"I have rather a personal question to ask you, Captain Brown," Charley said, as the launch ploughed her way through the glowing water.

"Let's hear it," said the fisherman.

The lad hesitated. "It sounds rather impudent, but I want to know just how good a friend you are to Hunter and his gang?"

"Can't say that I am a friend of his at all," answered the man, frankly. "There are quite a few of us fishermen who have no particular love for him, but we all try to avoid trouble with him because he can make things pretty costly for a man in a secret, underhand way which leaves one nothing to grasp upon. I suspect you have found that out for yourselves."

"We have," admitted Charley, candidly. "It's a wonder to me, you fishermen, who do not like him, haven't got together and run him off before now."

"I expect it does look kind of queer to an outsider," replied the man, reflectively. "But it's natural enough when one gets to understand fishermen. You seldom find a fisherman but who has been more or less of a roamer and adventurer. Their lives have made them self-reliant and taught them the rather hard lesson that it don't pay to take up others' quarrels. Unconsciously, perhaps, their motto is 'leave me alone and I'll leave you alone.' They may really be in sympathy with a man, but they seldom will assist him in his disputes. That trait in them explains why Hunter lasts so long. They simply will not combine against him."

"I see," said Charley, thoughtfully, "that puts the matter in a new light to me. I had supposed they stood for Hunter and his ways because they approved of him and them."

"Not at all," said the other, warmly. "Most of the fishermen are pretty good fellows at heart, but 'hands off' is their policy."

"I am glad to learn that," Charley said, frankly. "I want to hire a few fishermen and their launches for a couple of days, but the work is rather important, and I want only men who will work for the interest of the man who pays them and not play into the hands of someone like Hunter."

"The fishermen will be true to their employer's interests," declared the other, emphatically.

"Good," said the lad. "I am going to trust to your judgment. As soon as you land us at Roberts' dock, I want you to go back to Clearwater and get four more launches with their skiffs and captains. Get the best and most trustworthy men you can pick out. If you can be back with them before midnight, it will mean five dollars extra for each of them and ten dollars extra for yourself. Bring plenty of gasoline for the launches, and provisions for two days for yourselves."

"I can get the men and boats all right," Captain Brown said, doubtfully, "but they will want ten dollars apiece per day, and not knowing you, they will want some money down."

Charley reached down into his pocket and pulled out the roll of bills at which the man gazed in amazement.

"Here's the first day's pay for each in advance," he said, counting out fifty dollars, "and remember there is five dollars extra apiece in the job if they are all at the Roberts dock ready to start at midnight."

"We'll all be ready in two hours," Captain Brown declared. "Here we are at the dock. I won't stop. Just jump out and give me a shove off. Time is worth money now," he grinned.

The three jumped out on the little pier, shoved the launch off, and it was quickly lost in the darkness.

Charley grinned as he stood for a moment listening to the rapid popping of the engine's exhaust.

"He's got that engine turning up as fast as it will go," he commented. "He means to get that extra ten dollars, all right. Gee! but I've been using my nerve, spending money that belongs as much to the rest of you as it does to me."

"That's all right," approved Captain Westfield. "You are planning out this thing. Spend the last penny if you want to. I believe in letting one at a time run a thing. Others butting in only gum things up—a ship don't work well under more than one captain."

The light was still burning in the Roberts boys' cabin and a tap at the door brought forth an invitation to come in.

When the three stepped into the lighted room they were greeted with exclamations of amazed pleasure.

"It's good to see you all are safe again," cried the husky Bill, as he shook hands with a heartiness that made them wince. "We were mourning you as drowned. We did not believe your launch could have lasted out that gale."

"She didn't," Captain Westfield said. "She went to pieces on shore a good many miles down the coast."

"Tough luck," said the big fisherman, sympathetically. "You fellows do seem to hit it rough. It's too blamed bad, that's what it is."

"I believe our luck is due to change pretty soon," Charley said, with a smile. "How are things coming with you now?"

"Couldn't be much worse," Bill stated, briefly. "Goodness only knows what's become of all the fish. We haven't wet a net since the gale. What we lack of being stone-broke isn't much. We have only got about a hundred dollars in cash left but you are welcome to half of that. I guess you are worse off than we are."

The three chums' hearts warmed with gratitude at the big fellow's generous offer.

"We'll take the whole hundred, if you please," Charley said, calmly, "but not as a loan. We want you three as partners for a couple of days and the hundred will go to pay expenses. Can you give us a cup of coffee? We haven't had a bite to eat since noon."

While the big fisherman rustled around fixing a lunch and making the coffee, Charley told of their discovery.

"Whew, it sounds like finding money," Bill commented, when he had finished. "But we don't deserve any half share for just going with you and helping you out. Just pay us the same as you do the other fishermen."

"No," Charley said, and his two chums nodded vigorous approval of his words. "It isn't what you are going to do but what you have already done that counts with us. You helped us out when we were friendless, and it is only just that you should share in our good fortune if we have any. But we must not count our chickens before they are hatched. The fish may be all dead by the time we get there, or someone else may have found them—they were making noise enough to be heard a mile.

"Oh, we are making you no gift," he said, as Bill still protested against an equal division. "We may need your help and we need your money to pay off the launch men in case the trip is fruitless. It will take more cash than we've got. Besides, there may be some fighting."

"Too bad we have got to have anyone in this but ourselves," Bill observed.

"We have got to have help," Charley declared, "and, really, I do not fear any trouble from those who go with us. They are taking no nets with them, (I figured your three nets would be all we could use to advantage in such a small place). They have no idea as to our destination or what we are after. When they get there they will realize that it is too far away for them to come back, get their nets and return and do anything all tired out as they will be from the trip. Besides, I planned to offer them a bonus in money after we get there, provided they work good and hard."

"You've got a long head on you," Bill said, admiringly. "You've evidently got it all planned out."

"I tried to plan so far as I could," Charley said, modestly. "Where I fear trouble is when the fish begin to come into Clearwater. There will be a stampede of the other fishermen on us then. Put all your guns and ammunition in the launch. We may need them."

While the three were eating, the Roberts packed up groceries and rolled up blankets for the trip. These, and the rifles, they carried down to the launch while the chums were finishing their coffee.

They were ready none too soon, for as the chums drained their cups, they caught the mingled popping of the coming launches.

It still lacked twenty minutes to midnight when the last launch came churning up to the end of the little dock.

Charley counted out five dollars and handed it to each of the launch captains. "This is for being ahead of the time set. You'll each get your ten dollars apiece at the close of each day. Now, if you are all ready, we'll be off."

"Where are we going, Boss?" questioned one of the captains.

"I do not know the name of the place," the lad replied, thoughtfully. "Just follow our launch. We will lead the way."

In a few minutes the things were all stowed aboard and Bill started up the engine. The launch leaped ahead and, with bow headed down the coast, sped away in the darkness closely followed by the other boats containing four contented, but thoroughly mystified, captains.

As soon as they were fairly under way, our three chums stretched out on the launch's cushioned seats for a nap. They were completely worn out by the eventful day and night.

At sunrise Charley was awakened by Bill.

"We've been running without a hitch all night," the big fisherman informed him. "We must be getting near to your creek by now. We passed Tampa over an hour ago."

Charley stood up and surveyed the shore-line. "I took a landmark before I left," he said. "There's a great, dead, pine tree standing up amongst a clump of palmettoes just to the south of the creek. I believe I can see it ahead there a couple of miles."

At the end of ten minutes, he could make out the big, dead pine plainly.

He awakened his chums and the three sat tense and impatient waiting to see if all their hopes and trouble had been in vain.

When within a few hundred yards of the creek, Charley could stand the suspense no longer.

"Stop the engine," he requested, in a fever of impatience.

Bill threw off the battery switch. The four wondering captains trailing behind followed his example and the throbbing of the engines ceased.

The lad stood up and listened intently. His quick ear could just distinguish a faint, peculiar noise, like the soft smacking of thousands of lips.

He sank back into his seat with a sigh of relief.

"It's all right," he exclaimed, delightedly. "I can hear them. Run in close to shore and anchor."