After the fish and the rest of the food had been disposed of, Nat wastold that he could do what he liked. Having found an old newspaper, theboy sat down close to the lamp and began perusing it. But it was dullwork and speedily palled, and he amused himself by exploring the cavern.The rock shelf extended back about twenty feet and was some forty feetacross the front. It might, in fact, be compared to the stage of atheater as aptly as anything else, with the rock walls of the caveforming the proscenium arch.
Whether it was altogether natural in formation Nat could not, of course,say, but he recollected having heard that many such caves existed, andthat in the days of the Spanish occupation they were used by the coastIndians as hiding places from their masters. In one or two places on thewalls of the cavern he thought he saw traces of rough carvings whichappeared to bear out this idea.
Another thing that he noticed, and one which set a bold plan buzzing inhis head, was a small boat moored to the front of the rock platform notfar from where the black motor boat had been tied. The boy was careful,however, not to let his eyes dwell too long upon this, as the desperatescheme he had half formed in his mind might have been killed in themaking had his captors suspected that he had observed it.
Hour after hour went by; it seemed like an eternity to Nat, and at lasthe began to find himself getting sleepy. Finally he could fight off hisdrowsiness no longer, and, giving in to it completely, he flung himselfon a pile of old sacking in a corner of the cave and immediately droppedoff into profound slumber.
How long he slept he had no means of knowing, but when he awakened againthe cave was empty, save for Seth, who sat at the table whiling away thetime by hacking something out of a bit of wood with his knife. At lastSeth began to blink and wink, and apparently in order to keep awake, hewalked over to where Nat lay, seemingly still wrapped in slumber.
“Humph!” Nat heard him say to himself after a long inspection, “thatyounker’s good for twelve hours’ snoozing after that stuff pop gave himto make him sleep. I reckon there’s no harm if I take forty winksmyself. Anyhow, there’s no chance of his getting away.”
So saying, he slouched back to the table, and burying his face in hishands, dropped off into what, to judge by his snores, must have been asleep as deep as the one from which Nat had just awakened. Nat waitedfor a while to let Seth get well into the land of Nod and then, with hisheart beating like a pneumatic riveter, he arose and crept cautiouslytoward the small boat he had observed earlier in the night.
For one moment the wild idea of taking the motor boat had flashedthrough his mind, but he abandoned the idea as it was pretty certainthat either Seth or old Israel had pocketed the switch blade orotherwise made it impossible to start her without their knowledge. As hecautiously made his way to the edge of the platform and toward the smallboat, Nat found himself wondering what had become of the others. Themotor boat was still there, so that obviously they could not have usedher in their departure.
Nat dropped into the small boat and cast her off withoutSeth’s stirring.—_Page_ 151.]
“There must be some other way out of the cave,” thought Nat. “Don’t Iwish I knew where it is? But with luck this way will prove just as well,provided Seth doesn’t take it into his head and wake up.”
Nat dropped into the small boat and cast her off without Seth’sstirring.
The tide must have been setting out, for the boat at once drifted awayfrom the platform toward the mouth of the cavern. The boy had driftedsome distance before he thought it safe to take to the oars. Right thereand then he made a startling discovery. Small wonder the boat had beenleft unguarded. There were no oars in it!
“Great Scotland!” exclaimed Nat in a voice of consternation, “this isworse and then some! However, I’m in for it now and must make the bestof it, but, in case Seth wakes and takes after me with the motor boat,I’m a goner, sure.”
Drifting along on the outsetting tide, the boat rapidly got beyond theglow diffused by the lamp beneath which Seth was sleeping, and glidedwith its helpless occupant into the pitchy darkness of the sea cavern.
CHAPTER XVI.
DRIFTING THROUGH THE NIGHT.
“Talk about crossing the Styx! I’ll bet it had nothing on this businessof bumping along blindly in an oarless boat in a dark cave,” thought Natas, sitting in the bottom of the small craft and using the seat for aback rest, he reviewed the situation.
Every minute he dreaded to hear the roaring of the motor boat’s exhaust,which would tell him that he was being pursued. But nothing of the sortoccurred, and before long he saw the stars shining at the mouth of thestrange subterranean tunnel.
“Thank goodness, it’s a calm night, anyhow,” he thought, as he observedthe placid, unclouded sky; “if it had come on to blow, or if a big seawas running, I’d stand a good chance of going to Davy Jones before mytime.”
The tide ran stronger at the mouth of the cave and in a very few minutesNat was out under the stars and drifting seaward, whither he had noidea. He tore out a grating from the bottom of the boat and tried to useit as a paddle, but he made no progress with this crude substitute foran oar and soon gave up the attempt in sheer weariness and disgust.
“I’ll have to let her drift at her own sweet will,” thought the boy,“and trust to luck to being picked up. Wow! but I feel sleepy and heavy.Must be the after effects of that stuff Seth said his amiable parentgave me to put me to sleep.”
The boy fought against his drowsiness for some time; but, try as hewould, his eyes simply refused to stay open. The eyelids felt as if theyhad been weighted with lead, and ere long the lone passenger of thedrifting boat was sleeping under the stars as peacefully as if in hiscot at home or on the Wireless Island.
He was awakened by a rough jolt. For a few minutes he had not the leastidea where he was, and when his senses did begin to flow back into hissleepy brain he was considerably mystified. The boat was bumping againsta huge dark bulk which Nat, in the dimness, at first thought must be acliff. He was scrambling to his feet a-tingle with astonishment, when agruff voice hailed him from above:
“Ahoy, there! Who may you be?”
At the summit of the “cliff” appeared a head. The boy could see itblackly outlined against the star-sprinkled sky.
In his astonishment at being accosted Nat could think of nothing toreply but: “Nat Trevor of Santa Barbara. Who are you, and where am I?”
“I’m Captain Sim Braithwaite of the Pancake Shoals Lightship, and thisis the Lightship. Now, if you’re tired of boating, you’d better come onboard and explain yourself more explicitly.”
“The Pancake Shoals Lightship!” gasped Nat blankly. “Why, I’ve driftedmuch further than I thought possible.”
“Drifted!” echoed Captain Sim in a gruff voice. “For the love of FatherNeptune, you don’t mean to say you’re skyhooting around the oceanwithout oars at one o’clock in the morning?”
“That’s just what I do,” responded Nat, with an inward chuckle at thecaptain’s evident amazement.
“Dear land of Beulah, you must be fond of salt water to take suchcruises! A sort of sea-going lunatic, be you now?”
“I’ll come on board and explain. It’s a long story,” said Nat.
“All right; the accommodation ladder is just for’ard of where you are.Hitch yer boat up and come on board. Suffering tom-cats, I thought youwas a whale or something at first! We don’t git many visitors out here,but you’re the rummest one I ever heard tell on.”
As he hitched his boat to the foot of the ladder and then began to climbup the Lightship’s high, steep sides, Nat could hear the captainmumbling and grumbling good-naturedly to himself.
“What’s the world coming to?” he was saying over and over. “Sea-goinglun-atics a-wandering round the good Lord’s ocean in boats without oars,an’ bumping into lightships an—so here you are!” he broke off as Natnimbly climbed on board. “Why, you’re nothing but a kid! If this ain’tthe beatingest I ever heard tell of. Well, a
nyhow, welcome to theLightship and then spin us yer yarn, fer I know you have one.”
“I certainly have,” laughed Nat, “and I’m no lunatic, either, as I hopeto convince you. But you said this was a Lightship. I see the masts andthe big light cages on top, but where are the lights?”
“Ah, that’s just it, my lad. I was near crazy with worriment when youcome bumping along. Hen Coffin, he’s my partner out here, went ashorelast night on leave. He’s a fine mechanic, Hen is, and if he’d been herethe lights would have been going all right, but, Lord bless you, whensomething went wrong with the engine that drives the dynamos I washelpless as a babe unborn.”
“Maybe I can help you,” said Nat, sympathizing with the old man’sdistress. “Does a gasolene engine furnish your power?”
“Yes, consarn the pesky thing’s hide. Thank goodness, there ain’t nosteamers due up or down to-night; nothing but some coasters and steamschooners, and they know the coast well enough to smell their way out oftrouble. But if some big steamer had come blundering along with aforeign skipper on the bridge, phew!” And the old man wiped his foreheadon which the perspiration had broken out at the thought of the tragedyfor which the failure of the light might have been responsible.
“How do you know that no foreign vessels or big steamers are dueto-night?” asked Nat curiously.
“Why, by the wireless, of course. We gets reports from all up and downthe coast. They’re relayed from one station to another, just as wenotify all stations of the ships that pass here.”
Nat gave a joyful exclamation.
“What a bit of luck that I bumped into you!” he exclaimed jubilantly.
“It will be for me, if you can fix the engine,” said the captain, “but Idon’t see any reason for you holding a service of thanksgiving.”
“I’ll explain about that later,” said Nat. “Now let’s go below, orwherever this engine is, and I’ll do my poor best to get it started upagain for you.”
“Bully for you, my young rooster,” cried the bluff old captain, clappingthe boy on the back. “Come this way. Right down the hatch here. Look outfor the ladder, it’s steep.”
Descending a steep flight of stairs which the captain referred to as “aladder,” Nat found himself in a cozy, well-lighted cabin, the illuminantbeing an oil lamp which had been lighted by the captain when the dynamofailed. There were book shelves, easy-chairs and plenty of minorcomforts all about. Evidently the Lightship men made themselves ascomfortable as possible in their lonely post.
Nat now saw that his host was a ruddy-faced, stout old seaman,weather-beaten and bluff. A peculiarity in his gait was now alsoexplained, for Nat saw that one of his legs was a wooden one. But he hadsmall time to dwell on these details, for the captain ushered him into acompartment opening off the “sitting room,” if it can be so called,which smelled of oil and machinery.
“Thar she is. Thar’s the ornary, all-fired, cussed critter that won’tturn a wheel fer old Cap’n Sim,” he said indignantly, holding aloft alamp.
Nat looked the engine over. It was a stationary gasolene affair of abouttwenty horse power. Taking the lamp from the captain he examined itcarefully.
“Why, so far as I can see, a loose nut on the sparker has caused yourtrouble,” he said, setting down the lamp, “but we’ll soon make sure.”
The boy took a wrench from the tool-rack and tightened up the loosepart. Then, throwing the switch, he tested for a spark and found that itappeared to be all right. With a turn of the flywheel he started theengine, a welcome “pop” greeting his first effort. In a few seconds hehad the engine whirring steadily away and the dynamo purring as itresumed work.
“Glory be!” shouted the skipper, dancing about on his good leg. “Boy,you’re a genius, that’s what you are. Now, let’s go on deck and start upthe lights again. It’s a wonder my hair hasn’t turned gray fromworriment, but everything’s all right now, thanks to you, my bucko.”
They soon gained the deck and the captain started to throw on the switchthat connected the lights with the dynamo below. He was in the act ofdoing this, when not more than a few yards off he saw gleaming throughthe dark, like brilliant jewels, a red and a green light. They were theside lamps of a large steamer and she was coming straight for theLightship!
“Quick!” shouted Nat, at the top of his voice. “Cap, look! Look, there!”
“Hallelujah!” exclaimed the captain, “if those lights won’t light,there’ll be a bad night’s work on Pancake Shoals!”
With hands that trembled he threw the switch, and the next instant thecaptain and Nat set up a simultaneous and joyous shout. From the twinmast-heads of the Lightship a brilliant glare shone out.
From the ship came shouts and hasty orders, and they saw her turn andswing off like some live thing that had been suddenly alarmed.
“Boy,” said the captain very solemnly, “it was Providence that sent youhere to-night. You’ve done more’n help me. You’ve saved a valuable shipand maybe some human lives, for no craft that ever went ashore on thePancake Shoals sailed the seas again.”
CHAPTER XVII.
ABOARD THE LIGHTSHIP.
“Waal, I want to know!” exclaimed the captain.
Nat had just explained to him his eagerness about the wireless equipmentof the Lightship. The explanation had followed Nat’s story of how hecame to be adrift in the Harleys’ boat, which story had frequently beencompelled to halt while the captain interjected such remarks as “Greatwhales and little fishes!” “Land o’ Goshen!” and “Shiverin’ top-sails!”When Nat had related the villainy of the Harleys and Minory, the old manhad thumped the table savagely with his fist.
“I’d like to have had ’em in the foc’sle of my old ship, the _Sarah JaneBraithwaite_!” he had exploded. “I’d have shown ’em. Keel-hauling wouldhave been too good for such a bunch of sojers.”
At the conclusion of his story, Nat had asked to be allowed to utilizethe Lightship’s wireless in trying to raise his friends.
“Waal, I want to know!” was the skipper’s exclamation, already recordedabove. “Anything you want on this ship is yours, young feller, even downto my wooden leg, although I wouldn’t wish that on yer. Come ahead, I’llshow you whar the contraption is. Lord! Lord! these are wonderful days,when lads who can use wireless and fix busted gas engines come driftingalong, a-bumping into just the folks that needs ’em.”
The wireless room was on deck, enclosed in a small cabin at the foot ofthe forward mast of the Lightship. Nat saw that it contained a set ofthe latest and best instruments, and he soon was sending out broadcastan appeal to locate the _Nomad_. Following this, he tried on a chance toraise Goat Island. He had not much idea that there would be anybodythere, but he thought it was worth an effort anyway.
To his amazement when he switched to the receiving apparatus andadjusted the telephones to his ears, out of space came a reply thatalmost made him fall off his chair. It was sent in a hesitating,unskillful way, very unlike Ding-dong’s expert key-handling, or evenJoe’s.
“_Who wants Goat Island?_”
“_I do, Nat Trevor!_” he rejoined. “_Who is this?_”
“_Nemo_,” came back out of the ether.
“_Nemo!_ Why, that’s the Latin for ‘nobody’” exclaimed Nat, in an amazedtone.
“_Are you Goat Island?_” flashed back Nat. “_Answer at once!_”
“_This is Goat Island_,” trickled into Nat’s ears in the same awkward,hesitating fashion; and then came silence. Try as he would, Nat couldn’traise it again.
“Well, this is a wireless mystery for fair,” he muttered to himself, forthe captain had left the wireless room to get some hot coffee and food;“that wasn’t Ding-dong and it wasn’t Joe; now who on earth was it? Somebeginner, that’s plain, for he couldn’t send worth a cent. But then tocap the climax, telling me it’s ‘Nemo’! It must be spooks, that’s theonly way I can account for it—wireless spooks.”
A minute later there came another m
essage.
“Somebody trying to raise the Lightship,” exclaimed Nat, listening withall his might. “Maybe this is news of the _Nomad_.”
“_Nomad put in at Santa Barbara last night_,” was the message comingfrom the wireless man at the Santa Barbara station, which handledcommercial messages. “_Have found out that all on board are at ArlingtonHotel. Shall I send message?_”
“_Yes. Tell them, please, that this is Nat Trevor, well and able. Amaboard the Lightship at Pancake Shoals. Tell them to come for me as soonas possible._”
Nat informed the man that the messages would be paid for at the land endand bade him good-night. With a light heart, troubled only by themystery of the message from Goat Island, he joined the captain below andtold him his good news.
“Waal, I’m glad you found your friends,” said Captain Sim, “but I’ll besorry to lose you, my lad. You’re a boy after my own heart. I don’t knowwhat I should have done without you.”
“Oh, that’s all right,” said Nat easily. “It just needed a littlemonkey-wrench sense, that’s all, and I happened to have given a lot ofattention to that branch of science.”
The captain had prepared an appetizing meal, to which they both didample justice.
“Now, lad,” said he, when it was completed, “you just turn in and take agood sleep and I’ll stand watch.”