Barr grinned, but made no reply.
“When are you going out again?” continued Enoch.
“Well, that depends,” said the gunner, hesitatingly. “If I see nothing suspicious, I may go out the fore part of next week.”
“When you go, remember that we three want to go with you,” added Enoch. “This fellow”—jerking his thumb over his shoulder towards Lester Brigham—“is my chum and Jones’s. He lives way down in Mississippi, and has never seen a big gun. We passed a portion of our last vacation at his father’s house, and as Lester took pains to show us every thing of interest there was to be seen in that part of the country, we desire to reciprocate his kindness. You will let us know when you are going out, won’t you? Hallo! What is the Sallie doing back here? I thought she went on down the bay.”
So she did; but when Bert discovered that immense bed of canvas-backs off Powell’s island, the skipper ran back to old Eph’s cabin after his dog to entice the wild fowl within range. When Enoch saw her, she was just rounding to in readiness to start down the bay again. He and the rest watched her until she disappeared in the cove at the head of the island, and then to quote from Lester Brigham, Barr swore until every thing around him turned blue.
“Aha!” cried Enoch, and there was a triumphant ring in his voice. “Didn’t I say that that big gun we heard last night was somewhere around the island? If you think I can be of any service to you, I will run down there and keep an eye on them. Of course they don’t know that the gun is there, but if you go down, they will suspect it.”
“All right,” said Barr, in tones that were husky with passion. “Go on, and I will do you a friendly act the first chance I get.”
“Will you let us go out with you the next time you use the big gun?” inquired Enoch, as he put the helm down and motioned to Jones to haul in a little on the jib sheets.
“Yes, I will; honor bright,” answered Barr, eagerly. “Say, Enoch, the gun is hid in the bushes on the banks of that little cove on the other side of the island. You just hang around and see whether or not they stumble on to it, and if they do, let me know it at once. I will put it in a safer place before I go home to-night. I see one of my partners down there in his canoe. I wish you would hail him as you go by and tell him to come up here. I may need him.”
The Firefly ran up the bay until she cleared the decoys, and then rounding to, filled away for Powell’s Island. Her captain seemed to be in a very jovial mood.