CHAPTER V.
THE MYSTERIOUS POWER BOAT.
"Jerusalem! if I owned that engine, George, do you know what I'd do withit?" Nick was heard to say, as the others drew near. "Why, I'd take thefirst chance, when in touch with a town, and sink her miles deep. Hangit, I'd be willing to contribute half the money I've got saved, to helpget a new engine for the old shaker."
"All right, I take you up on that offer, Nick," George made answer, asquick as a flash; "because, to tell the honest truth, I'm getting wearyof the cranky thing myself. But that isn't going to help us any now.Lend a hand here, and let's see what we can do to mend matters."
"Hold on there, fellows," called out Jack.
"Hello! here's the commodore arrived," George sang out, with a nervouslittle laugh. "Same old story, Jack; and blessed if I can say how longit'll take to fix her up again, so she'll do business. Might be tenminutes; and again I'm afraid it may be something serious this time,that will keep me busy hours."
"Well, we can't stay out here all that time, with a storm in prospect,"said Jack.
"Thunder! what's that you say?" broke from the perspiring skipper of thestalled _Wireless_, as his head again bobbed up into view, and he sweptan anxious look in all quarters.
"There's a bank of clouds poking up over yonder that may mean trouble,"Jack went on to say. "So just get your stoutest cable hitched to a cleatforward, and pass me the other end."
"What for?" asked George.
"I'm going to tow you, that's all," Jack replied.
"Shucks! is that necessary?" demanded the proud George, with a slightfrown.
"It sure is, for every furlong we cover now brings us that much nearer asafe harbor; and if those clouds are out for business, we'll need all wecan gain," Jack went on to insist.
"Then I suppose I'll just have to," the other continued; "here, Nick,get out the hawser, and I'll clamp it on to this cleat. But see here,Jack, after you get started, Nick can keep watch while I work at theengine, can't he?"
"Nothing for him to do but hold the wheel and keep straight after me.Perhaps when the little _Tramp_ does her prettiest, the two of us cankeep going as fast as the _Comfort_ goes; and so nothing will have beenlost after all, George."
"That's true; only I don't like it one little bit," grunted George,as he commenced to fasten one end of the hawser to the stout littlecleat--for, to tell the truth, George was a mighty poor loser.
Once Jack had the other end of the line, he made it secure to the sternof his own staunch boat.
"Here goes now; look out!" he warned, as he started forward once more.
The three boats had been wallowing on the heaving seas while power wasshut off; but no sooner did they pick up their course again, than thissickening motion gave way to that of progress.
George took off his coat, and got busy. He was considerable of amechanic, and at least possessed the commendable trait of persistence.Once he had started to do a thing he never rested satisfied until it wasaccomplished.
"Seems like you're doing just as well pulling that wreck as we arealone!" called Herb from the _Comfort_, which was not more than fiftyfeet away.
George's head came into view above the gunwale of the speed boat, butsomehow this time he was feeling quite too bad to take up cudgels indefense of his craft. Besides, there was truth in calling her a wreckjust then. So he ducked down once more and pretended not to have heardthe sarcastic allusion.
"Just what I expected when I proposed to tow George," Jack answered; andthen he turned the glasses ahead to a point that seemed to interest himconsiderably.
"Think that can be the place?" asked Herb, still watching him closely.
"I believe it is, yes, and hope so, too," came the reply, together witha significant glance upward to where the clouds were beginning to shutout the sun, now on its way down the western sky.
"I see you're edging in more?" Herb continued.
"That's right," answered Jack; "we'd better be as near land as we darego. It may mean a heap to us sooner or later."
They went on for some time, with things seeming to be no different,only the clouds kept covering the sky, making the water look dark andforbidding. Indeed, all of the boys were now considerably alarmed. Thestorm seemed to be getting closer, and their haven had not as yet hovein sight.
"That's because we're coming down from the north," explained Jack, whenNick called out to mention this distressing fact. "You see, the treesall run together, and it's next to impossible to tell where the mainlandends off and the key begins. But I think I get the dividing line throughthe glasses. Anyhow, I'm heading straight for it right now."
Ten minutes later and Josh called out, to say that he could see theopening all right; and the others added their evidence to what he said.
"There's the new breeze coming, Jack!" called Herb.
"Yes, and the harbor is so close too," George put in, as he arose fromhis lowly position. "But I reckon my engine will go now, Jack. If youhear her crackle, please cast off that hawser, will you?"
"Sure!" sang out Jimmy, as he climbed forward, Jack having taken thewheel himself some little time previous, so as to be prepared for anyemergency that might arise.
A moment later and there was a merry popping from the mended motor ofthe _Wireless_, and immediately Jimmy heard this he cast the rope loose.
"Better make a plunge for it, George; I'll stand by Herb!" sang outJack.
"But that wouldn't look right," objected George, though doubtless hewould feel better satisfied if given a chance to make use of the greatspeed his boat could show under special conditions, in order to get in aharbor before the blow struck them.
"Rats! get along with you. We understand what your feelings are; but wealso know what a cranky boat you've got. Hit her up now, and skedaddle!"called Jack.
"Are you saying that as a chum, or as the commodore of the fleet?" askedGeorge.
"As the commodore; and see to it that you obey orders," answered theother.
Accordingly, George did put his motor to its best speed, and rapidlyleft them in the lurch. Jack would never desert the steady going old_Comfort_, and that wide-beamed craft was already working her full limitof nine miles to the hour, so nothing could be done but keep moving, andhope for the best.
The wind increased. Luckily it was dead ahead; and while it might retardtheir progress to some extent, at the same time it did not kick up halfthe tremendous sea that would have been the case had it come from thewide ocean at their back, or the port side.
"Do ye be thinking we can make it?" asked Jimmy, who looked a littlepeaked as he squatted there, watching the tumbling waves, and eyingwistfully the shores now close at hand, where houses were to be seen.
"I don't doubt it for a minute," answered the resolute skipper of the_Tramp_, who always refused to be downcast when face to face withdanger. "We're hitting up a pretty fair pace, and if nothing happens toprevent, in ten minutes we'll begin to get the benefit of the shelter ofthe land."
"Anyhow, George has gone through the opening," declared Jimmy,hopefully.
"Why, yes, there he is beyant, and in calm water; I do believe he'swaiting for us right now. Bully for George! And we ought to be with himsoon."
Although the storm increased, they were by now so well in that it hadlittle terror for them. And presently they ran into calmer waters, wherethe other boat waited for their coming.
After that it did not take the boys long to pick out a nook where theycould be sheltered to a great extent from the blow. And here theyanchored, very thankful because of their safe arrival near Miami, aftermaking such a record run outside, where their boats looked like tinychips on the wide, heaving sea.
All of them were tired, and welcomed the coming of night, when theycould partake of supper, and perhaps gather around a camp-fire ashore.
Jack had seen that there were quite a number of other boats of allkinds scattered around the bay. Some were anchored off cottages, whileothers scudded for the home port before the storm increased to violentprop
ortions. Although the time for West India hurricanes was long sincepast, any blow along the coast may mean peril to small craft, and theyconsidered it safer to get into shelter before the worst came.
Jack was doing some little work aboard the _Tramp_ when a boat scrapedalongside.
"Hello!" he exclaimed, as George climbed aboard; "what brings you overhere?"
"Let me have your glasses, won't you, Jack?" asked the other,mysteriously.
"That sounds mighty like you thought you had made some discovery,George. Say, three to one it's about that power boat that is a ringerfor the _Tramp_?"
"Go up head, Jack, because you've guessed it the first clat out of thebox. Good for you! Now I'll satisfy my mind about one thing, and findout whether they are watching us every time we happen to run together."
"So that's the boat anchored away over yonder, is it?" Jack mused. "Forall we know it may belong to the Biscayne Bay Yacht Club, and be athome right now."
"Huh! just as I thought," grunted George.
"What's that?" demanded the other.
"There's a feller sitting on deck right now, and I'll be hanged if hehasn't got a pair of marine glasses in his hands, leveled straight atus. Didn't I tell you, Jack, there's something mysterious about thatboat? They are keeping tabs on us right along. Perhaps they're down hereto follow us, though what for I declare if I can guess. There, I guesshe saw I had a pair of glasses leveled at him, for he dodged inside thecabin like a flash. Jack, whatever can it mean?"
"You've got me guessing, George, and I'll have to pass," laughed theother, although admitting to himself that the circumstances werebeginning to savor more of mystery than up to now he had been willingto acknowledge.
Motor Boat Boys Among the Florida Keys; Or, The Struggle for the Leadership Page 5