Jack did not reply, for just then the engine coughed. The boat plowed on a few feet, and the motor cut off again.
“Now what?” Jack exclaimed, alarmed.
Even as he spoke, the engine died completely.
“Sounds to me as if we’re out of gas,” observed Mr. Parker. “How is your supply?”
A stricken look came upon Jack’s wind-tanned face. “I forgot to fill the tank before I left the island,” he confessed ruefully. “My father told me to be sure to do it, but I started off in such a hurry.”
“Haven’t you an extra can of fuel aboard?” Mr. Parker asked, trying to hide his annoyance.
Jack shook his head, gazing gloomily toward the distant island. The current had caught the boat and was carrying it downstream, away from the Gandiss estate.
“Nothing to do then, but get out the oars. And it will be a long, hard row.”
“Oars?” Jack echoed weakly. “We haven’t any aboard and no anchor either.”
Mr. Parker was too disgusted to speak. A man who demanded efficiency and responsibility in his own newspaper plant, he had no patience with those negligent of their duties. Because he and Penny were to be guests of the Gandiss family, he made an effort not to blame Jack for the mishap.