CHAPTER IV.
THAT SAME OLD UNLUCKY WIRELESS.
Moving about in the steadiest of the little tenders, with a flare in thebow, and Jimmy to gently push in the stern, Jack sought to strike somegame fish. His success was not very flattering, though he certainly didenjoy the experience. It was really worth while to peer down into theshallow depths, and see what lay there.
Several times he caught glimpses of channel bass, sheepshead, or seatrout, which last is only another name for the weak fish of the North;but as a rule they flashed away before he could strike.
He did succeed in spearing one trout of about three pounds, much toJimmy's delight. And later on, he struck a nasty creature with whatseemed to be a barb on the top of his tail, which he thrust around in asavage manner as Jack held him up on the end of his pole.
"Look out, and don't get too close to him, Jimmy," Jack warned.
"Sure now and I won't," replied the other, "for, to till the truth, it'sme as don't like the looks of that little fixin' on the ind of histail."
"It must be what they call a stingaree or stingray," Jack went on. "Inever saw one before, but I've read a lot about 'em. They say he canpoison you, if ever he hits with that barb. You know what a mudcat cando, out on the Mississippi; well, this is the same thing, only a wholelot worse."
"Drop the squirmin' bog-trotter back into the wather, Jack, me bhoy; for'tis us as don't want too close an acquaintance with him. He'd make ittoo warrm for us, by the same token," Jimmy declared; and Jack compliedonly too willingly.
"I guess we've had about enough of this, so let's go ashore," hesuggested.
Nick awaited them, eager to ascertain the amount of their captures. Hewhiffed on discovering only one fish aboard the dinky.
"Huh! could eat that all by myself, and then not half try," he remarked.
"All right, then; if you do the needful to it, you're welcome, Nick,"laughed the one who had captured the sea trout.
Of course, Nick became suddenly suspicious.
"You wouldn't play any trick on me, now, I hope, Jack, and get me to eata fish that wasn't fit for the human stomach?" he questioned, uneasily.
"That's what they call a sea trout down here; but up North it's theweakfish, and said to be as toothsome as almost anything that swims,"Jack remarked.
"Oh! all right, then I accept your kind offer. I'll get busy right now,and have him ready for the morning. Wish you had got one apiece, I hateto seem greedy, you know, fellows," he went on to say, as if thinking heought to excuse himself.
When the morning came Nick was astir before anybody else, for he had aduty on his mind. He bothered Josh so much that finally the cook madehim start a blaze of his own, over which he could prepare his breakfast;and Nick managed pretty well, considering that he had never made a studyof the art of cookery.
They started off at a booming pace. The run down Indian River that daywould always remain a pleasant memory with the young cruisers. FortPierce was reached on schedule time, after passing through the Narrows,and securing a mess of oysters from a boat engaged in dredging there.
Again one of the voyagers went after mail and supplies. There was alwayssomething lacking, besides the necessary gasoline. Six growing boys candevelop enormous appetites when living a life in the open, and uponsalt water. Besides, there was Nick, capable of downing any two ofhis chums when it came to devouring stuff. No wonder, then, that thequestion of supplies was always uppermost on their minds.
Once more they headed across to the eastern shore, where they would bemore apt to find a quiet nook for the next night's camp. One more day'srun, if all went well, would take them to Lake Worth; and after seriousconsultation it had been decided that they would, when the right chancecame, put to sea through that inlet, to make the run south to Miami.
Once again had both Nick and Jimmy been seized with the fever ofrivalry. During the day they had been busily engaged preparing setlines, which they expected to put out over night, in the hope of makinga big haul.
Nick had bought a lot of material in Jacksonville. This in the mainconsisted of large hooks, with snells made of brass wire, which latterhe manufactured himself, Jack having shown him how; and a large swivelat the end of the foot length. Then he had secured a large quantity ofvery strong cotton cord, made waterproof by some tarring process, afterthe manner of the rigging aboard sailing vessels.
One thing Jack had bought in Fort Pierce, which they understood wouldbe pretty much of a necessity during the many weeks they expected tospend among the keys that dotted the whole coast line of Florida.
This was called a cast-net, and was some eight feet in length, thoughwhen fully extended it would cover a circle twice that in diameter.
There were leads along the outer edges, and a series of drawing stringsrunning up through a ring in the center.
"You see," said Jack, that evening, when they were ashore, "I watched afellow use one up above, and even took a few lessons, so I've kind ofgot the hang on it."
"Then please show us?" asked Nick, eagerly.
"Listen to him, would you?" exclaimed Herb; "to hear him talk you'dthink Nick had a sneaking idea he might some day haul in a big giant ofa fish in this flimsy net."
"No, but it's good to get mullet for bait," the fat boy remonstrated;"and as I expect to do lots of fishing on this trip--and it may notalways be convenient for Jack to haul the net--why, I thought I hadought to know the ropes."
"Good boy, Nick!" laughed Jack; "and I'll be only too glad to show everyfellow all I know, which isn't any too much. Now, here's the way yougather up the line, so as to let go suddenly. Then you hold the net likethis."
"Sure do ye ate some of the leads?" questioned Jimmy, seeing Jack takeseveral between his teeth.
"Oh! not any! but this is one of the times when a fellow wishes he hadbeen born with three hands. As I haven't, I must hold these leads by myteeth. The next thing is to swing the whole net around this way, and letfly with a rotary motion, at the same time letting go with your teeth.That is a very important thing to remember, for you might stand to losea few out of your jaw if you held on."
"Oh, I see!" remarked George; "and the net flings open as it whirlsthrough the air, falling on the water that way?"
"Just so, with the leads taking the outer edge rapidly down. Then, bypulling at the line, which is tied, you see, to all these strings, thenet is drawn shut like a big purse, enclosing anything that was under itwhen it struck the water."
One by one they made trials with the net, but all of them proved prettyclumsy. Jimmy was nearly dragged into the shallow water when he made hisfirst attempt.
"Glory be!" he howled, as he put his hand quickly to his mouth; "if Ididn't have the teeth of a horse I do belave I'd have lost the whole setthin. But once bit, twict shy. Nixt toime I'll let go, rest easy onthat. And I'm going to get the hang of that Spanish cast-net, if ittakes ivery tooth in me head, so I am."
"And you'll do it, Jimmy, never fear," laughed Jack. "That do-or-diespirit is going to win the day. Here, Nick, try it again. You seem tohave got the knack of it pretty well, only you want to throw harder, orthe mullet will get away before the net falls on the water."
Finally the boys tired of the strenuous exertion, and as Josh announcedsupper ready, they turned their attention to more pleasant duties.
"This is something in which I can shine, anyhow," chuckled Nick, as hesat there, with a pannikin cram-full of various good things, and a cupof steaming coffee on the ground close beside him.
No one disputed the assertion; in fact, there was a general grin, and aseries of nods around the circle, to prove that for once their opinionswere unanimous.
Frolicsome 'coons seemed numerous at this camp on Hutchinson's Island.They attempted to pillage, after the boys had settled down to sleep.Twice was the quiet of the camp disturbed by the rattle of tin pans, andupon investigation it was found that some prowling little animal hadendeavored to devour the hominy Josh had cooked, intending to fry slicesof the same for breakfast.
/> Nick made out to believe that it might have been a wildcat, or possiblya bear, until Jack showed him the plain tracks of long slender feetclose to the receptacle of the hominy, and explained that only a raccooncould have made these.
When the morning came, an early start was made, for they had quite alittle run down the river, through Jupiter Narrows, and then by means ofthe canal into Lake Worth.
Arriving at this latter place early in the afternoon, they spent sometime looking about--although it was out of the season for thefashionable crowd that flock to Palm Beach during February and March.
Jack had studied his coast charts most carefully. He knew they wouldhave a dangerous outside passage to Miami, that must consume some sevenhours, because of the _Comfort's_ slowness; and as they could not affordto take any chances, it became absolutely necessary that they wait untilthe weather gave positive signs of remaining fairly decent during theday.
As this meant a combination of favoring breezes and calm waters, it wasimpossible to tell how long they might have to wait. It might mean oneday, and then again they could be kept here at Lake Worth a week.
"You're wondering why I'm so particular, fellows," Jack had remarked,when they talked over the matter among themselves, "especially when wemade a heap of outside runs coming down the coast. But this is reallythe worst of the bunch, and I reckon much more dangerous than any we'vegot ahead of us. For seventy miles here there isn't really a decentharbor where a small boat could put in to escape a sudden change inweather. And when things do go crooked down here they beat the band. Thenearer you get to the tropics the harder the winds can howl when theywant to show their teeth."
"That's all right, Jack," remarked Herb; "we depend on you to use goodjudgment in all such matters. And you can see how much we rely on whatyou decide, when we're ready to follow you like sheep do thebellwether."
"I wonder, now," remarked George, "if that bally little boat that's aringer for the _Tramp_ has gone further south?"
"What makes you ask that?" Jack inquired.
"Well, ever since she passed us that evening across from Rockledge Ihaven't seen hide nor hair of the mystery. So somehow I reckon she musteither be further down the lake, or else gone to Miami by the outsideroute, like we intend to do."
"That don't necessarily follow," Jack laughed, for he saw that Georgeactually had the subject on his mind, and was deeply interested. "Theboat might have been in any one of twenty little coves we passed on theway down. Or, again, she could have been prowling in some of the manypassages about the Narrows."
"All right," George declared, stubbornly, as though his mind were set,and nothing could move him; "you mark my word, Jack, we'll set eyes onthat sneaker again, before we're done with this trip."
"Oh, perhaps!" said Jack, turning away, as though the subject did notinterest him to any great extent; for he did not happen to be built onthe same lines as his chum, who had a little more than his share both ofsuspicion and also curiosity.
The next day they anxiously waited for Jack's decision; but the wind wasmuch too strong, and from a quarter that caused whitecaps to appear outon the ocean.
So the start had to be postponed, much to the regret of the entire six,all of whom wished to get the dangerous run over with as speedily aspossible.
"Better luck tomorrow, fellows," said Jack, who had made it a point tolook at things in the light that it was foolish to worry over what couldnot be altered.
"Then here's to put in a whole day, fishing over on that pier at thebeach," declared Nick, making a run for the place where the three motorboats were at anchor.
"Whirra! now, if ye do be afther thinking ye're going to get me goat,it's another guess ye do be having, I'm telling ye, Nick, me bhoy!"remarked Jimmy, as he also hastened away.
And they kept diligently at it through the better part of the entireday, though with indifferent success. Either the fish were shy, knowingthe grim determination of the two patient anglers, or else it was a poorday for the sport.
When they mutually agreed to give it up, while they had a mess thatwould do for supper, neither of them had added any notch to his recordfor big fish.
As October is possibly the best time of the year to expect quiet weatheralong the South Atlantic coast, Jack had high hopes that the morrowwould see them on their way toward Miami. Nor were his expectationsdoomed to disappointment, for in the morning there seemed to be not theslightest reason for further postponing the run.
Accordingly hurried preparations for breakfast were made, in order totake full advantage of the opportunity.
All of them were glad when they made the dash over the Lake Worth bar ingood order, and found themselves on the heaving bosom of the mighty sea,with their motor boats pointing to the south.
Steadily they kept on, as the hours passed, and the sun mounted in thesky. Jack was ever on the watch for any sign of a change, knowing whatsuch might mean to cruisers in small boats caught far from a harbor.
Jimmy was watching his face, under the belief that he could tell inthat way if any trouble threatened. When he saw how the skipper of the_Tramp_ turned his glasses frequently toward the southwest, he took alook in that quarter himself.
"And is it the clouds that do be paping up along beyant the shore linegiving ye concern, Jack?" he asked, a bit anxiously.
"Well, I don't know as they mean much, but all the same I think I'd feelbetter if we were swinging to our mudhooks back of Key Biscayne," Jackreplied.
"About how far do we chanst to be away, this minute?" the othercontinued.
"All of ten miles, which would mean an hour's run for the _Comfort_.This is the time when she drags us back. George and myself could havemade shelter an hour ago, if we had wanted to put on all speed. And Ijust know George is growling to himself right now, because he has tocheck his love for racing along."
Jack had hardly said these words when Jimmy broke out into a laugh.
"Now, that do be a toime when ye are away off, me bhoy," he remarked.
"In what way, Jimmy?" demanded the skipper, laying his glasses aside,and taking the wheel from the hands of his helper.
"If so ye take a look over to the blissed ould _Wireless_, upon me worrdye'll discover that the bally boat has stopped short. Like enough thatingine has gone back on poor George again, just as it always does whenwe get in a place where it counts. Yes, he's beckoning for us to comeclose. That's what it must mean, Jack."
"Whew! that would be tough luck!" muttered Jack, as he changed thecourse of the little _Tramp_, and again cast an uneasy look in thedirection where those suspicious and dark clouds were shoving theirheads above the horizon.
A storm, and the _Wireless_ helpless--the prospect was surely anythingbut pleasant.
Motor Boat Boys Among the Florida Keys; Or, The Struggle for the Leadership Page 4