UNDER THE PALMS
Cousin Jasper, who had been talking to Mr. Bobbsey, walked along the
deck with the children's father until he stood near Captain Crane, who
was now looking through the telescope, across the deep, blue sea, at the
speck which, it was said, was an island.
"What's the matter?" asked Mr. Dent. "Why are we stopping, Captain
Crane?"
"Because one of our motors is broken, Mr. Dent. But don't let that worry
you. We have two, or, rather, a double motor, and if we can't go with
one we can with the other. It's like a little boy or girl, when they
break one of their roller skates," he went on, looking at Flossie and
Freddie.
"If they can't skate on two skates they can push themselves around on
one skate," said the captain. "And that's what we'll have to do. But,
Mr. Chase, you think you can mend the broken engine easily enough, don't
you?" he asked the man who had helped Freddie hold on to the big fish.
"Oh, yes," answered the engineer. "We can easily fix the broken motor.
But it will take a day or so, and we ought to be in some quiet place
where the waves won't rock us so hard if a storm comes up. So why not go
to this island that we see over there?" and he pointed to the speck in
the ocean. "Maybe there is a little bay there where the _Swallow_ can
rest while my men and I fix the engine."
"That's a good idea," said Captain Crane. "Can you run to the island?"
"Oh, yes, if we go slowly."
"What's that?" cried Cousin Jasper. "Is there an island around here?"
"The sailor who was looking through his telescope just saw one,"
returned Captain Crane. "I was going to tell you about it when Mr. Chase
spoke to me about the broken engine. There is the island; you can see it
quite plainly with the glass," and he handed the spy-glass to Cousin
Jasper.
"Maybe it's the island where that boy is," said Flossie to her father.
"Maybe," agreed Mr. Bobbsey.
"I hardly think it is," said Mr. Dent, as he put the telescope to his
eye. "The island where we were wrecked is farther away than this, and
this one is smaller and has more trees on it than the one where poor
Jack and I landed. I do not think this is the place we want, but we can
go there to fix the engine, and then travel on farther."
"Can we really land on the island?" asked Freddie.
"Yes, you may go ashore there," the captain said. "We shall probably
have to stay there two or three days."
"Oh, what fun we can have, playing on the island!" cried Flossie.
"We'll pretend we're Robinson Crusoe," said her little brother. "Come
on, Flossie, let's go and tell Nan and Bert!"
And while the two younger Bobbsey twins ran to tell their older brother
and sister, Mr. and Mrs. Bobbsey, Cousin Jasper and Captain Crane took
turns looking through the glass at the island, which was about five
miles away.
"It is not the island where I was," said Cousin Jasper again. "But it
looks like a good place to stay while the engines of the _Swallow_ are
being mended. So we'll go there, Captain!"
"All right," Captain Crane answered. "We'll have to go a little slow,
but we'll be there in plenty of time."
Once more the motor boat started off, not going as fast as at first, but
the Bobbsey twins did not mind this a bit, as they were thinking what
fun they would have on the island so far out at sea, and they stood at
the rail watching it as it appeared to grow larger the nearer the boat
came to it.
"We're coming up pretty fast, aren't we?" remarked Freddie.
"Not as fast as we might come," answered Bert. "However, we've got lots
of time, just as Captain Crane said."
"Is it a really and truly Robinson Crusoe place?" questioned Flossie.
"I guess we'll find out about that a little later," answered her sister.
"I can see the trees now!" exclaimed Freddie presently.
"So can I," answered his twin.
At last the anchor was dropped in a little bay, which would be sheltered
from storms, and then the small boat was lowered so that those who
wished might go ashore.
"Oh, what lovely palm trees!" exclaimed Nan, as she saw the beautiful
branches near the edge of the island, waving in the gentle breeze.
"They are wonderful," said Mrs. Bobbsey. "The whole island is covered
with them."
"Do palm leaf fans grow on these trees, Mother?" asked Freddie as they
were being rowed ashore by one of the sailors.
"Well, yes, I suppose they could make palm leaf fans from some of the
branches of these palm trees," Mrs. Bobbsey said. "And shall we call
this Palm Island? That is, unless it has some other name?" she asked
Captain Crane.
"No, I hardly think it has," he answered. "I was never here before,
though I have been on many of the little islands in this part of the
sea. So we can call this Palm Island, if you like."
"It will be a lovely place to stay," stated Nan. "I just love to sit
under a tree, and look at the waves and the white sand."
"I'm going in swimming!" declared Bert. "It's awful hot, and a good swim
will cool me off."
"Don't go in until we take a look and see if there are any sharks or big
fish around," his father warned him. "Remember we are down South, where
the water of the ocean is warm, and sharks like warm water. This is not
like it was at Uncle William's at Ocean Cliff. So, remember, children,
don't go in the water unless your mother, or some of the grown people,
are with you."
The children promised they would not, and a little later the rowboat
grated on the sandy shore and they all got out on the beach of Palm
Island.
"Then this isn't the place where you were wrecked with Jack?" asked Mr.
Bobbsey of Cousin Jasper.
"No; it isn't the same place at all. It is a beautiful island, though;
much nicer than the one where I was."
"I wonder if any one lives on it," said Mrs. Bobbsey.
"I think not," answered Captain Crane. "Most of these islands are too
small for people to live on for any length of time, though fishermen
might camp out on them for a week or so. However, this will be a good
place for us to stay while the engines are being fixed."
"Can we sleep here at night?" asked Bert, who wanted very much to do as
he had read of Robinson Crusoe doing.
"Well, no, I hardly think you could sleep here at night," said Captain
Crane. "We may not be here more than two days, and it wouldn't be wise
to get out the camping things for such a little while. Then, too, a
storm might come up, and we would have to move the boat. You can spend
the days on Palm Island and sleep on the _Swallow_."
"Well, that will be fun!" said Nan.
"Lots of fun," agreed Bert. "And please, Daddy, can't we go in
swimming?"
It was a hot day, and as Captain Crane said there would be no danger
from sharks if the children kept near shore, their bathing garments were
brought from the boat, and soon Bert and Nan, and Flossie and Freddie,
were splashing about in the warm sun-lit waters on the beach of Palm
Island.
Mr. and Mrs. Bobbsey were sitting in the shade watching them, while the
men on the boat were working at the broken engine, when suddenly
Flossie, who had come out of the water to sit on the sand, set up a cry.
"Oh, it's got hold of me!" she shouted. "Come quick, Daddy! Mother! It's
got hold of my dress and it's pulling!"
Mr. and Mrs. Bobbsey jumped up and ran down the beach toward the little
girl.
[Illustration: FLOSSIE WAS TRYING TO PULL AWAY.]