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diff --git a/old/62301.txt b/old/62301.txt deleted file mode 100644 index d5fb759..0000000 --- a/old/62301.txt +++ /dev/null @@ -1,7772 +0,0 @@ -The Project Gutenberg eBook, Canoemates, by Kirk Munroe - - -This eBook is for the use of anyone anywhere in the United States and most -other parts of the world at no cost and with almost no restrictions -whatsoever. You may copy it, give it away or re-use it under the terms of -the Project Gutenberg License included with this eBook or online at -www.gutenberg.org. If you are not located in the United States, you'll have -to check the laws of the country where you are located before using this ebook. - - - - -Title: Canoemates - A Story of the Florida Reef and Everglades - - -Author: Kirk Munroe - - - -Release Date: June 2, 2020 [eBook #62301] - -Language: English - -Character set encoding: ISO-646-US (US-ASCII) - - -***START OF THE PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK CANOEMATES*** - - -E-text prepared by Val Wooff and the Online Distributed Proofreading Team -(http://www.pgdp.net) from page images generously made available by -Internet Archive (https://archive.org) - - - -Note: Project Gutenberg also has an HTML version of this - file which includes the original illustrations. - See 62301-h.htm or 62301-h.zip: - (http://www.gutenberg.org/files/62301/62301-h/62301-h.htm) - or - (http://www.gutenberg.org/files/62301/62301-h.zip) - - - Images of the original pages are available through - Internet Archive. See - https://archive.org/details/canoematesstoryo00munriala - - -Transcriber's note: - - Emphasised text is shown thus: _italics_ =bold= - - - - - -[Illustration: SUMNER AT HOME. (Page 18)] - - -CANOEMATES - -A Story of the Florida Reef and Everglades - -by - -KIRK MUNROE - -Author of -"The Flamingo Feather" "Derrick Sterling" -"Dorymates" "Campmates" etc. - -Illustrated - - -[Illustration] - - - - - - -New York -Harper & Brothers, Franklin Square -1893 - -Copyright, 1892, by HARPER & BROTHERS. - -All rights reserved. - - - - -CONTENTS. - - - CHAPTER PAGE - - I. IN THE FAR SOUTH 1 - II. THREE CANOES, AND THE FATE OF ONE 8 - III. SUMNER RECEIVES A SECOND OFFER 18 - IV. TEACHING A THIEF A LESSON 26 - V. THE GREAT FLORIDA REEF 33 - VI. PINEAPPLES AND SPONGES 41 - VII. MYSTERIOUS DISAPPEARANCE OF THE CANOES 49 - VIII. LIFE ON THE LONELY ISLAND 57 - IX. THE NOCTURNAL VISITOR 64 - X. WHOSE ARE THEY? AND WHERE DID THEY COME FROM? 73 - XI. SUMNER DRIFTS AWAY ON A RAFT 80 - XII. PICKED UP IN THE GULF STREAM 89 - XIII. A MYSTERY OF THE REEF 96 - XIV. WORTH AND QUORUM ARE MISSING 105 - XV. WORTH AND QUORUM IN SEARCH OF SUMNER 112 - XVI. A NIGHT IN ALLIGATOR LIGHT 121 - XVII. AN ENTERTAINMENT ON THE KEY 128 - XVIII. OFF FOR THE EVERGLADES 137 - XIX. THE CANOES ARE AGAIN LOST, AND AGAIN FOUND 145 - XX. THE PSYCHE AS A LIFE-BOAT 153 - XXI. SUMNER'S SELF-SACRIFICE 160 - XXII. GOOD-BYE TO THE TRANSIT 168 - XXIII. WORTH MEETS A PANTHER 175 - XXIV. RATTLESNAKES AND RIFLE-SHOTS 184 - XXV. WORTH'S LONELY NIGHT-WATCH 192 - XXVI. THE FLORIDA EVERGLADES 201 - XXVII. A PREHISTORIC EVERGLADE MOUND 209 - XXVIII. WHAT BECAME OF QUORUM AND THE CANOES 218 - XXIX. A VERY SERIOUS PREDICAMENT 226 - XXX. QUORUM AS AN AMBASSADOR 234 - XXXI. A CLOSELY GUARDED CAMP 242 - XXXII. CROSSING THE 'GLADES WITHOUT SEEING THEM 250 - XXXIII. AN ADVENTUROUS DEER-HUNT 258 - XXXIV. HEMMED IN BY A FOREST FIRE 266 - XXXV. THE BOYS IN A SEMINOLE CAMP 275 - XXXVI. ONE OF THE RAREST ANIMALS IN THE WORLD 284 - XXXVII. FISHING FOR SHARKS 292 - XXXVIII. LITTLE KO-WIK-A SAILS OUT TO SEA 301 - XXXIX. A BLACK SQUALL AND THE STRANDED STEAMER 308 - XL. THE HAPPY ENDING OF THE CRUISE 317 - - - - - ILLUSTRATIONS. - - - SUMNER AT HOME _Frontispiece._ - - "WITH THE NEXT SEND OF THE SEA THE - CANVAS CANOE WAS CRUSHED BENEATH - THE PONDEROUS BOWS" _Facing p._ 18 - - "HE RETURNED TO THE BUOY, ON WHICH - THE RECENT FUGITIVE WAS NOW SITTING" " 30 - - THE "CUPID" AND "PSYCHE" START ON - THEIR CRUISE " 32 - - TORCH-FISHING FOR MULLET " 40 - - THE CANOES ARE GONE " 48 - - "'SOME ONE WAS TRYING TO PULL MY GUN AWAY'" " 64 - - "THE LATTER WAS ROLLING ON THE GROUND - AT THE FOOT OF A COCOANUT-TREE" " 68 - - A GREAT DISCOVERY " 78 - - QUORUM IS HAPPY " 84 - - "TWO PAIRS OF POWERFUL ARMS DRAGGED - HIM INTO THE BOAT" " 94 - - "AS HE STEPPED ASHORE A PLEASANT-FACED - YOUNG MAN ADVANCED TO MEET HIM" " 108 - - QUORUM RESIGNS HIMSELF TO FATE " 126 - - QUORUM DANCES A BREAK-DOWN " 136 - - "HE FOUND RUST NORRIS CROUCHING IN THE - LEE OF THE LITTLE DECK-HOUSE" " 158 - - REPAIRING THE "PUNKIN SEED" " 168 - - "A VOLLEY OF RIFLE-SHOTS FLASHED AND - ROARED FROM THE FOREST" " 188 - - "ROUGH-LOOKING CHARACTERS, WHOM HE - AT ONCE RECOGNIZED AS SOUTH FLORIDA - COWBOYS" " 200 - - "HIS WRISTS WERE UNBOUND, AND THE - CLOTH THAT ENVELOPED HIS HEAD WAS - SNATCHED FROM IT" " 220 - - "DIRECTLY AFTERWARDS A CANOE APPEARED - AT THE OPENING IN THE BUSHES" " 240 - - "THEY WERE SUDDENLY CONFRONTED BY - AN INDIAN ARMED WITH A RIFLE" " 248 - - "THE ORDEAL OF FIRE LASTED BUT A MINUTE" " 272 - - SUMNER AND WORTH IN THE SEMINOLE CAMP " 282 - - SUMNER RESCUES KO-WIK-A " 310 - - "THE SURPRISE AND DELIGHT OF THE TWO - GENTLEMEN CAN BETTER BE IMAGINED - THAN DESCRIBED" " 322 - - - - -_CANOEMATES._ - -_A Story of the Everglades._ - - - - -CHAPTER I. - -IN THE FAR SOUTH. - - -"Really, mother, it doesn't seem as though I could stand it any -longer! Life in this place isn't worth living, especially when it's a -life of poverty, and what people call 'genteel poverty,' as ours is. -Our struggle is for bare existence, and there doesn't seem to be any -future to it. If you'd only let me go to New York, I'm sure I could do -something there that was worth the doing, but I can't do anything here, -and I'd almost rather die than live here any longer!" With this Sumner -Rankin flung himself into a chair, and his flushed face was as heavily -clouded as though life held nothing of hope or happiness for him. - -"Why, my dear boy," exclaimed his mother, standing beside him and -smoothing his tumbled brown curls with her cool hands, "what is the -matter? I never knew you to speak so bitterly before." - -Mrs. Rankin still looked so young and pretty that she might almost be -taken for an elder sister of the handsome, seventeen-year-old boy over -whom she now bent so tenderly. - -To the casual observer the Rankins' home was a very pleasant one. It -was a pretty, broad-verandaed cottage nestled in the shadows of a clump -of towering cocoanut palms, on the far southern island of Key West. -It stood on the outskirts of the town, and so close to the beach that -the warm waters of the Mexican Gulf rippling on the coral rocks behind -it made a ceaseless melody for its inmates. Jasmine-vines clambered -over it, glossy-leaved myrtles, a hedge of night-blooming cereus and -other sweet-scented tropical shrubs perfumed the air about it. Through -these, looking out from the shaded coolness of the verandas, the eye -caught fascinating glimpses of blue waters with white sails constantly -passing, and stately men-of-war swinging idly at their moorings. It -looked an ideal home; but even in this tropical Eden there was one very -large serpent, besides several that were smaller though almost equally -annoying. The big one was poverty, and it held the Rankins in its -dread embrace as though with no intention of relaxing it. - -Mrs. Rankin was the widow of a naval officer who had been stationed -at Key West a few years before. He had sent his wife and only child -north to escape a dreadful summer of yellow-fever, while he had stayed -and died at his post. Shortly before his death Commander Rankin, -believing that Key West property was about to increase rapidly in -value, had invested all that he had in the little jasmine-clad cottage, -expecting to be able to sell it at a handsome profit when his term of -service at that station should expire. Thus it was all that remained -to his family, and to this haven Mrs. Rankin, sad-eyed and wellnigh -broken-hearted, had returned with her boy. The fever had caused real -estate to become of so little value that there was no chance of selling -the cottage; so they were forced to live in it, and the widow eked out -her scanty pension by letting such rooms as she could spare to lodgers. -During the pleasant winter season she rarely had difficulty in filling -them, but through the long, hot summer months desirable lodgers were -few and far between, and the poverty serpent enfolded them closely. - -One of the lesser serpents against which the Rankins had to contend -was the lack of congenial society; for, with the exception of a few -government employes and those whose business compels them to live -there, the population of Key West is composed of spongers and wreckers, -Cuban and negro cigar-makers. Another was the lack of good schools, -and the worst of all was the lack of suitable business openings for -Sumner, or "Summer," as his Chinese nurse had called him when he was -a baby, and as he had been called ever since on account of his bright -face and sunny disposition. He would have loved dearly to go through -the Naval Academy and follow the profession that had been his father's, -but the Rankins had no political influence, and without that there -was no chance. He could not go into a cigar-factory, and though his -boyish love of adventure had led him to take several trips on sponging -vessels, it was not the business for a gentleman. - -Born in China, the boy had, with his mother, followed his naval father -to many of the principal ports of the world. Both his father and mother -had devoted all their spare time to his education, and thus he was -well informed in many branches of which the average boy knows little -or nothing. He loved the sea and everything connected with it. From -his babyhood he had played with and sailed boats. Now there was no -better sailor in Key West than he, nor one more at home among the reefs -of those southern waters. He knew the secrets of boat-building from -keel to truck, and from stem to stern, while his favorite employment -was the whittling out of models, the drawing of sail plans, and the -designing of yachts. But nobody wanted yachts in Key West, nor did -its sailors care to have improved models for their fishing-boats or -sponge-vessels. So Sumner was considered a dreamer, and people said he -ought to be doing something besides whittling and idling about home. -The boy thought so himself, but what to do and how to set about it were -problems the attempted solution of which caused him many an unhappy -hour. - -On the perfect winter day that he had come home in such a despairing -frame of mind, his own life had just been presented in vivid contrast -to that of another boy who seemed to have the very things that Sumner -most longed for. He had been down to the wharf to see the _Olivette_, -the West Indian fast mail-steamer from Tampa, come in. There he had -been particularly attracted by a boy somewhat younger than himself, -standing with a gentleman, whom Sumner supposed to be his father, -on the after-deck. As the steamer neared the wharf this boy amused -himself by flinging silver coins into the water for the fun of seeing -little negroes dive after them. - -"Only think, mother!" exclaimed Sumner in relating this incident, -"he threw money away as I would so many pebbles, and didn't seem to -value it any more. Just imagine a boy having money to waste like that! -And some of those little rascals who dived for it made more in a few -minutes than I have to spend in months." - -"But, Sumner," said Mrs. Rankin, gravely, "I hope your unhappiness does -not arise from jealousy of another's prosperity?" - -"Yes, it does, mother," replied the boy, honestly; "though it isn't -only because he could throw money away; it is because he has the very -thing that I would rather have than anything else in the world--the -prettiest, daintiest, cedar sailing canoe that ever was built. I never -saw one before, but I've read of them, and studied their plans until I -know all about them. She is as different from my old canvas thing as a -scow is from a yacht." - -"But you thought your canvas canoe very nearly perfect when you built -her." - -"I know I did, but I have learned better since then, and now it seems -as though I should never care to look at it again." - -Yet this same despised canvas canoe, which Sumner had built himself -the year before without ever having seen one, had been considered both -by himself and his friends a masterpiece of naval construction, and he -had cruised in her ever since with great satisfaction. - -"You have yet to learn, dear, that it is ever so much harder to be -satisfied with the things we have than to obtain those for which we -long, no matter how far beyond our reach they may seem," said Mrs. -Rankin, gently. - -"I suppose it is, mother, and I know it is horrid to come to you -with my miserable complainings; but I wish I had never seen those -canoes--for there were two of them just alike--and I wish wealthy -people wouldn't come to Key West with such things. They don't do us -any good, and only make us feel our poverty the more keenly. Why, -there they are now! Turning in here too! What can they want with us, -I wonder? I won't see them at any rate. I've no more use for wealthy -snobs than they have for me." - -So saying, Sumner left the room by a rear door, and the steps of the -approaching visitors sounded on the front veranda. - - - - -CHAPTER II. - -THREE CANOES, AND THE FATE OF ONE. - - -As Sumner's mother opened the door, she saw that the gentleman who, -politely lifting his hat, asked if she were Mrs. Rankin, was too young -to be the father of the boy by his side. - -"May I introduce myself as Mr. Tracy Manton, of New York?" he said, -when she had answered his question in the affirmative; "and my nephew, -Master Worth Manton? We have called to see if we can engage rooms here -for a week or so. We will take our meals at the hotel; but we have two -canoes that we propose fitting out here for a cruise up the reef, and -we want to find a place close to the water where we can keep them in -safety, and at the same time be near them. Mr. Merrill advised us to -come here, and it looks as though this were exactly the place of which -we are in search. So if you can accommodate us we shall esteem it a -great favor." - -With the remembrance of Sumner's last words, Mrs. Rankin hesitated a -moment before replying; whereupon Mr. Manton added: "I trust you are -not going to refuse us, for I have set my heart on coming here, and -will gladly pay full hotel rates for the accommodation." - -"If my vacant rooms suit you I shall be pleased to let you have them -at my regular rate, which is all they are worth," answered the widow, -quietly, as she reflected on the poverty which would not allow even a -mother's feelings to interfere with honorable bread-winning. "Will you -step in and look at them?" - -"We are in luck, my boy, and our little expedition has begun most -prosperously," said Mr. Tracy Manton an hour later, as he and his -nephew sat in one of the two pretty back-rooms that they had engaged, -surrounded by their belongings, and looking out on the sparkling -waters of the Gulf. On the grass of the palm-shaded back yard, and in -plain sight from the windows, lay the two canoes that had so excited -Sumner's admiration and envy. They were indeed beauties as they lay -there divested of their burlap wrappings, and that they were fresh -from the builder's hands was shown by their unscratched varnish and -gleaming metal fittings. They were fifteen feet long by thirty inches -wide amidships, were provided with folding metal centre-boards, metal -drop-rudders, foot-and-hand steering gear, water-tight compartments -fore and aft, and were decked, with the exception of their roomy -cockpits. These were surrounded by stout oak coamings three inches -high, sharp-pointed, and flaring outward at the forward ends, but cut -down so as to be flush with the deck aft. Beside them lay the confused -mass of paddles, sails, spars, canoe tents, rubber aprons, cushions, -and cordage, that completed their equipment. They were simply perfect -in every detail, and the most beautiful things Sumner Rankin had ever -set his eyes upon. At least he thought so, as, returning from a long -tramp on which he had tried to walk off his unhappiness, he found them -lying in the yard. In spite of his surprise at seeing them there, and a -return of his unwelcome feeling of envy, he could not help stopping to -admire them and study their details. - -"Hello!" exclaimed Mr. Manton, again looking from his window. "There's -a chap down there staring his eyes out at our boats. I shouldn't wonder -if he were our landlady's son--the one, you know, we were advised to -engage as a guide. You wait here while I run down and find out." - -So Worth waited and watched from the window to note the result of his -uncle's negotiations. - -At a first glance one would have said that Worth Manton was an -effeminate boy, with a pale face, blue eyes, and fair hair. If, -however, the observer looked long enough to note the square chin, the -occasional compression of the thin lips, and flash of the eyes, he -might form a different opinion. He was the son of Guy Manton, the great -Wall Street operator who had made a fortune out of western railroads, -and he had all his life been accustomed to lavish luxury. He was -rather delicate, and it was largely on his account that his parents -had decided to spend a winter at St. Augustine. The boy had taken but -slight interest in the gayeties of the Ponce de Leon, nor had he gained -any benefit from the chill rain-storms driven in from the ocean by -the east winds of midwinter. The doctor had advised his going farther -south; and when his uncle Tracy proposed that they make a canoe trip -up the great Florida Reef, which lies off the most southerly coast of -the United States, Worth had eagerly seconded the proposition, and had -finally won the reluctant consent of his parents. - -He knew nothing of canoeing, nor did his uncle know much more; but the -latter was a good yachtsman, and Worth had had some experience of the -same kind, so they felt confident they could manage. They intended -to devote some time to studying their craft, and learning their -possibilities in the waters about Key West; so two canoes, completely -equipped, were ordered from the builder by telegraph. Worth's father -promised to charter a yacht, sail down the coast in it, and meet them -at Cape Florida about the first of April, and the two would-be canoemen -started for Key West full of pleasant anticipations. - -Sumner Rankin started at being asked if that were his name, for he -had not heard Mr. Manton's step on the grass behind him, and answered -rather curtly that it was. - -"Well," said the young man, plunging into business at once, as was his -habit, "I have been told that you are a first-class sailor, as well as -a good reef pilot. My nephew and I are going to cruise up the reef, -and I should like to engage your services as boatman and guide. I am -willing to pay--" - -"It makes no difference what you are willing to pay," interrupted -Sumner, with flushed cheeks and flashing eyes. "My services as boatman -are not for hire at any price." - -With this assertion of his pride, or, as he imagined, of his -independence, the boy turned and walked into the house. - -"Whew!" whistled Mr. Manton, gazing after the retreating form in -amazement. "There's a bit of dynamite for you! Pride and poverty mixed -in equal parts do make a most powerful explosive. However, I haven't -forgotten my own days of poverty, and can fully appreciate the boy's -feelings. I'll try him on a different tack as soon as this little -squall has blown over. He and his mother must be different from the -majority of the people down here, for they are the first we have met -who don't seem to want to make money out of us." - -Mr. Tracy Manton had no idea of giving up his purpose of engaging -Sumner to accompany them on their trip, for he was the kind of a man -who wins his way by sticking to whatever plan he has decided upon, in -which respect his nephew Worth strongly resembled him. So the next -time he met the lad, which was in the afternoon of the following day, -he held out his hand and said: "I beg your pardon for my unintentional -rudeness of yesterday, and my forgetfulness of the fact that a -gentleman is such, no matter where he is found. Now, I want you to -forgive me, forget my offence, and do me a favor. I can't make head or -tail of our sails, and they don't seem to me right somehow. If you will -come and look at them I shall be greatly obliged." - -By this time Sumner was so heartily ashamed of his conduct of the day -before that he was only too glad to accept this overture of friendship, -and a few minutes later the two were busily discussing the sails of the -_Cupid_ and _Psyche_, as the Mantons' canoes were named. The spars were -much heavier than they need be, while the sails were of the ill-shaped, -unserviceable pattern generally furnished by canoe builders, and these -defects were quickly detected by Sumner's experienced eye. When he -pointed them out to Mr. Manton, the latter readily comprehended them, -but was at a loss how to make the improvements that were evidently -demanded. - -In order to explain more thoroughly the idea that he wished to convey, -Sumner dragged out his own canvas canoe, stepped her masts, and hoisted -her sails. They were of a most ingenious and effective lateen pattern, -such as Mr. Manton had never before seen. - -"Where did you get hold of that idea?" he asked, after studying them -carefully a few moments. "It is a capital one." - -"I got it partly from an Arab dhow that I once saw off Madagascar, and -partly from the feluccas at Civita Vecchia." - -"Madagascar and the Mediterranean!" repeated Mr. Manton, in -astonishment. "If you have visited both of those places you must have -travelled extensively." - -"Yes," answered Sumner, quietly, but with a twinkle of amusement in -his eye. "The son of a naval officer who attempts to follow his father -about the world is apt to see a good bit of it before he gets through." - -Mr. Manton, who had known nothing of Sumner's history, no longer -wondered that he had been offended at being taken for a boatman whose -services could be hired. He was, however, too wise to make further -mention of the subject, and merely said, - -"Then you have had a splendid chance to study sails." And again turning -to the subject under consideration, he asked, "Would you be willing to -help us cut out some for our canoes after your models?" - -Sumner answered that he would not only be willing but glad to lend -every aid in his power towards properly equipping the two canoes for -their trip. - -In the mean time the sun had set, and the sky was black with an -approaching squall that caused them to watch with some uneasiness for -Worth's return. He had gone out in one of the canoes, an hour before, -for a paddle, and had not since been seen. Just as the storm broke he -appeared around a point and headed towards the little landing-place -near which they were standing. As his course lay directly in the -teeth of the wind, his struggle was long and hard. They watched him -anxiously, and more than once Sumner offered to go to the boy's -assistance; but his uncle said he wished Worth to learn self-reliance -more than anything else, and this was too good a lesson to be spoiled. -Finally the young paddler conquered, and, reaching the landing-place in -safety, sprang ashore. He was either too exhausted or too careless to -properly secure his canoe, and as he stepped from it a spiteful gust of -wind struck it full on the side. In another moment it was beyond reach -and drifting rapidly out to sea. - -Both the Mantons were confused by the suddenness of the mishap. Before -they could form any plan for the recovery of the runaway, Sumner had -shoved his own canvas canoe into the water, jumped aboard, and was -dashing away in pursuit of the truant. He was almost within reach of -his prize, and his tiny sail was almost indistinguishable amid the -blackness of the squall, when the watchers on shore were horrified to -see another and much larger sail come rushing down, dead before the -wind, directly towards it. Then the tiny canoe sail disappeared; and -as the larger one seemed to sweep over the spot where it had been, the -Mantons gazed at each other with faces that betokened the dread they -dared not put into words. - - - - -CHAPTER III. - -SUMNER RECEIVES A SECOND OFFER. - - -For a few minutes Sumner Rankin's peril was most imminent. He was -almost within reach of the drifting canoe, which he had been watching -too closely to take note of any other object, when he became conscious -of the clumsy, wood-laden schooner rushing down on him before the -squall. She was manned by a crew of two negroes, and by the manner in -which she yawed, heading one moment this way and the next another, he -saw that they had but little control of her movements. In vain did he -shout to them to lookout. His voice was lost in the shriek of the wind, -and they did not hear him. He tried to cross their bows, and might have -succeeded in so doing, but at that moment their main-sail gybed over -with a crash, and the heavy craft, looking as large as a man-of-war in -comparison with his cockle-shell, headed directly for him. With the -next send of the sea the canvas canoe was crushed beneath the ponderous -bows, and blotted from existence as though it had been a drifting leaf. - -[Illustration: "WITH THE NEXT SEND OF THE SEA THE CANVAS CANOE WAS -CRUSHED BENEATH THE PONDEROUS BOWS."] - -As Sumner saw the black mass towering above him, and before it could -descend, he rose to his feet, and taking a straight header, dived -deep into the angry waters. When he again came to the surface he was -swimming in the foaming wake of the schooner, and drifting down towards -him from the windward was the beautiful cedar canoe which was the cause -of all the trouble, and which he had passed in his effort to save his -own from destruction. A few strokes took him to her, and with a feeling -of devout thankfulness he clutched her gunwale. - -Worth Manton, or any other inexperienced canoeman, would have attempted -to climb up over the bow or stern, and, sitting astride the slippery -deck, to work his way into the cockpit. Such an attempt would have been -almost certain to roll the light craft over and fill her with water, -in which case she would become wholly unmanageable. But Sumner knew -better than to do such a thing. He had practised capsizing so often in -his crank canvas canoe that to get into this comparatively broad-beamed -and stable craft was the easiest kind of a performance. Seizing hold of -the coaming directly amidship, he placed his left hand on the side of -the cockpit nearest him, and reaching far over, grasped the other side -with his right. Then kicking in the water behind him until his body -lay nearly flat on its surface, and bearing as much weight as possible -on his right hand, he drew himself squarely across the cockpit, and in -another moment was seated in it, without having shipped a drop of water -over the coaming. - -There was no paddle in the canoe, and though she rode the waves like a -cork, she was entirely at the mercy of the wind and tide. Although the -squall was passing, the darkness of night was rapidly shutting out all -familiar objects, and Sumner was on the point of resigning himself to a -night of aimless drifting, with an interesting uncertainty as to when -he should be picked up, when a distant shout, that sounded exceedingly -like his own name, was borne to his ears. He sent back an answering -cry, the shout was repeated, and a few minutes later the shadowy form -of the _Psyche_, with Mr. Manton wielding a double-bladed paddle, shot -out of the darkness. - -"I never was so glad to find any one in my life!" exclaimed the -new-comer. "We were afraid that clumsy schooner had run you down. I -tell you what, boy, the last ten minutes have been the most anxious -I ever passed, and I wouldn't go through with them again for all the -canoes in the world. But what has become of your own boat?" - -"She has gone to the bottom, like many a good ship before her," replied -Sumner; "and it wasn't the fault of those lubbers on the schooner that -I didn't go with her. Have you an extra paddle with you?" - -"No; I neglected to bring one, and I shall have to take you in tow." - -They had already drifted down past the fort that commands the harbor -from the south-west point of the island, and as they could not hope to -make their way back against wind and tide, they were compelled to work -in behind it, and make a landing on the south beach a mile or more from -where they started. Here Mr. Manton remained in charge of the canoes, -while Sumner ran home to announce his own safety, obtain a change of -clothing and another paddle. - -He found his mother and Worth in a terrible state of anxiety concerning -him; but he made so light of his recent adventure that it was not until -after the canoes were brought safely back, an hour later, that they -learned the full extent of his recent peril. - -This incident seemed to cement a firm friendship between Sumner and -the Mantons, and while the former stubbornly refused to accept the -recompense for his lost canoe that Mr. Manton tried to force upon -him, declaring that it was only his own carelessness in not keeping -a sharper lookout, the latter made up his mind that, in spite of his -pride, the boy must and should be rewarded in some way for what he had -done. - -The following week was busily and happily spent in making new sails for -the two canoes, rerigging them, and in teaching Worth how to manage -his. It struck Sumner as a little curious that, even after the new -sails were made, Mr. Manton was always too busy to go out on these -practice trips with his nephew, and invariably asked him to take the -_Psyche_ and act as instructor in his place. Of course he could not -refuse to do this, nor did he have the slightest inclination to do -so; for what boy who loved boats would not have jumped at the chance -of sailing that dainty craft? How Sumner did appreciate her speed and -seaworthy qualities! He raced with every sponger and fisherman in the -harbor, and caused their eyes to open with amazement at the ease with -which he beat them. How fond he became of the canoe that bore him to so -many victories! How, with all his heart, he did wish he were going in -her on the cruise up the reef, for which such extensive preparations -were being made! Much as he wished this, however, he was very careful -not to express the wish to any person except his mother, to whom he -always confided all his hopes, fears, and plans. After his refusal -of Mr. Manton's offer to accompany them as guide, he would not for -anything have let that gentleman know how eagerly he longed to have the -offer repeated in such form that his pride would allow him to accept -it. Still, as he had no canoe now, it would be impossible for him to -go, and there was no use in thinking of it. - -So he tried to make the most of his present opportunities, and gain all -the pleasure that they held. Nor did he neglect Worth, but instructed -him so thoroughly in the art of canoe-handling, that at the end of a -week the boy was as much at home in his canoe as he had ever been on a -yacht. - -One day, as the two beautiful craft, with their perfect setting -lateen-sails, were glancing in and out among the anchored sponge fleet -on the north side of the island, like white-winged sea-birds, a young -sponger, named Rust Norris, called out from one of the boats, "Say, -Sumner, come here a minute, will yer?" - -As the latter sailed alongside and asked what he wanted, the sponger -answered: "I want to try that fancy trick of yourn. Let me take her a -few minutes, will yer?" - -"No," replied Sumner; "I can't, because she isn't mine to lend. -Besides, as you are not accustomed to this style of craft, you couldn't -sail her, anyhow; and you'd upset before you had gone a length." - -"Oh, I would, would I? Well, I'll bet I can sail anything you can, or -any other landlubber that thinks he knows it all because his daddy -belonged to the navy." - -Then, as Sumner, with a flushed face, but disdaining any reply, -sheered off and sailed away, he added, "I'd jest naturally hate myself -if I was as mean as you be, Sumner Rankin, and I won't forget your -disobligingness in a hurry, neither!" - -In the mean time Mr. Manton had studied Sumner's character carefully, -and the more he did so the more he was pleased with the boy. He found -him to be proud and high-tempered, but also manly, straightforward, -and honest to a fault, as well as prompt to act in emergencies, -self-reliant, and a thorough sailor. In the course of several -conversations with the boy's mother he learned much of Sumner's past -history and of his dreams for the future. To her he finally confided a -plan, formed on the day that Sumner saved Worth's canoe at the expense -of his own, and after some discussion won her assent to it. - -It was nothing more nor less than that Sumner should take his place on -the proposed cruise up the reef, and act the part of guide, companion, -and friend to the younger canoeman. - -"I shall not for a second time be guilty of the mistake of trying to -hire you to take this cruise," said Mr. Manton, smiling, as he unfolded -this plan to Sumner; "but I ask you to do it as a favor to both me and -Worth. Indeed, it will be a great favor to me," he added, hastily, as -he saw an expression of doubt on the lad's face; "for I really ought -to be in New York at this very minute, attending to some important -business, which I was only willing to neglect in case Worth could not -take this trip without me. Now, however, I am confident that he will be -safer with you than he would be with me alone, and if you will take my -canoe and accompany him to Cape Florida, where I shall try to meet you -about the first of April, you will place me under an obligation. Will -you do it?" - - - - -CHAPTER IV. - -TEACHING A THIEF A LESSON. - - -Was there ever such a chance to do the very thing he most longed to do -offered a boy before? Sumner did not believe there ever had been, and -with a quick glance at his mother's smiling face, in which he read her -assent to the plan, he answered: - -"I don't know how to thank you, sir, for making me such a splendid -offer, and not only will I gladly accept it, but I promise to do -everything in my power to make Worth have a good time, and see that no -harm befalls him. But I wish you were going too. I hate to think of -taking your place and depriving you of all the pleasure of the trip." - -"My dear boy," replied Mr. Manton, "you must not look at it in that -way, for, as I said before, you will be doing me a real favor in taking -my place. I am more of a yachtsman than a canoeman anyway, and I look -forward with fully as much pleasure to cruising down the Indian River -from St. Augustine in the yacht that my brother proposes to charter, -and meeting you at Cape Florida, as I should to running up the reef -in a canoe. There is one more thing, however. I must insist upon your -sailing your own canoe, for I make it a rule never to lend my boats -to any one, and you will have enough responsibility in looking after -Worth, without having the added one of caring for another person's -canoe. So, from this moment, the _Psyche_, and all that she contains, -is yours." - -"Oh, Mr. Manton!" - -"That will do. Not another word," laughed the young man. "I am as -obstinate as a mule when I have once made up my mind to a thing, and so -there is nothing for you to do but take the canoe, and make the best -use you can of her." - -Sumner's protests against this generosity were but feeble ones, and -were quickly disposed of by Mr. Manton, who simply refused to listen to -them. He cut them short by saying, "Now that this matter is settled, -and everything is in readiness for a start, I propose that you get off -in the morning, for I want to take to-morrow night's steamer for Tampa." - -That night, after everybody had gone to bed and the house was still, -Sumner lay wide awake, thinking over the good-fortune that had -befallen him. At length he could not resist the temptation of getting -up, partly dressing himself, and slipping out for a look at his canoe, -his very own! the most beautiful craft he had ever seen, and such a one -as in his wildest dreams he had never hoped to possess. - -The two canoes had been drawn up on the grass not far from the water's -edge, and covered with some bits of old canvas. Although it was a -moonlit night, the moon was occasionally obscured by drifting clouds, -and when Sumner left the house everything was in shadow from this -cause. He moved very quietly, for he did not wish any one to know -of the weakness that led him to look at something with which he was -already familiar, merely because it had acquired the new interest of -possession. - -To his amazement, when he reached the place where the canoes had been -left, he could find but one of them. In vain did he lift the canvas -that had covered them both, and look hurriedly about the little yard. -One of them was certainly gone, and no trace of it remained. As the boy -stood irresolute, wondering what he ought to do, he was startled by a -slight splash in the water. At the same moment the cloud passed from -the face of the moon, and by the light thus afforded Sumner saw the -figure of a man seated in the missing canoe, and cautiously paddling -from the shore. - -Without an instant's hesitation he slid the remaining canoe over the -grass and into the water, sprang into it, seized a paddle, and started -in pursuit. Of course the paddler in the first canoe might be one of -the Mantons, but Sumner did not believe it was either of them. He -thought it more than likely that the stranger was some one who only -desired to try the canoe, but it might be a thief. At any rate, the boy -determined to discover who he was, and what he meant by his stealthy -performance before they were many minutes older. - -The stranger did not realize that he was pursued until Sumner had -shoved off from shore, and was urging his own craft forward with -vigorous strokes of his double-bladed paddle. When, by a glance over -his shoulder, he discovered this, he redoubled his efforts to escape, -and by his clumsy splashings proved himself a novice in the art of -paddling. Still he made fair headway, and it was not until they were -several hundred yards from shore that Sumner overtook him. - -Here was anchored an immense mooring-buoy, with a round, slightly -conical top, having in its centre a great iron ring. It did not rise -more than a foot from the surface of the water, and in trying to watch -Sumner, the occupant of the leading canoe did not notice it until his -light craft struck it a glancing blow, and very nearly upset. The -next instant an effort to recover his equilibrium had precipitated -the fellow into the water, and as Sumner shot past him he was wildly -clutching at the buoy, with desperate efforts to gain its upper surface. - -Satisfied that he could not drown so long as he clung to the buoy, -Sumner first picked up the drifting canoe. With it in tow he returned -to the buoy on which the recent fugitive was now sitting, clinging -tightly to the iron ring, and presenting a comical picture of misery. - -"Don't leave me here, Sumner!" he cried, in an imploring tone, in which -the boy at once recognized the voice of Rust Morris. "I didn't mean no -harm. I only just wanted to try the trick, and I meant to put her back -again where I found her. Honest I did!" - -[Illustration: "HE RETURNED TO THE BUOY, ON WHICH THE RECENT FUGITIVE -WAS NOW SITTING."] - -"Well, I don't know," replied Sumner, who could not help laughing at -the other's plight, in spite of his anger at him for taking the canoe -without leave, and his suspicion that it would not have been returned -so promptly as Rust claimed it would. "You look quite as comfortable -as you deserve to be; besides, you will have a nice quiet chance out -here to learn the lesson that it is better to leave other people's -property alone than to take it without permission. So, on the whole, I -think I will leave you where you are for a while. I did think of having -you arrested for stealing, but I guess this will do just as well." - -Thus saying, the boy began to paddle towards shore, and at the same -time Rust changed his pleading tone to one of bitter invective, -uttering loud threats of what he would make Sumner suffer in the future. - -Without paying any attention to these, the young canoeman continued -on his way to the shore. From there he watched until he saw the dim -form of a fishing-boat come silently drifting down the harbor with the -tide. As she neared the spot where he knew the buoy with its unwilling -occupant to be, he heard shouts, saw the boat alter her course, and -stop for a minute. As she again proceeded, and he was satisfied that -his prisoner had been rescued, Sumner again went to bed, this time to -sleep soundly until morning. - -When he related this adventure at breakfast-time, Mr. Manton said he -had served the rascal right; but Mrs. Rankin was fearful lest some -future mischief should come of it. At this Sumner laughed, and said he -thought the lesson would teach Rust Norris to let his things alone in -the future, also that he was not afraid of anything the young sponger -could do anyhow. - -The morning was spent in loading the canoes and in making final -preparations for the start. By noon all was in readiness, and after a -hasty lunch the two young canoemates stepped aboard their dainty craft. -Then, amid a waving of handkerchiefs and a chorus of hearty good-byes -from the group of spectators assembled to see them off, they hoisted -sail, and bore away on the first reach of what was to prove one of the -most eventful and exciting cruises ever undertaken up the Florida Reef. - -[Illustration: THE "CUPID" AND "PSYCHE" START ON THEIR CRUISE.] - - - - -CHAPTER V. - -THE GREAT FLORIDA REEF. - - -The great Florida Reef, up which our young canoemates had just started -on their adventurous cruise, is about 230 miles long. It extends from -Cape Florida, on the Atlantic coast, completely around the southern end -of the peninsula, and far out into the Gulf of Mexico on the west. The -island of Key West lies some 70 miles off the main-land, and about the -same distance from the Dry Tortugas, which group of little coral islets -forms the western extremity of the reef. Between Key West, on which is -a city of the same name containing nearly 20,000 inhabitants, who live -farther south than any one else in the United States, and Cape Florida, -150 miles east and north, a multitude of little keys or islands, -covered to the water's edge with a dense growth of mangroves and other -tropical trees and shrubs, stretch in a continuous line. Between these -keys[A] and the main-land lies a vast shallow expanse of water known -as the Bay of Florida. Outside of them is the narrow and navigable -Hawk Channel, running along their entire length, and bounded on its -seaward side by the almost unbroken wall of the outer reef. This rarely -rises above the surface, and on it the busy coral insects pursue their -ceaseless toil of rock-building. Beyond the reef, between it and the -island of Cuba, eighty miles away, pours the mighty flood of the Gulf -Stream. - -[A] The word "key" is a corruption of the Spanish _Cayo_ or island. -Thus Key West was originally "Cayo Hueso," or Bone Island, so called -from the quantity of human bones found on it by the first white -settlers. - -For nearly 300 years these peaceful looking keys, with their -bewildering net-work of channels, kept open by the rushing -tide-currents, and coral reefs were the chosen resorts of pirates -and wreckers, both of whom reaped rich rewards from the unfortunate -vessels that fell into their hands. Now the pirates have disappeared, -and the business of the wreckers has been largely taken from them by -the establishment of a range of light-houses along the outer reef, -at intervals of twenty to thirty miles. The first of these is on -Loggerhead Key, the outermost of the Tortugas. Then comes Rebecca -Shoal, half-way between Loggerhead and Sand Key Light, which is just -off Key West. From here the lights in order up the reef are American -Shoal, Sombrero, Alligator, Carysfort, and Fowey Rocks, off Cape -Florida. - -With this chain of flashing beacons to warn mariners of the presence -of the dreaded reef, the palmy days of wreckers and beach-combers have -passed away, and they must content themselves with what they can make -out of the occasional vessels that are still drawn in to the reef by -the powerful currents ever setting towards it. Consequently most of -those who would otherwise be wreckers have turned their attention to -sponging in the waters behind the keys, which form one of the great -sponge-fields of the world, or to the raising of pineapples and -cocoanuts on such of the islands as afford sufficient soil for this -purpose. - -There are four ways by which one may sail up the reef. The first is -outside in the Gulf Stream, or by "way of the Gulf;" the second is -between the reef and the keys, through the Hawk Channel; the third is -through the narrow and intricate channels among the keys, or "inside," -as the spongers say; and the fourth is the "bay way," or through the -shoal waters behind the keys. - -Of all these, the third, or inside way, was the one chosen by Sumner -as being the most protected from wind and seas, the most picturesque, -the one affording the most frequent opportunities for landing, the most -interesting, and in every way best adapted to canoes drawing but a few -inches of water. - -As the _Psyche_ and _Cupid_ are running easily along the north shore -of the key before a light southerly breeze, there is time to take a -look at the "duffle" with which they are laden. In the first place, -each has two lateen-sails, the long yards of which are hoisted on short -masts rising but a few feet from the deck. These sails can be hoisted, -lowered, or quickly reefed by the canoeman from where he sits. The two -halves of the double-bladed paddles are held in metal clips on deck, on -either side of the cockpit. Also on deck, securely fastened, is a small -folding anchor, the light but strong five-fathom cable of which runs -through a ring at the bow, and back to a cleat just inside the forward -end of the coaming. - -On the floor of each canoe is folded a small tent made of gay-striped -awning-cloth, and provided with mosquito-nettings at the openings. -Above these are laid the pair of heavy Mackinaw blankets and the rubber -poncho that each carries. These, which will be shelter and bedding at -night, answer for seats while sailing. - -Under the deck, at one side of each cockpit, hangs a double-barrelled -shot-gun; and on the other side are half a dozen tiny lockers, in -which are stowed a few simple medicines, fishing tackle, matches, -an alcohol lamp (Flamme force), loaded shells for the guns, etc. In -the after-stowage lockers are extra clothing and toilet articles. -The _Psyche_ carries the mess-chest, containing a limited supply of -table-ware, sugar, coffee, tea, baking-powder, salt, pepper, etc., -and a light axe, both of which are stowed at the forward end of the -cockpit. The _Cupid_ carries in the same place a two-gallon water-keg -and a small, but well-furnished tool chest. The provisions, of which -bacon, flour, oatmeal, sea-biscuit, a few cans of baked beans and brown -bread, dried apples, syrup, cocoa, condensed milk, corn-meal, rice, and -hominy form the staples, and the few necessary cooking utensils, which -are made to fit within one another, are evenly divided between the -two canoes and stowed under the forward hatches. By Sumner's advice, -many things that the Mantons brought with them have been left behind, -and everything taken along has been reduced to its smallest possible -compass. Besides the shot-gun that Mr. Manton had given him as part of -the _Psyche's_ outfit, Sumner was armed with a revolver that had been -his father's. - -Late in the afternoon they passed the eastern point of the island of -Key West, and crossing a broad open space, in the shoal waters of -which, but for Sumner's intimate knowledge of the place, even their -light canoes would have run aground a dozen times, they approached the -cocoanut groves of Boca Chica, a large key on which they proposed to -make their first camp. - -The western sky was in a glory of flame as they hauled their craft -ashore, and from the tinted waters myriads of fish were leaping in all -directions, as though intoxicated by the splendor of the scene. - -"We will catch some of those fine fellows a little later," said Sumner, -as they began to unload their canoes and carry the things to the spot -they had already chosen for a camp. - -"But it will be dark," protested Worth. - -"So much the better. It's ever so much easier to catch fish in the dark -than by daylight." - -There was plenty of drift-wood on the beach, and in a few minutes the -merry blaze of their camp-fire was leaping from a pile of it. While -waiting for it to burn down to a bed of coals, each of them drove a -couple of stout stakes, and pitched their canoe tents near a clump of -tall palms, just back of the fire, looped up the side openings, and -spread their blankets beneath them. - -"Now let's fly round and get supper," cried Sumner, "for I am as hungry -as a kingfish. You put the coffee water on to boil, while I cut some -slices of bacon, Worth, and then I'll scramble some eggs, too, for we -might as well eat them while they are fresh." - -With his back turned to the fire, the former did not notice what Worth -was doing, until a hissing sound, accompanied by a cry of dismay, -caused him to look round. - -"I never saw such a miserable kettle as that!" exclaimed Worth. "Just -look; it has fallen all to pieces." - -For a moment Sumner could not imagine what had caused such a -catastrophe. Then he exclaimed: "I do believe you must have set the -kettle on the coals before you put the water into it." - -"Of course I did," answered Worth, "so as to let it get hot. And the -minute I began to pour water into it, it went all to pieces." - -"Experience comes high," said Sumner, "especially when it costs us the -loss of our best kettle; but we've got to have it at any price, and I -don't believe you'll ever set a kettle on the fire again without first -putting water or some other liquid inside of it." - -"No, I don't believe I will," answered Worth, ruefully, "if that is -what happens." - -In spite of this mishap, the supper was successfully cooked, thanks to -Sumner's culinary knowledge, and by the time it was over and the dishes -had been washed, he pronounced it dark enough to go fishing. First he -cut a quantity of slivers from a piece of pitch-pine drift-wood, then, -having emptied one of the canoes of its contents, he invited Worth to -enter it with him. - -"But we haven't a single fish-line ready," protested Worth. - -"Oh yes, we have," laughed Sumner, lighting one end of the bundle of -pine slivers, and giving it to Worth to hold. "You just sit still and -hold that. You'll find out what sort of a fish-line it is in a minute." -Then he paddled the canoe very gently a few rods off shore, at the same -time bearing down on one gunwale until it was even with the surface of -the water. "Look out, here they come!" he shouted. - -[Illustration: TORCH-FISHING FOR MULLET.] - - - - -CHAPTER VI. - -PINEAPPLES AND SPONGES. - - -The next instant Worth uttered a startled cry and very nearly dropped -his torch, as a mullet, leaping from the water, struck him on the side -of the head, and fell flapping into the canoe. - -"Never mind a little thing like that," cried Sumner. "Hold your torch a -trifle lower. That's the kind!" - -Now the mullet came thick and fast, attracted to the bright light like -moths to a candle-flame. They leaped into the canoe and over it, they -fell on its decks and flopped off into the water, they struck the -two boys until they felt as though they were being pelted with wet -snowballs; and at length one of them, hitting the torch, knocked it -from Worth's hand, so that it fell hissing into the water. - -The effect of this sudden extinguishing of the light was startling. In -an instant the fish ceased to jump, and disappeared, while the recent -noisy confusion was succeeded by an intense stillness, only broken -by an occasional flap from one of the victims to curiosity that had -fallen into the canoe. - -"Well, that is the easiest way of fishing I ever heard of," remarked -Worth, as they stepped ashore, and turning the canoe over, spilled out -fifty or more fine mullet. A dozen of them were cleaned, rubbed with -salt, and put away for breakfast. Then the tired canoemates turned in -for their first night's sleep in camp. - -Sumner's eyes were quickly closed, but Worth found his surroundings so -novel that for a long time he lay dreamily awake watching the play of -moonlight on the rippling water, listening to the splash of jumping -fish, the music of little waves on the shell-strewn beach, and the -ceaseless rustle of the great palm leaves above him. At length his -wakefulness merged into dreams, and when he next opened his eyes it was -broad daylight, the sun had just risen, and Sumner was building a fire. - -"Hurrah, Worth! Tumble out of bed and tumble into the water," he called -at that moment. "There's just time for a dip in the briny before this -fire'll be ready for those fish." Suiting his actions to his words, he -began pulling off his clothes, and a minute later the two boys were -diving into the cool water like a couple of frisky young porpoises. - -Oatmeal and syrup, fresh mullet, bread-and-butter (which they had -brought from home), and coffee, formed a breakfast that Sumner declared -fit for a railroad king. - -The sun was not more than an hour high before they were again under -way, this time working hard at their paddles, as the breeze had not yet -sprung up. Having left their first camp behind them, they felt that -their long cruise had indeed begun in earnest. - -For the next three days they threaded their way, under sail or paddle, -among such numberless keys and through such a maze of narrow channels, -that it seemed to Worth as though they were entangled in a labyrinth -from which they would never be able to extricate themselves. Whenever -a long sand-spit or reef shot out from the north side of one key, a -similar obstruction was certain to be found on the south end of the -next one. Thus their course was a perpetual zigzag, and a fair wind -on one stretch would be dead ahead on the next. Now they slid through -channels so narrow that the dense mangroves on either side brushed -their decks, and then they would be confronted by a coral reef that -seemed to extend unbrokenly in both directions as far as the eye could -reach. Worth would make up his mind that there was nothing to do but -get out and drag the canoes over it, when suddenly the _Psyche_, which -was always in the lead, would dash directly at the obstacle, and skim -through one of the narrow cuts with which all these reefs abound. - -For a long time it was a mystery to Worth how Sumner always kept in -the channel without hesitating or stopping to take soundings. Finally -he discovered that it was by carefully noting the color of the water. -He learned that white water meant shoals, that of a reddish tinge -indicated sand-bars or reefs, black water showed rocks or grassy -patches, and that the channels assumed varying shades of green, -according to their depth. - -They camped with negro charcoal-burners on one key, and visited an -extensive pineapple patch on another. Having heard this fruit spoken of -as growing on trees, Worth was amazed to find it borne on plants with -long prickly leaves that reached but little above his knees. The plants -stood so close together, and their leaves were so interlaced, that he -did not see how any one ever walked among them to cut the single fruit -borne at the head of each one; and when he tried it, stepping high to -avoid the bayonet-like leaves, his wonder that any human being could -traverse the patch was redoubled. - -"I would just as soon try to walk through a field covered with cactus -plants," he said. - -"So would I," laughed Sumner, "if I had to walk as you do. In a -pineapple patch you must never lift your feet, but always shuffle -along. In that way you force the prickly leaves before you, and move -with their grain instead of against it." - -Although the crop would not be ready for cutting much before May, they -found here and there a lusciously ripe yellow "pine," and after eating -one of these, Worth declared that he had never before known what a -pineapple was. He did not wonder that they tasted so different here -and in New York, when he learned that for shipment north they must be -cut at least two weeks before they are ripe, while they are hard and -comparatively juiceless. - -At the end of three days an outgoing tide, rushing like a mill-race, -swept the canoes through the green expanse of "The Grasses," that -looked like a vast submerged meadow, and into the open waters of the -Bahia Honda, or, as the reef-men say, the "Bay o' Hundy." Here they -first saw spongers at work, and devoted an entire day to studying their -operations. - -Worth had always supposed that sponges were dived for, but now he -learned his mistake. He found that in those waters they are torn from -the bottom and drawn to the surface by iron rakes with long curved -teeth attached to slender handles from twenty to thirty feet in length. -The sponging craft are small sloops or schooners, each of which tows -from two to six boats behind it. When a sponge bed is discovered, two -men go out in each of these boats. One of them sculls it gently along, -while the other leans over the gunwale with a water-glass in his hands, -and carefully examines the bottom as he is moved slowly over it. The -water-glass is a common wooden bucket having a glass bottom. This is -held over the side of the boat so that its bottom is a few inches -below the surface of the water, or beyond the disturbing influence of -ripples. With his head in this bucket, the sponger gazes intently down -until he sees the round black object that he wants. Then he calls out -to the sculler to stop the boat, and with the long-handled rake that -lies by his side secures the prize. It is black and slimy, and full of -animal matter that quickly dies, and decomposes with a most disgusting -odor. To this the spongers become so accustomed that they do not mind -it in the least, and fail to understand why all strangers take such -pains to sail to windward of their boats. - -When the deck of a sponge boat is piled high with this unsavory spoil -of the sea, she is headed towards the nearest key on which her crew -have established a crawl, [B] and her cargo is tossed into it. The -crawl is a square pen of stakes built in the shallow water of some -sheltered bay, and in it the sponges lie until their animal matter -is so decomposed that it will readily separate from them. Then they -are stirred with poles or trodden by the feet of the spongers until -they are free from it, when they are taken from the crawl, and spread -on a beach to dry and whiten in the sun. When a full cargo has been -obtained, they are strung in bunches, and taken to Key West to be -sold by the pound at auction. There they are trimmed, bleached again, -pressed into bales, and finally shipped to New York. - -[B] Crawl is a corruption of corral, meaning a yard or pen. - -Sponges are of many grades, of which the sheep's wool is the finest, -and the great loggerheads the most worthless. As spongers can only work -in water that is smooth, or nearly so, half their time is spent in -idleness; and though they receive large prices for what they catch, the -average of their wages is low. - -One hot afternoon at the end of a week found our canoemates half-way -up the reef, and approaching a key called Lignum Vitae, which is for -several reasons one of the most remarkable of all the keys. It is a -large island lifted higher above the surface of the water than any of -the other keys, and it contains in its centre a small fresh-water lake. -It is covered with an almost impenetrable forest growth, and concealed -by this are ancient stone walls, of which no one knows the origin or -date. - -Sumner had told Worth so much concerning this key as to arouse his -curiosity, and they both looked forward with interest to reaching it. -All day they had seen it looming before them, and when they finally -dropped sail close beside it, Worth proposed that they take advantage -of the remaining daylight to make a short exploration before unloading -their canoes and pitching camp. To this Sumner agreed, and as they -could not drag the laden boats up over the rocky beach, they decided -to anchor them out and wade ashore. So the _Psyche's_ anchor was flung -out into the channel, the _Cupid_ was made fast to her, and a light -line from its stern was carried ashore and tied to a tree. Then, taking -their guns with them, the boys plunged into the forest. - -When, an hour later, they returned from their exploration, bringing -with them a brace of ducks and half a dozen doves that they had shot, -they gazed about them in bewildered dismay. The canoes were not where -they had left them, nor could any trace of them be discovered. - -[Illustration: "THE CANOES ARE GONE!"] - - - - -CHAPTER VII. - -MYSTERIOUS DISAPPEARANCE OF THE CANOES. - - -"The canoes are gone!" cried Worth. - -"It looks like it," replied Sumner, in an equally dismayed tone. - -"Are you sure this is where we left them?" - -"Yes; sure. There is the stern line that we made fast to the _Cupid_, -or what is left of it." - -Sure enough, there was a portion of the light line still fast to the -tree, and as Sumner pulled it in, both boys bent over to examine it. It -had been broken, and not cut. From its length it must also have been -broken close to the canoe. - -"Oh, Sumner, what shall we do?" asked Worth, in a tone of such despair -that the former at once realized the necessity of some immediate action -to divert his comrade's thoughts. - -"Do?" he cried. "There's plenty to do. First, we'll go down to that -point and take a look to seaward; for, as the tide is running out, -they are more likely to have gone in that direction than any other. It -would be a comfort even to catch a glimpse of them. Then, perhaps, they -have only drifted away, and are stranded on some bar near by. Besides -looking for the canoes, we must build some kind of a shelter for the -night, cook supper, and discuss our plans for the future. Oh yes, we've -plenty to do!" - -While he spoke, the boys were making their way to the point in -question, and when they reached it, they eagerly scanned every foot of -water in sight. Diagonally to the right from where they stood stretched -the long reach of Lower Metacumba, desolate and uninhabited as they -knew. Almost directly in front, but several miles away, rose the -palm-crowned rocks of Indian Key, with its two or three old shed-like -buildings in plain view. These had been used and abandoned years -before by the builders of Alligator Light, the slender tower of which -they could see rising from the distant waters above the outer reef. -Diagonally on the left was the tiny green form of Tea Table Key, and -dimly beyond it they could make out the coast of Upper Metacumba, which -Sumner said was inhabited. In all this far-reaching view, however, -there were no signs of the missing canoes. - -"I'm glad of it!" said Sumner, after his long searching gaze had failed -to reveal them. "It would be rough to have them in sight but out of -reach." - -Already the sun was sinking behind the tree-tops of Lower Metacumba, -fish were leaping in the placid waters, and a few pelican were soaring -with steady poise above them. Every now and then these would swoop -swiftly down, with a heavy splash that generally sealed the fate of -one or more mullet off which the great birds were making their evening -meal. A flock of black cormorants, uttering harsh cries, flew overhead -with a rushing sound, returning from a day's fishing to their roosts -in the distant Everglades. With these exceptions, and the faint boom -of the surf on the outer reef, all was silence and desertion. Besides -the light-house tower there was no sign of human life, not even the -distant glimmer of a sail. While the boys still looked longingly for -some trace of their canoes, the sunset, and a red flash, followed at -short intervals by two white ones, shot out from the vanishing form of -Alligator Light. - -"Come!" cried Sumner, heedful of this warning. "Night is almost here, -and we have too much to do in every precious minute of twilight to be -standing idle. I'll take the bucket and run to the pond for water, -while you cut all the palmetto leaves you possibly can, and carry them -to the place where we landed." - -"The bucket?" repeated Worth, looking about him inquiringly. "Where -are you going to find it?" - -Without answering, Sumner sprang down the rocks to the water's edge, -where he had noticed a stranded bamboo, and quickly cut out a short -section of it with the hatchet that he had thrust into his belt before -leaving the canoes. As he made the cuts just below two of the joints, -his section was a hollow cylinder, open at one end, but having a tight -bottom and capable of holding several quarts of water. With this he -plunged into the forest in the direction of the pond, handing Worth the -hatchet as he passed, and bidding him be spry with his palmetto leaves. - -A few minutes later, as Sumner emerged from the trees, carrying his -full water-bucket, and breathless with his haste, he indistinctly saw -the form of some animal at the very place where they had left their -guns and birds. As the boy dashed forward, uttering a loud cry, the -alarmed animal scuttled off into the bushes. - -"Oh, you vil-li-an!" gasped Sumner as he reached the place, "I'll -settle with you to-morrow, see if I don't." - -Four of the doves had disappeared, and the head was torn from one of -the ducks. - -"What is it?" cried Worth, in alarm, as he entered the clearing from -the opposite side, staggering beneath an immense load of cabbage-palm -leaves. - -"A rascally thieving 'coon," answered Sumner, "and he has got away with -the best part of our provisions, too; but I'll get even with him yet. -Now give me the hatchet, and then pick up all the drift-wood you can -find, while I build a house." - -Worth would gladly have helped erect the house, as Sumner called it, -for he was very curious as to what sort of a structure could be built -of leaves, but he realized the necessity of doing as he was bidden, and -at once set to work gathering wood. Sumner, after carefully propping -his water-bucket between two rocks, so as to insure the safety of its -contents, began cutting a number of slender saplings, and turning them -into poles. The stoutest of these he bound with withes to two trees -that stood about six feet apart. He fastened it to their trunks as high -as he could reach. Then he bound one end of the longer poles to it, -allowing them to slant to the ground behind. Crosswise of these, and -about a foot apart, he tied a number of still more slender poles, and -over these laid the broad leaves. He would have tied these securely in -place if he had had time. As he had not, for it was quite dark before -he finished even this rude shelter, he was forced to leave them so, and -hope that a wind would not arise during the night. For himself alone -he would not have built any shelter, but would have found a comfortable -resting-place under a tree. Knowing, however, that Worth had never in -his life slept without a roof of some kind above him, he thought it -best to provide one, and thereby relieve their situation of a portion -of the terror with which the city-bred boy was inclined to regard it. - -It was curious and interesting to note how a sense of responsibility, -and the care of one younger and much more helpless than himself, was -developing Sumner's character. Already the selfishness to which he was -inclined had very nearly disappeared, while almost every thought was -for the comfort and happiness of his companion. Worth, accustomed to -being cared for and having every wish gratified, hardly appreciated -this as yet; but the emergencies of their situation were teaching him -valuable lessons of prompt obedience and self-reliance that he could -have gained in no other way. - -As Sumner finished his rude lean-to, and placed the guns within its -shelter for protection from the heavy night dews, Worth came up from -the beach with his last load of drift-wood. It was now completely dark, -and the notes of chuck-wills-widows were mingling with the "whoo, -whoo, whoo ah-h!" of a great hoot owl in the forest behind them. - -"Now for a fire and some supper," cried Sumner, cheerily. "You've got -some matches, haven't you?" - -"I don't believe I have," replied Worth, anxiously feeling in his -pockets. "I thought you must have some." - -"No, I haven't a sign of one!" exclaimed Sumner, and an accent of -hopelessness was for the first time allowed to enter his voice. "They -are all aboard the canoes, and without a fire we are in a pretty pickle -sure enough. I wonder how hungry we'll get before we make up our minds -to eat raw duck? This is worse than losing the canoes. I declare I -don't know what to do." - -"Couldn't we somehow make a fire with a gun? Seems to me I have read of -something of that kind," suggested Worth. - -"Of course we can!" shouted Sumner, springing to his feet. "What a gump -I was not to think of it! If we collect a lot of dry stuff and shoot -into it, there is bound to be a spark or two that we can capture and -coax into a flame." - -So, with infinite pains, they felt around in the dark until they had -collected a considerable pile of dry leaves, sticks, and other rubbish -that they imagined would easily take fire. Then, throwing a loaded -shell into a barrel of his gun, and placing the muzzle close to the -collected kindlings, Sumner pulled the trigger. There was a blinding -flash, a loud report that rolled far and wide through the heavy night -air, and the heap of rubbish was blown into space. Not a leaf remained -to show where it had been, and not the faintest spark relieved the -darkness that instantly shut in more dense than ever. - -"One cartridge spent in buying experience," remarked Sumner, as soon -as he discovered the attempt to be a failure. "Now we'll try another. -If you will kindly collect another pile of kindling, I'll prepare some -fireworks on a different plan." - -Thus saying, he spread his handkerchief on the ground, cut off the -crimping of another shell with his pocket-knife, carefully extracted -the shot and half the powder, and confined the remainder in the bottom -of the shell with one of the wads. Then he moistened the powder that he -had taken out, and rubbed it thoroughly into the handkerchief, which -he placed in the second pile of sticks and leaves that Worth had by -this time gathered. A shot taken at this with the lightly charged blank -cartridge produced the desired effect. Five minutes later the cheerful -blaze of a crackling fire illumined the scene, and banished a cloud of -anxiety from the minds of the young castaways. - - - - -CHAPTER VIII. - -LIFE ON THE LONELY ISLAND. - - -The influence of a brisk wood-fire on a dark night is remarkable. -Not only does it give freely of its heat and light, but gloom and -despair are banished by its ruddy glow, while cheerfulness and hope -spring forward as if by magic to occupy their vacant places. At least, -this was the effect of the cheery blaze our canoemates had at length -succeeded in coaxing into life, and though it had cost them two of -their half-dozen cartridges, they felt that these had been well -expended. Their prospects had looked dismal enough when they had been -compelled to contemplate an existence without a fire; but with it to -aid them, they felt equal to almost any emergency, and they turned to -the preparing of their ducks for supper with renewed energy. Surely -fire is well worthy of being classed with air and water as one of the -things most necessary to human life and happiness. - -Now that they had time to think of it, the boys were very hungry, for -since an early breakfast they had eaten but a light lunch of crackers -and jam. So they barely waited to assure themselves that their fire -was going to burn, before the feathers from their ducks were flying in -all directions. When the birds were plucked and cleaned, two sharpened -sticks were thrust through their bodies. These were rested on one -rock, with another above them to hold them in place, so that the ducks -were lifted but a few inches above a great bed of glowing coals. Then -the hungry lads sat down to watch them, and never, to their impatient -belief, had two fowls taken so long to roast before. They began testing -their condition by sticking the points of their knives into them -long before there was a chance of their being done. At length Sumner -declared that he was going to eat his even if it were still raw, and -the half-cooked ducks were placed on two broad palm leaves that served -at once as tables and plates. - -"My! but isn't this fowl tough!" exclaimed Worth, as he struggled with -his share of the feast. "Sole-leather and rubber are nothing to it." - -"Yes," replied Sumner; "ten-ounce army duck would be easier eating than -this fellow. I wish we could have stewed them with rice, a few bits of -pork, a slice or two of onion, and a seasoning of pepper and salt. How -do you think that would go?" - -"Please don't mention such things," said Worth, working at a drumstick -with teeth and both hands. - -"Ducks ought always to be parboiled before roasting," remarked Sumner, -wisely. - -"I believe this fellow would be like eggs," replied Worth; "the more -you boiled him the harder he would get." - -However, hunger and young teeth can accomplish wonders, so it was not -very long before two little heaps of cleanly-picked bones marked all -that was left of the ducks, and though they could easily have eaten -more, the boys wisely decided to reserve the doves for breakfast. - -Although the darkness rendered it a difficult task, Sumner managed to -cut a few armfuls more of palmetto leaves. These, shredded from their -heavy stalks and spread thickly over the floor of the lean-to, made a -couch decidedly more comfortable than a bed on the bare ground would -have been. - -They could do nothing more that night, and lying there in the firelight -they had the first opportunity since discovering the loss of their -canoes to thoroughly discuss the situation. - -"What would our mothers say if they could see us now, and know the fix -we are in?" queried Worth, after a meditative silence. - -"I'm awfully glad they can't know anything about it," replied Sumner. - -"But I wish some one could know, so that they could send a boat for us. -I am sure that we don't want to stay on this island for the rest of our -lives." - -"Of course not, and I don't propose to, even if no boat comes here." - -"What do you propose to do?" inquired Worth, leaning on his elbow, and -gazing at his companion with eager interest. - -"Well, in the first place, I propose to explore this key thoroughly -to-morrow, and see if any traces of the canoes are to be found, as well -as what it will afford in the way of food and lumber. Then, if we don't -find the canoes, and no boat comes along, I propose to build some kind -of a raft, on which we can float over to Indian Key. While boats rarely -pass this way, some are certain to pass within a short distance of it -almost every day. So from there we would have little difficulty in -getting taken off." - -"Well," said Worth, regarding his companion admiringly, "I'm sure I -couldn't build a raft with only a hatchet, and I'm awfully glad that -I'm not here all alone. What can possibly have become of our canoes, -anyway?" - -"I'm sure I can't imagine," replied Sumner, "unless some one stole -them, and I don't know of any one on the reef mean enough to do that. -Besides, we haven't seen a sail all day, nor a sign of a human being. -They couldn't have gone adrift, either--at least, I don't see how they -could. So, on the whole, it's a conundrum that I give up. You'd better -believe that I feel badly enough, though, over losing _Psyche_. That -worries me a great deal more than how we are going to get away from -here, for I never expect to own another such beauty as she is. But -there's no use crying over what can't be helped, so let's go to sleep, -and prepare for a fresh start to-morrow. Whenever you wake during the -night you want to get up and throw a fresh stick on the fire, and I -will do the same, for we can't afford to let it go out." - -"All right," said Worth. "But, Sumner, there aren't any wild beasts or -snakes on this key, are there?" - -"I don't believe there are any snakes," was the reply, "while there -certainly aren't any animals larger than 'coons, and they won't hurt -any one. No, indeed, there is nothing to be afraid of here, and you may -be as free from anxiety on that score as though you were in your own -room in New York City. More so," he added, with a laugh; "for there -you might have burglars, while here there is no chance of them. I only -wish there was; for burglars in this part of the country would have to -come in boats, and we might persuade them to take us off the key. Now -go to sleep, old man, and pleasant dreams to you." - -"Good-night," answered Worth, and closing his eyes, the boy made a -resolute effort to sleep. Somehow he found it harder to do so now -than it had been on his first night of camping out. The loss of the -canoes seemed to have removed an element of safety on which he had -depended, and to have suddenly placed him at an infinite distance -beyond civilization, with all its protections. It was so awful to be -imprisoned on this lonely isle, in those far-away southern seas. He -wondered what his father and mother and Uncle Tracy were doing, and -if there was a dance at the Ponce de Leon that night, and what his -school-fellows in New York would say if they knew of his situation. -He wondered and thought of these and a thousand other things, until -finally he, too, fell asleep, and the silence of the lonely little camp -was unbroken save by the voice of the great hoot owl, who called at -regular intervals, "Whoo, whoo, whoo-ah!" - -It still wanted an hour or so of moonrise, when the waning firelight -half disclosed a human figure that emerged from the woods behind the -lean-to, and stealthily crouched in the black shadow beside it. For -some moments it remained motionless, listening to the regular breathing -of the boys. Then it moved noiselessly forward on hands and knees. - -Suddenly Worth awoke, and sprang into a sitting posture. At the same -time he uttered a startled cry, at the sound of which the creeping -figure drew quickly back, and disappeared behind the trunk of a tree. - -"What is it?" asked Sumner, who, awakened by Worth's cry, was also -sitting up. - -"I don't know," answered the boy, "but I am almost certain that some -one was trying to pull my gun away." - - - - -CHAPTER IX. - -THE NOCTURNAL VISITOR. - - -For a full minute the boys sat motionless, listening intently for -any sound that should betray the presence of the intruder who, Worth -was positive, had visited their camp. Once they both heard a slight -rustling in the bushes behind them, and Worth, putting his hand on -Sumner's arm, whispered, breathlessly, - -"There!--hear that?" - -"That's nothing," answered Sumner. "Probably that 'coon has come back -to look for the rest of his supper." - -"But a 'coon wouldn't pull at a gun," insisted Worth. - -"Oh, you must have been dreaming," returned Sumner. "Your gun hasn't -disappeared, has it?" - -[Illustration: "SOME ONE WAS TRYING TO PULL MY GUN AWAY."] - -"No, but I am sure I felt it move. I threw my arm across it before I -went to sleep, and its moving woke me. I felt it move once after I was -awake, as though some one were trying to pull it away very gently. Then -I sat up and called out, 'Who's there?' but there wasn't any answer, -and I didn't hear a sound. But, Sumner, there's some one on this island -besides ourselves, I know there is, and he'll kill us if he gets the -chance. Can't we get away somehow--can't we? I shall die of fright if -we have to stay here any longer!" - -"Yes, of course we can," answered Sumner, soothingly, "and we'll set -about it as soon as daylight comes. Until then we'll keep a sharp -lookout, though I can't believe there is a human being on the key -besides ourselves. We surely would have seen some traces of him." - -As the boy finished speaking he went outside and threw some more -wood on the fire. In another minute a bright blaze had driven back -the shadows from a wide circle about the little hut, and rendered -it impossible for any one to approach without discovery. Then the -canoemates sat with their precious guns in their hands, and talked in -low tones until the moon rose above the trees behind them, flooding the -whole scene with a light almost as bright as that of day. - -By this time Worth's conversation began to grow unintelligible; his -head sank lower and lower, until at length he slipped down from his -sitting position fast asleep. Then Sumner thought he might as well -lie down, and in another minute he, too, was in the land of dreams. -Worth was very restless, and occasionally talked in his sleep, which is -probably the reason why the dark form still crouching in the shadows -behind the camp did not again venture to approach it. - -It was broad daylight, and the sun was an hour high, when the boys -next awoke, wondering whether their fright of the night before had -been a reality or only a dream. Under the fear-dispelling influence of -the sunlight even Worth was inclined to think it might have been the -latter, while Sumner was sure of it. - -After replenishing their fire, they went down to the beach in the -hope of seeing a sail, and for their morning plunge in the clear -water. There was nothing in sight; but while they were bathing, Sumner -discovered a fine bunch of oysters. These, roasted in their shells, -together with the birds saved from the evening before, made quite a -satisfactory breakfast. After eating it, and carefully banking their -fire with earth, they set forth to explore the island. - -As they were most anxious to search for traces of the lost canoes, -and had already penetrated the interior as far as the central pond -of fresh-water, they decided to follow the coast-line as closely as -possible. Accordingly, with their loaded guns over their shoulders, -they set out along the water's edge. Their progress was slow, for -in many places the mangroves were so thick that they found great -difficulty in forcing a way through them. Then, too, they found a -quantity of planks, many of which they hauled up, as well as they -could, beyond the reach of the tide for future use. While thus engaged, -the meridian sun and their appetites indicated the hour of noon before -they reached a small grove of cocoanut-trees on the north end of the -island, beneath which they decided to rest. - -Sumner climbed one of the tall, smooth trunks, and cutting off a great -bunch of nuts, in all stages of ripeness, let it fall to the ground -with a crash. As he was about to descend, his eye was arrested by -something that instantly occupied his earnest attention. It was only -the stem of another bunch of nuts; but it had been cut, and that so -recently that drops of fresh sap were still oozing from it. From his -elevated perch he could also see where other bunches had been cut -from trees near by, and he slid to the ground in a very reflective -frame of mind. He could not bear, however, to arouse Worth's fears by -communicating his suspicions until he had reduced them to a certainty. -The nuts might have been taken by some passing sponger, though he did -not believe they had been. - -So he said nothing of his discovery while they lunched off of -cocoanuts, ripe and partially so, and took refreshing draughts of their -milk. He did, however, keep a sharp lookout, and finally spied what -resembled a dim trail leading through the bushes behind them towards -the interior. - -Finally, on the pretext that he might get a shot at some doves, and -asking Worth to remain where he was for a few minutes, Sumner entered -the bushes, determined to discover the mystery, if that trail would -lead him to it. He had not gone more than a hundred yards when his foot -was caught by a low vine, and he plunged head first into a thick ty-ti -bush. He fell with a great crash, and made such a noise in extricating -himself from the thorny embrace that he did not hear a quick rush and a -rustling of the undergrowth but a short distance from him. What he did -hear, though, a minute after he regained his footing, was a startled -cry, and the roar of Worth's gun. Then came a succession of yells, -mingled with cries of murder, and such shouts for help, coupled with -his own name, that for a moment he was paralyzed with bewilderment and -a sickening fear. Then he bounded back down the dim trail, just in time -to see Worth throw down his gun and rush towards the struggling figure -of a negro. The latter was rolling on the ground at the foot of a -cocoanut-tree, and uttering the most piercing yells. - -[Illustration: "THE LATTER WAS ROLLING ON THE GROUND AT THE FOOT OF A -COCOANUT-TREE."] - -As Worth became aware of Sumner's presence, he turned with a white, -frightened face, exclaiming: "Oh, Sumner, what shall I do? I've killed -him, and he is dying before my very eyes! Of course I didn't mean to, -but he came on me so suddenly that I fired before I had time to think. -The whole charge must have gone right through his body, judging from -the agony he is in. What shall I do? Oh, what shall I do?" - -"Well, he isn't dead yet, at all events," said Sumner. "Perhaps, if -he will keep still for a minute and stop his yelling, we can find out -where he is hurt and do something for him." - -With this he attempted to catch hold of the struggling figure at his -feet; but the negro rolled away from him, crying: - -"Don't tech me, Marse Summer! Don't yo' tech me! I's shot full o' -holes, an' I's gwine ter die. Oh Lordy! Oh Lordy! Sich pain as I's -a-suff'rin'! An' I didn't kill nobody, nuther. I didn't nebber do no -harm. An' now I's full ob holes. Oh Lordy! Oh Lordy!" - -"Why, it's Quorum!" exclaimed Sumner, mentioning the name of one of -the best cooks known to the Key West sponging fleet. Sumner had sailed -with him, and knew him well. About a month before, the captain of the -schooner on which he was employed had been found dead in his bunk. -Quorum was accused of poisoning him for the sake of a sum of money that -the captain was known to have had, but which could not now be found. -The cook had been arrested, and an attempt was made to lynch him for -the alleged crime. He had, however, succeeded in escaping, and had -disappeared from the island. That no active search was made for him was -because the money was found concealed in the captain's bunk, and it was -proved that heart-disease was the cause of his death. - -At length the negro, exhausted by his struggles, lay still, though -groaning so heavily that Worth imagined him to be dying, and Sumner, -bending over him, searched for the fatal wound. His face became more -and more perplexed as the examination proceeded, until finally, in a -vastly relieved tone, he exclaimed: - -"You good-for-nothing old rascal! What do you mean by frightening us -so? There isn't a scratch anywhere about you. Come, get up and explain -yourself." - -"Don't yo' trifle wif a ole man what's dyin', Marse Summer," said -Quorum, interrupting his groans and sitting up. - -"You are no more dying than I am," laughed Sumner, who was only too -glad to be able to laugh after his recent anxiety. "I don't know what -Worth, here, fired at, or what he hit; but it was certainly not you." - -"Didn't I, really?" cried Worth. "Oh, I'm so glad! I don't know what -possessed me to fire, anyhow; but when he came dashing out of the woods -right towards me, my gun seemed to go off of its own accord." - -"Yo' say I hain't hit nowheres, Marse Summer?" asked the negro, -doubtfully; "an' not eben hurted?" - -"No," laughed Sumner, "not even 'hurted.' You know, Quorum, that I -wouldn't hurt you for anything. I like your corn fritters and conch -soup too much for that." - -"Why for yo' a-huntin' de ole man, den?" - -"Hunting you? We're not hunting you. What put such an idea into your -head?" - -"Kase ebberbody er huntin' him, an' er tryin' ter kill him for de -murder what he nebber done." - -"Of course you didn't do it. Captain Rube died of heart-disease. -Everybody knows that now." - -"What yo' say?" cried the negro, springing to his feet, his face -radiant with joy. "He die ob he own sef, an' ebberybody know hit, an' -dey hain't er huntin' ole Quor'm any mo'? Glory be to de Lawd! Glory be -to de Lawd! an' bress yo' honey face, Marse Summer, for de good news! -De pore ole niggah been scare' 'mos' to def ebber sence he skip up de -reef in a ole leaky skiff, what done got wrack on dis yer key. Now he -free man, he hole he head up an' go cookin' agin. Bress de Lawd! Bress -de Lawd!" - - - - -CHAPTER X. - -WHOSE ARE THEY? AND WHERE DID THEY COME FROM? - - -"Look here," said Sumner, sternly, to the negro, after his excitement -had somewhat subsided, "didn't you try to steal one of our guns last -night?" - -"Yes, honey, I's afeared I did," confessed the black man, humbly. "But -I didn't know hit war you, Marse Summer, an' I did want er gun so -powerful bad." - -"I'm glad that mystery is cleared up, at any rate," said Worth, with a -relieved air. "And I'm glad to find out that I was right about some one -being in the camp, too. Now I wonder if he doesn't know something about -our canoes?" - -"Do you, Quorum, know anything about the canoes that we came here in?" -asked Sumner. - -"No, I don't know nuffin' 'bout no cooner. I's bin wonderin' what sort -of er boat you'll come in, an' er lookin' fer him, but I don't see him -nowhere." - -"I suppose you would have stolen it if you had found it?" - -"Maybe so, maybe so. Ole Quor'm not 'sponsible fer what him do when he -bein' hunted like er 'possum or er 'coon. Yo' like 'possum when he -roasted, Marse Summer?" - -"Indeed I do when you roast him, Quorum. Why? Have you got one?" - -"Yes sah, cotch him in er trap dis berry mawnin'. I jist settin' hit -agin when yo' come er trompin' troo de trees an' scare de pore ole -niggah 'mos' to def. Now, if yo' say so, we go roas' him, and hab berry -fine suppah." - -"Certainly I say so. You lead the way, and we'll follow you. I tell you -what, Worth, we've struck it rich in falling in with one of the best -cooks on the reef." - -"I don't know how I shall like 'possum," replied Worth, "for I have -never eaten any; but I am sure it will make fully as good a meal as raw -cocoanut. I do wish, though, that we had some bread, or at least some -crackers, and a little butter." - -"And sugar and coffee and bacon, and a cooking outfit," laughed Sumner. -"I wouldn't mind spending a few days here if we had all those things." - -"Wouldn't it be fine?" replied the boy, who had all his life revelled -in luxuries that he hardly cared for, but would now have appreciated -so highly the commonest of what are generally regarded as necessities. - -As they talked in this strain, they followed the negro through the -narrow trail leading back from the cocoanut grove to his camp. It was -but a short distance from the place where Sumner had taken his header -into the ty-ti bush. Here Quorum had built himself a snug palmetto hut -in a place capitally concealed from observation, and had managed to -surround himself with a number of rude comforts. A fire was smouldering -in a rough stone fireplace, and from an adjoining limb hung the 'possum -that they were to have for supper. - -"Well," exclaimed Sumner, looking about him, "I don't see but what you -are living like an African King, Quorum. Have you had plenty to eat -since you came here?" - -"Yes, sah. Plenty such as hit is--'possum, 'coon, turtle, fish, oyster, -conch, cocoanut, banana, limes, lemons, an' paw-paw; but no terbakker. -I tell yo', sah, dat a berry pore place what hab no terbakker." - -"So you want tobacco to make you happy, and Worth wants bread and -butter, and I want coffee. It seems that we all want something that we -haven't got, and aren't likely to get in this world, doesn't it? But, -Quorum, what on earth are you throwing all that iron into the fire -for? It won't burn." - -"No, him won't burn," answered the negro, chuckling at the idea, "but -him good to bile de wattah." - -As neither of the boys had the least idea what he meant, they watched -him curiously. The iron that he had thrown into the fire, which he -now heaped with wood, consisted of a number of old bolts that he had -obtained from some wreckage on the beach. While these were heating, he -filled a small hollow place in the rocks with water, and when the bolts -were red-hot he dropped them into it. In about two seconds the water -was boiling. Throwing a few handfuls of ashes into the boiling water, -he soused the 'possum in it and held him there several minutes. After -this he scraped the animal with a bit of iron hoop, and to the surprise -of the boys, its hair came off almost without an effort. In a minute -it was as bare as a suckling pig, which it greatly resembled. Shortly -afterwards it was cleaned, washed, and ready for roasting. - -Just here Sumner proposed that they return to their own camp, and do -the roasting there, as from where they now were they had no chance of -seeing any boats that might pass the island. As Quorum no longer felt -the necessity for hiding, he readily agreed to this, and carrying with -them the few articles belonging to him that were worth removing, they -started through the woods towards what the boys already called home. - -The afternoon was nearly spent when they entered the clearing and came -in sight of their own little lean-to. Sumner, who was some distance in -the lead, was the first to reach it. The others saw him suddenly stop, -gaze at the hut as though fascinated by something inside of it, and -then, without a word, start on a run towards the beach. - -This curious action excited Worth's wonder; but when he reached the hut -he did exactly the same thing. When Quorum, who came last, reached it, -he gazed in open-eyed wonder, but did not move from the spot. A smile -gradually overspread his face, and, with a long-drawn sigh of happy -anticipation, he uttered the single word, "Terbakker." - -"Do you see it?" asked Worth, breathlessly, as he joined Sumner on the -beach. - -"No; but perhaps it is behind the point. Let's go and take a look." - -But when they reached the point there was no sign of the vessel that -they fully expected to find there. More greatly puzzled than they -had ever been before in all their lives, even at the mysterious -disappearance of their canoes, the boys slowly retraced their steps -towards the hut. It was completely filled with barrels, boxes, and -various packages, most of which evidently contained provisions. - -"There is a sack of coffee," remarked Sumner. - -"And a box of crackers. And, yes, here is butter!" cried Worth, lifting -the cover of a tin pail. - -"Dat ar am sholy a box ob terbakker," put in Quorum, pointing to the -unmistakable box, from which his eyes had not wandered since they first -lit upon it. - -"It certainly is," replied Sumner, in a voice expressive of the most -unbounded amazement. "And there, if my eyes do not deceive me, are -cases of milk, canned fruit, baked beans, and brown bread." - -"Hams and bacon," added Worth. - -"Kittles and pans," said Quorum. - -"In fact," concluded Sumner, "there is a bountiful supply of provisions -for several months, and a complete house-keeping outfit into the -bargain. There is no doubt as to what these things are. The only -unanswered questions are, Whom do they belong to, and how did they get -here?" - -[Illustration: A GREAT DISCOVERY.] - -"Perhaps whoever stole our canoes has left them here in part payment," -suggested Worth. - -"You might just as well say that Elijah's ravens had brought them," -laughed Sumner. - -"Marse Summer, sah, 'scuse me, but do hit 'pear to yo' like hit would -be stealin' to bang de kiver offen dat ar box, an' let de ole man hab -jes one smell ob dat terbakker?" asked Quorum, humbly. - -"No, Quorum, under the circumstances I don't believe it would," replied -the boy, who forthwith proceeded to attack the box in question with his -hatchet. - - - - -CHAPTER XI. - -SUMNER DRIFTS AWAY ON A RAFT. - - -The display of layer upon layer of black plug tobacco such as Quorum -had been accustomed to using for longer than he could remember caused -the negro's eyes to glisten as though they saw so many ingots of pure -gold. For more than two weeks he had longed unavailingly for a fragment -of the precious weed. Now to have an unlimited quantity of it placed -before him so very mysteriously and unexpectedly seemed to him the -climax of everything most desirable and best worth living for. He -sniffed at it eagerly, inhaling its fragrance with long, deep breaths. -Then, producing a stubby black pipe from some hidden recess of his -tattered clothing, he asked, pleadingly, for "jes one lilly smoke." - -"After supper," said Sumner. "Get supper ready first, and then you -shall smoke as much as you want to." - -At this Quorum's countenance fell, and seating himself on the ground, -he remarked, stubbornly: "No, sah. Ole Quor'm do no cookin' wifout -him hab a smoke fust. No smoke, no cookin', no cookin', no suppah. Why -yo' no gib one plug ob terbakker fur dat 'possum, eh? Him monstrous -fine 'possum, but I willin' to sell him fur jes one lilly plug ob -terbakker. Yo' can't buy him so cheap nowhar else, specially on dis yer -oncibilized Niggly Wity Key." - -"But it is not my tobacco," laughed Sumner, greatly amused at the old -man's attitude and arguments. - -"Who he b'long to, den?" demanded Quorum, quickly. - -"I'm sure I don't know," answered the boy. - -"Den he yourn. You fin' him. You keep him. Hit all de same like er -wrack. Yo' catch him, nobody else want him, yo' keep him. Jes one lilly -smoke, Marse Summer--jes one; den de ole man go to cookin' de berry -bestes yo' ebber seen. Come, Marse Summer, jes one; dat's a honey-bug." - -There was no resisting this pleading appeal, and cutting off enough -for a single pipeful from one of the plugs, Sumner handed it to the -negro, saying: "Well, then, if you must have it, take that, and hurry -up with supper the very minute you have finished your smoke. I never -was so hungry in my life, while Worth begins to look dangerously like a -cannibal. Come, Worth, we must fly round, and build another palmetto -shanty before dark. At this rate we'll have a town here before long." - -Two hours of hard work found a second hut, much more pretentious than -the first, nicely roofed in. By this time the sun was setting, and -what was of infinitely more importance to the young canoemates, Quorum -announced that supper was ready. And what a feast he had prepared! Had -there ever been one half so good before? In the opinion, of the boys, -there certainly had not. - -Quorum had felt no scruples about helping himself to the provisions so -liberally provided, and if the boys had noticed what he was doing, they -had not possessed the moral courage to interfere. As a result, he had -baked the 'possum stuffed with cracker-crumbs, bits of pork and onions -cut up fine, and well seasoned with salt and pepper, in a Dutch-oven. -The oven had been set on a bed of coals, and a fire of light-wood knots -built on its heavy iron lid. The 'possum had been surrounded with -sweet-potatoes, and both were done to a brown crisp. Then there was -coffee, with sugar and condensed milk, toasted hardtack with butter, -and bananas for dessert. - -"Talk about eating!" said Sumner. - -"Or Delmonico's!" added Worth. - -As Quorum sat and watched them, a broad grin of happiness overspread -his features, while wreaths of blue smoke curled gently upward above -his woolly head. His pipe was again full, and he now had possession of -an entire plug of tobacco, for which he felt profoundly grateful to -some unknown benefactor. - -Among other things in the hut, which the boys now called the -storehouse, they had discovered a bale of blankets. These they did not -hesitate to appropriate to their own use, and as they lay stretched -on them, under their new roof, blinking sleepily at the fire, their -comfort and happiness seemed almost to have attained perfection. - -"Except for our canoes," said Sumner. "If we only had them, I, for -one, should be perfectly happy; and to-morrow I am going to make -preparations for finding them." - -"How?" asked Worth; and for an hour or so they talked over their plans -for the future. The intervals between their remarks became longer and -longer, until finally, when Worth asked, "Whom do you suppose all those -provisions belong to, anyway, Sumner?" the latter answered: "Give it -up. I'm too sleepy to guess any more riddles to-night." - -The boys slept almost without moving until sunrise; but Quorum was -frequently aroused to repel the invasions of certain 'coons that, but -for his watchfulness, would have made free with the contents of the -storehouse. He also had to protect the fire against a heavy shower that -came on towards morning; and on each of these occasions he rewarded -himself with a few whiffs of smoke from his black pipe. - -The next morning the two boys, leaving Quorum to devise traps for the -capture of the 'coons and prepare dinner, started out to collect some -of the planks they had seen the day before. With these Sumner proposed -to build a raft on which they could drift over to Indian Key with -that afternoon's ebb-tide. Once there, he anticipated no difficulty -in hailing some passing craft that could be chartered to search for -their canoes, and carry them back to Key West in case the search proved -fruitless. - -[Illustration: QUORUM IS HAPPY.] - -As the channel from Lignum Vitae, through which the strongest -tide-currents flowed, led directly past Indian Key and close to it, -this plan seemed feasible. By noon the boys had towed around to the -cove in front of their camp two heavy squared timbers and a number of -boards. These they lashed together in the form of a rude raft. They -had no nails, and but a limited supply of line for lashing, so that -the raft was by no means so strong as they could wish. Neither was -it very buoyant, the material of which it was built being yellow pine, -already somewhat water-soaked and floating very low. To their dismay, -when it was completed, the boys found that instead of supporting three -persons, as they hoped it would, it was awash and unsafe with but two -of them on board. - -"There's only one thing to be done," said Sumner, when this state of -affairs became evident, "and that is for me to go alone. When I get -hold of a craft of some kind, I can bring her here after you two; and -if I don't find one, it will be an easy matter for me to come back on a -flood-tide." - -"But, Sumner, it seems awful for you to go 'way off there alone on such -a crazy raft at this. Do you think it is absolutely necessary?" - -"Yes," answered the other, whose mind was now intent only upon -recovering his beautiful canoe, "I do think it is necessary for one -of us to go. We can't stay here forever, living off of some unknown -person's provisions. Besides, supposing those canoes should be wrecked -and discovered in that condition, and the report that we were lost -should reach Key West, how do you think our mothers would feel? Yes, -indeed, it is necessary that I should go, and I mean to start the -minute the tide serves." - -Neither Worth nor Quorum could move Sumner from this determination, -and it was with heavy hearts that they watched him, about four o'clock -in the afternoon, step aboard the raft and shove out into the current, -that had just begun to run ebb. He was provided with a long pole and a -small box of provisions, the latter being placed in the middle of the -raft. - -Its movement was at first heavy and sluggish, but as soon as it felt -the influence of the current, it was borne along with comparative -speed. Thus a few minutes served to take the solitary voyager beyond -earshot of his companions. For some time he could see them waving their -hats, but at length their forms faded from his sight, and he realized -that he was beyond reach of their assistance in case his undertaking -should fail. Now that he could no longer note the speed with which he -had left the island, his progress seemed irritatingly slow. - -The channel was very crooked, and his clumsy craft frequently grounded -on the projecting sand-bars at its many turns. In each case valuable -time was lost in pushing it off and getting it again started. From this -cause his rate of progress was so slow that Indian Key was still some -distance ahead when the sun sank from sight in the western waters. Now, -for the first time, Sumner experienced a feeling of uneasiness, and a -doubt as to the success of his venture. He strove to add to the speed -of his raft by poling, but as the depth of water was generally too -great for him to touch bottom, nothing could be accomplished in that -way. - -Now he began to notice the numbers of sea-monsters that were going out -with the tide and using his channel as their pathway to deeper waters. -On all sides were to be seen the triangular fins of huge sharks rising -above the surface so close to him that he could have touched them with -his pole. He also saw hundreds of sawfish, stingarees, devil-fish with -vampire-like wings, the vast bulks of ungainly jew-fish, porpoises, and -other evil-looking creatures of great size and phenomenal activity. -He shuddered to think what would be his fate if a slip or a mis-step -should precipitate him into the water among them. At length their forms -were hidden from him by the darkness, and only their splashings and -the gleaming trails of their progress through the phosphorescent water -denoted their swarming presence. - -Suddenly, while his attention was fixed upon these, he became aware -that he was abreast of Indian Key and passing it. There was a shoal on -the opposite side, and plunging his pole into it, he made a mighty -effort to direct his raft towards land. All at once, without the -slightest warning, the brittle pole snapped, and only by a violent -effort did he save himself from plunging into the cruel waters. - - - - -CHAPTER XII. - -PICKED UP IN THE GULF STREAM. - - -The snapping of that pole marked the bitterest moment of Sumner -Rankin's life. With it went his only hope of navigating his rude craft -to the friendly shore of the key, past which he now seemed to be -drifting with terrible rapidity. He could make out the dim forms of its -trees, and of the deserted buildings, in one of which he had proposed -to spend the night. He could even hear the rustle of its palm leaves in -the light evening breeze, and the gentle plash of waters on its rocky -coast. It was so near that he could easily have swum to it. He thought -of making the attempt, but a single glance at the phosphorescent -flashes beneath him convinced him of its hopelessness. No, it was safer -to remain where he was, even though he should be carried out to sea -through one of the numerous channels in the outer reef. Supposing his -raft should strand on the reef, what chance was there of its holding -together until daylight, or even for a few minutes? He knew that if a -sea should arise there was none. - -Now Indian Key was lost to sight behind him, and he was alone, with -only his own unhappy thoughts for company. He knew that those waters -were seldom traversed by vessels of any description in the night-time, -most of the reef sailors preferring to come to anchor at sunset. Above -him shone the stars, and far ahead gleamed the white and red flashes of -Alligator Light. All else was darkness and utter desolation. - -The poor lad sat on the box containing his slender store of provisions, -and buried his face in his hands. How thankful he was that his mother -could not see him now! She was at least spared that sorrow. He wondered -what she was doing. Then his thoughts turned to those whom he had left -but a few hours before. Why had he not been content to stay with them, -and await patiently the relief that must come to them sooner or later? -Perhaps even now the mysterious owner of those goods had arrived, and -Worth was sitting with a merry party beside the fire, while old Quorum -was preparing supper. No, they must have already eaten supper, and now -Quorum was blissfully smoking his pipe, while Worth was comfortably -stretched out on his bed of blankets. Oh, what a fool he had been to -let a false pride in his own strength and ability get the better of his -prudence! He might have known that there were a hundred chances of -being swept past the little rocky key to one of successfully landing on -it. He had known it, but his obstinate pride in his own superior skill -had not allowed him to acknowledge it, and now it was too late. - -At length, feeling faint from hunger, the poor boy roused himself, and -ate a few mouthfuls of food from his provision chest. As he contrasted -this meal and its surroundings with the merry supper of the evening -before, the wretchedness of his situation was forced upon him more -strongly than ever. By this time a breeze that caused little waves to -break upon and occasionally wash completely over the raft had sprung -up in the south-west, and by the changing position of Alligator Light, -Sumner became aware that he was drifting up the reef. The steadily -increasing roar of its breakers informed him at the same time that he -was approaching closer to it with each moment. - -Finally he was abreast of the light, and a mile or so from it, while -the sound of the breakers was all about him. He was on the line of -the reef. In a few minutes more he would either have passed into the -open sea beyond it, or his ill-built raft would strand and be broken -to pieces on its cruel rocks. During the succeeding five minutes he -almost held his breath. The strain of the suspense was awful, and the -boy hardly knew which fate he dreaded the most. At the end of that -time it was decided. The sound of the breakers certainly came from -behind him. He had passed out through some channel, and was now on the -open sea. At the same time the waves that washed over his raft were -larger, so that before long he was thoroughly drenched by them, and sat -shivering in the chill night wind. Now the strong current of the Gulf -Stream aided the wind to bear him up the reef, and after a few hours -the brightness of Alligator Light was so sensibly diminished that he -knew he must be several miles from it. - -Once during the night he saw the light of a steamship passing at no -great distance from him; but his frantic cries for help were either -unheard or unheeded, for no attention was paid to them. Then he began -to pray for the daylight that seemed as though it would never come. How -wearily the hours dragged and how cold he was! He was wet through, and -chilled to the bone. - -When at length the welcome dawn began to tinge the eastern sky, it -found the lad half-lying on the raft, clinging to the lashings of the -little provision chest, and lost to consciousness in the sleep of -utter exhaustion. In this condition he was discovered by the keen-eyed -lookout of a west-bound steamer that was hugging the reef to escape as -much as might be the force of the Gulf Stream. With reversed engines -and slackening speed, the great ship passed within a hundred yards of -him, but he knew nothing of it. - -Nor did he awake until he heard a gruff, but pitying voice close beside -him, saying, "Poor fellow, he must be dead!" The next moment two pairs -of powerful arms had dragged him into the boat that had been lowered -for him, and as he sat up in its bottom rubbing his eyes, he seemed -to have just awakened from a hideous nightmare. A few minutes later -the boat with its crew had been hoisted to the deck, the steamer was -again pursuing her way towards Key West, and Sumner, wrapped in hot -blankets, was occupying a berth in a vacant stateroom, surrounded by -the sympathizing faces of those who were anxious to anticipate his -every want. - -He was sound asleep when, half an hour from that time, the steamer -neared Alligator Light, and a small boat was seen pulling off from it -so as to intercept her. At the sight of this boat the first officer -immediately began to collect such late papers and magazines as the -passengers were willing to contribute, and tying them into a package. -This he lashed to a bit of wood, which he intended to toss overboard -for the light-keeper to pick up. In this way the reef lights are -kept supplied with New York papers only three or four days old. The -same papers, passing through the mails, do not reach the scattered -dwellers on the keys for ten days or two weeks from the date of their -publication. - -As the steamer neared the boat from Alligator Light its occupant was -seen to hold up a small package wrapped in canvas, which was at once -understood to contain despatches that he wished to send to Key West. -So the end of a light line was flung to him, he skilfully made the -package fast to it without delaying the ship a moment, and it was -hauled aboard. Among the letters that it contained was one directed to -the editor of the only daily paper in Key West, and this was delivered -promptly on the steamer's arrival at that port. - -[Illustration: "TWO PAIRS OF POWERFUL ARMS DRAGGED HIM INTO THE BOAT."] - -Late that afternoon, when Mrs. Rankin was slowly regaining her -composure after the shock of Sumner's sudden and unlooked-for -appearance at home, and was listening with breathless interest to an -account of his recent adventures, a copy of the evening paper was left -at the house. Sumner was too busy assuring his mother that he was -not suffering the slightest ill effect from his exposure of the night -before, to look at it then. When, an hour later, he found time to do -so, the leading item on the first page at once attracted his attention. -It was headed, "A Mystery of the Reef," and after glancing hastily -through it, the boy sprang to his feet, shouting: - -"Hurrah, mother! The disappearance of the canoes is explained at last, -and they are safe and sound, after all." - - - - -CHAPTER XIII. - -A MYSTERY OF THE REEF. - - -As Mrs. Rankin came into the room, on hearing Sumner's exclamation, he -read aloud the article in the daily _Equator_ that had so excited him, -and which was as follows: - - "A MYSTERY OF THE REEF. - - "By the steamship _Comal_, which arrived in this port to-day, we - receive a curious bit of news from Keeper Spencer, of Alligator - Light. On the evening of the 15th, as he was in the lantern of the - tower preparing to light the lamp, he noticed two small craft of - a most unusual description rapidly approaching from the direction - of the keys. One appeared to be in tow of the other, but in - neither could a human being be discovered. There were no signs of - oars, sails, paddles, or steam, and yet the movement of the boats - through the water was at the rate of about ten knots an hour. It - was also very erratic, and though their general course was towards - the reef, they approached it by a series of zigzags, now taking - a sharp sheer to port, and directly another to starboard. As the - keeper could not leave the tower at that moment, he directed - Assistant Albury to take the light-house skiff, intercept the - craft, if possible, and investigate their character. - - "With great difficulty, and after an exciting chase, Mr. Albury - succeeded in getting alongside the leading boat of the two, - and in making fast to it. It proved to be a decked canoe, of - exquisite workmanship and fittings, completely equipped for - cruising, bearing the name _Psyche_ in silver letters on either - bow. The second canoe, which was a counterpart of the first, was - named _Cupid_. Both were in tow of an immense Jew-fish, which - had succeeded in entangling itself in the cable with which the - _Psyche_ had evidently been anchored. It is probable that one of - the flukes of the anchor caught in the creature's gills, though - just how it happened will never be known, as Mr. Albury, being - unable to capture the monster, was obliged to cut the cable and - let him go. Nothing is known as to the fate of the owners of these - canoes, and they are now at the light-house awaiting a claimant. - - "Just as we go to press we learn that early this morning the - _Comal_ picked up a young man drifting in the Gulf, not far - from Alligator Light. We were unable to obtain his name in time - for insertion in to-day's paper, but will give it, with full - particulars concerning him, in to-morrow's issue. He may be able - to throw some light on the mystery of the canoes." - -"I should rather think he could!" laughed Sumner, as he finished -reading. "But did you ever hear of such a thing, mother? The idea of -a rascally Jew-fish running off with our canoes! I never thought of -such a thing as that happening. And how wonderfully it has all turned -out! I should have looked everywhere for them rather than at Alligator -Light. I should never have dared attempt to navigate the raft that far, -either. To think, too, that I should have been picked up by the very -steamer that brought the news! How dreadfully you would have felt on -reading it, if I hadn't got here first! Wouldn't you, mother dear?" - -"Indeed I should, my boy; and I shall never be able to express my -gratitude for your wonderful preservation." - -"But poor Worth!" exclaimed Sumner. "How I wish he knew all about it, -and how awfully anxious he must be! I only hope he won't attempt to -go to Indian Key to look for me before I can get back there. That's -something I must see about at once, and I must take the very first boat -that goes up the reef. Just think how I should feel if anything were to -happen to him, when Mr. Manton placed him in my care, too! If it wasn't -for the way things have turned out, I should feel guilty at having left -him there. I wouldn't have done it, though, if Quorum hadn't been on -hand to look after him. He surely will keep him out of harm's way until -I can get back." - -"I hate to think of your going back there again," said Mrs. Rankin, -with a sigh, "though of course it is your duty to do so. But you will -be careful, and not run into any more such dreadful perils, won't you, -dear?" - -"Yes, mother; I promise not to run into a single peril that I can help, -and if I meet one, I will try my best to get out of its way," laughed -the boy, whose high spirits had quickly returned with the prospect of -recovering his beloved canoe. - -"Well," sighed Mrs. Rankin, "so long as you must go, I shouldn't be -surprised if Lieutenant Carey would take you in the _Transit_. I -believe he intends to leave to-morrow morning for a trip up the reef, -and to make some kind of a survey in the Everglades. He has been -staying here for a few days, and is up in his room now." - -"Oh, mother!" cried the boy, springing to his feet, "the Everglades! -How I should love to go!" - -"Now, Sumner--" began Mrs. Rankin, in a tone of expostulation; but the -boy had already left the room, and was on his way up-stairs. - -Lieutenant Carey was an old friend, who had served under Commander -Rankin, and had known Sumner ever since the boy was twelve years old. -He had heard of his unexpected return, and only waited until the first -interview between the young canoeman and his mother should be ended -before going down to greet him. Now he listened to Sumner's story with -the deepest interest, and when it was ended, he said: - -"Of course I will take you up the reef as far as Alligator, my boy, -and shall be glad of your company. I only wish you would go with us as -far as the main-land, and act as pilot through the Keys. They are not -charted, you know, and as I have never been through them, I was on the -point of engaging a fellow named Rust Norris as pilot, but I'd much -rather have you. What do you say? Can't I enlist you in Uncle Sam's -service for a week or so?" - -"I should like nothing better," answered Sumner, "only, you see, I am -bound just now to look after Worth Manton, and take him up the reef to -Cape Florida, where we are due by the first of April." - -"Perhaps we can persuade him to go along too. It won't be much out of -your way, and you've lots of time to finish your trip between now and -the first of April. I'll risk it anyhow, for I don't like the looks of -that fellow Norris, and am only too glad of an excuse for not engaging -him." - -"Then there is Quorum, the cook," added Sumner, reflectively. "I wonder -what will become of him?" - -"A cook, do you say? What sort of a cook? A good one?" - -"One of the best on the reef," replied Sumner. - -"Then he is just the man I want to get hold of for our trip. I am only -waiting now for a cook, and should start this evening if I had found -one to suit me. If you will guarantee him, we'll get away at once, and -make the old _Transit_ hum up the reef in the hope of capturing him -before he makes any other engagement." - -"There is not much chance for him to make an engagement where he is -now," laughed Sumner. "And, at any rate, I'm sure he wouldn't leave -Worth until I get back. I shall be only too glad to start to-night -though, for poor Worth must be terribly anxious, and the sooner I get -to him the better." - -Thus it was settled, and as soon as supper was over, after a loving, -lingering farewell from his mother, who repeated over and over again -her charges that he should shun all perilous adventures, the boy found -himself once more afloat. Mrs. Rankin had promised to write a long -letter to the Mantons that very evening, assuring them of Worth's -safety up to the date of the day before, and being thus relieved from -this duty, Sumner set forth, with a light heart on his second cruise up -the reef. - -The _Transit_ was a comfortable, schooner-rigged sharpie, about sixty -feet long, built by the Government for the use of the Coast Survey -in shallow southern waters. She had great breadth of beam, and was a -stanch sea-boat, though she drew but eighteen inches of water, and -Lieutenant Carey had no hesitation in putting her outside for a night -run up the Hawk Channel. - -The especial duty now to be undertaken was an exploration of the -Everglades to ascertain their value as a permanent reservation for -the Florida Seminoles. These Indians, hemmed in on all sides by white -settlers, were being gradually driven from one field and hunting-ground -after another. In consequence they were becoming restive, and the -necessity of doing something in the way of assuring them a permanent -location had for some time been apparent. Thus a survey of the 'Glades -was finally ordered, and Lieutenant Carey had been detailed for the -duty, with permission to make up such a party to accompany him as he -saw fit. - -His present command on the _Transit_ consisted of Ensign Sloe, and six -men forward. It was intended that three of these should be taken into -the 'Glades, while Mr. Sloe, with the other three, was to take the -sharpie, from the point where the exploring party left her, around to -Cape Florida, and there await their arrival. - -On the deck of the schooner and towing behind her were three novel -craft, in which Lieutenant Carey intended to conduct his explorations -of the swamps and grassy waterways of the interior. One of these was -an open bass-wood canoe built in Canada, shaped very much like a birch -bark, and capable of carrying four men. The others were the odd-looking -boats, with bottoms shaped like table-spoons, that are so popular -as ducking-boats on the New Jersey coast, and are known as Barnegat -cruisers. One of these was named _Terrapin_ and the other _Gopher_, -while the open canoe bore the Seminole name of _Hul-la-lah_ (the wind). - -Before a brisk southerly breeze, in spite of the boats dragging behind -her, the _Transit_ made rapid progress. Ere it was time to turn in, Key -West Light was low in the water astern, while that on American Shoal -shone steady and bright off the starboard bow. The wind held fresh all -night, so that by morning both American Shoal and Sombrero had been -passed, and the sharpie was off the western end of Lower Metacumba, -with Alligator Light flashing out its last gleam in the light of the -rising sun. - - - - -CHAPTER XIV. - -WORTH AND QUORUM ARE MISSING. - - -As Sumner was anxious to reach Lignum Vitae by the shortest possible -route, the _Transit_ was headed in through the channel between Lower -Metacumba and Long keys. Both tide and wind being with her, the -nimble-footed sharpie seemed to fly past the low reefs and sand-spits -on either side. Now she skimmed by the feeding-grounds of flocks of -gray pelicans, whose wise expressions and bald heads gave them the -appearance of groups of old men, and then passed an old sponge crawl, -or the worm-eaten hull of some ancient wreck, both of which were -covered with countless numbers of cormorants, gannets, and gulls. -Waiting, with outstretched necks and pinions half spread, until the -schooner was within a stone's-throw, these would fly with discordant -cries of anger, wheel in great circles, and return to the places from -which they had been driven the moment the threatened danger had passed. - -Even after the sharpie was well inside the bay, and the island they -sought was in sight, they could not lay a direct course towards it on -account of a reef several miles in length that presented an effectual -barrier to anything larger than a canoe. But one narrow channel cut -through it, and this was away to the northward, close under a tiny -mangrove key. Towards this then they steered, with Sumner at the -tiller, for he was the only one on board familiar with the intricate -navigation of those waters. - -"You are certain that you are right, Sumner?" inquired Lieutenant -Carey, anxiously, as they seemed about to drive headlong on the bar, -and an ominous wake of muddy water showed that they were dragging -bottom. - -"Certain," answered the boy, quietly. - -"All right, then; I've nothing to say." - -Inch by inch the great centre-board rose in its trunk, and the slack of -its pennant was taken in, as the water rapidly shoaled. Now she dragged -so heavily that it seemed as though she were about to stop. Again the -lieutenant looked at Sumner, and then cast a significant glance at -the man stationed by the fore-sheet. But the boy never hesitated nor -betrayed the least nervousness. An instant later the tiller was jammed -hard over, there was a sharp order of "Trim in!" and, flying almost -into the teeth of the wind, the light vessel shot through an opening -so narrow that she scraped bottom on both sides, and in another moment -was dashing through deep water on the opposite side of the bar. - -From here the run to Lignum Vitae was a long and short leg beat, with -numerous shoals to be avoided. In spite of being kept busy with these, -Sumner found time to note and wonder at a great column of smoke that -rose from the island. What could Worth and Quorum be about? It looked -as though they had managed to set the forest on fire. Filled with an -uneasy apprehension, he jumped into a boat the moment the _Transit's_ -anchor was dropped in the well-remembered cove, and sculled himself -ashore. To his amazement he heard the sound of many voices, and -discovered a dozen or so of men hard at work apparently cutting down -the forest and burning it. - -As he stepped ashore, and looked in vain for the familiar figures -of his friends, a pleasant-faced young man advanced from where the -laborers were at work to meet him. - -"Can you tell me, sir, what has become of a boy named Worth Manton and -an old colored man whom I left here the day before yesterday?" Sumner -inquired, anxiously. - -"If you mean the two whom I found camped here, and helping themselves -to my provisions, I think I can," answered the young man, with a smile. -"They went over to Indian Key last evening on the boat that brought me -here yesterday. They were very anxious concerning the fate of a friend -who left them the evening before, and went over there on a raft, I -believe they said. Can it be that you are the person they are seeking?" - -"Yes, sir, I am." - -"Then you are Sumner Rankin, and I am very happy to meet you. My name -is Haines. I have bought this key, and am clearing it, preparatory -to having it planted with cocoanuts. The provisions and camp outfit -that appeared here so mysteriously to you and your companions belong -to me, and were left here by the mail-schooner on her way up the -reef. I expected to arrive, with my men, about the same time, but was -detained. I am very glad, however, that they came in time to relieve -your distress. I am also much obliged to you for affording them a -shelter from the rain, without which some of the things would have been -injured. Now will you pardon my curiosity if I ask how you happen to -arrive here in a schooner from that direction when your friends said -you had gone the other way, and were confident of finding you on Indian -Key?" - -[Illustration: AS HE STEPPED ASHORE A PLEASANT-FACED YOUNG MAN ADVANCED -TO MEET HIM.] - -When Sumner had given a brief outline of his recent adventure, Mr. -Haines said: "You certainly have had a most remarkable experience, and -I am glad your friends did not know of it, for young Manton was worried -enough about you as it was. However, you will soon rejoin them, and -when you have recovered your canoes, if you feel so inclined, I should -be pleased to have you return here as my guests for as long as you -choose to stay." - -Sumner thanked him, and said he should be happy to stop there on his -return from the main-land. Then, begging to be excused, as he was -impatient to go in search of his comrades, he jumped into his boat and -returned to the _Transit_. - -Lieutenant Carey was perfectly willing to proceed at once to Indian -Key, but the tide was still running flood, and the breeze, which was -each moment becoming lighter, was dead ahead for a run out through -the channel. Under the circumstances, it would be useless to lift the -anchor, and the impatient boy was forced to wait for the tide to turn. -When it finally began to run ebb, the breeze had died out so entirely -that there was not even the faintest ripple on the water, and another -season of waiting was unavoidable. - -By the lieutenant's invitation Mr. Haines came off and dined with -them. He proved a most charming companion, and laughed heartily at -Sumner's description of the amazement with which he, Worth, and Quorum -had discovered the mysterious godsend of provisions. Mr. Haines -declared that it was one of the best jokes he had ever known; though -he was in doubt as to whether it was on him or on them. He appreciated -Sumner's impatience to be off, and when, late in the afternoon, a fair -breeze sprang up, he made haste to take his leave that their departure -might not be delayed. - -It was nearly sunset when the _Transit_ approached Indian Key so -closely that objects the size of a man could be distinguished on -it. Sumner was again at the helm, and he tried not to neglect his -steering; but he could not keep his eyes from scanning anxiously every -discernible foot of its surface. To his great disappointment not a soul -appeared. - -"They may be on the other side, keeping a lookout for passing vessels," -suggested Lieutenant Carey. - -Hoping that this might be the case, but still heavy-hearted and -anxious, Sumner went ashore, accompanied by the lieutenant. For an hour -they searched over every foot of the key, and through its deserted -buildings, shouting as they went, but their search was in vain. -Nothing was seen of the lost ones, nor had they left a trace to show -that they had ever been on the island. - -"It's no use," said Sumner at length; "they evidently are not here, -and must have gone on in the boat that brought them when they failed -to find me. Now, I don't know of anything to do but to go out to the -light-house after the canoes, and then come back here and wait. If -Worth has gone on up the reef, he must pass here on his way back, while -if he has gone the other way, he will hear of me at Key West and come -back here again. I'm awfully sorry that I can't go with you to the -main-land, but I don't see how I possibly can under the circumstances." - -Although the boy tried to speak cheerfully, and to take the brightest -possible view of the disappearance of his young comrade, he was filled -with anxiety, and it was with a heavy heart that he turned into his -berth on board the schooner _Transit_ that night. - - - - -CHAPTER XV. - -WORTH AND QUORUM IN SEARCH OF SUMNER. - - -On the evening that Sumner left Worth and Quorum, and started on his -adventurous voyage towards Indian Key, they watched him until distance -and the approaching twilight hid him from their view. Quorum was the -first to turn away and begin preparations for supper, while Worth -still remained on the point straining his eyes towards the key, on -which he fondly hoped that his friend was safely landed. At length -it, too, disappeared in the gathering darkness, and he reluctantly -turned his steps towards the camp. He was heavy-hearted, and had but -little appetite for the bountiful supper that Quorum had so skilfully -prepared. Noticing this, the old man tried to cheer him, saying: - -"Don't yo' be so down in de mouf, Marse Worf. Dey hain't no 'casion fur -worriment. I know Marse Summer Rankin fur a long time, an' I nebber -know him in a fix yit what he don't slip outen, de same as er eel. I -see him git in er plenty scrapes, but I don't see him git stuck. Him -all right, and yo' no need to go er frettin' an' er mo'nin'. He be -back ter-morrer bright an' smilin'. Now eat your suppah, honey, 'kase -if yo' don't, ole Quor'm t'ink he cookin' no good." - -In spite of the negro's consoling words, Worth's sleep that night was -broken, and he started at every sound. Towards morning a crash and a -smothered cry from the edge of the forest behind the camp caused him to -start to his feet in alarm, and wake his companion. Although no further -sound was heard, the boy was not satisfied until Quorum, taking a -torch, discovered a thieving 'coon, caught and killed by the dead-fall -that he had prepared for it. This was a simple figure =4= trap, set -under a bit of board that was weighted with a heavy rock. - -As soon as breakfast was over the next morning, Worth returned to -his outlook station on the point, and remained there, with his eyes -fixed on Indian Key, for several hours. It was nearly noon when he was -startled by a shout from Quorum, who called out: - -"Here him comin', honey! Here him comin' in er big schooner!" - -Running back to the cove, which was not visible from where he had -been sitting, Worth saw the schooner at which Quorum was gazing so -eagerly. She was not more than a mile from them, and was bearing -rapidly down towards the island, though from a direction opposite to -that in which Indian Key lay. Still that did not dispel their hope that -Sumner might be on board and coming to their relief. They could see -that the schooner's deck was crowded with men, most of whom, as she -approached more closely, proved to be negroes. Among them Worth's keen -eyes distinguished, besides the whites composing her crew, one young -white man who for a few minutes he was certain must be Sumner. As the -schooner dropped anchor, and this person was sculled ashore in a small -boat by one of the negroes, they saw, to their great disappointment, -that he was a stranger. - -He seemed surprised at seeing them on the key, and still more so when a -glance at their camp showed the use they had been making of the stores -they had so unexpectedly found there two days before. - -"Oh, sir," exclaimed Worth, as the stranger landed, "have you seen -anything of Sumner Rankin? I mean of a boy on a raft?" - -"No, I have not," was the answer. "But I see that some one, and I -expect it is the boy before me, has been making a free use of my -stores." - -"Are they yours?" asked Worth, flushing. "We didn't know whose they -were or who left them here, and as we were almost starving, we ventured -to take what we needed; but I shall be glad to pay for whatever we -have used." With this the boy produced a roll of bills, and looked -inquiringly at the stranger. - -"That's all right," laughed the other. "If you were starving, and had -need of them, of course you acted rightly in taking them. I am only too -glad that they were of use to you. I see, too, that you have sheltered -them from the weather." - -"Yes," replied Worth, "and it rained so hard night before last, that if -they had not been under cover some of them would have been spoiled." - -"Then we are quits," said the stranger; "and you have already more than -paid for what you can have used in so short a time. I have bought this -key, and intended to get here as soon as those things, which I sent up -on the mail-boat, but was unexpectedly delayed. My name is Haines, and -yours is--" - -"Worth Manton," answered the boy; "and I was cruising up the reef in a -canoe with my friend Sumner Rankin. When we got here, some one stole -our canoes, or they got lost in some way, and so we were obliged to -stay. We found this old negro Quorum here. Yesterday Sumner went over -to Indian Key on a raft, to see if he could find the canoes, or get a -vessel to take us off. We haven't seen anything of him since he left, -and I am awfully afraid that something has happened to him." - -"Oh, I guess not!" said the new-comer; "but if you like you can go over -there on this schooner and look for him. The captain is in a great -hurry to go on up the reef, as he is already two days late; but I guess -he will drop you at the key, and stop there for you on his way back to -Key West, if you want him to. But what is it that smells so good?" Here -the speaker sniffed at an appetizing odor that was wafted to them from -the direction of the little camp. - -"I expect it is Quorum's 'coon that he is roasting for dinner," replied -Worth. - -"'Coon? That is something I have never tasted; but I should be most -happy to experiment with it if it is half as good as it smells. Don't -you want to invite me to dine with you?" - -"Of course I do," laughed Worth; "especially as most of the dinner will -consist of your own provisions." - -A few minutes later they sat down to dinner together, and Mr. Haines -declared it to be the best he had eaten since coming to that part of -the country. He also praised the construction of the hut in which they -ate, and thanked Worth for having provided him with such comfortable -quarters. - -While they were occupied with the meal, the black passengers of the -schooner landed. Among them Quorum discovered friends who confirmed -Sumner's statement that he was no longer suspected of the death of the -sponging captain. - -After dinner several hours were spent in landing the lumber and other -freight with which the schooner was loaded. During this time Mr. Haines -learned all the details of Worth's experience in canoeing up the reef, -to which he listened with the greatest interest. He advised the boy to -remain patiently where he was until Sumner's return, or at least until -some word should be received from him. He was also anxious to engage -the services of such a capital cook as Quorum had proved himself by the -preparation of the dinner they had just eaten. - -But the boy was so heart-sick with anxiety that he could not bear the -thought of a further period of inaction, and Quorum declared he could -not think of deserting the lad whom Sumner had left in his care. - -So when the schooner was again ready to sail, they went on board, -taking with them their guns and a supply of provisions with which Mr. -Haines kindly provided them. He also insisted upon their taking a -couple of blankets, which, he said, they could return whenever they had -no further use for them, and he begged them to come back to the island -in case they should be disappointed in their search. Thus they parted -with an interchange of good wishes, and an hour later Worth and Quorum -were set ashore on Indian Key. Although they had seen no sign of Sumner -as they approached it, and the captain of the schooner had advised them -to keep on with him up the reef, they could not make up their minds to -do so until they had made a thorough examination of the key for traces -of their lost comrade. Nor were they inclined to leave those parts -so long as there was the faintest hope of hearing from him. So they -were hurriedly set ashore, and the schooner continued on her way, the -captain promising to stop there for them on his return trip. - -Of course their search over the key was fruitless, and it was with -heavy hearts that they made themselves comfortable for the night in one -of its old buildings. - -The next morning they wandered aimlessly over the narrow limits of the -little island, or sat in the rickety porch of their house watching the -column of smoke that, rising above Lignum Vitae, marked the beginning -of the cocoanut planter's operations. Turning from this, they would -gaze longingly out to sea without knowing what they hoped to discover. -Several schooners, bound both up and down the reef, passed during the -morning, but none of them came within hailing distance of the key. At -length Worth called out excitedly that he saw a canoe approaching from -the direction of Alligator Light. At that distance the sail that he was -watching certainly looked small enough to belong to a canoe; but as it -came closer it grew larger, until it resolved itself into that of a -good-sized cat-boat. - -As it finally rounded to and came to anchor under the lee of the key, -a man who was its sole occupant sculled ashore in a dingy containing -several empty barrels. He was Assistant Keeper Albury, of Alligator -Light, who had come to the key for a supply of water from its old -cistern, the one belonging to the light having sprung a leak, and -being nearly empty. He was surprised to find strangers on the key, and -inquired at once what had become of their boat. After listening to -their story and eager questions, he said: - -"Well, if that doesn't beat all! No, we haven't seen anything out at -the light of any young fellow floating on a raft; but we have got two -canoes out there that answer pretty well the description of them you -say you lost. What did you say their names were?" - -"_Cupid_ and _Psyche_," replied Worth. - -"Then they are yours, for them's the very names. If you want to go out -there with me after I fill my barrels, I've no doubt Mr. Spencer will -give them up to you." - -This they decided to do. So, after helping the man fill his -water-barrels, they set sail with him for the light-house, which they -reached late that afternoon, after some hours of tedious drifting in a -calm. - - - - -CHAPTER XVI. - -A NIGHT IN ALLIGATOR LIGHT. - - -While taking Worth and Quorum out to the light, Assistant Keeper Albury -told them how the canoes had been towed out to sea by a Jew-fish, and -described the difficulty he had had in capturing them. Although Worth -listened to all this with interest, his pleasure in having the mystery -cleared up, and at the prospect of recovering the canoes, was sadly -dampened by his increasing anxiety concerning Sumner's fate. What can -have become of him? was the question that he asked over and over again, -but to which neither of the men could give an answer. - -They were cordially welcomed to the light by the keeper, who was always -glad to have visitors to his lonely domain, and Worth easily proved his -ownership of the canoes by describing their contents. - -The light-house was a skeleton frame-work of iron, with its lower -platform about twelve feet above water that surrounded it on all sides. -On this platform lay the two canoes, side by side, looking as fresh -and unharmed as when Worth had last seen them at anchor off Lignum -Vitae. If Sumner had only been there, how he would have rejoiced over -them! As it was, he gave them but a hurried examination to assure -himself that they were all right, and then followed the keeper up the -flight of iron steps leading to the house. The portion of this in which -the men lived was a huge iron cylinder, surrounded by a balcony, and -divided into several rooms. Above it rose a slender iron shaft, in -which was a circular stairway leading to the lantern at its top. Worth -ascended this with the keeper to witness the lighting of the great -lamp, and the movements of the revolving machinery by which the red and -white flashes were produced. - -From this elevation a long line of keys was visible, while the one they -had so recently left seemed quite close at hand. While gazing at it, -Worth saw a schooner come down the channel from the direction of Lignum -Vitae, and lower her sails, as if for the night, under its lee. - -"Oh, Mr. Spencer!" he cried, "there's a schooner come to anchor close -to Indian Key. Perhaps her people are looking for us, and perhaps they -have brought news of Sumner. Can't we take the canoes now and sail over -there?" - -"Bless you, no, lad! I wouldn't for anything have it on my conscience -that I'd let you go sailing around these waters at night in those -cockle-shells. There's no doubt but what she'll stay there till -morning, and if the weather is good, you can make a start as soon after -daylight as ever you like; but you'll have to content yourself here -till then. I couldn't think of letting you go before." - -To this decision Worth was forced to submit, and after the lamp was -lighted he followed the keeper to the living-rooms below. Here he -found Quorum hard at work at his favorite occupation of cooking. He -was preparing a most savory fish chowder, and when they sat down to -supper both the keepers declared that in all their experience they had -never tasted its equal. The second assistant keeper was then absent on -the two-weeks' vacation, to which each of them was entitled after two -months of service in the light. They only regretted that Quorum could -not remain until his return, that he too might learn the possibilities -of a fish chowder. - -Worth was so charmed with his novel surroundings, and by the quaint -bits of light-house experience related by the keepers, that until -bed-time, he almost forgot his anxiety. When he had gone to bed in the -scrupulously neat and clean guest-chamber, after charging the keepers -to waken him at the earliest dawn, it returned in full force, and for -a long time drove sleep from his eyes. As he lay listening to the -keeper on watch making his half-hourly trips up to the lantern, and to -the lapping of the waves about the iron piling of the foundation, he -imagined all sorts of dreadful things as having happened to Sumner, and -even after he fell asleep his dreams were of the same character. - -From this unhappy dreaming he was awakened while it was still quite -dark, though the keeper, who was standing beside his bed, assured him -that day was breaking. At this, and remembering his cause for haste, -the boy sprang out of bed and quickly dressed himself. In the outer -room he found Quorum already up and waiting for him, and he also found -a steaming pot of coffee. Fortified by a cup of this and a biscuit, he -declared himself ready for the voyage back to Indian Key. - -As they stepped outside, the light was sufficiently strong for them to -dimly discern the distant line of keys, and preparations were at once -made to place the canoes in the water. Worth's was the first swung from -the platform davits and lowered, while he, descending a rope-ladder, -one end of which touched the water, was ready to cast off the falls -and step into her. Then Quorum was invited to do the same thing with -the _Psyche_; but the old negro drew back apprehensively, exclaiming: - -"No, sah, gen'l'men. De ole niggah am a big fool, but him no sich fool -dat him t'ink hese'f er monkey, an' go climbin' down er rope wha' don' -lead nowhar, 'cep' to er tickly egg-shell wha' done copsize de berry -instink he tetch foot to um. No, sah, gen'l'men; ole Quor'm too smart -fo' dat." - -"Well, then, sit in the canoe where she is, and we'll lower you down in -her." - -To this plan the old man was finally induced to agree, and with great -trepidation seated himself in the frail craft. The moment the men -began to sway away on the falls, he would have jumped out if he could. -As he was already swinging in mid-air, it was too late to do aught -save remain where he was. Clutching the sides of the cockpit tightly -with both hands, he closed up his eyes and resigned himself to his -fate. His face assumed an ashen tinge, and his lips moved as though -he were praying. He gave a convulsive start as the canoe dropped into -the water, but he did not open his eyes nor relax his clutch of the -coamings. - -"Come, Quorum, get out your paddle. I'll show you how to use it," -shouted Worth, after he had cast off the falls. - -But he might as well have addressed the light-house for all the notice -the old man took of him. Finally, realizing that Quorum was utterly -helpless, and incapable of action, from fright, Worth took the _Psyche_ -in tow, and paddling out from the light-house, bade the friendly -keepers a cheery good-bye, and started on his laborious trip to Indian -Key. - -Although the sea was perfectly smooth, paddling two deeply laden canoes -proved heavy work for one person, and Worth would have doubtless become -exhausted long before reaching his destination had not a light breeze -sprung up at sunrise. Aided by this, he made such good progress that in -less than an hour he was rounding the point of Indian Key, behind which -the _Transit_ lay at anchor. - -Sumner, who had just turned out, was gazing wistfully back at Lignum -Vitae, as though it still held the young comrade whose loss caused him -to feel so depressed, when he started as though he had been shot, at -the sound of his own name, uttered with a joyous shout but a short -distance from him. - -[Illustration: QUORUM RESIGNS HIMSELF TO FATE.] - -He could hardly credit his senses, or believe that he saw, sailing -merrily towards him, the long-lost canoes, bearing the very friends -on whose account he had been so anxious but a moment before. At the -same time Worth was equally bewildered and overcome with joyful -emotions. - -"Hurrah! Glory hallelujah!" shouted Sumner, in the fulness of rejoicing. - -At this sound Quorum started as though from a trance, and opened his -eyes for the first time since leaving the light. Whether he tumbled out -of the canoe accidently or on purpose, no one, not even himself, ever -found out; but the next instant he was in the water, puffing like a -porpoise, and swimming towards the land. Fortunately the distance was -short, so that in a few minutes he reached the rocks and pulled himself -out on them. There, scrambling to his feet, and with the water pouring -from him, he shook his fist at the craft he had so unceremoniously -deserted, exclaiming: - -"Dat's de fustes an' de lastes time ole Quor'm ebber go sailin' in er -baby cradle! Yes, sah, de fustes an' de lastes!" - - - - -CHAPTER XVII. - -AN ENTERTAINMENT ON THE KEY. - - -How Quorum managed to tumble out of the _Psyche_ without upsetting her -is a mystery, but he did it somehow. Seeing that he was easily making -his way to the land, Worth continued on his course to the _Transit_, -which he reached a minute later. The moment he stepped abroad, Sumner -threw his arms about the boy with what was intended for a joyful hug. -Worth returned it with interest. For a few seconds the two staggered -about the deck in what looked decidedly like a wrestling match to the -amused spectators of the scene, who had been attracted from below by -Sumner's shout. Finally they tripped and rolled with a crash into the -cockpit, where they scrambled to their feet, greeted by shouts of -laughter from Lieutenant Carey and Ensign Sloe, while even the men -forward were chuckling with ill-suppressed mirth. - -Had Sumner and Worth been a few years older, they would probably have -expressed their joy over this happy and unexpected meeting with a -cordial hand-shake, and a few inquiries after each other's welfare -during their separation. That would have been a man's way. Happily, all -boys are not men, nor are their ways men's ways. Any genuine boy will -understand that nothing short of a wrestling match would have served to -express the joy with which these two young hearts were relieved of the -load of anxiety that had weighed so heavily upon them during the past -three days. - -"But how did you know the canoes were out at the light, Worth?" -inquired Sumner, after the first boisterous greeting was over. "Excuse -me! Let me introduce you to Lieutenant Carey and Ensign Sloe. And how -did you get there? And how did you know that we were here?" exclaimed -Sumner, in a breath, as soon as he had regained his feet. - -"The keeper told us," answered Worth, shaking hands with those to whom -he had just been introduced. "And I didn't know you were here. How did -you get here, and what became of the raft? Did you ever see anything -so absurd as Quorum? I don't believe he has opened his eyes since we -left the light, and I actually thought he was turning white, he was so -scared. Oh, Sumner, I never was so happy in my life!" - -"Nor I," answered Sumner; "and if I ever leave you again, you young -scamp, before delivering you safe and sound to your lawful guardians, -you'll know it." - -"And you may be mighty sure I won't be left again," answered Worth. -"No, siree! From this time on, you'll think I'm your shadow, I'll stick -to you so close." - -By this time Quorum had been brought aboard, and Sumner, shaking hands -with him, gravely congratulated him upon having formed the habit of -taking a plunge bath before breakfast. With a reproachful look at the -lad, and without deigning to reply to his banter, Quorum turned away -and dived into the little forward galley. Here he quickly made himself -at home, and all the time he was drying by the galley stove he could be -heard entertaining the colored cook of the _Transit_ with a thrilling -description of his recent voyage in "dat ar tickly nutshell. Mo' like -er wash-basin dan er 'spectible boat; an' ef I don't hole her down wif -bofe han's till dey done achin', she flop ober like er flapjack. I tell -yo', chile, hit's er sperience sich as I don't want no mo' ob in all my -sailin'." - -Around the breakfast-table in the tiny after-saloon Sumner and Worth -were comparing experiences and discussing their plans for the future. - -"I tell you what it is, Sumner," exclaimed Worth, "I don't know about -cruising any farther up this reef, where we are likely at any time -to be seized and carried off to sea by some Jew-fish or other marine -monster. Seems to me it's taking a big risk." - -"Then why not come with us through the 'Glades?" laughed Lieutenant -Carey. "There aren't any Jew-fish there. It will be almost the same -as cruising on dry land all the way, and we'll bring you out at Cape -Florida, the very point you are aiming for." - -"I think that would be fine," answered Worth, who had no more idea of -the nature of the Everglades than he had of the moon. "What do you say, -Sumner?" - -"It's the very thing I should most love to do," replied Sumner. - -"Then you will go with us?" asked the Lieutenant. - -"Yes, sir, we will," answered both the boys. - -"Good! That settles it. Now do you suppose we can persuade your old -darkey to go along as cook? I think you said he was a good one, Sumner?" - -"Indeed he is!" exclaimed Worth; "the very best I ever knew. Oh yes, we -must have Quorum along by all means." - -When the plan was laid before him, Quorum shook his head doubtfully, -and said: - -"I allus hear dem Ebberglades is a ter'ble place. Dey's full ob lions -an' tigers, sayin' nuffin' ob wild Injuns an' cannon-balls" (probably -Quorum meant cannibals). "But ef dem two chilluns boun' ter go, I spec' -ole Quor'm hab ter go 'long ter look after um, an' see dat dey's kep' -outen danger. Hit's er mighty owdacious undertaking fer de ole man; -but dish yere er peart-looking wessel, an' maybe she take us troo all -right." - -"But we are not going in this vessel," laughed Sumner. "We couldn't -take her through the 'Glades." - -"How yo go, den?" asked the negro, looking up quickly. "Not in them -tickly li'l' cooners?" - -"Yes, some of us will go in the canoes, but you will have a much larger -boat; one that you can't possibly upset." - -"When I see him, den I tell yo' ef I er gwine." And this was the only -promise that Quorum could be induced to give. - -"Very well," said Lieutenant Carey, when this was reported to him; "we -will rig up the cruisers, and let Quorum sail one of them in to Lignum -Vitae. One of the men shall take the other, you two will sail your own -canoes, and I will sail mine, while Mr. Sloe shall follow with the -_Transit_. When Mr. Haines sees us coming he'll think he is looking at -a regatta of the Reef Yacht Club." - -This plan suited the boys perfectly, and the next two hours were spent -in getting all the boats into the water, overhauling sails, spars, -etc. When Quorum saw the Barnegat cruiser that was assigned to him, -he declared, "Hit done look like er punkin seed, an' I don't beliebe -hit fit fer sailin' nohow." It was only with the greatest difficulty -that he could be persuaded to try the strange-looking craft. When he -finally did so, his eyes opened wide with astonishment at her speed and -stiffness, and the ease with which she was handled. - -Each of the cruisers carried a large sprit-sail, and was fitted with a -pair of oars. They were provided with centre-boards, were fair sailers, -easy to row, practically non-capsizable, and capable of carrying heavy -loads without materially increasing their draught. - -Quorum was a good sailor, and as soon as he became somewhat accustomed -to his craft he began to handle her in a way that showed an -appreciation of her qualities. When he shot ahead, after a little brush -with the other cruiser, the _Melon Seed_--as he termed her--his black -face fairly beamed with delight. - -"Your man is as tickled with that boat as a child with a new toy," -remarked Lieutenant Carey to Sumner, "and I guess there is no doubt now -but what he will go with us." - -The Lieutenant's open paddling canoe was fitted with a leg-of-mutton -sail, but no centre-board. Thus the sail was only available for running -before the wind, which on this occasion happened to be fair. The three -canoes and the two cruisers, starting on their race to Lignum Vitae, -formed a very pretty sight. As they were followed by the _Transit_, -and by the schooner that had carried Worth and Quorum to Indian Key, -which came along on her return trip just then, it is no wonder that Mr. -Haines regarded the approaching fleet with astonishment. - -The race was won by Sumner in the _Psyche_, with Quorum in his _Punkin -Seed_, and wildly excited, close behind. The other three were well -bunched, and the two schooners were worked under foresails only, to -keep from running them down. - -All hands were made heartily welcome by the proprietor of Lignum Vitae, -who was made happy by the information that they proposed to stay there -that night. On hearing this he immediately began to plan a grand dinner -to which everybody was invited, and an entertainment for the evening. -He and Lieutenant Carey spent the afternoon in arranging for the -entertainment, the four cooks, with Quorum at their head, spent it in -preparing a most elaborate dinner, and the others spent it fishing and -sailing match races between the various small boats. As the hours flew -busily and happily by, Sumner and Worth wondered how they could ever -have felt wretched and forlorn in such a pleasant place. - -The dinner, which was served shortly before sunset, was a veritable -feast. On its bill of fare appeared oysters, green-turtle soup, fish -chowder, turtle steaks, baked kingfish, stewed ducks, roasted 'possum, -a variety of canned vegetables, an immense plum duff, canned fruits, -crackers, cheese, and coffee; while the whole was seasoned with the -sauce of hearty appetites and capital digestions. It was a substantial -meal, as well as a merry one, and it gave Worth Manton a new insight -into the possibilities of life on the Florida Keys. - -By hard work Mr. Haines had succeeded in raising the frame of the -little one-story house that he intended to occupy, and in getting the -floor laid. This was to be the scene of the entertainment, and an -hour or so after dinner all hands were collected here. Several large -bonfires shed a cheerful light on the circle of expectant faces, and -cast wavering shadows over the platform. - -The first number on the programme was an overture by the Lignum Vitae -Band, which consisted of Mr. Haines's banjo, Lieutenant Carey's guitar, -Ensign Sloe's violin, and a flute played by one of the _Transit's_ -men. Then Worth danced a clog, and was received with immense applause. -He was followed by Sumner, who performed a number of sleight-of-hand -tricks that drew forth exclamations of astonishment from the negroes. -A mouth-organ quartet by four of the negro hands, was followed by Mr. -Haines's banjo solo. This was of such an inspiring character that all -the negroes patted time to it, and finally Quorum sprang upon the -platform and, with his beloved pipe still held tightly between his -teeth, began to shuffle a breakdown in such a comical manner that it -was received with tumultuous applause and roars of laughter. Solo -and chorus singing followed, and the entertainment wound up with the -singing of "Annie Laurie" by a quartet of sailors. - -Both Sumner and Worth were certain that they had never passed a more -enjoyable evening, and were almost sorry that they had promised to -leave there and start for the Everglades on the following morning. - -[Illustration: QUORUM DANCES A BREAK-DOWN.] - - - - -CHAPTER XVIII. - -OFF FOR THE EVERGLADES. - - -Both Sumner and Worth were by this time quite used to being turned out -of bed while it was still dark, and told that it was morning and time -to make a start. So, when the familiar summons was heard, a few hours -after their evening of fun, they obeyed them, though not without some -sleepy grumblings and protests. The stars were still shining when they -went on deck for a look at the weather, and they shivered with the -chill of the damp night air. - -There were faint evidences of daylight, however, and the welcome -fragrance of coffee was issuing from the galley. They felt better after -drinking a cup of it, but did not consider themselves fairly awake -until the sails were hoisted, the anchor lifted, and the _Transit_ -began to move slowly out from under Lignum Vitae. - -Just as they were getting fairly under way, a sleepy hail of "Good-bye, -and good-luck to you!" came from the edge of the forest on the key -where the night shadows still lingered. Then, with answering shouts of -"Good-bye, Mr. Haines! Good-bye to Lignum Vitae!" they were off. - -The reason for such an early start was that, with four boats in tow, -even the _Transit_ could not be expected to make very good speed, and -Mr. Carey was anxious to cover the sixty-mile run to Cape Sable before -dark. - -For the first three hours Sumner was kept constantly at the helm, -directing the course of the schooner through a multiplicity of tortuous -channels, between coral reefs, oyster-bars, and a score of low-lying -mangrove keys. All this time Lieutenant Carey stood beside him, keeping -track of the courses steered and noting on his chart the position of -the channels, together with the names of the keys, so far as Sumner -was able to give them. The knowledge that the lad displayed of these -uncharted waters, and the skill with which he handled the schooner, so -excited the lieutenant's admiration that he finally said: "I declare, -Sumner, I don't believe there is a better pilot in the whole Key West -sponging fleet than you! How on earth do you remember it all?" - -"I don't know," laughed Sumner, "I expect it comes natural, as the man -said when asked what made him so lazy." - -"Well," said the lieutenant, "I am mighty glad to have you along -instead of that fellow Bust Norris, though he did intimate that your -ignorance of the reef would get us into trouble. He was greatly cut up -when I told him that, as you were going with me, I should not require -his services, and tried to say some mean things about you; but I shut -him up very quickly. He doesn't seem to be a friend of yours, though." - -"I don't know why he shouldn't be," replied Sumner, "I am sure I feel -friendly enough towards him. I suppose it must be because I wouldn't -let him try my canoe the other day, and left him on the buoy that -night. I only meant that as a joke though, and was just about to start -out for him, when I saw a fisherman pick him up." - -Here Sumner related the incident referred to, and the lieutenant said, -as Mr. Manton had, that the fellow was rightly served. Then the subject -was dropped, and they thought of it no more. - -As they were now in open water, with all traces of land rapidly fading -in the distance behind them, Sumner laid a course for Sandy Key, the -only one they would see before reaching Cape Sable, resigned the -tiller, and invited Worth to try his hand at trolling. The _Transit_ -being well provided with fishing tackle they soon had two long trolling -lines towing astern. Worth said he was going in for big fish, and so -attached to the end of his line a bright leaden squid terminating in a -heavy, finely-tempered hook. - -Sumner, believing that there would be as much sport and more profit -in trying for those that were smaller, but more plentiful, used a -much lighter hook, baited with a bit of white rag. Worth would not -believe that any fish could be so foolish as to bite at such a bait. -His incredulity quickly vanished, however, as Sumner began to pull -in, almost as fast as he could throw his line overboard, numbers of -Crevalle, or "Jack," beautiful fellows tinted with amber, silver, and -blue, and Spanish mackerel, one of the finest fish in southern waters. -Seeing that Sumner was having all the fun, while he could not get a -bite, Worth began to haul in his line with a view to putting on a -smaller hook, and baiting it with a bit of rag. Suddenly there was a -swish through the water, a bar of silver gleamed for an instant in the -air, a hundred feet astern, and Worth's line began to whiz through his -hands with lightning-like rapidity. With a howl of pain, he dropped -it as though it had been a red-hot coal, and began dancing about the -cockpit, wringing his hands and blowing his fingers. - -"Snub him, Worth, quick! or he'll have your line," cried Sumner, -springing to his friend's assistance. "It's a barracuda, and a big -one!" He got a turn around the rudder-post just in time to save the -line, and then began a fight that set the young fisherman's blood to -tingling with excitement. In spite of his smarting fingers, Worth -insisted upon pulling in his own fish; while the barracuda seemed -equally intent upon pulling his captor overboard. Such leaping and -splashing, such vicious tugs and wild rushes ahead, astern, and off to -one side, as that barracuda made, were far beyond anything in the way -of fishing that Worth had ever experienced. For ten minutes the fight -was maintained with equal vigor on both sides. Every inch of slack was -carefully taken in. With the stout rudder-post to aid him, Worth was -slowly but surely gaining the victory, and the great, steely-blue fish -was drawn closer and closer to the schooner. - -At length he was within fifty feet, and Worth's flushed face was -lighting with triumph, when, all at once there came a rush of some -vast, white object astern. A huge pair of open jaws, lined with -glistening rows of teeth, closed with a vicious snap, and a moment -later Worth, whose face was a picture of bewildered amazement, pulled -in the head of his fish minus its body. - -"Was it a whale, do you think?" he asked, soberly, turning to Sumner. - -"No," replied the other, laughing at his companion's crestfallen -appearance, "but it was the biggest kind of a shark, and he would have -snapped you in two as easily as he did that barracuda, if you had been -at that end of the line." - -By noon they had left Sandy Key astern, and before sunset they had -passed the stately cocoanut groves on Cape Sable and Palm Point, and -were rounding Northwest Cape. Just at dusk they headed into a creek, -not more than twenty feet wide, and directly afterwards came to anchor -in the deep, roomy basin to which it was the entrance. The basin was -already occupied by a small sloop, and as Sumner's knowledge of those -waters did not extend beyond that point, Lieutenant Cary anticipated -being able to gain some information from her crew. With this in view he -anchored but a short distance from her, and after everything was made -snug for the night, he hailed her with: - -"Hello on board the sloop!" - -"Hello yourself! What schooner is that?" - -"The Government schooner _Transit_, and I should be very glad to see -any of you on board." - -"Where are you bound?" - -"Into the 'Glades. Will you come over after a while, or shall I go -aboard the sloop? I want to have a talk with you." - -"I reckon we'll come over." - -"Those fellows don't seem inclined to be very sociable," remarked the -Lieutenant to Ensign Sloe, as they went down into the cabin to supper. -At the same time Sumner was saying to Worth, "I wonder who that fellow -is? His voice sounded very familiar." - -When they again came on deck after supper, the night was so dark that -they could not see the sloop, though they supposed her to be lying -close to them. - -"Hello aboard the sloop!" again hailed Lieutenant Carey. - -There was no answer, nor did several hails serve to bring a reply of -any kind. - -"Let's take my canoe and go for a look at those fellows, Sumner," said -the Lieutenant. "They have quite excited my curiosity." - -In a few minutes the canoe was afloat, and its occupants were paddling -in the direction of where the sloop was thought to lie. For half an -hour they paddled back and forth, and in circles, being guided in their -movements by the bright riding light of the _Transit_. Once they struck -a floating oar that seemed to be attached to a cable; but they could -discover no trace of the sloop, nor did their repeated hailings bring -forth a single answer. - -At length, greatly perplexed by such unaccountable behavior on -the part of the sloop's crew, and nearly devoured by the clouds -of mosquitoes that swarmed above the lagoon, they returned to the -schooner, and thankfully sought the shelter of her wire-screened cabin. - - - - -CHAPTER XIX. - -THE CANOES ARE AGAIN LOST, AND AGAIN FOUND. - - -In that snug harbor there was so little chance of danger that no watch -was kept, and all hands turning in, after a pleasant evening spent in -smoking and discussing plans, slept soundly until morning. Although the -sun had gone down in a blaze of ominous glory the evening before, and -the breeze had died out in an absolute calm, no one was fully prepared -for the wonderful change of scene disclosed by the morning. While their -land-locked harbor was still as placid as a mill-pond where they were -anchored, it was blackened and roughened by the gusts of fierce squalls -but a short distance from them. The continuous roar of breakers outside -denoted a furious sea, the cause of which was shown by the lashing -tree-tops and the howlings of a gale overhead. The sky was hidden -behind masses of whirling clouds, while after the tropical weather to -which they had become accustomed, the air seemed very cold, though -the mercury had not fallen below 50 deg. The gale was a typical Norther, -that, sweeping down from Texas prairies, had gathered strength in its -unchecked progress across the Gulf, and was now hurling itself with -furious energy against the low Florida coast. - -"Whew! What a day!" cried Sumner, as he emerged from the warm cabin and -stood shivering in the cockpit. "I tell you what, old man, I'm glad we -are in this snug haven, instead of outside." - -"So am I," said Worth, who had followed Sumner, and to whom these -remarks were addressed. "I'm afraid canoes would stand a pretty sorry -chance out there just now." - -"Canoes! Well, I should say so! They'd be--Great Scott! Where _are_ the -canoes and the cruisers?" - -Sumner had just taken his first glance astern, and as he uttered this -exclamation he sprang to the little after-deck, and stared about him. -The three canoes and the two cruisers had been left for the night -attached to a single stout line which was made fast to the _Transit's_ -rudder-post. Now they were gone, and not a sign of them was to be seen -as far as the eye could reach. - -"If that doesn't beat anything I ever heard of!" exclaimed Sumner, in -bewilderment. - -"I should think a jew-fish big enough to take them all might just as -well have taken the schooner, too," said Worth. - -"Yes, I expect she will be stolen from under us the next thing we -know," replied Sumner, "and I expect if we ever get our canoes again -we'd better put them into a burglar-proof safe and hire a man with a -dog to watch them nights. I never heard of anybody losing canoes as -easily as we do. Where do you suppose they can have gone to, sir?" - -This question was addressed to Lieutenant Carey, who, together with -Ensign Sloe, had been attracted to the deck by Sumner's first dismayed -exclamation. - -"I've no more idea than you have," replied the Lieutenant, gravely. -"The jew-fish is not to blame this time, at any rate, for there was -no anchor down that he could get hold of, and this rope has evidently -been cut." Here the speaker displayed the end of the rope that had -hung over the stern, and pointed to the clean cut by which it had been -severed. "It is evident that some human agency has been at work," he -continued, "and I am inclined to connect it with the strange behavior -of the fellows on that sloop; though what their object in stealing our -boats was, I can't imagine. It is a very serious matter to us, however, -and one that calls for prompt investigation. As this wind must have -sprung up early in the night, it is hardly probable that the boats can -have been taken out to sea, and if they were not they must be somewhere -in this lagoon, perhaps concealed in the mangroves, or in one of the -sloughs that empty into it. It is lucky that we have the canvas boat -left, for I should hate to try and navigate the _Transit_ in these -unknown waters with such a gale blowing." - -The canvas boat, of which the Lieutenant spoke, was a folding affair -that was stowed under the cockpit floor, and was a part of the -schooner's regular outfit. Although it was very light, it could easily -accommodate three persons, and was a capital thing to fall back on in -an emergency like the present. - -Mr. Carey ordered it to be got out and put in shape at once. After -breakfast he and Sumner, with one of the crew to row, stepped into -it and started on their search. They skirted the shore as closely as -possible, both to escape the force of the wind, and that they might -the more carefully examine the dense mangrove thickets that, with -occasional stretches of white beach, formed the coast-line. - -The mangrove, which here attains the size of oaks, is one of the most -curious of trees, and in one particular closely resembles the banyan. -Its small yellow blossom, which is eagerly sought by honey-bees, forms -a long brown seed about the size and shape of a cigar. This, falling -off, readily takes root in mud-flats, beneath shallow salt or brackish -water, and shoots up a straight slender stem having numerous branches. -Some of these branches bend downward to the water, sending their tips -into the mud, where they in turn take root. At length the tree is thus -surrounded by a circle of woody arches that soon become strong enough -to support the weight of a man. As the tree increases in height, the -upper branches send down long straight shoots that also take root and -form independent trunks. Mangroves grow with marvellous rapidity, and -quickly cover large areas, where their thickly interlaced, arching -roots hold all manner of drift and sea-weed, until finally a soil -is formed in which the seeds of coarse grasses and other vegetation -sprout and flourish. Thus, in the course of time, an island of dry land -appears and is lifted above the water. In this way the coral reefs of -the Florida coast are gradually transformed into verdant keys, the -mangrove taking up and continuing the work of island building just -below the surface of the water, where the coral insect leaves off. The -mangrove is covered with a thick foliage of small glossy leaves, that -is such a favorite haunt for mosquitoes, that wherever mangroves grow, -mosquitoes are found in countless millions. - -Skirting this wonderful mangrove forest, and occasionally penetrating -shallow bayous in which herons, cranes, ibises, pelicans, and curlews -swam and waded, the occupants of the canvas boat searched for several -hours in vain. Finally, as they were on the opposite side of the broad -lagoon from their starting-point, and exposed to the full force of the -wind, Sumner called out that he saw something that looked like masts -on the edge of a distant clump of mangroves. It was no easy task to -navigate successfully through the heavy sea running at this point; -but when they had accomplished it, they were rewarded by seeing the -entire missing fleet piled up in the greatest confusion among the -mangroves, which at this place extended far out into the water. Before -they reached them both the Lieutenant and Sumner were obliged to jump -overboard in water above their waists, to prevent the canvas boat from -swamping in the breakers. - -The picture presented by their stranded fleet looked like one of -utter ruin. Sumner trembled for the fate of his precious canoe, and -the Lieutenant wondered if his expedition had thus been brought to an -untimely end. There was a small beach but a short distance away, to -which the sailor took the canvas boat, and then returned to help them -clear the wrecks. One by one the several craft, all of them full of -water, were extricated from the tangled mass, and dragged to the beach -for examination. The three canoes were found to be badly scratched, and -damaged so far as looks went; but still sound and seaworthy. This was -undoubtedly owing to their lightness, and the exceeding care with which -canoes are built. In their construction the question of expense is not -considered; consequently, being built of the best material, by the most -skilful workmen, they are stronger than ordinary craft many times their -size. - -Their sails were muddied and torn, and some of their slender spars -were broken; but as most of their cargoes had been transferred to the -_Transit_ before leaving Lignum Vitae, this was the extent of their -injury. Sumner was jubilant when a careful examination of every part of -them revealed this fact; but Mr. Carey, who was devoting his attention -to the cruisers, looked very grave. Both of them were badly stove, and -it was evident that only extensive repairs could render them again fit -for service. - -"Who could have done this thing, and why was it done?" he repeated over -and over again in deep perplexity; while Sumner, equally at fault, -tried to recall whose voice it was that had seemed so familiar when -they had exchanged hails with the sloop. - -After emptying the canoes, and hauling the cruisers high up on the -beach, where they were to be left for the present, the party set forth -on their return trip. The Lieutenant went in his own canoe, Sumner in -his, while the sailor in the canvas boat towed the _Cupid_. - -As they neared the schooner they saw her people pointing eagerly -towards a bit of beach near the head of the creek through which they -had entered the lagoon the evening before. Looking in that direction, -they saw a white man beckoning to them and shouting, though they could -not distinguish his words. - -Readily understanding that he was in distress of some kind, the -Lieutenant and Sumner headed their canoes in his direction. As they -neared him, they saw that he was hatless, and clad only in a shirt and -trousers that were torn and water-soaked. The first words they could -distinguish were: - -"Our boat is going to pieces outside, and Rust Norris is in her with a -broken arm." - -"Rust Norris!" That was the name Sumner had been racking his memory -for, and his was the voice that had come to them from the sloop on the -preceding evening. - - - - -CHAPTER XX. - -THE _PSYCHE_ AS A LIFE-BOAT. - - -"Just where does the sloop lie?" asked Sumner, as the bow of his canoe -ran on to the beach where the man stood. - -The latter explained the position of the stranded vessel so clearly -that the boy, who was familiar with the locality, comprehended it in a -moment. - -"She's about a mile from the mouth of the creek, and a quarter off -shore," said the man. "When the tide went down I partly swum and partly -waded to the beach. I don't know how I ever got ashore alive, but the -thought of poor Rust out there kinder nerved me on, and so I made it at -last. I wouldn't do it again, though, for all the money in Key West. -Now I've been here so long waiting for help, and the tide's rising -again so fast, that I'm afraid it's all day with poor Rust. If he ain't -swept off the wrack by this time he soon will be, and I don't know as -there is anything can be done for him. It wouldn't be possible for the -schooner to get anywhere near the wrack, she's dragged in so fur over -the reefs, and the small boat isn't built that could live in them seas." - -"Yes, she is," said Sumner, quietly, but with a very pale face; "this -boat that I am sitting in can live out there, and she's got to do it, -too." So saying, he set his double-bladed paddle into the sand, and -with a vigorous shove sent the light craft gliding backward into deep -water. - -The man stared at him in speechless amazement, while the Lieutenant -called out: "Don't try it, Sumner! You must be crazy to think of such -a thing! You'll only be throwing away your own life for nothing! Come -back, and we'll think of some other plan." - -"There isn't time to think of another plan," Sumner called back over -his shoulder. "I must go, and I know I can do it. If you will have some -of the men out there on the beach, ready to help us land, we'll make it -easy enough. Good-bye!" - -Impelled by vigorous strokes of Sumner's paddle, the _Psyche_ was -already gliding down the smooth waters of the sheltered creek, and it -was too late to restrain the impetuous young canoeman from carrying out -his project. Realizing this, and also that Sumner's plan, hazardous as -it seemed, was the only feasible one, Lieutenant Carey, with a heavy -heart, set about doing his own share of the work in hand. He took the -stranger off to the schooner, and after swallowing a cup of hot coffee, -of which he stood greatly in need, the man declared himself ready to -guide a party to the beach opposite the place where the sloop lay. - -Dinner was ready and waiting on board the _Transit_, but nobody thought -of stopping to eat a mouthful after learning the news of what was -taking place. The sole anxiety was to reach the beach as quickly as -possible. The instant the stranger said he was ready, all hands, except -those ordered to remain by the schooner, began to tumble into the -available canoes, eager to be set ashore. - -Poor Worth was sadly distressed when he heard of the terrible task -undertaken by his friend, but he tried to cheer himself and the others -by declaring that if any boat could live outside it was the canoe -_Psyche_, and if any living sailor could carry her through the seas, -whose angry roar filled the air, it was Sumner Rankin. - -In the mean time the brave young fellow who was the object of all this -anxiety had reached the mouth of the creek. There, in a sheltered -spot, he paused for a few minutes to take breath and make his final -preparations for a plunge into the roaring breakers outside. - -He set taut the foot steering gear, took double reefs in both his -sails, saw that the halyards were clear and ready for instant service, -adjusted the rubber apron so that the least possible water should enter -the cockpit, and then, with a firm grasp of his paddle, he shoved off. - -In another minute he was breasting the huge, combing breakers of the -outer bar, and working with desperate energy to force his frail craft -through or over them. The roar of waters was deafening, while the -fierce gusts rendered breathing difficult. At one moment the sharp bow -of the canoe would point vaguely towards the sky, while the next would -see it directed into a watery abyss, and plunging downward as though -never to rise again. At such moments the rudder would be lifted from -the water, and only the most skilful use of the paddle prevented the -canoe from broaching to and being rolled over and over, to be finally -dashed in fragments on the beach. Again and again the wave crests broke -on her deck, sweeping her fore and aft with a blinding mass of hissing -water. - -Still the boy's strength held out, still his paddle was wielded with -regular strokes, and finally he came off victorious in this first bout -of his fierce, single-handed struggle. The line of breakers was passed, -and riding over the comparatively regular seas beyond, he began -working dead to windward for an offing. - -Not until he was a good half-mile off shore, and very nearly exhausted -by his tremendous efforts, did he push back the rubber apron, drop his -centre-board, and then, steadying the canoe with his paddle, seize a -favorable opportunity for hoisting the tiny after-sail that should -keep her momentarily headed into the wind. Then, quickly unjointing -his paddle and thrusting its parts into the cockpit, he grasped the -halyard, and with a single pull set the double-reefed main-sail. - -Now was a most critical moment, for as he pulled in on the main-sheet, -and the sail began to feel the full force of the wind, the little -craft heeled over gunwale under. Only by promptly scrambling to the -weather-deck, and sitting with his feet braced under the lee coaming, -while his whole body was thrown out far over the side, did he prevent -her from capsizing. Then she gathered headway and dashed forward. With -one hand on the deck tiller, and holding the main-sheet in the other, -the boy peered anxiously ahead. - -Yes, there was the wreck! Oh, so far away! with clouds of white spray -dashing high above it. Could he ever reach it through those tumultuous -seas? Lifting him high in the air, where he was exposed to the full -force of the wind at one moment, they towered above the deep trough -into which he sank at the next, and left his bits of sails shaking as -if in a calm. With full confidence in himself and his boat, he believed -he could reach it--and he did. - -He had no time to look at the anxious watchers on the beach, but they -noted his every movement with painful eagerness. They almost held their -breath as some huge wave tossed him high aloft, and again as he was -completely hidden from them behind its foam-capped crest. At length -they saw him reach a point abreast the wreck, round sharply to under -its lee, and seize his paddle. In another minute he was on board, with -the first half of his task accomplished. - -He found Rust Norris crouching in the lee of the little deck-house, -nearly exhausted with pain, hours of cold drenching, and the terror of -his position. The wreck was trembling so violently with each shock of -the seas that it seemed as though she must break up beneath their feet. - -Rust's left arm was supported in a rude sling made from a strip of his -shirt knotted about his neck. He did not speak as the boy bent over -him, but an expression of glad surprise and renewed hope lighted his -haggard face. - -[Illustration: "HE FOUND RUST NORRIS CROUCHING IN THE LEE OF THE LITTLE -DECK-HOUSE."] - -"Come, Rust," shouted Sumner; "with one big effort you'll be all right. -They are waiting for you on the beach, and the canoe will carry you -that far easy enough, if you can only manage to get into her. You will -have to sit low down and steer with your feet while you hold the sheet -in your hand. All you'll have to do is to run her in dead before the -wind, head on for the beach." - -With infinite difficulty the wounded man was finally seated in the -narrow cockpit of the frail craft. A moment later it was shoved off -from the trembling wreck, and was racing with fearful speed towards -the beach. It seemed to leap from the top of one huge wave to the next -without sinking into the intervening hollow. Not until it was dragged -safely ashore by those who rushed into the breakers to meet the flying -craft did Rust Norris realize that he was her sole occupant. - - - - -CHAPTER XXI. - -SUMNER'S SELF-SACRIFICE. - - -If Rust Norris had not been rendered so nearly helpless by his broken -arm, Sumner would have endeavored to make the _Psyche_ bear them both -safely to land, if not by carrying them, at least by supporting them -while they swam alongside. On his way to the wrecked sloop he had -thought that perhaps this might be done, but as soon as he discovered -Rust's real condition he knew that he might as well leave him there -to drown as to attempt to burden the light craft with their double -weight. At that moment the lad made up his mind that Rust should have -the canoe to himself, and that he would take whatever chance of escape -still remained. Thus he had resolutely shoved the canoe off, with -its single occupant, while he stayed behind, clinging to the leeward -mast-stay, and watching with eager eyes the perilous passage to the -beach of the man for whom he had risked so much. The act was a bit of -that coolly-planned self-sacrificing heroism that stamps true bravery, -and distinguishes it from recklessness. - -In his exhausted and partially dazed condition, Rust did not realize -the sacrifice made by his young deliverer until the canoe had been -snatched from the breakers by a dozen willing hands, and drawn high on -the beach beyond their cruel grasp. Then, on looking for the boy and -seeing that he had remained behind, he uttered a great cry, and sank -down limp and helpless on the wet sand. - -Those on shore had seen from the first that only one was coming in the -canoe, while one was left behind, but they had not known which was -approaching them until the _Psyche_ was dragged from the breakers. - -Worth was in an agony of despair at his friend's peril. "Let me go to -him!" he cried. "I would rather drown than stand here without trying to -save him!" - -"No; let me go! Let me go!" cried the others; and they made frantic -attempts to again launch the canoe through the breakers; but they might -as well have tried to launch it through a stone wall. Again and again -was it hurled back, while those who strove to launch it were torn from -their footing and flung upon the beach. - -Then there was a shout of "Here he comes! He is in the water!" and -then they strained their eyes in vain for another glimpse of their -well-loved young comrade. - -Sumner had indeed taken the plunge, but not voluntarily. He had -determined to remain by the sloop until she broke up and he was -compelled to swim, or until the falling tide should render the passage -of that seething maelstrom less terrible. Thus thinking, he was about -to seek the poor shelter in which he had found Rust, when a great wave, -rushing over the wreck, swept him from it, and buried him beneath tons -of its mighty volume. - -As he came gasping to the surface he was again almost immediately -overwhelmed and borne under. Still, he had drawn a breath of air, and -had noted the direction of the beach. He knew that, sooner or later, -alive or dead, the waves would cast him ashore. So, without trying to -swim forward, he devoted all his energies to reaching the surface, and -breathing as often as possible. It seemed as though he were merely -rising and sinking, without moving forward an inch, and it required -all his self-control to keep from exhausting himself by violent -struggles to make a perceptible headway. He retained his presence of -mind, however, and after a half-hour of battle the very waves seemed -to acknowledge his victory, and tossed him up within sight of the -watchers, who had given up all hope except that of finding his lifeless -body. - -They uttered a glad shout; but it was checked as he was again buried -from their sight. Again he appeared, and this time much nearer. Then -Lieutenant Carey rushed into the water. Behind him Worth, Quorum, and -the others formed a line, tightly grasping each other's hands, and at -length the swimmer was within their reach. - -With cries of exultant joy, they bore him up the beach and laid him on -the sand; but their rejoicing was quickly succeeded by consternation. -He lay with closed eyes, cold, and apparently lifeless. - -"Hurry to the schooner, Worth, and tell them to have hot water, hot -blankets, and a roaring fire ready by the time we get there," demanded -the Lieutenant. "We will bring him as quickly as possible." - -For hours they worked over the senseless form of the brave lad. So -nearly had the sea accomplished its cruel purpose that, but for the -lessons learned by the workers years before at Annapolis, Sumner -Rankin's life would have been given in exchange for that of Rust -Norris. At length a faint color tinged his cheeks, a faint breath came -from between his lips, and they knew that their efforts had not been in -vain. An hour later he was sleeping quietly, and it was certain that -Nature would complete the work of restoration. Then the same skill that -had snatched life from apparent death was directed to the setting and -proper bandaging of Rust's broken arm. - -The Norther continued to blow all that night and the following day, and -during this period of enforced idleness Sumner was not allowed to leave -his berth. His every want was anticipated, and those who surrounded him -vied with each other in their tender care of the lad who had so well -won their regard and admiration. As for Rust Norris, his whole nature -seemed to have undergone such a change that his former intimates would -hardly have recognized him. He sat and watched constantly beside the -boy to whom he owed so much, and could hardly be persuaded to leave him -for the briefest intervals. - -During that second day of storm he made a full confession of how and -why he had attempted to thwart the objects of Lieutenant Carey's -expedition. His enmity had been particularly directed towards Sumner, -and when the latter instead of himself had been chosen to pilot -the _Transit_ up the reef, he had formed a plan of revenge that he -immediately proceeded to carry out. This was to visit the Everglade -Indians, and inform them that the expedition was for the purpose of -spying out their lands and preparing for their removal to a far-away -country of cold and snow, where they would certainly die. To accomplish -this he had joined a Bahama smuggler, and with a cask of rum as a -cargo, they had sailed in the small sloop owned by the latter for Cape -Sable. Here they met a party of Indians who had come down from the -'Glades on a deer-hunt, and after plying them with rum, roused them to -anger by their lying tale concerning the coming expedition. The Indians -had departed to spread the report to the rest of their band, and to -devise plans for frustrating the supposed purpose of the expedition. -Their departure had taken place on the day of the _Transit's_ arrival -on the coast, and but for the signs of the approaching Norther, Rust -Norris and his companion would have left the lagoon in which they were -so snugly anchored that afternoon. Noting these signs they decided to -remain where they were until it should blow over. They had no idea -when the _Transit_ would reach the cape, nor did they suppose that -Sumner was aware of the passage into the lagoon. It was therefore -with surprise and consternation that they found those whom they had -attempted to injure anchored close beside them. They at once determined -to take advantage of the darkness to run out of the lagoon before the -storm broke, and seek another shelter among the mangrove keys a short -distance farther inland. - -They slipped their cable, not daring to lift the anchor for fear the -sound might be heard on board the schooner, and drifted down to the -mouth of the creek with the last of the ebb-tide. Here, while waiting -for a breeze, Rust conceived the idea of effectually crippling the -expedition by stealing their boats, and went back up the creek for that -purpose. He cut them loose from the schooner and attempted to tow them -silently down to where the sloop lay, but as the tide had turned and -was flooding strongly up the creek, he found it impossible to do so. So -he turned them adrift in the belief that they would be driven to the -farther side of the lagoon, and dashed to pieces by the storm that was -about to break. At any rate, the expedition would be so long delayed in -recovering their boats that the news of their coming would be spread -over the length and breadth of the Everglades before they could enter -them. - -So much time had thus been wasted that before the sloop could be taken -to the proposed place of safety the storm burst in all its fury. -They were forced to seek refuge in another place that was partially -exposed, but where with two anchors they could probably have ridden -out the gale. With but one, they were dragged from their moorings soon -after daylight, and driven on the reef where the sloop now lay. Rust's -arm had been broken by the gybing of the main boom, and, left alone, -exposed to the fury of those raging seas, he had given up all hope long -before Sumner came to his rescue. - -"And to think," said Rust, in conclusion, "that the fellow to whom I -was doing all this meanness should have come after me and offered to -throw away his own life to save mine! I tell you, gentlemen, it makes -me feel meaner 'n a toad-fish!" - - - - -CHAPTER XXII. - -GOOD-BYE TO THE _TRANSIT_ - - -That night the Norther broke, and by the following morning the weather -was of that absolutely perfect character that makes the winter the most -delightful season of the year in southern Florida. The sun shone with -unclouded splendor, fish leaped from the clear waters, gay-plumaged -birds flitted among the mangroves, and made the air vocal with their -happy songs. All nature was full of life and rejoicing. - -[Illustration: REPAIRING THE "PUNKIN SEED".] - -Although Lieutenant Carey was much disturbed by learning that false -reports had been spread among the Indians concerning the nature of -his expedition, and realized that its difficulties would be greatly -increased thereby, he had no thought of abandoning it. Therefore, by -the earliest daylight, preparations were made for repairing the damaged -cruisers, and putting them in condition for a new start. The stanch -little _Psyche_ had been brought down the beach the day before. There -was a good supply of tools aboard the schooner, and Sumner, who had -fully recovered his strength, was found to be so expert a shipwright -that he was intrusted with planning and directing the repairs to the -cruisers, while the Lieutenant, with several men, went to examine into -the condition of the wrecked sloop, and see what could be done with her. - -They found her injuries so much less than was expected, that within -three days she had been hauled off the reef and rendered sufficiently -seaworthy for the voyage back to Key West. - -In this time also Sumner finished his job on the cruisers, and they -were again in thorough order for the work required of them. - -Rust Norris was able to render them one service, by guiding them to -some cisterns from which they obtained the supply of fresh-water, -without which they would not have dared proceed on their cruise. His -companion, who was a good hunter and well acquainted with the game -resorts of that vicinity, provided them with plenty of fresh venison. -He also won Worth's regard by giving him a turkey call, or whistle, -made from one of the wing-bones of a wild turkey, and taking him -off before daylight one morning on a turkey hunt. From this the boy -returned fully as proud as the fine gobbler he had shot had been a -short time before. So elated was he by this success that he declared -himself to be the hunter of the expedition from that time forth, and -promised to provide it with all necessary meat. - -By the close of the third day after the storm everything was in -readiness for a new start. That evening was spent in writing letters to -be sent back by the sloop, and daylight of the following morning saw -both vessels standing out of the lagoon. Once outside, the sloop bore -away to the westward, its occupants waving their hats and shouting good -wishes to those whom but a few days before they had tried their best to -injure. - -"I declare!" said Sumner to Worth, "I don't know of anything that makes -a fellow feel better than to succeed in turning an enemy into a friend. -Now I shall always like Rust Norris, and he will always like me, while -if no difficulty had arisen between us we might have been on speaking -terms all our lives without caring particularly for each other." - -"But, Sumner!" exclaimed Worth, in a grieved tone, "aren't you ever -going to care particularly for me, because we have never been enemies?" - -"Care for you, old man! After all we have gone through with together, -and after all the anxiety we have had on account of each other? Why, -Worth, if I cared any more for you than I do, I'd pack you up in -cotton and send you home by express, for fear you might get hurt." - -"Then please don't," laughed the boy, "for I want to see the -Everglades, and do some more hunting before I am sent home." - -Although Worth was so impatient to see the 'Glades, and though the -_Transit_ was headed directly for them, he was obliged to content -himself with seeing other things for some days to come. For a whole -week the little schooner threaded her way through the most bewildering -maze of islands, reefs, and channels known to this continent. There -were thousands of keys of all sizes and shapes, and all covered with -the mangroves that had built them. As for the oyster-bars, sand-bars, -and reefs, they were so numerous that, in finding her way through them, -the _Transit_ was headed to every point, half-point, and quarter-point -of the compass during each hour of her sailing time. The number of -times that she ran aground were innumerable, as were those that she was -compelled to turn back from some blind channel and seek a new one. - -Through all this bewildering maze of keys and channels great tide -rivers of crystal water continually ebbed and flowed. In them uncounted -millions of fish, from huge silvery tarpon, vampire-like devil-fish, -and ravenous sharks, down to tiny fellows, striped, spotted, or -mottled with every hue of the rainbow, rushed and sported, chased and -being chased, devouring and being devoured, but always affording a -fascinating kaleidoscope of darting forms and flashing colors. - -Nor was the bird-life of these Ten Thousand Islands less interesting. -It seemed as though the numbers of the great Wader and Soarer -families collected here were almost as many as the fish on which they -feasted. Whole regiments of stately flamingoes, clad in their pink -hunting-coats, stood solemnly on the mud-flats. Squadrons of snow-white -pelicans sailed in company with fleets of their more soberly plumaged -comrades. Great snowy herons, little white herons, great blue herons, -little blue herons, green herons, and yellow-legged herons mingled -with cranes and curlews on the oyster-bars. Ducks of infinite variety, -together with multitudes of coots and cormorants, floated serenely -on the placid waters. Overhead, clouds of snowy ibises, outlined in -pink by edgings of roseate spoon-bills, rose and fell and glinted in -the bright sunlight. Gannets, gulls, and ospreys hovered above the -fishing-grounds. Bald-headed eagles watched them from the tops of tall -mangroves, ready at a moment's notice to pounce down and rob them of -their prey. Far overhead, black specks against the brilliant blue of -the sky, sailed, on motionless pinions, stately men-of-war hawks or -frigate-birds--most graceful of all the soarers. All these, and many -more, the mere naming of which would fill a chapter, flocked to these -teeming fishing-grounds, and afforded a never-ending source of wonder -and amusement to our young canoemates and their companions. - -Still, with all these, besides the unending difficulties of the -navigation to occupy their minds, the end of a week found the boys -heartily tired of mangrove keys and blind channels, and anxious for a -change of scene. It was, therefore, with a feeling of decided relief -that a dark, unbroken line, stretching north and south as far as the -eye could reach, was finally sighted and pronounced to be the pine -woods of the main-land. Approaching it with infinite difficulty on -account of the rapidly shoaling water, they at length discovered a -large stream, the water of which was brackish. It was evidently one of -the numerous waterways draining the vast reservoirs of the 'Glades into -the sea. Here the exploring party was to leave the _Transit_ and take -to the smaller craft, in which they proposed to penetrate the interior. - -Again an evening was devoted to writing letters to be sent back by the -schooner, and again all hands were ordered to turn out by daylight. - -Lieutenant Carey had decided to send one of the cruisers back, and to -take but one besides the three canoes into the 'Glades. The recent -difficulties of navigation had shown him that a full crew would be -needed to carry the schooner back to deep water, and he also imagined -that the fewer boats the explorers had to force through the 'Glades the -easier they would get along. The Indians, too, would be less suspicious -of a small party than of a large one. Thus he decided to limit the -party to himself and the two boys in the canoes, with Quorum and one -other man in the cruiser, or five in all. - -With a breakfast by lamplight, and the final preparations hurried as -much as possible, the sun was just rising when the little fleet shoved -off from the _Transit_, and with flashing paddles entered the mouth of -the dark-looking river, the waters of which, in all probability, the -keels of white men's boats were now to furrow for the first time. - -"Good-bye, Mr. Sloe! You want to hurry round to Cape Florida, or we'll -be there first!" - -"Good-bye, Quorum! Look out for that woolly scalp of yours!" came from -the schooner. - -"Good-bye! Good-luck! Good-bye!" and then the canoes rounded a wooded -point, and were lost to sight of those who watched their first plunge -into the trackless wilderness. - - - - -CHAPTER XXIII. - -WORTH MEETS A PANTHER. - - -To find themselves once more in their canoes, and to be gliding over -unknown waters, with new scenes unfolding at every turn, was so -exhilarating to the boys that they started up the river at racing -speed, shouting and laughing as they went. They were about to disappear -from the sight of the others around a bend of the stream when they were -checked by a shout from Lieutenant Carey. As he joined them he said: - -"We must keep together, boys, and regulate our speed by that of the -cruiser, for, in case of unforeseen difficulties or dangers, it won't -do for us to be separated. I wouldn't make any more noise than is -necessary either. There is no knowing what the Indians, whose country -we are entering, may take it into their heads to do. While I do not -anticipate any serious trouble from them, I would rather avoid them -as much as possible, and by proceeding quietly we may escape their -notice--at least for the present." - -For the first mile or two the river-banks were hidden beneath a dense -growth of mangroves, though above these they could catch occasional -glimpses of the tops of pines and tall palmettoes. The mangroves grew -smaller and thinner, until finally they disappeared entirely, and on -tasting the water over which they floated our voyagers found it to be -fresh and sweet. - -"There is no danger of our suffering from thirst on this trip whatever -may happen," said Sumner. - -They were close to one of the banks as he spoke, and from it there -suddenly came a rushing sound, followed by the floundering splash of -some huge body in the water, so close at hand that their canoes were -violently rocked by the waves that immediately followed. The suddenness -of the whole proceeding drew a startled cry from Worth. - -"What could it have been?" he asked in a low tone, and with a very -white face. "Was it a hippopotamus, do you think?" He had seen the -"hippos" splash into their tank in Central Park. - -"Not exactly," laughed Sumner, who, after a slight start, had quickly -regained his composure. "It was a big alligator, and he went so close -under my canoe that I could have touched him with the paddle." - -"Suppose he had upset us?" - -"There wasn't any danger of that; he was more scared than we were, but -he knew enough to dive clear of us." - -"But if he should take it into his head to attack us?" - -"He won't, though. Mr. Alligator is a great coward. If he is disturbed -while taking a sun-bath on shore, he makes a blind rush for the water -in spite of all obstacles, but it is only because he is too frightened -to do anything else. Once safely in the water, he is glad enough to -sink quietly to the bottom without seeking the further acquaintance of -his enemies. That has always been my experience with them, but then I -have only known them where they were hunted a good deal. The fellows -where we are going may be bolder, but I have never heard of alligators -being anything but awful cowards." - -Partly reassured by this, Worth regarded the next alligator that he saw -with greater composure, and before the day was over he hardly minded -them at all. He certainly had an opportunity of becoming familiar with -them, for they fairly swarmed in the river. Nearly every sand-spit -showed from one to a dozen of them, of all sizes, lying motionless in -the warm sunlight. - -Worth declared that some of them were twenty feet long; but Sumner -laughed at him, and said that twelve or thirteen feet at most would -be nearer the mark. In this statement he was supported by Lieutenant -Carey, who said that even a fifteen-foot alligator would be a monster, -and he doubted if one of that length had ever been seen. - -Most of the scaly brutes, after finding themselves safely in the water, -would rise to the surface for one more look at the cause of their -fright. In thus rising, they only displayed the tops of their heads, -and as the canoes approached these would imperceptibly sink until only -four black spots, indicating the eyes and nostrils, were visible. Then -these, too, would disappear without leaving the faintest ripple to -mark the place where they had been. Often a quick spurt would take the -canoes to the spot in time for the boys to look down through the clear -water and see the great black body lying motionless on the bottom, or -darting swiftly away towards some safer hiding-place. - -Sometimes they saw tiny fellows, brightly marked with yellow, and but -recently hatched, sunning themselves on broad lily-pads. These were -never found in company with their elders, which, Lieutenant Carey said, -was because their papas were too fond of eating them. - -When Sumner spoke of alligators' eggs and nests, Worth asked, -innocently, if the mother alligators sat on their eggs like hens. - -At the mental picture thus presented Sumner laughed so heartily that -he could hardly wield his paddle, but Lieutenant Carey explained that -an alligator's nest is built of sticks, leaves, and grass, very like -a musk-rat's house. "In the middle of this," he said, "are laid from -twenty to forty thick-shelled, pure white eggs, about the size of the -largest goose-eggs. These are left to be hatched by the heat of the sun -and of the decomposing mass surrounding them. When they break their -shells, the little fellows immediately scramble for the nearest water, -where they are left to care for themselves without a suggestion of -parental guidance or advice. In fact, they are wise enough from the -very first to keep out of the way of their elders, whose only love for -them seems to be that of an epicure for a dainty dish." - -"Aren't there crocodiles, too, in Florida?" asked Sumner. - -"Yes. Professor Hornaday mentions genuine crocodiles as being found -in Biscayne Bay, on the east coast, where I hope we shall get a look -at them. They are described as differing from alligators in the head, -that of the crocodile being narrower and longer. The snout is sharper -than that of an alligator, and at the end of the lower jaw are two long -canine teeth or tusks that project through holes in the upper lip." - -"Him big fighter, too," remarked Quorum from the cruiser. "Him heap mo' -wicked dan de 'gator. De Injun call him 'Allapatta hajo,' an' say hit -mean mad 'gator." - -As the party advanced up the stream the current became so much stronger -that the boys began to feel the effects of their steady paddling -against it, and were no longer inclined to shoot ahead of the others. -The foliage of the banks changed with each mile, and by noon the -pines had given place to clumps of palmetto, bay, water-oak, wild -fig, mastic, and other timber. Here and there were grassy glades, in -more than one of which they caught tantalizing glimpses of vanishing -white-tailed deer. - -The water began to assume an amber tint, and was so brilliantly clear -that in looking down through it they could see great masses of coral -rocks that often overshadowed the yawning mouths of dark chasms. -Above these, whole meadows of the most beautiful grasses--red, green, -purple, and yellow--streamed and waved with the ceaseless motion of -the current. Schools of bright-hued fish darted through and over -these, and turtles, plumping into the water from stranded logs or sunny -sand-spits, could be seen scuttling away to their hiding-places among -them. - -The noontide heat of the sun was intense as the signal for a halt was -given. The boats were turned in towards a bank where a grass-plot, -shaded by a clump of rustling palmettoes, offered a tempting -resting-place. - -As they landed, Worth was certain that he saw a flock of turkeys -disappear in a small hammock back of the clearing. With his new-born -hunting instinct strong within him, he seized his gun and crossed the -glade, in the hope of getting a shot. He had practised constantly on -the call given him by his instructor, and now felt competent to deceive -even the most experienced gobbler. Advancing cautiously within cover of -the hammock, and seating himself on a log that was completely concealed -by a screen of bushes, he began to call, "Keouk, keouk, keouk." For ten -minutes or so he repeated the sounds at short intervals without getting -a reply. Suddenly, a slight rustle in the bushes behind him caused -Worth to turn his head. Within a yard of him glared a pair of cruel -green eyes. - -With a yell of terror the boy dropped his gun, sprang to his feet, -burst from the bushes, and fled wildly towards camp. Reaching it in -safety, but hatless and breathless, he declared that a tiger had been -crouched, and just about to spring at him. - -"Perhaps it was a 'coon," suggested Sumner. - -"'Coon, indeed?" cried Worth, hotly. "If you had seen the size of its -eyes, you would have thought it was an elephant!" - -"What has become of your gun?" inquired the Lieutenant. - -"I haven't the slightest idea," replied the boy; "and I don't care. I -wouldn't face those eyes again for a thousand guns." - -Finally, however, he was persuaded to return with Lieutenant Carey and -Sumner, both well armed, and point out the scene of his fright. They -found his hat, the gun, and the log on which he had been sitting. Then -in the soft earth close behind it they also found a double set of huge -panther tracks--one made while cautiously approaching the supposed -turkey, and the other while bounding away in affright at Worth's yell. - -"I don't wonder that you were both frightened," said the Lieutenant, -with a smile; "but now that your skill as a turkey-caller is -established, I wouldn't go out on a hunting expedition alone again if I -were you." - -"Indeed I won't, sir. I'd rather never see another turkey than risk -being stared at by such a pair of eyes as that panther carries round -with him." - - - - -CHAPTER XXIV. - -RATTLESNAKES AND RIFLE-SHOTS. - - -While they were returning through the grassy glade, the Lieutenant, -who was a few steps in advance, suddenly stopped and sprang back. The -boys barely caught a glimpse of a flat, wicked-looking head, from which -a forked tongue was viciously thrusting, and heard a sound like the -whir-r-r-r of an immense locust, when Lieutenant Carey fired, and the -head disappeared in the tall grass. - -"It was a snake, wasn't it?" asked Worth. - -"Worse than that," replied the Lieutenant. "It was a diamond-back -rattler, the most venomous snake known to this country, and with -another step I should have been on him. I'd rather face your panther -unarmed than to have stepped on that fellow." - -"What would you have done if you had met it without a gun in your -hand?" asked Sumner, curiously. - -"Run," answered the Lieutenant, laconically, as he grasped the lifeless -body of the snake by the tail, with a view to dragging it into camp. - -"But if he had caught and bitten you?" - -"He wouldn't have caught me, because, in the first place, he would -have been content to be let alone, and wouldn't have chased me. In the -second place, the rattlesnake is such a sluggish reptile that I could -run faster than he, and could easily have kept out of his way." - -"Well, then, what would you do if you were bitten?" - -"If it were on an arm or a leg, I should tie my handkerchief above the -wound, and twist it with a bit of stick as tightly as possible, so as -to impede the circulation. Then I should enlarge the wound with my -knife, and, if I could reach it with my mouth, I should suck it for -five minutes, frequently spitting out the blood. After that I should -get to camp as quickly as possible, put a freshly-chewed tobacco -plaster on the wound every ten minutes for the next hour, and at the -same time drink a tumblerful of whiskey or other alcoholic liquor. If -I could do all that, and the fangs had not struck an artery, I should -feel reasonably sure of recovery." - -"Suppose they had struck an artery, what would you do?" - -"Reconcile myself to death as quickly as possible, for I should -probably be dead inside of three minutes," was the grim reply. - -Worth shuddered as he gazed at the scaly body that, marked with -black and yellow diamonds, trailed for more than five feet behind -the Lieutenant, and remarked that the sooner they got away from the -haunts of panthers and rattlesnakes, and back among the good-natured -alligators, the better he should like it. - -"I shouldn't think Indians would care to live in such a rattlesnaky -country," he added. - -"They don't mind them," laughed the Lieutenant. "Their keen eyesight -generally enables them to discover a snake as soon as he sees them. -Then, too, they have an infallible antidote for snake bite, the secret -of which they refuse to divulge to white men." - -"How many rattles has this fellow?" asked Sumner. - -"Only seven," answered Lieutenant Carey, counting them. - -"Then he was a young fellow. I thought from his size that he must be -pretty old, and would have twelve or thirteen rattles and a button at -least." - -"The number of rattles does not indicate a snake's age," said the -Lieutenant, smiling. "They get broken off, as do long finger-nails. I -have seen very large snakes with fewer rattles than others that were -smaller and evidently younger." - -While they were eating lunch Quorum skinned the snake, rubbed the -beautiful skin thoroughly with fine salt, and rolled it into a compact -bundle, in which condition it would keep for a long time. - -After lunch and the hour's rest that followed it the little fleet was -again got under way, and proceeded up the swift river. About the middle -of the afternoon they entered the broad belt of cypress timber that -borders the Everglades on the west. Here the serried ranks of tall -trees, stretching away as far as the eye could reach, held out their -long moss-draped arms until they met overhead, and formed a dim archway -for the passage of the rushing current. The water flowed with strange -gurglings against the gray trunks, and the whole scene was one of such -weird solitude, that on entering it the explorers shivered as with a -chill. Through the semi-twilight fluffy night herons flitted like gray -shadows, and the harsh scream of an occasional water-fowl, startled -by the dip of paddles, echoed through the gloomy forest like a cry of -human distress. - -The atmosphere of the place was so depressing that no one spoke, but -each bent to his paddle or oars with redoubled energy, the quicker to -escape into the sunshine that they knew must lie somewhere beyond it. - -Quorum, who had been sitting in the stern of the cruiser while the -sailor rowed, was finally made so nervous by his uncanny surroundings -that he begged his companion to change places with him. He wished to -row that his thoughts might be occupied with the hard work. The sailor -complied, though laughing at the negro's fears as he did so. While -Quorum was working with desperate energy to catch up with the other -boats, there came an incident of so startling a nature that in relating -it afterwards he said: "I tell yo, sah, de ole niggah so skeer dat him -come de neares' in he life to tu'nin' plumb white!" - -It was a volley of rifle-shots that flashed and roared from the forest -on the right bank of the river like thunder from a clear sky. A second -volley followed almost immediately, and then succeeded such a din of -yells, whoops, and howlings as would have dismayed the stoutest heart. - -For an instant each one of the explorers imagined himself to be the -sole survivor of a wholesale massacre, and the surprise of the volleys -was fully equalled by that of seeing his companions still alive. - -[Illustration: "A VOLLEY OF RIFLE-SHOTS FLASHED AND ROARED FROM THE -FOREST."] - -While the echoes of the first volley were still reverberating through -the dim arches of the forest, Quorum whirled the cruiser around as on -a pivot, and despite his companion's remonstrances, started her down -the river with a rush. The canoemen sat for a couple of seconds with -uplifted paddles as though paralyzed, and in that space of time the -powerful current did for them what Quorum had done for the cruiser. -There seemed nothing to do but to fly from those crashing rifles and -demoniac yells. So fly they did, paddling furiously, and casting -fearful glances over their shoulders to note if they were pursued. It -must be stated, however, that the Lieutenant tried repeatedly to rally -the fugitives, and when he found this to be impossible, he held his -own canoe in check until certain that no immediate pursuit was being -undertaken. - -It was nearly sunset when he overtook the others at a place beyond the -lower edge of the cypress belt, where they had halted to wait for him. -He found them still badly demoralized, and ready to continue their -flight at the first intimation of further danger. - -"Well, boys," he cried, cheerily, as his canoe swept down beside them, -"I suppose we might as well call this the end of our day's work, and go -into camp." - -"Camp?" almost gasped Worth. "You don't mean, sir, that you propose to -go into camp while the whole country is simply swarming with savage -Indians?" - -"I certainly do," replied the Lieutenant. "We shall be safer in -camp, where we can work together, than on the river, where we must -necessarily be separated, especially in the dark. Moreover, I don't -believe we shall be molested here. The mere fact that they have not -pursued us so far is, to my mind, an indication that they don't intend -to. Indeed, boys, in thinking over this matter, I am inclined to -believe that the Indians, or whoever fired those shots, for I didn't -see a human being, only intended to frighten us, in the hope that we -would give up our undertaking. I believe that the cartridges they fired -were blanks. Certainly some of us would have been hit if they had been -loaded. I cannot remember seeing a bullet strike the water or anywhere -else; can you?" - -No; none of them had noticed anything of the kind. - -"That they have not pursued us is another indication that they do not -desire our lives," continued the Lieutenant. "Besides all this, the -Seminoles are fully aware of the consequences to themselves in case -they should kill a white man, and I have no idea that they desire a -war or anything like it. Thus I say that they only meant to frighten -us, and I must acknowledge that they succeeded. I, for one, was never -more startled and scared in my life. Now I propose that we camp here, -without lighting a fire to betray our presence, or let them know that -we have stopped running, until towards morning. Then I intend to try -the passage of that cypress swamp again." - - - - -CHAPTER XXV. - -WORTH'S LONELY NIGHT-WATCH. - - -Lieutenant Carey's remarks were received by his companions with -considerable incredulity. None of them had ever been under fire before, -and it was hard to realize that the deafening volleys that had roared -at them from the cypress forest had not been fired with deadly intent. -To be sure, neither they, nor even their boats, had been hit; but that -might as easily be attributed to poor marksmanship as to good intention -on the part of the Indians. Of course, they did not doubt for an -instant that those who had fired from that well-concealed ambush were -Indians. Who else occupied that country, or who else would have done -such a thing? Had not Rust Norris given the Indians false information -concerning the objects of the expedition, and roused them to anger -against it? Even if this first attack had only been intended for a -scare, would a second prove equally harmless? What possible chance -had their little band of making its way through the trackless leagues -between there and the eastern coast, if the four hundred or so of -Seminoles occupying the country had determined to prevent them? None at -all, of course. - -On the other hand, as Lieutenant Carey very justly urged, the Indians -could not afford to go to war with the whites. Besides, did the way -ahead of them present any greater difficulties than that they had so -recently traversed? What could they do with their frail boats, even -if they should return to the open waters of the Gulf? Could they hope -to reach Key West in them? Then, too, how humiliating it would be to -give up their undertaking merely because they had been frightened, and -without having caught a glimpse of their enemies! - -Lieutenant Carey declared his purpose of going on alone if the others -refused to accompany him, and Sumner said that, as the son of a naval -officer, he was bound to follow the Lieutenant. Worth said: "Of course, -if you go, Sumner, I must go with you; but I'm awfully frightened all -the same." - -The sailor said that he had no thought of disobeying the Lieutenant's -orders, and only deserted him as he did in the cypress swamp because -Quorum was at the oars, and carried him off against his will. - -Quorum said: "Ef Marse Summer an' Marse Worf gwine fight dem Injuns, -ob co'se de ole man gwine erlong to pertec' 'em. Dem chillun can't be -'lowed ter go prospeckin' in de wilderness wifout Quor'm ter look affer -'em, an' holp do de fightin' as well as de cookin'." - -All this discussion took place after the canoes had been hauled from -the water and concealed in a clump of bushes, and while coffee was -being prepared over the alcohol lamps, which gave out great heat with -little light. They gathered closely about their little stoves and -talked in low tones, while the night shadows settled down and shut out -the surrounding landscape. After eating a hearty meal, which showed -their appetites to be in nowise impaired by their recent fright, and -providing a supply of coffee for the morning, they rolled up in their -blankets and lay down for a few hours' sleep on the bare ground. That -is, all but Worth lay down. He, wrapping his blanket about him, and -sitting with his gun across his knees, prepared to keep the first -hour's watch. He was given this first hour because he was the youngest, -and he was to wake Sumner when it had expired. Sumner was to rouse -Quorum, he the sailor, and he the Lieutenant, who was to stand the last -watch and decide upon the time for starting. - -To be sitting there alone, surrounded by the unseen terrors of a -Southern wilderness, was a novel and weird experience for Worth. -He could hear the eddying and gurgling of the river, with frequent -splashes that marked the nocturnal activity of its animal life. -Innumerable insects filled the air about him with shrill sounds, and -deep-voiced frogs kept up a ceaseless din from the adjacent swamps. -Frequent vibratory bellowings, exactly like those of an enraged bull, -and certain flounderings in the water, attested the wakefulness of his -newly-made alligator acquaintances. The forest rang with the tiresomely -irritating notes of the chuck-wills-widows and the solemn warnings of -the great hoot owls. - -Every now and then he was startled by the agonized cries of some -unfortunate bird seized and dragged from its resting-place by a 'coon -or other predatory animal. These, loud and shrill at first, gradually -became weaker, until hushed into a lifeless silence. His blood chilled -at the distant howl of wolves, or the human-like cry of a panther, and -it required all the boy's strength of mind to refrain from arousing his -comrades long before the expiration of that interminable hour. - -Only a frequent reaching out of the hand and touching Sumner, who lay -close beside him, gave him courage to maintain his solitary vigil. His -mind was so actively occupied by what he heard, and by listening for -what he dreaded still more to hear--the dip of paddles or other sounds -indicating the approach of human enemies, that he had not the slightest -inclination to sleep. He never was more wide awake in his life, with -all his senses more keenly alert, than during that hour. He wondered -if, with all those uncanny sounds ringing in his ears, he should dare -even to close his eyes when his turn for sleeping came. He kept track -of the time by occasionally striking a match, and looking at his watch -beneath the sheltering folds of his blanket. - -When the time came to waken Sumner, he hated to do so; but realizing -that his own strength for the ensuing day depended upon his sleeping -that night, he finally laid his hand gently on his comrade's forehead. -From long training in being aroused at unseemly hours, Sumner sat up, -wide awake, in an instant. The boys exchanged a few whispered words, -and then Worth lay down. He closed his eyes, determined to try and -sleep, though without the least idea of being able to do so. - -When he next opened them Lieutenant Carey was bending over him, and -saying that it was three o'clock in the morning. It seemed impossible -that he could have been asleep for hours, and as the boy sat up rubbing -his eyes, he was certain that the Lieutenant must have made some -mistake. - -In spite of the darkness, which was still as intense as ever, the -boats had been almost noiselessly got into the water, and Quorum had -heated the coffee made the night before. A cup of this, hot and strong, -roused the boy into a full wakefulness, and fifteen minutes later he -was seated in his canoe, prepared once more to undertake the passage of -the dreaded cypress belt. The Lieutenant led the way, Sumner and Worth, -keeping as close together as possible, followed, and the cruiser, with -muffled oars, brought up the rear. - -If the cypress forest into which they almost immediately plunged had -seemed weird and gloomy by daylight, how infinitely more so was it in -the pitchy darkness by which it was now enshrouded! Still, the black -walls of tree-trunks rising on each side could be distinguished from -the surface of the river, and thus the voyagers were enabled to keep -in the channel. The air was motionless, and heavy with dampness and -the rank odors of decaying vegetation. The rush of waters, the plash -of their paddles, and the unaccountable night sounds of the drenched -forest, rang out with startling distinctness. They proceeded with the -utmost caution, and uttered no word; but it seemed as though their -progress must be apparent to any ear within a mile of them. - -For two hours they worked steadily and without a pause. They felt that -they must have passed the scene of their previous evening's adventure. -They were certain of this when at length the cypresses began to grow -smaller; and their branches no longer meeting overhead, a faint light -began to show itself in the lane of sky thus disclosed. Now they knew -that they must be approaching the confines of the belt, and that the -open 'Glades must be close at hand. They breathed more freely than they -had for hours, and with each foot of progress their spirits became -lightened. - -The stream which they were following began to branch off in various -directions, and the strength of its current was sensibly diminished. -By the time the light was sufficient for them to discern clearly -surrounding objects, the cypress belt was behind them, and the -limitless expanse of the open 'Glades stretched away in their front. -On the very edge of the cypress forest was a tiny hammock surmounting -a slight elevation of solid ground. As the little fleet was passing -this, its several crews were beginning to exchange a few words of -conversation for the first time since leaving their camp. - -Suddenly their voices were hushed by something almost as startling as -the rifle-shots of the previous evening. This time it was the sound of -a loud voice, evidently that of a white man, not more than a few rods -from them, calling: - -"Come, you fellows, wake up! Here it is daylight, and no fire started -yet." - -The startled canoemen looked at each other wonderingly, and Sumner -was about to utter a shout that would betray their presence when a -warning sign from Lieutenant Carey restrained him. Beckoning them to -follow him quietly, the Lieutenant led the way past the hammock from -which the voice had issued, and into a thick clump of tall sawgrass, -by which they were effectually concealed. Bidding them remain there -until his return, and on no account betray their presence by sound or -movement, he left them, and cautiously guided his canoe back to the -hammock. Stepping lightly from it as it touched the land, he made his -way quietly through the trees and bushes composing the hammock until, -without being seen or heard, he could command a view of an open space -in its centre. - -About the smouldering ashes of a camp-fire ten rough-looking -characters, whom he at once recognized as South Florida cowboys, were -sitting up, yawning and rubbing their eyes into wakefulness, or lay -still stretched on the ground enveloped in the blankets that formed -their beds. - -As there was but little danger of their discovering him, the Lieutenant -waited where he was, to learn something of their character from their -conversation, before either showing himself or retiring without -disclosing his presence. - -[Illustration: "ROUGH-LOOKING CHARACTERS, WHOM HE AT ONCE RECOGNIZED AS -SOUTH FLORIDA COWBOYS."] - - - - -CHAPTER XXVI. - -THE FLORIDA EVERGLADES. - - -Presently a man who was rebuilding the fire straightened up, and -addressing one of the others, said: - -"We're going to get out o' here to-day, ain't we, Bill?" - -"Yes, you bet we are," was the answer. "We hain't got nothing more to -stay yere in the swamps for, onless you think they might make another -try for it, which I don't they will." - -"Not much they won't, after the way they skedaddled when we-uns began -to yell. Hi! how they did cut down-stream! I'll bet they hain't stopped -yit. They must ha' reckoned the hull Seminole nation was layin' fur -'em. Ho! ho! ho! ha! ha! ha! Hit was the slickest job I ever did see!" - -"You don't reckin they'll hanker arter wisitin' the 'Glades agin in a -hurry, then?" asked another voice. - -"Hanker fur the 'Glades? Not muchy, they won't. Why, they won't tetch -foot to the main-land of the State of Fluridy again, not if they can -holp it. Leastways, not so long as they's a Injun left in hit. Hit's -been a hard trip and a mean job for us fellers, but hit'll pay. The -report thet ar Leftenant'll make when he gits home'll do mo' to'd -gittin' the Seminoles moved outen the kentry than ennything that's -happened sence the Fluridy wah. Now mosey round lively, boys. Let's -have a b'ilin' o' coffee, an' light outen hyar." - -Lieutenant Carey had heard all that he cared to, and, without betraying -his presence to the cowboys, he softly retraced his steps to where the -canoe lay, and a minute later rejoined his party. Only telling them -that the sooner they put a respectable distance between themselves and -that place the better, he led the way into the main stream, that still -flowed with considerable force through the grass beds, and turned in -the direction of its source. Not until they had gone a good two miles -did he pause, and then there were several reasons for calling a halt. - -One reason was that they were far enough beyond the reach of the -cowboys to defy discovery, and he wished to tell his companions what he -had overheard. Another was that the sun was rising, and it was time for -breakfast; and a third was that their watery highway having come to an -end, it was necessary to decide upon their future course. - -A small stove was carried in the cruiser, and as there was now nothing -but water, with grass growing in it, about them, it was brought into -service. The canoes gathered closely around the larger craft, and while -Quorum prepared breakfast, the Lieutenant related his recent adventure. -In conclusion he said: "So you see, boys, our Indians turned out to be -white men, and the shooting was only intended to scare us, after all." - -"But I don't understand how they knew we were coming, or what they -wanted to frighten us for, anyway," said Sumner, wearing a very puzzled -expression. - -"Neither did I at first," replied Lieutenant Carey; "but I remember -now that a gentleman in Key West said the Florida cattlemen would be -greatly put out on learning of my proposed expedition. He said that -they were using every means, foul and fair, to have the Indians removed -from the State, and that they would be bitterly opposed to having the -Everglades set apart as a permanent reservation. He advised me to look -out for them, and I laughed at him. Now I realize that some one must -have sent the news to them, and they got up this party to head us off -in such a way that the blame would be placed upon the Indians. Yes, it -is clear enough now; but it was a bit of a puzzle at first." - -"Well," said Worth, "it is a great relief to know that they were not -Indians, and that we are safely past them, with no danger of their -following us." - -"It certainly is," replied the Lieutenant. "Though it will be a greater -one to me really to meet Indians, as we must sooner or later, and have -them treat us decently, or rather leave us alone." - -Here Quorum interrupted the conversation with the announcement -of, "Breakfus, sah." The amount of cooking that he had managed to -accomplish with that one-lidded stove was wonderful. Besides coffee, -he had prepared a great smoking pot of oatmeal, and a dish of crisply -fried bacon to be eaten with their hardtack; while these things were -disappearing, he prepared and fried a panful of flapjacks that were as -light and delicate as though cooked by a ten-thousand-dollar _chef_ on -the most modern of ranges. Out-of-door camp cookery deserves to rank as -one of the exact sciences, and Quorum as one of its masters. - -The old negro found perfect happiness in watching the relish with which -his deftly prepared food was eaten, and his whole body expressed a -smiling satisfaction at the words of praise lavished upon his skill. -While Quorum was eating his own breakfast and the sailor was washing -and stowing the dishes, the others stood up to take observations. - -The main stream came to an end where they were, and from it a dozen -narrow channels, filled with flags and lily-pads, or "bonnets," as -they are called in Florida, radiated in as many directions. As far as -the eye could reach, and infinitely farther, in front of them and on -both sides, stretched a vast plain of coarse brown grass, rising to a -height of several feet, and growing in a foot or two of limpid water. -Innumerable channels of deeper water, marked by the vivid green of -their peculiar vegetation, crossed and recrossed each other in every -direction, and formed a bewildering net-work. The limitless brown level -was dotted here and there with heavily timbered islands of all sizes, -from a few rods to many acres in extent. Near at hand these were of a -bright green, in the middle distance they were of a rich purple hue, -and on the far horizon a misty blue. The highest of these islands, -as well as the largest one visible, rose on the very limit of their -vision, in the north-east, and as it formed a conspicuous landmark, -they decided to lay a course for it. Accordingly, in single file, with -the _Hu-la-lah_ leading and "de _Punkin Seed_" bringing up the rear, -the little fleet entered the narrow path that seemed to lead in that -direction, and the journey was resumed. - -The clearness of the water in the Everglades is accounted for by the -fact that it flows above a bottom of coralline rock, and is always -in motion. In it stagnation is unknown; and though it is everywhere -crowded with plant life, it is as sweet and pure as that of a spring. -Another curious fact about the Everglades which is generally unknown -is that within their limits but few mosquitoes are found. During the -summer months, when all residents on the coast of southern Florida, -even the light-keepers away out on the reef, miles from land, are -driven nearly crazy by these pests, the Seminoles, who retire to the -Everglades to escape them, are rarely annoyed. The chief insect pests -of the 'Glades are the midges, or stinging gnats, that swarm for an -hour or so at sunset and sunrise. Against these the Indians protect -themselves by smudges and by nettings of cheese-cloth. - -From the difficulties of navigation experienced during this their -first day in the 'Glades, our explorers realized that in striving to -journey across their width they had undertaken a most arduous task. -The channels that they attempted to follow seemed to lead in every -direction but the right one. They were generally so narrow and choked -with bonnets that paddling or rowing was impossible, and the boats must -be forced ahead by poling. Every now and then, too, the shallow waters -sank to an unknown depth that no pole could fathom. In such a case, -if one attempted to pull his canoe along by grasping the tough grass -stalks on either side of him, he was rewarded by a painful cut that -often penetrated to the bone. It did not require many sad experiences -of this kind to teach the boys that sawgrass is not to be handled -with impunity. It has a triangular blade, provided with minutely -serrated edges that, green or dry, cut like razors. While it ordinarily -attains a height of but four or five feet, the great Everglade lake, -Okeechobee, is surrounded by a barrier of "big sawgrass" that is -wellnigh impenetrable to man or beast. Even the scaly-hided alligators -shun it. This big sawgrass attains the thickness of a cornstalk, with a -height of ten or twelve feet, is closely matted, and its cutting edges -are possessed of the keenness of Oriental scimitars. - -Sometimes the narrow channels along which our canoemates poled with -such difficulty opened into broad clear spaces, where sailing was -possible for a mile or so. Full as often the channels ended abruptly -in the grass, when the only thing to do was to get overboard in water -waist-deep, and push the boats through it. - -The sun poured down with an intolerable glare, but its heat was -tempered by the strong, fresh breeze that blows every day and all day -over the 'Glades with the utmost regularity. - -As they slowly drew near the island for which they were steering, it -gradually assumed a conical shape and the symmetrical proportions of a -pyramid. Late in the afternoon, while they were still about a mile from -it, a dense volume of smoke suddenly arose from its extreme summit. -This as suddenly disappeared, and then reappeared again at intervals of -a second. - -"I wonder if it can be a volcano?" queried Worth, as they gazed -curiously at this phenomenon. - - - - -CHAPTER XXVII. - -A PREHISTORIC EVERGLADE MOUND. - - -The whole party had come to a halt on first seeing the mysterious -smoke, and now, with their boats grouped close together, they watched -it curiously. Its several puffs did not last more than a minute, and -then it was seen no more. Nobody but Worth mentioned volcanoes, and -his suggestion caused a general smile. Quorum uttered the single word, -"Injuns," and Lieutenant Carey agreed with him. He said: - -"Such a smoke as that must result from human agency, and as I do not -believe there is a white man besides ourselves within the limits of -the 'Glades, it is probably the work of Indians, and is doubtless a -signal of some kind, referring to our presence. I hope it is, for one -of the objects of my mission being to reassure the Everglade Indians of -the kindly intentions of the Government towards them, I shall be glad -to meet them as quickly as possible. Let us go on, then, and have our -first interview with them by daylight." - -Half an hour later the canoes reached the island, close to which was -a wide channel of open water that apparently extended wholly around -it. So dense was its encircling growth of custard-apple and cocoa-plum -bushes, that not until they had cut a passage through these could they -reach the dry land behind them. - -Anxious to discover the occupants of the island before darkness should -set in, the Lieutenant, taking Sumner and the sailor with him, and -leaving Worth and Quorum to guard the boats, set out for the mound, -which, rising to a height of fifty or sixty feet, seemed to occupy the -centre of the island. - -Besides being desirous of meeting with Indians, Lieutenant Carey was -most curious concerning the formation of this strange mound. Until -he had seen the smoke rising from its summit, he had believed it to -be merely a growth of tall forest trees surrounded by lesser trees -and bushes that grew smaller as they neared the water. This is a -common feature of that level Southern country, where the outer lines -of vegetation are stunted by the constant high winds. Behind their -protection, the inner circles of trees rise higher and higher until -they attain a maximum size, and present an appearance of hills and -mounds that proves most deceptive to strangers. The character of the -smoke rising from the summit of this one had proved it to be something -more than one of these ordinary tree mounds. Consequently the explorers -were not surprised, after making their toilsome way through a forest -of trees bound together with luxuriant vines, and brilliant with the -blossoms of flowering air-plants, to find a veritable hill of earth -rising before them. The forest encircled it, but ended at its base, -and its sides were clothed only with a low growth of shrubs. They had -hardly begun the ascent when they ran across a narrow but well-worn -path leading to the summit. - -On reaching the top they were disappointed to find it as lonely and -unoccupied as the forest through which they had just passed. What they -did find was a small cleared space from which even the grass had been -worn away, and in the centre of which stood a sort of an altar of rough -stones. It was about six feet square by four high, and was built of -the ordinary coralline rock of the 'Glades. From this, or near it, -the smoke must have ascended; but they looked in vain for ashes or -other traces of a recent fire. The appearance of the altar showed that -fires had been built on it; but there was nothing to indicate that one -had burned there within an hour, and the mystery of the smoke became -greater than ever. - -If they had only been familiar with the Seminole method of making -signal smokes, they would not have been so puzzled. A bright blaze -of dry grass is smothered for an instant by a thick branch of green -leaves. This is lifted and dropped again as often as the operator -wishes to make a puff of smoke. Then the grass is allowed to burn out, -and the wind, quickly dispersing the light ashes, removes every trace -of the fire. - -While disappointed and puzzled at finding no remnants of the fire that -they were certain had recently burned there, nor of those who had -lighted it, the explorers were enchanted with the beauty of the scene -outspread on all sides of them. To the west the sun was sinking in -wonderful glory behind the distant belt of cypress forest. Everywhere -else the brown 'Glades, dotted with blue islands, seamed with the green -threads of interlacing channels, and flashing with bits of open water, -stretched beyond the limits of their vision. Over them hung a tremulous -golden haze in which all objects were magnified and glorified. The -all-pervading silence was only broken by the occasional rush on heavy -pinions of flocks of snow-white ibises home-returning from their -distant fishing-grounds. - -"No wonder the Seminoles love this country, and dread the very thought -of leaving it," said Sumner, at length breaking the silence in which -they had gazed on the exquisite scene. - -"Yes, no wonder," replied the Lieutenant; "for in all my travels I -don't know that I have ever seen anything more beautiful. But the most -interesting of it all to me," he continued, "is this mound. It is -evidently a structure of human erection, and must be contemporaneous -with the famous earth pyramids of Mexico. Perhaps it was raised by the -same wonderful prehistoric race. I have examined many of the well-known -shell mounds of Florida, including those of Cedar Keys, and from there -at various places down the west coast. I have also seen the great -Turtle Mound on the Atlantic side, and those on the St. John's River; -but all of them were evidently feast mounds, and showed in themselves -the reason for their existence. I have heard of the earth mounds and -ancient canals of the upper Caloosahatchie and Fish-eating Creek, but -I have never heard it even intimated that similar structures might be -looked for in the Everglades. Consequently I regard this one in the -light of an important discovery. It is certainly sufficiently so to -warrant us in spending to-morrow on this island investigating the mound -as thoroughly as our means will allow." - -"Doesn't that altar look as though the mound had been used as a place -for offering sacrifices?" asked Sumner. - -"No; that altar, as you call it, is evidently of recent construction, -and was probably built by the Indians now inhabiting this country as -a place from which to make signal smokes, or possibly as a sepulchre. -We will try to find out which to-morrow. These mounds were undoubtedly -erected as places easy of defence, and perhaps this one may yield us -some ancient weapons, as the 'kitchen middens,' or feast mounds, of -Cedar Keys have so abundantly. I have seen quantities of celts and -other stone implements taken from them, while the most exquisite quartz -spear-head I ever saw was taken from a Caloosahatchie mound, which from -descriptions must be very similar to this one. Oh yes, we certainly -must spend another day on this island. Now we'd better be going, for it -will soon be dark, and--" - -Here the Lieutenant was interrupted by two shots fired in quick -succession from the direction in which they had left Worth and Quorum. - -"I am afraid that means trouble of some kind," said Lieutenant Carey, -anxiously, after he had fired two answering shots. - -Hurrying down the pathway, which they found led to the water on the -opposite side of the island from that on which they had landed, they -plunged into the forest, and were surprised to notice how dark it had -already grown. Its intricacies were so bewildering and its difficulties -so numerous that it was nearly an hour after they heard the shots -before they came within sound of a voice answering their repeated calls. - -At length they reached the place where they had left the boats, and -here they found Worth alone, and so panic-stricken that it was with -difficulty he could answer their eager questions. - -"Why had he fired those shots?" - -"Where was Quorum?" - -"Where were the boats?" - -"I fired them to call you back," answered the boy, "and I don't know -where Quorum is nor where the boats are. They were here when I left, -and when I came back they were gone. This was all I found here." With -this Worth pointed to a bag of hardtack that lay on the ground at -his feet. "And I'm afraid poor Quorum has been killed, for I know he -never would have left us. I thought perhaps you were killed too, and -that I was left here all alone, and I've been getting more and more -frightened, until I think I should have gone crazy if you had not come -when you did." - -"You poor boy!" said the Lieutenant, soothingly, "I don't wonder that -you were frightened. I should have been myself. But how did you happen -to leave Quorum? and what was he doing when you left him?" - -"He was sitting in the cruiser, and I only left him for a minute, -because I heard such a big turkey gobbler right here in the woods close -to us. I thought it would be such a pleasant surprise for you to have -me get him for supper, and I was sure there weren't any panthers or -rattlesnakes here. So I just crept into the bushes to get a shot at -him, and he kept going farther and farther off, and I kept following -him. I didn't see him at all, and after a while I didn't hear him any -more either, so I thought I'd better come back. When I got here, I -couldn't find Quorum or the boats, so I fired my gun as a signal." - -"And you haven't seen nor heard anything of Quorum since?" inquired -Lieutenant Carey, looking puzzled and anxious. - -"No, I haven't heard a sound nor seen a sign of a living thing," -answered Worth. - -"There can't be any doubt of this being the right place," said the -Lieutenant, reflectively, "for there is where we cut our way through -the bushes." - -"And here is the bag of biscuit," added Worth. - -"I am not a bit surprised at the disappearance of the canoes," said -Sumner. "I am getting used to that. But to have Quorum and the cruiser -go too is certainly very strange." - -"And leaves us in a most awkward predicament," added the Lieutenant. -"If Quorum had only gone with one boat, we might expect to see him back -at any moment; but to have them all go looks very suspicious. I greatly -fear the poor fellow has been the victim of some foul play. However, it -is too dark now to do anything but light a fire and prepare to pass the -night where we are as well as we can under the circumstances." - - - - -CHAPTER XXVIII. - -WHAT BECAME OF QUORUM AND THE CANOES. - - -When Worth and Quorum were left alone they sat for some time discussing -the mystery of the smoke, and whether or not they had better begin -unloading the boats and preparing camp. Worth advised against this. -He hoped the others would discover a better camping-place than that. -He also thought that perhaps they might return with news that would -necessitate their leaving the island and in a hurry. As he complained -of being very hungry, Quorum got out the biscuit-bag, and they each -took a hardtack from it. It was while they were eating these that -the sound of a loud "gobble, gobble, gobble," came from the bushes, -apparently but a few rods from where they sat. - -Worth's hunting instinct was at once aroused, and slipping a couple of -shells into his gun, he whispered: "You sit still, Quorum, and I'll -have that fellow in a minute. My! but he must be a big one!" - -Then he stepped noiselessly to the shore, and silently disappeared -among the trees. Quorum sat with his back to the water, watching the -spot where his young companion had entered the forest, and listening -eagerly for the expected shot. - -All at once a slight jar of the boat caused him to start; but before -he could turn his head it was enveloped in a thick fold of cloth that -effectually prevented his seeing or calling out. In a few seconds two -active forms had bound his hands and feet, and slid him into the bottom -of the boat, where he lay blinded, helpless, and nearly smothered. One -of his captors picked up the biscuit-bag from which the prisoner had -just been eating, and tossed it ashore with a low laugh. - -In the mean time two others had been unfastening the canoes, and -dragging them cautiously backward through the opening cut in the bushes -to the channel, where lay the craft in which they had come. It was a -large and well-shaped cypress dugout, capable of holding a dozen men. -In less than three minutes from the time of Quorum's capture it was -being poled rapidly but silently along through the twilight shadows, -with the stolen boats in tow. - -At a point about half a mile from the island these were skilfully -concealed in a clump of tall grasses, and Quorum was bundled into the -dugout. A choking sound from beneath the cloth that enveloped his -head caused one of the strange canoemen to loosen it somewhat, so as -to facilitate the prisoner's breathing. Then, propelled by four pairs -of lusty young arms, the dugout shot away up one of the watery lanes -leading directly into the heart of the 'Glades. - -An hour later it was run ashore on one of the numerous islands whose -purple outlines had so charmed the observers from the top of the mound. -Here it was greeted by the barking of dogs and the sound of many -voices. The thongs that bound Quorum's legs were cut, he was lifted to -his feet, and, led by two of his captors, he was made to walk for some -distance. At length he was halted, his wrists were unbound, and the -cloth that enveloped his head was snatched from it. - -The bewildered negro was instantly confronted by such a glare of -firelight that for a minute his eyes refused to perform their duty. -As he stood clumsily rubbing them, he heard a titter of laughter and -the subdued sound of talking. As his eyes gradually became accustomed -to the light, he saw, first, a fire directly in front of him, then, -several palmetto huts, and at length a dozen or more Indian men, -besides women and children, grouped in front of the huts, and all -staring at him. - -[Illustration: "HIS WRISTS WERE UNBOUND, AND THE CLOTH THAT ENVELOPED -HIS HEAD WAS SNATCHED FROM IT."] - -Until that moment he had not known who had made him prisoner, nor -why he had been carried off; and even now the second part of the -question remained as great a mystery as ever. There was no doubt, -however, that, for some purpose or other, he had been captured by a -scouting party of Seminoles, and though Quorum had met individuals of -this tribe while cruising on the reef, he had never visited one of -their camps nor been in their power. He therefore gazed about him with -considerable trepidation, and wondered what was going to be done with -him. - -As he did not recognize any of the dusky faces gathered in the -firelight, he was amazed when one of the men, addressing him in broken -English, said: - -"How, Quor'm! How! Injun heap glad you come. You hongry? Eat sofkee. -Good, plenty." - -At the same time the speaker pointed to a smoking kettle of something -that a squaw had just lifted from the fire and set close to the -negro. A great wooden spoon was thrust into it, and its odor was -most appetizing. Having fasted since early morning, Quorum was very -hungry. Not only this, but under the circumstances he would have -eaten almost anything his entertainers chose to set before him rather -than run the risk of offending them. Therefore, without waiting for -a second invitation, he squatted beside the kettle of sofkee, and -began sampling its contents with the huge spoon. To his surprise, he -had never in his life tasted a more delicious stew. After the first -mouthful, he had no hesitation in eating such a meal as made even the -Indians, among whom a large eater is considered worthy of respect, -regard him with envious admiration. - -It is no wonder that Quorum found this Indian food palatable, for the -Seminole squaws are notable cooks, and sofkee is the tribal dish. It -is a stew of venison, turtle, or some other meat, potatoes, corn, -beans, peppers, and almost anything else that is at hand. It is -thickened with coontie starch, and a kettleful of it is always to be -found over one of the village fires, at the disposal of every hungry -comer. The one drawback to its perfect enjoyment, according to a white -man's fastidious taste, is that, besides the sofkee, the wooden spoon -with which it is eaten is equally at the disposal of all comers, and -is in almost constant use. This fact was not known to Quorum at the -time of his introduction to sofkee. If it had been, it would hardly -have lessened his relish of the meal, for Quorum was too wise to be -fastidious. - -He was so refreshed by his supper, as well as emboldened by the fact -that no one seemed inclined to harm him, that something of his natural -aggressiveness returned. After laying the sofkee spoon down, he turned -to the Indian who had already spoken to him, and said: - -"Why fo' yo' call me Quor'm? I 'ain't hab no 'quaintance wif you." - -For answer the Indian only said, "Tobac, you got um, Quor'm?" - -"Yes, sah. Tobac? I got er plenty ob him back yonder in de boat wha' -yo' tuk me frum. Why fo' yo' treat a 'spectable colored gen'l'man dish -yer way, anyhow? Wha' yo' mean by playin' sich tricks on him, an' on de -white mans wha' trabblin' in he comp'ny?" - -While speaking the negro had mechanically produced his black pipe, and -instead of answering his questions, the Indian said: "Tobac. You no got -um. Me got um, plenty. You take um, smoke um, bimeby talk heap." - -With this he handed a plug of tobacco to the negro, who understood the -action, if he had not fully comprehended the words that accompanied -it. As he cut off a pipeful and carefully crumbled it in his fingers, -he began to think that his position was not such a very unpleasant -one, after all. He only wished he could imagine his fellow explorers -as being half so comfortable as he was at that moment. Realizing from -the Indian's last remark that there would be no talk until after the -smoke, he assumed as comfortable a position as possible, and gazed -curiously about him. - -The little village, or camp, of half a dozen huts, was nearly hidden in -the black shadows of the forest trees that surrounded it on all sides. -Its huts were built of poles, supporting roofs of palmetto thatch, and -were open at the sides. Each was provided with a raised floor of split -poles, thickly covered with skins, and every hut contained one or more -cheese-cloth sleeping canopies. Each hut had also several rifles and -other hunting gear hanging in it, while canoe-masts, sails, paddles, -and push poles leaned against its walls. - -The men, who lay smoking on the furs inside the huts, or stretched in -comfortable attitudes on the ground outside, were tall, clean-limbed, -athletic-looking fellows clad in turbans of bright colors, gay calico -shirts, and moccasins of deerskin; the women wore immense necklaces -of beads, calico jackets, and long skirts, but were barefooted and -bareheaded; and the children were clad precisely like their elders, -with the exception of the turbans, which are denied to the boys and -young men until they reach the age of warriors. Besides the Indians, -Quorum saw that the camp was occupied by numbers of fowls, dogs, -and small black pigs, that roamed through it at will. Everybody and -everything in it, animals as well as humans, looked contented and well -fed. - -At length Quorum's smoke was finished, and he knocked the ashes from -his pipe. As if this were a signal, the Indian men laid aside their -pipes, and it was evident that the time for talking had arrived. - - - - -CHAPTER XXIX. - -A VERY SERIOUS PREDICAMENT. - - -The four explorers left on the mound island were very far from spending -so pleasant an evening as that enjoyed by Quorum in the Seminole -village. They were full of anxiety both as to his fate and their own. -In some respects their position was not so bad as if they had been cast -away on a desert island in the ocean, while in others it was worse. -In the latter case they might hope to sight and signal some passing -vessel, but here there was no chance for anything of that kind. At the -best, they would not see anything except Indian canoes, and, under the -circumstances, they could have little hope of obtaining aid from these. - -Their revolvers were still loaded, and they had between them half a -dozen cartridges for their guns, but thus far they had discovered no -traces of game on the island. They would not lack for fresh-water, but -with only a single bag of biscuit, the food question was likely to -become a serious one within a short time. They had no knowledge of -any white settlements within less than a hundred miles of where they -were. These could only be reached by wading and swimming through the -trackless 'Glades and bewildering cypress swamps. Undoubtedly some of -the 'Glade islands were occupied by Indians, but they might explore -as many of these as their strength would permit them to reach without -finding one thus inhabited. Their situation was certainly a most -perplexing one, and as they sat around a fire, eating a scanty supper -of hardtack and discussing their prospects, these appeared gloomy in -the extreme. - -Still, the Lieutenant well knew that he must, if possible, keep up the -spirits of his little party, and that the worst thing they could do was -to take a hopeless view of the situation. So he said: - -"Well, boys, though we seem to be in a nasty predicament, it might be -a great deal worse, and we have still many things to be thankful for. -I once drifted for a week in an open boat in the middle of the South -Pacific. There were seven of us, and only one man of the party had the -faith and courage to continue cheerful and hopeful through it all. On -the very day that we swallowed our last drop of water, and while the -rest of us were lying despairingly in the bottom of the boat, he sat -up on watch, and finally discovered the trading schooner that picked us -up." - -"I," said Sumner, "do not feel nearly so badly now as I did when -drifting out to sea in the dark on that wretched raft a couple of weeks -ago. I expected every minute to be washed off and be snapped up by -sharks; but, after all, the loneliness was the worst part of it." - -"Right you are, Mr. Sumner," said the sailor. "A man can stand a heap -of suffering along with others, that would throw him on his beam ends -in no time if he was compelled to navigate by himself. I mind one -time that I was lost in a fog, in a dory, on the Grand Banks. As we -had grub and water in the boat, I didn't worry much, till my dorymate -fell overboard and got drownded. The weight of his 'ilers and rubber -boots sunk him like a shot. After that I wellnigh went crazy with the -loneliness. I couldn't seem to eat or drink; and though I was picked -up the very next day, that one night of loneliness seemed like a year -of torment. Oh yes, sir, men can save themselves in company, when they -won't lift a hand if left alone." - -"I don't think I was ever in a worse fix than this one," remarked -Worth, dolefully. - -"Probably not, my boy," said the Lieutenant, cheerily. "You are young -yet, and have just made a start on your career of adventure. All things -must have a beginning, you know. The next time you find yourself in an -unpleasant situation, you will take great satisfaction in looking back -and describing this one as having been much worse. No adventure worth -the telling can be had without a certain degree of mental or physical -suffering, and the more of this that is endured the greater the -satisfaction in looking back on it. Now that we can do nothing before -daylight, I propose that we make ourselves as comfortable as possible, -and sleep as soundly as possible. By so doing we shall be able to -face our situation with renewed strength and courage in the morning. -To-morrow we will explore the island, discover its resources, and -perhaps find traces of Quorum and the boats. Failing in this, I propose -that we construct as good a raft as we can with the means at hand. With -it to carry our guns, besides affording us some support, we will make -our way back to the place where those cowboys were camped this morning. -From there we can follow their trail until we overtake them, or reach -some settlement." - -Cheered by having a definite plan of operations thus outlined, all -hands set to work to gather such materials for bedding as they could -find in the darkness, and an hour later the little camp was buried in -profound slumber. - -To their breakfast of hardtack the following morning Sumner added a -hatful of cocoa-plums that he had gathered while the others still -slept. Soon after sunrise they divided into two parties--the Lieutenant -and Worth forming one, and Sumner and the sailor the other--and set out -in opposite directions to make their way around the island. - -"I don't want any one to fire a gun except in case of absolute -necessity," said Lieutenant Carey. "And if a shot is heard from either -party, the others will at once hasten in that direction." - -"Can't we even shoot my gobbler if we meet him?" queried Worth. - -"No, I think not," replied the Lieutenant, with a smile; "that is, -unless he shows fight, for I expect your gobbler would turn out to be a -turkey without feathers, and standing about six feet high. I mean," he -added, as Worth's puzzled face showed that he did not understand, "that -the call by which you were led away from Quorum was, in all likelihood, -uttered by an Indian for that very purpose." - -So difficult was their progress through the luxuriant and -densely-matted undergrowth of that Everglade isle that, though it was -not more than a couple of miles in circumference, it was nearly noon -before the two parties again met. They had discovered nothing except -that the island was uninhabited, and they were its sole occupants. Nor -had they seen anything that would give a clew to the fate that had -overtaken poor Quorum. - -"While I don't for a moment suppose that the fellow has deserted," -said the Lieutenant, "I wish, with all my heart, that we knew what had -become of him." - -"Indeed, he has not deserted," replied Sumner, warmly. "I'll answer for -Quorum as I would for myself. Wherever he is, he will come back to us -if he gets half a chance." - -"Yes, I believe he will; and I only hope he may get the chance. Now let -us go to the top of the mound for one more comprehensive look at our -surroundings, and then we will begin our preparations for leaving the -island." - -From the summit of the mound the same tranquil scene on which -Lieutenant Carey and Sumner had gazed with such pleasure the evening -before, only more widely extended, greeted their eyes. It was as devoid -of human life now as then, and its present beauties failed to interest -them. - -"I said that we would probably spend to-day here," remarked the -Lieutenant. "But I must confess that my present interest in this mound -lies in getting away from it as quickly as possible. I have no longer -the least desire to investigate its mysteries, and so let us descend to -our more important work." - -Returning to their landing-place, and eating a most unsatisfactory -lunch of hardtack, they began to search for materials from which to -build their raft. These were hard to find, and still harder to prepare -for the required purpose. There was plenty of timber, but it was -green, and they had no weapons with which to attack it except their -sheath-knives. Neither had they any nails nor ropes, and their lashings -must be made of vines. - -After a whole afternoon of diligent labor, a nondescript affair of -different lengths and jagged ends lay on the ground at the water's edge -ready for launching. With infinite difficulty and pains they got it -into the water, only to have the mortification of seeing it immediately -sink. - -"Well, boys," said the Lieutenant, in a voice that trembled in spite of -his effort to make it sound cheerful, "that raft is a decided failure. -Unless we can find some wood better suited to our purpose, I am afraid -we must give up the idea altogether, and try to reach the cypress belt -without any such aid." - -"If we only had a few sticks of the timber that is so plenty along the -reef!" said Sumner, thinking of his own previous efforts in the raft -line. - -"We might as well wish for our canoes, and done with it," said Worth, -despondently. - -Just then they thought they heard a far-away shout in the forest behind -them. Instinctively grasping their guns, they stood in listening -attitudes. It was repeated, this time more distinctly, and they looked -at each other wonderingly. - -At the third shout Sumner exclaimed, joyously: "It's Quorum! I know it -is!" He would have plunged into the forest to meet the new-comer, but -the Lieutenant restrained him, saying: "Wait a minute. Let us be sure -that this is not another trap." - -A few moments later there was no longer any mistaking the voice, and -their answering shouts guided Quorum, his honest face beaming with joy -and excitement, to the place where they were awaiting him. - - - - -CHAPTER XXX. - -QUORUM AS AN AMBASSADOR. - - -It was Quorum, sure enough, not only alive and well, but seemingly in -the best of spirits. Where had he been? Where were the boats? How did -he get back? and where had he come from? These are only samples of the -dozens of questions with which he was plied while shaking hands with -his friends, including the Lieutenant, who was as heartily rejoiced as -the boys at again seeing the faithful fellow. - -At one of the questions thus asked him, Quorum's face fell, and he -answered: - -"Whar de boats is, honey, I don't know, fer I hain't seen no likeness -ob dem sence las' night 'bout dis time. Whar I is bin, an' what I is -'sperienced, is er long story; but hit's got ter be tole right now, -kase dat's what I hyar fer. What we do nex' depen' on de way you all -take hit when I is done tellin'." - -Then they sat down, and forgetful of their hunger, their recent -disappointment with the raft, and even of their unhappy predicament, -the others listened with absorbed interest to Quorum's story. - -He described the way in which he had been carried off, and his -reception in the Indian camp. - -"They were Indians, then?" interrupted the Lieutenant. - -"Yes, sah, shuah 'nough Injuns, an' a powerful sight ob dem--man, -squaw, an' pickaninny, an' dey gib ole Quor'm one ob de fines' suppahs -he ebber eat." - -"I wish we had one like it here at this minute!" said Sumner, thus -reminded of his hunger. - -"Den we all smoke de peace-pipe, so dey don't hab no fear ob me -declarin' er war on 'em," continued Quorum. - -"Them Injuns has got tobacco, then?" queried the sailor, whose smoking -outfit had disappeared with the boats. - -"Ob co'se dey is, er plenty," answered Quorum. "An' den me an' de big -chiefs sot down fer what yo' might call a considerashun ob de fac's. -Dey say as what dey can't noways 'low dis hyer experdishun to pass troo -de 'Glades, 'cep' on condishuns." - -Told in more intelligible language than that used by Quorum, the -substance of his talk with the Indians was as follows: - -They had learned from a white man that the objects of Lieutenant -Carey's expedition were to spy out their land, discover their numbers -and the value of their property, and make preparations for their -removal from that part of the country. - -"I hope you told them differently, and explained our real objects," -said the Lieutenant. - -"Yes, sah; I done tell 'em to de full ob my knowingness ob yo' plans. -But seein' as I hain't know nuffin' tall 'bout 'em, maybe I don't make -hit berry cl'ar ter dem igerant sabages; but I done hit as well as I -know how." - -The Indians had declared that they should resist any such attempt at an -investigation of their resources and mode of life, and that the party -must turn back from where it now was. If it would do so, its boats -should be restored, and it would be allowed to depart in peace. - -The difficulties in the way of accepting this proposition had at once -been seen by Quorum. He had explained that as their small boats were -not fitted to cruise in the open waters of the Gulf, and as their big -boat was already on its way to the east coast, where they were to meet -it, to turn back would be a great hardship. - -The Indians had listened gravely to their interpreter's translation -of all that he had to say on the subject, and assented to the force -of his arguments. Then they proposed another plan. It was that if the -whites would give up their arms and trust entirely to them, they would -convey the party and their boats safely across the 'Glades to within a -short distance of the east coast. There they should again receive their -guns, and should be allowed to depart in peace, provided they would -promise not to return. - -"Seems to me that is quite a liberal proposition," said the Lieutenant, -after Quorum had succeeded in making it clearly understood. "All we -want is to cross the 'Glades and see the Indians. I would willingly -have paid them to guide us, and now they offer to do so of their own -accord. I can't conceive how you persuaded them to make such an offer, -Quorum. You must be a born diplomat." - -"Yes, sah," replied the negro, grinning from ear to ear, "I 'specs I -is." At the same time he had no more idea of what the Lieutenant meant -than if he had talked in Greek. - -"How does that plan strike you, boys?" asked Lieutenant Carey, turning -to Sumner and Worth. - -"It strikes me as almost too good to be true," answered the former. -"And I'm afraid there's some trick behind it all; but then I don't see -what we can do except say yes to almost any offer they may choose to -make." - -"That is so," said the Lieutenant. "Without our boats, and with no -means for making a raft, we are about as helpless as we well can be." - -"It seems to me a splendid plan," said Worth, who saw visions of -peaceful nights, and days pleasantly spent in hunting and in visiting -Indian camps. - -Although the sailor's opinion had not been asked, he could not help -remarking: "I'm agin trusting an' Injin, sir. Injins and Malays and all -them sort of niggers are notoriously deceitful." - -"Hi! Wha' yo' say dere 'bout niggahs, yo' sailorman?" exclaimed Quorum, -in high dudgeon. "Yo' call 'em notorious, eh?" - -"Not black ones," answered the sailor, apologetically--"not black ones, -Quorum; but them as is red and yellow." - -"Dat's all right, sah, an' I 'cept yo' 'pology. At de same time I is -bankin' on de squar'ness ob dem Injuns who I bin councillin' wif." - -"You believe it will be safe to trust them, then?" asked the Lieutenant. - -"Yes, sah; yo' kin trus' 'em same like a black man." - -"Very well," said Lieutenant Carey; "as I don't see how, in the -present state of affairs, we can do anything else, I will take your -word for their honesty, and accept their conditions; only I will not -promise never to come into the 'Glades again. I will only promise not -to turn directly back from the east coast after they have left us." - -"Dat's wha' dey mean, sah. I is berry 'tic'lar on dat pint ob de -controbersy." - -"Then we will consider it as settled, and would like to leave here for -a place where there is something to eat as quickly as possible. Where -are your Indian friends?" - -"Out dere, sah, in de cooners. Dey say when yo' ready, den I holler -like er squinch-owl, an' brung down all yo' uns' guns an' resolvers de -fustes' t'ing." - -"Very well, squinch away then, and here are my pistols. It is certainly -humiliating to be disarmed to please a lot of Indians; but hunger and -necessity are such powerful persuaders that it is best to submit to -them with as good grace as possible." - -So Quorum "squinched" in a manner that no self-respecting owl would -have recognized; but which answered the purpose so well that an answer -was immediately heard from the water, over which the evening shadows -were now fast falling. - -Directly afterwards a canoe, containing the Indian who had acted as -interpreter during Quorum's council with the chiefs, appeared at the -opening in the bushes. Without stepping ashore, this Indian, whose name -was Ul-we (the tall one), exchanged a few words with Quorum, whereby he -learned that the Seminole conditions were accepted by the white men. -He then bade the negro place the guns and pistols in the canoe and -enter it himself. Then he shoved off, and another canoe, containing two -Indians, made its appearance. - -The Lieutenant bade Sumner and Worth step into it first; but the -moment they had done so, it too was shoved off, and another canoe, -also containing two Indians, appeared in its place. This received the -Lieutenant and the sailor. By the time it was poled into the channel -the foremost canoe had disappeared in the darkness, nor was it again -seen. - -During their journey both the Lieutenant and Sumner tried to enter into -conversation with the Indians in their respective canoes, but after -a few futile attempts they gave it up. To all their questions they -received the same answer, which was "Un-cah" (Yes), and not another -word could the Indians be persuaded to utter. - -[Illustration: "DIRECTLY AFTERWARDS A CANOE APPEARED AT THE OPENING IN -THE BUSHES."] - -The Lieutenant consoled himself with the thought that he would be able -to talk to the chiefs through the interpreter; while the boys looked -forward with eager anticipations to seeing the Indian village that -Quorum had described. As for the sailor, Indians and their villages -were matters of indifference to him. What he looked forward to was a -good supper and a pipe of tobacco. - -Thus, all of them awaited with impatience their journey's end, and -wished it were light enough for them to see whither they were being -taken. - - - - -CHAPTER XXXI. - -A CLOSELY GUARDED CAMP. - - -The darkness, which comes so quickly after sunset in that far Southern -country, with almost no intervening twilight, effectually prevented our -explorers from seeing where they were going. They only knew from the -stars that their general direction was east, or directly into the heart -of the Everglades. They were even unable to study the countenances, -dress, or general appearance of the young Indians who, standing in -the bow and stern of each canoe, drove it forward with unerring -judgment and at a considerable speed by means of long push poles. These -poles were quite slender; but each terminated at its lower end in an -enlargement, formed by fastening a short bit of wood to either side -that prevented it from sinking deeply into the sand or grass roots -against which it was set. - -The canoes in which our voyagers were now travelling were as different -from their own dainty craft as one boat can be from another. Nor -did they bear the least resemblance to the bark canoes of Northern -Indians, there being no Southern bark similar to that of the Northern -birch, or suitable for canoe-building. They were simply dugouts, from -twenty to twenty-five feet long by about three feet broad, hollowed -with great skill from huge cypress logs. Their lines were fine, and, as -our friends afterwards discovered, they are capital sailing craft in -any wind, except dead ahead. - -When a Seminole decides to build one of these canoes, he first selects -and fells his tree, cutting off a section of the required length, and -free from knots or cracks. The upper surface of this is hewn smooth, -with a slight sheer rise fore and aft. On this smooth surface a plan -of the canoe is carefully outlined with charcoal, and then the outside -is laboriously worked into shape with hatchets. The hollowing out of -the inside is accomplished by fire and hatchets, and, considering -the limited supply of tools at the builders' disposal, the result is -a triumph of marine architecture. Hatchets and knives are the only -tools used in the making of the masts, spars, paddles, push poles, and -spear handles that are needed for the equipment of each canoe. The -ingenious builders also cut and sew their own sails, which they make -of unbleached muslin bought from the trader on Biscayne Bay. Although -they use no keels, centre-boards, nor lee-boards, they manage by -holding their paddles firmly against the side of the canoe and deep in -the water to sail close-hauled, and to keep her up to the wind in a -manner that is truly surprising. The Indians take great pride in their -canoes and value them highly, for, as they are without horses, roads, -or any considerable area of dry land, these are their sole means of -transportation and communication between the different parts of the -vast territory over which they roam. - -After travelling several miles, this first voyage of our explorers in -Indian canoes ended at a heavily wooded islet, between the trees of -which they could see the welcome glow of a camp-fire. To their great -delight, as they reached the shore, they found their own canoes and -the cruiser safely moored to it. In spite of their joy at again seeing -these, they were too hungry and too impatient to visit the Indian -village to do more just then than assure themselves that their own -boats were all right. Then they hurried towards the fire. - -There was a roomy palmetto hut standing near it; but to their surprise -the firelight disclosed only a single human figure, which, as they drew -near, proved to be that of Quorum. He was hard at work cooking supper, -and only acknowledged their presence with a grin, and the announcement -that it would be ready in a few minutes. - -Turning to the hut, they saw that it had been recently erected, and -that it contained their own rolls of bedding, besides the little bags -of toilet articles belonging to Lieutenant Carey and the boys, which -Quorum had thoughtfully taken from the canoes and placed ready for -their use. - -"I never realized the luxury of brushes and combs before!" exclaimed -Worth, as he occupied the time before supper with making what was -probably the most elaborate toilet ever seen in the Everglades. - -Meanwhile the Lieutenant was questioning Quorum as to the location of -the Indian village, and was disappointed to find the negro as ignorant -on the subject as himself. Quorum thought it must be on some other -island, as this certainly was not the place to which he had been taken -the night before. He said that on arriving there he had found the -canoes and cruiser, the hut built, and the fire lighted. The young -Indian who had brought him had helped carry the things up to the hut, -and also given him some venison and vegetables in exchange for a small -quantity of coffee and sugar. He had remained there until shortly -before the arrival of the others, and Quorum had not noticed when he -disappeared. Before leaving, he had told Quorum that, by the chief's -orders, the white men would remain on that island until the following -evening. - -"Oh, we will, will we?" said Lieutenant Carey, whose pride chafed -against receiving orders from an Indian, even if he was a chief. -"With our own boats at hand, I don't see what is to hinder us from -leaving when we please. I wish that chief would hurry up and put in an -appearance. I want to have a few words with him." - -He now for the first time realized that the young Indians who had -brought them there had not followed them to the camp, and he stepped -down to the water's edge to see what they were doing. To his dismay he -found that they had not only disappeared, but had taken the canoes and -cruiser with them. Greatly provoked at this, he returned to the camp -in a very unpleasant frame of mind, mentally abusing the Indians, and -regretting that, by accepting their conditions, he had so completely -placed himself in their power. His good-nature was somewhat restored -by the supper, which was most bountiful and well cooked, and by the -soothing pipe smoke that followed it; for among other things, Quorum -had not neglected to bring up a plentiful supply of tobacco. - -After supper, as he and the boys lay outstretched on their blankets -within the hut, the open side of which faced the fire, the Lieutenant -acknowledged that their present position was a vast improvement on that -of the night before. The boys agreed with him, though at the same time -they were even more disappointed than he at not finding themselves in -an Indian village. That was one of the things they had most counted on -seeing in the Everglades. Having finally decided to make the best of -their situation, and to obtain the greatest possible amount of comfort -and pleasure from it, they turned in, and slept soundly until morning. - -They were so thoroughly tired with their various hardships and labors -of the two preceding days and nights that they slept late, and the sun -had already been up for several hours before they answered the negro's -call to breakfast. He said that though he had been down to the shore -several times after water, he had seen no signs of either canoes or -Indians. Thus to all appearances they were not only the sole occupants -of the island, but of the 'Glades as well. - -As they had nothing else to do, the Lieutenant proposed to the boys -that they should explore this new island, and make such discoveries of -other islands and the intervening 'Glades as could be seen from its -shores. They readily agreed to this, and the three set forth. They had -not gone more than a hundred yards from camp when they were suddenly -confronted by a young Indian, armed with a rifle, which he pointed -at them, at the same time making other signs to them to go back. At -first they were greatly startled by his unexpected appearance. Then -the Lieutenant undertook to remonstrate with him, and to explain that -they only wanted to walk harmlessly about and view the landscape, but -all in vain. The stolid-faced young savage either could not or would -not understand. He only shook his head without uttering a word, but -continued to make signs for them to go back. - -"This is one of the strangest and most irritating things that I ever -heard of!" exclaimed Lieutenant Carey, after finding his efforts to -communicate with the Indian unavailing. "If we only had our guns, I'd -make that fellow let us pass or know the reason why. As we haven't any, -and he has one, the argument is too one-sided, and we might as well -retire from it as gracefully as possible. Let us try another direction, -and find out if that is also guarded." They tried in two other places, -only to be repulsed by other determined young guards who, mute as -statues, were equally stolid and impervious to argument. - -[Illustration: "THEY WERE SUDDENLY CONFRONTED BY AN INDIAN ARMED WITH A -RIFLE."] - -There was nothing to do but to return to the hut and make the best of -the situation. From there no signs of an Indian was to be seen; but -let one of the inmates of the camp stroll beyond its limits in any -direction, and the woods seemed to swarm with them, though the guards -probably did not number more than half a dozen in all. - -The day was passed in eating, sleeping, and in discussing their -peculiar situation. They were evidently prisoners, though to all -appearances as free as air; but, as Lieutenant Carey said, there was -no chance of their escaping from the island anyhow, so why they should -be denied the privilege of walking about it he could not understand. -Quorum was equally in the dark with the rest, and said that nothing of -the kind had been intimated by the chiefs during their talk with him. -It was finally decided that instead of being on a small island as they -had supposed, they must be at one end of a large one that contained a -village at the other, which, for some unknown reason, the Indians did -not choose they should visit. With this solution of the problem they -were forced to content themselves, and they waited with impatience the -coming of night, when, according to what Ul-we had told Quorum, their -journey was to be resumed. - - - - -CHAPTER XXXII. - -CROSSING THE 'GLADES WITHOUT SEEING THEM. - - -They had an early supper, so as to be all ready for a start whenever -their jailers should see fit to make one. By sunset their blankets were -rolled up, and they were impatiently awaiting some signal; but none -came until darkness had fully set in. Then once more from the direction -of the water came the now familiar cry of a screech-owl. It was -answered from several points about the camp, which showed their Indian -guards to be still on duty. As Quorum had been allowed to go freely to -the shore for water during the day, the Lieutenant now told him to go -down again and discover the meaning of the signal. He returned a minute -later with the news that Ul-we was waiting for him and the cooking -utensils, and that the canoes for the other passengers would arrive -with the setting of the new moon, which hung low in the western sky. - -So Quorum left them, as on the previous night. As the silver crescent -of Halissee, the night timepiece of the Everglades, sank from sight, -the others went to the shore, carrying their blankets with them. There -they found two canoes, apparently manned by the same silent crews of -the evening before, awaiting them. - -As they shoved off and plunged once more into the trackless 'Glades, -the Lieutenant turned for a look at the island. He could distinguish -its black outlines from end to end, and it was a very small one. This -overthrew the only theory they had formed concerning their close -imprisonment, and left him more than ever puzzled as to its object. - -Hour after hour the long poles were steadily wielded by the silent -Indians, who seemed not to know fatigue nor to require rest. All -through the night the heavy dugouts pursued their steady way, crashing -through the crisp bonnets, and bending down the long grasses, that flew -up with a "swish" behind them. It was a marvel to the passengers that -the channels, followed as unerringly by the dusky canoemen as though it -had been daylight, always led into one another. Their own experience -had been that, even with sunlight to guide them, half the channels they -had attempted to follow proved blind leads. But with the Indians it was -never so. - -Through the night Lieutenant Carey pondered his situation, and studied -their course by the stars. These told him that it was a little to the -north of east, the very one he would have chosen, and in this respect -the situation was satisfactory. But what information was he gaining -concerning the Everglades, their resources, and present population? -About as little as was possible for one who was actually passing -through them. Could he obtain any more? Evidently not, under the -circumstances. Long and deeply as he pondered the subject, he could -not think of a single feasible plan for altering the existing state of -affairs. He was compelled to acknowledge himself completely outwitted -by the simple-minded sons of the forest into whose power he had so -curiously fallen. "If I could only get at them, and talk to them, and -explain matters to them!" he said aloud; and the sailor answered: - -"It wouldn't do no good, sir. There's none in the world so obstinate as -Injins and Malays. Once they gets an idea inside their skulls, all the -white talk you could give 'em wouldn't drive it out. Fighting is the -only argument they can understand; and, if you say the word, I'll have -these two heathen pitched overboard in no time." - -"No," said the Lieutenant, "it wouldn't do any good, and my orders are -to treat such Indians as I may meet with all possible friendliness. I -only wish I could meet with some besides these two young automatons, -but there does not seem to be any prospect of it." - -At the same time Sumner and Worth, crouched snugly among their blankets -in the bottom of the other canoe, were also talking of their strange -situation. - -"Do you suppose any other two fellows ever had such queer times on a -canoe trip as we are having?" asked Worth. - -"Indeed I do not," replied Sumner. "And this is the very queerest part -of it. Here we are still on a canoe cruise, without our own canoes, -without knowing where we are going, and without having anything to do -with the management of the craft we are cruising in. It will be a queer -experience to tell about when you get back to New York, won't it?" - -"Yes, indeed, it will, though New York seems so very far away that -it is hard to realize that I shall ever get there again. If we could -only see an Indian village, though! It seems too bad to be going right -through an Indian country and yet see nothing of its people." - -"Oh, well, we are not through with the 'Glades yet, and you may still -have a chance to see plenty of Indians." - -In spite of Sumner's hopefulness, Worth's wish did not seem any nearer -being gratified four days from that time than it did then. Each -night's journey was a repetition of the first, except that they grew -shorter with the growing moon. The Indians refused to travel except in -darkness, and never came for their passengers until after the moon had -set. Each day was spent in a comfortable camp, to which they were so -closely confined that they could learn nothing of their surroundings. -These camps were always located on small islands, and were always -reached before daylight. - -Quorum always arrived at the camping-place some time in advance of the -others, and he always found the canoes and the cruiser awaiting him. -From them he was allowed to take whatever he thought the party would -need, but after that first night the boats invariably disappeared -before the others reached them. - -Sumner said this was a trick the canoes had learned early on the -cruise, and they had probably taught it to the other boat. - -Who caused their disappearance or where they went to, none of them -knew; and but for Quorum the owners of the several craft would have -heard nothing of their whereabouts or welfare. - -During this strange journey, as they were unable to do any hunting or -foraging for themselves, Quorum was obliged to exchange so many of -their stores for fresh meat, fruit, and vegetables, that he finally -announced them to be nearly exhausted. - -At length, one very dark night, the passengers, who were half dozing in -the bottoms of the canoes, became conscious of a change. The darkness -all at once grew more intense, until they could barely distinguish the -forms of the Indians in the bow and stern of their respective boats. -A rank odor of decaying vegetation filled the air, while the swish of -grass and bonnets was no longer heard. They seemed to be moving more -swiftly and easily than usual. Finally, when they landed, it did not -seem as though they were on an island; and as they made their way -towards the light of the camp-fire, about which Quorum was already -busy, they suddenly realized that it was reflected from a background of -pine-trees. - -"Hurrah, boys!" shouted Lieutenant Carey; "there is a sign that our -trip is nearly ended. Pine-trees don't grow in the 'Glades, and -therefore we must be somewhere near the coast. I can't say that I am -sorry, for the trip has been a most disappointing one to me. It has -been a decidedly unique and remarkable one, though--has it not? I -wonder how many people will believe us when we say that we have crossed -the entire width of the Everglades without learning anything about -them, and almost without seeing them? When we add that we have passed -dozens of Indian villages, and yet have not seen an Indian village; -have been surrounded by Indians, but cannot describe their appearance; -have come all the way by water, and brought our own boats with us, -and yet have not set eyes on our own boats since the day we entered -the 'Glades--I am afraid that we shall be regarded much as the old -woman regarded her sailor son when he told her that he had seen fish -with wings and able to fly. In fact, I am afraid they will doubt our -veracity. How I am going to get up any kind of a report to send to -Washington, I am sure I don't know. By-the-way, Quorum, were our canoes -here when you landed?" - -"No, sah, dey wasn't; an' I is troubled in my min' frum worryin' about -dem. I is ask dat feller Ul-we, but he don't say nuffin.' 'Pears like -he done los' he tongue, like de res' ob de Injuns. De wust ob hit is, -sah, dat de grub jes about gin out, an' I is got er mighty pore 'pology -fer a breakfus." - -So excited were our explorers over their new surroundings, and over -this report that their boats were again missing, that instead of -turning in for a nap, as usual, they sat round the fire and waited -impatiently for daylight. Sumner was the most uneasy of the party, and -every few minutes he would get up and walk away from the firelight, the -better to see if the day were not breaking. - -On one of these occasions he was gone so much longer than usual that -the others were beginning to wonder what had become of him. All at once -they heard him shouting from the direction of the place at which they -had landed: - -"Hello! in the camp! Come down here, quick! I've got something to show -you." - - - - -CHAPTER XXXIII. - -AN ADVENTUROUS DEER-HUNT. - - -In answer to Sumner's call, the others sprang up and hurried in the -direction of his voice. As they got beyond the circle of firelight they -saw that the day was breaking, though in the forest its light was dim -and uncertain. It was much stronger ahead of them, and within a minute -they stood at the water's edge, where objects near at hand were plainly -discernible. Although they more than suspected that the 'Glades had -been left behind, they were hardly prepared for the sight that greeted -their eyes. Instead of a limitless expanse of grass and water dotted -with islands, they saw a broad river flowing dark and silently towards -the coming dawn through a dense growth of tall forest trees. But for -the direction of its current, it was a counterpart of the one, now so -far behind, by which they had entered the 'Glades from the Gulf. - -Of more immediate importance even than the river were the objects to -which Sumner triumphantly directed their attention. These were the -long-unseen canoes and the cruiser, with masts, sails, and paddles in -their places, and looking but little the worse for their journey than -when their owners had stepped from them nearly a week before. Sumner -had discovered them, snugly moored to the bank, a short distance below -the landing-place, and had towed them up to where the others now saw -them. In the bottom of the _Hu-la-lah_ lay their guns and pistols, -carefully oiled and in perfect order. Everything was in place, and they -could not find that a single article of their outfit was missing. - -"I declare!" said the Lieutenant, "those Indians are decent fellows, -after all, and though I am provoked with them for their obstinacy -in not granting us a single interview, as well as for the way they -compelled us to journey through their country, I can't help admiring -the manner in which they have fulfilled their share of our contract. -They have shown the utmost fairness and honesty in all their dealings -with us, and I don't know that I blame them for the way in which they -have acted. They have been treated so abominably by the Government ever -since Florida came into our possession that they certainly have ample -cause to be suspicious of all white men." - -Quorum was sent down to watch the canoes and see that they did not -again disappear, while the others ate the scanty breakfast that he -had prepared. At it they drank the last of their coffee, and Quorum -reported that there was nothing left of their provisions save some -corn-meal and a few biscuit. - -As they talked of this state of affairs, Sumner said that he had -started up a deer when he went after the canoes, and Worth was -confident that this must be a good place in which to find his favorite -game--wild turkeys. - -"It looks as though we would have to stop here long enough to do a -little hunting before proceeding any farther," said the Lieutenant. - -To this proposition the boys, eager to use their recovered guns, -readily agreed. - -So, after making sure that their camp was no longer guarded, and that -they were at liberty to go where they pleased, it was decided to devote -the morning to hunting, with the hope of replenishing their larder. -Quorum and the sailor were left to guard camp and the boats, while the -others entered the piny woods, going directly back from the river. The -Lieutenant carried a rifle and the boys their shot-guns, while each had -his pockets well filled with loaded shells. - -The pine forest was filled with a dense undergrowth of saw-palmetto, -and the ground beneath these was covered with rough masses of broken -coralline rock. It was also slippery with a thick coating of brown -pine-needles. Under these circumstances, therefore, it was almost -impossible to proceed silently, and whatever game they might have seen -received ample warning of their approach in time to make good its -escape. - -When they at length came to a grassy savanna, on the opposite side -of which was a small hammock of green, shrubby trees, the Lieutenant -proposed that the boys remain concealed where they were while he made a -long circuit around it. He would thus approach from its leeward side, -and any game that he might scare up would be almost certain to come in -their direction. After stationing them a few hundred feet apart, so -that they could cover a greater territory, and warning them to keep -perfectly quiet, he left them. - -The sky was clouded, and a high wind soughed mournfully through the -tops of the pines. Every now and then the boys were startled by the -crash of a falling branch, while the grating of the interlocking limbs -above them sounded like distressed moanings. It was all so dismal and -lonesome that finally Worth could stand it no longer, and made his way -to where Sumner was sitting. - -"Have you noticed how full the air is of smoke?" he said, as he -approached his companion. "My eyes are smarting from it." - -"Yes," replied Sumner, "it has given me a choking sensation for some -time. I expect the woods are on fire somewhere." - -"Really!" said Worth, looking about him, apprehensively. "Then don't -you think we ought to be getting back towards the river?" - -"No, not yet. The fire must be a long way off still, and it would never -do for us to leave without Lieutenant Carey. He would think we were -lost, and be terribly anxious. There he is now! Did you hear that?" - -Yes, Worth heard the distant rifle-shot that announced the Lieutenant's -whereabouts. Instantly his freshly aroused hunting instinct banished -all thoughts of the fire, and he hurried back to his post. He had not -more than reached it before there came a crashing among the palmettoes, -and ere the startled boy realized its cause, two deer, bounding over -the undergrowth with superb leaps, dashed past him and disappeared. - -"Why didn't you fire?" cried Sumner, hurrying up a moment later. "It -was a splendid shot! I would give anything for such a chance!" - -"I never thought of it," answered Worth, ruefully. "Besides, they went -so quickly that I didn't have time." - -"They ought to have stood still for a minute or two, that's a fact," -said Sumner, who was rather inclined to laugh at his less experienced -companion. - -Just then there came another crashing of the palmettoes, and a third -deer bounded into sight for an instant, only to disappear immediately -as the others had done. - -"Why didn't you fire?" laughed Worth. "It was a splendid shot!" - -"Because this is your station," replied Sumner, anxious to conceal -beneath this weak excuse the fact that he had been fully as startled -and unnerved as his companion. "I do believe, though," he added, "that -this last fellow was wounded, and perhaps we may get him yet." - -The discovery of fresh blood on the palmetto leaves through which the -flying animal had passed confirmed this belief, and without a thought -of the possible consequences the boys set off in hot pursuit of the -wounded deer. - -They easily followed the trail of the blood-smeared leaves, and in the -ardor of their pursuit they might have gone a mile, or they might have -gone ten for all they knew, when suddenly, without warning, they came -face to face with the deer. He was a full-grown buck, with branching -antlers still in the velvet, and by his swaying from side to side he -was evidently exhausted. The sight of his enemies seemed to infuse him -with renewed strength, and the next instant he charged fiercely towards -them. - -Worth, attempting to run, tripped and fell in his path. Sumner, -with better luck, sprang aside, and sent a charge of buckshot into -the furious animal at such short range that the muzzle of his gun -nearly touched it. It fell in a heap on top of Worth, gave one or two -convulsive kicks, and was dead. - -Its warm life-blood spurted over the prostrate boy, and when Sumner -dragged him from beneath the quivering carcass he was smeared with it -from head to foot. - -"Are you hurt, old man?" inquired Sumner, anxiously, as his companion -leaned heavily on him, trembling from exhaustion and his recent fright. - -"I don't know that I am," replied Worth, with a feeble attempt at a -smile. "I expect I am only bruised and scratched. But, oh, Sumner, -what an awfully ferocious thing a deer is! Seems to me they are as bad -as panthers. What wouldn't I give for a drink of water! I can hardly -speak, I am so choked with smoke." - -With this, Sumner suddenly became aware that the smoke, which they -had not noticed in the excitement of their chase, had so increased -in density that breathing was becoming difficult. Thoroughly alarmed, -he looked about him. In all directions the woods were full of it, and -even at a short distance the trees showed indistinctly through its blue -haze. Now, for the first time, the boys were conscious of a dull roar -with which the air was filled. Their long chase must have led them -directly towards the fire. - -"We must get back to camp as quickly as possible!" exclaimed Sumner, -realizing at once the danger of their situation. "Come on, Worth, we -haven't a moment to lose!" - -"But what shall we do with our deer?" asked the blood-covered boy, who -could not bear the thought of relinquishing their hard-won prize. - -"Never mind the deer, but come along!" replied Sumner. "If I am not -mistaken, we shall have our hands full taking care of ourselves. That -fire is coming down on us faster than we can run, and we haven't any -too much start of it as it is." - - - - -CHAPTER XXXIV. - -HEMMED IN BY A FOREST FIRE. - - -Which way were they to fly? The terrible roar of the burning forest -seemed to come from all directions, and the smoke seemed hardly -less dense on one side than on another. But there had been no fire -where they came from, and they must retrace their steps along the -blood-marked trail that they had followed, of course. Although the body -of the deer lay near the spot where it had ended, they were at first -too bewildered to discover it, and lost several precious minutes in -searching among the palmetto leaves for its crimson signs. At length -they found them, and started back on a run. - -It was exhausting work trying to run through the thick scrub, over its -loglike roots, and among the rough rock masses strewn in the wildest -confusion between them, and their speed was quickly reduced to a walk. -Sumner went ahead, and, with arms uplifted to protect his face from the -sawlike edges of the stout leaf stems, forced a way through them, with -Worth close behind him. - -They had not gone far when Sumner suddenly stopped and, with a -despairing gesture, pointed ahead. The flames were in front of them, -and could be distinctly seen licking the brown tree-trunks, and -stretching their writhing arms high aloft towards the green tops. - -"We are going right into the fire!" the boy exclaimed, hoarsely. "The -deer must have seen it, and been curving away from it when we overtook -him!" - -So they turned back, and rushed blindly, without trying to follow the -trail, in the opposite direction. Before they had gone half a mile -Worth's strength became exhausted, and he sank down on a palmetto root -gasping for breath. - -"I can't go any farther, Sumner! Oh, I can't!" he cried, piteously. - -"But you must! You can't stay here to be burned to death! We are almost -certain to find a slough with water in it, or a stream!" and grasping -his comrade by the arm, Sumner pulled him again to his feet. - -As he did so, the hammers of Worth's gun became caught in something, -and the next instant both barrels were discharged with a startling -explosion. - -"That's a good idea!" exclaimed Sumner. "Let's fire all our cartridges -as fast as we can. Perhaps they are out looking for us, and will hear -the shots." - -So saying, he fired both barrels of his own gun into the air, and -quickly reloading, fired again. Worth followed suit; but just as -Sumner was ready to fire for the third time he was startled by a sharp -crackling sound close beside him. He turned quickly. There was a -bright blaze within ten feet of him. The first accidental discharge of -Worth's gun, as it lay pointed directly into a mass of dry grass and -dead palmetto leaves, had set this on fire. Worth instinctively sprang -towards it with the intention of trying to stamp it out, but, with a -joyful cry, Sumner restrained him. - -"It's the very thing!" he shouted. "A back fire! Why didn't I think of -it before? We must set a line of it as quick as we can!" - -Worth did not understand, and hesitated; but seeing Sumner, with a -bunch of lighted leaves in his hand, rush from one clump of palmetto to -another, touching his blazing torch to their dry, tinderlike stalks, he -realized that his companion knew what he was about, and began to follow -his example. - -Within five minutes a wall of flame a hundred yards in length was -roaring and leaping in front of them, fanned into such fury by the high -wind that they were obliged to retreat from its blistering breath. -They could not retreat far, however, for during their delay the main -fire had gained fearfully upon them, and its awful roar seemed one of -rage that they should have attempted to escape from it. Mingled with -this was the crash of falling trees and the screams of wild animals -that now began to rush frantically past the boys. A herd of flying -deer nearly trampled them underfoot; and directly afterwards they were -confronted with the gleaming eyes of a panther. With an angry snarl he -too dashed forward. Great snakes writhed and hissed along the ground, -and Worth clutched Sumner's arm in terror. - -Seizing his gun, the latter began shooting at the snakes; nor did he -stop until his last cartridge was expended. - -It was horrible to stand there helplessly awaiting the result of -that life-and-death race between those mighty columns of flame; but -they knew not what else to do. Now they could no longer see in which -direction to fly. The swirling smoke-clouds were closing in on them -from all sides, and only by holding their faces close to the earth -could they catch occasional breaths of fresh air. - -Sumner's plan was to remain where they were until the last moment, and -then rush out over the smouldering embers of the fire they had set. -The main body of this was now rapidly retreating from them. At the -same time a fringe of flame from it was working backward towards them. -Though they made feeble efforts to beat this out, their strength was -too nearly exhausted for them to make much headway against it. The heat -was now so intense that their skin was blistering, and their brains -seemed almost ready to burst. - -Worth had flung away his gun, just after loading it, when he began to -set the back fires, and now the sound of a double report from that -direction showed that the flames had found it. The noise of these -reports was followed by a loud cry, and out of the smoke-clouds a -strange, wild figure came leaping. It was a human figure. As the boys -recognized it, they echoed its cry. Then by their frantic shouts they -guided it to where they were crouching and making ready for their -desperate rush into the hot ashes and still blazing remains of the back -fire. - -The figure that sprang to their side, and, seizing Worth's arm, uttered -the single word "Come!" was that of Ul-we, the young Seminole, though -the boys, having never seen him, did not, of course, recognize him. - -With thankful hearts and implicit faith they followed him as he dashed -back into the thickest of the smoke-clouds that still hung low over -the newly burnt space before them. They choked and gasped, and their -feet became blistered with the heat that penetrated through the soles -of their boots. Worth would have fallen but for the strong hand that -upheld him, and dragged him resistlessly forward. The ordeal of fire -lasted but a minute, when they emerged in a grassy glade at one end of -the burnt space, and ran to a clump of water-loving shrubs that marked -a slough beyond it. - -The vanguard of the main fire raced close after them, flashing through -the brittle grass as though it were gunpowder; and as they dashed into -the bushes, and their feet sank into the mud and water of the slough, -its hot breath was mingled with theirs. - -In the very centre of the thicket Ul-we threw himself down in water -that just covered his body, and held his head a little above its -surface. The boys followed his example, and experienced an instant -relief from the cool water. In this position they could breathe easily, -for the smoke-clouds seemed unable to touch the surface of the water, -but rolled two or three inches above it. - -Here they lay for what seemed an eternity while the fire-fiends raged -and roared on all sides of them, and in the air above. The heat waves -scorched and withered the green thicket, the water of the little slough -grew warm and almost hot, the air that they breathed was stifling, and -for a time it almost seemed as though they had escaped a roasting only -to be boiled alive like lobsters. - -After a while, that appeared to the poor boys a long, weary time, -the fiercest of the flames swept by, and their roar no longer filled -the surrounding space. There were rifts in the smoke-clouds, and -perceptible intervals of fresh air between them. Finally the boys could -sit up, and at length stand, but not until then were they certain that -the danger had passed. - -Then Sumner grasped the young Indian's right hand in both of his, and -tears stood in the boy's eyes as he said: "I don't know as you can -understand me; I don't know who you are, and I don't care. I only know -that you have saved us from a horrible death, and that from this moment -I am your friend for life." - -As for poor Worth, the tears fairly streamed down his smoke-begrimed, -blood-stained cheeks, as, in faltering words, he also tried to express -his gratitude. - -[Illustration: "THE ORDEAL OF FIRE LASTED BUT A MINUTE."] - -The Indian seemed to understand, for he smiled and said: "Me Ul-we. -Quor'm know um. You Summer. You Worf. Me heap glad find um. 'Fraid not. -Hunt um; hunt um long time, no find um. Bimeby hear gun, plenty. Hunt -um, no find um. Bimeby hear one gun, bang! bang! quick. Then come, find -um. _Hindleste._ If me no find um, fire catch um pretty quick, burn up, -go big sleep _Holewagus_! Ul-we feel bad, Quor'm feel bad, all body -feel bad. Now all body heap hap, dance, sing, eat heap, feel plenty -glad." - -All of which may be translated thus: "I am very glad to have found you, -for I was afraid I shouldn't. I hunted and hunted a long time, but -couldn't find you. At last I heard guns fired many times, and hunted in -that direction, still without finding you. Finally I heard both barrels -of a gun fired at once, not far from where I was, and then I found you. -It is good. If I had not found you just when I did, the fire would have -caught you and burned you to death, which would have been terrible. I -should have felt very badly. So would Quorum and all your friends. Now -everybody will rejoice." - -Ul-we had been ordered to watch the camp of the white men by the river -until they left it, but to remain unseen by them. He had noted the -departure of the hunting party, and had also been aware of the approach -of the forest fire while it was still at a great distance. When, some -hours later, the Lieutenant came back full of anxiety concerning the -boys, and immediately started off again to hunt for them, Ul-we also -started in another direction, with the happy result already described. - -They remained in the slough two hours longer, before the surrounding -country was sufficiently cooled off for them to travel over it. Then -they set out under Ul-we's guidance, though where he would take them to -the boys had not the faintest idea. - - - - -CHAPTER XXXV. - -THE BOYS IN A SEMINOLE CAMP. - - -Although Ul-we started out from the slough that had proved such a haven -of safety in one direction, he quickly found cause to change it for -another. This cause was the lameness of the boys, for their blistered -feet felt as though parboiled, and each step was so painful that it -seemed as if they could not take another. They were also faint for want -of food, and exhausted by their recent terrible experience. The young -Indian was also suffering greatly. The moccasins had been burned from -his feet, and the act of walking caused him the keenest pain; but no -trace of limp or hesitation betrayed it, nor did he utter a murmur of -complaint. - -He had intended leading them directly to their own camp; but that -was miles away, and seeing that they would be unable to reach it in -their present condition, he changed his course towards a much nearer -place of refuge. He soon found that to get Worth even that far he must -support and almost carry him. As for Sumner, he clinched his teeth, -and mentally vowing that he would hold out as long as the barefooted -Indian, he strode manfully along behind the others with his gun, which -he had retained through all their struggles, on his shoulder. - -In this way, after an hour of weary marching, they entered a live-oak -hammock, into which even the fierce forest fire had not been able -to penetrate. Here they were soon greeted by a barking of dogs that -announced the presence of some sort of a camp. It was that of the -Seminole party which had been detailed to conduct our explorers across -the Everglades, and act as guards about their halting-places. There -were about twenty men in this party, and as they had brought their -women and children with them, and had erected at this place a number of -palmetto huts, the camp presented the aspect of a regular village. Poor -Worth had just strength enough to turn to Sumner, with a feeble smile, -and say, "At last we are going to see one," when he sank down, unable -to walk another step. - -A shout from Ul-we brought the inmates of the camp flocking to the -spot. Both the boys were tenderly lifted in strong arms and borne to -one of the huts, where they were laid on couches of skins and blankets. -They were indeed spectacles calculated to move even an Indian's heart -to pity. Their clothing was in rags, while their faces, necks, and -hands were torn by the saw-palmettoes through which they had forced -their way. Worth was found to have received several cuts from the -sharp hoofs of the wounded deer, and he was blood-stained from head to -foot. Besides this, they were begrimed with smoke and soot until their -original color had entirely disappeared. They were water-soaked and -plastered with mud and ashes. Certainly two more forlorn and thoroughly -wretched-looking objects had never been seen there, or elsewhere, than -were our canoemates at that moment. - -But no people know better how to deal with just such cases than the -Indians into whose hands the boys had so fortunately fallen, and within -an hour their condition was materially changed for the better. Their -soaked and ragged clothing had been removed, they had been bathed in -hot water and briskly rubbed from head to foot. A salve of bear's -grease had been applied to their cuts and to their blistered feet, -which latter were also bound with strips of cotton-cloth. Each was clad -in a clean calico shirt of gaudy colors and fanciful ornamentation. -Each had a gay handkerchief bound about his head, and a pair of loose -moccasins drawn over his bandaged feet. Each was also provided with a -red blanket which, belted about the waist and hanging to the ground, -took the place of trousers. - -Thus arrayed, and sitting on bear-skin couches, with a steaming sofkee -kettle and its great wooden spoon between them, it is doubtful if -their own parents would have recognized them. For all that they were -very comfortable, and by the way that sofkee was disappearing, it was -evident that their appetites at least had suffered no injury. They -at once recognized sofkee from Quorum's description. They also knew -the history of the wooden spoon; but just now they were too hungry to -remember it, or to care if they did. - -At length, when they had almost reached the limit of their capacity -in the eating line, and began to find time for conversation, Worth -remarked, meditatively: - -"I believe, after all, that I like fishing better than hunting. There -isn't so much excitement about it, but, on the whole, I think it is -more satisfactory." - -"Fishing for what?" laughed Sumner. "For bits of meat, with a wooden -spoon, in a Seminole sofkee kettle, and looking so much like an Indian -that your own father would refuse to recognize you?" - -"If I thought I looked as much like an Indian as you do I would never -claim to be a white boy again," retorted Worth. - -"I only wish that I could hold a mirror up in front of you," replied -Sumner; and then each was so struck by the comical appearance of the -other that they laughed until out of breath; while the stolid-faced -Seminole boys, stealthily staring at them from outside the hut, -exchanged looks of pitying amazement. - -After this, Sumner still further excited the wonder of the young -Indians by performing several clever sleight-of-hand tricks, while -Worth regretted his inability to dance a clog for their benefit. Then -calling Ul-we into the hut, Sumner presented him with his shot-gun, -greatly to the "Tall One's" satisfaction. Worth was distressed that he -had nothing to give the brave young fellow; but brightened at Sumner's -suggestion that perhaps Ul-we would go with them to Cape Florida, where -Mr. Manton would be certain to present him with some suitable reward -for his recent service. - -When Ul-we was made to comprehend what was wanted of him, he explained -that it would be impossible to go with them then, but that he would -meet them at Cape Florida on any date that they might fix. So Sumner -fixed the date as the first night of the next new moon, and Worth -added a request that he should bring with him all the occupants of the -present camp, which he promised to do, if possible. - -Although the boys had no idea of where they were, they felt confident -that somehow or other they would be able to keep the appointment thus -made, and also that the Mantons' yacht would be on hand about the same -time. They tried to find out from Ul-we how far they were from Cape -Florida at the present moment; but he, having received orders not to -afford any member of Lieutenant Carey's party the slightest information -regarding the country through which they were passing, pretended not to -understand the boys' questions, and only answered, vaguely, "Un-cah" to -all of them. - -By this time the day was nearly spent, and it was sunset when the boys' -own clothes were returned to them, dried, cleaned, and with their rents -neatly mended by the skilful needles of the Seminole squaws. Then Ul-we -said he was ready to take them to their own camp, and though they -would gladly have stayed longer in this interesting village, the boys -realized that they ought to relieve Lieutenant Carey's anxiety as soon -as possible. So they expressed their willingness to accompany Ul-we, -but hoped that the walk would not be a long one. - -"No walk," replied Ul-we, smiling. "Go Injun boat. Heap quick." - -Accompanied by half the camp, and shouting back, "Heep-a-non-est-cha," -which they had learned meant good-bye, to the rest, they followed their -guide a short distance to the head of a narrow ditch that had evidently -been dug by the Indians. Here they entered Ul-we's canoe, and after a -few minutes of poling they realized, in spite of the darkness, that -they were once more on the edge of the Everglades. - -After skirting the forest line for some time, they turned sharply into -a stream that entered it, and again the boys found themselves borne -rapidly along on a swift current through a cypress belt. An hour later -they saw the glow of a camp-fire through the trees, and their canoe was -directed towards it. Stepping out as the canoe slid silently up to the -bank, the boys, wishing to surprise their friends, stole softly in the -direction of the circle of firelight. On its edge they paused. - -At one side of the fire sat Lieutenant Carey, looking worn and haggard; -Quorum stood near him, gazing into the flames with an expression of the -deepest dejection, while the sailor, looking very solemn, was toasting -a bit of fresh meat on the end of a stick. - -"No," they heard the Lieutenant say, "I can't conceive any hope that -they have escaped, for the only traces that I found of them led -directly towards the fire. How I can ever muster up courage to face -Mrs. Rankin or meet the Mantons with the news of this tragedy, I don't -know." - -"Hit's a ter'ble t'ing, sah. Ole Quor'm know him couldn' do hit." - -"Then it's lucky you won't have to try!" exclaimed Sumner, joyously, -stepping into sight, closely followed by Worth. - -"Oh, you precious young rascals! You villains, you!" cried the -Lieutenant, springing to his feet, and seizing the boys by the -shoulders, as though about to shake them. "How dared you give us such a -fright? Where have you been?" - -"Out deer-hunting, sir," answered Sumner, demurely. - -Quorum was dancing about them, uttering uncouth and inarticulate -expressions of joy; while the sailor, having dropped his meat into the -fire, where it burned unheeded, gazed at them in speechless amazement. - -They told their story in disjointed sentences, from which their hearers -only gathered a vague idea that they had killed a deer in the burning -forest, been rescued from the flames by an Indian, and borne in his -arms to a Seminole village in the Everglades, from which, by some -unseen means, they had just come. - -[Illustration: SUMNER AND WORTH IN THE SEMINOLE CAMP.] - -"I'll bring him up, and he can tell you all about it himself," -concluded Sumner, turning towards the landing-place, to which the -Lieutenant insisted on accompanying him, apparently not willing to -trust him again out of sight. - -But neither Ul-we nor his canoe was there. He had taken advantage of -the momentary confusion to disappear, and the Lieutenant said he was -thankful their canoes had not disappeared at the same time. - -When they returned to the fire, they found Quorum hard at work cooking -venison steaks. - -"Then you did get a deer, sir, after all?" queried Sumner. - -"No, I only wounded one, and he escaped. This fellow was one of a herd -that, terrified by the fire, came crashing right into camp, and was -shot by the sailor." - -"That's the way I shall hunt hereafter," exclaimed Worth--"stay quietly -and safely in camp, and let the game come to me!" - - - - -CHAPTER XXXVI. - -ONE OF THE RAREST ANIMALS IN THE WORLD. - - -After their day of excitement, terror, and anxiety the explorers passed -a happy evening around their camp-fire, and Lieutenant Carey gained a -clearer idea of the boys' adventures and escapes. He admitted that the -kindness shown them in the Seminole camp gave him a new insight into -the Indian character, and wished that he might have had a chance to -thank and reward Ul-we for his brave rescue of the young canoemates. He -also regretted that he, too, could not have visited that Indian camp, -and hoped that the appointment made by the boys with Ul-we might be -kept. - -In spite of their recent hearty meal of sofkee, a preparation of which -they spoke in the highest terms, the boys were able to do ample justice -to Quorum's venison steaks, greatly to the satisfaction of the old -negro. He would have felt deeply grieved if they had allowed any amount -of feasting in an Indian camp to interfere with their enjoyment of a -meal that he had cooked, no matter how short an interval might have -elapsed between the two. - -Although the boys felt rather stiff and lame the next morning, it -did not prevent their being ready bright and early to continue their -journey. It was a great pleasure to be once more afloat in their own -canoes, and this was increased by the fact that they now had a swift -current with them. It was a glorious March day, and all nature seemed -to share their high spirits as they glided smoothly down the beautiful -river. The water swarmed with fish and alligators, and the adjacent -forest was alive with birds. Among the innumerable fish that darted -beneath them, they soon recognized several salt-water varieties, which -assured them that the ocean could not be far off. - -As the three canoes were moving quietly along abreast of each other and -close together, the _Psyche_ suddenly glided over a huge black object -that for an instant seemed inclined to rise and lift it bodily into the -air. As it was dropped back, there was a tremendous floundering, and -all three of the light craft were rocked so violently that only the -skill of their navigators saved them from capsizing. - -"Was it a waterquake?" inquired Worth, with a very pale face, as soon -as his fright would allow him to speak. - -"Yes; and there it goes," laughed the Lieutenant, pointing to a great -dim form that could just be seen moving swiftly off through the clear -water. - -"It must have been a whale," said Sumner. - -"No," answered Lieutenant Carey; "but it was the next thing to it. -It was a manatee or sea-cow. I have seen them in the lower Indian -River, but did not know they were found down here. I wish you boys -might have a good look at him, though, for the manatee is one of the -rarest animals in the world. It is warm-blooded and amphibious, lives -on water-grasses and other aquatic plants, grows to be twelve or -fifteen feet long, weighs nearly a ton, and is one of the most timid -and harmless of creatures. It is the only living representative of its -family on this continent, all the other members being extinct. The -Indians hunt it for its meat, which is said to be very good eating, -and for its bones, which are as fine-grained and as hard as ivory. In -general appearance it is not unlike a seal. It can strike a powerful -blow with its great flat tail, but is otherwise unarmed and incapable -of injuring an enemy. Several have been caught in nets and shipped -North for exhibition, but none of them has lived more than a few weeks -in captivity." - -"What made that fellow go for us if he isn't a fighter?" asked Worth. - -"He didn't," laughed the Lieutenant. "He was probably asleep, and is -wondering why we went for him. I can assure you that he was vastly more -scared than we were." - -"He must have been frightened almost to death, then," said Sumner. - -Soon after this they saw a landing-place on the left bank. Stopping to -examine it, they discovered a trail leading through a fringe of bushes, -behind which was an Indian field covering an old shell mound, and in a -high state of cultivation. In it were growing sweet-potatoes, melons, -squashes, sugar-cane, and beans--a supply of which they would gladly -have purchased had the proprietors been present. As they were not, and -necessity knows no law, our canoemen helped themselves to what they -needed, and when they left, the load of the cruiser was materially -increased. - -At length they heard the dull boom of surf, and realized that only -a narrow strip of land separated them from the ocean. Late in the -afternoon they reached the mouth of the river, and the boys uttered -joyous shouts as they looked out over its bar and saw a limitless -expanse of blue waters, unbroken by islands, glistening in the light of -the setting sun. - -With light hearts they went into camp on the inner side of the sandy -point separating the quiet waters on which they had been floating from -the long swells of the open sea. They intended running out of the river -and down the coast in the morning, for from their surroundings, as well -as from the general course they had taken through the 'Glades, the -Lieutenant was satisfied that they must be considerably to the north of -Cape Florida. - -The boys determined to sleep in their canoes that night, and rigged up -the little-used striped canoe tents for that purpose. While they were -doing this, and the Lieutenant was pitching his own tent on shore, and -the others were collecting drift-wood on the beach, there came a hail -from across the river. - -"Hello there! Bring a boat over here, can't ye?" - -It was the first white man they had seen since leaving the _Transit_, -and going over in the cruiser, Sumner brought him back. He proved to -be a barefooted boy, a year younger than Worth, and yet he was the -mail-carrier over the most southerly land route, and one of the most -lonesome, in the United States. It is the seventy-mile stretch between -Lake Worth and Biscayne Bay, and every week this boy or his younger -brother walked the whole distance and back along the beach, with a -mail-sack on his back. He had to cross the mouths of two rivers, -for which purpose he kept an old skiff at each one. It sometimes -happened, as in the present case, that some other beach traveller -would appropriate his boat, and leave it on the wrong side. Then, -unless fortunate enough to find some one to set him across, he would be -obliged to brave the sharks and other sea-monsters, with which these -rivers swarm, and swim over after his own boat. Along his route were -three houses of refuge, situated twenty miles apart, and belonging to -the Life-saving Service. Each of them contained a single keeper, and -these were the only persons seen by the lonely mail-boy while on his -toilsome tramps. - -The boy was greatly interested in the canoes, which he declared were -the neatest little tricks he ever did see, but he scouted the idea of -sleeping in them. "Why," said he, "some of them sharks or porpusses -what uses round here nights will run inter ye an' upsot ye quicker'n -wink." - -He was amazed that they should cruise in such tiny craft, and begged -them not to think of attempting to run down the coast in them. On the -whole he regarded our young canoemates as being particularly daring and -reckless fellows, and they regarded him in much the same way, though -he made light of his lonely beach tramps, on which he often met bears, -panthers, or other wild animals. - -He told them that they were about twenty-five miles north of Cape -Florida; that there was a "station" on the beach six miles north of -them; that turtle were beginning to lay eggs, and bears to frequent the -beach in search of them; that sharks grew larger in those very waters -than anywhere else on the coast; and that an easterly wind would blow -in the morning, which would prevent their crossing the bar. Having -delivered himself of this information, and saying that he must make the -station that night, the boy slung his mail-sack over his shoulders, and -started off at a brisk pace up the soft shelving beach. - -After what he had told them about sharks, Sumner and Worth concluded -not to sleep in their canoes that night. They might have done so with -perfect safety, however, for no shark was ever known to overturn a boat -for the sake of getting at a human being inside of it. - -The next morning the mail-boy's prediction in regard to the east wind -was verified. It was blowing briskly at sunrise, and already a big sea -was rolling in, combing and booming on the bar. Their boats would not -live in it a moment, and consequently they must stay where they were -until the wind changed. - -After breakfast the Lieutenant sat in his tent writing, the sailor was -repairing a torn sail, Quorum was taking a nap, and the boys were left -to their own devices for amusement. An hour or so later Lieutenant -Carey, the sailor, and Quorum were startled by loud calls for help from -the beach, and hurried in that direction to see what new scrape the -"young rascals," as the Lieutenant called them, had got into now. - - - - -CHAPTER XXXVII. - -FISHING FOR SHARKS. - - -In strolling along the outer beach, picking up curious sponges and bits -of coral, the attention of the boys was also attracted to the shadowy -forms of great fish that they could distinguish every now and then -darting along the green base of the combers just before they broke. - -"Do you think they can be sharks?" asked Worth. - -"Yes," replied Sumner; "I am almost sure they are." - -"My! but I wish we could catch one! I have never seen a shark out of -water." - -"I shouldn't wonder if we could. I've got a shark-hook in the _Psyche_, -and our Manila cables, knotted together, will make just the kind of -line we want." - -Fifteen minutes later the hook and line had been prepared. For bait, -they took one of a number of fish that Quorum had caught that morning. - -The shark-hook was a huge affair, over a foot long and made of steel a -quarter of an inch thick. To it was attached by a swivel several feet -of chain terminating in a ring to which the line was made fast. - -Sumner had caught many sharks off Key West wharves, but they had been -comparatively small, and with the monsters of the reef he had hitherto -had no dealings. Consequently, he was almost as ignorant of their -strength as was Worth. Therefore, without reflecting on the folly of -the act, and fearing that the line might be jerked from his hands, he -made its inner end fast about his waist. - -Then whirling the heavy hook above his head, he cast it far out in the -breakers. Within a minute it was tossed back to the beach, and had to -be thrown again. This operation was repeated so many times without any -result that the boys were beginning to tire of it, when all at once -there came a jerk on the line that nearly threw Sumner off his feet. - -"Hurrah!" he cried. "We've got him at last! Catch hold, Worth, and help -me haul him in." - -But it was soon evident that instead of their catching the shark, he -had caught them. In spite of all their efforts, and no matter how -deeply they dug their feet into the sand, the boys found themselves -being dragged slowly but surely towards the water. At first they did -not realize their danger; but when they were within a few yards of the -creamy froth churned up by the breakers, it flashed over them, and they -began to utter those shouts for help that attracted the attention of -their companions in the camp. - -Although Worth could have let go of the line at any minute, the thought -of doing such a thing never entered his head. Even when the water was -about his feet and the wet sand was slipping rapidly from beneath them, -the plucky little chap held on and struggled with all his might to -avert the fate that threatened his friend. - -They were nearly hopeless before the three men reached them, and, -rushing into the water, seized the line with such a powerful grasp that -its seaward motion was instantly arrested. Not only that, but they -walked away with it so easily that a minute later the shark was landed -high and dry on the beach, where the sailor despatched it with an axe. - -It was a white shark of moderate size, being not more than seven or -eight feet long. For all that, it was a monster as compared with those -Sumner had been in the habit of catching, and he gazed with a curious -sensation at its wicked eyes, and the row upon row of curved gleaming -teeth with which the gaping mouth was provided. - -"It was a close call for you, my boy," said the Lieutenant, gravely, -"and has taught you a lesson that I am sure you will never forget. -You may thank your lucky stars that the hook was taken by this little -fellow instead of by one of his grandfathers or uncles. Now that we -have started in this business, I am going to try and show you what -might have happened." - -Under his direction a hole some five feet deep was dug, a heavy timber, -selected from those with which the beach was strewn, was thrust into -it, and the sand was repacked solidly about it. To this, instead of -to Sumner's body, the end of the line was attached, and the fishing -for sharks was resumed. While the post was being set, Lieutenant Carey -brought his rifle from the camp. Several sharks, some smaller and some -larger than the first, were caught; but not until the hook was seized -by one that dragged the entire party clinging to it slowly down the -beach did the Lieutenant express himself as satisfied. - -"Hold on to it!" he cried. "Brace yourselves! Snub him all you can!" - -The strain on the line was tremendous, and it hummed like a harpstring. -But for the post to aid them, they must have let go. At length, -even the enormous strength at the other end of the line began to be -exhausted. Foot by foot the slack was gathered in and held at the -post. Then a great ugly-looking head could be seen in the edge of the -breakers, and the next minute a rifle-ball crashed into it. - -In the flurry that followed the line snapped, and the boys uttered a -cry of dismay. But the bullet had done its work, and a few minutes -later the huge carcass was rolling like a log in the surf. The sailor -managed to get a bight of the line over its tail, and by their united -efforts the great fish was drawn partly from the water; but beyond -there they could not move it. It was nearly fifteen feet long, and -Sumner shuddered as he realized how easily and quickly such a monster -as that could have dragged him out to sea. - -"It seems to me," said Worth, "that some kinds of fishing are as -dangerous as deer-hunting, and just as exciting." - -While they were still looking at the big shark their attention was -attracted to a loud barking in the beach scrub behind them, and by -a man's voice shouting: "Wus-le! Wus-le! You, sir! Come here!" It -was evident that Wus-le was a dog, and that he was engaged in some -absorbing occupation that forbade him to pay any attention to the calls -of his unseen master. - -Going to the place from which the barking came, the shark-fishers -were in time to witness a most interesting performance. A small -brindled bull-terrier was tearing in a circle round and round a -coiled rattlesnake. The former was barking furiously, and the sound -so enraged the snake that the angry whir-r-r-r of its rattles was -almost continuous. At the same time it was dazed by the rapidity of -the dog's motions. At length it sprang forward, struck viciously, and -missed its mark. At the same moment the dog dashed in, seized the snake -by the back, gave one furious shake, and jumped away. The snake was -evidently injured, for it re-coiled slowly. Once more, enraged beyond -endurance, it struck at its agile adversary, and then the dog had him. -In an instant the snake's back was broken, and a minute later it lay -motionless and dead. - -As soon as he was certain of his victory, the dog paid no more -attention to his late enemy, but with panting breath and lolling tongue -that betrayed the energy of his recent exertions, he ran to meet his -master, who appeared at that moment from the direction of the river. - -He was a powerfully built man, dressed partly as a hunter and partly -as a sailor. He carried a rifle, and introduced himself as the keeper -of the house of refuge a few miles up the coast. He upbraided the dog -as though it were a human being for tackling a rattlesnake, and then -remarked apologetically to the spectators of the recent fight: "I have -to scold him on general principles, but it don't do any good. He is -bound to fight and kill snakes till they kill him, which I am always -expecting they will. They haven't done it yet, though, and he has -killed more than twenty rattlers, besides more of other kinds than I -can count. He's a good dog, Wus-le is, and he's a terror to snakes." - -The man said he had learned of the Lieutenant and his companions being -in the river from the mail-carrier, and, feeling lonely, had come to -invite them to go to the station and stay with him until the wind -changed. As he assured them that this was not likely to happen for -several days, and as they were ahead of the time set for their arrival -at Cape Florida, Lieutenant Carey accepted the invitation. - -On their way up the river their guide pointed out a grove of cocoanut -palms, marking the site of a fort erected during the Seminole War, the -name of which was at one time familiar to all Americans. It was the -scene of the treacherous seizure of the famous chief Osceola, who was -lured into it under the pretence of considering a treaty. From there -he was hurried to Fort Moultrie, in Charleston Harbor, where he soon -afterwards died of a broken heart. - -They found the station to be a low, roomy structure, surrounded by -broad piazzas, built in the most solid manner so as to withstand -hurricanes. It stood on top of the beach ridge, and commanded a -glorious view of the ocean, as well as of the low-lying back country. -At one end was a small separate house containing a great cistern, -in which a supply of water was collected during the rainy season of -summer, to last through the long winter drought. At the opposite end -stood a building in which was kept a metallic life-boat and a quantity -of canned provisions for the use of sailors who might be wrecked on -that lonely coast. - -Here the exploring party remained for nearly a week, while the wind -still held steadily to the east, and they all declared it to be the -happiest and most interesting week of their cruise. - -They hunted, fished, and sailed on the inland waters behind the beach -ridge to their hearts' content. Quorum was kept constantly busy cooking -on the station kitchen stove the venison, fish, turtle, ducks, quail, -'possum, and other food supplies with which the surrounding country -abounded. - -Worth felt that his reputation as a hunter was fully restored when he -shot a wild-cat that Wus-le had treed, and Sumner was more than proud -over the killing of a black bear, which the same enterprising dog -discovered one night digging for turtle eggs on the beach but a short -distance from the station. The Lieutenant worked at the report of his -expedition, while the sailor and the keeper labored at the frame of a -light-draught, sea-going boat, which the latter wished to build for his -own use, and for which Sumner furnished the plans and model. - -At length the wind, which in that country always boxes the compass, -worked around to the westward, and as it was the end of March, the -canoes were again loaded, and the pleasant life at the station came to -an end. - - - - -CHAPTER XXXVIII. - -LITTLE KO-WIK-A SAILS OUT TO SEA. - - -There was a long swell heaving in over the bar at the mouth of the -river, but no breakers; and the little fleet, crossing it easily, laid -a course down the coast. A stretch of twenty miles lay before them ere -they would find another opening into which they could run for shelter, -and they were therefore desirous of making the run before night. On -most waters this would not have been difficult; but just here was a -strong head current, that of the Gulf Stream, running fully three miles -an hour, and they knew that to overcome this, and also to make twenty -miles during the day, would tax the sailing powers of their small -craft to the utmost. Nor could they all sail. The _Hu-la-lah_ had no -centre-board, and with the wind somewhat forward of abeam, the use -of her sail would only have driven her off shore. The Lieutenant was -therefore obliged to rely upon his paddle and keep close to the coast. -The cruiser, being a slow sailer close-hauled, kept him company, but -the _Psyche_ and _Cupid_ drew gradually ahead, and were soon out of -hailing distance. - -It was so delightful to find themselves again sailing, and their canoes -were doing so splendidly, that the boys hated to stop. And why should -they? There was nothing to fear. They knew where they were going, the -others were in company, and a halting-place for the night had been -agreed upon. They would stop when they reached it, and that would be -soon enough. - -Until noon the breeze was very light, but after that it freshened -and soon came off the land in angry little gusts that suggested the -propriety of reefing. With a single reef in each of their sails, they -ran until late in the afternoon, when they sighted a cut leading into -the great land-locked sheet of Biscayne Bay. They were to enter this -bay and cruise down behind its outer keys to Cape Florida, but it had -been decided that they should camp on the upper side of the cut for -that night. - -The wind had increased in strength until now even double-reefed sails -could hardly be carried on the canoes. The whole sky was covered with -dark clouds, while a bank of inky blackness was rising in the west. -It was evident that a wind-squall of unusual violence would shortly -burst upon them, and almost at the same moment both the canoemates -lowered their sails, jointed their paddles, and headed straight in for -land. As he lowered his sail and cast a glance astern in search of the -other boats, Sumner noticed a large steamer coming down the coast. He -wondered if she were not too close in for safety, but the immediate -demands of his situation quickly drove all thoughts of her from his -mind. - -In the teeth of the spiteful gusts, and facing the ominous blackness, -they worked their way in until they could see the very place that -the station-keeper had described to them as being a suitable -camping-ground. Five minutes more would take them to its shelter. Just -then Sumner shouted to Worth, and drew his attention to a strange craft -that he had been watching for several minutes. It was coming out of the -cut, running dead before the wind, but yawing and gybing in a manner -that indicated either utter recklessness or absolute ignorance on the -part of its crew. The two canoes were so close together that Worth -could hear Sumner plainly as he shouted: - -"It's an Indian canoe, and apparently unmanageable. I'm going to up -sail and run down for a look at it. Do you paddle in to shore, and be -out of harm's way before that squall bursts." - -"Oh, Sumner, don't run any risks!" shouted Worth. - -"All right, I'll be careful. But you'll make things a great deal easier -for me if you will start at once for shore. That's a good fellow." - -So Worth did as his friend desired, and Sumner, hoisting his -double-reefed main-sail, bore down on the strange canoe, which would -otherwise have passed him at quite a distance. It was going at a -tremendous pace, and as the two craft neared each other, Sumner saw to -his consternation that the sole occupant of the dugout was a child who -stretched out its little arms imploringly towards him. He saw this as -the runaway canoe, under full sail, shot across his bow. - -A tumult of thought flashed through the boy's mind like lightning. He -was near enough to land to reach it in safety. That child, if left -alone, was rushing to certain destruction. He might be able to rescue -it, and he might not. The chances were that he would lose his own life -in the attempt. Very well; could he lose it in a better cause? What -would his father have done under similar circumstances? That last -question was sufficient. There was no longer any room for argument. - -Even during his moment of hesitation the boy had been loosening the -reef-line of his main-sail, and simultaneously with his decision a -quick pull at the halyard exposed its full surface to the wind. Over -heeled the canoe, with Sumner leaning far out on the weather side. Then -her head paid off, and under the influence of the first blast of the -squall she sprang away like a frightened animal, in the direction taken -by the runaway. - -That same afternoon a fleet of Indian canoes, containing Ul-we and -his companions, had crossed Biscayne Bay from the main-land. Instead -of descending the river on which they had left our explorers, they -had skirted the edge of the 'Glades to another that flowed into the -bay, the secret of which they did not choose to have Lieutenant Carey -learn. Although it still lacked a day of new moon, they decided to take -advantage of the fair wind, cross the bay, and spend the intervening -time in catching and smoking a supply of fish at a point several miles -above Cape Florida. - -In the canoe with Ul-we was his six-year-old brother, the little -Ko-wik-a, who was sometimes allowed to hold the sheet while they were -sailing, and who considered himself fully competent to manage the boat -alone. However, being very wise in some things, he did not say this nor -express in words his longing for a chance to prove his skill. He simply -waited for an opportunity that was not long in coming. - -After the Indians had pitched their camp, Ul-we, taking Ko-wik-a with -him, went up to the cut to set a net into which fish would run with the -flood-tide. Reaching the place, he went into the mangroves to cut some -poles, leaving his little brother in the canoe. - -This was Ko-wik-a's chance, and he was quick to seize it. He would now -show Ul-we that if he was little, he could sail a boat. The big brother -had hardly disappeared when the little one shoved the canoe out from -the mangroves and grasped the sheet in his chubby hands. The sail was -already hoisted. He did not try to steer, but the wind and swiftly -ebbing tide did that for him. A minute later and he was running out of -the cut at racing speed, wholly jubilant over the complete success of -his experiment. When he got ready to turn round and go back, he became -a little frightened to find out that something more than wishing to do -so was necessary. When his craft shot out from the cut, and, leaving -the land behind, headed out into an infinitely larger body of water -than the little fellow had ever before seen, he became thoroughly -demoralized, and began to call loudly for Ul-we. - -Poor Ul-we had just discovered that both his little brother, whom he -loved better than anyone or anything in the world, and his canoe had -disappeared, and was rushing frantically towards the outer beach. His -instinct told him what had happened, and his one hope was to reach the -end of the cut in time to swim off and intercept the runaway. - -When he did get there it was only in time to catch a fleeting glimpse -of his own well-known sail far out at sea, with another much whiter and -smaller one behind it. Then a cruel squall burst over the ocean. In a -cloud of rain and mist, borne forward by the fierce wind, the two sails -disappeared and the whole landscape was blotted from view. - -From a place of safety on the opposite side of the cut, though unseen -by Ul-we, Worth Manton strained his eyes for a last glimpse of the -_Psyche's_ fluttering signal flag, and the others, rapidly nearing him, -wondered at his gesture of despair as it was blotted out. - -The squall was long and fierce, and by the time it had passed, the -darkness of night had shut in and the stars were shining. - - - - -CHAPTER XXXIX. - -A BLACK SQUALL AND THE STRANDED STEAMER. - - -Although the _Psyche_ was flying at racing speed dead before the wind, -which freshened with each moment, and was rolling frightfully under -her press of canvas, she was no match in running for the long dugout -of which she was in pursuit. Had the latter been properly trimmed and -steered, the light cedar canoe could never have caught it. As it was, -Sumner saw that he was gaining, but so slowly that he could not hope to -overtake it before being carried miles out to sea. In that weather and -with night coming on, this was by no means a cheerful prospect. Still -he had no thought of turning back. He had entered upon this race with a -full knowledge of its possible consequences, and he would either save -the helpless little figure that had appealed to him so imploringly, or -perish with it. - -So the clutch on his deck tiller tightened, and the taut main-sheet -held in the other hand was not slackened a single inch, until the -hissing rush of the black squall was in his ears. Then the canoe was -sharply luffed, the sheet was dropped, the halyard cast off, and the -white sail fell to the deck like a broken wing. As it was gathered in -and made fast with a turn of the sheet, the squall burst on the stanch -little craft and heeled it far over. It offered too little resistance -to be capsized, and a minute later, steadied by the double-bladed -paddle, it was once more got before the wind and was scudding under -bare poles. - -While doing all this, Sumner had been too busy to look after the object -of his pursuit. Now he could not see it, and he almost choked with the -thought that his brave effort had been made in vain, after all. No, -there it was, close at hand, but no longer showing a sail or flying -from him. Heeling over before the blast, its long boom had been thrust -into the water, and in an instant the slender craft had been upset. -Now, full of water, it floated on one side like a log. At first, Sumner -failed to see its tiny occupant, and the thought that he had been -drowned almost within reach was a bitter one. But no. Hurrah! There he -is! With head just above the water, and chubby hands clutching at the -slippery sides of his craft, the plucky little chap was still fighting -for life. - -As the _Psyche_ swept alongside, steered to a nicety, Sumner reached -out, and, nearly overturning his canoe by the effort, caught the little -fellow by an arm. The water was pouring in over the cockpit coaming, -and had the child been a pound heavier, the next instant would have -seen two helplessly drifting canoes instead of one. As it was, he -was hauled in and safely deposited in the inch or more of water that -swashed above the cockpit floor. - -With infinite self-possession the child smiled up into the face of his -rescuer and lisped: "How, Sumner!" - -Then the boy recognized the little Ko-wik-a, whose acquaintance he had -made in Ul-we's camp, and as a relief to his own overstrained nerves, -called him a little imp, and abused him roundly for getting them -into such a scrape. At the same time tears stood in his eyes, and he -could have hugged the child cuddling between his knees and smiling so -confidingly in his face. - -[Illustration: SUMNER RESCUES KO-WIK-A.] - -Though the rescue of Ko-wik-a had been so happily accomplished, they -were still in a sad plight--driving out to sea in an egg-shell, with no -chance of battling back against the tempest, and the darkness of night -enshrouding them. With each moment the storm-lashed waves were mounting -higher. All Sumner's skill was required to prevent the canoe from -broaching to and turning over. How much longer would his strength hold -out? Already he felt it failing. He would soon become exhausted, and -then-- - -Hark! What was that? The note of a steam-whistle? Yes, and another, and -still others, struggling back hoarsely against the wind. Then a light -twinkled through the darkness, and directly other lights were outlining -a huge black shape right in their track. - -Sumner remembered the steamer he had seen just before parting from -Worth. Could this be she? What was she doing there, apparently at -anchor? - -Driving under her stern, a few minutes' hard paddling brought the canoe -into the quiet calm of the towering lee. Then Sumner shouted again and -again, but the voice of the ship calling for aid in her own distress -drowned his cries. After a while the whistle notes ceased, and he -shouted again. This time he was heard, and an answering hail came from -the deck high above him, "Who is it, and where are you?" - -Sumner answered, and in a few minutes a port low down in the ship's -side was flung open, and a flood of light poured from it. Two ropes -were lowered, and Sumner getting the bights under the bow and stern of -his canoe, it, with its occupants, was lifted to the level of the open -port. Strong arms first received the little Ko-wik-a, and then helped -the young canoeman aboard the steamer. - -"Where is your vessel?" demanded the captain, who was among those -assembled to witness this unexpected arrival. - -"There," answered Sumner, pointing to the _Psyche_. - -"You don't mean to say that you are navigating the ocean in that -cockle-shell?" - -"Yes, I do; though I don't expect I should have navigated it much -longer if I hadn't fallen in with you just as I did. How do you happen -to be at anchor here, and what were you whistling for?" - -"We are not at anchor. We are aground, and I was blowing the whistle -in the hope of attracting some vessel or vessels, into which we could -lighter our cargo. Now I suppose I shall have to throw it overboard." - -"What for?" asked Sumner. "With this offshore wind there won't be any -heavy sea, and unless you have stove a hole in her bottom she ought to -float with the flood-tide." - -"Flood-tide! Isn't it the top of the flood now?" exclaimed the captain. - -"No; it's the very last of the ebb, and the flood will give you a -couple of feet more water." - -"Are you certain of that?" - -"Certain." - -"Then you are a trump!" cried the captain. "And I'm away out of my -reckoning, somehow. Your coming just as you have has undoubtedly saved -my cargo, for I should have begun heaving it overboard by this time. -You see, I was hugging the coast to escape the force of the Gulf as -much as possible, but was keeping a sharp lookout for the red buoy that -marks the end of the reef. I can't imagine how we missed it, unless it -has gone; but we did, and when Fowey was lighted, I saw that we were -too close in shore. I didn't know that we were inside of the reef; but -we struck within five minutes after I altered her course, and that was -nearly half an hour ago. We don't seem to have hit very hard, and she -lies easy without making any water; but she's here to stay, unless, as -you say, the flood-tide will lift her off. You are certain that this is -the last of the ebb?" - -"As certain as that I am standing here," answered Sumner, who had a -very distinct recollection of how the current had rushed out through -the cut. - -"Then let us go up into my room and have some supper. There you -can tell me how you happened to be out here in such weather with a -pickaninny aboard while we wait for the tide." - -How safe and comfortable the great ship seemed, after that wild race to -sea in a canoe! How the captain and mates and passengers marvelled at -Sumner's adventures, and what a pet they all made of little Ko-wik-a. -As for that self-possessed young Indian, he accepted all the attentions -lavished upon him in the most matter-of-fact manner, and with the -utmost composure. He expressed no surprise at anything he saw; but his -keen little eyes studied all the details of his novel surroundings, and -he stored away scraps of startling information with which to astonish -his young Everglade comrades for many a day. - -The squall passed and the sea smoothed out its wrinkles soon after -the crew of the _Psyche_ came aboard, and shortly before midnight the -rising tide lifted the great ship gently off the reef. She was backed -to a safe distance from it, and there anchored to await the coming of -daylight. - -Knowing what anxiety his friends and Ko-wik-a's friends must be -suffering on their account, Sumner determined to return to them at the -earliest possible moment. The first signs of dawn, therefore, found the -_Psyche_, with her crew and passenger, once more afloat. A hearty cheer -followed the brave little craft as she glided away from the great -ship, and in less than an hour she was paddled gently up to where the -other canoes and the cruiser lay on the beach. - -It had been a sad night to the inmates of that lonely camp, and most of -its long hours had been spent in a fruitless watching for the return -of the well-loved lad, whom most of them had such slight hopes of ever -again seeing. Only Worth had faith, and declared that while he did not -know how Sumner would manage it, he was confident that he would turn up -again all right somehow. Towards morning their anxiety found relief in -a troubled sleep, and as Sumner walked into the camp there was none to -greet him or note his coming. - -"Hello, in the camp!" he shouted. "Here it is almost sunrise and no -breakfast ready yet!" - -No surprise could be more complete or more joyful than that. Worth was -the first to spring to his feet. - -"He's come back safe and sound!" he shouted. "Oh, Sumner, I knew you -would! I was sure of it, and told them so!" - -"The next time I let you away from my side it will only be at the end -of a long rope, you young rascal, you!" said the Lieutenant, after the -extravagant joy of the first greeting had somewhat subsided. - -After an unusually late and happy breakfast, they sailed through the -cut and into the beautiful bay to which it led. They soon discovered -the camp to which Ko-wik-a belonged, and the canoe that had rescued -him had the honor of bearing him to it. He was received with a -wondering joy that was none the less real for its lack of extravagant -manifestation. As Ul-we took the child from Sumner's arms, he turned -his face away to hide the emotion that would be unbecoming in an Indian -and a warrior. It was there, however, and the look of intense gratitude -that he gave the boy was more expressive than any words that he could -have uttered. - -Then the Indians broke their camp, and they and the whites sailed away -together to the appointed rendezvous on Cape Florida. - - - - -CHAPTER XL. - -THE HAPPY ENDING OF THE CRUISE. - - -On their entire cruise our young canoemates had not enjoyed a day's -run so much as they did this one in company with the Indians who had -crossed the Everglades with them, but of whom they had seen so little. -The wind was so fair that the boats without centre-boards could sail as -well as those with, and the run was a series of match races, of which -the _Psyche_ and _Cupid_ were winners in nearly every case. - -As Ul-we's canoe had been lost the night before, the Lieutenant invited -both him and the little Ko-wik-a to a sail in the _Hu-la-lah_, and even -the self-contained young Indian was compelled to express his admiration -of the graceful craft. When he ventured to ask what such a canoe would -cost, and the price was named, his face indicated his despair at ever -being able to accumulate such a sum, and he murmured: - -"Heap money! Injun no get um." - -At Cape Florida, while the camps were being pitched but a short -distance from each other, the boys went with Ul-we to set another -fish-trap, such as he had been about to prepare when Ko-wik-a ran away -with his canoe the day before. The little fellow went with them, but -he no longer showed any inclination to go sailing on his own hook. -After Ul-we had fixed his trap they went over to a submerged bank that -extends southward several miles from the cape. Here, while the boys -waded in the shoal water collecting sea porcupines, urchins, tiny -squids, bits of live coral, and numberless other marine curiosities, -Ul-we was busy gathering and throwing into his canoe a quantity of big -greenish shells that looked like so many rocks. When they were ready to -go back, and Sumner saw this novel cargo, he exclaimed: - -"Good! Now we will have some conch soup for dinner!" - -"How do you know?" asked Worth. - -"Because here are the conchs, and Ul-we has enough for all of us." - -"Those things!" cried Worth, in a tone of disgust. "You surely don't -mean that they are good to eat?" - -"Yes, I do," laughed Sumner, picking up one of the shells and showing -Worth the white meat with which its exquisitely pink interior was -filled. "I mean that these fellows can be made into the very best soup -I know of." - -"Seems to me I have seen that kind of a shell before," said Worth, "but -I never knew that any one ever ate their contents." - -"Of course you have seen the shells. You will find them in half the -farm-houses of the country, where, with the point of the small end cut -off, they are used as dinner horns. As for the eating part, you wait -till Quorum gives you a chance to test it this evening. If you don't -find it fully as good as sofkee, then I shall be mistaken." - -The boys had been greatly disappointed at not finding either the -Mantons' yacht nor the _Transit_ awaiting them at the cape. Several -times in the course of the afternoon they climbed to the top of an -abandoned light-house tower near their camp, in the hope of sighting a -sail bound in that direction. As they did so just before sunset, they -saw several far over towards the main-land, but they were too distant -for their character to be distinguished. - -Never had they seen anything so exquisitely beautiful or so royally -gorgeous as that Southern sunset, and they lingered at the top of the -tower until the last of its marvellous flame tints had burned out, and -the delicate crescent of the new moon was sinking into the 'Glades -behind the distant pine-trees of the main-land. - -At supper time Worth was introduced to conch soup, and he agreed with -Sumner that it was fully equal to sofkee. - -After supper the boys strolled over to the Indian camp, to which -Lieutenant Carey was attracted soon afterwards by their shouts of -laughter. He did not recognize the boys until they spoke to him, for -they had persuaded Ul-we to array them as he had after the forest fire, -and they were now in full Indian costume. - -In the mean time the distant sails that they had sighted from the top -of the old tower had been running across the bay before a brisk breeze, -and two vessels had quietly come to anchor just inside the cape. The -glow of the camp-fires could be seen from these, and from one of them a -boat containing several persons pulled in to the beach. A minute later -two gentlemen, whose footsteps were unheard in the sand, stood on the -edge of the circle of firelight, and one of them said to the other, in -a low and disappointed tone: - -"It's only an Indian camp after all, Tracy." - -"So it is," replied the other, regretfully. "Still, they may be able to -give us some news. Let's go in and inquire." - -At that moment the attention of the Indians was equally divided -between Sumner, who was apparently accumulating a fortune by taking -half-dollars from little Ko-wik-a's mouth and ears, and Worth, who was -attempting to dance what he called a clog with Indian variations, to -the music of Lieutenant Carey's whistle. Suddenly little Ko-wik-a, who -was nervously excited over Sumner's wonderful performance, uttered a -startled cry and sprang to one side, staring into the darkness. - -All the others looked in the same direction, and probably the dignified -Mr. Manton was never more surprised in his life than when a young -Indian bounded to his side, flung his arms about his neck, and called -him "Dear father!" His brother was equally amazed when another young -Indian sprang to where he was standing, seized his hand, and called him -"Mr. Tracy!" - -When they discovered, by their voices and by what they were -incoherently saying, that these young Indians were not Indians at all, -but the very boys of whom they were in search, tanned to the color of -mahogany, and dressed in borrowed finery, the surprise and delight of -the two gentlemen can better be imagined than described. - -"Is it possible," cried Mr. Manton, holding Worth off at arm's-length -so that the firelight shone full upon him, "that this can be the -pale-faced chap with a cough who left me in St. Augustine a couple of -months ago? Why, son, you've grown an inch taller and, I should say, -six in breadth!" Then, turning to the other boy, and scanning his -features closely, he added: "And is this Sumner Rankin, the son of my -old schoolmate Rankin, whom I lost sight of after he went into the -navy? My boy, for your father's sake, and for the sake of what you -have done for Worth this winter, I want you hereafter to regard me as -a father, and continue to act as this boy's elder brother. Ever since -Tracy told me of you I have been almost as impatient to meet you as to -rejoin Worth, for as schoolmates your father and I were as dear to each -other as own brothers." - -While this joyful meeting was taking place, a boat from the _Transit_ -had come ashore, and Ensign Sloe was reporting to Lieutenant Carey. -Then the whole party had to sit down where they were, and, surrounded -by the grave-faced Indians, tell and listen to as much of the past two -months' experience as could be crowded into as many hours. - -The Mantons were charmed with Lieutenant Carey, and he with them, while -towards Ul-we their gratitude was unbounded. Old Quorum, too, was -introduced, and warmly thanked for his fidelity to the young canoemates. - -[Illustration: THE SURPRISE AND DELIGHT OF THE TWO GENTLEMEN CAN BE -BETTER IMAGINED THAN DESCRIBED.] - -Before the schooners sailed for Key West, which they did the next -day, Lieutenant Carey presented Ul-we with the _Hu-la-lah_, and Worth -gave him the handsomest rifle in his father's collection, besides -promising to send little Ko-wik-a a light canoe for his very own. -Mr. Manton and Uncle Tracy between them not only purchased from the -Indians, at fabulous prices, the costumes in which they found the boys, -but everything else they could think of that would aid in reproducing -their present appearance and surroundings for the benefit of their -Northern friends. The properties they thus acquired included bear, -wolf, panther, and deer skins, and even a sofkee kettle with its great -wooden spoon. Besides this, they and the Lieutenant so loaded the -Indian canoes with provisions, tobacco, cartridges for their rifles -and shot-guns, and other useful things, that this occasion formed a -theme for conversation about every camp-fire throughout the length and -breadth of the Everglades for many a long day. Should Lieutenant Carey -and his party ever care to penetrate those wilds again, they will be -certain of a hearty welcome, and of being allowed to go where they -please. - -Then the two yachts set sail for their run down the reef to Key West, -where another joyful greeting awaited the young canoemates. - -Before the Mantons left there, it was arranged that Mrs. Rankin should -dispose of her Key West home as soon as possible, and sail for New -York, where Mr. Manton said he had a cosey little house waiting for -just such tenants as herself and Sumner. - -"Be sure and come as quickly as you can," he said, "for I want my -new boy to design and build me a yacht this summer for next winter's -cruising." - -"I shall need one too," added Uncle Tracy, "and I think I know of -several more that will be wanted." - -"Don't forget to bring the _Psyche_ with you, Sumner!" shouted Worth, -the last thing. - -"As if I would!" answered Sumner. "Whatever boats I may own, I will -never part with that dear canoe so long as I live." - -That evening, as the boy and his mother sat discussing their pleasant -prospects for the future, Sumner said: - -"Well, mother, I have learned one thing from the past two months' -experience, and that is that wealthy people can be just as kind and -considerate, and may be as dearly loved, as poor ones. I didn't believe -it at one time, but now I know it." - - - - - * * * * * * - - - - -Transcriber's note: - - Obvious spelling and punctuation errors have been corrected. - - Archaic, dialect and alternative spelling has been retained. - - Blank pages facing illustrations have been removed. - - Emphasised text is shown thus: _italics_ =bold= - - - -***END OF THE PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK CANOEMATES*** - - -******* This file should be named 62301.txt or 62301.zip ******* - - -This and all associated files of various formats will be found in: -http://www.gutenberg.org/dirs/6/2/3/0/62301 - - -Updated editions will replace the previous one--the old editions will -be renamed. - -Creating the works from print editions not protected by U.S. copyright -law means that no one owns a United States copyright in these works, -so the Foundation (and you!) can copy and distribute it in the United -States without permission and without paying copyright -royalties. 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