Presently Gid arose to his feet and looked out of the glass panel in the cabin door.
“There’s two coming aboard,” he said turning toward the boy.
“Are you going to put me on the reception committee?” asked Jule, with a snicker.
“I don’t see that you’ve got anything to laugh at!” Gid declared.
“Oh, what’s the odds?” Jule demanded. “The _Rambler_ is a mascot, and always was. You can’t do anything to her.”
“I’ll do something to you!” declared Gid, “if you don’t keep that mouth closed.”
“You don’t dare!” returned Jule. “If you touch me I’ll yell like a loon, and then the officers will come running in here, and that’ll be your finish. You’d better go out on deck.”
Gid did go out on deck, arriving just in time to greet two Government officers as they stepped on board the _Rambler_. This formality over, the fellow backed up against the cabin door and stood facing the light now burning at the prow. The cabin door was open, and the boy could hear nearly every word that was spoken on deck, the wind having in a measure died out.
“What’s your boat?” he heard an officer ask.
“Who have you on board?” was the next question.
Jule saw Mike point with a hairy fist toward the cabin.
“Only a kid,” he said, “back there in the cabin shaking his bones to pieces with the ague.”
“How long have you been on this bar?” asked the official.
“We struck it just before dark,” answered Mike, who really was doing a very good job in the way of convincing the officer that everything was all right and straight on board the _Rambler_.
“There are a good many motor boats doing illicit business up and down the river,” suggested the official.
“I know it,” replied Mike. “We’re afraid some of them will come along while we are tied up on this bar.”
“Lost a spark plug,” was the reply. “At first we limped along in fairly good shape, and then the others had to go bad with us. Honest,” he continued, “I don’t think we’ll ever get off this sand bar unless you give us a line.”
“I’ll gladly do that,” said the officer, “and I’ll do more. I’ll send over half a dozen spark plugs.”
“That’s kind of you,” Mike suggested. “We’ll be glad to pay for them. It is a great accommodation to us.”
Jule snickered in his bunk, for he had recently heard the two men talking about being absolutely penniless. Observing that Gid was not watching him very closely, the latter’s attention being directed to the two men standing forward, the boy beckoned to Teddy, who came shambling up to the side of the bunk and laid a soft paw against the boy’s cheek.
