The boys had a pair of marine glasses handy, and as quickly as it could be done Andy adjusted these and gazed earnestly at the waters behind the yacht.
“I see something sticking up in the water. It’s bobbing around like a little yellow flag.”
“And that’s just what it is!” cried Fred.
All of the boys looked at the object in the water and then hurried off to tell Captain Corning.
They found the captain in an exceedingly angry mood. The two Norwegian sailors, Larsen and Smader, were partly under the influence of drink and had admitted that they had received the liquor from Olesen.
“They’re not going to play any more tricks on me,” roared the master of the Firefly. “I’m going to run for the nearest town on the coast and put them ashore—I mean Olesen and Amend. The men can remain if they’ll promise to keep sober and behave themselves.”
“What do you suppose the yellow flag means?” asked Randy.
“I suppose it’s some kind of a buoy. The water around here isn’t over eighty feet deep, and he could easily attach a small flag to a large cork and then let down a line with a small weight attached. With a good pair of glasses the flag could be seen from quite a distance. Evidently those rascals intended to mark that spot. Probably they found something else besides the demijohn and feel pretty certain the wreck is somewhere in this vicinity.”
The captain lost no time in carrying out what he had decided to do. He went below and armed himself and also armed his mate. Then he called Olesen and Amend to him.
There was almost an explosion when the head diver realized that his tricks had been discovered. He had just enough liquor in him to be ugly, and he was on the point of attacking the captain when the latter ordered him back, producing his pistol as he spoke.