Much obliged to you, sir," he continued.

"Don't mention it," replied the man of the yellow oilskins. "Quite a drizzle; isn't it?"

"Regular Scotch mist!" chuckled Walter, in exaggerated Highland accents.

"I suppose we can get to Riverhead by turning around, following the left sh.o.r.e here until we come to the place where Batter Creek runs into the Chelton, and then go up the river?" suggested Jack, as he slowly slid the window shut.

"That's right," returned the fisherman. "But don't go up this creek any further, or you'll run aground in a swamp."

"Thanks," called Jack. "Oh, I say, are you going or coming?"

"What do you mean?"

"I mean have you been fishing, or are you just going?"

"Just going. They always bite pretty well for me in a rain."

"Oh. I thought maybe if you had any we'd buy 'em."

"Sorry, but I haven't anything but shiners for bait. I'm going down to the deep water."

"What in the world did you want to buy fish for, Jack?" asked his sister as he closed the window, and the yellow figure splashed away.

"To eat," was his answer. "We've got to have supper; haven't we?"

"But can't we go on to Riverhead, and then to the bungalow?" asked Bess.

"Hardly," declared Jack. "It isn't so late, of course. But this rain is going to keep up, if I'm any judge, and though we might manage to reach Riverhead, we certainly couldn't undertake a ride over the mountain trail in an open buckboard in this downpour."

"But what are we going to do?" cried Hazel, opening her eyes wide. She seemed in much distress.

"Do? Why, stay right here, my dear," said Jack. "That is, if you will allow that poetic license-because 'dear' rhymes with 'here.'"

"Oh," murmured Hazel, blushing. "Stay here?"

"We have remained on board over night," Cora remarked. "But we'll be a bit crowded," and she glanced appraisingly at Jack and his chums.

"Don't worry about us, Sis," he hastened to a.s.sure her. "We can bunk anywhere, or sit up. I don't feel sleepy anyhow."

"But we've got to eat," said Walter. "Too bad that chap didn't have any fish. We could have fried them on the gasoline stove." The _Corbelbes_ was fitted up with a little galley, the girls often having stayed on board for days at a time.

"Maybe we can catch some ourselves," suggested Paul.

"No outfit or bait," remarked Jack.

"A bent pin and a piece of string?" suggested Paul, but not with any degree of enthusiasm.

"Well, we've got to do something," Cora declared. She had again set the engine in motion, but it was running only fast enough to overcome the sluggish current in the creek.

"Stay here," urged Jack. "We know where we are now, but if we go down stream in the darkness we may fetch up at a place we don't know."

"You mean tie up here?" asked his sister.

"Sure. Cast the anchor, set the riding lights, make everything snug below and aloft, my captainess, and turn in. Set an anchor watch, heave the lead, and 'ware the lee sh.o.r.e and breakers ahead! Yo ho! My hearties! The stormy winds do blow, do blow, do blow!" and Jack began howling an old sea-song at the top of his voice.

"Jack, be quiet!" insisted Cora. "You'll arouse the neighborhood."

"There aren't any neighbors here," he laughed. "The only one there was has gone fishing, and he doesn't mind! Yo, he ho!"

"I guess to tie up is the best thing to do," said Paul, and there was something in his manner that caused Cora to say:

"All right, Jack. Drop the anchor, and we'll stay here for the night."

"And then see about something to eat," suggested Walter.

Jack made a dash outside, shoved over the anchor, took a turn of the cable about a deck cleat and came back into the cabin. The _Corbelbes_ was tied up for the night.

CHAPTER X-A NIGHT RIDE

"Well, now that we're here--"

"Because we're here," Walter interrupted Cora, in the words of the foolish song. "Excuse me," he added, as he caught her look, "I didn't mean anything special."

"Now that we're here," Cora resumed, "hadn't we better--"

"See to the eats," broke in Paul. "No offense, loidy!" he hastened to add, imitating a tramp, "but wees would loik a bit of a bite--"

"Speaking of bites," laughed Jack, "some fish wouldn't go half bad."

"Will you be quiet!" commanded Cora. "I want to say something!"

"Say on!" urged Jack. "Now that we are here, as snug as a rug in a bug--"

Cora reached for something, she was not just sure what, and Jack, knowing that his sister had a straighter aim than have most girls, cried:

"Don't shoot, Davy Crockett, I'll come down."

"You'd better," Cora said, laughing in spite of herself. "Now that we are here--"

"She said that before," whispered Jack, but his sister took no notice, going on with:

"We must see about something to eat. We have enough for supper, but breakfast will be another matter. I'd like to get some bacon and eggs.

That, with coffee, will make a good morning meal."

"And what, if I may be so bold as to ask," came from Bess, "is to be the menu for this evening."