"Why not?" Hal persisted. "Doesn't it satisfy your lordship?"

"Cut it out, Tee-hee," the alleged "lordship" ordered. "You make me
sore."

"Then I'll rub on some salve."

"If you do, you'll get your fingers burnt," Cub retorted.

"I always thought you were a hot one. But that doesn't answer the
question before us."

"No, because we don't know how to settle it," Cub admitted. "If we knew
what we're talkin' about, we wouldn't be batting this nonsense back and
forth. We can't hit the nail on the head, so we just fan the air. By the
way, what did that fellow say before Bud and I began to listen-in?"

Hal reviewed the first half of the statement received by him. Then Mr.
Perry, who had just returned from ashore, where he had been testing the
security of the tie-up, entered the cabin.

"What's the trouble, boys?" he asked, noting the studied expression of
their faces.

"No trouble, exactly," Cub replied. "Just another mystery."

"That's interesting," the yachtsman commented. "Tell me about it."

"You get my goat, dad," Cub declared.