A QUEER ACCIDENT.
It was no time for words. Almost before any of them realized just what
had happened, the savage creature that had taken refuge from the
flames on their frail craft, launched its yellow body at them in a
great leap. But the brute miscalculated its spring this time.
With a howl of dismay it shot beyond its mark and fell into the sea.
"Quick, boys, get your knives ready," shouted Ben, "we've got a
fighting chance now."
Hastily the boys, though they felt skeptical as to the effectiveness
of these small weapons against such a formidable enemy, got out their
hunting knives. But they were not destined to use them.
The howl of dismay which the panther had uttered as it found itself
plunged into the water was quickly changed to a shrill scream of
terror from its huge throat. At the same instant a number of
triangular fins dashed through the water toward it.
"Sharks!" shouted Harry.
Attracted by the number of animals that had taken to the water to
escape the fire the creatures had gathered in great numbers about the
island and were devouring the fugitives right and left. Fully a dozen
of the monsters rushed at the panther which, formidable as it was on
land, was, like most of the cat tribe, at a great disadvantage in the
water.
It could make no resistance but a few feeble snaps to the avalanche of
sharks that rushed at it, and a few seconds after the onslaught the
water was crimsoned with the blood of the panther and the boys were
safe from that peril. But the sharks now offered almost as great a
danger as had the land monster.
Made furious by the taste of so much food they cruised alongside the
rickety raft gazing with their little eyes at its occupants till
shudders ran through them. The boys tried to scare them away by
flourishing the branches used as oars, but this, while it scared them
at first, soon lost its effect on the sea-tigers, who seemed
determined to keep alongside the raft, evidently hoping that sooner or
later they would get a meal.
All the afternoon the boys took turns paddling with their branches and
by this means, and impelled also by one of the ocean currents that
abound in this latitude, the smoking island gradually drew further and
further away. But the sharks still cruised alongside and now and again
one bolder than the others would turn partly on his back and nose up
against the raft, showing his cruel, saw-like teeth and monstrous
mouth as he did so.
"I don't wonder they call them sea-tigers," said Frank, "more terrible
looking monsters I never saw."
The tropic night soon closed and darkness shut down with great
rapidity. Far off the boys could see the red glare cast by the flaming
island.
"That's queer," exclaimed Frank suddenly. He had been regarding the
island intensely for some time.
"What's queer?" demanded Billy.
"Why, do you see that long wavering ray of light shooting up near the
island," he cried, pointing in that direction, "what can it be?"
The others looked and to their amazement, as soon as Ben's eyes fell
on the strange ray of white light, the old sailor began dancing a sort
of jig to the imminent danger of his tumbling in among the sharks.
"Hurray! hurray!" he shouted, "douse my topsails and keel-haul my
main-jibboom, if that ain't the best sight I've seen for a long time."
"Have you gone crazy?" asked Harry.
"Not much, my boy," shouted the old tar, "that queer light--as you
call it--yonder is a ship's searchlight. The Southern Cross like as
not."
"She must have seen the smoke from the burning island and sailed in
that direction," exclaimed Frank.
"How can we attract their attention?" cried Billy.
"Easy enough," said Ben, pulling off his shirt, "this is a good shirt,
but I'd rather have my life than a whole trunk full of shirts. Now for
some matches and we'll make a night signal."
The matches were soon produced and the old sailor set fire to the
garment. It flared up brightly and made a fine illumination, but as
the flare died out there was nothing about the movement of the
searchlight to indicate that the signal had been seen.
"We must try again," said Ben.
It was Harry's turn to sacrifice a shirt this time, and he lost no
time in ripping it off. As Frank prepared to light it, however, an
unfortunate--or even disastrous--accident occurred.
The waterproof box of matches slipped from his fingers in his
excitement, and before any of them could recover it, it was overboard.
The rush of a great body through the water at the same instant told
them that one of the watchful sharks had swallowed it.
"I wish they'd burn his insides out," cried Billy.
"Everybody search their pockets for a match," commanded Frank. A
prolonged scrutiny resulted in yielding just one match. It came from
Ben's pocket.
Frank lit it with great care. For one terrible moment, as they all
hung breathless over it, it seemed as if it was going out. It finally
caught, however, and flared up bravely.
"Now the shirt," cried Frank.
It was thrust into his hands and he waved the blazing garment above
his head till the flames streaked out in the night.
This time a cheer went up from the castaways on the raft.
Their signal had been seen.
At least so it appeared, for the searchlight, which had been sweeping
about near the island, suddenly shot its long finger of light in their
direction. As the vessel bearing it neared them a bright glow
enveloped the figures on the raft, who were alternately hugging each
other and shaking hands over the prospect of their speedy deliverance.
A few minutes later all doubt was dissolved. The approaching vessel
was the Southern Cross, and the adventurers were soon answering to
excited hails from her bridge. To lower a boat and get them on board
once more did not take long, and it was not till late that night that,
the story of their perils having been told and retold at least twenty
times, they managed to get to their old bunks.
Never had the mattresses seemed so soft or the sheets so comfortable
as they did to the tired boys. Their heads had hardly touched the
pillows before they were off in dreamland--a region in which, on that
night at least, fires, panthers and sharks raged in inextricable
confusion.
Before they retired they heard from the lips of Captain Hazzard the
puzzle their disappearance from the ship had proved. The Southern
Cross, it appeared, on the day following her collision with the
floating island, had cruised in the vicinity in the hope of finding
some trace of the castaways. Her search was kept up until hope had
been about abandoned. The sight of the glare of the blazing island
had, however, determined her commander to ascertain its cause, with
the result that while her searchlight was centered on the strange
phenomenon the boys' tiny fire signal had been seen by a lookout in
the crow's nest and the ship at once headed for the little point of
light.
For his part the commander was much interested in hearing of the
floating island. It cleared up what had been a great mystery, namely,
the nature of the obstruction they had struck, and proved interesting
from a scientific point of view. Captain Hazzard told the boys that
these great tracts of land were, as Ben had said, not uncommon off the
mouth of the Amazon, but that it was rarely one ever got so far out to
sea.
Two weeks later, after an uneventful voyage through tropic waters,
during which the boys had had the interesting experience of crossing
the equator, and had been initiated by being ducked in a huge canvas
pool full of salt water placed on the fore deck, the Southern Cross
steamed into the harbor of Monte Video, where she was to meet her
consort, the Brutus, which vessel was to tow her down into the polar
regions.
A few interesting days were spent in Monte Video and the boys sent
many letters home and Captain Hazzard forwarded his log books and data
as obtained up to date. Professor Sandburr spent his time among the
natives collecting memoranda about their habits while the boys roamed
at their leisure about the city. They saw a bull fight, a spectacle
that speedily disgusted them, and witnessed the driving into the
stock-yards of a huge herd of cattle rounded up by wild and
savage-looking gauchos on wiry ponies.
One day, while they were walking through a back street leading to some
handsome buildings, they heard terrible cries coming from a small hut
in unmistakably American tones.
"Come on, let's see what is the matter?" shouted Frank.
Followed by Billy and Harry, the lad ran toward the mud hut from which
the cries had issued. As they neared it a terrible-looking figure
dashed out. Its white duck suit was streaming with red and the same
color was daubed all over its face and head.
"Oh, boys, save me!" it cried as it ran towards the three lads.
"Why, it's Professor Sandburr!" exclaimed Harry, gazing at the
crimson-daubed figure; "whatever is the matter?"
"Oh-oh-oh-oh," howled the professor, dancing about, "it's a woman in
that hut. She threw some stinging stuff all over me."
"Why, it's chile con-carne!" exclaimed Frank, examining the red stuff
that daubed the unfortunate professor from head to foot; "good
gracious, what a scare you gave us; we thought you had been attacked
with knives and terribly cut."
There was a trough of water near by and to it the boys conducted the
professor, who was half-blinded by the stinging Spanish dish, which is
a sort of pepper stew. It took a long time to clean him, during which
quite a crowd gathered and laughed and jeered, but at last they had
the luckless scientist looking more presentable.
"Now tell us what happened?" asked Frank, as they started back toward
the city in a hired "volante," or native carriage, that had been
passing, by good luck, as they finished their cleaning process.
"Well, my dear boys, it's an outrage. I will see the mayor or the
president about it, or whoever is in charge of those things in this
land. I saw a fine looking specimen of a hopping sand-toad going into
that house and I dashed in after it with my net extended. As soon as I
rushed in I upset a sort of baby carriage that stood by the door. Two
children, who were in it, started howling in a terrible manner. I know
a little Spanish and I tried to explain, but before I could do so the
mother threw a whole pot of that hot stuff over me and called me a
kidnapper, a robber, a thief. Upon my word I think I may be considered
lucky that she didn't shoot me."
"I think you may, indeed," agreed the boys, who could hardly keep from
laughing at the comical sight the professor presented with his head
cocked on one side and all daubed with the traces of his "hot bath."
Early the next day the Brutus passed a steel hawser to the Southern
Cross and the two vessels proceeded out of the harbor of Monte Video.
"Well, we're really off for the pole at last," exclaimed Frank, as the
shores grew dim behind them and the long ocean swell made itself felt.
"Yes," rejoined the professor, who was busy getting specimens of
jelly-fish in a bucket he lowered overboard by a line. "I wonder what
sort of creatures I can catch in the ice there. I don't care so much
about the pole, but I do want to get a 'Pollywoginisius Polaris.'"
"Whatever is that?" asked Frank.
"It's a sort of large pollywog with fur on it like seal," replied the
professor gravely.
"A sort of fur overcoat," suggested Billy, nudging Frank
mischievously.
"Exactly," said the professor gravely; "if you see one will you catch
it for me?"
"I certainly will," replied Billy gravely.
For several days the Brutus and the vessel she was towing kept on down
the coast. At last one morning the captain announced that they were
off the coast of Patagonia, where the famous giant tribes of
aborigines and a kind of ostrich are to be found. The professor was
greatly excited at this and begged to have the ships stopped and be
allowed to go ashore.
"I am afraid that will be impossible," rejoined Captain Hazzard; "we
must get into the Polar regions before the winter sets in, and if we
delay we shall not be able to do so. No, we must keep on, I am
afraid."
The Brutus was making good speed at the moment, and her tow was
cutting obediently through the water after her. Sail had been set on
all the masts, as there was a favoring breeze. Suddenly there came a
jarring shock that threw everybody from their feet. The tow-line
parted under the strain with a report like that of a gun.
"We have struck something," shouted the captain.
"A sunken wreck, probably," said the professor, who did not seem at
all disturbed.
"Is there any danger?" asked Billy with rather a white face.
"We cannot tell yet till the ship has been examined," replied the
captain. He gave orders to sound the well and sent some men forward to
examine the vessel's bow.
Soon the ship's carpenter and Ben Stubbs came hurrying aft with scared
faces.
"What is it?" demanded the captain, "are we seriously damaged?"
"We have sprung a leak forward and the water is pouring in," was the
alarming reply.