“Say, fellows, this is getting uncomfortably tight!  I don’t like it a little bit,” declared Tom.  “Here we are peaceable Boy Scouts out for a little pleasure trip and all at once it begins to rain adventurous spirits from any old place and each of them is posted to make away with us and all seem to be protecting this old Spanish strong box.  I wish they’d go away and let us pursue the even tenor of our way unmolested.”

“So do I,” Jack replied.  “But they seem to feel otherwise and so we’ll have to take them as they come.  We’ll remember our motto and ’be prepared’ to accept whatever they may have to offer.”

“Is this fellow going to open the drip cock on our spare gasoline tank?” asked Arnold.  “If he is, I’m going down to mount guard over him right now!  Once is enough and too much is plenty.”

“I don’t believe he knows what vessel he’s on yet,” declared Harry.  “He asked me and I gave him an evasive reply.”

“Fog’s lifting, Captain,” announced Tom who was at the wheel.

“Sure enough, it is,” joyfully cried Jack.  “Now maybe we can get a bearing and know where we are.  Do you see land anywhere?”

“I see smoke,” declared Harry.  “What does a sailor say when he sees a smoke?  Should he say ‘smoke ho,’ or ‘sail ho,’ or what?”

“I don’t know, I’m sure,” Jack answered with a laugh.

“And now I see two ‘smoke ho’s,’” cried Tom.  “That means that some Boy Scout is in trouble and wants help.”

“Maybe it means that a steamer is over there and the ‘ash cats’ are busy while the firemen are putting in more coal.”

“I don’t believe it!” declared Tom.  “See that fringe of pines along there and see the smoke rising from the sand beyond them.  It surely looks like two signal smokes to me!  How about it?”

“Let’s put on some more steam and run over in that direction to discover who may be making the smokes,” suggested Jack.

It was voted a good idea and accordingly the Fortuna was headed in the direction of the smokes with increased speed of the motors.  Every moment now the fog was lifting and objects could be more clearly distinguished on the land which lay not a great way off.

“We can’t get in very much closer here,” declared Tom, “I see bottom now, I believe.  We’d better slip along shore until we’re about opposite the smokes and land in a small boat.”

“All right,” agreed Jack.  “What do you say, boys?”

“Good idea, I say,” offered Harry.  “Who do you suppose it is making the smoke?  Wish it were someone from Chicago.”

“Maybe it would be a good idea to see how our passenger is getting on,” suggested Arnold.  “I believe I’ll slip down and see.”

He stepped down the companion way and in a moment the boys heard him shout excitedly back: 

“Somebody come here, quickly.  The Fortuna’s taking in water fast.  It’s up over the floor boards now and the engine is throwing it around in great shape.  Our passenger’s gone!”