“I thought I knew the man, that’s all. Perhaps I was mistaken, for he would have recognized me, I’m certain, if he had ever seen me before.”
“Well, that’s not the sheriff,” the cashier replied, more civilly; “I don’t know who he is. He came in here this forenoon, for the first time, with those two men, and he has been in here twice since. There are others with him, too, for people kept coming in and making reports of some kind to him. One made a sign to him, through the glass, while you were eating. He may be a crook, for all I know.”
Clay thanked the cashier and went away, turning in the direction of the river front immediately. At the next corner he came face to face with the cashier of the bank where he had secured the deposit box. The banker extended a hand in greeting.
“I was just wishing,” he said, “that I could run across you this afternoon. I have a little spare time, and I’d like to look over that wonderful boat of yours. Not long ago I saw a full-page description of your river trips in a Chicago newspaper.”
“Come along, then,” Clay replied. “You’ll have a good chance to see it by daylight if you go now. It isn’t very much of a boat, but we’re proud of it. It is just an ordinary motor boat, with electrical attachments which provide for lighting and cooking. There’s also a little refrigerator, cooled by water, and a container for holding electricity in storage, so we have plenty of light when the boat is not running. But come along and take a look at it.”
As the two walked arm-in-arm down the street two men fell in behind them, moving as they moved, fast or slow, and stopping whenever the cashier drew up to explain some city feature to the boy. After a couple of blocks of this work, the two walked faster and, coming in advance of the two they had followed, turned about and greeted the cashier warmly. They were promptly introduced to Clay as Hilton and Carney.
“We’re just going to the river to look over the Rambler, the famous motor boat we have talked so much about,” Benson, the cashier said. “If Mr. Emmett, here, has no objections, I’d like to have you go along with us.”
“No objections whatever,” Clay responded. “There isn’t much to see, but such as it is you are welcome to have a look.”
Clay did not observe the significant look which passed from the cashier to the two men, as they walked along toward the boat. They soon reached the pier and went aboard the Rambler, finding Case, Chet, Jule and Mose there. The bear cub attracted a great deal of attention, and Chet seemed to take special interest in the doings of the party.
The three men did not hurry themselves at all, but took their time about everything. They inspected the bunks and the cupboard, and even looked into the storage places under the decks and the cabin floor.