"I don't think they discovered her till this moment, for they have only just begun to move this way. Now what will they do?" "They will wonder why the position of the schooner has been changed." "Let them wonder: they will not be able to make any thing of it. When they reach the tender, they will do some more wondering." "And they will begin to take account of the facts in their possession," added the machinist. "That will be a sensible thing for them to do. The two principal facts before them will be the change in the position of the vessel and the presence of the tender on the shore. But the first thing they do, will be to hail the La Motte; but they will not get any answer. What will they conclude from the silence of those on board?" "I have an idea, Dory; but what do you say?" added the machinist, with a smile which seemed to mean more than his words. "They will conclude that the fellows on board are tired out, and have gone to sleep," replied Dory confidently. "Then they will take the boat, and come on board. About that time, our work will begin." "I don't quite agree with you, Dory," answered Mr. Jepson. "You are the manager of this enterprise, and I think you have arranged things to lead them to another conclusion from that you suggest." "What do you think they will do?" asked Dory, disappointed that the machinist did not seem to approve his action. "When they find the boat on the beach, with the vessel where she is, they will conclude that the two fellows have gone ashore, and are looking for Angy, and for their absent companions," replied the machinist, with more earnestness in his manner than he had displayed before. Dory bit his lips, for it seemed to him that there was a great deal of force in what his companion said. "If you had left the schooner where she was, they might have reasoned that the boat was where Angy had left it," continued the machinist. "But they would not have found the boat in that case. They would not have been likely to see her on the beach, a quarter of a mile away from them. Besides, I was not sure that the boat would be blown where they would be in the way of finding it, if I turned it adrift a mile from this shore," reasoned Dory rather warmly. "There are difficulties, whichever way you look at the question," said the instructor, laughing at the energy of Dory. "I think we had better drop the discussion, and act upon the facts as soon as they are developed." "All right: you think they will do one thing, and I think they will do another. The only important thing is, whether or not they will come on board of the vessel. We will wait and see." "It is too late to alter things as you have arranged them; and I do not say that the course you have taken was not the wisest, Dory. We shall soon know."