Page:Bedford-Jones--Boy Scouts of the Air at Cape Peril.djvu/166

 "Good—night!" shrilled Jimmy, trembling with anxiety. "What—what's that mean?"

"A ship in distress—on the shoals, maybe—that's what it means."

"It's the yacht," gasped Cat all in a breath. "I bet it's the yacht."

"Can't be! Watch! Look there! Look there! Look!"

Another fiery cluster burst and fell.

With an agitated countenance and quickly beating heart, Turner stood for a moment or two longer staring into the gloom, his wits working violently.

The brief pause seemed an eternity to the boys.

"We can't walk and we can't swim, that's sure," muttered the man. "Buffum must have been taken sick. No, that's off. The light was going—and would have kept on—Great heaven!" he thought aloud. "Of all the cold-blooded villainy! Some devil's put it out!"

Turner halted and frowned.

He paced up and down a couple of minutes longer. Then, evidently a plan had suggested itself to his mind, for he turned short around and started for the door.