A BOLD DASH.
Frank's first action was to bend over the wireless apparatus and send
flashing and crackling across the air a message to Camp Walrus to be
relayed in haste to the _Tarantula_. The members of the young
adventurers' party left at the camp were to remain there, ordered Frank,
till the _Golden Eagle II_ returned. Lathrop was instructed to inform
the _Tarantula_ of the whereabouts of the submarine so that Lieutenant
Selby might head her off in case the boys were unsuccessful in the quest
for the missing naval officer which Frank felt bound to prosecute, even
at the risk of letting the formula of the explosive get out of the
country.
"Will do as instructed. Gee! but you are all right," was Lathrop's
admiring response, which made both boys smile in spite of themselves and
their heavy hearts.
"What do you propose to do now?" asked Harry, as Frank cut out the
circuit from the wireless and turned away from the instrument.
"Go back there as soon as we have had breakfast and make another try,"
was the young leader's instant response.
"Go back?" echoed Harry in amazement.
"We must," said Frank earnestly, "a man's life may depend on how quickly
we act."
"But do you think there is any likelihood of our succeeding in getting
near enough to their camp to aid Lieutenant Chapin materially,"
persisted the younger brother.
"I don't know yet, but I have an idea that by landing on the other side
of the island we might come up overland behind the settlement we saw
last night and gain some idea of what has become of Lieutenant Chapin."
"By George, Frank, you are a wonder," said Harry, admiringly. "You are
right," he went on, "there is a chance and we'll take it."
"I knew you'd say so, old fellow," responded Frank, warmly grasping his
brother's hand, "and now for breakfast. It may be the last we'll get for
some time."
Both boys fell to with hearty appetites on wild guava, avocado pears,
broiled doves and two cups a piece of Quatty's coffee, which he made
with the skill of a French chef.
"I feel ready to tackle a regiment," declared Harry as the last morsels
disappeared.
So far Quatty had had no idea of the plan on foot and when he did hear
it he set up a series of loud lamentations that could be heard a mile.
It was all in vain, however. Remorselessly Frank ordered him down to the
boat with his pole. Had either of the boys been expert in the handling
of a boat with this oar of the 'glades they would not have compelled the
badly-scared black to accompany them, but it is an art which is only
acquired by long practice and it was absolutely necessary that they have
the benefit of his expertness. In the event, that even were the worst to
happen, and they were to be themselves captured, it was not likely that
any harm would come to Quatty; so neither of their consciences hurt them
much as Quatty shoved off and they once more glided down the narrow
water-course they had threaded the night before.
By daylight their progress was more rapid than it had been in the
darkness of the previous night, and it was not long before they gained
the point at which the narrow stream they were threading branched into
the broad main water-course. Of course it was not a feasible idea to
follow this and after some searching they managed to find a tiny,
shallow runnel that proceeded through the saw-grass in the direction
they wished to go but was small enough not to render it probable that it
was a main traveled stream. To their great disappointment, however, this
canoe path came to an end altogether after they had reached a point
about opposite the trees that abutted on the plotters' settlement at the
easterly end of their collection of huts. It continued on through the
saw-grass, however, in the form of a muddy Indian trail and the boys,
after a short consultation, decided to leave the boat behind in Quatty's
charge and take to the trail.
Rifles in hand and revolvers on their hips, they struggled bravely along
through the mud, that sometimes came up to their knees and sometimes
only to their ankles. It was killing work, for as the sun worked higher
the heat grew almost intolerable. Innumerable varieties of small
stinging insects too, settled about them in swarms and added to their
discomfort.
From time to time, in addition, a fat cotton-mouth would wiggle across
the trail or occasionally open its mouth in a loud hiss, showing the
white fangs that give it its name. Frank killed one of these reptiles
with the butt of his rifle. The others they had to avoid as best they
could. Of course they did not dare to discharge one of their weapons. To
have done so would have brought the whole settlement about their ears.
Frank consulted his pocket compass from time to time, having taken the
general bearing of the island from the boat before they started. The
compass was the only means they had of knowing if they were following a
correct course, as the saw-grass was so high on either side of the
narrow trail that to see over it was an impossible feat.
"Phew!" whispered Harry, as they floundered along through the wet,
steamy earth, "I've been in warm places but this is certainly the
hottest of them all."
"We cannot have much further to go," replied Frank, encouragingly, "as
far as I could judge when we left the boat the island was about two
miles away."
"I feel as if we'd traveled ten at least," gasped poor Harry. "Hark!"
His exclamation was called forth by a rustling in the tall grass
directly ahead of them.
"Get ready for trouble," whispered Frank.
Both boys got out their revolvers, as being handier weapons at close
quarters than the rifles. The trail took an abrupt turn just beyond the
point at which they stood, so that it was impossible to see who or what
it was that was approaching.
The rustling grew steadily nearer and both boys, while their hearts beat
thickly, determined that if the persons coming down the path were
foemen, to sell their lives dearly.
The next minute they had a great surprise.
Round the curve in the trail swung two of the beautiful small Everglade
deer. It was a question which was the most astonished, the boys or the
deer, at the encounter. For a fraction of a second the deer stood gazing
with their big, liquid eyes, at the boys and the boys stared back at the
deer. Then, as the boys broke into a smothered laugh at their needless
anxiety, the two animals swung round and galloped back the way they had
come.
"Well, we are getting as nervous as a pair of kittens," laughed Frank.
"They made as much noise as a regiment," replied Harry, echoing the
other's merriment, "I always understood that the deer was a quiet
retiring animal. Now I know different."
"At all events our encounter with them proves one valuable piece of
information," said Frank.
"What?" demanded his brother.
"That what we had supposed was an island must in reality be joined to
this trail by solid land."
"How do you make that out?"
"Well, those deer wouldn't go into the saw-grass, the stuff cuts like a
knife. Therefore they didn't get to the trail that way."
"Well?"
"And their coats were not wet. I notice, therefore, they had not swum
any creek to get here. All of which goes to show to my mind that if we
follow this trail we will get dry-shod to the island."
"Dry-shod?" echoed Harry, pointing to his muddied legs.
"I mean that we shall not, as I began to fear, have to swim any creeks
or wade runnels to gain it."
It was as Frank had assumed. A few minutes more tramping through the
sticky black ooze brought them to a point where the trail widened, and
they could see beyond the tops of the cabbage palms that fringed the
edge of the island.
"We are here at last," whispered Frank, "now we shall have to go very
carefully till we find out the lay of the land. There's no use walking
into a trap for the lack of a little caution."
Slowly the boys crept on down the short section of trail now remaining.
Frank carefully noted the comparatively dry ground--where the marks of
the deers' hoofs still showed--that there were no human tracks visible
and this was in itself a good sign as it showed that the trail was a
little used one.
They emerged at length into a thickly-grown cabbage palm patch, through
which, to their great delight, flowed a tiny stream, from one of the
clear springs that abound on the islands of the Everglades. Lying flat
on their faces the boys fairly sucked up the cool, clear water and let
it trickle gratefully down their parched throats.
Greatly refreshed by their draught, they looked about them. The little
grove in which they stood was surrounded by dense undergrowth. At first
there seemed to be no path through the tangle, but after a lengthy
search the boys discovered a narrow trail, evidently a continuation of
the one they had just left. It led, as Frank's compass showed, in the
general direction of the settlement.
"We've come so far we've got to go ahead now," were Frank's words, as
the two young adventurers plunged into the dense brush down the narrow
trail.