CHAPTER VIII.

SUSPENSE.

How long they remained on the shore in an apathy of despair not one of that party ever knew.

Jake was the first to arouse himself, and, understanding that work is the best remedy for mental troubles, he said, with a great effort to speak cheerily:

"See here, lads, this will never do if we want to get out of the scrape. We've got to stay here till the other boats come along, and it is necessary to make some preparations for living. The goods must be stowed where they won't be destroyed, an' there's plenty to keep us busy for the rest of this day."

"When do you think the other boats should arrive?" Neal asked.

Jake realized fully how slight were the chances that either of the crafts would come to that exact spot, even if they were all afloat; but he had no idea of adding to his companions' grief, therefore he replied:

"It may be forty-eight hours. You see some or all of them might have put out a sea anchor when it blew so hard, for they carried heavier loads than we did, and while layin' still we hummed right along, consequently its difficult tellin' when to expect 'em."

"Of course they are bound to land here?"

Jake hesitated only for an instant before he decided that under the circumstances a lie was absolutely necessary, and then replied positively:

"Of course. Where else would they come?"

"I was afraid there might have been some little difference in the steering."

"We all were obliged to keep dead before the wind, therefore ought to come out pretty nigh alike."

This reply appeared to satisfy Neal, and he set about cheering Teddy, who finally arose to his feet and signified his willingness to do whatever Jake should propose as necessary.

The engineer made many suggestions which he would not have thought of had he been alone, or in the company of those who did not need such a tonic.

All the goods were first carried from the beach to the edge of the thick forest a hundred yards away, and over the collection was constructed a shelter to protect it from the dew. The fragments of the boat were carefully gathered up and deposited in the same place.

Then a quantity of such pieces of dead branches and decaying wood as could be found near at hand was stacked close by the beach, to serve as a signal in case a vessel or the boats should heave in sight.

When this had been done it was noon, and Jake set about preparing as elaborate a meal as their store of provisions would permit, saying as he summoned them to the repast:

"Now boys, I want you to fill yourselves up so's to be ready for hard work in case anything is to be done when the others get here. Afterwards we'll take a snooze, which is the proper thing to do at the middle of the day in a hot climate, and then there must be some exploring, for we want to find out if we are really on the island of Cuba."

The boys' hunger was very much greater than their grief, and without further urging they did full justice to the meal, Teddy saying as he helped himself to the third slice of preserved meat:

"It wouldn't be a bad idea for us to hunt a little while for something in the shape of a vegetable, or we shall soon run short of provisions."

"It's the very plan I was thinking of. In these woods we should be able to find many things that would help out on the bill of fare; but in case that can't be done, you boys must turn hunters. It's mighty lucky you have your guns and plenty of ammunition."

This last suggestion pleased the boys wonderfully and if Jake had not insisted very strongly that they sleep during the hottest portion of the day, both would have started into the forest without delay.

After lying down in the shade slumber came to their eyelids quickly, and when he was convinced they were across the border of dreamland, Jake arose softly, saying to himself as he stole up the shore:

"This goes ahead of any scrape I ever had the bad luck to fall into, an' I'd give all I've got to know exactly where we are, for I'm certain it ain't Cuba. If two days pass without our sightin' a sail I must fix up some story to make the boys eager to tramp across the country. That'll be better than stayin' here where, 'cordin' to my idea, there's mighty small chance of our finding anybody who can help us."

He walked along the shore fully two miles; but there was no diversity of scene. The coast strewn thickly with coral rocks, and backed by a dense forest, was all that could be seen either above or below the place where they landed.

Then Jake forced his way through the tangled undergrowth, experiencing no slight difficulty in so doing, and the vegetation confirmed his belief that the little craft had been carried by the wind to some land further south than was at first supposed.

On the water not a sail was in sight, and when Jake returned to the place where the rude shelter had been put up he was in even a more despondent mood than Teddy and Neal had been.

"I s'pose we must wait here a couple of days to satisfy the boys the other boats won't come, an' then it's a case of strikin' across the country with good chance of wanderin' around until fever or wild animals puts an end to it."

His companions were yet asleep, and he lay down beside them in order to prevent any suspicion that he had been spying out the land.

Under other circumstances the monotonous roar of the surf would have lulled him to rest; but now his anxiety was so great that, despite all efforts, his eyes would persist in staying open very wide, and he spent the remainder of the siesta trying in vain to decide what was best to do.

Not until late in the afternoon did the boys awaken, and then Neal said as he sprang to his feet:

"It won't do for us all to sleep again at the same time. If the boats came in sight since we've been lying here it is very probable father has missed us, for more than likely they would try for a better place to land further up or down the coast."

"You needn't worry about that, lad. I've kept honest watch, and not so much as the wing of a sea gull has appeared above the horizon."

Teddy, remembering what Jake had said about hunting, began to clean the guns, for both had been thoroughly wetted during the landing, and Neal walked slowly along as he looked out over the water intently.

Before going very far he saw the engineer's footprints on the sand, and shouted excitedly:

"Some one has been here! Perhaps father arrived before we did."

"There's no such good luck," Jake replied. "While you fellows were snoozing I went a long bit in that direction."

"Then it's only a waste of time for me to go over the same ground," and Neal retraced his steps, adding when he gained Teddy's side, "I'll do my share of that work."

"You spoke too late, for I have finished. Now let's see what can be done in the way of hunting; a roasted bird will be a big improvement over salt meat, and I count on finding plenty of game."

"All right, provided Jake is willing to stay here alone."

"What is to prevent me from joining the party?"

"Someone must remain in case the boats heave in sight," Neal replied in a positive tone, and the engineer said carelessly:

"I didn't think of that; but it'll be all right, I'll keep my eyes peeled," and he added to himself, "I wish he wasn't so certain about the others coming, an' then the disappointment wouldn't be quite so great."

Jake cautioned the boys against going very far from the beach because of the danger of getting lost in the forest, and as they disappeared among the underbrush he threw himself upon the ground, unable longer to fight against the despair which was rapidly overpowering him.

He understood perfectly well how great would be the danger in attempting to make their way through the wooded portion of the country at this season of the year, when fever germs lurked in every spot where stagnant water was to be found, and knew at the same time how extremely difficult it might be to find a place offering any more advantages than did the narrow strip of sand on which they had been thrown.

"It wouldn't be quite as bad if I knew where we are," he said to himself. "It can't be possible that we're on the coast of South America; but if that should prove to be the case we'd make a pretty mess of it by trying to cross."

Then came the thought that perhaps it would be better to travel up the coast, and as to the advisability of this he studied a long while without being able to arrive at any satisfactory conclusion.

Two hours were spent in this profitless speculation, and then the boys returned, bringing with them two large hoccos, birds looking not unlike wild turkeys.

"We shan't starve while such game as this is to be found," Neal cried triumphantly. "I believe we might have shot a dozen by staying longer; but there was no sense in doing so just for the sake of killing. It will be a hard job to eat all this meat before it spoils."

"How far in did you go?" Jake asked, rising to his feet quickly and trying to banish from his face the look of dejection, lest his companions should suspect how desperate he believed the situation to be.

"Not more than half a mile," Teddy replied.

"What is the general appearance of the country?"

"The undergrowth is very dense in places, and above here, a little to the right, we came upon what seems to be a swamp. It was there we found these birds, and something else which is not quite so promising."

As he spoke Teddy pulled up his shirt sleeve, and pointed to several black specks on his skin.

"They are ticks, or garrapatas, as the Spaniards call them," Jake replied, as he opened his pocket knife. "The sooner you get rid of them the better, for they will make what is likely to be a bad sore unless a cordial invitation to leave is extended."

"Are you going to cut them out?" Teddy asked in alarm.

"Not exactly; but you won't get rid of the pests without considerable pain, for they have the faculty of crawling under the skin mighty fast."

Jake set about the work in a methodical manner, causing Teddy to cry aloud very often as the insects were pulled or dug from the flesh.

Then Neal was called upon to undergo the same operation, and not until nearly an hour had passed were the hunters free from the painful pests.

It was now nearly sunset, and all hands set about preparing the hoccos for roasting, by first plucking the fowls, removing the intestines, and sticking them on a sharpened stake in front of the fire.

It was not an entirely satisfactory method of cooking, for while one portion was done brown, another would be hardly warmed through; but, as Teddy said, "it went a long way ahead of nothing," and all three worked industriously, turning the game or piling on the fuel until, about an hour after sunset, the task was completed.

By this time the castaways were decidedly hungry, and the half-cooked fowls tasted better than had the most elaborate meals on board the Sea Dream.