Presently he discerned a larger body of men hastening to the place, and in the dim light of the moon he saw that they were soldiers and seamen.

While he stood lost in wonderment, Uncertain where to go, he heard footsteps and familiar voices near.  He gave the call of his old patrol, and Billy answered it immediately.

The next minute, Billy rushed into view, and the two chums were reunited in a vigorous bear-hug of sheer, silent rejoicing.  They found words at last.

“Billy, old scout, I was beginning to think I might never see you again!”

“You were?  Why, Hugh, I’d have looked for you from here to Yucatan and back again, twenty times over, by sea and land, before I’d give up!” cried Billy, forgetting in his enthusiasm how near he had come to the verge of despair.

“I’m dying to know whatever happened to you,” he added.  “But here come the rest of the bunch; so you’ll have to tell all of us your story.”

“It’s soon told,” said Hugh; and after joyful greetings had been exchanged, he told them all that had happened to him since his unlucky morning stroll to the hut on the far-away beach.

In their turn, they related the events of their search for him, and described the fight around the cabin in which he had so lately been a prisoner.

“And there’s the end of the fight now,” said Norton, pointing to the group of combatants and to a boat manned by five oarsmen who were putting out to sea.  “Look!  There they go!—–­all of them who managed to escape No!  By Jove, the boat’s coming back to shore!  I suppose Uncle Sam’s men threatened to shoot the rascals if they didn’t come back.”

“Serves ’em right!” said Chester.

“Let’s go over there and watch proceedings,” urged Alec.

“I second the motion!” Hugh declared, eager to see the latest developments.

So without further discussion, they hurried over to the place, and were in time to witness the capture of Bego and his gang.

* * * * * * *

By morning, a sullen company of prisoners was put aboard the Petrel and conveyed southward to Key West for trial.

The interval between their capture and the departure of the revenue cutter was spent in putting out the fire near Durgan’s cove, all that remained of the three adjoining shanties being a heap of charred logs and wind-swept ashes.  Durgan’s motor boat was fastened by means of a long cable to the aft rail of the Arrow, which was commissioned to tow it to a wharf at Charlotte Harbor, where it would be delivered to a brother of the smuggler.  This brother, a thoroughly honest fisherman, was well known to Captain Vinton.

Bego’s ship, the Esperanza, remained at anchor off the cove.  Arrangements were made for its safe delivery at Charlotte Harbor, as soon as a suitable crew could be sent to convey it to that haven.

Hoping that his presence might not be required at the trial, though fully resigned to the probability of having to attend it, Hugh wrote out and signed a full statement of his experiences with the outlaws.