Produced by Jim Ludwig
THE BOY SCOUTS ON PICKET DUTY
by Scout Master Robert Shaler
CONTENTS
CHAPTERS I. The Mysterious Steamer II. A Contraband Cargo III. On a Lone Scout IV. The Hut on the Beach V. Kidnapped by Smugglers VI. The Flight of the "Arrow" VII. A Gathering of the Clan VIII. The Blazing Beacon IX. Deeds in the Darkness X. The End of the Raid XI. Aboard the "Arrow" XII. A Surprising Adventure
CHAPTER I
THE MYSTERIOUS STEAMER
In the wake of an easterly squall the sloop _Arrow_, Lemuel Vintonmaster and owner, was making her way along the low coast, southward,from Snipe Point, one of the islands in Florida Bay about twelvemiles northeast of Key West.
With every sail closehauled and drawing until the bolt ropes creakedunder the strain, the _Arrow_ laid a fairly straight course towardKey West. She bore a startling message, the nature of which hercaptain had considered of sufficient importance for him to prolonga cruise he had undertaken and to hasten back to the port whencehe had sailed, twenty-four hours previously, to inform the authorities.
The sloop had not sped far from the Point, and the receding shoreline had scarcely grown dimly blue on the horizon under a peculiaryellow-gray sunrise, when Captain Vinton's crew began to maketheir appearance on deck. The crew consisted of five Boy Scouts,an older companion who was in charge of them, and a Seminole Indianguide, called Dave, who had been hired to conduct the boys ona brief exploration of the Everglades. Four of the boys belongedto a troop of scouts who had their summer headquarters at PioneerCamp, far away among the New England hills. They had, however,formed a resolution to spend the present summer not at PioneerCamp, where most of their younger comrades would be, but in seeingsome new sections of their native land. To this end, three ofthem---Hugh Hardin, his chum Billy Worth, and Chester Brownell---hadgladly accepted an invitation from the fourth, Alec Sands, tospend a month at Palmdune, the Florida residence of Alec's father,who had sent them on this cruise. With them Mr. Sands had senthis secretary, a young man named Roy Norton, who had left themtemporarily at Key West while he attended to business in Havana.When he had returned from Havana, he had found a new member ofthe party---Mark Anderson, the son of the captain of Red KeyLife-Saving Station.
The _Arrow_ had been anchored off Snipe Point during the previousnight, where Captain Vinton had gained the information which madehim decide to return to Key West. This knowledge, which he hadalready imparted to the boys, was to the effect that throughoutthe night before, while he and Dave alternately watched, he hadseen a gray steamer or perhaps a gunboat cruising among the islandsoff the Point, occasionally coming close enough to the beach tobe made out distinctly, but showing no lights and making no signals.
Immediately his suspicions had been aroused by this mysteriousaction. His impression was that the vessel belonged to a countrywhich was then hostile to the United States. In that case shewas either grappling for the cable between Key West and the mainlandterminus at Punta Rossa, which lay close inshore at Snipe Point,or was trying to make connection with some other vessel carryingsupplies or ammunition from some West Indian port, perhaps intendingto run the blockade.
Why she should attempt to tamper with the cable, he could notunderstand, knowing the superior efficiency of the wireless system;but he thought she might be one of the elusive filibustering vesselsreported to have been seen in the Gulf of Mexico several days beforethis.
Stories about these mysterious vessels had caused official ordersto be sent to Tampa and to Galveston, Texas, concerning the departureof several transports with American troops. And Captain Vintonhimself had almost encountered a notorious filibuster named JuanBego, one night during the earlier part of this pleasure cruise;that is, he had sighted a vessel which he felt sure was the _Esperanza_of Captain Bego, in waters which were supposed to be debarred to theenemy. All this had tended to make him more alert and wary thanever, even suspicious; and he had resolved to lose no time inreporting his most recent discovery.
"You boys might as well heave them old tarpon poles overboard now,"he said seriously, as he shifted the helm. "That there craft I seenlas' night ain't Yankee built, I'll swear; and if she should take anotion to foller us, we want to be light and shipshape, without nosigns o' lubberliness that the squall may have brought to the surface.How's everything in the cabin, Dave? Tight and neat?"
The Seminole grunted, nodding his head in affirmation. Apparentlyhe was too disturbed in mind to reply verbally; besides, like most ofhis kind, he was a poor sailor, and he did not enjoy the speed atwhich the _Arrow_ was now sailing. It upset his mental balance aswell as his bodily equilibrium.
Obeying the captain's instructions, the boys tossed overboard theirheavy poles, saving only the lines and reels.
"When we get back to Key West, what's the first thing to do, Captain?"inquired Alec.
"Report seeing that steamer to the naval authorities," was Vinton'sprompt answer.
"I didn't know there were any-----"
"There's likely to be some there now, waiting for orders."
"And will they search for the strange vessel?"
"You bet they will! We ain't goin' to let no sneakin' furrin tubshow us her heels,---are we, lads?"
"Not if we can help it!" exclaimed Hugh. "I guess one of Uncle Sam'srevenue cutters will give chase to that steamer, or gunboat, orwhatever she may be."
"Not if she's a gunboat, I reckon!" quoth Vinton with a chuckle."Cripes! that vessel was certainly a clipper for goin'! Her cap'nwas wise enough to keep to wind'ard, for he seemed to know where therough water begins to rise and how to make the most o' them keys.Never mind; off Nor'west Cape he'll have to come out like a seamanand take his duckin'! H'ist that there jib, Billy, and make Davemove his carcass where it'll do some good."
But Dave did not want to bestir himself from his position on theweather gunwale, where he crouched dejectedly, letting the stiffbreeze dry his spray-soaked garments. He groaned, protested, grunted,and finally swore volubly as Alec prodded him, while Billy hoistedthe flying jib.
"What for so much hurry?" he grumbled. "Get to Key West by afternoon,anyhow. Dave want plenty sleep."
"You slept like a top for six hours last night!" declared Alec.
"No-o; Dave watch, saw steamer,---no more sleep, no forty winks."
"Oh, come!" laughed Billy. "I heard you snoring, Dave; you woke meup! I thought it was thunder!"
"Nothing less than thunder or a cannon firecracker would wake you up,Billy,---as a general rule," said Hugh, flinging one arm over hischum's shoulders and giving him a vigorous hug.
"Look yonder, boys!" shouted Captain Vinton at the helm. He pointedaft, and the four lads sprang to their feet and hurried toward him,alert and eager for a new surprise.
Some distance behind them, toward the mainland, a thin trail ofsmoke which had not been seen for two or three hours was now visibleinside the keys. Could there be any reason for the reappearanceof that smoky blur against the sky? Was it made by the mysterioussteamer? If so, was she following the _Arrow_?
"By the shades o' shad, I orter know that boat!" exclaimed Vinton inpuzzled chagrin. "See? She's coaled up, goin' for all she's worth.Alec, git out my glass from the cabin, take a look, and see if there'smany men aboard."
Alec ran to do the captain's bidding. Descending into the cabin, hetook from a locker an old-style marine telescope with which hehurriedly returned to the deck. After some focusing he managed tocatch a glimpse of the steamcraft, just before she partiallydisappeared from sight behind one of the sandy reefs that fence offthe sound.
"The crew of the steamer seem to be quite excited," Alec said, as hetrained the telescope upon them. "I ca
n see sailors running acrossher deck, and two of them have just hoisted an American flag. Someothers are waving signals and---"
"What?" shouted the captain. "American flag, did you say?"
"Yes. What do you think of that?"
"Reckon she wants to speak us."
"Why?" asked Chester.
"Looks like this is the first time she's seen us," said Vinton, takingthe marine glass from Alec. "But it can't be the same craft wesighted back yonder, last night. Anyhow, if they're wavin' signalflags,---and they are, sure enough!---they must want to speak the_Arrow_. That's plain. I'm goin' to ease in more and see who'saboard. Look! the dinged old boat is comin' out from behind thebar now."
Pondering some contingency which he did not explain to the boys,Vinton shifted the helm; and his sloop, hitherto heading in asouthwesterly direction, now began to edge closer to the lineof keys. Had Vinton not known his course so thoroughly from longexperience in sailing these channels, inlets, and lagoons, itwould have been dangerous; but he dexterously eluded the variousreefs and oyster bars and brought the _Arrow_ safely into smootherwater. Meanwhile, the boys noticed that the wind, which had blownso strongly, was beginning to slacken, thus allowing the steamerto gain on the _Arrow_ quite perceptibly. They saw then that shewas a small steamer, like a steam yacht, and light gray incolor,---perhaps one of the United States revenue cutters.
Captain Vinton was astonished. He had already begun to have seriousdoubts that this could be the same mysterious vessel he had seencruising about the islands the night before. All at once, unexpectedly,his doubts were resolved into a certainty that it was not the same,for even while he was wondering, a strange thing happened:
A long, low, gray shape, something like a built-for-speed tug-boatwith a short funnel, darted into view from between two keys, and,crossing the wake of the revenue cutter, glided swiftly along thevery course the _Arrow_ had taken, heading back toward Snipe Point.Before the sloop and the steamer had come within hailing distance ofeach other, the strange craft, not depending on the dying easterlywind, was well along the course, sending back---toward a trail ofdarker smoke.