Read Ebook: The Radio Detectives in the Jungle by Verrill A Hyatt Alpheus Hyatt

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Ebook has 279 lines and 50586 words, and 6 pages

"No, another one," replied Rawlins. "A tiny bit of land about one hundred miles west of Dominica in the middle of the Caribbean. It's an ideal spot. Not an inhabitant; flat as a table--although that's no advantage with a sea plane--and out of the course of all shipping. I've a hunch that's his place."

Mr. Pauling laughed. "Your hunches are coming thick and fast, Rawlins," he said. "Is this one so strong you want to shift our course for the island?"

The diver grinned. "Not quite," he replied. "But if we get on his trail and it looks like Aves I'm for it."

"Well, we'll soon know if he passed Statia," remarked Tom. "We're almost there."

A CRY FOR HELP

As the destroyer drew into the little port of Orange Town, it seemed as if every inhabitant of the quaint Dutch island had come to the waterfront to welcome her, for the arrival of any ship, let alone a destroyer, was a remarkable event in Statia. Since the little warship was now visiting the island for the second time within a fortnight, the people felt as if their island must be becoming famous.

No sooner had the party landed from the cutter than Rawlins began questioning the natives in regard to the seaplane, but for some time no one could be found who had seen it. The diver was just about to give up and had declared his belief that the plane had not passed the island, when a gray-headed, broad-faced old man, whose yellow skin and kinky hair betokened negro blood and whose features and blue eyes were thoroughly Dutch, pushed through the crowd and told Rawlins he had seen the machine passing over.

To the diver's questions the old man replied that he had been working on his little plantation on the windward side of the island when he had heard a strange noise and, glancing up, had been amazed to see something like a huge bird flying far overhead. For a time he could not imagine what it was and then he remembered the pictures and accounts of airplanes he had seen in the illustrated papers that arrived at Statia at rare intervals and realized that he was actually gazing upon one of the marvelous things which he had always half believed were impossible. In fact, he added, he had come to town for the sole purpose of relating his story to his friends, but all had scoffed at him and had declared he had been mistaken.

"Not a bit of it!" cried Rawlins. "You saw one all right, my friend. What direction was the plane going?"

The old man was not sure, for his mind had been so fully occupied with the wonder of the sight that he had not noted its course, but after a deal of thinking he decided it had been bound for St. Kitts.

"Well, that knocks out my theory about Aves a bit," declared Rawlins. "But there are plenty of spots around St. Kitts where he could have landed or he might have gone on to Nevis. Now let's get up to the hospital and see that old walrus of a Dutch captain."

As they walked towards the tiny hospital, the boys expressed surprise that there seemed to be no damage from the hurricane.

"Out of its track," explained Rawlins. "Remember, I told you those hurricanes are narrow. Of course, there's got to be an edge to 'em some place, and besides, they follow pretty regular routes. I'll bet St. Kitts got it, and yet over here--only a few miles away--they never felt it."

When they reached the hospital all hopes of securing information from the skipper of the tramp were abandoned, however, for the attendants told the Americans that the Dutch sea captain had been taken away the previous day by some friends who had called for him.

"That's blamed funny!" exclaimed Rawlins. "They told me down in the town that no ship had been in port since the hurricane."

"Hmm," mused Mr. Pauling. "Perhaps they were friends living on the island." Then, turning to the young doctor who was in charge, he asked, "What sort of men were they? Can you describe them? Did they mention how they arrived here?"

"Why, no, I did not ask," replied the interne, who spoke perfect English. "I assumed they came in a vessel--small sloops and schooners often put in from St. Kitts and there are packets coming here from Curacao. They seemed to be seafaring men--not Hollanders, though. One was a heavily built man with a red beard--German or Russian I should say. The other was an American, I think--or possibly English--tall, and very broad, with a smooth face and dark hair."

Mr. Pauling and the others glanced at one another with knowing looks, and an exclamation of surprise escaped from Mr. Pauling's lips.

"I'll say they were his friends!" cried Rawlins, as the party, after thanking the doctor, left the hospital. "And not far away right now. Beat us by twenty-four hours, but, by glory, we've picked up their trail!"

"But how could they get here?" asked Tom. "They didn't come in the airplane or by a ship."

"If they haven't already met her," put in Mr. Henderson. "Rawlins, I'm beginning to have as much faith in your hunches as Pauling."

"Well, it's up to us to find out," insisted the diver. "It'll be a hard job to trail the sub, but as long as the High Cockalorum is up in the air, we can keep tabs on him. Let's get a move on and strike over to St. Kitts. The faster we get after those boys the better."

"But how could the sub come in here without being seen?" asked Frank.

"Couldn't," responded Rawlins tersely, "but a small boat from her could. Or maybe they landed at St. Kitts and came over in a sloop. We'll find out down at the bayside."

"That's one advantage of a small place where every one knows every one else and visitors are rare," remarked Mr. Pauling when, after a few questions, they learned that the red-bearded stranger and his companion had arrived in a small schooner and had departed in the same vessel with the Dutch sea captain.

"Yes, these islands are mighty poor places for crooks," agreed Mr. Henderson. "I imagine that's why every one is so honest and crime is so rare."

A few moments later they reached the destroyer, and as they stepped aboard Commander Disbrow approached.

"About five o'clock last night," replied the Commander.

"Then he was pretty near his landing place!" declared the diver. "He couldn't go on after dark. Come on, Commander, let's beat it for Guadeloupe!"

Half an hour later Statia was scarcely more than a blue cloud on the horizon and St. Kitts loomed hazy and indistinct, while the towering conical volcanic cone of Nevis lay to the eastward.

Although the boys had been disappointed at not being able to visit these fascinating islands, they had learned much about them from Rawlins and Commander Disbrow. They had heard about the abandoned forts on Brimstone Hill at St. Kitts and about the troops of monkeys which haunt the old barracks and parapets. They had learned, also, for the first time in their lives, that Nevis was the birthplace of Alexander Hamilton and was famous as the spot where Admiral Nelson had been married. But such matters of historical interest appealed far less to the boys than Rawlins' story of the submerged city of Jamestown which was destroyed by an earthquake and sank below the sea in 1689.

"Say, wouldn't it be fun to go down there in a diving suit and look around!" said Tom, when the diver had described how the coral-encrusted ruins could still be seen through the water on calm days.

"Yep," agreed Rawlins. "I've often kind of hankered to have a look at it--and at Port Royal, over in Jamaica. That slid into the sea one day--with a lot of treasure in it, too. It used to be a regular hang-out for the pirates and the whole shooting match went under during an earthquake in 1692. Some considerable spell of time since then, but I shouldn't wonder if a diver could find something there."

"Gee, I wouldn't like to live down here where towns have the habit of getting drowned," declared Frank.

Mr. Pauling laughed. "People who live in earthquake or volcanic countries become accustomed to such things," he said. "Even St. Pierre, Martinique, where nearly forty thousand people were killed, is being built up and inhabited again, I hear."

A little later, land was reported ahead and through their glasses the boys saw a rounded, gray mass breaking the sea line. This, the Commander told them, was Redonda, and he added that it was an isolated, barren rock, whose only inhabitants were the lighthouse keeper and a small company of laborers who were employed in gathering the phosphate rock.

Then, beyond, and so green that, as Tom said, it looked like a bit of green velvet, the island of Montserrat gradually rose above the horizon before the speeding destroyer.

"Yes, and a little Ireland too," agreed Rawlins. "If you went ashore there, you'd think you were dreaming. Every one of the niggers speaks with a brogue and there are Mulvaneys and Dennises and Muldoons as black as the ace of spades and some of them with red hair. You see, Montserrat was settled originally by the Irish and the brogue and the names have come down through generations."

"It seems to me we're leaving all the most interesting places without seeing them," said Frank regretfully. "I'd like mighty well to see Irish negroes."

"You must remember we're neither on a pleasure cruise or a joy ride," Mr. Pauling reminded him. "And you're fortunate even to see the islands."

"No, I'm going to ask you to let the Commander just hustle the old girl right along and radio Guadeloupe for information. He ought to be able to get it now. If they sighted the plane, we'll have to try Dominica, but there's no radio station there and I'm still betting on Aves. You remember, about that looting of the bank at Dominica? Well, if they had a hang-out at Aves, that would have been dead easy. I think, unless we hear he passed Guadeloupe headed away from it, that we'll hike to Aves without stopping."

Mr. Pauling chuckled. "It seems to me that Henderson and I are scarcely more than accessories now," he declared. "Everything seems to have fallen into your hands. But that's quite right, Rawlins. You know the islands and we don't, and we're following your hunch, you know."

A few moments later, Bancroft, the wireless operator, appeared. "We got Guadeloupe, Sir," he informed Mr. Pauling. "They have no report of an airship."

"Unless he came down at some out of the way part of Guadeloupe," put in Mr. Henderson. "I've been talking with Disbrow and he says it's a wild, little known coast, with few inhabitants."

"Your reasoning is sound," declared Mr. Pauling, "and I agree with you. When should we reach Aves?"

"We could make it to-night," replied the Commander, to whom Mr. Pauling had addressed the last query, "but I'd prefer to slow down and make it by daybreak--its a mere speck and scarcely ten feet above water and there's a risk in running for it in the dark."

"Yes, by all means, wait for dawn," assented Mr. Pauling. "We could accomplish nothing at night and if there are men there, our lights might warn them."

Accordingly, the destroyer slowed down and with the vast bulk of Guadeloupe stretching for miles along the eastern horizon, the little vessel slid easily through the sea towards her goal. As usual, Bancroft or one of the boys constantly listened at the radio receivers, but no sounds, save the messages passing between two distant merchant ships, came in.

With the first faint streaks of light upon the eastern sky, the destroyer picked up speed and tore southward for the tiny speck of land that lay below the horizon ahead. The forward gun was manned and ready for emergencies; the two boys and their companions peered anxiously through the gray dawn for a first glimpse of the sought-for islet, and all thrilled with expectancy and excitement.

"There 'tis!" cried Rawlins, who was the first to catch a glimpse of the tiny gray smudge that broke the even level of the sea's rim.

Instantly, all glasses were focused on the spot and rapidly it rose and took form as a low, flat-topped bit of land, rimmed with white surf and with clouds of sea birds wheeling above it. So low was the island that within half an hour of first sighting it, the destroyer was as close to it as the Commander dared approach and all were anxiously searching the desolate spot for some sign of life or of the plane.

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