e
sunk long ago."

Just as Lester was about to act on the suggestion, there was a cry from
Bill:

"There's something over there that may be what we're after. I've been
watching it for some minutes. It's a boat of some kind, and it hasn't
any sails. It doesn't seem to be going anywhere, but is just tossing up
and down."

The rest strained their eyes, but at first could see only a tiny dot.
Lester steered straight toward the object and as a stiff breeze filled
the sail he made rapid progress.

"That's it!" shouted Ross jubilantly, as they came closer; "I've handled
it too long to be mistaken."

"Hurrah!" cried Teddy.

"Great!" exclaimed Fred. "It wasn't a forlorn hope after all."

"We're some little searchers, all right," exulted Bill.

They were soon within a hundred feet of the motor boat. It was a trim,
smart-looking little craft, and the boys admired the long sloping lines
that denoted speed. There was no sign of any damage to the boat, but the
loggy way in which it moved showed that it had shipped a lot of water.

With a skilful twist of the tiller, Lester rounded to on the port side.
Fred reached out and held the two boats together with the hook, while
the others let the fenders over the side to keep the boats from
scraping.

"Right as a trivet," said Lester. "Here's your boat, Ross, old man, and
as far as I can see it's just as good as ever."

"I'll never forget you fellows as long as I live!" exclaimed Ross
gratefully, as he leaped to the deck of his own craft.

CHAPTER VIII

A SLENDER CHANCE

Ross was quickly followed by Bill and Teddy. Lester and Fred waited only
until they had fastened the two boats securely together, then they
followed the example of their mates.

"She isn't full of water or anything like that, is she?" remarked Teddy,
as he saw the water sloshing from one side to the other as the boat
rocked on the waves.

"Two feet at least," judged Bill.

"Not more than eighteen inches," was the verdict of Lester, who was
accustomed to measure depths where water was concerned. "But that's
enough and more than enough. She's a pretty good seaworthy boat, or
she'd have shipped a good deal more."

"She must have ridden the waves like a cork," said Fred in admiration.

The motor boat was not quite as large as the _Ariel_, being perhaps
two feet shorter, and also narrower in the beam. In the stern there was
a gasoline engine of the newest type, bearing the name of a celebrated
m