He increased his pace though the run was beginning to tell on his aged frame. The adventurers were now within an eighth of a mile of the ship, but the savages were closer, and had the advantage of being able to make greater speed. The two forces approached nearer and nearer. Finally the first of the canoes reached the submerged end of the _Porpoise_.

With wild shouts a score of the brown men leaped from the boats and scrambled up the steel sides. An instant later they were joined by several canoe loads of their companions. They swarmed up on the deck, and some peered down the winding stairs that led to the interior of the ship.

"Too late!" cried the professor. "They have captured the _Porpoise_!"

"But Washington is aboard!" shouted Jack.

As he spoke the colored man was seen clambering up out of the companion way. He gave one look at the wild natives who swarmed over the ship, and then, with a yell to be heard a long way off, disappeared below.

The shouts and cries of the savages grew louder and they seemed to be doing a sort of war dance.

"We must make one effort to drive them away," said the professor in desperation.

"We haven't even a revolver," spoke Andy.

"Let's use stones," suggested Jack, grabbing up a handful from the beach.

"Look out!" yelled Mark. "They are going to shoot some arrows!"

A second later a flight of the weapons filled the air. Fortunately the natives were too far away to permit the shots taking effect, but it showed that they intend to fight and take possession of the ship.

Even this did not frighten Mr. Henderson. His vessel was more than life to him and he kept on. Several arrows fell dangerously close and he might have been hurt had not old Andy run after him and induced him to go farther up the beach and out of harm's way.

"They will kill Washington!" cried Jack as he thought of the colored man at the mercy of the savages.

"There he comes!" yelled Mark.

He pointed toward the ship and as they all looked in that direction they saw the colored man climbing out on the deck. Under one arm he bore a long narrow box, and in the other hand he carried one of the electric guns.

"He's goin' to fight 'em!" exclaimed Andy. "He's got a gun and he will show 'em what's what!"

But Washington did not seem to have any such intentions. With a yell that equalled the savage cries of the natives, he sprang over the side of the ship, onto the sand and ran toward the group of adventurers. A flight of arrows followed him, but he was not hit.

CHAPTER XVIII

ON LAND

"Why don't he shoot his gun at 'em?" demanded Andy, capering about on the sand. "He could soon scare 'em off!"

"I'm afraid Washington is too frightened to do anything like that,"

answered Professor Henderson. "He is lucky to have escaped alive."

"Wait until he gets here with that gun, an' I'll do some huntin' that will make them savages skip!" exclaimed Andy.

In a little while Washington came up to where the others from the _Porpoise_ stood on the beach. The colored man was panting from his run.

"De most monstrous disproportionately extradition ob circ.u.mstantial occurrances dat ever transpositioned on my optical vasionariness!" he exclaimed as he laid his gun and the black box carefully down on the sand. "Ten thousand naked imps of darkness swarmin' ober de ship an' not a pusson to say what dey ought to do an' where dey ought t' go! It am suttinly terrible!"

"Why didn't you shoot some of 'em?" demanded Andy.

"Me?" exclaimed Washington. "What for I want t' shoot 'em? S'pose I want 'em t' git mad at me?"

"Well, you're a great one," went on Andy, picking up the gun. "I guess I'll have to take a few shots myself."

"Yes, sah."

From Washington the adventurers learned how the savages had silently come up in their canoes and surrounded the ship, gaining possession of it before he could make any effort at defense, even had he so desired.

"What are we to do now?" asked Mrs. Johnson, when they had retreated out of sight of the savages. "The natives have possession of the boat, and how are we to regain her when there are so many of them?"

"It certainly is a hard nut to crack," admitted the professor. "We will have to camp out on the beach for a while and see what happens. Perhaps they may leave the vessel when they find it will do them no good. They can't run her."

"But they can tear her all apart and damage the machinery," said Jack.

"Then we would be in a pickle."

"Well, we won't hope for any such bad luck as that," interrupted the professor. "We will look for the best."

"When are we going to have breakfast?" asked the little girl, after a long wait. "I'm hungry, mother."

"We will have it pretty soon," replied Mrs. Johnson in order to quiet her daughter's mind.

"But I want it now," continued Nellie. "I'm very hungry."

"Hush!" said Mrs. Johnson.

"An' I had de finest brekfust what was ever invented," said Washington, rolling his big eyes. "Mud turkle eggs, ham, preserves, coffee--"

"That will do, Washington," said the professor. "It only makes our mouths water to think about such things."

At the mention of the turtle eggs Jack nudged Mark, and signalled him to walk to one side. When they were out of earshot of the others Jack said:

"What's the matter with cooking some of the eggs that are left on the sand? There are plenty of them, and there is no sense in our going hungry."

"How you going to cook 'em?" asked Mark.

"I'll show you," replied Jack.

He scooped a hollow place out in the sand until he had quite a hole.

This he banked up with stones until he had a small oven. By arching the stones over toward the top there was left a sort of circular opening.

Over this Jack fitted a monster clam sh.e.l.l, with the concave side uppermost.

This made an improvised stew pan. Underneath was piled small bits of dry drift-wood, which a match soon set on fire. In a little while the water in the big sh.e.l.l was boiling.

"Now get some other sh.e.l.ls for dishes," said Jack to Mark.