THE FIRST CAMPFIRE ASHORE.
"Ahoy there, _Tramp_! What's all this mean?"
That was George hailing through his megaphone, as Jack and Jimmy drew
near the spot where the other boats were waiting.
Jack simply waved his hand, to indicate that all in good time the other
fellows would hear the news; and that he did not mean to strain his
voice shouting across a stretch of water, when there was no necessity.
Presently the three craft were moving along abreast, down the river,
and only a little distance apart. It might be noticed that while the
_Wireless_ hung on the starboard quarter, the _Comfort_ was just as
near on the port side; and thus conversation was made easy.
"Now spin us the yarn, partner," spoke up impatient George, who did
everything in a hurry, though a mighty good comrade all the same.
"Yes," broke in Nick, who was also in the same narrow boat, as usual
gripping the sides, as though to steady his fat form; "believe me,
fellows, we're consumed with curiosity to know what that chap in the
aeroplane wanted with you."
"Say," came from the lanky Josh, squatted in the roomy _Comfort_, with
his long legs doubled up under him, after the manner of a Turk; "what
d'ye think, Jack, Nick here kinder expected to see you toddle aboard
that hydroplane, and take a spin up among the clouds. Said 'twould be
just like your luck to get hold of such a bully chance."
"Well, hardly," laughed Jack. "But we did make the acquaintance of a
pretty fine young fellow, the same we've been reading about so much
lately--Malcolm Spence."
"Oh, say! why couldn't we have been along?" grunted George,
disconsolately; "for if ever there was a fellow I'd give a heap to meet
up with, he's the one. It's a shame, next door to a crime, that we got
left out of the deal. But go on, Jack, old chum, and tell us all he
said."
Jack accordingly proceeded to do so. He was frequently interrupted by
Jimmy, who fancied that he was neglecting some important feature of the
story. Between them everything was presently told. And the other four
hung upon the narration to the last word.
"Let's see that queer old packet, Jack," said Herb.
"That's so; give us a squint at it, anyhow," Nick demanded.
So the skipper of the _Tramp_ took the letter out carefully and held it
up.
"Excuse me for not passing it around, fellows," he remarked, "but I
gave my word it shouldn't go out of my possession until I'd found the
party mentioned. From the way the young chap acted, I guess it must be
more or less valuable, to him and this same party, anyhow."
"What is the name on the envelope--you can tell me that, can't you?"
asked Josh.
"Van Arsdale Spence," replied the bearer of the missive, as he just as
carefully replaced it in his pocket.
"Hey! that's the same last name as his, ain't it?" remarked George.
"Spence--yes, and it may be some relation of his, perhaps a brother or
father. But, fellows, that's none of our business, remember. Now,
let's talk of other things, and forget that little adventure for a
time."
Jack generally had his way, and in this case his chums realized that he
was certainly right. So they started talking about their immediate
plans for the first night out.
"We'll go ashore if we can, boys, and build a rousing fire," said Nick,
whose one great delight, outside of eating, was seeing a bonfire burn;
and, indeed, he always declared some of his remote ancestors must have
been real fire worshippers.
"Yes, that would be a good idea," Jack admitted. "There's no telling
how often on this trip we'll find ourselves forced to eat and sleep
aboard, so when the opportunity offers we might as well get out to
stretch our legs."
"Great scheme," declared Josh, who, being considerably longer than any
one of his shipmates, suffered more in consequence of cramped quarters.
"Only one thing wrong," grunted Nick, shaking his head.
"I can guess he's thinking of eating right now," flashed Josh, who knew
the symptoms in his companion only too well.
"Well, Mister Smarty, for once you hit the nail on the head," grinned
the fat boy. "I just happened to think of something we hadn't ought to
have forgotten to fetch along for our first meal."
"What was that?" demanded Jack.
"Why, when I looked over that list of things you got up, Jack, blessed
if there was anything else I could think of," said George; "but it
takes my mate here to have 'em all in his mind, even if he can't cook
like Josh."
"Let's hear what we forgot, then, Nick!" demanded Herb.
"Oysters!" immediately cried the other, triumphantly. "This is the
country for the delicious bivalve, I understand, and the season is on.
I'd made up my mind some time ago, when this trip was first planned,
that I was going to have lots of feasts in that line. When a fellow
lives away back on the Mississippi River he gets mighty few chances for
real fresh oysters, you know, and I do love 'em so much!"
"And a few more things in the bargain," chuckled Josh, who never could
resist a chance to get in a sly dig at his friend.
"Lots of 'em," replied the stout boy, calmly, and without a blush.
"But I thought you understood all about that," remarked Jack. "We
expect to pick up all the oysters we want on the way, so there was no
use laying in a supply at the start, when we needed room for more
important stores."
"Depend on it, Nick, you'll get all the bivalves you want before we're
through with this cruise," Herb prophesied.
"Bring 'em on, then," boasted Nick. "I'm ready to tackle a mountain of
'em right off the reel, in the shell or out. Never believed I could
get enough oysters. But about what time do we go ashore, boys?"
"He's getting hungry already, I do believe?" cried Josh. "Honest, now,
to keep that fellow from complaining, there ought to be a bag of
crackers and cheese hung up all the time within his reach, so he could
take a snack every hour or two. I reckon those fat legs of his'n must
be hollow, for how else could he stow away all the grub he does? He's
a regular Oliver Twist, calling for more, more!"
Nick took all this in the best of humor. He even grinned, just as
though he might look on it as some sort of compliment.
"I guess I was born hungry, and never got over the complaint," he
observed; "but that don't answer my question, Jack. It's near four o
'clock, right now, and it gets dark not a great while after six, you
know."
"All right, then; in about another hour we'll think of looking up a
creek along the shore, and make a snug harbor. Then for a fire, and a
supper, the first of the new cruise," the skipper of the _Tramp_
replied.
"Hear! hear! only another hour to wait," declared Nick, waving his hat
exultantly.
"Think you can hold out that long?" demanded Josh.
"I'll try," said Nick, meekly, as he drew an apple from one of his
pockets, and proceeded to calmly munch the same.
"I give you my word, boys," said George, solemnly, "that's the seventh
he's bit into since we left the dock. Two did for me; and I can see
still more bunching up in his pockets. If he gets faint, I'll hand him
a cracker box to open. But I've some hopes the apples will be a life
preserver."
Jack presently began to increase the speed of the flotilla. He wanted
to get as far down the river as possible before being compelled to put
up for the night. And having glanced at his, charts, he knew that they
must cover a number of miles ere they reached a tributary flowing into
the Delaware at this point.
Five o'clock came around at last. Josh remarked that he was pleased to
see Nick still holding out, and that he had not wasted away to a mere
shadow.
"Now we head in toward the western shore, and keep our eyes on the
lookout for the mouth of a creek that ought to be along down here,"
Jack called out, as he began to gradually alter the course of his boat.
Of course, this pleased them quite a little, as marking a change in the
monotony of the afternoon run. And truth to tell, Nick was not the
only fellow who enjoyed looking forward to supper time beside a roaring
fire.
"Hey! that looks like an opening below us, Jack!" called George, who
was in the bow of the _Wireless_, steering, leaving to Nick the duty of
attending to other matters connected with the management of the speed
boat, especially its balance.
"You're right, George, that's just what it is, the mouth of the creek;
so slow up everybody, and we'll go in."
Impetuous George was the first to turn into the tributary. After
running up a short distance, the prospect for a camp not improving,
Jack called out:
"It looks as if it might get worse instead of better, so let's stop off
here. There are a few trees anyway, and we can get all the wood we
need. Head in, George, and make a landing."
Presently all of them stepped ashore. Although their surroundings did
not appeal very heartily to lads accustomed to dense timber, with all
that implies, still they knew how to make the best of a bad bargain.
Nick began to gather firewood at once, and some of the others helped,
so that in a brief time a fire was started that at least made things
look a bit more comfortable and home-like, as Nick said, while puffing
like a porpoise in his labors.
The cruisers had been securely tied up, since there was no danger of
any storm out on the river dashing them against the shore in this
peaceful harbor.
Having brought the mess chests ashore, together with what cooking
things they needed, the boys began preparations for supper. Many hands
make light work, and Jack utilized every one for some purpose. Some
laid in a supply of wood, others opened cans, while Josh, being the
boss cook of the crowd, took charge of the menu.
Meanwhile night began to settle around them, and with the coming
darkness a swarm of insect pests developed.
"Whoop!" cried Nick, as he made his fat arms swing around his head like
a couple of old-time flails; "what d'ye call all this, tell me? Every
time I open my mouth a dozen hop right in. Talk to me about skeeters,
these must be the frisky Jersey brand we've heard so much about."
"Say, it's lucky Jack thought to get nets for us all in Philadelphia,"
remarked Herb, as he too waved the invaders aside when they harried him.
"No sleeping ashore for me here," declared George. "The varmints would
carry a fellow off bodily, I do believe."
A little breeze springing up caused the insects to drop into the grass
again, so that the boys had some peace. Supper being ready, they
finally sat around, and started to partake of the first meal of the
great cruise.
As they were furiously hungry of course everything tasted just
splendid; but then it was good without any starvation sauce to tempt
them, for Josh had always proved a remarkably clever cook, even though
caring so little himself for eating.
After the edge of their appetites had been taken off, the six boys
began to chat and joke. Josh was pleased to get a chance to sing one
of his little ditties, and required very little urging, after the meal
was over, and the things cleared away.
It was mighty nice, sitting there in comfortable attitudes, listening
to Josh sing, and with the flames jumping up as Nick threw another
armful of fuel on the fire. Now and then one of them would make a
hurried slap at some over-strenuous mosquito that insisted on having
his meal, too; but, taken in all, the boys were enjoying it
tremendously.
"When does the moon show up?" asked Herb, after a time.
"Why, it's already up there in the west, and a fair-sized crescent,
too," remarked Jack. "Each night it'll get bigger, until we have it
full. That's the time I like most of all, when she hangs up there like
a big round shield, and the waves dance as if they were made of silver."
"Listen to Jack getting poetical!" laughed George.
"Well, who wouldn't, when you can hear the lap of the little waves out
there on the creek?" replied Jack, instantly. "And there, that must
have been a fish jumping, the way they told us the mullet do down
South."
"Yes," said Nick, "me to get one of those castnets, and pull 'em in at
every throw. No danger of a fellow getting hungry in that country, I
guess."
"If you didn't get hungry where would be the pleasure in living, tell
me that?" demanded Josh.
Before Nick could frame any reply there suddenly broke out the most
terrible roaring sound any of the boys had ever heard. It seemed to
come from right off the surface of the dark creek close by, and gave
poor Nick such a fright that he almost fell into the fire upon
attempting to struggle to his feet, such was his clumsiness when
excited.
All of them forgot the comfort they had been enjoying, and scrambled
erect.