y held top speed until they were
nearly alongside, then he throttled down and put his gunwale next to
that of the crab boat.

"It's Orvil's," Rick said. "But where is he?"

"Get aboard," Scotty suggested.

"Okay." Rick stood up and timed his motion with the slight roll of both
boats, then stepped into the crabber. Orvil's crab lines were coiled
neatly in their barrels, the stone crab-line anchors and floats were
stacked along the side of the boat. There were three covered bushel
baskets of crabs, and extra baskets stacked in place. One open basket
held a dozen jumbo crabs. Orvil's net was in its rack on the engine box,
but there was no sign of Orvil himself.

Wait--there was a sign. Rick knelt by a small brown patch on the deck.
He touched it, and a chill lanced through him. Blood, and only recently
dried. Orvil's?

Rick straightened. Someone had turned the boat loose, idled down to its
lowest speed. The stable crab boat had continued on course, heading out
the mouth of the Little Choptank into the wide bay. Only a bloodstain
showed that there had been violence aboard.

The flying stingaree had claimed another victim!

CHAPTER XVI

Steve Waits It Out

The two-boat procession moved down Martins Creek at slow speed, Scotty
leading in the runabout and Rick following in Orvil's boat. The boys had
decided to take the crab boat back to Steve's, because it could not be
left adrift, and they did not know where Orvil berthed it.

Both agreed it was senseless to return to Swamp Creek. That wouldn't
help Orvil, at least for now, and they might possibly be picked off by
the riflemen.

As they neared the pier, Scotty moved out of the way while Rick backed
the big crab boat into the runabout's place. Before he had finished,
Steve was coming down the walk at a run.

The agent took the line Rick tossed and made it fast, then caught
another line and secured the bow. Scotty backed in with the runabout and
Rick helped him secure the smaller boat to the side of the crabber.

"Bumpers on the houseboat," Rick called. "Under the cockpit deck."

Steve hurried to get them, and they were placed between the crab boat
and the runabout to prevent rubbing.

The boys climbed to the pier and faced their friend.

"We found the boat headed into the bay," Rick said grimly. "Bloodstain
on the deck, but no other sign of violence. We had a phone call telling
us to keep away from the creek and the house, or Orvil would be fed to