"Then he must be downstairs in one of the cabins, or he is asleep in his berth," said Mr. Brown. "I'll look."
"I'll help," offered Uncle Tad, who, himself, had been taking a nap in his berth.
"I suppose he must be down below if he isn't up here," said Mrs. Brown, hoping this was true. "I want to look, too."
Sue was beginning to be a bit frightened now, and she started to follow the others below, while Captain Ross and Bunker Blue, seeing how worried Mr. and Mrs. Brown were, dropped the sail on which they were working and decided to join in the search.
It did not take them long to make a search of the boat below decks. No Bunny was to be found. He was not in his own bunk, nor in that of any one else, nor was he in the small room where the gasolene motor was built, though Bunny liked to go there to watch the whirring wheels when the motor was in motion.
"Where can he be?" exclaimed Mrs. Brown.
Then, suddenly, Sue gave a joyful cry and clapped her hands.
"I think I know where he is!" exclaimed the little girl. "I just happened to think about it. Come on!"
Wonderingly they followed her. Sue ran to the stern of the Fairy, where the steering wheel was placed. Here was a small rowboat turned bottomside up. It was kept for the purpose of going to and from shore when the larger craft was anchored out in the bay.
Going close to this overturned boat Sue leaned down so she could look under it. The two ends of the boat, being higher than the middle, raised it slightly from the deck, leaving a sort of long, narrow slot. And Sue called into this slot: