“You act like you meant to walk back to Chicago,” Case suggested, as Alex. started away, turning away from the river in order to avoid the people at the fire.
“Oh, I’m only going to walk up a little way and drift as I swim down.”
“Come up on the other side, then,” Case cautioned. “Then you won’t be seen.”
When Alex. started away on his perilous trip Mose disappeared, and Captain Joe was nowhere to be seen the next minute. Case searched and grumbled, but did not find them.
“They’ve gone with Alex.,” he suggested. “They always do. Well, let them go, they can swim better than I can! Wish I was along, also.”
“If they are officers, the men at the fire,” Jule asked, “why don’t we go right up to them and find out what’s doing? They won’t lock us up, will they?”
“That is just about what they will do if they get us,” was the slow reply. “We would get out of jail in time, but who wants to lie in a cell when there is so much fun to be had on the river? These fellows have been wired to head us off, probably by the sheriff we met up there. It may be that the diamonds Clay put in the deposit box have been identified as the ones stolen from Rock Island. I wish Chet would show up right now!”
“Oh, well, if they want to coop us up,” Jule agreed, “we’d better cut our luck until they find out who stole the diamonds—or, at any rate, find out that we didn’t.”
The boy ceased speaking suddenly, for the motor boat was getting under way, heading down toward the business wharves!