e managed to stay aboard."

There was silence for a few minutes while Roy drummed on the plank with
his fingers and Pee-wee could hardly repress his excitement at the
thought that they were on the track of a real adventure. Tom Slade had
"gone and done it again." He was always surprising them by his stolid
announcement of some discovery which opened up delectable possibilities.
And smile as he would (especially in view of Pee-wee's exuberance), Roy
could not but see that here was something of very grave significance.

"That's what I meant," drawled Tom, "when I told her that we could
_try_--to find her brother."

This was a knockout blow.

"This trip of ours is going to be just like a book," prophesied Pee-wee,
excitedly; "there's a--there's a--long lost brother, and--and--a deep
mystery!"

"Sure," said Roy. "We'll have to change our names; I'll be Roy Rescue,
you be Pee-wee Pinkerton, the boy sleuth, and Tom'll be Tom Trustful.
What d'you say, Tom?"

Tom made no answer and for all Roy's joking, he was deeply interested.
Like most important clues, the discovery was but a little thing, yet it
could not be accounted for except on the theory that Harry Stanton had
somehow gotten back to the launch after the accident, whatever the
accident was. It meant just that--nothing less and nothing more; though,
indeed, it did mean more to Pee-wee and as he slept that night, in the
gently rocking boat, he dreamed that he had vowed a solemn vow to Mr.
Stanton's daughter to "find her brother or perish in the attempt." He
carried a brace of pistols, and sailing forth with his trusty chums, he
landed in the island of Madagascar, to which Harry Stanton had been
carried, bound hand and foot, in an aeroplane. The three, undaunted,
then built a Zeppelin and sailed up to the summit of a dizzy crag where
they rescued the kidnapped youth and on reaching home, Mr. Stanton gave
them a sea-going yacht and a million dollars each for pocket money.
When he awoke from this thrilling experience he found that the _Good
Turn_ was chugging leisurely up the river in the broad daylight.

The boat behaved very well, indeed. She leaked a little from the strain
of launching, but the engine pumped the water out faster than it came
in. All day long they lolled in the cockpit or on the cabin roof, taking
turns at the steering. Roy, who best understood gas engines, attended to
the motor, but it needed very little attention except that it missed on
high spe