CHAPTER XXVIIIA SUDDEN DISAPPEARANCE
For several seconds all those on the deck of the wrecked steam yacht watched the on-coming flying machine with intense interest. Then Randy uttered a sudden exclamation.
“The flag! Let’s put it out upside down for a distress signal!”
“Yes, and let’s make some smoke! We can do it with some wet papers,” put in Fred.
While Fred and Andy got ready the smoke signal, Randy and the young major rushed to where they had found the flags belonging to the wrecked vessel. As quickly as possible they selected the biggest Old Glory on board and brought it out on the deck.
“How kin you raise it?” questioned Ira Small. “There ain’t no masts.”
“We’ll tie it to a pole and hold it up from the top of the cabin,” answered Jack, hurriedly.
In all haste the flag was fastened to a pole the boys had noticed some time before andthen raised to the top of the cabin, where Randy and Jack waved it frantically at the on-coming ’plane. A few minutes later the flying machine was almost directly overhead. It was of fair size and contained two occupants.
“It’s a hydroplane!” exclaimed Fred. “See the pontoons under it?”
“I hope she lands,” murmured Andy.
“I don’t believe they can land on the ocean very well,” said Jack. “But they might land in that bay on the north shore.”
Eagerly the whole party watched the movements of the hydroplane. It seemed to be passing them by when it slowly turned in a wide circle to the eastward. Then it came along over the wreck once more.
“They’re dropping something!” cried Jack. “Here it comes!”
A white object about as big as a man’s head came dropping down from the hydroplane. It was evidently of light weight, for its descent was not rapid and the wind carried it from over the stern of the wreck to a point just beyond the bow. Then the hydroplane sailed on.
“I’ll bet it’s a message of some sort!” burst out Randy, and he and Fred scrambled over the side of the yacht and on to the rocks where the object lay. They found it was made of paper,tied lightly with a string, and to it was attached a bit of cardboard on which was written:
“Wreck and distress signals seen. Cannot land. Will notify U. S. Government without delay. Can you hold out forty-eight hours? If so, turn flag.“Jackson.“Borderwell.”
“Wreck and distress signals seen. Cannot land. Will notify U. S. Government without delay. Can you hold out forty-eight hours? If so, turn flag.
“Jackson.“Borderwell.”
“Hurrah for Jackson and Borderwell, whoever they may be!” cried Jack, happily. “Come on! Let’s turn the flag right side up!” and this was quickly done.
Again the hydroplane made a turn, this time wider than before. Then the flying machine passed over the wreck at a lower level, and they could see the two aviators peering anxiously down at them. They waved the flag in delight and Andy and Randy threw kisses to show that everything was all right. Then they saw each of the aviators wave their arms in return. A few seconds later the hydroplane passed southward once more.
“I’ll bet she’s bound for Porto Rico!” cried Jack, and in this surmise he was correct.
“If only we could have sent word to the folks that we’re safe!” sighed Fred.
But even with this drawback, the boys felt tremendously relieved, and had it not been for his twisted ankle Andy would have danced a jig of joy. Their situation would soon be known to the outside world, and they were certain that relief would not be slow in coming.
“Forty-eight hours won’t be so long to wait,” said Randy. “Why, that’s only two days!”
“That will give us time to hunt for the pirates’ gold!” exclaimed the lanky sailor. “I wish my leg was better. I’d climb over them stones somehow or other and git to the middle of the circle of the thirteen rocks.”
“Now that we know that help is coming, we can spend all our time in trying to locate the gold,” said Randy. “Why not take another trip along the base of the rocks in the scow? We can post a notice here telling where we’ve gone, so that if any one arrives they’ll wait for us.”
They finished their interrupted meal and then decided to make another tour in the scow without delay. It was very calm, the wind having gone down completely, so they felt they could approach quite close to the cliffs without much danger of another wreck.
For fully two hours the party of five moved slowly along the rocky shore, inspecting every foot of the way for some hidden trail by which theymight get to the bowl encircled by the thirteen rocks.
“There might be an opening behind that bunch of vines,” remarked Andy, presently. “It looks as if there were some sort of opening there.”
They had brought with them several long-handled boathooks, and by means of these they managed to make a landing on the rocks, and Randy and Fred climbed to the point where the vines mentioned were growing. Here they found an opening several yards in depth, inhabited by numerous sea birds that flocked forth in much astonishment.
“There is an opening,” shouted Randy, after throwing the rays of the searchlight around, “but it doesn’t lead to anything. It’s just a blind pocket.”
After this the search was continued for another hour, and the boys visited two other places along the rocky barrier. One was thickly matted with vines, and here they found the foothold very uncertain, and Jack and Fred, who were doing the climbing, came close to tumbling down into the ocean.
“Doesn’t look as if there was any sort of an opening around here,” came dolefully from Andy. He was sorry that he could not do some of the climbing himself, but he knew that hehad to take care of his hurt ankle or that member might become so bad that he could not use it at all.
“We won’t give up yit!” cried Ira Small. “I’m goin’ to git down in that circle of rocks if I’ve got to stay behind on the island all alone!”
“Oh, we wouldn’t dream of going off without you, Small,” answered Randy, quickly.
“Well, I ain’t goin’ to leave till I’ve made a search,” answered the old tar, stubbornly. “That thing’s been in my mind fur five years, an’ I ain’t goin’ to give up now when I know where them rocks are located.”
“Maybe we’ll have to get an airship in which to get down into the bowl,” said Andy, making a wry face.
Again they went on, and now they were less than an eighth of a mile from where the rocky wall came to an end and the jungle took its place, leading, a short distance farther along, to the entrance to the little bay which Jack and Randy had navigated on the raft.
“What a lot of birds,” remarked Jack, as they went along close to the rocky cliff. “I never saw so many in my life.”
“It would be easy to get enough for a bird pot-pie—if a fellow wanted it,” added Andy, with a grin. Then, however, the fun-loving Rover shuthis mouth tightly and began to rub his hurt ankle.
“Hurt very much, Andy?” asked Fred, kindly.
“It starts up every once in a while,” was the answer. “I don’t notice it, and then of a sudden it seems to go right back on me.”
“You’ll have to see a doctor—just as soon as we can get to where there is one,” put in his brother.
“I suppose so. But I’ll wait till we get home first.”
As they moved along both the boys and the lanky sailor kept their eyes on all the flat rocks which were passed. Presently Fred saw what he took to be the picture of an arrow carved on one of the rocks, and he pointed this out to the others. Close to the arrow grew some trailing vines from a small opening just above.
“Gee, that does look like an arrow!” cried Andy, with interest.
“Yes. But there were to be three arrows forming a triangle,” remarked his twin.
Curious to know if the mark was really meant for an arrow, they sculled the scow in closer to the rocks and then pulled the vines aside with one of the long boathooks.
“There are the three arrows, just as plain as day!” burst out Jack.
He was right. There, on the face of a large upright rock, the representation of three arrows had been cut. Each arrow was about two feet in length, the bottom one horizontal and the others running down to a base probably four feet long.
“It’s a triangle, all right enough! A triangle with the three angles left open!” ejaculated Randy.
“Yes, but where is the opening?” came quickly from Ira Small. He was as much excited as any of the boys.
“It must be up behind those vines!” cried Fred.
It was no easy task to get up the side of the smooth rock, and had it not been for the substantial boathooks they carried and the support of some of the vines, they would have been unable to make it. However, Jack and Randy managed finally to reach the opening and speedily began an investigation. But this amounted to nothing. The opening was very irregular, and all the passages leading from it went up instead of down.
“How are you making out?” shouted Andy, impatiently.
“Nothing doing up here, as far as I can see,” announced Jack.
“Maybe there’s some sort of a secret trapdoor,” suggested Fred, hopefully.
For over a quarter of an hour Randy and Jack continued their investigations of the little opening just above the triangle of arrows. Then they came to the edge of the hole and looked down blankly at those on the scow.
“It’s no use,” said Randy, disconsolately. “If there’s any passageway here, we can’t find it.”
While the search was in progress, those on the scow had had no easy time of it to keep the craft from becoming damaged on the rocks. Now, as an extra large wave rolled in from the ocean, Fred used one of the boathooks as a fender. But the hook on the end of the pole slipped down, and the next instant boy and pole disappeared from view into the ocean at the base of the rocky cliff!