Starfish Cove--that's a little bay far down the south
shore of Long Island--and if it's your ship that is playing a
searchlight on the beach, then it's a miracle, sir. I'll try to
explain."

Briefly as possible, then, Jack detailed the necessary facts for
putting Lieutenant Summers in touch with the situation.

"Good," said Lieutenant Summers, in conclusion; "very good, indeed. We
have received a tip liquor was to be landed somewhere along this coast
to-night, and were scouting when you saw our light. It's a piece of
luck, as you say. Do you think our searchlight has been seen by these
rascals?"

"Probably," said Jack, "although I don't know. Captain Folsom and my
friends may have kept them so busily engaged, they had no time to
keep a lookout at sea."

"Well, I'll throw off the searchlight at once, anyhow. We want no
advertising. I'll come in close and land my boats. Can you be at the
beach to guide us?"

"I'll be there," replied Jack.

"Very well. We're about a mile offshore. We should land in fifteen
minutes. Good-bye."

Jack took off the headpiece, threw the rheostat back to zero, and
looked about him, as if dazed.

He could hardly believe his luck.

CHAPTER XVI

BOB REDEEMS HIMSELF

After Jack's departure the group which he left at the tunnel exit
worked busily making what preparations were possible to receive their
pursuers. Big Bob, who had jumped down into the opening, kept tossing
out bricks at a furious rate, and Frank joined him and did likewise.
Meanwhile, by the light of his matches, aided by the moonlight, which
here in the woods, however, was not direct enough to be of any great
help, Tom Barnum investigated the ground about the hole.

"As soon as the boys get out o' there," he reported to Captain Folsom,
"we can all four of us kick down enough dirt to block up the tunnel
pretty well. The earth is loose around here. That must'a been a recent
cave-in. By yanking up some o' these bushes I already loosened the
soil some more."

"Very good," said Captain Folsom, who had been listening closely to
the sounds coming through the tunnel. "They're getting too close for
comfort. I agree with you in believing this must have been a recent
cave-in. I believe it is unsuspected by the enemy. They are coming
along through that tunnel and making plenty of noise, as if they
expected to have a considerable distance to go and fancied us pretty
far ahead."

"We'll give 'em a surprise," said Tom, gr