"A regular Paddy\'s hurricane!" commented Desmond as he came on deck next morning.

Not a breath of wind stirred the air. The sky was clear; the placid waters of Padstow Harbour were as smooth as a mirror. The smoke from the various chimneys ashore went up as straight as a plumb-line.

Findlay, stopping only to tap the barometer, followed his chum into the cockpit.

"Gass high and steady," he observed. "It\'s going to be a top-hole day. Wind nor\'-east, when it does come, I fancy."

"It\'s a good thing we have a motor," added Hayes, glancing at his blistered hands. "The Spindrift is a regular brute to sweep along. How\'s that toe of yours, Desmond?"

"Much better, thanks," replied the Patrol Leader.

Mr. Graham, clad like the others in a bathing-suit, came on deck, glanced over the side to make sure that the tide was slack, and gave the signal.

The next instant four distinct splashes indicated that the crew of the Spindrift were taking a personal interest in the waters of Padstow Harbour. A vigorous swim, followed by a brisk rub-down, gave the lads a most healthy appetite.

"When do we make a start, sir?" asked Desmond, during breakfast.

"As soon as we\'ve stowed everything away," was the reply. "We\'ve a fairly long run to-day."

"Round Land\'s End, sir?" asked Hayes.

"Hardly," rejoined Mr. Graham. "We\'ll have to be satisfied if we make St. Ives before night. There\'ll be wind before very long. By the by, Findlay, while we are clearing away and snugging down, you might go ashore and get a couple of tins of petrol and a quart of lubricating oil."

Jock went off in the dinghy. Whilst he was away Hayes washed up, Mr. Graham dried the breakfast things, and Desmond stowed them away.

"Are we going to tow the yacht out with the dinghy, sir?" asked Findlay on his return.

"No, we\'ll have the motor on the Spindrift\'s transom," replied the Scoutmaster. "For one thing, the propeller will be a fairly big drag for the dinghy when we\'re towing her under sail."

"We can unship it from the dinghy, sir," said Findlay. "It only weighs about forty or fifty pounds."

"Quite so," agreed Mr. Graham, "but even that weight requires some lifting in a small dinghy. If there\'s any roll on outside it will be a difficult matter to unclamp the motor and transfer it on board the yacht. We\'ll see what we can do now."

Luckily the edge of the transom projected a couple or three inches above the Spindrift\'s after-deck, and to this projection the outboard engine was clamped, and the propeller adjusted until it was the right depth below the surface. Meanwhile Findlay had mixed the petrol and oil in the right proportions and had filled the tank.

"We\'ve quite a lot of water in the bilges, sir," announced Hayes, who had lifted up one of the floor-boards.

"Yes, by Jove, we have," agreed Mr. Graham. "She\'s probably not taken up properly. Get the pump going, Hayes."

The Sea Scout fitted the plunger and primed the pump. Then he gave a dozen vigorous strokes, without the desired result.

"Pump\'s not working, sir," he declared.

The Scoutmaster looked to see what was amiss. The lower valve was adrift. It was of the double-mushroom pattern, with a flange in the barrel and a nut in the suction-pipe to keep the valve in its place. Removing the lower valve by means of a hooked rod, Mr. Graham found that the nut had come unfastened, and was probably half-way down the pipe. Without it the valve was lifted completely out of its resting by the suction of the plunger.

"That\'s awkward, sir," said Desmond. "The pipe\'s soldered to the barrel instead of having the usual union. What\'s to be done?"

"We can\'t go to sea with a pump out of action," rejoined the Scoutmaster. "What do you suggest, Desmond?"

"Unshipping the whole concern and taking it ashore to be set right, sir," was the reply. "It\'s a plumber\'s job."

"It would mean a day wasted," objected Findlay. "It\'s a pity to miss this fine weather."

"Then what do you suggest, old son?" asked the Patrol Leader. "If you\'ve a stunt in the back of your mind, out with it."

"I\'d scrap the lower valve," declared Findlay.

"But you must have one, Jock," interrupted Mr. Graham, "otherwise the pump won\'t act."

"Yes, sir, I know," said the Sea Scout. "All we want is a hollow india-rubber ball, slightly smaller than the bore of the pump, and a handful of cement. Punch a small hole in the ball, fill it with dry cement, and then put it in water to set. That\'s your lower valve."

"Yes, and I fancy that will do the trick, Jock," agreed the Scoutmaster. "Nip ashore and see if you can get the things."

Findlay made a second trip in the dinghy. During his absence the others got rid of the bilge-water by the tedious process of baling out, since some hours must necessarily elapse before the cement would set.

On Jock\'s return the motor was started and the anchor broken out. At a modest three knots the Spindrift glided easily toward the open sea, as if to demonstrate the superiority of the little 2 3/4 horse-power engine over a pair of sixteen-feet sweeps manned by Sea Scouts.

Desmond was at the helm; the Scoutmaster and Findlay were engaged in setting canvas in contemplation of a breeze outside; while Hayes, armed with bucket and mop, proceeded to remove the mud from the ketch\'s deck and to clean the slimy ooze from the anchor.

"We\'re in luck, sir!" exclaimed the Patrol Leader, as Trevose Lighthouse opened out on the port bow. "There\'s a breeze coming up right aft."

It was a fairly long time coming, but when it did arrive the b............