"Where are you fellows going?"
"Home," answered Ben.
"You are taking the longest and hardest way."
"The longest way around is the nearest way home, you know," answered William.
"I don't believe it is, in this instance," said James Porter. "Let's see who will be at the long dock first."
"All right," answered the smugglers.
And they disappeared behind a high-wooded promontory of the island.
It was hard work, pulling against a current that ran four miles an hour, but they were accustomed to it, and the thought of again beating the coast-guards gave strength to their arms.
In a few moments a sudden filling of the sails announced that they had caught the breeze. The oars were drawn in, and every sheet hauled taut, and, when they rounded the head of the island, not one of the squadron was in sight.
"I expected," said Harry, speaking in a loud voice, so that the others could hear, "that they would feel the wind long before this."