CHAPTER XIII.AFLOAT.
It was not necessary for the boys to wait very long before the mystery was as plain to them as to Ned.
In a few moments a prolonged and particularly unearthly groan was heard, which began as the Zoe commenced to move seaward and ceased when she stopped.
There could no longer be any question in regard to the matter, and Roy said in a tone of the most intense relief:
“Well, that settles it. I had began to make a fool of myself, and am mighty glad it’s settled at last. If we had left the key without having discovered the cause of the noises, I’m afraid I should have been convinced so long as I lived that this island was haunted by the captain and mate of the Evening Star. What do you think now, Vance?”
“That we’ve been mighty silly. Almost anybody, except Ned, would have been frightened by such sounds when they knew there wasn’t a living thing on the key.”
“I might as well own up that I was in a pretty bad funk toward the last of it,” Ned replied with a hearty laugh. “That last screech came mighty near settlin’ me, an’ if I hadn’t happened to be standin’ close to the yacht when the next one came, I reckon I’d joined you in the tent. But now that the thing is settled, one of you come aboard with me an’ help haul in on the longest cable. The other must stay on the raft an’ do his best at drivin’ the wedges in when we take up the slack.”
Vance was on the Zoe’s deck almost before Ned ceased speaking, and the two tugged at the capstan until Roy shouted from the raft:
“You’ve raised her three or four inches already. I’ve put in new wedges, and if you’ll take a whack at the other cable she’ll be in fair condition for the next tide.”
The boys worked with a will until nearly dark, and then the yacht was in a better position than even Ned had dared to hope for.
She was very nearly on a level keel, a slight heel shoreward only showing that she was aground, and her stern had been hauled around a couple of feet, so much so, in fact, that the lead-line showed deep water directly beneath the screw.
“We must keep awake this night, or leave one fellow on watch,” Ned said after the tide had fallenso much that it would have been a useless expenditure of strength to work longer, “and when it’s high water once more I expect to see her afloat.”
“It can’t be done so soon,” Vance said decidedly as they walked toward the tent. “We may possibly succeed by the day after to-morrow; but not before.”
“That remains to be seen,” Ned replied with a laugh. “We’ll get something in the way of dinner, and then decide whether all three or only one shall stand watch.”
Now that the “ghost” had been laid, the experiment of floating the yacht evidently a future success, and matters in what Roy called “comfortable shape” once more, the little party was in the best of spirits.
Roy fairly outdid himself in the way of preparing dinner, and the tired wreckers ate until it seemed as if food would never again be necessary.
Since it would not be high water until about midnight, it was thought useless for all hands to remain awake, therefore hourly watches were begun from nine o’clock, the time set for retiring, until twelve, when the work would be commenced once more.
The question of who should “do the first trick” was settled by drawing lots, and it so chanced that Ned was the one selected for the last hour.
He made sleeping a matter of business from the time the first watch was begun until summoned to do his share of the work, and then, in order to drive the remnants of slumber from his eyelids, went out on to the beach for a stroll.
After walking a couple of miles as a means of preparing for the more arduous labor, he returned to the yacht and clambered on board.
The hawsers were stretched taut as bars of iron, and there was every reason to believe the strain upon the anchors was beginning to tell.
Contrary to his expectation the groaning was not heard, probably because the craft had been raised partially out of the sandy bed; but as he stood there watching the water creep up inch by inch upon the white sand, he fancied there was a certain motion to the craft.
“The anchors are pullin’ her once more,” he said to himself. “I wish it might be possible to get her off before the boys awaken. I don’t believe she’s now on so very firm, and with the hawsers dragging dead astern a little additional weight would take her off.”
The cable connected with the largest anchor was yet made fast to the capstan, and as the yacht quivered again, Ned exerted all his strength to take another turn of the drum.
At first this was impossible, but as the hawsers were slackened he succeeded, and was rewarded by feeling that she continued to move slightly.
“It’s now or not until to-morrow!” he said after making certain the water was nearly at its proper height, and shutting his teeth tightly, he gave way on the capstan-bar with every ounce of weight and strength it was possible for him to exert.
Just for an instant he fancied he had made some mistake as to the holding power of the craft, and then the capstan began to revolve as if the cable had suddenly been unloosened.
There was no necessity to look over the side, for Ned could see by the objects ashore that the little steamer was moving rapidly through the water, and a second later there was a slight dip as the bow slipped from the bank.
The Zoe was afloat once more.
Ned came very near giving vent to a cry of triumph, which might have awakened his friends, and that was exactly what he did not want to do.
He wished them to sleep on until morning and, coming out to look for him, see the little craft rising and falling on the swell as if she had never known what it was to come in contact with the bank; therefore he remained silent, hauling in on the cables until she was riding within a short distance of the anchors.
It would have pleased him immensely had it been possible to have pulled the steamer around into the bay, and he would have made the attempt if he had had a boat; but there was too much risk in trying to tow her alone, with the raft as a craft, therefore it only remained to pass the hours of darkness in the most comfortable manner possible.
The port lockers were comparatively dry, and on one of these in the after cabin he prepared to continue his nap; but the feeling of triumph was so strong in his mind that quite a while elapsed before slumber visited his eyelids.
Fortunately, so far as the plans for enjoying his triumph were concerned, he awakened at an early hour, and was on deck busying himself with examining the rigging when Roy appeared at the flap of the tent.
The boy was evidently surprised at not having been called when the tide was at its height, and was looking around for Ned when he saw the change which had been made in the position of the yacht.
For an instant he remained motionless, as if speechless with astonishment, and then gave vent to a series of cheers which brought Vance from the tent in short order.
“How did you get the yacht afloat?” the latter asked in astonishment as he ran to the shore.
“Pulled her off, of course. You fellows believed she couldn’t be launched for two or three days, so I thought it would be a good chance to prove you were mistaken.”
“You’re a brick!” Vance exclaimed enthusiastically. “Bring the raft ashore so we can go on board.”
“That is exactly what I propose to do,” Ned replied as he clambered over the rail. “There isn’t a breath of air stirrin’, an’ if we pull her around into the bay now, it’ll give us an appetite for breakfast.”
“Do you think we can do it with that raft?”
“Hold on!” and Ned clambered back to the deck again. “We’ll run a line ashore, and with one haulin’ on that, while the other two row the raft, I reckon it won’t be so very much of a job.”
“Go ahead and fix things in any way you see fit,” Roy cried encouragingly. “You’ve shown yourself the captain of this crowd, and from now out Vance and I will obey orders without a word. Eh, Vance?”
“Well, I should say so! If it hadn’t been for him we should have left the poor little Zoe on the bank until a storm came and knocked her to pieces.”
Ned was decidedly well pleased by these words of praise, but he took good care not to show it.
It delighted him that his companions should thus voluntarily give him credit for having engineered the work successfully, and he was resolved she should be taken into port in good condition, if such a thing was possible.
A line, made fast to the capstan, was soon carried ashore and given in charge of Roy, while Ned took Vance back with him to the yacht.
Then it was simply a matter of hard work to pull the steamer around, and before nine o’clock that morning she was moored in the little bay ready to receive once more the goods which had been taken ashore.
“Now, captain, what’s the next thing on your programme?” Vance asked when they were back at the tent and Roy was preparing breakfast.
“I think it would be a good idea for you two to overhaul the machinery, and see if it can be put in running order. I’ll take a portion of the stores on board, by way of gettin’ ready for our departure.”
“But suppose we find that it is impossible to do anything with the engine? You know we don’t profess to have very much knowledge of such matters.”
“Then it’ll be a case of bendin’ the sails an’ gettin’ along the best we can in that way. With main, fore, an’ a jib we should be able to strike some portwhere you can hire an engineer and sailin’ master. You know we’ve got money enough to indulge in all those luxuries.”
The cook did not spend any very great amount of time over the range on this morning.
Now that it appeared possible they might be able to leave the key as soon as the yacht was in sailing trim, each member of the party was eager to be under way, and at the earliest possible moment the amateur engineers went on board.
Ned did not accompany them.
He realized fully how much labor there was yet to be performed before they could begin the voyage, and found plenty with which to occupy himself until Roy hailed him from the deck of the yacht.
“We can’t make head nor tail of the machinery, and even if we could I don’t think it would be safe for us to attempt to run her any distance under steam.”
“All right,” Ned replied cheerily. “Suppose you come ashore, and we’ll tackle the canvas.”
“Are you counting on bending that at once?”
“Of course; it’s the hardest part of the job, and should be attended to first.”
“But by doing that we shall destroy our tent.”
“What’s to prevent our livin’ on board the rest of the time we’re forced to stay here?”
“Crickey! I never thought of that!” Roy exclaimed with a hearty laugh, and five minutes later he and Vance were pulling the raft ashore.
By Ned’s instructions the rope which had been used in guiding the yacht around the point into the bay was not cast off when that task was completed, but had been made fast ashore, so that in order to work the raft back and forth it was only necessary to pull either way on the line.
A painter with a sliding loop moored the collection of timbers which was to serve as a boat, and the communication with the shore could be kept up easily and readily.
Ned already had one of the tents down, and this canvas (the foresail) was taken on board without delay.
The boys were by no means experienced sailors, therefore fully twice the time necessary was spent in bending the sail.
When it had finally been completed to the satisfaction of the young captain, Roy insisted that the range be put back in its old place at once.
“There’s no use keeping it ashore when a fellow can work so much more easily on board,” he said. “From now on we shall be here the greater portion of the time, and the sooner we begin ship duties the better it will be for the cook.”
“And he’s such an important personage that his comfort must be attended to very carefully,” Vance replied laughingly. “It won’t take us more than an hour to bring such things here as you’ll need.”
That noon the little party ate dinner aboard, and a very jolly meal it was.
Roy had taken great pains with his portion of the work, and the consequence was that they had a regular Thanksgiving dinner, as appeared right and proper to all, since they had a great deal for which to give thanks.
It surely seemed as if Ned would never get tired working, so eager was he to be under way once more.
When the others pleaded for a rest he kept steadily on, saying he had rather “be at somethin’ than layin’ still,” and even after nightfall he persisted in bending the jib in order to “save time.”