The day had ended in a dismal fashion for one starting out so bravely with blue skies and plenty of warm sunshine. Out over the water the haze was thickening, so that when George gave place to Josh later on it was next door to impossible to tell where the Austrian monitor was anchored.
“I’ve lined it up with this stone here and that tree out on the little point,” George explained; “the boat lies almost directly with the two, so if you happen to see any light over there you’ll know what it means, Josh,” he told the other, as he gave up his post.
“As long as you could see the monitor, were there any signs of a boat leaving?” he asked; but George shook his head and told him he had seen nothing suspicious.
[CHAPTER XVI]
UNDER COVER OF NIGHT
Some time later, when George again relieved Josh at the outlook post, the latter came strolling up to the little fire to get his supper, of which he was in need, for Josh had a pretty healthy appetite that seldom went back on him.
“One thing sure,” he remarked, as he sat himself down and prepared to have Buster wait on him, “when you told me, Jack, to build this fire so it couldn’t be easily seen from out on the river, you knew what you were talking about.”
“Well,” remarked the commodore simply, “my idea at the time was to avoid having the light noticed too easily by any one who happened to be on the water. Yes, and I hoped to keep the people on that monitor a mile and more away from wanting to pay us a visit too early in the night.”
“It might break up our plans all right if they did come,” agreed Josh, lifting his tincup to his lips and proceeding to let some of the fine coffee pass down his throat as a “bracer” or opening of ceremonies.