At first nothing happened. But as they began to hope that the men would not notice the drifting boat, they heard an explosive shout.
“Look!” Claude Harper exclaimed. “Our boat!”
“Jumpin’ fish hooks!” Sweeper Joe muttered. “How did that happen? I tied ’er secure.”
“It looks like it,” the other retorted sarcastically. “I can’t afford to lose that boat.”
The girls could hear running footsteps on the pier and boardwalk near the dance pavilion. Sally dared to peep from beneath the canvas again.
“They’re after a motorboat!” she reported tensely. “Harper has one he keeps locked in a boathouse.”
“How close are we to the bend in the river?”
“About twenty yards.”
The swift current was doing its best for the girls, swinging their boat toward the bend. Once beyond it, they would be temporarily hidden from the pier. But the current also was tending to carry them farther and farther from shore.
“Do we dare row?” Penny asked nervously.