“I guess that’s it,” Eddie said, after they had made a complete circle of the glass. He paused to take one last look around. “We’d better be getting back home, too,” Teena suggested. “It must be three o’clock.” Eddie glanced up at the sun. “You’re about right,” he said. They made their way back down the stairs. Cap was waiting at the bottom. “It’s as bright as the northern star, mates,” he said, craning his neck to get a good look at their handiwork. “I sure do thank you both.” “We’re the ones to thank you for letting us come out here to visit you, Captain Daniels,” Eddie said. “Any time,” the old mariner invited. “You’re always welcome. And I don’t expect you to bring a lunch or polish the light, either.” “We have to go now,” Teena said. “But we’ll come out to see you again before long. Come on, Sandy.” “I’ll be looking for you,” Captain Daniels called after them, as they started down the rock steps toward the beach. Later, when they reached the cove they noticed that the rowboat was no longer anchored out over the sand bar. Then Eddie saw it in close to shore, heading for Anderson’s Landing. He didn’t give it any more thought. As they approached Anderson’s Landing, the two strangers were tying up at the dock. “Let’s see if they caught anything,” Eddie suggested. “Let’s not,” Teena objected. “They weren’t very nice to us.” “They didn’t mean anything,” Eddie said. “Maybe someone should tell them that the fishing is no good over the sand bar.” “I’ll bet they found that out for themselves,” Teena said. But Eddie already had started walking out onto the plank boat dock. Teena followed. “Here, mister, I’ll help you,” Eddie offered as the heavy-set man removed the oars from the oarlocks and moved toward the prow of the boat. “O.K.,” the man said, trying to keep his balance in the rocking boat. Then he glanced up. “Hey, you’re the kids we saw earlier, aren’t you? You following us or something?” “No, sir,” Eddie said. “We were on our way home. Just thought we’d come out and see what kind of luck you had.” “We did all right, didn’t we, Roy?” the tall man said. “But where are your fish?” Teena asked. “We left them in the bay,” Roy, the portly man, said. “I guess so,” Eddie said, smiling. “No one ever catches any fish out over the sand bar. The fish hang around in the deeper water.” “Well, we don’t care much for fish, anyway,” Roy said. “Then why do you go fishing?” Teena wondered. “We do it to get away from kids who ask silly questions,” Simms said curtly. “Now beat it and leave us alone.” He tossed the two fishing poles onto the dock and climbed out of the boat. “Sure, mister,” Eddie said. “We didn’t mean to bother you.” “Don’t get sore, kids,” Roy said. “Simms is a little sunburned, that’s all. Makes him cranky.” The tall man was sunburned, all right. Eddie had noticed that. But then, he had expected it. Neither man boasted any kind of a tan, and the sun had been hot all afternoon.