“Well, then, fellows, my plan is this. It’s plain there is no use wasting time on Canadian officials. Therefore we’ve got to rely on the American authorities.”
“Looks that way,” agreed the others.
“All right, then. We’ll leave here for Piquetville without saying anything to Malvin about our destination. We’ll anchor off shore there and go up to the dock in the tender. You can explain that the engines have gone wrong, Percy. Then we’ll communicate our suspicions to the authorities and bring them off to the anchored River Swallow. In that way we can nab the whole bunch.”
“Including the third man,—Hawke?” asked Harry anxiously.
“Including him, I hope. It’s my notion that Hawke has some articles of value on his person which are to be smuggled, and that Malvin took him off the island after the hut blew up for that purpose. It’s likely that Hawke was to be hidden on our island till a chance came to smuggle whatever they are transporting illegally across the border. Circumstances prevented this, and so Malvin concealed him on the River Swallow. I’ll wager that he’ll be on board to-night by the time we get down to the dock.”
Talking thus, the three lads were not long in reaching the telegraph office.
Ralph entered the place eagerly.
“Any reply to that message I sent a while ago to Montreal?” he asked anxiously.
The operator glanced up at him with an odd look.
“Why, yes,” he said, “one came a few minutes ago.”