“First you’ll have to find it.”
“Never fear. I am on the track. Good-bye, my recent partner. Sorry I can’t keep you company.”
Blowitz waved his hand, as though in friendly farewell, but Mr. De Vere turned aside, refusing to notice him, for the scoundrel had greatly wronged him, and was now adding insult to injury.
There was a ringing of bells on the tug, and the powerful vessel forged ahead, leaving the Ripper astern.
“Shall we speed up?” asked Jerry. “We can easily beat them, for ours is the faster boat.”
“No, let him go,” replied Mr. De Vere. “He has no more idea, than have I, where to look for the derelict. He is taking the same chances we are, but I’ll not follow him. As he says, we are rivals now. I hope I win, for my whole fortune depends on it.”
“We’ll do our best to help you,” said Bob.
“That’s what we will,” added Jerry, and Ned nodded an assent.
“Bear off to the left,” suggested Mr. De Vere, as a cloud of black smoke from the funnel of the tug showed that the engineer was crowding on steam. “We’ll part company from them.”
Speeding up the engine Jerry steered the Ripper out of the course of the Monarch. The hunt of the rivals to locate the derelict brig was now on.