ing through the heaving sea, with nothing but
water toward the east and south, as far as the eye could reach.

They were now fully launched on the broad Atlantic, and must take
chances of making a safe harbor before the coming of the wind.

CHAPTER VIII.

THE CAMP INVADED.

"Why, fellows, this is dead easy!" George called out, after they had
been making good time for an hour or more, with the heaving sea showing
no sign of taking undue advantage of the confiding little motor boats
that had ventured on its placid bosom.

"Just as I told you," Jack answered, for they made sure to keep pretty
close to each other while undertaking this passage. "Choose the right
time, after a storm with the wind and sea gone to rest, and a little
run like this is a picnic."

"But she looks pretty wide out there," remarked Nick, pointing toward
the east.

"Oh! not so much," laughed Herb. "I should think that a matter of four
thousand miles or so would cover it."

"Gee! whiz! that must be Africa over there, then?" Nick gasped.

"That's right!" Jack called; "but there's a trifle of haze hanging out
just at present, so you can't quite see the tropical shores, with the
black natives dancing around some missionary. But joking aside, boys,
I think we're going to make the riffle without any trouble. Already we
must be well on the way there, and no sign of wind yet."

"Perhaps when she does come it may be in the west?" suggested Josh, who
did occasionally have a brilliant thought, it seemed.

"Just so, and in that case we'd be all hunky," Jack answered back;
"because with a west wind we could creep in close to the shore, since
there'd be no waves rolling up on the beach. Suppose we touch up for a
little faster gait."

"I'm willing," George sent back. "Put it up to the _Comfort_ as usual.
We'll have to adapt our pace to what she can do."

"Yes," called out Josh from the roomy boat, "and consider yourself
lucky, George, if you don't have to call on the old Ark to give you a
tow before we cross that same bar at the inlet. It wouldn't be the
first time; and it ain't goin' to be the last either, believe me!"

"Oh! shucks! my engine is running as smooth as silk now. I could make
circles around the whole bunch if I wanted to; but what's the use?
We'd better stick together, you know. Somebody might want a little
help."

"Sure, somebody might," mocked Josh.

Jack had let Jimmy have the wheel. With his glasses he was
scrut