"Oh, there's no need to be alarmed," consoled Frank. "Perhaps the storm delayed them so that they didn't reach Hawk Cove until it was too late to catch the mail. Or perhaps they stopped off at one of the other fishing villages down at the entrance to the bay. A dozen things might have happened. You'll probably hear from him to-morrow—or to-night, perhaps."
"That storm was too terrible!" declared the girl. "They should never have gone on. They should have turned back when the rest of us did."
"I guess they didn't want to turn back once they had started," ventured Joe. "Biff doesn't like to admit he's licked."
"Neither does Chet," the girl replied. "They're both headstrong and I guess they thought we'd make fun of them if they had to come back to Bayport and start over again."
"Well, we'll be back to-morrow. I'm sure you'll hear from him by then," said Frank reassuringly. "And if we hear anything we'll let you know."
"Please do."
The Hardy boys walked back to their motorcycles. When they were out of hearing Frank remarked in a low voice:
"I don't like the looks of this, at all! I'm beginning to think something has happened."