It was the savory smell of cooking hominy and the sizzle of broiling
fish that woke Jeremy next morning. He drew a breath of pure ecstasy,
rolled over and began pummelling the inert form of Bob, who had shared
his blanket on an improvised bed in the cabin. The Delaware boy opened
an eye, closed it again with carefully assumed drowsiness, and the next
instant leaped like a joyful wildcat on his tormentor. There was a
beautiful tussle that was only broken off by Tom's announcement of
breakfast.
Opposite the stone fireplace was a table of hewn planks at which Bob,
with Jeremy, Tom and their father, were soon seated. The latter had
bruised his knee several days before, but was now sufficiently recovered
to walk about with the aid of a stick.
"Father," said Jeremy between mouthfuls, "I want to see that cove again,
where the pirates landed. If we may take the fowling-piece, Bob and I'll
go across the island, after we've bade good-by to Captain Ghent."
"Ay, lad," Amos Swan replied, "you'll find the cove just as they left
it. An I mistake not, the place where their fire was is still black
upon the beach, and the rum-barrels are lying up among the driftwood.
'Twas there we found them--on the second day. Ah, Jeremy, lad--little we
thought then we'd see you back safe and strong, and that so soon!"
The white frost of the November morning was still gleaming on the grass
when the two boys went out. Against the cloudless sky the spires of the
dark fir trees were cut in clean silhouette. From the _Indian Queen_,
lying off shore, came the creak of blocks and sheaves as the yards were
trimmed, and soon, her anchor catted home, she filled gracefully away to
the northward, while the Captain waved a cheery farewell from the poop.
He was bound up the coast for Halifax, and was to pick Bob up on his
return voyage, a month later.
When they had watched the ship's white sails disappear behind the
eastern headland, the boys started up the hill behind the cabin. They
carried a lunch of bread and dried fish in a leather pouch and across
Jeremy's shoulder was one of his father's guns. Bob was armed with the
silver-mounted pistol from Stede Bonnet's arsenal.
It was a glorious morning for a trip of exploration and the hearts of
both lads were high as they clambered out on the warm bare rock that
crowned the island.
"Isn't it just as fine as I told you?" Jeremy cried. "Look--those blue
mountains yonder must be twenty leagues away. And you can hardly count
the islands in this great bay! Off there to the south is where I saw the
_Revenge_ for the first time--just a speck on the sea, she was!"
Bob, who had never seen the view from a really high hill before, stood
open-mouthed as he looked about him. Suddenly he grasped Jeremy's arm.
"See!" he exclaimed, "down there--isn't that smoke?" He was pointing
toward the low, swampy region in the southwestern part of the island.
Jeremy watched intently, but there was nothing to disturb the morning
calm of sky and shore.
"That's queer," Bob said at last, with a puzzled look. "I could take an
oath I saw just the faintest wisp of smoke over there. But I must have
been mistaken."
"Well," laughed Jeremy, "we'll soon make sure, for that's not far from
where we're going."
They scrambled down, and following the ridge, turned south toward the
lower bay at about the point where Jeremy had been discovered by Dave
Herriot and the pirate Captain.
Dodging through the tangle of undergrowth and driftwood, they soon
emerged on the loose sand above the beach. As Amos Swan had said, the
rains had not yet washed away the black embers of the great bonfire, and
near by lay a barrel with staves caved in. Looking at the scene, Jeremy
almost fancied he could hear again the wild chorus of that drunken crew,
most of whom had now gone to their last accounting.
"What say we walk down the shore a way?" suggested Bob. "There might be
a duck or two in that reedy cove below here." And Jeremy, glad to quit
the place, led off briskly westward along the sand.
Soon they came to the entrance of a narrow, winding tide-creek that ran
back till it was hidden from sight in the tall reeds. Just as they
reached the place, a large flock of sandpeeps flew over with soft
whistling, and lighting on the beach, scurried along in a dense company,
offering an easy target. Bob, who was carrying the gun, brought it
quickly to his shoulder and was about to fire when Jeremy stopped him
with a low "S-s-s-s-t!"
Bob turned, following the direction of Jeremy's outstretched arm, and
for a second both boys stood as if petrified, gazing up the tide-creek
toward the interior of the island. About a quarter of a mile away, above
the reeds, which grew in rank profusion to a man's height or higher,
they saw a pair of slender masts, canted far over.
"A ship!" whispered Bob. "Deserted, though, most likely."
"No," Jeremy answered, "I don't think it. Her cordage would have slacked
off more and she wouldn't look so trim. Bob, wasn't it near here you saw
that smoke?"
"Jiminy!" said Bob, "so it was! Right over in the marsh, close to those
spars. It's some vessel that's put in here to careen. Wonder where her
crew can be?"
"That's what looks so queer to me," the other boy replied. "They're
keeping out of sight mighty careful. Men from any honest ship would have
been all over the island the first day ashore. I don't like the look of
it. Let's get back and tell father. Maybe we can find out who it is,
afterwards."
Bob argued at first for an immediate reconnaissance, but when Jeremy
pointed out the fact that if the strangers were undesirable they would
surely have a guard hidden in the reeds up the creek, he accepted the
more discreet plan.
They made their way quietly, but with as much haste as possible back
along the shore, past the remnant of the fire, and up the hill into the
thick woods.
Just as they crossed the ridge and began to see the glint of the
northern inlet through the trees, Jeremy paused with a sudden
exclamation.
"Here's the spring," he said, "and look at the sign above it. I never
saw that before, for it was dark when I was up here. I almost fell in."
The spring itself was nearly invisible to one coming from this
direction, but stuck in the fork of a tree, beside it, was a weathered
old piece of ship's planking on which had been rudely cut the single
word WATTER.
"Some Captain who used to fill his casks here must have put it up so
that the spring would be easier to find," Bob suggested. But Jeremy,
striding ahead, was thinking hard and did not answer.
Amos Swan heard their news with a grave face. No ship but the _Queen_
had touched at the island for several months to his knowledge, he said.
He agreed with the boys that the secrecy of the thing looked suspicious.
When Tom came in for the noon meal, his father told him of the discovery
and they both decided to bring the sheep in at once, and make
preparations for possible trouble.
Tom, armed, and accompanied by the boys, set out soon after dinner for
the western end of the island, two miles from the shack. It was there
that the flock was accustomed to graze, shepherded by the wise dog,
Jock. Their way led along the rocky northern slope, where the sheep had
already worn well-defined paths among the scrubby grass and juniper
patches, then up across a steep knoll and through a belt of fir and
hemlock. When at length they came out from among the trees, the pasture
lay before them. There in a hollow a hundred yards away the flock was
huddled. Jock became aware of their approach at that instant and lifted
his head in a short, choking bark. He started toward them, but before he
had taken a dozen steps they could see that he was limping painfully.
Running forward, Jeremy knelt beside the big collie, then turned with a
movement of sudden dismay and called to his comrades. He had seen the
broad splotch of vivid red stained the dog's white breast. Examination
showed a deep clean cut in the fur of the neck, from which the blood
still flowed sluggishly. But in spite of his weakness and the pain he
evidently suffered, Jock could hardly wait to lead his masters back to
the flock. Hurrying on with him they crossed a little rise of ground and
came upon the sheep which were crowded close to one another, panting in
abject terror.
[Illustration: Jock]
"Twenty-six--twenty-eight--yes, twenty-eight and that's all!" Tom said.
"There are two of them missing!"
Jock had limped on some twenty yards further and now stood beside a
juniper bush, shivering with eagerness.
Following him thither, the boys found him sniffing at a blood-soaked
patch of grass. The ground for several feet around was cut up as if in
some sort of struggle. A few shreds of bloody wool, caught in the
junipers, told their own story.
A man--probably several men--had been on the spot not two hours before
and had killed two of the sheep. They had not succeeded in this without
a fight, in which the gallant old dog had been stabbed with a seaman's
dirk or some other sharp weapon.
Bob, scouting onward a short distance, found the deep boot-tracks of two
men in a wet place between some rocks. They were headed
south-eastward--straight toward the reedy swamp where the boys had seen
the top-masts of the strange vessel! The crew--whoever they might
be--had decided to leave no further doubt of their intentions. They had
opened hostilities and to them had fallen first blood.
With serious faces and guns held ready for an attack the three lads
turned toward home, driving the scared flock before them. Old Jock,
stiff and limping from his wound, brought up the rear. They reached the
inlet at last, but it was sunset when the last sheep was inside the
stockade and the cabin door was barred.
That night the wind changed, and the cold gray blanket of a Penobscot
Bay fog shut down over the island.