“What do you mean by that?”
“We might have delivered the stones to the wrong party.”
“Nonsense!” cried Clay. “The advertisement would have brought the owner and an officer to the place where they were to be returned and the reward given out. A crook wouldn’t advertise in that open way. This fellow is not on any legitimate business, if his errand here is concerned with us.”
“But why should he follow us?” persisted Case. “That is just what I don’t know,” puzzled Clay. “We have nothing he could rob us of, except the boat, and that doesn’t belong to us. We haven’t done anything anybody could take offense at, or consider hostile.”
“Well, he’s here,” Case concluded, “and it is up to us to keep a sharp eye on him. There! He’s returning to the steamer now.”
As the boy spoke a boat put out from a pier on the south shore and proceeded swiftly toward the steamer with the yellow and green stack. It was not light enough out on the river to enable the boys to recognize any of the faces in the craft, but Case put his hand on Clay’s arm, warning him to remain silent until the rowers came under the prow light of the steamer.
“That’s the man!” he said presently, as a light from the deck of the steamer struck fairly in the faces of those in the boat.
“Yes; that is the man!”
“I hope we aren’t going to have our whole trip spoiled by anyone sneaking after us like this and making trouble!” Case wailed.
“We’ll have to meet whatever comes,” Clay reminded the other. “And now,” he continued, “we’ll set a watch on deck for the night. In the morning we’ll take on our supplies as early as possible and get under way. We’ll soon find out whether this fellow is following us, or whether his appearance here is merely a coincidence.”