A MESSAGE OF IMPORTANCE
Jack lost no time in communicating with his cousins, and the four boys
talked the matter over again and then decided to speak to Captain
Corning about it.
“You know the old saying, ‘Forewarned is forearmed,’” declared Jack.
“We’d be in a fine pickle if we allowed that diver and his cronies to
do us out of the treasure if we found it!”
Fred took the message to the captain, telling him they wished to see
him in private and on important business. All repaired to the rear deck
where they might be free from interruption.
Captain Corning’s face was a study when the lads told of what they had
heard and Jack had related Patnak’s views on the subject.
“There may be nothing in this, and on the other hand it may mean a
great deal,” said Captain Corning. “Personally, I must confess that I
don’t like Olesen nor do I like Amend, and yet they came very highly
recommended, and that ought to count for something. I’m glad that you
spoke to Patnak and I’m sure that he’ll stick to us, no matter what
happens. I never met a sailor I liked better, and Mr. Brooks likes him
too.”
“What do you think of those other Norwegians――the fellows who were
aboard the _Firefly_ when you chartered her?” asked Randy.
“They seem to be good enough sort of sailors. If they hadn’t been I
wouldn’t have let them sign up with me. But, of course, that class of
fellows is often easily influenced by others. In fact, you can easily
influence lots of sailors. When a proposition is put up to them they
reason that they have very little to lose and everything to gain. Most
of them don’t own a thing outside of what is in their chests and their
ditty bags. If Olesen was really contemplating getting his hands on
that treasure for himself, it might be an easy matter for him to start
a mutiny on board and get some of the men to stand in with him simply
by promising them a nice share of the loot.”
“My gracious, what a pack of rascals there must be in this world!”
sighed Fred. “If the head diver and his bunch did that, they wouldn’t
be any better than those bandits who held up the offices in Wall
Street.”
“Well, you know what some men say of life,” returned Captain Corning,
smiling grimly. “They say it’s a fight to get something and after that
it’s a fight to keep it.”
“Well, what do you think we ought to do, Captain?” questioned Jack.
“We can’t do anything yet outside of keeping our eyes and ears open.
If we discover any real plot on Olesen’s part to start a mutiny, I’ll
have the _Firefly_ taken to the nearest port and we’ll hand him and his
followers over to the authorities. But we can’t do anything like that
until we’ve got sufficient evidence.”
“Would it be a good plan to ask Patnak to keep his eyes and ears open
and report to you?”
“It might be, Jack, because I think he’s perfectly honest. On the other
hand, if he should take it into his head to play in with those other
Norwegians, then it would be the worst possible thing for me to do,
because then he could double-cross me, as they call it. I’ll think it
over. And, in the meantime, I’ll speak to Mr. Brooks and I’ll ask you
to keep your eyes and ears wide open, but don’t let Olesen and the
others notice that you’re watching them. If they find that is being
done, they’ll become more secretive than ever.”
Before leaving on the trip it had been decided that the _Firefly_
should stop at Key West for a day or two to get into communication with
those left behind. Accordingly, the course of the steam yacht was set
in that direction. After the storm the weather became somewhat cooler,
for which all aboard the _Firefly_ were thankful.
“Now we can sleep nights,” was the way Randy expressed himself. “And
believe me, I’m going to do it!”
During the remainder of the run to Key West all of the boys kept their
eyes on Leif Olesen and Nick Amend. But this produced no results.
“We either misjudged them or else they’re playing foxy,” declared Jack.
“Olesen has talked to those two Norwegian sailors only twice, so far as
I’ve been able to learn, and then the conversation didn’t seem to have
anything to do with the treasure. They were talking about the birds
that are flying around the ship and about wanting to get something to
drink when we arrive at Key West.”
On signing up for the trip there had been one bit of friction between
the two divers and Captain Corning. This had been on the subject of
liquor which the captain would not allow on board.
“I’ve always had a sober crew and I always intend to have,” was the way
the captain expressed himself. “I can’t stop you when you’re ashore,
but I don’t intend to have any drunkenness on my ship!” and this rule
he carried out with everybody who sailed under him.
The run down the coast of Florida interested all the boys, for at some
spots they drew quite close to the shore. Here they were once stopped
by a government vessel looking for rum runners, but were soon let go
with an apology from the officer in charge of the small boat which
boarded them.
“Too bad we didn’t have a little rum on board,” said Nick Amend, making
a wry face. “A drink just now wouldn’t go bad.”
“Well, we’ll get something good when we go ashore at Key West,”
answered Leif Olesen.
“You’d better go slow on bootleg liquor,” was Captain Corning’s advice.
“Remember a deep-sea diver needs to keep his eyesight.”
“Oh, I know good liquor when I see it,” grumbled Amend.
Just before they landed at Key West, which, as my readers must know,
is located on the extreme southern point of Florida, Fred, walking
forward on the deck, caught sight of Olesen behind the foremast in
earnest conversation with Larsen and Smader. The three were talking
in Norwegian, and, as before, only an occasional word was spoken in
English. But these words interested Fred deeply, and he listened
attentively until the sailors had to go off to attend to their duties
and the diver walked to the stern. Then the youngest of the Rover boys
rushed off to join his cousins.
“Here’s a new one!” he exclaimed excitedly. “I just caught Olesen
talking to those two sailors, Larsen and Smader. He mentioned pistols
and ammunition several times, and so did one of the other men!”
“Pistols and ammunition!” exclaimed Jack and the twins simultaneously.
“That’s what!”
“Sounds bad to me,” went on the oldest of the Rover boys. “Looks as if
they were surely getting ready for a mutiny.”
“Don’t you think we had better tell Captain Corning?” came from Randy.
“I certainly do,” answered Jack. “What do you think, Fred? You heard
them talking.”
“I think Captain Corning ought to know all about it, and at once.”
After this the lads lost no time in hunting up the commander of the
_Firefly_, who was talking to one of the dock officials.
“Humph!” mused the captain, after Fred had told his story. “That
certainly does look bad! I think I had better have Olesen and Amend
watched while they’re ashore and find out just what they do.”
“We’ll keep our eyes on them if you say so, Captain,” answered Jack
promptly.
“I’m afraid that wouldn’t go, Jack. Those fellows know you and your
cousins too well. I’ll fix it up――never fear. I know the officials down
here and know a number of other men too. I’ll have some strangers keep
tab on them.”
It had been arranged that the boys should stop at a local brokerage
house known to the elder Rovers and there receive any mail or messages
that might have come in. So, telling the captain that they were bound
for that place, they leaped into a taxicab and were soon on their way.
“Gee, I wish we could have followed up Olesen and Amend and caught them
in the act of supplying themselves and those other Norwegians with
firearms!” was Randy’s comment as they rode along. “If those fellows
are up to some underhand work I’d like to catch ’em right in the midst
of it.”
“And that’s just what I’d like to do!” put in his twin.
“Well, we can’t be in two places at once,” came from Fred. “I’d like to
watch them too, but I’m also anxious to get some letters and messages
from home. If they have managed to round up those hold-up men I want to
know it.”
“Oh, well, I want to know that too!” came promptly from Andy.
“Now that we’ve warned Captain Corning I guess we can trust him to have
those fellows watched,” said Jack. “He’s as suspicious of them as we
are and just as anxious to save that treasure, provided it’s located.”
It did not take the taxicab long to reach the offices of Ditson and
Roebuck, the brokers known to the Rovers. When they entered the place a
round-faced, good-natured clerk came up and shook hands cordially with
them.
“I remembered you the minute I saw you, Mr. Rover,” he said to Jack.
“Don’t you remember I was in your office in New York one day――the same
day you had had trouble with the son of another broker named Martell?”
“Oh, yes! I remember you now, Mr. Ditson!” cried Jack. He knew that the
young man was the son of the head of the firm.
“We’re after letters and messages,” put in Fred, a bit impatiently. “We
trust you’ve got good news for us.”
“I don’t know how good it is,” was the reply, as Harry Ditson walked
back of one of the counters and brought forth a number of letters and
several telegrams. “I certainly hope they’ve been able to get track
of the stuff that was stolen from your firm. My! that was rather a
serious affair, wasn’t it?”
“We’ll tell the world it was!” responded Randy, as he took a letter
addressed to himself and tore it open eagerly.
Jack had two telegrams, as well as a letter. One telegram was from Ruth
in which the girl stated briefly that she was very sorry she had not
received his communication in time to answer it before the _Firefly_
sailed and that she hoped the treasure quest would be successful. Jack
read this telegram twice, and it is perhaps needless to say he was much
gratified.
The other telegram was one from his father, evidently sent two days
after the steam yacht had sailed. Dick Rover merely stated that all
were well and that there was no news of importance and that he was
making a hasty run to the oil fields while Tom Rover was going out West
to the Rolling Thunder mine.
“Too bad that there is no good news from Wall Street,” said Jack, after
all had read the telegrams. Then the boys turned to the letters which
had been written by Mary and Martha and the mother of the twins.
Mrs. Tom Rover and the girls had little of importance to tell except
that all of the men were greatly worried because the banks were not
inclined to renew some of the loans made to the Company. Dick Rover
had said something about sacrificing some of his interests in the oil
fields, and both Tom and Sam had mentioned that they might sell their
interest in one of the gold mines.
“Looks to me as if matters were blacker than we thought,” mused Randy.
“It’s too bad, isn’t it?”
“If only we could locate that treasure and help them out!” murmured his
brother.
After reading their letters carefully the boys had a little further
conversation with Harry Ditson and were then on the point of leaving
when a telegraph messenger came in.
“Hello! here’s another telegram for you,” exclaimed Harry Ditson, and
turned it over to Jack.
The telegram was from Sam Rover and ran as follows:
“Have located Josiah Crabtree and made him confess. Look for
important developments in the near future.”