All this seemed so certain to the boys that they had nothing to say in opposition to it.  In fact, as Bruce said, they had already gone as far as Solomon could possibly have gone, and this thought had occurred to them all.  Captain Corbet’s proposition, therefore, seemed to them the only course to follow.  So they all turned and went back again.

“What I was a goin to say,” remarked Captain Corbet, after walking a few paces,—­“what I was a goin to say was this.  The mistake I made was in not gettin a boat.”

“A boat?  Why we’ve traced the coast from the cliff well enough—­ haven’t we?”

“No, not well enough.  We’d ought to have planned this here expedition more kerfully.  It wan’t enough to go along the top of the cliff this here way.  You see, we’ve not been able to take in the lower part of the cliff underneath.  We’d ought to hev got a boat.  Some of us could hev gone along the cliff, jest as we hev ben doin, and the others could have pulled along the shore an kep up a sharp lookout that way.  We’ve lost any quantity o’ time that way, but that’s no reason why we should lose any more; so I muve that some of us go back, right straight off, an get a boat at the ship-yard, an come back.  I’ll go, unless some o’ youns think yourselfes smarter, which ain’t onlikely.”

“O, you can’t run, captain,” said Bart.  “Bruce and I will go, and we’ll run all the way.”

“Wal, that’s the very best thing that you could do.  You’re both young, an actyve.  As for me, my days of youth an actyvity air over, an I’m in the sere an yaller leaf, with spells o’ rheumatics.  So you start off as quick as your legs can carry you, an ef you run all the way, so much the better.”

The boys started off at this, and going on the full run, they hurried, as fast as possible, back over the path they had traversed, and through the woods, and over the fields, and down the cliff towards the ship-yard.

Phil and Pat, however, remained with Captain Corbet; and these three walked back along the edge of the cliff; still looking down carefully for signs of Solomon, and keeping up constantly their loud, shrill cries.

Thus they walked back, till, at length, they reached the place where the alders were growing.  Here they were compelled to make a detour as before, after which they returned to the cliff, and walked along, shouting and yelling as when they came.

XIV.

Back again.—­Calls and Cries.—­Captain Corbet’s Yell.—­A significant Sign.—­The old Hat.—­The return Cry.—­The Boat rounds the Point.

Captain Corbet, with Phil and Pat, walked along the top of the cliff in this way, narrowly scrutinizing the rocks below, and calling and shouting, until, at length, they reached the place at which they had first come out upon the shore.

“Now, boys,” said the captain, “from here to the pint down thar is all new ground.  We must go along here, an keep a good lookout.  If we hev any chance left of findin anythin, it’s thar.  I’m ony sorry we didn’t examine this here fust an foremost, before wanderin away off up thar, whar ’tain’t at all likely that Solomon ever dreamed of goin.  I hope the boys won’t be long gettin off that thar boat.”