CHAPTER XXVII
A MAP AND A PLOT
The boys and Billy Dill viewed the surroundings with interest. Somebones lay on the ground, and they kicked them over.
"These can't be human bones, can they?" whispered the senator's son toDave.
"No, Roger, they are nothing but the bones of some small animal."
"I was afraid the natives might be cannibals!"
To one side of the camp lay a fantastically carved stick, evidently cutby somebody during his leisure. Dave picked this up and saw that itcontained a heart, an anchor, a cross, several links of a chain, andsome stars. At the big end of the stick was an American flag.
"Hello, look here!" exclaimed the country boy. "This is strange, to saythe least. I don't believe any native would cut a stick in thisfashion."
"Neither do I," declared Phil. "That must have been carved by anAmerican, and with his jack-knife. Perhaps some sailors were camping outhere."
"To me this campfire, or what's left o' it, looks to be about a weekold," said Billy Dill. "The question is, where did the crowd go to fromhere?"
"Maybe there were some Americans with those natives in that canoe,"suggested Roger.
"In that case, the natives must be friendly," returned Phil.
They walked around the locality and down the shore half a mile further,but could find nothing more of interest. Then they sat down to enjoy thelunch they had brought, washing the meal down at a spring, close bywhere the campfire had been.
"It is wonderful that fresh water should be so close to the salt,"observed the senator's son. "You'd think it would all get salt."
"Nature knew man wanted fresh water, and so it was placed there,"replied Billy Dill. "Trust a kind Providence to take care on us everytime."
After the meal the party set off for the opposite shore of the island,over a small hill which divided one end from the other. Here the junglewas so thick they had to literally force their way through, and each ofthe boys got his clothing torn more or less. Once the old tar became socompletely fastened that the lads had to go to his assistance and cuthim loose with their pocket-knives.
"I'm jest about anchored!" remarked Billy Dill. "This is worse nor theSargasso Sea, ain't it?"
By the middle of the afternoon they gained the opposite shore of theisland. Here the ground was very rough, but at one spot they found theremains of a village--two houses of logs and half a dozen thatched huts.The houses and huts were bare, and nothing of interest was to be foundaround the remains of half a dozen campfires.
"This shows that somebody lived here once upon a time," observed Phil."But it couldn't have been much of a population."
"Can't tell as to thet," came from the old sailor. "These natives livepretty thick sometimes, ten or a dozen in one hut--and a good many liveright out under the trees."
Dave and Roger had passed into one of the deserted log houses, and thecountry youth struck a match, that they might see around a littlebetter. Somewhat to their astonishment, they saw pinned up on a wall asheet of water-stained brown wrapping paper, upon which was drawnsomething of a map, with a heavy cross where two lines met.
"Here's a discovery!" cried Dave. "Wonder what this map was for?"
The others came in, and a minute later a torch was lit, and all examinedthe map with care. Then Roger uttered a cry:
"Dave, look there!" and the senator's son pointed to one corner of themap. In faint letters was the written name:
_Dunston A. Porter._
"The very man I am looking for!" ejaculated Dave, and his heart gave abound. "Oh, boys, what can it mean?"
"It means that Mr. Porter has been here," answered Roger.
"He must have been hunting for that treasure," said Phil. "This may beone of his maps."
"That's a fact," said Billy Dill. "He was always drawing jest suchthings when I was with him. He said he was bound to find that treasuresome day."
"This map looks to be quite old," went on Dave, in disappointed tones."I wish it was fresh and he was here."
"He must have come here after sailing to Sobago Island," said thesenator's son, "and that can't be so very long ago."
After that they made a closer hunt than before in and around the camp,but found nothing, outside of two buttons, a bit of lead pencil, and thebroken handle of a spade.
"That spade proves there was some digging done," said Phil. "Undoubtedlyhe came here looking for that treasure."
"Did you ever get any of the particulars of that treasure?" asked Dave,of the old sailor.
"Not much, exceptin' that it was a treasure of pearls and preciousstones once hidden by some native king. Mr. Porter didn't want to tellmuch about it, and I didn't feel as I had the right to ask him."
It was now growing late, and all felt that it was time to return to theship. Before leaving the hut, Dave pinned a slip of paper over the map,writing upon it as follows:
"TO DUNSTON A. PORTER:
"I am very anxious to meet you. I am on board the bark _Stormy Petrel_, in the harbor of this island, and bound for Sobago Island. Please see me, by all means.
DAVID PORTER."
To this the youth added the date, and also his home address, in case heshould fail to meet Dunston Porter and the man should wish to write tohim.
"That certainly ought to interest him--especially if he is interested ina lost boy," was Roger's comment.
Dave was in a sober mood when he returned to the ship and did not feelmuch like talking. He allowed the others to relate the day's experience,to which Captain Marshall listened closely.
"It is certainly a pity we didn't get a chance to talk to thosenatives," said the master of the _Stormy Petrel_. "They might have shownme some way out of this harbor."
"Then you haven't found any passage through the reef?"
"Not yet. The first mate was out with four of the crew, but they couldfind nothing wide enough," answered Captain Marshall.
The master of the bark thought he spoke the truth, but he was mistaken.Unknown to the captain, the first mate had found a passage, rathertwisting in shape, but perfectly safe. It was near the northern end ofthe reef--a locality Captain Marshall had not visited. One of thesailors who had been out with the mate also knew of the passage, butPaul Shepley had pledged him to secrecy for the time being.
While the boys and Billy Dill were in the cabin of the _Stormy Petrel_relating their experiences, an interesting conversation was going on inanother part of the ship, between the first mate and Jasper Van Blott.
"I have made an important discovery," said Shepley, in a low tone, sothat no others might hear. "I have found a safe passageway out of thisharbor."
"Did you tell the old man?" demanded the former supercargo, quickly.
"No; I told him that there wasn't any opening wide enough for the bark."
"Good! Now, if we can only arrange this other matter, Shepley, we'llmake a fine thing of this," went on Jasper Van Blott.
"I don't know about this other thing, as you call it," grumbled thefirst mate. "I'll be running a tremendous risk."
"Oh, it will be perfectly safe."
"Don't you know that mutiny on the high seas is punishable by death?"
"I do--if you get caught. But you won't get caught. Besides that, pleaseto remember that I am not going to suffer for this cargo affair alone.If I have to stand trial, you'll have to do the same."
"Then you really mean to drag me into it, eh?" said the first mate,sourly.
"Unless you consent to my plan. Why, man, it's dead easy," continued theformer supercargo, earnestly. "I know that at least four of the sailorswill stand in with us from the start, and we can easily win over theothers by the promise of a big reward. All we have got to do is to getCaptain Marshall, Billy Dill, and those three boys ashore, and then sailaway for some distant port. On the way we can change the name of thebark and I'll fix up the clearance papers, and there you are. You and Ican become equal owners, and we can go into the
regular Australian-NewZealand trade and make a barrel of money in a few years."
"But supposing some of the men raise a row?"
"We won't give them a chance, until we are out on the ocean. We can tellthem--after the captain's crowd is gone--that you have orders to try toclear the reef. When we are on the ocean, I don't think it will be sohard to manage things. We can arm ourselves and lock up all the otherweapons, and tell the men they shall have big money if they ask noquestions and stick to their duty," added Jasper Van Blott.
"Well, how do you propose to get that crowd ashore? They may not happento go of their own free will."
"I think I can manage that, sooner or later. The main thing is, we mustwatch our chances and strike as soon as the right moment arrives. Nowthen, what do you say, Shepley?"
The first mate hesitated, and an argument lasting a full hour ensued,during which the former supercargo's plot was discussed from everypossible point of view. At last the first mate agreed to do as JasperVan Blott wanted, and then the two separated, to await the time formaking their first move.
Dave Porter in the South Seas; or, The Strange Cruise of the Stormy Petrel Page 30