Then morning came, and once more they were on deck, for the submarine had remained on the surface, showing that Captain Shooks anticipated no serious interruption to his work of the day.
Now they could, for the first time, plainly see the little island Coco Key. It was not much to look at, a mere hump covered with heavy growth of trees and brush. A few palmettoes, and several beautiful cocoanut trees stood up above the rest of the vegetation, and the presence of the latter doubtless accounted for the name that had been given to the place.
Perhaps it may have been a couple of miles at the most in circumference, counting all the little bayous along the shore. In many places the edge of the water was covered with those singular trees known as mangroves, which can be found all over southern Florida wherever salt water abounds. Their seed grows in the shape of a catalpa “cigar,” so well known to most boys. This drops into the soft mud at low tide, and roots spring from it in an incredibly short time, so that another tree is started. Thus they spread and thrive until they form a veritable thicket.
In Florida at a certain season of the year the leaves seem to exude a sticky, sweet substance that the bees gather, and which forms the basis for tons and tons of mangrove honey.
The boys looked long and earnestly at that island. Ballyhoo in particular seemed to still entertain certain suspicions regarding its being as peaceful and innocent as outward appearances would indicate.
“I see the skipper has sent out the collapsible boat,” he went on to say, almost as soon as they reached the deck; “but it doesn’t look as if the two men in the same meant to land on the Key after all, for they’re rowing off at right angles to the land.”
“I can give a guess what’s in the wind,” said Oscar.
“Oh! that’s easy,” added Jack. “Captain Shooks wants to make sure that there’s no boat belonging to spongers or turtle hunters anchored on the other side of the island; so he’s sending out his men to row completely around the same, and make a sure job of it before he starts to work.”
“He’ll have his trouble for his pains, I feel sure,” Oscar continued, “because only a fool would anchor his boat on the windward side of a Key like this, when he had the choice of getting in its lee.”
Half an hour later the boat came in sight again, and from the opposite quarter, showing that the men had, indeed, gone completely around the Key. They reported the coast as clear, though, of course they had made no landing. While there were numerous little indentations in the shore line, still the trees and mangroves were not high enough to conceal a schooner, or even one of the native boats with a mast.