“And they don’t have to wait for the wind,” added Pepper. “It’s fine—if the motor doesn’t get out of order,” said Roger Penwick. “But sister and I have to do a lot of tinkering, I can tell you! Yesterday we spent about an hour sailing around and two hours fixing the engine.” “Well, my spark wasn’t just right, that was all,” responded Belle. “You can’t make a boat run well without a good electric spark,” she explained. The run to Hull Island, a small patch of land close to the upper end of Lake Caboy, did not take long, and then the island was slowly circled, while the boys and the old boatman scanned the shore with care. “There she is, there’s the _Emma_!” cried Abel Fales, presently, and pointed out his craft, shoved in under some overhanging bushes. “Pretty well hidden, I must say! I would have had a hard job finding her if you hadn’t seen her being taken here,” he added to the Penwicks. The Ritter crowd had done nothing to the launch but tow her off, and soon Able Fales was at work fixing his engine. With the cylinder repaired the machinery worked very well, and both craft started back to Butterfly Island, arriving there a little later. “Some of you can come in my boat if you wish, it will make your run easier,” said Belle Penwick, and then it was arranged that Andy and Dale and Flossie should go with her. This divided up the weight of passengers pretty evenly, and when the two boats left the island they kept close beside each other. “I’ve got a plan to scare the Ritter crowd,” said Jack, on the way home, and then he explained what it was. The Fords were willing to let him carry out his idea, Rossmore Ford being especially anxious to make the boys who had taken the _Emma_ suffer for the trick. Jack and his chums were landed at a distance up the lake shore from the encampment, and the _Emma_ took care to keep out of sight as she swung down the lake. “Tell ’em I’ll have ’em locked up if they don’t return my boat by to-morrow morning!” cried Able Fales, who, now that he had his boat back, entered into the spirit of the fun that was afloat. Jack and his chums watched their opportunity and stole into camp without being noticed by anybody but one of the guards. They slipped to their tents and donned their regular uniforms, and the young major buckled on his sword. As the cadets came out on the parade ground they saw Ritter, Coulter and Paxton directly ahead of them. They hurried on, and soon caught up to the trio, who were conversing earnestly. “They won’t get away until morning, and I know it,” Ritter was saying. “I’ll bet they were mad when they saw the hornets’ nest,” came from Coulter. “If they ate up everything they carried for dinner they will have to go without supper and breakfast,” added Paxton. “How are you, Ritter!” cried Jack, pleasantly. The entire crowd ahead wheeled around and a look of blank astonishment came into their faces. “Why—er—where did you come from?” stammered Ritter. He did not know what to say.