road, and plunged through the blackberry vines to the door.

"Who is it?" he asked. "Why, hello, Captain! What on earth--"

Captain Eri signaled him to silence, and then, catching his arm, pulled
him into the shanty and shut the door. Captain Jerry hastened to set the
saw-horse in place again.

"Mr. Hazeltine," said Captain Eri, "let me make you acquainted with
Cap'n Perez and Cap'n Jerry, shipmates of mine. You've heard me speak of
'em."

Ralph, in the darkness, shook two big hands and heard whispered voices
express themselves as glad to know him.

"You see," continued Eri in a somewhat embarrassed fashion, "we're sort
of layin' to, as yer might say, waitin' to git our bearin's. We ain't
out of our heads; I tell you that, 'cause I know that's what it looks
like."

The bewildered Hazeltine laughed and said he was glad to hear it.
To tell the truth, he had begun to think that something or other had
suddenly driven his nearest neighbors crazy.

"I--I--I don't know how to explain it to you," the Captain stumbled on.
"Fact is, I guess I won't jest yit, if you don't mind. It does sound
so pesky ridic'lous, although it ain't, when you understand it. What we
want to know is, have you been to our house and is there anybody there?"

"Why, yes, I've been there. I rowed over and dropped in for a minute,