“Now, Enoch,” said Don, “don’t you put yourself or your craft in jeopardy on my account. You are liable to be run down if you don’t show lights.”
“Who’s doing this?” demanded Enoch, goodnaturedly. “You wear the brass collar at the academy, but I am boss here.”
Don laughed and made all haste to get into the warm suit which Jones had taken from the locker, while the latter went on deck and took in the lanterns. It was well that Enoch had taken this precaution, for after the mate of the coaster had returned to his vessel and reported to his captain that the deserter had been rescued by a yacht that was running away with him, the skipper flew into a rage and declared that he would have him back if he had to waste a week in trying to find him; and when he got his hands on him again wouldn’t he haze him, though? He would make him know his place, or he would make him jump overboard in mid-ocean.
As the coaster was between the schooner and the lights on the wharf, Enoch could distinctly see every move she made, and he could hardly refrain from giving a shout of derision when he saw her flatten in her huge mainsail and start in pursuit of the Firefly. He did not know that the duck-shooter and his partner were on board the schooner, acting as advisers to the captain, but he suspected it, and laid his plans accordingly. When Don came up to lend a hand at the work, he stood off on the other tack, and in a few minutes the pursuing coaster was left out of sight. The wind was fresh now, and the Firefly, careening under the pressure of her heavy sails, bowled ahead through darkness which seemed to loom up before her like a solid wall of ebony.
“Now, Enoch, I know this is dangerous,” protested Don, who admired Enoch’s reckless way of doing things. “If one of those big Baltimore steamers should happen along she would run over us and never know it.”
“What would a Baltimore steamer be doing out here, I’d like to know?” said Enoch, in reply. “Their path lies over there toward the city, and we are a good mile outside of it. We have nothing to fear except from little coasters, like the one that thinks she is following in our wake, and we shall see their lights in time to give them a wide berth.”
“Where’s Lester?” asked Don, suddenly. “I haven’t seen him since I came aboard.”
“He went home to-night,” answered Enoch. “He heard some news he didn’t like, and put out for Rochdale at very short notice.”
“I hope that none of his folks are ill,” said Don.
“We didn’t hear that they were. Lester was getting tired of the life we lead here, and homesick besides, and so I think it was the best thing he could do. Now, Don, where have you been since we last saw you? Egan ran up in his cutter and hailed us this afternoon, saying that you had disappeared in some mysterious way, and asking us to keep our weather eyes open for you; but he didn’t think that you were going to be fished out of the bay, and neither did we. You came off that coaster, of course, but where did you jump from? We didn’t see you on deck when we passed her.”