A STRANGE LIGHT AT SEA
The captain and Dr. Wise were very much interested in the report that the
boys brought back from their walk through the woods, and to the top of the
hill in the interior of the island.
"If there are people here they know how to get out through the reefs,"
observed the principal, "for they must have come here once, and no doubt
are in communication with the people outside."
"They may have lived here all their lives," returned the captain. "I never
saw any one on these islands, natives, I mean, that knew very much. We
can't tell how long they have lived here, they and their ancestors, of
course, and these fellows probably don't know when they came, and don't
suppose there is any other place in the world."
"H'm! that does not speak for a very high state of intelligence," remarked
the doctor with a grunt.
"You won't find it in these natives nor even in the half breeds, sir," the
captain returned. "The rating is pretty low. It'll be interesting to see
these people, but I don't think that you will find them very intelligent.
You'd better not expect too much."
The next day there was nothing to be seen of the wreck, and when Jack and
Percival went to the wooded point to look for the place where they had
descended when they first found it, there was nothing but a great hole
into which the sea poured, and made a great disturbance at every tide.
"That's the last of that," said Jack. "No one would believe us if we told
them we had gone down there and found a vessel fast in the rocks."
"But we know we did, for we have the evidences of it, and you are at least
a couple of thousand dollars richer by it. That will help you a lot in
getting your education, my boy, and give your mother something as well."
"Yes, and she is the first one to be considered," said Jack.
There had been no answers as yet to the captain's wireless messages, and
that day he sent out another one, this time to the owners of the vessel in
New York, addressing Mr. Smith in particular, thereby hoping to receive
attention.
Meantime, the boys went on with recitations, wrote descriptions of the
different parts of the island they had seen, took excursions on the bay
and through the woods, and got up little entertainments to pass away the
evenings so that altogether they were kept quite busy, and, as a
consequence, were very well content with their situation, although it was
not just what they had expected when they left home.
The day after sending out the personal message to Mr. Smith the captain of
the yacht picked up a message which, although not addressed to him, was
the first he had been able to pick up, and was of some interest on that
account if on no other.
The message was to some government official in Florida, and related to a
certain smuggler who had been defrauding the government by sending
shipments of tobacco without paying the duty thereon.
"Are on track of Rollins and smuggler crew. Sighted them near Isle of
Pines. Will keep on watch there and in Caribbean."
Such was the message and the captain, although not especially interested
in Rollins, whoever he might be, was glad to get any information from the
outside world which seemed so far away, although almost at their very
doors.
He sent a wireless to the sender of the message, and asked if information
of their situation could be sent to the government, and help despatched to
them, hoping by this means to receive some recognition at last.
"If I get other folks' messages some one will probably get mine," said the
captain, "and by communicating with these people I may finally get
attention. Rollins? Don't remember to have heard of him. There's probably
a gang of them working between our border, Cuba and the South American
ports. Whistling cyclones! they might be working among some of these
little islands. A man who would defraud his government is no better than a
pirate and pirates used to hang around these waters a lot. It isn't such
an unlikely thing that these new pirates should do it now."
The next day quite unexpectedly the captain got a call and at once sent
for the doctor and said:
"I've had word at last. From our owners. From Mr. Smith himself. He has
just heard from us, and is going to send out a vessel to get us away from
here. It seems that one of our smaller vessels, a steamer, has been
captured by some smugglers working around Cuba, Porto Rico and the
neighborhood, who are using it in their trade. Some of the men got away,
and took the news to Havana. The name of the vessel is a good deal like
our own, and Smith thought that we had been taken at first, and began a
lot of investigating. Then he got our messages, which had been held up by
some one else, thinking they were fakes, or some boys' play. These young
wireless operators make a lot of trouble now and then."
"Well, as long as we know that help is being sent to us we can feel
relieved," said the doctor. "That is something, at any rate, but----"
"But you don't think that it will do any good, Doctor?"
"Well, if you cannot get out how is any one else going to get in?" the
doctor asked, as if merely seeking for information, and not being
especially interested in the matter.
"There's something in that, sir," replied Captain Storms musingly, "but
we'll see how it turns out when they get here. At any rate we are not
forgotten altogether, and that is something."
The boys were told about the message, and were greatly interested, Jesse
W. saying to Jack:
"Now I'll have a chance to speak to father about you, Jack, and to tell
him what you have done for me. He has always been interested in you, and
now he will be all the more so."
"Never mind doing too much for me, J.W., or you will spoil me altogether,"
laughed Jack, who, nevertheless, felt grateful to the younger boy for his
interest. "We Hilltop boys should help each other, and so I don't deserve
any extra credit for simply doing what is expected of me. It is only the
big brother idea which is gaining ground every day, and is a good thing
both for the little brothers and the big ones."
That night as Jack Sheldon lay asleep in his berth in the cabin set off
for the Hilltop boys, he was suddenly awakened by a bright light flashing
in his face, there being a porthole opposite.
"That's odd!" he murmured, as he sat up and looked around. "Where does
that light come from? Or did I only imagine it?"
At that moment the light flashed in his face again, and he got out of his
berth and went over to the porthole, looking out to see where the light
could have come from, there being only water on that side.
The yacht had changed her position, and was now in sight of the outer bay,
and having changed the direction of her head on account of the tide, the
boy could now look out upon the bay, which he had not been able to do at
the time he went to bed.
He saw the flash again, and in a moment realized that some one out there,
probably beyond the reefs, was using a regular code of signals, a thing he
had himself done with his pocket electric light.
Having had this experience he was familiar with the code, and at once
began to read the message sent by those outside, whoever they might be.
"That cannot be the steamer Mr. Smith has sent," he mused. "No, of course
not. 'Where are you? Am dodging government vessel.' Why, that must be one
of the smugglers that the captain told us about. But where is the man he
is signaling? I wish I could tell that."
The signals ceased, but presently the lights flashed again, and Jack read
the message:
"Why don't you answer? Am waiting."
"My word! I believe the fellow takes our lights for the smuggler's, and
thinks that he is in here. It would be just the place for him. By Jove! I
have a mind to answer him myself, and get him in here. Then we could get
out. Even if a smuggler takes us out that is better than waiting."
His pocket flash was in a convenient place, and he quickly got it out and
flashed out through the port:
"In the bay. Come inside."
After sending this message he waited a few minutes, and then saw the reply
being flashed to him:
"Cannot. Don't know the passage. Come out"
"H'm! that's too bad," muttered Jack. "I was in hope I could get him in
here. I'd like to know--I guess I'd better see the captain."
Partly dressing himself he hurried on deck, and looked for the light, but
could see nothing.
An anchor watch was kept, or supposed to be at least, but Jack saw the man
on deck fast asleep on a bench against the house on deck instead of
keeping a lookout as he was supposed to do.
He could not see any vessel's light out at sea, and saw no more flashes,
although he looked for them for several minutes.
"Well, I can't go to waking the captain in the middle of the night," he
said, "and it is likely this fellow has gone. It is simply another
disappointment. I think I'll go to bed."