“Yes; and she’s headed for us now,” said Ethan, whose eyes were keener than his elder’s. He gazed at the vessel which, sure enough, was now rapidly coming up with them; suddenly he grasped the arm of his companion. “Shamus,” he breathed, “I was right.” “About what?” asked the Irish soldier. “About the shallop. That’s the same vessel.” The captain of the Island Queen turned upon the boy. “Do you mean the shallop that lay in the dock next us?” asked he. “I feel sure of it,” answered Ethan. The captain breathed a sigh of relief. “Oh, then, it’s all well enough. You see her captain is a friend of mine, and I suppose he wants to speak to me.” “I think,” said Ethan seriously, “that you’ll find that there is something more to it than that.” “And I agree wid ye,” said Shamus O’Moore; and without another word he dived below. “Your man seems sort of nervous,” laughed the captain. “Not he,” smiled Ethan. “If you spoke of nerves to him, I hardly think he’d know what you were talking about.” “He got below mighty sudden.” “He’ll be back in a moment. And I fancy he’ll have his tools with him.” The captain stared, but said nothing more to the lad. Scanning the waters toward the island he spoke to the mate at the wheel in low tones regarding the chart by which he was steering. They were still so engaged when the big lug sails of the shallop came plainly into view and a voice from her deck hailed hoarsely, “Ahoy, the schooner!” “Ahoy,” answered the schooner’s skipper promptly. “Is that the Island Queen?” “It is. What craft is that?” “The Saucy Sue, shallop.” “Oh, is that you, Captain Hutchins?” There was silence for a moment, then the voice replied: “Yes; lay to; I want to come aboard of you.” “Very well,” and the schooner’s commander gave the order to his crew. But Ethan stepped to his side quickly and said: “Be careful of what you do.” The captain laughed and answered, “Oh, I see that the Irishman is not the only person aboard the Queen that’s nervous. You’ve got a touch of that complaint yourself, my lad.” “It’s not a question of nerves,” said Ethan quietly. “But it’s been my experience that one vessel does not hang in the wake of another for any good purpose.” “Your experience,” cried the skipper good humoredly; “listen to that, Mr. Jarvis!” The mate grinned and said: “Sounds kind of curious to hear a boy talk like that to two old salts, don’t it?” “What experience have you had on blue water, and with mysterious craft, sonny?” asked the Queen’s skipper, humorously. “Enough to teach me not to do what you have done,” answered the boy. “Coasting is easy, steady going work enough here in these northern waters when there is no Englishman about; but I’ve sailed in ships that have cleared the decks for action at the beginning of a voyage, and kept them cleared except for the bodies of half breed pirates who boarded them.”