“He’ll do!—This must be the Naval Academy,” as they passed along a high brick wall—“Yonder, are the Barracks—the Marines are drilling in front.”
They clattered over the creek, rounded the quarters of the “Hermaphrodites,” and saw below them the wide bridge, almost a half a mile long, which spans the Severn. The draw was open, to let a motor boat pass through, but it closed before they reached it.
“This is exceptionally pretty!” Macloud exclaimed, drawing rein, midway. “Look at the high bluff, on the farther shore, with the view up the river, on one side, and down the Bay, and clear across on the other.... Now,” as they wound up on the hill, “for the first road to the right.”
“This doesn’t look promising!” laughed Croyden, as the road swung abruptly westward and directly away from Greenberry Point. 109
“Let us go a little farther,” said Macloud. “There must be a way—a bridle path, if nothing better—and, if we must, we can push straight through the timber; there doesn’t seem to be any fences. You see, it was rational to ride.”
“You’re a wise old owl!” Croyden retorted.
“Ah!—there’s our road!” as one unexpectedly took off to the right, among the trees, and bore almost immediately eastward. “Come along, my friend!”
Presently they were startled by a series of explosions, a short distance ahead.
“What are we getting into?” Macloud exclaimed, drawing up sharply.
“Parmenter’s defending his treasure!” said Croyden, with mock seriousness. “He is warning us off.”