Part 17 (1/2)

”No; for we're apt to find that they can wait as long as we. I think we had better do away with any deception. They suspect that we are watching them, so let's paddle over there and tell them just what we are here for.”

”Yes,” said Tom, ”for these are the parties we're after. Look at the size of that fellow at the oars. He certainly answers the description given by Mrs. Higgins, who saw him as he was getting away with the money.”

So the canoes were turned and the boys paddled easily across the intervening distance.

”Let's surround them,” said Chot in a low tone, and the canoes separated until they were approaching the men in the skiff from every side.

Five boys with determined looks on their faces are no mean antagonists, especially when no matter in what direction you turn you find one of them, and the men in the skiff were evidently perplexed.

”h.e.l.lo!” said Chot, by way of greeting.

”h.e.l.lo, yourself!” returned the smaller of the men. ”What do you think you are doing?”

”We're surrounding you,” said Chot, ”and now we'll ask you to give an account of yourselves.”

”Well, just ask away, sonny.”

”Yes, don't be bashful. If there's anything we can tell you, don't fail to mention it,” said the big man.

He was apparently resting easily on his oars, but Chot noticed that he was in a position where he could send the skiff spinning ahead in an instant.

Pod, as if guessing what was pa.s.sing in Chot's mind, pushed his canoe around until he was directly behind the man at the oars, and straight in the path of the skiff.

”To make a long story short,” said Chot, ”we didn't know who you were when you ran into our camp on the lake sh.o.r.e last night.”

”Don't know what you're talking about,” said the smaller man. ”We've never seen you fellows before.”

”That tale won't go. We saw you last night, and we'd know you again if we met you in China, so there's no use trying to evade the issue. What is more, we know you are the men who robbed Dave Higgins' house two nights ago.”

At this the men burst into a laugh, but it was an unnatural laugh, and could not deceive the keen ears of the boys from Winton.

”Young man,” said the bigger of the men, ”if it wasn't so funny, your talk would be impertinent. Why, we live at Westport, farther up the lake. This is Henry Skidmore and I am William Truesdale. We are merchants, and we have been taking a little outing.”

”That being the case,” said Chot, ”of course you won't object to going to Westport with us and giving proof of what you say?”

”That's asking too much. Westport is five miles from here, at least, and we would be losing too much time. However, you boys can stop off there as you pa.s.s and inquire as to our characters.”

”Yes, we'll do that-I don't think!” said Fleet, rather contemptuously.

”The best thing we can do with these men, Chot, is to take them to Dave Higgins so his wife can identify them.”

”I think so, too,” said Bert. ”That's the easiest way out of the matter.”

”Now, look here,” said the big man, glowering at them from under his heavy eyebrows, and speaking in a voice that rumbled like a smoldering volcano, ”this has gone far enough. We're bound for the east sh.o.r.e over there, and you will follow us at your peril.”

”We're going to hand you over to the authorities, and it may as well be on the east sh.o.r.e as anywhere,” said Chot.

”Then look out for us,” warned the man at the oars. He sent the skiff shooting ahead as he spoke, rammed squarely into Pod's canoe, upsetting it and throwing the little fellow into the water. The skiff shuddered from the force of the impact, careened to one side, righted itself, and sped on.

”After them!” shouted Fleet, ”I'll attend to Pod.”

Following his suggestion, Chot, Tom and Bert started in pursuit of the skiff, which they had no difficulty in overtaking, because they could paddle all around any man with a heavy skiff and an ordinary pair of oars.