CHAPTER XXVI.
CASTAWAYS.
THE sun was high in the sky when Charley awoke and aroused hiscompanions who were still sleeping.
"Too much to do to-day to sleep longer," he declared. "We have got tofind something to eat, and then try to get out of this place. Let's trythe water for food first, and see what we can find.
"We don't want to stray away from each other or get out of hearing ofthe surf," he said, as they picked their way over the knee-like roots."Out of sound of the sea, a man would lose himself in five minutes inthis uncanny forest. It is too dense to tell directions by the sun andone would stand a good chance of wandering around until death overtookhim. Only the Seminole Indians can find their way through this horriblejungle and they have known it for ages."
This little talk had brought them down to the water and they weresurprised at the change a few hours had made. The sea was beautifullycalm. Only a few smooth, gentle rollers remained to tell of the paststorm.
Of the launch nothing remained but a few, broken, splintered planksdrifted up against the trees.
Our little party were too hungry, however, to waste time in idleregrets. They waded at once out into the water looking for crabs,oysters, clams, or anything to fill their aching stomachs.
But their search was fruitless. Except for a few bits of water-loggedlimbs, the bottom was bare.
"I was afraid we would find nothing," Charley said, when they at lastgave up the search. "The water is too fresh here from the overflow fromthe Glades for shell-fish to grow. We will have to depend on the landfor our food until we can get out of this place."
They were turning to retrace their steps to the platform, when Charleyspied a small box wedged in between two cypress knees. He pulledit out and with hands that trembled with excitement lifted up theclose-fitting cover and gave an exclamation of delight. It was thelittle box which had contained the batteries used to run the launch.Its contents were perfectly dry. Constructed purposely to protect thecells from spray, it had floated safely in undamaged. Besides the fourdry cells, it contained a few little odds and ends they had placedthere at different times to keep safe and dry. There was a packageof tobacco belonging to the captain, several fish-hooks, some saltand pepper mixed together in a little paper package, and a few othertrifles of no particular value.
Hugging the box to him like a precious treasure, the lad followed hiscompanions back to the platform. There, he carefully wedged it inbetween a couple of roots so that it could not be overturned. He hadjust done this when a startled cry from Walter sent him hurrying to hisside.
He found his chum in the act of killing a huge snake upon which he hadnearly stepped. It was a repulsive-looking creature, stumpy and bloatedin appearance and nearly as big around as a man's leg.
"It's a moccasin," Charley said. "We will have to watch out for them.I expect there are lots of them around here. There's enough poison inthat fellow's sac to kill a full-grown elephant."
"I don't know as it would be much worse to die of snake-bite than todie of hunger," Walter remarked, gloomily, "and there seems to benothing fit to eat in this awful place."
"There are few places in this world where man cannot find food toeat, if he uses his wits," his chum replied. "God has provided food,everywhere, but has left it to man's intelligence to discover and makeuse of it."
"We have a hook and line, perhaps we could catch a fish," CaptainWestfield suggested, hopefully.
"No bait," Charley said, briefly.
He sat plunged in thought while his companions looked around forsomething with which to bait the hook.
"Here's plenty of bait," Walter called. "Here's a whole colony offrogs--big ones, too."
Charley hurried to his side. His chum was peering under a great rootwhere were sprawled several, big, long-legged frogs.
"What idiots we are," Charley grinned, as he dispatched one with astick. "These are more than bait. They are the finest kind of food.Why, their legs are worth a dollar a pound in the New York market. Herewas plenty of food right to our hand and we did not have sense enoughto know it. Why, they were advertizing themselves all night long bytheir croaking."
The captain and Chris joined in the slaughter and in a short time fortyfrogs had fallen victims to the sticks.
"We are not likely to starve right away," Charley remarked, as they cutoff and removed the skin from the legs. "There are certainly plentymore where these came from."
"But how is we goin' to cook 'em widout no fire? Massa Chas?" demandedChris.
Walter and the captain gazed at him in dismay. In their pleasure atthe prospect of food they had never thought of the lack of fire. Theirmatches were spoiled and useless. They had no steel and flint. Theydid not even have a bit of glass with which to focus the rays of thesun.
Charley viewed their dismayed faces with a twinkle in his eyes.
"If you will take a couple of those frogs legs and see if you can catchsome fish, Chris, I will see to the fire," he said.
Selecting a great root that was slightly hollowed on top, he built upa little heap of dry twigs, moss, and bits of bark, of which the treesaround them offered an unlimited supply. Then he brought out from itsresting place the box of batteries. Holding the ends of the wires downin the little heap of tinder, he rubbed them together. Sparks flew outon the bark and moss as the wires contacted and in a few seconds theheap was aflame. It only remained to put a few dry sticks on the blazeand the fire was ready for the cooking. Small branches sharpened at theend served for spits and in a few minutes a score of frogs legs wereroasting over the coals.
The odor wafted on the air brought Chris hurrying from his fishing. Hishunger had overcome his patience. He did not come quite empty-handed,however, but dragged along with him two slender-bodied, long-snoutedfish fully four feet in length, covered with armor-like scales.
"Dem things is all I could catch, Massa Chas," he said, ruefully. "Idon't reckon dey's any good?"
"Those are gars," Charley announced. "There are better-flavored fish,still, they are not to be despised. They will go well with the frogslegs for dinner."
His method of cooking them was simple. He removed the entrails, washedthem out carefully, and buried them amongst the coals. While the legsand gars were cooking, he dispatched Chris down to the shore again tofind some bits of the yacht's planking to serve as plates. By the timethe little darkey returned laden with bits of boards, the repast wasready. The gars were raked out on a plank, and their scale-armored skinstripped off, leaving the flesh white as snow, juicy and tender.
The four attacked the savory fish and delicious frogs legs with theappetites of wolves for they had eaten nothing for a day and night.
When they had finished, the world did not seem so dark and gloomy.Things had taken on a rosier tinge.
"It is past noon already, I believe," Charley said, as they rested abit on the little platform after their hearty meal. "I don't believeit will pay us to start out to-day. I think we had better wait untilto-morrow and get back our strength a bit, for we have got a toughjourney ahead of us."
His companions quickly agreed, for they still felt weak from exposure,thirst, worry, and lack of food. This being settled, all busiedthemselves in making things more comfortable for the night, and inmaking what simple preparations they could for to-morrow's journey.
More branches were gathered and their little platform enlarged. Therewas plenty of long, soft, Spanish moss growing on the branches abovetheir heads. It was far out of their reach and they could only look atit longingly until Walter hit upon the expedient of throwing their ropeup over a limb and shinning up it like a monkey. He flung down greatbunches of the soft, hair-like stuff which the captain spread out ontheir platform, transposing it into a soft springy couch.
While Walter and the captain were thus occupied, the other two busiedthemselves in securing and preparing a store of food for the journey.Fully fifty more frogs and three more gars were caught and roasted.
Each of the little party wore a large band
anna handkerchief aroundtheir necks and these Charley collected, washed thoroughly, and spreadout on a root to dry. They were the only things he could think of inwhich to carry the food they had prepared.
It was dark when these preparations were completed, and they heapedfresh wood upon the fire and stretched out on their platform for agood night's rest once more.
"I expect they think at Clearwater that we are all dead," said Charley,as they lay gazing into the glowing embers of their fire.
"And Hunter is doubtless hugging himself with joy over the success ofhis trick," Walter added, grimly. "He didn't cause our death but hecame very near it. I seldom wish any one ill, but he is one man I wouldlike to see punished for the evil he has done."
"He will be," the captain said, with certainty. "The Lord will attendto that. If not in this world, then in the world to come."
"Well, he has succeeded in putting us back where we started," Charleyremarked, "and he is left free to carry on his smuggling and liquorselling as he pleases."
"Unless Chris' ghost scares him off," Walter said. "Have you everformed any theory about it and about the doctor's mysterious visit,Charley?"
"Not a theory," his chum replied. "They are just mysteries I cannotaccount for in any way. Of course the explanation is simple--if we onlyknew it--it always is in these mysteries."
The soft couch and the cozy warmth of the fire soon caused conversationto lag and yawns take the place of speech.
Before they composed themselves for slumber, however, the captainoffered up a heartfelt prayer, thanking the Lord for their deliverancefrom danger, and asking for His watchful care to attend them ever.
This simple act of devotion over, all sought the slumber their tiredbodies craved.
The Boy Chums Cruising in Florida Waters Page 26