm patch, throughwhich, to their great delight, flo
wed a tiny stream, from one of theclear springs that abound on the islands of the Everglades. Lying flaton their faces the boys fairly sucked up the cool, clear water and letit trickle gratefully down their parched throats.
Greatly refreshed by their draught, they looked about them. The littlegrove in which they stood was surrounded by dense undergrowth. At firstthere seemed to be no path through the tangle, but after a lengthysearch the boys discovered a narrow trail, evidently a continuation ofthe one they had just left. It led, as Frank's compass showed, in thegeneral direction of the settlement.
"We've come so far we've got to go ahead now," were Frank's words, asthe two young adventurers plunged into the dense brush down the narrowtrail.