how he had recovered them, Abner slapped his
hand down on his knee, and exclaimed:

"I reckon Mr. Fraser was right t'other day when he sez as how the sun o'
the Dilks tribe began to set when yuh kim ashore from that wreck.
Somehow yuh seem to be hittin' 'em hard, son. I aint much o' a prophet,
sence I caint even tell wot the weather's gwine to be tomorry; but I
seem to just know from the way things is a heapin' up that they's gwine
to be a big heave soon, an' that means the Dilks has got to move
on--Ashley don't want ther kind no more."

Darry insisted on accompanying Abner when it came his turn to go out on
his long patrol; this time it was in the earlier part of the night, so
neither man nor boy thought of going to bed.

The night was not wholly dark, for there was a moon behind the clouds;
but beyond a certain limited distance of the sea lay in gloom, only the
steady wash of the incoming waves telling of the vast reach of water
lying along toward the east.

They talked of many things as they plodded along the sandy beach.

Darry spoke for the first time of Paul Singleton, and his desire that he
accompany him later on in his cruising up and down the series of
connected bays that stretched for some hundreds of miles back of the
sandbars.

Abner was silent at first, and the boy realized that he felt grieved to
know there might come a break in the pleasant relations that had been
established at home.

"Course it's only right yuh should accept, lad," he said presently,
"It's give me much comfort to know yuh was gittin' on so well with the
ole woman, for I've felt bad on 'count o' her many times sense _he_ war
taken. But it's a chance thet may never kim again, an' we cudn't 'spect
to tie yuh down. Anyhow, your comin' hez been a good thing fur Nancy,
an' I reckons she'll begin to perk up from now on. 'Sides, who knows wot
may kim outen this? Jest as she sez thet younker aint interested in yuh
jest acause he wants a feller in the boat along with him--I tell yuh he
thinks he knows who yuh belong to, and that's a fack, son."

"Oh! I hope so; but I don't dare dream of it. But I'm glad you think
well of his offer. I can earn some money that will help out at home,
besides having a good time," said Darry, eagerly; though truth to tell,
it was the faint hope lodged in his heart that he might learn something
concerning his past that chief of all influenced him in his desire to go
with the owner of the motor-boat.

"Glad