"Never mind," said Teddy, "we've got Bill's eyes to fall back on, and if they can see as far out over the water as they used to over the prairie, they'll be almost as good as gla.s.ses."

Over an hour elapsed without any trace of the derelict, and Lester began to feel uneasy in regard to his long absence from home.

"I hate to cut this short," he said reluctantly, "but I know just how father is feeling after yesterday's storm, and I feel it's up to me to let him know we're safe. As soon as we've done that, we can put right out again and spend the whole day looking for the boat."

"You're just right," answered Ross heartily. "You fellows have done enough for me already and you ought to make a bee-line for home. The chances are all against our finding the motor boat anyway. It may have sunk long ago."

Just as Lester was about to act on the suggestion, there was a cry from Bill:

"There's something over there that may be what we're after. I've been watching it for some minutes. It's a boat of some kind, and it hasn't any sails. It doesn't seem to be going anywhere, but is just tossing up and down."

The rest strained their eyes, but at first could see only a tiny dot.

Lester steered straight toward the object and as a stiff breeze filled the sail he made rapid progress.

"That's it!" shouted Ross jubilantly, as they came closer; "I've handled it too long to be mistaken."

"Hurrah!" cried Teddy.

"Great!" exclaimed Fred. "It wasn't a forlorn hope after all."

"We're some little searchers, all right," exulted Bill.

They were soon within a hundred feet of the motor boat. It was a trim, smart-looking little craft, and the boys admired the long sloping lines that denoted speed. There was no sign of any damage to the boat, but the loggy way in which it moved showed that it had shipped a lot of water.

With a skilful twist of the tiller, Lester rounded to on the port side.

Fred reached out and held the two boats together with the hook, while the others let the fenders over the side to keep the boats from sc.r.a.ping.

"Right as a trivet," said Lester. "Here's your boat, Ross, old man, and as far as I can see it's just as good as ever."

"I'll never forget you fellows as long as I live!" exclaimed Ross gratefully, as he leaped to the deck of his own craft.

CHAPTER VIII

A SLENDER CHANCE

Ross was quickly followed by Bill and Teddy. Lester and Fred waited only until they had fastened the two boats securely together, then they followed the example of their mates.

"She isn't full of water or anything like that, is she?" remarked Teddy, as he saw the water sloshing from one side to the other as the boat rocked on the waves.

"Two feet at least," judged Bill.

"Not more than eighteen inches," was the verdict of Lester, who was accustomed to measure depths where water was concerned. "But that's enough and more than enough. She's a pretty good seaworthy boat, or she'd have shipped a good deal more."

"She must have ridden the waves like a cork," said Fred in admiration.

The motor boat was not quite as large as the _Ariel_, being perhaps two feet shorter, and also narrower in the beam. In the stern there was a gasoline engine of the newest type, bearing the name of a celebrated maker. Amidships, there was a tiny cabin that one had to stoop to enter.

On one side of this were small lockers, one designed to hold tools and spare parts of the engine, the other serving as a pantry. On the other side was a low, broad seat extending the whole length of the cabin, and on this was a cushion which at night served as a mattress for the owner of the boat.

Everything about the little craft was trim and plain, the only ornament in sight being some bra.s.s work that surrounded the binnacle. It was clear that it had been built with an eye to usefulness rather than beauty.

"The first thing now, fellows," said Lester, after a quick glance around had satisfied his curiosity, "is to get the water over into the sea where it belongs. We'd better get off our shoes and socks and roll our trousers up high."

In a twinkling, the boys were ready for wading.

"I have a bailer here," said Ross, producing it from the locker.

"That's all right but it isn't enough," said Fred. "I'll get Lester's, and you fellows can rustle up something else that will do the trick."

The boys were rather restricted in their choice, but the articles they finally got together for the purpose served well enough. As Teddy put it, the collection was "neat but not gaudy." He had the frying pan, Bill handled the coffee pot, Lester used a huge sponge, while Fred and Ross did effective work with the bailers.

Before the onslaught of five st.u.r.dy pairs of arms, the water went down quickly and was soon so low that only the sponge could be used. Five minutes more, and the last drop had been squeezed over the side.

"There," said Lester, as he flung the sponge back into the _Ariel_.

"She's empty now and the hot sun will soon dry out the planks. But I wouldn't advise you to sleep on those cushions to-night, unless you want to get rheumatism or pneumonia."

"I'm not going to," answered Ross. "As soon as I get the engine going, I'll beat it to Oakland, and I'll sleep between sheets to-night in a regular bed."

"It won't be a bad place, either, after last night on the sand," replied Teddy.

"Are you staying at Oakland right along, when you're not cruising around?" asked Lester.

"Yes, I've been there for the last two months. I have relatives there."

"If there's nothing special to call you there now, I'd be glad to have you come along with us to Bartanet Shoals," said Lester hospitably.

"That would be great!" exclaimed Fred. "Then we could talk more about the missing money. There'll be a hundred things come up that we'll want to ask you about."

"It's very kind of you," responded Ross warmly, "and I'd like nothing better. But just now I'm looking for my mother to come down from her home in Canada. She may be here any time now, and I want to be on hand when she comes. She's going to stay for several weeks. But the very first chance I get, I'll come over to the Shoals."

"All right," said Lester. "The latch string hangs outside the door, and we'll be glad to see you."

"How's the engine?" asked Bill.

"Right as can be, as far as I can see," was the answer. "I'll have to dry it and polish it. There wasn't anything serious the matter with it yesterday--just a little trouble with the ignition--and I was just getting it into shape, when that big wave came aboard and took me over."

"We'll stand by anyway for a few minutes to make sure," said Lester, as he rose to return to the _Ariel_.

"Don't wait another minute," urged Ross earnestly. "You fellows have done enough for me already, and I know you're just aching to get home to relieve your father's mind."

"We'll cast off anyway," was the reply. "It'll take a little time to run up the sheet and get ready to sail, and by that time you'll know better how things are."

"What do you call your boat, Ross?" asked Teddy, as the rest of the boys rose to follow Lester.

"I've named her the _Sleuth_," answered Ross.