MORE TROUBLE.
ALL the little party were greatly puzzled but Chris was the one most
troubled. The superstitious little negro was quick to attach an uncanny
meaning to the strange incident.
"Hit was a ghost," he declared, solemnly. "Dat's jes' de way de ghosts
do on Cat Island. Nobody can ebber find 'em when dey look for 'em. Dey
jes' melt into de air."
"Bosh, Chris," derided Charley, "there are no such things as ghosts."
"Yes dar is, Massa Chas," persisted the little darkey. "Plenty of
people has seed dem a heap ob times. My ole daddy on Cat Island dun
seen one once. He come 'cross hit on de road one moonlight night. Hit
was all white an' bigger den any man an' dar was blue fire comin' out
ob hits eyes, an' nose, an' mouth. Daddy run like de wind an' he dun
got away from hit. But he always 'lowed if he hadn't had his conjurer
charm tied 'round his neck hit would hab cotched him sho'. Sho' dar is
ghosts."
Walter laughed. "Well, if there are bad spirits there must be good
spirits also, Chris," he observed, "and this one seems to be a pretty
good sort. He certainly done us a good turn. If I ever meet him, I hope
he will not do the vanishing act for I want to thank him."
But Chris was not to be reassured and he went about his task of getting
dinner muttering darkly to himself.
"Frankly, what do you make of it?" Walter inquired of his chum as they
waited the preparation of the meal.
"I? I don't know what to think of it yet," Charley confessed. "As soon
as I found out that it was not Chris who did the shooting I thought
maybe one of the Roberts boys had landed on the other side of the
island and happened to come across just in the nick of time. I can
understand that no one would want to be seen by the Hunter gang for the
sake of avoiding future trouble with them, but I can not for the life
of me understand why the unknown should wish to avoid us, also. That is
the puzzling part. Why did he vanish, and where did he go to? He had no
time to get away in a boat without our seeing him. It's a mystery to
me."
"I ain't worrying much about that," observed Captain Westfield.
"Whoever it was he was friendly to us and that's more than we can say
for that Hunter gang. We are bound to have more trouble with them, I
fear, and I don't see any way to steer clear of it unless we pick up
and leave this part of the country."
"We can't do that," Walter declared. "We are penniless and there is no
other work we can do around here. Besides we owe a good big bill at the
store and it would not be right to go away and leave it for Mr. Daniels
to pay."
"No," agreed the captain, "we can't do that. Well, I don't know what is
best to do. What's your opinion, Charley?"
"Of course, we can't leave here," replied the lad, decidedly, "and I
for one, don't want to leave. There are four of the Hunter gang and
there are four of us. It's true, we have only one gun amongst us while
they are probably well armed. In a way, I do not think the question of
weapons is so very important. I do not believe that they will provoke
a serious open fight. That demonstration this morning was to frighten
us away. There is law in this state and officers capable of enforcing
it, and, bad as that Hunter gang is reputed to be, I do not believe
the members of it are going to run the risk of being hung for any open
killing. What evil they will try to do to us will be done secretly and
in such a way that we can not have them arrested for it. I judge, that
is the way they have always done their meanness from what Bill Roberts
said to Hunter that day. If we stay here that is what we will have to
always be on our guard against. Of course such a state of things will
not be pleasant but I believe we are as bright as they and by being
watchful we will give them little chance to do us any injury."
"What about that stuff they've got cached," objected Captain Westfield.
"It's worth too much money for them to let it lay where it is and they
won't dare take it away as long as we are on the island."
"I've been thinking of that," Charley answered, "and I believe, the
best thing to be done is to get the stuff off the island. If we catch
any fish to-night, we will have to take them over to Clearwater and
just tell Mr. Daniels about our finding the stuff. Likely, he will
see that it is removed at once. That will rid the Hunter gang of the
necessity of driving us off the island and it will likely scare them so
that it will be some time before they attempt to smuggle any more in."
"Wall, I reckon, that is the best course for us to steer," agreed the
old sailor. "Of course, they'll have a grudge against us for the loss
of the stuff but they've got one against us anyway, so it don't make
much difference. We'll have to leave some one in camp all the time so
as to protect our grub and things."
"We will leave Chris," Charley decided. "One of us will have to cook
and keep the nets mended up anyway and Chris is certainly the boy for
the cooking job. We will leave the rifle with him. At night, or when
there is any sign of trouble, he can bar himself up in the cabin and be
safer than he would be with us. It's strong as a fort, and the palmetto
logs it is built of will not catch fire easy if any one should try to
smoke him out."
Accordingly when dinner was finished, Charley explained the situation
to the little negro, only telling him of the cached liquor and not
mentioning the objections made to his presence amongst them so as
to spare the little fellow's sensitive feelings. Chris protested
vigorously at the plan to leave him behind.
"I ain't scared ob dat poor white trash," he declared, "but hit ain't
noways nice to stay hyar alone wid a haunt walking 'round on dis
island. I jes' naturally can't do dat, Massa Chas."
In vain his three companions argued with him. All the superstitions
of his race were aroused. "A spirit was a haunting de island," he
declared, "an' hit warn't noways wise to stay alone whar a haunt was.
"If I only had my ole daddy's conjurin' charm, hit might be all right,"
he said, doubtfully. "Hit dun saved him from a ghost once."
"I'll tell you what I'll do," said Charley at last. "I'll let you have
my one ghost charm. It will ward off any ghost that ever walked this
island."
"Has you got one for sho', Massa Chas? Let's see hit," exclaimed the
relieved little darkey.
Charley gravely produced from his pocket a tiny stone, Chinese
mannikin, which he had once used as a watch charm and which had found
its way into his pockets along with a few other worthless odds and
ends. It was grotesquely carved and hideously ugly but Chris viewed it
with delight.
"Hit sho' looks like a powerful charm," he declared with the longing
for possession.
"I'll guarantee it to protect against any ghost I ever saw," declared
Charley, truthfully and solemnly.
"If you could dun spare hit to me, I reckon I wouldn't mind being left
behind, Massa Chas," offered the little negro.
"All right," Charley agreed, delighted with the success of his ruse.
"You want to be careful not to lose it though. I don't know where I
could get another like it."
They left the appeased little darkey engaged in fastening the ugly
mannikin with a string around his neck, and took their way down to the
dock for the practice drill Charley had decided upon.
"Now, I don't want to be bossy," the lad explained as they made their
preparations for the trial, "but, as things are, I happen to be the
only one of us who has had any experience in fishing. I would much
rather that some one else could take the lead for fishing is one
business where the leader must be obeyed without argument or question.
His followers must give him the same quiet service that a military
company gives its officers. It is upon such unquestionable following
that the successes in fishing largely depends. The leader's position,
running head boat it is called, requires quick judgment and swift
action, and these can not be had if argument or explanations have to
precede them."
"That's all right, I understand what you mean," said Captain Westfield,
placidly. "All you will have to do is to give your orders."
"Sure," agreed Walter, "we wouldn't know what to do unless you did."
"All right," agreed Charley. "I want to say, though, before we start,
that this fishing is a nerve-trying business, as you will soon find
out. Sometimes it wears a person's temper to a wire edge and he will
say things and do things he afterwards regrets. If I should happen to
speak shortly or curtly any time please overlook it if you can and I
will do the same with you. I've seen this fishing game break up old
friendships more than once. And now," he concluded, "for our practice.
We will suppose now that we are stealing up on a school of fish. Our
positions are this. My skiff goes ahead. The captain in his skiff keeps
ten feet behind me and a trifle to the left. You, Walter, keep nearly
opposite me but about four hundred feet distant. Now, when I give the
signal to make a run, I will stop rowing. The captain will back the end
of his skiff up to mine and I will tie our two nets together. Then I
will shout to you and you will throw the end of your net overboard and
we will all start rowing as hard as we can. You will watch my boat,
Walter, and keep just opposite me all the time. When our nets are
pretty well run out, I will shout again and we will both head directly
for each other. When we come together, I go around your stern and cross
your net with mine. As soon as you and I start, the captain starts
also. He swings away from me and heads for where you dropped the end of
your net. He crosses it, and, if he has any net left in his boat, he
rows back inside the circle and zigzags back and forth until it is all
run out. If we do this all right and luck holds good, we will have our
fish penned up like this." With a stick he drew on the sand this simple
diagram.
[Illustration]
"As soon as our nets run out," he continued, "we row around inside the
circle and beat on our skiffs with the oars and make all the racket we
can to drive the fish into the nets. Then, each man rows back to the
end of his net and takes it up being careful to pile it right so that
it will run out smoothly and also be careful not to break meshes taking
out fish. I guess that's about all."
"Why, that's simple as can be," Walter exclaimed.
Charley grinned. "Let's try it and see," he said knowingly.