AFLOAT.
It was not necessary for the boys to wait very long before the mystery
was as plain to them as to Ned.
In a few moments a prolonged and particularly unearthly groan was heard,
which began as the Zoe commenced to move seaward and ceased when she
stopped.
There could no longer be any question in regard to the matter, and Roy
said in a tone of the most intense relief:
“Well, that settles it. I had began to make a fool of myself, and am
mighty glad it’s settled at last. If we had left the key without having
discovered the cause of the noises, I’m afraid I should have been
convinced so long as I lived that this island was haunted by the captain
and mate of the Evening Star. What do you think now, Vance?”
“That we’ve been mighty silly. Almost anybody, except Ned, would have
been frightened by such sounds when they knew there wasn’t a living
thing on the key.”
“I might as well own up that I was in a pretty bad funk toward the last
of it,” Ned replied with a hearty laugh. “That last screech came mighty
near settlin’ me, an’ if I hadn’t happened to be standin’ close to the
yacht when the next one came, I reckon I’d joined you in the tent. But
now that the thing is settled, one of you come aboard with me an’ help
haul in on the longest cable. The other must stay on the raft an’ do his
best at drivin’ the wedges in when we take up the slack.”
Vance was on the Zoe’s deck almost before Ned ceased speaking, and the
two tugged at the capstan until Roy shouted from the raft:
“You’ve raised her three or four inches already. I’ve put in new wedges,
and if you’ll take a whack at the other cable she’ll be in fair
condition for the next tide.”
The boys worked with a will until nearly dark, and then the yacht was in
a better position than even Ned had dared to hope for.
She was very nearly on a level keel, a slight heel shoreward only
showing that she was aground, and her stern had been hauled around a
couple of feet, so much so, in fact, that the lead-line showed deep
water directly beneath the screw.
“We must keep awake this night, or leave one fellow on watch,” Ned said
after the tide had fallen so much that it would have been a useless
expenditure of strength to work longer, “and when it’s high water once
more I expect to see her afloat.”
“It can’t be done so soon,” Vance said decidedly as they walked toward
the tent. “We may possibly succeed by the day after to-morrow; but not
before.”
“That remains to be seen,” Ned replied with a laugh. “We’ll get
something in the way of dinner, and then decide whether all three or
only one shall stand watch.”
Now that the “ghost” had been laid, the experiment of floating the yacht
evidently a future success, and matters in what Roy called “comfortable
shape” once more, the little party was in the best of spirits.
Roy fairly outdid himself in the way of preparing dinner, and the tired
wreckers ate until it seemed as if food would never again be necessary.
Since it would not be high water until about midnight, it was thought
useless for all hands to remain awake, therefore hourly watches were
begun from nine o’clock, the time set for retiring, until twelve, when
the work would be commenced once more.
The question of who should “do the first trick” was settled by drawing
lots, and it so chanced that Ned was the one selected for the last hour.
He made sleeping a matter of business from the time the first watch was
begun until summoned to do his share of the work, and then, in order to
drive the remnants of slumber from his eyelids, went out on to the beach
for a stroll.
After walking a couple of miles as a means of preparing for the more
arduous labor, he returned to the yacht and clambered on board.
The hawsers were stretched taut as bars of iron, and there was every
reason to believe the strain upon the anchors was beginning to tell.
Contrary to his expectation the groaning was not heard, probably because
the craft had been raised partially out of the sandy bed; but as he
stood there watching the water creep up inch by inch upon the white
sand, he fancied there was a certain motion to the craft.
“The anchors are pullin’ her once more,” he said to himself. “I wish it
might be possible to get her off before the boys awaken. I don’t believe
she’s now on so very firm, and with the hawsers dragging dead astern a
little additional weight would take her off.”
The cable connected with the largest anchor was yet made fast to the
capstan, and as the yacht quivered again, Ned exerted all his strength
to take another turn of the drum.
At first this was impossible, but as the hawsers were slackened he
succeeded, and was rewarded by feeling that she continued to move
slightly.
“It’s now or not until to-morrow!” he said after making certain the
water was nearly at its proper height, and shutting his teeth tightly,
he gave way on the capstan-bar with every ounce of weight and strength
it was possible for him to exert.
Just for an instant he fancied he had made some mistake as to the
holding power of the craft, and then the capstan began to revolve as if
the cable had suddenly been unloosened.
There was no necessity to look over the side, for Ned could see by the
objects ashore that the little steamer was moving rapidly through the
water, and a second later there was a slight dip as the bow slipped from
the bank.
The Zoe was afloat once more.
Ned came very near giving vent to a cry of triumph, which might have
awakened his friends, and that was exactly what he did not want to do.
He wished them to sleep on until morning and, coming out to look for
him, see the little craft rising and falling on the swell as if she had
never known what it was to come in contact with the bank; therefore he
remained silent, hauling in on the cables until she was riding within a
short distance of the anchors.
It would have pleased him immensely had it been possible to have pulled
the steamer around into the bay, and he would have made the attempt if
he had had a boat; but there was too much risk in trying to tow her
alone, with the raft as a craft, therefore it only remained to pass the
hours of darkness in the most comfortable manner possible.
The port lockers were comparatively dry, and on one of these in the
after cabin he prepared to continue his nap; but the feeling of triumph
was so strong in his mind that quite a while elapsed before slumber
visited his eyelids.
Fortunately, so far as the plans for enjoying his triumph were
concerned, he awakened at an early hour, and was on deck busying himself
with examining the rigging when Roy appeared at the flap of the tent.
The boy was evidently surprised at not having been called when the tide
was at its height, and was looking around for Ned when he saw the change
which had been made in the position of the yacht.
For an instant he remained motionless, as if speechless with
astonishment, and then gave vent to a series of cheers which brought
Vance from the tent in short order.
“How did you get the yacht afloat?” the latter asked in astonishment as
he ran to the shore.
“Pulled her off, of course. You fellows believed she couldn’t be
launched for two or three days, so I thought it would be a good chance
to prove you were mistaken.”
“You’re a brick!” Vance exclaimed enthusiastically. “Bring the raft
ashore so we can go on board.”
“That is exactly what I propose to do,” Ned replied as he clambered over
the rail. “There isn’t a breath of air stirrin’, an’ if we pull her
around into the bay now, it’ll give us an appetite for breakfast.”
“Do you think we can do it with that raft?”
“Hold on!” and Ned clambered back to the deck again. “We’ll run a line
ashore, and with one haulin’ on that, while the other two row the raft,
I reckon it won’t be so very much of a job.”
“Go ahead and fix things in any way you see fit,” Roy cried
encouragingly. “You’ve shown yourself the captain of this crowd, and
from now out Vance and I will obey orders without a word. Eh, Vance?”
“Well, I should say so! If it hadn’t been for him we should have left
the poor little Zoe on the bank until a storm came and knocked her to
pieces.”
Ned was decidedly well pleased by these words of praise, but he took
good care not to show it.
It delighted him that his companions should thus voluntarily give him
credit for having engineered the work successfully, and he was resolved
she should be taken into port in good condition, if such a thing was
possible.
A line, made fast to the capstan, was soon carried ashore and given in
charge of Roy, while Ned took Vance back with him to the yacht.
Then it was simply a matter of hard work to pull the steamer around, and
before nine o’clock that morning she was moored in the little bay ready
to receive once more the goods which had been taken ashore.
“Now, captain, what’s the next thing on your programme?” Vance asked
when they were back at the tent and Roy was preparing breakfast.
“I think it would be a good idea for you two to overhaul the machinery,
and see if it can be put in running order. I’ll take a portion of the
stores on board, by way of gettin’ ready for our departure.”
“But suppose we find that it is impossible to do anything with the
engine? You know we don’t profess to have very much knowledge of such
matters.”
“Then it’ll be a case of bendin’ the sails an’ gettin’ along the best we
can in that way. With main, fore, an’ a jib we should be able to strike
some port where you can hire an engineer and sailin’ master. You know
we’ve got money enough to indulge in all those luxuries.”
The cook did not spend any very great amount of time over the range on
this morning.
Now that it appeared possible they might be able to leave the key as
soon as the yacht was in sailing trim, each member of the party was
eager to be under way, and at the earliest possible moment the amateur
engineers went on board.
Ned did not accompany them.
He realized fully how much labor there was yet to be performed before
they could begin the voyage, and found plenty with which to occupy
himself until Roy hailed him from the deck of the yacht.
“We can’t make head nor tail of the machinery, and even if we could I
don’t think it would be safe for us to attempt to run her any distance
under steam.”
“All right,” Ned replied cheerily. “Suppose you come ashore, and we’ll
tackle the canvas.”
“Are you counting on bending that at once?”
“Of course; it’s the hardest part of the job, and should be attended to
first.”
“But by doing that we shall destroy our tent.”
“What’s to prevent our livin’ on board the rest of the time we’re forced
to stay here?”
“Crickey! I never thought of that!” Roy exclaimed with a hearty laugh,
and five minutes later he and Vance were pulling the raft ashore.
By Ned’s instructions the rope which had been used in guiding the yacht
around the point into the bay was not cast off when that task was
completed, but had been made fast ashore, so that in order to work the
raft back and forth it was only necessary to pull either way on the
line.
A painter with a sliding loop moored the collection of timbers which was
to serve as a boat, and the communication with the shore could be kept
up easily and readily.
Ned already had one of the tents down, and this canvas (the foresail)
was taken on board without delay.
The boys were by no means experienced sailors, therefore fully twice the
time necessary was spent in bending the sail.
When it had finally been completed to the satisfaction of the young
captain, Roy insisted that the range be put back in its old place at
once.
“There’s no use keeping it ashore when a fellow can work so much more
easily on board,” he said. “From now on we shall be here the greater
portion of the time, and the sooner we begin ship duties the better it
will be for the cook.”
“And he’s such an important personage that his comfort must be attended
to very carefully,” Vance replied laughingly. “It won’t take us more
than an hour to bring such things here as you’ll need.”
That noon the little party ate dinner aboard, and a very jolly meal it
was.
Roy had taken great pains with his portion of the work, and the
consequence was that they had a regular Thanksgiving dinner, as appeared
right and proper to all, since they had a great deal for which to give
thanks.
It surely seemed as if Ned would never get tired working, so eager was
he to be under way once more.
When the others pleaded for a rest he kept steadily on, saying he had
rather “be at somethin’ than layin’ still,” and even after nightfall he
persisted in bending the jib in order to “save time.”