THE BREAKDOWN OF THE MOTOR
"Say! he's going off, dead sure!" exclaimed Will, in distress.
"He certainly seems to be having a free ride out to sea," remarked Frank.
"But that little craft will upset, and let him drown, Frank! Can't you
stop him from such mad capers?" continued the other.
Frank put his hands up to his mouth in such fashion that they formed a
sort of megaphone, and allowed his voice to carry far.
"I say, Jerry!" he bawled.
"Hello!" came faintly from the onrushing fisherman, who was sitting in
such fashion as to properly balance his small pumpkin-seed-shaped craft
as it sped over the water, so rapidly as to leave a sheet of white foam
behind.
"Cut loose! Danger!" shouted Frank.
"Did he hear you, Frank?" asked Will anxiously.
"I guess so. Anyhow, he seems to be moving toward the bow, where his line
is fast. I hope he has a knife with him, that's all," replied Frank,
straining his eyes to see what was going on, for the sun had set, and
already dusk was just commencing to gather over the water.
"He always carries one in his fishing bag," declared Bluff, not a little
alarmed himself over this new source of danger, so utterly foreign to
anything they had ever experienced before.
"There! He's done it! Hurrah!" shouted Will in relief.
"I bet he hated to let that thing go!" said Bluff, who knew the
determined nature of the fisherman full well.
"And he's lost his line, and the hook, too," commented Will.
"That's of little consequence, for there are plenty more where they came
from. I'm glad he was sensible enough not to carry the joke too far,"
observed Frank.
Jerry came paddling slowly back. Apparently he wanted to continue his
fishing, but his good sense told him the hour was really too late.
"Talk to me about your toboggan slides! What could compare with that
jolly old dash? Peary wasn't in it with me. I've heard of boats pulled
by dolphins, but give me a shark every time for a racer. I'm only sorry I
had to cut loose so soon," he said as he came aboard.
"I see you have one mullet left, Jerry. After supper we'll get out a
couple of lines, and fish from the motor-boat. Perhaps we can pick up
a channel bass or a weakfish, which I am told they call a sea trout down
here."
"A good idea, Frank. I'll just get the lines ready while you look after
supper. Glad to see Bluff managed to find his oysters. Perhaps we'll have
a rest now, and he'll quit sighing after the same. But they look fine and
dandy, too."
The boys did not wonder so much now at the size of the hooks they had
found in Cousin Archie's assortment of war material, each of them
fastened on a heavy but pliable brass snell, and with copper wire instead
of thread. Florida sea fishing requires such heavy tackle, because one is
never certain whether he may hook a forty-pound channel bass or a shark,
and an ordinary hook would be quickly torn loose.
The oyster stew turned out well. Every one was loud in praise of its
splendid qualities, and Bluff was given to understand that they did not
care how often he supplied the larder with a pail of fresh bivalves.
He did not seem just quite so eager to promise, and Frank suspected that
those nasty little cuts on his fingers were beginning to be painful.
The supper over, the boys sat around, taking it easy, and looking out
upon the open space where they knew the mysterious gulf lay, about which
they had read so much in the past.
Once they saw lights moving along, which must certainly have belonged
to some sort of craft, either a steamer bound for New Orleans, or else
some private steam yacht, the owner of which was cruising in these
sub-tropical waters for pleasure.
Jerry had cast out a line from the bow and a second one from the stern.
As the depth of water was good, it did not much matter how far from shore
the bait lay.
"Hope something gets hold before we turn in," he said, after carrying out
his part of the program.
"Yes; fresh fish for breakfast wouldn't taste bad," remarked Bluff.
"Bah! That's the only thing you think of, Bluff. Now, if you had any
genuine sporting blood in your veins it would be the last thing you
bothered about. Let me shoot the game, or catch the fish, and I don't
care who eats them," said Jerry.
"All the same, I noticed that you passed up your dish for a second
helping of stew," remarked the other instantly.
"Pure philanthropy, my dear boy, that's why I did that," answered Jerry.
"Huh! How do you make that out?" demanded Bluff.
"Why, you see, I was afraid you'd make yourself sick eating so much, and
out of the goodness of my heart I sacrificed my better feelings in order
to save you."
Bluff said nothing, but the grunt he gave was deeply significant of
skepticism.
While they were talking, a while later, Jerry suddenly gave utterance to
a whoop, and sprang to where one of the lines was fastened. This he began
dragging in, although it seemed to take considerable effort.
"He's a dandy, all right! Frank, get Cousin Archie's gaff hook, and stand
ready to yank him aboard when I get him alongside!" he called.
This was finally accomplished, and with considerable splashing a
magnificent bronze-backed channel bass, weighing at least twenty pounds,
was captured.
The boys were delighted. Here was a new treat, indeed. In comparison with
the trout and black bass that had, up to now, constituted their only game
fish, this was tremendous. Still, later on, Frank was satisfied that a
one-pound black bass, held with a light fly-rod, could give more sport to
the square inch than any fish in Florida waters.
There was nothing more doing up to the time they went to bed. In the
morning they found the hook gone from the other line. Frank said they
must have caught a shark, or else another large bass, which, in twisting
about, had broken the tackle. Still, they were not sorry, for they would
not have known what to do with more.
"That's what I call fresh fish," said Bluff, as he sighed because he
could not eat another bite of the tempting dish.
"It does go pretty good," admitted Jerry, with a wink toward Frank.
Sometimes Frank was of the opinion that the name of "Bluff" had been
bestowed on the wrong fellow, for Jerry was inclined to play the part
much more than the one who bore the odium that went with the name.
"Now to get under way and move out on the gulf!" exclaimed Will, in some
excitement, as the breakfast things were put away and the deck cleared
for action.
Frank had taken a careful observation, and announced that there did not
seem to be any reason why they should linger there longer. His chart
showed him a refuge some fifteen miles along the coast, to the east,
where they could run in should it be deemed necessary. If the weather
kept good they could speed another fifteen miles, and make a second
lagoon sheltered behind outlying islands.
These things are easy enough to plan. It sometimes happens, however, that
in attempting to carry them out a hitch occurs which no one has dreamed
possible. Now, it might come in the shape of sudden winds that kick up a
tremendous sea; again, there might be a breakdown of the motor, as may
happen with any boat, no matter how well built.
They made a flying start, and all the boys were thrilled when they found
themselves far out from land, and headed along the coast, toward the
east. Later on, of course, their line of travel would be south, as the
coast turned and they drew nearer to their destination, Cedar Keys.
Everything seemed to be working nicely, and they had soon put half a
dozen miles behind them. Frank was attending to the motor, while the
others lay about on the deck, watching the heavens or the surrounding
water.
Not a breath of wind seemed to be blowing, and the sun came down with
summer heat, causing coats to be discarded by all hands.
"Hey! What's that? Where's the blooming shore gone?" suddenly exclaimed
Bluff.
Frank raised his head at the cry.
"It's a fog coming up!" he said uneasily, for that was the one thing he
had dreaded most of all while out upon the open waters of the big gulf,
and no haven near at hand.
With incredible swiftness the blanket seemed to sweep over the surface of
the sea. In ten minutes they were completely surrounded, and could not
discern any object fifty feet away.
"This is awkward, fellows; but perhaps it may not last long. Meanwhile,
we will have to steer by the compass. All of you listen to hear the wash
of the rollers on the beach, if we happen to get in too close," said
Frank, trying to keep calm.
They continued along for half an hour, under reduced speed. Still the fog
remained as dense as ever. Frank was wondering if they might not pass the
first haven without knowing it. He thought it was very unfortunate that
such a thing as this should occur on their very first day out.
"Hello! What are you stopping for?" demanded Jerry suddenly, as the sound
of the bustling little motor ceased and the boat slowed down.
Frank was bending low over the machinery.
"I don't know, fellows, but something has happened to the motor. That
stop was none of my doing; but I hope it won't amount to much," he
said cheerfully.
The other three looked at each other uneasily. With the motor broken
down, and surrounded by a treacherous fog, out there on the big gulf,
their situation was one well calculated to cause alarm.