“But we needn’t trouble ourselves about that,” said Phil; “he can’t dig it up.”
“But he thinks he can,” said Chap. “If he didn’t he wouldn’t have kept so quiet about it; giving us good advice about being drowned; trying to pull wool over our eyes,—the bullfrog!”
The boys were of the opinion that the wreck must have parted somewhere about the middle, and that the stern, or after-portion, which extended out into deep water, had been gradually forced by the heavy spring tides a short distance farther down the river.
It was agreed that surveys and examinations should be made as soon as they could do so without the company of the French boy.
“I’m going to keep an eye on him,” said Chap, “to see that he don’t do anything on his own account. It would be just like him to get a lot of nitro-glycerine and an electric battery and blow the whole thing up without letting us know anything about it.”
“I guess we’d know it when she blew up,” said Phil, “and then we could go down and rake up the golden guineas that would be scattered along the shore.”
“You are always making fun,” said Chap. “Now, I am in earnest about this thing!”
“You’ll find me in earnest, too,” said Phil, “if the time ever comes to do anything.”
The Webster family now considered it proper for Chap’s visit at Hyson Hall to come to an end, but there was no objection to his spending as much of his vacation time there as he chose, provided he came home to eat and sleep.
This interfered somewhat with his intended watch over Emile, but in spite of obstacles he kept a constant eye, if not upon the French boy, at least upon the scene of his expected operations.