The _Elephant_ seemed to swing on her own account, so perfectly was she handled by the old sailor, but Pickering now had hold of the handle of the gaff, and it was not likely to get away from him. "In she comes!" he said, but he was now grasping a rope that was knotted hard to the life-preserver. "I'll let the boat kite along," said Kroom. "Don't let anybody see you pull that in." He was keeping the sail of the _Elephant_ full spread toward the bar and the inlet. That was why a man with a spy-glass, who came running down the beach and began to look, shouted back to some other men: "There she comes! They're only trolling. They haven't stopped for anything. But the sail kind o' hides 'em." The _Elephant_ had not paused, to speak of, but behind her sail Captain Pickering was lifting something over her gun-wale. "Conscience!" he exclaimed. "This here is part of my luggage that I thought went on the tug this morning. I saw all the rest of it stowed away safe enough, but I'd ha' lost this." "Some o' the tug crews are the worst kind o' wreckers," remarked Captain Kroom. "We've beat 'em this time, unless there were some more life-preservers out." "Guess not," said Pickering. "There isn't much in this that would be hurt by salt water. It's had a soak, that's all." It was not so large a valise as the other, but it seemed as heavy. It was just the thing to keep a life-preserver under in deep water, and to let a strong current drag it along into shallows. "Don't open it till you get ashore," suggested Kroom. "I'm heading the boat for the inlet. Cast off the float." Pickering had already done that; but as the _Elephant_ bowed her head and swung away, the life-preserver, although robbed of its precious drag, seemed to be following her. "Pete," said Sam, "look! I can see those fellows." "They've come over the bar to watch what we're doing," growled Kroom. "Pickering, now's our time to run through into the bay. I've an idea in my head. Can't you hide those things?" Off came Pickering's coat, and down it went over the two valises, side by side. Next to them lay the handsome shapes of the bass and the two bluefish, and one more was added to these by Sam himself before they had sailed a hundred yards. Only four fish, but they made a pretty good appearance. At all events, there was not a sign of recaptured wreckage on board the _Elephant_. Her crew and passengers could not hear the wreckers saying to each other: "Kroom's giving it up. He's off for home. We can go back now." "Boys," it was the steersman, after a long squint through his glass, "I can see our float! She's coming. Let's go for the boat. Now's our time." Perhaps so; but they had lost a great deal of time, and the _Elephant_ was already in the inlet, running well, when they started back. "Wish there was more wind," said Pickering, impatiently. "Their boat's over there somewhere." "That's what I'm after," replied Kroom; "and I reckon we'll get there first."