Part 11 (1/2)

”Not much,” bravely protested Tom. ”The most trouble is that I can shut the front teeth, but the back ones don't seem to meet by half an inch or more. The jaw must be dislocated.”

In spite of their sympathy the boys could not restrain a laugh.

”I guess that if your front teeth come together your back ones meet,”

Jack a.s.sured the injured boy. ”Let's look for Wyckoff.”

”You mean let's look for Wyckoff's remains!” Harry tried to put in, but he was stopped by a gesture from Frank.

”Let's not make it any more horrible than it is. That man is desperate and I'm afraid of him,” he whispered as they helped Tom to his feet and started away in the direction taken by the outlaw.

”I can't see him anywhere,” Harry a.s.serted. ”I'll bet Rowdy has eaten him up body, boots and breeches. Serve him right, too!”

”We're the bloodthirsty bunch!” declared Jack. ”It must be some quality in the atmosphere down here. This is the old region infested by Captain Kidd and his buccaneers. They must have left something in the way of a piratical germ in the atmosphere.”

”Maybe so, but I'd like to find that dog just now,” stoutly declared Harry. ”He's had one big meal even if the quality was poor.”

”Follow his tracks,” suggested Frank. ”That's easy in this sand. See, here they go. My word, but he was taking long jumps.”

”He left in such a hurry that he didn't take my automatic,” declared Tom. ”I guess when he hit me or kicked me I must have closed on the trigger and started the thing going. He left without waiting to take the gun away from me. I'm glad of that, too.”

”I see him!” joyfully shouted Frank, who was slightly in the lead. ”Here he is, and Rowdy is mounting guard. Good old dog.”

It was even as Frank had said. Rowdy had overtaken the fleeing villain and brought him to earth. Now he was walking about the prostrate form, occasionally stepping in and taking a nip at an arm or a leg. Wyckoff, thoroughly cowed, was begging and whining at a great rate. At the approach of the boys he begged piteously.

”Let him get up, Rowdy!” commanded Jack. ”Now, Wyckoff,” he ordered when the dog had permitted that worthy to regain his feet, ”You 'bout face and back to the campfire on the double quick. It's getting toward evening and we can't lay around here all night waiting on you. We want you for a little while yet.”

Wyckoff's appeals for mercy were piteous. All the way to the campfire he begged that the boys would show him mercy, but no response was made.

Rowdy trotted along beside the outlaw with a satisfied air. Now and again he would look up at Wyckoff's face and then make as if to take a bite of the man's leg. At such times Wyckoff would involuntarily quicken his gait until cautioned by Jack to go more steadily. This was very hard for him to do, for he was frightened.

”Frank,” Tom asked when the little party arrived at the fire, ”did you see anything of a boat on sh.o.r.e here during your visit?”

”Come to think of it, I certainly did,” replied Frank. ”It is a dandy, too. I had made up my mind to try to drag it to the water and row to the mainland if no one came soon, but your arrival drove all thoughts of it from me. It is back here just a short distance.”

”Wyckoff was telling me that boats were sometimes washed ash.o.r.e on these islands. That reminded me of it. I wonder if it wouldn't be a good idea to ask Mr. Wyckoff to drag the boat to the water for us. He's been very obliging and I don't want to overwork him without paying him for his trouble,” Tom added sarcastically.

”Hurray!” shouted Jack. ”The very thing! And that may replace the one we brought from Mobile and gave to that other fellow,--what was his name? I never was much of a hand to remember names.”

”I know--Carlos de Sneakodorus Madero!” announced Harry.

”Well, he got a boat from us, and it's only right we get one from his boss,” a.s.serted Tom. ”Did you know your hired man stole our boat?” he inquired, turning to Wyckoff, who looked very humble.

”No, sir,” replied that worthy. ”I know the young fellow, but he is not hired by me. I don't know what you mean about his stealing your boat. I never told him to do such a thing!”

”All right; you've got a story coming, then. You just ask him when you see him again. He'll tell you,” was Tom's information.

”Lead us to the boat, Frank,” requested Jack. ”Mr. Wyckoff seems to be just crazy to help us launch the rowboat.”

Frank led the way to where a pile of great timbers and plank had been cast up by the angry waters during a recent storm. There, resting on top of the heap of lumber and timbers, was a fine skiff apparently sound and whole. By some curious freak of the storm it had been gently deposited there and left to rest while great s.h.i.+ps had been sorely wrenched and even wrecked. The boys lost no time in removing the skiff with Wyckoff's help. To drag it along the yielding sand was a harder task. All were thoroughly winded when at last the skiff floated in the waters of the bight where lay the yacht.

”Whew!” panted Frank. ”That's a big job for five. I'm glad I didn't tackle it alone. I certainly would have been tired.”