"Get your anchor up, Han. Give him a hand,
someone. Wink, open a box of those cartridges and load the revolvers,
will you? But keep them out of Perry's way! All right now. Settle down,
fellows, and we'll try a bluff."
The _Adventurer_ went on and the distance between the two boats lessened
rapidly. They could see two men watching them over the top of the cabin,
but there was no sign of alarm visible aboard the _Follow Me_. When the
_Adventurer_ was almost opposite the black cruiser Steve threw out the
clutch, turned the wheel and let her run shoreward. "We're getting out
of the channel," he said to Harry. "Watch for sand-bars." He slipped the
clutch in again and again disengaged it. The two boats were some twenty
yards apart now and the men on the _Follow Me_ were observing the
newcomers unblinkingly from the cockpit.
Steve leaned over the rail and sent a hail across. "_Follow Me_, ahoy!"
he called. "We'll trouble you for that boat, please."
For a moment there was no answer. Then one of the two men in sight
moved forward and drawled: "Speaking to us, are you? What was it you
said?"
"I said we'd trouble you for that boat," repeated Steve. "It happens to
belong to us, you see."
"This boat?"
"That identical boat.
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