o break away just when we were getting
to know 'em."

At that frank admission the rest broke into roars of laughter.

"So that's the way the tide sets, is it?" remarked Jack.

"Why, sure," cried Josh, "didn't you see how smitten Nick was with that
little brunette with the snapping big black eyes? She was pretty, all
right, and ten to one he's got her address, because I saw him writing
something down in his note book, sure as you live."

But Nick faced them, rosy red but defiant.

"Don't care if I did," he said, with a decided shake of his head.
"It's just rank jealousy on Josh's part that makes him say that;
because Betty wouldn't notice him even a little bit. Now, let's talk
of something else. I don't care to bring the lady's name into the
discussion."

"Good for you, Nick!" said Herb.

"And he's quite right, too, boys," asserted Jack, positively, and
immediately switched the talk to another subject.

They made decent progress during the hours that they kept on. In
Beaufort they had managed to renew their supply of gasolene, so that
they now had sufficient of the fuel to see them through for some time.
Once they reached Charleston it would be necessary to lay in another
lot.

But there was a hard proposition before them ere they could hope to
gain the beautiful city by the sea. Boats drawing the water theirs did
could not hope to get through some of the small creeks uniting the
broad stretches of water lying parallel with the coast. Hence it would
be necessary for them to make another outside passage, possibly several.

But Jack had it all planned, and wished to get the opinions of his
chums before the course was definitely decided on.

Camp was made in the sedge grass on Bogue Sound, just as they had
figured on, and after supper had been disposed of, a council of war
called. At this the charts were closely scanned, especially the pencil
marks which Jack had made. He also explained minutely just what he
conceived to be the best method of procedure.

"Now, if we were making this cruise in canoes instead of heavy power
boats," he remarked, laying his pencil on a particular section of the
chart, "our best plan would be to have the craft carried by ox wagon
across a little stretch of low rice country here, to the Waccamaw
River, which has a very swift current; and down that we could run some
seventy miles, bringing us far on our way. But as we'd never be able
to find a way to take our boats across c