Charley reluctantly obeyed.
Walter stood gamely watching them with a smile on his face until the three were out of sight, then he hobbled for the main street, his face contorted with pain. His injury was far more serious than he had pretended. He was convinced that some bones in his foot were broken but he had concealed his plight from his chums for he knew they would not leave him if they thought his injury at all serious.
Followed by the captain and Chris, Charley headed for the little station not far away. There were a few loungers on the platform and amongst them he was pleased to see one of the fish-boat captains who had helped in the towing of the "North Wind."
"Is it you or your ghost?" he exclaimed, when Charley approached him. "Everyone thought you and your friends were lost in that gale."
"If we are ghosts, we don't know it," Charley laughed. "Say, can we hire you and your launch for a couple of hours?"
"You can," said the fish captain, promptly. "Fishing is so poor now I have quit it for a while. Where do you want to go?"
"First over to the island where we used to stay, and then across to the Roberts camp, if they are at home."
"Oh, you'll find them there all right. Fishing is so poor, now, it does not pay to go out."
Charley pulled out a five-dollar bill, the only money he had in his pocket.
"Here's your pay in advance," he said. "We may want to hire you for two or three days, but I'll let you know about that a little later. Just now, we are in a hurry. Can you take us right off?"