“Indeed it is,” agreed the other. “I saw the men on board of her getting the bargemen drunk. You see the result here. Hundreds of tons of perfectly good coal wasted.”
“Suppose we run into a cove here, or up against one of those barges,” Jule whispered, “and see if this man knows anything about the three blue lights.”
The Rambler was steered under the lee of the lower barge downstream from the sand bar and the stranger rowed alongside.
Clay was about to question him regarding the phenomenon, now twice witnessed, when the hum of low voices came from the shore. The boy listened intently and the next moment the heavy tramping of horses’ feet came to his ears. Directly the sharp whinny of a restive horse cut the still air!
CHAPTER XVI.—THE COAL BARGES INTERVENE.
The stranger looked at the boys sharply as they stood listening to the noises on shore. There was an expression of displeasure on his face as he noted how watchful they were.
“What’s that?” asked Alex.
“Sounds like horses and men, replied the stranger, speaking sharply and turning away as he did so.
“What are they doing out on the river bank at this time of night?” queried Jule. “What’s coming next, I wonder?”
The stranger, who had turned away abruptly, now moved back so that his face was plainly seen under the prow light of the Rambler. When he spoke it was with an attempt at heartiness, but the boys saw that he was worried.