it was very hard for the boys to get their spirits up after the news they had just heard.
“ten days before our folks hear from us!” ejaculated phœnix. “that’s simply dreadful! they’ll give us up long before that time.”
“we will find them all in black when we get back,” said chap, with a doleful face.
but even this gloomy prospect could not long depress the spirits of our young friends.
by the next morning they were going about cheerfully, hoping and believing that something would soon turn up by which they could speedily get back to their friends, or, at least, send news of their safety.
the weather was now fine, although it was so cool that they were obliged to wear their overcoats whenever they were on deck, and they could not help enjoying this unexpected sea voyage.
[28]they did not see much of the tug-boat people. these men lived forward with the crew of the steamer, while the boys ate and slept with the passengers.
on the morning of the third day of their steamer trip, they met one of the tug-boat crew,—a man named adam guy. this man had been the only person on board the tug-boat to whom the boys had taken any particular fancy. he had been a sailor, had visited many parts of the world, and had a great deal to tell of his various experiences on the sea and land. he was a strong and wiry, but not very large, man; and, like many sailors, he wore little gold rings in his ears. his hair was thin and sandy, and hung in short curls at the back of his head. he had a pleasant smile, and appeared to be an easy-going, good-tempered fellow.
“young men,” said adam, “i’ve been a-wantin’ to see you and have a little talk with you. do you know there’s no chance of our meetin’ any vessels, or of your bein’ sent home or gettin’ any word back, either?”
“how is that?” asked the boy.
“why, it’s just this. we’re out of the way now of all craft bound north. i did think we might a’ met a coast steamer yesterday or the day before; but if we did, we passed them in the night, for i didn’t see any. we are now off the coast of[29] florida, and as we are sailin’ south, we keep pretty well in shore, so as to be out of the way of the gulf stream, which runs northward, you know; and, as you’ve lived on a big river, you understand what it is to sail agin a strong tide. but, of course, every vessel bound north tries to keep in the current of the gulf stream, so’s to be helped along. so, just about here, where the gulf stream is near our coast, you find all vessels, goin’ south, keepin’ pretty near shore, and them bound north, far out. it won’t be long before we’re near enough to the coast for you to see the trees. and we’ll run down till we git about opposite jupiter light, and then we’ll sail across the stream and make straight for the bahamas. i know all about these waters, for i’ve sailed in them often. now, as for me, i don’t want to go to nassau, and i don’t believe you want to, either. the captain of our tug and the rest of our men are all willin’ to go, and ship on this steamer for their home trip. they’ll be short o’ hands then, for some of the crew are to be discharged at nassau, but i don’t want to go to that old english town. i’ve been there, and i’ve had enough of it.”
“but what are we going to do?” asked phil. “we can’t jump overboard and swim ashore.”
“no,” said adam, “we can’t do that, but i’ve a plan in my head. before we git to jupiter light, the water is so deep near the coast that steamers[30] often run in very close. now, if the captain would lie-to there and send you fellers and me ashore in a boat, it would be the best thing he could do for us.”
“what would we do when we got there?” asked the boys.
“do?” said adam. “why we’d all go north, and lose no time about it, instead of goin’ over to the bahamas and stayin’ there, i don’t know how long, and then takin’ a week for the home trip. just back of the coast-line, down there, is the indian river, and sometimes it’s not much more’n a stone’s throw from the beach. if we could be landed, we could easily git over to that, and there we’d find a craft to take us up to titusville, and from that place we’d easy git over to the st. john’s river, and then you boys could telegraph home. i’ve travelled all through that part of florida, and i could take you along as straight as a bee-line. there are settlements here and there on the indian river, and you needn’t be afraid but we’ll be taken good care of till we git to titusville. after that it’ll be all plain sailin’.”
“i’d like that plan first-rate,” said chap.
“and so would i!” cried both of the other boys.
“but do you think the captain would stop,” asked phil, “and put us off?”
“that’s what’s got to be found out,” said adam.[31] “if i was you fellers i’d just go to him and ask about it. lay the p’ints before him strong, and let him know how much you want to send word to your friends where you are, and then to git along home as quick as possible. tell him i’ll go along with you and pilot you through all straight.”
the boys agreed that this plan was a capital one, and, after a little consultation, they decided to go and talk to the captain about it, and make phil the spokesman.
at first, the captain did not take very kindly to the proposition. he did not wish to lose time, nor to incur the trouble and risk of sending a boat on shore. he also knew that a great part of the coast of florida was nothing but a barren waste, and he did not think it would be any great kindness to the persons he had saved from drowning to put them on shore to suffer from exposure and privation. but, on the other hand, if the boys were landed in florida, they would be at least in their own country, and ought to be able to communicate with their friends much sooner than if he took them along with him to the foreign islands to which he was bound.
“you would need money,” he said, “after you get ashore, for you couldn’t expect the people there to take care of you, and carry you about free of charge; and, although i am willing to give you a[32] berth here, i can’t supply you with cash for a land trip.”
“i have some money,” said phil, “though not very much.”
“and i’ve got——” said chap, thrusting his hands into his pocket.
“oh, there’s plenty of money,” interrupted phœnix. “there need be no trouble about that.”
“well, then,” said the captain, who was beginning to see some sense in the proposition of the boys, “one difficulty is removed. suppose you go forward and send that man you spoke of to me.”
the captain had a long conversation with adam, and convinced himself that that individual knew what he was talking about when he proposed his plan. the captain of the tug-boat was called in, and adam’s trustworthiness seemed well established.
after consultation with some of the other officers, it was decided to put the boys and adam guy ashore when a suitable place should be reached. the news created considerable excitement among the passengers, and great interest was taken in the proposed landing of the boys.
the air in these semi-tropical waters was warm and balmy, and the sea was smooth. everything seemed favorable for going on shore. about four[33] o’clock in the afternoon the ship lay to about half a mile from a broad, sandy beach. this locality adam declared he knew very well.
the indian river, he said, lay but a short distance back, behind a narrow forest of palmettos; and at the distance of a mile or two there was a house on the river bank, where shelter could be obtained until they could get transportation up the river.
the captain, however, took care that the little party should not suffer in case they did not reach shelter as soon as they expected. he provided them with provisions suitable for two days, put up in four convenient packages. each carried a canteen of fresh water, and adam took charge of a large tarpaulin, rolled up into a compact bundle, which could be used as a protection in case of rain. the weather was so mild that their overcoats would be sufficient to keep them warm at night.
while the men were preparing to lower a boat, phil took phœnix aside, and asked him what he meant by saying there was plenty of money.
“chap has only three dollars,” he said, “and i haven’t that much.”
“i have fifty dollars,” said phœnix, “and i guess that will take us along till we can telegraph for more.”
“how did you come to have that much?” asked phil, with surprise.
[34]“why, you see, our folks haven’t settled what is to be done with some money i got for helping to run the ‘thomas wistar’ ashore, and father is taking care of it. but i made up my mind that i was going to keep hold of some of it myself. a fellow likes to feel that he has got something of his own that he can lay hands on, no matter what is done with the general pile. so i locked up fifty dollars in my room, and when we started off, i didn’t want to leave it behind, for i didn’t know but the house might burn down. so i put it in an old money-belt father used to wear, and it’s strapped around me now.”
“you’re a gay old fellow!” said chap, who had come up and heard this. “you are always turning up at the right time.”
“and right side up,” said phil.
a few minutes after this, a large boat, pulled by four men, and containing adam guy and our three friends, was leaving the side of the steamer, followed by the cheers of the passengers, who had assembled on the decks to bid the little party farewell.
the sea was quiet, with the exception of a long and gentle swell, and the first part of the little trip seemed like rowing on a river. but when they neared the shore and saw the long lines of surf rolling in front of them, the boys began to feel a little uneasy. this was something entirely novel[35] to them, and, although they were not exactly afraid, they could not say that they felt altogether comfortable at the idea of going through these roaring breakers.
but the surf at this point was not really very high, and the boat was a metallic one, with air compartments at each end, and the men rowed steadily on, appearing to have no more fears of the breakers than of the open sea.
as the boat reached the first line of surf and was lifted up and carried swiftly forward on its great back, and then dropped into a watery hollow, to be raised again by another wave and carried still farther on, our boys held tightly to the sides of the boat as if they felt they must stick to that craft, whatever happened. but the men pulled steadily on, keeping the boat’s head straight for the shore.
the breakers came rolling on behind as if they would sweep over the boat and cover her up with their dark green water, but another wave seemed always underneath to carry her on beyond the reach of the one which followed, and it was not long before, by the aid of oars and the incoming surf, they gained the beach.
before the wave which had carried them in began to recede, adam and another man jumped into the water and pulled the boat well up on the sands.
[36]then the whole party disembarked, chap jumping into water ankle-deep, and giving a shout that might have been heard on the steamer.
as soon as the boys’ valises and the other traps had been put ashore, the boat was turned about, and, with adam’s help, was launched into the surf.
the pull back through the breakers was harder than the coming in, but the four men knew their business, and the stanch life-boat easily breasted every line of surf.
in five minutes they were out in smooth water and pulling hard for the steamer. as soon as they reached it the boat was hauled up, the vessel was put about, and with a farewell blast from her steam-whistle, she proceeded on her way.
“hurrah!” cried chap, waving his cap over his head. “now i feel that we are really our own masters, and that we’re going to have the rarest old time we’ve ever known. boys, the whole continent is before us!”
“that’s the trouble of it,” said phil. “if there wasn’t quite so much continent before us we might expect to get home sooner.”
“trouble? home?” cried chap. “don’t let anybody mention such things to me. i’m gayer than the larkiest lark that ever flapped himself aloft!”
and, with these words, he ran to the top of a[37] little sand hillock to see as much of the continent as he could.
“if i were you fellers,” said adam, “i’d make that young man captain. you’ll never be able to manage him if you don’t let him go ahead.”
“good!” said phil; “let’s make him captain, and you, phœnix, ought to be treasurer, for you carry the funds.”
“and what’ll you be?” asked phœnix.
“you’re mixin’ up your officers,” said adam; “but as a party of this kind is a little out of the general run, i guess it won’t matter. as this is a land expedition,” he said to phil, “you might be quartermaster, and i’ll be private.”
“all right!” cried the boys.
and when chap came running down from the sand-hill he was informed of the high position to which he had been chosen.
“my friends,” cried chap, drawing himself up and clapping his breast with his hand, “you do me honor, and i’ll lead you—i’ll lead you——”
“into no end of scrapes,” suggested phil.
“perhaps you’re right. that may be so. but you’re bound to follow,” said captain chap.
“he’ll lead you sure enough,” laughed adam. and then he added to himself, forgetting that this was a land, and not a nautical expedition, “i’ll keep my hand upon the tiller.”
