Uncle Ben's home, slightly built of inflammable material, was burning fiercely, the flames leaping up from every point, and it could be understood that Captain Doak had waited until making certain his villainous work was thoroughly performed before he left the island.
The boys ran at full speed, however, hardly knowing what they did, and came to a halt only when the heat of the fire prevented any nearer approach. Here they stood watching the devouring flames in silence a full minute, when Tom, turning in the direction of the Port, shook his fist threateningly as he cried angrily:
"It makes no difference what Uncle Ben says, if ever I come within strikin' distance of that miserable pirate! The idea of burnin' a shanty when he couldn't do himself any good, but only to turn an old man outer house an' home! Come on, Sam, even if we can't catch him we'll tell the folks at the Port what he has done, an' I'll be way out of my reckonin' if they don't make it hot for him before he's many hours older!"
"We can't spend the time to go there till after the traps have been hauled, 'cause even if the shanty is burned we've got to take care of the lobsters," Sam replied with a sigh. "If we could only rig up some kind of a place for Uncle Ben to sleep in when he get back!"
"He'll have the 'Sally,' won't he? We can live aboard of her till another house is built; but it'll take all the money that comes in from the mackerel to pay for new lumber."
"I forgot that we'd have the schooner for a home, so things ain't quite so bad as they might have been. See here, Tom, we mustn't think of runnin' after Cap'en Doak, for there's no knowin' but that we'll have to carry a load of lobsters to the Port, an' if that's so, we oughter get off early, 'cause we must be back before dark."
"Why? There's no place here for us to sleep, 'less we camp under the trees an' if we have to go to the Port I'm thinkin' we'd best stay there till mornin', 'cause there's no show Uncle Ben can get back even as early as to-morrow."
"You're right; but even at that we can't hang 'round here very long, seein's how there's nothin' to be done. Let's pull the traps, an' then make up our minds what we'd best do."
"Say, we've got to go to the town, 'cause there ain't anythin' here to eat, an' I'm mighty hungry already."
"Come on, then; we'll tackle the traps, for it's a case of goin' hungry till that work has been done an' we've pulled a heavy dory six or seven miles!"