CHAPTER VII.
THE MYSTERY.
LEAVING Chris still peacefully snoring, the three stole softly outsidethe cabin. Once outside they paused and listened again for a repetitionof the strange signal.
They had not long to wait for in a few minutes, it came again, a longmelodious mellow note, three times sounded.
"It comes from the Gulf," Captain Westfield declared. "Let's go down tothe point. We can see both bay and gulf from there."
The island terminated in a long sand point that ran out into a passagethat connected the bay with the Gulf of Mexico. To it, the threehastened their steps. Just as they stepped out on the sand spit, themysterious signal sounded again.
"There it is," Charley cried, pointing out to sea. "It's a ship."
Out in the Gulf, about three hundred yards from where they stood, a dimshadowy mass loomed up vaguely in the darkness.
"It's a ship all right," Captain Westfield agreed, "but thar'ssomething queer about her. No ship ever comes in close to these shores.With all the reefs thar are around hyar it's too dangerous unless oneknows the channels mighty well. Then, that ain't no distress signalshe's sounding,--four long blasts is the distress signal the worldover. Then too she ain't got lights--that ain't proper and shipshape."
Even as he spoke, a bright flash blazed up from the strange vessel'sdeck. It only lasted a few seconds, but in that brief space it lit upthe mysterious stranger, showing a huddled mass of men in her waist andthrowing into sharp distinctness every rope and spar.
"A flare," cried Walter, "they are certainly signaling some one."
"There is something familiar about those spars," Charley exclaimed."Did you notice them, Captain?"
"No. I was looking at the hull. She sits low as a pirate craft. She'sschooner rigged and about one hundred tons burden. Hallo! Here comessome one who has heard her signals. We can find out about her allright."
From the bay came the quick chug chug of a motor turning up at fullspeed. As she swept into the passage, the little party could tell evenin the dim light that she was a large launch and traveling at a rapidrate.
"Ahoy!" hailed Charley, as the strange launch came abreast.
The launch's engine was stopped at his call, but no answer came to hishail.
"Ahoy!" he shouted again. "Can you tell us what ship that is and whatshe wants?"
A string of low-muttered curses came from the launch, and almost atthe same minute a single fiery rocket hissed aloft from her deck.Immediately her engine began to throb again.
"Why, she's turned around and going back!" exclaimed Captain Westfieldin amazement.
"Look at the schooner!" cried Walter.
From the mysterious ship came muffled orders and the creak of blocks assails were hoisted and sheeted home.
Slowly the put-put of the launch's engine died away in the distancefrom which it had come, and the mysterious schooner, under full sail,glided silently away in the darkness.
"I'll be joggered!" exclaimed Captain Westfield. "That's queer. Iwonder what they were up to."
"Something that will not bear the light of day, I guess," said Charley,thoughtfully. "I believe it was our hail that frightened the fellows inthe launch and their rocket was a signal to the schooner to clear out.Well, I guess the excitement is over for the night and we might as wellgo back to bed."
Walter and the captain lay awake for some time discussing thestrange incident but Charley lay long awake on his couch, silent andthoughtful. He was puzzling to determine where he had seen the strangeschooner before. In the second, the flare had revealed her in thedarkness, he had sensed something vaguely familiar in the low gracefulhull and the set of the raking masts.
"Where have I ever seen a foremast that raked aft like that one," hepondered. Suddenly it flashed vivid and distinct in his groping memory."No, no," he muttered to himself. "It simply can't be her. It must onlybe a chance resemblance. That flare only lasted a second. Guess I amgetting to imagine things. I'd better forget it and try to go to sleep."
Never-the-less it was long before he rid his alert brain of thetormenting thought and compelled sleep to come.
When he awoke, it was to find his chums up before him. Chris hadbreakfast cooking and Captain Westfield had just returned from takinga morning plunge in the surf. Walter was not in sight, but he soonappeared bearing a sack full of turtle eggs which he had found on thebeach.
"I've been exploring our island," he announced. "Say, some of thefishermen must come over here to hold their celebrations. There areseveral well-worn paths on the island. I followed two of them andthey both led into the same place, a little clearing in a thick bunchof palms. It looks as though there had been several fights there forthe ground is all trampled up as though it had been dug, and I found acouple of long, queer-looking clubs and this full bottle. What's in it,Charley? I can't make out the label."
Charley took the big black bottle and examined the label that hadpuzzled his chum. "It's in Spanish," he announced, then translatedrapidly: "Aguardiente, 100 Proof, Manufactured by Sicava & Sons,Santiago, Cuba." He pulled the cork and a pungent reeking odor filledthe air.
"Why, it's rum," said Captain Westfield.
"A kind of rum," Charley agreed, "only far stronger and more fiery. Nowonder the fishermen fight if this is the kind of stuff they drink. Itwould make a rabbit spit at an elephant."
"Throw it away," Walter said. "We don't want the vile stuff."
"No, I think I will keep it," said his chum, thoughtfully. "I have anotion that this little bottle is going to be mighty useful some time."
"How's that?" Walter questioned, but the spell of silent thoughtfulnesswas still upon Charley and he paid no heed to the question.
"I wish you fellows would go down and pull the nets into the skiffs,"he said, as soon as breakfast was over. "I will be down as soon as Itake a dip in the surf."
"Why, what do you want the nets on so early for?" Walter protested. "Wedon't fish except at night, do we?"
"We need to have a little drill," Charley explained. "It will be easierfor you to learn how to handle the nets in the day time, and we willnot have to waste any of our precious night time practicing."
As soon as the three were gone, Charley left the camp himself. He didnot pause at the beach to take a swim, however. Instead he turned intoone of the well-beaten paths Walter had spoken of. He was followingup a vague suspicion that had been growing in his mind and, for goodreasons, he wanted to follow it out alone. If he was right in hissurmises then would be the time to tell his chums. There was no use ofworrying them until he was certain.
His keen eyes noted one peculiar thing that his chum had not observedthe significance of. All the paths led inward from the gulf beach andnone from the bay.
A few minutes' walk brought him to the cleared place Walter haddescribed. It was only a few feet in extent and was densely surroundedby a thick growth of cocoanut palms. No one a few feet distant wouldhave suspected its existence so well was it hidden from sight.
At the entrance to the little space, Charley picked up two heavypieces of timber about six feet in length. "These are Walter's clubs,"he grinned. "Well, I suppose one could take them for that but clubsdon't generally have a nice smooth rounded hand grip at each end andclubs the length of these things would be awkward to handle at closequarters. I have an idea these were used to carry heavy burdens. Theywould come pretty handy for that. Just lay the thing to be carriedacross them and one man take hold of the ends in front and another manat the back. Strange, Walter did not notice an odd thing about thisclearing too. There is not a root or twig on the ground. Men wouldhardly fix up a place as clean just to fight in. He is right about onething, though, this ground does look as though it had been all dug up,and unless all my guess is wrong, it has been dug up. Let's see hownear I've hit to the mark with my suspicions."
He got down on his knees and began to dig in the soft earth. In a fewminutes he came upon that which he sought. It was not unexpected forall his theories had pointed the o
ne way. As he dug over here andthere, however, he grew amazed at the magnitude of his discovery. Atlast he ceased his digging and carefully filled up the many holes hehad made trying to smooth over the face of the ground the same as itwas before. This accomplished to his satisfaction, he stood up with athoughtful frown on his face.
Should he tell his companions of his discovery, he pondered. It was ofno use to any of them at present. Would it be wise to tell them yet?Some one might let slip a word in an unguarded moment that would spoileverything. "The more that knows a secret the greater the chance of itsleaking out," he reflected. "No," he would not tell them at present.
Having reached this decision, he made his way back to the beach.Stripping, he took a hurried plunge in the surf and hastily dressinghurried across the island to the skiffs.
"We have got the nets all aboard," Walter greeted him with.
One glance at the heaped up nets in the skiffs' stern and Charley'sface fell.
"Whew!" he whistled, "you have sure done it now. Well, it's all myfault. I should have explained to you how to boat a net. They don'twant to be piled up in a heap like that. You can't run out a net inthat shape. It would all tangle up and go out in lumps and bunches.When you boat a net, you want to pile the lead line up carefully onone side of the stern and the cork line on the other letting the loosewebbing fall in between, then it will run out smoothly without tanglesand snarls."
The nets had to be all tumbled out of the skiffs and hauled in again asCharley had directed.
His chums were quite crestfallen over their mistake, but he onlylaughed. "Everything is new to you and you are bound to make a lotof mistakes at first," he assured them, "but you will soon catch on.Don't get discouraged over a little mistake like that, you'll make manybigger ones before you get used to the business. Hallo, I guess we aregoing to have some visitors. That launch out there is heading in here."