you never noticed that old whooper coming up in time to hurry back to
camp?"

"Oh, Frank and I took a little stroll after lunch," remarked Will.
"You must know I've been wild to see that place belonging to Aaron
Dennison, and snap off a view of it, because Bluff said it is such a
remarkable affair. Well, we got the picture, all right, and also one
of the owner of the ranch holding up a big cane as though about to
strike Frank here."

"Gee whiz! tell us more about that!" begged Bluff, eagerly.

"After you get started on that coffee we made for you," said Frank.
And while the two boys were enjoying their cups of hot coffee the
story was related.

Then those who had gone to the village were asked about their trip.
Nothing remarkable had happened except that on several occasions they
were compelled to bail out, and had once to stop in order to pound
more oakum into an opening that appeared in one of the seams of the
boat.

"Excuse me from ever taking such a long trip again in an old
rattletrap of a boat like that," declared Bluff. "Luckily for us, you
insisted on our carrying a bunch of that oakum along, Frank. With it
we patched up more seams this morning, and managed to pull through,
though it's been a hard drive."

"But we've lots of dandy fresh eggs, and five pounds of new butter,"
added Jerry, proudly.

"The storm came up before you could start, I suppose?" questioned
Will.

"Yes, and Bluff here wanted to pull out anyhow," Jerry replied, "but I
kicked on that, and some of the villagers also warned him it would be
suicidal--yes, that's the exact word they used, Bluff, and you know
it. What if I'd given in to you, and we had been caught all of a
sudden by that hurricane? Well, I'll bet deep down in your heart
you're just as glad as anything I kept you from making that silly
start."

"Sure I am, Jerry! and I hope you didn't really think I meant to go. I
was only trying to keep up to my reputation and name as a bluffer. All
the while I knew as well as anything we never could get a quarter of
the way here. I've cut my eye-teeth for all I sometimes make out to
be so brash and bold."

Frank and Will only laughed at the expression of disgust they saw
creeping over Jerry's face. Surely all of them ought to know Bluff
well enough by this time to understand that he did not always mean
what he said.

"And now," remarked Frank, "see if either of you can figure out this
mystery." With that he told them how he and Wi