ON THE TRAIL
"Where are you?" called Bob to the light-keeper, as the boys went into
the living room. All was so dark they could see nothing.
"Right here, at the foot of the stairs," answered Mr. Floyd. "I haven't
been able to move since my fall."
"Are you badly hurt?" asked Frank.
"I don't know, but I hope not. Never mind about me, though. You must set
the lantern going, for I can't do it. That is most important. I have
never yet let it go out--this is the first time; but I could not help
that."
"Wait, I'll strike a match," said Sammy. "Then we can see what we are
doing."
The tiny glow illuminated the room, and the boys could see the
light-keeper huddled in a heap at the foot of the stairs that led to the
tower, at the top of which was the big lantern.
"There's a lamp on the table," said the aged man, pointing to it. "Light
that, and then go up to the lantern. Do you think you can light it?"
"I guess so," answered Bob. "Your daughter showed us how it was done."
"That's good. She little knew how soon you might have to do it. But if
you think you can't do it, you must go for help. My wife and daughter
have gone to visit relations, and will be away all night, but you can
get some of the fishermen; they will know how to light the lantern."
"Oh, I'm sure we can do it!" exclaimed Frank. "Lucy showed us just how
it was done."
"I'm thankful for that," went on the light-keeper. "Now, boys, don't
bother with me!" he went on, as they advanced toward him. "Just get up
aloft and set the lantern going. You see I have an arrangement so I can
put it out from down here, without going all the way up. That's to save
me climbing the stairs in the morning.
"Well, I was coming down, from having trimmed it, a little while ago,
when I slipped. I put out my hand to save myself, and, by mistake I
grabbed hold of the wire I had rigged up to put out the light. It put it
out, all right, and here I've lain ever since, not knowing what to do.
Oh, it was terrible!
"I couldn't tell when anyone would come, being all alone as I was. I
called and called, but no one heard me."
The boys thought of the strange figure of the old man, with the lantern,
running away, and they wondered if he had heard and had not heeded.
"I couldn't tell what moment some ship might go on the rocks," continued
the light-keeper. "For the sailors, not seeing the light, might get off
their course. I was glad there was no storm, for that would have made it
much worse.
"But never mind about that now. You're here, thank Providence, and you
can start the light going before it's too late."
"Come on!" cried Bob, and with a lantern which they had found and set
aglow, to light them up the dark stairs of the tower, the three boys
ascended. First, however, they had in spite of his protests, made Mr.
Floyd more comfortable, by putting a pillow under his head, and
straightening him out. They did not want to move him too much for fear
one of his legs might be broken.
Up into the lantern tower the lads went. Then with hands that trembled
a little, they ignited the big wicks, first having raised the
extinguishers that Mr. Floyd had accidentally pulled down over them in
his fall.
The machinery, that made the glass prisms turn, was still in motion, not
having been stopped since it was set going early in the evening, so with
this the boys had nothing to do. As soon as they had lighted the
lantern, the welcome flash went sparkling out over the waters of the
cove, to warn captains off the dangerous rocks.
"And now we'd better get down and help Mr. Floyd," said Bob, when they
had made sure that the lantern was going all right, and would not smoke.
"I guess we'd better get a doctor."
"I think so, too," added Frank. "Too bad about your wreckers, Sammy," he
went on, with a laugh.
"Aw, quit your fooling!" exclaimed the lad who sometimes let his
imagination run away with him. "Something like that might have happened,
anyhow."
"Yes, it _might_," admitted Bob. "But it _didn't_."
"I'm sure there's something queer about that man with the lantern we
saw," continued Sammy. "He's after that pirate gold, I'm positive."
"Well, he does act queer," admitted Frank. "We can have a try for his
secret, as soon as we get this lighthouse business fixed up."
"We do seem to run into the queerest things," remarked Bob. "If it isn't
one thing it's another."
"I like it!" exclaimed Sammy, who was always on the lookout for
something to happen. That it seldom did take place never discouraged
him.
"Well, is everything all right?" asked Mr. Floyd, as the boys came down
stairs.
"Yes," answered Frank. "The lantern is going all right."
"And now we'll look after you," went on Bob. "Are you badly hurt?"
"I can't tell. Best have the doctor look me over, I guess. I'm more
comfortable since you boys came. It isn't so much for myself that I
care, but the light depends on me. Uncle Sam trusts me to keep it going,
no matter what happens, and I've got to do it. If I get knocked out
someone else will have to look after it."
"We'll go for a doctor," said Sammy.
"Yes, and maybe we'd better go tell your wife and daughter what has
happened," suggested Frank. "They'll want to be with you."
"I guess that would be a good plan," agreed the light-keeper. "They
ought to be here, for I'm afraid I won't be able to get up and down
stairs much for a while."
While the boys were planning who should stay at the lighthouse, and who
should go for the physician, hurried footsteps were heard outside, and a
number of fishermen and sailors came crowding in. They were much
surprised at what they saw.
"Look here!" exclaimed one big lobsterman, "what's all this here about,
John Floyd?"
"We saw the light out," added another, "and we made up a committee to
come and investigate."
"Thinking there was trouble," put in a third.
"Yes, thinking there was trouble," agreed the second speaker. "Has these
boys been up to any tricks?" and he looked at the three chums
suspiciously.
"Indeed they have not!" exclaimed Mr. Floyd, earnestly. "If it hadn't
been for these boys the light would be out yet. And if you fellows had
come a little quicker, instead of waiting to form a committee, it might
have been better."
"Well, we didn't notice, until a few minutes ago, that the light wasn't
flashin'," said a clam dealer. "You know you can't see it very well from
shore. But Ted Knowlton was out in his boat after eels, and he noticed
right away that there wasn't any flash. So he rowed in as fast as he
could and told us."
"But the boys got here first, and I'm mighty thankful to 'em!" exclaimed
Mr. Floyd. "Howsomever, now that you men are here, you might lift me up
on that lounge, and then get the doctor."
"And we'll go for your wife!" said Bob. "We can do that, if you'll tell
us where she is."
The light-keeper gave them the directions for finding Mrs. Floyd and
Lucy, who had gone to a relative about two miles away. The boys left,
after waiting to learn that, in the opinion of the fishermen, Mr.
Floyd's leg was only sprained, and not broken.
Stopping at Barnacle Cottage to tell Mrs. Bouncer what had happened, and
where they were going, Bob and his chums hurried to where Mrs. Floyd was
staying. She and Lucy were at first much alarmed at the news, but were
soon told that nothing serious had happened. They at once returned to
the lighthouse with the boys.
The keeper was feeling much better now, and the doctor had bandaged his
leg. He would be unable to walk around for several days, it was said,
and some of the fishermen agreed to come and help with the heavier work
about the lighthouse until Mr. Floyd was able to be about.
"Well, that's over," remarked Bob, as he and his chums went back to
Barnacle Cottage again. "Quite some little excitement for a while; eh?"
"That's right," agreed Frank.
"But it isn't over yet," said Sammy Brown.
"Why not?" asked Bob. "That is unless you're going to have a look for
the wreckers, Sammy," and he nudged Frank, to show that he was only
joking.
"Humph! Wreckers, yes!" exclaimed Sammy. "If there _had_ happened to be
any you fellows would have been glad enough to want part of the credit.
But as long as there wasn't, you can only poke fun at me."
"Oh, we didn't mean anything!" said Bob, quickly. "I was only joking,
Sammy. Go ahead; tell us what you mean by it not being over yet."
"I mean we haven't found out who that queer old man is with the
lantern," said Sammy. "I'm sure there's some mystery about him."
"Pirate gold; do you mean?" asked Frank.
"Well, I'm not going to say that again, and have you fellows laugh at
me!" exclaimed the lad who did so much sensational thinking. "But that
man is after something around here."
"I agree on that," said Frank.
"But what is it?" asked Bob.
"That's what we've got to find out!" declared Sammy, promptly. "Fellows,
what's the matter with us trailing that queer man, until we find out all
about him."
"Trail him?" questioned Bob.
"Yes," went on Sammy. "We'll try to find where he lives, and what he is
after."
"And why he goes about nights with a lantern," added Frank. He and Bob
were now as much interested as was Sammy, and they were eager to help
their chum clear up the mystery.
Getting to the cottage, they found company had come to call on Mr. and
Mrs. Bouncer, and before the boys went to bed they had to tell all about
their adventure at the lighthouse.
"My, you boys certainly do things!" exclaimed one of the callers.
"Yes, too much, sometimes," said Mrs. Bouncer, with a sigh, as she
looked at her son and his chums. "I never know what they'll be up to
next. That's one reason I rather dreaded coming here. I didn't so much
mind it at home, for though they were out on Rainbow Lake much of the
time, there was a limit to that water. But here, so near the big
ocean,--I don't know. I'm always afraid they'll be carried out to sea!"
and she shivered slightly, as if from some unknown fear.
"Carried out to sea!" exclaimed Bob. "How could we be? We never go as
far as the inlet."
"And I hope you never will!" exclaimed his mother.
The boys told more in detail of their doings at the lighthouse and then
were sent off to bed, for the hour was growing late. They only made a
mention of the strange man with the lantern, whom they had passed in the
darkness, and they did not tell of their intention to get on his trail,
and try to find out who he was and what he was after. They thought that,
had they spoken of him, permission to seek after his secret might not be
given.
"Well, what's on the program this morning?" asked Bob, after breakfast
one day.
"Me for a swim, as soon as it gets a little warmer," decided Frank, for
the morning was a bit chilly.
"I'm with you!" agreed Bob.
"Can't you boys get a few crabs first?" asked Mrs. Bouncer. "I'd like
some to make a salad. The tide is right now; isn't it?"
"Yes, it's coming in, and they always bite best on the incoming tide,"
replied Bob, who had learned that from an old fisherman. "What do you
say, fellows; shall we go crabbing?"
"Sure," agreed his chums. "We can swim later."
Accordingly with crab nets, pieces of meat tied on strings for bait,
and a deep basket in which to keep the catch, the boys set off in their
boat, for the other side of the cove, since there the larger crabs could
be gotten.
They had good luck, and were busy pulling in some large ones, with big
blue claws, when Bob suddenly called to his companions:
"Look, there he is now!"
They glanced up, to see, some distance back from the beach, in a clump
of scrub evergreen trees, a man digging.
"There's our man of mystery!" exclaimed Sammy. "Let's trail him,
fellows!"