Motor Boat Boys on the St. Lawrence Part 18

"Now I know that was meant for me," retorted George; "but, thank you, the bully old _Wireless_ seems to be on her best behavior this trip.

Haven't had the least trouble up to now, and don't expect to. Wish I could only get a chance to race that _Flash_ of Clarence's, though.

Never will be happy till I do, and find out whether his boat or mine is the faster."

"Look out yonder, fellows," said Josh just then.

"A rowboat, and holding two men," remarked Jack. "Seems to me we've seen those fellows before, eh, boys?"

"We certainly have," George spoke up. "They are some of the ones who pa.s.sed here the other day and scowled to beat the band. They're doing the same right now, as if they'd like to order us away, but don't dare.

Guess they've come around to see if we show any signs of leaving. Look at 'em talking together, and shaking their heads. Perhaps it means more trouble for us tonight, boys."

"Mebbe the ould ghost has been patched up again for a sicond show!"

suggested Jimmie, grinning at Josh, who had turned a bit pale, and moved uneasily.

"Well, there they go off without saying a single word to us. Talk about your good manners, these fishermen along the St. Lawrence are a lot of soreheads," and George mockingly waved his hand after the retreating boat, though Jack considered his act as bordering on the reckless.

"George, suppose you and I go ash.o.r.e after a while, and shoot at a mark a few times with that rifle of yours?" Jack suggested later on.

"Now you've got some notion in your head, or you wouldn't say that,"

remarked George. "Tell us what it is, Jack."

"Only this," replied the other, without hesitation. "Some of those men may be hanging about within earshot. We don't know but what they have a camp on the island here or some other close by. It might be as well to let them know we've got a gun and can shoot if necessary. Is that straight?"

"It's what you would call good and sufficient warning, in law," George replied. "And I call it a bright thought, Jack. Let's start now. I challenge you to a trial of skill with my rifle. And Josh here can go along to keep tally."

"Please excuse me," retorted the party mentioned. "But I've got plenty to attend to right here. Try Nick; the exercise will do him good."

"All right!" exclaimed the fat boy, promptly. "I'm on deck every time.

You never knew me to s.h.i.+rk; even if some of you did allow terrible suspicions to creep into your minds about my entire trustworthiness. But in good time I expect to clear up that dark mystery of the past. I can afford to wait my time; the triumph will be all the sweeter. Shall I tumble into your d.i.n.ky, Jack?"

So the three went ash.o.r.e, and for some time the rivalry was keen, the sharp reports of the rifle sounding at intervals, accompanied by more or less shouting and merriment. As Jack said, they might as well notify everybody within earshot of the fact that even the appearance of a ghost had not frosted their spirits to any appreciable extent.

So the afternoon gradually pa.s.sed away.

Josh often cast apprehensive glances toward the silent sh.o.r.e of the nearby island as the shadows grew longer, with night coming on.

Sometimes he fancied he saw something moving amid the thick brush, and was almost inclined to tell his comrades; only he feared their shouts of derision, and the accusation that he allowed memories of that silly ghost to haunt him.

And after all, it usually turned out that the moving object was some innocent little denizen of the woods, a prowling 'c.o.o.n perhaps, out ahead of time in search of a supper; or possibly only a chipmunk searching for tempting roots to satisfy its desire for food, while waiting for the new crop of nuts to come along.

Night settled down at last, and this time the boys were pleased to note that the heavens were almost clear, so that the moon would have a fair chance to play hide and seek with the few floating white banks of clouds.

Most of the boys seemed in high spirits. They laughed and joked as they went about the usual duties of the evening hour. If Jack had anything serious on his mind he failed to take his comrades into his confidence.

And yet, now and then he would smile, as though certain thoughts that pushed themselves to the front amused him; and this seemed to be the case more especially when he heard the others talking about the pleasant professor from Ann Arbor.

CHAPTER XVI-JACK'S DARING VENTURE

Somehow no one suggested having supper ash.o.r.e that night. There was something chilling about the mysterious island that dampened the ardor of the boys in this respect. Had it been anywhere else, they would have looked upon the opportunity for having a jolly camp fire as too good to be lost; but somehow all seemed satisfied that they remain aboard.

Josh for one was just as well pleased. He even neglected several golden chances to give Nick those customary sly digs; and this was a most unusual thing for Josh.

Nevertheless, even the proximity of a haunted island could not long hold in check the natural bubbling spirits of a pack of healthy lads. After supper, as they lay around in as comfortable att.i.tudes as was possible, some one started singing, and presently six voices took up the chorus, so that a volume of sound welled up out of that cove calculated to startle all the ghostly visitants that were ever known to gather there.

No one seemed to be sleepy; for even when the hour began to grow late there was little talk of getting out the blankets. Stories were told, jokes flew around, and taken in all they were a merry group, apparently without a single care in the wide world.

George broke into this delightful harmony finally by saying:

"Now, I guess you fellows will tell me I'm hearing things that ain't so; but, honest, I believe that was the chug-chug of a motor that came down the wind. It was just as Nick was singing that funny song of his about the Dutchman who didn't know his own name, because he and his twin brother got mixed in the cradle, and the other fellow died. Did anybody else get the sound, or are my ears the only sharp ones?"

"I thought I did," Jack spoke up; "but you see, Nick was leaning over the side of his boat and sending his voice right at me, so I couldn't make sure."

Herb also admitted that he had heard something, he couldn't say what.

"Now, don't laugh," George went on; "but it struck me I'd heard that rackety chug before."

"Meaning the noisy engine of that stubby little boat the Ann Arbor professor came in?" asked Jack, quietly.

"You hit it right at the first jump, Jack, for that was in my mind,"

George said.

"Well," remarked Nick, "don't you remember that he said he'd like to spend one night with us here, in hopes of seeing our pet ghost. Perhaps he's concluded to return and do it."

"Oh, rats;" exclaimed Josh, "We ain't going to see any more ghost.

What's the use of keeping that silly idea up? But I reckon all of us'd like to see that gentleman again. He was good company, and he knows boys from the ground up."

"He ought to, seeing that it's his business to be with boys and young men all the time. I bet you he's a prime favorite at college," Nick remarked; and then looked in surprise at Jack because the other actually chuckled.

"I don't believe Jack takes much stock in Professor Marshland," said George, who had also noticed this little demonstration.

"Oh; but you're very much mistaken there," the one indicated hastened to say. "I admired him and hope some time to see more of him. I think we shall before we leave the St. Lawrence cruising grounds."

George shook his head. He seemed to guess that there might be a hidden meaning back of these words; but if so, it was beyond his capacity to fathom it.

"But look here, if he's coming along, why don't we hear his old boat any more?" Josh asked.

"That's so," declared George. "I wonder, now, if the engine could have broken down."

At that everybody smiled, for in their Mississippi cruise it had been George who was frequently in trouble through the inability of his motor to stand the strain of great pressure. And consequently the subject was usually one that was frequently on his mind.

"Oh! the chances are that he was just going past, and has gotten beyond hearing. You know sometimes a flaw in the wind will carry a sound for a mile or two," Jack remarked.

"That's so, on the water," George observed.

A little later, while the others were engaged in some wordy dispute, Jack quietly slipped into the little tender attached to the _Tramp_ and paddled softly off out of the cove.

"What d'ye suppose he's got on his mind?" asked George, looking after the other.