It was a startling discovery, and for the moment Dave and the others
did not know what to do.
"Do you see anything of Captain Sanders, or Smiley?" questioned our
hero.
"Not a thing," returned the senator's son. "It's strange, too."
"Oh, cannot we stop them in some manner?" pleaded Giles Borden.
"Come on--we'll do what we can!" cried Phil.
"That's the talk!" put in old Billy Dill. "Oh, for a gatling gun that
we might train on 'em!" he added.
All were calculating the distance to the shore. Between them and the
water was a slight hollow, overgrown with brushwood and vines. How
long would it take to find a path through that hollow?
"No use in staying here," was Dave's comment. "We'll get there
somehow. But keep out of sight, if you can. We don't want them to
discover us until the last minute." All moved forward toward the
hollow. By walking well over to the left they managed to keep a
distant row of palms between themselves and those who were at the
water's edge.
But progress was slow, as all soon discovered. The hollow was a
treacherous one, full of soft spots and pitfalls. Less than a hundred
feet had been covered when two of the sailors went down up to their
waists, and a second later Roger followed.
"Hold on, Roger! I'll help you!" cried Dave, and he and Phil ran to
their chum's assistance. They did not dare to go near the soft spot
and so all they could do was to throw the senator's son a stout vine
for use as a rope, and then haul him out by sheer strength. In the
meantime the others went to the rescue of the two sailors, and they
were hauled out in similar fashion.
"This island certainly is the limit!" gasped Roger, when he was on
firm ground once more. "I wouldn't live here if they made me a present
of the whole thing!"
"That's right," returned Phil. "Because, if you lived here, you might
some day find yourself buried before your time!" And this quaint way
of expressing it made all of the boys grin in spite of their
excitement.
Beyond the hollow another difficulty confronted them. Here were some
sharp rocks, with deep cuts between. They had to climb over the rocks
with extreme care and do not a little jumping, all of which consumed
much valuable time.
"They'll be off before we can reach them!" groaned Dave. "Oh, do
hurry, fellows!"
"I'm coming as fast as I can!" answered Phil.
"So am I," added Roger.
"You ought to shoot at them, if they won't stop," put in Merwell.
"I'll do what I can," answered our hero. He was wondering how far the
present situation would justify the use of firearms.
At last the rocks were left behind, and the crowd found themselves in
the fringe of palm trees lining the sandy shore.
"Do you see them?" queried Phil, who was getting winded from his
exertions.
"No, I don't," returned Dave. He had looked up and down the sandy
strip in vain for a sight of the Englishmen and Jasniff.
Beyond the beach was the reef with the ever-present breakers and far
beyond this the ship they, had before sighted. The schooner lay-to
with all sails lowered.
"There they are!" suddenly shouted Billy Dill. "Too late, boys, too
late!"
"Where? where?" came in a shout from the lads and from Giles Borden.
"Look out there, by the reef. Don't you see the small boat in the
breakers?" went on the old sailor, pointing with his bronzed hand.
All gazed in the direction he indicated, and Dave and Giles Borden
could not repress a groan of dismay. For, riding the swells of the
ocean, could be seen a small boat, manned by two sailors. In the boat
sat four passengers.
"That's Jasniff, I am sure of it!" cried Phil.
"And those three men are the fellows who robbed me!" muttered Giles
Borden. "Oh, what luck! Ten minutes too late!"
"Can't we follow them in some way?" asked Roger.
"I don't see how," answered Dave. "Our rowboat is on the other side of
the island. Besides, even if we had a boat, I don't believe we could
catch them before the schooner got underway. Oh, isn't it a shame!"
And Dave fairly ground his teeth in helpless dismay.
"If we had a cannon!" murmured old Billy Dill. "A shot across the bow
o' that craft would make the cap'n take warnin', I'm thinkin'!"
"Do you suppose any other boat is handy?" asked the Englishman.
"We might look," returned the senator's son.
All were about to run out on the beach when Dave suddenly called a
halt.
"Don't do it," he said. "If we can't follow them, it will be best for
the present not to show ourselves."
"How's that?" demanded Giles Borden. "It's a bloody shame to let them
go in this fashion."
"If they see us, they'll know we are after them and they'll sail away
as fast as possible," went on our hero. "If they don't see us, they
may take their time in getting away, and that will give us so much
better chance to catch them."
"Dave is right!" cried the senator's son. And the others agreed with
him, and all kept concealed behind the row of palms and the brushwood
and rocks. From that point they watched the small boat gradually
approach the schooner until it was alongside. Then a rope ladder was
lowered and the passengers mounted to the deck, after which the
rowboat was drawn up on the davits.
"What ship is that?" asked Phil.
"She is named the _Aurora_," answered Giles Borden.
"The _Aurora_!" exclaimed Billy Dill. "Do ye mean the _Aurora_, Cap'n
Jack Hunker?"
"Yes, that's the captain's name."
"Why, I know him!" went on the old tar. "Sailed with him once, in the
_Peter Cass_,--afore he took command o' the _Aurora_. Say, Dave, he
used to be a putty good man. I can't see how he would stand in with
sech fellers as Jasniff an' them thievin' Britishers."
"Perhaps he doesn't know what scoundrels they are," returned our hero.
"Oh, they haven't told him the truth, depend upon that," said Giles
Borden. "They have fixed up some story to pull the wool over his eyes.
Most likely they'll tell him that I am the rascal of the party and
that is why I am to be left behind."
"If the captain of the _Aurora_ is all right, it may pay to signal to
him," mused Dave. "I wish I had known of this before."
"See! see! they are hoisting the sails!" cried Phil.
"If you are going to signal to the schooner, you had better do it
pretty quick," advised Roger.
"I think I will. It can't hurt much--they are going to sail away,
anyhow. Come on."
All ran out on the sandy beach, and Dave discharged his shotgun twice
as a signal. The others waved tree-branches and brushwood, and Phil
even lit some of the latter, to make a smudge.
But if the signals were seen, no attention was paid to them. Those on
the schooner continued to hoist the sails, and presently the _Aurora_
turned away, leaving Cave Island behind.
As the schooner moved off Dave's heart sank within him. On board of
the craft was Jasniff, and the rascal had the larger portion of the
Carwith jewels in his possession.
"It's a shame!" burst out Phil. "Oh, why didn't we get hold of Jasniff
when you collared Link!"
"Where is your own ship?" asked Merwell. "Why don't you find her and
follow that crowd?" He felt as sour as ever over the thought that he
had been captured while his companion in crime had escaped.
"I wish the _Golden Eagle_ would come in," answered Dave. "I can't
understand what is keeping her, unless she suffered from that storm
and had to lay to for repairs."
"And where do you suppose Captain Sanders and Smiley are?" put in
Roger.
"I don't know. They may have fallen into one of the caves, or they may
have been made prisoners by those who have sailed away."
"Prisoners? I never thought of that!" exclaimed Giles Borden. "Yes, it
would be just like Geswick and those other scoundrels to treat them in
that fashion."
"Well, it won't do us any good to remain here," went on our hero. "We
may as well scatter and see if we can't locate the captain and the
others."
This was considered good advice and tired as the crowd was, all went
on the hunt, some up the shore and some down, and the others inland.
Dave and Roger walked down the shore, why neither could exactly tell.
They passed the palms and brushwood, and leaving the sand, commenced
to climb over some rocks. Then Dave began to shout.
At first no reply came to his calls, but presently he heard a groan,
coming from behind the rocks.
"Let us see what it means!" he exclaimed to the senator's son, and
they hurried in the direction of the sound with all speed.
Back of the rocks was a grove of plantains, and in the center was the
remains of a thatched hut, evidently built by natives years before. On
the ground in front of this hut lay Captain Sanders and the sailor,
Smiley. Each had his head bound up and each was nursing a bruised
ankle.
"Captain Sanders!" cried Dave, in astonishment.
"Dave Porter!" returned the commander of the _Golden Eagle_, joyfully.
"My, but I am glad you have come!"
"You are hurt?"
"Yes. Those scoundrels attacked us from behind and knocked us
senseless."
"You mean those three Englishmen?"
"Yes, and that fellow Jasniff was with them."
"But your ankles are hurt, too?" went on Dave.
"We hurt them when we fell into one of the beastly caves, or holes. We
were following Jasniff and the Englishmen, and also looking for you
and the others. Then those rascals got behind us in some way, and the
first thing I knew I got a whack behind the ear that knocked me
unconscious."
"And I got the same," said Smiley. "Oh, I wish I had my hands on those
villains!"
"They have sailed away," said Roger.
"Away!" cried the captain. "How?"
In a few brief words our hero and his chum told of the advance to the
beach and of what they and the others had witnessed. Captain Sanders
shook his head, soberly.
"That's too bad," he said. "They've got a good start and it will be
hard to follow them."
"How can we follow them, when the _Golden Eagle_ isn't here?" said
Dave.
"But she is here--on the other side of the island."
"Oh, are you sure?" cried our hero.
"Yes. I saw her coming in,--when we were on one of the hills. She was
minus her foretopmast, which shows she must have suffered some in that
hurricane."
"If that's the case, let us get to her with all possible speed, go
aboard, and follow the _Aurora_," returned Dave.