CHAPTER XI
THE INTENTIONAL "ACCIDENT"
"I wonder what Bill was doing down at your dock," said Sarita.
"It needs some repairs," Peggy replied. "I heard Dad say to Mother thathe was going to bring the yacht down from where _it_ has been undergoingsomething or other. I smell that smoke again, Sarita. Where do yousuppose it comes from?"
Peggy jumped up and went out upon the shelf again. "Don't smell it atall out here," she said. Sniffing, Peggy walked back further withintheir rocky den. "Must be a volcano under here, girls. I smell it morestrongly."
"Do volcanoes smoke tobacco?" joked Leslie.
"This must be a new kind," Peggy returned. "Come here, girls."
Sarita and Leslie, rather cramped from long sitting, rose and shook outtheir frocks. Leslie tossed a bit of her last sandwich to the rocksbelow and said that the birds might have it.
"You are right, Peggy. It isn't very strong, but I do notice a bit oftobacco smoke. Isn't it queer? Perhaps someone is outside and there issome current that whisks the scent through here."
"Nothing like having an imagination, Sarita. Perhaps there is asmuggler's den below us. We may smell the liquor if we stay long enough.Perhaps Bill has some little cave inside, too." So speaking, Peggy againran out upon the ledge to look toward the Ives' dock on this side. Therewas no sign of Bill.
"If there is this much of a cave here, why _mightn't_ there be onesomewhere below? We haven't found the way to one, but we just might havemissed it."
"That is so, Peggy," said Leslie. "_Isn't_ this odd!" Leslie and Saritawere sniffing till Peggy laughed at the whole performance.
"If I looked as funny as you girls do, sniffing and going from onecrevice to another, I wonder that you didn't make fun of me at thestart!"
"We were more interested in the smoke than in how anybody looked,"Sarita returned. "It is stronger way back here, don't you think so?"
Sarita was back where she was obliged to stoop considerably. There was acrack, or fissure, and a hole of no great size into what Peggy calledthe "inner darkness." "I believe that I could crawl into that," saidPeggy, with some decision.
"Not for the world!" cried Leslie. "My dear chief investigator of the'tri-feminate,' you might step off into space and fall into some crevicethat we _never_ could get you out of!"
"That _would_ be a calamity," grinned Peggy. "I won't then,--not now, atany rate. It must be as you think, somebody is smoking somewhere and acurrent brings the odor up here,--but some way that theory doesn'tsatisfy me."
"That is because we _scent_ a mystery, Peggy," said Sarita. "It's fun toimagine things. I'd just as lief find _Bill_ to be a villain, butperhaps we'd better not meddle too much with things around here, Peggy."
Peggy set her lips together. "If there's anything that _ought_ to befound out, why, then, it ought to be,--that's all there is about it!"
Peggy's attitude settled it. Though the older girls felt that careshould be taken not to go beyond the bounds of courtesy within thelimits of Steeple Rocks, they certainly had no objections to Peggy'ssolving any mystery there, particularly if the Count were the chiefvillain.
Peggy had not told them of her little adventure in such detail before.With the words of Peggy's step-father clearly in her mind, Leslie feltjubilant to think that their possession was to be practicallyundisputed. But what other plan was there in which they were probablyconcerned? She would tell Dalton, or get Peggy to tell him. ProbablyPeggy would enjoy the excitement of it. The date was interesting. Thatwould be July twenty-eighth, perhaps. Was something to happen to thembefore that time? "See that they ... by the twenty-eighth!" Pleasantprospect!
Such thoughts ran through Leslie's mind and Sarita asked her what shewas thinking about.
"I'm just thinking what the next enemy move will be. Peggy, I hope thatyou can find out what the plan is and what they intend to do to us."
"I'll try," Peggy promised. "What I'm wondering about is how we can getover on the front of the cliff and see if there are any caves there."
"I don't know that I ever used my glasses on the headland when we wereclose," said Sarita. "Suppose we take the Sea Crest out and go over thatway."
"You forget how we watched those gulls and things that were roosting upthere," Peggy reminded Sarita in her usual indefinite way at whichSarita always laughed.
"Gulls and things, indeed. I'm sure that I found an eagle's nest and wewere following a bald eagle as he flew. However, girls, I'm not so surethat we'd see anything if it were there. We never saw _this_ from thebay, you know. There is one opening that we know of."
"What's that?" Peggy inquired.
"There in Pirates' Cove."
"But there is the whirlpool, or whatever it is, and the buoys saydanger."
"Sometimes I have wondered if that were a fiction," thoughtfully Leslieremarked, "just to protect the old pirates or smugglers; and maybe Billand his rum-runners take advantage of it. Do you remember, Sarita, howthose gulls the other day were floating near that place? It was fairlyquiet, you know, not much spray on the rocks, and I noticed how widethat low opening is. I think that a person could almost stand up there,if there is anything to stand on. I'd like to find out how it looks atlow tide. I'm not sure that we ever were out there or thought of it atlow tide. Were we?"
The other girls did not know, but Sarita suggested that they would notdare risk going among the rocks there in any event and the girls agreedwith her. "Dalton would go up in the air if we rowed in there, to saynothing of Elizabeth," said Sarita.
"I'd like to _do_ it, girls," and Peggy's tones vibrated with hersuppressed energy.
"Much you would, if you once got inside and found that the whirlpool, orundertow, or what not, was no joke. Promise me that you'll not try it."
"Oh, I'll not do anything of that sort without you girls. But if everyou do, I want to be along."
"It is a bargain," laughed Leslie, with no serious thoughts of itspossibility.
Peggy had asked permission to stay at the Eyrie if she were asked forsupper, rather imagining that she would be, if chance took her there atthe time. Jack probably would be working with Dalton until late. Shewelcomed, accordingly, the suggestion of their going out in the SeaCrest to take a look at the great bulk of the headland where it juttedout in its irregular masses over the waters that bathed its base. Beforeleaving, however, Peggy tarried behind to carry out an idea.
It took the girls some time to climb carefully back to level ground andthey took their own pace through the woods, or along the cliff, as fancydirected on their way back to the camp. They found Jack and Daltonperspiringly happy over their wood-chopping activities, for they werenow trimming the trees of their branches and taking these to an openspot where they would dry for firewood.
"Don't take the Sea Crest," said Dalton. "Catch us a fish for supper,girls."
"All right, we'll either catch or buy one for you boys. Where's Beth?"
"Haven't seen her this afternoon. She said that she was going to writeto Mrs. Marsh. I went down to the village for her to get some groceries;so mind you have a good supper for your workmen, Les!"
"We will. I'll stop to see Beth."
At the camp they found Beth bringing up her correspondence, which wassuch a waste of valuable time in this glorious spot, the girls thought.Leslie and Beth planned their meal, which was to be a good one, whetherthey caught a fish or not. Peggy received her desired invitation beforethey descended the rocky way to where the row boat was moored. Saritahad stopped at the tent to get her field glass.
They looked rather longingly at the Sea Crest, but their purpose couldbe as easily accomplished in the Swallow and there was a better chanceof catching a fish for supper. Leslie was in charge of the fishingtackle and prepared to lure some unwary denizen of the deep to itsdestruction. So Sarita said, as she put her glass in a safe place andtook the oars.
The bay was calm and beautiful. This, after all, was their chiefpleasure.
Rowing steadily, for there was really no time to waste if they caughtany fish for supper they reached the spot immediately opposite Pirates'Cove and its frowning cavern.
"See? There are a lot of water birds now," said Leslie, pointing to someherring gulls that floated contentedly in the cove, not very far fromthe opening.
"Yes," said Sarita, "but remember that they can lift their little feetand fly away from any wave or tugging below."
Letting her oars rest, Sarita took her glass and began to scan the rocksabove. "What's that sign up there?" she queried, her glass turned towardthe left. "Funny! I never noticed it before."
Sarita lowered her glass and looked at the girls. Peggy was as sober asa judge, her eyes widening. "Let Leslie look first," she said, as Saritaoffered her the lenses.
Sarita put them into Leslie's hand and she, too, expressed surprise."There doesn't seem to be anything written on it," she remarked, stilllooking. "It is just a square white thing of some sort."
Sarita looked again and then offered the glass again to Peggy, who didnot try to keep from laughing now. "You little mischief!" Leslie cried."Sarita, that is where we were this afternoon and Peggy stuck somethingup there. What is it, Peggy?"
"Oh, there was just a piece of pasteboard in the bottom of the basketand I had a brilliant thought. That is why I stayed behind and you hadto call to me to hurry up. I just pinned our paper napkins on top of thepasteboard and then stuck it up. The first good wind will blow it down.I thought that we could tell from down here what was next to it, youknow, and whether there would be any chance of getting around anyfurther."
"Did you want our retreat discovered, Peggy?"
"I thought of that, but I imagine that people have climbed all overthere before, don't you?"
"Very likely," Leslie replied. "Now be good children while I get readyto catch Dal's fish."
The boat had drifted a little, and Peggy, who now was the only one withoars, looked mischievous as she allowed it to go just within the circleindicated by the chief buoy and one or two others. The other girls didnot notice. Sarita was scanning the cliff and Leslie was engaged withthe line.
But they heard a hail and saw a boat approaching. "They'd better do alltheir calling before I begin to fish," said Leslie, looking at theapproaching boat. "That's Bill and there's somebody else,--oh, it's Tom!We haven't seen him for an age."
Tom was beckoning and Leslie looked around to see what could be thematter. "Peggy," she said; "child, you've gotten us inside the forbiddenterritory. Pull out!"
Peggy did so without a word, but Tom continued to pull toward them andcame up smiling. "How do you do, Miss Secrest and--?" He did not mentionthe other names, but took off his cap in salute. "Bill called myattention to you and I saw that you were in dangerous quarters, so Irowed over. See what luck we have had."
Tom displayed the fish in the bottom of their boat with pride, while thegirls acknowledged the presence of Bill with little nods and "how do youdo's." He was not very responsive and one "How do you do, Miss?"sufficed for all.
"Oh, Tom!" exclaimed Leslie, who felt that she knew the lad that hadshown them how to run the Sea Crest. "Couldn't we buy some of thosefish? We're not doing it for fun this time. The boys are hungry for fishand Dal doesn't have time to fish these days--he's so busy getting readyto build our log cabin." Leslie cast a surreptitious glance at Bill,remembering his warning to Dalton. But Bill was looking at Sarita'sglass, which she held loosely in her hand.
"Of course you can have some of our fish. We were going to sell themanyhow. It will be all right with you, Bill, won't it? I'm working forBill now sometimes, Miss Leslie."
Bill had surlily nodded assent to Tom's question, while Leslie bent overeagerly to look into the other boat, now close beside them, and toselect her fish.
"Kin ye see very fur with them, Miss?" Bill was now asking Sarita.
"Oh, yes," she replied. "It isn't exactly like a spy glass, you know,but you ought to look at the moon with it some night when it's full!"Sarita bid fair to start on her favorite fad now.
"I noticed ye lookin' at the rocks. What wuz ye lookin' fur? Do ye mindlettin' me look through 'em?"
Sarita handed over her glass immediately. "Certainly you may use it,"she said, though by this time it had occurred to her that Bill'squestion might have some other ground than mere curiosity. But it wouldnever do to show any reluctance. "I thought that I found an eagle's nestthe other day, and I was looking for that first. Then that forbiddingold cliff is interesting anyway, don't you think so?"
Bill grunted some reply as he focused the lenses with no unpracticedhand. "Somebody's tacked something up there," he said presently, theglass pointed in the direction of the "retreat."
"I did that," said Peggy. "That is to show our prowess. We've beenclimbing around about as far as we could go, I guess, and I waswondering if there weren't other places we could get to."
This was very bold, Sarita thought, to the man who was very likely thechief smuggler. But then, Bill worked for Mr. Ives, she knew.
"You'd better be keerful, Miss Peggy. Fust thing ye know, ye'll miss yerfooting and git drawed under in Pirates' Cove. Here, Tom, I guess shewouldn't mind if you took a look, too," and Bill handed the glass toTom, who wiped his fishy hands first, then took it and looked throughthe lenses with deep interest.
"No wonder you are crazy about the birds, Miss Sarita," said Tom. "I cansee every feather on that gull."
"I ought to have showed you when we were all on the Sea Crest so much,"replied Sarita.
"I was busy then," said Tom.
Bill Ritter now asked Leslie if she had picked out the fish that shewanted. Leslie then pointed them out and Bill started to gather them up.Suddenly the boat tipped a little. Bill, stooping, seemed to lose hisbalance and fell against Tom, unexpectedly. For _calamitascalamitatum_,--Sarita's cherished field glass flew from Tom's hand,seeking a watery grave just inside of Pirates' Cove.
Sarita gave a little exclamation. Bill's boat righted. Bill himselfcaught hold of Tom, then of the seat, to place himself again, and theincident was ended so far as the final disposal of poor Sarita's birdglass was concerned.
Tom gave an angry and startled look at Bill, then began to kick off hisshoes and pull off his old sweater. "What're you doing?" growled Bill.
"Going down after her glass. You knocked it out of my hand! What did youmean by falling over me that way!"
"I was trying to get their fish and put it over. Stay in the boat! Youcan't dive here. You'll never dive deep enough to git it!" Bill laid adetaining hand on Tom, who was distressed.
"Oh, yes, Tom," cried Sarita. "Don't go in after it. Bill is right, andyou didn't mean to do it!"
"I should say I didn't!" exclaimed Tom, struggling with a desire topitch Bill overboard. "I will get you some other good glass, MissSarita, as soon as I can. No, Miss Leslie, not a cent for the fish.That's the least we can do now. It was Bill's fault, too. I'll be up atthe camp to see you about this, Miss Sarita."
Seizing the oars, Tom rowed furiously away, paying no attention toBill's growlings. "Those squatters on Ives' land have enough money topay for our fish. That other girl picked three beauties and had hermoney out to pay for them!"
Meanwhile Leslie, rather dazed by what had happened, picked up her oarsand with Peggy's help rowed quietly toward home. Sarita sat idle,presently putting her face in her hands, while her shoulders heaved alittle. Peggy looked serious. "She cares a lot, doesn't she?" she saidin a low tone to Leslie.
Leslie nodded, her face also serious, and a frown between her brows.
Presently Sarita dropped her hands and wiped her eyes a little. "Icouldn't help a little weep, girls," she said. "You don't know thethings I went without to save up for that field glass! But it doesn't doany good to cry. Perhaps I can buy another some time. I can't let poorTom buy any. He is taking care of his old grandmother now, Dal said.They live in one of the neatest cottages in the village, but Tom has tomake what they live on. Dear me! Think of the birds that I'm goi
ng tomiss!"
"Sarita," said Peggy, "I'm going to buy some glasses. I'll tell Motherthat Sarita has gotten me simply crazy about birds and I must have somebinoculars like what Dad has, or some good field glasses right away!"Peggy bent over her oars well satisfied with her plans, while the othergirls looked at each other and at her with smiles.
"What should we do without our Peggy?" affectionately Leslie inquired."Don't go too far, though, in saying how crazy you are about birds.Stick strictly to the truth, honey."
"All right, Leslie. But I do like them and I want the glass awfullyanyway. I'd lend Dad's, only I don't suppose you'd want to use that. Youcan teach me birds, Sarita, and we'll keep the glass at the Eyrie, soDad will not find out. I'll use my own money if you would feel better."
"Please, Peggy, don't do anything about it. I can get along. There areenough other nice things in this grand place! And please don't say aword about it at supper. I'll be able to enjoy the fun then. But if theboys know, they may talk about it and I don't believe that I can standit just now."
Sarita's voice was quivering again. Peggy spoke at once. "It's a perfectshame! Don't worry. I'll not say a word at camp. Besides,--I think thatBill did that on purpose!"
"I wonder if he did!" exclaimed Leslie, looking at Sarita.