“Wha—what are you go—going to d—do?” panted Ben.
“I’m not going to let them arrest me!” answered Phil. “I didn’t do it, and I’m not going to jail.”
“Let us hide until we can get our folks to help us,” suggested Buster. The thought of going to a lockup filled him with dread.
“I’m going to notify my folks, too,” said Ben.
“The trouble is, I don’t know where my folks are just now,” came from the shipowner’s son. “My father went on a trip on one of his vessels and mother is visiting relatives.”
The boys had kept on running on the road. 173 But now, as they saw the constable after them, they turned and dashed into a side-path leading to the river.
“A motor-boat!” cried Ben, a few seconds later.
“It’s the Kingsley boat,” added Buster. “I know Tom will let us use it—he said I could do it once. Let us go across in it.”
All leaped on board, and Ben started up the engine while Buster took the wheel. There came a put! put! as the fly-wheel was turned over, and the little craft, which belonged to a boy living on the river-bank, headed out into the Leming River.
In the meantime, while Constable Hickson was running after the fugitives, Jason Sparr and the driver of the covered wagon confronted Dave and Roger.