The Bobbsey Twins on the Deep Blue Sea

by Laura Lee Hope

  CHAPTER XIII

  FLOSSIE'S DOLL

  Captain Crane jingled a bell that told the engineer of the motor boat toslow down. Then he steered the _Swallow_ over toward the other motorboat in which was a man waving his hand, as though he wanted theBobbseys to stop, or at least to come closer, so that he might speak tothem.

  The Bobbsey twins were wildly excited.

  "Hello, Captain Harrison!" called Captain Crane, as soon as the twoboats were close enough to talk from one to the other. "Did you want tosee me?"

  "Well, yes, I did," answered Captain Harrison, who was on the othermotor boat, which was named _Sea Foam_. "I think I have some news foryou."

  "I hope it's good news," Captain Crane made reply.

  "Yes, I believe it is. Are you going out to rescue a boy from an islandquite a way to the south of us?"

  "Yes, these friends of mine are going," answered Captain Crane, pointingto the Bobbseys and to Cousin Jasper, who were sitting on the deck underthe shade of an awning. "But how did you know?"

  "I just passed Captain Peters in his boat, and he told me about yourstarting off on a voyage," went on Captain Harrison. "As soon as I heardwhat you were going to do, I made up my mind to tell you what I saw. Ipassed that island, where you are going to look for a lost man----"

  "It's a lost boy, and not a lost man," interrupted Captain Crane.

  "Well, lost boy, then," went on Captain Harrison. "Anyhow, I passed thatisland the other day, and I'm sure I saw some one running up and down onthe shore, waving a rag or something."

  "You did!" cried Cousin Jasper, who, with the Bobbseys, was listening tothis talk. "Then why in the world didn't you go on shore and get Jack?Why didn't you do that, Captain?"

  "Because I couldn't," answered Captain Harrison. "A big storm was comingup, and I couldn't get near the place on account of the rocks. But Ilooked through my telescope, and I'm sure I saw a man--or, as you say,maybe it was a boy--running up and down on the shore of the island,waving something.

  "When I found I couldn't get near the place, on account of the rocks andthe big waves, I made up my mind to go back as soon as I could. But thestorm kept up, and part of my motor engine broke, so I had to come backhere to get it fixed.

  "I just got in, after a lot of trouble, and the first bit of news Iheard was that you were going to start off for this island to look forsome one there. So I thought I'd tell you there is some one on theshore--at least there was a week ago, when I saw the place."

  The Bobbsey twins listened "with all their ears" to this talk, and theywondered what would happen next.

  "Well, if Captain Harrison saw Jack there he must be alive," said Bertto Nan.

  "Unless something happened to him afterward in the storm," remarked Nan.

  "I wish we could hurry up and get him," said Freddie.

  "Be quiet, children," whispered Mrs. Bobbsey. "Captain Crane wants tohear all that the other captain says."

  "S-sh," hissed Flossie importantly.

  "How long ago was this?" asked Captain Crane.

  "About a week," answered Captain Harrison. "I had trouble getting back,so it was a week ago. I tried to see some other boat to send to theisland to take off this lost boy, but I didn't meet any until I gothere. Somebody on shore told me about you. Then I thought, as long asyou are going there, I'd tell you what I saw."

  "I'm glad you did," observed Cousin Jasper. "And I'm glad to know thatJack is well enough to be up and around--or that he was when you sawhim. We must go there as fast as we can now, and rescue him."

  "Maybe some other boat stopped and took him off the island," saidCaptain Harrison.

  "Well, maybe one did," agreed Cousin Jasper. "If so, that's all thebetter. But if Jack is still there we'll get him. Thank you, CaptainHarrison."

  Then the two motor boats started up again, one to go on to her dock atSt. Augustine and the other--the one with the Bobbsey twins onboard--heading for the deep blue sea which lay beyond.

  "Do you think you can find Jack?" asked Freddie, as he stood besideCaptain Crane, who was steering the _Swallow_.

  "Well, yes, little fat fireman. I hope so," was the answer. "If CaptainHarrison saw him running around the island, waving something for a flag,that shows he was alive, anyhow, and not sick, as he was when the folkstook Mr. Dent off. So that's a good sign."

  "But it was more than a week ago," said Mr. Bobbsey. "Of course we allhope he can be found, but we must hurry as fast as we can."

  "That's right," said Cousin Jasper. "Make the boat go as fast as youcan, Captain Crane."

  "I will," answered the seaman. "You'll see how quickly my _Swallow_ canskim over the waves."

  Now that they were started on their voyage over the sea the Bobbseytwins had a good chance to get better acquainted with Cousin Jasper.There had been so much to do in getting ready for the trip and inleaving the hotel that they had hardly spoken to him, or he to them.

  But now that they were all on board the motor boat, and there wasnowhere else to go, and nothing to do, except to sit around on deck, oreat when the meal times came, there was a chance to see Cousin Jasperbetter and to talk with him more.

  "I like him," said Freddie, as the four twins sat together under anawning out of the sun, and listened to the conversation of the olderfolk, who were talking about the news given them by Captain Harrison. "Ilike Cousin Jasper!"

  "So do I. And he likes my rubber doll," said Flossie.

  "What makes you think he likes your doll?" asked Nan, with a laugh ather little sister.

  "'Cause when I dropped her on the floor in the cabin he picked her upfor me and asked if she was hurt."

  "You can't hurt a rubber doll!" exclaimed Freddie.

  "I know you can't," said Flossie, "'ceptin' maybe when you pretend, andI wasn't doing that then. But Cousin Jasper brushed the dust off mydoll, and he liked her."

  "That was nice of him," said Bert. "I like Captain Crane, too. He'sgoing to let me steer the boat, maybe, when we get out where therearen't any other ships for me to knock into."

  "And he's going to let me run the engine--maybe," added Freddie.

  "Well, you'd better be careful how you run it," laughed Bert. "It's agood deal bigger than your fire engine."

  So the Bobbsey twins talked about Cousin Jasper and Captain Crane, andthey were sure they would like both men. As for Cousin Jasper, he reallyloved the little folk, and had a warm place in his heart for them,though he had not seen any of them since they were small babies.

  On and on puffed the _Swallow_, over the deep blue sea, drawing nearerto the island where they hoped to find Jack Nelson.

  "But it will take us some little time to get there, even if nothinghappens," said Cousin Jasper, as they all sat down to dinner in thecabin a little later. The meal was a good one, and Nan and her motherwere quite surprised that so much could be cooked in the little kitchen,or "galley," as Captain Crane called it, for on a ship that is the nameof the kitchen.

  One of the members of the crew was the cook, and he also helped aboutthe boat, polishing the shiny brass rails, and doing other things, forthere is as much work about a boat as there is about a house, as Nan'smother said to her.

  "Yes, Mother, I can see that there is a lot of work to do around a boatlike this, especially if they wish to keep it in really nice style,"said Nan. "The sailors have to work just about as hard as the servantsdo around a house."

  "Yes, my dear, and they have to work in all sorts of weather, too."

  "Well, we have to work in the house even in bad weather."

  "That's true. But the sailors on a boat often have to work outside onthe deck when the weather is very rough."

  "And that must be awfully dangerous," put in Bert.

  "It does become dangerous at times, especially when there is a greatstorm on."

  "Do you think we'll run into a storm on this trip?" Nan questioned.

  "I'm sure I hope not!" answered the mother quickly. "To run into a bigstorm with such a small boat as this would be dangerous."
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br />   "Maybe we'd be wrecked and become regular Robinson Crusoes," said Bert.

  "Oh, please, Bert! don't speak of such dreadful things!" said hismother.

  "But that would be fun, Mother."

  "Fun!"

  "All right. We won't be wrecked then." And Bert and his mother bothlaughed.

  After dinner the Bobbsey twins sat out on the deck, and watched the bluewaves. For some little time they could look back and see the shores ofFlorida, and then, as the _Swallow_ flew farther and farther away, theshores were only like a misty cloud, and then, a little longer, and theycould not be seen at all.

  "Now we are just as much at sea as when we were on the big ship comingfrom New York, aren't we?" Bert asked his father.

  "Yes, just about," answered Mr. Bobbsey.

  It was a little while after this that Mrs. Bobbsey, who had gone down tothe staterooms, to get a book she had left there, heard Flossie crying.

  "What's the matter, little fairy?" asked her mother, as she came up ondeck.

  "Oh, Mother, my nice rubber doll is gone, and Freddie took her and nowhe's gone," said Flossie.

  "Freddie gone!" cried Mrs. Bobbsey. "What do you mean, Flossie? Wherecould Freddie go?"

  "I don't know where he went. I guess he didn't go to look at any coloredladies with baskets on their heads, 'cause there aren't any here. But hewent downstairs, where the engine is, and he took my doll with him. Isaw him, and I hollered at him, but he wouldn't bring her back to me.Oh, I want my doll--my nice rubber doll!" and Flossie cried real tears.

  "I must find Freddie," said Mrs. Bobbsey. "I wonder where that boy couldhave gone this time?"