ich was an agreement to run back to the Friday Island group and make an
inspection of it with glasses from every possible angle. In this way they
hoped to be able to obtain a clew relative to the headquarters and
activities of the men who had ordered them to move their camp from Friday
Island. Then the engine was started, and the course of the Catwhisker
directed up stream.

"Now, my friend," remarked Mr. Buckley, addressing the young Canadian;
"you'd be perfectly welcome to the freedom of the deck under ordinary
circumstances, but the present are extraordinary circumstances, so we'll
have to ask you to resort to the pleasures and comforts of the cabin.
Boys," he added, addressing the three young Catwhiskerites, "you may go
into the cabin, too, and get acquainted with him." Then in lower tone to
Cub, who stood near the officer, he suggested: "Maybe he'll be more
talkative with you boys than he has been with us men. See if you can't
get something out of him."

Cub "tipped" Hal and Bud as to the purpose communicated to him by
the Canadian officer, and the three conducted "Bud's prisoner" into
the cabin.

But the latter proved to be about as uncommunicative as he had been
when the older members of the yacht's company tried to get something
out of him. He appeared to be bright enough and not especially coarse
grained, so that from the standpoint of quality qualifications, there
seemed to be no reason for his sullenness. Hal frankly made a statement
to him to this effect, but it produced no result of the kind desired
and intended. They got only short, surly returns in response to their
most friendly advances.

At last they gave it up and returned on deck. Before leaving the cabin,
however, Cub said to the prisoner:

"Now, if you'll promise to stay here and not make any attempt to escape,
we won't lock you up. Otherwise we'll have to lock you up in a
stateroom."

"I'll promise," was the fellow's laconic response.

"By the way," Bud remarked, as they were about to leave the cabin, "would
you mind telling us the handle of your name? We know your father's
surname, but we'd like to know how to address you. You're too young for
us to call you Mr. Howard."

"You c'n call me Bill, if you want to," the slingshot victim replied.

Hal was particularly impressed with a sly, cunning look in the eyes of
the prisoner and told himself that the fellow would bear watching to keep
him out of mischief.

"I tell you what I'd like to