“I’ll go and call Dad,” said Bob, finally.
At that moment Mr. Temple reappeared, shod in white canvas deck shoes.
“Uncle George, I’ve just been talking with Inspector Burton,” said Frank. “The Bear has a full passenger list. Summer travel is heavy, it seems. Inspector Burton suggests that we stay aboard the Sub Chaser, as he is going to return to Santa Barbara. He will put us ashore there, he says, and we can catch the night train to San Francisco and be there tomorrow morning, ahead of the Bear.”
“Very good,” approved Mr. Temple. “That will give us time to buy clothes in Santa Barbara, too. Also, you boys can stay aboard this boat a bit longer, and I know that appeals to you.”
The boys looked meaningly at each other. Then Frank laughed:
“That isn’t all,” he said. “The Inspector was delighted when he heard our story, and——”
“You told him everything?” queried Mr. Temple.
“Oh, no, I did not have time enough for that. But I did tell of our escape from the trawler. And he said the presence of the trawler here fitted into something he had in mind, which he would tell us about when he came aboard.”
“I think,” said Jack, “that he meant he had a clue to the smugglers’ cove, and that it was somewhere along this coast.”
“Oh, you boys,” he said. “You can’t give up hope of being in at the death, of having a hand in the round-up of the smugglers, can you?”
Doctor Marley venturing a timid question as to how he was to return to San Francisco, Mr. Temple entered into conversation with him. Ensign Warwick went to attend to his duties. The boys drew aside, and, leaning on the rail, stared into the thinning fog ahead and discussed their chances of seeing further action.
All were agreed that the veiled hint dropped by Inspector Burton indicated he had obtained a clue that the smugglers were somewhere along the adjacent coast. They speculated upon whether Inventor Bender’s sound detector had provided the clue, or whether there had been sufficient time for the detector to be brought into play.
“You see,” Jack pointed out, “the inventor planned to use sound detectors at several places pretty widely scattered, and it would take him some time to set them up.”
“That’s true,” said Frank, “but the device required no time at all to hook up. The time needed would be for making the trip from San Francisco to the other stations. Say——”