ubbing it in so hard,"
complained the object of the roar that followed.

In this way, then, the evening passed. As the mosquitoes began to get
in their work later, the boys changed their minds, and concluded to
sleep aboard, instead of on shore, as they had at first intended.

With the morning, things began to happen again. Breakfast was eaten
first, and then Jack, who had been assisting George examine his motor,
discovered the cause of the unfortunate stop, so that the freakish
engine was now apparently all right again.

They crossed both the Machipongo Inlets without any accident, though it
was evident that the skipper of the _Wireless_ was more or less
nervous, and kept hovering close to the other boats, with an eye on the
ropes which they kept coiled in the stern.

And Nick also crouched down in the body of the boat, gripping some
substantial part of the framework, with the grim air of one who had
determined not to be pitched out into the water again, come what would.

Both heaved plain sighs of relief when the crossings were made without
the least trouble. Cobb's Island now lay close by, and beyond were
several more openings, where the sea connected with the shore waters.
But these were small compared with those already navigated, and with a
fair amount of caution they had no need to borrow trouble longer.

"There's what we're aiming to reach by evening, fellows!" remarked
Jack, about the middle of the afternoon.

Following the direction in which his extended hand pointed, the others
could see a lighthouse not a great way ahead, though it might take some
time to reach it by way of winding connecting creeks.

"The great Cape Charles Light, ain't it, Jack?" demanded Herb.

"Just what it is," replied the commodore.

"Then, tomorrow we'll have to cross the mouth of the Chesapeake and
arrive at Norfolk or Portsmouth; is that the programme?" asked George.

"If everything looks good to us, yes," replied Jack, seriously. "We
want to take as few chances, you know, as we must. And that twenty
miles is a big trip for our little craft. All depends on the wind and
the sky. But there are always lots of boats around here; and if we got
in a peck of trouble they'd help us out."

"That's a comfort," remarked Nick. "It was bad enough dropping
overboard in that inlet, and I don't hanker to try it in the ocean
itself. Excuse me, boys; I pass. I've shown you how to do the trick;
some one else take the next try."