“We’re safe, now, aren’t we?” inquired Mrs. Lester, bending forward, her eyes shining.
“Unless there’s some new trouble with the motor,” Tom answered her, “we ought to be back at the Dunstan place in twenty minutes.”
Now, Jed brought the third can of gasoline from the locker aft. He and Joe succeeded in emptying it. If all went well, there was now enough oil in the tank to carry the boat much further than she had to go. Even at that, however, the boat was running with less gasoline than she had ever carried in her tank before.
“There are Mr. Dunstan and his wife down at the pier, watching us,” announced Miss Jessie, as they came within eye-range of the Dunstan place. “They must have been dreadfully worried about us.”
“Now, I know what danger is, and just what courage and steadfastness men may show,” remarked Miss Elsie, as they passed south of a little headland that formed one of the shelters of the Dunstan cove.
“And you know how much grit women may show,” rejoined Halstead, “for not once did you give us any trouble.”
“Perhaps we were too badly frightened to make trouble,” laughed Jessie Lester.
“Well, you didn’t any of you faint or have hysterics after you realized the danger was over, did you?” retorted Captain Tom, laughing. “You can’t get away from the charge that you all showed splendid courage as soon as you realized that we were in real danger.”
“But you were planning to swim ashore with us from the reef,” said Mrs. Lester.
“I’m very, very thankful we didn’t have to try it,” replied Halstead, soberly. “It would have been one of those one-in-a-hundred chances that I don’t like to have to take.”