CHAPTER XXII
BOUND FOR THE GULF OF MEXICO
“Off at last!”
“Good-bye, everybody! Take good care of yourselves!”
“Good-bye, boys! I hope this quest proves successful.”
The time for the departure of the Firefly had come at last. The oil-burning yacht was leaving from one of the docks in Brooklyn, and all of the other Rovers had come over to see them off.
“Be careful and don’t let anything happen to you!” called Martha Rover.
“And be sure to send us letters whenever you get a chance,” put in Mary.
“Don’t lose any hairpins, Mary, while we’re gone!” shouted back Andy, in an attempt at light-heartedness, for he could see that the girls, as well as the boys’ mothers, were looking very sober. Of all things, Andy detested seeing a girl or a woman cry.
“Be careful and keep out of trouble,” called Dick Rover. “And if you need any assistance don’t hesitate to send a wireless or a telegram.”
“We’ll be all right, Dad!” shouted Jack. “Good-bye, Mother! Good-bye, everybody!” Then, while the boys and men waved their caps and hats and the girls and the ladies waved their handkerchiefs, the Firefly slid slowly out of her berth by the side of the dock and turned down the East River toward the Bay; and the expedition in search of the lost Margarita was begun.