And it certainly looked more like life to note the buzzards floating overhead again, with pelicans skimming the waves out on the gulf, in search of their fish dinner. There were also many water turkeys, with their snake-like necks, and black cormorants swimming in the lagoons behind the keys.
Jack, who had read up on the subject, related how the Chinese fishermen make use of such birds as these latter, trained for the purpose, to do their fishing for them: a band being fastened around each creature"s neck, so that it can never swallow its capture, which is, of course taken possession of by the master.
"We want to make sure to get a good anchorage tonight," Jack remarked to Herb; for the two boats were moving along close together, late that afternoon.
"Why so particular tonight; is it going to be any different from others?" asked the skipper of the _Comfort_.
"Well, I don"t just like the looks of that sky over yonder"--and Jack pointed to the southwest as he spoke. "We"ve been told that in nearly every case these Northers swoop down after the clouds roll up there, the wind changing to nor"west, and the cold increasing. There"s something in the air that makes me think we"re due right now for our first Norther."
"But to Northern fellows that oughtn"t strike a wave of dread," declared Herb. "We"re used to winter ice and snow. The thermometer down below zero never bothered me. Why should it down here, when it don"t even touch freezing?"
"Let"s wait and see," laughed Jack. "After it comes, we"ll know more than we do now. But a harbor we must have. Keep your eye peeled for what looks like a good landing place, Herb."
They found this presently, though the key was not so heavily wooded as Jack had hoped to find; and he did not think it would wholly break the force of the wind, should a gale come roaring down upon them during the night.
When they crawled under their blankets about ten, the sky was clouded over, but nothing else had come to pa.s.s. This condition of affairs puzzled Jack, who did not know what to think of it.
But when he was awakened later on by a dull roaring sound, not unlike the noise of a heavy freight train pa.s.sing over a long trestle, he sprang up, understanding full well what it meant.
"Wake up, everybody; here comes your first Norther!" he shouted at the top of his young and healthy voice.
CHAPTER XVII.
THE SHELTER BACK OF THE KEY.
"Oh! what happened?" Nick was heard to call out, in a tremulous voice.
"Get up and hustle! Show a leg here, or you"ll be frozen in your blanket!" George shouted, excitedly, for his canvas tent was wabbling in the wind like a thing possessed.
Of course, those in the other boats had little need to worry, since their hunting cabins protected them in a great measure from the violence of the gale. The neglect of George to have the same sort of contrivance placed on the _Wireless_, for fear lest it might reduce the great speed of the boat, always cost him dear when night came, or a storm howled about their ears. One has to pay in some way or other for his whistle; and George was a "speed crank" without any doubt.
For a short time it was feared that the tent on the _Wireless_ would actually blow away. Half dressed, the pair aboard hung on with might and main to save the canvas, Nick"s teeth chattering tremendously as he shivered in the rapidly falling temperature.
It certainly did get cold in a hurry, too. Jack would never more smile when he heard old "crackers" tell about the terrors of a Norther. Why, in spite of the protection of the cabin walls, the bitter wind seemed to penetrate to their very marrow.
"Say, Jimmy, this is mighty tough on George and Nick," he remarked to his boatmate, when the wind had pa.s.sed its worst stage, but the cold seemed to be on the increase.
"It do be the same; and "tis myself that feels bad for thim this blissed minute," the warm-hearted Irish lad answered, as he swung his arms back and forth to induce circulation, and bring a bit more comfort.
"Just as I feared, the growth ash.o.r.e is too thin to fend off all the wind; and if this keeps up we"ll have the meanest night we ever struck,"
Jack continued.
Jimmy knew from the signs that the skipper had an idea. He was used to reading Jack by now.
"What can we be afther doing, I dunno, Jack darlint?" he remarked, or rather shouted; for it was simply impossible to hold a conversation in ordinary tones as long as that howling wind kept shrieking through the mangroves and cypress trees near by.
"Get ash.o.r.e, and throw up some sort of protection, behind which we can make our fire," Jack answered, readily enough.
"Hurroo! that"s the ticket! Let"s be afther getting to worrk right away.
Sure, annything is betther than howldin" the fort aboard, and shakin"
enough to loosen ivery timber in the hull of the dandy little _Tramp_."
Jimmy was always enthusiastic about everything he went about doing.
Consequently, he started ash.o.r.e immediately, with Jack trailing behind.
When George realized what his chums were doing, he made haste to join them, for he could not but understand that it was mostly on account of the unfortunates aboard the exposed _Wireless_ that the effort to build a fire was attempted.
Many hands make light work; and as there happened to be plenty of wood available near by, a fire was soon blazing. Then Nick, unable to hold aloof any longer, came waddling ash.o.r.e, to offer his services, when nearly everything had been completed.
Jack had found a means of building a wind shield out of various things, and in the shelter of this they hovered, keeping the fire going at top-notch speed.
That night seemed endless to several in the party. They huddled around, swathed in blankets like Esquimaux, and trying to sleep, though Nick was about the only fellow who managed to accomplish much in that line.
Fortunately it did not rain, which was rather an unusual thing, since these cold storms generally start out with a downpour, until the wind shifts into the northwest, when it clears, and turns bitterly severe.
But morning came at last, when they could see to improve the situation.
After Josh had cooked the breakfast--and he had plenty of help on this occasion, since every one wanted to cling to the fire as close as possible--all felt better able to meet the situation.
"Nothing like a full stomach to make things look brighter," commented Nick, sighing, as he sc.r.a.ped the frying pan for the last remnant of fried hominy.
The wind kept up all that day, so that the pilgrims found themselves actually stormbound. Jack would have made a try for another harbor of refuge, only it was so very rough between their key and the main sh.o.r.e that he doubted the ability of the speed-boat to make the pa.s.sage without a spill; and surely a bird in the hand was better than two in the bush. They could not be sure about improving on their quarters by going further.
Another thing influenced him to remain where they were. Gradually but surely the wind was going down. The cold remained, but with a dying breeze it did not penetrate so much. It was decided that all of them but the crew of the _Wireless_ should sleep aboard their boats on this night. George and Nick were made fairly comfortable by the fire back of the wind shield.
And as Jack had expected, during the night there came another shift of the wind. Following the natural course of the compa.s.s, it was in the northeast when dawn arrived, and would soon work around to the east.
For, strange to say, down in this country, during the winter season at least, the southeast wind is the very finest that blows; whereas in most other places it has a reputation for being just the meanest known.
All of them were so dead for sleep that the next night pa.s.sed very quickly. And when morning came the change in the temperature pleased them greatly.
"Let"s get a move on, fellows," Jack said, after the customary attention had been given to taking care of the inner man. "We ought to make a big dent in the distance separating us from Meyers today."
"And by the same token," piped up Jimmy, eagerly, "I"m afther hearin"
that the fishing is mighty foine around this section."
"Huh!" grunted Nick, scornfully; "when you beat that record I"ve hung up, just wake me, and let me know. Time enough then to get a hustle on.
Just now it"s up to you, Jimmy, to do all the worrying. I"m going to take things easy after this."
"All right, me bhoy, just do that same, and by the pipers it"s ye that will be hearin" a cowld, dull thud, which will be that record droppin"
to the earth. Sure, it do be a long lane that has no turnin"; and sooner or later, belave me, "twill be me day."
They made a brave start. George was quite elated with the splendid way his engine worked, and frowned whenever Nick made out to mention that his word had been pledged about that change of motive power at Tampa.
Two hours later the inevitable came to pa.s.s.
"George has hauled up short, Jack!" Herb called out; for the _Comfort_ was not a great distance behind the _Tramp_ at the time, with the other boat, as usual, ahead.