“I was thinking about that myself,” Jerry put in. “I didn’t know there was a cove along here.”
“Let’s take a look,” suggested Ned.
“How can we, without going back and meeting the men?”
“Easy enough,” came from Jerry. “We’ll walk along for a mile or so, then cut down along parallel to the coast and walk back toward the beach. We ought to come out right back of the cove, if there is one, or very near to it.”
This was voted a good plan to follow, and, with no further objections from Bob, the boys trudged along. It was hot and hard work, but they were very anxious to find out the secret of the cove, as they believed the men had some object in not allowing them to pass.
The locality was a deserted one. It was half way between two summer resorts, and there was not a house in sight. It was about as lonesome a place as one could find in the midst of civilization. Nothing was to be seen but sand and rank grass.
“Do you s’pose these men had anything to do with stealing our boat and with the lighthouse plot?” asked Bob, as he and his chums walked along.
“I’m not good at riddles,” returned Jerry. “First we’ll see what the cove holds.”
They kept on for an hour and began to work their way in toward the shore again. They kept a careful watch for the men but saw no one. They came to a place where the weeds and grass were quite high. It was tangled together by the wind and they had to struggle to get through it. Jerry, who was in the lead, emerged on a clear, sandy place. He gave one look down and uttered a low cry.
“What is it?” called Ned.