"Yes," chimed in his wife, her face lighting up, "look at the way they exposed that masquerade of the ghost out on the Garwood ranch this summer. And think how cleverly they got on the trail of the tramps who stole your watch."
"Ye-es," a.s.sented Aaron slowly, as though the concession was wrenched from him. "They do seem to get there one way or the other. I don"t know whether it"s because they"re smart or lucky."
"They"re both," said Mrs. Rushton proudly.
CHAPTER XIV
A FEROCIOUS ENEMY
When the boys woke the morning after their adventure, their first thought was of the weather. They had set their hearts on taking the trip over to Milton to call on Mark Taylor and they would have been sorely disappointed at any indication of a storm.
But they could have spared their worry. There was not a cloud in the sky, the sun was rising brilliantly in the east, and the waves fell in a soft monotonous murmur at the foot of the lighthouse.
"It"s going to be a dandy day," reported Teddy gleefully, as he came back from the window. "Get up there, you sleepy heads," he commanded, with the conscious virtue of the one who rises first.
Three rumpled heads turned on the pillows of the various cots in the big room where the boys slept. A well-aimed pillow caught one of them plump and full, and caused a hasty withdrawal beneath the sheet.
"Cut out the rough house, or I"ll get up there and fan you," came the drowsy voice of Bill, who happened to be the victim.
"No danger," jeered Teddy. "You haven"t ambition enough to make a move."
"I haven"t had half sleep enough," yawned Fred. "Why don"t you get up in the middle of the night and be done with it?"
"""Tis the voice of the sluggard, I hear him complain,"" quoted his brother. "I"d hate to be as lazy as this bunch of hoboes. If you don"t hurry, I"ll go out and find that chest of gold all by my lonesome."
The mention of the gold had a magical effect. It acted like a dousing of cold water. In a moment the boys were on their feet and hurrying into their clothes.
"By ginger! I hadn"t had time to think of that," remarked Bill, as he poured the water in his basin, "or you wouldn"t have needed a pillow to rout us out."
"Dad has the coffee pot on already," said Lester as a savory aroma came up the stairs. "Let"s get a wiggle on."
The boys trooped down the stairs to find breakfast ready for them.
"We want to eat a plenty, fellows," observed Lester, setting them the example. "We"ve got a long sail before us."
The lads needed no urging and the way the food disappeared was almost miraculous.
"Now," said Lester when the breakfast had been finished, "you fellows go out and get the boat ready to start, while I get enough grub together to last a couple of days. We may not always have clams and bluefish just when we want them, and I"m not going to take any risks."
"Do you think we"ll be away over night?" asked Bill.
"I shouldn"t be surprised," answered Lester. "Maybe we"ll be gone for more than one. It"s a pretty stiff sail up there, and we may have to do a good deal of tacking on the way back. Then, too, Mark may not be in when we get there, and we may have to wait till he gets back."
"What kind of a fellow is this Taylor, anyhow?" asked Fred. "Has he any family?"
"No, he lives all alone in a little cabin down near the beach. Spends his time fishing and doing odd jobs. He"s a little wizened-up fellow.
He"s fond of talking, and all we"ll have to do is to get him started and he"ll do the rest. I only hope we"ll find him in condition to talk."
"What do you mean by that?" asked Teddy.
"Mark is a little too fond of a black bottle that he keeps in his cabin," explained Lester. "But he"s usually sober in the daytime, and if we get to him before night, he"ll be all right."
The boys went down to the little dock where the _Ariel_ was riding.
They had all grown more or less expert in handling her since their arrival at the Shoals, and in a very short time they had her ready for the trip.
"I wonder if Uncle Aaron has got my letter yet," remarked Teddy, as he helped Bill pull up the anchor.
"Not yet," replied his brother, "but he"s sure to get it before the day is over."
"I"d like to see his face when he reads it," chuckled Teddy.
"You aren"t usually so anxious to see his face," laughed Fred. "That time, for instance, when he came up on the bank after his ducking in the river."
"No," admitted Teddy. "But this time things are different."
Lester had made several trips to the boat, each time loaded with provisions, and by the time everything else was ready the little larder was well stocked.
"No danger of starving on this trip," smiled Mr. Lee, who had come down to see them off.
"Not much," laughed Lester. "Now, Dad, don"t worry if we"re gone longer than we expect to be. We"ll be back when we get here."
"I"ll not worry," promised his father. "Any one who can take a boat through Sentinel Rocks in such a blow as we had the other day, can get out of any kind of sc.r.a.pe."
He waved his hand genially in farewell as the _Ariel_ fell away and set her course for Milton.
"We"ve a following wind," remarked Lester, as he settled himself at the tiller, "and if it holds out, we ought to make Milton in three hours."
"We want to keep a sharp lookout for Mark on the way," suggested Teddy.
"That"s right," agreed Lester. "He"s more than likely to be out fishing somewhere in our course. And this time we won"t have to rely on Bill"s eyes alone, for I"ve brought a pair of dad"s binoculars along."
"You"ve brought something else along," said Teddy, as his eyes fell on a big hook at the end of an iron chain. "I never saw this thing before.
What are you going to do with it?"
"Hook a shark if I can," was the answer.
"What!" came in an excited exclamation from the other three.
"That"s what I said," repeated Lester, enjoying the sensation that his words had caused.
"Have you ever caught any before?"
"How do you do it?"