“They’re all ready to haul her off in the morning, I think,” said Joe Hinman, as the boys sat gloomily by the door of the shed on the evening of the second day after the arrival of the men. “I heard them singing and laughing out aboard, and saying something about ‘to-morrow’ and ‘Southport.’ Oh, if there was only another day’s work on her, the boys might get here in time yet.”
“Then I’ll keep her here another day,” exclaimed Little Tim, “if they beat me black and blue for it.”
“You can’t do it,” said Joe.
“Can’t I, though?” responded Tim. “Well, watch me and see. Will you fellows help?”
The boys assented, not to be outdone in courage by the smallest one of them.
“We can do it,” said Little Tim. “They leave their tools aboard the cabin of the Surprise at night. I saw John Hart put the box in there before he went out aboard. He said another hour’s work would fix something or other. I couldn’t hear what. But we’ll fix her so it will take longer than that, I reckon.”
“O-o-oh!” exclaimed George Baker. “But we’ll catch it, though, when they find it out.”
“All right,” said Tim. “I’ll take my share if the rest will.”
Again the others assented somewhat dubiously.
Toward midnight, the four lads stole cautiously down to the shore, and climbed noiselessly aboard the Surprise. As Little Tim had described it, there, tucked away in the cabin, was a box of carpenter’s tools.