CHAPTER XIX
A PERPLEXING MYSTERY
It was not hard in the reassuring sunlight of the "morning after" forPhil to tell himself that his experience of the night before had beennothing more than a peculiarly vivid dream.
There was the temptation to tell the fellows about it, but on secondthought he decided to hold his peace. The memory of how they had laughedwhen he had thought he heard a shot was still with him and he was notanxious to give them the chance to laugh a second time.
Besides, as has been said before, he was almost convinced himself thathis imagination had played a trick upon him. And yet--that man's figure,sinister, stealthy, stealing from the shadows of the cave into theblackness of the night. He could have sworn at the moment that he sawit. Was it possible for his eyes so to betray him?
Since there was no one to answer the question for him, Phil wiselydecided to leave it unanswered and put the incident, as far as waspossible, completely out of his mind.
This was not so hard a task, either, seeing that there was plenty tooccupy his mind in excited plans for the recovery of the treasure.
However, these plans were destined to be nipped in the bud. For the sunwhich, early in the morning had given promise of a glorious day, wentsuddenly behind a cloud and there was that dead, breathless stillness inthe air which the boys had come to know invariably presaged a storm.
"Confound the luck," growled Dick, as together they stood outside thecave, looking uncertainly at the threatening sky. "Seems to me the stormwe had yesterday should have cleared the atmosphere----"
"We're in for another one, just the same," said Jack Benton, his ownface clouded with concern. "It's hard luck just when we fairly had ourhands upon the treasure but after all it only means a delay of a day ortwo, perhaps only a few hours. You know how soon these tropical stormspass."
"I'm for trying it, anyway," said Dick, who was always impatient ofdelay. "What do you say Phil?" he added, turning to his chum.
But Phil slowly shook his head.
"Can't be done, old boy," he said. "It would be suicide to go out in theteeth of one of these storms. You ought to have seen enough of them bythis time to know that. Guess we'll have to wait till the weatherdecides to be nice."
Bimbo nodded his head approvingly.
"That's whar you shows yo' common sense, Marse Phil," he applauded."'Taint no use invitin' d'undertaker to make us a visit. He's donelikely t' come wivout no invitation, anyways--"
"What do you mean by that?" asked Phil curiously with the grin he alwayssaved for Bimbo.
"Ah means, Marse Phil," returned the black boy, emphatically, "thetthere aint no luck, no how lingerin' on this island. Mah advice to you,Marse Phil is dat you grab dat treasure an' skip out o' here as fas' youlegs kin carry yo'. Yassir, Marse Phil, ef yo was to ask dis nigger foradvice dat's what he'd be tellin' yo'."
The other boys and Jack Benton were frankly grinning but Phil was stillcurious.
"What makes you feel that way, Bimbo?" he asked. "Anything 'special."
The darky scratched his head with a puzzled expression.
"Nosah, Marse Phil," he said at last with the air of one striving forthe exact truth, "Ah cain't go so far's t' say they's anythin' 'specialmakes me know dis island ain't no good place to linger in, but Ah knowsit aint, jes' the same. I don' feel it in my bones--yassir, Marse Phil,I don' _feel_ it."
"Well, as long as you confine the feeling to your bones, Bimbo," saidJack Benton, dryly, "I guess it can't do anyone any harm."
"Why, you old gloom hound you," cried Steve, clapping poor Bimbo on theback with a force that made him wince. "What do you mean by saying thisisland isn't good luck. What do you call the finding of the treasure,eh? I suppose that was bad luck!"
Bimbo shook his head, still wearing the puzzled look.
"No sah," he said and turned toward the cave adding something under hisbreath that sounded like "yo ain't got dat treasure, yet, no sir, youaint _got_ dat treasure, yet."
Steve looked after him exasperated, then turned to Phil.
"What do you suppose the fellow means?" he asked.
Phil shrugged.
"He doesn't know himself, probably," he answered. "Darkies always dolook on the black side of things."
"Maybe due to their color," grinned Tom, and so the thing passed offwith a laugh.
By this time the sky had darkened until it was almost like night on theisland and a wind had risen. The boys knew that any further adventuringfor the treasure was off, for that day at least, and so they resignedthemselves to the inevitable. Not without a good deal of grumbling,however, for their disappointment was keen. They had counted on havingpart of the treasure safely stowed away by nightfall.
And that was not the worst of it. The storm, unlike the others whichthey had encountered, refused to blow over in a few hours. It continuedall that day and the next and well into the next. Even though the windhad abated most of its fury it seemed to the exasperated boys as thoughthe rain would never stop. It came in a steady sheeting downpour untilit seemed as though the heavens must be emptied of every drop ofmoisture. And still it rained.
Although there was no chance at present of salvaging the treasure, theboys refused to be held prisoners with in the cave. Putting on raincoats and boots and drawing their caps down over their eyes, theyplunged out into the beating rain with a sense of defying the elements.This was on the afternoon of the third day.
"Maybe if the rain sees we don't scare for it, it will get tired andstop," said Tom boyishly as they trudged along, heads down, collarsturned up about their ears.
"I hope so, but I doubt it," returned Dick, gloomily. "Looks as if thisstate of things were going to continue for another week at least."
Jack Benton and Bimbo had declined to accompany the boys, the formerbecause he felt it necessary that some one should stay at the cave, andBimbo because he disliked wet weather in general.
"I wonder what that old boy has on his mind," said Dick, speaking ofBimbo. "He sure thinks this island is all to the bad. I wonder if heknows anything that we don't know."
"What a crazy idea," snorted Tom. "What could he know?"
Again it was on the point of Phil's tongue to speak of the shadowyfigure he thought he had seen, but again he restrained himself. Hewasn't going to be laughed at.
They had reached a rise of ground which overlooked the ocean, and asSteve glanced out toward the water he suddenly grabbed Phil's arm andpointed.
"Look at that whale out there," he cried. "And there's another one."
"Why there's a whole school of them," cried Tom, excitedly. "Say, I'mglad I lived to see this."
"They seem to be all-fired excited about something too," observed Steve."I wonder what's up."
"A sword fish," said Phil, beneath his breath. "He's afterthem--attacking the whole bunch single-handed."
Sure enough, following Phil's pointed finger the boys saw a giganticfish of peculiar shape flashing in and out among the whales attackingpromiscuously. The water was lashed to a froth by the frantic efforts ofthe great mammals to get away from their tormentor and soon the surfaceof the water showed streaks of blood.
"My, he's sure some fighter, that swordfish," said Steve admiringly."I'd hate to have him for an enemy."
"Look," cried Tom delightedly. "The whole bunch is making for deep waterrouted by one sharp-toothed fish. You have to hand it to him."
They had started on again when suddenly they felt a sickening sensation,as if the earth were rocking beneath their feet. Then, before they couldeven guess what was happening to them there came a terrific upheavalthat flung them from their feet.
There was the sound as of a mighty roar--as though the universe werecrackling and breaking about them.
The Radio Boys Under the Sea; or, The Hunt for Sunken Treasure Page 19