had heard his father tell of
whaling voyages. "The whale is dead, and he's gone to the bottom."

"Then we can't get it," came regretfully from Andy.

"Oh, yes we can," declared Bob.

"How?" Frank wanted to know.

"Why, after a whale dies, and sinks, gases very soon begin to form
inside it. This swells it up like a balloon, and it comes to the top
again. Then we can get it."

"How long will it take?" asked Andy, with an anxious look at the sun,
for it was getting late.

"Oh, maybe an hour, perhaps longer," replied Bob. "We will just have
to hang around here until it comes up."

"I hope our folks don't get worried about us," remarked Frank, who was
a little uneasy about having gone off as they had so suddenly. "We
left Paul at the clubhouse all alone, too."

"Oh, well, he won't mind. There's lots going on, and we'll soon be
back--if we have luck," commented Andy.

"Queer about that Paul," spoke Bob. "You haven't seen anything more of
that strange man; have you?"

"No, and I'm afraid we won't, either," declared the elder Racer boy.
"It seems to be a mystery we'll never solve. If we could only find
that missing motor boat it might help some. But I guess that's sunk,
though it was floating when we took Paul aboard our craft."

The boys rowed slowly about the spot where the whale had gone down,
casting eager glances from time to time at the rolling billows. They
were careful to keep far enough away so that the rising monster would
not come up beneath them, and capsize the boat.

It was a little short of an hour when Frank, who had stood up to
stretch his cramped legs, suddenly uttered an exclamation:

"Look!" he cried, and pointed dead ahead.

Something rose from the sea, rolled over several times, and then swayed
gently with the motion of the waves.

"Our whale!" cried Andy.

"Dead as a door nail!" added Frank.

"Don't be too sure," cautioned Bob. "Wait a minute."

They waited, but there was no motion to the monster save that caused by
the heaving ocean, and they ventured closer.

"Gee whizz! He's big all right!" exclaimed Andy.

"That's right," agreed Bob. "Now let's make this line fast to the
harpoon handle, and we'll tow him ashore."

"Why, there are two harpoons in him!" cried Frank, as a second shaft
was visible.

"There was only one when he tackled us," declared Andy. "Someone else
must have had a try at killing him since he smashed my boat."

The other lads agreed that this