Every one of them stared as hard as he could. The two boats had not gone so far off but what a pair of good eyes could observe what was taking place, even though night was coming on apace, with some clouds gathering overhead.
Jack had run the Tramp alongside the erratic runaway, and George was seen to clamber aboard his own boat. Of course, after that it would be a simple job to press the keen edge of Jack's knife upon the strained anchor rope.
"He did it!" shouted Jimmy, as the Wireless was noticed to fall suddenly behind the other craft, as though relieved from the unseen force that had been towing her away at such a headlong pace.
And presently the speed boat was seen to move of her own accord, George having turned his engine, and thrown on power.
They came back side by side, the skippers laughing heartily at the harmless end of what had at one time threatened to prove a calamity.
"No harm done except that I must buy a new cable and anchor at Beaufort," said George, as he once more drew up by the side of the Comfort.
"I've got a spare rope I can lend you till then," spoke up Herb, who liked to fish up all manner of contraptions from the depths of the roomy craft, and see the surprise written on the faces of his chums.
So, after all, the excitement died out, though they would never forget their amazement at seeing the boat rushing off without any visible reason for its flight.
Jack went back and secured the finny prizes that he had taken, upon which Josh set Jimmy to work, as the Irish boy was a master hand at cleaning fish. George, it turned out, had knocked down a whole covey of small birds, and several of them got busy plucking the feathers from these.
Nick was willing to do what he could, but truth to tell, he proved so clumsy at the task that it took him the whole time to get just one little bird ready, while Jack and Herb did six apiece.