Frontier Boys in the South Seas Part 22

Jo had so long been detained that the others had meantime descended to the cabin.

"The chart is gone," cried Jo.

Un.o.bserved by all but Jim, the steward had entered the cabin from the aft companionway. There were exclamations of astonishment, but the steward gave not the slightest heed, going about his duties without apparent interest.

The captain now noticed his presence, and questioned him closely, but with no result. Meantime, Jim took the professor aside, and together they went to the deck above, and then climbed quite away up into the ship's rigging.

When they were absolutely alone, Jim said, "Whom do you suspect, professor?"

"I can think of only one person," was the answer. "Beside you boys and myself, only four people have access to the cabin. I do not suspect the captain or the steward. Berwick you have confidence in. May it not be the mate?"

"I know who it was that took the chart," said Jim, "and I called you up here where no one could possibly overhear, to tell you."

"Then it is not lost beyond recovery?"

"On the contrary, it is safe, and you and I will be the only ones knowing where it is."

"I am all anxiety."

"It is here in my pocket."

"You certainly surprise me. What prompted this move on your part?"

"I felt that someone was after the chart, and I thought of a way to mislead them."

"Go on. I am all interest."

"I made a copy of your chart and subst.i.tuted it for the original, then I put the copy in the hiding place."

"And the copy was stolen?" the professor inquired ruefully. "What about that? Won't it disclose our secret?"

"The copy, if you may call it such, that I made," laughed Jim, "had the descriptions and instructions altered so that it will be misleading rather than helpful."

"Good!" said the professor. "You are an a.s.sistant after my own heart.

Our chances of searching undisturbed are greatly improved."

"If we keep this secret to ourselves," continued Jim, "the others will be constantly on the lookout, and we may yet run down the one guilty of the theft."

"Yes, even if they only get a fict.i.tious chart, we would like to know who it is and for what purpose it was taken."

Their conference over they returned now to the deck.

The day pa.s.sed without event worthy of record, and it was growing dark when the captain again joined the others.

"Going to have a blow," he said, looking to the west where a ma.s.s of dark clouds were piling up. "The barometer is falling. It is just the time to try a little experiment."

"What is that?" asked Tom.

"I am going to try and give our friends the slip," replied the captain.

"There are no other ships in sight," sweeping the horizon with his gla.s.s.

"How are you going to do it?" asked Tom.

"Wait and see," replied the captain.

In the west it was growing darker. The storm brewing clouds, as they piled up blotted out the stars. There was scarcely a breath of air. The sea rose and fell in long, slow undulations. Away in the distance the roar of the storm was audible.

"Double reef the sails," the captain commanded at the same time changing the course so as to steer directly toward the approaching storm.

The party at the captain's suggestion had donned their oilskins and were now crouched in the shelter of the cabin top watching with fascinated interest the coming of the storm.

"Better get a good strong hold," advised Tom, "It's going to blow great guns."

Higher and higher rose the clouds until all of the west was of inky blackness through which there ran, now and again, a streak of light that was blinding in its intensity. The storm broke now with a flash as if the whole firmament was aflame, and with a roar that drowned the thunder a solid wall of blackness enveloped them, blotting out everything except the ship's lights, and there came down apparently a deluge of water.

"Put out the lights," commanded the captain, in the first lull of the storm. The vessel was still rolling and pitching, and the wind was howling through the shrouds.

In total darkness, now, the ship plunged forward through the angry waves that crashed against her bow with a force that shook her from stem to stern, while the wind played weird tunes overhead.

"We will keep her on the course she is running a half hour," determined the captain. By that time the storm had about blown out, and when the command was turned over to the mate the ship's regular course was resumed.

"I think," began the captain, the next morning when the boys came on deck, "that we have seen the last of the Marjorie."

"I hope so," replied the professor, who was scanning the horizon with a gla.s.s. "It is almost too good to be true, but they do not seem to be in sight."

It was a beautifully clear day after the storm. The wind had blown all the clouds away, and the sky was a deep transparent blue. The air was crisp, and for the lat.i.tude, cool, and the sea rose and fell in long broken swells through which the yacht was racing at the rate of a dozen knots. They were alone on the vast expanse of water; no other vessel was in sight, although way to the southwest a faint trail-like smoke showed on the horizon against the deep blue of the sky.

"Is that the Marjorie off there, do you think?" asked Tom.

"Cannot say, I'm sure," replied the captain. "But we will just hold to our course and see if she raises. I doubt if they see us, and the Marjorie will have a hunt to pick us up again."

"I can't see anything of them," said the captain, an hour later, sweeping the horizon with his gla.s.s. "We can lay over course direct for the island of Bohoola."

Relieved of the shadow of impending trouble which the persistent trailing of the yacht by the mysterious vessel had cast over them, the spirits of all rose perceptibly and as nothing was seen of her for the next two or three days some began to think that it was only a coincident of their sailing upon the same course, and that their fears had been unfounded.

Several days of steady progress under full spread of sail carried the voyager on beyond the equator. No incident worthy of note transpired.

There was, of course, a constantly augmented desire for the sight of land and for the varieties and delicacies of food denied them. Hard tack and salt fish become very monotonous if too long persisted in.

Hopes of an early termination of the journey were beginning to run high when, as the captain determined that they had arrived at a point estimated to be less than three days from their destination. The other boys were now told the story of the chart then in Jim's possession, and one day together with the professor, a careful study of the descriptions and instructions were gone over. They were careful to see that no one was near either cabin door, but they did not observe that both the mate and the steward, who were much in each other's company, were seated on the cabin roof.

The instructions contained in the chart were meagre in the extreme. The location of the island was fairly well given, but after that much seemed to be left to chance. The main and essential feature which all impressed on their memory was "an opening to a cave high up and difficult of access." A blue stone marked in some way the entrance.

The next morning the sun rose hot almost beyond endurance to greet an atmosphere of perfect calm. Not a ripple stirred the surface of the great southern sea. The Storm King, master in a turmoil, was conquered and helpless when denied a breeze, and lay with drooping canvas, motionless.

So pa.s.sed that day and the next with discomfort to the voyagers and without progress.

"There is only one thing to do," determined the professor. "Mr. Berwick, will you start up the engine, and we will end our trip under steam?"

Everything being in readiness, the fires were lit and the generation of steam gotten under way. At a signal the engine's mechanism responded to the movement of a lever. Almost immediately there was a crash that shook the ship from stem to stern. It was at once apparent to all on board that something serious had happened. Everyone was at the moment on deck, except those engaged in the engine room, and to that spot all ran to investigate.