A SUDDEN DISAPPEARANCE
For several seconds all those on the deck of the wrecked steam yacht
watched the on-coming flying machine with intense interest. Then Randy
uttered a sudden exclamation.
“The flag! Let’s put it out upside down for a distress signal!”
“Yes, and let’s make some smoke! We can do it with some wet papers,”
put in Fred.
While Fred and Andy got ready the smoke signal, Randy and the young
major rushed to where they had found the flags belonging to the wrecked
vessel. As quickly as possible they selected the biggest Old Glory on
board and brought it out on the deck.
“How kin you raise it?” questioned Ira Small. “There ain’t no masts.”
“We’ll tie it to a pole and hold it up from the top of the cabin,”
answered Jack, hurriedly.
In all haste the flag was fastened to a pole the boys had noticed some
time before and then raised to the top of the cabin, where Randy and
Jack waved it frantically at the on-coming ’plane. A few minutes later
the flying machine was almost directly overhead. It was of fair size
and contained two occupants.
“It’s a hydroplane!” exclaimed Fred. “See the pontoons under it?”
“I hope she lands,” murmured Andy.
“I don’t believe they can land on the ocean very well,” said Jack. “But
they might land in that bay on the north shore.”
Eagerly the whole party watched the movements of the hydroplane. It
seemed to be passing them by when it slowly turned in a wide circle to
the eastward. Then it came along over the wreck once more.
“They’re dropping something!” cried Jack. “Here it comes!”
A white object about as big as a man’s head came dropping down from the
hydroplane. It was evidently of light weight, for its descent was not
rapid and the wind carried it from over the stern of the wreck to a
point just beyond the bow. Then the hydroplane sailed on.
“I’ll bet it’s a message of some sort!” burst out Randy, and he and
Fred scrambled over the side of the yacht and on to the rocks where
the object lay. They found it was made of paper, tied lightly with a
string, and to it was attached a bit of cardboard on which was written:
“Wreck and distress signals seen. Cannot land. Will notify
U. S. Government without delay. Can you hold out forty-eight
hours? If so, turn flag.
“JACKSON.
“BORDERWELL.”
“Hurrah for Jackson and Borderwell, whoever they may be!” cried Jack,
happily. “Come on! Let’s turn the flag right side up!” and this was
quickly done.
Again the hydroplane made a turn, this time wider than before. Then the
flying machine passed over the wreck at a lower level, and they could
see the two aviators peering anxiously down at them. They waved the
flag in delight and Andy and Randy threw kisses to show that everything
was all right. Then they saw each of the aviators wave their arms in
return. A few seconds later the hydroplane passed southward once more.
“I’ll bet she’s bound for Porto Rico!” cried Jack, and in this surmise
he was correct.
“If only we could have sent word to the folks that we’re safe!” sighed
Fred.
But even with this drawback, the boys felt tremendously relieved, and
had it not been for his twisted ankle Andy would have danced a jig of
joy. Their situation would soon be known to the outside world, and they
were certain that relief would not be slow in coming.
“Forty-eight hours won’t be so long to wait,” said Randy. “Why, that’s
only two days!”
“That will give us time to hunt for the pirates’ gold!” exclaimed the
lanky sailor. “I wish my leg was better. I’d climb over them stones
somehow or other and git to the middle of the circle of the thirteen
rocks.”
“Now that we know that help is coming, we can spend all our time in
trying to locate the gold,” said Randy. “Why not take another trip
along the base of the rocks in the scow? We can post a notice here
telling where we’ve gone, so that if any one arrives they’ll wait for
us.”
They finished their interrupted meal and then decided to make another
tour in the scow without delay. It was very calm, the wind having gone
down completely, so they felt they could approach quite close to the
cliffs without much danger of another wreck.
For fully two hours the party of five moved slowly along the rocky
shore, inspecting every foot of the way for some hidden trail by which
they might get to the bowl encircled by the thirteen rocks.
“There might be an opening behind that bunch of vines,” remarked Andy,
presently. “It looks as if there were some sort of opening there.”
They had brought with them several long-handled boathooks, and by means
of these they managed to make a landing on the rocks, and Randy and
Fred climbed to the point where the vines mentioned were growing. Here
they found an opening several yards in depth, inhabited by numerous sea
birds that flocked forth in much astonishment.
“There is an opening,” shouted Randy, after throwing the rays of the
searchlight around, “but it doesn’t lead to anything. It’s just a blind
pocket.”
After this the search was continued for another hour, and the boys
visited two other places along the rocky barrier. One was thickly
matted with vines, and here they found the foothold very uncertain, and
Jack and Fred, who were doing the climbing, came close to tumbling down
into the ocean.
“Doesn’t look as if there was any sort of an opening around here,” came
dolefully from Andy. He was sorry that he could not do some of the
climbing himself, but he knew that he had to take care of his hurt
ankle or that member might become so bad that he could not use it at
all.
“We won’t give up yit!” cried Ira Small. “I’m goin’ to git down in that
circle of rocks if I’ve got to stay behind on the island all alone!”
“Oh, we wouldn’t dream of going off without you, Small,” answered
Randy, quickly.
“Well, I ain’t goin’ to leave till I’ve made a search,” answered the
old tar, stubbornly. “That thing’s been in my mind fur five years, an’
I ain’t goin’ to give up now when I know where them rocks are located.”
“Maybe we’ll have to get an airship in which to get down into the
bowl,” said Andy, making a wry face.
Again they went on, and now they were less than an eighth of a mile
from where the rocky wall came to an end and the jungle took its place,
leading, a short distance farther along, to the entrance to the little
bay which Jack and Randy had navigated on the raft.
“What a lot of birds,” remarked Jack, as they went along close to the
rocky cliff. “I never saw so many in my life.”
“It would be easy to get enough for a bird pot-pie――if a fellow wanted
it,” added Andy, with a grin. Then, however, the fun-loving Rover shut
his mouth tightly and began to rub his hurt ankle.
“Hurt very much, Andy?” asked Fred, kindly.
“It starts up every once in a while,” was the answer. “I don’t notice
it, and then of a sudden it seems to go right back on me.”
“You’ll have to see a doctor――just as soon as we can get to where there
is one,” put in his brother.
“I suppose so. But I’ll wait till we get home first.”
As they moved along both the boys and the lanky sailor kept their eyes
on all the flat rocks which were passed. Presently Fred saw what he
took to be the picture of an arrow carved on one of the rocks, and he
pointed this out to the others. Close to the arrow grew some trailing
vines from a small opening just above.
“Gee, that does look like an arrow!” cried Andy, with interest.
“Yes. But there were to be three arrows forming a triangle,” remarked
his twin.
Curious to know if the mark was really meant for an arrow, they sculled
the scow in closer to the rocks and then pulled the vines aside with
one of the long boathooks.
“There are the three arrows, just as plain as day!” burst out Jack.
He was right. There, on the face of a large upright rock, the
representation of three arrows had been cut. Each arrow was about two
feet in length, the bottom one horizontal and the others running down
to a base probably four feet long.
“It’s a triangle, all right enough! A triangle with the three angles
left open!” ejaculated Randy.
“Yes, but where is the opening?” came quickly from Ira Small. He was as
much excited as any of the boys.
“It must be up behind those vines!” cried Fred.
It was no easy task to get up the side of the smooth rock, and had it
not been for the substantial boathooks they carried and the support of
some of the vines, they would have been unable to make it. However,
Jack and Randy managed finally to reach the opening and speedily began
an investigation. But this amounted to nothing. The opening was very
irregular, and all the passages leading from it went up instead of down.
“How are you making out?” shouted Andy, impatiently.
“Nothing doing up here, as far as I can see,” announced Jack.
“Maybe there’s some sort of a secret trapdoor,” suggested Fred,
hopefully.
For over a quarter of an hour Randy and Jack continued their
investigations of the little opening just above the triangle of arrows.
Then they came to the edge of the hole and looked down blankly at those
on the scow.
“It’s no use,” said Randy, disconsolately. “If there’s any passageway
here, we can’t find it.”
While the search was in progress, those on the scow had had no easy
time of it to keep the craft from becoming damaged on the rocks. Now,
as an extra large wave rolled in from the ocean, Fred used one of the
boathooks as a fender. But the hook on the end of the pole slipped
down, and the next instant boy and pole disappeared from view into the
ocean at the base of the rocky cliff!