They could hear the rapidly retreating rattle of the exhaust of the “pirate boat,” as some of them liked to call the other craft; but as it was circling around the island, apparently, all other signs of its presence had vanished.
“Too close for comfort!” gasped Herb.
“Listen to him joking at such a time!” remarked Josh, thinking Herb meant to apply his remark to the name of the boat, when, truth to tell, that was the last thing to occur to him.
“Believe me, fellows, I confess that I’m quivering like a leaf,” said Nick, “and it ain’t cowardice, either. Brave men tremble after the danger is over, cravens before. You noticed that I wasn’t paralyzed with fright, didn’t you? I could think, and lay out a plan of escape. That proves I wasn’t really scared then.”
“But,” declared Herb, indignantly, “whatever did they mean doing that? Why, if that sharp nose of the Flash had ever banged into us, going like she was, we’d have been cut in two! It’s criminal, that’s what, fellows!”
“Oh!” Jack remarked, “to tell the truth, I don’t think Clarence would be such a fool to take such chances as that. In the first place he might kill one of us. And then again, you know, his boat would be sure to suffer, too, and might be wrecked.”
“That sounds reasonable, Jack,” admitted George; “but whatever do you suppose tempted him to do that crazy thing?”
“Well, he might think it a good lark,” was the reply. “And then again, there may have been some other reason pushing him on, which we don’t know anything about as yet. I’m going to try and think out an explanation, and if I hit a hot trail I’ll tell you about it, boys.”
“That means Jack’s got an idea,” said Nick.
“All right,” spoke up Josh, instantly. “Don’t think you’re the only one in the bunch who can have such things, Buster.”