H. Bedford-Jones

“ A slight noise, the mere ghost of a scraping sound, attracted his notice. Again he called. This time the same scraping, scratching sound followed, a shade more distinct.
Casting aside all thought of danger to himself, Turner thrust his flash-light into his pocket and, revolver advanced, began to grope his way up the pitch-black stair, stealthily as an Indian, fully aware that he might receive a bullet at any moment. Up, up he crept until his left hand felt the floor of the upper room. ”

“ But Cat, vigorously plying his implement and sending the sand and shells flying in every direction, was not to be moved. Jimmy and Luke resigned themselves to looking on idly.
Suddenly the worker's shovel struck something hard, and the excited delver reached down and drew forth, not a treasure chest, but a piece of broken pottery. This he cast aside with a look of disgust and proceeded with his digging. A few moments of work brought to view a rotten plank, and when this was raised there appeared, to the amazement of all, charred bones and bits of charcoal. ”

“ As fast as the words could tumble out of his mouth, he argued he must get to Roanoke Island to find out something further; it would be impossible for him to stay in that lonesome spot, and so on. Hardy frowned, looked fierce, positively refused to let him go, melted a little, and then, after a short consultation with Nash about the prospects of the weather for the next hour, finally gave in.
"Anything to keep the peace; but if the wind gets stiffer I'm going to land and leave you even if it's in a wilderness twenty miles from civilization." ”

“ Suddenly an idea, a bright one, occurred to Jimmy.
"Don't reckon they laid any eggs around here, do you? A whale's egg must be a whopper."
The Tarheel's face spread and he broke into a low cackle. Cat caught the cue on the instant.
"Don't you know, bonehead, that whales don't lay eggs," he struck in, looking wondrous wise.
"They don't!" exclaimed Jimmy, only half induced to believe the fact.
"They produce snarks," mildly observed Turner, breaking into a full-sized grin.
"I'll say, Jimmy," hooted Cat, "you just pulled a whale bone." ”

“ The fact is, as the flyer sped on her way without accident, the lads began to forget any sense of uneasiness and to give their minds wholly to the marvelous panorama of sea and sand below and boundless sky above.
"Say, Legs," jested Jimmy, "I can see the rock of Gibraltar plain as day."
"Your eyes are rum," countered Legs. "I can spy the Pyramids of Egypt."
"High spy!" shot back Jimmy. ”

“ Jimmy and Cat got him.
"As to the flying idea," proceeded the host, "I reckon dreams started it. There's no dream more common than the one in which you think you are flying or gliding through the air, and it's a pretty keen sensation."
Cat and Jimmy hastened to recount some of their own experiences in this line, but Turner, mindful of his time limit, was quick to cut them off.
"Then, when folks got to thinking about flying," he proceeded, "their idea was to get up to heaven without dying and turning to angels. The earliest nations in history have traditions and legends along this line. ”

“ After joining Cat once more in his gloomy occupation of staring at the high running surf and scurrying clouds, Jimmy suggested killing time by a nap. If there ever were a time when it was profitable to be dead to the world, this seemed the occasion; so upstairs bounded the two, after getting Turner's promise to wake them in case anything exciting turned up. ”

“ Flashing his light, Turner's first act was to survey every nook and corner of the room, moving with swift steps. Then he rushed to the head of the stairway, gave a shrill whistle, and lighted the way for the plucky Jimmy as the lad bounded up the stairs.
"Hold the light," he commanded. "It's Cap'n Buffum knotted up. Here—here."
The lad took in the situation at a glance.
Instantly the man set nimbly to work to release the captive. He snatched the handkerchief from the eyes that stared out in a mute and pathetic gratitude. ”

“ The lads' hearts almost stopped beating as they stared wildly into the gloom at the dark curtain of the horizon against which, by the faint glow of the few stars peeping through the clouds, the lighthouse was faintly outlined in shadow. ”

“ May be some more around, and I don't think I care to tackle another just now."
"Can't we land him?" asked Cat, with rising bravado, as pride in his feat began to assert itself.
"I'll attend to the landing part," retorted Turner, pushing the lads towards the cockpit. "Get back and stop talking."
The mysterious commotion on the floating hydro had already created a tremendous flutter among the fishermen, and at the climax of the pistol shots one boat had put out and was swiftly nearing the scene of the mystery.
"It's a shark," shouted Turner to the oncoming rowers. ”

“ Got to carry a lighthouse doctor from here to Kitty Hawk about forty miles further. How about it? Quick, right off the bat!"
The suddenness of the invitation staggered Legs and almost floored him.
"Want me to go?" Then after a second's hesitation. "Sure I'll go. You bet I'd like to go," said the lad, too flattered by the honor to feel much nervousness over the adventure.
"That's what I call a man! Now, come on, help me to throw some plunder into a bag." ”

“ You look like you've got horse sense, and horse sense is what old Bill Buffum swears by. And ye've got good clean smooth faces I see, lads. Keep 'em smooth and clean, and when your thoughts begin to write wrinkles on 'em, let 'em be jolly, happy wrinkles, for your thoughts write on your face so everybody kin read 'em. You can't fool old Mother Nature, lads, and don't try. Horse sense and happiness, lads, them's the words. ”

“ Not far ahead of him and just back of the smouldering ruin he could distinctly see, lighted by the glow, a human form whose progress was so slow as to make it seem almost stationary.
Who was it? Cap'n Buffum was the lad's first thought, but, as he advanced a little farther, he was convinced that the figure was that of a less thick-set person. Whoever it was, the discovery called for instant action. He must get a closer view of the night prowler. ”

“ Doesn't get far off either, unless something very unforeseen happens. If you want to complete your education in the water line, ask Bill Buffum. And he's the queerest old duck. Sits there all by himself most of the time, reading sea yarns or watching the ocean. But he has right much company. Everybody who comes this way stops to see him, sometimes as many as three visitors a week, not counting the man who brings his 'vittles' from the fishing settlement over yonder. ”

“ CAT FINDS A KEY
When Cat looked out after Turner and Jimmy disappearing in the darkness, he had to swallow a pretty bitter pill.
"Tough when a fellow's got the pep, not to have a chance to show it," he grumbled to himself.
Then, like the good loser he had always been, he began to soothe his feelings with commonsense reflections. Turner, it was clear, had some reason for wanting the smaller lad, and an addition to the party might be a drawback. It's pretty hard luck, however, to be left in a lonesome house when your chum is out running his nose into all sorts of exciting adventure. ”

“ He was plainly delighted at the arrival of company to liven up the loneliness. After his enthusiastic welcome, he was directed by Hardy to fetch the eatables from the airplane and prepare his very best dinner with all possible speed.
Then appeared Turner, a tall, sandy-haired fellow of about twenty-five years, with a gaunt, solemn-looking face; "slow but sure" written in every line of his features.
"Hello, Turner!" cried out Hardy. "Here are two of our Seaboard Airline patrol, Legs Hatton and Jimmy Todd. Our old friend Miller will blow in on the motorcycle about two hours from now. ”

“ Out of the door flashed the birdman, seized the protesting Smith, swore the wind wouldn't hurt a kitten, and dragged him off almost bodily in the direction of the plane. Legs followed, but in the excitement got no attention and very forlornly watched the hurried preparation of the pilot and his speedy departure in the teeth of a good stiff wind sweeping over the Sound.
The hours dragged heavily by, one, two, three, four, still no Hardy. At the end of two hours, in fact, no rational person could be expected to venture anywhere in an airship. ”

“ Hardy was already shaking Jimmy's right hand while the lad used his left to ball a fist at the barking Cat.
"That'll do for today, Miller," said Hardy, as he released Jimmy's hand. "Don't use up all your words. May need a few when you grow up and get in the lawyer game. Jimmy and Legs, then, are these fellows' names to me and I'm plain Hardy. See! Don't want anyone to be mistering anybody. Not even the cook does it at Seagulls' Nest. Now, let's beat it." ”

“ Jimmy returned, and then he slowly composed:
"There is a young fellow named Legs
Who ... trots on a pair of slim pegs;
⁠He can ... wiggle each ear ...
⁠In a way ... that I fear ...
He's kin to—a—a—a—"
But while drowsily trying to search out a suitable rhyme, he, too, fell asleep. ”

“ The hosts, too, realized that, after the momentous episodes of the last two days, any further stay might prove tame and tiresome; that it was better for the boys to leave while in the highest feather. Then they would be eager to come again sometime.
The first pleasant duty after breakfast was to trot off merrily together to call on Cap'n Buffum. He was still a little shaky, but eager to hear over and over again the circumstances, outside of his own part, in the apprehension of the man he confidently asserted to be Perkins. ”

“ Anyhow, I don't see why they want to stick in junk like that to spoil a dandy good story."
"Hello, Central!" called Cat into his fist, raised to his mouth to represent a telephone. "Give me Legs's top story. How's the weather up there, Legs? Foggy as usual? I thought so."
"Don't cry, Legs," laughed Jimmy. "You'll forget it before you're a hundred. See here, fellows, the pirate business is sort of on the blink now, but I certainly would like to spend about two years sailing around the world. That's a long sight better education than what you get in books. ”

“ When we got to Mexico, we found some of the revolutionists had gone over to the government side and given away some of the secrets. This game was one of them. Blanco hears this by cipher cablegram, I figure out, and, knowing the Commodore intended to turn up heaven and earth to discover him, and that his enemy had planned to stop by Cape Peril to take on his son, he hangs around here and makes one desperate effort to send the boat down with all on board. It was a fool thing to try, as the chances were all against him, but sometimes a hunted criminal will do the craziest things in creation. ”

“ Jimmy wanted to know.
"He's got a little sense. Hatton's safe in the pickle shop on Knott's Island. But I'm afraid Hardy may have had to land somewhere short of Kitty Hawk."
"Can't a plane stand a pretty high wind?" asked Cat.
"In France, I've seen 'em in a small-sized hurricane," answered Turner with a laugh, "but that was war, and you might as well take chances one way as another. But, in peace times, most folks look out for their own skins. Fact is, though, to an experienced pilot, there's not much danger if the velocity of the wind isn't greater than the speed of the motor." ”

“ And there's one thing, sure as shooting, I'm not going to let you youngsters go a-mooning over those treacherous sand hills by yourselves. First thing you know, you'd be buried with nothing but a leg sticking out to tell the tale."
"Great Gee!" snorted Cat. "Don't you reckon we can take care of ourselves. We're scouts."
"Scouts be scat! You're not going by yourselves. I don't care if you're Pathfinder and the whole Lewis and Clark expedition to boot."
The sight of Luke through the open door stimulated an idea in Jimmy's mind.
"Can't Luke go with us?" the boy begged. ”

“ During all this jollity several hours had hurried by, and when the cuckoo clock announced eleven, and Hardy expressed the conviction that it was time for hard-working lads to be abed, it was with the greatest difficulty that they managed to make a start. Finally, they got to the point of making a rush for their sleeping quarters, but, even then, the easy process of undressing was interrupted by frequent tussles and pillow fights before reaching the pajama stage.
"I am growing old, Mother," remarked Cat whimsically, donning the above-mentioned garment; "my pink pajamas are turning white. ”

“ Dad sure is good to his friends. He wants 'em to put a lot o' money in oil lands down there."
"Gee! I wish my daddy had a yacht," sighed Cat comically, "then I wouldn't have to go down on that blamed motorcycle with the coast guard. Wish Turner had brought the hydroplane up."
"Jiminy! have they got a hydro down there, too?" asked Jimmy excitedly.
"Sure they have. Didn't I tell you that? An airplane rigged up in a life preserver, that's what it looks like to me. They use it to survey the sounds and creeks around Cape Peril. Oh my, oh me, I see where I get a ride every day. ”

“ Turning to another page, he read on:
"'When they have escaped any great danger by sea or land, or have returned from war, in token of joy they make a great fire about which the men and women sit together, holding in their hands a fruit like a pumpkin or a gourd, which, after they have taken out the fruit and the seeds, they fill with small stones or big kernels to make the more noise, and fastening that upon a stick, they sing to its accompaniment and make merry.'
"Wish Indians or something else was around to stir up a little excitement. ”

“ The lads were ready enough for the experience. Cape Peril had a tang of romance to its very name and to meet an ex-mariner who had scoured the Seven Seas was a treat not to be had every day. "He doesn't mind boys asking him questions, does he?" inquired Legs.
"Tickles him to death. Only trouble is to stop him when he gets wound up. ”

“ I've got a sort of holiday at present. Turner's busy on some maps and photos, so our operations are held up for a spell. I've just got a job as lighthouse inspector on the coast, but don't count on their calling on me just yet, or my calling on them, rather. By the way, which of you kids is a shark on mathematics?"
"I pass," Cat hastened to proclaim—an announcement that he had occasion to regret later. "I flunked on that Pons Asinorum, and I've never understood a thing about Geometry since. You flunked, too, Jimmy. Old Whiskers got red in the face trying to rub it into our heads, didn't he?" ”

“ First a foot resurrected, a shoe-less foot swollen to twice its natural size, and then an arm. The right hand, not the left with the stumped fingers."
"He had two stumped fingers on his left hand, did he?"
"How did you know that? Did you see him?" inquired Hardy in surprise.
"No, but Buffum got a glimpse of his paw when he tied him up!"
"Tied him up before he smashed out the light?"
"Go on," insisted Turner eagerly. "I'll tell you my part when you finish your story. Go on! Go on!" ”

“ I think, judging by appearances, Jimmy better be the top layer."
"I never thought of that beanpole having a lap," declared Jimmy. "Get me a microscope, Cat"
Hardy put an end to the disturbance that threatened, and continued, "Now, see here, you two fellows who haven't been initiated, like your friend Cat, may feel a little wriggly for a minute or two, but you'll soon get over it. Keep this in mind: Flying is regular life insurance compared to dodging autos in any big city, and remember it's how a fellow shows up in a new experience that proves what sort of stuff he's got in him. ”