.

"Looks interesting," Steve said.

The creek flowed only a little distance past the mansion before it
became so narrow that Orvil Harris had to turn for the trip downstream.
As the crab boat came abreast of the mansion again, Rick looked to the
other side of the creek and saw the duck blind. It wasn't exactly
opposite the house, being designed so that gunners in the blind would
shoot diagonally across the creek and downstream, rather than near the
house itself.

The blind was on stilts, made of board, with a big "picture window"
without glass through which duck hunters could fire freely. It was
designed for entry by boat, and there was a line of poles sticking up
from the water that marked the boat's docking place. In season, the
entire blind including the poles would be covered with a screen of fresh
foliage, so that hunters, blind, and boat would seem like a natural
object to any duck that flew by.

Rick saw that the entrance, at the point where the boat would nose in,
was downstream from the mansion, at the back corner of the blind. Anyone
approaching from the swamp behind the blind could enter unseen from
Calvert's Favor.

Not until they were back at the cove did any of them speak.

"That antenna was odd," Steve said. "Did you ever see anything like it,
Rick?"

"Not exactly," Rick admitted. "It could be for TV, although it's an
unusual design, or it could be some kind of ham rig, as Scotty said."

"Or it could be something else," Steve concluded.

"No sign of a flyin'-saucer launcher," Orvil Harris said. He was stoking
his battered brier.

Rick grinned. "I wouldn't know one if I saw it."

"Well, that wraps it up," Steve said. "Let's get aboard the runabout and
head home. I've got to make a plane." He shook hands with Orvil Harris.
"Glad to have met you after waving at you for so long."

"Likewise. Now, you let me in on this if you can. I'm Link's only kin
hereabouts, so I feel responsible, so to speak. Call me up. I'm in the
phone book. I'll keep crabbin' in this creek until further notice, so
you can find me here until midmornin' any day."

"We'll let you know if anything comes up," Rick agreed.

Scotty borrowed a boat hook and pulled the runabout closer, then he
stepped to the forward deck while Steve and Rick got into the seat.
Scotty pulled up the grapnel while Steve started the motor. In a moment
they were waving to Harris as the runabout headed for home.

It was full daylight now, and the