The Flying Fish rapidly covered the calm waters of the inlet and was soon dancing over the swells outside.

“I’m going to let her out a bit,” said Rob suddenly; “look out for spray.”

“Spray don’t bother a brine-pickled old salt like me,” laughed the captain.  “Let her go.”

The Flying Fish seemed fairly to leap forward as Merritt gave her the full power of her engine.  As Rob had said, it did indeed behoove her occupants to look out for spray.  The sparkling spume came flying back in sheets as she cut through the waves, but the boys didn’t mind that any more than did their weather-beaten companion.  As for Skipper, he barked aloud in sheer joy as the Flying Fish slid along as if she were trying to live up to her name to her utmost ability.

“This is a good little sea boat,” remarked the captain, as they plunged onward.  “She’s as seaworthy as she is speedy, I guess.”

“She’ll stand a lot of knocking about, and that’s a fact,” agreed Rob.

“Well,” remarked the old man, gazing about him, “it’s a good thing that she is, fer, if I’m not mistaken—­and I’m not often off as regards the weather—­we are goin’ ter have quite a little blow before yer boys get back home.”

“A storm?” asked Tubby, somewhat alarmed.

“Oh, no; not what yer might call a storm,” laughed the captain; “but just what we used to term a ‘capful uv wind.’”

“Well, so long as it isn’t a really bad blow, it won’t trouble the Flying Fish,” Rob assured him.

“Hullo!” exclaimed the old man suddenly.  “What queer kind uv craft is that?”

He pointed back to the mouth of the now distant inlet, from which a curious-looking black craft was emerging at what seemed to be great speed.

“It’s that hydroplane of Sam Redding’s, for a bet!” cried Rob.  “Here, Tubby, take the wheel a minute, while I put the glasses on her.”

The lad stood up in the heaving motor craft, steadying himself against the bulwarks by his knees, and peered through his marine-glasses.

“It’s the hydroplane, sure enough,” he said.  “By ginger, but she can go, all right!  Sam and Jack and Bill are all in her.  They seem to be heading right out to sea, too.”

“Say!” exclaimed Tubby suddenly, “if it comes on to blow, as the captain said it would, they’ll be in a bad fix, won’t they?”

“In that ther shoe-box thing,” scornfully exclaimed the old captain, who had also been looking through the glasses, “why, I wouldn’t give a confederate dollar bill with a hole in it fer their lives.”

CHAPTER III

BOY SCOUTS TO THE RESCUE

“Hadn’t we better put back and warn them?” suggested Merritt rather anxiously, for he was alarmed by the confident manner in which the old seaman prophesied certain disaster to the hydroplane if the weather freshened.

“No; see, she’s heading toward us.  I guess they want a race,” cried Rob.  “We’ll slow down a bit and let them catch up.”