“Why—why—I wonder if I’m on the wrong dock?” he said, staring about him.
“What’s up?” inquired Jerry.
“Isn’t this where we left our boat?”
“Sure, there’s only one dock near here. Why?”
“Well, it’s gone.”
“What, the boat or the dock?” asked Bob. “Come on, tell us, I want to get back and have something to eat.”
“The Dartaway is gone!” exclaimed Ned. “So is the sloop! They’ve stolen our boat! They must suspect something!”
At first Jerry and Bob could not believe it. Then Ned went over again all that he had heard, telling how he had slipped away to inform them of how matters stood.
“They must have known it was our boat,” said Jerry. “Was Bill Berry one of the men?”
“I couldn’t see them plainly,” Ned replied. “Their voices didn’t either one of them sound like Bill’s though. What’s to be done?”