A STORM, AND NO REFUGE IN SIGHT.
It was only natural that every one of the little party of cruisers
should feel their hearts beating much faster than ordinary, as they
were so startled by that horrible blast so near at hand.
But Jack believed he had heard another sound close on the heels of the
first, and which was not unlike a hoarse laugh. That indicated the
presence of human beings; and, of course, would account for the roar
that had disturbed their first camp ashore.
Looking in the direction from whence the sounds had apparently
proceeded, which was just below where their boats were pulled up, he
could just manage to make out some bulky moving object; then the
whipping of what seemed to be a discolored sail caught his eye, and he
understood.
Of course, it must be some boat, possibly belonging to oystermen who
plied their trade out on the bay, close to which they now found
themselves.
Coming into the creek, which was possibly their regular harbor for
night refuge, and discovering the fire as well as the boys, they had
blown a fog horn just in the spirit of frolic, to give the boys a scare.
Both men were laughing now at the success of their scheme, and one of
them called out, with the idea of calming the bunch before they took to
shooting, in their excitement, as greenhorns were liable to do under
such conditions.
"Hey, there! it's all right, boys; we're just oystermen, ye see, an'
meanin' to come ashore to jine ye, 'fore we goes home. Got a dock a
leetle ways up-creek. So hold yer guns, boys; no harm done, I reckons!"
The sloop was run up on the sandy shore and both men jumped off. They
proved to be honest chaps, and soon the boys were quite relieved of
their first suspicious sensation at sight of such rough customers.
These fellows had seldom looked on such dainty tricks as the three
little motor boats. Accustomed to heavy craft, they shook their heads
when they heard how Jack and his chums expected to make far distant
Florida in such frail boats.
"Never kin do it, boys, an' I knows it," declared the taller fellow.
"But ye got the grit, all right, I reckons," added the other.
"We expect to meet up with lots of trouble on the way," said Jack; "but
then we've been through some experience, and know a little about
managing these things. Often a boat like mine will live in a sea that
would swamp a more clumsy craft. A canoe rides the waves like a duck,
where a rowboat would fill and sink, being logy."
"They may be somethin' in that same," remarked one of the oystermen;
"but the chanct is, ye'll never make the riffle, boys. I hate to say
that same; but right down in this Delaware Bay they's bad spots where
ye kin git caught out in a blow, an' can't land. Many a fine boat's
gone down as I know of."
"An' if so be ye do make shore they's hard characters all along that
section. Look out if ye happens to land near Murderkill Creek, that's
all I kin say," his mate spoke up, quite seriously, for they seemed to
have taken something of an interest in the boys, and their ambitious
plans.
"Goodness gracious! did you ever hear such a terrible name as that?"
gasped Nick, looking pale, as his imagination worked overtime in
picturing the dreadful things apt to be met with in a country where
even the creeks bore such suggestive names.
"Oh, sometimes things turn out less terrible than they seem!" laughed
Jack, who had read something about this same creek, and felt no
particular fear about making a camp along its border, should necessity
compel such a thing.
"Now, we got to be goin' home, 'case we got famblies waitin' for us;
but we'll toss a lot o' oysters ashore here, if so be ye'd like to have
'em," the taller man remarked.
"All right," spoke up Nick, so promptly that Jack was unable to get in
a reply; "give us fifty cents' worth, if that'll buy a bushel. I feel
like I could eat that many myself. Yum, yum, just think of the luck,
fellows!"
The men laughed, but took the money, since their business was gathering
the bivalves, and there were doubtless many mouths to feed. And they
certainly tossed a full bushel ashore before pushing off, to continue
their run up the stream, to the dock they spoke of owning.
Nick had galloped over to the _Wireless_, and was heard rummaging about
at a tremendous rate, all the while lamenting the fact that he could
not find what he was so eagerly searching for.
"Oh, George! where did you ever hide that bully new oyster knife I
bought up in Philadelphia?" he bellowed, as he raised his head above
the side of the speed boat.
"Never touched it," answered the other, promptly. "But I do remember
seeing some such thing in that locker up in the bow, where the tools
are kept."
A triumphant squeal presently announced that Nick had unearthed his
treasure; and over the side he came, making at once for the heap of
bivalves.
"You want to go slow with those things," warned Herb.
"Oh, rats! I guess I know my capacity!" scoffed the fat boy, starting
to rap a shell smartly, and then insert the end of the knife between
its two jaws. "When I get enough I'll hold up."
"You bet you will before you reach that point!" declared George,
"because some of us hanker after oysters, too. But just remember how
you cut your fingers with the shells the time we were down at New
Orleans. And be careful: they may not hurt much now, but tomorrow
they'll fair set you wild, boy."
Nick only mumbled in reply. He was stuffing the first fat oyster into
his mouth, and as this was an extra large specimen, it allowed of no
room for words.
The others soon got busy too, using such implements as they could find
among the tools. Jack had a regular oyster knife, but none of the
others had thought to provide themselves with such a necessary article,
save Nick alone.
But by degrees they tamed the oyster fiend, and would not let him have
any more. Jimmy borrowed his knife, and amused himself in disposing of
the juicy contents of numerous shells. And Josh, after swallowing
several himself, proved to be a public benefactor by opening them for
those who were green at the business.
But after a time they cried quits, and began to think of going aboard
again; for the venomous little pests were beginning to be very active,
and kept them all busy slapping right and left.
Once under their nets they found a solid comfort that fully compensated
them for not being able to sleep ashore.
And so the night passed. Nothing occurred to disturb them; and yet
despite the calm, it is doubtful whether any of the six slept very
well. The novelty of once more being away from civilization and
starting on a long cruise that might bring all sorts of adventures in
its train, kept them wakeful.
Doubtless, too, memory carried them back to many scenes connected with
past experiences; and they lived again in the various happenings
marking those halcyon days.
Up with the dawn some of them once more went ashore. The fire was
started afresh and preparations for breakfast were under way by the
time Nick made his appearance. He surveyed what was being done for a
little time, and then lifted his voice in protest:
"What! no oysters for breakfast? That's mighty funny, now. I expected
to have 'em every meal, you know."
Not getting any satisfaction from Josh, who was busy making some batter
for the camp flapjacks, Nick wandered off. They soon heard him hard at
work on oyster shells, though an occasional grunt told that he had cut
his tender fingers with the sharp points.
He did succeed in opening a few, which he insisted on cooking for his
own breakfast; and Josh let him have his way; but it might have been
noticed that Nick consumed his full share of the batter cakes; and even
wistfully eyed a last one belonging to the cook, upon which Josh
generously passed it along, saying that he was "full up."
If any one ever saw Nick in that condition it did not readily occur to
them, for the fat boy seemed to be built after the style of an omnibus,
with always room for "just one more," with crowding.
"Looks like a good day ahead," remarked Herb, glancing at the sky.
"I was just thinking the other way," spoke up Jack.
"Eh? What makes you tell us that, after hearing what those oystermen
said about the danger we'd run, if we were caught in the big bay in a
storm?" asked George; for his narrow-beam boat always threatened to
turn turtle when the waves were very boisterous, and it kept him
guessing continually.
"Oh! well, I may be wrong; but I didn't altogether like the looks of
those mottled clouds as the sun was coming up," Jack remarked.
"And it was red, too, which I understand is always a bad sign," Nick
put in. "If we could only get another lot of shell fish, I'd vote to
stay right here for the day. Perhaps things would pick up by tomorrow."
"Rats! Who's afraid?" laughed Josh, who knew he was sure of lots of
comfort aboard the roomy boat belonging to Herb.
It was, however, put to a vote, because Jack believed in majority
ruling in matters affecting the whole crowd. Nick himself voted in
favor of going on. Whether he did this because he was ashamed to show
the white feather, or from fear lest they might not be able to secure a
further supply of oysters, none of them ever really knew. But the
motion to continue the cruise was carried unanimously.
As they issued forth from the creek they found that the river seemed
much wider than they had believed it to be. And apparently it would
keep on that way, with the shores drawing further apart, until they
found themselves on Delaware Bay, which in parts, Jack understood, to
be something like twenty-five miles from side to side, an ocean in
fact, for such small craft.
"We must have been camping in Delaware last night, eh, Jack?" called
out Herb, as the three boats ran along side by side, even George
curbing his propensity for rushing ahead.
"Sure we did," spoke up George. "I found out on the chart where we
stopped. Look away over there in Jersey, and you'll see a cloud of
smoke hovering over Salem. How about that, Jack; am I correct?"
"That's Salem, all right; and we've got to start at a better pace than
this if we hope to get anywhere before night. Hit her up, George, and
we'll do the best we can to follow," Jack answered.
This pleased the jaunty skipper of the _Wireless_ first-rate. He
always liked to lead the procession, and set the pace for the rest.
So, as the morning wore on, they made good progress. Of course the
others were compelled to tone down their speed to suit the pace of the
old _Comfort_, that just wallowed along in what George called a "good
natured way." Boat and skipper were very much alike; but then that
similarity also applied in the cases of George and his speed boat; yes,
and with regard to Jack, too, who united the good qualities of both
other skippers, as his craft did those of stability and speed.
At noon they ate a lunch while still booming along; for Jack had
discovered a bank of clouds coming up in the west that he did not just
fancy, and hoped to make a certain point before the storm, if such
there was in store for them, should break.
"What's this mean, Jack?" asked George, a couple of hours later,
falling back somewhat so that he might exchange words with the others.
"Yes," said Herb at that; "it's getting as dark as the mischief. Guess
we're going to have that storm Jack prophesied this morning, fellows."
"Say, perhaps I'd better be shooting ahead, then," suggested George,
uneasily. "You know this cranky boat of mine isn't the nicest thing
going, to be in when the waves are rolling ten feet high. And it's so
wide here, they'll beat that, in a pinch."
"What would you be after going ahead for, then?" asked Jimmy.
"So as to get to that creek with the lovely name we talked about,"
George replied, looking troubled, nevertheless. "I noted its position
on the chart, and think I might find it."
"But if the storm caught you beforehand, you'd be in a bad pickle,
George!" declared Jack, soberly. "No, better all keep together. Then,
if an accident happens, there's some chance for the others lending a
helping hand. But we'll head in more toward the Delaware side, though
if the wind strikes us from the east it'll be a bad place to be caught
on a lee shore."
Nothing more was said just then. They changed their course somewhat,
and the three little motor boats continued to push steadily forward.
Meanwhile the gloom seemed to gather around them, until even
stout-hearted Jack shuddered a little as he surveyed the wide stretch
of waters that had begun to tumble in the freshening wind, and thought
what might happen if they could find no harbor, with a fierce late
equinoctial gale sweeping across the dangerous bay.