"I thought I secured it last night. I made a stout loop and slipped it over the cleat on the deck. I don't see how the boat could have gotten away unless the rope broke, which it undoubtedly did."
George said he would see about that. The rowboat had drifted ashore unharmed. Captain George launched the boat and rowed out, paddling about until finally they saw him stop and raise the end of a rope from the water.
"Bring the launch out here, Bill," he called. "Yes, I've found it, and I've found something else too. There's been some crooked work here!"
"What do you mean?" called Harriet.
"I'll tell you when I come in. I've made a find, all right!"
The captain had indeed made a find—one that more than confirmed the suspicions he had formed earlier in the morning.