from that steamer?” cried Fred, aghast.
“That’s just it!” replied the Captain.
“Oo-oh! if that isn’t stealing in the eye of the law, why can’t we
pick up something too--just a souvenir, you know!” ventured Billy,
breathlessly.
By this time, they were drawing closer to the wreck. Careened over,
rolling and crunching in the heavy swells, the Katahdin was too
dangerous for close quarters, and in fact, that was the only thing that
kept the circling boats at a distance from her.
The greed of the watchers was stimulated by the stray bits of wreckage
that were seen swashing around, and so contagious is the desire to get
something for nothing, especially when the law smiles leniently upon
the pirate, that the boys and Captains in the Zeus otherwise peaceable
law-abiding Americans, now felt the maddening frenzy to secure a prize,
too.
Suddenly, a fiercer gust of wind and a seventh wave struck the hapless
boat at the same time raising her up only to crash her down amidships
on the back-bone of Old Scilly. With a rending and splitting heard
above the roar of the breakers, the steamer broke in two and began to
vomit forth her cargo.
After that pandemonium reigned. The boys could never tell just when
they, too, turned into lawless pirates!
In the wild scramble for the floating cases from the hold of the
steamer, many a launch and boat had the bows stove in. Free fights
ensued and the butts of oars were used with telling effect on the heads
of others. Of course, the Zeus did not engage in this warfare, but she
soon was piled high with a miscellaneous freight.
As for the prizes contained in that cargo, it wasn’t a time to pick and
choose, but a case of “grab and get” before it sank from sight.
A crate floated near the boys and piercing squeals from the inside drew
the attention of the pirates of the Zeus to it.
“It’s a pig!” cried Dudley.
“Oh, let’s rescue it before it drowns,” called Paul.
When the captains and Fred Anally succeeded in hauling the heavy crate
inboard, poor piggy’s squeals had ceased.
“Let’s use ‘first aid’ on it!” exclaimed Billy, eagerly.
“He’s a fine-looking shoat, all right,” commented Benton.
“Let’s wrench off the slats on top and get him out He’ll take up less
room uncrated,” suggested Captain Ed.
“We can try ‘first aid’ on him, then,” giggled Paul.
As the crate was opened and piggy removed, Billy said: “I bet he was a
prize pig for the Belfast Fair.”
“Here, Captain, let us look at the address on the crate and see where
he was going!” exclaimed Fred.
But no ink mark was left on the case and the tag that had been tacked
to the wood was soaked off by the water. So the rescuing party were
none the wiser after the examination.
“Well, roast pig ain’t to be sneezed at, anyway,” said Benton.
But just then, piggy revived and slipped from Benton’s hold. He started
a circus in the launch with all hands trying to catch him, and more
than once, the boys very nearly fell into the water in their mad
scramble to grab him. Finally, the unruly passenger was cornered and
“hog-tied.”
“We’ll give him to Uncle Tom, because none of us Islanders can use
him,” suggested Fred.
And so piggy was destined to find a temporary resting place on the farm
at Rosemary.
It had taken three hours to sail down to Old Scilly Ledge and it was
long past lunch-time before the excited pirates thought of anything so
commonplace as eating!
A large broken box of fancy biscuits reminded them that they could feel
hungry now that the first excitement was over, and the sandwiches Mose
had packed in the lunch soon disappeared. The erstwhile seasick boys,
being hollow clean down to their toes, caused the lunch to melt away
like ice in a hot sun. Then followed the slightly soggy and salted
crackers.
With sighs of regrets, the two captains then suggested that they turn
for the homeward trip,
“Oh, just one more haul!” cried Billy, spearing for a floating case
near at hand.
“Where can you find room to stack any more?” asked Benton.
“Oh, this is a case of biscuits--fancy mixed, too!” exclaimed Billy,
having guided the prize to the side of the launch.
Without demur, the case of crackers was brought inboard and then Fred
called out: “There’s a little box floating away from us--‘precious
goods come in small packages,’ you know, so we ought to get that!”
“Another feller’s after it--quick--hurry up!” cried Paul.
The pirates on the Zeus won the race and the small half-submerged box
was carefully lifted aboard.
“_Now_, I insist that we start home!” declared Captain Ed.
“Even as it is we won’t get there until after dark!” added Benton.
“Never mind, we’ve done a big day’s work!” chuckled Fred.
“I should say so! Gee! pigs, crackers, and whatnot!” added Billy,
gloatingly.
“Ed, I bet those vultures won’t leave a stick on that boat--why, every
little shack down the bay will have one of them red-plush chairs
from the saloon, and every one on Metinicus will be sleepin’ on good
mattresses--after they’re dried out,” grumbled Benton.
On the way home the boys investigated their treasure trove. The small
box that had caused such a lively race was found to contain a gross
of Ingersol watches. But most of them were utterly spoiled from the
salt-water bath. The better ones, packed individually in small
close-fitting cases, proved to be in fairly good condition.
Oh, what joy to the hearts of these mariners! To hear the ticking of a
watch on every passenger of the Zeus--a watch that might be consulted
as often as one liked without regard to the others!
“Here’s the last one of the good lot; what shall we do with it?” asked
Dudley.
“Tie it around the porker’s neck!” laughed Paul.
“Oh, no! Let’s take it home to Mose; he will be tickled to pieces with
it,” exclaimed Billy.
So the little box was tucked in Billy’s pocket to be given to the
appreciative cook. Then the boys turned over another case.
“Here boys!--don’t open up anything else, or the clutter will choke the
engine!” begged Benton.
They laughed at that but promised to wait for landing before
investigating any further.
That night, the Islanders passed a delirious time amidst the contents
of the cases picked up from the Katahdin.
The first case opened was found to be packed with woodenware--bread
boards, chopping-bowls, potato mashers, and such.
“Great Scott! Here’s enough wood to build a house!” said Paul.
“I’ll tell you what! These oval and round bread-boards’ll make dandy
totems for every one!” cried Billy.
“That’s what they will; and the mashers will do for the tom-toms when
we hold Council,” added Dudley.
“Now don’t be silly--you know there wouldn’t be any drum head left
in the tom-tom if you boys beat time with one of those wooden
potato-mashers,” said Fred, trying to pry off a slat.
“Where’re you going?” asked Paul of Billy, who had piled an armful high
with wooden dishes.
“Give ’em to Mose--he needed some new kitchenware!”
At that, Paul and Dudley each caught up a wooden bowl and a wooden
masher and marched after Billy, beating time for his steps.
“Hey, Mose! Here’s your answer to prayer! I heard you, last week,
saying that you hoped the good Lord would send you some kitchen dishes
mighty quick!” laughed Billy.
“Ah no--’deed no, chile! Mose neber prayed no wicked pray’r lak
dat--mebbe dat wreck coul’ be laid t’ de doah ov such a pray’r! And
Mose sure ain’t guilty of _dat_! But, what Ah did say was ‘Ah wisht de
dear Lord woul’ take pity on poor Mose an’ sen’ him some dishes mighty
quick! Dere’s a heap ov diffrunce,” explained the devout cook.
“Well, forget the prayer that caused the wreck, and come in to see what
else we got,” teased Dudley, at last.
Mose was only too pleased to be invited to assist at the prize
packages but he looked askance at the debris that covered the floor of
the bungalow.
“Why diden’ yo’ all wait f’ mornin’ to unpack dis mussy stuff out on d’
groun’?”
“Wait! My goodness, we could hardly wait to get through supper!”
exclaimed Billy.
While they were talking the Captain brought in another case which he
had wheeled up from the launch. This case must have been consigned to a
hardware merchant or some poultry man as it was filled with wire nests
for chickens.
“This sure is a lottery,” laughed Fred.
“Yes, and we lost out on this draw!” chuckled Captain Ed.
“Well, these can’t be used anyway, ’cause we never keep chickens on the
Island,” said Billy, regretfully.
“You might take them over to your Uncle Tom,” ventured Paul.
“He won’t need more than three or four--and look at all of these,”
replied Fred.
“How many do you s’pose there are,” wondered Dudley, and Billy began
to unwire one bundle. As he took out one after another of the closely
packed wire frames the boys counted until they found there were
twenty-five in a pack.
“Say, for pity’s sake don’t unwire any more--there’s twenty bundles of
them in all,” laughed the Captain.
“That’s five hundred wire baskets! Gee! We’d be swamped all right!”
added Billy.
“We’ll give all the farmers on the mainland and Islesboro some,” said
Paul.
“We might make a good trade on them for eggs and butter!” remarked the
business man of the crowd.
“Ha, ha! Mose allus said Bill woul’ be a milyunair some day,” laughed
the cook.
“I tell you what we might do with some of ’em!” now suggested the
Captain, thoughtfully. “Last summer, I had some old ones that I threw
out and my wife filled them with moss and loam, and then planted some
sorts of ferns in ’em. When they were wired and hung up on the porch,
they looked mighty fine, I can tell you!”
“Great! That’s just what we’ll do for a surprise. We’ll hang them all
around the bungalow for mother!” cried Billy.
“And make a lot for Aunt Miriam for lending us the Zeus,” added Fred.
“We can go to Sprague’s Cove and dig up some of those swell ferns--and
there are whole carpets of thick moss there,” said Billy, eagerly.
“Then we’ve found a use for the nests!” sighed Paul, who feared to find
any stock on hand valueless.
The next case was filled with stationers’ assorted goods. Alas!
the briny had done its worst here. The pens, knife-blades and wire
paper-holders were already rusting and besides that a peculiar
glutinous slime covered the articles in the case. It was this same
sour odour that, coming from the inside of the case had first attracted
the boys’ attention to the box when the Captain brought it in.
“Wire baskets! Gee, do we need any more?” asked Dudley, sarcastically.
“What’s all this gooey slime!” wondered Paul, disgusted with the mess
he got all over his hands as he tried to pull out a package.
As the boys delved deeper into the case and brought out boxes and
stationery all patterned by red and blue and black ink which had soaken
through from broken bottles, they found the horrid smelly jelly diluted
by salt water, to have mixed in with everything else.
“Ah! the mystery’s solved!” cried Fred, lifting a broken carton of
paste-powder from the case.
“Agh! It’s got ready-made in the ocean and spread itself wherever it
was not wanted!” said Paul, with disgust.
“Lemme take care ob dat goo-case!” offered Mose. “Ah kin clean ’em all
out in d’ mawnin’ an’ mebbe fin’ a heap of paper so’s Paul an’ Dudley
kin write home every week, reg’lar!”
“All right--let Mose do it!” laughed Billy.
“But Ah’m tellin’ yo’ right heah--ef Ah see a nice pen-knife wid a
white pearl han’le Ah sure will tek it fo’ pay!”
“Anything you find, Mose! Go as far as you like!” promised Fred.
Mose left the cutlery in kerosene over night thereby cleaning off the
rust and polishing up the items. The paper and other passably good
articles he cleaned off fairly well and kept them on hand for the
children to use.
The last of the cases contained dire disappointment. The groceries
therein were discovered to be utterly ruined--salt, sugar, cereals,
coffee and other foodstuffs.
“Now I’m glad we stopped and got that last case of crackers,” declared
Dudley.
“So’m I!” added Paul, hiding a wide yawn behind a case.
“Is this all now!” demanded Billy.
“All for to-night, I guess,” said Fred.
“Gee! but I’m glad! I’m dog-tired!” sighed Billy.
“We all are--let’s get to bed!” cried Paul.
The next day, the Isola Bella and Rosemary contingent came early to
hear all about the piratical raid on the seas about Scilly Ledge; and
the boys relived again their thrilling adventures in relating them to
their interested audience.
The story told, Mose appeared with lemonade and crackers.
“Oh, just the thing! Ladies, won’t you partake of our Pirate’s Prize
brand of biscuits? Sultanas filled with ocean currents and genuine
Saltines fresh from the Katahdin!” joked Fred, bowing.
Of course the ladies laughed and while they all munched the crackers
the boys spoke of the hanging baskets they expected to have ready soon.
“Oh, and by the way, boys, Uncle Tom told me to be sure and thank you
for the pig although he was quite overwhelmed at first. Fancy, having a
nice fat pig fished out of the ocean for you!” exclaimed Aunt Edith.
“He’s going to keep it, isn’t he?” anxiously asked Paul.
“Oh, certainly--for a time, anyway. We have called it Katahdin, for it
proved its undisputed right to the name by making such free use of the
last syllable in the name!”
This amused the boys tremendously and they felt relieved to find that
Uncle Tom had gladly accepted the foundling.
“Speaking of fern baskets--where are you going for the ferns?” asked
Elizabeth.
“We thought of going to Sprague’s Cove for them,” replied Fred.
“Oh, do take us with you then,” cried Miriam.
“Yes, Fred, do! Then I can go off on a little hunting trip by myself?”
said Billy, eagerly.
“As long as you don’t shoot anywhere near us, it will suit me,” warned
Fred.
“Oh, I’ll keep a mile or more away--anyway, you know I am not Paul or
Dudley, who hit a mark at right-angles to their target!” teased Billy.
So the girls were permitted to go on the cruise and help dig up some
of the beautiful ferns and wonderful moss found at Sprague’s Cove. A
keg full of leaf mould was also taken for the nourishment of the roots
of the ferns.
Meantime, Billy planned to land at Adams’ Beach and hunt for rabbits
and red squirrels, but before he quite reached the shore he saw a black
dog-like head glide through the water. It dove! But it reappeared again
and Billy stopped the engine of his launch.
Quietly he waited, for he knew the curiosity of the seal would draw it
nearer and perhaps, in range of his rifle. He took great care not to
show the gun and thus stood waiting.
His knowledge of the habits of the Harbour seal proved to be correct
for the smooth dark head popped up quite near the bow of the launch.
He fired but the seal sank, leaving a pool of blood on the surface of
the water.
Billy knew that he had lost his prey unless it was lying in shallow
enough water for him to retrieve it: for a dead seal sinks like lead.
He slowly motored over to the place where the red tinge was now
mingling with the water, and sounded carefully with an oar.
“Oh, joy! I guess I can get him!” cried Billy to himself as the oar
touched bottom at about six feet depth.
“It’s high water now, too, and that’s lucky for me!” he soliloquised.
[Illustration: SCRAPING THE SEALSKIN.]
[Illustration: BILLY AND HIS PORCUPINES.
_Woodcraft Boys at Sunset Island._ _Page 228._]
When the water had cleared, Billy plainly saw the dead seal lying on
a ledge. He pondered the situation well, then decided to wait and
watch the seal, for he feared that with the wash of the ebb-tide he
would never find it again if he left the place. When the returning
“moss-backs” came in sight with their launch he would hail them to come
and help him.
Finally, the chugging of the engine was heard and Billy hailed the
Captain and Fred.
“I’ve got a seal--come and help me get him!” yelled Billy,
contradictorily.
With the Captain and Fred aiding, Billy used the oar to push a
slip-noose under and around the seal’s tail and hauled it up to the
surface. With considerable labour it was pulled on board but its
bleeding head was left hanging over the side of the launch.
Once at the Island the seal was hauled up on the rocks and Billy
started in to skin it. Uncle Tom came for the girls before this work
had been completed and they waved hands at the busy boy, shouting as
they left the float-stage:
“Good riddance to the seal! We’re not sorry to leave that awful smell.
Why, the whole Island is permeated with it!”
“’Tis rather sickenin’, isn’t it?” grinned Billy, standing up to
stretch his lame back. “It’s just as well mother isn’t here now!”
The next few days were devoted by Billy and Fred to the curing and
tanning of the seal-skin. It was no easy job, either! The scraping
alone occupied many hours but nothing seemed like too much trouble for
such a trophy!
“Billy, did you know there’s a bounty on the Harbour seals?” asked
Captain Ed, one morning. “If you just take the chin whiskers to the
Post Office at Sabbath Day Harbour they’ll give you a dollar for them.”
“Me for that dollar!” declared Billy. So that afternoon Captain Ed
handed Billy a written statement for evidence that the boy caught the
seal.
The next day the boys made another trip to Islesboro and much to the
young Nimrod’s satisfaction the dollar was forthcoming without delay.
“There won’t be any seals left a few years from now,” remarked the
elderly postmaster to Billy.
“Wall, they come near to ruin’ the salmon-fisheries and somethin’ had
to be done about ’em,” added a sailor-man.
“Yes, sir!” said a fisherman who lounged near the door. “I’ve seen a
salmon-weir just hung full of salmon-heads--all that them seals left
the fishermen!”
“But I always kind’a liked the seals and it’s a pity they has to be
killed off,” said the postmaster sympathetically.
A scornful glance from the fisherman and a sniff from the sailor were
the only answers vouchsafed the remark.
Fred and Billy finished the work on the seal that day, and the next
morning the Captain said he had the collar ready for the flag-pole.
The boys helped him with the work and when all was ready the snowy
staff was successfully raised. Now, every one was eager to see the
flag wave from the top but they had agreed to wait for their mother’s
home-coming. To divert their attention, the Captain made a suggestion.
“Who’s goin’ to help me whip the ends of the new cable for the Medric,
sailor-fashion?”
So they worked gaily at this for a time, but what boy can handle a fine
piece of rope and resist the excitement of having a swing?
“Captain, lend us your new rope for a while?” asked Billy.
“What for?”
“I have a plan for a dandy swing and besides, it will take the ‘lay’
out of your cable,” replied Billy, diplomatically.
The Captain chuckled and consented--indeed, he offered to help the boys
secure the ends but they knew they could manage.
The swing proved to be all Billy had hoped for it. In fact, so
thrilling was the experiences of that swing, that the Captain regretted
his co-operation for he felt there lurked too much risk to life and
limb while it was being used. Hence, he claimed the right to take it
the following day for the Medric. But how the boys did enjoy it while
it lasted!
Billy demurred vehemently as Captain Ed said he had to use the cable
so the Captain craftily hinted: “You ain’t been over to Rosemary after
them porcupines, yet? I s’pose your Uncle Tom’s orchard is near about
spoiled by now!”
“Gee! That’s so! I ought to go after them at once!”
“I have to go over to the Cove for supplies--Mose is forever wantin’
a yeast-cake, it seems! You might go with me and stay all night at
your Uncle Tom’s and come back to-morrow with a fine quill-pig, eh?”
continued the subtle Captain.
Mose stood by watching the boys swing and he heard the conversation. He
grinned for he knew the Captain’s tactics well. But he took a certain
pride in the looks of his Islanders.
“Chile, yo’ sure mus’ change dem old duds ef yo’ goin’ to mek a visit!
Ah ain’t goin’ t’ low you’ Maw’s son t’ look lak a sure-’nough tramp!
Yo’ ha’r needs trimmin’, too!”
“Oh pshaw, Mose, what difference does it make? It will be night and I’m
going huntin’ so no one will see me!” argued Billy.
“Hush yo’ complain’ now, Bill! Come in an’ min’ yo gardeen!” laughed
Mose, encouragingly.
“Go on, Billy, you know he’s right! Rosemary is not a camp and who
knows who’ll be visiting there? You’d disgrace us and your relations if
you were seen in the duds that came out of the ‘Ark’!” declared Fred.
Billy realised he was in the minority on this vote so he submitted to
Mose’s barbering but with much grumbling.
“Such a lot of fussing for a hunting trip!” he observed, but the
hair-cutter paid no attention to the complaint just then as he had his
mind full of other plans.
“Whiles Ah’ve got m’ ban’ in th’ barber business all yo’ boys come
along t’ dis ha’r-dressin’ parloh--lates’ style cuts!”
“Ouch! that was my ear. Darn your latest style cuts!” cried Billy
impatiently.
“Wuz dat yo’ eah, Chile? Shore ’nuff-dey seems to grow jus’ lak yo’
ha’r! Ah disremembered dey wuz so big, an’ dat ho’come Ah teched ’em
wif d’ shears!”
A laugh followed this joke on Billy and that young man departed to
dress in a ruffled frame of mind.
The next morning about nine o’clock Paul discovered the Captain and
Billy coming toward the Island in the chugging boat. He called to the
other boys and they all ran down to Treasure Cove to meet the two
sailors.
On the launch stood Billy grinning his widest and holding aloft a
porcupine. As he came within hearing he shouted: “Oh, it’s a cinch to
catch porcupines! Never got anything so dead easy! Uncle Tom shot one,
too,” grandly.
After coming ashore, the Captain handed Fred a letter which bore the
Boston post-mark and began “How Kolah Wita-tonkan.”
The others stood at hand to hear any possible news from Mrs. Remington,
and Fred hastily perused the pages.
“Well! I’ll be bliffed! Mother writes that she met Mrs. Baker and Mrs.
Hubert in Boston and they are all going to take a motor trip from their
camp up through Maine.”
“Are they coming here?” queried Billy, eagerly.
“Later, maybe. Mother says she invited them all to come and spend a day
with us on the Island, and they seemed quite taken with the idea.”
“Does she say whether any of the girls or boys will be with them on the
trip?” asked Dudley.
“Maybe my sister Hilda will be with them!” added Paul.
“I don’t know, because mother merely says they were attending a
suffrage convention in Boston--you know what ardent members both Mrs.
Baker and Mrs. Hubert are? And they had a nice long talk, but nothing
more is said in this letter,” said Fred.
“I wish the doctor would come--he’s awfully good fun!” said Billy.
“We won’t know until mother gets home, then she’ll tell us all about
it.”
“Then we could have that swell clam-bake, eh?” said Paul.
“Do you know, we’ve got ten big lobsters in the car now! I’ll bet we
will have a lot more by the time mother gets home,” exclaimed Billy.
This hope spurred the boys to even greater efforts to bait the traps
enticingly, and “tend out” for results.
CHAPTER THIRTEEN
THIEVES IN THE NIGHT
Billy had a habit of waking about dawn and stepping out of his tent to
look around and gauge the weather for the day. So, it happened about
three o’clock one morning, that he indulged in his usual nocturnal
survey.
The bay was calm in that still dark hour before dawn. Bill was about to
retire after making his prognostications when the muffled chugging of a
motor-launch and the sound of a boat bumping against something in the
back bay off the float-stage, instantly rendered him alert.
He knew the Islanders were wrapped in slumber so he investigated,
creeping down under cover of the firs to a vantage point near the shore.
It was too dark to see anything, but the muffled sounds convinced Billy
that somebody was “monkeying” with their precious lobsters.
Quietly he stole back and woke the Captain and the boys. With many
cautions for silence, they slipped into trousers and sweaters, thrust
feet into sneakers, and rushed to surprise the marauders--Billy not
forgetting his rifle.
The unavoidable sounds made by the Islanders in leaving the float-stage
were warning enough, so before they were well off in Billy’s launch the
strange craft was flying toward the south.
“It’s up with our main-topsails, lads, and after her away,” sang Billy
in his glory as he gave the engine more gas.