CHAPTER XV.
THE MYSTERY DEEPENS.
IT was late in the afternoon when Charley at last awoke. The death-likesleep had done him a world of good and, except for stiffness andmuscles that still ached, he felt his old self again.
His companions were both up, moving about and he greeted them brightly.
"I am feeling as fit as a fiddle," he declared. "As soon as I get abite to eat I'll be ready for another night's fishing."
"To-night is Saturday night," observed Captain Westfield, hesitatingly."I don't want to stand in the way of making money, but I 'low it won'tdo no hurt for us to lay in to-night. We might get into a school thatwould keep us working all night, like last night, and it's noways rightto work on the Lord's day."
"That's right," agreed Charley, heartily, "I had lost track of thedays. We will not go out again until midnight, Sunday night. I don'tbelieve anyone ever really lost anything by obeying the Lord's commandto keep his day holy."
"Have you figured out any plan for dealing with the fishermen?" Walterinquired, anxiously.
"Nothing very brilliant," his chum admitted. "One thing I think we hadbetter do at once is to remove all that liquor to another hiding placeand let them think we have destroyed it. It may make them feel morebitter toward us but they will no longer have a motive for driving usfrom the island. I would like to destroy it entirely but we have noright to do that. That is the sheriff's business. One thing, there isnothing like a good sleep to do away with worry and discouragement. Ifeel quite hopeful, now, but I was almost ready to quit this morning.After all I guess Hunter has done us about all the damage he can. Ourother nets and boats we will always have with us and he will not havemuch chance to injure them if we keep watch of them. With the liquorgone, they will not be likely to bother us on the island, and, if theydo, all we have will be in the cabin protected by a good rifle. Let'schange the hiding place, now. We have time to do it before dark."
His companions had no better plan to suggest so they readily agreedto his proposal. Taking with them some bits of thin boards for spadesthey sought the beach and turned into one of the paths that led to theburied liquor.
"This smuggling business must have been going on for a long timejudging from the number of these paths and the way they are worn,"Charley observed. "Hunter ought to be rich from the enormous profits hemakes on the vile stuff. It can be bought for a dollar a gallon in Cubaand on this side, I believe, it retails for five dollars a gallon."
"The man who follows an evil trade, seldom prospers," said CaptainWestfield, sagely. "In the end he has to pay for his ill-gotten gains.Generally he has to pay in this life, and he always has to pay in thehereafter."
"I believe you are right," Walter agreed. "I have noticed thatsaloon-keepers and that class never seem happy. Even those who makemoney seem to be cursed with drunken children or something equally bad,and if they have a shred of conscience, they must suffer terribly insecret for the misery they cause and the punishment they must expect inthe life hereafter."
This conversation had brought them to the cache, and, pulling off theircoats, they fell to work with their rude spades.
They worked with a will and sent the loose sand flying for the sun wassinking low and they wished to complete their task before dark. In afew minutes they had made a hole a couple of feet deep, and some tenfeet across.
"We ought to be down to it," said Charley, with a puzzled frown. "Itmust be covered deeper than I thought."
They worked on for a few minutes longer, then Charley threw down theboard with which he had been shoveling. "It has been taken away," hedeclared, voicing the conviction which had grown upon his companions."They got it last night, after all, Chris."
"I doan see how, Massa Chas," objected the little darkey, "I watcheddem come up de path an' I watched dem run away."
"They must have come back after you went to sleep," Charley said, butChris shook his head decidedly.
"I doan sleep none arter dat," he persisted. "I laid awake and watchedde balance ob de night."
"Maybe, they had a boat on the gulf beach, also," Walter suggested,"and while some of them drew attention to the dock, the others removedthe stuff."
"Well, anyway, it's gone, and I am glad of it," Charley said. "Maybethey will not trouble us any more now. I confess that they werebeginning to get on my nerves. Let's go back to the cabin and getsupper and have a good sleep. Thank goodness we will likely rest onenight in peace."
His companions were nothing loath for they had not yet got entirelyover their aches and pains.
The night passed away uneventfully and morning found them entirelytheir old selves once more.
"We are over the worst part now," Charley assured them. "Of course wewill often come in very tired but we will never again feel like we didthose first two nights, and the longer we fish the less we will mindthe labor."
As soon as breakfast was over, Captain Westfield produced his old,well-worn Bible from which he was never separated and read a coupleof chapters of the story of Him he loved with all his big, simple,trusting heart.
The simple service was just over when they heard the throbbing of anengine and they hurried down to the dock just in time to greet theRoberts who had come over in their launch to pay them a friendly call.
It was pleasant to our little party to see friendly faces and hearkindly conversation after all the roughness and suspicion they had metamong the unfriendly fishermen. It was good to feel that they were notalone entirely in their new life and that there was someone who took afriendly interest in them and wished them well.
They began to have a strong liking for the three sturdy brothers, theyappeared so frank, open and sincere.
Bill had brought over with him the rifle he had mentioned and presentedit to them, together with a box of cartridges.
He was deeply interested to learn that the liquor had been removed.
"It is a queer thing," he remarked. "I saw the Hunter gang come inFriday night about midnight. I had got caught over to Clearwater with aloose shaft and I was working on it when their boat came in. I supposedthey had been fishing and I glanced into their launch to see what theyhad caught. It was empty. Of course, they could have hidden a fewbottles in the lockers but not any such amount as you say was buriedhere. They were all mad as the deuce and quarreling amongst themselves.I didn't get the shaft fixed until about two o'clock. Their boat wasstill at the dock when I left and I could hear them snoring in theirshanty. Another thing, I was over again last night to see if our newnets had come and I couldn't help but notice that apparently there wasno drinking going on. Saturday night is pay night, and, if Hunter hadhad that liquor, he would certainly have been handing it out on thequiet and there would have been more or less drunken men about."
"Then who could have taken it, if the fishermen didn't?" demandedCharley, thoroughly puzzled.
"Can't imagine, unless that ghost of Chris' did it," admitted Bill,with a grin. "That was a curious thing to happen, and if I did notknow that you fellows are the truthful kind, I would believe you weretrying to kid me with that yarn. We have been here some time, and wehave never heard of any stranger on this island. Let's take a lookover: it again and see if there is any cave or other place a man couldhang out."
The others readily agreed to his proposal, and all set out togetherfor a closer exploration of the island. They made a thorough searchfrom end to end, and from shore to shore, but could find no place aman could hide out or any trace of human habitation. The shores weresloping sand beaches without rocks or caves and the only growth was thescanty groups of palms.
They returned to the cabin more mystified than ever for they hadconvinced themselves beyond doubt that they were the only occupants ofthe island.
"Well, if the fishermen haven't got that liquor, I suppose we must lookfor more trouble," Charley sighed.
"I expect you may," Bill agreed. "Even if they have got it, I guess,they would not give you a very long rest. As soon as it was gone, theywould want to bring in more
and this is the only island around with agood gulf beach to land the stuff on. Also it's the handiest and mostconvenient for their purposes."
"Then it's a case of move or be in trouble all the time," said Walter,dubiously.
"Yes, that's about it," Bill agreed.
"We can't leave yet," said Charley, decidedly, "so we will have totake whatever is coming to us. If we could only catch them in the actof smuggling, we could get rid of them for good and be conferring ablessing on the rest of the fishermen besides."
"That's the very thing I've been thinking of," Bill agreed. "Whetherthey got the liquor again or not, they are sure to try the game againas soon as they think it's safe. I've been doing considerable thinkingabout it since I talked to you before and I've got a scheme I thinkmight work."
He proceeded to unfold his plan while the others listened with eagerinterest.
"It might work," said Charley, thoughtfully, "but, while we arewaiting, they may do us all kinds of injuries."
"That's a risk you are running, anyway," Bill reminded him, "and weRoberts will do all in our power to help you. Call on us any time, dayor night, if you are in trouble and you will find us ready."
Charley thanked him heartily for his offer and soon after the Robertstook their leave.
The little party were still on the dock watching their launch out ofsight when they noticed another launch put out from the Clearwaterpier, and it soon became apparent that it was headed for their island.
"It's Hunter's craft," announced Walter, as it drew nearer. "Looks asthough he had waited for the Roberts to leave to pay us a visit."
As the launch drew nearer they saw it contained but one person and thatone Hunter himself.
The Boy Chums Cruising in Florida Waters Page 15