The Go Ahead Boys and the Treasure Cave Part 4

"Ain't dat enuff?" exclaimed Sam. "He's a Finn, ain't he? Well, doan'

you all know dat Finns is hard luck?"

"I never knew it," said Fred.

"Well it's de truth jus' de same," said Sam.

"Why is that?" asked Fred.

"Ah doan' know nothin' about why it is," said Sam. "All Ah knows is dat Finns is hard luck on boats an' always has been."

"What can they do?"

"Dey say," whispered Sam in a low voice and leaning forward after a glance around the cabin, "dat dey can make de wind blow or dey can make it stop blowin'. Dey can make de storms come and if dey tries real hard dey can wreck de whole s.h.i.+p."

"By doing what?" asked Grant.

"By doin' nothin'," replied Sam confidently. "Dey jus' sits in de cabin and thinks and thinks and wha'soever dey thinks about is boun' to happen."

"It wouldn't do to get one of them mad at you then, would it?" remarked Pop.

"Ah should say not," exclaimed Sam with great conviction.

"Haven't you ever sailed with Finns before?" asked Grant.

"Once, an' dat time we had nothin' but head winds an' calms all de blessed time. Dat proves what Ah say about dem Finns, doan' it?"

"You think the Finn was responsible, do you?"

"Ah is sho' of it."

"We'll hope you're wrong, Sam," laughed Pop. "Certainly we're not looking for hard luck. We're out for fun."

"Ah hopes yo' all has it," said Sam, but he shook his head doubtfully and muttered to himself as he took the empty soup bowl from Fred's hands and carried it off into the galley.

"He's a queer one," said Pop laughing as he watched the cook's disappearing figure. "Imagine accusing all Finns of being hard luck."

"It's pretty tough on the race, I should say," said String.

"Yes," laughed Pop, "and just imagine what would happen if we were over in Finland. There certainly must be a lot of hard luck there."

"Oh, Sam doesn't know any better," said Grant. "He's ignorant and like all darkies is superst.i.tious. Sailors are too, and as Sam is a combination of both he is worse than usual."

"He's made me feel sort of queer though," said Fred. "Of course it's silly and I suppose it's partly because I'm nervous after fainting but I feel as if something was hanging over us."

"Don't be foolish, Fred," exclaimed Grant.

"I'll get over it all right," said Fred lightly. "At the same time Sam's talk has gotten me stirred up some."

"Forget it," urged Pop briefly. "Come on up on deck and see what's going on."

"I think I'll stay here in my bunk a little while," said Fred. "I haven't quite recovered my nerve yet. You fellows go on up."

"All right," said Grant. "We'll see you later."

They made their way up on deck and found that the _Josephine_ was still at anchor and that the wind instead of changing was blowing in the same direction and seemed fresher than formerly.

"The Finn's giving us head winds," said Pop in a low voice to his companions.

"There's Petersen over there now," remarked String. "He certainly looks harmless enough."

"And I guess he is," added Grant.

"Fred isn't sure of it any more."

"He'll feel differently about it when he has recovered from the shock he had," said Grant confidently.

"Perhaps," String admitted doubtfully. "Fred gets queer notions though."

"Let's ask Captain Dodge about it," exclaimed Grant. "There he is now."

"How's the patient?" asked the captain cheerily as the boys approached.

"All right," said Grant. "He finished all the soup that Sam brought him, I noticed. We were talking to Sam down in the cabin and he has gotten Fred excited."

"What about?" demanded the captain curiously.

"He says there is a Jonah on board and that we're going to have hard luck all through the voyage."

"Sounds just like Sam," laughed the captain. "Who did he say the Jonah is?"

"Petersen, the man who went up the mast with Fred."

"Because he's a Finn?" asked Captain Dodge.

"Yes," said Grant. "What's the matter with Finns anyway?"

"Why," said Captain Dodge, "there's an old superst.i.tion among sailors that they bring bad luck. I had almost forgotten it, but as soon as you said that Sam suspected Petersen I remembered that he is a Finn and that Sam would probably believe in the old story."

"I hope it's not true," said John Clemens.

"I guess we needn't worry about it," said the captain, smiling. "It doesn't bother me any but if you boys want to go ash.o.r.e it isn't too late yet."

"We don't feel as bad about it as that," laughed Grant. "I guess we'll risk it."

"I'm all right anyway," exclaimed Pop Sanders. "I've got my compa.s.s."

"What do you think of him, captain?" exclaimed John. "He always carries a compa.s.s on a string around his neck."