est, for it's our only way
to hang on to our spoils and have something to turn in for the night's
work."

"I'm laughin' to see how things keep happenin' jest to suit our crowd,
old hoss," Perk went on to remark, still chuckling at a great rate. "Do
we tow the ship behind the sloop, partner?"

"Not that you could notice," he was informed. "I aim to have you stick
to the rummy, while I get up a thousand feet or so and kind of play the
part of an aerial scout, just like you've told me you used to do when
you were running one of those war sausages, known as blimps in these
up-to-date times. No objections, have you, Perk?"

"What, me? I should guess not," the other exploded. "Why, it'll be jest
a rummy time with this kid, runnin' off with the old sloop and a
prisoner on board to boot. I'm tickled pink to know we're right in
action at last, after waitin' so long, an' ding-dongin' around till we
both got stale. But how 'bout draggin' that ere mudhook up off the
ground--think we c'n tackle the job between us, Jack?"

"Oh! That can be put through without much trouble, I reckon," Perk was
assured by the confident one. "I think if you investigate you'll find
they've got some sort of winch, a bit like the old-fashioned windlass we
used to wind up whenever we pulled the old oaken bucket up from the
country well. Let's take a peek and make sure."

It took them but a minute to have Jack's guess verified, for there was a
winch, with the rope of the anchor attached; all that would be necessary
was to start winding and by main strength the anchor must be hauled out
of the mud and lifted to the vessel's bow, there to hang until needed
again.

"No use of our stickin' 'round these diggin's any longer, partner," Perk
suggested. "The canvas is all clewed up or reefed, whatever they call
it, so we won't have it flappin' around after the ship gets under way.
Say the word, Boss, an' leave the rest to me."

"But nothing has been said as to what port we're meaning to strike out
for," observed Jack, "and that's a matter of considerable importance.
First of all it would be apt to queer our business some if we sailed
openly into Tampa, St. Petersburg, or even Key West; for some of those
smart newspaper reporters would be bound to get on to the facts and like
as not we'd have our pictures printed in all the papers. A fat chance
we'd stand to do any more work ripping this contraband conspiracy up the
back, after _they_ got through telling thing