The thud of men jumping into the small craft tied near the sail boat could be heard. There was the rattle of oars, and then the splash of them in the water.
“They’ll never get out of the channel,” the boys heard one of the men say. “We’ll catch ’em before they strike open water.”
“You will, eh?” thought Jerry. “We’ll see about that.”
The engine was speeded up. Jerry was beginning to distinguish things better as his eyes became accustomed to the darkness on the water. The channel was a narrow and winding one, but the incoming tide had made it plenty deep enough.
The boys could hear the men frantically rowing after them, but it was a hopeless race. The Dartaway was speeding ahead. It kept Jerry busy steering to avoid running into the bank, but presently the channel widened and he had no more difficulty. On sped the craft until the little creek emerged into a small bay, which, in turn, opened into the ocean.
“We’re safe now!” cried Jerry. “Let’s light the lamps, and put for home.”
The men in pursuit had been left far behind. While Jerry held the boat on her course up the beach Ned and Bob kindled the red and green side lights and the search lantern. In about two hours the Dartaway was safe at her dock, and the boys were telling their story to a number of their friends.
“We must notify the police and get after those thieves,” said Captain Jenkinson. “They’re dangerous men to have around. It’s a good thing you discovered that cove. They probably have been hiding there a long time.”
But the primitive police system of the shore summer resort could not be gotten in readiness for a raid that night, and when some constables did go to the cove the next morning they found the sloop gone and the hut seemingly deserted.
The boys found their boat had suffered little damage at the hands of the thieves. Some tools had been removed as had a few of the cooking utensils, but these were easily replaced.