ttered Jerry, who in an emergency always looked to Frank
to do the right thing.

He immediately extinguished the light.

"Don't make the least noise, if you can help it. Get the anchor off the
ground, but don't attempt to bring it aboard," continued Frank in a
whisper.

"Going to start the motor?" asked Bluff.

"Certainly not! It's shallow here, and the push-pole will have to move us
along." Saying which, Frank possessed himself of the useful article in
question, without which no small boat ever cruises in Florida waters.

"I hope we don't get mixed up, and run afoul of those chaps," breathed
Will.

"I've got them located, all right. We'll go in closer to the island,
that's all. Perhaps they won't come at all until daylight."

"But if they do, Frank?" asked Bluff.

"We've got a right to protect ourselves, and we will," declared the other
between his set teeth, for he was now silently pushing with the pole,
Jerry having raised the anchor at the bow.

This sort of thing kept up for ten minutes. By that time Frank knew they
were as close to the shore as prudence allowed.

"Let the anchor sink slowly, Jerry, and don't make a sound, if you can
avoid it," said Frank.

"It's already on the bottom. Why, we're in only four feet of water here!"
came back the whispered answer.

"Now what about the boy you pulled off that craft?" asked Bluff.

"Come here, Joe," said Frank kindly.

Instantly he felt a hand clasping his eagerly, and a boyish voice
exclaimed softly:

"Oh! I wanter thank you ever so much for what you did, and my mom'll say
the same thing when she sees you!"

"That's all right, Joe. All of us are only boys, older than you, of
course, but ready to hold out a helping hand to a poor chap in trouble.
Suppose you tell us, in a whisper now, what brought you aboard that
sharpie. Who are those three men, and how did you happen to be sailing
with them?"

"They're Hank, and Carlos, the Cuban, and my Uncle Ben," came the reply.

"Hello! He's got an uncle aboard!" said Jerry uneasily.

"But he's the worst of the whole lot. He beats me, and calls me bad
names. My mother is afraid of him. She didn't want to let me go on this
trip with Uncle Ben, but he just made me. His name is Baxter. You see,
he's her brother-in-law, not her real brother. I always called him uncle,
but he ain't, either. I hate him, and I'd sooner die than go back there
again!"

"Don't be afraid, my boy. We have no intention of letting them