Jack took occasion to remark.
"Nixy, not," Jimmy a.s.serted, after his usual manner, while George, too, shook his head in the negative.
"Only Lenox I ever knew was a sickly little chap who went to the same boarding school I did about six years ago," he remarked.
"Well, Josh says you"re all from out Mississippi way," the man continued, glibly; "and this Lenox is a New Yorker. Besides, he"s a man of about forty, and not a boy at all. Belongs to the same club Carpenter and myself do; and thereby hangs the tale that sent us away down here, and made us eye your crowd with suspicion."
"Yes?" Jack said, feeling that he was expected to make some sort of remark.
"They told me all about it, fellers," spoke up Josh; "and after you hear, I guess you"ll understand just why they"ve been playing the hold-off game they did. It"s all as square as you"d want it, take my affidavy on it."
"Good for you, Josh," laughed Bliss, good-naturedly, as he glanced quickly toward his companion; and Jack plainly saw him wink his eye suggestively. "After what we did for you, it"s evident that you have perfect faith in our record. But, as I was saying, Jack, at the club one evening, we got to disputing, and Lenox, who pretends to be something of a dashing small boat sailor, dared Bryce and myself to enter into a compet.i.tion with himself and some of his friends. That"s what took us down here right now, you see."
"What sort of compet.i.tion, sir?" asked George, quickly.
"To prove which party might turn out to be the better sailors, we agreed to make the complete circuit of the coast of Florida in boats no longer than twenty-three feet; and the ones who reached Pensacola first were to be declared winners. Neither of us were to accept the least outside aid, on penalty of being declared losers."
It sounded very nice, and yet Jack could not forget that suggestive look which had pa.s.sed between the men. And he wondered if there might not be something back of the story Bliss was telling, something perhaps much nearer the truth.
"Oh!" he remarked, "I see now what you mean. You kept watching us, then, because you suspected we might be your rivals in the race?"
"That"s it, Jack," the man immediately burst out with, seemingly pleased; "you see, my boy, our friend Lenox is known to be rather a tricky chap. Carpenter and myself came to the conclusion that he might resort to some scheme to hold us back, and somehow we got to look at your three boats with suspicion. Of course it was all a silly mistake, as we know now. But we"re glad to have been of some a.s.sistance to your mate, Josh, knowing full well that you"d have done as well by us if the occasion offered. And, by Jove! you boys beat us all hollow, when it comes to bold cruising; for Josh has been telling us something of what you"ve done. I take off my cap to you, Jack Stormways, as a Corinthian sailor!"
CHAPTER XI.
IN HONOR BOUND.
"Thank you for the compliment," Jack said; "but there are just six of us, all told; and each one is as much ent.i.tled to your praise as I am."
"I object," George broke in. "Lots of times the pack of us would have been in a bally lot of hot water only for the clever way you had of handling things."
"And that"s no lie, either!" burst out Jimmy. "Whin there"s any credit flyin" around loose, sure Jack desarves the lion"s share, so he does now."
"Better and better!" cried the man who had given his name as Bliss.
"Why, you"re as loyal a bunch of chums as I ever ran across. It"s a rare treat for my friend Carpenter here and myself to meet up with such fellows, eh, Bryce?"
The way he laid particular emphasis on that name every time he used it somehow gave Jack the impression that he did not wish the other to forget who he was! It was of course a queer feeling to have, but the boy could not get it out of his head.
"How about going back with us, Josh; feel equal to a little walk; or shall I come around after you in a small boat?" Jack asked.
"Rats! what d"ye take me for?" demanded Josh, indignantly. "Just because I"ve got a little puncture in my noggin is no sign I"m out of the running. Why, course I"ll go back with you, and right away, too."
"What"s the hurry, boys?" asked Mr. Bliss, quickly.
"Well, for one thing," Jack remarked, "we"ve got a couple of anxious chums in camp, who"ll be eating their heads off with curiosity to know what"s become of Josh."
"That"s right," declared the tall lad, chuckling; "and it"s a shame to keep poor old Nick away from his feed so long. Ten to one he"s as hungry as a bear right now, waiting for grub time to come around."
"But won"t you stay and have a bite with us?" asked Mr. Carpenter.
"We"re not extra fine cooks, but we"ve got lots of good stuff aboard."
"That"s right kind of you," George thought he ought to say; "but, considering the circ.u.mstances, I reckon we"d better be going, if Josh says he"s fit."
"Well, I"ll show you I"m feeling just like myself, and not a bit weak, after bleeding like a stuck pig," and the long-legged boy started to climb out of the cabin as he spoke.
"Please wait a minute," Mr. Bliss interrupted. "If you must go, there"s no need of Josh getting himself all wet. You see, we"ve got it fixed so we can push ash.o.r.e by a very little effort on our part, right alongside the roots of that tree; and where the water chances to be fairly deep.
We had the boat in there when we brought your friend along, and it"ll be easy to get back again. Then a jump lands you, safe and sound."
He s.n.a.t.c.hed up a setting pole, the most useful thing that can be carried on a cruise along the shallow waters of the keys, and with very little effort managed to send the anch.o.r.ed boat into the tiny cove, his companion having loosened the anchor cable meanwhile.
Jack was the first to spring ash.o.r.e, and the others followed quickly at his heels, with Josh bringing up the rear, and anxious to prove his words true about being in first rate condition.
"Glad to have made your acquaintance, boys," said Mr. Bliss; "and if we happen to cross each others" path again, there"s no reason why we shouldn"t be friends, is there?"
"Well, I should say our chum here is under heavy obligations to you, sir; and on his account, if no other, we"d feel inclined that way,"
returned Jack.
"Shake hands on that, Jack," Mr. Bliss remarked; and each of the four boys in turn did so, even carrying the friendly act out with the other skipper of the little power boat.
"The best of luck go with you all!" called out Mr. Bliss, waving his hand after them.
"Same to you, sir!" replied George, who had apparently quite gotten over the suspicions by which he had been almost overpowered earlier in the evening.
And presently, after they had pushed their way across the tongue of land lying between the two lagoons, they could only tell where the boat which they had just left lay, by the glowing light flooding out of her cabin.
Jack placed himself at one side of Josh, while George lined up on the other. But the lanky boy observed these movements with suspicion.
"Hey, what"s this mean?" he demanded. "Got an idea I"m apt to keel over any old minute, have you? Just because I did that silly thing once, now don"t you think she"s goin" to get to be a habit with me. That"s a mistake, fellers. I"m tougher"n you reckon on, now. Come along, buck up, George, and hit up a faster pace."
"Hold on, now," said George, as he struggled with a vine that had caught him under the chin, and almost lifted him off his feet; "there ain"t any such hurry as all that, you know. It"s bad walking here, and I don"t feel like being strangled just yet awhile."
"Yes, pull in your horses, Josh," Jack remarked. "We"ll believe you"re all right without you being in such a rush about getting back to camp."
Three minutes later Jack spoke again.
"None of you noticed that either of those gentlemen came ash.o.r.e after we left, did you?" he asked, quietly.
"Why, no, of course they didn"t," George remarked.
"For what are you askin" that same question?" demanded Jimmy.
"P"raps I might give a guess," remarked Josh, quietly.
"Well, I only wanted to make sure that anything we might say to each other wasn"t likely to get to their ears," Jack went on.