“W-Well, if he thinks we’ve been having a p-p-p-picnic, that’s where he’s off.  We s-sailed over to S-S-Squid C-Cove that night, and went ashore in the t-t-tender.  It was d-d-dark as a p-p-pocket, and this ch-ch-chump here, S-Spike, didn’t make the t-tender f-fast to the s-slip, and she f-floated off.  The f-fog was so thick that we couldn’t s-see the yacht, and we didn’t dare t-try to s-swim for her, b-because if we got wet and c-couldn’t f-find her, and had to l-l-loaf around all night on s-shore, s-s-soppin’ wet, why, that would be r-r-rotten, you see.  S-Spike s-s-stripped and s-swum out into the f-fog, but he couldn’t f-f-find her, and we thought the b-b-blooming yacht had g-gone adrift, t-too!  And so we s-stayed on sh-shore, and slept in a p-p-potato-patch, and all we had to eat was some r-r-radishes.  I ate f-f-fiiteen of ’em, and they g-g-gave me the p-p-p-p-pip...  And when we woke up in the m-morning, there was the t-tender, on sh-shore, about t-twenty yards away,-she had f-floated b-back again, you see.”

We were getting out into the Bay, and I asked them where they were going.

“G-G-G-G-Give it up; there’s no p-place that’s s-safe for us, now.  Everyone’s hand is against us.”

I asked them to head for Lanesport, and told them that I expected to meet the rest of the “Hoppergrass’s” crew there.

“L-L-L-L-L-Lanesport!” exclaimed the boy at the wheel, “it w-would be sailing into the j-j-jaws of d-d-d-death!  W-Why, d-don’t you s-see when we s-stole this b-boat w-we c-committed pup-pup-piracy on the high s-s-seas!  They’d s-s-s-string us right up at the y-y-yard-arm!”

“Oh, no, they wouldn’t.  I’ll fix it up with Captain Bannister.”

“That’s all right,” said Spike, “but piracy isn’t the only thing they’ve got against us.”

“Isn’t it?”

“Not by a long shot.”

“Why, what else have you done?”

“B-B-Burglary, b-b-by g-g-gum!  S-S-Say, what were you f-fellows doing?  This b-boat is said to be owned by n-notorious b-b-b-b-burglars and thieves!”

I put my head down on the cabin, and laughed until I thought I should choke.

“You can laugh, but it didn’t look like a joke to us.”

“You b-bet it didn’t.”

“Where did you go from Squid Cove?”

“We stayed right there most of the morning,—­eating breakfast, and getting some sleep, and—­”

“R-R-Recoverin’ from the p-p-p-p-potato-patch.”

“Then we sailed around the Bay, and just fooled about until the last part of the afternoon.  All the time we were wondering who this boat belonged to, and what they were doing about it.  Once we started to abandon her at Squid Cove, and write a ’nonymous letter to the owner at Lanesport.  Then Spook here, the big galoot, thought it would be a good idea to sail over to Bailey’s Harbor and find out what had happened, and if there was any news of Father and—­”

“Th-That’s where I w-was f-f-f-foxy!”