CHAPTER XXIX
THE BURNING OF THE WRECK
"When Lesher and Baxter got back to where they left us they were verybitter against you," began Gibson. "They told us that you had triedto make them work like niggers, fixing up this house. They said thatthey wanted to come right back and bring us here, but you wouldn'tlet them go until the house was finished."
"Which is not true, as all of us here know," said Captain Blossom.
"Lesher also said that you were angry at us for leaving the shipbefore the rest, and that you had said you would have us all triedfor mutiny the first chance you got. Baxter said the same, and alsotold us that you were going to dump all the rum and other liquor intothe ocean, so that the mate and none of the others could get a dropof it while they stayed on the islands."
"I didn't say that, but I did say that Lesher Shouldn't have all hewanted," replied the captain.
"This sort of talk made most of the sailors wild," went on Gibson."Then Lesher made a speech to them, and they voted to stick by himthrough thick and thin and not let you rule them. He promised themall the liquor they wanted, and told them that if they stuck by himthe whole lot could swear in court that they had found the wreckdeserted, so that they could get whatever was coming in the way ofsalvage. Then he handed around some liquor he had brought along, andsome pistols, and most of them said they would stick to him, as Isaid before."
"What about going directly to the wreck?" asked Tom.
"That was Baxter's idea, and it wasn't thought of until we were onour way to this spot. Baxter said that if we captured the ship wewould have you at our mercy, for sooner or later your provisionswould run out, and you'd be begging for something to eat."
"The scoundrel!" cried Dick. "So he thought to starve us intosubmission, eh? Well, he shan't do it."
"I said I didn't think it would be fair on the young ladies," continuedGibson. "But he told me he'd take care of the girls after he hadbrought you to your knees."
"He'll never take care of me!" cried Dora.
"Nor me!" came from Nellie.
"I'd rather die than leave this place in Dan Baxter's company," addedGrace.
"Captain, I want you to understand that Gibson and I didn't agreeto what they wanted to do," came from Marny. "But we were overruled,and we had to hold our tongues for fear of being knocked down or shot."
"Do you want to join our crowd?" asked Dick bluntly.
"We do, and if you'll take us in we'll promise to stand by you tothe end, no matter what comes. We know they've got the best ofit--having the ship's stores--but we don't care for that. They area drunken, good-for-nothing crowd, and we are done with them."
"All right, men, I think we can trust you," said Captain Blossom."It's a pity that Hackenhaven was lost overboard and eat up by thesharks. We could rather have spared Lesher."
"Or Dan Baxter," observed Tom.
"With three gone they have but eight men left on the wreck," saidSam. "And we now number seven men and three ladies. If we stand ourground, I can't see as we have much to fear from them."
"It will be all right so long as they keep their distance," saidCaptain Blossom. "But if they come over here in a body when they arehalf full of drink, there is sure to be a row and probably someshooting. Still, we needn't try to meet trouble halfway."
The sailors gave some more of the details of their doings while inLesher's company, and then they were provided with additional clothing,and each was given a pistol and some ammunition. Nothing was said tothem about the cave or the provisions stored there, Captain Blossomdeeming it best to wait and make sure if they were to be thoroughlytrusted.
"You see," said he, "they may be straight enough, or they may bespies sent by Lesher to find out just what we propose to do."
"They look honest," said Dick. "I should trust them."
The long pull on the bay had worn the two sailors out, and they weresoon sleeping soundly. The girls followed, and then the boys startedto turn in.
Sam had just gone to rest, and Tom was following, when Dick, who hadstepped out on the beach, uttered a cry.
"What's up?" asked Captain Blossom.
"Look toward the wreck. What does that light mean?"
The captain looked, and then ran for his spy-glass.
"The _Golden Wave_ is afire!" he exclaimed. "That light is coming upout of the cabin!"
"The wreck is on fire!" shouted Tom, and this cry brought everybodyout once more.
With remarkable rapidity the light grew brighter, until the heavensand the entire bay were lit up by the conflagration. There was astrong wind blowing, which carried the sparks to the jungle back ofthe ship. Listening intently, they could occasionally hear the roaringand crackling of the flames.
"The ship is doomed, that is certain," said Sam. "I wonder if allwho were on board escaped?"
"The fire has caught in the brushwood on the shore," announced CaptainBlossom, who had continued to use the spyglass.
"Can you see any of the men moving around?" questioned Dora.
"I thought I saw one or two, but I am not certain. Most of the menmust have escaped, but if they were drunk, as Gibson says, perhapssome have been caught like rats in a trap."
The flames continued to roar upward, and toward the island back ofthe ship, for over an hour. During that time they heard two dullexplosions, caused by some barrels of chemicals catching fire. Thesecond explosion sent the bits of burning wood and rigging flying inall directions.
"That will leave the mutineers without a home and without stores,"said old Jerry. "They're in a poor fix now."
"I'd like to know how the fire started," said the captain. "Can youexplain it?" he went on, to Gibson and Marny.
"I've got an idea," said Marny. "Just before we came away old manShular went down in the hold with a light to look for some certainbrand of liquor we were carrying. He was more than half drunk, andhe most likely dropped his lantern and set something on fire."
At the end of an hour and a half the flames had died down to thewater's edge. A few small bits of wreckage continued to burn, andalso a grove of trees and brushwood on the island. But before morningevery bit of the fire was out, and only a heavy smoke showed wherethe _Golden Wave_ had once rested.
No one had thought of retiring again, and sunrise found them all wornout, and anxious to know what was going to happen next.
"You can rest assured that some of them will be over here sooner orlater," said Dick. "Now they have no place to shelter them, and noprovisions, they will want us to help them out."
"What will you do, Dick?" asked Dora.
"That depends on Captain Blossom, Dora. Personally I want nothing todo with any of them."
"But some may be badly burnt, and they may need medicine and bandages,"came from Nellie.
"We can send them whatever we can spare," said Tom. "But I objectstrongly to letting anybody come here."
It was decided to remain on guard during the day, and all werecautioned to keep within call of the house. The bay was scanned forthe sight of a rowboat, but none put in an appearance.
"I'll wager that those who did escape are sorry they quarreled withus," said Sam.
"Especially Dan Baxter," answered Grace. "He'll find that living outin the woods isn't so pleasant as it looks."
By nightfall all grew anxious, and sat in front of the house todiscuss the situation.
"It can't be possible that all on board were burnt up," said Dick."That would be horrible."
"Oh, some must have escaped," answered Captain Blossom. "But theymay be suffering from burns, or they may have no means of gettinghere. With the ship burnt up, and all the tools gone, it would be noeasy matter to build even the roughest kind of a raft."
"What do you think about some of us rowing over to what is left ofthe wreck?" asked Sam.
"I was thinking of that. But, if we do that, we had better wait untilto-morrow morning. You can't see much in the dark."
"If I thought anybody was dying for the want of aid, I'd go over,"said T
om. "We all know what brutes Lesher and Baxter are. They wouldn'thesitate to go off and leave some of the others to die where theyhad fallen."
"I think Tom is right, and some of us ought to go over," said Dick.
"I'm willing to go," announced old Jerry. "We can move around likecats in the dark, so they won't know we are near until we tell 'em."
"You might take some medicines along, and some bandages," said Nellie.
"Take a bottle of sweet oil and some flour," put in Grace. "They areboth good for burns."
The matter was talked over until midnight, and then it was settledthat Dick, Tom, and old Jerry should take the largest rowboat andsome bandages and medicines and row over to the vicinity of the fire.They were to land on the beach below what was left of the wreck andcrawl through the bushes on a tour of discovery. If they found thatthey were not absolutely needed, they were to return without makingtheir presence known to the mutineers and Dan Baxter.
The two boys and the old sailor were soon on the way. Care had beentaken to wrap cloth around the oars where they slipped in the row-locks,so that the boat moved through the water, as noiselessly as a shadow.
Once out in the bay the boys and old Jerry, pulled with a will, andin less than half an hour the beach north of what was left of thewreck was gained. They approached with great caution.
"Do you see or hear anything?" whispered Tom.
"No," answered Dick, and then the rowboat grated on the sand, andall leaped ashore.
With their medicines and bandages in their pockets, and pistols inhand, they commenced to crawl through the bushes. Before long theycame to a point from which they could look toward the wreck. All wasdark and deserted and the air was filled with the smell of burntwood and water.
"I don't see anybody, do you?" whispered Dick.
"Nary a soul in sight," answered old Jerry.
With equal care they moved around to the other side of the wreck,over a mass of burnt brushwood.
"Hark!" said Tom.
They listened, and, from a distance, made out a faint groan.
"That is somebody, and in great pain," said Dick. "Come on," and heled the way.
Around a pile of rocks they found a sailor. He was propped up againsta tree, and was suffering from some burns on his legs and feet.
"Bostwick!" said old Jerry.
"Oh! oh! Help me!" groaned Bostwick piteously. "Give me a drink ofwater!"
"Where are the others?" asked Dick.
"Gone! They left me to take care of myself. Oh, the wretches! Pleasehelp me; won't you, for the love of Heaven!"
"Yes, we will help you," answered Tom.
"You are certain they have all gone?" went on Dick, as he got outsome oil and bandages, while Tom ran for water.
"Yes, yes!"
"Where did they go?"
"They went--oh, my legs and feet! How they smart! They went tothe--the--house! Lesher said you must have set the ship on fire, andBaxter said the same. They--oh, what a pain! Please be careful!"Bostwick gulped down the water Tom gave him. "That is good."
"What did they say, Bostwick?" asked Dick, as he continued to workover the hurt man.
"They said they were going to pay you back. They all went armed; thatis, all but me and Shular. Shular was burnt up. They said they weregoing to shoot you down on sight, and then run the house to suitthemselves. I said--oh, the pain. I--I--how weak I am!"
And with those words the burnt sailor fell back in a dead faint.