“Humph!”
All looked along the road. Constable Hickson had disappeared, having followed the runaways down to the river. Presently he came back, out of breath from his exertions.
“Did you get ’em?” queried the hotel-keeper, eagerly.
“No, they got away in a motor-boat.”
“A motor-boat!” repeated Dave and Roger, and looked at each other in astonishment.
“Yes, went up the river out of sight,” said Paul Hickson. “Too bad! But we’ve got two of ’em, anyway,” he added, looking at our hero and the senator’s son.
“I wanted Lawrence more than I did the others,” grumbled Jason Sparr. He was doing some deep thinking and his face showed that he was much disturbed.
“Mr. Sparr, just remember what I said,” remarked 178 Dave, pointedly. “If you go ahead, take my word for it, it will cost you dear.”
“Say, Hickson, we’ll drop this matter for the present,” said the hotel-keeper, in a low tone.
“Drop it?” ejaculated the constable. “Ain’t you goin’ to have these two took up?”