They ran out past Muskeget Island, then turned back on their course, going nearer to Nantucket. They were now about north of Muskeget, but gradually passing the island, when Tom began to notice that something was wrong with the speed of the boat.
“What’s up with the engine, Joe?” Halstead called down to his now invisible chum.
“That’s what I’m trying to find out,” Joe retorted. “I don’t like the motor’s behavior, and it’s getting worse every minute.”
“There isn’t any danger of a serious accident, is there?” asked Miss Elsie quickly.
“Probably not,” was the young skipper’s reply. “But we don’t know, and can’t, until we find out what’s wrong.”
“Oh, we ought to hurry back,” shivered Miss Elsie. “We ought to get in before there’s any accident.”
“Why, provided none of us were drowned, an accident would be something worth remembering,” laughed Jessie mischievously.
“Jessie Lester, how dare you say so?” demanded her sister, looking somewhat shocked.
“Say,” bawled up the now excited voice of Joe Dawson, “this is a tough one!”
He showed his worried face at the hatchway, adding:
“The tank’s empty! The last drops of gasoline are running into the motor!”
“What’s that?” demanded Tom aghast. “How could that have happened?”
“I don’t know,” was Joe’s bewildered response. “The tank was half-full when we got back from Wood’s Hole early this morning. But now it’s empty. Look for yourself.”
The propeller shaft made a few faint turns, then stopped. Having little headway by this time the “Meteor” soon began to drift aimlessly over the rolling waters.
“I don’t need to look,” Tom answered, dropping his hand from the wheel “I can see enough to believe you, Joe. But how on earth could this have happened, Joe?”
“It didn’t happen without some one tampering with the tank,” Joe exploded resentfully. “There’s no leak in the tank. We should, by rights, have oil enough to run to New York and back.”
There being nothing now that he could do in the engine room, Dawson stepped moodily up on deck. The girls watched Captain Tom’s face. Mrs. Lester, her curiosity aroused by the stopping of speed, attempted to come forward along the deck. The rolling of the craft made this so dangerous for her that Jed sprang forward, piloting her safely forward. There the situation was soon made plain to the frightened mother.