A PLOT AGAINST CHAP.
When everybody who was going had leisurely gone on board the little
steamboat, and the two or three negroes who were not going had
deliberately got off into the flat-boat, and the engineer and fireman
had followed the example of everybody else on board, and had gone to
take a look at Adam’s little bears, which he had brought with great
care from Titusville, stowed away in the front part of the wagon, and
when there really seemed to be no reason why a start should not be
made, the anchor was hauled up and the engineer signalled to go ahead.
Among the passengers were the two young men who had stolen the boat;
but they kept as much out of the way as possible, appearing especially
anxious to avoid Adam and the boys. They spent most of the time in the
engine-room and lived with the crew, probably hoping that by so doing
the story of their misdemeanors and banishment from Titusville might
not be told on board.
The boys, however, knew that they were on the boat; but, as they had
not the slightest desire either to speak to them or look at them, the
two miscreants were avoided quite as much as they wished to be.
After leaving the lake, which is a small body of water, the boat
entered a narrow stream, which twisted and turned and bent back upon
itself in such curious loops and curves, that few persons would have
supposed it navigable by a steamer, until they had seen the Winkyminky
perform the feat.
Sometimes the turn was so sudden that the bow of the boat almost
touched the back, while the stern barely swept clear of it at the other
end of the curve. In such cases the engine was stopped, and the boat
pushed around the curve by the negro hands with long poles, which they
thrust against the bank.
Often when they had just pushed the boat around one curve, they had to
run to the other side of the deck to pole her around another, which
bent in an opposite direction. None but a very small vessel would have
made the necessary turns, and the boys were not surprised at her size
when they saw the peculiar work she had to do. Anything larger than
that could not have got along that stream at all. Even after they at
last got into the upper waters of the St. John’s, the river was, at
some points, very narrow.
The country they passed through was almost entirely uninhabited,
although they sometimes stopped at a lonely wharf to take on vegetables
or fruits, which were brought from the hummock farms, generally lying a
little back from the river.
Alligators were plentiful along the banks. Water-fowl and other birds
were in great numbers everywhere, and the boys had a very good time
fishing for black bass from the stern of the little steamer. They
caught enough to supply everybody on board with fresh fish during the
entire trip, and many of the passengers, including the gentleman in the
blue shirt, spent most of their time shooting at the alligators and
birds.
The captain was a pleasant man, and talked a good deal with the boys.
“It seems pretty hard,” he once said to them, “to get a boat along
this narrow and crooked stream, but there are times in the year when I
have no trouble at all. When the waters are high all this flat country
is overflowed, and, as my boat only draws two feet of water, I sail
right straight along over all this land that you see here, and pay no
attention at all to the bed of the stream, wherever it may happen to
be.”
After a slow passage of two nights and parts of three days, they
entered a broad lake, on one side of which was situated the town of
Enterprise, and on the other that of Sanford.
Without stopping at the first, they proceeded to the last-named place,
and the boys had scarcely scrambled upon the long pier when they were
met by a portly gentleman, in a white necktie and broad straw hat, who,
after asking their names, handed Phil a telegram. Phil hastily tore
open the envelope, and read the following message:
“To Philip Berkeley, Sanford, Florida: Telegraph to Inman House,
Jacksonville, by what boat you leave Sanford. Call there on arrival.
“JOHN ROBINSON.”
This was a message sent by Mr. Godfrey Berkeley, and put in charge of a
gentleman with whom Mr. Berkeley had an acquaintance, and who resided
at Sanford. Mr. Berkeley knew that the boys must stop at this place in
coming from the Indian River, and there had been time to write to the
gentleman, as well as to telegraph. He and Helen did not wish the boys
to know that they would meet them at Jacksonville, and the message was
sent so as to make it sure that the boys would not be missed when they
arrived at that place.
Phil and his two friends were very much surprised when they read the
message, for they could not imagine who John Robinson might be. When
they made inquiries in regard to this point of the stately gentleman,
that individual waved his hand and raised his eyebrows.
“It is not to be supposed,” he said, “that I should be cognizant of
the personality of the gentleman who sent this message. All I have
undertaken to do was to meet every boat which arrived from the locality
from which you set forth, and when I should have the honor of meeting
you to deliver you the message. If there is anything more I can do for
you, I hope you will command my services.”
“I suppose,” said Phil, “that this John Robinson is somebody in
Jacksonville to whom our money has been sent, and he has telegraphed
here so that we can go to him and get it.”
The stately gentleman was further interrogated, but he dismissed all
remarks relating to John Robinson with a majestic wave of his hand, and
proceeded to other topics. He was very kind, however; took them all,
including Adam, to his house to supper, and gave them a great deal of
information in regard to their trip to Jacksonville.
After going over to Enterprise for some freight, the Winkyminky
intended to proceed to Jacksonville, but they had been told at
Titusville that it would be better to take a larger and faster boat,
if they could do so. The William Von Glode, the stately gentleman
informed them, would, by a fortunate concatenation of circumstances,
leave Sanford at about eight o’clock that evening, and he advised them
to take passage in her.
Some hours would elapse before the Von Glode started, and there was
time enough for the boys to walk about the place.
Before supper, Adam, who knew people here, and had heard where he could
get a good job of work in repairing and refitting a boat,--for he was a
boat-builder as well as a sailor,--had gone to see about this business,
and was returning, when he noticed the two boat-thieves sitting under a
tree by the side of the road.
He did not wish to speak to these fellows, nor did he care to pass them
without a word. They had their faces turned away from him, and as there
was a high board fence behind them, Adam went through a gate into the
lot enclosed by this fence, so that he might altogether avoid these two
fellows.
The board fence was not a very tight one, and as in passing the place
where they sat he was but a short distance from them, he heard some
words which made him stop.
“The long-legged fellow is always keeping to himself,” were the words
that he heard.
Now, as Chap was pre-eminently a long-legged fellow, this remark
instantly recalled to Adam’s mind the captain of The Rolling Stone,
and this suggestion was made stronger by the fact that Adam had noticed
that Chap was very fond of separating himself from the company, and
doing something on his own account.
If these men were talking about Chap, it could bode no good to that
young man, and Adam wanted to hear what should be said. So he stopped.
“If I can git a hold of him,” was the next remark, “I’ll pay him off
square.”
“Yes,” said the other one, “and I’d like to pay off that no-account
sea-rat. If it hadn’t been for him we’d ’a’ had our guns.”
“That’s so,” said the other; “but it won’t do to tackle the whole lot
of ’em. If we can git hold of the feller that knocked us into the water
and fired at me, we can give him his share and the sailor’s too.”
“I’m bound to bag some kind of game,” said the other, “and he suits me
better than any. What we’ve got to do is to keep a sharp eye on him
and we’re pretty sure to git a chance. The boat don’t start till after
dark.”
Adam did not care to hear any more. It was plain enough that the two
men intended to be revenged on Chap, and, as usually happens, they were
the more determined on vengeance because they had deserved all they had
suffered.
The point now was, what could he do to prevent this piece of rascality?
for something must be done instantly, and the important thing was to
warn Chap.
If the boys could be kept together until they went on board the
steamboat, there would be no further trouble, for he was certain that
the two rascals did not intend to take passage on the Von Glode.
Having settled these points in his mind, he set off for the house of
the stately gentleman, which was on the main street of the town.
[Illustration]