“That is as good as any. We can watch out for the Catch Me, and by getting her away leave the robbers without a means of quitting the place.”
“True! I never thought of that. The south shore it is.”
Presently the setting sun came out, and we made arrangements to dry our clothing. Luckily there were a couple of old suits in the cuddy of the sloop, and these were put on in the meanwhile.
In half an hour we were in sight of the island, and then we took a reef in the mainsail, and lowered the jib.
“We want to be as careful as possible,” I said. “These men are desperate, and they may be on the watch for any one who comes along.”
“You’ve got the gun.”
“I know that; but it isn’t much to depend on in a tight corner.”
In a moment we were within a hundred feet of the rocky shore. Nothing was to be seen of a boat of any kind.
“It is evident that Mr. Norton didn’t land here,” I said, “unless he pulled his boat ’way up in the bushes; and that I don’t believe, for the Catch Me is a heavy craft to handle.”
“Shall we go around to the east or west?” asked my companion.