CHAPTER XXII
ANGRY WATERS
As the five boys entered the lighthouse, Teddy happened to glance at thebarometer that was fastened to the wall near the door.
"Say, fellows!" he exclaimed, "the glass is certainly mighty low thisevening. Looks as though there might be some weather coming."
"Let's take a peep," responded Lester carelessly. "We're not due for anybad weather yet awhile, and I don't think--Whew! but it is low, isn'tit?" he exclaimed as he examined the dial of the instrument. "There'ssomething on the way, that's sure. I don't remember the barometer oftengetting quite as low as that."
"Oh, well, let it come!" exclaimed Fred. "What do we care? We won't beout in the _Ariel_ this time, and I guess it would take some stormto wash this old lighthouse away."
"Yes," assented Lester. "I guess no storm that ever blew or ever willblow can do us much damage. It is built on a ledge of solid bed rock,and it would take an earthquake to shake it loose. We'll be snug andsafe enough, no matter how hard it blows."
"In that case, bring on your show," grinned Teddy. "I've always wantedto see a first-class, bang-up storm, so you can't pile on the sceniceffects too strong. Let's have plenty of wind and waves and all the restof the fixings. Do a good job, while you're about it, Lester."
"Judging from the looks of that barometer, I won't have to do a blessedthing," replied Lester in the same tone of banter. "My stage manager,old Father Neptune, is going to be right on the job, and when he getsgoing I don't feel called on to interfere. I've seen a few of hisperformances and I must confess that I haven't seen much room forimprovement.
"Except," he went on in a graver tone, "that if I had my way, I'd leavesome of the ships out of the production. After you've once seen some bigcraft go to pieces on the shoals, you rather lose your liking for theentertainment."
"Yes, I suppose that's so," acquiesced Teddy, his usually high spiritssobered for a moment by having this view of the case presented to him."I hadn't thought of that part of it."
"Well," observed Fred, "if there's going to be a storm, as seems prettylikely now, we'll hope that nothing of the kind occurs. After thatstormy time we had on the _Ariel_, I can imagine pretty well whatit must feel like to be shipwrecked. When we were headed for thoserocks, I expected to be swimming for dear life in about two minutes."
"It must have been rather bad, I suppose," said Lester with a smile. "Itwasn't so bad for me, because I had done the stunt before and was sure Icould do it again.
"But this is no time for talking," he added. "Either I've got to getsomething to eat pretty soon or else quietly give up the ghost. I'm ashungry as a bear in spring time, and I'm willing to bet something thatyou fellows feel the same way."
"You win," admitted Fred. "But luckily for us it's near dinner time sowe still have a chance to live awhile."
"Let's hurry and clean up then before dad calls us to the table."
As Lester stopped speaking, a gust of wind tore past the lighthouse witha mournful wail. The sound died down for a few seconds and then roseagain in a dismal, long-drawn-out note that caused the boys to give aninvoluntary shudder.
"That's the beginning," declared Lester. "It will keep getting worse andworse, and after a while we'll hardly be able to hear each other speak.We're in for a real blow this time I think."
"Let's go up into the light room and see what it looks like outside,"suggested Fred. "It's getting dark fast and we'll not be able to seeanything before long."
"All right, come ahead," agreed Lester.
He headed the group up the spiral stairs that led to the lamp room.
An early dusk had fallen over the heaving ocean, yet it was not so darkbut that they could see that the seas were rising rapidly. Here andthere the big waves were capped with white crests as they raced awaybefore the spur of the merciless wind. Already they were breakingagainst the rocks on which the lighthouse stood with a heavy roar and aforce that caused the building, stout as it was, to tremble.
"It sure is working up fast, isn't it?" asked Teddy in a subdued voice."I'd hate to be out in it even now. And I suppose it hasn't really begunto get bad yet."
"You're right, it hasn't," assented Lester grimly. "But now while we areup here, I'd better light the lamps. Then I can go down and eat with aneasy conscience."
Accordingly, he lit the wicks of the great lamps and, after assuringhimself that everything was in perfect order, he and the other boysdescended to the dining room. There they found everything in readinessand made one of the hearty and satisfactory meals that the lighthouselarder never failed to afford.
As they ate, they could feel the building shake to the furious blaststhat smote against it, and Mr. Lee shook his head gravely.
"It will be a wild night on the ocean, I'm thinking," he remarked, "andwe can thank our lucky stars that we're all in a snug shelter and wellout of harm's way. I feel sorry for those who have to be abroad on thewater to-night."
"So do I," echoed Fred. "Just listen to that wind roar, will you? Itseems as though a million demons were yelling at once."
"And the ocean's a good second," chimed in Teddy. "Wow!" he cried, as agiant breaker thundered down on the reef, "that must have been the daddyof them all, I guess. Let's go up to the lookout room as soon as we'rethrough and watch the storm."
The other boys were quite as eager as Teddy, and when they had finishedtheir meal they went up the stairs to what might be called theobservation room. This was situated just below the room in which thelamps were placed, and had windows of thick glass facing the sea. A doorled out from it on to a balcony that ran completely around thestructure. This door also faced the ocean, and Teddy, alwaysenterprising, thought that he would like to go out on the balcony tofeel the force of the wind.
He attempted to push the door open, but without success. He tried again,with the same result.
"Guess the old thing must be locked," he remarked, "but I don't see thekey anywhere. Have you got it with you, Lester?"
"No," replied Lester, who had been watching Teddy's ineffectual effortswith a smile, "but that door isn't locked. The reason you couldn't openit was because the wind was blowing so fiercely against it. I doubt ifthe four of us put together could do it."
"It's no wonder that I had trouble then. But never mind. The wind can'tkeep me from _looking_ out, anyway."
He shaded his eyes with his hands and peered through the thick plateglass windows. The others followed his example, and saw a sight thatthey never forgot.
The wind had piled the waves up higher and higher, until they lookedlike an endless succession of undulating, constantly advancing hills andvalleys. From the ragged crests the spray was torn and blown in solidsheets before the raging wind so that at times it was impossible to seethe heaving waters beneath. As the breakers came up against thelighthouse ledge, their tops would curve over and come crashing downwith mighty blows that it seemed must pulverize the solid granite. Therebounding spray was snatched up by the gale and hurled against thelighthouse, as though the elements were furious at this one obstaclethat prevented them from wreaking their full rage on some unfortunateship and were resolved to sweep it from their path once and for all.
The boys gazed spellbound at the awe-inspiring spectacle, and for a timenone of them uttered a word. Lester was the first to break the longsilence.
"I've never seen anything better--or worse--than this," he said. "Iguess the barometer knew what it was doing to-day."
"It surely is a tremendous thing to watch," assented Fred, and againapplied himself to the window, where the others kept their faces glued,too fascinated with the elemental turmoil to think of anything else.
They tore themselves away at last and went up into the lamp room whereMr. Lee was on duty.
He had just finished trimming the wicks when the boys entered.
"What do you think of this for a storm?" he quizzed. "Is it blowing hardenough to suit you?"
"It's tremendous!" ejaculated Ross. "I never knew that wind could blowso hard or
waves get so big. It's something to remember for a lifetime."
Mr. Lee smiled at his earnestness and nodded his head.
"You may well say so," he observed. "Of course, I've seen worse winds inthe tropics, when they developed into hurricanes or typhoons. But forthis coast, it doesn't often blow harder. There's more than one fineship will lay her bones down on some reef or beach this night."
While Mr. Lee was speaking, the boys had noticed several dull blowsagainst the outside lens of the light, and Teddy took the firstopportunity to inquire the cause.
"That's caused by sea-gulls and other water birds dashing themselvesagainst the light," explained Lester. "They're driven by the wind, andare so confused and terrified that I don't suppose they know whatthey're doing. Or perhaps the bright light has an attraction for them.At any rate, they always do it in a big storm, and in large numbers too.Why, in the morning we can go out and find hundreds of dead birds wherethey've dropped at the base of the tower."
"What a shame!" exclaimed Teddy, who always had a tender place in hisheart for dumb creatures. "I suppose they don't see the glass at all,and think they can keep right on going."
"That's about the way of it, I guess," affirmed Mr. Lee. "They comeagainst the glass with such force sometimes that I'm almost afraidthey'll break it. It's too bad, but there's no help for it yet, thoughmen are at work trying to find some device to prevent it."
"How long do you think the storm will last?" inquired Fred.
"Chances are that it'll last out all to-morrow," answered their host,"though it's blowing so hard that it may blow itself out before that.There's no telling."
"We'll have a good chance to mend up our fishing tackle then," remarkedFred, "because it doesn't look as though there'd be much chance doinganything outdoors."
"If you find time hanging heavy on your hands," observed Mr. Lee with asly twinkle in his eye, "you might get busy and clean out the lamps.They're about due for a good scouring, and it might help you to passaway a long day indoors."
"That's certainly a great idea," said Lester reflectively, "but there'snothing in it for me. I've done it before and there's no novelty in it.But I'm sure that Teddy and Fred would enjoy it immensely."
"Nothing doing," replied Teddy hastily. "Fred and I aren't going to cometo see you, Lester, and then butt in on all your simple pleasures. Youjust go ahead and enjoy yourself cleaning out the lamps, just as thoughwe weren't around. We'll manage to plug along some way in the meantime."
They all laughed at this sally and shortly afterwards the boys tookleave of Mr. Lee and returned to the observation room. The wind roaredand the ocean boomed on the rocks with undiminished force, and theyspent the rest of the evening gazing out through the streaming windowsand wondering at the mighty spectacle spread out before them.
At last Lester, to whom the fury of a storm was a more common thing thanto his companions, proposed that they go to bed, and they reluctantlytore themselves away. The last thing the lads heard as they sank intodreamless slumber was the crash of tumbling waves and the maddenedshrieks of the wind as it hurtled past the lighthouse.
The Rushton Boys at Treasure Cove; Or, The Missing Chest of Gold Page 22