w clouding, "is that every now and then some member
of the enforcement service sells out to the liquor ring, and then the
rest of us who are doing our work honestly and as best we can are
given a black eye, for everybody says: 'Ah, yes, they're all crooks. I
thought so.'

"But here," he said, "is Lieutenant Summers returning. Now we shall
see what he found out."

The old skipper and the naval officer appeared on the schooner's deck,
Lieutenant Summers went overside, and the boat returned with him. Once
more the schooner put on sail, and began to draw away. When he reached
the deck, Lieutenant Summers sent a sailor to summon Captain Folsom
and the boys below. They joined him in the cabin.

"I have news for you boys," said Lieutenant Summers, at once. "Captain
Woolley of the 'Molly M' proved to be a pretty smooth article," and he
smiled wryly, "but from a member of his crew, one of my men learned
that a speed boat answering the description of your stolen craft had
been seen alongside a sub chaser manned by a crew in naval uniform off
Atlantic Highlands on the Jersey coast."

"Hurray," cried Frank, "one of your fleet must have recaptured it."

Lieutenant Summers shook his head.

"That's the puzzling thing," he said. "If one of our boats had found
your craft adrift or captured it with the fugitive smugglers aboard, I
would have been notified by radio. You see, the schooner sighted the
sub chaser and motor boat yesterday. This sailor, a talkative chap
apparently, told my man they thought the chaser was a ship of the 'Dry
Navy' and crowded on all canvas to edge away from dangerous company.
Then, he said, they could see these uniformed men aboard the chaser
leaning on the rail and holding their sides from laughing at the
schooner. What it all meant, he didn't know, but at any rate the
chaser made no attempt to pursue."

"And you haven't heard from any of your fleet that our boat was
recovered?" asked Jack, in surprise.

"From none," said Lieutenant Summers. "However, I shall order 'Sparks'
at once to query all the ships."

CHAPTER XXIII

IN STARFISH COVE AGAIN

"Sparks" as the radio operator aboard the sub chaser was known, sat
down to his key at once and sent out a wireless call for all members
of the "Dry Navy," requesting information as to whether any had
recovered the stolen speed boat belonging to the boys.

One by one, from their various stations along the coast, the boats
responded, giving negati