They discovered during their lunch in their stateroom at noon that there was something vaguely familiar about the brown boy who brought the lunch. Johnny stared at him. But Rusty exclaimed in a whisper, “Kopkina! You here?”
The boy made a motion for silence. “I am spy,” he whispered. “Red McGee good man. Me, I, Red McGee man.
“You listen,” his voice dropped to a whisper. “I tell ’em, that one captain this ship, tell ’em you Red McGee boy.” He nodded to Rusty. “Tell ’em Red McGee mebby plenty mad. Plenty ’fraid Red McGee. They not punish you for fight on deck last night. Must go now.” He disappeared through the door.
“Boy!” Johnny breathed. “I’m feeling better already.”
Two hours later they had added cause for feeling better. Just when the sea was beginning to calm a little they caught the drum of a motor. As Johnny heard it his heart stood still, then leaped.
“A motor,” he breathed. “That’s a powerful motor. If only it’s Dan MacMillan and his seaplane.”
“It is! It is!” Rusty’s voice rose to a high pitch. “There! There it is. See!”
Johnny did see. He pointed it out to MacGregor. They all leaned on the rail watching the seaplane approach.
“If it’s only Dan,” MacGregor breathed.
There came the sound of rushing feet. Apparently every little brown man on the boat had heard those motors. They came swarming onto the deck.