It did not take long to reach the water's edge. Here they saw where a rowboat had been hauled up on the bank. In the mud and grass they made out the footsteps of two men, but that was all.
"Have you had a boat up here in the last few days?" asked Dave of the farmer.
"Ain't had a boat here in a month."
"Then this must have been the burglars' boat."
"I think so." John Lapham gave something of a sigh. "They got a good start."
"Yes, and we don't know which way they went," added one of his sons.
"Have you any idea what the stuff that was stolen was worth?" asked the senator's son.
"Fifty or sixty dollars, maybe more."
"I shouldn't think any professional burglars would bother to take such a small amount," was Shadow's comment. "Maybe they are worthless characters from around here."
"Like as not," answered the farmer. "Maybe the same rascals that robbed Jerry Logan's house at Oakdale. They got about fifty dollars' worth there too."