“You are sure that is the same boat you saw towing the sloop?” I questioned eagerly.

“Guess I am. My eyes don’t deceive me very often, though they are getting old.”

“Is the boat a strange one around the Bend?”

“Yes; but it belongs on the lake.”

“Is it Carney’s?”

“Maybe it is. But did you see it around the island when you were here before?”

“No; it was over at the mill.”

And I told him what I knew of the boat and the two men who had sailed her.

“Well, that’s strange,” he said. “Most likely the two chaps are on board now.”