[Illustration: At sight of the hole and freshly upturned earth, Hunter
grew livid with rage. Page 140.
_The Boy Chums Cruising in Florida Waters._]
The Boy Chums Cruising in Florida Waters
OR
The Perils and Dangers of the Fishing Fleet
By WILMER M. ELY
Author of
"The Boy Chums on Indian River," "The Boy Chums in
The Forest," "The Boy Chums' Perilous Cruise,"
"The Boy Chums on Haunted Island," "The
Boy Chums in the Gulf of Mexico."
[Illustration]
A. L. BURT COMPANY
NEW YORK
Copyright, 1914
BY A. L. BURT COMPANY.
THE BOY CHUMS CRUISING IN FLORIDA WATERS.
Contents
CHAPTER PAGE
I. OLD FRIENDS 3
II. GETTING SETTLED 12
III. THE FIRST ALARM 20
IV. THE WARNING 29
V. FRIENDLY ADVICE 38
VI. THE MIDNIGHT LIGHT 47
VII. THE MYSTERY 56
VIII. THE VISITORS 65
IX. MORE TROUBLE 74
X. ONE NIGHT'S SPORT 83
XI. THE QUARREL 92
XII. THE GHOST 102
XIII. CHRIS' STORY 111
XIV. A CUNNING TRICK 120
XV. THE MYSTERY DEEPENS 129
XVI. AN ACCIDENT 138
XVII. MORE MYSTERIES 146
XVIII. MORE MISCHIEF 154
XIX. TELLING MR. DANIELS 163
XX. THE GROUPER BANKS 172
XXI. HAPPY DAYS 181
XXII. TREASURE TROVE 189
XXIII. SALVAGE HUNTERS 198
XXIV. THE ACCIDENT 206
XXV. THE STORM 214
XXVI. CASTAWAYS 222
XXVII. HOMEWARD BOUND 231
XXVIII. THE CHUMS HAVE TWO CALLERS 239
XXIX. AN IDLE DAY 248
XXX. THE DISCOVERY 256
XXXI. THE FISH 265
XXXII. ABOUT MANY THINGS 274
XXXIII. THE SMUGGLERS AGAIN 283
XXXIV. THE SURPRISE 292
XXXV. AND THE LAST 301
THE BOY CHUMS CRUISING IN FLORIDA WATERS.
CHAPTER I.
OLD FRIENDS.
"IS this Mr. Daniels?"
The busy man at the paper-littered desk swung around in his chair
and treated the speaker and his three companions to a brief but keen
appraising glance. Swift as it was, he noted that the questioner was
a sturdy, well-built lad with a frank open face deeply tanned by wind
and sun. His companions consisted of another boy about the same age but
of slighter build, an elderly, stout, heavily-whiskered man with the
unmistakable stamp of the sailor in his bearing, and a little negro
lad with a grinning, good-humored face. All three bore an appearance
of health and cleanliness and their clothes, though old and worn, were
neatly patched and as spotless as soap and water could make them.
"Daniels is my name," he replied, briskly, "what can I do for you?"
"We want a chance to fish for you, sir."
"Have you had any experience?"
"My companions have never fished any but I put in a couple of seasons
at it. We all know how to handle boats and none of us are afraid of
work," declared the spokesman of the little party, eagerly.
"I seldom engage green men," said Mr. Daniels, "but I will talk with
you a little further, later," he added, hastily, as he saw the look of
disappointment on the four faces. "I am a pretty busy man now. I have
got to get some letters off on the morning train. Look around and amuse
yourselves for half an hour and I will then be at liberty."
The four strangers needed no second bidding. Even as they had been
waiting, they had cast interested glances through the open office
door at the busy scene in the immense building adjoining. Now, as
Mr. Daniels turned back to his desk, they stepped out into the great
barn-like room and gazed around with eager curiosity. Everywhere was
bustle and hustle. At the far end of the building, a dozen wagons
were unloading their burdens in great glistening heaps upon the clean
water-deluged floor, fish, fish, thousands upon thousands of them. In
one corner rose a great mound of trout, a simmering mass of white,
bronze, and rainbow spots, close to these lay a heap of Spanish
mackerel, beautiful in their rich coloring of silver and gold; just
beyond the mackerel rose a greenish-blue pile of hundreds of blue
fish and close beside these lay a snow-like mountain of ocean mullet,
while further on, was heaped up, a miscellaneous collection of finny
creatures, sea bass, gorgeous in their rich golden bronze, quaint
bird-like sea robins, lacey-winged flying fish, repulsive looking
flounders, and a hundred and one humble little dwellers of the sea
that had fallen victims to the all-embracing nets. Down the length of
the room, groups of men were working frantically to lessen the rapidly
growing mounds of fish. It almost seemed a combat between the stream
of loaded wagons and the busy workers. One group labored furiously at
the heaps, shoveling the fish into big, swinging, scoop-like scales. As
soon as the scales showed two hundred pounds, they were swung forward
to another group and their contents dumped on the floor. This group,
with skillful, flying hands, packed the fish in layers into empty
barrels. For every layer of fish, a hurrying line of men dumped in a
huge shovelful of chopped ice. As soon as it was filled, the barrel
was taken in charge by other waiting hands. The head nailed in, it was
rolled out on a platform at the far end where a car lay waiting on a
side track to hurry it away to the fish-hungry folks of the northern
cities.
The little negro lad gazed at the busy scene with distended eyes.
"Massa Chas, Massa Chas," he exclaimed, at last, "dar ain't no use ob
you white chillens trying to catch no fish."
"Why, Chris?" questioned the larger lad.
"'Cause dey's done cotched dem all. Dar can't be many left, Massa Chas."
"Nonsense, Chris, there's as good fish in the sea as ever came out of
it."
"Maybe so," said the little negro, doubtfully, "but I reckon dar ain't
so many ob dem."
"You can not prove there isn't," laughed Charley.
"May be not," said the little negro, with dignity, "but you-alls had
ought to take a cullard gentleman's word widout any proof."
"So I will, Chris," agreed the white lad, with a twinkle in his eye,
"but there is Mr. Daniels beckoning to us. Let's see what he has to
say."
"Take a chair and I will talk with you, now," said Mr. Daniels as they
re-entered the office. "Now, first, I would like to know what has given
you and your friends this fishing idea. Fishermen are a pretty rough
class as a rule and you all seem fitted for a better class of work.
Tell me something about yourselves, please."
"There isn't much to tell, sir," said the boy spokesman, modestly. "We
four have been comrades for several years and we hate to separate now.
We were sponge fishing out of Tarpon Springs but we lost our schooner
through trouble with our crew. We saved only the clothes on our backs.
We have to get something to do right off. Fishing seems to be the only
thing in this part of the state that we would be able to work at and
keep together. We heard of you, sir, in Tarpon Springs. We arrived
here at Clearwater this morning. In fact, we came here direct from the
station."
There was a curious gleam in Mr. Daniels' eye as he listened to this
terse, business-like explanation. "What kind of work have you done
besides sponging?" he questioned.
"We have been kind of Jack-Of-All-Trades," smiled the lad. "We have
raised truck on the East Coast, fished for pearls in the West Indies,
hunted plume birds in the Everglades, and gathered wreckage on the
Atlantic beaches."
"Your names?" demanded Mr. Daniels, eagerly.
"My name is Charley West, sir. This is my chum, Walter Hazard; this
gentleman is our good friend, Captain Westfield, and this," indicating
the little negro with a smiling nod, "is Mr. Christopher Columbus."
"I suspected it," exclaimed Mr. Daniels. "You are the boy chums whose
adventures have been told in several books. I have a boy at home who
has them all. He has made me read them over to him 'til I know them by
heart."
Charley blushed, much embarrassed. "I am afraid the writer has made too
much of our little adventures," he said, modestly. "We had no idea he
was an author when he got us talking about our trips or we would not
have talked so freely."
"Well, he speaks well of the boy-chums," smiled Mr. Daniels, "and I
am going to take his recommendation. As I have already said, I do not
often engage green men but I am going to give you four a chance. But
before you decide to go into it, I want you to understand that this
fishing business is no picnic."
"We do not expect it to be any picnic," replied Charley, quietly.
"In the first place, it is dangerous," Mr. Daniels continued. "Besides
the risk from storms and accidents, there are dangers from fish and sea
reptiles. Then, too, there are often troubles with other fishermen. As
a class, fishermen are rough and lawless. In my position, with hundreds
of men working for me, it would ruin my business to take sides with any
one man or set of men in my employ. They must settle their quarrels
among themselves. As the old saying goes, 'Every tub must stand on its
own bottom.'"
"We will be careful and keep out of trouble," Walter assured him.
"One can not always avoid it," Mr. Daniels replied. "In addition to
the drawbacks I have mentioned, fishing is extremely hard, trying,
nasty work, although I will say that it seems a wonderfully healthy
occupation. Fishermen are seldom sick."
"Does it pay?" Captain Westfield inquired.
"That depends largely upon the fisherman. Of course, there is an
element of luck in fishing. Experience counts for something, too, but
in the main, as in everything else, it is the amount of work that
decides success or failure. Some of my men make as high as two hundred
dollars a week, others hardly make a living."
Charley glanced inquiringly at his comrades who answered with nods.
"We will try it, if you please," he said, quietly.
"All right," replied Mr. Daniels, briskly. "You shall have just the
same outfit I furnish the rest of my men. Four nets,--that is, one for
each of you,--three skiffs, and a motor boat. I furnish the motor boat
and the skiffs free, but you are expected to keep them up in good shape
and to buy your own gasoline and oils. As for the nets, I sell them to
you at cost, I take out one-third of your fish until they are paid for."
"That seems a very liberal arrangement," Charley observed.
"I have to do it in order to get enough fish to keep my customers
supplied. Now, as to shelter, you will have to have a place to stay.
Out on the long wharf that runs out into the bay, you will find a
number of little houses which belong to me. You can use any one of them
that is not already occupied."
"You are very kind," said Charley.
"Not at all. Now, one thing more. Are you supplied with money?"
"We saved nothing from our schooner but the clothes we had on," Charley
admitted.
"Then I will tell Mr. Bacon, the store-keeper, to let you have what
groceries and clothing you need until you get to earning. Oh! by the
way, I forgot to ask you if you can run a motor boat?"
"We have never run one, but we could soon learn."
"Well, I'll send a man down with your nets this afternoon and have him
show you the boats that you will use and also give you a lesson in
running the engine. You'll soon catch on to it--it's simple. And now,"
he concluded, "that, I believe, finishes our business arrangements and
now I have a favor to ask of you."
"After your kindness, we would do anything in our power," Charley
promised, gratefully but rashly.
"Good! I want all four of you to come up to dinner with me. That boy
of mine would give me fits if I let the Boy Chums get away from me
without him meeting them."
Our little party of chums were too modest to relish the idea of a
dinner under such conditions; but, after Mr. Daniels' kindness to them,
they could not do other than accept the proffered invitation much as
they would have liked to refuse.