Part 23 (1/2)

Soon Mark had piled up a lot of smaller sh.e.l.ls.

”Help me gather some eggs now,” said Jack, ”and we'll put them in to boil. Then we'll invite the rest of the folks to breakfast.”

The two boys soon uncovered from the sand a pile of the eggs, and in a little while they were steaming in the hot water. Then Jack arranged the sh.e.l.l-dishes on the sand. He went over to where the others were gloomily considering their plight.

”Breakfast is ready,” he announced.

”This isn't any time for joking,” spoke Professor Henderson, rather sternly.

”But I mean it,” went on Jack. ”Just come over and see. I'm not fooling you.”

Wondering what he had done they all followed him.

”Welcome to Hotel Terra del Fuego!” cried Mark. ”We haven't much of a variety, but what there is we can recommend.”

He began to dip the eggs out of the water with a bit of sh.e.l.l and placed them on the improvised dishes.

”Everyone sit down,” commanded Jack. ”The bill of fare is ready.”

They all joined in the short laugh that followed, and soon were seated in a circle about the beach-oven. The eggs proved to be very good, even though there was no pepper. The salt of the sea water they were boiled in was more than sufficient.

”Now if there was only bread in that ammunition bag Was.h.i.+ngton brought with the gun,” said Andy, ”we wouldn't want a better meal.”

”He'p yo'se'f!” exclaimed the colored man with a grin as he extended a canvas bag that was tied to the stock of the electric gun.

The old hunter opened it and found it filled with s.h.i.+p biscuits.

”Well I am stumped!” he exclaimed.

”I grabbed up de wrong thing in my haste,” Was.h.i.+ngton explained. ”I thought I had de electrical lightning bullets, but I didn't. Howsomever de gun's got some in de chamber.”

”It's a lucky mistake,” commented the professor as he munched a biscuit and an egg. ”Bullets are good but these are better, when one is hungry.”

They managed to make a fairly good meal, so that even hungry Nellie was satisfied. The boys found a spring of fresh water up on sh.o.r.e, and this furnished something to drink, for which they were grateful.

They sat about on the beach, after the breakfast and discussed what they had better do. It was evident that an attempt to regain possession of the s.h.i.+p, with their small force and only one weapon, was out of the question.

”We've got to use strategy,” said Andy. ”If we could play some trick on the savages we might scare them away. Otherwise I don't see what we are to do.”

”It's a bad state of affairs,” replied professor Henderson. ”Even if we got the s.h.i.+p we might find it so badly damaged that it would be impossible to run it. It is a terrible thing,” and he heaved a deep sigh.

The hours pa.s.sed with no change in the situation. The savages remained in possession of the submarine, and did not seem inclined to quit the vessel. Most of them were inside, but quite a number paddled about the stranded craft in their canoes.

There was nothing for the adventurers to do but to await developments.

With no chance of attacking the force of natives, they might consider themselves lucky if the savages did not come ash.o.r.e to give battle.

The sun was high in the heavens when, in the shade of a big tree where they had all taken refuge from the heat, Nellie again announced that she was hungry.

”I guess the boys will have to provide another meal,” said Mr.