CHAPTER XVII.

THE SHELTER BACK OF THE KEY.

"Oh! what happened?" Nick was heard to call out, in a tremulous voice.

"Get up and hustle! Show a leg here, or you'll be frozen in your blanket!" George shouted, excitedly, for his canvas tent was wabbling in the wind like a thing possessed.

Of course, those in the other boats had little need to worry, since their hunting cabins protected them in a great measure from the violence of the gale. The neglect of George to have the same sort of contrivance placed on the _Wireless_, for fear lest it might reduce the great speed of the boat, always cost him dear when night came, or a storm howled about their ears. One has to pay in some way or other for his whistle; and George was a "speed crank" without any doubt.

For a short time it was feared that the tent on the _Wireless_ would actually blow away. Half dressed, the pair aboard hung on with might and main to save the canvas, Nick's teeth chattering tremendously as he shivered in the rapidly falling temperature.

It certainly did get cold in a hurry, too. Jack would never more smile when he heard old "crackers" tell about the terrors of a Norther. Why, in spite of the protection of the cabin walls, the bitter wind seemed to penetrate to their very marrow.

"Say, Jimmy, this is mighty tough on George and Nick," he remarked to his boatmate, when the wind had passed its worst stage, but the cold seemed to be on the increase.

"It do be the same; and 'tis myself that feels bad for thim this blissed minute," the warm-hearted Irish lad answered, as he swung his arms back and forth to induce circulation, and bring a bit more comfort.

"Just as I feared, the growth ashore is too thin to fend off all the wind; and if this keeps up we'll have the meanest night we ever struck," Jack continued.

Jimmy knew from the signs that the skipper had an idea. He was used to reading Jack by now.

"What can we be afther doing, I dunno, Jack darlint?" he remarked, or rather shouted; for it was simply impossible to hold a conversation in ordinary tones as long as that howling wind kept shrieking through the mangroves and cypress trees near by.

"Get ashore, and throw up some sort of protection, behind which we can make our fire," Jack answered, readily enough.

"Hurroo! that's the ticket! Let's be afther getting to worrk right away. Sure, annything is betther than howldin' the fort aboard, and shakin' enough to loosen ivery timber in the hull of the dandy little _Tramp_."

Jimmy was always enthusiastic about everything he went about doing. Consequently, he started ashore immediately, with Jack trailing behind.

When George realized what his chums were doing, he made haste to join them, for he could not but understand that it was mostly on account of the unfortunates aboard the exposed _Wireless_ that the effort to build a fire was attempted.

Many hands make light work; and as there happened to be plenty of wood available near by, a fire was soon blazing. Then Nick, unable to hold aloof any longer, came waddling ashore, to offer his services, when nearly everything had been completed.

Jack had found a means of building a wind shield out of various things, and in the shelter of this they hovered, keeping the fire going at top-notch speed.

That night seemed endless to several in the party. They huddled around, swathed in blankets like Esquimaux, and trying to sleep, though Nick was about the only fellow who managed to accomplish much in that line.

Fortunately it did not rain, which was rather an unusual thing, since these cold storms generally start out with a downpour, until the wind shifts into the northwest, when it clears, and turns bitterly severe.

But morning came at last, when they could see to improve the situation. After Josh had cooked the breakfast--and he had plenty of help on this occasion, since every one wanted to cling to the fire as close as possible--all felt better able to meet the situation.

"Nothing like a full stomach to make things look brighter," commented Nick, sighing, as he scraped the frying pan for the last remnant of fried hominy.

The wind kept up all that day, so that the pilgrims found themselves actually stormbound. Jack would have made a try for another harbor of refuge, only it was so very rough between their key and the main shore that he doubted the ability of the speed-boat to make the passage without a spill; and surely a bird in the hand was better than two in the bush. They could not be sure about improving on their quarters by going further.

Another thing influenced him to remain where they were. Gradually but surely the wind was going down. The cold remained, but with a dying breeze it did not penetrate so much. It was decided that all of them but the crew of the _Wireless_ should sleep aboard their boats on this night. George and Nick were made fairly comfortable by the fire back of the wind shield.

And as Jack had expected, during the night there came another shift of the wind. Following the natural course of the compass, it was in the northeast when dawn arrived, and would soon work around to the east. For, strange to say, down in this country, during the winter season at least, the southeast wind is the very finest that blows; whereas in most other places it has a reputation for being just the meanest known.

All of them were so dead for sleep that the next night passed very quickly. And when morning came the change in the temperature pleased them greatly.

"Let's get a move on, fellows," Jack said, after the customary attention had been given to taking care of the inner man. "We ought to make a big dent in the distance separating us from Meyers today."

"And by the same token," piped up Jimmy, eagerly, "I'm afther hearin' that the fishing is mighty foine around this section."

"Huh!" grunted Nick, scornfully; "when you beat that record I've hung up, just wake me, and let me know. Time enough then to get a hustle on. Just now it's up to you, Jimmy, to do all the worrying. I'm going to take things easy after this."

"All right, me bhoy, just do that same, and by the pipers it's ye that will be hearin' a cowld, dull thud, which will be that record droppin' to the earth. Sure, it do be a long lane that has no turnin'; and sooner or later, belave me, 'twill be me day."

They made a brave start. George was quite elated with the splendid way his engine worked, and frowned whenever Nick made out to mention that his word had been pledged about that change of motive power at Tampa.

Two hours later the inevitable came to pass.

"George has hauled up short, Jack!" Herb called out; for the _Comfort_ was not a great distance behind the _Tramp_ at the time, with the other boat, as usual, ahead.

"Perhaps waiting for us?" suggested Jack; but the smile on his face declared that he entertained different ideas about the stoppage.

"That may be," replied Herb, skeptically; "but the chances are he's bucking up against trouble again. Won't we all be pleased as Punch when he does get a motor that can motor without eternally breaking down? There, Nick's waving his red bandana, which I take it means they've broken down."

And so it proved. A weak place had developed as usual, so that George would be compelled to spend an hour or two mending the same.

Herb generously offered to give him a tow; but this the proud spirit of George would not brook. It was bad enough having to suffer that ignominy when threatened with a storm, but when the gulf was smooth nothing could induce him to accept.

"You fellows go right along," George called out; "and I'll overtake you later."

But neither Jack nor Herb would think of such a thing. If a heavy wind chanced to come up while the _Wireless_ lay there, positively helpless, she would roll frightfully, and stand a chance of capsizing.

And so they simply hung around until the makeshift repairs had been completed, so that the speed boat could again proceed under her own power.

This lost them so much time that it was no longer possible to think of reaching the mouth of the Caloosahatchee River, and ascending as far as Meyers, that day. So they kept an eye out for a snug harbor, where they might pass the night.

The coast was not so desolate here as below. They had passed the settlement of Naples; and here and there could see where shacks, or more pretentious buildings, told of the presence of fruit or truck growers.

Finally, toward the middle of the afternoon, coming upon just the place that would afford them a good camping ground, the three boats pulled in.

Jack had noticed that Jimmy was showing signs of growing excitement as they proceeded to anchor. The Irish boy had been using the marine glasses with more or less eagerness; and no sooner was the boat made secure than he broke out with:

"Excuse me, if ye plase, Jack darlint, but I've a most pressin' engagement this minute. I do be sayin' me chanct to get aven with me rival."

He was even at the time throwing a number of things into the little dinky, among others a section of rope. Nick, while not overhearing what was said, must have noticed the active preparations for a sudden campaign. His round, red face appeared over the side of the _Wireless_, as Jimmy pushed off and rowed furiously away.

"Now, what in the dickens does all that mean, Jack?" he asked. "Is Jimmy going to make the trip to Meyers in that dinky, or has he got an idea in his head he can bag something that will make me look like thirty cents?"

"I rather guess that's just the sort of bee he's got in his bonnet, Nick," laughed Jack, "and if you look out yonder, where that reef lies in shallow water, with the little waves breaking over it, you'll see what's started him going."

Nick hunted around until he found George's glasses, which he clapped to his eyes, to burst out with a cry of astonishment and chagrin.

"Say, it must be a big porpoise that's got stranded out there! My eye! look at it kick up the water, would you? Oh! if Jimmy ever gets a rope around that thing, and tries to ride it ashore, won't he be in a peck of trouble, though? But when Jimmy sets out to do anything, you just can't frighten him off; and, honest now, I believe he's bent on doing that same mad caper!"