While he sat there on the berth, panting from his unnoticed exertions, the boat quivered in all its timbers, the noise of escaping steam reached his ears, and then he knew that the steamer was under way.

This was the worst thing that could happen to the boy, and he knew it.

The steamer might go to Cuba, or to the upper reaches of the Missouri or the Mississippi, separating him from his chums for weeks. If Red really was a robber, he would not take the chance of releasing him, for that would give him an opportunity to warn those on board the _Rambler_, as well as to report to the police the illegal seizure of the motor boat!

"I'm going to find out about this!" Alex. declared, springing off the berth. "I'm going to do an English suffragette stunt and smash windows!"

As his whole mind was set on making a noise so as to attract the attention of the man he had followed on board, the boy was by no means conservative in his next move.

First he took the light-framed chair which stood by the berth and smashed it against the fancy metal work which protected the gla.s.s panel. The chair went to pieces without touching the gla.s.s, so Alex.

took up a slender leg and, poking it through in between the metal work, punched out the pane.

It fell back into the cabin with a rattle, and then Alex., putting his face close to the opening, let out a yell which would have done credit to an Apache Indian on the warpath! In the meantime the steamer was backing out into the current.

"I guess that will let 'em know they have a cabin pa.s.senger!" Alex.

grunted, as he began tossing the fragments of the chair out on the cabin floor.

The boy was just considering the firing of his automatic, which had not been taken from him by the negro, when a heavy voice near at hand broke into a hearty laugh, and the face of the red-headed man appeared before the opening, half-shielded by an arm, for the boy was still looking for things to throw through.

"What seems to be the difficulty?" the man asked, and Alex. thought he saw a twinkle of humor in the blue eyes fixed upon him.

"No difficulty at all," Alex. answered, with a touch of irony in his tone. "I'm just doing this for exercise, and to make business for boat builders!"

"Of course," laughed the man, "you wouldn't come out if I should unlock the door?"

"Oh, I don't know," Alex. replied. "I've got a good deal of work to do in here yet, and I might bring back an axe to help out."

"You'll find that the berth is of steel," the red-headed man said.

"You can't chop that up. How long will it take you to finish the dresser? I might come back and let you out as soon as you have got through with that!"

"All right!" grinned the boy, "anything to oblige," and he went at the dresser with the leg of a chair!

The giant unlocked the door, stepped inside, and, taking Alex. by the ear, marched him out of the wrecked room. Once in the cabin he let go of the ear and walked toward the stern with a hand on the boy's arm.

"You wasn't so giddy the last time I saw you!" declared the boy.

The man laughed, opened the door of a large stateroom toward the stern, pushed the boy inside, and stepped in after him. This was a handsome room, elaborately furnished. Alex. dropped into a chair and looked about.

The steamer now seemed to be making fast time down the river, and Alex. looked out of a window in the hope of seeing the location of the _Rambler_.

"Say," he finally asked, wrinkling his freckled nose at the man, "what is the answer to this? I give it up!"

"What was it you boys put in the deposit box at the bank?" asked the man.

"I didn't put anything in; I didn't go to any bank."

"But your chum did. You met him at the bank entrance, and brought him back to look at me! You know what he put in the vault box. What was it?"

"It was a long package marked bonds," was the boy's reply.

"But did the package contain bonds?"

"I don't know; I never saw the inside of it," answered Alex., wondering if this man had followed all their movements since being allowed to leave the _Rambler_.

"Perhaps the lad you call Clay will tell," smiled the giant. "Or the boys on the _Rambler_ may give the information I seek--when you both fail to return to-night."

"So you've got Clay, too, have you?" shouted Alex., and he make a rush for the door!

CHAPTER XV

THE LEATHER BAG MISSING

When Clay went to the cashier's desk to pay the check for the meals the two boys had eaten, also with a view of finding out what was known there of the red-headed man, he asked the first question which came into his mind.

"Is that the sheriff--the tall man with the red hair?"

The cashier eyed the boy keenly for a moment and then answered the question by asking one, as many who wait on the public have a habit of doing.

"Why? Do you want to see the sheriff?" he asked, suspiciously.

Clay was provoked, but tried not to show it as he replied,

"I thought I knew the man, that's all. Perhaps I was mistaken, for he would have recognized me, I'm certain, if he had ever seen me before."

"Well, that's not the sheriff," the cashier replied, more civilly; "I don't know who he is. He came in here this forenoon, for the first time, with those two men, and he has been in here twice since. There are others with him, too, for people kept coming in and making reports of some kind to him. One made a sign to him, through the gla.s.s, while you were eating. He may be a crook, for all I know."

Clay thanked the cashier and went away, turning in the direction of the river front immediately. At the next corner he came face to face with the cashier of the bank where he had secured the deposit box. The banker extended a hand in greeting.

"I was just wishing," he said, "that I could run across you this afternoon. I have a little spare time, and I'd like to look over that wonderful boat of yours. Not long ago I saw a full-page description of your river trips in a Chicago newspaper."

"Come along, then," Clay replied. "You'll have a good chance to see it by daylight if you go now. It isn't very much of a boat, but we're proud of it. It is just an ordinary motor boat, with electrical attachments which provide for lighting and cooking. There's also a little refrigerator, cooled by water, and a container for holding electricity in storage, so we have plenty of light when the boat is not running. But come along and take a look at it."

As the two walked arm-in-arm down the street two men fell in behind them, moving as they moved, fast or slow, and stopping whenever the cashier drew up to explain some city feature to the boy. After a couple of blocks of this work, the two walked faster and, coming in advance of the two they had followed, turned about and greeted the cashier warmly. They were promptly introduced to Clay as Hilton and Carney.

"We're just going to the river to look over the _Rambler_, the famous motor boat we have talked so much about," Benson, the cashier said.

"If Mr. Emmett, here, has no objections, I'd like to have you go along with us."

"No objections whatever," Clay responded. "There isn't much to see, but such as it is you are welcome to have a look."

Clay did not observe the significant look which pa.s.sed from the cashier to the two men, as they walked along toward the boat. They soon reached the pier and went aboard the _Rambler_, finding Case, Chet, Jule and Mose there. The bear cub attracted a great deal of attention, and Chet seemed to take special interest in the doings of the party.

The three men did not hurry themselves at all, but took their time about everything. They inspected the bunks and the cupboard, and even looked into the storage places under the decks and the cabin floor.

Clay was with them most of the time, but now and then they halted and conversed together in low tones, so, of course, the boy dropped away from the group. He considered this a strange proceeding on the part of the guests, but said nothing.