Danny chuckled. "At least they won't see us!"
He drew up to within a hundred yards of The Whisper and cut his motor again. The four young people strained their eyes and ears, eager to find out why the two craft had met. Suddenly a bright searchlight was turned on, revealing the deck of the freighter and illuminating the smaller boat alongside it.
Nancy and her friends were terrified that they might be seen. Would the beam penetrate the mist far enough so the Sampson could be spotted?
CHAPTER VIIIIndian Tricks
The four watchers in the Sampson held their breath. Would they be kidnapped and taken aboard the freighter?
Although the brilliant searchlight showed up the Sampson clearly, the two men paid attention only to the freighter. The young people observed a large pine box being lowered from the freighter to The Whisper.
Bess gave a little low scream. "Let's go!" she urged. "Somebody's going to be buried at sea!"
The others disagreed. Nancy said, "If that box were a coffin, there would be no need for a secret transfer. The freighter could have lowered it into the sea."
"Then what is it carrying?" Bess asked.
Nancy said she wished she knew that and where The Whisper would take the box.
Suddenly the great searchlight was turned off. Then the regular lights on the freighter beamed again and its engines began to roar. Within seconds the large craft started to move northward.
"Where do you suppose it's going?" Danny asked.
"My guess," Nancy replied, "is Bridgeport, Connecticut. Remember, that's where the owners of The Whisper are from."
"What do you think the freighter brought?" George asked.
Nancy shrugged. "Obviously something very secret. Maybe it'll be buried on one of the keys, like pirate treasure."
"I think the box contains something they need on Crocodile Island," George suggested.
"I doubt that they need corpses," Bess said dryly.
Danny laughed. "Let's follow The Whisper, I'm sure it'll go back to the island. Perhaps we can find out what's in the pine box."
The lights of The Whisper were still out, but they could hear its motor running. Danny listened carefully, then frowned. "It sounds as if they're going out to sea!" he declared.
"Can we follow it?" Nancy asked, excited.
"We don't have that much fuel. Also, with no lights it's almost impossible. It's so dark now we'd either lose The Whisper or run into it!"
"I have an idea," George said. "Why don't we return to Crocodile Island and wait? Perhaps The Whisper is only making a detour to throw off anyone who might follow it and will come back to the island later."
"Good suggestion," Nancy agreed. The young people turned around. After a while, Danny put the lights back on.
"I'm glad we're getting away from that coffin," Bess said. "I don't ever want to see it again."
George looked at her. "You're probably right. There was a slain gangster in it, and The Whisper is going to dump him overboard into deep water so nobody will know where he's buried!"
"You're disgusting," Bess exclaimed.
George defended herself. "You brought it up, not the rest of us."
Danny and Nancy were laughing. "George," the boy said, "you ought to write horror stories. You'd make a lot of money."
"No thanks," she replied. "I'll stick to real mysteries, like the secret of Crocodile Island."
When Danny saw the outline of the key, he shut down the engine and turned off his lights again. The young people settled down to wait for The Whisper to arrive, passing the time by telling Danny about various adventures they had had in the past. However, hours dragged by and nothing happened. Finally Danny suggested that they go home.
"My parents will be worried if we don't show up soon," he said. "And I really don't think The Whisper is coming back here tonight."
Everyone agreed, and Bess suggested that they report the incident to the police the following morning, Nancy reminded her that the authorities would not investigate without proof of their accusation.
"Right now we don't know if a crime has been committed. We're just assuming that something illegal is going on and we're angry at the skipper of The Whisper, because he chased us away from Crocodile Island. But that's not enough for the police."
When the young people reached home, the Cosgroves were relieved. "We were worried about you," Danny's mother said. "What happened?"
The girls reported the strange events, then Mrs. Cosgrove said, "A man called here, asking for Anne Boonton. I didn't know whether it was Mr. Gonzales or not, so I told him he had the wrong number."
"Good idea," Nancy said. "How did he react?"
"He just hung up and didn't call again."
For nearly an hour, Nancy, her friends, and the Cosgroves discussed what might have been in the box and where The Whisper had taken it.
Finally Mrs. Cosgrove said, "If the people on Crocodile Island were shipping something out illegally, the box would have been hauled up to the freighter, not the other way around. It appears as if Gimler and Sacco were receiving something illegal. But then, why didn't The Whisper take it back to the island?"
"That's a good question," Nancy said and gave a frustrated sigh. "Anyway, I'd like to go back in the morning. Perhaps we can pick up a due to the puzzle."
Danny offered to accompany her, but said they would have to wait until noon for the right tide.
Mrs. Cosgrove spoke up. "In the meantime, why don't you girls visit Mrs. Easton again? I spoke to her tonight and she invited you—said you can come any time tomorrow. Their Indian animal trainer will be there all day and will be glad to show you his tricks. He's a Seminole from the Miccosukee tribe and his name is Joe Hanze."
"That sounds great," Bess said. "I'd much rather go there than to Crocodile Island!"
The others laughed and the following morning Danny and the, girls borrowed Mrs. Cosgrove's car and set out for the zoo.
When they arrived, Nancy rang the front doorbell. Mrs. Easton greeted them and talked for a while, then she said, "I'm sure you'll enjoy watching Joe with the animals. He's very entertaining and well informed. Just drive around to the back of the house. You'll see his cottage. Tell him I sent you."
The girls thanked the friendly woman and went to the Indian's place. Joe Hanze was a pleasant man who spoke English fluently. His bronzed face was handsome and his body muscular and lithe. Nancy guessed that he was about fifty years old.
Joe said he would be happy to show off his tricks. On the way to the turtle pen, he asked the girls if they knew anything about the background of the Seminoles.
"No," Nancy told him. "I'd love to hear some of their history."
Joe said that the original Seminoles had come from Canada. The reason why they trekked south was not known.
"Maybe it was the weather," he surmised. "In any case, some of them got as far as Florida and intermarried with other Indians who were already here. My great-grandfather came from Canada, He was a fine hunter and earned a good living on the way by trapping wild animals and selling their hides."
"Where do your people live?" Bess asked.
"Up in the Everglades. Life there is rather primitive, so I decided to come here when I was a young man and get some education. I liked it so much that I stayed. Whenever I want to see my folks, I just get in a car and drive to the Everglades."
The group had reached the wire enclosure where the giant turtle lived, and Joe went inside. The reptile poked its head out of the shell and looked at him.
The Indian pulled a little musical pipe from his pocket and played a tune. To the girls' surprise, the turtle began to dance. When Joe stopped the music, the amusing creature went up and down on its forefeet as if bowing.