Edward Stratemeyer

“ To the north and the east, as well as the southeast, rolled the mighty Atlantic, flashing in the rays of the declining sun. To the eastward on the island were innumerable rocks, some of them fantastic in shape and forming a sort of bowl, the bottom of which was now shrouded in shadows.
“My gracious! this whole end of the island is nothing but rocks,” declared Randy.
“Look!” exclaimed Jack, pointing to the coast southward. “Unless I’m greatly mistaken there is the wreck of the Coryanda!”
“It’s the old steam yacht just as sure as you’re born!” answered his cousin. ”

“ Now, however, as Jack Rover and his uncle approached, there was an ominous silence, the spinning wheels of the machine coming to a sudden stop.
“There is one man!” cried the youthful major, and pointed into some bushes where the legs of an individual were floundering around in the air. A few seconds later the man righted himself and struggled to a nearby tree, dazed and bewildered.
“There is another fellow—under the auto!” came from Sam Rover. “Come on! Let us get him out before the machine has a chance to settle down on him.” ”

“ ABOUT A PIRATES’ TREASURE
Morning found the five castaways resting as comfortably as they could in the jungle on the edge of the sandy beach. The storm had passed completely, and only a mild wind had succeeded the hurricane. But the waves were still angry and foamed and boiled as they struck the keys beyond the beach.
Utterly exhausted, one after another of the Rover boys had dropped to sleep. The last to lie down had been Jack. The young major had found some rain water in a hollow between the trees and bushes, and had given Ira Small a drink. ”

“ The young major had one of the pistols with him, and he wondered if that weapon would be powerful enough to slay the beast. He knew that a tiger is usually hunted with a heavy rifle.
The beast continued to slink along in the semi-darkness, and now Jack saw that he was headed for the pilot house, where Ira Small sat nodding over the wheel. Evidently the beast had scented the sailor and was wondering if he could bring down his prey. Having had only a small portion of food, Jack fancied the tiger might take a desperate chance in an endeavor to satisfy the cravings of his stomach. ”

“ We’re running into a mass of wreckage!”
As quickly as possible, Ira Small turned over the wheel of the motor boat. Then the craft arose to the top of a wave and the next instant crashed into several good-sized spars and some other wreckage that floated on the water.
The shock was such that several of the lads were thrown off their feet, and for the moment all of them thought the Fancy was going to upset. But Ira Small, bareheaded and with his scant locks flying in the wind and rain, kept manfully at the wheel, and soon the wreckage was left behind and the Fancy once more rode on an even keel. ”

“ By midnight the storm was on them in all its fury. The Coryanda pitched and tossed in the darkness, the wreckage at her side banging and pounding at every rise and fall of the waves.
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“Gee, maybe that raft will knock a hole in our side!” said Fred.
“Well, I don’t know what to do about it, and neither does Small,” answered Jack. “We can’t afford to cut it loose, and it might be too dangerous to try to tow it; the line might snap, and then we’d have nothing to take to if the yacht went down.”
“It’s too bad if we all go down,” murmured Ira Small, mournfully. ”

“ The boys had left Woods Hole half an hour before and were now headed southeast for their first stopping-point, which was to be at Oak Bluffs on the island of Marthas Vineyard. The Fancy rode well, riding the swells of the Sound like a thing of life. The sun shone brightly, there was scarcely any wind, and it was indeed a perfect day for the start of the boys’ motor-boat cruise. ”

“ But I want to say one thing,” he went on impressively: “She’s the funniest lookin’ steam yacht I ever saw. Look at that queer house on deck, and look at them queer portholes along the side. Maybe she’s a hospital ship.”
“I wish we could get aboard to find out,” came from Andy. His hunger was making him desperate.
“I’ve a good mind to try to swim over to her,” said Jack.
“If you go, I’ll go along,” answered Randy, quickly.
“Well, if you try it, each of you’d better take two life-preservers,” suggested Ira Small. “Then, when you git tired of swimmin’, you kin rest yourselves. ”

“ I don’t care how dark it is now,” said Andy. “We’ve found the treasure, and that’s enough.”
“We’ll have to stay here all night,” returned Jack. “We’ll never be able to find our way out in the darkness.”
“What do we care?” put in Randy, lightly. “I don’t believe any wild animals are going to bother us in this out-of-the-way hole. Those pirates certainly buried their gold in a spot where it was hard to find,” he added. ”

“ As the sun came up over the eastern ocean, the boys gazed eagerly in all directions. Here [159] and there they could see bits of wreckage—boxes, barrels, floating spars, and what looked to be the bow of a fair-sized schooner.
“Some vessel has certainly gone to pieces, and not very long ago, either,” remarked Jack. “But I don’t see anything that looks like a human being; do you, Fred?”
“I see something!” cried his cousin, excitedly. “Look over there, Jack! What is that?”
The young major looked in the direction indicated, and then drew a sharp breath. ”

“ Every red-blooded boy will enjoy the thrilling adventures of Don Sturdy. In company with his uncles, one a big game hunter, the other a noted scientist, he travels far and wide—into the jungles of South America, across the Sahara, deep into the African jungle, up where the Alaskan volcanoes spout, down among the head hunters of Borneo and many other places where there is danger and excitement. Every boy who has known Tom Swift will at once become the boon companion of daring Don Sturdy. ”

“ His heart was filled with horror. Was it possible that the others had either been killed by the collision or drowned? The thought was agony, and fervently he prayed that the others might be spared.
As the spar mounted to the top of a wave, Jack looked around again, and this time saw the dim outline of some dark object in the hollow just below him. ”

“ Those must be wild animals you hear. An’ mebby some monkeys,” added the lanky sailor, listening to the roaring and chattering. “Are any of ’em loose?”
“So far we haven’t seen anything that’s alive,” answered Jack.
“Well, we might as well go aboard,” called Andy. “If there are any wild animals loose, though, I don’t know what we’re going to do.”
The wreckage was pounding so hard and constantly against the side of the steam yacht, nobody cared to remain upon it, and so with all the care possible Andy and the old sailor were helped to the deck above, and then Fred followed them. ”

“ About the Hildegarde they heard nothing for many months, but one day Ira Small turned up with the information that the rum-runner had been lost in the hurricane and not a soul had been saved.
“Oh, Jack, I’m so glad you got back safe and sound,” said Ruth Stevenson, when she met the young major. “You can’t imagine how worried all of us were!”
“Well, I’m mighty glad to be back, Ruth,” he answered. “We’re all glad to be back. It was no fun being cast away on the ocean on that bit of wreckage and then to get on a water-logged yacht that had a lot of wild animals and snakes aboard.” ”

“ By the time the boys went to supper the wind was blowing strongly and the Hildegarde was pitching and tossing on the broad bosom of the Atlantic.
“It’s goin’ to be a real storm, to my way o’ thinkin’,” said Ira Small, when he had a chance to speak to the lads. “You kin be thankful you’re not out in it in your motor boat. That craft couldn’t make much headway in sech a sea as the wind is kickin’ up.” ”

“ It was not a great many miles to this well known summer resort, and all felt sure that they could make it without much trouble.
“Seems to be hardly any swell on the water,” declared Gif. “I thought it would be a good deal rougher away out here.”
“I guess it gets rough enough in bad weather,” answered Jack.
The engine of the Fancy was running smoothly, and soon they slipped out of Nantucket harbor and the island gradually faded from sight.
“A pippin of a boat, and no mistake,” remarked Spouter. “She rides the ocean like a thing of life. Ralph, it was certainly fine of you to offer this outing.” ”

“ After a quiet Sunday on the island Jack and Randy made their way on Monday morning to the little bay and there constructed a raft out of the wreckage that had drifted into the opening. Then, with their shoes slung around their necks and their socks in their pockets, they set off for the opposite shore of the bay, using two pieces of boards for sculls.
“We may find nothing over there to interest us,” said Jack. “Just the same, it won’t hurt to go over. Perhaps we can find some sort of a trail to the south side of the island.” ”

“ Fairy tales!” answered the mate sarcastically. “Everybody’s doing it. You’ve got to settle with Ferguson before we let you take that boat.” And thus speaking the mate walked away to relieve the man at the wheel.
It must be admitted that the boys were in anything but a happy frame of mind when they went to get the scanty and badly-cooked breakfast which was offered to them. Jack had told the others what the mate had said, and all were justly indignant.
“I believe they’re nothing but a bunch of thieves,” was Fred’s comment. “This is only an excuse for robbing us of the motor boat.” ”

“ Think of the trees tipped with crimson and gold, the mountainsides looking like——”
“There, Spouter, that will do for the present,” interrupted Jack, good-naturedly. “You can spout all you please about the scenery when we are off on our trip.”
“Oh, pshaw! you fellows have no eye for beauty,” grumbled Spouter, in disgust. “I don’t believe you know whether the tree leaves are red, yellow, green or pink.”
“Hi there, Jack! Come here!” came in a yell from Fred, who had run out on the campus. “Here’s a surprise!” ”

“ For several minutes the two pieces of wreckage continued to bob up and down on the water. They bumped, and bumped again, and finally seemed to wedge themselves together into one uncertain whole.
“There are a lot of ropes!” cried Ira Small. “Might as well lash all the stuff together, lads. The bigger the raft, the safer it will be for all of us. ”

“ Ira Small glared at Jack in such an impressive manner that the young major of the Colby Hall battalion was not a little disturbed. He did not wonder over the fact that Captain Gilsen had thought the sailor crazy.
“It would be very fine to find the pirates’ treasure,” he returned briefly. “But just now what I am more interested in is getting away from this schooner.”
“I don’t blame you, lad! I don’t blame you! It’s a poor place for any one to be. An’ it’s much worse than it is now when the men git to drinkin’ and fightin’. ”

“ All day long and the following night the wind kept up, and the Hildegarde had all it could do to keep on its course. But to the delight of the boys, they learned that the motor boat was still in tow and right side up.
“The tarpaulin kep’ most o’ the water out,” explained Ira Small. “I think she’ll be as good as ever when the storm clears away.”
“Let’s get what sleep we can,” said Jack, to his chums. “All of the others on board the schooner will be worn out because of the storm. Then, when it calms down, they’ll want to sleep, and that maybe will give us a chance to see what we can do.” ”