answered Herb,
who was having it easy enough in his wide-beamed craft.

"Still, be on your guard all the time," cautioned Jack, who meant to
keep near the erratic _Wireless_ all the time, because he felt it in
his bones that if any accident did happen it would be in that quarter.

At noon they drew up and went ashore on a sandspit, where they ate
lunch. Nick of course "browsed" around, as he called it, in search of
oysters, and was speedily rewarded by discovering a supply. Indeed,
they had hard work making him break away, when Jack tooted his conch
shell as the signal for a start.

Matomkin Inlet proved as easy as the others.

"Now for the terror!" remarked George, as later in the afternoon they
approached the spot where Watchapreague lay.

Ahead they could see the whitecaps marking the fierce cross currents
that have given this half-mile wide inlet its bad name. Many a wreck
of shore boats has taken place here, and lives been lost.

"We might as well get over now, as in the morning, for the tide is as
good as it will ever be. Those whitecaps are caused by the wind
blowing from the shore, and the tide coming in," Jack decided, as they
advanced steadily on.

"And in case of any accident, then, a fellow couldn't be carried out to
sea," George remarked, with what seemed like a distinct look of relief.

So the start was made. All around them the water fairly boiled, and
unseen influences apparently tugged at the frail little craft, as
though the fingers of those fabled monsters were gripping their keels.

They were just about the middle and most dangerous spot when George
gave a sudden cry. It was echoed by a wail from Nick. Looking up,
Jack discovered a sight that thrilled him to the core. The erratic
_Wireless_ had chosen to play its skipper a nasty trick at just the
time it should have been on its best behavior, coming to a stop with
such abruptness that poor Nick lost his hold forward, and went
splashing into the water like a giant frog!

CHAPTER XI.

A STUNNING DISCOVERY.

In an instant all was confusion!

All sorts of shouts broke from the boys; and George, leaning over the
side of his stalled _Wireless_, in the vain hope of being able to
clutch the boy who was in the dangerous waters of the inlet, came near
upsetting his tottering boat completely.

Nick had disappeared as soon as he struck the water, but such a fat
fellow could not long remain under the surface, so he speedily made his