by Roy J. Snell
CHAPTER XVI VOICE OF DRUMS
Johnny, meanwhile, was having a very bad hour all by himself. Stilldrifting a thousand feet beneath the surface of the sea, he awaited hisdeliverance--a deliverance he knew might never come.
Knowing little about the rate at which the powerless boat might bedrifting, he made a guess; it should be about two miles per hour. "Thatgives me less than two hours," he told himself, grimly.
After noting the time, he decided to take a few more pictures--just incase.
Never before, he imagined, had such opportunity for taking undersea shotsbeen given any living being. Moving at fairly steady speed, he passedthrough countless schools of deep-sea creatures, and never before hadJohnny looked upon such fantastic sights.
"Like things in a nightmare," he told himself. "All heads--practically nobodies at all--some long and slim as a leadpencil, with noses half thelength of their bodies. If ever I get out of this I probably shall befamous. But--"
What was this? His eyes stared at the compass. It appeared to have gonewrong, or else--
"Hey!" he called into the loud speaker, "what's up? Are we going north byeast--"
"North by east is right. Oh, Johnny!" Doris apologized, "I didn't let youknow, but they have the sails up, and we're traveling in a circle. Wethink that will keep you off the rocks. The chart is not very clear, butwe can cruise around for hours if--if it is necessary."
"Hours!" Johnny groaned.
"Well, anyway--" Doris stopped, abruptly. Then:
"Johnny! You're saved! The mate just told me the hoist will be workingagain any minute now!"
"Hooray!" Johnny shouted. "Hooray! We live again! Boy-oh-boy!"
"Yes, Johnny,"--the girl's voice went husky, "it will be good to seeyou!"
Ten minutes later, Johnny was going up. Slowly, surely, the densedarkness passed. The blue black of early dawn was changing places withglorious hues, and then came the light of a rapidly passing day.
As he tumbled from the steel ball Johnny placed a box of plates carefullyon the deck.
"There you are!" he exclaimed. "Pictures I'll really live to see!"
The pictures were superb--all the professor could have dreamed of, andmore. "These, alone, will add greatly to the world's riches," he said,placing a trembling hand on Johnny's shoulder.
"And when you show them," Johnny grinned, "tell your audience they weretaken by a ship's watch, will you?"
"I take it," said the professor with a laugh, "that you think you'd liketo keep your feet on the ground, for a while!"
"Absolutely," Johnny agreed. "And in more ways than one!"
Johnny went back to his old task of walking the deck that night. Therewould be no more tampering with hoists and motors if he knew anythingabout it--and he surely would know if it happened in the night.
For some unknown reason, this night was not like others that had passed.There seemed to be a spirit of unrest in the air.
Doris, too, felt it. Enveloped in a midnight-blue gown, she wandered outon deck.
"It's ridiculous," she exclaimed. "A grand night to sleep, but my eyesjust will not stay closed!"
"There are ghosts in the air," said Johnny. "I have felt them and almostheard their wings--or do ghosts have wings? There goes one now!"
Doris jumped as some swift, darting thing shot past her head.
"Oh, no!" Johnny laughed. "Only a bat. You'd think--"
He stopped suddenly to stare at the distant hills. The next instant, withbinoculars held to his eyes with one hand and a pencil in the other, hewas recording a message.
"The green arrow speaks again," he murmured softly. "Oh--Oh--now it'sgone! Snapped right off as if a fuse had blown.
"Oh, well--perhaps it will flash again, later." He stuffed his notebookinto his pocket.
"We'll be leaving here soon," Doris said quietly. "In two or three days,I think. Grandfather received a wireless today. And how I'm going to hateit." She sighed. "This," she spread her arms wide, "this has been grand!Moonlight on gorgeous waters! Strange tropical shores. Adventure!"
"And bats!" said Johnny, as one shot past his ear.
"But even they are different," she insisted, smiling.
"Yes, I know," Johnny agreed. "To go to strange places, to see newthings, to find excitement, thrills, mystery and adventure--that's life!"
"Is it for most people?" she whispered.
"Perhaps not," he replied thoughtfully. "Most people like to be safe andcomfortable, to go to the same places, to see the same people, do thesame things. That's their privilege, of course."
"That's right, Johnny. And now--goodnight."
"Goodnight," he replied, softly.
Halfway between midnight and morning, when even the bats were lessactive, and the whole tropical world seemed asleep, Johnny was amazed tohear the sudden roll of a native drum, from the island. The very sound ofit at that eerie hour, set his blood racing and his skin prickling.
"Drums!" he ejaculated. "What can that mean?"
For a time the weird beats were a steady roll. Then they began breakingup; two beats, a pause--one beat--pause, three beats--pause....
"Like a message," he whispered. Then with a start, he recalled themessage of the green arrow--undeciphered in his pocket!
Dragging it out, he began decoding it, growing more and more wildlyexcited every minute.
"H--E--" he worked it out "L--P! _HELP!_"
"Someone is in trouble," he whispered. "But there are only three lettersleft. Rapidly he studied these out.
"_Help Mil_--"
A cold sweat broke out on his brow. He recalled Mildred's determinationto follow that green arrow trail. Had she followed it too far? Had thespies captured her? Was she a prisoner? And had she attempted to get offa message on the green arrow, only to be interrupted? Or perhaps even--
"I might be wrong," he told himself. But he dared not hope.
Again there were the drums. This time a drum close at hand, on shore,thundered out. Then, from far away in the jungle came an answer, another,and yet another. It was ghostly, romantic, thrilling. Johnny's hairfairly stood on end. But what did it mean?
He caught the sound of soft footfalls. Instantly he was on his feet, allattention.
"Oh!" he exclaimed softly. "It is you, Samatan."
"Yes. The drums! They speak!" murmured Samatan. "Something--it is verybad." His voice was low-pitched, tense.
"What do they say?" Johnny asked in a whisper.
"That something very wrong. This what drums say!" The old man's voice wasvibrant with emotion.
"They say Kennedy has had _bad_ done him! Natives must come. All who loveKennedy must come. And all natives love Kennedy! All night they mustcome. In morning they march--perhaps they fight! Much fight for Kennedy!Maybe much die!" His voice trailed off.
"Yes," Johnny choked. "Something terrible has happened. We must go,Samatan!"
"Just when it little light, in my dugout, we go, Johnny," said Samatan,quietly.
Settling back in a steamer chair the old man closed his eyes and appearedto sleep. While from the shore came again and again the vibrant rumble ofthe drums--tum--tum--tum--tum--on and on into the night that was marchingtoward the dawn of another day.
Tense with forebodings of what might be in store, Johnnywaited--impatient and grimly expectant.