“You know well enough we wouldn’t claim the boat if it wasn’t ours,” added his brother.
“I don’t know anything about it. If this boat belongs to Mr. Garrison he’s got to prove property. Besides that, he ought to pay for having it brought back. If it hadn’t been for us the boat might never have been found.”
“Oh, so you’re out for a reward, are you?” remarked Spouter sarcastically. “How much do you think you ought to have—a quarter or fifty cents?”
“I don’t want any of your funny talk, Powell,” roared Halliday, in a rage. “I’m not looking for any reward, nor am I going to turn this boat over to somebody it doesn’t belong to.”
“There is the name on the stern!” cried Randy. “Comet! That’s the name of the boat we were in yesterday when we got upset on a snag. That’s our boat, and no question about it.”
“Well, we’re going to take the boat to our camp. If Mr. Garrison wants the boat and can prove it belongs to him, let him come over there,” said Tommy Flanders, after a few whispered words to his cronies. Then those in the other boat began to row away.
“Great tomcats! we’re not going to let them get away with our boat, are we?” gasped Andy. “Why, I’d fight ’em first!”
“So would I,” declared Spouter. “That boat belongs to us, and they know it as well as we do. It’s only a trick to keep us from having the use of the craft.”
“Let’s pull after them and cut the boat adrift,” said Jack. “Andy, you get in the stern and have your knife ready. We’ll show those fellows a trick or two.”
“Right-o,” answered his cousin, and without letting those in the other craft see what they were doing Andy got out his pocketknife and opened the largest of the blades. The others fell to rowing, and in a few seconds more were alongside of the rowboat which was being towed.