CHAPTER XXIII
THE MOTOR BOAT MISSING
In his eagerness to listen to what the men were saying Ned had gottenup on his knees. In doing so he had knocked down a monkey wrench from aseat, and the tool fell with a clatter to the bottom of the _Dartaway_.
"Some one is listening!" he heard one of the men in the sloop exclaim.
"Nonsense," the other replied. "It was only an oar banging against theside of the boat."
"Some one was listening I tell you! I'm going out to take a look."
Ned decided it would not be wise for him to be found in the boat.While the man was ascending to the deck of the sloop the boy crawlednoiselessly over the side of the _Dartaway_ and hid behind a box on thewharf. From there Ned watched the man leap from the sailing boat to thedock, and take a careful look around, including making an inspection ofthe _Dartaway_.
"See anything?" asked the one who had remained in the cabin.
"No one around. I guess you were right."
"Course I was. Come aboard and we'll finish our plans."
With a rapidly beating heart Ned watched the man until he haddisappeared into the cabin. Then without making any noise, for he worerubber soled shoes, he hurried up the dock to the pavilion where theminstrel performance was going on. He wanted to tell his chums anddecide on a plan of action.
"They're plotting to wreck a vessel," thought Ned. "They're going to dosomething to the lighthouse light. We must stop them."
There was such a big crowd at the show that the boy had some difficultyin locating his companions. When he did find them it was in the middleof a chorus, and Ned did not wish to disturb the audience in going tothem, as the two lads were seated well up front. When he did reach themhe whispered:
"Come out! I've got something important to tell you!"
"Leave us alone," spoke Bob. "Go back and dream about Jessica if youwant to. This is fine, and we haven't eaten yet."
"Oh, hang you and your eating!" exclaimed Ned in such a loud whisperthat he attracted the attention of several around him.
His manner showed his chums there was something up, and without waitingfor the show to be over they went with Ned. When he was outside hequickly told them what he had heard.
"Are you sure you weren't dreaming?" asked Jerry, half inclined todoubt what Ned had related.
"Come on, and I'll show you the sloop."
The boys went down on the end of the dock where their own, as well asthe sailing vessel had been fastened. Ned was leading the way. As hereached the place where the _Dartaway_ had been he stopped and rubbedhis eyes.
"Why--why--I wonder if I'm on the wrong dock?" he said, staring abouthim.
"What's up?" inquired Jerry.
"Isn't this where we left our boat?"
"Sure, there's only one dock near here. Why?"
"Well, it's gone."
"What, the boat or the dock?" asked Bob. "Come on, tell us, I want toget back and have something to eat."
"The _Dartaway_ is gone!" exclaimed Ned. "So is the sloop! They'vestolen our boat! They must suspect something!"
At first Jerry and Bob could not believe it. Then Ned went over againall that he had heard, telling how he had slipped away to inform themof how matters stood.
"They must have known it was our boat," said Jerry. "Was Bill Berry oneof the men?"
"I couldn't see them plainly," Ned replied. "Their voices didn't eitherone of them sound like Bill's though. What's to be done?"
"We'd better give notice of our boat being stolen," said Jerry, "andthink of some scheme to get home. After that we'll have to turndetectives and get the _Dartaway_."
The minstrel show was over when the boys went back to the pavilion, andthe crowd was coming away. The dock was thronged with persons seekingtheir boats to make the run for home.
"Hello boys!" called a voice, and they saw Captain Jenkinson, ofthe _Three Bells_ coming toward them. "You look as if something hadhappened."
"Something has," spoke Jerry. "Our boat's been stolen."
"Stolen! You don't mean it. How?"
Ned related how it had happened, saying nothing however of theconversation he had overheard.
"We'll tell the manager of the place, and he'll send out a generalalarm," said the skipper of the _Three Bells_. "It isn't the first timeboats have been stolen from the docks around here. I believe there's anorganized gang. If we had a decent police force here it wouldn't happenso often."
The manager of the pavilion and amusement resort, who was also a sortof deputy sheriff, promised the boys to do what he could to recovertheir craft. He said he would have notices of the theft posted at hisdock and all the other wharves along the coast.
"How you boys going to get home?" asked Captain Jenkinson.
"Walk I guess," replied Jerry with a laugh. "It's only about five milesby the shore road."
"Well I guess you'll not walk while there's gasolene in the _ThreeBells_," was the hearty answer. "Get aboard. We'll cruise around a bit,and maybe we'll get sight of those rascals on the sloop. They probablysailed out to sea, towing your boat, and they'll be likely to hide itin some cove until the affair blows over."
Captain Jenkinson had a party of friends aboard his boat, but therewas plenty of room for the boys. There was much sympathy expressed forthem, and every one volunteered to be on the lookout for the _Dartaway_.
In the powerful boat quite an area of the bay in the vicinity of thedock was covered, in a search for a sight of the sloop. It was a fairlylight night, and a sailing vessel could be made out some distance away.
There were several false alarms, and once the _Three Bells_ gave chaseto a sloop that seemed trying to get away. But when they got up to herthey found it was only a fishing boat getting a start for early morningwork, and there was no sign of the boys' craft.
"Too bad!" remarked Captain Jenkinson, as he landed the boys at theirdock. "But it's sure to turn up sooner or later. They'll not dare tosell her, and can only keep her hidden. There are not many places wherea boat the size of yours can be tucked away."
It was kindly and well meant consolation, but the boys never felt inlower spirits than they did that night. Mrs. Hopkins tried to cheerthem up, but it was hard work. She even suggested they hire anotherboat and make a search of the nearby harbors, for the missing one.
"I guess that's a good plan," said Jerry to his chums. "We'll do itto-morrow."
"What ought we to do about warning Mr. Hardack?" asked Ned, as they gotready to retire.
"Oh, I almost forgot about that," came from Jerry. "I guess there willbe time in the morning. Besides, we want to think it over a littlemore."
The Motor Boys on the Atlantic; or, The Mystery of the Lighthouse Page 23