CHAPTER XI
THE HOUSEBOAT
"Lightning!" cried Bob.
"Must have struck here!" remarked Ned.
"Did you ever see lightning so near at hand and not hear thunder?"asked Jerry. "It was a searchlight, I think."
"A searchlight in this deserted region?" inquired Ned. "Guess again,Jerry."
No sooner had he spoken than there came the intense white glare again.This time there was no mistaking it. It was the flare of an acetylenegas lantern.
"An automobile!" cried Bob.
"On the lake?" asked Ned. Then suddenly changing the subject; "Wow! Iwish I had an umbrella for a few minutes!" He felt a stream of waterrunning down his back.
The white shaft of light played about, now on the trees, now on thewater, and again full into the faces of the bewildered travelers, whostood in the downpour, not knowing what to do. Then, from out of thedarkness behind the shaft of illumination were heard the clear tones ofa girl's voice calling:
"Well, dad, we've struck land at any rate!"
"It's a boat!" exclaimed Jerry. "Somebody has landed here in a boat!"
"Girls and women in it," added Ned, as sounds of several femininevoices were noted. A moment later a man's tones asked:
"What sort of land have we struck, Rose?"
"Can't tell, dad," was the reply. "It's solid enough at any rate,judging by the way the _Wanderer_ hit it. The searchlight doesn't showanything but trees, does it Ponto?"
"No, indeedy," replied a negro. "But, 'scuse me, Miss Rose, I donethought I seed some pursons a minute ago when I done flashed de lanternstraight ahead."
"Persons, Ponto? Then for mercy sakes, flash it that way again, andperhaps they'll tell us where we are."
Once more the searchlight shone in the faces of the boys and theprofessor, and this time the girl, who had been speaking to the negro,saw the travelers.
"Can you tell us where we are?" she called, raising her voice to beheard above the roar of the storm.
"On an island in Lake Kissimmee," replied Jerry. "What boat is that?"
"The houseboat _Wanderer_."
"What is it, Rose?" called another girl's voice from somewhere in thedarkness back of the lantern.
"Some boys and a man," replied Rose.
"Girls! Girls!" exclaimed the voice of the gentleman aboard the_Wanderer_. "Stop that chattering! If there are persons out in the rainwhy don't you ask them to come aboard out of the storm? Ponto, run outthe gangplank!"
"Yas, sah, right away, sah!"
There was a creaking of ropes and the rumble of a plank being hauledacross the deck.
"Excuse me," spoke the one who had been called Rose, addressing thethree boys and the professor. "Won't you come aboard out of the wet?"
"Thank you, I believe we will," answered Jerry, and, as the plank whichthe negro thrust out touched the bank Jerry stepped on it, followed byhis chums and Mr. Snodgrass. A moment later they were under the shelterof the houseboat, standing at the entrance to a snug little cabin, inwhich were three young ladies and an elderly gentleman.
"Glad to welcome you," said the man. "My name is Nathan Seabury. Theseare my daughters, Rose, Nellie and Olivia," indicating each one inturn. "We are traveling about on this houseboat. The girls pretend itis for my health, but I strongly suspect it is for their own."
"Now father!" exclaimed Olivia, whom Jerry decided was the prettiest ofthe three, "you know you're not well, and it's time for your medicine."
"Not until morning, young lady!" and Mr. Seabury winked at theprofessor.
"Allow me to introduce myself and these boys," spoke Mr. Snodgrass,handing out a card, inscribed with his name and the initials of thevarious societies to which he belonged. Then he gave the names of theboys, and briefly told of their travels.
"We started from Kissimmee City about two weeks ago," explained Mr.Seabury, "and we have been drifting slowly along ever since, enjoyinglife here. Last night the small motor, which serves to propel our boatat a moderate speed, broke. We anchored but the rope must have slipped,for the first thing we knew we were adrift in the storm. Then we hitthis place, and--well, here we are."
"This is an island," said Jerry. "We camped here for the night, but thestorm woke us up and--"
"Why you are all soaking wet!" interrupted Nellie. "You will catchcold. Ponto, light the fire and heat some water. I'll make some hotlemonade!"
"Nellie is always afraid some one will catch cold," explained herfather.
"Don't go to any trouble on our account," said Ned, for which Bobwanted to kick him, as he was wet and hungry, and it looked as if therewere good things to eat aboard the _Wanderer_.
The colored man soon had a fire going in the stove, and the kettlewas put on to boil, while Nellie busied herself in making not onlyhot lemonade, but coffee as well, and setting out some things moresubstantial, at the sight of which Bob's drooping spirits revived.
"I'm sorry I can't offer you some dry garments," said Mr. Seabury witha smile, "but the fact is my boys are all girls. I might help theprofessor out--but the others--"
"We have plenty of dry things in our boat," said Ned. "I'll go and getthem."
The plan was voted a good one. Aided by the searchlight, whichwas turned to illuminate the path from the houseboat to where the_Dartaway_ was moored Ned, borrowing a big raincoat from Mr. Seabury,went to the craft, and, from the waterproof lockers took out drygarments for himself and the others of his party. These he held underthe raincoat and brought aboard the _Wanderer_.
The boys and the professor removed their wet clothes and put on dryones in one of the spare rooms of the houseboat, and then sat down tothe meal which Nellie and her sisters, aided by Jeanette, a coloredservant, had prepared.
It was still raining hard, and, as the houseboat was large, Mr.Seabury's invitation, that the boys and the professor stay aboard untilmorning was accepted. The _Dartaway's_ bunks had not been made up, andto arrange them in the darkness and rain would have been quite a task.So the travelers were grateful for the unexpected hospitality afforded.
It cleared off in the morning, and when the boys and Mr. Snodgrassarose they looked out on a scene of beauty. The island lay in themiddle of a large blue lake that was fringed all around with big trees,the green foliage of which looked fresh and clean after the shower.
"It's your turn to get breakfast, Bob," observed Jerry. "Skip ashoreand start a fire."
"I was just going to ask you to do me the honor to take breakfast withme," put in Mr. Seabury, coming on deck. "I'd be very pleased to haveyou."
Ned was going to refuse, as he thought the addition of four to theeating accommodations of the _Wanderer_ might prove too great a strain,but Mr. Seabury anticipated him.
"I am not altogether unselfish in asking you," he went on. "I amanxious to have you look at our engine. Ponto doesn't seem to be ableto find out what the trouble is, though usually he can fix it. So ifyou'll stay to breakfast and then look at my motor I'll be very muchobliged."
"We will!" exclaimed Bob, before any of the others could answer.
"Then I'll go below and see that the girls have things in readiness,"said the owner of the houseboat. "We are living unconventionally here,"he added. "I find the climate is very good for my nerves, which aremore at fault than my general health."
While breakfast was being prepared the boys looked over the _Wanderer_.They found it a first-class houseboat, with many improvements andconveniences.
"We'll give Bob a chance to fix the motor, he was so anxious to stay,"said Ned to Jerry. "I'd like to see him sweating over it."
"You've got to help," stipulated Bob. "You're just as anxious to stayto breakfast as I am, only you're afraid to say so. Come on, there'sthe bell!"