"We seem to have left Oswald in the lurch, too, which is a good thing, according to my notion; though I"ve been hoping some fine day that stuck-up dude would run up against Frank, when the old score must be fought out, and he"d get what"s been long due him."
"Not forgetting our friend, Marcus," added Jerry. "He made one little try for the hidden treasure, and Frank scared him half to death by firing his gun out of the window, so he never came back again. Guess he wasn"t as bold a customer as he made us believe. And I"m still hunting all over the boat for a tidy little nook, where Uncle Felix might have hid that bunch of valuables; though up to date I must say I haven"t had even the first smell of the treasure-trove."
"How many days have we been coming this far, Frank?" persisted Will.
"Really four, though this will be our fifth night out," replied the manager of the expedition; for as usual that position had been saddled on Frank"s shoulders, all of his chums having the utmost confidence that he could fill the place better than any one of them.
"One good thing," Bluff went on to say, "is the fact that every night now that moon is going to improve, and grow larger. Why, before we know it, we"ll be having beautiful moonlight nights, when a fellow"ll just hate to turn in."
"But let"s go back again to the mainstay, which is just plain grub. What are we going to eat to-night?" Frank remarked.
And so for a few minutes that ever-interesting, and never-dull topic, was discussed from all sides, everyone having a suggestion to make. In the end, as usually happened, it was voted to leave the matter with Jerry. He knew how to treat them well, Bluff declared with a proper amount of smoothness that quite won the heart of the aspiring cook, and made him resolve to merit the praise that was so lavishly bestowed on him.
Of course the supper was voted a grand success. Jerry was indeed showing considerable skill in getting up very appetizing dishes, and took pride in changing what he called the "menu" so often, that the boys always had delightful recollections of "that last mess we had yesterday, or it might be the day before," which they hoped he would repeat before long.
"Seems like a mighty lonely place right here," Will had remarked, after supper was over, and they sat around on deck, Jerry busy with his fish lines; Bluff stretched on a blanket he had brought out; and Frank rubbing up his recollection of the events of the last two days, since he had fallen behind in his writing of the daily log, and meant to catch up when they lighted the big lamp, going in to sit around the table.
"Well, that"s not a fault, as I can see," Bluff declared; "now, last night you complained of too much company around, when that boatload of toughs from the city rowed past, looking for our hidden houseboat.
Better be by ourselves, even if the wolves do howl, and the panthers scream."
"Oh! say, you don"t think for a minute now that there are any of those fierce creatures around us right now?" Will faltered. "He"s just trying to see how big a yarn he can work off on me; isn"t he, Frank?"
"Just what he is," laughed the other; "because I don"t fancy that there is a wolf or a panther within fifty miles of this place. So make your mind easy, Will; and if you choose to take a turn up and down the deck before going to bed, you can do it without dreaming any wild animal could drop from the branches of that tree above us."
"Listen to Jerry grunting there," remarked Will, disdainfully, "just like he expects me to believe that sort of thing could be a panther!
Don"t forget that I"ve heard a panther before this, and he doesn"t squeal like a hog caught under the fence."
"But it wasn"t me at all!" declared Jerry, looking up from working his line.
"And as sure as anything, it did come from the sh.o.r.e somewhere above!"
Bluff said, as he scrambled to a sitting position.
"Listen, everybody!" remarked Frank, in a quiet voice.
They could plainly hear the swish of bushes giving way before some advancing body.
"Whatever it is, that light Jerry is using, to fix his bait on properly, has told of our being here," Frank went on to say.
"Shall I puff her out, then?" asked Jerry.
"No use now, because the mischief"s done," Frank continued.
"There goes Bluff inside the cabin," Will spoke up; "and I just wager he"s after his gun. Well, I"m glad of it; for Frank might be mistaken about the panther part of the business."
"Listen again!" Frank ordered, and every one fell silent.
The rustling among the bushes increased until it seemed to be almost above them, after which it stopped.
"Ahoy! aboard the boat! Don"t shoot at me; I"m a friend, and in a bad fix!" came a voice.
The boys looked at each other blankly. Every one of them possessed a sympathetic heart, and the very thought of a fellow human in trouble appealed to them.
"Frank, are you going to invite him aboard?" whispered Will.
"Don"t forget what Uncle Felix wrote about having strangers stay on the houseboat," Jerry went on to add; not because he felt any fear, but because of that hidden treasure which he fully believed lay somewhere aboard.
Frank picked up the lantern, as though speedily making up his mind.
"We can go ash.o.r.e ourselves, fellows," he said, "and see what"s wrong.
Bluff, would you mind coming with me; and Will, bring the lantern, please."
"Don"t think I"m going to be left out," cried Jerry, as he let his baited hook drop into the water, where the current carried it down-stream, as he wanted.
And so the four chums made their way ash.o.r.e. This was not hard to do, since the houseboat was warped close to the bank; and indeed, it only required a single jump to bring them to firm ground.
The light of the lantern showed them a single figure, and that of an old man. He did not seem any too robust, and his face was seemingly pinched with pain, and possibly hunger.
"Who are you, and what brings you here?" asked Frank, hardly knowing whether he liked the appearance of the other or not, and secretly resolved that unless it were positively necessary he would not take him aboard the boat.
"My name is Luther Snow," said the other, in a trembling voice. "I was on my way to New Orleans on a packet, when some thief stole my pocketbook, with every cent in the world I had, and my pa.s.sage ticket as well. So the captain put me ash.o.r.e, and I"ve had hardly a bite to eat for twenty-four hours. I must get down there soon, or lose all chance of ever seeing my daughter, who sails for Australia, and I"m in a bad fix, boys, I tell you."
Jerry made a bolt back to the boat, and Frank did not need to be told what he was going for. A man half starved, while they had plenty to eat in the larder, went against the grain of the generous boy.
"Wait a minute, Jerry!" called out Frank; "we"ll build a fire ash.o.r.e, and cook something for him right here;" and turning to the man he continued in a lower tone, as though he thought some sort of explanation might be necessary: "you see, we don"t happen to own this houseboat; and one of the rules set down for us by the gentleman who does, was that, under no circ.u.mstances, unless it seemed absolutely necessary to save a life, were we to keep a stranger aboard over-night. But we can make you fairly comfortable here, and give you some breakfast in the morning; perhaps chip in, and help you out some in the money line. So just sit down, while we get busy, and make the fire first."
That was as generous a proposition as could possibly be expected from any traveler along the great river highway; and the man should have felt pleased when he heard what Frank said; but the sharp eyes of the boys, watching his face, caught a plain flash of disappointment there, as though he had fully antic.i.p.ated being invited to at least spend the night aboard.
Frank was the last fellow to wish to think ill of anybody, and so he said nothing about what he might suspect; only he resolved to carry out the scheme he had in mind, and make the unfortunate traveler comfortable-but on sh.o.r.e.
CHAPTER XI-A THREATENED COLLISION
It was a good deal to expect a boy to cook two suppers on the same evening; but Jerry in the warmth of his heart seemed only too glad to be of a.s.sistance to a poor man in trouble.
Luther Snow seemed to be a rather quiet sort of man. He seldom spoke unless he was addressed; and it was only through persistent questioning that they finally learned something of his story.
He declared that he had no relatives in the world save the married daughter, now in New Orleans; and that as she expected to make her home at the other side of the world, he had determined to sell all he had, and spend some little time with her before she sailed.
"And now it looks as if I"d never be able to reach there in time," he mournfully remarked, in conclusion; "because I haven"t a single dollar in the world; and even if I wrote to her, she"s not able to send me the money. So I"ll just have to go back to my trade, and earn enough day by day; if I can find work."
"What might be your trade?" asked Frank, as though just barely interested.
"Why, I"m a carpenter, you see," the old man replied, quickly enough; but while of course Frank did not say a word as though he doubted the truth of this a.s.sertion, he secretly made up his mind that at least the other could not have been doing much work of recent years; for he noticed that his hands were entirely free from signs of manual labor, since they appeared to be as soft as those of a lady, though the nails were ill enough kept.
Frank kept much of this to himself. He studied the old man, however, and wondered if after all he could be as hungry as he said; for he certainly did have a very poor appet.i.te for a half-starved person, since he made way with only a small portion of the food Jerry got together.