[Transcriber's note: Odd and unusual spellings are as printed. A Contents has been added for reader convenience.]

Without the least warning, a dozen men seemed
to rise from nowhere all about them. ([Page 103])
(The Lakewood Boys in the South Sea Islands.)

THE LAKEWOOD BOYS IN THE
SOUTH SEA ISLANDS

By L. P. WYMAN, PH.D.

Dean of the Pennsylvania Military College

AUTHOR OF
"The Lakewood Boys on the Lazy S," "The Lakewood
Boys and the Lost Mine," "The Lakewood Boys
and the Polo Ponies," "The Lakewood Boys
in the Frozen North," "The Golden
Boys Series," etc.

A. L. BURT COMPANY
Publishers New York

Printed in U. S. A.

The Lakewood Boys Series

A SERIES OF STORIES FOR BOYS 12 TO 16
YEARS OF AGE

BY L. P. WYMAN, PH.D.
Dean of the Pennsylvania Military College

The Lakewood Boys in the Frozen North
The Lakewood Boys on the Lazy S
The Lakewood Boys and the Lost Mine
The Lakewood Boys and the Polo Ponies
The Lakewood Boys in the South Sea Islands

Copyright, 1925
By A. L. BURT COMPANY

THE LAKEWOOD BOYS IN THE SOUTH SEA ISLANDS

Made in "U. S. A."

Contents

Chapter

I. [A Surprising Proposition]
II. [At Sea]
III. [The Rescue]
IV. [Catching a Shark]
V. [Suspicions]
VI. [Captured by Savages]
VII. [Saved by Magic]
VIII. [The Attack in the Fog]
IX. [A Close Call]
X. [Where is Josh?]
XI. [They Find the Cave]
XII. [A Daring Attempt]
XIII. [An Exciting Finish]

THE LAKEWOOD BOYS IN THE
SOUTH SEA ISLANDS

CHAPTER I.
A SURPRISING PROPOSITION.

Taps had sounded at the close of the sham battle and all the "dead" had sprung to life. The last note of the call officially brought to a close the work of the year at The Fortress and, together with the larger part of the corps of cadets, Bob and Jack Lakewood were hurrying toward the barracks in their eagerness to "get into cits" as soon as possible. But, just as Bob rushed into the wash room with Jack close at his heels, he felt a strong hand grasp him by the arm, and turning he looked into the face of a tall well built man whose lips were parted in at broad smile.

"Well, of all the——"

"Uncle Silas!" Jack interrupted with a shout as he threw his arms about the man's neck and treated him to a bear-like hug.

"Sa-save the pieces," the man gasped as he returned the caress with one arm while Bob pumped the other up and down.

"When did you get here?" he asked a moment later.

"About an hour ago," his uncle told them. "And I'll say you kids sure do know how to drill."

"Where you bound for?" Jack asked.

"Why, I suppose you're going home and I kind of thought I'd drift along with you. You see, it's been quite some time since I've been up in Maine."

"That's great," Bob declared. "You come up to the room while we get dressed and we'll be off in no time. Trunks went this morning. We'll get supper in Philly and catch the Bar Harbor express in New York. Father and mother'll be tickled to death to see you."

While he was talking, Bob was leading the way up stairs to their room and, a moment later, the two boys were stripping off their uniforms, while their uncle sat by the window asking them a steady stream of questions regarding their life there.

"Like it here, do you?" he finally asked, just as Bob was taking a final look around to see if he had forgotten anything.

"It's the greatest school in the world," he replied.

"Hum, well, I believe you," Mr. Lakewood smiled. "I've always said that if military training of the right sort wouldn't make a man of a boy nothing would, and you two sure are good advertisements for it." And he gazed with much pride at the well knit bodies of his nephews.

An hour later, the three were eating supper together in Philadelphia, and between bites, as Jack put it, were talking over old times.

"We'll show you some real woods up in Maine," Jack told his uncle while they were waiting for dessert. "And some real fishing too," he added.

"I'm sorry, but I'm afraid I won't have time for that, much as I would enjoy it," Mr. Lakewood smiled.

"Why not? You're going to spend the summer with us, aren't you?"

"I'm afraid not this time. If all goes well, I shall sail from New York a week from next Tuesday."

"Where to?" Bob asked disappointedly.

"For the South Sea Islands."

"Gee, do you mean it?" Jack asked.

"I sure do," his uncle smiled. "And I was just wondering if you could tell me where I could find two boys around nineteen years of age to go with me."

Bob looked first at Jack and then at his uncle and Jack, after nearly choking on a bit of bread, which, he afterward declared "had gone down the Sunday road," finally gasped: "D-did you say two boys?"

"Two boys. Yes, I said two boys. You see, I want them for company and to help along certain lines. Do you know of any?"

"I don't suppose it would do to have them related to you," Bob grinned.

"Well, of course, we might run into a bit of danger down there, but I know the ropes pretty well, and if they weren't too closely related, why I don't know but it might do," Mr. Lakewood spoke slowly as though carefully considering the case.

"You think nephews would be too close?" Jack laughed.

"You—you mean you'd like to go, you and Bob?" Mr. Lakewood pretended to be greatly surprised.

"Oh, no, we wouldn't like to go, not a bit more than a bear would like to eat a pailful of honey," Jack again laughed.

"But I thought bears liked honey," Mr. Lakewood's face was perfectly sober as he spoke.

"It's the one thing in the world they like better than anything else," Bob told him.

"Then I am to understand that you might be induced to consider the proposition?"

"Would a wild cat consider a proposition to tackle a mink?" Jack countered, whereat they all laughed.

"Think your folks will let you go?" Mr. Lakewood asked.

"Father'd let us go anywhere with you," Bob assured him.

"And so would Mother," Jack added. "But, come on, we've only got ten minutes to get the train in Broad Street."

As soon as they were seated in the Pullman and the train had pulled out of the station, Mr. Lakewood turned to the boys and said: "Now, I suppose you want to know what it's all about?"

"I reckon we are more than a bit curious," Bob confessed.

"And I don't blame you. In fact, I wouldn't give a hill of beans for a boy who wasn't curious. Well, it's a pretty long story but, seeing that we've got this compartment all to ourselves, I reckon now'll be as good a time as any to spin the yarn, as a sailor would say. This story begins back before you boys were born. I wasn't as old then as I am now and, believe me, I don't consider myself an old man now. Probably your father has told you that I've always been something of a rover and, as a matter of fact, I have. There aren't many countries that I've not been in one time or another. I always did have a longing to travel, and when I was about your age I quit school and started out to see the world. My first trip, but, there, I'll have to spin that one some other time and stick to the one I started out on.

"It was the twenty-fifth day of February of the year 1899 that I started from New York on a five-masted schooner bound for Australia. You may think it strange that I can tell you the exact day, but it was my birthday and it was the winter after the big storm when the Portland went down off Cape Cod and everyone on board was lost. I was a pretty husky lad in those days and had the reputation of being about as capable a sailor as the next one. We had about the usual crew, a mixture of Swedes, Half-Breeds and Yankees with an Irishman or two and a Scotsman thrown in for good measure. They were a pretty rough crowd, but no more so, I reckon, than the ordinary run of sailors. The old man, as we called the Captain, was a typical Down East Yankee from somewhere on Cape Cod. I remember he was a short stout man with an arm as big around as an ordinary man's leg, and hands almost as big as hams. He was a God-fearing man, and I never heard him cuss but once, and that was the time a big Swede stepped on his pet corn, and then he let loose for about ten minutes; but he didn't use the Lord's name once but the devil sure did come in for his share of mention.

"Well, we had bad weather from the start, running into one storm after another, and one night, off Hatteras, I thought she was going down. But Cap'n Ezra sure knew how to manage a ship, and we pulled through. After that we had better weather and everything went along just lovely and we made excellent time down to the Horn. Then we ran into another storm and it was five days before we got around and into the Pacific.

"The Second Mate was a big Irishman by the name of Mike Mulligan and he seemed to take a fancy to me from the first and by the time we had rounded the Horn we were more than ordinary good friends. Mike was a real man, let me tell you. Six feet three he stood in his stockings and weighed 260 pounds and there wasn't a pound of fat on him. Strong? Why, man alive, I've seen him take a barrel of salt horse and put it on his shoulder as easily as I could a barrel of flour, and I used to be called more than middling strong.

"Well, once fairly around the Horn the wind, which for five days had been dead against us, changed and we bore away for Australia on a straight course. As if to make it up to us for blowing so long and so hard against us the wind held fair day after day and the blue waves slipped beneath our bow at a rate which bore us rapidly toward the big island. Already we had sighted several of the small islands on the outskirts of the South Sea group when, early one morning, the barometer began to fall rapidly. How well I remember that morning. Not a cloud showed in the sky and the wind, which had held fair and strong for so long, had fallen to a light breeze which barely filled the sails. It didn't seem possible that a storm was brewing, but we knew that the barometer was more to be trusted than any outward signs. At eight o'clock the glass had registered thirty inches and two hours later it had fallen to 29.75. I knew the old man was worried when he gave orders to take in sail. In another half hour, a dirty bank of clouds was rising in the west, and by eleven o'clock the entire sky was overcast. The light breeze had entirely faded away, but the barometer had fallen to 29.60, and we knew it was only a question of minutes when the storm would strike, and the glass indicated that it would be a bad one.

"When the first whisper of the coming gale stole over the sea, the old man took the wheel and ordered one of the men to put the gilguy around him, so that there would be no danger of being swept overboard. Then it came with a suddenness I had never seen before or since. One moment we were lying lazily floating on a perfectly calm sea, and the next we were scuttling under bare poles over and through waves which looked like mountains. Now we were mounting up the side of an immense wall of water until it seemed almost as though the ship would stand on her tail, and then she would lift by the stern and dive, a mountain of sea coming over her bow, until it seemed that we were all bound for Davy Jones's Locker. My, how that wind howled and shrieked. One by one the breaking waves carried away our life boats, until not one was left. There was absolutely nothing we could do save cling on to something and pray that we would outride it. It was dark as night, and it was hardly possible to see the length of the ship. Then came the rain. Not in sheets, as we say, but in a deluge. We hoped that the falling water would lessen the size of the waves but if it did, it was not noticeable, and for hour after hour we drove on expecting that every plunge would be our last.

"Then suddenly the end came. I remember the ship seemed to stand almost on her beam's end, as she rose to the top of a giant wave and she seemed to have hardly begun her dive when she struck with a shock which must have broken her clean in two. I had been clinging to the mast, well up in the bow, and, in some way, the shock threw me clean over the rail and I went down until it seemed that my lungs would burst. All the time I was, of course, struggling to reach the surface and finally my head popped out above the water, but I was almost instantly nearly smothered in a whirlpool of salt spray as I was dashed forward at express train speed. But I had managed to fill my lungs with air, and held my breath as the undertow dragged me back and down a moment later. I never knew how many times this was repeated, but at last I felt bottom beneath my feet, although I was unable to get a foot hold against that fearful back-wash. But the next time I was carried farther up, and managed, in some way, to hold against the drag, and to crawl up beyond the reach of the breakers. For a long time I must have lain there, too tired and sore even to move. But finally a beam of sunlight brought me back to the world and, opening my eyes, I saw that the storm had cleared and that the sun, almost directly over head, was peeping out through the clouds.

"Not a sign of the ship was to be seen, and my heart sank as I realized that, in all probability, I was the only one left alive of the crew. But, a moment later, glancing along the beach, I saw an object lying on the sand just at the water's edge, which brought me to my feet. I was so weak that I could hardly stand, but I managed to walk and creep until I was bending over the form of a man. He was lying face down, and when I had turned him over I saw that it was my friend, Mike Mulligan. At first I thought he was dead from a nasty cut over the right ear, but my ear over his heart caught a faint beat and I knew that he still lived. But it was over an hour before he opened his eyes, and not until several more had passed was he able to stand. But once on the mend, his wonderful constitution made his recovery rapid, and by sundown he was much himself again.

"But we were both weak, and more than half sick from the salt water we had taken in, and, dragging ourselves up well beyond the reach of the tide, we slept on the sand through the night.

"The sleep and rest made new men of us, and, when we awoke at sunrise we were, physically at least, but little the worse for the terrible experience we had gone through, except for Mike's sore head.

"'Faith an' I reckon we're all whot's left,' was his first word as he got to his feet and stretched himself.

"'It looks that way,' I replied sadly.

"Naturally our next thought was about food, for we had not eaten for nearly twenty-four hours, and my throat was parched for lack of water. Inland the ground rose slightly and, perhaps a quarter of a mile away we could see a few trees growing in a clump.

"'If they're cocoanut palms we won't starve to-day,' Mike said as we set off toward them.

"They were cocoanuts, as we had hoped, but there were only a half dozen of them and the nuts were few and far between on them. But we got about twenty, and ate one apiece, drinking the milk. It was not much of a breakfast, but a whole lot better than nothing. Then we cached the rest in a little pile at the foot of one of the trees and went on to the top of the rise, which was only a few hundred feet away. From here we could see the whole island, which wasn't more than a mile long by about half that wide, and it looked to consist of nothing but sand, except that at the end toward the north it looked as though it might be rocky. Not another tree or shrub was visible and I'll never forget the look on Mike's face as he turned to me.

"'Si, I reckon we're in Dutch,' he said.

"Well, it sure did look that way. With no water, or, at least, little prospect of any, and only a matter of twenty cocoanuts between us and starvation the prospect wasn't what you'd call alluring. And there wasn't another island in sight. Nothing but blue water as far as we could see in every direction. Of course we could only guess at the distance we'd been driven in the storm, and we hadn't much idea of the direction, so we didn't know whether we were in the path of ships or not.

"'Well, let's amble over to the end there and see what's what,'" I suggested, and we started off, walking slowly through the sand, for by this time the sun was well up in the sky and it was mighty hot.

"When we got to the end of the island, sure enough it was rocky all right. In fact we stood on a ledge of rock and looked straight down into what looked like deep water twenty feet or more below. But that was all. I had hoped that we would find at least a spring of water hidden among the rocks, but there was none, not a drop, and already our tongues were hanging out of our mouths.

"'Faith an' we moight as well jump off and say here goes nothin',' I remember Mike said bitterly as he stood there gazing down. But I grabbed him by the arm and pulled him back, for I could see that he was in a bad way in his mind.

"'Never say die while there's life,' I told him. 'We've got enough nuts to keep us going for a few days, and no telling when we'll sight a ship.'

"'Sure an' it's nuts we'll both be afore we see one,' he groaned as we started back the way we had come, knowing that we must drink the contents of another cocoanut soon or go crazy. Will I ever forget that walk back? The last hundred feet or so I had to pick Mike up and carry him. You see, although normally possessed of great strength and almost unbounded endurance he had lost a lot of blood from the cut on his head, and I knew that he was mighty weak. Well, he was unconscious when I got him there and put him down in the shade of the thickest of the trees, but after I had opened one of the nuts and poured some of the milk down his throat, he opened his eyes and, for a little while, seemed to be regaining his strength. But I didn't like the flush on his face, and it wasn't long before I knew that the fever had him."

For a moment their uncle paused, and the boys could see tears in his eyes, but he dashed them away with the back of his hand and went on.

"No use going over details. I did what I could do, which God knows was little enough, but he passed out two days later. I dug his grave with a flat stone scooping out the sand and resting when I had to. It wasn't very deep but it was the best I could and I buried him there, one of the best friends I ever had.

"I hadn't had much time to think of myself until it was all over and then I had slept for I never knew how many hours. But when I awoke, I found that there were but four of the nuts left. You see I'd had to get the milk for Mike and, in that hot sun, the meat of them didn't keep long after the nut was opened. From the position of the sun, I judged it must be about nine o'clock in the morning when I opened my eyes and, after I had taken stock of the number of nuts left, for a moment I really envied Mike in his last bed beneath the sand. Four cocoanuts between me and a lingering death from starvation. Can you wonder that I was pretty well down in the mouth?

"Well, I opened one of the nuts and drank the warm fluid and ate the meat. Then, for want of something better to do, I started off toward the rocky end of the island. I remember it was not quite so hot as it had been most of the time, and, although I was feeling none too strong, I finally got there. It was low tide and, as I looked over the cliff, I gave a great shout of joy, for there, at the foot of the rocks, half out of the water, with her nose wedged in between two rocks, was a life boat. I saw at once that it was one of ours which had been carried away in the storm and I hurried to find a way down. I had to go some way to the right before I found a break in the cliff, but I finally got down, and, to my great joy, found that the boat was uninjured. Better still, the small sail with its mast was wedged beneath the seats, and the usual tin of hard tack and keg of water were there and unopened. The oars were also in their place. By this time, I was pretty sure that the island was out of the track of ships, and I resolved to set out at once. But first I could not resist drinking some of the water which, though warm, tasted better than I ever thought water could taste. There was about a gallon of it, and I knew that I must be very sparing of it and only drink when I had to. Well, I hurried back to get the three remaining nuts, munching a piece of the hard tack which I had taken from the tin. The discovery of the boat and its promise of escape had put new life in me, and it was but a short time before I was again making my way down the narrow pass carrying the three precious nuts in my hands.

"I had gotten about half way down when my eye caught sight of something which had escaped me before. It was a small opening in the wall of stone not more than eighteen inches wide and perhaps four feet high. At first I determined to pay no attention to it, for I knew that time was precious, but, on second thought, I told myself that it wouldn't take but a few minutes to investigate, and a few minutes more or less would probably make little difference. So I placed the nuts carefully on the pathway and, stooping, squeezing myself into the opening. Almost at once the passage widened out and, before I had gone a dozen steps I was able to walk upright. Of course it was pitch dark before I had gone ten feet and I had neither match nor flashlight. So I advanced very slowly testing every inch of the way before putting my foot down and keeping one hand against the wall. Although it was hot outside it was actually cold in there and the side of the wall was damp with cold moisture. More than once I was half minded to turn back, but each time curiosity got the better of my judgment and I went on.

"I guessed that I had gone from eighty to one hundred feet along the narrow passage when my hand came to a break in the wall, and, reaching out with my other hand, I found that the opposite wall also had come to an end. I turned to the right, still keeping my hand on the wall, and soon was convinced that I had entered into a chamber of some sort. Then my foot struck something which slipped from beneath it and, reaching down, I picked up what I judged from the feeling to be a very large oyster shell. I got down on my knees, and groping about soon learned that the floor was covered to a depth of a foot or more with the shells, although there were but few of them close to the wall.

"It didn't take me long to make the circuit of the chamber which I found to be nearly square and, so far as I could judge, about twenty feet across. The shells seemed to cover the entire floor except near the walls and there must have been many bushels of them. I broke one of them open and the oyster was perfectly fresh, a fact which led me to believe that at high tide water came in and covered them, though I found no trace of an inlet. Well, I took off my shirt and packed in it as many of the shells as it would hold and made my way out. Raw oysters would, I knew, make a very welcome addition to my menu.

"The tide had turned by the time I reached the boat and it was no hard job to push it free. A good breeze was blowing toward the South, so I decided to go that way. I stepped the mast and in a few more moments I was well away from the island. Sometime I may tell you something about that sail, but not now. It would take too long. Suffice it to say that it was six days before I saw land again, and then I had been without food for nearly thirty-six hours and without water nearly as long, and was about at the end of my rope, when another island came in sight. It was inhabited and I was saved, but it was nearly three months before I got passage on a ship.

"And now comes the most interesting part of the story. I found that I had carried away twenty of the largest oysters I ever saw and in an even dozen of them I found a pearl and each one was a beauty."

"But how did they get there, the oysters, I mean?" Bob asked.

"I don't know, but I've made a good many guesses since then and I think the best one is that they were put there by someone who had an object in keeping it a secret. Of course, how he got them there I have no idea and I may be away off."

"And you're going there again to get some more?" Jack asked.

"That's the idea. I suppose it seems strange that I've waited so long, but there's a reason. In the first place I've got all the money I want, and I'm only going for the fun of the thing. And then, while I always intended to go sometime, I wanted to wait long enough to give the owner of them, provided there is anyone who owns them, a chance to get them. If they're still there, after more than twenty years, I think we can safely say they belong to whoever gets them first."

"I should say so," Bob agreed.

"So I've bought a boat, and I'm going to try to find that island again and it's likely to prove a man-sized job," Mr. Lakewood assured them with a smile.

CHAPTER II.
AT SEA.

"Say yes, Dad."

"What do you say, Mother?"

Bob gave the order, and his father asked the question, while Jack and their uncle held their breath, waiting for her reply. Mrs. Lakewood looked first at one boy and then at the other.

"I believe I'll feel safer knowing that they're with Silas than to have them tramping goodness knows where, alone, and I've got pretty used to that," she smiled.

"That means we can go," Jack shouted, jumping up and giving his mother a bear-like hug.

"Save the pieces," she laughed.

"I'll take good care of them," their uncle promised.

"I know you will, Silas," she smiled as soon as Bob released her from another hug.

Followed busy days of preparation, interspersed with several trips which the boys insisted on taking with their uncle to show him some of the wonders of their State. But finally the night before their departure came, and as they were eating supper their father suddenly asked:

"How about that Photoradio? Going to take it with you?"

"What's that?" his brother asked eagerly. "Did I understand you to say a photoradio?"

"That's what you did. It's a machine the boys invented, and what's more, it works. Tell him about it, Bob."

"Well, I snum, what do you know about that?" His surprise was manifest in his voice and, as soon as the meal was over, he had to have a demonstration.

"Do you realize that there's a fortune in that thing?" he asked, when they had shown him what the machine would do.

"Maybe," Bob replied.

"No maybe about it," the other declared. "And when we get back I'm going to look into it, that is, provided you want me to."

"Of course we'd be glad to have you," Bob assured him. "But what do you think about taking it with us?"

"How far'll it work?"

"We've only tried it over a distance of about fifty miles."

"And it worked good that far?"

"Perfectly."

"Well, what's the matter with taking one end of it and leave the other end here? Maybe we can shoot some scenes up here. Who knows? You know how to run it?" he asked turning to his brother.

"Yes, Bob showed me how," Mr. Lakewood replied.

"Then we'll do it. It won't take up much room."

They left early the following morning and arriving in New York shortly before midnight, went to The Commodore where Mr. Lakewood had engaged rooms by wire. He had told them that it would take a couple of days to get things in shape before they sailed, although the captain and crew had been engaged before he had left for The Fortress.

"There's always a lot of things to see to at the last minute, and I don't like to be rushed," he explained as they said good night.

They were up bright and early the next morning, as their uncle had promised to take them over to a wharf on the East River where the Valkyrie was tied up, and they were most anxious to see the boat. He had evaded their questioning regarding her, telling them that he wanted them to get their first impression of her when they saw her, so, beyond the fact that she was an oil burning yacht, about eighty feet long, they knew practically nothing. Knowing that their uncle was a man of considerable wealth, they were quite sure that he would have a good boat. But they were not prepared for the beautiful vessel which met their gaze as they hurried out to the end of the wharf shortly after eight o'clock.

"Gee, but she's a beauty," Jack gasped, as he stood still for a moment and gazed at the beautiful lines of the boat, as she rode at anchor about fifty feet out in the river.

"I reckon Ole had to move her out there," Mr. Lakewood said, his face flushed with pleasure at Jack's praise. "She was tied up here, but I expect they wanted the room."

Just then a man appeared on her deck, and Mr. Lakewood waved his hand, and, a moment later, a small rowboat was lowered.

"How's tricks?" the owner asked the small freckled Irishman who saluted him as the boat touched the wharf.

"Niver was better, sir," he grinned.

"These are my two nephews, and they're going with us, and, boys, this is the first mate of the Valkyrie, Patrick Barney," he introduced them.

"Faith an' it's meself as is glad to know yees," the mate assured them holding out a hand to each, and their eager grasp must have made him sure that his pleasure was reciprocated.

"Where's Ole?" Mr. Lakewood asked.

"The Cap'n wint up town aboot an hour ago, but he said as how he'd be back by nine o'clock. Will yees go out?"

"I reckon. Come on, boys, jump in and we'll look her over a bit."

The second mate, a large bony man in the early thirties and evidently a typical Down East Yankee, whom their uncle introduced as Josh Kelley, met them as they mounted the companion way and both boys took an instant liking to him.

The boat had been newly painted, and her brass shown like gold, and everywhere she was spotlessly clean.

"She's guaranteed to do twenty-five knots," their uncle told them as he led the way to the cabin.

The cabin was plainly but very comfortably furnished, and a large book case on one side was filled with books of travel, history and fiction.

"Thought probably we'd want to do some reading," he explained as he saw Bob's eyes fixed on the books. "This is your cabin," he said a few minutes later, after he had taken them below and showed them the engine, which Jack declared was a peach. As he spoke he pushed open a door leading from the main deck and pushed them in. It also was plainly furnished, but they saw at a glance that it contained everything necessary to their comfort. "My cabin is next door," he told them, after they had looked the room over and had voiced their approval.

"Gee, but I wish we were going to start right this minute," Jack declared.

"Well, it won't be long now," Mr. Lakewood smiled. "If Ole's ready, I think we can pull out sometime tomorrow afternoon. There he is now," he added, as a deep voice boomed out. "Come out, and I'll introduce you to the captain."

Captain Ole Olsen was a Swede and, as Jack laughed later "a mighty big one," standing well over six feet and well proportioned. Somewhat to their surprise, he spoke with practically no accent, although, as Jack declared as soon as he was out of hearing, his voice seemed to come from his boots. As soon as the introductions were over, Mr. Lakewood asked him if he could be ready to sail on the following afternoon.

"Sure thing," Captain Ole assured him. "The mates are on board and the rest of the crew will be on hand not later than tomorrow at nine o'clock."

"Good. Then we'll be off as soon as we can get here after dinner. You see," he smiled, "these boys are in a hurry and——"

"And I don't blame 'em a bit," the captain smiled.

"How many'll there be in the crew?" Bob asked as soon as they had been set ashore.

"Eight or ten besides the officers," his uncle told him. "By the way," he added. "How did you like those three?"

"They're fine, I think," Bob assured him, and Jack nodded approval.

"I've known Ole for years and he's all right and so's Pat I've known him for several years, but I don't know a thing about Josh. Ole picked him up a few days ago down and out, so to speak, and knowing from his talk that he knew the sea, and being sorry for him, I suppose, took him on as second officer. I imagine he's all right."

"If I'm any judge he is," Jack said as they stepped into a taxi and started off downtown.

"He struck me as having an honest face and a mighty agreeable one," Bob added.

"Oh, I guess he's all right only——"

But just then the cab gave a sudden lurch to avoid striking another car and the sentence was left unfinished. They reached the hotel shortly before dinner time, and, as soon as the meal was finished, Mr. Lakewood told them that he would leave them to their own resources as he had considerable business to attend to. "But mind your step and don't get lost," he cautioned them. He was back in time for supper and in the evening they went to a show, and the following morning he left them again, saying that he wouldn't be back for dinner, but would meet them at the wharf at two o'clock. "The bills are all paid here," he said, "including your dinner, so you eat here, and I'll see you at two."

"I say, Bob, did it strike you yesterday that Uncle Si was a bit suspicious of the second mate?"

The two boys were finishing their dinner in the hotel, and, as it was only a few minutes past twelve o'clock, they were taking their time.

"Now you speak of it, I do remember he kinder hesitated when he spoke of him, why?"

"That's what I was wondering. You remember he said he knew nothing about him except what he told us, and I can't see why he should feel the way he seemed to. He looked honest enough to me."

"Same here, but perhaps Uncle Si's a better reader of character than you or I."

"It's not impossible," Jack acknowledged slowly.

"Gee, but you sure do hate yourself," Bob laughed as he rose and pushed back his chair.

They were at the wharf at a quarter to two and a few minutes before the hour their uncle joined them, and in another ten minutes they were all on board.

"Crew all on board?" Mr. Lakewood asked as Captain Ole Olsen greeted them.

"All here, sir, and we can start in ten minutes if you're ready."

"The sooner the better, eh, boys?"

"You bet," they both replied.

The captain at once gave the order to up anchor, and almost immediately the voyage had begun.

"And many a stormy wind may blow e'er Jack comes home again," Jack sang as the boat swung her bow around and headed for the Upper Bay.

"There's many a truth spoken in jest," Bob reminded him.

"Don't I know it?" Jack retorted. "I mean just what the song says. I reckon we're going to see more or less rough weather before we get to the end of this voyage."

It was characteristic of the two boys that by the time they were passing through The Narrows they were more or less acquainted with every member of the crew, including Wong, the Chinese cook. Wong was of uncertain age. He might have been fifty, and then again, as Jack put it, he might just as well be a hundred and fifty. Later he confided to them in secret that he was eighty. His face was deeply furrowed with wrinkles and his slanting eyes were deep set beneath heavy brows, and he still clung to his pig tail, which reached far below his waist But, if his looks were against him, his disposition, as Jack put it, was in inverse ratio to his looks, and they took instant liking to the old man, and, as it afterward turned out, he was no less favorably impressed with them.

"Them velly fine boys, we catch um plenty much fun," he told the captain soon after their first trip to the galley.

Down in the engine room they next made the acquaintance of Chief Engineer Wallace MacDonald, a large weather-beaten Scotchman and his assistant, a young red-headed Irishman, who answered to the name of Sandy. Then there were four deck hands, three of whom were Yankees and the other a Swede. These, together with an Irish lad, Jerry Finagin, who waited on the table and washed dishes and made himself useful in other ways, and another boy, who answered to the name of Patsy Malone, and to whom was intrusted the care of the cabins, completed the crew. "And they're one fine bunch, I'm telling you," Jack whispered to Bob, as they were leaning over the rail watching Sandy Hook sink beneath the horizon.

Just as the last glimpse of land disappeared the gong rang for supper and they hurried to the officers' mess room where they found their uncle together with the captain and first mate awaiting them. There was no doubt in their minds after that first meal regarding Wong's ability as a cook, and Mr. Lakewood complimented the captain on his selection.

"He's cooked for me before," Captain Ole told them, "and I knew you'd be pretty hard to suit if he didn't fill the bill."

"Well, he's already filled my stomach," Jack laughed, and Bob added: "And the filling's been pretty good stuff let me tell you."

The Valkyrie was equipped with an up-to-date wireless and a radio receiving set. Mr. Lakewood had proposed taking an operator but the boys had persuaded him that it was unnecessary as they were both licensed operators and either of them could fill the bill, as Jack put it. Before leaving New York, Bob had sent a telegram to his father telling him when they were to sail and instructing him that they would try to send him a picture at ten o'clock that night. So, as soon as the meal was over, they hurried to their cabin and for a couple of hours busied themselves setting up the machine.

"There, I reckon she's all right now," Bob said as he finished the adjustment of a condenser.

"And it's only nine o'clock," Jack announced. "Guess we might's well go on deck for awhile."

On deck they found their uncle and captain listening to a radio concert and for the next hour they were well entertained.

"Five minutes to ten," Jack announced at the close of a selection.

"Then it's time we were getting busy," Bob added as he rose from his chair. "You and the captain care to come along?" he asked.

"Sure thing," Mr. Lakewood replied. "Come along, Cap'n and see what those two boys have rigged up."

"What is it?" Captain Ole asked, rubbing the side of his nose as he gazed at the machine a minute later.

"It's a photoradio," Bob told him.

"You mean it'll send pictures?"

"That's it, but we don't know how far it'll reach. We've only tried it for about fifty miles."

"And where you going to send to now?"

"We're hoping to reach Maine, our home."

"That must be close on to six hundred miles from here."

"That's about what we thought."

As Bob spoke he threw over the switch, and Jack stepped in front of the lens and began throwing kisses and smiling. Then Bob took his place and after he had gone through a few like motions, they insisted that their uncle play his part and then nothing would do, but the captain must at least make his bow. He stepped forward somewhat doubtfully and made a very gracious bow, after which, Bob threw off the switch and threw on another.

"Now to see if we can get a reply," he said, as he stepped back and watched the circle of light on the wall of the room. But, though they waited nearly an hour no picture appeared and they had to conclude that the experiment, at their end at least, was a failure.

"Something's wrong," Bob declared, as he finally gave it up and threw off the power.

"But I'd like to know whether or not they got us," Jack said.

"Well, so would I, but I reckon we'll have to wait till we get to Panama. We'll get letters there," Bob told him.

"I'm going into the wireless room and listen in for awhile," Jack announced. "It's just possible that father'll send a wireless although I doubt it."

"All right, I'll go with you," Bob said.

"And I reckon we might's well go back and get some more of that concert if it isn't all done," Captain Ole proposed.

"What do you suppose was the matter with the thing?" Jack asked a few minutes later as he sat in the wireless room with the receivers on his head.

"There's a lot of things could account for it," Bob replied from the couch, at one side of the little room, where he was stretched reading a book. "Not enough power for one thing, and then, you know, father's not much used to working it and he might have got something wrong."

A half hour later, having failed to pick up the call letters of the Valkyrie, Jack was about to give it up when suddenly, through the night, clear and sharp came a signal which brought him to his feet with a quick cry.

"What is it?" Bob asked.

"S-O-S."

"Where from?"

"Doesn't say yet."

"Does he sound near?"

"Can't be far off. There, he's starting to give his position."

Jack had seized a piece of paper and began putting down the message.

"Get the captain, quick," he ordered.

"S-T-E-A-M-E-R D-A-U-N-T-L-E-S-S O-N F-I-R-E H-U-N-D-R-E-D M-I-L-E-S E-A-S-T C-A-P-E M-A-Y."

He had just finished spelling out the words when Bob returned with his uncle and the captain.

"They're a hundred miles east of Cape May," he told them. "Just a minute," as Captain Ole was about to speak. "They sending more."

"H-U-R-R-Y. S-O-S S-O-S."

"We're off Atlantic City now," Captain Ole told them as he started from the room to give orders to change the course. "Heard anything more?" he asked as he returned a moment later.

"Not a thing," Jack told him.

"Well, keep on watch and if you pick up anything let me know at once. I'll be on the bridge." He went out and Mr. Lakewood followed him leaving the boys alone.

"She's sure picking up speed," Bob said as he felt the quiver of the boat's engine.

"And I reckon she'll need to if we're going to get there in time to be of any use. How's the weather? Beginning to blow a bit, isn't it?"

"Yes, it's blowing some and it's clouding up too."

"That'll make it bad if it comes on thick. There goes the S-O-S again but it's pretty faint."

"Anything else?" Bob asked anxiously.

"No, just the—yes they're sending now."

"H-U-R-R-Y S-O-S S-O-S."

"Have you answered them?"

"Sure. I told them we were on our way."

"Better give 'em another call."

Jack threw over the switch and pressed his key.

"V-A-L-K-Y-R-I-E C-O-M-I-N-G," he sent out into the night.

"G-O-O-D V-A-L-K-Y-R-I-E H-U-R-R-Y," came back the answer.

"Better run out and tell Cap'n Ole," Jack suggested, and Bob rushed out the door.

He found Captain Ole and his uncle pacing the little bridge and straining their eyes in an effort to sight the burning ship.

"He says to hurry," Bob shouted.

"We're doing that," his uncle called back.

Bob rushed back to the wireless room to find Jack taking down another message.

"F-I-R-E G-E-T-T-I-N-G C-L-O," he followed Jack's pencil as he set the letters down and then he stopped.

"Can't get another sound," he said after a moment's pause.

"And that means——"

"That he's had to get out," Jack finished, tearing the phones from his head. "Let's get out on deck, we can't do any more good in here."

"You go out and let me listen a bit. He may send again," Bob proposed as he picked up the phones and clapped them on his head.

"All right. I'll run out and tell them about that last call. Be back in a minute."

"See anything?" Bob asked as Jack returned a minute later.

"Not a thing, but it's getting pretty thick out and Cap'n Ole says it's going to rain."

They waited another fifteen minutes and, hearing nothing, decided that it was useless to wait longer. So they joined the others on the bridge.

"Don't you think we ought to see something pretty soon?" Jack asked as he reached the captain's side.

"Can't tell," the captain told him. "Their position's pretty indefinite and you can't see very far in this weather. If it had only stayed clear," he added.

The wind, which had been increasing steadily for the past hour, was now kicking up considerable of a sea and the boat was pitching badly as her powerful engine drove her at top speed.

"Look! Over there a bit to our left!"

Bob pointed as he shouted the words.

"It's a rocket," the captain cried and gave quick orders to the first mate, who had the wheel, to change his course a couple of points. "We wasn't very far out of the way at that," he added.

In a few minutes more a red glow showed them plainly the position of the burning boat and their hearts beat with hope that they would arrive in time after all.

"If they can hold out another half hour well be there," the captain told them.

"Don't you suppose they've taken to the boats," Mr. Lakewood asked.

"Can't tell. They'll likely stick to the ship as long they can," Captain Ole replied.

The light from the burning ship was rapidly growing brighter as the Valkyrie rushed through the water and, now and then, a rocket burst high above showing that some of the crew at least were still on board. But, after a time, they ceased, and when they judged that they were not more than a half mile away there came a dull heavy boom and in another moment the light disappeared.

"That was her boiler exploding and she's gone down sure as guns," Captain Ole shouted.

CHAPTER III.
THE RESCUE.

For a full minute after the captain's words no one spoke. Then Bob, who was gripping the rail tightly with both hands, said: "But they must have taken to the boats. We can pick them up, can't we?"

"We can try," his uncle assured him.

"Turn on the searchlight, Pat," the captain ordered, "and you'd better slow her down to about half speed. We don't want to run any of them down."

Almost instantly a broad beam of light spread itself over the water in front of the boat which was already losing headway as the engineer obeyed the mate's signal.

"Keep her sweeping about and all of you use your eyes," the captain cried. "We don't want to miss them."

For some minutes the Valkyrie forged ahead and it seemed that they must have passed the spot where the steamer had gone down when, suddenly, Jack shouted: "There's one of them, off to the right there."

Just at that moment the mate shifted the searchlight a bit and, by its light, they could see a small boat rising and falling only a few hundred feet away.

"Stand by to throw them a rope," Captain Ole shouted to the sailors who were gathered on the deck below.

"Aye, aye, sir. We see them," was the reply.

First Mate Pat had already changed his course so as to bring the yacht alongside the smaller boat.

"There are only four men in it," Bob said.

"She must have been a freighter," Jack replied.

The men in the boat had stopped rowing and were all ready to catch the rope, which was thrown them a moment later as the engine of the Valkyrie stopped and she swept alongside.

"Easy, now, don't let her bump too hard there," one of the sailors cautioned as they began to carefully pull in on the line.

Although the water was rough, the four men managed to fend off their boat with their oars until it rubbed the side of the larger vessel with scarcely a bump.

"Make the line fast to the bow," one of the sailors ordered as another lowered a rope ladder.

One by one the men mounted the ladder and soon all were on deck.

"How about the rest of your crew?" asked Captain Ole, who had descended from the bridge followed by the others.

"Ay, tank day all got in boat," one of the men replied.

"How many are they?"

"Twelve, mebby two more," one of the others replied.

"And how many boats did you have?"

"Two more."

"Know which way they went?"

"No know. We went first boat."

"Start her up," the captain shouted to the mate and immediately the throb of the engine was resumed. "One of you men take these fellows to the galley and tell Wong to fill them up with soup and hot coffee," he added as he started up the stairs followed by the boys and Mr. Lakewood.

Fifteen minutes later, a second boat was sighted and five more men were taken on board. On being questioned, one of the men said that the other boat, carrying the captain, together with his wife and daughter and two men, had pushed off just after them, but they had almost at once lost sight of it and were unable to say which way they had gone.

"Well, all we can do is to cruise around till we pick them up," Captain Ole declared as he started up the stairway and gave the mate the order to go ahead.

The rain was now falling heavily, and so thick was the weather that even the powerful searchlight was unable to penetrate any great distance.

"Gee, but it's like looking for a needle in a haystack," Jack grumbled after they had made several turns.

"Maybe they've been swamped," Bob suggested.

"Pray God they haven't," Mr. Lakewood said fervently, as he placed a hand on Bob's arm. "There are two women in that boat, you know," he added.

But an hour passed, and no sight of the missing boat had rewarded their search.

"I'm afraid it's no use," Captain Ole said mournfully.

"But we won't give up," Mr. Lakewood declared, a note of fierce determination sounding in his voice.

"Of course not," Captain Ole assured him. "I didn't mean that, but it's been so long that I'm afraid we may be miles away from them."

"But we aren't," Bob shouted. "There they are, Just ahead of us."

Even as he spoke, the others caught sight of the boat wallowing in heavy sea and the captain gave a quick order to the mate to swing her over a point to avoid running her down. But before the course of the vessel could be changed Bob saw one of the men in the boat rise to his feet and at almost the same instant a heavy wave hit her and over she went.

"Quick!" he shouted as he started down the stairs closely followed by Jack.

By the time the boys had reached the after deck, two of the sailors had pulled in one of the boats which had been trailing behind and, in less time than it takes to tell it, the four were in it and were pulling toward the upturned boat now some hundred feet astern. Three men were clinging to the boat and one of them had an arm about a woman, but of the other there was nothing to be seen.