Part 27 (1/2)

Then they turned to give the saasped:

”Gracious, but it _does_ seeood to meet fellows of the Club and froh following inon up to the deck There heed the charter-man, ”and don't ood the dae”

”Help yourself to a little of hter's captain ”Anything that I can spare from the proper time of the run, you understand”

”How on earth do you fellows happen to be on this shi+p, of all places in the world?” dehed dick Davis ”Port authorities at Rio were good enough to order six ot the chance of building the boats at his yard at Bath The Rio motor boats are on board, down in the hold, and Ab and I are sent along to deliver theorder at Rio, and, if necessary, teach the natives how to run such craft”

”Did you fellows knoere signaling you by wireless?” Joe was asking Ab Perkins ”Did you know that you were going to see us?”

”Didn't know a blessed thing about it,” admitted Ab Perkins, almost sheepishly ”dick and I were asleep in our stateroo ready to co speed

Then we ca We looked over the rail, and--__!”

Ab again seized Joe Dawson's hand, giving it another hty shake

Then the irrepressible Ab reached out for To Halstead up on deck

Readers of the first volume of this series will remember both Ab and dick well They, too, were boys born near the Kennebec River, and took part in the stirring adventures narrated in THE MOTOR BOAT CLUB OF THE KENNEBEC, just before Tom and Joe left for the next scenes of their activities, as related in THE MOTOR BOAT CLUB AT NANTUCKET and THE MOTOR BOAT CLUB OFF LONG ISLAND Ab Perkins and dick Davis were two of the most valued of the early , Tom Halstead was seized by an idea He looked about for Powell Seaton, saw that gentleht the charter-man's eye

”See here, Mr Seaton,” whispered Halstead, as soon as he had gotten his eo to Rio”

”No?”

”Of course not Give the papers to dick Davis, with exact instructions as to who is to receive theet into exactly the hands for which you intend them”

”You feel certain of that, Halstead?” demanded Powell Seaton, his voice tremulous with anxiety

”Absolutely sure, sir dick Davis can be trusted as long the world holds together There isn't the faintest yellow streak in hiht, keen, brave--that's dick Davis And Ab Perkins would go through the jaws of anything with Davis! Why, Mr Seaton, they're Motor Boat Club boys! You can trust the to trustdown to Rio on a et ashore, uner would have”

”Get your friends together, then, soed Powell Seaton ”We'll talk this , at that”

While Mr Seaton sought Captain Rawley, To the deck to where Joe, Hank and the two Rio-bound

”Hank,” said Tom, in a low voice, ”Hepton is all alone down on the 'Restless,' except for our prisoner aft Hepton ht, and I think he is--but one of our own crowd ought to be on board our boat”

”I'll be the one, then,” half-sighed Hank butts, turning to descend the side gangway

Captain Rawley proreed to turn his own cabin over to the friends anted a private chat

”But only for five minutes, mind you,” he insisted ”Then I must be on my way”

Behind the closed door of the captain's room Powell Seaton and Tom Halstead swiftly explained anted

”Will we do it?” said dick Davis, repeating the question that had been asked him ”Why, of course ill There's only one answer possible

Tom Halstead is fleet captain of the Motor Boat Club, and a request fro as an order”

”You will go straight to the American consulate at Rio Janeiro, then,”