by James Otis
CHAPTER XXXII.
A HAPPY SURPRISE.
The monotonous roar of the surf should have lulled the boys to sleepvery shortly after they lay down on the sand where a number of bouldersformed a partial shelter; but instead of doing so it appeared to havethe opposite effect.
For a long while after Cummings and Jake were wrapped in slumber theytalked of the journey which lay before them, and speculated with heavyhearts as to the fate of those who had left the burning yacht in theircompany.
This was a topic of conversation seldom brought up since the day theyfirst saw the Silver City, because their peril had been so great as toovershadow everything else. Now, however, when it seemed as if they werevery near home, the fear that but one boat of the four had lived toreach the land came to both with painful intensity, and fully half thenight was spent in trying to persuade themselves that it was well withthe remainder of the Sea Dream's crew.
When they did finally sink into slumber Poyor was sitting bolt uprightwith his back against a huge block of coral-like rock, looking out overthe water, and in the morning when Neal opened his eyes the Indian wasin the same position.
"Have you seen a vessel?" the boy asked.
"There is one," was the calm reply, and Neal sprang to his feet in thegreatest excitement to see a small, schooner-rigged craft with all sailset moving slowly through the water on a parallel line with the coast,about three miles away.
In another instant he had awakened the remainder of the party byshouting vigorously, as if believing it possible that those on boardcould hear his voice.
"What's the matter?" Cummings asked: but before the question could beanswered he also saw the craft.
"It looks as if she was bound in our direction, and we had better try toattract attention; but you'll never do it by shouting, my boy."
"What shall we do?"
"Build a fire, of course," Jake replied. "They have got plenty of timeto send a boat ashore, for it is nearly calm, and in another hour therewon't be so much as a breath of wind."
Before he had ceased speaking Neal and Teddy were running back towardthe line of trees for wood, and in a short time a cloud of smoke wasascending from the shore at the very edge of the water.
While the others continued to bring fuel Poyor sprinkled the flames witha bough wet in the sea in order to prevent them from burning too freely,and there was no interruption in the work until a flag was raised on theschooner's main-mast to signify that the signal would be answered.
"We're in great luck," Cummings said, as he seated himself on one of theboulders, for it was no longer necessary to keep the fire burning. "Nomatter where she is bound I don't fancy we shall have much trouble inpersuading them to put into Progresso, and the tramp up the shore whichall have been dreading can be avoided."
As a matter of course the entire party were in the best of spirits, andto Neal and Teddy the little craft had a particularly friendly look.
The schooner had been headed for the shore when the smoke first began toascend; but the wind was so light that she hardly moved through thewater, and, after a few moments, the watchers could see that a boat wasbeing lowered.
"That dashes some of my hopes," Cummings said with a laugh.
"What do you mean?" Neal asked.
"I thought there might be just a chance that she hailed from Progresso,and we should have no trouble in persuading them to do as we wished."
"Why do you think that isn't the case?"
"Because you couldn't find a crew of natives who would willingly row sofar; the majority would wait for a breeze a week before voluntarilyperforming so much labor."
The boys watched the boat as she approached slowly, and when she nearedthe shore both they and Jake started in surprise, scrutinized her moreintently, and then looking at each other as if in fear.
"What is the matter?" Cummings asked, and Neal replied slowly:
"The man who is steering resembles Mr. Walters, the sailing master ofthe Sea Dream, that is all."
"It _is_ him!" Teddy cried excitedly. "I am certain of it now; but howdid he get here in that schooner?"
As a matter of course the question could not be answered by hiscompanions, and all waited with the liveliest signs of impatience untilthe gentleman was within hailing distance, and then Neal shouted:
"Is that really you, Mr. Walters?"
"To the best of my knowledge it is," was the laughing reply. "Are youall well?"
"In first-class condition. Where is father?"
"On board the schooner. I will give the signal to let him know the crewof the yacht have all been saved."
As he spoke he discharged a revolver, and the waving of the flag toldthat the good news was understood.
"Not all, Mr. Walters, the three sailors in our boat were drowned whiletrying to land on this coast."
"It is too late now to rectify the mistake. I hoped when I saw so manythat there had been no disaster."
By this time the little craft had been rowed around the point of thelagoon where it was possible to effect a landing without danger of beingswamped, and the sailing master leaped ashore to welcome by heartyhandshakes those whom he had feared were dead.
Cummings and Poyor were introduced, and then Neal asked:
"Where did you get the schooner?"
"Chartered her to hunt for you; but Mr. Emery shall tell the story. Willyou come aboard now?"
"You are to go with us," Neal said, turning quickly toward Cummings.
"I hardly know what to do. It would probably be wisest for Poyor and Ito begin the homeward march since there is no longer any necessity ofgoing to Progresso."
"But you must see my father. Time is not so precious just now but thatyou can afford to spend another day in our company."
"It shall be as you say," Cummings replied laughingly. "I hesitated onlybecause the sooner our long tramp comes to an end the more comfortable Ishall feel in mind."
Jake and Teddy had already clambered into the boat; the others followed,and the little craft, loaded down nearly to the water's edge, was rowedout toward the schooner.
It is not necessary to make any attempt at trying to describe thereception the castaways met with from the remainder of the yacht's crew,nor the manner in which Poyor and Cummings were welcomed.
After the heartiest greetings had been exchanged Mr. Emery and thesailing master asked for an account of the landing and subsequentwanderings, and it is safe to say that they were treated to a wilderstory than they had ever dreamed of hearing.
Mr. Walters was at first disposed to look upon it as a "yarn;" but thesouvenir which Jake carried on his face was evidence that could not bedoubted, and Cummings soon convinced the skeptical sailing master thatthe Chan Santa Cruz really had an existence.
"That is an adventure I would like to have," he finally said in a toneof enthusiasm. "I can't understand why it shouldn't be possible to hitupon some hiding place within half a mile of the city, and on a stormynight, for instance, lug away precious metal enough to make ourselvesrich."
"That and more can be done if one has patience and discretion."
"Now we're where there's little doubt about gettin' home you may rap atme as often as you please," Jake said with a hearty laugh. "I admithaving acted like a fool; but so long as nothing serious came of it,except the cut on my own cheek, it isn't a hanging matter."
"I haven't a relative in this world," Mr. Walters continued, "and nowthe Sea Dream has gone down would be obliged to look around for a job,therefore if you'll accept me as a comrade I'll stay here instead ofgoing back to the states."
"Do you really mean to enter upon such a wild venture?" Mr. Emery askedin surprise.
"Most certainly. What is to prevent?"
"Nothing that I know of; but it seems little less than suicide to gothere after the Indians have been so thoroughly aroused."
"We shall not make the attempt for several months, perhaps a year,"Cummings added.
"Where would you propose to stop? Here?"
"How far do you intend to go in this schooner?"
"To the nearest port where we can find a steamer bound for the UnitedStates."
"That is Progresso, and if you have no objections Poyor and I willaccompany you there. We need some supplies from Merida, and if Mr.Walters is of the same mind when we arrive I shall be more than pleasedto have him go with us."
"The vessel is at your disposal. We will land you at any point, and Iyet have sufficient money with me to pay Walters' wages and make him aslight advance if he needs it."
"Very little will be required if he joins Poyor and myself. The cost ofliving in this country is small, for nature provides bountifully."
The captain of the schooner, a full-blooded negro, was told to head hiscraft for Progresso as soon as the wind should spring up again, and thenMr. Emery asked many questions concerning the city the boys had seen,while their answers only made the sailing master more eager to remainwith Cummings.
"This is hardly fair," Neal finally said. "All the time we have beentelling you of our adventures, and not one word have we heard regardingyour movements. I would like to know where the three boats we out-sailedwent to on the night after leaving the yacht, and where this schoonerwas found?"
"It is not a long story," Mr. Emery replied. "When you disappeared inthe darkness we continued on the same course, and succeeded in keepingthe three boats well together. At sunrise your craft was not in sight.We held on all that day and the next, finally arriving at Cozumel wherewe stayed three days in the hope you would appear. Then this schoonertouched at the island, and I chartered her to search for you. We havebeen cruising up and down the coast ever since, for it seemed positiveyour boat reached the land in this immediate vicinity."
"How long would you have stayed here?"
"Not many days more, for we had begun to believe you were picked up by avessel. Knowing Jake could handle a small craft better, perhaps than anyother member of the crew, and also that she was the most seaworthy ofthe four tenders, it did not seem reasonable she had foundered while theothers went through in safety."
"Then we came out just in time."
"Yes, for I had no idea you could be so far up this way, and we shouldhave left the locality as soon as the wind would permit."
Jake wanted to ask the sailing master how it happened that he had madesuch a mistake in his reckoning; but it was a delicate question, and hethought it best to wait until Mr. Walters had left them, when Neal'sfather could probably give the desired explanation.