the room from the region below proved even more stimulating than Hardy's threat, and after dashing out for a morning dip of brief duration, the lads scrambled into their scout togs and a few moments later presented three smiling faces and ravenous appetites at the breakfast table.
"Want to go over to Cape Peril, don't you?" asked the host when all were through.
An eager "You bet!" was the unanimous answer.
"Well, you've got a regular picnic before you," declared Hardy.
"Old Buffum's the rarest bird you ever imagined. Been running the light over there for the last ten years, ever since he left the Merchant Marine service. What he doesn't know about ships and sea lore isn't worth knowing. He's got the dots on every vessel that plies up and down this coast and knows where they are every minute of the day or night. Has a chart tacked up on the wall and a lot of pins with the name of a ship tied to each one, and he shifts them all the time he's got an eye open, to indicate the boats' positions at any specified mo-
