e," mused Tubby.

"The light's pretty high up, too, isn't it?" suggested Merritt. "It
might be a lighthouse. We may have been blown farther than we thought."

Tubby offered no opinion for a few seconds, but his ordinarily round
and smiling face grew grave. A sudden apprehension had flashed into
his mind.

"Tell me, Merritt," he said, "can you see any other lights?"

"No," replied Merritt, after peering with half closed eyes at the white
light.

"I can," suddenly shouted young Hiram.

"You can?"

"Yes; some distance below the white light I can see a green one to the
right and a red one on the left."

"Shades of Father Neptune!" groaned Tubby. "It's just as I thought,
Merritt--that light yonder is a steamer's mast lantern, and the fact
that Hiram can see both her port and starboard lamps beneath shows that
she's coming right for us."

This was alarming enough. Without lanterns, without the means of
making any noise sufficiently loud to attract the attention of those on
the approaching vessel, the occupants of the Plying Fish were in about
as serious a predicament as one could imagine. To make matters worse,
the wind began to drop and come in puffs which only urged the Flying
Fish ahead slowly. Tubby made a rapid mental calculation, and decided
that hardly anything short of a miracle could save them from being run
down, unless the steamer saw them and changed her course.

"Can't we shout and make them hear us?" asked Hiram in an alarmed
voice. He saw from the troubled faces of both the elder lads that
something serious indeed was the matter.

"We might try it," responded Tubby, with a bitter shrug. "But it's
about as much use as a mouth organ in a symphony orchestra would be.
Better get on the life belts."

With hands that trembled with the sense of impending disaster, the
three boys strapped on the cork jackets.

"Now all shout together," said Merritt, when this was done.

Standing erect, the three young castaways placed their hands
funnel-wise to their mouths and roared out together:

"Ship ahoy! St-eam-er a-hoy!"

They were alarmed and not ashamed to admit it.

"No good," said Tubby, after they had roared themselves hoarse. "When
she strikes us, jump over the starboard bow and dive as deep as you
can. If you don't, the propellers are liable to catch us."

It was a grim prospect, and no wonder the boys grew white and their
faces strained as the impending peril bore down on them.

They c