PICKED UP IN THE GULF STREAM.
The snapping of that pole marked the bitterest moment of Sumner
Rankin's life. With it went his only hope of navigating his rude craft
to the friendly shore of the key, past which he now seemed to be
drifting with terrible rapidity. He could make out the dim forms of its
trees, and of the deserted buildings, in one of which he had proposed
to spend the night. He could even hear the rustle of its palm leaves in
the light evening breeze, and the gentle plash of waters on its rocky
coast. It was so near that he could easily have swum to it. He thought
of making the attempt, but a single glance at the phosphorescent
flashes beneath him convinced him of its hopelessness. No, it was safer
to remain where he was, even though he should be carried out to sea
through one of the numerous channels in the outer reef. Supposing his
raft should strand on the reef, what chance was there of its holding
together until daylight, or even for a few minutes? He knew that if a
sea should arise there was none.
Now Indian Key was lost to sight behind him, and he was alone, with
only his own unhappy thoughts for company. He knew that those waters
were seldom traversed by vessels of any description in the night-time,
most of the reef sailors preferring to come to anchor at sunset. Above
him shone the stars, and far ahead gleamed the white and red flashes of
Alligator Light. All else was darkness and utter desolation.
The poor lad sat on the box containing his slender store of provisions,
and buried his face in his hands. How thankful he was that his mother
could not see him now! She was at least spared that sorrow. He wondered
what she was doing. Then his thoughts turned to those whom he had left
but a few hours before. Why had he not been content to stay with them,
and await patiently the relief that must come to them sooner or later?
Perhaps even now the mysterious owner of those goods had arrived, and
Worth was sitting with a merry party beside the fire, while old Quorum
was preparing supper. No, they must have already eaten supper, and now
Quorum was blissfully smoking his pipe, while Worth was comfortably
stretched out on his bed of blankets. Oh, what a fool he had been to
let a false pride in his own strength and ability get the better of his
prudence! He might have known that there were a hundred chances of
being swept past the little rocky key to one of successfully landing on
it. He had known it, but his obstinate pride in his own superior skill
had not allowed him to acknowledge it, and now it was too late.
At length, feeling faint from hunger, the poor boy roused himself, and
ate a few mouthfuls of food from his provision chest. As he contrasted
this meal and its surroundings with the merry supper of the evening
before, the wretchedness of his situation was forced upon him more
strongly than ever. By this time a breeze that caused little waves to
break upon and occasionally wash completely over the raft had sprung
up in the south-west, and by the changing position of Alligator Light,
Sumner became aware that he was drifting up the reef. The steadily
increasing roar of its breakers informed him at the same time that he
was approaching closer to it with each moment.
Finally he was abreast of the light, and a mile or so from it, while
the sound of the breakers was all about him. He was on the line of
the reef. In a few minutes more he would either have passed into the
open sea beyond it, or his ill-built raft would strand and be broken
to pieces on its cruel rocks. During the succeeding five minutes he
almost held his breath. The strain of the suspense was awful, and the
boy hardly knew which fate he dreaded the most. At the end of that
time it was decided. The sound of the breakers certainly came from
behind him. He had passed out through some channel, and was now on the
open sea. At the same time the waves that washed over his raft were
larger, so that before long he was thoroughly drenched by them, and sat
shivering in the chill night wind. Now the strong current of the Gulf
Stream aided the wind to bear him up the reef, and after a few hours
the brightness of Alligator Light was so sensibly diminished that he
knew he must be several miles from it.
Once during the night he saw the light of a steamship passing at no
great distance from him; but his frantic cries for help were either
unheard or unheeded, for no attention was paid to them. Then he began
to pray for the daylight that seemed as though it would never come. How
wearily the hours dragged and how cold he was! He was wet through, and
chilled to the bone.
When at length the welcome dawn began to tinge the eastern sky, it
found the lad half-lying on the raft, clinging to the lashings of the
little provision chest, and lost to consciousness in the sleep of
utter exhaustion. In this condition he was discovered by the keen-eyed
lookout of a west-bound steamer that was hugging the reef to escape as
much as might be the force of the Gulf Stream. With reversed engines
and slackening speed, the great ship passed within a hundred yards of
him, but he knew nothing of it.
Nor did he awake until he heard a gruff, but pitying voice close beside
him, saying, "Poor fellow, he must be dead!" The next moment two pairs
of powerful arms had dragged him into the boat that had been lowered
for him, and as he sat up in its bottom rubbing his eyes, he seemed
to have just awakened from a hideous nightmare. A few minutes later
the boat with its crew had been hoisted to the deck, the steamer was
again pursuing her way towards Key West, and Sumner, wrapped in hot
blankets, was occupying a berth in a vacant stateroom, surrounded by
the sympathizing faces of those who were anxious to anticipate his
every want.
He was sound asleep when, half an hour from that time, the steamer
neared Alligator Light, and a small boat was seen pulling off from it
so as to intercept her. At the sight of this boat the first officer
immediately began to collect such late papers and magazines as the
passengers were willing to contribute, and tying them into a package.
This he lashed to a bit of wood, which he intended to toss overboard
for the light-keeper to pick up. In this way the reef lights are
kept supplied with New York papers only three or four days old. The
same papers, passing through the mails, do not reach the scattered
dwellers on the keys for ten days or two weeks from the date of their
publication.
As the steamer neared the boat from Alligator Light its occupant was
seen to hold up a small package wrapped in canvas, which was at once
understood to contain despatches that he wished to send to Key West.
So the end of a light line was flung to him, he skilfully made the
package fast to it without delaying the ship a moment, and it was
hauled aboard. Among the letters that it contained was one directed to
the editor of the only daily paper in Key West, and this was delivered
promptly on the steamer's arrival at that port.
[Illustration: "TWO PAIRS OF POWERFUL ARMS DRAGGED HIM INTO THE BOAT."]
Late that afternoon, when Mrs. Rankin was slowly regaining her
composure after the shock of Sumner's sudden and unlooked-for
appearance at home, and was listening with breathless interest to an
account of his recent adventures, a copy of the evening paper was left
at the house. Sumner was too busy assuring his mother that he was
not suffering the slightest ill effect from his exposure of the night
before, to look at it then. When, an hour later, he found time to do
so, the leading item on the first page at once attracted his attention.
It was headed, "A Mystery of the Reef," and after glancing hastily
through it, the boy sprang to his feet, shouting:
"Hurrah, mother! The disappearance of the canoes is explained at last,
and they are safe and sound, after all."