John Henry Goldfrap

“ At the summit of the highest point of the island could now be seen a lone tree. It looked as if it were dead and stretched out its naked branches against the sky.
Cap’n Toby was fairly dancing with excitement.
“It’s the place, the place,” he kept shouting, “there’s the lone tree, there are the cliffs, everything is just as Cap’n Walters said it was.”
“It’s a mournful-looking place,” commented Jack.
“What difference, lad,” was Uncle Toby’s retort, “all we’ve got to do is to land, get the stone chest and then yo, ho! for home and riches.” ”

“ Storm sail was set, just sufficient to give the craft steerage way.
“Bother it all,” muttered Raynor, “it seems that luck is always against us. Here I had everything planned for an ideal escape and now I doubt if it wouldn’t be suicidal to venture forth in such a sea.”
The schooner rushed up a wall of water and then coasted hissingly down the other side. Her lights shone out bravely like red and green jewels on either side of her bow. But it seemed that momentarily they would be drowned out.
Raynor clawed his way along the bucking, plunging deck, to the door of the galley. ”

“ Jack ignored him and turned to his uncle.
“Uncle Toby, you are the sailing master of the Morning Star?”
“Yes—er—that is Mr. Terrill—yes, decidedly so, my lad. What’s in the wind?”
“I want you to shape a course for Skull Island. It won’t delay you more than a few hours. It’s your bounden duty as a seaman to go to the aid of distressed mariners.”
“Um—er—that’s so, Mr. Terrill, you know,” stuttered Uncle Toby with a look at the other, who as drumming his long, bony fingers on the table in a devil’s tattoo.
“I know nothing about all that. I’m a business man. Time is money,” snapped Mr. Terrill. ”

“ Raynor felt badly shaken by his discovery. It was not pleasant to contemplate sharing an island with a man who might prove a dangerous enemy. However, there was no help for it, The Polly Ann was sinking and the island was his only refuge.
He looked about him. Back of the beach the island shores sloped upward abruptly, shutting out any view of the interior. Gnarled shrubs and bushes grew among the rocks. They were twisted into all sorts of grotesque shapes by the rigors of the Arctic winds. From the beach he could see the hull of the ill-fated Polly Ann. ”

“ They took turns at eating supper and all devoured their food with ravenous appetites. By his portable wireless, Jack had instructed young Higgins to tell the castaways, to hang out a lantern that night so that if they approached the island in the darkness they could lie off till daybreak and not tempt fate by venturing among unknown waters, for the charts did not bother to give soundings round such a seldom visited speck of land as Skull Island. ”

“ But Jack forged steadily ahead in his chosen profession. On his first voyage, by a clever wireless trick, he brought confusion on a gang of tobacco smugglers and set all their plans at naught. For this brave act he almost paid with his life. But all came out well, and on a homeward voyage from Antwerp he was able, once more with the aid of the wireless, to unite Mr. Jukes and his son, Tom, who had become separated when the millionaire’s yacht caught fire and burned to the water-line at sea. ”

“ Then he broke out angrily, utterly forgetting all discipline.
“Aren’t you lowering a boat? Why don’t you order one away? Raynor’s drowning back there.”
“Look here, my lad, you’re excited,” said the captain in more collected, sober tones, “I’m not going to lay my ship to among these icebergs on the chance,—it’s one in ten thousand,—of saving him. A boat couldn’t live among that field ice. It would be crushed in a jiffy.”
“Then you’re going to hold on your course without an effort to save him—? You’re going to abandon him like a coward?” shouted Jack, beside himself. ”

“ It brought a thrill to Raynor, who ran to the galley door. Across the ice floes he could make out a rough, low-lying, rocky island. The waves dashed against some low cliffs in clouds of white spray. A few sea birds hovered, wheeling and screaming, above it.
Terror Carson hurried forward. He gave the island one glance and then said: “That’s Skull Island. There used to be good sealing there. But that’s all done away with now. The beasts have gone to other places. There’s water there, though. A perennial spring. I’ve a good mind to land and replenish the kegs.” ”

“ Amidships, pipe in mouth, was Matt Sherry, the engineer, lovingly feeding his motors oil and “mothering” them with waste and fussing. Astern, preparing a meal on a gasolene stove was Hank Merryweather, a stalwart tar from the Thespis detailed to accompany the relief expedition.
When Jack had made known to Captain Simms the plight of Raynor and the others, the commander of the Thespis had easily read in the boy’s excited words his intense desire to proceed to the aid of the castaways at once. ”

“ The water almost covered the main cabin floor. The tilt of the ship made it deeper on the opposite side of the cabin.
“The ice has crushed the Polly Ann’s ribs,” exclaimed the boy. “She is doomed.”
He rushed on deck. The next instant he stood still at the top of the companionway, stricken with stupefaction.
The decks, usually at that hour alive with men, were deserted. Not a soul was to be seen either fore or aft.
What had happened? Then Raynor’s eyes wandered to the davits where the big whale boats used in sealing, generally hung. ”

“ He had completed his work just in time to dart from the cabin as Jack’s quick, firm step was heard ascending the companion ladder. So that the young wireless lad was not the victim of an illusion when he thought he saw a human figure.
Alvarez slipped in under a canvas boat cover while Jack was making a search. In his place of concealment he chuckled evilly to himself:
“Caramba! What a revenge is mine on this dog of a Yankee boy! Did he think that he could insult and beat a Spaniard without suffering? Todos los Santos, no! A few moments now and my revenge will be complete.” ”

“ He noticed the hostile looks cast at him and held up one of his bony-fingered hands deprecatingly.
“I have come in peace,” he said in a sanctimonious voice.
“You precious rascal, I’d like to see you go away in pieces,” roared Uncle Toby, who was with difficulty restrained from rushing at the oily rascal.
“We all of us make mistakes,” muttered Jarrow, rolling his squinting eye horribly. “I’m thinking we all made a big mistake in ever coming here.”
“Yes, Captain Ready,” said Terrill, “there is no chance of ever reaching the top of that cedar plateau. The treasure is secure from us both. ”

“ To him the array of dots and dashes was as plain as print.
“We are marooned on a small island. Skull Island. Send help.” Then followed the bearings of the island just as Raynor had taken them from the course pricked off on Terror Carson’s chart.
Jack, without waiting even to transmit a report to Captain Simms, switched on the transmitting current. Then he began to make the wireless crack and whistle as flash after flash volleyed out at his crisp decisive handling of the key.
“Skull Island! Skull Island! Skull Island!” he crackled out from the aërials of the Thespis. ”

“ Ever since the night the boys had tried to escape, Pompey’s naturally superstitious mind had conceived the idea that the Polly Ann was “hanted.” Nothing would drive it out of his head.
Terror Carson made no further advances to Raynor. In fact, the next day he hardly appeared to notice the boy who had saved his life by his quick wit and action. But Raynor did not worry about that. In fact, the less attention he received from the seal poacher, the better pleased he was.
The next day they found themselves enveloped in floes of ice. The wind blew hard and cold too. ”

“ The men labored heroically. But it was almost beyond human power to do anything with the volleying mass of canvas and the great boom. The captain and the mate shouted encouragingly to them but it appeared to do little good. Once or twice a man was almost lost over the side in the struggle for mastery.
The boys were now quite close to the whole wild scene. But nobody noticed them. Everyone was far too much engrossed in his own affairs. There was nothing they could do, but they stood by in readiness. To them it seemed as if every moment must be the schooner’s last. ”

“ We’ve got no food and no prospect of getting any, not to mention water. That rat, Terrill! If I ever get my hands on him and that treacherous Jarrow. They fooled us nicely, getting everyone who was hostile to them off the schooner.”
“Terrill certainly holds the whip hand over us,” agreed Raynor. “I suppose that he’ll make us come to some sort of agreement before he’ll let us have provisions or water.”
“I don’t see what the agreement can be,” rejoined Jack gloomily. “We can’t come to any concerning the treasure, for that’s on the top of Cedar Mountain. It’s about as unattainable as the moon. ”

“ Along the dark docks the strange trio strung their way. In the lead Captain Briggs rolled along, sometimes bawling out snatches of sea songs, behind him, and creeping closer all the time, came Alvarez and, last of all, Jack, his every muscle and sense tensed for the climax that he felt must come now at almost any instant. ”

“ It has been said that drowning men will clutch at straws. This may, or may not, be true, but certain it is that to Billy Raynor, almost exhausted by his long fight in the chilly water, the iceberg appeared a haven of refuge. Like most of such huge ice structures it was very irregular in shape. ”

“ It was another schooner, also flying north under a press of sail. Like a flash an idea came to him. In a stern locker, already bent to the hoisting halyards, was the schooner’s ensign,—one of many, for at different times it suited Terror Carson to belong to different nations. This flag was a United States ensign. Raynor’s daring plan was to reverse the flag in the universal language of distress and summon aid from the other schooner.
He looked at the man at the wheel. The fellow was dozing apparently. Raynor set down the tin dishes he was carrying aft and cautiously approached the flag locker. ”

“ Terror Carson burst into a mighty laugh that seemed to shake the cabin timbers.
“Yes, we’re going trading. Trading in our own line,” he said, and then he beckoned to Raynor to come out into the main cabin from which six smaller ones, similar to the one the young engineer had occupied, opened.
“See those?” he asked, and pointed to three bright brass cannons that were ranged at the stern inside closed ports. “We use those in our trading. You see we are what the courts of law and the international boundary authorities call: ‘seal poachers.’”
“Seal poachers!” Raynor shrank back. ”

“ Terrill, with his eyes on the ground, was muttering to himself as he slowly paced after them.
“That makes three more added to the forces of Captain Ready when the time comes,” he breathed. “Three last night and three this morning—six. It makes the situation more difficult when the hour comes to strike. I don’t like that youngster Jack Ready. He’s too smart by half. I believe I’ll have trouble with him before this thing is over.”
“Well, where’s your cook?” inquired Uncle Toby, when they reached the hut, for no Pompey was visible. ”

“ Raynor found cause during those hours to admire Terror Carson’s schooner, which was the staunchest, swiftest craft he had ever seen. It appeared marvelous that anything built by man’s hands could endure the merciless racking the Polly Ann submitted to. ”

“ Finally, however, Jack made it out.
“It’s from Pompey, that good old black soul,” he cried. “He says he can’t bear to think of us starving, so he stole some food while the crew was carousing, and two kegs of water, and put them in this boat, which lay alongside. He says that he overheard the mate saying that there was a strong current all around the island so that he hopes the boat will drift round our way.”
“Good for him,” cried Raynor. “He’s got a real white heart, if his skin is black. See here, Jack, hams, potatoes, onions, all kinds of canned stuff. ”

“ Before very long a loop of stout harpoon rope, instead of string, was round the cedar trunk.
“I knew Jack would do it!” exclaimed Raynor.
“He’s de clear quill all right, all right!” ejaculated the Bowery boy with no less delight.
“Now then, boys,” said Jack, making a big loop in one end of the rope and seating himself in it, “I’m going to get you to haul me up there.”
“Great alligators, spos’in de tree pulls out,” gasped Noddy, his face white under its freckles.
“I’m going to take a chance on that,” said Jack. “Lay hold everybody. Now then—pull—easy now!” ”

“ The Cambodian was a brand new freighter of the big shipping combine controlled by Jacob Jukes, and as just then no better berth had been offered, Jack Ready found himself occupying her wireless room getting the newly installed radio apparatus in shape and tuned up for effective service.
As he worked over a refractory detector Jack, although normally of a cheerful disposition, felt a strong inclination to grumble at his present berth. He had been hoping for a chance at the wireless operator job on board the Empire State, the newest and greatest of the Jukes trans-Atlantic liners. ”

“ Not a soul could be seen on deck except Pompey’s dark form at the wheel, revealed by the faint glow-worm light of the binnacle lamp. At last Raynor, with infinite caution, reached Noddy’s sleeping place. ”

“ I invested what money I had in a seal poaching venture with a bad character known as Olaf Larsen. Larsen was killed by a chance shot when a British cruiser chased us. I was captured but escaped, and then fitted out the Polly Ann. I have sailed her ever since, till—till for my sins she was lost. Oh! if only I could begin over again, but it is too late, too late.”
“It is never too late to mend,” cited Jack, “perhaps, if ever we escape from this predicament, I can help you. I would be willing to.”
“And I, too,” said Raynor, stretching out his hand.
Tears filled Terror Carson’s eyes. ”

“ He swaggered out of the cabin with his scarlet face grinning. Jack’s eyes followed him as the captain rather staggeringly ascended the companionway.
“I don’t know much about such things,” thought the boy, while a serious look came over his face, “but it seems to me that Captain Briggs is under the influence of liquor. That’s a bad thing. Liquor is bad at all times but it’s more dangerous at sea than anywhere else.”
He finished his meal hastily and returned to his cabin to find his “wireless bell” ringing furiously. Jack lost no time in getting to work. ”

“ We have plenty of food and there is water, but the island is uninhabited.”
“Who are you, members of Terror Carson’s poaching crew? This is the ice patrol cutter Thespis.”
“No; we were on board against our wills. We are Noddy Nipper, Pompey, a negro cook, and William Raynor, lately of the freighter Cambodian.”
The next instant young Higgins had reason to exclaim as he stared in amazement at the usually self-contained Jack Ready.
“He’s gone crazy!”
For the young wireless man of the Thespis was doing a war-dance and banging his key as if he would break it off at one and the same moment. ”