Their afternoon ashore the following day proved interesting, inspiring, and exciting.
They were served a grand meal of native wild turkey, baked sweet potatoes and all manner of delicious, tropical fruits. After that, Mr. Kennedy took Dave, Doris and the professor for a look at some unusual wild birds, nesting at the edge of the jungle.
Johnny settled himself comfortably in a split-bamboo chair and gave himself over to wondering and dreaming.
Mildred had gone to supervise the washing of her precious dishes—some of which dated back to ancient buccaneer days—so Johnny was alone with his thoughts. And strange thoughts they were.... He recalled having heard the bearded giant Kennedy saying to the professor—too much absorbed in research to pay much attention—“Those men, those Europeans! They starve their own people, and use the money to buy gunboats and cannon. They are slaves—those people—slaves! If we don’t watch out we’ll be slaves, too!... Look at this Caribbean Sea! More important than the Mediterranean ever was! And who’s to stop them from taking possession of these islands? Why, even the president of this poor little Republic is in debt to them! Up to his ears!”
Was Kennedy right? Johnny wondered, dreamily. What of that signal up there on the ridge—the signal of the green arrow? Was it operated by spies? And if so—what had they been saying with those blinking lights? What—
“Penny for your thoughts!” Mildred was back.
“Not worth it.” Johnny stood up. “Tell you what, though—I’ll play you a game!”
“What sort of game?”
“Game of the Green Arrow. The object is to discover what it says!”
Drawing up a small table, Johnny spread a notebook and some papers on it.