CHAPTER VIII
A SLENDER CHANCE
Ross was quickly followed by Bill and Teddy. Lester and Fred waited onlyuntil they had fastened the two boats securely together, then theyfollowed the example of their mates.
"She isn't full of water or anything like that, is she?" remarked Teddy,as he saw the water sloshing from one side to the other as the boatrocked on the waves.
"Two feet at least," judged Bill.
"Not more than eighteen inches," was the verdict of Lester, who wasaccustomed to measure depths where water was concerned. "But that'senough and more than enough. She's a pretty good seaworthy boat, orshe'd have shipped a good deal more."
"She must have ridden the waves like a cork," said Fred in admiration.
The motor boat was not quite as large as the _Ariel_, being perhapstwo feet shorter, and also narrower in the beam. In the stern there wasa gasoline engine of the newest type, bearing the name of a celebratedmaker. Amidships, there was a tiny cabin that one had to stoop to enter.On one side of this were small lockers, one designed to hold tools andspare parts of the engine, the other serving as a pantry. On the otherside was a low, broad seat extending the whole length of the cabin, andon this was a cushion which at night served as a mattress for the ownerof the boat.
Everything about the little craft was trim and plain, the only ornamentin sight being some brass work that surrounded the binnacle. It wasclear that it had been built with an eye to usefulness rather thanbeauty.
"The first thing now, fellows," said Lester, after a quick glance aroundhad satisfied his curiosity, "is to get the water over into the seawhere it belongs. We'd better get off our shoes and socks and roll ourtrousers up high."
In a twinkling, the boys were ready for wading.
"I have a bailer here," said Ross, producing it from the locker.
"That's all right but it isn't enough," said Fred. "I'll get Lester's,and you fellows can rustle up something else that will do the trick."
The boys were rather restricted in their choice, but the articles theyfinally got together for the purpose served well enough. As Teddy putit, the collection was "neat but not gaudy." He had the frying pan, Billhandled the coffee pot, Lester used a huge sponge, while Fred and Rossdid effective work with the bailers.
Before the onslaught of five sturdy pairs of arms, the water went downquickly and was soon so low that only the sponge could be used. Fiveminutes more, and the last drop had been squeezed over the side.
"There," said Lester, as he flung the sponge back into the _Ariel_."She's empty now and the hot sun will soon dry out the planks. But Iwouldn't advise you to sleep on those cushions to-night, unless you wantto get rheumatism or pneumonia."
"I'm not going to," answered Ross. "As soon as I get the engine going,I'll beat it to Oakland, and I'll sleep between sheets to-night in aregular bed."
"It won't be a bad place, either, after last night on the sand," repliedTeddy.
"Are you staying at Oakland right along, when you're not cruisingaround?" asked Lester.
"Yes, I've been there for the last two months. I have relatives there."
"If there's nothing special to call you there now, I'd be glad to haveyou come along with us to Bartanet Shoals," said Lester hospitably.
"That would be great!" exclaimed Fred. "Then we could talk more aboutthe missing money. There'll be a hundred things come up that we'll wantto ask you about."
"It's very kind of you," responded Ross warmly, "and I'd like nothingbetter. But just now I'm looking for my mother to come down from herhome in Canada. She may be here any time now, and I want to be on handwhen she comes. She's going to stay for several weeks. But the veryfirst chance I get, I'll come over to the Shoals."
"All right," said Lester. "The latch string hangs outside the door, andwe'll be glad to see you."
"How's the engine?" asked Bill.
"Right as can be, as far as I can see," was the answer. "I'll have todry it and polish it. There wasn't anything serious the matter with ityesterday--just a little trouble with the ignition--and I was justgetting it into shape, when that big wave came aboard and took me over."
"We'll stand by anyway for a few minutes to make sure," said Lester, ashe rose to return to the _Ariel_.
"Don't wait another minute," urged Ross earnestly. "You fellows havedone enough for me already, and I know you're just aching to get home torelieve your father's mind."
"We'll cast off anyway," was the reply. "It'll take a little time to runup the sheet and get ready to sail, and by that time you'll know betterhow things are."
"What do you call your boat, Ross?" asked Teddy, as the rest of the boysrose to follow Lester.
"I've named her the _Sleuth_," answered Ross.
"It's a mighty suitable name, considering what you're using her for,"laughed Teddy. "Let's hope she'll be sleuth enough to get on the trailof the smugglers."
"She will," said Ross with decision; and a look of determination leapedinto his eyes, while his lips compressed themselves into a straightline.
His chums drew in the fenders and ran up the sail, while Lester took hisplace at the tiller and eased the _Ariel_ off, until a space oftwenty feet separated the two boats.
"We'll run a few rings around you, while you get the engine to working,"called out Lester.
"All right, if you insist upon it," laughed Ross. "That's easy enough todo now, but some day we'll have a race, and then it may be a littletougher job.
"Here it comes now!" he exclaimed a moment later, as the engine gave afew preliminary barks.
The sparking was fitful at first, but it soon settled down into a smoothsteady buzz.
"Listen to that music," cried Ross jubilantly. "Richard is himselfagain!"
He started the boat, and she darted ahead like a bird. He tested thesteering gear and it worked perfectly.
"Capital!" cried Fred delightedly.
"Hurrah!" echoed Teddy.
"She's a pippin!" exclaimed Bill enthusiastically.
Ross flushed with pleasure at the praise of his craft.
"Well," he called, "I owe it all to you fellows that I'm on board of herto-day. I hope you'll never get into similar trouble, but if you do, Ionly hope that I'm on hand to help you out."
Their courses lay in opposite directions and amid a chorus of goodwishes and hand wavings they rapidly drew apart.
"Well!" remarked Teddy, drawing a long breath when they were out of earshot, "this has been an adventure with a great big A."
"Who'd ever have thought when we started out yesterday that we'd runacross anything like this?" added Fred, as he settled down with his handon the sheet.
"That's the beauty of the sea," remarked Lester, as he brought his boatup a little more into the wind. "On the land, things jog along steadilyand there aren't so many surprises. But at sea, anything can happen. Younever know what's going to turn up."
"I don't know about that," replied Bill, moved to a defence of hisbeloved prairies. "Plenty of unexpected things turn up on land too. Iguess Fred and Teddy didn't find things very tame out at the ranch thissummer."
"We surely did not!" returned Fred. "What with ghosts and rattlesnakesand bears and cattle rustlers, we didn't find time hanging heavy on ourhands."
"Not so that you could notice it," chuckled Teddy.
"Of course there are exceptions," admitted Lester, "but I was speakingin a general way. My father was a sailor and the sea is in my blood. Inever get tired of it and I'm always finding in it something new andexciting."
"How do you like our new friend?" asked Fred.
"Fine," said Teddy promptly.
"All to the good," was Bill's verdict.
"He seems to be the real thing," agreed Lester.
"He's certainly had hard luck," said Fred. "If his father had been ableto carry through his plans, life would be a mighty different thing toRoss from what it is."
"It must be an awful strain on a fellow to be on a still hunt like his,"mused Bill.
"Yes, an
d with so little to work on," chimed in Teddy. "If he hadanything definite to go on, like a map or a letter or a confession, itwould be another thing. But he seems to be relying altogether on chanceand the ravings of his father. And a crazy man may say anything. Whatdoes his speaking about Bartanet Shoals mean? It might have been justchance that he didn't mention Cape Horn or Baffin Bay or any otherplace."
"Do you think," asked Lester slowly, "that Ross has told us everythinghe knows?"
The others looked at him in surprise.
"Why, what makes you ask that?" inquired Teddy.
"I don't know just how much there is to it," was the answer; "but didyou notice how he checked himself last night, when some one asked himwhether those were all the clues he had?"
"Now that you speak of it, I do remember that he said he hadn't anythingelse, and then he used the word 'except,'" said Fred. "Then he stoppedsuddenly and didn't explain what that 'except' meant."
"He acted as though something had slipped out before he thought,"volunteered Bill.
"You can hardly blame him, if he felt a little doubtful about us,"observed Teddy. "He had never seen us before, and I think he went prettyfar in telling us even as much as he did."
"You're right there," said Lester. "How did he know that we wouldn'tblurt out the whole thing to any one who would listen. It might spoilall his chances of recovering anything. There are plenty of fellows whowould spy on his every act and make life a burden to him. Others mightplan to follow him and take the gold away from him by force if he shouldfind it."
"It would be a big temptation," agreed Bill. "There are some fellows whowould sell their souls for a ten dollar bill. How much more, if thereward were a chest of gold!"
"I don't blame Ross a bit under the circumstances," said Fred, "but I'msorry just the same. We have so little to go by that we can't afford tolose the slightest thing that may help us out."
"We'll see him again before long anyway," put in Teddy hopefully, "andhe may grow to know us well enough to put us wise to all that he's beenkeeping back."
"We'll live in hopes," said Lester. "But look over there, boys, and seea sight to gladden your eyes. We are almost home."
They followed his gaze and saw the Bartanet Shoals Lighthouse, its greatreflector sparkling in the rays of the morning sun.