“All right, boys; go ahead, but be careful not to make any noise.  I didn’t see Frank Nelson’s dog go into the yard,” he continued; “he must be around here somewhere.  We must not let him hear us.”

Brave was, as Charles had said, “around there somewhere.”  He was lying by his master’s side, among the willows, no doubt wondering at the strange things that were going on, and, well-trained as he was, it was with great difficulty that Frank could keep him quiet.

The coast-guards crossed the wharf with noiseless steps, and, unfastening the skiff which the smugglers had just used, they climbed down into it, and pushed off toward the Alert.  A few strokes brought them alongside of her, and, thrusting their arms under the sail, they began the examination which the smugglers had so much dreaded.

“What do you find?” inquired Charles, who still kept watch at the top of the bank.

“Here are a lot of baskets and pails,” said one

“And here’s the large basket that George and Harry brought,” said another.

“What are these round things in this bag, I wonder?” said the one who had first spoken.

“Oh, those are the lemons I brought,” said Charles.

“Gracious! how hard they are!” continued the boy, trying to dig his fingers into them.

At this, Frank and William, who, of course, had heard every word of the conversation, and had sat fairly trembling with excitement, fearful that their trick would be discovered, could scarcely refrain from laughing outright.  Had it been daylight, the ruse of the smugglers would certainly have been detected, but, as it was, the coast-guards never mistrusted that any thing was wrong.  The night was rather dark, and the sham provisions were so neatly tied up, and so carefully stowed away, that the deception was complete.

“I guess they are all here,” said one of the boys, at length.

“Well, come ashore, then,” said Charles, “and let’s be off.”

The boys pulled back to the wharf, and Charles continued,

“I didn’t think that the Alert would hold all of the refreshments, did you?”

“No,” answered one of the boys, whom the smugglers recognized as James Porter; “I guess it was a tight squeeze; I could hardly get my hand in between the baskets.”

“What do you suppose the smugglers intend to do?” inquired another.

“I don’t know,” answered Charles, “unless they propose to get up in the morning before we do, and slip over to the island before we know it.  I wonder how they felt when they saw us taking our positions.”

“But what do you suppose made them put the provisions in the Alert?”

“Oh, I think I can see through that easily enough,” said James.  “Frank knows that we expected that he was going to carry them over to the island, and he calculates to get us to chase him and give the Alert a chance to land the provisions.  He is a cunning fellow, but this time we are too sharp for him.”