"I will report to the Board that which you have told us," the inspector said gravely, and then announced that he intended to leave the ledge at once. "I wanted to give the medals into the hands of the keepers, rather than intrust the matter to others, and there is nothing now to keep me." "Don't you want to see Cap'n Eph agin?" Uncle Zenas cried, surprised that the inspector should even think of going away without informing the keeper of his purpose. "It will be well to leave them alone for a time, and whatever business I may have in regard to the boy can be transacted when I next come out on a tour of inspection. Now, Mr. Sawyer, if you are ready, we will go aboard." Thus it was that when, ten minutes later, Mr. Peters and Sidney came into the kitchen, there was no one save Uncle Zenas to be seen, and the light-house tender was hardly more than a faint smudge in the distance. "The inspector has gone, an' took Sawyer with him!" Mr. Peters cried to the keeper when he learned of what had occurred. "Gone?" Captain Eph cried incredulously. "Why, that can't be, for I haven't had a chance to make a report about the way Uncle Zenas an' I have neglected our duty." "He left jest the same as if he knew all about it," the second assistant cried, and then, turning to Mr. Peters, he demanded, "What have you done with your medal, Sammy?" "We've put 'em both away in Cap'n Eph's box. You don't s'pose we'd keep the like of them knockin' 'round loose, do you?" "Of course I s'pose it!" Uncle Zenas cried angrily. "I'm allowin' that you'll wear 'em all the time, so's folks will see what you've done. I'd like to know what medals are for, if not to wear." "Wa'al, the ones that are up-stairs will stay jest where they are, 'cept when you get ready to look at 'em. Do you allow, Uncle Zenas, that I'd look pretty cleanin' fish, or knockin' 'round over the ledge with a big lump of gold hangin' to my coat?" The second assistant was by no means satisfied with this statement. He declared that if the medals were not to be worn daily, they should at least be kept where visitors would be certain to see them, and threatened that, unless some arrangement of that kind were made, he would resign his position of second assistant without delay, "rather than stay 'round with a couple of idjuts who didn't know enough to spread themselves when they had the chance." Uncle Zenas carried his point finally, otherwise his comrades might have had difficulty in obtaining food, save by using force, and before he would consent to take the first step toward cooking dinner, the medals were hung conspicuously in the watch-room. Sidney was woefully disappointed because he had not been able to send some message by Mr. Sawyer to his father; but Captain Eph consoled him by predicting that the mate would not succeed in getting to Porto Rico before the _West Wind_ had taken her departure.