"We must lay low until we think of some plan. Maybe he'll get down inside the motor boat and then we can get up to him before he knows it. But I tell you what I think, Frank," he went on, "either that man was hiding in some cave farther back than we looked, or he has just arrived."
"The motor boat has just arrived, anyhow, or at least since night before last," assented the elder lad. "We couldn't have overlooked that. Say, Andy, he is getting inside! Now's our chance!"
They saw, by peering over the edge of their craft, that the mysterious man had climbed over the half-burned rail of the damaged motor boat. His back was toward them, and they could not see his head. He appeared to be tearing the interior of the craft apart.
Cautiously the two brothers crept out from behind their shelter and made their way softly over the sand toward where the man was. What they intended to do when they confronted him they hardly knew. Frank was sure that he wanted to ask the queer stranger certain questions, and he hoped to be able to plead with him to tell what he knew of Paul Gale. The question was, whether or not the man would answer.
It was lucky that their footsteps made no sound on the soft sand, for they were thus enabled to approach to within a short distance of the wreck as it rested on the beach. The man was still in it, and they could hear him pounding and splitting wood in the interior. Evidently he was not aware of their presence.
For the first time since they had begun their surprising series of adventures, the boys were able to make out the name of the strange craft. It was the Swallow, and as they had a chance to look at her graceful lines they realized that, before the fire, wreck, and explosion the boat had been a powerful one.
"I think we have him this time," whispered Andy, as they came nearer and nearer, and the man was still bending over with his back toward them.
Frank laid his finger across his lips as a sign of caution. At that moment an unfortunate thing happened. Andy stepped on a shell, not seeing it, and it broke under his weight with a sharp, crackling sound.
Like a flash the man leaped up, and fairly sprang out of the boat. He stood confronting the Racer boys.
"Who are you? What do you want?" he demanded sharply. Then, as he recognized them, he added: "Oh, it's you two again. Didn't I warn you to stop following me?"