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Half way to the shore a triangular fin came cruising nearhim.]
THE
OCEAN WIRELESS BOYS
ON THE PACIFIC
BY
CAPTAIN WILBUR LAWTON
AUTHOR OF "THE BOY AVIATORS' SERIES," "THE DREADNOUGHT BOYS' SERIES," "THE OCEAN WIRELESS BOYS ON THE ATLANTIC," "THE OCEAN WIRELESS BOYS AND THE LOST LINER," "THE OCEAN WIRELESS BOYS OF THE ICEBERG PATROL," "THE OCEAN WIRELESS BOYS AND THE NAVAL CODE," ETC.
ILLUSTRATED BY ARTHUR O. SCOTT
NEW YORK HURST & COMPANY PUBLISHERS
Copyright, 1916, BY HURST & COMPANY
CONTENTS
I. On the Broad Pacific 5 II. The Ocean in a Rage 14 III. A Long Night 20 IV. The Derelict 26 V. The "Centurion" 33 VI. A Mystery of the Seas 39 VII. An Old Enemy Oddly Met 49 VIII. "Land, Ho!" 56 IX. Through Hidden Dangers 64 X. Chumming with Savages 72 XI. The Cave of the Pearls 78 XII. A Trap! 84 XIII. On the Reef 90 XIV. Battling Man-eating Sharks 97 XV. A Message from the Deep 104 XVI. Alive on the Sea 113 XVII. An Encounter at Bomobori 119 XVIII. Donald Judson Again 126 XIX. He Tells a Strange Story 132 XX. A Traitor in Camp 143 XXI. A Memorable Night 153 XXII. Into the Jungle 164 XXIII. A Dangerous Tree 171 XXIV. Wireless at Work 178 XXV. A Jungle Hotel 186 XXVI. Prisoners of "Bully" Broom 195 XXVII. At the Old Fort 203 XXVIII. The Free-booter's Demands 209 XXIX. The Rescue Party 216 XXX. In the Coils of a Python 224 XXXI. The Journey Resumed 236 XXXII. A Storm in the Jungle 245 XXXIII. The Giant Spiders 260 XXXIV. A Fight with a Hornbill 272 XXXV. The Heart of New Guinea 280 XXXVI. Found at Last! 292
The Ocean Wireless Boys on the Pacific.
CHAPTER I.--ON THE BROAD PACIFIC.
Twenty days out from San Francisco in the vast, heaving desert of thesea, twenty days of storm, sunshine and calm, the _Sea Gypsy_, the greatwhite yacht of Jacob Jukes, head of the big Atlantic and PacificShipping Combine, was making her way lazily through the dreamy SouthSeas. The vessel was capable of great speed, being known as one of thefastest craft of her kind. But she was bound on a mission which mighttake a long time to consummate, and economy of coal, which was piledeven on her decks, to re-enforce the supply in the bunkers, wasnecessary.
What this mission was remained, so far, a mystery to every one on boardexcept Mr. Jukes himself, the iron-jawed and impenetrable organizer ofthe expedition. Up to this time he had shown no inclination to unburdenhimself of his secret, and although the craft was equipped with powerfulwireless of the most modern type, the yacht had received no messages,nor had she sent any, under orders from Mr. Jukes.
On this particular evening Jack Ready leaned against the door of thewireless-room, a converted deck cabin, and covertly watched theheavy-shouldered, bull-necked form of the millionaire shipping man asthe latter gazed over the rail across the vacant waters at the gorgeoussunset.
It was a true pageant of the heavens, such as is only to be seen in theSouthern ocean. Great cloud-masses rose in wondrous forms, likeglorified castle walls and turrets, glowing with purple and gold andred. Jack found himself following Mr. Jukes' gaze. Although suchspectacles had been almost nightly ones since they had steamed into thetropics, there was something wild and sinister about the present onethat thrilled him.
Captain Septimus Sparhawk, the brown, gaunt captain of the yacht, whosethin face was decorated by two little dabs of grayish whiskers forwardof each ear, passed by.
"Nothing to do but to look at the sky, eh?" he asked Jack, as asuspicion of a smile crept over his face.
"That's about all, sir," rejoined Jack, with a laugh. "I expect to seespiders spinning webs on my instruments every day. I haven't touched thekey since we sailed."
The captain shook his head. He was an old and loyal employee of theshipping man, and not much given to words. But, apparently, now he feltcalled upon to express himself.
"It's a queer business, lad," he said, "and it may get queerer stillbefore we find out what it's all about. I'm as much in the dark as youor the cabin boy. But right now that sunset worries me more thananything else."
"You're on the look-out for a storm?" asked Jack, noting a sudden lookof anxiety in the captain's pale blue eyes, surrounded by a network oftiny wrinkles, due to long gazing into salty gales.
"Worse than that, Ready," was the rejoinder. "This is the hurricaneseason in these parts and the glass,--I've just taken a squint atit,--is dropping as if it never meant to stop."
"If I could use the wireless----" began Jack.
"We could probably get a weather reading from some other ship,"interrupted the captain, starting off, "but as it is, we might as wellnot have it on board at all. The thing's got me stumped."
He carried himself off on his long, thin legs but paused to speak to Mr.Jukes. The ship-owner, although Jack could not hear what was said,appeared to be agitated somewhat by the captain's words, for he beganpuffing rapidly at his after-dinner cigar, sending out smoke like theexhaust of a locomotive funnel, a sure sign, as Jack had observed, thathe was disturbed.
"I'll make all snug, sir," the boy heard the captain say, as he turnedaway, "and then we will be prepared for whatever happens."
"Very well, Sparhawk," answered Mr. Jukes, in a somewhat louder voicethan he had used hitherto, "and be sure to see to it that the deck loadof coal is secured safely. They tell me the bunkers are running low."
As has been stated, the _Sea Gypsy's_ decks were piled high fore and aftwith coal, kept in place by wooden bulkheads, which did not add to theappearance of the ship and encumbered progress from bow to stern. Onlyamidships, where the cabins were situated, was the deck clear. As thecaptain ascended the bridge he turned and gave an order to a pettyofficer and presently the crew could be seen at work lashing bigtarpaulins down over the coal which was so important to keep the _SeaGypsy_ moving on her mysterious mission.
The news that the coal supply was running low in the bunkers was asurprise to Jack. He made for Billy Raynor's cabin where the young chiefengineer of the yacht was writing up his "log."
"Yes, it's right," he rejoined to Jack's question, "the loss o
f thatdeck load would be a serious matter. We're a good many hundred milesfrom land and will have to tap the supply before long."
"Billy, what on earth do you suppose is the object of this voyage?"demanded Jack abruptly.
"Blessed if I know, but I'm well satisfied with my promotion and job,"declared Raynor. "Cruising these wonderful seas in a yacht that's abeauty, even if her decks are all littered up like a cattle boat's, justabout suits me."
"That's all right, you've got something to do," complained Jack. "Butlook at my case. I have to polish up my instruments every day to keepthem from getting rusty."
"Serves you right for not stopping ashore and enjoying yourself,"chuckled Raynor teasingly. "Since you sold that 'Universal Detector' ofyours to the government you could surely afford to."
"Just as if I could kick my heels on shore doing nothing," was Jack'sindignant reply, "but it does seem as if it's about time we knewsomething of what this voyage is for."
"Maybe it's just a pleasure cruise to allow Mr. Jukes to get away fromhis business troubles," hazarded Raynor.
Jack shook his head in decided negative.
"There's more in it than that," he declared positively. "Mr. Jukes isfirst of all a man of business. He wouldn't come skylarking across thePacific for three weeks if he was just out for a cruise. He'd go wherehe could keep in touch with the market and Wall Street."
"That's so," Raynor was compelled to agree. "Well, I suppose when hegets ready to spill some information he'll do it. In the meantime my jobjust suits me. But what made you ask about the deck coal?"
"Because Captain Sparhawk says we're in for a bad blow, maybe ahurricane."
Raynor's usually cheerful face became suddenly serious.
"When did he say that?" he asked.
"Just now. They're putting tarpaulins over it now. If we dropped it,we'd be in a bad fix, eh, Billy?"
"We'd have about coal enough left for two or three days," rejoinedRaynor.
"And after that----?"
"It would be a case of 'merrily we drift along.'"
The door gave a sudden sharp slam. A puff of wind, sweeping suddenlyover the hitherto breathless sea, had banged it shut.
Jack jumped up and swung it quickly open again.
"Here she comes," he cried excitedly.
At the same instant the _Sea Gypsy_ gave a sidelong lurch that sent bothlads helter-skelter across the cabin. Outside came a sudden bawling ofvoices and a distant, disquieting roar that grew louder every second.
CHAPTER II.--THE OCEAN IN A RAGE.
Directly they recovered their sea legs, both lads made for the cabindoor. A wonderful but alarming spectacle met their eyes. The sunset hadbeen blotted out as if by magic. In its place was a ragged, inky-blackcloud curtain that was being swept across the sky as if invisible,titanic hands were swiftly pulling it.
The sea immediately about them was heaving wildly in great swells thattumbled the _Sea Gypsy_, rendered less stable by her top-heavy load,from side to side. Far off, under the rushing black cloud, the forefrontof which was almost over them by this time, was a jagged line of white.
Mr. Booth, the second mate, bundled up in oilskins, ran past the boys onhis way to the bridge.
"Better get under cover," he advised as he passed. "This is going to bea hummer."
But, fascinated by the majestic sight, both boys stood still, clutchingthe rail and bracing themselves for the shock they felt was coming, forboth had guessed that the jagged white line in the distance was a giantwave. Like a cliff of water it grew as it swept toward them, accompaniedby a howling of the wind that sounded like a witches' carnival. So swiftwas its advance that the boys had hardly time to run toward the cabinwhen it broke upon them.
The _Sea Gypsy_ heeled like a ship that had been struck a mortal blow.For one instant she hung balanced as if she was about to capsize. Thedoor of the cabin in which the boys had taken refuge was ripped from itshinges by the terrific force of the impact as if it had been matchwood.
The next moment both lads were struggling for their lives in a surging,sweeping smother of water that filled the cabin to the roof. Jack felthimself clutched by the hands of his chum. Fighting to keep himselfabove water, Jack saw that Raynor had been hurled against some objectand been wounded. There was a jagged cut in his forehead.
He had hardly noticed this, when the _Sea Gypsy_ staggered back to aneven keel. As she did so the water swept out of the cabin like amillrace, carrying both boys helplessly with it.
Jack felt Raynor torn from his arms, and the next thing he realized hewas struggling for his life in the waves that reared and roared abovethe floundering yacht.
A month before the events we are describing took place, Jack Ready, theyoung wireless operator of the _Sea Gypsy_, and his inseparable chum,Billy Raynor, had been summoned to Mr. Jukes' New York office and toldthat they were detached from duty on the big _Columbia_, the crack linerof the Jukes' ships, and ordered to pack their things forthwith and meetthe ship-owner at the St. Francis Hotel in San Francisco within a week.Neither had demurred, supposing some interest of the ship-owners calledfor their presence there. But, much to their bewilderment, they had eachbeen handed a substantial check by Mr. Jukes on his arrival in thewestern metropolis, told to outfit themselves for a long voyage, andnothing more. Two days later the _Sea Gypsy_ cleared the harbor.
The acquaintance of Jack and Mr. Jukes had its beginning in certainevents which took place near Jack's quaint home, which he shared with aneccentric uncle on an old schooner in the Erie Basin in New York. Therescue by Jack of Mr. Jukes' little daughter, and the result on hisaffairs, were fully detailed in the first volume of this series, whichwas called "The Ocean Wireless Boys on the Atlantic." This is not theplace to re-tell all the exciting adventures that befell Jack and youngRaynor, who was third engineer on the steamer to which Jack wasassigned, in fulfillment of his ambition to be a "wireless man."
Nor can we do more here than to hint at the contents of the secondvolume. This was called "The Ocean Wireless Boys and the Lost Liner,"and set forth the fate of the _Tropic Queen_. In this book we found Jackand his inseparable chum steadily progressing in their chosenprofessions, and also met several other characters, all of whom had animportant bearing on the events of the boys' lives. Mr. Jukes tookformal recognition of the part Jack played in the disaster that overtookthe _Tropic Queen_, and inwardly resolved that his heroism and devotionto duty had made him a lad worth watching.
Still a third volume followed, describing the boys' further adventures.In the "Ocean Wireless Boys of the Iceberg Patrol," much interestinginformation about the manner in which the ocean lanes are guarded fromthe white menace of the north, was given. The boys shared in manythrilling adventures also, and ended by discovering something that anexpedition, at the head of which was Jack's Uncle Toby, had almost lostthrough the tricks of a band of hard characters.
The fourth book setting forth their doings was called "The OceanWireless Boys and the Naval Code." Captain Simms of the U. S. N., afterdevising a novel code for the use of this government, through themachinations of a band of daring rascals, found himself robbed of it.Wireless played a big part in the recovery of the documents in the longrun, Jack acquitting himself to the delight of the naval officials andthe government by his work in this connection. Some of the miscreants,whose tricks Jack had helped to frustrate, were sent to prison butothers got free. These latter the boys, though they little suspected it,were destined to meet again.
CHAPTER III.--A LONG NIGHT.
Blinded, choked and with a red mist before his eyes, and in his ears theroar of waters, Jack fought the undertow of the retreat of the giantwave with all his strength. All at once he felt some heavy object hurledagainst him.
The force of the collision almost knocked what little breath remained inhis body out of his lungs. Instinctively he reached out for whatever itwas that had struck him.
It was a human body.
The boy had hardly realized this
before he found himself flung, pantingand gasping, down upon the deck. Thanks to the stays of the foremost ofthe _Sea Gypsy's_ two masts, against which the retreating wave hadpitched him, he had not been drawn overboard. Instead, as the pressureof water relaxed, it had dropped him and the mute burden he had clasped,to the deck.
For a few minutes Jack lay there panting, too much exhausted to exert amuscle or limb. The unconscious form hurtled against him by the swirlingwaters lay at his side. It was too dark for Jack to see then who it was,or if life remained in the motionless figure. By-and-by, as his strengthcame back, he got to his feet and dragged the limp form to a cabin. Itproved to be the one which the great wave had swept from Jack sounceremoniously. Luckily, although the seas were thundering mountainshigh about the laboring yacht, none like that first terrific comberassailed her.
Steadying himself on the rocking floor with much difficulty, Jackfumbled for the electric switch. He found it at last and let on a floodof light. The radiance shed itself on a pale face with a deeply slashedforehead that lay at the boy's feet.
"It's Billy," choked the boy. He got on his knees by Raynor'sunconscious form and gently raised his chum's head. It fell back limply.A blood-chilling thought surged through Jack and he grew as white as thelad he held.
He put his hand hastily over Raynor's heart and a great wave of reliefwent through him. His chum's heart was beating, although feebly. It wasnot too late to save him. It was a hard task for Jack to stagger acrossthat bounding, reeling floor, carrying the limp and unconscious Raynor,but at last he managed to accomplish it, and deposited the injured youngengineer in the bunk that occupied one side of the latter's cabin. Thenhe washed and dressed the injury as best he could.