"Won't you come over and visit us?" was their invitation.
"Thanks, I'll be glad to do so," was the reply.
"I was just a bit lonesome in there, to tell the truth. I'm better now."
"What shall we call you other than Bob White?" asked Harry.
"My name is Charley Burnett," answered their new friend. "I belong to the Bob White patrol of Boy Scouts in St. Louis."
"And you came down the Mississippi in a launch called the 'Spray,' and were set upon by a gang of thugs and pirates!" cried Arnold. "How am I for a mind reader or clairvoyant?"
"You're just fine," declared Charley following the lads into the front room. "I wish I were half as good. I certainly do."
"What would you do if you were?" inquired Harry.
"I'd go into a trance and see if I could locate my chum."
"You don't have to do that," declared Arnold. "Just cross my palm with a piece of silver and I'll locate him for you," he added with a laugh. Then pretending to take an imaginary piece of money from Charley, he went on, "Your chum is on a boat called the 'Fortuna.' He is in the hands of friends who wish him well. He has been seeking diligently for you but cannot find you. Where have you been?"