Vance and Roy allowed themselves to discuss the matter as if they were certain of gaining a port in a few days, and Ned stopped them by saying:
“I wouldn’t count too much on gettin’ anywhere very soon. With the screw draggin’ we shan’t make great headway, and it wouldn’t be strange if we had it calm a good deal of the time, so you’d better figger on bein’ aboard this craft a good many days, even if it should turn out that my idea of the course to be sailed is the right one.”
This was rather a wet blanket on the boys’ plans, and they ceased speaking of the future very suddenly.
On the following morning Ned, like the prudent skipper, was on deck a long while before the sun showed his face above the water.
A light breeze was blowing from the southeast, and if it held would be fair for them.
Anxiously Ned watched the ripples on the waves, and, to his great delight, the wind freshened instead of decreasing after the sun rose.
“Turn out here and bear a hand with the water-casks” he shouted from the head of the companion-way. “It’ll be time enough to do the cookin’ after we’ve started. The wind is freshenin’ an’ we must get of here as soon as possible.”
Vance and Roy obeyed his call without delay, and the last work which they hoped it would ever be necessary for them to do on Spider Key was begun.
An hour sufficed, and the shore line was cast off when the last cask had been rolled on to the raft.
The rude craft was hauled alongside and unloaded, the rope thrown inboard, and the collection of timbers which had served them such a good turn was set adrift.