WHOSE ARE THEY? AND WHERE DID THEY COME FROM?
"Look here," said Sumner, sternly, to the negro, after his excitement
had somewhat subsided, "didn't you try to steal one of our guns last
night?"
"Yes, honey, I's afeared I did," confessed the black man, humbly. "But
I didn't know hit war you, Marse Summer, an' I did want er gun so
powerful bad."
"I'm glad that mystery is cleared up, at any rate," said Worth, with a
relieved air. "And I'm glad to find out that I was right about some one
being in the camp, too. Now I wonder if he doesn't know something about
our canoes?"
"Do you, Quorum, know anything about the canoes that we came here in?"
asked Sumner.
"No, I don't know nuffin' 'bout no cooner. I's bin wonderin' what sort
of er boat you'll come in, an' er lookin' fer him, but I don't see him
nowhere."
"I suppose you would have stolen it if you had found it?"
"Maybe so, maybe so. Ole Quor'm not 'sponsible fer what him do when he
bein' hunted like er 'possum or er 'coon. Yo' like 'possum when he
roasted, Marse Summer?"
"Indeed I do when you roast him, Quorum. Why? Have you got one?"
"Yes sah, cotch him in er trap dis berry mawnin'. I jist settin' hit
agin when yo' come er trompin' troo de trees an' scare de pore ole
niggah 'mos' to def. Now, if yo' say so, we go roas' him, and hab berry
fine suppah."
"Certainly I say so. You lead the way, and we'll follow you. I tell you
what, Worth, we've struck it rich in falling in with one of the best
cooks on the reef."
"I don't know how I shall like 'possum," replied Worth, "for I have
never eaten any; but I am sure it will make fully as good a meal as raw
cocoanut. I do wish, though, that we had some bread, or at least some
crackers, and a little butter."
"And sugar and coffee and bacon, and a cooking outfit," laughed Sumner.
"I wouldn't mind spending a few days here if we had all those things."
"Wouldn't it be fine?" replied the boy, who had all his life revelled
in luxuries that he hardly cared for, but would now have appreciated
so highly the commonest of what are generally regarded as necessities.
As they talked in this strain, they followed the negro through the
narrow trail leading back from the cocoanut grove to his camp. It was
but a short distance from the place where Sumner had taken his header
into the ty-ti bush. Here Quorum had built himself a snug palmetto hut
in a place capitally concealed from observation, and had managed to
surround himself with a number of rude comforts. A fire was smouldering
in a rough stone fireplace, and from an adjoining limb hung the 'possum
that they were to have for supper.
"Well," exclaimed Sumner, looking about him, "I don't see but what you
are living like an African King, Quorum. Have you had plenty to eat
since you came here?"
"Yes, sah. Plenty such as hit is--'possum, 'coon, turtle, fish, oyster,
conch, cocoanut, banana, limes, lemons, an' paw-paw; but no terbakker.
I tell yo', sah, dat a berry pore place what hab no terbakker."
"So you want tobacco to make you happy, and Worth wants bread and
butter, and I want coffee. It seems that we all want something that we
haven't got, and aren't likely to get in this world, doesn't it? But,
Quorum, what on earth are you throwing all that iron into the fire
for? It won't burn."
"No, him won't burn," answered the negro, chuckling at the idea, "but
him good to bile de wattah."
As neither of the boys had the least idea what he meant, they watched
him curiously. The iron that he had thrown into the fire, which he
now heaped with wood, consisted of a number of old bolts that he had
obtained from some wreckage on the beach. While these were heating, he
filled a small hollow place in the rocks with water, and when the bolts
were red-hot he dropped them into it. In about two seconds the water
was boiling. Throwing a few handfuls of ashes into the boiling water,
he soused the 'possum in it and held him there several minutes. After
this he scraped the animal with a bit of iron hoop, and to the surprise
of the boys, its hair came off almost without an effort. In a minute
it was as bare as a suckling pig, which it greatly resembled. Shortly
afterwards it was cleaned, washed, and ready for roasting.
Just here Sumner proposed that they return to their own camp, and do
the roasting there, as from where they now were they had no chance of
seeing any boats that might pass the island. As Quorum no longer felt
the necessity for hiding, he readily agreed to this, and carrying with
them the few articles belonging to him that were worth removing, they
started through the woods towards what the boys already called home.
The afternoon was nearly spent when they entered the clearing and came
in sight of their own little lean-to. Sumner, who was some distance in
the lead, was the first to reach it. The others saw him suddenly stop,
gaze at the hut as though fascinated by something inside of it, and
then, without a word, start on a run towards the beach.
This curious action excited Worth's wonder; but when he reached the hut
he did exactly the same thing. When Quorum, who came last, reached it,
he gazed in open-eyed wonder, but did not move from the spot. A smile
gradually overspread his face, and, with a long-drawn sigh of happy
anticipation, he uttered the single word, "Terbakker."
"Do you see it?" asked Worth, breathlessly, as he joined Sumner on the
beach.
"No; but perhaps it is behind the point. Let's go and take a look."
But when they reached the point there was no sign of the vessel that
they fully expected to find there. More greatly puzzled than they
had ever been before in all their lives, even at the mysterious
disappearance of their canoes, the boys slowly retraced their steps
towards the hut. It was completely filled with barrels, boxes, and
various packages, most of which evidently contained provisions.
"There is a sack of coffee," remarked Sumner.
"And a box of crackers. And, yes, here is butter!" cried Worth, lifting
the cover of a tin pail.
"Dat ar am sholy a box ob terbakker," put in Quorum, pointing to the
unmistakable box, from which his eyes had not wandered since they first
lit upon it.
"It certainly is," replied Sumner, in a voice expressive of the most
unbounded amazement. "And there, if my eyes do not deceive me, are
cases of milk, canned fruit, baked beans, and brown bread."
"Hams and bacon," added Worth.
"Kittles and pans," said Quorum.
"In fact," concluded Sumner, "there is a bountiful supply of provisions
for several months, and a complete house-keeping outfit into the
bargain. There is no doubt as to what these things are. The only
unanswered questions are, Whom do they belong to, and how did they get
here?"
[Illustration: A GREAT DISCOVERY.]
"Perhaps whoever stole our canoes has left them here in part payment,"
suggested Worth.
"You might just as well say that Elijah's ravens had brought them,"
laughed Sumner.
"Marse Summer, sah, 'scuse me, but do hit 'pear to yo' like hit would
be stealin' to bang de kiver offen dat ar box, an' let de ole man hab
jes one smell ob dat terbakker?" asked Quorum, humbly.
"No, Quorum, under the circumstances I don't believe it would," replied
the boy, who forthwith proceeded to attack the box in question with his
hatchet.