The Curlytops on Star Island; Or, Camping out with Grandpa

by Howard Roger Garis

  CHAPTER XIV

  DIGGING FOR GOLD

  "What's the matter?" called Jan. Her boat was now quite a littledistance away from her brother's. "Do you see anything, Teddy?"

  "I see you are being towed, Janet."

  "Being what?"

  "Towed--pulled along, you know, just like the mules pull the canalboats."

  Once the Curlytops had visited a cousin who lived in the country near acanal, and they had seen the mules and horses walking along the canaltowpath pulling the big boats by a long rope.

  "Who's towing me, Ted?" asked Jan, trying to look over the side of herbox. But, as she did so it tipped to one side and she was afraid itwould upset, so she quickly sat down again.

  "I don't know what it is," her brother answered. "But something hashold of the rope that's fast to the front part of your box, and it's astight as anything--the rope is. Something in the water is pulling youalong."

  On each of the box-boats the Curlytops had fastened a piece ofclothes-line their mother had given them. This line was to tie fasttheir boats to an overhanging tree branch, near the shore of the cove,when they were done playing.

  And, as Ted had said, the rope fast to the end of Jan's box wasstretched out tightly in front, the end being down under water.

  "Oh, maybe it's the big muskrat that has hold of my rope and is givingme a ride," cried Janet. "It's fun!"

  "No, I don't guess it's a rat," answered Teddy. "A muskrat wouldn't dothat. Oh, I see what it is!" he cried suddenly. "I see it!"

  "What?" asked Janet.

  Again she got up and tried to look over the side of the box, but oncemore it tipped as though going to turn over and she sat down.

  By this time both her box and Ted's was half full of water, and so wentonly very slowly along the little cove. The weight of the water thathad leaked in through the cracks and the weight of the Curlytopsthemselves made the boxes float low in the lake.

  "Can you see what's pulling me?" asked Janet.

  "Yes," answered Teddy, "I can. It's a great big mud turtle!"

  "A mud turtle!" cried Janet.

  "I guess he's scared, too," said her brother, "for he's swimmin' allaround as fast as anything!"

  "Where is he?" asked Janet.

  "Right in front of your boat. I guess your rope got caught around one ofhis legs, or on his shell, and he can't get it loose. He must have beenswimming along and run into the rope. Or maybe he's got it in hismouth."

  "If he had he could let go," answered Janet. "Oh, I see him!" she cried.She had stood up in her box and was looking over the front. The box hadnow sunk so low in the water that it was on the bottom of the littlecove and no longer was the turtle towing it along.

  The turtle, finding that it could no longer swim, had come to the topof the water and was splashing about, trying to get loose. Jan could seeit plainly now, as Ted had seen it before from his boat, which was stillfloating along, as not so much water had leaked in as had seeped intohis sister's.

  "Oh, isn't it a big one!" cried Jan. "It's a big turtle."

  "It surely is!" assented Ted. "He could bite hard if he got hold ofyou."

  "Is he biting my rope?" Janet asked.

  "No, it's round one of his front legs," replied Ted. "There! he's got itloose!"

  "There he goes!" shrieked Jan.

  By this time the mud turtle, which was a very large one, had struggledand squirmed about so hard in the water that he had shaken loose theknot in the end of Jan's rope. The knot had been caught under its leftfront leg and when the turtle swam or crawled along on the bottom, therope had been held tightly in place, and so the box was pulled along.

  But when Jan's boat sank and went aground, the turtle could not pull itany farther, and had to back up, just as Nicknack the goat sometimesbacked up his cart. This made the rope slack, or loose, and then thecreature could shake the knot of the rope out from under its leg.

  "There it goes!" cried Ted, as the turtle swam away. "Oh, what awhopper! It's bigger than the big muskrat!"

  "Your muskrat didn't give you a ride Ted, and my turtle gave me a fineone," said Jan. "But I can't sail my boat any more."

  "Well, we'll have to empty out some of the water. Then it will floatagain and you can get in it."

  "I'm not going to let the rope drag in the water any more," decidedJanet, after Ted had helped her tip her box over so the water would runout. "I don't really want any more rides like that. The next turtlemight go out into the lake. I want to paddle."

  "I wish a big whale would come along and tow me," laughed Ted. "Iwouldn't let him go loose."

  "He _might_ pull you all across the lake," Janet said.

  "I'd like that. Come on, we'll have a race."

  "All right, Ted."

  The Curlytops began paddling their box-boats about the cove once more.Ted won the race, being older and stronger than Janet, but she did verywell.

  Then after some more fun sailing about in their floating boxes thechildren were called by their mother, who said they had been in thewater long enough. Besides dinner was ready, and they were hungry forthe good things Nora had made.

  "And didn't you find any of them, Father?" asked Mrs. Martin as thefarmer pushed back his chair, when the meal was over.

  "No, I didn't see a sign of them, and I looked all over the cave, too.Some persons have been sleeping in there, for I found a pile of old bagsthey had used for a bed, but I didn't find anyone."

  "Find who?" Ted inquired.

  "The tramps, or the ragged man you and Jan saw," answered hisgrandfather. "I have been looking about the island, but I could not findany of the ragged men, for I think there was more than one. So I guessthey've gone, and we needn't think anything more about them."

  "Did you see the blue light?" asked Ted.

  "No, I didn't see that, either. I guess it wouldn't show in the daytime.But don't worry. Just have all the fun you can in camp. We can't stayhere very much longer."

  "Oh, do we have to go home?" cried the Curlytops, sorrowfully.

  "Well, we can't stay here much longer," said Mother Martin. "In anothermonth the weather will be too cold for living in a tent. Besides daddywill want us back, and grandpa has to gather in his farm crops for thewinter. So have fun while you can."

  "Isn't daddy coming here?" asked Jan.

  "Yes, he'll be here next week to stay several days with us. Then he hasto go back to the store."

  The Curlytops had great fun when Daddy Martin came. They showed him allover the island--the cave, the place where Nicknack nearly ate up thebower-tent, the place where Ted saw the muskrat, and they even wantedhim to go riding in the box-boats.

  "Oh, I'm afraid I'm too big!" laughed Daddy Martin. "Besides, I'd beafraid if a mud turtle pulled me along."

  "Oh, Daddy Martin! you would not!" laughed Janet.

  And so the happy days went by, until Mr. Martin had to leave Star Islandto go back to his business. He promised to pay another visit, though,before the camp was ended.

  Several times, before and after Daddy Martin's visit, Ted and Jan talkedabout the queer ragged man they had seen, and about the blue light andthe cave.

  "I wonder if we'll ever find out what it all means," said Jan. "It'slike a story-book, isn't it, Ted?"

  "A little, yes. But grandpa says not to be scared so I'm not."

  "I'm not, either. But what do you s'pose that ragged man is looking for,and who is the professor?"

  Teddy did not know, and said so. Then, when he and Jan got back to thetent, having been out with Trouble for a ride in the goat-cart, theyfound good news awaiting them.

  "Here is a letter from Hal Chester, the little boy who used to be lame,"said Mrs. Martin, for grandpa had come in, bringing the mail from themainland post-office.

  "Oh, can he come to pay us a visit?" asked Ted. His mother had allowedhim to invite Hal.

  "Yes, that's what he is going to do," went on Mrs. Martin. "His doctorsays he is much better, and can walk with hardly a limp now, and thetrip here will do him good. So t
o-morrow Grandpa Martin is going tobring him to Star Island."

  "Oh, goody!" cried Ted and Jan, jumping up and down and clapping theirhands. Trouble did the same thing, though he did not know exactly whatfor.

  "We'll have fun with Hal!" cried Ted. "Maybe he'll help us find thetramp-man. Hal's smart--he can make kites and lots of things."

  The next day Hal Chester came to visit the camp on Star Island.

  "Say, this is a dandy place!" he exclaimed as he looked about at thetents and at the boat floating in the little cove. "I'll just love ithere!"

  "It's awful nice," agreed Jan.

  "And there's a mystery here, too," added Ted.

  "What do you mean?" Hal demanded. "What's a mystery?"

  "Oh, it's something queer," went on Ted. "Something you can't tell whatit is. This mystery is a tramp."

  "A tramp?"

  "Yes. Jan saw him when she was picking flowers, and he pulled Troubleout of the spring afterward. And there's a cave here where maybe hesleeps, 'cause there's some bags for beds in it. He's looking forsomething on this island, that tramp-man is," declared Ted.

  "Looking for something?" repeated Hal, quite puzzled.

  "Yes. He goes all around, and we saw him picking up some stones. Didn'twe, Jan?"

  "Yes, we did."

  "Picking up stones," repeated Hal slowly. Then he sprang up from wherehe was sitting under a tree with the Curlytop children.

  "I know what he's looking for!" Hal cried.

  "What?"

  "Gold!" and Hal's voice changed to a whisper. "That tramp knows there'sgold on this island, and he's trying to dig it up so you won't know it.He's after gold--that's what he is!"

  "Oh!" gasped Jan, her eyes shining brightly.

  "Oh!" exclaimed Ted. "Can't we stop him? This is grandpa's island. Hemustn't take grandpa's gold."

  "There's only one way to stop him," said Hal quickly.

  "How?" demanded Ted and Janet in the same breath.

  "We'll have to dig for the gold ourselves! Come on, let's get someshovels and we'll start right away. It must be up near the cave. Comeon! We'll dig for the gold ourselves!"