“No, nor no one else does who gets only the ripe ones which are shipped north,” explained Mr. Carter. “We never think of eating anything but the milk and soft pulp of the partly ripe ones.”
Presently the boys bade their host good-bye and started for the village store where they had left the professor catching bugs.
“There!” exclaimed Jerry, when they were almost at the place. “We forgot something.”
“What?” asked Ned.
“We didn’t give Noddy the message the man gave us. We didn’t tell him the government detective wanted to see him.”
“Let’s go back,” suggested Bob.
“I believe you’re thinking more of the cocoanuts than you are of Noddy,” interposed Jerry. “No, I guess it will keep. Noddy will either go back home, in which case the detective can see him himself, or he will stay here and try to get a grove from some one. If he does the latter we’ll stop on our way back and give him the message.”
Jerry’s chums thought this the best plan, so they kept on, dismissing from their minds the thought of Noddy and his trouble. They found the professor in his element, catching bug after bug, to the no small amusement of the crowd of natives that had gathered to watch him.
The supplies were soon put aboard the boat, and once more the travelers took up their voyage. For three days they traveled slowly the length of Lake Okeechobee. At times they kept near shore, attracted by the beauty of the scenery, for there were tall palm and palmetto trees, gracefully festooned with long streamers of Spanish moss. There was a wealth of tropical vegetation, and amid the dense forests there flew flocks of birds of the most brilliant plumage.
Now and then they saw big snakes, and they passed several alligators without at first knowing what the saurians were, as they looked so much like floating logs of wood. When they did discover that the “logs” were alive the boys tried several shots at them but without success.