CHAPTER XXI
MORE ARRIVALS
All interest in building a hut was temporarily forgotten as thefour castaways watched the slow approach of the boat. As it camenearer it was seen to be the captain's gig, in which Bob and hisfriends had left the ill-fated _Eagle_.
"Do you think there'll be anything left in her?" asked Bob.
"There will, unless she is smashed," replied Mr. Spark. "Thelockers, in which most of the supplies were packed, are water-tightand securely fastened. This is a piece of good luck, if the boatis not stove in. She has turned bottom up, but she may still besound. She'll soon be here."
When the gig was close enough so that they could wade out to it,Bob and Tim Flynn rolled up their trousers and went through theshallow surf. The beach gradually shelved at this point and theycould wade out nearly a quarter of a mile at low tide.
"She's all right, cap'n!" called the sailor, when he and Bobreached the small craft. "Sound as a dollar, and the lockers areclosed," he added as the boat rolled partly over.
"Good!" cried the commander. "Pull her in as close as you can andwe'll unload her. Then we'll get her above high-water mark. Thisboat may save our lives."
"How?" asked Mr. Tarbill.
"Why, when the sea goes down we can leave the island in her."
"Leave the island? Never! I'm on dry land now, and I'm nevergoing to trust myself in a boat again."
"Maybe you'll think differently after a bit," said the captain.
By this time Bob and Tim had the boat in very shallow water. Theymanaged to turn it on the keel, and the first thing they saw wasthe sail in the bottom. Ropes, fastened to various projections,had prevented the canvas from floating away.
"There!" cried the captain, when he saw it. "That solves ourshelter problem for us. We'll make a tent. Oh, we're in luck, allright. 'Bob's Island' isn't such a bad place after all."
Bob blushed with pleasure. Then and there he made up his mind thathis foolishness should be a thing of the past. He was of someimportance in the world now, and it would not do to be playingchildish pranks.
But if the captain was delighted at finding the sail, he was muchmore so when, on opening the lockers, which fastened with patentcatches, everything was found to be as "dry as a bone," as TimFlynn expressed it.
"Now we can have a change from the fish and fruit diet," said thecaptain, as he showed where the canned food had been stowed away.There were tins of ship's biscuits, some jars of jam and marmalade,plenty of canned beef, tongue and other meats, rice, flour--inshort, a bountiful supply for the small party of castaways.
Captain Spark had ordered the boats to be well provisioned when heknew the _Eagle_ was doomed, and his forethought now stood them ingood stead.
In another locker was a kit of carpenter's tools, which would comein very handy if they were to remain long on the island, and inanother water-tight compartment the captain had stowed hischronometer, his instruments for finding the position of the ship,and some charts.
Owing to the fact that the lockers remained tightly closed when theboat capsized, nothing had been lost out of them, and they had alsoserved to make the gig more buoyant. Practically nothing wasmissing from the boat save the personal belongings of Bob and theothers--their clothing in the valises, the mast which had floatedaway, and some of the captain's papers relating to the ship. Butthis did not worry them, as they were now in good shape to live onthe island, at least for several weeks.
"All hands to lighten ship!" called the captain, when he had lookedover what the boat contained. They made short work of carrying thethings from the lockers well up on the beach. With the boat thusmade lighter, it was pulled out of reach of the waves.
"Now for a shelter!" the commander called, when the gig had beensafely moored. "This sail will make a fine tent."
So it proved when it was set up on some poles which Tim Flynn cutwith a light hatchet found among the tools. Mr. Tarbill could notbe depended on to do anything, and he was so mournful, standingaround and lamenting the fact that he had ever undertaken the trip,that, to get rid of him, Captain Spark sent him off once more tocatch turtles, or, if he could not do that, to gather some of theeggs. This last Mr. Tarbill was able to do, but he was notsuccessful in turning any of the crawling creatures over on theirbacks.
The tent was erected before dark, and, with a cheerful fire burningin front of it, supper was prepared. This time they had tin dishesto eat from, as a supply was found in the gig's lockers.
Tired out with their day's work, and by the struggle with the sea,the castaways all slept soundly. Nor was there any need to standguard during the night. On beds of palm leaves, under the tent,they slumbered undisturbed until the sun, shining in on them, awokeall four.
"Well, I'm beginning to feel quite to home," remarked the captain,who could be cheerful under misfortune. His good spirits shouldhave been a lesson to Mr. Tarbill. That gentleman had lost nothingbut what could be easily replaced, but the captain had lost hisfine ship. Still he did not complain, and Bob, seeing his demeanorunder trying circumstances, resolved to try and be like the stanchmariner.
After breakfast Captain Spark looked carefully over the gig to seeif the craft was seaworthy. He decided that it was, and he sentTim to look about for a suitable small tree to be cut down as amast for the sail.
"Are you going to sail away?" asked Mr. Tarbill nervously.
"I don't know. I want to be all ready to do so in case we find itnecessary. This noon I will work out our position and locate thisisland on the chart. Then I can determine how far it is to thenearest mainland, or to a larger island."
"I'll never go in a small boat on this big ocean," declared Mr.Tarbill.
Captain Spark, who had completed his examination of the gig, wasstanding near it, idly gazing off across the waste of water, whichhad greatly subsided since the storm, when he caught sight of somesmall object about two miles off shore.
"Bob!" he called, "bring me the binoculars," for a pair of marineglasses had been found in one of the lockers.
The captain gazed through the glasses for several seconds. Then hecried out:
"More arrivals! Prepare for company, Bob!"
"Who, captain?"
"There's a boat off there and in it are Mr. Carr, the first mate,and Ned Scudd! But they seem to be in trouble, for they arebailing fast. Their boat must have a hole in it. We'd better goto their rescue!"