Part 18 (1/2)
Christy had already taken his place in the boat, and the detective soon followed him. It seemed something like an old story, after his experience in the Bermudas. The Eleuthera was cast off, the captain wished them a safe and prosperous voyage to their destination. The mainsail had been set, and the breeze soon wafted the boat away from the s.h.i.+p. The Chateaugay started her screw, and headed off to the eastward again, on the lookout for blockade-runners.
”Here is a light ahead,” said Christy, after his companion had set the jib, and taken the helm.
”That is Egg Island light, about forty miles from Na.s.sau. Our course is south-west, which gives us a fair wind,” replied the skipper. ”Now, Mr.
Pa.s.sford, you can do as you did on our former voyage in the Eleuthera: turn in and sleep till morning.”
”That would not be fair. I will take my trick at the helm, as it seems to be plain sailing, and you can have your nap first,” suggested Christy.
”No; I slept all the afternoon in antic.i.p.ation of to-night, and I could not sleep if I tried,” the skipper insisted. ”By the way, Mr. Pa.s.sford, I am somewhat afraid that the name of our boat may get us into trouble.”
”Why so?” asked the other curiously.
”The island on our port hand is Eleuthera, about forty miles long. Of course it is well known at Na.s.sau, and it may cause people to ask us some hard questions. We may even stumble upon the boat's former owner, who would claim her.”
”We could buy her, or another like her, in that case,” suggested Christy. ”The name is painted on the stern board, and we might remove it, if necessary.”
Mr. Gilfleur said so much about it that Christy finally turned in, and was soon fast asleep. He did not wake till daylight in the morning. He found that the boat was headed towards an island, while in the distance he saw the light on Hog Island, with a portion of the town of Na.s.sau, and a fort. The skipper had his chart spread out on the seat at his side, and he was watching it very closely.
”Good-morning, Mr. Gilfleur. I suppose that must be Na.s.sau ahead of us.”
”Yes; that is Na.s.sau. I expected to get here earlier in the morning than this, and I am not a little afraid to sail into the harbor at seven o'clock in the morning, as it will be before we can get there. The wind died out in the middle of the night, though I got it again very early this morning. I must get to the town in some other way. The land on the port is Rose Island, and Douglas Channel is just this side of it. I am going through that, and shall make my way to the back side of the island, where we can conceal the boat.”
”I should say that would be a good idea,” added Christy, as he took in the plan. ”The water is as clear as crystal here, and you can see the bottom as plainly as though nothing came between your eye and the rock.”
The skipper stationed his companion on the bow of the boat to watch for rocks; but none interfered with the progress of the Eleuthera. She sailed to the back side of the island of New Providence, where they found a secluded nook, in which they moored the craft.
CHAPTER XVII
THE LANDING AT NEW PROVIDENCE
The water was so clear that the bottom could be seen at all times, the white coral rock greatly a.s.sisting the transparency. From Douglas Channel, through which the boat had pa.s.sed, the chart indicated that it was twenty miles to the point where the skipper desired to land, and it was nearly eleven o'clock when the Eleuthera ran into the little bay, extending over a mile into the island, and nearly landlocked. The sh.o.r.e was covered with tropical vegetation, including cocoa-nut palms, loaded with fruit, with palmettoes, wild palms, and many plants of which Christy did not even know the names.
”We could not have anything better than this,” said Mr. Gilfleur, as he ran the boat into a tangle of mangroves and other plants.
”This bay appears to be about five miles from the town of Na.s.sau, and I should say that no person is likely to see the boat if it should stay here for a month,” replied Christy, as he measured the distance across the island with the scale his companion had prepared.
”It will not take us long to walk that distance. There are all sorts of people in Na.s.sau at the present time, as there were in St. George's and Hamilton; and we shall pa.s.s without exciting any particular attention.”
”I think we had better look out for a cleaner place to land than this, for the mud seems to be about knee-deep,” suggested Christy, as he tested the consistency of the sh.o.r.e with an oar.
”But there is hard ground within four feet of the water. I have a board in the bottom of the boat with which we can bridge the mud,” replied the skipper. ”But I think we had better have our lunch before we walk five miles.”
”I am in condition to lunch,” added Christy.
The sails had been furled, and everything put in order on board of the boat. The basket containing the provisions was brought out of the cuddy, and seated in the stern sheets they did ample justice to the meal. The detective had put on his suit of blue, and his companion dressed himself as he had done in Bermuda, though he was not to act the part of a servant on this occasion.
”It will not do to acknowledge that we are Americans, and it would not be prudent to claim that we are Englishmen,” said Mr. Gilfleur.
”Why not? We speak English; and you can p.r.o.nounce it as well as I can,”