e was silent, and they saw now that without doubt they were sailing
right away from the island, and were in the full race of the tide.
Still they felt that the old man must know best how to make for his tiny
port, and they sat in silence for fully twenty minutes, waiting for him
to make another tack and run back.

But soon the suspicions both felt had grown into a certainty, and Mike
said in a whisper, as calmly as he could,--

"Cinder, he has got the conger bat out of the locker. What does he
mean?"

"He means that he won't take us ashore," said Vince huskily: "he's going
to sail right away with us for fear we should tell about him, and the
conger bat's to frighten us and keep us quiet."

There was a strange look of agony in Mike Ladelle's eyes, as he gazed in
his companion's, to read there a horror quite as deep. Then neither of
them spoke, but sat there listening to the lapping of the water, which
spread to right and left in two lines of foam as the little boat sped
on.

It was Vince who broke the silence at last, after drawing a deep breath.

"Ladle, old chap," he said, in a low voice, "they're at home yonder, and
it means perhaps never seeing them again. What shall we do?"

Mike tried to speak, but his voice was too husky to be heard for a few
moments.

"I'll do what you do," he said at last.

"You'll stand by me, whatever comes?"

"Yes."

Vince glanced sidewise, to find that they were pretty well hidden by the
sail; so he thrust out his hand, which was gripped fast, and the two
boys sat there with throbbing hearts, trying to nerve themselves for
anything that might happen now.

Then, without a word, Vince rose, and, steadying himself by the mast, he
stepped over the thwart in which it was stepped, and then on to the
next, close to where the old man sat steering right astern, and holding
the sheet of the well-filled sail as well.

"This is not the way to the Crag," said Vince, with his voice trembling
slightly; and the old man grunted.

"Where are you making for?" said Vince, firmly now.

"Didn't I tell yer I didn't want to get run on the rocks?" roared the
old man, unnecessarily loudly, after a glance back at the shore, where
all was growing distant and dim.

"Yes, you told me so; but it isn't true," said Vince, in a voice he did
not know for his own.

"What?" roared Daygo fiercely.

"You heard what I said. Run her up in the wind at once, and go back."

"You go and sit down," growled t