THE DARK BEACON
"Well, what do you think now, Sammy?" asked Bob, as they walked toward
Barnacle Cottage in the evening darkness.
"What about?" asked Sammy, sharply.
"About your treasure."
"I think just the same as I did before," answered Sammy, promptly, "and
that is that it's around here. Didn't we see that man digging for it?"
"Say, you'd believe the moon was made of green cheese if someone told
you," said Frank.
"Oh, I would; eh?" returned Sammy. "Well, you just wait and see."
The days that followed were happy ones for the Fairview boys. They went
in swimming so often that Mrs. Bouncer said they might as well live in
their bathing suits, and save their other clothes. They often went
clamming, bringing home big baskets filled with the soft kind.
These clams were steamed, or made into toothsome chowder, which the boys
enjoyed very much.
At other times the lads would take their own safe boat, and go to the
distant sand flats, where they learned to tread for hard clams.
Crabbing was one of their chief delights, and many a basketfull of the
clashing, clawing creatures they pulled out of the waters of Lighthouse
Cove. Sometimes they would get soft crabs, by hauling the seine, or
straight net, along shore.
But, though they made many inquiries, or, rather, though Sammy did, he
could not find out who the old man was whom they had seen digging by
lantern-light. They had had a fairly good view of him, but in the Cove
settlement were many old fishermen and sailors, who looked much the same
as that elderly man did, so they were not sure which of the many
villagers he might have been; and they did not like to ask.
One day, after the three chums had been rowing for some distance around
the Cove, Sammy Brown suddenly exclaimed:
"I say, fellows, I've got an idea!"
"What, another one?" laughed Bob. "You're full of them lately."
"Let's hear it, anyhow," suggested Frank. "Can we have any fun by it,
Sammy?"
"Sure. What do you say to rowing ashore, and digging a pirate cave."
"You mean dig a cave and look for the pirate gold?" asked Bob.
"No, I mean let's play we're pirates ourselves. We can go over to one of
those sand dunes, and hollow out a hole in the side of it. We can make
believe that's where we live, and we can make a fire of driftwood."
"Say, that'll be great!" cried Bob. "And we can bring some grub there
and cook it! Sammy, you're all right!"
"Even if he can't find the pirate gold!" added Frank, gaily.
Filled with the new idea, the boys hastily rowed up on shore, and soon
were digging into the side of the hill of sand, making a place where
they could go in and imagine all sorts of delightful things.
The sand dune was one of many along the shore, and on top grew some
rank grass that held the sand together. Working with broad pieces of
driftwood for shovels, the boys soon had quite a hole in the sand pile.
It was large enough to hold all three of them, and they were eagerly
talking of the fun they would have.
"We can come over here and stay all night!" said Bob.
"Sure, it will be plenty warm enough, with a blanket or two," added
Sammy.
"And we can cook our meals right on the beach, in front of the cave,"
added Frank. "That's the way the pirates used to do."
"Then we'd better get some driftwood for the fire," suggested Sammy.
"We've got the hole almost large enough."
They collected quite a pile of the wood that was strewn along the beach,
and then, after sitting in the "pirate cave" for a while, they rowed
back to Barnacle Cottage, to get some food which they intended to cook
over their campfire that evening.
After some objection, Mrs. Bouncer said the boys might cook a meal
there, but she would not let them sleep all night in the sand cave.
"It's sure to be damp," she said, "and, though you boys might not think
so, I can't have you catching colds. Play there in the daytime as much
as you like, but you can't sleep there."
With this they had to be content. They had lots of fun building the
fire, and toasting frankforters over the coals. Sometimes the sausages
would drop off the pointed sticks, and fall into the ashes, but Bob and
his chums brushed the dirt off and went on eating as if nothing had
happened.
They played in the cave for several days, and some of the other boys
from nearby cottages joined with them, so the three chums became the
leaders of a regular "pirate band."
One afternoon, however, something happened that put a stop to this fun.
Sammy and his two chums had gone alone to the cave, and they had taken
with them shovels to enlarge it, as it was getting too crowded on
account of so many boys wanting to enter it.
"We'll make a dandy big cave, while we're at it!" boasted Sammy.
The three chums dug away for some time, and finally Bob said:
"That's enough, fellows. If we go too far back, and the sand should cave
in, we'd never get out."
"That's right," chimed in Frank.
"Pooh! You fellows are scared!" exclaimed Sammy. "I'm going to dig it
farther back. You two get some driftwood, and pile it out in front.
We'll have a roaring big fire to-night."
Frank and Bob went up and down the beach, gathering sticks, and bits of
broken boards, while Sammy continued to dig away inside the cave. Frank
and Bob made several trips to and fro, and the pile of wood was growing.
Finally, as they neared the cave, on what they said would be their last
trip, as they were tired, Frank cried:
"Look! The sand has caved in!"
"So it has!" exclaimed Bob.
They looked toward where the mouth of the cave had been. It was closed,
and the sand was still sliding somewhat, showing that the accident must
have happened only a little while before.
"And Sam--Sammy!" gasped Bob.
"He's in there!" faltered Frank.
"And we've got to get him out--quick!" cried Bob.
They both glanced up and down the beach. No one was in sight.
Fortunately they had brought their shovels out of the cave.
With these they began digging at what had been the entrance to the
"pirate" cavern. Shovelful after shovelful of sand they tossed aside,
until their arms ached, but they would not stop.
"We must get him out!" gasped Bob.
"Before he smothers!" added Frank.
They worked with a will. Luckily for Sammy, he had been coming out of
the cave when the accident happened. Otherwise he would have been so far
back that he might never have been gotten out alive.
As it was Frank and Bob had dug for only a few seconds before they saw a
hand moving about in the sand. Then another hand appeared beside it, and
they stopped digging.
"There he is!" cried Bob, joyfully.
"And he's alive!" said Frank. "Use your fingers--not your shovel--we
might hurt him."
With their hands they now scooped away the sand, and in a few seconds
Sammy's face appeared. He was gasping for breath, and looked quite pale
and frightened, but with the help of his chums he was soon completely
uncovered.
"Are you all right?" asked Bob.
"I--I guess so," answered Sammy, shaking the sand from his clothes, and
feeling all over himself to make sure. "Yes," he went on. "Nothing's
busted."
"How did it happen?" asked Frank.
"I don't know. All of a sudden the sand began to slide. I got scared and
ran for the front of the cave. Then the front door went shut, you might
say, and I was caught. I held my breath, made a little place for my
mouth and nose, and waited. I knew you fellows would get me out, and
you did."
"We were scared, though," confessed Bob.
"I guess we won't go in any more sand caves," said Frank. And they did
not. It was a lucky escape for Sammy, and Mrs. Bouncer, when she heard
about it, made strong objections to the boys playing pirates in that
fashion.
But there were plenty of other chances for the chums of Barnacle Cottage
to have good times, and they enjoyed their stay at Lighthouse Cove to
the utmost.
Sammy still persisted in believing that pirate gold was buried somewhere
about, and he dug in many places, when he could slip away from his
chums, but without success. He kept a lookout for the man with the
lantern, but could not meet him, as far as he could tell, though he saw
many whom he thought was the person he sought. Nor did he make any
inquiries for fear of being laughed at.
One evening, about a week after Sammy had been caught in the "pirate
cave," he proposed, after supper, that he and his chums pay another
visit to the lighthouse. He had taken some pictures of it with his
camera, and wanted to show them to Lucy and her parents.
"All right, I'm with you," said Frank, and Bob nodded to show that he
would go, too.
They saw the light flashing, as they started from the cottage, and
struck across the now lonely beach. The rays of light came every so
often, flashing over their heads, and out toward the inlet, where the
sea and cove met.
Suddenly, as they walked along, Bob glanced up and exclaimed:
"See! The light has gone out!"
They all looked up.
"So it has!" faltered Frank.
"The lighthouse is dark!" said Sammy slowly. "Fellows, it must be
wreckers at work! They've overpowered the light-keeper, and put out the
light to draw some ship in toward shore so she'll be wrecked! That's
what it is--wreckers! Come on!"