and that, moreover, their disobedience had cost the expedition one of
its valuable assets, for there was no hope of ever putting the smashed
craft together again.

On their return to the ship Captain Hazzard did not say much to them,
but what he did say, as Billy remarked afterward, "burned a hole in
you."

However, after a hearty dinner and a change of clothing, they all,
even the professor--who seemed none the worse for the effects of his
cold bath--cheered up a bit, more especially as Captain Barrington had
announced that he had a plan for getting the ship off the reef. Ben
Stubbs, who had, with his crew, been taken off the end of the
obstruction by another boat, had announced that the depth of the
obstruction did not seem to exceed twenty feet and its greatest width
forty. Where the ship's bow rested the breadth was about thirty feet
and the depth not more than twenty.

"My gracious," suddenly cried the professor as the boys came out from
dinner; "I have suffered a terrible loss!"

His face was so grave, and he seemed so worried, that the boys
inquired sympathetically what it was that he had lost.

"My bucket, my dredging bucket," wailed the scientist. "I was too cold
to examine it thoroughly and I recollect now that I am sure it had
some sort of sea-creatures in the bottom of it."

"What has become of it?" asked Frank, hardly able to keep from
laughing.