The Lakewood Boys in the South Sea Islands by L.P. Wyman

They weighed anchor shortly after six o'clock. The wind, which had been increasing in strength since four o'clock, was blowing hard from the north-west and the sky looked threatening but Captain Ole assured them that there would be no great storm as the glass had fallen only a couple of points. He proved to be a good weather prophet for, although it began to rain shortly after they had gotten under way, at the same time, the wind began to fall and by noon there was only a light breeze although it was still raining.

At the first opportunity, which did not come until after dinner as Mr. Lakewood, complaining of a severe headache, remained in his bunk until nearly noon, they told their uncle of the mate's actions.

"I get these headaches once in a while," he told the boys as he joined them just as they were sitting down to dinner.

"Is it better now? " Bob asked anxiously.

"Yes, in fact it's all gone. I took some aspirin and got to sleep again and the two knocked it."

He remained silent for fully two minutes after Bob had told him about the happenings during the night.

"I almost wish you had called me," he finally said.

"What would you have done, sir? " Jack asked.

"I don't know as I could have done any more than you two did. Of course we might have pounced in on him while he was sending but I don't know that it would have done any good. I suppose he would have had some plausible excuse and, on second thought, I guess it's just as well you didn't."

It was just after sundown when they again sighted land. In this latitude there is very little twilight and darkness comes very soon after the sun sinks below the horizon. So they had made but a short distance toward the distant island before it was blotted from their sight. But Captain Ole had the direction and, turning on the powerful searchlight, he kept on at full speed.

"We'll get near enough so that we can anchor for the night," he told them.

"At the rate you're going you want to be careful or you'll jump clear over it before you know it," Jack laughed.

"It looked to me, what I could see of it, as though it would be a pretty good jump," Bob smiled. "I'd say it's a fairly good sized island."

"Maybe it's the one we're after," Jack suggested.

"We'll know in the morning," his uncle promised him.

"Seems as though we ought to pick it up pretty soon," the captain said a little later.

"I reckon it must have been further off than it looked," Mr. Lakewood said.

But when another half hour had passed and there was no sign of the island it was plain that the captain was beginning to be worried.

"It's mighty strange," he muttered.

"Isn't it possible that we've gone past it? " Bob asked.