[Illustration: HE THREW THE HATCHET WITH ALL THE FORCE HE COULD
COMMAND.]
THE ROVER BOYS
SHIPWRECKED
OR
_A THRILLING HUNT FOR
PIRATES’ GOLD_
BY
ARTHUR M. WINFIELD
(Edward Stratemeyer)
AUTHOR OF “THE ROVER BOYS AT SCHOOL,” “THE ROVER
BOYS IN THE AIR,” “THE ROVER BOYS AT COLBY
HALL,” “THE PUTNAM HALL SERIES,” ETC.
_ILLUSTRATED_
NEW YORK
GROSSET & DUNLAP
PUBLISHERS
Made in the United States of America
BOOKS BY ARTHUR M. WINFIELD
(Edward Stratemeyer)
THE FIRST ROVER BOYS SERIES
THE ROVER BOYS AT SCHOOL
THE ROVER BOYS ON THE OCEAN
THE ROVER BOYS IN THE JUNGLE
THE ROVER BOYS OUT WEST
THE ROVER BOYS ON THE GREAT LAKES
THE ROVER BOYS IN THE MOUNTAINS
THE ROVER BOYS IN CAMP
THE ROVER BOYS ON LAND AND SEA
THE ROVER BOYS ON THE RIVER
THE ROVER BOYS ON THE PLAINS
THE ROVER BOYS IN SOUTHERN WATERS
THE ROVER BOYS ON THE FARM
THE ROVER BOYS ON TREASURE ISLE
THE ROVER BOYS AT COLLEGE
THE ROVER BOYS DOWN EAST
THE ROVER BOYS IN THE AIR
THE ROVER BOYS IN NEW YORK
THE ROVER BOYS IN ALASKA
THE ROVER BOYS IN BUSINESS
THE ROVER BOYS ON A TOUR
THE SECOND ROVER BOYS SERIES
THE ROVER BOYS AT COLBY HALL
THE ROVER BOYS ON SNOWSHOE ISLAND
THE ROVER BOYS UNDER CANVAS
THE ROVER BOYS ON A HUNT
THE ROVER BOYS IN THE LAND OF LUCK
THE ROVER BOYS AT BIG HORN RANCH
THE ROVER BOYS AT BIG BEAR LAKE
THE ROVER BOYS SHIPWRECKED
THE PUTNAM HALL SERIES
THE CADETS OF PUTNAM HALL
THE RIVALS OF PUTNAM HALL
THE CHAMPIONS OF PUTNAM HALL
THE REBELLION AT PUTNAM HALL
CAMPING OUT DAYS AT PUTNAM HALL
THE MYSTERY AT PUTNAM HALL
_12mo. Cloth. Illustrated._
GROSSET & DUNLAP, Publishers, New York
Copyright, 1924, by
EDWARD STRATEMEYER
_The Rover Boys Shipwrecked_
INTRODUCTION
MY DEAR BOYS: This book is a complete story in itself, but forms the
eighth volume in a line issued under the general title, “The Second
Rover Boys Series for Young Americans.”
As related in the First Series, this line of books was started with
the publication of “The Rover Boys at School,” in which I introduced
my readers to Dick, Tom and Sam Rover and their friends and relatives.
This First Series, consisting of twenty volumes, told of what happened
to these three Rover boys while attending Putnam Hall Military Academy,
Brill College, and while on outings in this country and abroad. When
the boys became married Dick Rover was blessed with a son and a
daughter, as was also his brother Sam, while Tom became the parent of a
lively pair of twin boys.
From their homes in New York City the four younger Rovers went to
boarding school, as related in the first volume of the Second Series,
entitled “The Rover Boys at Colby Hall.” From that school the scene was
shifted to “Snowshoe Island” and then to doings while “Under Canvas.”
Then the boys went “On a Hunt,” and, later, to “The Land of Luck.”
Then came exciting days at “Big Horn Ranch” and at “Big Bear Lake,”
where we last met them. In the present volume the scene is shifted to
the Atlantic Ocean. The boys were shipwrecked and had many thrilling
adventures.
As many of my readers know, the sale of this series of books is now
well past the _three million_ mark. To me, this seems truly wonderful.
My only hope is that the reading of these books will do all of the boys
and girls good.
Affectionately and sincerely yours,
EDWARD STRATEMEYER.
CONTENTS
CHAPTER PAGE
I. AN ACCIDENT ON THE ROAD 1
II. SOMETHING ABOUT ALL THE ROVERS 15
III. A THANKSGIVING REUNION 29
IV. AT OLD NANTUCKET 40
V. LOST IN THE FOG 54
VI. ABOARD THE SCHOONER 65
VII. A NIGHT OF ANXIETY 76
VIII. PLANNING TO ESCAPE 87
IX. ANOTHER PLOT 98
X. IRA SMALL’S REVELATIONS 108
XI. THE ESCAPE 119
XII. ON THE MOTOR BOAT AGAIN 130
XIII. A CRASH IN THE DARK 140
XIV. ALONE ON THE OCEAN 150
XV. FACING STARVATION 160
XVI. ABOARD THE STEAM YACHT 169
XVII. ANIMALS, BIRDS AND SNAKES 179
XVIII. FRED’S LUCKY THROW 188
XIX. AN ENCOUNTER WITH A TIGER 198
XX. THE DOOMED SHIP 206
XXI. ASHORE AT LAST 214
XXII. ABOUT A PIRATES’ TREASURE 223
XXIII. A TIME OF ANXIETY 232
XXIV. IN THE JUNGLE 241
XXV. THE THIRTEEN ROCKS 251
XXVI. THIEVES IN CAMP 261
XXVII. AT THE WALL OF ROCKS 270
XXVIII. A SUDDEN DISAPPEARANCE 279
XXIX. IN THE CIRCLE OF THIRTEEN ROCKS 288
XXX. WHAT THE BOX CONTAINED――CONCLUSION 298
THE ROVER BOYS
SHIPWRECKED
CHAPTER I
AN ACCIDENT ON THE ROAD
“Battalion, attention!”
The command came from Major Jack Rover. The scene was the campus of
Colby Hall Military Academy, and drawn up in front of the youthful
major were the three companies of cadets. It was a clear day in
November and the boys made an inspiring appearance in their well
fitting uniforms. Every rifle was in the pink of condition, as were
also the drums, fifes and bugles of the musicians.
“Present arms!” was the next command, and as the students held their
rifles before them, Captain Mapes Dale, the military instructor, passed
in front of one company after another. He was followed by Colonel Colby
and Professor Grawson.
“The cadets certainly make a fine showing,” remarked Colonel Colby,
after the brief inspection had come to an end.
“They do indeed, Colonel,” answered Captain Dale. “They have never
turned out better. We’ll have to congratulate Major Rover. He certainly
keeps the boys well in hand.”
The owner of the military academy and his aids came to the front once
more, and then Captain Dale nodded to the young major. This was a
signal that the youthful commander could now proceed with the usual
morning routine.
“Shoulder arms! Forward march!” came the quick, clear command.
Then the drums struck up, followed by the lively pipings of the fifes,
and the three companies of cadets moved forward across the campus and
around the school buildings, finally coming to a halt in front of the
entrance to the mess hall. There the cadets broke ranks, placed away
their guns, swords and other equipments, and piled into the mess hall,
where all were speedily seated at the numerous dining tables.
“That ends parading for some time to come,” remarked Captain Fred
Rover, of Company C.
“And I’m not sorry,” returned Andy Rover, his cousin.
“Hurrah for the Thanksgiving holidays!” burst out Randy, Andy’s twin.
“Won’t we have a dandy time at home?”
“And don’t forget that invitation from Ralph Mason,” came from Jack.
“Hoopla! Me for a life on the ocean wave!” burst out Andy. “Ralph says
that motor boat is a dandy.”
“If only the weather stays clear!” said Fred, anxiously.
“Young gentlemen, a little less noise, please,” came from Professor
Snopper Duke, who chanced to be at the head of the table at which the
four Rovers were seated.
“Yes, sir. Sorry I spoke, sir,” mumbled Andy, and slyly put his tongue
in one cheek, at which his twin brother and his cousins grinned.
All of the cadets were in high spirits, and with good reason――school
was to close that afternoon for the Thanksgiving holidays. Nearly
all of the cadets were going either home or elsewhere, so that only
a handful would be left at the academy for ten days. Usually the
Thanksgiving recess was shorter, but Colonel Colby wished to take
advantage of the holidays by having some necessary repairs done to the
mess hall ceiling, which was in danger of coming down.
Before Jack Rover had been elected major of the school battalion, Ralph
Mason had occupied that important position. Now Ralph had left Colby
Hall for good, but he still retained his affection for many of the
lads there, and had invited the Rover boys and two of their chums, Gif
Garrison and Dick Powell, to accompany him on a motor-boat trip from
Woods Hole to Marthas Vineyard, Nantucket, and Cape Cod――the proposed
outing, of course, being contingent upon the condition of the weather.
“I only hope the folks at home won’t object to our taking that
motor-boat trip,” remarked Fred, after the meal was over and the boys
were preparing to go to their classrooms.
“I don’t see how they can object,” came from Randy. “It will be
perfectly safe.”
“Of course it will be safe,” returned his twin brother. “There won’t a
thing happen to us.”
“Let’s hope so, anyway,” said Jack. “We’ve had adventure enough.
Gracious, just look at what happened at Big Horn Ranch and at Big Bear
Lake! After all those doings, I’m willing to sit down and take it easy.”
“No sitting down for me,” broke in Andy, and in high spirits he dropped
his school books and turned a cartwheel in the corridor.
“Andy Rover, what do you mean by such conduct in the school building?”
came in a cold, clear-cut voice, and the boys saw Professor Duke
standing in a doorway close behind them.
“Oh, excuse me, sir. I didn’t know any one was looking,” stammered the
fun-loving Rover.
“After this reserve your gymnastic exercises for the gymnasium,” was
the professor’s sarcastic command as he turned away.
“My, but he’s a real sociable fellow!” was Randy’s whispered comment.
“And we thought he had turned over a new leaf,” murmured Jack.
“It must be bred in the bone,” was the way Fred expressed himself.
The gong was now sounding, and all of the cadets hurried to their
various classrooms, and were soon deep in their studies or recitations.
Although they liked fun, Andy and Randy especially, the Rovers knew
that they must make good records at the Academy, or otherwise there
would be trouble when they faced their fathers and mothers.
“Well, anyway, the agony will be over by half-past two this afternoon,”
remarked Andy to his brother, “and by four-thirty we’ll be on our way
home.”
“Do you suppose the girls will be on hand?” questioned Randy.
“Yes. Jack said Martha telephoned in early this morning. And she said
she might have a surprise.”
“A surprise?” came from Fred. “How is that?”
“Martha wouldn’t say, because, she said, the whole thing might fall
through.”
“It’s a wonder Jack didn’t make her tell! What do you suppose those
girls have up their sleeve?”
“Search me! You can’t make Martha open her mouth when she wants to
keep silent. She’s not one of the kind of girls to tell everything she
knows.”
“Did she say Mary was in on the secret?” questioned Fred. Mary was his
sister, and the two girls attended Clearwater Hall, a school for girls
in that vicinity.
“Didn’t say a word about Mary,” put in Jack, thus appealed to.
“Maybe she didn’t say anything about Ruth Stevenson, either?” came from
Andy, slyly, and his manner was such that the young major found himself
blushing in spite of himself.
“Well, I suppose we’ll just have to wait and see what’s doing,” sighed
Randy.
The last day in school before a holiday is usually not so strictly
observed as some others. The cadets, however, had to go through their
usual recitations, interrupted only by the time taken for lunch. Then
at half-past two the dismissal bell rang, and the cadets rushed hither
and thither in their anxiety to pack and get away.
“Look at the autos outside, will you?” came from Gif Garrison, who had
stopped to speak to Jack about the proposed trip with Ralph Mason.
“I’ll say some fellows are in luck.”
“Yes, indeed!” came from Dick Powell, usually called Spouter by his
chums. “I’d rather ride in an auto ten times over than in a stuffy
train. Just think of rolling along through the country with all the
foliage at its very best. Think of the trees tipped with crimson and
gold, the mountainsides looking like――――”
“There, Spouter, that will do for the present,” interrupted Jack,
good-naturedly. “You can spout all you please about the scenery when we
are off on our trip.”
“Oh, pshaw! you fellows have no eye for beauty,” grumbled Spouter, in
disgust. “I don’t believe you know whether the tree leaves are red,
yellow, green or pink.”
“Hi there, Jack! Come here!” came in a yell from Fred, who had run out
on the campus. “Here’s a surprise!”
Jack broke away from a number of his friends and ran down to where Fred
was standing. The two Rovers were quickly joined by Andy and Randy.
“Why, it’s dad!” came from Andy. “Dad and Uncle Sam!”
“And they’ve got the two autos with them!” answered his twin, dancing
up and down in excitement.
“Say, was that the secret Martha was keeping?” demanded Jack, rushing
up and shaking his two uncles by the hand. And then, before they could
answer, he went on: “Where’s my dad? Why didn’t he come?”
“Your father had to remain in New York,” answered Tom Rover. “Somebody
has to run the business, you know. We can’t all go holidaying,” and his
eyes twinkled, showing that he was just as full of fun as he had been
when at the age of his twin sons.
“Yes, we telephoned to Martha. But we told her to keep it a secret
because we were afraid that something might hold us back,” explained
Sam Rover.
“Why, Dad, you’ve got a new car!” burst out Fred. “What do you know
about that! Some swell outfit, I’ll say,” he added, gazing at the new
automobile admiringly. It was a big twelve-cylinder sedan, and looked
to be the acme of comfort and mechanical perfection.
In a few minutes the boys learned that they were to leave the school by
automobile and pick up the two Rover girls at Clearwater Hall on the
way. Ruth Stevenson was to accompany Martha and Mary.
“Martha said Ruth’s folks are away on a tour,” explained Tom Rover. “So
she is to spend the holidays with us.”
“Well, that will suit Jack all right enough,” said Randy quickly.
“Don’t you all like Ruth?” demanded the young major.
“Sure, we do!” came promptly from the others, and then, somehow, Jack
felt better.
“You haven’t heard all of the secret yet,” Tom Rover said, grinning at
his twin sons and his two nephews. “Shall I tell them?” he went on,
turning to his brother Sam.
“Why not let them find it out for themselves?” came quickly from Fred’s
father. And then, turning to the lads, he continued: “You don’t know
where you are going, boys, but you’re on the way.”
“Do you mean to say that we’re not going home?” came from all four
cadets in a chorus of wonder.
“You are not,” replied Tom Rover. “But don’t ask any more questions. Go
ahead and get ready to leave. We have a long ride ahead of us, and we
don’t want to drive any farther than is necessary after dark.”
While the Rover boys were saying good-bye to their chums and getting
ready to make the trip, Tom Rover and his brother Sam went in to call
on their old school chum, Colonel Colby.
“It’s a touch of old times to see you fellows again,” said Larry Colby,
as he shook hands warmly. “It’s too bad Dick didn’t come with you. Then
we’d have the old quartette,” and he smiled broadly.
“Well, time is bound to scatter us,” remarked Sam Rover. “Some of the
fellows are scattered to the four quarters of the globe. About all
the old crowd I ever see are Songbird Powell, Fred Garrison and Hans
Mueller.”
Knowing that they had a long run ahead of them, the Rover boys lost no
time in getting ready for the trip. Then their suitcases were stowed
away and they climbed into the two cars, the twins with their father
and the others with Sam Rover.
It did not take long to run to Haven Point and then along the lake to
Clearwater Hall. Here they found a number of automobiles parked along
the campus and many girl students coming and going.
“There they are!” called out Jack, and waved his hand. In a moment more
his sister Martha came running toward them, followed by Mary Rover and
Ruth Stevenson.
“How about the surprise, Jack?” cried Martha, her face beaming.
“Peachy!” answered her brother, promptly. “Couldn’t be better!”
“Did you suspect?” questioned Mary.
“Not at all. We thought the folks were all too busy in Wall Street to
come up here just now.”
“Hold on! Hold on!” interrupted Sam Rover. “They don’t know where
they’re going yet. Don’t spoil things.”
“They don’t!” burst out Mary. “Why, I thought――――”
“No, that’s to be a surprise,” said Tom Rover. “Don’t tell them a word.
Let them find out for themselves. It will give them something to think
about.”
“Well, this certainly is a mystery,” murmured Fred, and he and his
cousins looked blankly at each other.
“It was splendid to invite me to go along,” remarked Ruth Stevenson,
as she shook hands warmly with the young major and the others. “Just
splendid!”
“We’re glad to have you, Ruth,” answered Sam Rover.
The boys assisted the girls with their luggage, and a few minutes later
the automobile trip was begun. The twins rode with their father, and
Mary and Fred went with them, while Jack and Martha, accompanied by
Ruth, rode with their Uncle Sam. As was to be expected, Tom Rover led
the way and set such a pace that his brother had hard work to keep up
with him.
“We figured out that we could reach a town called Bridgeville in time
for supper,” said Sam Rover. “But I rather think we’ll have to hump
ourselves to do it.”
“I guess Uncle Tom is going to try to put one over on you, Uncle Sam,”
remarked Jack. “Maybe he wants to show you that his old car can outrun
your new one.”
“It’s all right, if he doesn’t get into trouble,” answered Sam Rover.
“Oh, I don’t mind riding fast,” came from Ruth, her eyes sparkling with
excitement. “It’s so good to be out of school once more!”
“Wish we were bound for Big Bear Lake,” said Jack.
“Oh, Jack, wouldn’t that be grand!”
“It would be unless some big bear came along to eat us up,” put in
Martha.
“Oh, we killed off all the bears,” said Jack. And this remark made both
of the girls giggle.
On and on sped the two cars, keeping just within sight of each other.
Up hill and down hill they rolled, around broad curves, and over solid
stone bridges and some that were built of wood and rattled loudly as
they passed. The weather was so warm that they had all the windows
down, so they could enjoy the fresh air to its fullest.
“Where do you suppose they are taking us?” whispered Randy to his
brother, as they rolled swiftly along.
“Search me!” was the slangy answer. “They’ve certainly got something up
their sleeve. I thought sure we were going home.”
“So did I.”
Suddenly the car guided by Sam Rover struck a broad curve leading to
the left. A little farther on there was a crossroad, and presently
through the trees and bushes Fred’s father caught sight of a long, low,
yellow car on the other highway. As this car was coming from his right,
he at once slackened his pace and blew his horn vigorously.
The occupants of the other car paid not the slightest attention to the
warning, but kept on, faster, if possible, than ever. As a consequence,
Sam Rover had to jam on the brakes. Then, as he came still closer to
the crossroads, he prepared to make the turn and run, if possible,
with the other car. Then came a wild tooting of the other horn, and
the yellow car attempted to make a turn to the right to get into the
highway on which the Rovers were running.
But this turn proved disastrous, and in a twinkling the yellow car
rolled over and over, landing in some bushes on the side of the road.
The Rovers’ car proceeded a distance of fifty yards on the crossroad,
and then came to a standstill.