CHAPTER XVI.
THE BOYS MAKE AN ACQUISITION.
Headed by Ben Stubbs with the lantern the young adventurers rushed afterFrank into the open, determined to ascertain if possible the meaning ofthe strange and startling interruption to their peaceful evening. It wasin vain, however, that they searched for any indication of the presenceof a human being. In the blackness it was indeed impossible to make morethan a cursory examination of the surroundings of the hut.
At daybreak, however, after a restless night, Frank, who had risen assoon as the first gray of dawn made things dimly visible, uttered a cryof surprise from outside the hut. Hastily flinging off their coveringsand slipping into their clothes the others ran out.
"Look here," exclaimed Frank, "what do you make of this?"
He held up a small bottle in which was a bit of red flannel, a chickenfeather, some rusty nails and several dried grasshoppers.
"I found it put right to one side of the door sill," he explained. "Howwe missed finding it last night I don't know."
"What can it mean?" chorused the other boys peering eagerly at thestrange object.
"Looks as if some mischievous kid had put it there," suggested BillyBarnes.
"I don't think there are likely to be any 'mischievous kids,' as youcall them, about here, Billy," said Frank with a smile.
"Well, I give it up," said Harry; "I never was much good at readingriddles."
"Just let me look at it a moment, shipmate," put in Ben Stubbs quietly."I kinder think I have an inkling of what it means."
He took the bottle and examined it carefully. Then he nodded his headsagely.
"It's some kind 'er voodoo for certain shu," exclaimed Pork Chops. "Iwouldn't touch dat lilly bottle fo' all de money in dis yer worl'."
"What did you say it was, Pork Chops, you inky pirate?" asked Ben,turning on him.
"Lan' sakes, don' snap me up dat er way, Marse Stubbs," gasped the oldnegro, "I only said I wouldn' touch dat bottle. It's voodoo fo' shu'."
"Right you are, my boy," cried Ben, "only it's not voodoo; but it'ssomething very like it. It's obeah."
"Obeah!" exclaimed Frank, "what on earth is that, Ben?"
"Why, it's a form of witchcraft used by the ignorant negroes of the WestIndies and Bahama islands," explained Ben. "It's meant as a warning toany one on whose doorstep it is placed. In this case, as I take it, itmeans, 'Don't come no further.'"
"Well," laughed Frank, "it will take more than a bottle of dried bugsand old chicken feathers to make us turn back, and anyway, how comes aWest Indian negro here? If it was a Seminole now----"
"That's a puzzle to me too," remarked Ben. "Then Seminoles don't usenothing like this that ever I heard of.--What's that?" he broke offsuddenly.
The cause of the interruption was a great fluttering of wings from theedge of the clearing and several herons flapped heavily out of thewoods.
"There's someone in there," cried Frank.
"Right you are, my boy, and I propose that we put an end to this mysterybusiness and find out who it is. Volunteers for the job."
Of course everyone was anxious to penetrate the mysterious cause of thebirds' flight, which they felt had something to do with the placing ofthe bottle and the tapping on the door, and a few minutes later, heavilyarmed and ready for any surprise that might be sprung on them, thelittle party sallied across the clearing and into the dark mass offorest.
They had gone perhaps a quarter of a mile or so, and Ben Stubbs hadremarked that they must have pretty well reached the limits of theisland, when there was a great crashing of the dense undergrowthimmediately in front of them and a human figure, bent almost double, wasseen darting through the brush with the rapidity of a scared rabbit.
"Stop, or we'll fire," cried Frank.
But the figure kept on running. Frank was in a quandary. Of course hehad not meant to carry out his intention and the fact that the man kepton running put him in an awkward position. They could not kill the man;yet if they did not fire he would escape from them and it was mostessential they should capture and question him if it could be done.
Ben Stubbs raised his rifle and leveled it. Frank caught his arm anddragged it down.
"None of that," he said sharply, "if we can't get him without shootinghim we'll have to let him get away."
Ben laughed.
"Don't git excited, shipmate," he remarked coolly, "I was only going tergive him a scare. Once more Ben raised his rifle and just as thefugitive was vanishing from view sent a bullet whistling over his headthat nicked off several twigs and sent them scattering in a shower onhis neck. With a loud screech of terror the fleeing figure flopped downand groveled on the ground.
"I'se a British subjec'." he yelled, "don't do me no harm, massa, I'm asubjec' of the King."
"Get up, you black rascal," roared Ben, for by this time they had comeup to the groveling figure and saw that he was even blacker than theredoubtable Pork Chops, who had run back to camp at top speed as soon asthey had sighted the fugitive.
"Get up," he went on, "we are United Statesers, and the king won't doyou no good now. Who are you and what do you want around our camp?"
Tremblingly the negro got to his feet. He was a strange figure. Apalpable negro he yet wore the garb of a Seminole Indian. His shirt,with its tail flapping outside a pair of buckskin trousers,bright-colored turban, and buckskin moccasins were the customary clothesof the tribe.
"Well," said Frank, as this nondescript figure stood facing them, beadsof perspiration streaming down its face, "what have you got to say foryourself?"
"Snooping around and putting bottles of dessicated bugs on our frontstoop," indignantly cried Billy Barnes.
"I didn't mean no harm, massa, didn't really mean no harm at all. Meberry good ole man. Bahama nigger I am."
"Well, what are you doing here, then?" demanded Ben.
"Don' shoot me, massa, an' I tell you eberyt'ing," sputtered thecaptive, terrified at Ben's ferocious expression. Put in moreintelligible language than the Bahama negro used his story was this:
Suspected unjustly some years before of having killed the captain of asponging vessel of which he was one of the crew he had fled into theEverglades to avoid lynching. He had fallen into the hands of a tribe ofSeminoles, off on an otter hunt, when he was almost famished and hadbeen treated by them with kindness. In fact so well pleased had he beenwith his surroundings that he had taken a wife from the tribe and wasnow one of them.
Several days before the outposts had brought news of the approach of theadventurers into the interior and the Seminoles had at once madepreparations to turn them back. The Bahaman, whose name, by the way, heconfided was "Quatty," was singled out as being the best spy they couldsend inasmuch as he could speak English and would understand theconversation of the strangers. He had landed on the island the afternoonbefore and when he saw that one of the party was a black conceived theidea of working "obeah" on him. He knew that if the darky was a WestIndian, which he suspected, he would really interpret the ominous natureof the sign.
"But why are you so anxious to keep us out?" asked Harry, "we mean noharm to you."
"Wall, dem ign'nant sabages," grandiloquently stated Quatty, "hasobtained de idea dat you is in some way connected wid some white menwhat came down in the 'glades tree months ago or so."
The boys started eagerly.
"Some white men that came into the 'glades?" repeated Frank.
"Yes, massa," said Quatty, "dot's de bery meaning I intend to convey."
"Where are these white men?" demanded Frank and Harry in the samebreath.
"Long way from here, far in de 'glades. Dem sabages is werry much scairtof dem," went on Quatty, "one time dey go near dere camp and some man hethrow something make noise like de worl' he comin' to an en' and blowbig hole in de groun'."
"It must be the men we are after," exclaimed Frank tensely.
"And the stuff they threw was Chapinite," added Harry.
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p; "Are they still here?" was Frank's next question. He was keenly afraidof receiving a negative answer, and his voice almost trembled as hespoke.
"Yes, sah, dey's still here shu nuff," rejoined Quatty. "We never gonear dem since dat day, but all de time we see smoke and at night dereis red flames go up from de island where dey camp. We tink dey debbilsfor sho'."
The boys were almost wild with excitement. Even Ben Stubbs' face lit upat this unexpected good fortune. It meant that instead of wasting daysseeking the abductors of Lieutenant Chapin and the stealers of theformula they would be able, if this Bahama negro could guide them, to godirect to the spot after they had laid a plan of campaign.
"Could you guide us to this place, Quatty?" asked Frank.
"Wid de greates' of ease," replied the negro, quite proud of theimpression he had produced, "but what fo' yo wan' to go dere?"
Without telling him too many details of their mission Frank outlinedtheir errand to him and, as it might be important to secure theco-operation of the Seminoles, he told Quatty to reassure them as to theobject of the intrusion of the adventurers. After Quatty had been givensomething substantial for his trouble, from Frank's bill-roll, he divedinto the forest with the promise to return that afternoon with the chiefof the tribe. He was positive, he told the boys, that the tribe wouldhave no objection to their presence in the Everglades if they reallymeant to drive out the men who, as Quatty put it, he and the tribebelieved to be "debbils."
The rest of the morning was spent in getting the field wireless and itslofty pole in position and joining the framework of the _Golden EagleII_. With such energy did the boys work that dinner-time was forgottenand by afternoon things had reached a stage where the ship was ready forher golden wing coverings to be laced on. The work of placing the engineand truing it up would have to be left to the next day, for even Frankwas not sanguine enough to believe that they could accomplish thatdifficult task by night or he would have ordered work to go on without alet up.
True to his promise shortly before sundown Quatty reappeared at WalrusCamp with a tall dignified-looking Seminole dressed in the same manneras himself. The Indian could not talk English but Quatty acted asinterpreter and the conversation went on swimmingly. The chief, whosename sounded like O-shi-ho-wi, agreed not to molest the boys if theypledged their words not to annoy the tribe or try to spy into theircustoms. This the boys readily agreed to and the chief then produced apipe. After gravely taking a whiff he handed it to Ben Stubbs whom heregarded approvingly and Ben in turn, after a puff or two, handed it tothe boys.
Lathrop looked at it in disgust.
"I can't smoke it," he said.
"Go on," said Ben, "just a whiff will do. The Injuns think that ifyou've smoked a pipe with them you won't break any promise you havemade. If you won't you'll insult them."
"Well, if that's the case, all right," said Lathrop, and, with a wryface, he took a pull at the pipe and then suffered a violent fit ofcoughing. The others in their turn took a whiff. The only ones whoappeared to have any relish for it, however, were Ben Stubbs and PorkChops, the latter of whom said patronizingly to Quatty:
"Ah've got some good terbaccer in de hause, nigger, if yo' wan' to smokesomethin' better dan dese yar shavings."
"Ah consider dat berry good terbaccer, tank you, sah," replied Quattywith dignity, "and ah'll tank you ter keep any cricketscisms to yo'sef."
With a stately gesture the chief signified that negotiations were at anend as soon as the pipe-smoking had been concluded. He examined theframework of the _Golden Eagle II_ with much interest.
"Huh-man-bird," was his comment, "canoe better. Not so far to fall."
There still remained one bit of business to be done and both Frank andHarry anticipated some little trouble over it--this was the retention ofQuatty as their guide to the 'glade islet on which the abductors had setup their plant. The chief consented to his being retained, but Quattyhimself was more doubtful. The promise of a canoe, however, as well as agood round sum of money decided him. He would go. But he wanted to knowhow the boys meant to get into the interior of the 'glades. From wherethey were at the moment it would take many days of threading intricatewater lanes, he explained, to arrive at their destination.
With a half smile at the explosion he knew was about due Frank replied:
"Yes, but we don't mean to go by canoe. We shall travel by air."
The negro turned an actual gray with perturbation.
"No, sah," he exclaimed, "no, sah. Yo won' go froo no air wid me. Ah'mtoo fond of mah life to go skeedaddlin' round in de clouds in datcontraption."
All the persuasions the boys could think of were of no avail. Quattyobstinately refused to reconsider his determination not to go up in theair-ship. Finally a happy thought struck Frank.
"Get one of the rifles," he whispered to Harry.
The boy hastened into the hut and reappeared with a fine automatic. Hisown in fact.
"Now, Quatty," commanded Frank, "watch."
He raised the rifle to his shoulder and pressing the trigger, fired thewhole magazine. He reloaded it and handed it to the amazed negro.
"Now you try it," he said.
A grin of huge delight spread over the black's face as the automaticweapon shot out its rain of lead. As for the chief he stood stock still,but a look of amazement spread over even his stolid countenance at theexhibition.
"Well, what do you think of it?" asked Frank.
"Dat's de mostest wonderfulest gun I eber seed," confessed the darky.
"It will be yours if you guide us to the island where the 'debbils'are," said Frank.
The old darky sighed.
"Ah get de money an' de canoe as well?" he said at last.
"Of course," said Frank.
"Den, massa, I'se you man, fo' I nebber could resist a good gun, and,"he added, as though he found consolation in the thought, "ef I break myneck yo breaks yohs too."