And as they turned their eyes in the direction of the erratic speed boat, what was their amazement to see the little craft moving away at a fast pace, although the engine was quite dead and cold, and not the first sign of a human being could be detected aboard.

It was a mystery that sent a cold chill through every heart!

CHAPTER XVII.

GOOD-BYE TO AN ANCHOR.

"Who's playing this trick on me?" demanded George, as he reached the others.

"Look around and you'll see we're all here, with Jack running like mad this way," observed Herb, indignantly.

"But what in the Sam Hill ails the bally old boat, then?" exclaimed George, as he turned his eyes again on the fast receding _Wireless_, that was heading out from the sh.o.r.e.

"It's some trick of a native cracker; he's swimming under water, and pulling the boat after him. We've got to get in the other boats and give chase," declared shrewd Josh.

"It's mighty queer, that's all!" gasped Nick; while Jimmy stood as if turned into stone, his eyes round with fear and superst.i.tion, for Jimmy had inherited the regular Irish belief in banshees and ghosts.

George made a dash for the nearest boat, which happened to be the _Tramp_.

"Wait for me!" shouted the owner of that craft, who was putting on a spurt in order to reach them quickly, having forgotten all about his finny prizes in this new and overwhelming discovery.

He came up on the run, but already Herb was in the _Comfort_, about to start the engine.

"No need, Herb," gasped Jack, "George and myself can overtake it with the _Tramp_. The rest of you stay here."

"But glory be, what ails the ould thing?" demanded Jimmy, determined not to let the commodore get away without some explanation of the puzzle.

"Why, don't you understand?" said Jack, as he busied himself with the motor. "A big fish, perhaps a wandering shark, has fouled the anchor rope, and getting badly rattled, has put off at full speed, dragging the boat after him. He's headed for the nearest inlet at this very minute; but we'll beat him at that little game, won't we, George?"

Then the rattle of the motor sounded, and immediately the _Tramp_ set off in the wake of the runaway motor boat.

A more surprised lot of boys it would have been difficult to find than those thus left upon the little sandy beach on Cedar Island. They stared after the two boats, and then turned to look at each other.

"Well, did you ever?" gasped Nick.

"Beats Bannigher, so it does," declared Jimmy, though it could be seen that a humorous expression had taken the place of that look of fear on his freckled face.

"A shark got mussed up in the anchor rope, and then set out to steal the whole outfit!" remarked Herb. "Well, of all the funny things, don't that take the cake, though?"

"That silly old boat of George's seems to me is always cutting up some sort of capers. She's the toughest proposition ever," Josh declared.

"That's what I'm saying all the blessed time," grunted Nick, unconsciously beginning to feel of his various joints, as though the mere mention of the _Wireless_ made him remember his aches.

"But can they overtake the measly thing?" Josh asked, watching nervously to see if he could determine how the race was progressing.

"Just because the _Wireless_ is the faster boat, don't think Jack isn't going to run her down, hand over fist," declared Herb. "Already he's gaining on the other. You see, the shark isn't used to towing a boat like that at race-horse speed. And then the anchor bothers him some, I bet you."

"Will George shoot the monster--for I take it a shark must be of pretty good size to run away with a motor boat like that?" Josh inquired.

"Watch and see what happens. George has his gun in his hands, and seems to be looking over, as if he'd just like to shoot; but pshaw! the shark will stick to the bottom right along, and he can't be touched."

It was evident to them all that unless some other line of action was brought into play the pursuers would have a pretty hard time of it outwitting the thief that refused to show himself near the surface.

But they knew Jack would be equal to any occasion, and it was with more or less curiosity rather than alarm that those ash.o.r.e stood there, watching, and waiting to see the close of the exciting little drama.

"There, George has put down his gun; and I reckon Jack told him it was no good trying to cop the old pirate that way. Now what's he doing, fellows?" Nick remarked.

"I saw the sunlight s.h.i.+ne on something he's got in his hand," declared Herb.

"That's roight," Jimmy observed, with conviction. "And it's a knife he is howldin', so it is."

"Oh! my goodness gracious! I hope that foolish and rash George isn't thinking of going overboard, and engaging the man-eater in a fight, just like I've read those pearl divers do!" Nick gasped.

"Rats! what d'ye think George is made of to play such a foolish game?"

Jimmy cried. "It's to cut the anchor rope the laddy buck means to thry!"

"That's right, Jimmy; and you can be sure it was Jack put him wise to that," Herb broke in with.

"But," Nick went on, still half dazed, "he'll never see his blessed old anchor any more, will he? The blooming old shark will run off with it."

"Let him," laughed Josh, in derision. "Better to lose a measly anchor than have the boat go to smash. Looky, fellows, he's going to do it right now!"

Every one of them stared as hard as he could. The two boats had not gone so far off but what a pair of good eyes could observe what was taking place, even though night was coming on apace, with some clouds gathering overhead.

Jack had run the _Tramp_ alongside the erratic runaway, and George was seen to clamber aboard his own boat. Of course, after that it would be a simple job to press the keen edge of Jack's knife upon the strained anchor rope.

"He did it!" shouted Jimmy, as the _Wireless_ was noticed to fall suddenly behind the other craft, as though relieved from the unseen force that had been towing her away at such a headlong pace.

And presently the speed boat was seen to move of her own accord, George having turned his engine, and thrown on power.

They came back side by side, the skippers laughing heartily at the harmless end of what had at one time threatened to prove a calamity.

"No harm done except that I must buy a new cable and anchor at Beaufort," said George, as he once more drew up by the side of the _Comfort_.

"I've got a spare rope I can lend you till then," spoke up Herb, who liked to fish up all manner of contraptions from the depths of the roomy craft, and see the surprise written on the faces of his chums.

So, after all, the excitement died out, though they would never forget their amazement at seeing the boat rus.h.i.+ng off without any visible reason for its flight.

Jack went back and secured the finny prizes that he had taken, upon which Josh set Jimmy to work, as the Irish boy was a master hand at cleaning fish. George, it turned out, had knocked down a whole covey of small birds, and several of them got busy plucking the feathers from these.

Nick was willing to do what he could, but truth to tell, he proved so clumsy at the task that it took him the whole time to get just one little bird ready, while Jack and Herb did six apiece.

Of course, they feasted that night, and considerable of the talk around the camp-fire concerned the late adventure.

"It might have been much more serious," George declared.