Again Mr. Mayhew expressed his thanks. Presently, glancing ashore through the night, he asked:
“What sort of country is it hereabouts?”
“Mostly flat, as to the surface,” Mr. Farnum replied. “If your question goes further, there [pg 047] are some fine roads and several handsome estates within a few miles of here. Mr. Mayhew, won't you and a couple of your officers come on shore with me? I'll telephone for my car and put you over quite a few miles this evening.”
“Delighted,” replied the commander of the gunboat.
One of the “Hudson's” cutters being now in the water alongside, the party went ashore in this. Jack, after bidding the naval officers good-night, found Hal and Eph, who had just come ashore from supper on board the “Farnum.”
“No sailing orders yet, I suppose?” Hal asked.
“None,” Jack replied. “I reckon we'll start, all right, some time to-morrow morning.”
“What'll we do to-night?” Eph wondered.
“I don't know,” replied Jack. “We've few friends around here we need to take the trouble to say good-bye to. We could call on Mrs. Farnum, but I imagine we'd run into the naval party up at the Farnum house. We want to keep a bit in the background with these naval officers, except when they may ask for our company.”
“Let's take a walk about the old town, then,” Hal suggested.