The Search for the Silver City

shore in an apathy of despair

nding that work is the best remedy for mental troub

the other boats come along, and it is necessary to make some preparations for living. The goods must

he other boats shoul

fts would come to that exact spot, even if they were all afloat; but h

chor when it blew so hard, for they carried heavier loads than we did, and while layi

ey are bound

cided that under the circumstances a lie was ab

here else wou

have been some little di

d before the wind, therefore oug

ing Teddy, who finally arose to his feet and signified his

d not have thought of had he been alone, or in t

d yards away, and over the collection was constructed a shelter to protect it from the d

s could be found near at hand was stacked close by the beach, to se

preparing as elaborate a meal as their store of provisio

others get here. Afterwards we'll take a snooze, which is the proper thing to do at the middle of the day in a ho

thout further urging they did full justice to the meal, Teddy s

tle while for something in the shape of a veget

things that would help out on the bill of fare; but in case that can't be done, you b

ot insisted very strongly that they sleep during the hottest portio

y, and when he was convinced they were across the border of dreaml

tain it ain't Cuba. If two days pass without our sightin' a sail I must fix up some story to make the boys eager to tramp across the cou

ne. The coast strewn thickly with coral rocks, and backed by a dense forest,

fficulty in so doing, and the vegetation confirmed his belief that the little craft

to the place where the rude shelter had been put up he was

oats won't come, an' then it's a case of strikin' across the country with go

down beside them in order to prevent any su

w his anxiety was so great that, despite all efforts, his eyes would persist in staying open ve

did the boys awaken, and then Ne

t since we've been lying here it is very probable father has missed us, for more t

t honest watch, and not so much as the wing

the guns, for both had been thoroughly wetted during the landing, an

he engineer's footprints on th

re! Perhaps father ar

lied. "While you fellows were snoozin

ame ground," and Neal retraced his steps, adding when h

be done in the way of hunting; a roasted bird will be a big imp

d Jake is willing t

vent me from jo

eave in sight," Neal replied in a positi

led," and he added to himself, "I wish he wasn't so certain about the

ting lost in the forest, and as they disappeared among the underbrush he threw himself upo

this season of the year, when fever germs lurked in every spot where stagnant water was to be found, and knew at the same time how extre

t can't be possible that we're on the coast of South America; but if that sh

p the coast, and as to the advisability of this he studied a long

and then the boys returned, bringing with them two

lieve we might have shot a dozen by staying longer; but there was no sense in doing so ju

trying to banish from his face the look of dejection, lest his com

half a mile,"

eral appearance

the right, we came upon what seems to be a swamp. It was there we fo

shirt sleeve, and pointed to s

ened his pocket knife. "The sooner you get rid of them the better, for they will ma

cut them out?" Ted

s without considerable pain, for they have the

r, causing Teddy to cry aloud very often as t

peration, and not until nearly an hour had pass

ccos for roasting, by first plucking the fowls, removing the intes

e hardly warmed through; but, as Teddy said, "it went a long way ahead of nothing," and all three worked ind

and the half-cooked fowls tasted better than had