“Just as I expected. Now look out for breakers.”
Curtis, in turn, took a look at the schooner and was surprised to see that she was manned by academy boys, to wit, Enoch Williams, Jones, and Lester Brigham. As the little vessels dashed by each other, moving swiftly in opposite directions, no sign of recognition was exchanged between the crews. They seldom spoke now.
Don and his brother had made commendable progress during their last year at school, and had both received well-earned promotions at the close of the examination. Don was now lieutenant-colonel of the academy battalion, and Bert was the ranking captain; while Lester and his two friends had not been able to win so much as a corporal’s chevrons. Of course this made them angry, and they were waiting for an opportunity to be revenged upon Don and Bert. How the latter could be blamed because Lester and his cronies had failed in their examination, it would have puzzled a sensible boy to determine. Probably Lester did not understand the matter himself; but there was one thing he did understand, and that was, that things were going altogether too smoothly with Don and Bert. It would have afforded him infinite pleasure if he could have been the means of getting them into some serious trouble. During the last school term he had watched them as closely as a cat ever watched a mouse, in the hope that he would see a chance to report them for some neglect of duty; but he had his trouble for his pains. As soldiers and students there was not the least fault to be found with them, and if it had not been for Enoch, Lester would have given up in despair. How his friend encouraged him we shall see presently.
“Those fellows will be up to some sort of mischief before we see the last of them,” observed Curtis, after he had taken a good look at the schooner.
“That is my opinion,” said Egan, “and I believe that Enoch has been up to something already. I don’t know it to be a fact, but still I am pretty certain that he is hail fellow well met with these big-gunners, and if he is, he will bear watching.”
“What is that long black streak out there on the water?” asked Bert, suddenly.
Egan looked in the direction indicated, and a moment later the Sallie came up into the wind, then filled away on the other tack and started back up the bay.
“That is a bed of ducks,” said the skipper. “I shouldn’t wonder if there were thousands in it. They are only a short distance from the foot of Powell’s Island, and it will be no trouble at all to toll them in so that we can get a shot at them.”
“Well,” said Bert, when Egan paused, “we should like to be told what tolling is.”
“I would rather show you than try to explain it to you,” was the reply. “The only way to find out is to see for yourself.”