"Well, what about it?" Captain Eph asked after it seemed as if the newcomer must have made himself acquainted with every portion of the machinery. "Think you can put it in shape?"
"Sure," was the confident reply. "It hasn't been hurt any to speak of, an' I can have it runnin' in a couple of days. Where's the man who made the trade with me?"
The keeper explained why Mr. Peters was absent and before he was at an end Sidney cried:
"He's coming now; there is the dory!"
Both the men looked up quickly, and then it was that Captain Eph cried excitedly:
"That's our dory, sure enough; but she's empty! Went adrift I reckon, an' Sammy is in the biggest kind of luck because of his fiddlin' 'round 'bout the motor, else he'd be likely to stay on the wreck quite a spell, seein's we couldn't go after him. Say, Mister, I reckon you won't kick against pickin' our boat up, eh?" and the keeper turned to the machinist, who replied in a not particularly cheerful tone:
"Of course I'm bound to do that much, seein's you're in a pickle; but I don't like the idea of loafin' out here any longer than is necessary, for my boat ain't overly handy in a heavy sea, such as we're likely to have precious soon."
"Pick up the dory, an' we'll help you put the motor aboard before goin' after Sammy."
The machinist set off at once, refusing any assistance from Captain Eph, and ten minutes later he returned with the dory in tow. The boat was half laden with blocks and tackle which had evidently been taken from the wreck, and both pairs of oars were lying on top of the cargo.
When the runaway craft had been hauled up on the rocks beyond reach of the tide, and unloaded, the old keeper and Sidney set about carrying out their part of the bargain; but nearly an hour was spent before the motor had been stowed aboard the cat-boat to the satisfaction of all concerned.