Immediately exclamations of astonishment announced that the others had sighted the alarming spectacle.
"They're expecting to take us by surprise, because we'd never think of standing guard along that side of the old tub," Jimmy declared as his opinion.
"It wasn't such a bad scheme, either," added Teddy. "Only for that man sneezing when he shouldn't, neither of you two might have discovered the boat."
"That's as true as anything you ever said, old man," assented Jack, who never wanted to claim honors he had not fairly won. "But you know it's the old Black Bear and Wolf luck.
"We're always running slap up against the greatest things ever heard of."
"And first chance I find," muttered Teddy, "I'm going to get transferred from the old Eagle into one of the other patrols. Whoever heard of an Eagle having any special luck? That's because they went and named their patrol after a bald-headed old pirate, who loves to rob the hard working fish-hawk of his dinner, time in and time out."
Nobody was paying any particular attention to Teddy's lament, however, and so he started in to take a second and more particular look at the dancing object that could be seen one moment, as it rose on a wave, and then vanishing from view again.
"Can you all make it out?" asked Jack.
Even Francois said there was no difficulty now; while Jimmy, as if to prove that his sight was good, went on to say:
"It seems to be a pretty hefty boat, too, fellers?"