The dog had long since outdistanced them and met the girls among the mangroves along the shore. When he saw them dive into the water, which was now deeper, he ran in after them. How good the cool water felt!
Nancy and George swam all the way to the Pirate. E-fee followed. When they reached the skiff and stood up, Bess exclaimed, "What in the world happened to you, and where did this dog come from?"
Without being invited, E-fee climbed aboard. Nancy said, "He's a visitor from Crocodile Island."
George explained about the jungle attack of mosquitoes, and how they had found the dog.
"Jump in, girls," Danny said. "I have just the thing for you."
He opened the first-aid kit and gave each girl an antihistamine pill, followed by a drink of water. Then he handed them a tube of medicine and suggested that they lather themselves with it
They did this and soon the medication began to take effect, making them feel better.
"What an experience!" Bess said. "Tell us the rest of the story."
"We think someone from Crocodile Island buried a pistol there and then left E-fee behind."
"How did you know that?" Danny asked.
"Here's proof." George said, and pulled the pistol out of her pocket.
"What!" Bess shrank back in surprise. "Where on earth—"
"It was buried on the key," George explained, "E-fee dug it up. Since he knew where it was, we figure he saw his master bury it. We brought the pistol to give to the authorities."
"Is—is it loaded?" Bess asked, uncomfortable at the thought.
"Relax. It's empty," George said.
Danny asked whether they intended to return the dog to his master. At once George answered, "Not on your life! I'll find a nice home for him."
Danny said he was glad to hear this because he felt it would be unwise to keep the animal at the Cosgrove home. "Some of your enemies might track it down, and then we'll be in trouble. You might be accused of stealing E-fee!"
"I agree," Nancy said. "Do you think we should drop him off at the animal shelter?"
"That's a good idea," Danny replied.
Nancy now asked, "How about those mosque toes? We have never seen a swarm like that before."
"In Key Biscayne and other inhabited keys they have mosquito control, which takes care of the problem. The insects breed only in deserted little islands like the one you were on. Lizards act as natural balancers."
George remarked, "If they eat that whole swarm, they're sure to have indigestion!"
The others laughed, then Danny said, "Usually mosquitoes are bothersome only during the rainy season. I didn't think you'd encounter any at this time of year."
"All right, we forgive you." George grinned.
"Thanks." Danny now asked, "Do you want to go periscope hunting again or do a little more sightseeing?"
"Neither!" Nancy said quickly. "All I want is a shower and some more of that soothing lotion."
"I second the motion," George added. "Let's head for home."
After the group docked in Key Biscayne, they brought E-fee to the animal shelter. The girls felt bad about leaving him, but just then a woman and her little girl stopped and asked if they were looking for a home for the dog.
"Yes," Nancy replied.
The child was already patting the dog, whose tail was wagging happily. The little girl looked up. "Mommy, can't we take this one? I love him already."
The woman smiled and said to Nancy, "Is he gentle?"
"Oh, very, and a good watch dog."
The little girl gave E-fee a tremendous hug. Her mother said to the man in charge of the shelter, "We'll take E-fee and give him a good home. By the way, what does his name mean?"
"Dog—in Seminole," Bess answered, and the little girl giggled.
Nancy, Bess, and George left the shelter, happy that E-fee would be living with kind people instead of suspected criminals.
Their next stop was police headquarters, where George turned in the pistol and explained where it had come from. An officer dusted it for fingerprints while they waited, but unfortunately there were none except George's.
"It'll be difficult to trace the owner," the officer told them, "unless we can find a bullet fired from this gun." He thanked the young people for bringing the weapon in. Then they left.
"And now into the tub!" George said gleefully when they reached the Cosgrove home.
"After I take a shower," Nancy said, "I'll be ready for another bit of sleuthing. I'd like to see a submarine. Danny, do you think there might be one in port at the Key West Naval Base?"
"It's possible," he replied. "I don't know if they'll let you go aboard, though."
"We can try. If we tell them about the mysterious periscope at Crocodile Island, they might."
George chuckled. "Of course they will. How could anyone ever say no to Nancy Drew?"
CHAPTER XVIExciting Phone Call
After the girls had bathed and changed into fresh clothes, they went into the living room and told their hosts about the adventure on the uninhabited island.
Mrs. Cosgrove was worried about the pistol, but Danny calmed his mother by telling her that they had already delivered it to the police.
Nancy said, "I'd like to learn more about submarines. Mr. Cosgrove, do you know someone at the naval base in Key West?"
He nodded. "As usual, you're lucky. It happens that Captain Townsend is an old friend of mine. I'll give you a letter of introduction and if he can spare the time, I'm sure he'll show you around and answer all your questions." He smiled at Nancy. "But don't ask him to tell you any of the secrets of the U.S. Navy!"
Nancy knew she was being teased because of her reputation as a girl sleuth. She smiled back and said, "Maybe I'll find out some secrets without being told!"
Danny called across the room, "I dare you to!"
After breakfast the following morning Mr. Cosgrove wrote the letter of introduction to Captain Townsend. "Take this to his house on the base," he said.
Danny asked to be excused from the trip, because of a dentist's appointment, so the three girls drove off by themselves. When they reached the Naval Station at Key West, they were amazed at the immensity of it. Two sailors guarded the entrance gate and asked for the visitors' identification. Nancy pulled out the letter from Mr. Cosgrove and showed it to them.
"Go ahead," one of the sailors said. "Take a right turn and at the next street ask someone where Captain Townsend's house is."
They followed the directions and in a few minutes pulled up to an attractive bungalow. Many varieties of flowers were in full bloom in the front yard.
Nancy parked and the girls walked to the door. They were admitted by another sailor, who took them to Captain Townsend's office in his home. Nancy showed him the letter.
"So you're a friend of the Cosgroves?" he asked. "Our families have been very close for many years. Please sit down."
The girls seated themselves in the comfortable wicker furniture. Then the captain asked what he could do for them.
Nancy said she would love to look around the base. "But before that, I want to ask you an important question."
She related the story of having seen a periscope in the green waterway at Crocodile Island. "But each time our skiff approaches it, the periscope disappears quickly. Do you know of any sub in that area?"
Captain Townsend shook his head. "No. But let me make a quick call and see if there's any record of it."
He punched a number into his desk phone and in a few minutes had his answer. "There's no record of any sub plying those waters. Are you sure you didn't mistake a mischievous coot for a periscope?"
"You mean those little black birds that stay underwater with just their long necks and heads showing?"
"Yes."