CHAPTER XXI
INTO A CAVE AND OUT
"Let us look around for footprints, Roger," said Dave, as the pair scrambled up the rocks once more. "If any persons landed from that smashed rowboat they'd have to walk in some direction, and the ground is soft back of here."
"The trouble is, it is growing so dark," returned the senator's son. "In a little while we won't be able to find our way back. We should have brought a lantern along."
"I've got something almost as good," answered our hero, and took from his pocket a little electric flashlight—one of the kind that emits a tiny flash of light when the button at the end is pressed.
"Good enough! That's first-rate!"
The pair were soon down from the rocks. Under the palm trees it was now dark, and Dave used the electric flashlight to advantage.
"Here are footprints!" he cried, presently. "Six pairs! That shows that at least a half dozen persons came ashore in that boat. Those six may have been carrying others."
"Shall we set up a shout?"
"I don't know, Roger. If Merwell and Jasniff were around I'd like to surprise them. If they discovered us first, and they had the jewels, they'd surely hide the gems and then say they didn't have them."
"I believe that, Dave. Well, let us follow the footsteps and see where they lead to."
"Another thing. Do you remember those Englishmen? They may be on this island, and if so, I'd rather steer clear of them."
"So would I, they were so disagreeable—all but that one chap, Borden."
The trail led among the palm trees and then up a rise of ground where grew a number of bushes. Here the boys had to proceed more slowly, for fear of missing the way.
"It's queer that they should call this spot Cave Island," observed the senator's son. "We haven't seen anything that looks like a cave."
"The caves may be on the other side of the island," answered Dave. "Look out, Roger, there is a split in the rocks! Let us jump over to yonder bushes."
Dave placed the flashlight in his pocket and made the leap he had mentioned, and his chum came after him.
A most astonishing thing followed. The bushes where they landed gave way, and down they rolled on some smooth rocks. They tried to stay their progress, but this was impossible, and they continued to roll for several minutes. Then Dave bumped into some sort of barrier and Roger landed beside him.
"For gracious sake, what's this?" gasped Roger, when he felt able to speak. The breath had been all but knocked out of him.
"I guess we have found one of the caves," answered Dave, grimly. "Phew, but that was some roll, wasn't it! "
"We must be down near the center of the earth," murmured the senator's son.
"Not quite as bad as that. But we came down some distance, I admit."
"Flash that light around, Dave, and let us see where we are."
"I will if the light hasn't been smashed," replied our hero. "I rolled over it half a dozen times."
He brought out the little flashlight and tried it. Fortunately, it was still in working order. As the rays fell around the lads, they stared at each other, blankly.
"What do you make of this, Dave?"
"Looks as if it was cut out of the solid rock, Roger."
"It certainly is some cave. Wonder where it leads to?"
"We might follow the opening and find out."
"Excuse me, I'd rather climb out the way we came in."
"It certainly doesn't look very inviting."
The two boys found themselves in an irregular opening of the rocks, fifty feet wide and perhaps twice that in length. On one side was the smooth slope down which they had come; on the other a dark hole that looked as if it might lead to some bottomless pit. A jagged rock in the center of the underground chamber had been the means of stopping them from dropping to the unknown depths below them.
"We were lucky to hit this rock," said Dave, with something like a shiver. "If we hadn't" He did not finish.
"Let us get out. It gives me the creeps to stay here," returned his chum.
"All right, Roger, I'm willing. But it is going to be hard work crawling back, those rocks are so smooth."
"We've got to get back!"
"I can't hold the light and climb too. And if I place it on the rocks it may roll away and go down into that hole," went on our hero.
"Oh, put it in your pocket again and we'll try to climb back in the dark. We know the direction."
Dave did as his chum suggested, and then commenced a climb that neither of the lads ever forgot. The rocks were so smooth in spots that at times to get a foothold was next to impossible. Once Roger slid back several feet and would have gone to the bottom had not Dave caught and held him.
"Take it slowly, Roger," was our hero's advice. "If you go to the bottom, you may be killed!"
"I'll hang—on!" gasped the other. "But I wi-wish I was out—of—th-this!"
"Well, I wish the same."
It took fully a quarter of an hour longer to get out of the rocky cave, and when the boys reached the surface of the earth they were so exhausted they could do little but sit on the ground and pant for breath.
"It's Cave Island right enough," was the comment of the senator's son. "But excuse me from tumbling into any more such openings!"
"I guess the best thing we can do is to go back to the boat," said Dave. "We can't discover much in this darkness. We can start out again early in the morning."
"All right, back to the boat it is," and the pair set out on the return along the sandy shore.
"I see a light!" cried Dave, after about half the distance to where the rowboat had been left was covered. And he pointed to a spot inland, among the trees.
"Maybe it's a camp of some sort," replied Roger. "It seems to be quite a distance away."
"Shall we go and see what it is?"
"Hadn't we better get the others first, Dave?"
"All right, if you think best."
So they continued on the way to where the rowboat had been left. They came up to find that Captain Sanders and Phil had not yet returned. Smiley was snoring on the sand, while Billy Dill sat near by on guard.
"Find anybody?" queried the old tar, eagerly.
"We found one of the caves, and we saw a light at a distance," answered Dave. "We want to investigate that light, as soon as the others get back."
Dave and Roger sat down, to rest and to wait, and thus another half-hour went by. With nothing else to do, Billy Dill took a nap, and the boys allowed the old sailor to slumber on.
"It's queer the captain and Phil don't return," remarked Roger, presently. "They must have gone much further than we did."
"Maybe they fell into one of those caves, Roger."
"Oh, I trust not!"
Another half-hour went by and still the others did not put in an appearance. By this time Dave was getting worried.
"Let us take a walk along the shore and look for them," he said, and Roger agreed, and they started off.
They had covered less than a quarter of a mile when they came in sight of a campfire, well-hidden between the rough rocks back from the water's edge. Around the campfire were huddled the forms of several men, evidently sailors.
"Perhaps those men are from the Emma Brower," said Dave, in a low tone.
"I don't see anything of Captain Sanders and Phil," remarked the senator's son.
"No. And yet they must have seen this campfire, if they came this way. What can it mean, Dave?"
"I don't know."
"Shall we go up to the campfire and talk to those fellows? "
"I don't see why not. I am not afraid of them."
"Do you see anybody that looks like Jasniff or Merwell?"
"No, those fellows are all plain sailors, by their outfits."
Dave continued to advance and Roger followed, and neither halted until he was within the glow of the campfire. Then Dave called out:
"Hello, messmates!"
At this cry the four sailors around the fire sprang to their feet. At a glance Dave and Roger saw that they were in tatters, and that they looked hungry and careworn.
"Hello, yourself!" answered one of the tars, stepping towards the boys. "Who are you?"
"Passengers from the Golden Eagle," answered Dave.
"Oh, some more of that crowd, eh?" cried the tar.
"Then you've seen the others,—the captain and a young fellow like ourselves?" queried Roger.
"Yes, they were here only a short while ago."
"They said they'd be back, and take us aboard an' git us something to eat," put in a second of the sailors.
"An' we need that grub putty bad, we do," added a third.
"Ain't had no decent meal since we got wrecked," came from the fourth. "A few fish an' birds, an' that's all."
"You are from the Emma Brower?" questioned Dave, eagerly.
"You've struck it, messmate. She went down in the storm an' we come putty nigh goin' down with her."
"Well, you shall have all you want to eat in a little while. Tell me where the others of our crowd went."
"They went after the two chaps as ran away."
"Ran away?" cried Dave. "From where?"
"From here."
"They must have been Jasniff and Merwell!" murmured Roger.
"Who were those fellows?" asked our hero.
"Two passengers from the bark. They came ashore with us, and they stayed with us until your captain and the other young fellow come along. Then they up anchors and away like the old Nick was after 'em," explained the tar who had first spoken.
"Were they young fellows like ourselves?"
"Yes,—a bit older, maybe. Named Ford and Smith."
"They must have been Jasniff and Merwell," said Dave, to his chum.
"I wonder if they managed to save the jewels," whispered the senator's son.
"Did they have any baggage?" asked Dave of the sailors.
"Baggage? Not much! We didn't have no time for baggage when the ship went down. It was every man fer himself. The cap'n got off in one boat with some o' the passengers, an' the mate got off with some of the crew in another boat, an' we got off by ourselves. It was blowin' big guns, I can tell ye, an' it looks like we would be swamped most every minit. I knowed about this island an' I steered in this direction as well as I could, an' by sheer good luck we struck the shore—an' here we are."
"What became of the other boats?"
"Ain't seen nuthin' of 'em yet."
"Is that your boat was split in two, between the rocks in that direction?" and Dave pointed to where such a craft had been found by him and Roger.
"That's her, messmate. Putty badly used up, eh?"
"And you are quite sure those two passengers had no baggage?" went on our hero, after a pause.
"Nary a thing, messmate, excepting wot they wore. It wasn't no time to think o' baggage, it was a time to think o' what to do to save your life!"