good red herring." He shot out a stubby finger in the direction of Legs.
"Just a kid I brought along for company," explained Hardy. "But look here, have you heard—?"
"A kid!" interrupted Nash. "Now I know you're a fool. Thought you were dippy enough to be windjammering by yourself, let alone bringing ballast with you. Haven't you heard of that gale whipping up the coast at a hundred miles an hour."
"What! What's that?" exclaimed the startled pilot. "A gale! The deuce you say!"
"What are you givin' us? Haven't you got a wire at Cape Peril?"
In hurried words, Hardy told of the broken message.
"This fills the gap then," said Nash. "Telegram came this A. M. early! 'Put storm signals out along coast. West Indian gale sweepin' north. Central now off coast of Florida.' Take a look at that barometer, will you?"
The pilot glanced at the instrument attached to the door frame.
"Doesn't look good a bit. But I reckon I can
