into their dingey and went off into the darkness of a starlight night, rather noisy still in a sleepy way, and, presumably, reached their destination.  At least, no more was heard of them that night.  On the Adventurer berths were pulled out or let down and a quarter of an hour after the departure of the visitors not a sound was to be heard save the lapping of the water against the hull and the peaceful breathing of seven healthily tired boys.

CHAPTER V

SUNDAY ASHORE

Before the sun had much more than climbed to a position where it could peer over the low yellow ridge of Fire Island and see what the Adventure Club was up to, the two cruisers were chug-chugging out of the harbour with all flags flying.  First went the Adventurer, as flag-ship of the fleet, to use Neil’s metaphor, and, a little way behind came the Follow Me, her black hull and battleship-grey deck reminding the occupants of the other boat of one of the “puffing pigs” of yesterday.  The bay was almost as smooth as the proverbial mill-pond this morning, and the slanting shafts of sunlight cast strange and beautiful shades of gold and copper on the tiny wavelets.  It was still cool, and in the shadow of the bridge deck one felt a bit shivery.  But the sun promised a warm day.  The crew was polishing bright-work rather awkwardly but most industriously and with a fine willingness, explaining that if he polished brass some other poor Indian would have to swab decks, a remark which inspired Neil to state with much emphasis that cleaning decks was not, at all events, within the province of the ship’s boy, and that, anyway, he had helped with the dishes and that right now he was going to lie in the sun on the galley roof and that if anyone disturbed him there’d be trouble.

Joe had been having a fine time with his engine.  He was getting on terms of real familiarity with it now, having lost some of the awe with which he had regarded it yesterday.  Today he called it “She” almost patronisingly and even dared lay his hand on the cylinders with a knowing cock of his head.  Perry, looking on, asked sarcastically if he was feeling the engine’s pulse, and Joe haughtily replied that he wanted to make sure the cylinders weren’t overheating.  Ossie, emerging from the cabin, wiping his hands on his khaki trousers after wringing out his dish cloths, gave it as his opinion that if there was any overeating done it would not be done by the engine, accompanying the statement with a meaning glance at Perry.

About this time the Follow Me left her position astern and began to creep alongside.  Steve supposed she wanted to send a message across and told the others on the deck to keep still a minute.  But the Follow Me kept on her way, the fellows sprawling around her deck and cockpit looking across the few fathoms of water in silence.

“Well, what do you know about that?” gasped Neil.  “She’s trying to pass us!”