anything about him that marked him out as peculiar, it was
a certain baffled expression that came and went in his eyes. He looked
like one who was always seeking for something, but never finding it. His
glance had taken in the cove and the surrounding shore, as though to
impress it on his memory, with a view to using the knowledge later on.

Now as the boys lounged around the fire, he seemed to feel that the time
had come to give some account of himself.

"I can't thank you fellows enough for having pulled me out of the
water," he began.

"Here's the fellow to thank," interrupted Lester, clapping his hand on
Fred's shoulder. "He went overboard after you."

"What?" was the surprised reply. "I thought you pulled me in from the
deck. That was an awfully plucky thing for you to do," the stranger
declared, as he grasped Fred's hand warmly, "and I'll never forget it.
With that shark swimming around there, too!"

"Oh, that was nothing," disclaimed Fred. "I had tight hold of a rope,
and it was no trick at all to hold on to you until the other fellows
pulled us in."

"You took your life in your hand just the same," affirmed the other. "I
hope that some day I'll be able to show you how much I appreciate it."

"What was the matter with your motor boat anyway?" asked Fred, who was
always embarrassed by thanks and wanted to change the subject.

"The ignition was bad, and the water that I shipped made things worse. I
was tinkering away at it and had almost got it to working right, when
that big wave came aboard and carried me over the side. I can just
remember its hitting me, and after that everything was blank until I
came to my senses on the deck of the boat."

"I've seen that motor boat of yours cruising up and down the coast a
good deal this last year or so," remarked Lester. "You seem to be pretty
fond of the water."

The stranger shot a swift glance at the last speaker, as if he thought
some hidden meaning might lurk behind the words.

"Yes," he said, "I'm never happier than when I'm out on the open sea.
Some of my ancestors must have been sailors I guess, and I have it in
the blood. But that isn't the only reason I've been cruising along this
coast."

"What is the reason then?" asked Teddy curiously. "That is," he went on
hastily, "if you care to tell us. We don't want to pry into your
affairs."

The other seemed to debate with himself. It was as if a habit of secrecy
were battling with a sudden desire for exp