"Boat on the larboard bow, sir!" reported an ensign, soon after Captain Stephens was known to be awake in his cabin. "What boat is it?" inquired the latter, eagerly, throwing open the dead-light of his room and gazing out along the shore. "It's our boat, sir, with Lieutenant Cummings." "Any passengers aboard?" "I'm afraid not, sir." The captain slammed shut the dead-light and turned moodily to his desk. He did not seem to enjoy the breakfast which one of the cook's men presently brought to him. "Tell Lieutenant Cummings to report as soon as he comes aboard," he commanded. Lieutenant Cummings, however, far from being discouraged, was much elated when he appeared, smiling, at the captain's door. "They slept at the village, sir," he said. "Five persons in all. Everybody's gone from the village but one or two old people, and these report that the boys came in there for water and to see what news they could get. They had a young native boy with them and a full-grown Aleut. They put him in irons--" "Put him in irons!" roared Captain Stephens. "God bless my soul! Those young rascals will be sending out to look after _us_ before long! Sailors!--and they've got a man in _irons_!" "They say the Aleut was afraid to go to town," resumed the lieutenant, "and tried to escape. They halted him and kept him under guard all night. The five of them left yesterday about noon, and as they were seen not far from the mouth of the bay toward evening, they're very likely camped not far around the point yonder, sir." "Get under way!" ordered Captain Stephens. "I've got a little professional pride about this thing, and I don't want those youngsters to beat the _Bennington_ into port! Full speed ahead!" Half an hour later the _Bennington_ poked her nose around the next bold promontory of the east coast of Kadiak. One more broad bay lay before them. Tossing up and down on the waves, half-way or more across, was a small, dark object! The eyes of the old Aleut were first to discover this, and he began to shout and gesticulate as several pairs of glasses were turned upon it. Old Captain Stephens broke out in a string of nautical ejaculations, which need not be printed in full. "Look at that!" he cried. "Talk about _sailors_! See 'em go! They wouldn't reef a point if they could--and I guess they can't, for they seem to have a board or something for a sail. And they've got leeboards down. They've got two oars out for steering-gear. By the great horn spoon! Cummings, crack on more steam or they'll beat us to New York! Why, dash my eyes, Hazlett, you old woman, didn't I _tell_ you you couldn't lose those boys?" The gentleman whom he addressed smiled rather crookedly but could find no speech.