But this brought no success, and for a very good reason as we shall learn later.
How much the drags had hampered the progress of the _Rainbow_ there was no telling, but freed of them, the steam yacht made good time.

All of the machinery was carefully inspected, including the propeller, to which some wire was found twisted.

But this had thus far done no damage and was easily pulled out.
"He is certainly in league with Merrick and his crowd," said Anderson Rover, "and that being so, we must be on constant guard against him." The ladies and the girls were much alarmed to think that such a character as Wingate might be roaming around the vessel in secret, and at night they locked every stateroom door with care.

The boys and Mr.
Rover were also on the alert, and some of them slept with loaded pistols near at hand.

Had Wingate shown himself unexpectedly he might have met with a warm reception.
"That feller's disappearance puts me in mind o' something that happened aboard the _Nancy Belden_, bound from the Congo to New York, jest eight years ago this summer," said Bahama Bill, who had searched as hard as anybody for the missing man.