CHAPTER XXI--TELLS OF THE SEARCH FOR THE _VAGABOND_
"Are you sure you left her here?" asked Tom. "Don't be a fool, Tommy, ifyou can help it," answered Bob shortly. "Of course we're sure."
"Then--where is she?"
"Well, if we knew we wouldn't be standing here answering your idioticquestions," replied Nelson. After which he and Bob, each having sat onTom, regained some of their equanimity.
"You don't suppose anyone has swiped her, do you. Nel?" Bob askedanxiously.
"Looks like it," was the answer. "Only--how could they get in to startthe engine?"
"Are you sure you locked the door?"
"Positive. And here's the key. And the only other one is in the cabin,unless Dan has it; he had it a couple of days ago."
"They might have burst the locks, I suppose," said Bob. But Nelsonlooked doubtful.
"They might break the padlock on the hatch, but the door lock is apretty stiff one to get at. I suppose they might have picked it,though."
"Maybe they didn't start the engine," said Tom. "Maybe they just towedher away as she was."
"That's right, Tommy!" exclaimed Bob. "That's just about it. If she'sbeen stolen that's the way they've done it. Besides, even if anyonecould get the door open Barry wouldn't let them stay in the engine roomlong enough to turn the wheel over. He'd scare 'em out in no time. Hewouldn't let anyone but you or Tommy or me go down those stairs."
"Or Dan," suggested Tom thoughtfully.
"Dan, of course," answered Bob.
"And Dan had the other key, maybe," continued Tom.
"Yes, I think so," said Nelson. "By Jove, Tommy, you're right! PerhapsDan has gone off with her!"
"Nonsense!" said Bob. "He wouldn't know how to start her, to say nothingof running her after she was started!"
"I'm not so sure," answered Nelson. "He's watched things prettycarefully lots of times, come to think of it. Besides, it wouldn't makemuch difference to him whether he knew how or not. If he wanted to do ithe would, and he's a lucky beggar."
"But could he have got back as early as this?" asked Bob.
"Let's go over to the station and find out," suggested Tom.
"You and Bob go," Nelson said, "and I'll see if I can find anyone aroundhere who saw the _Vagabond_ go out." At the station Bob consulted theticket agent.
"First train leaves New York at 4.54," said the agent, "and arrives hereat 9.45."
"He wouldn't take that," said Bob to Tom. "He'd have to get up at fouro'clock. Besides, we were at the wharf at a quarter to ten. What's thenext one?"
"Eight o'clock from New York, arriving here 10.45," answered the agent."Another at 10.00, arriving 12.45, another at 10.02, arriving----"
"Thanks," interrupted Bob. "Those would be too late. There's no train,then, except the 4.54 which gets here before 9.45?"
Their informant shook his head impatiently and they moved aside.
"That disposes of Dan," said Bob. "It isn't the least bit likely thathe'd get up at four o'clock to take a slow train when he could waituntil eight and get one reaching here only an hour later. And if he hastaken the eight o'clock he won't be here for nearly three quarters of anhour. So it looks as though some one had deliberately run off with theboat."
"Gee!" said Tom. "Won't we be in a fix? Do you suppose we'll ever findit and get it back?"
"I don't know," replied Bob. "I should think, though, that athirty-six-foot launch would be a pretty hard thing to hide."
"But the fellow who took it could paint out the name and fix her up alittle differently and no one could tell she was stolen."
"Yes, if we gave him time. But what we've got to do now is to get busy.There's Nel over there."
Nelson's report was not comforting. No one had seen the launch thatmorning, and one old fellow who had rowed across the river at seveno'clock and whose skiff was now tied at the end of the wharf declaredthat the launch had not been there when he arrived.
"That means," said Nelson, "that she's been stolen some time in thenight. The man over at the ferry slip says I ought to tell the policeand the harbor master at once and telephone up to Norwich and to NewHaven and Stonington. So I guess we'd better get busy. Of course theycould tow the launch over to some place on Long Island just as easily asthey could take her to New Haven, and we can't very well telephonethere, I suppose."
"Of course you can," said Bob. "They'll give you connection at New York.But I think you might as well save your money. If she's been stolenthere's just one place the thief will take her to, and that's New Yorkor somewhere around there."
"Maybe," replied Nelson dolefully. "Thunder! If we don't find her I'llhate to go back home and face the pater!"
"We'll find her," said Bob earnestly. "Do you know where the police hangout?"
"Yes, the man told me where to go," answered Nelson as they left thewharf.
"If she was towed away," said Tom, "they must have used a launch, Isuppose."
"Probably," Bob agreed. "They wouldn't be likely to use a rowboat and asailboat wouldn't be much better. If the wind died out they'd becaught."
"Unless they started early last night and got over to Long Island ordown the shore somewhere while it was dark," said Nelson. "They mightput in at some little out-of-the-way place and no one would think oflooking for them."
"Well, if it was a launch," said Tom, "wouldn't it be a good plan forthe police to find out whether any launch is missing?"
"I should think it would," said Bob, and Nelson agreed. "We'll suggestit to them. Have you any more of those clever ideas, Tommy?"
"Well; I think we ought to hire a boat of some sort, a launch if we canfind one, and hunt around ourselves. It wouldn't be much of a trick torun up to Norwich, and it wouldn't take long to search the shore aroundhere."
"That's a scheme!" cried Nelson. "Tommy, you're a brick! It will keep usbusy, besides, and I'd go crazy if I had to sit around the hotel hereand wait for the police to do things!"
"How about money?" asked Bob.
"Thunder! That's so! They've got our money, too! How much have you got,Bob?"
"Two or three dollars."
"And I've got four-seventy-five," said Tom.
"That's about seven," said Nelson, "and I've got about a dollar inchange. Eight dollars won't go very far, though, when it comes totelephoning all around the country and renting a launch!"
"You forget Dan," said Bob. "He's sure to have a lot of tin on him."
"That's right. And look here!" Nelson stopped and looked back toward therailroad station. "What time is it, Bob?"
"Almost half-past ten."
"Then one of us ought to go back to the station and meet Dan. If he goesdown there and finds the launch gone there's no knowing where he willwander to. Will you go down and wait for him, Tommy? Tell him what's upand hold him at the station until we get back."
"All right," answered Tom. "And we might be making inquiries about alaunch, eh?"
"Yes, but be back on the platform by eleven."
Tom retraced his steps to the station, leaving the others to go on insearch of the police officials. He passed a fruit and candy store on theway and was sorely tempted to buy some of the latter, but he toldhimself resolutely that what money he had ought to be expended towardrecovering the _Vagabond_ and so fought off the temptation. The_Mayflower Limited_ rolled in on time to the minute and Tom watched thesteps of the long line of parlor cars in expectation of seeing Dandescend. But no Dan appeared. After making certain of this fact Tom wentinto the station and studied the time-table.
"Now he can't get here until a quarter to one," he said disgustedly."And we need his money like anything! I dare say he didn't want to paythe extra fare on the Limited, the stingy beggar!"
He went down to the wharf to make sure that Dan had not somehow managedto get off of the train on the other side and gone to look for the_Vagabond_. But the wharf was empty, and so Tom set out on the searchfor a launch to rent.
Twenty minutes later the three met again on the station platform, al
lmore cheerful for having accomplished something. Bob reported smilinglythat the wheels of justice were in motion and that already the localsleuths were on the trail. Nelson had sent telephone messages up anddown the Sound and over to Long Island. Tom had found the very thingthey wanted in the way of a launch.
"She's a little bit of a thing, only eighteen feet long," he explained,"but she can go like anything. And we can hire her for six dollars aday. I tried to make him take five, but he wouldn't. She's right up hereat a wharf. Come on and look at her."
The _Sylph_ proved to be a very smart-looking little craft, built ofwhite cedar and mahogany. Her engine took up a good deal of space, butthere remained room for four passengers. The owner had built her himselfand was very proud of her, so proud that when Bob and Nelson becameenthusiastic over her lines and finish, and when he had learned why theywanted her, he voluntarily knocked off a dollar of the renting price.
"Call it five dollars for to-day and the same for to-morrow if you needher again," he said. "I guess you can run the engine all right, but I'llshow you one or two things about it that you probably aren't used to."
The one or two things proved to be small improvements of his owndevising and it took some time for Nelson to understand them. But at aquarter to twelve they had paid their five dollars and were inpossession of the _Sylph_. They ran her down to the wharf where they hadleft the _Vagabond_ and found that she went finely.
"Shall we wait for the 12.45 train and get Dan?" asked Nelson. "Orshall we leave word for him somewhere and start out now?"
"Let's get at it as soon as we can," answered Bob. "Dan can look out forhimself."
So Nelson was left in charge of the launch while Bob went to the stationto telephone a message to the hotel in case Dan turned up there lookingfor them, and Tom hurried to the nearest store after crackers and cheeseand cookies. For with only sixty cents left between them there was nouse thinking about an elaborate luncheon. When they returned in theevening they would go to the hotel and live on credit until Nelson'sfather sent them some money. Bob and Tom were soon back and the _Sylph_headed up the river.
Bob had been in favor of searching downstream and along the shore eastand west of the river mouth first, but Nelson said he had a feeling thatthe _Vagabond_ had been taken toward Norwich, and Tom threw his votewith Nelson's. It wasn't likely that the thief would leave the launchanywhere around the town, but they searched the waterfront thoroughly tobe on the safe side and then ran across the river to the Groton shore.After a search there the _Sylph_ was again headed upstream. Twice in theensuing half hour they approached the east shore to examine boats which,seen from the middle of the river, seemed to bear some resemblance tothe _Vagabond_. But in each case they were doomed to disappointment, thecraft proving on closer acquaintance to be very little like theirmissing launch. They went slowly in order that they might search eachbank of the stream carefully and at half-past one they had only reachedthe second bend in the river. For some time past they had seen nolaunches either in the stream or moored along the banks and Bobsuggested that Nelson send the _Sylph_ at a faster pace so that theywould have more time to look around and make inquiries at Norwich beforeit was necessary to turn homeward.
"All right," Nelson answered. "I guess she isn't hidden around hereanywhere."
It didn't seem likely, for the banks were devoid of coves, and field andforest came straight down to the water's edge. Nelson was just reachingforward to advance the spark, and the _Sylph_ was just swinging aroundthe turn in the river, when Tom began to sputter.
"Lu-lu-lu-lu-look!" he cried.
"Where?" asked Nelson and Bob with one voice, turning their headsexcitedly from side to side. Tom pointed across the stream toward thewest bank.
"Th-th-there! Su-su-su-see that bu-bu-bu-boat under the tu-tu-tu-trees?"
"Jove!" exclaimed Bob.
"The _Vagabond_!" cried Nelson, turning the wheel over fast.
"Looks like it," said Bob excitedly, "but what's she doing there? Idon't believe it is her after all, Nel."
"I know it is," was the reply as the _Sylph_, headed obliquely acrossthe river, chugged her fastest. "I'd know her anywhere!"
"Wu-wu-wu-well," stuttered Tom, "I du-du-du-don't pr-pretend toknu-knu-know the bu-bu-boat, bu-bu-but I knu-knu-know thedu-du-du-du-dog!"
"He's right," exclaimed Bob. "That's Barry on the cabin roof!"
"Then they did get into the engine room," said Nelson, his eyes fixedintently on the distant craft, "and they didn't tow her. I wish," headded, "that we had that revolver of yours, Bob."
"So do I," answered Bob gravely.
The little _Sylph_, as though comprehending the impatience of those shecarried, dashed across the river.