Though much interested in the captain’s yarns, Hoppy and Win could not help feeling anxious about his delay in broaching the subject of their ransom, but, of course, they could not very well hurry him to the point. They had an idea that Raggett was purposely avoiding the issue, and they knew they could best serve their own cause by patiently waiting until he thought the time was ripe for a declaration of his views on the matter. At length that time arrived. Captain Raggett produced a chart of Cape Cod bay and laid it on the table. “Now, men,” he said, “I daresay you want to learn my terms? You will know very soon and I have great hopes that we can come to an agreement. In my opinion, you will get out of your predicament without much trouble, but that will depend altogether on yourselves. However, before we discuss the question of ransom I should like to ask you a few questions about this chart. You may answer or not, just as you please.” The prisoners were somewhat surprised at this move. Then Captain Knowles replied: “I don’t know that there is any great harm in answering any questions about the chart, Captain Raggett. I suppose there’s nothing secret about it. Every shipmaster can get a chart of Cape Cod bay easily enough.” “That’s so,” said Raggett, “and I’m glad you take such a sensible view of it. However, this chart is not clear in some particulars and I would like to have your opinion. So far as the deepwater section of the bay is concerned there is no difficulty in following it, but, as you very well know, almost every year there is a variation in the depth of water in the neighborhood of the bars and in the channels close inshore. Therefore, a chart five years old may require correction for those places.” “Why, yes, Captain Raggett,” cried Hoppy, “sometimes after a November gale whole chunks of the mainland disappear and what were cornfields become tidewater flats! If you’re relying on a chart five years old you’ll have to go easy inshore.” “That is my point exactly. Now, let’s take the shore waters of your own town of Eastham. The flats are dry at low water for nearly a mile to seaward. Have there been any great changes in that locality in recent years?” “Well, Captain Raggett,” replied Hoppy, “there certainly have been changes. They dig clams now in some places where they harvested salt hay five years ago. Don’t know that there’s much difference on the outer edge of the flats, but there’s no knowing, and wary skippers don’t venture very far inshore. A fifty-ton lumber schooner got badly strained there three years ago.” “Then it would not be safe for a large vessel?” Hoppy laughed. “Excuse me for laughing, Captain Raggett, but if you are thinking of sailing the ‘Spencer’ in those waters, you run a fine chance of losing your ship!” “How near could the ‘Spencer’ approach?” asked Raggett. “Not within a mile of the outer bar,” answered Hoppy promptly.