“Well,” Clay continued, “we don’t have to strain the motors right now, so we’ll keep just enough gasoline burning to give us headway. Perhaps we’ll strike a more hospitable settlement farther down.”
“I don’t believe that old fellow had any gasoline to sell, anyhow,” laughed Case. “If you boys could have seen the rubes fall all over each other when we pulled our automatics, you’d have nearly died laughing!”
“Suppose we stop and see how they feel about the matter to-night,” suggested Alex. “I’d like to drag that constable out of bed!”
“No use of looking for trouble,” Clay advised. “After all, you must remember that those fellows have the law on their side.”
“Yes,” Case declared, “and if they could once get us into jail they’d keep us there for years. They’re likely good and angry about the way we bluffed them before their own townspeople.”
Teddy now came up to where the boys were standing and demanded appreciation for the part he had played in the recapture of the boat. Captain Joe, also, advised the boys of his presence by nipping them quietly on the legs.
“I know what’s the matter with the menagerie,” Alex exclaimed. “They haven’t had any supper. And that makes me think,” he went on, making a dive for the cabin, “that I haven’t had any supper, either.”
“What are you going to get for supper?” Clay asked, following the boy to the cabin door.
“Oh,” Alex replied with a grin which wrinkled his freckled nose, “it’s almost midnight now, and we’ll just get a light little luncheon.”
“You make lots of bad breaks trying to talk the English language,” Case advised. “You mustn’t say ‘luncheon’ unless you have pie. It’s ‘lunch’ when you don’t have pie, and ‘luncheon’ when you do have pie.”