The Ocean Wireless Boys on the Pacific

“Plentee eggs in there,” said Salloo as he came down, “but they no good eat.”

“Well, I’m glad there were no young ones to be starved through our interference,” said Billy, and the others felt as he did.

“Say, I’m going to have a look at that nest,” said Jack suddenly.

“All right. But look out you don’t fall and break your neck,” warned Raynor. Jack went nimbly up Salloo’s queer ladder and soon reached a height where he could see into the nest, which was built in a cavity of the tree and had afterward been carefully walled up with mud, strengthened by weaving reeds into it. Jack was still examining the nest when a sudden shadow fell over him. He looked up and above him he saw, with somewhat of a shock, a great bird whose plumage flashed brilliantly in the sun and whose huge beak snapped viciously at the boy.

“Look out, look out, him father hornbill,” cried Salloo from the ground.

The hornbill made a swoop at Jack, aiming with that cruel beak straight for his eyes. The boy put up an arm to defend himself, but the bird seized it with its parrot-like claws, scratching it badly, and all the while it kept up a beating of its wings that blinded the boy. Then the bird suddenly changed its tactics. It swooped off and then made a swift dash at the boy’s head. It was well for Jack that he had on his stiff sun helmet or his skull would have been cracked like an egg by that huge, horny bill. As it was, the helmet was ripped open.

Those below called on him to come down. But the attacks of the great bird so blinded and bewildered him that he was unable to move a step. Billy, at the order of Captain Sparhawk, brought a rifle from the camp, but so close did the bird stay to the boy that there was danger in using it. Even the most expert of shots would have been quite as likely to hit Jack as the enraged hornbill.

Salloo had sprung into the tree, and with his ever ready kriss was ascending to the rescue when Captain Sparhawk saw an opportunity. The rifle was already at his shoulder and, as the hornbill rose and hovered for an instant before making another plunge at Jack’s head, his finger pressed the trigger. A splendid shot, a broken wing, the huge bird fluttered to the earth and flopped and screamed on the ground till its strugglings were put an end to by another bullet. Jack remained where he was for a few seconds to recover his nerves and then, still somewhat shaken by his experience, he descended.

His arm was badly scratched and Captain Sparhawk was opening the medicine chest when Salloo intervened. He quickly gathered a handful of a plant that exuded a sort of thick milk. Crushing the gathered stems on a stone, he soon had a quantity of this juice, which he spread on the wounds. The irritation at once left them and Salloo promised a speedy cure. But it may be said that Jack had no appetite for roast hornbill that night.

CHAPTER XXXV. – THE HEART OF NEW GUINEA

The expedition now found itself advancing through forest that grew sparser as they progressed. The ground was rapidly becoming more rugged. Close to them now towered the range known as the Kini-Balu among the wild recesses of which the tribe of that name made its home. Constant vigilance was the watchword of the hour now. Salloo would permit no fires to be lighted, and he and his followers were constantly scouting in front of the party, while additional watch was kept at the rear and on both flanks.

It was dangerous, thrilling work, but the boys, who loved adventure, relished every moment of it. But Donald Judson lived a life of misery. Every rustle in the bush made him turn pale. He was constantly giving false alarms in the night and the boys heartily wished he had been left behind. One afternoon – they were right in the mountains now – Salloo halted the party with a quick gesture.

“Two men ahead of us. Up the mountain. Salloo go, look, see.”

He glided off with his usual snake-like agility and vanished in a flash, while the party waited behind a mighty rock, for cover of the forest kind was growing scarce now. A wilder region would have been hard to imagine. The cliffs and mountains were of all sorts of extravagant shapes. Some of the larger rocks and peaks took on the outlines of monstrous animals. But they were still following a trail which was undoubtedly the one set down in red ink on Broom’s map.

Through the glasses, which they were able to use without being observed, by crouching down in the coarse grass, they could see Salloo advancing toward the two figures on the mountain side. As he went he was making the peace sign, extending his arms as if inviting the others to attack him at their will. But as far as they could see, the meeting was friendly enough. Salloo conversed with the two men of the mountain for a long time. Then he could be seen retracing his steps.

“Well?” demanded everybody as he returned to the camp.

“Ebblyting good so far,” reported Salloo. “Those two men velly old men. They left behind when tribe go to war in the north.”

“Then the country is free of danger?” cried Donald.

Salloo turned a look of contempt on him and did not answer. Addressing the others, he continued:

“They say they know of cave. But no know if white man is there,” went on the Malay.

“Would they be willing to guide us to it?” inquired Mr. Jukes.

“That me no know yet. Me go see ’em again to-night,” replied Salloo. “They say nobody but old men, women and children left behind now tribe go to war. So maybe they no afraid to show us. You pay ’em good?”

“Anything, any sum at all,” was the response of the millionaire. “No sum is too great to restore my brother to his family.”

When night fell Salloo left the camp again and did not return till midnight. He brought the news that the two old men would guide them for three pieces of gold each. They did not want the coins to spend, explained Salloo, but to pierce and wear round their necks as ornaments.

“I’ll make it six each,” declared Mr. Jukes, “if they lead us aright.”

There was little sleep for anybody that night, and soon after daybreak the two old men appeared in the camp. They were odd-looking old fellows; unclothed except for a breech cloth, and were daubed with red and yellow earth, signifying that their tribe was at war, although their age barred them from taking part.

At Salloo’s suggestion, only himself, Mr. Jukes, Jack and Billy were to accompany the guides. The others were to remain behind and keep as well under cover as they could till the rest returned with success or failure. Final instructions having been given, they set off behind the two old men, who chattered volubly with Salloo as they went. They knew of the cave, it appeared, but nothing more, for they did not come from that part of the mountains.

The next day they were not far from the cave, their aged guides told them, and Salloo enjoined the strictest caution in proceeding. If they met a returning war party, their position would be ticklish in the extreme, he declared, and they readily agreed with him.

It was not long after this that, high up on the mountain side, they became aware of a dark hole. The two old men chattered and pointed, and then Salloo said:

“There him cave. You wait here. Salloo go, look, see.”

He made off up the mountain with the two old tribesmen, while the others waited with what patience they could for his return. The boys had never seen Mr. Jukes so nervous. He could not keep still under the tension, but paced to and fro, regardless of Salloo’s advice to keep under cover.

“He is taking his time,” said Jack after a long interval.

“Perhaps something has happened to him,” said Mr. Jukes, apprehensively. “We’d better have our pistols ready. Hark! what was that?”

There was a rustling in the bushes near at hand and they all sprang to their feet, only to burst into laughter a minute later when a rock coney, or small rabbit, emerged, looked at them for an instant and then vanished.

“That shows how we are keyed up,” said Jack. “We’ve got to keep our nerve or we shall be useless if any emergency did happen.”

As he spoke, something whizzed over their heads and then sank quivering in the ground not far from them. They looked round and saw standing not far off two hideous natives, with frizzed hair and painted faces and bodies. Both were wounded and apparently had been sent back from “the front.” But still there was a chance that they might be the advance guard of a big body of troops.

“We friends,” cried Jack, giving the peace sign as he had seen Salloo give it.

The natives merely stared, and there is no knowing what might have been the outcome, but at that moment there came a hail from high up on the mountain and the old tribesmen and Salloo began coming toward them. The natives awaited their coming with their eyes fixed on the whites. As soon as Salloo and the others arrived there was a long confab and Salloo explained that the two warriors said that the main body of the savage troops was not far off, and that they had been sent back on account of their wounds. They had thrown the spear because they thought the whites were coming to invade their country. When Salloo explained the object of their errand, everything appeared to be satisfactory.

“Now we go to the cave,” said Salloo, at the end of these negotiations. “Him velly big one, me think.”

“Did you – did you see any trace of my brother?” asked Mr. Jukes anxiously.

“Me no see anything yet,” was the reply. “Me only go little way into cave.”

“Then come, let us start at once,” said Mr. Jukes, stepping nimbly over the rough ground, in spite of his cumbersome build.

As Salloo had said, the cave was a large one. It ran back fully a mile under the mountain. But they paid little attention to its natural beauties, so eager were they to find some trace of Jerushah Jukes. To one side was a swiftly flowing stream. They did not doubt that it came from a waterfall, the noise of which they could hear in the distance.

Before long they stood in front of the waterfall, a beautiful ribbon of water falling fully a hundred feet into a clear pool. A sort of mist hung over the pool caused by the spray, which was lighted by a rift in the rocks above. It was a lovely sight and even in their anxiety to get on they could not help standing and admiring it for a few minutes.

“By the way, Salloo,” said Jack abruptly, “how about that ghost that is supposed to haunt the cave?”

“Me no know. Me – ”

“Look, look, the ghost!” cried Raynor suddenly. He pointed straight in front of him at the fall.

“Great Scott!” exclaimed Jack as he too perceived an apparition that appeared to rise out of the waters. Salloo fell flat on his face in terror and so did the two old natives, who had been their guides.

“Don’t talk nonsense,” said Mr. Jukes sharply. “I see nothing. I – for heaven’s sake!”

Out of the mist of the pool he had seen advancing toward him as he stepped forward the gigantic form of a man. Then he glanced again.

The ghost was Mr. Jukes himself, who certainly had nothing spiritualistic about him. The explanation of the queer sight struck the boys and the millionaire at the same instant. The sun, shining through the rift, was reflected upon the wet rock which in turn projected their figures against the watery mist that hung above the pool.

“And so that’s the ghost that’s been scaring the natives to death,” said Jack. “Get up, Salloo, and I’ll show you how the trick is done.”

After a brief demonstration the Malay was satisfied, but the two old men were unconvinced. They mumbled and were ill at ease till that part of the cave was left behind.

“Hullo, here’s a path leading up past the waterfall,” cried Jack suddenly.

“So there is. Let’s see where it goes,” cried Billy. They started up the slippery footway very slowly so as to avoid the consequences of a slip. As they went it grew lighter. They were coming to the upper world once more. A minute later and they emerged upon a small plateau in the heart of the mountains. It was surrounded by steep precipices. In the centre stood a group of bamboo huts.

At sight of the white men, several women and children set up a shrill cry. Suddenly above the hub-bub came a voice that brought a thrill to them all:

“Has help come at last?”

From behind one of the huts had stepped a tall, angular figure, wearing ragged white clothes and a battered sun helmet. Perched on his nose were a pair of huge horn-rimmed spectacles, a ragged, unkempt beard covered his face and his hair hung in matted locks about his shoulders.

At the sight of him, Mr. Jukes gave a gasp and then a glad cry.

CHAPTER XXXVI. – FOUND AT LAST!

“Oh, my brother,” cried Mr. Jukes, “I can hardly believe we’ve found you at last.”

“Thank God! you have, Jacob,” returned the other fervently. “For a moment I thought that you were only one of the fantastic visions that have visited my brain lately.”

“My poor brother,” exclaimed the millionaire, “but now thank heaven you are restored to your friends.”

“But how did you ever find me? I never deemed it possible that rescuers could find their way to this place where that villain Broom, after stealing the pearl, marooned me.”

“Ah, so the pearl is gone, – but never mind that now. I would not have given your life for an ocean-full of pearls,” declared the millionaire happily, “but I must introduce our friends who have shared with me the hardships of the trail.”

The boys, and then Salloo, added their congratulations to Mr. Jukes, while the women and children gathered round and chattered frantically. It was plain that they objected to all this, yet did not see how to stop it. The white men’s weapons glinted menacingly and there were no warriors in the village.

“And now let us hasten away from here,” said Jerushah Jukes. “The men are off on a fighting expedition and I might have escaped but without food or weapons I could never have made my way to the coast through the jungle. I suppose that is the reason they did not tie me up.”

“Undoubtedly,” said the millionaire, “but I’m forgetting something,” and he doled out to the two old men a reward, much over what they had demanded. They chattered their thanks glibly, making all sorts of gesticulations of gratitude.

“It’s all like a dream to me so far,” said Jerushah Jukes, as they made their way back through the cave and past the “haunted” waterfall. “Broom sent me up here with a guard of his men. The tribe appeared to be friendly to him and agreed to keep me prisoner as long as he wished. But my poor crew? What has become of them?”

“That we do not know yet,” said Mr. Jukes, “but we will talk later. I want to put all the distance I can between this tribe and our party as soon as we can. Those women will give the alarm although they dared not make an active protest.”

But as they emerged from the cave they met with a rude shock. A party of warriors with frizzed hair and war-paint daubing their bodies barred the way.

At first the tribesmen stood motionless with astonishment at the sight of a party of white men emerging from their secret cave. But the next instant they broke into a savage volley of shouts and yells and raised their spears and cruel-looking war clubs.

“We have come too late, my poor brother,” groaned Mr. Jukes. But suddenly Salloo raised his voice. He spoke in tones of loud authority. The spears and clubs were lowered. He turned to Mr. Jukes and in a quick low voice said:

“Give me um map. Quick, our lives depend on him.”

The millionaire lost no time in producing ‘Bully’ Broom’s map. The most be-frizzed of the natives pored over it for several minutes. Then one of them said in fair English:

“You come from Chief Broom; all right, you may go. He tell us to keep white man till he send for him. You show Broom’s map. He all right. Goo’ bye,” and the warriors went on.

Thus by the clever Malay’s strategy he had told the warriors, who had returned unexpectedly, that the white men had been sent by ‘Bully’ Broom, – they were saved from disaster. But the tribesmen had demanded proof of Salloo’s story and, in the nick of time, he had luckily thought of the map which satisfied their suspicions at once, for Broom was the only white man, except the prisoner, who had ever visited the secret cave.

The return to the camp was made without incident and Jack, on reaching it, at once rigged up his wireless apparatus and flashed to the Sea Gypsy the glad news of the rescue of the millionaire’s brother. But, a few minutes later, he, in his turn, was receiving good tidings. Broom had returned to Bomobori and was arrested while he was recruiting a crew to make a dash into the jungle and intercept the Jukes’ party. He was apprehended while rowing ashore from a native craft.

As the officers of the law seized him, he was seen to throw something into the water. One of the native oarsmen instantly dived after the object and succeeded in grabbing it before it reached the bottom. It proved to be the great pearl, “The Tear of the Sea.” And there was yet more intelligence of a kind to hearten them after all their tribulations in the wild jungles of New Guinea.

The first officer of the Sea Gypsy, having received news of a mysterious schooner anchored in a cove up the coast, resolved to do a little amateur detective work. He found that she was none other than the famous South Sea Lass. Securing the co-operation of the authorities, the vessel was raided one night and her small crew easily overpowered. Then cries were heard from below and on the removal of the hatches the crew of the Centurion, or what remained of them – for five had died from privation – were discovered. They had refused to join Broom’s band and he was afraid to let them loose, so they had been confined in the almost unlivable hold ever since their capture. Since Broom’s arrest, the Australian authorities had cabled that he was wanted there for piracy and other crimes and he had been sent to Melbourne on a mail steamer. It may be added here that British justice was dealt out with a heavy hand to the ruffian and his many victims were fully avenged. His crew was tried and sentenced in Bomobori and all received heavy terms of imprisonment. Thus were the South Seas rid of one of the chief of their many freebooters.

The long march back to Bomobori was made without anything of particular interest occurring and one morning they stood on a rise overlooking the harbor. There lay the Sea Gypsy with the dear old Stars and Stripes flying, and the ship dressed in gay bunting; for by wireless Jack had notified those on board of the time of their arrival. A few hours more and they were among their friends again with their strange experiences behind them.

As there was no reason for staying in Bomobori, except to take on board the survivors of the Centurion’s crew, the Sea Gypsy steamed out of the harbor the next day, being saluted as she went, a compliment which she returned with her rapid-fire gun. Watching them from the wharf were two figures. One a tall agile Malay, who, with tears in his eyes, watched the yacht till she was hull-down on the horizon. It was Salloo. He had been well rewarded for his services which indeed, as Mr. Jukes said, were beyond price; but, as he watched the departure of his white friends, his thoughts were only with them and not with what were, to him, the riches of a lifetime.

The other watcher turned away with a sneer, jingling the money Mr. Jukes had left him in his pockets:

“So I’ve got to stick round this hole till I can get a steamer home,” grumbled Donald Judson, for, as our readers will have guessed, it was he. “If it hadn’t been for those boys I might have gone home in comfort on the yacht. Well, maybe some day I’ll get even with them.”

On the voyage home a stop was made at the Pamatou Islands; the glad news of the rescue had already been wirelessed home, and there was no great hurry except Mr. Jukes’ desire to get back to his business affairs after a romantic adventure he would never forget. As the Sea Gypsy dropped anchor in the well-known harbor, a fleet of canoes dashed out to welcome her, among them you may be sure those of Anai and his friend, who wept tears of joy at seeing their white “chums” once more. Mr. Jukes, his speculative instinct once more in the ascendent, bought a large quantity of pearls on which he subsequently realized a good profit.

“But we must hurry home,” he said one day. “My business will be going to rack and ruin without me and besides I’ve run out of dyspepsia pills. I only hope I didn’t ruin my digestion in the jungle.”

And here the adventures of the Ocean Wireless Boys on the Pacific must be brought to a close, except that it might be mentioned that pretty Helen Dennis, whose father’s ship was in port on the return of the Sea Gypsy, now wears a very pretty locket, set with South Sea pearls – the gift of Jack Ready. And so, till we meet them in the next volume of this series, we will wish the lads and their friends good-bye.

THE END