“He certainly was around here,” put in Bob, who had come ashore. “Say, let’s send for Chief Dalton.”
“Maybe we can do a little detective work ourselves,” suggested Ned.
“I think it would be better to let the chief know the man may be in this neighborhood,” spoke Jerry. “Probably the information will not amount to anything, but if something should happen they could not blame us for keeping still.”
“Are you going back to Cresville?” asked Bob.
“No, I think it will do to drop him a note,” said Jerry. “We can run to some post-office after breakfast.”
The meal was hurried along and then, Jerry having written a note to Chief Dalton, the lines were cast off and the boat started for Eastport, a little village about five miles off, where, as the boys learned from the house where they got the water, they could post letters.
They all went ashore at the post-office, which was near the edge of the lake. Inside they found quite a large crowd.
“Mail must come in early,” said Ned, for it was hardly ten o’clock.
But it was not the arrival of the mail which had attracted the throng. Instead they were all staring at a big poster on the wall. On top the boys saw in big letters:
REWARD!