“Well, I’ll be hanged!” muttered the boy. “That’s some of my bunch. They’re over yonder somewhere. Confound their hides! Now I know who took my boat. Now I understand how I happened to be left here on this old island.”
The boys were still calling.
“You’d better answer them,” said Granger quickly. “Go to meet them. I’ll keep out of sight. Good by.”
“Good by, Mr. Granger. I’ll see you tomorrow about two o’clock at your cabin, if that’s agreeable.”
“That’s agreeable to me. Hustle now. Answer them quick.”
Piper hurried away, shouting a response to his friends, and when he reached the place where he had left his boat he saw them a short distance away upon the water. There were three of them. Two were in the canoe, while one occupied the boat Sleuth had hired.
“Well, it’s about time you fellows came back for me,” rasped Piper. “Thought you were playing a fine old game, didn’t you? You were having a lot of fun with me, weren’t you? Rather clever to sneak up and take my boat away, wasn’t it?”
“Gee!” said Springer, who was sitting in the boat. “Old Sleuthy is mighty hot under the cuc-collar.”
“Yes,” sneered Crane from the canoe; “I’ll bate he’s pretty nigh scat to death.”
“Oh, you will, will you?” scoffed Piper. “Well, don’t bet too much on it, for you’ll lose your money. You haven’t got nerve enough to come here even with somebody, but I’ve been all over the island alone.”