“He said—‘or where desert islands grow; upon the water.’ See?â€�
“Yes.�
“I’ll bet you a big red apple that we find them there, Chick.�
“You’re on. I can afford a red apple, if we do,� replied Chick.
Nick ran the car out himself, and his growing confidence in Patsy’s theory made him get all the speed out of the machine that it contained.
He slowed down, of course, whenever there was an idea of danger ahead, or when there was a possibility that they might be held up for speeding; but for all that, they made splendid time, and rolled past the big gateway at Pleasantglades in exactly fifty minutes from the time they left the house in Madison Avenue.
It was half a mile farther to the shore of the bay where the boat was anchored, and the distance was covered in about one minute, despite the roughness of the road.
They all leaped out of the machine at the same instant and each sought the shore for a small boat in which they might row out to the object of their trip.
“There isn’t a sign of a light out there,� said Chick.
“That’s nothing,� replied Patsy. “They would keep dark in the daytime, and darker at night when a light might be seen and investigated. Here we are. I have found one.�