“Well, I wouldn’t like to say. I’ve been fooled more than once,” said Larry, with a smile. “I may be again.”
“Of course it’s best to be cautious,” returned Mr. Potter, “but I’m convinced that Parloti is at the bottom of this. If we can find him, we’ll have the boy.”
The cruise continued. The weather was calm, and but for the nervous anxiety of the voyagers it would have been most delightful. Madame Androletti improved in spirits, and, as for Grace Potter, she vied with Larry in keeping watch for suspicious-looking vessels.
But none was seen. Lake steamer after lake steamer was passed, but it was agreed that it would be useless to try to locate Lorenzo on any of these.
“He’ll be on a small, disreputable-looking craft, if he’s on any,” declared Mr. Potter, and Larry assented.
But they saw none of these. They put into port after port, and made thorough inquiries, but with no success. I say with no success, but they did discover some clews.
Several times they heard of a small motor boat that had put in just ahead of them for gasolene or supplies. It was not in good condition, and nearly every place they asked about her, they heard that she was in some kind of mechanical trouble.
“And she doesn’t come to the dock, either,” remarked one man who ran a small repair shop near the lake shore. “I know the craft you speak of,” he said, in answer to inquiries. “I heard of her from a friend of mine down the lake a way. It seems as if whoever’s running her is afraid of letting a repair man come on board. They came to me and told me what was busted. I said I couldn’t fix it without I saw it.
“But they wouldn’t take me out to her. They came ashore in a small boat, and, after a lot of talk, they bought some motor parts, and said they’d do the repairs themselves.”
“What was the name of the boat?” asked Larry.