heir first surmise that the men, whose voices
they heard, were really the wreckers.

"We want to be certain about it," warned Blake, in a cautious whisper.

"That's right," agreed his chum. "Go ahead, and I'll come after you."

Cautiously they advanced until they were in a position to look forward
and make out a number of men working on a sort of mound of rock that
rose from the surface of the cliff.

"This is a better place, from their standpoint, than the other,"
whispered Blake. "A light can be seen farther."

"Yes, and they're putting up the same lantern on a rock pile," remarked
Joe. Both lads recognized the apparatus they had seen before. The men
were busily engaged in setting it in place, evidently working fast to
make up for lost time.

"It's the same gang," observed Blake; "and they must know of some vessel
that is to pass here soon, or they wouldn't be in such a hurry. Probably
they count on the steersman mistaking this light for the one at
Rockypoint, and standing in close here. Up at Rockypoint there is deep
water close in shore, but it shoals very fast both ways, up or down the
beach. So if a vessel saw a false light, and stood close in to get her
bearings, she'd be on the rocks in no time."

"That's right," agreed Joe. "She'd be wrecked and these fellows would
get what they could out of her, caring nothing for the lives lost.
Blake, we've got to stop 'em!"

"We sure have."

"Not only to clear my father, but to save others," went on Joe. "What's
best to be done?"

"Well, we can't capture 'em by ourselves; that's sure," went on Blake,
each lad speaking in a cautious whisper. "The best thing for us to do is
to go back, I think, and tell Tom Cardiff. He'll know what to do."

"Maybe one of us had better stay here to keep watch. They may skip out."

"No danger. They don't know that we have followed 'em, or that we are
here."

"Then we'll go back together."

"Sure, and give the alarm. Then to make the capture, if we can."

For a few minutes longer the eager boys looked on, unseen by the men
whom they had trailed. The wreckers were busy putting up their lantern,
and were making as much noise, talking and hammering on the apparatus,
as though they were far removed from possible discovery.

"Well, we'd better be going," suggested Blake, after a bit; and they
made their departure without causing any suspicious sounds, so that the
wreckers had no idea, as far as our heroes could ascertain, that they