wed the cap of the fuel
tank and plunged the sounder into it.

"There's quite a lot of gasoline in there yet," he exclaimed, with
sparkling eyes, as he withdrew and felt the wet end of the instrument.

The carburetor was rapidly adjusted. The rough tossing about the
Flying Fish had received had jammed the needle valve, but that was all.
Presently all was in readiness to get under way once more with the
little boat's proper motive power. The "jury rig" was speedily
dismantled Merritt swung the flywheel over two or three times, and a
welcome "chug, chug!" responded.

"Hurray! she's working," cried Hiram.

"As well as ever," responded Merritt. "Now for the shore. By the
way," he broke off in a dismayed tone, "where is the shore?"

"I know now," rejoined Tubby in a confident tone. "Off there to the
right. You see, that steamer was hugging the coast preparatory to
heading seaward--at least, I'm pretty sure she was, and that would put
the shore on her port side, or on our starboard."

They chugged off in the direction Tubby indicated, and before long a
joyful cry from Hiram announced the sudden appearance of lights.

"What are they?" asked Merritt.

"Don't know--they look like bonfires," rejoined the other lad. "I
wonder if we have been lucky enough to pick up Topsail Island?"

As they drew nearer the lads soon saw that it was the island that they
were approaching, and that the lights they had seen were campfires
ignited by order of the anxious young Patrol leader to guide them back.

In a short time they had anchored the Flying Fish opposite the camp,
and jumped into the dinghy left at her moorings when they embarked.

"A fine scare you've given us," cried Rob, as they landed and flung
down their afternoon's catch. "We were afraid for a time that you were
lost in that black squall--it blew two of our tents down, and we were
mighty anxious about you, I can tell you."

"You did not alarm our folks?" asked Hiram anxiously.

"No, I thought that it would be best to wait. Somehow, I thought you'd
turn up safe. Where on earth have you been and what has happened? You
look as pale as three ghosts."

"Towed to sea by a shark--caught in a squall--almost run down by a
liner--and so hungry we can't talk now," sputtered out Tubby
comprehensively.

"All right; come on up to the fire and get dried out and pitch into the
grub."

After such a meal as it may be imagined the young scouts indulged in,
they told their