by Oliver Optic
CHAPTER V.
THE STRANGE MOVEMENT OF THE ISLANDER.
Cobbington had engaged the additional waiter. His name was ReelBendick, as he spelled it out to me; and he seemed to be an intelligentand docile man. He was to wait on the table in the fore-cabin, whileTom Sands was to continue in the after-cabin, where he had always beenassisted by the steward, and on great occasions by Washington Gopher,the accomplished cook who had come all the way from Detroit.
With these exceptions our crew remained the same as before.
Since our return from up the St. Johns, everything about the Sylvaniahad been put in perfect order for sea. Moses Brickland, the engineer,had overhauled the machinery and the boiler, and we had a full supplyof coal in the bunkers. I went all over the vessel, and assured myselfthat everything was in order.
"I suppose there is no doubt about our leaving in the morning, isthere, Captain Alick?" asked Bob Washburn, the mate, as we seatedourselves in the captain's cabin, after we had both been all over thedeck and the cabins.
"Of course I don't know anything more about that than you do, but Ithink there cannot be much doubt of it," I replied. "We shall have nopassengers but my father, the Tiffanys, and my cousin."
"Does Owen Garningham go with us, Alick?" asked Washburn, withastonishment.
"He told me this afternoon he had no invitation to go in the Islander,and my father said he would have none," I replied.
"Then your father thinks there has been too much spooning on board,"added Washburn, laughing.
"Probably Colonel Shepard thinks so too, and that may be the reason whyhe decided to go in the Islander instead of in the Sylvania."
"I should think it would be better to separate Owen and Miss Edithuntil each shall have a chance to make up his mind."
"Owen seems to be very much attached to Miss Edith, and their beingtogether all the time may result in something very serious. He is ayoung fellow of twenty, and I doubt if he knows his own mind; he isfascinated by a pretty face."
"There is no doubt of that; and the face is as pretty a one as I eversaw," added Washburn, with emphasis.
"My father says Owen's mother is very rich, and that she is more afraidhe will fall into some entangling alliance of this sort, than she is ofhis becoming a drunkard, or becoming a bad man," I continued, recallingsome of the conversations my father had had with me.
"They say Colonel Shepard is rich enough to satisfy even an Englishnabob," suggested the mate.
"I suppose Owen's mother expects him to marry a duchess," I replied. "Isaw her when I was in England; but she had no love for me, and I haveno doubt she wished I had never turned up."
"I should say that Edith Shepard was good enough for any fellow, evenif he were an earl or a duke," said Washburn, shrugging his shoulders.
"Luckily it is none of our affair, though my sympathies are all withOwen," I added. "I wonder if Nick Boomsby came on board thisafternoon," I continued, willing to change the subject.
I called Cobbington into our room, and was informed that Nick had beenon board, and had been treated with distinguished consideration.
"Did he say anything about going with us, Cobbington?" I asked.
"He only said he should like to go with us, but you would not allow himto do so, and he had given up all thought about it," replied the newsteward. "Besides, he said he was the important witness in a law-casethat would come up to-morrow morning."
"I don't believe he would stay for the law-case if I would give him aberth on board," I added.
I related the particulars of the robbery of the messenger, andCobbington commented on them at some length. I found that he knew themessenger, and had not a very high respect for him. He had his doubtswhether there was any four thousand dollars in the transaction. Itlooked more to him as though the messenger had arranged the affair sothat he could appropriate the money to his own use. Cobbington hadworked with Buckner, who was a poor man, and had come to Florida, likehimself, to save his life.
"Why did Nick jump over the counter, and chase Buckner, then? Nick sayshe saw Buckner take the package from the counter, and run out at thefront door," I added.
"I don't know anything about the matter, except that I would trustBuckner farther than I would Peverell," persisted the steward. "A bankmessenger that means to be honest don't go into a bar-room and put fourthousand dollars down on the counter; not every day in the week, atleast. I don't believe Buckner took the package; if he had it wouldhave been found on him when the policeman caught him."
We could not get ahead any further than those on shore had in solvingthe mysterious disappearance of the treasure. At an early hour I turnedin, and Washburn soon followed me. After dark I cautioned theanchor-watch not to let any person come on board. I was afraid thatNick Boomsby would try to become a stowaway on board of the steamer,and thus give his father an additional grudge against me. But I soonwent to sleep and forgot all about Nick.
I was up at five in the morning. Before I washed my face and made mytoilet, I went on deck to take a look at the weather, as I generallydid at sea, or when we were on the point of sailing. It was cloudy andthick; but I thought it probable that it would clear off as the dayadvanced. The smoke was pouring out of the smoke-stack of the Islander,as well as of the Sylvania. If the weather was not bad enough to makeme think of delaying our departure, it was still not so pleasant as Idesired for a start.
I dressed myself, and looked the vessel over again. Our party wouldbreakfast before they came on board, and we had nothing to do yet butlook after ourselves. At six o'clock we took our morning meal. As soonas it was cleared away, I ordered the anchor up, and we ran in toMarket Wharf to take on board our passengers.
Before we reached the wharf I saw a boat board the Islander; but shewas too far off for me to determine who was in the craft. It was stillonly half-past-six, and I did not expect our passengers for half anhour or more. I went on shore to walk through the market. It seemedvery odd to me to find all sorts of green things, such as green peas,cucumbers, spinach, new turnips, carrots, and most other vegetables,which I had not been in the habit of seeing till July and August. Butwe had been eating such things, including strawberries, for a month,and many of them all winter in the West Indies.
"The Islander is under way," said Washburn, as I sauntered along thewharf.
"Probably she is going to run in for her passengers, as we have done,"I replied.
"She don't seem to be headed for the wharf, but down the river," addedthe mate.
I went on board, and then to the hurricane deck, where I could obtain agood view of her. I was confident that her passengers had not gone onboard of her, for we had seen nothing but a boat with two persons in itgo alongside the Islander. The party consisted of four persons, and twoof them were ladies. They could not have gone on board of her withoutour seeing them.
"It don't look as though she was running in to a wharf," said Washburn,joining me on the hurricane deck.
"Very likely she is taking a little run down the river so that her newcaptain can see how she works," I added, without a suspicion thatanything was wrong about our twin sister. "It isn't seven yet, and sheis taking a little turn before she goes up to the wharf."
"Of course it is all right," replied Washburn. "Her captain is as saltas a barrel of brine, and knows all about steamers."
We waited fifteen minutes longer, till I heard a clock strike seven,but the Islander continued on her course down the river. I knew she hadbeen ordered to be ready to sail at seven, and I did not supposeCaptain Blastblow would willingly fail to be on time. While I waswatching the movements of our consort, the baggage of our party arrivedat the end of the wharf, and, a few minutes later, a carriage camebringing our passengers.
I had no more time to study the affairs of the Islander. My father, Mr.Tiffany and Miss Margie were in the carriage, and I was permitted tohelp the young lady out, and escort her to the deck. I was a littleafraid of my father calling me a "spoon," and I was careful not tooverdo myself in politeness
.
"How long before you sail, Captain Alick?" asked my fair companion.
"Immediately," I replied. "The Islander has already gone, but I thinkshe must return."
"May I go into the pilot-house, captain?"
"Certainly; I shall be delighted to have you there."
"How much I shall miss Edith!" exclaimed Miss Margie, as I gave her thebest seat in the pilot-house. "I think it is a great pity that we couldnot all go together in the same steamer."
"I should have been very glad to have the Shepards on board," Ireplied. "I suppose Colonel Shepard prefers to sail in his own yacht,as I think I should if I were in his place. But we shall be within hailof each other most of the time, and you can visit Miss Edith aboutevery day after we get into the Mississippi River."
"I am told the Mississippi is a very large river," mused Miss Margie."Can you see across it, Captain Alick?"
"No doubt of it," I answered, laughing. "It is not more than a milewide, as a rule. You must be thinking of the Amazon, which is a hundredand fifty miles wide near its mouth. Vessels must get out of sight ofland in crossing it, near the ocean."
"We are all on board, Alick, except Owen," said my father, coming intothe pilot-house. "He should not keep us waiting."
"Perhaps he has decided to go in the other steamer," I suggested.
But I had hardly spoken the words before Owen came on board. He did notseem to be in despair at his separation from his "bright particularstar," and was in excellent humor when he joined us in the pilot-house.
"Where are the rest of your party, Owen?" I asked.
"Merciful hotandsplosh! Haven't you found out yet that they are goingon the Islander?" demanded Owen.
"I haven't seen them go on board of her yet," I added.
"They took a carriage to the wharf near the boat-house, and I took oneto come here," replied Owen. "They must be on board of her by thistime."
"I think not. The Islander has gone down the river," I answered, as Iordered the fasts to be cast off.
I backed the Sylvania on the stern line to clear her from the wharf,and then rang to go ahead. Our voyage around Florida had actuallybegun, and I was duly exhilarated by the fact. The Islander had gonearound the bend of the river, and I could see only her masts andrigging. The wind was blowing fresh from the southwest, and I was not alittle astonished to see that her crew were shaking out herfore-topsail. This did not indicate that her captain intended to returnto the wharf for his passengers.
"Colonel Shepard and his family must have gone on board of her at leasta quarter of an hour before seven, Owen," I said, unable to account forthe movements of the Islander in any other way.
"But they did not leave the colonel's house till five minutes ofseven--at the same time I started to come here," replied Owen. "Whathas happened? What is the matter?"
"I don't know that anything is the matter," I replied. "The Islandergot under way about half-past six, and I supposed she was going to takea turn on the river before she went up to the wharf. Instead of thatshe has been moving steadily down the river since she got up heranchor; and there she is, three or four miles on her way to the ocean."
"Sylvania, ahoy!" shouted some one on the shore.
On the pier, near the club-house, were the Shepard party; and it wasthe colonel who had hailed us. They seemed to be quite as muchastonished as we were. I ran the steamer up to the wharf.