CHAPTER XIII.
AN ANXIOUS NIGHT.
Dinner was cooked and eaten as soon as possible after the return of Nedand Jack to camp, because all three of the boys were eager to make thelong-deferred beginning upon the new boat.
"The _Red Bird_ was wrecked last Thursday," said Charley, "and now it isMonday, and yet we haven't even begun to get ready to prepare tocommence to build."
"Yes we have, Charley," said Jack. "We have worked diligently at themost important part of the task. We have made first-rate arrangementsfor food, and that is a good beginning. But we'll actually begin on theboat itself to-day. By the way, Ned, you're to be the master-builder."
"Well, I don't know about that," said Ned; "you were bragging the otherday about your mechanical skill, and I'm very modest in that direction.I'm actually a clumsy hand with tools."
"No, I didn't brag," said Jack; "I only stated facts. I believe I am abetter workman with tools than either of you fellows, and for thatreason I'm willing to take the most difficult jobs on myself, but youmust be the superintendent."
"I don't see why," said Ned.
"Because, even if you are clumsy with tools, you know more about a boatin a minute than Charley and I do in a year, and it's a good rule to puteach fellow at the thing he can do best."
"All right," said Charley; "I'm the best hand you ever saw at sitting ona log and watching you fellows work, so I'll take that for my share."
"No, you won't," said Ned. "If I'm to superintend this job I'll findsomething better than that for you to do. But I say, Jack, it's absurdfor me to try to tell you how to do things that you can do ten times aswell as I."
"I don't want you to tell me how to do, but what to do; then we'll alldo it. I'll take the most difficult parts, and besides that I'll giveyou and Charley some hints about how to do your share, perhaps."
"All right," said Ned, "I'll be superintendent if you wish."
"Very well," said Jack. "Now plan the boat, determine the dimensions,and tell us how to begin."
"Well, let me see," said Ned. "The _Red Bird_ was twenty-four feet longin the keel--twenty-five feet over all,--and five feet wide amidships.We must allow liberally for waste in trying to use the old materials, sowe'll take off six feet of length, giving the new boat a keel ofeighteen feet, a total length of nineteen feet, and let the beam widthtake care of itself."
"How do you mean?"
"Why, we shorten amidships only; that is to say we omit the six or eightribs that were in the middle of the old boat, and bring the next ribsforward and aft to the middle. Whatever width they give will be thewidth of the boat amidships. In that way we shall preserve the oldproportions, while changing the old dimensions. The new boat will be, inshape, precisely what the _Red Bird_ would have been if we had cut outsix feet of her length amidships, and had then brought the two endstogether."
"Yes, I see," said Charley. "What is the first thing to be done?"
"To lay a keel," said Ned. "The old keel is broken, so we must have anew one. Besides, that was double, for a centre-board, and we'll have tobuild without a centre-board."
"What are the dimensions of the keel?" asked Jack.
"Eighteen feet long, as nearly as we can guess, and about three inchesby six or seven."
"To be set on edge?"
"Yes, and to project below the bottom. That will give steadiness to theboat."
"What is the best timber for the keel?" asked Jack.
"White oak, if we had it, but we haven't. The long-leaf yellow pine isvery nearly as good, and for our purposes it is really better, becausewe can work it more easily. There's a fine, small, straight tree trunkjust beyond the camp that will suit us precisely. It has been lying forseveral years apparently, and is well seasoned. We have only to cut itoff the right length, split off slabs till we get a rude square, andthen hew it down to the right dimensions with the axe and hatchet. Thatwill occupy us for two days at least, so let's get to work."
The event proved that Ned had underestimated the length of timenecessary for this work. The hard, flinty yellow pine, seasoned as itwas, was very difficult to work. The axe and hatchet were not very sharpat the outset, and before night both were distressingly dull. The nextday, what edges they had were worn away, and it was difficult to cutwith them at all. Charley declared that he could do nearly as well withhis teeth, but he did not try that experiment. There was no grindstonein the camp, and none to be had, of course, and so the weary boys had tomake the best of a bad matter and work on as they could with the dulltools.
On Thursday the keel was not yet quite done, and the rice began to showthe effects of the boys' appetites.
"I say, fellows," said Charley, "one of us must go for a fresh supply ofrice."
"Yes," said Ned, "it is ripening now, and will all fall if we don'tsecure a good supply. You go, Charley, won't you?"
"Yes. I'm worth less at carpenter's work than either of you, so I'll go.Pull off your trowsers, both of you."
"Why, what's--" began Ned.
"Yes, I know," interrupted Charley, "I ought to take a bag, or a sheet,or, still better, the spring wagon; but seeing that we haven't anywagon, or bag, or sheet, or any thing else to carry rice in, excepttrowsers, I'm going to use trowsers; and remembering the tatteredcondition of Jack's skin after his trowserless stroll through thebriars, I'm not going to use my own trowsers for a bag. So off with yourpantaloons, young men, and be quick about it, for I'm going to make twotrips to-day and bring in rice for the whole season."
Laughing, the boys obeyed, and Charley left them at work in their shirtsand drawers. He got back to camp at dinner-time, fully loaded. Afterdinner he made his second trip, saying that he would return aboutsunset.
Sunset came at its appointed time, but Charley was not so punctual. Itgrew dark, and still Charley did not appear. Ned and Jack began to growuneasy. They went out into the woods in rear of their camp and called atthe top of their voices, but received no answer.
"I'll tell you what, Ned," said Jack; "we must build a beacon fire.Charley has stayed late to fill his trowser-bags, and has lost his waytrying to get back."
It was no sooner said than done. Pitch pine was piled on the fire, and ablaze made that might have been seen for many miles. The boys shoutedthemselves hoarse too, but got no answer.
After an hour of waiting, Ned said:
"Jack, I'm going over to the rice patch to look for Charley. Somethingserious must have happened. You stay here and keep up a big fire. If Ineed you I'll call at the top of my voice, and you will hear me Ithink."
"But, Ned, it's an awful undertaking to go from here to the rice fieldon such a night. It's as black as pitch, and you are barefooted andalmost naked; let me go."
"I know all that," said Ned, "but it would be cowardly to abandonCharley, and for my life I can't see that you are any better equippedfor the journey than I am. You're barefooted too, and as nearly naked asI am."
"Yes, I suppose so," answered Jack, "but I don't mind for myself."
"You stay here, you great big-hearted, generous fellow!" was all thatNed said in reply, as he started away.
Both Jack and Ned knew that the journey thus undertaken would beattended by no little danger as well as sore discomfort and suffering.The deadly moccasin and rattlesnake lurk in the grass and weeds of thatcoast country, and the unshod boy was in peril of their fangs at everystep. He was too brave a boy, however, to shrink from danger when a realduty was to be done, and so he set forth manfully. Taking a stick hestruck the ground frequently, as a precaution against the danger ofstepping upon any snake that might be in his path, and more than once heheard the venomous creatures hiss angrily before scurrying away.
He pressed forward too eagerly to pay due attention to briars andbrushwood, and so before he reached the rice swamp his scanty clothingwas nearly torn from his body and his skin was badly lacerated. Hiscoat protected his shoulders and arms, of course, but his legs, hands,and face suffered not a little.
Meantime Jack kept up the beacon fir
e, suffering scarcely less withanxiety and impatience than Ned suffered from physical hurts. Poor Jackhad the hard task of waiting in terror and uncertainty. He imagined allmanner of evils that might have happened to Charley; then he becameanxious about Ned. He shuddered to think of the dangers through whichhis companion must be passing. The necessity of inactivity wasintolerable; Jack could not sit or stand still. He felt that he shouldgo mad if he did not keep in motion. He paced up and down by the fire,as a caged tiger does. Finally, morbid fancies took possession of him.He imagined that he heard Ned groan in the bushes on his left. Then heseemed to hear a cry of agony from Charley in the woods on his right.Investigation revealed nothing, and Jack returned to his waiting in anagony of suspense.
It was after midnight when Ned returned, torn, bleeding, worn out withexertion, and very lame from a wound in his foot. He had trodden uponsome sharp thing, a thorn or sharp spike of wood, which had thrustitself deep into the flesh of his heel, and the wound was now badlyinflamed.
"Thank heaven, you are safe at any rate!" exclaimed Jack fervently. "Didyou find out any thing about poor Charley?"
"Nothing," answered Ned, returning Jack's warm hand-clasp. "I went tothe rice field and found the place where he had been threshing, but noother trace of him. He must have finished threshing, however, andstarted homeward, as he left no threshed rice there. I could not find atrail in the dark, of course, and I can't imagine what has become ofCharley. I called him repeatedly, and went all around the marsh, but itwas of no use. Besides, if he were anywhere in that region he would knowthe way home, for I could see not only the light from this fire but theblaze itself."
"Well, you stay here now and let me go," said Jack, preparing to setout.
"What's the use?" asked Ned. "I tell you I have done all that can bedone until daylight. If you go you'll only run the risk of lamingyourself, and then there'll be nobody fit to take up the search whenmorning comes to make it hopeful."
This was so obviously a sensible view of the situation, that Jack wasforced, though reluctantly, to remain where he was.
Hour after hour the two boys waited and watched, keeping up the beaconfire, and occasionally investigating sounds which they heard or thoughtthat they heard in the woods and thickets around them. Naturally theytalked very little. There was nothing to talk of except Charley'sdisappearance, and there was little to be said about that.
It began to rain, slowly at first, and in torrents toward morning, butneither boy thought of going into the hut for shelter. Indeed, neitherboy seemed conscious of the fact that it was raining at all. They wereaware only of the horrible suspense in which they were passing the hoursof a night which seemed almost endless.