At that Amos chuckled.
“Whew! what d’ye think of that now—my chum here beginning to talk like an old salt, and able to box the compass like any Jack Tar. By the time we get home you’ll be a regular walking encyclopedia of knowledge.”
“Perhaps I may,” replied the other quietly, “but one thing sure, if I miss anything it isn’t going to be my fault. Now, as we’re spinning along at such a fast clip we had better get out of the breeze, and stop talking so much.”
Amos just gloried in the speed they were making. He mentally calculated that it must assuredly be close on thirty miles an hour. Never in all his life had he experienced anything like it when aboard a boat.
As the minutes crept on the boys continued to keep a bright lookout ahead. They thought several times they could see shadowy objects on the water, but were never quite sure whether these were boats belonging to the fleet, or islands. Once or twice they watched the swinging around the circle of a powerful searchlight, no doubt aboard a sentry vessel. When it fell on the destroyer and rested there, they knew full well signals were set to disclose their identity. Then the dazzling shaft passed on as though the workers of the searchlight had become convinced of their friendly mission.
An hour and more had gone. Amos was getting nervous.
“I’m sure it can’t be very far from peep of dawn, Jack,” he said, crossly. “Still, we’re shooting along as if we had the whole night ahead of us.”
“I wonder what those dim lights can be I make out dead ahead,” ventured Jack, who himself knew that the dawn was really coming on, though he did not wish to admit as much to Amos, for fear of increasing the other’s unrest.
“Why, yes, there are a number of them, too. Try your glass on the same, Jack. It does pretty good night work, as well as in the daytime.”
A minute later and Jack made an announcement.