Part 30 (2/2)
”I'm sorry for him if he is,” answered the captain.
The Bahama Islands had been pa.s.sed, and now they were in the vicinity of Porto Rico. Then commenced the trip southward, through the Lesser Antilles.
”This is the spot for active volcanoes,” observed Phil. ”Don't you remember how the Island of Martinique suffered?”
”Oh, don't speak of volcanoes!” cried Roger. ”I have no use for them-or for earthquakes either.”
”There must be hundreds of islands around here,” observed Dave. ”The charts are full of them.”
”That must make navigation difficult,” came from Phil.
”Oh, I reckon Captain Sanders knows what he is about.”
”Wonder how soon we'll run into the harbor at Bridgetown?” mused the s.h.i.+powner's son, the place he mentioned being the main seaport of Barbados.
”Inside of three days, I hope, Phil,” answered our hero.
”Merwell and Jasniff must be there by this time.”
”It's more than likely-unless something happened to delay them,”
returned Dave.
At last came the day when they sighted Barbados and ran into the harbor of Bridgetown. The place was a picturesque one, but the boys had just then no time to view the scenery or the s.h.i.+pping. As soon as it could be accomplished, they went ash.o.r.e, and Captain Sanders went with them, leaving his vessel in charge of the first mate.
”You may have trouble with those two rascals, if you find them,” said the commander of the _Golden Eagle_. ”I'll be on deck to help you all I can.”
”Shall we go to the hotel first?” questioned Roger.
”Might as well,” answered Phil. ”They'd strike for the hotel first thing, after a sea trip like that. Maybe they were both seasick.”
”I hope they were-it would serve them right,” growled the senator's son.
Dave and the captain were willing, and a little later walked into the Royal George Hotel. Here the boys looked at the register, but found no names that they could recognize. Then Dave brought out his photographs of Merwell and Jasniff and showed them to the hotel proprietor and his clerk.
”n.o.body here that looks like either of them,” said the proprietor, while his clerk also shook his head.
”They came in on the _Emma Brower_,” said Captain Sanders.
”The _Emma Brower_!” cried the hotel man. ”Is she in?”
”Why, I suppose so,” and now the commander of the _Golden Eagle_ showed his surprise.
”She wasn't in last night, and the agents were a bit worried about her. I know the agents personally, you see.”
”Then maybe she isn't in yet!” cried Dave. ”Let us go down to the docks and find out about this.”
They lost no time in visiting the docks and the s.h.i.+pping offices.
There they learned that nothing had been heard of the _Emma Brower_ since the vessel had left Jacksonville.
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