he revenue-cutter _Bennington_. Accordingly they
concluded that the boys also were bound directly for the cutter, and so
instead of heading to the channel which led to the town, they proposed
to take a cut-off behind Wood Island, best known to themselves. Thus
they rowed on for more than half an hour before any of the boys
suspected anything wrong. Rob made signs to them to stop rowing. All the
boys looked about them in the fog. They were still in the roll of the
open sea, and the dory pitched wildly on the long swell, but, listen
intently as they might, they could hear no sound from any quarter.

"We ought to have stayed with Uncle Dick," suggested Jesse.

"That's right!" admitted Rob. "But the question is, what ought we to do
now? They pointed out town that way from the _Nora_, and I know we're
not going the right direction."

To all inquiries and commands the natives did nothing but shake their
heads and smile pleasantly. At last they resumed their oars and began to
row steadily on their course. The sea now came tumbling in astern in
long black rolls, broken now and again by whitecaps. Like a cork the
dory swung up and down on the long swells, and all the boys now grew
serious, for they had never been in so wild a water as this in all their
lives.

They progressed this way a little while, until Rob bethought himself of
the plan employed by the captains when skirting the shore in fog. He put
his hands to his mouth and gave a loud, drawn-out shout, and then
listened for an echo. Sure enough it came, faint and far off, but
unmistakable.

"We're running down the coast, or else the channel is wide here," said
Rob, "because the echo is only on one side."

From time to time they renewed these tactics, and for mile after mile
kept in touch of the shore, on which now and then they could hear the
waves breaking wildly. At last Rob set his jaw tight in decision.

"I tell you what," said he; "we're going the wrong way. We ought to have
been at the town long before this. I'm for going ashore and waiting till
the fog lifts."

Both Jesse and John agreed to this, for now they were thoroughly
alarmed. Rob made motions to the two native oarsmen that they should
head the dory inshore. They, always disposed to be obedient to the white
race, agreed and swung the dory shoreward. "_Karosha_," said the older
of the two men; by which they later learned he meant to say, "All
right."

The two natives were well used to making a landi