"Surest thing you know, son! Hello! Why, it's Perry Bush. I thought you were Bert. What did you do with the fellows?" "What fellows?" asked Perry, puzzled, as Cas pulled the dingey alongside the cruiser. "Why, Bert and Wink and the rest of them." "Haven't seen 'em." "Haven't? Where'd you get the boat, then?" "What boat?" "That one! The one you're in! Say, are you dippy?" "This is our boat and I got it--" "Your boat nothing! That's our boat, you silly chump! Think I don't know our own tender?" "Wh-what!" gasped Perry. "So it is! Then, where's mine! I mean ours? How did I get this one?" "Search me! If you don't know, I'm blessed if I do," chuckled Caspar Temple. "You must remember something that's happened since yesterday morning!" "Han and I went ashore," said Perry, staring puzzledly at the milk-can from which a tiny stream was trickling past the loosened stopper. "Then we went to look for our boat and I found this and I yelled to him and he didn't come and so I started back to the boat to get some--" Perry suddenly remembered his affliction. "Say, got any alcohol?" he asked anxiously. "Alcohol? I don't know. Why?" "I want some." Perry started to scramble out of the tender. "I got poisoned." "Snake?" asked Cas hopefully and eagerly. "Poison-ivy." "Oh!" The other's voice held keen disappointment. "Well, what do you want alcohol for?" "It's good for it," explained Perry, reaching the cockpit. "See if you've got any, will you, Cas?" "Y-yes but, honestly, Perry, I wouldn't try it if I were you." "Why not!" "Why--why, if you go and drink a lot of alcohol--Besides, I'm all alone here, and if you got--got troublesome--" "Drink it, you silly goat! Who's going to drink it? I'm going to rub it on the places!" "Oh, I see! That's different. I'll have a look, Perry." Cas was visibly relieved as he scrambled down to the cabin. Perry dropped into the dingey again and set the milk-can upright, and then, after another minute, Cas returned empty-handed. "I'm sorry," he said, "but we haven't a bit. Would peroxide do?" "I don't know," answered Perry doubtfully. "Maybe. Hand it here and I'll give it a chance. Say," he continued as he laved his wrists, "did your crowd leave this boat on the beach?" "I suppose so. That's where you found it, wasn't it! You'd better hustle back with it, too, for they said they'd be back about eleven. They went to Vineyard Haven." "It's all well enough to say hustle back with it," replied Perry morosely, "but where's your pesky beach?" "Why, over there," said Cas, pointing. "The way you came." "I came forty-eleven different directions," answered Perry. "All right, though. I'll try it. But I'm likely to be paddling around all day and night. Got anything to eat on board?" Cas found some cookies and these, with a glass of water, raised Perry's spirits. "Farewell," he said feelingly, as he shoved off again. "I die for my country."