CHAPTER XXIII
THE BLAZING BEACON
“What’s the trouble now, Dave?” speedily inquired Hiram, getting to hisfeet and Elmer after him.
“No trouble at all, I fancy,” was the reply; “quite the contrary, infact. Look there.”
The young pilot of the _Comet_ pointed across country towards the beach.Where a hill ran up to a sharp promontory jutting out over the ocean, abright light showed.
“Why,” cried Hiram, “it’s a blazing heap of some kind. Looks as if itwas up off the ground.”
“Yes, and it doesn’t burn like wood or oil. Notice the smoke and the waythe flames leap up in the air? What do you suppose it is, Dave?”inquired Elmer.
“I can’t imagine, unless it is some beacon,” replied the young aviator.
“We can soon find out,” declared Elmer. “Wait a minute.”
The speaker ran to the biplane. He soon returned, his telescope in hand.This he leveled at the distant glow.
“You’re right, Dave,” he announced excitedly. “It’s a beacon, sure, andit’s pitch, sure. See for yourself.”
“Yes,” assented the young aviator, levelling the glass. “There is nodoubt that it is a signal of some kind. I can make out the skeleton legsof some kind of a brazier.”
Hiram came in for a show at the spyglass. His decision enforced that ofhis friends.
“What will we do—investigate?” he asked of their leader.
“We must do that,” replied Dave. “It can’t be very far away.”
“What will we do with the machine?” questioned Hiram, who did not relishbeing left behind.
“We can roll it to the beach and keep it with us,” explained Dave. “Comeon.”
“Maybe this is an inhabited island after all,” suggested Elmer. “I’dlike to know. We don’t want to run into cannibals and have them roastus.”
The airship boys got ready to leave their temporary camp. They gainedthe beach, where progress was level and clear for the _Comet_. Theblazing beacon was an excellent guide, and they neared it rapidly. Whenthey came to the foot of the hill, they discovered a deep embrasure inits surface.
“Run the machine in there,” directed our hero. “Nobody is likely todisturb it before we return.”
It was with a good deal of curiosity and excitement that the boysascended the hill. That gained, Dave took a broad survey of its top. Nohabitation or person was in view. At the edge of the highest point,commanding an open view of the ocean, was a large brazier, such as isused in light blacksmithing work. Its broad flanging top held a barrel,evidently containing pitch or some readily inflammable material. Thefire sent up dense clouds of thick, black smoke. At the same time,however, the bright flames shone far out over the waters with abrilliant glow.
“Queer,” observed Hiram, staring at the brazier with no clue as to thehand that had lighted it.
“Yes, some one started that fire, and quite recently,” declared Dave.
“I wonder why? And who it could be?” chimed in Elmer.
“We had better set about finding out,” suggested Hiram.
The young airman took the lead in a search for the mysterious owner ofthe brazier. Finally, as they approached a slight dip in the surface ofthe ground, he swung his arm back to command a halt.
Where some trees showed, the reflection from the fire outlined a raggedtent made out of a sail. Near it were some boxes and barrels. There wasa small table and a stool, a little oil stove, and some cookingutensils.
A hammock swung between two trees. Lying in this, apparently asleep, thecurious explorers made out a human form. The young airman waved hiscomrades back and cautiously approached the unexpected layout beforehim.
A near glance showed our hero that the occupant of the hammock was awhite man garbed in nautical costume. There seemed to be no other personin the vicinity. Dave reached out and gave the hammock a rough swing.
Its occupant must have been a light sleeper. With wonderful suddennessand a sharp yell he bounded from his bed. He was a thin, short man, notweighing more than ninety pounds—so undersized, in fact, as he stoodgaping at Dave in open-mouthed wonder, that the latter felt inclined tolaugh at the grotesque figure he made.
“Why—where—when!” gasped out the man, and, almost overcome, he couldutter no further coherent words.
“Do I happen to come here—and my friends? That beacon directed us; whoare you?” asked our hero.
“Shipwrecked mariner,” was the reply, in a mournful tone.
“You are a castaway, then?”
“That’s it—good ship _Flying Scud_, Nantucket. Been here two months.What’s your craft?”
“The airship _Comet_,” replied our hero.
“W-what?” and the man looked astounded and then grinned. He rubbed hiseyes to convince himself that he was not dreaming. Then he gazed at Davein a hurt way, as if he felt that our hero was making fun of him.
“That’s true,” the young airman hastened to say. “Myself and my friendsarrived here by accident only a few hours since. The power on ourmachine gave out, and we landed in the fog, not knowing where and wedon’t know now.”
By this time Hiram and Elmer had advanced to the spot. The man scannedthem closely. He rubbed his head in a worried, uncertain sort of a way,as if figuring out something that puzzled him. Then he said, after along pause:
“I was in hopes my beacon had called a ship. Seeing as it isn’t, Isuppose there is no chance of my getting away from here?”
“Why not?” challenged Dave, encouragingly. “Did you ever ride in anairship, my friend?”
“No, never saw one. I’ve read about them and have seen pictures of them.To a regular tar, used to solid planks for nigh onto twenty years, thoseflimsy things don’t appeal, somehow.”
“That’s because you don’t know what real sailing is,” declared Hiram.
“Where is this new-fangled contrivance of yours?” inquired the man,looking into the sky and then all around the hill.
“Come with us and we’ll show it to you,” promised Dave.
“All right. Then I’ll show you my ship.”
“Oh, you have one?” inquired Elmer in surprise.
“What is left of the good old _Flying Scud_, yes,” answered thecastaway, mournfully. “You see, friends, she must have struck a reef andsprung a leak. Anyhow, that dark, stormy night when I found myselfdrifting on her alone, I had to figure out that the captain had givenher up as doomed. They had abandoned her in the long boat while I wasasleep in the forecastle. Anyhow, when I came on deck, I found the shipdeserted. Maybe the crew thought I had been swept overboard. Perhapsthey couldn’t find me—you see, I’m so small,” concluded the speaker,plaintively.
“Say, mister, how did you get out of it?” asked the interested Hiram.
“The _Flying Scud_ was rolling like a dancing sailor. I thought it wasthe last of Jabez Hull, yours truly. As she sided over, I strapped alife belt on me and dropped into the sea. Well, to make a long storyshort, I landed on this island. The next morning I found the old ship awreck but her bow out of water, down on the beach yonder. She’s beenthere since. Can’t be budged, can’t be used, but I’ve been breaking herup to build some kind of a craft to get away in. Then, too, I’ve gotfood and furniture for my camp here. I ain’t much of a ship carpenterand got sort of discouraged, and for a week I’ve got busy and burned upa barrel of tar as a beacon.”
The boys pulled the _Comet_ into view when they reached the spot wherethey had stowed it. The flare from the beacon enabled a full view of thebiplane. It seemed as though Jabez Hull would never cease staring at it.He forgot all about his own forlorn situation in asking half a hundredwondering questions as to the machine and what it could do.
When he led the airship boys down the beach and showed them the wreck,it was their turn to become interested. What pleased the young aviatorsmost of all was the discovery of a small portable forge. This thecastaway had removed from the ship to assi
st in building his boat ofescape. This, scarcely begun, was lying on the sand.
“Fellows,” said Dave, to his assistants, “this is a great stroke of luckfor us. We can repair the machine in a good way, with a forge and toolsto help us.”
“Yes, and there’s a whole tank of gasoline aboard the _Flying Scud_,”volunteered Hull.
The boys went back with the castaway to his camp. No one thought ofsleeping amid the excitement of the occasion.
“We must get up early in the morning,” said Dave. “We must lose no timein starting on our way.”
“See here,” spoke up the castaway; “I suppose there’s no chance of mythinking of having a show to get away from here with you?”
“We shall certainly try to find a place for you,” replied Dave,promptly.
“You will?” cried Hull, joyously. “Oh, but that’s grand! See here,friend, you know what I’ll do if you fellows get me safely to theAmerican coast?”
“What, now?” questioned Hiram, who liked to hear the odd old marinertalk.
“I’ll give you twenty thousand dollars.”
Our hero said nothing, but Elmer stared hard at the speaker and Hiramnudged him and winked.
“Provided,” continued Jabez Hull—“provided you take my treasure alsoalong in your airship.”
“Your treasure, Mr. Hull?” repeated Dave. “What does it consist of?”
“A keg—yes, friend, probably the most valuable keg in the world. Itweighs over fifty pounds, and it’s precious as diamonds. Land meanywhere near to a big city till I realize, and I’ll hand you overtwenty thousand dollars in good, solid, hard cash.”