“Right you are, Tom,” cried Jack.  “But look at the chap, he’s headed right in for us.  I do believe he’ll be on us in a minute.”

“Sound the Klaxon a little,” said Frank.  “Maybe he’ll sheer off.  Why not switch on the lights?  He might see them.”

Quickly this suggestion was followed.  Not a moment too soon it seemed, for the tug crew had evidently been watching the vessel they were towing and had not noticed the Fortuna.  A whirl of the spokes by the pilot brought the tug on a course away from the motor boat, but the schooner had headway enough so that she came right on.  By the narrowest margin she cleared the Fortuna.

The boys breathed easier as she slipped past them, her bulk looming large beside the vessel they occupied.

“What was that?” asked Jack, holding up a hand for silence.

“I didn’t hear anything,” declared Tom.  “What do you hear?”

“I thought I heard it, too,” cried Frank.  “The Bob White call.”

“Where could it have come from?  It must be that some of the men around here use that whistle,” Jack decided.  “We’ve heard it before.”

Although the boys discussed the matter thoroughly they could not decide where the call could have been sent from and finally again composed themselves for sleep, after extinguishing all but the riding or anchor light gleaming at the head of their signal staff.

Morning was just breaking when they were again aroused.  This time a tap at a window brought Rowdy to attention and made Jack spring to his feet in alarm.  In a boat sat Doright, the negro.

“What do you want?” demanded Jack.  “Can we do anything for you?”

“No sir, Boss, youall caint do nothin’ for me,” answered the negro, rolling his eyes upward.  “Mebbe youall kin do something for them pardners of yourn!  They done gone away.”

“Gone away!” gasped Frank, now joining Jack.  “Gone away!”

“Yaas, sir, Boss, dey done goned away on a ship named the ‘Walkfast.’  I done holp Mister Pete put ’em on board.”

“Where is this ship now?” demanded Frank crisply.

“She done lef’ a hour or two ago,” answered the negro.  “If youall wants to know where she gwine, go ax de man at de custom house.”

“That’s a sensible thing to do,” declared Jack.  “Take this fellow aboard, while I go up to the custom house and find where the ship Walkfast was bound for and if this chap is not lying, we’ll take a little cruise for an appetizer.  Don’t let him get away.”

In a few minutes Jack came running back breathless.  He made haste to get aboard, signaling for the boys to hoist the anchor.

Not a second was lost in getting the Fortuna under way with her nose pointed out to sea.  After the engines had been set whirling Jack recovered his breath and explained that the vessel had been the schooner “Quickstep,” that had so nearly wrecked the Fortuna.  Her clearance was for New York and she was heavily laden with lumber.