CHAPTER XXII
A HEAVY TROPICAL STORM
"Those girls will ask some awkward questions, I reckon," said JackLesher, as the two prepared to leave the wreck.
"We had better not say too much," answered Baxter.
They were soon over the side and in the rowboat, which containedthe bundle of clothing and a number of other articles. Then an ideastruck the mate.
"Wait; I am going back," he said, and disappeared on the deck one more.
Dan Baxter imagined that Lesher had gone for more liquor. But he wasmistaken. When the mate reappeared, he carried a box containing halfa dozen pistols, two guns, and a quantity of ammunition.
"I am going to hide this in the woods on the other side of thisisland," he said. "The firearms may come in handy before long."
"A good idea," replied Baxter, and helped him place the case in adesirable spot, under some rocks, where the rain could not touch it.
"We are going to have a storm before long," said the mate, as theystarted to row back to the camp. "And if it is a heavy one we'll haveto wait till it clears off before we rejoin the rest of our crowd."
The sky was growing dark, and by the time the beach in front of thehouse was gained the rain was falling.
"Where are Dick and, old Jerry?" asked Dora in quick alarm. She hadnoted long before that only Baxter and the mate were in the rowboat.
"They stayed behind on the wreck," answered Lesher. "Come, help getthe bundles out of the wet," he added to his companion.
"Why did they stay?" asked Nellie.
"Don't ask me," growled Lesher.
He and Baxter took the bundle to the house and dumped it on the floorof the living room. Then they brought in the other things from theboat. By this time it was raining in torrents, and from a distancecame the rumble of thunder and occasionally the faint flash of lightning.
Not wishing to remain out in the storm, the three girls came intothe house.--"Dora was very much disturbed, and Nellie and Grace werealso anxious.
"It is queer that Dick and old Jerry remained behind," whispered Dorato her cousins. "They were so anxious to protect us before."
"I cannot understand it, Dora," returned Nellie.
"There has been foul play somewhere," came from Grace.
"Oh, do you think--" Dora could not finish.
"See here!" burst in the voice of Jack Lesher. "We want some dinner.Don't be all day getting it for us."
The liquor he had imbibed was beginning to tell upon him.. He lookedugly, and the girls trembled before him.
"Dinner will be ready in a quarter of an hour," said Grace, who hadbeen doing the cooking.
"All right." Lesher turned to the bully: "Baxter, join me in a glassof rum for luck."
"Thanks, I will," answered Dan Baxter, who did not particularly wantthe liquor, but did not dream of offending the mate.
Lesher produced a bottle he had brought away from the wreck, preparedtwo glasses of rum, and drank with great relish. Then he threw himselfinto a chair at the rude dining-table.
"I am the master here, and I want everybody to know it!" he exclaimed,banging his fist savagely.
"There is dinner," said Grace, and brought it in. "You can helpyourself." And she went into the next room to join Nellie and Dora.
"Aint going to wait on us, eh?" grumbled Lesher, with a hiccough."All right, my fine ladies. But I am master, don't you forget that!"
He began to eat leisurely, while Dan Baxter began to bolt his food.In the meantime the sky grew darker and the flashes of lightning morevivid. The girls were greatly frightened, and huddled together, whiletears stood on Grace's cheeks.
"Oh, if only somebody was with us," sighed Nellie.
By the time Lesher and Baxter had finished eating the storm was onthem in all of its violence. The wind shrieked and tore through thejungle behind them, and often they could hear some tall tree go downwith a crash.
"This will tear our flag of distress to shreds," said Nellie. "Andjust when we need it so much, too!"
"I am thinking of the future as well as the present," said Dora."What a rough time there will be if Lesher brings those other sailorshere. Some of them were heavy drinkers like himself, and only two orthree were Americans."
The storm had whipped the waters of the bay into a fury, and the rainwas so thick that to see even the island on which the wreck restedwas impossible.
"Dick can't come now," said Dora. "A boat on the bay would surely godown."
Having finished the meal, Lesher and Baxter sat down in the livingroom to smoke and to talk over the situation. The mate continued todrink, and half an hour later he fell asleep, sitting on the bench,and with his head on the table.
"The beast!" said Dora, as she peeped out at him. "Well, there isone satisfaction," she continued: "he cannot harm us while he isasleep."
"You girls better have your own dinner," called out Baxter. "I aintgoing to eat you up."
"We will get our dinner when we please," said Nellie, as she cameout. "We are not afraid of you, Dan Baxter."
No more was said for a long time. The girls ate what little theywished and washed up the dishes. The rain still continued to fall intorrents, but the thunder and' lightning drifted away to the eastward.
Dora was the most anxious of the trio, and at every opportunity shetried to look through the driving rain toward the wreck.
"I'd give almost anything to know if Dick is safe," she murmured.
"Don't be discouraged, Dora," said Grace. "Perhaps he will return assoon as the storm is over."
The girls were huddled close to a window, looking out into the rain,when Dan Baxter threw aside the pipe he had been smoking and approachedthem.
"See here, girls," he said, "why can't we be friends? What is theuse of being enemies in such a place as this?"
"Dan Baxter, we want you to keep your distance," said Nellie coldly.
"And if you do not, it will be the worse for you when the others comeback," put in Grace.
"Humph! I reckon you think it is fine to ride such a high horse,"sneered the bully. "What are you going to do when we bring the restof the sailors over here? We'll be eleven to seven then."
"Never mind what we'll do," said Dora. "I would rather have thecompany of some of those sailors than your company."
"That is where you make a mistake. The sailors are all rough fellows,some of them worse than Jack Lesher. Now, if you are willing to countme as a friend, I'll stand by you when the crowd comes over."
"We don't want your friendship, Dan Baxter, so there!" cried Nellie."We know your past, and we know that you cannot be trusted."
"Don't think I am as good as the Rovers, eh?"
"We all know that you are not," answered Grace.
"What have you done to Dick Rover?" questioned Dora. "He ought to behere long before this."
"Oh, I guess the storm is holding him back," said Baxter, shiftinguneasily as she gazed earnestly into his eyes.
"If anything has happened to Dick, I shall hold you responsible,"said Dora.
At that moment the fury of the storm cut off further talking. A suddenrush of wind had come up, whistling through the jungle and bringingdown a palm close to the house with a crash. The fall of the treemade Baxter jump in alarm.
"The house is coming down!" he cried, and ran outside.
The wind made the waves in the bay rise higher and higher until theylashed furiously in all directions. Then came another downpour ofrain, which caused the bully to seek shelter again.
"Hark!" said Nellie suddenly, and raised her hand for silence.
"What did you hear?" asked Grace.
"Somebody calling. Listen!"
All were silent once more, and just then the wind fell a little.
"I don't hear anything," said Dora.
But then followed a distant voice--two voices calling desperately:
"Help! help! Our boat is sinking! Help!"