Bert Wilson, Wireless Operator Part 6

So, in a few minutes the boys were on the beach once more, ready to try their luck on the skees. They watched the group of fellows that had at first caught their attention until they thought that they knew pretty well what to do. When they fancied they could safely venture they waded out until the water was about to their waists. Then, resting the long board on the water, they tried their best to mount it, as they had seen the other fellows do. But they would just get the board placed nicely with its point toward the sh.o.r.e, when a wave would come along and carry it out from under their feet.

They had very nearly given it up in despair when one of the fellows from the other group came over and spoke to them.

"Is this your first try at the surf boards?" he asked, and they knew from the very tone of his voice that he was what they had thought him, an American. "We saw you were having trouble, and we thought you wouldn't mind if we gave you a few pointers. It's hard to do at first, but when you once catch on it's a cinch."

"We would be very much obliged if you would show us how to manage them,"

Bert replied. "I thought that I had tried pretty nearly every kind of water trick, but this is a new one on me."

"Yes, we can't seem to get the hang of it," Tom added. "How do you stay on the thing when you once get there?"

So our boys and the others soon became very well acquainted, and it wasn't very long before they were doing as well as the strangers. All too soon they saw the Doctor coming down the beach toward them, and they knew that the time was up. They bade good-bye to their new found friends and hurried up to the inn to get ready for the rest of the journey. For the whole afternoon they rode through scenes of the most striking beauty and grandeur.

They went through the historic valley of Nuuanu, where the great battle was waged by Kamehameha the Great, sometimes called the Napoleon of the Pacific. They followed the scene of that terrible struggle until they came to the precipice over which the Oahu army of more than three thousand men had been forced to a swift death on the rocks below.

When they reached the hotel at which they had expected to stay for the night, they found a telegram waiting for them. Doctor Hamilton opened it and read, "Come at once. Ship sails to-morrow morning, nine o'clock."

"That means," said the Doctor, "that we will have to start for the _Fearless_ as soon as we can get a bite to eat."

So start they did, and it took hard riding nearly the whole night to get them to the ship in time. After they had settled with the landlord of the Seaside House and had hustled their belongings into the car, they started for the dock and found that they were just in the nick of time.

As Bert turned from his companions toward the operating room to take down any last messages that Hawaii might want to send, he said with a sigh, "I'm sorry that we had to leave sooner than we expected, but as long as we had to--say, fellows, wasn't that ride great?"

CHAPTER VII

A SWIM FOR LIFE

It was a hot day, even for the tropics, and everybody felt the heat intensely. Awnings had been stretched over the deck, and under their inviting shade the pa.s.sengers tried to find relief from the burning sun, but with little success. A slight accident to the machinery had caused the ship to heave to, so that they were deprived of the artificial breeze caused by the vessel's motion. The oppressive heat rivaled anything the boys had ever felt, and for once even their effervescent spirits flagged. They lolled about the deck in listless att.i.tudes, and were even too hot to cut up the usual "monkeyshines" that gave the pa.s.sengers many a hearty laugh. d.i.c.k looked longingly at the green, cool-appearing water, that heaved slowly and rhythmically, like some vast monster asleep.

"Make out it wouldn't feel good to dive in there, and have a good, long swim," he exclaimed, in a wistful voice. "Just think of wallowing around in that cool ocean, and feeling as though you weren't about to melt and become a grease spot at any moment. Gee, I'd give anything I own to be able to jump in right now."

"Go ahead," grinned Bert, "only don't be surprised if we fish you out minus a leg or two. Those two sharks that have been following the ship for the last week would welcome you as a very agreeable addition to their bill of fare."

"Yes," chimed in Ralph, "and that's not the only thing, either. I've felt sorry for those poor old sharks for quite a while. Here they follow our ship around for a week, hoping that somebody will fall overboard and furnish them a square meal, and then everybody disappoints them. I call it pretty mean conduct."

"That's my idea exactly," agreed Bert, "and I think it would only be doing the gentlemanly thing for d.i.c.k to volunteer. You won't disappoint your friends on a little point like that, will you, d.i.c.k?"

"No, certainly not," responded d.i.c.k, scornfully. "Just ring the dinner bell, so that the sharks will be sure not to miss me, and I'll jump in any time you say. Nothing I can think of would give me greater pleasure."

"Well, on second thought," laughed Bert, "I think we'd better save you a little while, and fatten you up. I'm afraid you haven't got fat enough on you at present to give entire satisfaction. We might as well do this thing up right, you know."

"O, sure, anything to oblige," grunted d.i.c.k. "Just dispose of me any way you think best. Naturally, the subject has little interest for me."

"Aw, you're selfish, d.i.c.k, that's what's the matter with you," said Ralph. "I'd be willing to bet any money that you're thinking more of yourself than you are of those two poor, hungry fish. Gee, I'm glad I'm not like that."

"All right, then," responded d.i.c.k, quickly, "as long as you feel that way, and I don't, why don't you serve yourself up to the suffering sharks? Besides, you're fatter than I am."

Apparently Ralph could think of no satisfactory answer to this profound remark and so changed the subject.

"Well," he exclaimed, "all this doesn't get us any nearer to a good swim. I wish this were one of the steamships I was on not long since."

"Why, how was that?" inquired Bert.

"Well, on that ship they had a regular swimming tank on board. Of course, it wasn't a very big one, but it was plenty large enough to give a person a good swim. Gee, I used to just about live in that tank on a day like this."

"I suppose that was what you might call a tank steamer, wasn't it?"

said Bert, and his remark raised a general laugh.

But now an elderly man among the pa.s.sengers, who up to now had listened to the boys' conversation with a smile on his face, but had not spoken, said, "Why don't you ask the captain to rig up the swimming nets? I'm sure he would be willing to do it for you, if you asked him in the right way."

"Swimming nets!" exclaimed d.i.c.k, "what's a swimming net?"

"Why, it's simply a sort of a cage that they rig up alongside the ship, and anybody that wants to can swim to their heart's content inside it.

The net keeps sharks out, and makes it safe."

"Say, that would certainly be great," exclaimed Ralph. "Come along, fellows, and we'll see if we can't persuade the captain to fix us up.

The idea of a good swim certainly hits me where I live."

The rest were nothing loath, and they jumped to their feet and rushed off in search of Captain Manning. He was soon found, and listened smilingly to Ralph, who acted as spokesman for the others.

"I guess we can arrange that, all right," he said, after Ralph had finished. "It will be at least two hours before our repairs are finished. Between you and me, I'd like to jump in myself," he added, regretfully.

He gave orders accordingly, and the crew soon had the netting rigged.

Before they had finished, news of what was going on had flown through the ship. All who felt so disposed or had bathing paraphernalia with them, appeared on deck attired for a dip. Needless to say, Bert, d.i.c.k, and Ralph were among the first to put in an appearance, and great was their impatience while the crew were putting the finishing touches to the "cage." While they were waiting, Ralph said, "Look at that, fellows.

Those two sharks that we were talking about a little while ago have disappeared. I guess they must have overheard our conversation, and given us up for a bad job."

"They're certainly not in sight, at any rate," said d.i.c.k. "However, I think I shall manage to control my grief at their desertion."

"It always gave me a creepy feeling," said the pa.s.senger who had first suggested the swimming nets, "they hung on so persistently, just as though they felt sure that their patience would be rewarded some time.

It seemed uncanny, somehow."

"It certainly did," agreed another. "I guess they're gone for good, this time, though."

This seemed to be the general opinion among the crew, also, and the boys felt relieved in spite of themselves, for swimming in close proximity to a couple of hungry sharks, even when separated from them by a net, is not a particularly cheerful experience.

Soon everything was ready, and the swimmers descended the steps let down alongside the ship, and plunged into the water. It was very warm, but a good deal cooler than the air, and you may be sure it felt good to the overheated pa.s.sengers. Bert and Ralph were expert swimmers, and dove and swam in a manner to bring applause from the pa.s.sengers up above. d.i.c.k was not such a very good swimmer, having had little experience in the water. He enjoyed the dip none the less on this account, however, and if he could not swim as well as the others, at least made quite as much noise as they.

After half an hour or so of this the boys ascended to the deck to rest a little before continuing their aquatic exercises.

"My, but that felt good, and no mistake," said Bert.

"It sure did," agreed Ralph. "The only objection I can find is that you can't swim far enough in any one direction. I like to have enough s.p.a.ce to let me work up a little speed. I've half a mind to take a chance and dive off here outside the net. There's no sign of those pesky sharks around now. I'm going to take a chance, anyhow," and before anybody had a chance to stop him he had made a pretty dive over the side. He struck the water with scarcely a splash, and in a few seconds rose to the surface and shook the water out of his eyes. Bert yelled at him to come back on board, but he only shook his head and laughed.

Then he struck out away from the ship with bold, rapid strokes, and soon had placed a considerable distance between himself and the vessel. Bert and the others watched his progress with anxious eyes.