“Yes, but for all that they hated to lose the plunder after the trouble they’d been put to,” continued Josh, not wholly convinced; “and if the chance came along to make another try for that bag, believe me, they’d grab on to it. But just as Jack says, it goes; and I reckon the little Tramp can show ’em a clean pair of heels if it comes to a run?”
“Why, man alive, they wouldn’t have any boat, because you remember they abandoned the one they had, and we’ve fetched it along with us, to discover who owns the same, because we believe it must have been stolen,” Herb ventured to say.
There were few preparations to look after, for Jack always made it a point to have his boat in good running order, so that none of the boys could really remember when it had ever gone back on its owner.
Of course he first of all made sure that there was plenty of “juice” in his tank; each of the boats carried an additional supply of gasoline aboard, in case of necessity, for they had figured out the trip systematically, and knew to a fraction of a gallon what quantity they would need, so that it had been easy to prepare for extra occasions by making a very generous allowance.
“Goodbye, and good luck!” called Buster, as he waved his hand after the starting Tramp.
“Somebody look out for supper, because you just can’t depend on me always!” Josh sent back.
“Oh! that’s all right, Josh,” replied the fat chum, contentedly; “there are three other fellers in this crowd, and I reckon I’ve done my part of the cooking stunt for one day.”
The gallant little motor boat was soon moving along with the current of the river, and keeping rather in toward the west shore; because it had been in that quarter Jack remembered seeing the lights of some sort of town while chasing after the bank thieves on the preceding night.
“How long ought it to take us to get there, d’ye think?” asked Josh, as he made himself quite comfortable.
“It might be an hour and a half, and again we may be all of two hours making port,” answered the skipper of the Tramp, as he busied himself with the reliable little motor that as yet had never failed him in an emergency.