The Boy Chums Cruising in Florida Waters

softly outside the cabin. Once outside they paused and

w minutes, it came again, a long melo

ld declared. "Let's go down to the point.

nected the bay with the Gulf of Mexico. To it, the three hastened their steps.

y cried, pointing out

rds from where they stood, a dim shadow

ith all the reefs thar are around hyar it's too dangerous unless one knows the channels mighty well. Then, that ain't no distress signal

d a few seconds, but in that brief space it lit up the mysterious stranger, showing a hu

er, "they are certain

t those spars," Charley exclaimed

schooner rigged and about one hundred tons burden. Hallo! Here comes s

ed. As she swept into the passage, the little party could tell even in

ley, as the strange

topped at his call, but n

Can you tell us what ship t

lmost at the same minute a single fiery rocket hissed aloft

d going back!" exclaimed Cap

schooner!"

d orders and the creak of blocks as

distance from which it had come, and the mysterious schoo

aptain Westfield. "That's queer

as our hail that frightened the fellows in the launch and their rocket was a signal to the schooner t

t and thoughtful. He was puzzling to determine where he had seen the strange schooner before. In the second, the flare had re

in his groping memory. "No, no," he muttered to himself. "It simply can't be her. It must only be a chance resemblance

rid his alert brain of the tormenting

in Westfield had just returned from taking a morning plunge in the surf. Walter was not in s

I followed two of them and they both led into the same place, a little clearing in a thick bunch of palms. It looks as though there had been several fights there for the gro

Spanish," he announced, then translated rapidly: "Aguardiente, 100 Proof, Manufactured by S

m," said Capt

fiery. No wonder the fishermen fight if this is the kind of s

ter said. "We don't

houghtfully. "I have a notion that this little

ell of silent thoughtfulness was still upon

to the skiffs," he said, as soon as breakfast was over

so early for?" Walter protested. "W

sier for you to learn how to handle the nets in the day time, and w

e well-beaten paths Walter had spoken of. He was following up a vague suspicion that had been growing in his mind and, for good reasons, he wanted to

had not observed the significance of. All the paths

few feet in extent and was densely surrounded by a thick growth of cocoanut palms. No o

e awkward to handle at close quarters. I have an idea these were used to carry heavy burdens. They would come pretty handy for that. Just lay the thing to be carried across them and one man take hold of the ends in front and another man at the back. Strange, Walter did not notice an odd thing about this clearing

e one way. As he dug over here and there, however, he grew amazed at the magnitude of his discovery. At last he ceased his digging and carefully filled up the many holes

wise to tell them yet? Some one might let slip a word in an unguarded moment that would spoil everything. "The more t

beach. Stripping, he took a hurried plunge in the surf and

ts all aboard," Wal

p nets in the skiffs' ster

like that. You can't run out a net in that shape. It would all tangle up and go out in lumps and bunches. When you boat a net, you want to pile the lead line up ca

out of the skiffs and hauled in

takes at first," he assured them, "but you will soon catch on. Don't get discouraged over a little mistake like that, you'll make many big