The Young Marooners on the Florida Coast

by John Henry Goldfrap

  CHAPTER XVII

  MARY AND FRANK--EXAMINATION OF THE TENT--SMOKE SIGNALS--DEVICES--BRUTEMESSENGER--RAPT--BLAZING THE TREES--VOYAGE--DISASTROUS EXPEDITION--NEWSFROM HOME--RETURN TO THE TENT

  When Robert and Harold left the tent that morning, to look for the lostboat, Mary and Frank watched with anxious eyes their retiring forms. Itwas painful to be left alone in that vast solitude. But the act wasnecessary, and Mary resolved to bear it with cheerfulness. In ordertherefore to withdraw their minds from their situation, she proposed toFrank to join her in exposing to the sun those articles in the tentwhich had been wet by the rain.

  Among these was a bundle of William's. "Poor William!" said Frank, "Iwonder what became of him. Don't you think, sister, he was drowned?"

  "I do not know, buddy," she answered with a sigh; "though I presume not.William was a good swimmer, and near shore. O, I do wish we could hearfrom our dear father, and he could hear from us! See here, Frank." Shepointed to a valise-trunk. "This is father's, it contains his razors,and all the little things that he uses every day. I wish I could openit, and air everything for him; both top and bottom seem to be wet."

  She tried the various keys in her bunch, and to her delight found onethat fitted the lock. Some of its contents were quite damp, and nodoubt they were saved from serious injury by her affectionate care. Init she spied a morocco case, which proved quite useful in the end; itwas a case of choice medicines. Mary was careful to disturb nothing,except so far as was needful for its preservation; for, though herfather had no concealments that she knew of, this was his privateproperty, and she held its privacy sacred. After drying everything init, they were replaced as before.

  This work had occupied them about two hours, when Frank, whose eyes werecontinually directed towards the sea, with a lingering hope that hemight see his father sailing after them, exclaimed, "Sister, is not thata smoke across the river?"

  From the bluff where, three miles distant, the opposite bank of theriver overhung the sea, a bluish vapour was curling upward. It wasevidently a smoke. Mary gazed at it with feelings both of hope anddistrust. Who made it? What did it mean? She ran for the spy glass,drew it to its focus, steadied her trembling hands against a tree,directed it towards the point, and almost instantly exclaimed, "Someperson is there. I can see a signal flying, like a handkerchief tied toa pole. But who can it be? If it is one of our people, why does he notcome over? O Frank, how I wish brother and cousin Harold were here."

  "Let us fire off the gun, sister," Frank replied, "that will bring themback."

  They took the gun, loaded by Robert for the purpose, and fired itrepeatedly. Mary then took another peep through the glass, and criedout--"He sees us, Frank, whoever it is; he is waving his flag. He musthave heard our guns, or seen their smoke. I wonder I cannot see him.O, yes, there he is, lying on the ground, or half lying. Now he has putdown the flag, and I can see him dragging himself along the ground byone arm. What can it mean? O, when will brother Robert and cousinHarold come back!"

  Mary's impatience made the time seem very long. She employed herself inevery way that she could devise for an hour, and then, turning to Frankwith a bright look, clapped her hands joyfully, and said, "I have it!I'll bring them back! I mean to send a runner after them. I can doit--O, yes, I can do it!"

  Frank looked troubled. "How can you?" he inquired. "I am the only oneyou have; and I am sure I cannot find the way any more than you can."

  "No, not you, nor myself," she said; "but one that I know can find them,and can take a note to them too." She opened her trunk, took out apiece of paper, pencilled upon it the note recorded in the last chapter,tied it tightly with a string, which she fastened around Mum's neck, andsaid, "Here is my messenger! He will find them, I warrant." Thenloosening the chain, she said, "Hie on, Mum! hie on!"

  Mum looked at her inquisitively, and was evidently in doubt what to makeof her command. She called him to the track of the boys, pointed to it,followed it for a few steps, and encouraged him to proceed, when theintelligent brute took the meaning, and with a whine of joy sprang awayat a rapid trot.

  The boys reached the tent about one o'clock, leading the fawn by the twohandkerchiefs. They had been strongly tempted more than once to leaveit behind, tied to a bush, or to free it entirely, as it somewhatretarded their movements; but having already taught it the art offollowing, it came after them with rapid strides, and for the latterhalf of their journey they had not to pull it in the least. Mary andFrank heard their distant halloo, and ran to meet them. They weredelighted with the new pet, and spent a moment in patting its snowysides; but the interest excited by the person across the river absorbedevery other consideration. As soon as Harold saw the smoke stillfaintly rising, he said, "I saw that smoke this morning. It was sofaint I could scarcely discern it darken the sky, and took it for mist.That person has been there all night."

  Robert had by this time adjusted the glass, and each looked in turn.They could see nothing more than a little smoke. Mary described theposition in which she saw the person lying, and dragging himself along,after the guns were fired. "Then," said Harold, "I will let off anothergun; and do you, Robert, place yourself so that you can see whether henotices it."

  Robert laid himself flat on the sand, rested the glass upon a log ofwood, that both he and it might be steady, and said, "Now fire!" Abouta quarter of a minute after the discharge he exclaimed, "I see him! Heis lying upon the sand beneath the shade of a cedar. I see him move.He rests on one arm, as though he were sick or hurt. Now he dragshimself as you describe, sister. There is his flag flying again. Heuses only one arm. The other hangs down uselessly by his side. Who canit be? I wish he was in the sunshine, for then I could see hiscomplexion. But I am sure it is not a white man."

  "O, it is Riley!" said Frank. "I know it is Riley come after us. Nowwe can go home again."

  Harold took the glass and used it as Robert had done. The person had bythis time put down the flag, and was reclining languidly against somesupport behind him. Harold saw him grasp his left arm with his righthand, move it gently, and lie back as before. "That person is badlyhurt," he remarked. "Instead of helping us, he wants us to help him.It must be some one who was cast away in the storm last night. Oh, forour boat! Robert, we must go over and help him. We can make a raft. Itis not three miles across. We have the oars and paddle of our boat, andwe can surely make that distance and back this evening, by hard work.Let us see if there is not timber enough near at hand for a raft."

  They looked at a fallen tree not far distant, and wished it were onlynear the river bank. "But what do I say?" said Robert. "The palmetto,which I felled for the cabbage, is sixty or seventy feet long, straightas an arrow, and what is better, just at the river side."

  Off they went with ax, hatchet, and nails. Mary called after them tosay, that if they would show her the way, she and Frank would followthem with something to eat.

  "Do, cousin, if you please," said Harold. "I, for one, am hungryenough. We will blaze a path for you as we pass along. Do follow ussoon."

  "Do you mean that you will chop the trees as you pass?"

  "Yes, yes. We will chop them so as to show the white wood beneath thebark. That is called a blaze. You cannot mistake your way."

  The work of blazing the path scarcely detained them at all; anexperienced woodsman can do it with a single blow of his ax as he moves,without stopping. Many of the trees were cut so as to show little morethan the mark of the hatchet. Coming to the fallen palmetto, the boyscut it into four lengths, one of twenty, two of seventeen, and theremainder of ten feet long. It was easy work; the palmetto is a softwood, and every blow of the ax, after going beneath the hard surface,made a deep cut. Then with the aid of levers, they rolled the logs tothe water's edge; they pinned them together, sharpened the bow for acutwater, and fastened some cross pieces on top for seats, and asreceptacles for the thowl pins.

  While thus engaged, Mary and Fra
nk, guided by the blazed trees, andattracted by the sound of the ax, came with a basket full of provision,and setting it before them, remarked, "I am sorry we have no water yetto offer you, but here are some of the oranges we brought the otherday."

  It is almost incredible what a deal of work can be accomplished in alimited time, where a person works with real vigour and good will. Theboys were themselves astonished to find that shortly after three o'clockthey were seated on their raft, with Mary and Frank aboard, rowingrapidly towards the landing at the tent. A glance now at the springshowed that they could supply themselves with water, and while Haroldscooped out a basin, and dammed it against the occasional overflow of awave, Robert went with Mary and Frank to the tent, from which he broughtdown the guns, a jug for water, the spy-glass, and the morocco medicinecase, of which Mary had told him, and which he supposed might be neededby the sick person.

  Once more Robert and Harold embarked, leaving the younger ones on theshore. "Do not be alarmed," said they, seeing the tears start intoMary's eyes at the prospect of another separation. "Make a good fire onshore, and put your trust in God. We will try to return before dark;and we hope to bring you good news from home. If the person yonder is amessenger from Tampa, we will let you know by firing two guns; look out,and listen for them about five minutes after you see us land." With asilent prayer to God from each party for safety and success, thevoyagers waved adieu to the others, and were soon moving through thewater at the rate of more than two miles the hour.

  However earnest they were to relieve the person apparently in distress,the boys did not approach the opposite shore without caution. They knewthemselves to be in the land of savages, who were exceedingly ingeniousand patient in their schemes of violence. Each took in turn the glass,when relieved by the other in rowing, and directed it upon the point towhich they were going. Approaching within a quarter of a mile of shore,they rested upon their oars, and deliberately surveyed both the personand the place. They could distinctly see him reclining against thecedar, and beckoning with his right hand.

  "Harold," said Robert, "that is a negro, and I do believe it is Sam, thecarpenter. O poor fellow! how badly hurt he appears to be. I wonderwhat can be the matter!"

  They pulled along very fast, and when within a hundred yards of shorestopped and looked again. "It is Sam," said Robert. "All's right! Letus push on now!"

  Running the raft ashore, and making it fast to their ax, sunk in thesand for a stake, they hurried up the bluff. There indeed lay Sam,badly hurt and unable to move. They ran to him, and were about to throwtheir arms around him, when he beckoned them off imploringly, and said,"Stop! stop! for marcy sake don't shake me hard. Huddie[#] Mas Robbut!Huddie Mas Harrol! Bless de Lord to see you once mo'e!" the tearsstreaming down the poor fellow's face.

  [#] Howdye.

  "Dear old Sam!" said the boys, "we are so glad to see you. But what isthe matter?"

  "O, I am kill!" he replied; "my arm and leg bote got broke las' night.You got any water?"

  "Plenty--plenty. We brought it for you," and they both ran for the jug,but Harold was foremost, and Robert returned.

  "Mas Robbut," Sam asked, "wey de children?"

  "We left them at the tent yonder. They were the first to see you; andthey fired the guns that you heard."

  "Bless dey young soul," he said, "I do lub 'em."

  "But how is father?"

  "Berry well--berry well--O Lord my leg!--'sept he in mighty trouble'bout you all."

  "Here is the water, Sam," said Harold returning, "let me hold the jugwhile you drink. There, don't take too much at first--it may hurt you.How is uncle?"

  Sam told him. While they were conversing, Robert ran to the raft,brought from it his gun, went to the most conspicuous part of the bluff,and waving first a white handkerchief, until he received an answeringsignal from Mary and Frank, fired the two barrels at the interval ofseveral seconds.

  "Please mossa, let me hab some mo'e water?" Sam asked; then taking ahearty draught, he said, "Bless de Lord for dis nice cool water! It isso good!"

  They inquired of him the nature and occasion of his accident. "It wasde boat las' night--Riley's boat," said he. "It kill him and crippleme. We come to look for you all. De win' blow and de sea rise; and meand Riley went to draw the boat higher on sho', w'en a big wave lif' deboat and pitch it right into Riley's breast. It kill him I s'pose--Inebber see him no mo'e. W'en I come to my senses, I bin lie right on debeach, wi' my arm and leg broke, and de water dashin' ober me. I dragmyself up here las' night, by my well arm and leg; but if it hadn't binfor de win' I nebber bin git here at all--it lif' me up like a fedder."

  "That is talking enough for this time, Sam," said Robert; "you are toosick and weak, and we have no time to spare. Let us carry you to ourtent, and there you may talk as much as you will. Is there anything wecan do for you before we move?"

  "Only to give me a little mo'e water." He had already drunk a quart.He also pointed them to a certain spot, where they found Riley's rifleand its equipments, together with an ax and several gourds. These weretransferred to the raft; and Harold said, "Come, Sam, tell us how we canhelp you. The sun is fast going down, and we have a long way to go.Mary and Frank don't wish to be left in the dark, and are no doubtlooking for us to start."

  "De childun! Bless 'em!" said Sam. "I do want to see dey sweet faceonce mo 'e. But I 'fraid it will kill me to move. See how my arm andleg swell a'ready."

  After much demurring, Sam consented to attempt the removal; and thoughhe groaned and shuddered at the thought, it was effected with far lesspain than he expected. They spread his blanket beside him, helped himinto the middle of it, lapped and pinned its edges over a strong polewith splinters of cedar, and taking each an end of the pole, lifted himgently from the ground, and bore him at full length to the raft, wherethey had previously prepared a couch of moss.

  The sun sunk into the waters ere they had gone half a mile; but the boyspulled with a hearty good will, and moreover with the advantage of alittle wind in their favour. It was dark when they landed, or rather,dark as it could be with a bright moon nearly at the full. Robert tookoccasion while at the helm to re-load his two barrels with powder, andrepeat the signal agreed upon. As the darkness deepened they could seeafar off the figures of Mary and Frank standing upon the beach, before afire which they had made as a guide to the voyagers, and listeningapparently to every thump of the oars. Long before words could bedistinguished, Frank's clear voice rang over the waters in a tone ofinquiry. The two boys united their voices at a high musical pitch, andsung out, "Sam! Sam!" repeating it at intervals until they perceivedfrom the tones of the children on shore that the name had been heard.Presently Frank's voice shouted shrilly, "Howdy, Sam?" Poor Sam triedto answer, but his voice was too weak. Robert and Harold answered forhim. Mary would have called out too; but the truth is she was cryingfor joy, and was not able to utter a word.