"Mr. Gibbons, you don't know how grateful I am to you," said Bob.
"That's all right," said the lawyer. "I just told him that the ponies were willed to you, and that settled it. He said that Gus had taken a powerful shine to the horses, and he thought he would buy them."
He didn't make any remark about the other things on which Mr. Layton had committed himself, for he wanted time to work them up. He had just as good as told him that he knew where the other man—that is, Captain Nellis—was, and he wanted to be sure of it before he went any further.
The boys got into the buggy, Hank took the thills of the dog-cart under his arm, and the two set off for the livery-stable, and after that they started out for a drive. What was it that impelled Bob to turn away from his home instead of going to it as fast as he could? He would have arrived there in time to catch Joe Lufkin in the act of pulling out of the bay with Ben Watson stowed away under the tarpaulin, and that would have saved him an immense amount of trouble. He turned away and went out into the country, and no boy ever enjoyed himself as Bob did during that ride.
"Uncle Layton said that Gus had taken a powerful shine to the ponies, and that he would have to buy them," said Bob. "He hasn't got money enough to buy them. They are mine, and nobody but myself or a friend shall ever hold a line over them again."
The boys were gone almost all day, until they and the ponies began to get tired of their ride, and then turned toward the livery-stable. The ponies were turned over to those who had a right to care for them, and then they went to the post-office, and continued on their way home. Bob had made it up with Hank that he was to go fishing with him in the morning, and the next day they were to pay a visit to the place where Hank had found the pearls.
"I expect we'll get rich when we go up there," said Bob. "We'll find the pearls so thick that we won't know which one to take first."
"I don't know that I can find any of them," said Hank. "All I know is that I have seen an abundance of them there. And suppose we do find a pocketful of them, there isn't one chance in ten that we shall find another one worth two hundred dollars."
"Well, come over early to-morrow morning, and we'll go fishing. We certainly will not get rich at that. Good-bye."
Bob kept on to the house, which he found with the doors and windows wide open, but could discover no signs of Ben. He went from room to room, calling out Ben's name, but no answer was returned. He found the hoe beside the wood-shed, showing that Ben had been at work in the garden, and even went down the path that led to the beach. There was Ben's boat tied to its staple, and his schooner riding at anchor just as he had left it; so Ben could not have gone to town.