The Boy Scouts on Picket Duty

d and gagged, staring up at the sky. The sun beat down upon him, full in his face, causing him to close his ey

wiftly toward the mainland believed that he had not yet recovered fully from the punishing

brisk and the sea was choppy. The canoe bobbed up and down on the short waves, and Hugh was rolled from one side to the other or bounced roughly with every m

hink of his prolonged absence? That he had been drowned, or attacked by sharks, or lost in a quicksand?--what on earth would they imagine had happened to him? And Bi

evelopments, trusting that his friends would not delay their coming to the r

, beyond which lay the mainland. Presently it thrust its nose into the soft bank of a stream, or, rather, a sluggish water-course which made a cl

ok about him, to see

d a group of stunted palmettos. Into this cove flowed a stream, and at a little distance from the mouth of the stream stood three log cabins, thatched with bundles of grass. They

e. This was the only sign of human occupancy. The other two dilapidated buildings might readily be imagined to shelter only spi

his black eyes twinkling with grim mirth. "Raise the roof, if

indeed, on the way over from the island, listening to the men's talk, he had formed the opinion that they were

ing which pu

stealing out across the water. Hugh did not know that Vinton, as soon as the canoe had been sighted, had given orders to go aboard the sloop at once, and that the Arrow had promp

and then the cabin door was opened by a man dressed in a brown flannel hunting-shirt, corduroy trousers, and hip boots rolled do

Harry?" h

man. "Confound your eyesight, Joe! can't

y sally, and Joe Durgan

doin' with him?" He blinked at Hugh, much as a sleepy owl blinks at a hunter who has discovered

been captured and brought here, I don't quite see. I wasn't doing any harm th

your f

ll be over here looking for

ay so? Well, come in an

lm of misgiving. He hung back, uncertain what to say next, until cross-eyed Harry gave him a push that sent h

s, for some unknown reason. The only furniture in the dwelling consisted of a fine old mahogany table--sadly out of place--three cheap wooden chairs, a cupboard against one wall,

e said to Hugh, po

red around the table, speaking in tones so low

four scoundrels in candle-council, planning deeds of darkness; and I, trussed up like a calf,

e bunk, heaving a

a good lad an' not try to run away," he said, grinning, "I'll

the prisoner, Hugh lay down again and feigned sleep. In his heart he was grateful to Durgan for

f a cargo was to be run, the first night when there would be no moon and an off-shore wind. As far as he could learn from the snatches of talk which reached his ears, t

ould show a light in a window of one of

y hoped that the crew of the Petrel would try to extinguish the flames, so as to prevent the fire spreading inland to an extensive grove of valua

ut had a cellar," said B

finger which he pointed at Hugh. "Did you say cigar, Branks?

said

I'll give you one," aga

he added under his br

uble-dy

would spend the day there in hiding. Presently, however, they rose from the table and went out, clo

with clenched fists. "You crooks'll ha

h was the o