“But what about finding a place to stay overnight?” asked the professor.
“You needn’t worry about that.”
All looked around, to see that Captain Crowell had moved up behind them.
“I heard what you said,” he remarked. “And let me say that you are welcome to your berths on the Empire until we leave for New York. That may be tomorrow, or it may be the next day. Go on up and make yourselves at home.”
The party accepted the invitation with warm thanks. Then they moved on up to the boat.
“Pretty soft,” smiled Bob, as they sat on deck. “We might have hunted for hours before finding rooms.”
It was late that night when the party retired, but all slept well and awoke the next morning ready for any plans that might be made.
After breakfast Mr. Lewis and Mr. Holton left for the dock, where they would make inquiries about the leaving of a boat for farther upstream. Bob and Joe followed a road out of town to see the country.
They hiked for perhaps two miles, looking sharply about. Then, as there was not much new to see, they turned and went back to town, desirous of finding out what information, if any, their fathers had gained about the leaving of a boat.