Rival ocean divers

A DOOR OF WATER

"Dave Fearless! And Bob Vilett! Thank Heaven you are not dead!"

So spoke Captain Broadbeam as his eyes rested upon the two youthful prisoners of the savages.

The captain's clothing was torn, and there were marks of blood upon his face, showing that he had not submitted without a struggle. Indeed, both the captain of the Swallow and Doctor Barrell had fought to the bitter end.

"We have been hunting everywhere for you," put in the doctor. "Some thought you dead, but we were not willing to believe it."

"Did a man named Pete Rackley come to the Swallow?" questioned Dave, quickly.

"I know nothing of a man of that name," answered the captain, "but there came to us a poor and forlorn castaway, who said he had been alone on this island for nearly two years."

"Please describe him," said Bob.

The captain did so. Both Dave and Bob gave a groan.

"He is a fraud!" burst out the young diver.

"And he will wreck the Swallow before we can get back to her," added Bob.

Of course, both Captain Broadbeam and Doctor Barrell were astonished at these remarks.

"I don't understand," said the master of the ship.

As quickly as he could Dave explained the plot which had been hatched out by Lemuel Hankers and which Rackley, his tool, was to carry out.

"It is dastardly!" cried both the captain and the doctor.

"And to think I took him on board, gave him new clothing, and promised him pay until we should get back to the States," added the captain.

"Even now he may be wrecking my beautiful engine!" groaned Bob. "Oh, if only I had the rascal by the neck!"

The savages now interrupted the talk by separating the prisoners, tying each to a tree some distance from the others.

Pat Stoodles was nowhere to be seen, for he had gone off in an entirely different direction from that taken by the natives.

Slowly the day dragged by until night was at hand. The natives were busy preparing the meat taken from the whale, and for the time being paid but scant attention to the prisoners.

"We must escape to-night," thought Dave.

Yet how was it to be accomplished?

Although the natives took little notice of them, one of the younger men of the tribe had been set on guard, to see that none of them broke his bonds.

At last darkness settled down on the encampment. At first the fire blazed brightly, but at last it died down, leaving the prisoners in gloom.

The savages gathered close to the camp-fire, the women by themselves, and were soon wrapped in slumber.

One native remained on guard, seated on a fallen tree.

Suddenly a form appeared in the midst of the prisoners.

It was Pat Stoodles, but so transformed that Dave scarcely recognized the half-witted Irish castaway.

Stoodles was dressed in a suit of skins, and on his head rested a crown made of horn, set with peacock feathers.

In his hand the Irishman carried a long knife.

"I am the King of the Island Windjammers!" he cried, in a low tone. "I am sent to free the world! Avaunt, ye ghosts of ships! Begone, ye rats of my brain! Ha! and how is that, my bonnie b'y! An' that! An' that!"

Rambling on in this fashion, he quickly cut the ropes which held Dave and Bob. Then he turned to Captain Broadbeam and of a sudden he stopped with mouth wide open.

"Captain Broadbeam, or is it another av thim drames?" he gasped.

"Pat Stoodles!" cried the captain. "And so you are the king of these savages. Release me at once!"

"I will! I will!" answered Stoodles, and cut the bonds, and also those of the doctor.

All this time the savage on guard was looking on in silence, for he dared not interfere with the doings of Stoodles. Yet he grew uneasy when he saw all the prisoners liberated and saw the Irishman shake Captain Broadbeam by the hand. He gave a sudden and shrill cry.

Quick as a flash Stoodles turned upon him.

"That's fer ye!" roared the Irishman, and knocked him flat with a blow of his fist.

"Quick, we must get away!" cried Dave. "See, all of the savages are awake!"

He spoke the truth, and the others felt that they must fly on the instant or it would be too late.

"To the woods!" cried the doctor. "Perhaps we can hide!"

"I will show ye a spot!" put in Stoodles. "I have a cave all me own where they won't be afther findin' ye!"

He led the way and the others followed, through the brush and up a hill back of the lake upon which the encampment was located.

It was a crooked and dangerous path, yet by keeping close to Stoodles they avoided many a nasty pitfall.

Soon they heard the savages on their trail. At first they were some distance off, but gradually they grew closer and closer.

"I can't go much further!" gasped poor Bob. "My ankle pains me something awful!"

"Don't ye be afther givin' up!" said Pat Stoodles. "We'll soon be at me castle, which all the savages on the island can't conquer."

They were now passing along the bed of a small stream which flowed into the lake. Presently before them arose a beautiful waterfall, twenty feet high and eight or nine feet broad.

"That's the dure av me castle," announced Stoodles. "Make a quick sthep inside an' ye'll not git overly wet."

With this he dove straight into the waterfall and disappeared from view.

"Gracious! What does that mean?" came from Dave.

"He is mad and has committed suicide," muttered the doctor.

"Perhaps not," came from Bob. "That waterfall may conceal the entrance to a cave."

"Hurrah! I believe you are right," answered Dave. "And I am for finding out," and he took a step forward.

But the captain caught the young diver by the shoulder.

"Don't be rash, lad. It may cost you your life."

Scarcely had Captain Broadbeam spoken when Stoodles reappeared through the falling sheet of water.

"Come on!" he cried. "Don't be afraid. The futtin' is safe enough," and again he disappeared.

None of the others hesitated any longer. Dave went first, holding his breath as he took the plunge. To his surprise the falling body of water was less than four inches thick, and in a moment he found himself on a smooth, rocky floor.

"That's the greatest yet!" muttered Bob, when all were safe in the cave under the upper stream. "Don't the savages know of this?" he asked of the Irishman.

"Sure not. Once they followed me up the strame an' I scared the wits out av thim, talkin' to thim from the wathers!" And Pat Stoodles laughed loudly, a laugh that echoed and re-echoed throughout the cavern.

It was pitch-dark, but soon they had a light, and Stoodles brought forth a torch.

Then he led the way to a branch of the cave, on higher ground.

Here the flooring and walls were perfectly dry, and here the castaway had something of a comfortable home, with a rude table, a bench, a sea chest, and a cupboard with dishes and other household articles.

In one corner of the cave was a rough fireplace, the smoke of a fire going up through half a dozen small cracks.

It was easy to see that the castaway had not always been simple-minded.

"I knew him years ago quite well," said Captain Broadbeam. "He once sailed under me. He is suffering for the want of companionship. Many a castaway, you know, has gone stark mad through loneliness. The savages were really no company for him."

"Do you think he will get over it?" asked Dave.

"I think he will," put in the doctor. "I have seen such cases before. Sometimes the recovery is quite rapid, when the castaway gets back among his own people."

Leaving the crowd seated around a comfortable fire, in order to dry their clothing before going to sleep, Pat Stoodles returned to the entrance of the cave.

He was gone the best part of half an hour, when he returned in considerable excitement.

"The haythins have tracked us to the waterfall!" he whispered. "An' wan av thim—Chief Walru—is thinkin' av thryin' to git behind th' water into the cave!"