With that the young motor boat captain leaped to the dock and ran to the stern hawser, while Hank Butts stood by the bow-hawser.
"Squad halt! Break ranks! Get aboard lively," ordered Sergeant Raney. Nor did Kelly let his own squad lose any time. The young officers followed in the wake of their men.
"Want to cast off?" called Skipper Halstead pleasantly.
"Without loss of a second," replied Lieutenant Hal.
Without waiting for other orders Hank let go the bow-line and carried it aboard with him. Tom Halstead went up over the stern.
"Slow speed ahead, Joe," Hank called down as he rested one hand on the wheel. The "Restless" began to move from her pier.
"Up river, or down?" called Skipper Tom, coming forward.
"Up!" voiced Hal. "And at racing speed, too!"
"Dutchman's gait, Joe," Hank called down unconcernedly, as soon as the "Restless" had well cleared the dock, having swung the craft around, heading up the river at a speed increased to twelve miles.
"Can't you crowd a lot more speed on?" demanded Hal Overton.
"Dog chasing that Dutchman, Joe," Hank sang down, and the "Restless" was soon doing eighteen miles an hour.
"You told me your best speed was twenty-six to twenty-eight, didn't you?" asked Hal, wheeling around as Skipper Tom Halstead joined them.
"Can you hit up that speed without endangering the engine?"
"Yes," replied Tom, "but we'll burn a lot of gasoline doing that."
"Gasoline?" uttered Prescott contemptuously. "How many pailfuls will a thousand dollars buy?"
"Is it as bad as that?" asked Skipper Tom quickly.
"American women's lives are at stake up at Holmesville!" returned Overton. "Riot going on there--Mexicans against Americans."
"Joe," he yelled, bending over the engine-room doorway, "sheriff and a bill-collector after that Dutchman!"
Joe Dawson didn't wait to be told more. He threw open everything to the widest notch, then snatched up a bulky oil can with an unusually long spout, and stood feeding oil to the bearings.
"The sweethearts of Mr. Prescott and Mr. Darrin are in great danger at Holmesville," Lieutenant Hal murmured in Skipper Tom's ear.
"Jumping Jupiter!" gasped Halstead, and went down into the engine-room in two bounds for a word with Joe.
Those standing on the deck could fairly feel the quiver with which the "Restless" leaped forward at her best speed.