Jack's rake was nearly full sure enough but, after he had dumped the contents onto the bottom of the boat, he was greatly chagrined to find that he had brought up nothing but stones.
"There's where you lose the pie," Bob taunted as he swung his load over the edge of the boat.
But he too had brought up nothing but stones.
"I'll get that pie yet," Jack laughed as he finished throwing his stones back in the water and lowered his rake a second time.
But for fully half an hour they raked the bottom of the ocean, as Jack put it, and nothing but stones rewarded their efforts. And the men in the other boat had no better luck.
"I reckon we're in too near shore," Mr. Lakewood declared as he noted that the boys were getting rather discouraged. "After dinner the tide will be out and we may have better luck."
"Here's hoping," Jack said as he dumped another load of stones into the boat.
"But let's not give up yet," Bob said throwing the last of his last failure over the side of the boat. "I got a stone that time which looks something like an oyster."
"Then we must be getting warm," Jack laughed.
So for another half hour they persisted working gradually further from the island as the tide receded. Then, just as they were about to return to the ship for dinner, Jack brought up the first shell.