Part 8 (1/2)

”It's aher for,”

laughed Teddy ”Let's hope she'll be sleuth enough to get on the trail of the slers”

”She will,” said Ross with decision; and a look of determination leaped into his eyes, while his lips coht line

His chums drew in the fenders and ran up the sail, while Lester took his place at the tiller and eased the _Ariel_ off, until a space of twenty feet separated the two boats

”We'll run a few rings around you, while you get the engine to working,”

called out Lester

”All right, if you insist upon it,” laughed Ross ”That's easy enough to do now, but soher job

”Here it coave a few preli was fitful at first, but it soon settled down into a smooth steady buzz

”Listen to that ain!”

He started the boat, and she darted ahead like a bird He tested the steering gear and it worked perfectly

”Capital!” cried Fred delightedly

”Hurrah!” echoed Teddy

”She's a pippin!” exclaimed Bill enthusiastically

Ross flushed with pleasure at the praise of his craft

”Well,” he called, ”I owe it all to you fellows that I'et into similar trouble, but if you do, I only hope that I'm on hand to help you out”

Their courses lay in opposite directions and as they rapidly drew apart

”Well!” re breath when they were out of ear shot, ”this has been an adventure with a great big A”

”Who'd ever have thought e started out yesterday that we'd run across anything like this?” added Fred, as he settled doith his hand on the sheet

”That's the beauty of the sea,” reht his boat up a littlesteadily and there aren't socan happen You never knohat's going to turn up”

”I don't know about that,” replied Bill, moved to a defence of his beloved prairies ”Plenty of unexpected things turn up on land too I guess Fred and Teddy didn't find things very tame out at the ranch this suhosts and rattlesnakes and bears and cattle rustlers, we didn't find ti heavy on our hands”

”Not so that you could notice it,” chuckled Teddy

”Of course there are exceptions,” adeneral way My father was a sailor and the sea is inin it so”