“Will he go?” asked Cap’n Sproul, anxiously.

“He will,” declared Hiram, with conviction.  “A free trip combined with a chance of perhaps doin’ over again such an easy thing as you seem to be won’t ever be turned down by Colonel Gideon Ward.”

At nine o’clock that evening Cap’n Sproul knocked at Hiram Look’s front door and stumped in eagerly.  “He’ll go!” he reported.  “Now let me in on full details of plan.”

“Details of plan will be handed to you from time to time as you need ’em in your business,” said Hiram, firmly.  “I don’t dare to load you.  Your trigger acts too quick.”

“For a man that is handlin’ Bodge, and is payin’ all the bills, I don’t seem to have much to do with this thing,” grunted the Cap’n, sullenly.

“I’ll give you something to do.  To-morrow you go round town and hire half a dozen men—­say, Jackson Denslow, Zeburee Nute, Brad Wade, Seth Swanton, Ferd Parrott, and Ludelphus Murray.  Be sure they’re all members of the Ancient and Honorable Firemen’s Association.”

“Hire ’em for what?”

“Treasure-huntin’ crew.  I’ll go with you.  I’m their foreman, and I can make them keep their mouths shut.  I’ll show you later why we’ll need just those kind of men.”

The Cap’n took these orders with dogged resignation.

“Next day you’ll start with Bodge and charter a packet in Portland for a pleasure cruise—­you needin’ a sniff of salt air after bein’ cooped up on shore for so long.  Report when ready, and I’ll come along with men and esteemed relative.”

“It sounds almighty complicated for a plot,” said the Cap’n.  In his heart he resented Hiram’s masterfulness and his secretiveness.

“This ain’t no timber-land deal,” retorted Hiram, smartly, and with cutting sarcasm.  “You may know how to sail a ship and lick Portygee sailors, but there’s some things that you can afford to take advice in.”

On the second day Cap’n Sproul departed unobtrusively from Smyrna, with the radiant Mr. Bodge in a new suit of ready-made clothes as his seat-mate in the train.

Smyrna perked up and goggled its astonishment when Hiram Look shipped his pet elephant, Imogene, by freight in a cattle-car, and followed by next train accompanied by various tight-mouthed members of the Smyrna fire department and Colonel Gideon Ward.

Cap’n Sproul had the topmast schooner Aurilla P. Dobson handily docked at Commercial Wharf, and received his crew and brother-in-law with cordiality that changed to lowering gloom when Hiram followed ten minutes later towing the placid Imogene, and followed by a wondering concourse of men and boys whom his triumphal parade through the streets from the freight-station had attracted.  With a nimbleness acquired in years of touring the elephant came on board.

Cap’n Sproul gazed for a time on this unwieldy passenger, surveying the arrival of various drays laden with tackle, shovels, mysterious boxes, and baled hay, and then took Hiram aside, deep discontent wrinkling his forehead.