"it must have drifted away," said rand.

"sure of that?" asked jack.

"i knew it!" suddenly broke in pepper.

"then why didn't you tell us," demanded rand. "what did you know?"

"monkey rae," replied pepper.

"well, what about him?" cried jack.

"he has taken the boat," answered pepper.

"how do you know?" questioned donald.

"there is his track on the sand."

"he is certainly very much in evidence," said the colonel.

"i wish i could get hold of him once," cried rand vindictively.

"i'd much prefer to get hold of the boat just now," put in donald.

"there is certainly something queer going on here," observed jack.

"more mysteries, jack?" asked rand.

"yes," answered jack. "that man is mixed up in this, too."

"what man?" asked rand.

"the man with the limp," replied jack.

"where is he?"

"he was here, and i believe he went off in the boat," went on jack. "you can see his tracks around here."

"jack is right," confirmed the colonel, "the man has undoubtedly gone off with the boat."

"hem," said pepper, "there doesn't seem to be anything safe here.

"what are we going to do now?" asked rand.

"walk home, i guess," said donald. "i don't know how else we will get there."

"there they go now!" cried jack, suddenly pointing to their boat near the other side of the river. "oh, if we only had a boat to follow them in."

"i have one," said the colonel. "we can take that. come on, boys!"

starting off at a pace that kept the four youths on a run to keep up with him, the colonel led the way back to the house. just before coming to it he stopped.

"take that path to the left, it leads down to the landing," he directed. "get the boat you will find there ready, and i will be with you in a minute."

"are you going with us?" asked rand.

"do you think i am going to be left out of this?" returned the colonel. "not for a minute!"

following the colonel's directions, the boys went down to the landing where they found the scout, a 25-foot cat-boat, moored. jumping on board they made ready to cast her loose, took the stops off the sail and had it partly hoisted when the colonel came along bringing with him a gun.

"are you going to shoot them?" asked pepper.

"i hope not," replied the colonel, "but it is just as well to be prepared for all emergencies. you are first-rate sailors," he added, stepping on board. "cast her off and up with the sail."

"how is that?" called rand.

"a little more on the peak; that's it, now pull it home and make fast."

during this time the boat had drifted away from the landing and now, as the wind filled the sail she glided out into the river, running free.

"see anything of them?" asked the colonel.

"not yet," answered rand, who was in the bow looking up the river.

"'tis my opinion," said donald, "that we'll be no likely to find them." "there they are!" cried jack.

"where away?" asked the colonel.

"over there by the other shore," replied jack. "you can just see them."

"they have such a long start," doubted rand, "that we will never catch them."

"you can't most always tell until you try," observed jack.

"and sometimes not then," added pepper.

with the wind on her quarter the scout sped up the river on a course that would bring her near to the opposite shore, a little in front of the boat they were pursuing, the occupants of which, evidently having no thought of pursuit, were rowing in a leisurely fashion. it was not until the scout was almost upon them that they gave it any attention, and then only enough to change their course sufficiently to keep out of her way.

"boat, ahoy!" finally shouted the colonel.

to this hail those in the small boat made no answer, but apparently realizing that the scout was pursuing them, changed their course to run directly to the shore.

"in with the sheet!" called the colonel, quickly bringing the scout around; "there, that will do!" as rand and donald hauled in the sail until it was trimmed in as close as it would hold the wind, the boat laying over until her gunwale was under water. holding her up in the wind until the peaks shivered, the colonel kept her on that course until she had run some hundred feet beyond the other boat.

"look out, boys!" called the colonel; "we are going about," at the same time bringing the boat up in the wind, and then, as the sail filled again, heading for the other boat.

but the man in the small boat was as wary as the colonel, and as the scout came about he changed his course at nearly right angles, and then as the sailboat went by, resumed his former course.

"he's an old fox and not easily to be caught," decided the colonel, when this maneuver had been repeated two or three times. "he is making for the other shore, and if he gets in among the shallows over there i am afraid we will lose him yet."

the scout was now so close to the smaller boat that the occupants could easily be distinguished.

"there is monkey rae," declared pepper.

"and sam and red," added jack, "but i don't know who the man is."

"boat, ahoy!" shouted the colonel.

"what do you want?" snarled the man.

"you!" shouted the colonel. "lay to until we come alongside!"

"come on," responded the man, "and you will get more than you are looking for!" at the same time displaying a pistol, which he pointed toward the larger boat.

"drop that!" commanded the colonel, going forward and covering the man with the gun, while rand took the helm. "if you make any attempt to use that pistol i will disable you at once."

with a muttered imprecation the man let the pistol fall and, seizing the oars, began rowing for the shore.

"shall we follow him?" asked rand.

"there is a sand-bar there, i think," replied the colonel. "if you pull up the centerboard, perhaps we can slide over it. it's no use," he added a moment later as the boat fell off, "we shall have to go round."

by this time the small boat had been pulled in close to the shore, where the man, picking up a package from the bottom of the boat, sprang over the side and, followed by the boys, ran up the shore and disappeared in the woods, leaving the boat to drift.

"shall we follow them?" asked rand.

"i don't want them," said donald.

"better let them go, i think," added the colonel.

"well, i hope i have seen the last of monkey rae for a good while," went on pepper.

"then as dogberry says: 'let us call the watch together and thank god we are rid of a knave,'" quoted rand.

picking up the drifting boat the scout was headed down the river and in a few minutes they were off the colonel's landing. here, the boys would have taken their boat and rowed home, but the colonel insisted on carrying them down to creston, which was quickly done in the bracing breeze.

"remember, as soon as you are ready," he said as he left them, "i will swear you in as scouts."