Now the yacht bore down on us with a rush, cutting through the water and sending spray flying on either side of the bow. The dory was forgotten as we watched this new enemy. There was no one to be seen on board,--the spread of her canvas hid everything. Just as her bow-sprit pushed by the stern of the "Hoppergrass" something white stirred near the mast. Then two wings flapped, and there was a sound of "Quack! Quack! Quaa-a-a-a-ck!" CHAPTER XII THE VOYAGE BEGINS AGAIN At the same moment Captain Bannister poked his head under the sail and looked at us. His face was grim--as it might have been that time he was chased by pirates in the China Sea--and he had a double-barreled shot-gun in his hand. When he saw me his mouth opened, and he stared helplessly. I caught sight of Mr. Daddles standing near the Captain, Sprague at the wheel, and Jimmy Toppan and some others busy with the sails. Then I fully realized what had first dawned on me when I heard the quacking of Simon the duck. This was Sprague's boat, of course. It was not strange that I hadn't recognized her. Coming up as she did, bow on, there was very little to distinguish her from any other yacht. And I was never familiar with her appearance. (By the way, I have forgotten to tell the name of the yacht. It was the "White Rabbit,"--named, said Sprague, after his favorite character in a book. And as the boat was painted black, it pleased him especially to call her this, in order to annoy the matter-of- fact Chief.) Spook crawled under a seat as soon as he saw Captain Bannister. "G-G-Guns again!" said he; "I t-told you s-so!" "Come out!" I said, "come out quick! It's all right,--these are my friends. That is Captain Bannister." "The one wh-who owns this b-boat?" "Yes." "D-Do you c-call th-that all r-right?" "Yes; we can explain, and fix it up. Come out of there,--we have got to tell them about Snider, and get them to help us drive him off." The "White Rabbit" passed us as if we were standing still. One by one all those on board turned and waved their hands at me,--all except Jimmy Toppan, who was having too good a time with the sails to care for any person on earth. Presently they took in the spinnaker and came about. I persuaded Spike to believe that these people were neither police nor crooks, nor anything else dangerous. I got him to come about, while I dropped the peak of the sail. We made no more attempt to escape, and in a few minutes the "White Rabbit" was alongside. Then there had to be explanations. Everybody asked questions at once. "What are you doing here, Sam?" "Where'd you find the 'Hoppergrass'?" "Why aren't you at Rogers's Island?" "Why didn't you come back to Lanesport?" "Why did you try to run away from us?" "Who are those fellows in the dory?"