Bud's Discovery
Next morning the day's program was discussed at the breakfast table, the
latter being a light collapsible affair carried as an item of equipment
of the Catwhisker. Hal introduced the subject by saying:
"Mr. Perry, don't you think two of us ought to stay here while the other
two of us make the trip to bring Uncle John over here?"
"What's the use?" Mr. Perry returned. "Nobody's going to run away with
the island."
"No, but we've established a camp here, pitched a tent, and brought
ashore a lot of camp material and supplies. If we all go we'll have to
strike the tent and take all these things back on the boat."
"Well, I don't know that it makes any particular difference to me," the
owner of the yacht replied. "It'll be broad daylight and we'll be gone
only a few hours. It isn't at all likely that anything will happen during
that time."
"I'll stay here with Hal, if he wants to stay," Bud volunteered.
"That would be about the only way to arrange it," said Mr. Perry. "I
don't like to have any of you boys make the trip without my being along,
and as Cub knows the engine of the Catwhisker better than any other
member of our party, I think I'd better take him with me."
"That's the best arrangement," said Hal. "And while you're gone, Bud and
I'll play Robinson Crusoe and Friday."
"Who'll be Crusoe and who'll be Friday?" Cub inquired.
"Oh, we won't quarrel about that," Bud replied. "Hal may have his choice
and I'll take what's left."
"This plan will simplify matters, to say the least," Mr. Perry announced.
"About all we'll have to do when we decide to start is start."
"You don't need to wash any dishes before you go," said Bud.
"Friday'll do that."
"There you go already," laughed Mr. Perry. "I predict a revolution on
this island before we return."
"No, nothing of the kind," Bud returned. "I was assuming that the lot of
Friday would fall to me. In other words, I volunteer to wash the dishes."
"I think you'll both have to be Fridays," Cub advised. "The real Crusoe
of this place has disappeared and we don't want anybody usurping his
honors in his absence. It is our duty to find him, reinstate him here,
and then rescue him."
"And make prisoners of the buccaneers who marooned him," suggested
Mr. Perry.
"Yes, and make them walk the plank," added Bud.
"We're not exactly right in calling Hal's cousin a Robinson Crusoe, are
we?" asked Cub reflectively. "You know Crusoe wasn't marooned; he was
shipwrecked on his island."
"Yes, but Crusoe was just a hero in fiction, you know," Mr. Perry
replied. "Alexander Selkirk, the real Crusoe, was marooned on an island
in the south Pacific."
"Too bad he didn't have a wireless outfit," said Hal.
"Well, boys, my portion of the breakfast is stowed away, and I must
remind you that the moments are fleeting rapidly," announced the director
of the expedition presently. "Cub, are you ready to start?"
"All ready," the latter replied, rising from his chair and turning the
"finish" of a cup of coffee down his throat.
"I would suggest that you boys try to raise some amateur over in Rockport
and probably you can stir up some local interest there in this affair,"
Mr. Perry suggested. "I'm always in favor of all the publicity that can
be had in cases of rascality, and this looks to me like something more
than a mere hazing."
"Why, dad, I haven't heard you say anything like that before," said
Cub, with a curiously inquiring look at his father. "What do you
mean by that?"
"I don't know," was the reply. "Maybe it's our remarks about Crusoe,
buccaneers, marooning, and walking the plank that worked on my mind and
set me to thinking about outlaws. I've just got a feeling that this
affair isn't going to be explained along any play lines."
"But Hal's cousin didn't have any suspicion that it was anything more
than a hazing affair, according to his diary," Cub reminded.
"I'm not so sure about that, either. You know he explained his
distress messages by saying that he had been marooned by some river
thieves or bandits."
"But he said in his diary he didn't want to tell the truth," said Hal.
"True, but he may have had a suspicion, nevertheless, that he felt was
not tangible enough to incorporate in his diary. However, that will all
be explained in due time, let us hope. Now, let's hurry. Good-bye, Hal,
Bud. We'll be back as soon as possible."
A few minutes later that Catwhisker was backing out of the narrow harbor
with Cub and his father aboard and Bud and Hal on shore watching their
departure. Presently the yacht was out of sight from their hemmed-in
position, the view being obstructed by trees and tall bushes on an
intervening isle, which constituted a link of the insular chain that
surrounded Friday Island.
"Now, let's wash the dishes," said Bud, turning back toward the camp.
"I thought Friday was going to do that work," Hal reminded with a broad
grin on his face.
"Wasn't it ordered that both of us should be Fridays?" Bud
demanded smartly.
"You win," laughed Hal. "But here's a better way to handle the subject in
view of another duty before us. You know we're supposed to try to get in
touch with somebody by radio at Rockport and we haven't much time to
spare before the Catwhisker arrives there. You get busy on the job and
I'll take care of the dishes."
"Not on your lightning switch," returned Bud emphatically. "I volunteered
to be Friday, and I'm not going to slip out of my promise through your
generosity. You get busy with the key and the phones and I'll get busy
with the dishrag."
As no reasonable argument could be adduced to defeat this proposition,
the two boys were soon busy as prescribed by the last speaker. Bud's task
required only about fifteen minutes, and after it was finished he
rejoined his companion at the radio table.
"Well, what luck?" he inquired.
"Nothing doing," Hal replied. "I've managed to get the calls and waves of
two amateurs at Rockport, but neither of them answers."
"Keep it up anyway," Bud urged, "and I'll take a tackle and go over to
the place where we took in our haul of fish yesterday, and see what I can
do this morning. Call me if you get anything interesting."
Hal promised to do as requested and then Bud hurried away. The former
continued his efforts unsuccessfully with the sending key for nearly
half an hour, hearing no sound from his friend in the meantime. Then he
was about to take the receivers from his ears and go in search of the
fisher-boy to find out what success he had had, when the latter appeared
on the scene with a look in his face that startled the youth at the
radio table.
"What's the matter, Bud?" Hal inquired, as he literally tore the phones
from his ears. "Has anything happened?"
"Not exactly," the other replied. "But I've made a discovery that
may mean trouble for us. At least, we'll have to be on the lookout
from now on."
"Why--what do you mean? Hurry up; don't keep me in suspense. What kind of
discovery have you made?"
"I've discovered that we're not the only persons on this island," was
Bud's chilling response.