"Sure, it"s just like ye say, Jack!" exclaimed Jimmy, while they were hurrying toward the imperiled boat at full speed. "They do be throwin"
wather out to beat bannigher. Josh has got a bucket and Herb handles a basin. Glory be! but this is a bad job all around!"
Jack was looking beyond the sinking boat.
"I think I can see a little bit of a sh.o.r.e just over there," he declared, "if only now we can drag the _Comfort_ there before she goes down. You jump aboard with this bucket as soon as we get there. She looks lower in the water already, but one more hand to toss it out may keep her afloat long enough."
Jimmy was more than eager to lend all the a.s.sistance in his power. No sooner had the _Tramp_ run alongside the other boat than he was over the side. Nick, too, had been given the same instructions by George, for he was already laboring with might and main to reduce the amount of water that persisted in entering the big boat through the hole knocked in her bottom by a stump or a submerged log.
"Here, George, lay close alongside, and let"s get fast to her!" Jack called out, realizing that heroic measures were all that would save the imperiled craft now.
Quickly they carried out the plan. Ropes were pa.s.sed back and forth, so that the _Comfort_ could not really sink, with two such staunch boats buoying her up.
"Now," continued Jack, when this had been accomplished, "start your engine slowly and we"ll try and beach her over yonder. By the greatest of good luck there"s a small patch of ground in sight, different from these mud banks. Ready, George?"
"Yes," came the reply.
"Then go ahead!"
Jack held back until he heard the puttering of the _Wireless_ exhaust; then he also started his engine, and the three boats moved slowly and majestically off, the _Comfort_ looking, as Josh expressed it, like a wounded duck sustained by the wings of two companions.
Those aboard the sinking craft had to keep up their work in a frantic manner, if they did not want the boat to go down under them in midstream.
Now and then one would make a bad shot, and spill the contents of bucket or basin over the forms of his fellow laborers. But although this might have seemed comical to Nick or Josh or Jimmy at another time, they failed to laugh now, even when struck full in the face by a deluge, and half choked.
Fortunately the other island, where the little patch of rising ground had been discovered by Jack, was close at hand, so that in less than ten minutes they had arrived as near as they dared go.
"Now, I"m going to break loose and get behind," said Jack. "If I can shove her further in, it"ll be all right, for then she won"t sink any lower. In the morning we can get the block and tackle, and drag her out on skids."
The workers were encouraged to keep at it furiously for another minute or two, while the _Tramp_ did the shoving part. Knowing just how to go about it, Jack made a success of his part of the business.
"Hurrah!" gasped Nick, when the keel grated on the bottom, and the weary water-casters could rest from their labors.
But there was a lot more to do. The bedding and stores that were aboard had to be rescued, and placed where they might have a chance to dry. It took some little time to get all the stuff out; and then Jack had another idea.
"Perhaps I might shove her up still further, if you fellows went ash.o.r.e," he suggested; which they declared to be a good thing.
"After all," said Jack, when he had actually succeeded in pushing the stranded _Comfort_ a foot or so further in, "what does it matter? We"ll have to make a couple of skids tomorrow, and get a purchase on some of the mangroves yonder; when we can yank her up, no matter where she is.
And now I vote that we get ash.o.r.e, and see about starting supper. I"m as hungry as a bear."
"Hear! hear!" applauded Nick. "And while I"m about it, I guess I had ought to change my shoes and socks, because I"m wet to the knees; fact is, I"m pretty well soaked all over. Josh kept emptying his old pail over me right along. I guess I swallowed as much of the salt stuff as he got over the side."
However, by the time night had set in, the boys were all feeling in a better humor. Those who were wet had changed some of their things, and dried the rest beside the fire that was burning cheerily.
"What do you think of it, Jack?" asked Herbert, after the other had made as good an examination of the hole in the bottom of the wrecked motor boat as the circ.u.mstances permitted.
"It"s a clean hole, all right," was the response, "but I don"t see any reason why we can"t patch it up to last until we get to a boat builder"s yard."
"I"m right glad to hear you say that," continued the anxious skipper, "because, as you all know, I"m mighty fond of my boat, and would hate like everything to have to abandon the poor old thing in this place. So now I can eat some supper with a touch of appet.i.te."
At any rate it was pleasant to again stretch their legs, after being confined to the boats for several days. And Josh seemed to have enjoyed cooking a full meal once more for the crowd.
"Now, how about that roost; do you suppose we can find it from here?"
George asked, when they were about through.
"If you still feel like going, I think it won"t be a hard thing," Jack declared.
"Count me out, please," Nick remarked. "I don"t believe I care enough about it; and, besides, somebody ought to stay here, to keep the fire going, so you can tell where to come back."
"Huh! he"s clean filled up to the top, that"s what," remarked Josh; "and when Nick gets that way, you just can"t coax him to budge an inch. But I"m with you, boys."
It was presently decided that all the others would go in the three tenders. As Nick was given a shotgun, this time fully loaded, and ready for business, he expressed himself as willing to stand guard.
"Anyhow," he observed, with a wide smile, "I don"t reckon on having any bear for a visitor this time. He couldn"t get on this island, could he, Jack?"
"Not in a thousand years," was the rea.s.suring reply.
"And you can stay aboard the _Tramp_ until we come back," George went on to say. "Only don"t let that fire go out a minute, or perhaps you"ll be minus all your chums. A nice time you"d have here, all alone, wouldn"t you? Why, you"d starve to death before long with that appet.i.te of yours, Nick."
"Shucks! there ain"t much danger of your getting lost while Jack"s along. If it depended on you, George, I"d be scared right bad now," the fat boy got back at him as the party moved away.
They took the lighted lantern with them, and expected to be very cautious how they managed, not wanting to lose their bearings in the darkness. Jack had made a mental map of the vicinity, and behind that he could find his way back to where the fire showed.
He led off, paddling with one of the oars, for when the little d.i.n.ky held two these could not be used in the ordinary fashion.
And it was not very long before the others knew that again Jack had shown more than ordinary skill, for they reached an island where, from the sounds, it was evident that the roost of the birds could be found.
Landing, they made their way over the exposed roots of mangroves and cypress trees, gradually drawing near the middle of the island. And here they found what they sought.
Jack made several torches out of some wood he found, and when these were lighted they saw a sight that none of them would soon forget. Thousands of birds were in the trees, many of them herons, ibis, cranes and water turkeys.
For some time the boys looked at the spectacle. Then, tiring of it, as well as objecting to the anything but pleasant odor of the roost, which had long been in use they imagined, they retreated again to the boats, after which the return trip was begun.
Nick had kept the fire going, and little trouble was experienced getting back to where the larger craft awaited them.
The night pa.s.sed quietly and with the morning they began to make preparations looking to the repairing of the snagged _Comfort_.
Breakfast over, Jack set out with the ax, and Josh to help him, taking two of the small boats. When he found a couple of cypress trees that he thought would answer the purpose, over on Bird Island, as they had named the place of the roost, he cut them down, and by hard work they towed the intended skids to camp.
Here they were shaped, and placed in position. Then the block and tackle, which had been carried on board the roomy _Comfort_, were brought into play.
Jack selected the strongest mangrove within line of the boat that was to be hauled out, when fastening the tackle.
"Here you are, now, fellows!" he declared, when all was ready.
"Come along, everybody, and take a grip on the rope," invited Herb, who was more than anxious to get busy at the job of patching the smashed sheathing of his boat, so they could continue their voyage.
Even Nick was made to lend the power of his muscles to the good work.