er which they sailed away.

"A good riddance of bad rubbish," declared Bluff, with his mouth full of
bacon; and the others voiced his sentiments exactly.

As for the boy, he was smiling as if tickled over the wonderful change
that had come about in his fortunes. Frank, remembering the limp form
squatting in the stern of the sharpie, so given up to despair and bodily
anguish, could hardly believe that this bright-faced lad was the same.

They did not linger long after finishing breakfast.

While the weather remained favorable Frank thought they ought to be
making further progress along their way. True, Cedar Keys was not so
very far distant, but who could say what difficulties they might
encounter from time to time?

"It will do to loiter when we've arrived within a dozen or two miles of
the city," he remarked, and they all admitted the wisdom of his decision.

They went out the same way they had come in. Joe said it was safer, since
the lagoon was exceedingly shallow at the east end of the island, and
they stood to get aground if the tide was falling, as seemed to be the
case.

As they came out from behind the key they discovered the sharpie far away
to the west, careening over under a brisk morning breeze, and looking
like a dun-colored frightened bird.

"We're not apt to see anything of that tough lot again, I guess," quoth
Jerry.

"They're heading for a favorite ground. I didn't know they hunted sponges
so far north, Joe. Key West seems to be the head center for the
business."

"Get a few, but not many. Mostly fishing and turtling. Some look for
coral on the bottom. Lots of ways to earn a living around the water in
the gulf," replied the boy, in answer to Frank's inquiry.

"I should say there were. A man need never go hungry in this region if he
knows enough to let strong drink alone," said Will.

"That's the trouble with Uncle Ben; he's drunk half the time. And when he
is he wants to fight everybody. We all tried to keep away from him,"
observed Joe.

They were now out upon the gulf again. Will was a little dubious,
remembering his bitter experience of the preceding day, but to his
surprise and delight, he did not seem to feel the least bit sick.
Perhaps the motion was entirely different, for they were now running
almost directly into the light breeze.

Frank had turned the wheel over to Bluff, and was conning his charts,
with Jerry bending over his shoulder.

"There's where we are right now. Look