"These fellows are the other members of that club. They must be at Westport by this time," said the instructor.
"Probably they are, for a train comes along very early in the morning," replied Dory. "But Mr. Fred Ripples had nothing to do with the robberies at Plattsburg, or the one at Beech Hill; so that we have no particular business with him."
"Then, we had better drop him; for the two fellows who did have a hand in them are within a short distance of the tender," added the machinist in a lower tone.
Dory looked out through an opening in the bulwarks which he had arranged for the purpose. The two robbers looked as though they were worn out, for they moved with a very heavy step. But they were talking very earnestly together, as shown by their gestures; though what they said could not be heard on board of the La Motte. They were evidently discussing the change in the position of the vessel, and the discovery of the boat on the beach. The first thing they did was to haul the tender out of the surf, which was banging it on the gravel.
"Wick! Wick!" shouted one of them.
Then they waited some time for a reply to their hail, but none came.
"Sang! Sang!" called the other of the two.
"On board the La Motte!" yelled Mack, whose voice Dory recognized.
They seated themselves on the rail of the boat, and continued to yell for half an hour. Then an argument seemed to be in progress between them, in which one of them frequently pointed to the woods in the direction from which they had come. Presently they rose from their seats, and walked off, following the beach by the way they had come.
"Well, Dory, what does that mean?" asked the machinist, as soon as they were out of hearing.