CHAPTER VI.
NICK TRIES AGAIN.
"Jimmy, strike up a bar of 'Nancy Lee,' or the 'Larboard Watch,' whilewe're moving at this snail's pace along this shallow shore, looking forsome nice place to camp."
"That's right, Jimmy, just as Jack says; it would sound right to hearmusic, for this is by a long shot the dreariest place we've struck yet.Tune up your lyre, then, or your banjo--I don't care which--and give usa song."
Accordingly, when thus pressed by the skipper, not only of his own boatbut Herb as well, Jimmy reached in the cabin, and taking hold of hisnever far distant banjo, commenced to plunk away.
He had a fine mellow voice, and the rest of the boys never tired ofhearing him sing. All of them joined in the chorus, though Josh squeakedso that he would have killed the whole melody, only that the volume ofsound was so great the discordant vein could not easily be detected.
The three motor boats were almost drifting along among the many keysbordering the extreme southern shore of Florida; and the time was justthree days after we saw them reach the vicinity of Miami.
They had passed from Cards Sound into Barnes Sound, and marveled at thewonderful construction of the concrete railway arches, by means of whichthe East Coast Line expected in the near future to reach far distant KeyWest, passing from key to key the entire distance, often over widestretches of open sea.
Cape Sable lay not a great distance ahead. Once the little flotilla hadrounded this tip end of the peninsula, they would begin their northwardvoyage.
The prospect for a camp ashore did not look any too brilliant, and asthe afternoon waned, even sanguine Jack began to despair of finding anysolid ground. In all directions could be seen the interminable mangroveislands, where swamp abounded, and landing was next to absurd.
When the wash of the sea proved too heavy they had managed to keepsome key between, and thus far had come on without any accident. EvenGeorge's eccentric motor had been upon its best behavior, but none ofthem placed much reliance upon it any longer.
"The tricky thing just seems to know when to lay down and quit," grumbledNick, when George mustered up faith enough to actually say a good wordfor the engine again. "It bides its time, and when we need it most ofall, it flunks. I'm going to hold you to your word, George, when we getto Tampa, where there's a chance to pick up another machine to put inhere."
"Oh, all right!" declared the other, "since you agreed to stand for halfthe expense, why should I have any kick coming? Only I hope the newengine can walk her along as good as this one, when she feels like it."
"Hang the speed part!" cried Nick, again rubbing himself as though hismuscles were becoming sore in a chronic way; "if only the plagued thingwon't prove a quitter. I hate anything that lies down on you, whenyou've gone and soaked your trust in it, that's what."
"I think I see a place ahead that looks fairly promising, mates," sangout Jack, at this point in the discussion.
"Good for you, Jack; take us to it right away. I'd give a heap just fora chance to get out and just stand, without feeling my foundation heaveand wabble under me. Oh! if only I had money enough to coax George tobuy a boat that would let a poor feller part his hair on the side, likehe used to do."
A short time later, and they ran in as near the shore as was deemedadvisable. Here they anchored, with a friendly key protecting them fromany heavy sea that might come up from the south.
"Here's where the homely little dinky is worth its weight in gold,"remarked Jack, as he prepared to go ashore to look around.
"Yes, only for that we'd have to do the great wading act right along;and it ain't always convenient to get wet up to your waist," Herbobserved, in a satisfied tone.
Having taken in the prospect ashore, Jack came back again.
"It's all right, fellows," he announced. "High ground for half a mileinland, and if the bugs allow, we can even sleep ashore tonight."
"Hurrah! that's grand news you're bringing us, Commodore!" cried Nick,looking happy again. "Now won't I get the kinks out of my system,though? Last night aboard nearly did for me, and that's no lie, either."
"Huh!" George gave vent to one of his odd grunts, adding: "I reckon itwas nearly the end of me, for you kicked like a steer, and came withinan ace of smothering me the time you rolled over, crowding me to thewall."
While they were thus joshing each other, all hands were busily engagedgetting such things aboard the little tenders as they knew they wouldneed for cooking supper ashore. If it were later on decided to remainthere during the night, they could come out again to the anchored motorboats, and secure blankets, mosquito nets, and what other things wererequired.
As usual, they commenced doing various things, each according to histaste.
George had gone back again to his beloved boat, doubtless to tinker withher eccentric engine, which he always found a puzzle. Nick wandered offalong the shore, as though looking for shells. Jimmy was pottering withsome of his strong fishing tackle as though he had designs on the scalydenizens of Barnes Sound, and intended putting out several night setlines, if Jack could secure any mullet for bait. Herb was stretchinghimself on the sand, while Jack and Josh built a little fireplace forcooking, making good use of some blocks of coquina rock, a mixture ofshells and what looked like cement, and which underlies much of theeastern shore of Florida.
Presently Jack saw Nick come breathlessly back. He did not say a wordto any one, but, putting off in one of the dinkies, went aboard the_Wireless_. Two minutes later he appeared again, and Jack saw to hissurprise that he was trying to hide a piece of stout rope under hiscoat.
Of course, his curiosity was aroused, but he did not say anything eitherto Nick or the others. The fat boy, casting a suspicious glance around,and with a wide grin on his face when he looked at Jimmy in particular,again sauntered off. Jack noticed that when he thought he had passedbeyond their range of vision, Nick actually started on a run. No wonderhe had seemed breathless when he came in, if that was what he had beendoing.
"What can the sly fellow be up to?" Jack said to himself. "I believeI'd better keep an eye open, for he's always so ready to tumble intotrouble."
So as he worked alongside Jimmy, he kept his eyes and ears on the alert.Perhaps fifteen minutes passed. Then those in camp heard a husky callthat caused them to look up the shore.
It chanced that there was a clump of mangroves at the nearby point, andaround this Nick hove in sight. He seemed to have harnessed himself insome fashion with the rope, and was tugging with might and main.
"Now, what under the sun can he be doing?" ejaculated the surprisedHerb.
"He's got something along, and seems to be dragging it through theshallow water!" Josh declared.
"And look at it splash, would you?" Herb went on. "Say, d'ye suppose,now, Nick's gone and caught a turtle, one of those big loggerheads theywere telling us about?"
"Turtle nothing!" laughed Jack; "that's a fish!"
"A fish!" cried Jimmy, turning pale; "do ye mane to till me he's goneand caught a _whale_?"
Evidently Jimmy feared for his laurels; he had held the position oftop-notch in the competition almost from the start, and was beginning tobelieve that he might never be ousted by the slow-moving fat boy. Andhence the sight of Nick deliberately dragging that immense bulk behindhim gave Jimmy a bad sensation.
As the puffing Nick arrived alongside, it was seen that he had indeedbeen dragging a tremendous fish after him. The rope was twisted underits gills in such a way that it could not come loose.
"What in the dickens is it?" demanded Herb.
"Blest if I know; but it's a _fish_, and that's enough for me!"announced the red-faced captor.
"Be afther listening to him, now, bhoys," observed Jimmy, lookingdismayed; "by the pipers if he doesn't mane to claim he caught it!"
"Of course, I do!" exclaimed Nick, instantly; "and I'd like to know howyou're going to knock me out of this, like you did that shark. Here I gofastening on to all sorts of big game, and you always want to questionmy right."
/> "What kind of a fish is it, Jack?" called George, who was coming ashoreto take a closer look at the squirming victim.
"It looks squatty, like a big sea bass, the kind we caught several timesalong the coast. I rather think it's what they call a jewfish downhere," Jack replied, after looking the prisoner over.
"Good to eat?" asked Nick, hungrily.
"Oh, yes; they say so; and we'll take a chunk out of him to try," wasJack's answer. "Where did you get him, Nick?"
"Up the shore a little ways. Do I have to tell just how, Jack?"
"See him try to back out," jeered the envious Jimmy, as his eyes took inthe enormous bulk of the prize, and he mentally figured that it mustweigh all of two hundred pounds, against which his bass of fifteen mustlook like a baby.
"Yes, we want to know everything, so begin," declared George.
"Well, when I was walking along, I discovered this silly thing splashinglike Sam Hill close to the shore. He must have been left by the tide,and was half stranded between two bunches of coquina rock. I had asudden wild idea, and hurried back here to get a rope."
"So that's why you wanted it, was it?" cried George. "I was a littleafraid you might be thinking of hanging yourself; but then I expectedthe rope would break if you tried that. But go on, Nick."
"Oh, there ain't much to tell, for I just harnessed the old chap up likeyou see, worked him loose from the rocky wedge, and dragged him to camp.But I hope now, after all my hard work, you ain't going to say I didn'tcatch that fish. Anyway, our rules read so long as a feller gets thegame by fair means, and without help. Here he is, and you can rig upsome sort of scales to weigh him. What's a few pounds, more or less,among friends? But what do you say, Jack, Herb, Josh and George?"
"Why, according to the letter of the rules, you win," Jack remarked.
"That's correct," ventured Josh.
"He lost one whopper because he had to have help; but that can't be saidabout this prize. Nick, you certainly take the cake," Herb chuckled.
"I agree with the rest; he deserves all he gets," said George.
Jimmy shrugged his shoulders, and made a grimace, as he observed:
"Sure, I do belave the lot of ye are set agin me; but, honest to Injun,in me own hearrt I do be thinkin' the same. Which laves me a bad secondin the race. But I do not despair of batin' him out yet. Just give metoime, bhoys, give me toime to get me wits together."
Jack busied himself rigging up a crude scales, whereby two of them couldstand out against the big fish; and in this way it was finally estimatedthat Nick's latest capture weighed about two hundred and thirty pounds.
The fat boy was in high glee over his adventure, and burst out intofrequent boasts. He took especial pains to let Jimmy know that the onewho laughed last always laughed hardest.
"Just wait, and say how that same turns out," declared the Irish lad,seemingly only the more determined to exceed Nick's big score.
So the afternoon passed away, and it came on toward evening.
"Hello! how's this?" remarked Jack, who had been out with George forsome time, taking a look at his motor, and consulting as to the wisdomof making a radical change when they reached the city of Tampa; "it'scoming on night, and I don't see any signs of supper in sight. And bythe way, where is Josh; I don't happen to set eyes on him around?"
The others stared at each other.
"Why, I remember now, that he asked me for the loan of my gun somelittle while back, and said he'd like to take a stroll down the beach,thinking there might be a bunch of those nice little shore birds onsome mud flat, that he could bring back with him," Herb said, lookingperplexed.
"How long ago was that?" Jack demanded.
"I guess all of an hour; just after you went out when George called."
"Has anybody heard a shot?" asked Jack.
But nobody had; and, as the night came on, the five boys began to realizethat something must surely have happened to their lengthy chum.