CHAPTER XIV A STRANGE LIFE BOAT
It was night, a night of storm. The wind had come sweeping in from thesea, bringing rain and rolling waves. It was not a typhoon, but astraight-on nor'wester of great violence. By the aid of an improvisedcapstan, the two boys had dragged the "Dust Eater" high up on the beach,and, with ropes and wooden stakes had guyed her there.
The storm was now at its height. The wind set the dark clumps of palmsswishing and moaning in a dismal fashion. Great sheets of rain beatagainst Johnny's face as, wrapped to the chin in a slicker, he went fromthe cabin close to the cliff where they had taken refuge, down to thebeach, to make sure that the guys to the plane were holding firm.
When he had assured himself that all was well, he paused for a moment togaze out to sea. He was half afraid that the two native boats had notreached their harbor before the storm broke.
"Keeping them off this island is one thing, driving them into the teethof a storm another; wouldn't want to be responsible for their deaths," hemumbled. Then he started.
"What's that? A light?"
There had come a lull in the storm. The rain had ceased. It seemed to himthat, as he strained his eyes to gaze seaward, he made out a light. Nowappearing, now disappearing, it seemed to be upon some craft bobbing upand down with the waves that were rolling high.
"Can't be the natives. No canoe could ride this storm. It might be--"This second thought sent him hurrying across the beach toward the cabin.His companions were asleep, but this was important; he would waken them.
"They're taking an awful risk," he explained to Pant and the Professor, afew moments later, as they stood upon the brow of the cliff watching thenow unmistakable light of a ship out to sea. "They're too close in nowfor safety. Shoals out there, and it seems to me they're coming closer."
"Lost their bearings," suggested Pant.
"Think a beacon fire would help?" asked the Professor.
"Probably would only mislead them," said Johnny. "Besides, I think it'srather too late. Unless I mistake their position, they're due to goaground any minute."
With strained and expectant faces the three stood watching the bobbinglight. Now it appeared, now it was lost to sight, but at each newappearance it seemed to gleam more brightly, as if coming nearer.
They were troubled by this new turn of affairs. There could be littledoubt but this was the ship they had seen struggling in the grip of thetyphoon, the ship which had come to dismantle the wreck. If she wentaground, it would be their duty to assist the unfortunate sailors inevery way possible, yet, in doing so, they would doubtless be bringingdisaster down upon their own heads. These were rough, unscrupulous men.They would at once suspect the two boys and the Professor of treachery.After that, what would happen? Who could tell? Yet, they were men and, intime of disaster, they must be given every assistance.
The three of them had scarcely thought this through, each in his own way,when Johnny exclaimed suddenly:
"There she goes!"
They caught their breath and waited. The light had disappeared. For amoment they looked in vain for it; then it reappeared, rose higher thanever before, then hung gleaming there like a fixed star.
"Hard aground!" exclaimed Johnny.
"And likely to break up at any minute," answered Pant.
A moment later there burst out above the ship a ball of fire, thenanother and another.
"Sending up rockets," said Pant. "I wonder how they expect to get aidfrom these desolate shores? No ship could come near them without goingaground. No lifeboat could ride such a sea."
"And yet," said Johnny, "we must try to give them assistance. If we don'tthere'll not be a man of them alive by morning. Their ship is out wherethe breakers are rolling strongest, not sheltered by the point, as theChinese ship was."
"It's true," said the Professor, "we must render them some assistance,but how?"
"The 'Dust Eater,'" said Johnny.
"Couldn't ride that sea, even if she could the storm," said Pant. "What'syour idea?"
"Might not work," said Johnny, "but in times like these, anything's worthtrying. C'm'on."
They hastened down to the beach where the "Dust Eater" was straining ather moorings.
"You and the Professor prop up the boat and set the wheels under her,while I work at something else," said Johnny.
He rushed into the cabin of the "Dust Eater" to return at once with twogreat balls of stout hempen twine. This was a reserve supply to be usedfor lashing the wings of the plane in case of accident.
There were quantities of drift timber from the wreck of the Chinese craftscattered about on the beach. After gathering up several of these, Johnnybegan splitting them into pieces a foot in length and about the size of abroom handle. These, as fast as he had split them, he tied into one endof a ball of cord, leaving a space of six or more feet between each two.When he had worked at this for some time, he at last turned to hiscompanions.
The "Dust Eater" was supplied with a set of starting wheels which mightbe attached to the beam of her boatlike body. These were for use onlywhen an emergency made it necessary to take a start-off from land. Suchan emergency was now at hand. Whether, with the gale blowing, they wouldbe able to make a successful flight, remained to be seen. They were nowin a position to make the attempt, for Pant and the Professor hadcompleted their task.
"Now each of you go to a guy behind her and loosen it, but do not letgo," said Johnny. He stepped forward and loosened the two in front.
"Take a snub 'round a stake," he cautioned, as an afterthought. "Are youready? There's two balls of twine on the beach there. I've tied somesticks to one end of one of them. The other end of that one is tied to anend of the second one. I'm taking the end with the sticks on in with me.When we get away, Professor, you must attempt to play the line out to usas we fly. Don't let it break if you can help it. We're going to try totake them a line. They must have rope enough to reach shore, and pulleysto make a flying car. We can get them ashore if it works. Do you getthat?"
"Yes," came the answer.
Johnny nodded approval.
"All right. Pant, give your guy rope to the Professor. Keep it snubbed,though."
Pant, understanding his part, climbed into the pilot's seat.
"Now, Professor, ease away. Give her the dust," he breathed to Pant.
The engine thundered. They were away with the storm. A wild circlebrought them perilously near the cliff, but they missed it.
Johnny felt the slowly growing strain on the cord and knew that theProfessor was succeeding with his task.
"Right over her, if you can," said Johnny.
The wind caught them, nearly dashing them into the sea. The line tangledwith the braces, but Johnny managed to drag it free.
"Now, now--right over!" shouted Johnny. The next moment he sent thewood-weighted end of the cord whirling toward the ship. The line burnedhis fingers, but he clung to it as it played out.
It was a fortunate cast; almost a miracle, was Johnny's mental comment,for at once he felt a tug on the cord such as mere water could not give,and that instant he let go.
"Can't help but find it," he told Pant through the tube. "Back to theisland now. It'll take all of us to draw their line in."
It was a difficult landing. The beach was narrow and none too long; thewaves washing it from end to end. Three times they soared low, but didnot dare attempt it. The fourth time, driving straight against the wind,they sank lower and lower, at last to feel the welcome bump-bump on thesand. The next moment they were out of the plane and guying her fast.
"Made it!" was Johnny's brief comment, as they finished. "Now for thatline."
Pant did not follow at once; he was looking intently out to sea, where alight was blinking, brightening, then dimming, then lighting up again.
"Get that?" he shouted to Johnny.
"What?"
"It's a signal. The message they sent says, 'Haul away!'"
"That's good. That means
they have our line. We can't haul a heavy wetrope across the water and up the cliff by hand; have to have a capstanfor that. Guess the one we used this evening will do."
Finding the capstan, they dragged it up the side of the cliff. Here theyanchored it firmly. Then began the task of pulling in the line. It camein quite freely at first; Johnny was beginning to think the cord hadbroken, when the back-pull began to stiffen.
"Got 'em all right," he panted, as they redoubled their efforts.
Fathom after fathom the line was reeled in. So tight grew the strain thatthey felt sure it must break. But it did not. Presently they came to aknot and the end of a heavier line.
Attaching this to the capstan, they reeled in rapidly until they came tothe place where the line was double, the added strand much larger thanthe other.
"Big one's for the pulley to ride on; the little one's to pull them inby," explained Pant. "Now, all together, let's draw her tight!"
Round and round went the capstan. Up--up--up rose the dripping ropeuntil, at last, it swung entirely free from the sea.
Seizing a lantern, Pant alternately dimmed and brightened it. This herepeated several times.
"Giving them the signal for O. K.," he explained.
He then watched their light as it dimmed and brightened.
"They say," he smiled, "'Haul away.'"
This time by hand they reeled in the smaller cord. Length after length ofit was drawn in and coiled on the rocks. When, for a moment, there was aheavy back-pull, they knew that the men on the swaying rope-hung pulleyhad been dipped beneath a giant wave. They redoubled their efforts, andpresently had the pleasure of seeing five half-drowned men drop down by aline from the pulley to the sandy beach.
This time it was Pant's turn to signal "Heave away."
The signal was obeyed. The swinging car was hauled back and loaded oncemore with human freight.
This was repeated over and over again until the last man was ashore. Whenthis last man cupped his hands and shouted up to them, "All safe," thetwo boys dropped down upon the rocks exhausted.
"Well," said Johnny, after a time, "we've got them. Question is, what arewe going to do with them?"
"More than likely it is, 'What are they going to do with us?'" grumbledPant. "There are twenty or more of them to our three. Their ship is ahopeless wreck. It will, half of it, be on the beach in pieces bymorning. We have the only means of transportation. The only way to leavethe island is by plane. Question is, what will they do about that?"
It was, indeed, a serious situation. Johnny's brow wrinkled as he took inthe full significance of it.
"Might as well go down and mingle with them," he said, presently."There's no better way to judge of a man's character than by listening towhat he says in the dark."
They found the men rough and boisterous. Some of them were smashing upall available timber and building fires under the brow of the cliff.Others had crowded the little cabin to an unbearable degree.
Pant and Johnny crept into a dark corner beneath the cliff and facing ablazing fire.
"Pretty rough," was Johnny's only comment.
Soon he became conscious of the presence of a little man who appeared tostand aloof from the others. He was a clean, decent appearing fellow.
"Pretty close one," Johnny said, by way of starting conversation.
The little man turned and gave him a sharp look.
"You from that airplane?"
"Yes."
"I'll say it was close." The man lowered his voice. "Wouldn't 'ave'appened but they was quarrelin' over 'ow they'd divide the plunder, themofficers was."
"The plunder?" said Johnny.
"Yes, didn't you know?" the sailor whispered. "That wreck don't belong tothem. It belonged to a company in China. The captain of 'er fergot to seta line to 'er and attach it to the shore, as is the law of the sea, soshe's fair salvage to those 'as gets to 'er first--just plunder, I'd callit."
"But they claimed her."
"Sure, so's no other ship wouldn't come fer 'er. They was sharp ones,them officers!"
"And worse than I thought," said Johnny.
"Worse, did you say? They're a 'ard lot. Know what they done to me?Shanghaied me, they did. 'Ere I is in the 'arbor with no money and noplace to sleep, and they says to me, 'Sleep in the ship. We can't sailfer four days,' an' that night, up they 'eaves anchor and out to sea theyblows, an' me a-sleepin' sound. That's 'ow they ships me. An' noagreement to pay 'er nothin'. Say," he whispered, "if they's a show-down,or anything, between you and them, you count me in on your side. Butdon't you fight them if you can 'elp it, fer, as I say, they's a 'ardlot."
Johnny thanked him, then lay for a time listening to the low murmur ofvoices. At last he fell into a half-sleep from which he awakened to findthat day was breaking.
He scrambled down from the rocks to the beach. There he met a short,broad-shouldered man with beady rat-like eyes.
"I'm Captain Hicks," said the stranger. "That your seaplane?"
"Yes," Johnny answered, trying to smile.
"Fine plane. Luck, I call it. Our purser is a licensed pilot. Soon'sweather clears, I'll have him take me over to another island in thatplane."
Johnny gasped. He was about to protest. Then the hopelessness of thesituation came to him.
"I suppose," he said slowly, "that he is accustomed to handling all kindsof motors?"
"Knows 'em like a book," the captain chuckled as he passed on.
"All the same," said Pant, some time later, when he had been told of theconversation, "I'll wager he'll have some difficulty in getting old 'DustEater' to perform for him. These dust-eatin' birds are particular whorides on their backs!"