weat
off their foreheads with their arms. In the ensuing silence the rustle
of the rushes as Chris and Amos moved away was plainly to be heard.

[Illustration]

"What's that?" one man cried out. "Is a spy there? Here--take this
club and beat about--we'll catch 'em!"

The two men charged into the marsh so fast that Chris barely had time
to whisper to Amos: "Hurry Amos--run! I'll be all right. I'll draw
them off! I'll meet you where we ford the stream!"

Amos safely out of sight, the men came only on a stray dog foraging
for rats, wagging its tail and letting out a yip or two as it followed
a scent along the ground.

"Give it a kick--there--it's only a stray dog," one said.

"Oh--devil take it--what do I care?" answered the other, turning back.

The dog lay panting at the river's edge. Looking past the ship as it
rested, it saw what it thought was snow upon the water and the banks.
But it was just thousands of ducks migrating south, and when they rose
to move farther away, the sky was overcast and thunderous with their
wings.

[Illustration]

Long after dark, cold, dirty, and quite wet, the two boys reached the
house on Water Street.

"Where did you go?" Becky inquired, frowning with solicitude at the
bedraggled pair.

"Oh, no place much," Chris answered, yawning.

CHAPTER 17

The following morning while Chris was telling Mr. Wicker of the
ammunition being loaded on the _Venture_, Becky Boozer announced a
visit from Captain Blizzard and Elisha Finney.

"Show them in, Becky," Mr. Wicker told her. To Chris he said, "I
wonder what brings them here so early? It must be a matter of some
importance. Stay with me, Christopher. I shall present you to the
Captain."

The extraordinary pair came in and Chris was introduced to Captain
Blizzard and Mr. Finney. The Captain was all smiles except for his
eyes; Chris noted that his eyes did not smile at all. Mr. Finney, true
to form, cast down his eyes, sighed, and let the corners of his wide
thin lips droop almost to his chin.

When a chair large enough and solid enough had been found for Captain
Blizzard, and Becky had brought in a decanter of sherry and glasses to
set before the visitors, Chris shut the study door and sat down on the
floor where he could observe the three faces before him.

Mr. Wicker spoke first.

"Well, Captain, what brings you here so betimes? No trouble of any
kind, I trust?"

Captain Blizzard set down his glass of sherry and clea