CHAPTER XXVII
It was the savory smell of cooking hominy and the sizzle of broilingfish that woke Jeremy next morning. He drew a breath of pure ecstasy,rolled over and began pummelling the inert form of Bob, who had sharedhis blanket on an improvised bed in the cabin. The Delaware boy openedan eye, closed it again with carefully assumed drowsiness, and the nextinstant leaped like a joyful wildcat on his tormentor. There was abeautiful tussle that was only broken off by Tom's announcement ofbreakfast.
Opposite the stone fireplace was a table of hewn planks at which Bob,with Jeremy, Tom and their father, were soon seated. The latter hadbruised his knee several days before, but was now sufficiently recoveredto walk about with the aid of a stick.
"Father," said Jeremy between mouthfuls, "I want to see that cove again,where the pirates landed. If we may take the fowling-piece, Bob and I'llgo across the island, after we've bade good-by to Captain Ghent."
"Ay, lad," Amos Swan replied, "you'll find the cove just as they leftit. An I mistake not, the place where their fire was is still blackupon the beach, and the rum-barrels are lying up among the driftwood.'Twas there we found them--on the second day. Ah, Jeremy, lad--little wethought then we'd see you back safe and strong, and that so soon!"
The white frost of the November morning was still gleaming on the grasswhen the two boys went out. Against the cloudless sky the spires of thedark fir trees were cut in clean silhouette. From the _Indian Queen_,lying off shore, came the creak of blocks and sheaves as the yards weretrimmed, and soon, her anchor catted home, she filled gracefully away tothe northward, while the Captain waved a cheery farewell from the poop.He was bound up the coast for Halifax, and was to pick Bob up on hisreturn voyage, a month later.
When they had watched the ship's white sails disappear behind theeastern headland, the boys started up the hill behind the cabin. Theycarried a lunch of bread and dried fish in a leather pouch and acrossJeremy's shoulder was one of his father's guns. Bob was armed with thesilver-mounted pistol from Stede Bonnet's arsenal.
It was a glorious morning for a trip of exploration and the hearts ofboth lads were high as they clambered out on the warm bare rock thatcrowned the island.
"Isn't it just as fine as I told you?" Jeremy cried. "Look--those bluemountains yonder must be twenty leagues away. And you can hardly countthe islands in this great bay! Off there to the south is where I saw the_Revenge_ for the first time--just a speck on the sea, she was!"
Bob, who had never seen the view from a really high hill before, stoodopen-mouthed as he looked about him. Suddenly he grasped Jeremy's arm.
"See!" he exclaimed, "down there--isn't that smoke?" He was pointingtoward the low, swampy region in the southwestern part of the island.Jeremy watched intently, but there was nothing to disturb the morningcalm of sky and shore.
"That's queer," Bob said at last, with a puzzled look. "I could take anoath I saw just the faintest wisp of smoke over there. But I must havebeen mistaken."
"Well," laughed Jeremy, "we'll soon make sure, for that's not far fromwhere we're going."
They scrambled down, and following the ridge, turned south toward thelower bay at about the point where Jeremy had been discovered by DaveHerriot and the pirate Captain.
Dodging through the tangle of undergrowth and driftwood, they soonemerged on the loose sand above the beach. As Amos Swan had said, therains had not yet washed away the black embers of the great bonfire, andnear by lay a barrel with staves caved in. Looking at the scene, Jeremyalmost fancied he could hear again the wild chorus of that drunken crew,most of whom had now gone to their last accounting.
"What say we walk down the shore a way?" suggested Bob. "There might bea duck or two in that reedy cove below here." And Jeremy, glad to quitthe place, led off briskly westward along the sand.
Soon they came to the entrance of a narrow, winding tide-creek that ranback till it was hidden from sight in the tall reeds. Just as theyreached the place, a large flock of sandpeeps flew over with softwhistling, and lighting on the beach, scurried along in a dense company,offering an easy target. Bob, who was carrying the gun, brought itquickly to his shoulder and was about to fire when Jeremy stopped himwith a low "S-s-s-s-t!"
Bob turned, following the direction of Jeremy's outstretched arm, andfor a second both boys stood as if petrified, gazing up the tide-creektoward the interior of the island. About a quarter of a mile away, abovethe reeds, which grew in rank profusion to a man's height or higher,they saw a pair of slender masts, canted far over.
"A ship!" whispered Bob. "Deserted, though, most likely."
"No," Jeremy answered, "I don't think it. Her cordage would have slackedoff more and she wouldn't look so trim. Bob, wasn't it near here you sawthat smoke?"
"Jiminy!" said Bob, "so it was! Right over in the marsh, close to thosespars. It's some vessel that's put in here to careen. Wonder where hercrew can be?"
"That's what looks so queer to me," the other boy replied. "They'rekeeping out of sight mighty careful. Men from any honest ship would havebeen all over the island the first day ashore. I don't like the look ofit. Let's get back and tell father. Maybe we can find out who it is,afterwards."
Bob argued at first for an immediate reconnaissance, but when Jeremypointed out the fact that if the strangers were undesirable they wouldsurely have a guard hidden in the reeds up the creek, he accepted themore discreet plan.
They made their way quietly, but with as much haste as possible backalong the shore, past the remnant of the fire, and up the hill into thethick woods.
Just as they crossed the ridge and began to see the glint of thenorthern inlet through the trees, Jeremy paused with a suddenexclamation.
"Here's the spring," he said, "and look at the sign above it. I neversaw that before, for it was dark when I was up here. I almost fell in."
The spring itself was nearly invisible to one coming from thisdirection, but stuck in the fork of a tree, beside it, was a weatheredold piece of ship's planking on which had been rudely cut the singleword WATTER.
"Some Captain who used to fill his casks here must have put it up sothat the spring would be easier to find," Bob suggested. But Jeremy,striding ahead, was thinking hard and did not answer.
Amos Swan heard their news with a grave face. No ship but the _Queen_had touched at the island for several months to his knowledge, he said.He agreed with the boys that the secrecy of the thing looked suspicious.When Tom came in for the noon meal, his father told him of the discoveryand they both decided to bring the sheep in at once, and makepreparations for possible trouble.
Tom, armed, and accompanied by the boys, set out soon after dinner forthe western end of the island, two miles from the shack. It was therethat the flock was accustomed to graze, shepherded by the wise dog,Jock. Their way led along the rocky northern slope, where the sheep hadalready worn well-defined paths among the scrubby grass and juniperpatches, then up across a steep knoll and through a belt of fir andhemlock. When at length they came out from among the trees, the pasturelay before them. There in a hollow a hundred yards away the flock washuddled. Jock became aware of their approach at that instant and liftedhis head in a short, choking bark. He started toward them, but before hehad taken a dozen steps they could see that he was limping painfully.Running forward, Jeremy knelt beside the big collie, then turned with amovement of sudden dismay and called to his comrades. He had seen thebroad splotch of vivid red stained the dog's white breast. Examinationshowed a deep clean cut in the fur of the neck, from which the bloodstill flowed sluggishly. But in spite of his weakness and the pain heevidently suffered, Jock could hardly wait to lead his masters back tothe flock. Hurrying on with him they crossed a little rise of ground andcame upon the sheep which were crowded close to one another, panting inabject terror.
Jock]
"Twenty-six--twenty-eight--yes, twenty-eight and that's all!" Tom said."There are two of them missing!"
Jock had limped on some twenty yards further and now stood beside ajuniper bush, shiverin
g with eagerness.
Following him thither, the boys found him sniffing at a blood-soakedpatch of grass. The ground for several feet around was cut up as if insome sort of struggle. A few shreds of bloody wool, caught in thejunipers, told their own story.
A man--probably several men--had been on the spot not two hours beforeand had killed two of the sheep. They had not succeeded in this withouta fight, in which the gallant old dog had been stabbed with a seaman'sdirk or some other sharp weapon.
Bob, scouting onward a short distance, found the deep boot-tracks of twomen in a wet place between some rocks. They were headedsouth-eastward--straight toward the reedy swamp where the boys had seenthe top-masts of the strange vessel! The crew--whoever they mightbe--had decided to leave no further doubt of their intentions. They hadopened hostilities and to them had fallen first blood.
With serious faces and guns held ready for an attack the three ladsturned toward home, driving the scared flock before them. Old Jock,stiff and limping from his wound, brought up the rear. They reached theinlet at last, but it was sunset when the last sheep was inside thestockade and the cabin door was barred.
That night the wind changed, and the cold gray blanket of a PenobscotBay fog shut down over the island.