"Let's go down to the breakwater," suggested Tom. "I really ought to visit it once in the night, despite the fact that Corbett is a wholly reliable foreman, and that he has his own pick of workmen on patrol duty there."
As the chums stepped out from under the trees in full view of the breakwater site they beheld the lanterns of the patrol, like so many fireflies, twinkling and bobbing here and there along the narrow-topped retaining wall.
Tom and Dick went out on the wall until they encountered the first workman on patrol. Tom took this man's lantern and signaled the motor boat as it stood in shore.
"All going right, Corbett?" the young engineer hailed, as soon as the
"Morton" had come up alongside.
"As far as I can see, Mr. Reade, there's not a sign of the enemy to-night. But of course you know, sir, that we've been just as sure on other nights, only to have a large part of the wall blown clean out of the water."
"All I can say," Tom nodded, "is to go on keeping your eyes and ears open."
"Yes, sir; you may be sure I'll do that," nodded the foreman.
Then Reade and his army chum returned to the shore.
"I guess it will be a wholly blind hunt," Tom laughed, "but I've a notion for returning to the spot where we encountered Sambo Ebony before this night."
After they had left the beach well behind, the chums strolled in under the trees of a rather sparse grove.