Four Afloat Part 33

In the excitement of getting afloat they had forgotten the whistle, but now Nelson made up for lost time, and the launch poked her way gingerly along to an accompaniment of distressful shrieks.

"How are we going to know when we get back to where we left Tommy?"

asked Bob down the companion way.

"We'll just have to guess at it," was the answer. "If we get where Tommy can hear the whistle we'll be doing all right."

Several minutes pa.s.sed. Then came another caution from the bow.

"Land on the port bow," called Dan. "Hold her off a bit more, Bob."

"All right," said Dan a moment later. "Can't see anything now. Seems to me, though, we ought to be far enough."

"I guess we are," answered Bob dryly. "We're out on the bar, I should say."

"What do you mean?"

"Don't you feel the swells? If we aren't in the Sound we're pretty near it."

"But how can we be? We've been going up the river toward New London, haven't we?"

"I thought we had, but we haven't, I guess. Say, Nel, come up here a minute."

Nelson appeared and agreed with Bob.

"Either we are somewhere around the mouth of the river or else we're in a steamboat's wake; and we haven't heard any pa.s.s. Wait a bit." He went down and stopped the engine. "Now," he said as he came back, "let's have that boat hook a minute."

Dan pa.s.sed it to him and he dropped it into the water, keeping hold of the end. The submerged portion floated back against the hull. Nelson pulled it up and tried again over the stern.

"We're just about broadside to the current," he announced. "And I'm blest if I know where we are. Best thing we can do is to drop anchor, I guess."

"Not if we're in the middle of the river," said Bob. "Let's keep on a bit farther. Dan saw land a moment ago over there. Suppose I head that way and we creep over until we find it again. Then we won't be in danger of being run down by somebody."

"That's so," answered Nelson. "Keep your eyes open, Dan."

So the _Vagabond_ took up her travels again, groping her way through the gray mist, with Dan peering anxiously from the bow. It was rather exciting while it lasted and the monotonous screech of the whistle breaking the silence lent an uncanny touch to the adventure. Then--

"Stop her!" called Dan, and Bob repeated the injunction to Nelson at the engine. The propeller stopped and the launch floated softly through the mist. "Star-board a little," said Dan. Bob turned the wheel. "All right," said Dan. "How's this, Nel?"

Nelson had joined him and was peering perplexedly through the fog.

"I don't see any land," he said finally.

"Over there. I can't see it myself now, though. Wait a bit and the fog will thin. There it is," said Dan. "See that dark line?"

"Yes. Let's put the anchor down. Stand by the cable, will you? It's all snarled up." There was a splash which sounded momentously loud in the stillness and the cable ran out for some ten feet. "We must be pretty well in toward sh.o.r.e," said Nelson.

"Now what?" asked Bob, working his way forward over the slippery deck.

They looked from one to another. Finally--

"Stay here until the fog lifts and we can find Tommy, I guess," said Nelson.

"Hang Tommy, anyhow," said Bob disgustedly. "He's always getting lost in the fog."

"Yes, it's the easiest thing he does," agreed Dan. "He ought to write a book about it when he gets home. 'Fogs I Have Met, by Thomas Courtenay Ferris.'"

"Supposing we shoot off that revolver of yours a few times?" Nelson suggested.

"All right," said Bob. "I'll get it."

"It was a dandy joke of yours, Dan," said Nelson. Dan shrugged his shoulders and wiped the drops from his face against his sleeve.

"How the d.i.c.kens was I to know this fool fog was coming up?" he asked.

"Here, let me shoot that, Bob."

"You run away," answered Bob, as he filled the chamber of his revolver.

"But I feel that I am to blame in the matter," said Dan earnestly, "and I ought to be allowed to do all I can to-er-remedy things."

"Well, you can't shoot my revolver," answered Bob dryly. "But you can hold the cartridges."

"Let me shoot once," Dan begged. Bob relented and between them they banged away into the air until there was a good-sized hole in the contents of the cartridge box and Bob called a halt. Then they listened attentively.

"There!" whispered Dan.

"Steamboat whistle," said Bob, and Nelson nodded concurrence.

"Let's shout," said Dan. They shouted. Then they stopped and listened again. There was not a sound to be heard save the faint lapping of the waves against the sh.o.r.e.

CHAPTER XVIII-IN WHICH TOM PUTS UP AT THE SEAMONT INN

Tom stirred uneasily and brushed his nose with his hand. A drop of moisture had formed on it and was tickling him. Dimly aware of a change in conditions since he had fallen asleep, he opened his eyes, blinked, and sat up. The tent had disappeared; Dan had disappeared; Nelson had disappeared; everyone had disappeared! There was nothing in sight save, a few feet away, the blackened remains of last night's fire and the pile of wood which he had collected. After the first expression of surprise had pa.s.sed from his countenance a smile of amus.e.m.e.nt settled on it. Tom chuckled.

"I'll bu-bu-bet Dan did it," he said half aloud. He threw his blanket from him and stood up. The fog was so thick that he couldn't see the edge of the sh.o.r.e, but he remembered where the tender had been and, with blanket over his shoulders, he walked toward it. He found the landing but no tender.

"I suppose they're waiting for me to yell out to them. Well, they probably won't come until I do. So here goes: O Dan! O fellows!"

Silence.

"_Vagabond_ ahoy!" shouted Tom. "Say, cut it out, will you? I want my breakfast!"

Silence.

"Oh, thunder!" muttered Tom, pulling the blanket up over his head to keep the fog from sifting down his neck. "Think you're smart, don't you?" At that moment the fog cleared for a tiny s.p.a.ce and Tom stared in puzzled surprise. Then the mists shut down again as quickly as they had lifted, but not before Tom had seen that the _Vagabond_ was no longer in sight. He sat down on the stone wall and tried to reason it out. Of course it had been Dan's idea; no one but Dan would think of such a trick. They had gone off to the boat and had managed to get the tent down without disturbing him. But afterwards? Why had they gone off in the launch? Probably to make him think that they had left him for good.

Very well, then he would follow. He recollected that below the cove the sh.o.r.e had jutted out into a wooded point; he had gathered wood along the edge of it yesterday afternoon. They had probably taken the launch around the point out of sight. So the best thing to do was to walk along the sh.o.r.e until he got to where they were. Then he'd tell them just what he thought of them!