gleamed in the crisp sunlight. Three porpoise appeared off Short Beach
and proved very companionable, for they stayed with the _Adventurer_ for
quite ten minutes. One placed himself directly in front of the boat and
the others took up positions about six feet apart on the starboard bow,
and for two miles or more they maintained their stations, their dusky,
gleaming backs arching from the water with the regularity of clock-work.
Most of the boys had never seen the fish before and were much
interested. Joe called them "puffing pigs" and Perry insisted that they
were dolphins, and a fervid argument followed. They finally agreed, at
Phil's suggestion, to compromise and call them "porphins." Possibly the
discussion bored the subjects, or maybe they were insulted by the title
applied to them, for about the time Joe and Perry reached an agreement
the porpoise disappeared as suddenly as they had arrived on the scene
and it was minutes later before the puzzled mariners descried them
heading shoreward some distance away.

They missed Ossie after that and when he was found he was stretched out
on a seat in the main cabin sound asleep and snoring. Neil came back
with the news that one of the "puffing pigs" had flopped aboard and was
asleep below. Steve took advantage of plain sailing to instruct Joe,
Phil and Perry in the handling of the wheel and controls, and each of
the pupils took his turn at guiding the cruiser along the sandy coast.
Fire Island Inlet was reached shortly before three and Steve took the
wheel again and ran the _Adventurer_ past Jack's Island, around the
curve of Short Beach and into the waters of the Great South Bay. There
was still a six-mile run to their anchorage, however, and it was nearly
four when the cruiser at last crept in among the clustered craft off Bay
Shore and dropped her anchor. A hundred yards away a cluster of boys on
the deck of a sturdy cabin-cruiser swung their caps and sent a hail
across. Steve seized the megaphone from its rack and answered.