Part 7 (1/2)

So saying, he and his companion pa.s.sed by, and Alec, who had heard every word, breathed a sigh of relief. He wished the two men were not going in the same direction Dave and Billy had taken; but he felt sure that the latter could give a good account of themselves if discovered in hiding.

”But that would upset the whole scheme,” he reflected. ”Perhaps I'd better sneak around, ahead of those two rascals, and warn Dave and Billy to lie low? Or shall I---no, I've been stationed here, and it's up to me to stick to this post.”

As he watched the two men stumbling on over the uneven ground, he wondered with a little thrill of apprehension whether they would run across any of the other pickets, or even meet Billy and Dave returning from their quest.

However, no such undesired event came to pa.s.s, and the two smugglers finally disappeared behind a row of trees covered with vines.

After that, the watchful young pickets waited in silence, with only a low-spoken word now and then as they paced back and forth under cover to emphasize the stillness. An hour pa.s.sed,---another hour,---the sun began its slow descent into the broad bosom of the ocean. Long before this, the _Arrow_ had slipped away a little farther up along the coast, so that she would be out of sight behind one of the numerous islands in case the _Esperanza_ drew near Durgan's cove.

Once the dog's barking sounded louder, and nearer, but after a minute or two it ceased, and silence reigned over all.

”What's become of Dave and Billy?” wondered Chester.

The same question was troubling the minds of Roy Norton and Mark Anderson, in their respective station-points; but there seemed to be no answer to it at present.

Twilight crept upon them apace, then deepened into the shadows of night. As they had arranged, they left their posts and a.s.sembled at the place chosen for their landing. After hours of more-or-less solitary watching, it seemed good to be together in council, to eat their simple supper, and to compare notes.

In the midst of their evening meal, the faint purring of a motorboat's engine reached their ears, and after a few minutes a boat with two figures in it was seen approaching them, gliding almost noiselessly along one of the waterways. The occupants of the boat were Billy Worth and Dave. Reaching the place, they stopped the engine, ran the boat's nose into the soft bank, and sprang ash.o.r.e.

”Where---how----did you get it?” asked Norton in surprise.

”The boat? Oh, we just borrowed it from Joe Durgan and his friends!”

Billy declared. ”We saw the boat tied to a little trestle over there at the deserted settlement, and when we saw Durgan and two other men go into one of the cabins, we sneaked up quickly and took the boat from them without asking permission and got away with it!”

”Didn't they see you, or hear the engine?”

”No,” answered Billy.

”That's strange! Are you sure?”

”There were no windows in the cabin, that we could see,” explained Billy, ”and when they got inside, they made a lot of noise.”

”Gee! won't they be wild when they find their boat gone!” said Mark.

”They may think it slipped its moorings and drifted away on the tide.

At least, that's what Dave says.”

The Seminole grinned. ”Anyhow, they look for boat soon,” he said.

”Something doin' tonight, you bet!”

Alec had risen and was standing erect, his face turned toward the ocean.

”What are you staring at?” queried chester. ”See any stars?”

”There's just one,” replied young Sands, pointing southwest. ”Mighty low down---there! Now it's out.”

”No, it isn't. I see it!”