Marshallton
Tech," said the voice.

"Hooray! Right out here with me is the pitcher who won that shut-out for
us."

"No! Do you really mean it? And then it was you who hailed and came
aboard just now, and the others have not returned? I can trust you,
can't I?"

"Why not? We're really harmless. But tell us who are these fellows?"

"I do not know, except that they are scoundrels and thieves,--of that I
am sure."

The door suddenly opened and a figure stood before the boys, something
white, glistening and menacing in her hand. An arm was outstretched to
turn a switch. With the flooding light Bill and Gus beheld a very pretty
girl of about their own age, who smiled at them and hastily held the
revolver behind her. Reassured, she calmly continued:

"I am Lucy Waring. May I ask----?"

"My chum here is Gus Grier and I am Bill Brown."

"I shall be indebted to you forever," the girl said graciously. "You see
I am in an awful fix. Those men deliberately stole our boat. This is my
father's auxiliary yacht, the _X-Ray_. My father is Doctor Louis Waring,
of----"

"The great Doctor Waring, nerve specialist?"

"Nerves, yes. I believe people call him great sometimes. You see we have
a summer home at Hawk's Bill, just below the inlet here, and we girls,
my two sisters and some friends are there now. Father and Mother are
coming down to-morrow. I'm fond of boating, and sometimes, just to be on
the water, I come down and sleep in the yacht. To-night I did and I
waked up to feel that we were adrift and sailing, with somebody on
board--two, I think. While I was wondering what to do, one came and
tried my door and called to me, I said something to him, you may
believe! But he would hardly listen to me, though he couldn't force the
door and I told him I'd shoot if he did. Presently we went aground and
the men went back and started to work with the motor. I slipped out and
got at the wireless, locking my door after me and locking the wireless
room door. I don't know how they didn't hear me, though they were making
an awful racket trying to hammer something. I sent several messages,
then I listened and still heard them talking and slipped back. They
couldn't get the engine to run--it can hardly be cranked, but it has a
starter which they didn't understand. About half an hour ago they went
off in the dory and I thought they were returning when you came."

"And you have no idea who they are?"

"None whatever. I only know that the