The Gauger held out his plate.

"Jes' mejum," said he.

After breakfast, we of the "Hoppergrass" held a council.

"The Captain will come back to Bailey's Harbor," said Jimmy
Toppan, "but we can't go there at all. We'll have to go somewhere
else, and send a message to him."

"We might go to that place--what's its name? Squid Cove," Ed Mason
suggested.

"And send a message to him by the car-driver," I added.

"We'll have to write it in cipher," said Mr. Daddles, "for it
would never do to have it fall into the hands of Eb."

"How do you know that he will come back there?" I asked.

"I don't," said Jimmy, "but it's the most likely thing to happen,
isn't it?"

"The most likely thing doesn't seem to happen on this trip,"
remarked Ed Mason, who was feeding Simon, the duck, with cracker
crumbs.

Sprague broke in on our conversation.