On the following night not long after the boys had retired, they were awakened by a loud call from Sam Hodge.

"Hi! Hi there!" he shouted. "Come out here."

Hastily donning their clothing the boys ran out of the house and quickly joined Sam, who had leaped into a skiff that had been fastened to the dock and was now rowing swiftly toward the head of the island.

"What is it, Sam?" called Fred.

Sam, however, made no response and soon disappeared from sight around the bend in the sh.o.r.e.

"What do you suppose the trouble is?" inquired John.

"I'm telling you," said George, "that Sam has seen something that surprised him. He has been saying all the while that he was afraid something might happen to the Black Growler."

"But nothing can happen to her to-night. It's perfectly clear. There's no storm, and even Sam did not think it was worth while to run her into the boat-house."

"That may be just the trouble," suggested Grant.

"I don't know what you mean," retorted George, quickly turning upon his friend. "What might happen?"

"The thing that Sam seemed to be afraid of."

"But what is that?"

"Sam hasn't told me."

"That's all so," spoke up Fred, "but Sam has some reason for being worried. I don't know what it is, and I think he ought to tell us."

"Maybe he will when he comes back," suggested George.

"Back from where?" retorted John scornfully. "He's just started, and n.o.body knows where he is going or when he is coming back."

"He will be here within a few minutes," said Grant confidently.

True to Grant's suggestion, not many minutes had elapsed before Sam was seen approaching. He was rowing leisurely and apparently was neither alarmed nor excited.

As soon as he came within speaking distance, Fred called sharply, "What is it, Sam?"

"Did you see anything?" inquired Sam as he rested on his oars a few yards from the dock.

"Nothing, except you," answered Fred. "We saw you pulling as if your life depended upon it."

"It wasn't my life, exactly," said Sam slowly, "but there was a man here on the dock."

"A man?" exclaimed George. "Who was he? What was he doing here?"

"That's exactly what I should like to know myself," said Sam shortly.

"I was trying to find out and that was just the reason why I followed him."

"Didn't you see any one?" Fred asked.

"Yes, sir, I did," replied Sam.

"What was he doing?" inquired John.

"I saw a skiff headed for Alexandria Bay."

"How many were in it?"

"Two men."

"What were they doing?"

"The last I saw of them they were pulling as if for dear life. That was why I couldn't catch them."

"And you think they were here on our dock?"

"I do," explained Sam promptly. "I saw one man on the dock. Probably the other was in the skiff."

"What were they doing?"

"Nothing when I first saw them. They were just getting ready to do it."

"Do what?" demanded George.

"I guess it's time for you boys to go back to your beds," said Sam after a brief silence. "If you can't tell, then I'm not going to explain."

"Tell us, Sam, just what happened," pleaded Fred.

For a moment the man was silent and then as if thinking better of his resolution, he said, "The fact is, boys, there was some one in the boat-house. I was sure of it though I couldn't see any one. I heard him moving around and when I came out on the dock there I saw him just as plain as day. Just about that time he saw me too, and that was the first I knew that there were two of them, one in the skiff and one on the dock."

"Were they near the Black Growler?" inquired Fred, who was keenly aroused by the story Sam was telling.

"They couldn't have been nearer," declared Sam, "but when they saw me, they started out as if the evil one was after them."

"I don't wonder," suggested George.

"Huh?" said Sam quickly. "What's that you say?"

"I think it would scare anybody if he thought you were trying to catch him," said George glibly.

Mollified by the explanation, Sam continued, "They lighted out as soon as they both were in the skiff and the way they rowed was something marvelous. I chased them around the point, but if you'll believe me when I got there they were already more than half-way to Alexandria Bay."

"They must have traveled fast," laughed John.

"They didn't delay any, let me tell you," said Sam, shaking his head.

"And they had good reason to hurry up."

"Was anything wrong with the boat?" asked Fred.