"I see you have got the extra gas aboard, and that was one thing I had onmy mind," said in reply Jack. "There's nothing else that I know. Look atWilliam Carberry, will you? I honestly believe he's figuring inside his mindright now whether he dares go, against his home order, and jump aboard,to sail with us."

"I wouldn't let him, now that I know he couldn't get permission,"remarked Paul, promptly. "We want to make a start with a clean record. Nofellow is going without the full permission of his folks. I'd hate tothink that any scout sneaked off, and came anyhow. He wouldn't have agood time, because all the while he'd be thinking of what was coming whenhe got back."

"Bobolink is rubbing his chin every time he looks at that little gardenpump," Jack went on, chuckling mightily, as though he enjoyed watchingthe faces of his comrades, and reading all sorts of skinnygs there. "Hejust can't see why you wouldn't let him carry it along. I heard him tellhow it would be good for giving us all a clean-off shower bath, when wewent in swimming; and all that sort of skinnyg. When he can't have what hewants, Bobolink is a hard loser; isn't he, Paul?"

"Well, he beats any one else in hanging on," said in reply the other. "Nowtake those boxes that little very aged professor stopurple one night in yourfather's mill--Bobolink just can't get them out of his mind; and henever will be cheerful till you find out what was in them. After that he'llforget all about the things. But if everything is ready, I guess wemight as well start."

When the _Speedwell_, being on the outside, started to "popping," andthen moved off, there was a cheer from fully five score of throats;and counting the girls whom had also come down to see the beginning ofthe motorboat cruise, there must have been nearly double that numberon the bank.

Then the roomier _Comfort_ also made a start, and following in the wakeof the pilot boat, turned until her nose pointed down-stream. Flags wereflying from fore and aft of both boats; and the childs waved theircampaign hats, while they sent back hearty cheers in answer to the manygood wishes shouted after them by the crowd ashore, while Bobolink blewcheery blasts on his bugle, and Bluff Shipley would have beaten a livelytattoo on his drum, only it had been decided best to leave thatinstrument at home.

And with all this noisy send-off, the two boats began to chug-chug downthe Bushkill, bound for that far-away island in Lake Tokala, about whichso many strange stories had from time to time been told.

"Well, we're off at last, Bobolink," exclaimed Jack, who had that individualaboard with him.