CHAPTER IV

Island Prisoners

Prisoners on a desert island!

Dazed by Joe Arnold's brutality, Terry and Prim looked about them for a way of escape, but there seemed no way out. Apart from the few huts in the cove where Joe Arnold had his camp, there was no sign of life. They were alone and at the mercy of these unscrupulous men who had every reason to destroy them.

Prim clung to her sister with a grip that hurt. "Whatever will we do now, Terry?" she asked in a hoarse whisper. "We're up against it for sure."

But Terry did not hear her. She was watching with flashing eyes as Bud Hyslop worked over the plane. The next instant she was running down the slope in frantic haste with Prim at her heels.

"You let that plane alone, Bud Hyslop! Take your hands off!" Terry picked up a large stone, raised it above her head and with a wide sweep of the arm, she started to throw the missile, but at that moment her hand was seized from behind and a low, mocking voice said, "Not so fast, young lady!"

Terry turned to face Joe Arnold.

"Let me go!" she demanded.

Joe Arnold released his grip with a vigorous shove that sent the girl spinning across the sands. Prim caught her as she staggered.

"Terry, listen to me," said Prim with decision in her voice. "I don't know what we are going to do, but one thing sure is that you mustn't make that man angry. He's capable of anything. He'd think nothing of leaving us here to starve. He'd even kill us if it suited his purpose." Prim shook her sister's arm. "Don't talk to him at all if you can't do it without getting angry."

Terry was deathly white, not from fear but anger. "But look, Prim! You don't seem to realize that Bud is going to take our plane away from us. Now we'll be real castaways!"

Prim searched the sky. "Oh, if Allan and Syd would only come! I'm afraid something terrible has happened to them. I didn't see them after the storm struck our plane. Where did they go?"

"Don't talk about it, Prim. Let's get busy and do something so we won't have time to think. I don't dare!" Terry said with trembling lips.

The girls stood watching as Bud and Joe wheeled _Skybird_ around to head away from the beach and over the water. They started the engine. It coughed, it wheezed, it sputtered but at the same time the amphibian taxied over the smooth blue waters and took to the air. _Skybird_ was flying away without them.

Joe Arnold waved his hand toward the departing plane, then turned and climbed the hill, looking back at the girls with a triumphant grin, far more menacing than an angry scowl would have been. Terry knew that he had never forgiven her for her part in the rescue of Allan and Syd when he had kidnapped them in the far north.

Now was his great opportunity to settle matters once for all. This was his chance. He had them at his mercy.

Everything had worked out to Joe's advantage. Bud's plane had been wrecked some weeks before and on that account they had worked under a handicap, waiting to replace it. Now a fine little plane had miraculously dropped from the sky at their feet.

Joe Arnold smiled. "Luck comes that way to me," he said to himself. "I have a few bad breaks, but often they work out for my good. If I had succeeded in getting the Dick Mapes Flying Field six months ago as I planned. I'd never have started this island base. At least not so soon.--And this has turned out to be the best graft I've ever struck."

Bud Hyslop had flown _Skybird_ around the tip of the island to the quiet waters of the little harbor. The engine was sputtering and protesting but Bud was able to bring the plane down safely on the shore. As he turned to Joe, he saluted and exclaimed, "That was some trick you played! How did you do it. Chief?"

Joe Arnold laughed heartily as he answered: "They thought they were following Allan Graham's plane. I'm almost sure that the girls were starting out to go to Peru to see old Peter Langley. When I was up there Allan and Syd were away. Probably when they got back they learned that I was heading south and decided to catch up with the girls and go with them as a protection against _me_."

"What happened to the boys?" asked Bud.

"That's the joke. Allan's and Terry's planes both got into a storm. I didn't see Allan's plane when it was over, so I hope he went to the bottom of the Caribbean. Terry didn't see it either. But she saw mine and followed me, thinking it was Allan."

"That was a neat dodge. How did you ever happen to think about it?" Bud not only thought his boss was smart, but took pains to tell him so.

Joe Arnold might have told Bud that he had not planned the ruse and that it had been entirely an accident. But instead of that he looked wise and said. "I think fast! That's how I always win!"

Meanwhile his two captives had taken shelter from the sun under a spreading tree.

"How I'd like to down that man!" exclaimed Terry with blazing eyes as she watched Joe Arnold's figure disappear. "This is certainly the worst jam we've ever been in."

"And Terry, this time there's no way out that I can see," said Prim, her body trembling with fear and nervousness.

But Terry was in a fighting mood. "There _is_ a way out, I'm sure of it, and what's more I'm sure we can find it! I had to bite my tongue to keep from telling Joe what I thought of him. He looked so smug and self-satisfied because he put something over on us."

"You did well, Terry, not to talk to him. I was scared stiff you'd fly out at him."

"I probably would have if you hadn't gripped my arm the way you did. Sometimes you spoil a good scrap that way. It might have done Joe Arnold good to know what people think about him."

Suddenly a loud shriek broke the silence of the island. Terry and Prim clung together but the next minute Terry pointed with a smile to two brightly colored macaws above her head.

"Did you ever see anything as gay as those birds? Aren't they beautiful!" exclaimed Terry.

"I'd like them better if they wouldn't squawk so loudly," said Prim. "I do believe they have scared me out of a year's growth."

The macaws shrieked again as if protesting at the intrusion of the girls. Other strange birds took up the challenge and answered until the air was filled with their noise.

"Let's go!" said Terry with the faintest glimmer of a smile. "They don't seem to appreciate the honor of our company."

Hand in hand the girls climbed the ridge but kept out of sight of Joe's camp. Below them and around a sharp point of rocky shore, they looked down over a forest of tropical trees, tall, slender stems and around the lower part of their trunks wound a thick tangle of vines.

"I wonder if we will ever get out of here alive, Terry?" whispered Prim in a strained voice. "You've read stories of people who were stranded on desert islands and lived there until they were old and ready to die."

"Well, this wouldn't be such a bad place to live," answered Terry. "If we had the family here and a nice house and books and things."

"But I don't like the idea of starving to death and that's what we would do here."

"We couldn't starve to death! Look down there, I've been waiting for you to say something. Those trees to the right are bananas, your favorite fruit!"

"I'll say so! Let's go get them. I'm starved!" Suddenly Prim stopped short. "Terry," she said hopefully, "could two girls live on bananas all their lives?"

"Possibly, but we wouldn't need to go on a full banana diet. There are cocoanut palms!" replied Terry.

Prim brightened up. "And if it comes to the worst, we will try to catch some fish."

"Fish!" cried Terry. "You know I _hate_ fish!"

"Well, clams, oysters! We might find them here!"

"They're even worse," Terry declared. "_You_ can have my share. I'll stick to bananas."

The girls were clambering down the rocky ridge to the clearing. As they found their way around a thick mat of low-growing bushes, they came suddenly upon a collection of mud huts. They were among them before they knew it.

The girls drew back to the shelter of the vines, half expecting to be surrounded by a howling mob of savages. But not a sound came from the huts. Everything was quiet. No sign of life!

"Here's where we've got to watch our step, Prim! Savages have a way of hiding in ambush and shooting poison arrows at their enemies," whispered Terry.

"But we're not their enemies. We'd--why Terry, we'd try to _like_ them if they'd give us a chance," Prim was looking anxiously around the shrub as she spoke.

Terry started to tiptoe toward the mud huts, although it was not necessary to guard her footfalls, for the soft green floor of the jungle gave back no sound. Prim tried to pull her sister back but Terry jerked away.

"Come on. We haven't any need to worry yet. This place is deserted. Look at those old mud huts, they are half destroyed by the rains." Terry drew her sister with her as she peered into every hut as she passed.

"Look at those huts ahead. They're altogether different. See how they've twined roots and vines and twigs together. They're like great birds' nests. I think that is a _clever_ idea! I wonder if these houses belonged to the chief and his family?"

"Come on in and make an afternoon call." Terry laughed as she ran toward the doorway, then sprang back in terror.

"What's the matter, Terry? What did you see?" cried Prim, clinging to her sister's arm.

"Somebody was in that hut. I saw a child! It was a little one!" said Terry, then suddenly she broke loose from her sister and went once more toward the hut.

"Watch out, Terry," cried Prim. "Children are apt to scream and that will bring the whole tribe down upon us."

At that moment Terry burst into a happy laugh, a little face was peering around the side of the opening. A curious, wise little face that was wrinkled and hairy.

"It's a monkey!" exclaimed Terry with relief. "Only a cute little monkey!"

"Isn't he funny?" Prim was choking with laughter which she tried to hide, for the little creature looking up at them seemed so human that the girl felt she was being rude to laugh in its face.

Terry had a happy thought. She felt in her pockets and brought forth a little package. There were half a dozen crackers left from the supply Prim had provided.

"Say Terry, what's the idea! Don't feed him crackers. Are you crazy?" pleaded Prim.

But Terry was approaching the little animal and offering a bit of the cracker. The monkey shrank back, but only for a second. His curiosity was too great. As Terry dropped the morsel beside him, he grabbed it quickly and with a sudden leap slipped by them to the refuge of a tall tree. Then he devoured it greedily.

"Don't be too generous, Terry. We may need every bite we can get before this jam is over."

"All right, but I thought I'd better start by making friends with everything on the island. He's a nice little fellow. I wouldn't be surprised if he'd get quite friendly."

The monkey stared down at them with interest and when they moved away he scrambled to another tree nearer to them.

"Just watch him," laughed Prim. "Terry, you've made a big hit with that fellow."

"It's pleasant to find one friendly creature on the island. Come on and let's see what the inside of these woven houses are like. I'm not anxious to sleep out in the open. I think I've heard something about the moon in the tropics making people crazy." Terry led the way into the hut as she spoke, "Why, it's not so bad, we might manage to sleep in here."

"There's nothing else to do. I wouldn't want to take any chances with the moon," said Prim. "We have troubles enough now without losing our minds."

Terry laughed. "I guess you're right. We'll need all our wits to get ourselves out of this jam, and we'd better not get them addled."

Terry's laugh had relieved their taut nerves.

"If I could only be sure that Allan and Syd were safe, I could even take this disappointment and get some fun out of the situation. I'm really not frightened of Joe Arnold,--very much!" she exclaimed.

If Terry could have heard the conversation between Joe Arnold and Bud Hyslop at that moment she might have feared them, for Bud had just asked, "What are you going to do with those girls? One thing sure they'll never leave this island alive, if I have my way."

Joe Arnold turned on him with an angry snarl. "You haven't a word to say here! What's more you never will have. Just wait until you get your orders from me. I'll see that they don't get back to civilization for a long time, perhaps never, but I'll settle with them in my own way and when I get ready. I want no suggestions from you or anybody. You understand? I'm boss here on this island!"

"Yes, that's what I meant," replied Bud Hyslop.

"And if they come into this camp just keep your eye on them. Especially Terry! She was here about two minutes and was nosing about the big rock as if she knew I had things hidden there," snarled Joe Arnold.

"Did she see anything?" asked Bud.

"No, I got her away in time, but if she comes back she is apt to go right there. And if she'd ever get hold of those papers, we wouldn't be safe anywhere."

"Do you think Terry suspects and will try to get hold of them before they get away from the island?" inquired Bud once more.

"They're not going to get away. At least not until I'm safe."

But Terry and Prim knew nothing of this threat against their lives. They went about the preparation for the night and their greatest fear was from animals and insects that were strange and terrifying to them.

"I'm awful hungry, Terry. Come with me to get some bananas," said Prim as she started toward the clearing.

"They look green to me, you're apt to get good and sick if you eat them. Prim. I don't think I would," cautioned Terry.

"I'm sick now, I'm so hungry, so it won't hurt to be a little sicker," answered Prim as she reached up for one of the green bananas. "Anyway I think they're ripe." She passed one to Terry, who stripped back the skin and bit into it.

Terry rolled her eyes ecstatically. "Prim, we're in luck! I've never tasted anything so good in all my life. I'm sure I could live on bananas like these. Now, I _know_ we won't starve to death."

Suddenly Prim caught her sister by the arm. From the clearing they could see a strip of the sea and across their line of vision came a small tramp steamer. It was headed from the south and was making straight toward the island.

"Now's our chance! We'll signal them and they will come to the rescue." Prim was trembling with excitement. Together they ran to the top of the ridge. The heat was intense but the girls carried their flying coats with them, hoping that they would have a chance to escape.

The girls waved their hands toward the steamer, but their hearts sank as it steamed past the headland and turned toward the harbor. On the shore of the cove great preparations had begun. A launch was put out from the beach and made toward the ship. Bales were dropped into the boat and taken ashore. A dozen trips were made with loads of food in cases, gasoline in metal drums and bale after bale of goods.

"Whatever does it all mean?" asked Prim in her sister's ear.

"It's my opinion," declared Terry, "that every word we've heard against that man is true. Someone said he was a smuggler. Now I believe it."

Joe Arnold was busy directing the blacks as they stowed away the bales in the old mud huts in the camp.

"What kind of smuggled goods would come in bales?" asked Prim. "I can't imagine what it can be."

"It might be lots of things, but probably it's silk. There's big money in that," explained Terry.

Terry did not voice all her thoughts. She was thinking that they had very little chance of getting back to their homes with the secret of Joe's smuggling base known to them. She realized that the situation was far more serious than she imagined. He was not merely attempting to get the flying field away from her father. Joe Arnold was mixed up in a crooked business. He would take desperate means to keep them from getting back to tell where his smuggling hang-out was situated.

Terry started back down the slope, dragging Prim with her. "Come away, I hate that man! I don't want to know what he's doing."

Night was fast approaching and the girls watched with dread the shadows creeping down over the jungle. They put their heavy flying coats on the ground, gathered large banana leaves for pillows and decided to sleep out in the open.

But no sooner had darkness come than weird sounds filled the jungle behind them. Crickets shrilled in the trees. Wild animals howled and slinking forms scurried by at the edge of the forest. Frogs kept up a continual, deafening chorus, and there were shrill cries of night birds. Terry and Prim held each other closely and stared into the darkness toward the jungle, trembling with fear.

"Look at the sky, Prim," said Terry trying to keep her mind from the strange and terrifying sounds of the tropical night. "You can see millions more stars down here than we can at home."

But even the brilliance of the moon could not hold their attention for long at a time. The rustling sounds all around them made their hearts thump.

"I can't stand it out here, Terry! Let's go into the hut," Prim pleaded in an anxious voice.

Although the noises continued, the girls felt a certain protection when inside the four walls, even though the opening in the front was no protection at all.

"Now Prim, I want you to go to sleep and get some rest, and I'll watch. In an hour and a half I'll waken you and you can take your turn." Terry took Prim in her arms as if she were a small child.

Prim burst into tears and threw herself on the floor of the hut, burying her head in her sister's lap. Terry stroked her head soothingly. And Prim was soon fast asleep.

When the hour and half was up, Terry did not have the heart to waken Prim. She looked pale and tired. Moving her head to the pillow of banana leaves, Terry lay down beside her. She had no desire to sleep.

Once she thought that some small animal had come into the hut. She sat up and strained her eyes into the dark corners, but could see nothing. The moon had set and the black night seemed a protection after the bright moonlight. Terry grew very drowsy. She had no energy with which to waken Prim.

The next thing Terry knew it was broad daylight. The sun was already sending its fiery blasts toward the earth. Prim was still sleeping; she had never stirred.

Terry sat up suddenly. In the doorway was a woman, a black savage. The girl's heart stopped beating for a moment. The strange creature stared at her and then giving forth a loud, weird, throaty call, she clapped her hands to beckon to her followers, who answered with yells and howls.

Prim awoke with a cry of terror. The two girls, pale and terrified, stood waiting their doom. They were trapped in a hut and outside was a band of savage blacks. What terrible fate was in store for the trembling victims?