CHAPTER II
BY LAND AND SEA
The sudden movement of the stranger rather startled the boys and piquedtheir curiosity. They looked at him and at each other inquiringly.
The man thrust his hand in the breast pocket of his coat and felt forsomething. That he had found it was evident from the look of profoundrelief that came into his face.
"Think you had lost your pocketbook in your tumble?" asked Phil with asmile.
"It wasn't money I was thinking of," was the reply. "Something that oneof you said reminded me of some valuable papers that I had stowed awayand that I wouldn't lose for a good deal. But they're just where I putthem.
"My introduction to you young fellows was rather sudden," he went on,with a grin that displayed two rows of strong even teeth, "and this isabout the first chance I've had to tell you what my name is and where Ihail from. My name's Jack Benton, and I am, or was up to about threeweeks ago, a member of the United States Marine Corps."
The boys acknowledged the introduction and gave him their names inreturn.
"So you're a Marine," remarked Phil with great interest. "That's abranch of the service that has always appealed to me more than anyother. There's lots of adventure and you go everywhere and seeeverything."
"That's putting it pretty strong," laughed Benton, "but you're not sofar out of the way at that. I've been in the service for about eightyears, and there's scarcely a port of the world that I haven't been inat some time or other. I've seen all sorts of people and been mixed upin all kinds of adventures. There's plenty of hard work, but take itfrom me there's very little monotony in the life of a marine. Thesoldiers' work is on the land. The sailors' is on the sea. But themarines do their work on both land and sea."
"The Marine Corps did great work in the war." said Tom admiringly.
"They weren't so bad," replied Benton modestly. "People say they didpretty good work at Chateau-Thierry, and they weren't exactly absentwhen Belleau Wood was swept clear of the enemy. But then all ourAmerican boys did well in every branch of the service. Since the warthings haven't been quite so lively with the marines, though we haven'thad much chance to get rusty down in San Domingo. That's where I've beenfor the last two years, and it was there that my term of service expiredabout three weeks ago. It's only about a week since I landed in NewYork."
"You seem so fond of the service that after a little vacation I supposeyou'll re-enlist," observed Dick.
Benton hesitated, and almost unconsciously his hand again rested on hisbreast pocket.
"I may and I may not," he said slowly and with a touch of embarrassment."The service, as I said, is full of adventure, and adventure is thebreath of life to me. But just at present I'm planning an adventure onmy own hook, the biggest one of my life--so big in fact that if I toldyou about it you might think I was crazy. I--I--"
And while with the keenest interest they stand listening for theexpected disclosure, it may be well for the benefit of those who havenot read the preceding volumes of this series to tell more fully who theboys were and what had been their adventures up to the time this storyopens.
Phil Strong was the son of the leading physician in Castleton, athriving manufacturing town in the Middle West. Phil had been born andbrought up there, and was a general favorite, especially with the youngfellows of his own age. He was now in his nineteenth year, stalwart, sixfeet tall and as straight as an arrow, He was of fair complexion,brown-haired, and had merry blue eyes that could gleam with laughter orgrow hard and cold as steel at anything or anyone that aroused hisindignation. He was a leader in athletic sports and a tower of strengthon his baseball nine and football eleven. He was straightforward,fearless and truthful, a steadfast friend and a formidable enemy.
Dick Weston, his closest friend, was the son of the cashier of theCastleton bank. He was of about the same age as Phil, and from theirearliest boyhood they had been the closest of chums. Dick was impulsiveand oftener needed the brake than the spur. He had less initiative thanPhil, but could always be depended on to back his friend to the limit.In any crisis requiring quick thinking, Phil acted like lightning, butDick was usually a pretty close second.
Tom Hadley hailed from Chicago, which he believed to be the only town onearth--a conviction he was always ready to assert and maintain. He wasof a different type physically from the others, being rotund and stocky,while they were tall and athletic. He was full of jokes and fun, andnobody could be long depressed when Tom was one of the party.
Another friend of all three was Steve Elwood, who at the time happenedto be in New York, his native city. He felt about this very much as Tomdid about Chicago, and arguments flew thick and fast when they gottogether. Steve was freckle-faced and red-headed, and had thehair-trigger temper that often goes with that combination. LikeKipling's Fuzzy-Wuzzy, he was full of "'ot sand and ginger," and it wasadvisable to give him a clear track when once he got started. With itall, he was frank and generous, and devotedly attached to the threefriends, with whom he had shared many perils.
A special link that drew the boys still closer together was their commoninterest in radio. That wonderful new science found no more ferventdevotees than they. Almost all their spare moments were spent inincreasing their knowledge of its countless marvels, and they had becomeexpert in both receiving and sending. So absorbed did they become thatthey had gained the name of the "Radio Boys," and soon it became amatter of course for Castleton folk to refer to them in that way whenthey were mentioned together. They saw the possibilities of the science,and worked at it not merely as a pastime, but because they had aboutdecided to make it their lifelong profession.
The boys were red-blooded, all-alive young Americans and full of lovefor adventure. How that zest led them into many perils; how by a curiouscombination of circumstances they found themselves embarked on thehazardous work of the Secret Service; how their work led them into theEverglades of Florida, where they encountered danger from beasts andreptiles and still more deadly criminals; how often they came within ahair's breadth of death and yet finally came out triumphant--thesethings are told in the first volume of this series, entitled: "The RadioBoys in the Secret Service; or Running Down the Counterfeiters."
Shortly after their return, the bank at Castleton was the victim of adaring holdup. Fifty thousand dollars were stolen and Dick's father, thecashier, was wounded. It was learned that "Muggs" Murray, the leader ofthe gang, had been seen in Texas. About the same time the Radio Boys,who were expert aviators, had an invitation to enter the flying servicein connection with the Texas Rangers, who were patrolling the troubledMexican border. The opportunity for more adventure, combined with thechance that they might get on the trail of the robber leader, proved toostrong an allurement to be resisted, and they were soon in the thick ofthe fighting with guerillas along the Rio Grande. How narrowly theyescaped death on the land and in the air; their thrilling rescue ofprisoners held by the enemy; how Phil himself was taken captive and heldfor ransom and the part that radio played in his escape; how "Muggs"Murray was tracked and brought to justice can be seen in the secondvolume of this series, entitled: "The Radio Boys in the Flying Service;or, Held for Ransom by Mexican Bandits."
They had only been home a few weeks from this last experience when inthis singular manner they had been brought in contact with Benton, thisother soldier of fortune, who had declared that adventure was the breathof life to him. To all of them had come the impression that this wasmore than a chance meeting, and that in some way yet to be defined theirfuture was to be bound up with his. It was this feeling that made themawait with such intentness the words that he had seemed on the point ofspeaking.
For a full minute Benton seemed to be debating with himself. Thencaution seemed to gain the upper hand, and he looked at them with awhimsical smile that was half apologetic.
"I guess the thing will keep," he remarked, "and anyway I'm too groggyjust now to tell you clearly just what I have in my mind. But I sure dow
ant to see more of you fellows, if you'll let me."
"Sure thing," replied Phil heartily, and the others echoed him. "Justnow I think the best thing you can do is to get to town, have a doctorlook you over and then settle down for a good night's rest. Thentomorrow perhaps we can get together again. That is, if your businessdoesn't make it necessary to get away from Castleton in a hurry."
"Not at all," answered Benton, as he got a little unsteadily to hisfeet. "In fact, I think Castleton will be the end of my present trip,though I didn't think so when I started out this morning."
The remark was rather cryptic, but the boys forbore any furtherquestioning and busied themselves with harnessing up the horse, whichseemed by this time to be in a thoroughly subdued frame of mind.
There was not room for all in the buggy and it was arranged that Philshould drive with Benton to the town, while Dick and Tom should followon foot.
On their way in, Phil stopped at the first doctor's office they cameacross and luckily found the physician in. He gave Benton a thoroughexamination and found that, outside of bruises and a general shaking up,there was nothing serious the matter with him. A day or two of rest washis only prescription.
Phil invited Benton to put up at his home as a guest, and assured him ofa welcome. The latter, however, declined with thanks, feeling a littleshy about his "bunged-up condition," as he expressed it, but promised tocome up to Phil's house the following night. At his request, Phil drovehim to a good hotel. Then he left the horse and buggy in the care of thehostler and turned toward home.
On his way there he fell in with Dick and Tom coming in with the stringof fish that, in the pressure of more important things, Phil had almostforgotten.
Phil swung into step with them, and they plunged at once into adiscussion of the exciting events of the afternoon.
"Queer, wasn't it," said Dick, as he paused for a moment in front ofPhil's home before separating from his comrades, "how his hand flew tohis breast at something Tom said?"
"It was odd," agreed Tom. "I remember that I spoke of the horse as anold pirate. Nothing particular in that. But at the word 'pirate' Bentonjumped as though he were shot."
The Radio Boys Under the Sea; or, The Hunt for Sunken Treasure Page 2