“Good luck to you!” cried Clay. “Only for your help, we’d be in a bad fix right now. I don’t see how you happened along so opportunely.”
“We were patrolling the shore,” was the explanation, “and saw that help was needed.”
With which unsatisfactory reply the march northward was resumed.
There was very little conversation between the boys until the Rambler was reached. Then Clay tried to express the gratitude of the party, but was promptly headed off by Rube.
“We only did our duty!” he said.
Then the guardianship matter was broached, and of course both Rube and Buck declined to have anything to do with it.
“Oh, I’ll talk them into it!” laughed Paul.
And he did!
The remainder of the trip, which was shared by Rube and Buck, was one long dream of contentment. There were moonlight nights on the Rio Grande when all Nature seemed in repose.
When the Gulf of Mexico was reached, Alex gave many exhibitions of his skill as a fisherman, and the rivalry between the two motor boats was keen.