e more unhung."

Jeremy failed to find much comfort in this philosophy, but said no more,
and soon found himself snugly on board the big merchantman, where his
bunk and Bob's were already made up and awaiting them.

It was good to hear the creak of timbers and feel the rocking of the
tide once more. Jeremy lay long awake that night thinking of many
things. At last he was on the final lap of his journey. The _Indian
Queen's_ cargo would be stowed within a day or two and she would start
with him toward home. He thought with a quiver of happiness of the
reunion with his father. Had he quite given up hope for his boy? Jeremy
had heard of such a shock of joy being fatal. He must be careful.

He thought of the evil face of the broken-nosed buccaneer. What was
Daggs doing in New York? Just then there was a faint sound as of
creaking cordage from beyond the side. Jeremy's bunk was near the open
port and by leaning over a little he could see the river. Barely a
boat's length away, in the dark, a tall-masted, schooner-rigged craft
was slipping past on the outgoing tide, with not so much as a
harbor-light showing.

[Illustration]

CHAPTER XXVI

It was on the second morning after the boys had reached New York that
the _Indian Queen_ went down the harbor, her canvas drawing merrily in
the spanking breeze of dawn. The intervening day had been spent at the
dock-side, where wide-breeched Dutch longshoremen were stoutly hustling
bales and boxes of merchandise into the hold. Jeremy had watched the
passers along the river front narrowly, though he could not help having
a feeling that Pharaoh Daggs was gone. The fancy would not leave his
mind that there was some connection between the vanished pirate and the
dark vessel he had seen stealing out on the night tide.

A strong southwest wind followed them all day as the _Queen_ ran past
the low Long Island shore, and that night, though Captain Ghent gave
orders to shorten sail, the ship still plunged ahead with unchecked
speed. They cleared the Nantucket shoals next day and saw all through
the afternoon the sun glint on the lonely white dunes of Cape Cod.

Two more bright days of breeze succeeded and they were working up
outside the fringe of islands, large and small, that dot the coast of
Maine.

Jeremy was too excited even to eat. He stayed constantly by the man at
the helm and was often joined there by Bob and the Captain, as they drew
nearer to the Penobscot Bay coast. I