"Do you know the boat?"
"Yes; I should know her a mile off."
"I think we shall find her at Bar Harbor," laughed Mr. Hines.
"I shouldn"t be surprised, for I begin to see the daylight sinning through this business," added Bobtail, his eyes flashing.
"What do you see?"
"I think I know who stole that letter, and how the five hundred dollar bill happened to go down to Bar Harbor."
"We shall know before we get back."
"What do you suppose Captain c.h.i.n.ks wanted to go to Bar Harbor in the Skylark for?" asked Bobtail.
"I don"t know, but I am afraid if you had gone with him you would never have come back again; for you have spoiled all his plans. He will take the steamer to-morrow morning at Rockland for Bar Harbor. But we shall have time to look the matter up before he arrives, if the breeze holds."
Fortunately the wind did hold, and at eight o"clock in the evening the Skylark reached her destination. The breeze was steady, but light, and the pa.s.sage was a delightful one through the narrow channels among the islands. The skipper got up a nice dinner of beefsteak, green corn, and tomatoes, which Mr. Hines declared was equal to the table at the Bay View; and this was no equivocal compliment.
"That is Captain c.h.i.n.ks"s boat," said Bobtail, as he pointed to a craft at anchor near the steamboat wharf.
"I thought we should find her here," replied Mr. Hines. "He doesn"t sail that boat alone--does he?"
"No, sir; he has a nephew that lives with him; but he has gone to Boston."
"Are you sure of that?"
"Captain c.h.i.n.ks says he has; that"s all I know about it."
"How old is the nephew?"
"Almost twenty-one."
"In my opinion that nephew is here," added the custom-house official.
"That"s so!" exclaimed Bobtail, as the Skylark pa.s.sed the captain"s boat. "There he is now.--Hallo, Ben!"
"Is that you, Bobtail? Where did you pick up that boat?"
"Don"t let on," interposed Mr. Hines; and the skipper did not answer the question.
"Say! Where d"ye get her?" shouted Ben.
"She isn"t mine."
"He knows all about her. Keep out of sight, Mr. Brooks. He knows you, but not me," continued Mr. Hines.
The Skylark pa.s.sed out of hearing of Ben"s voice, but he immediately jumped into his dory and pulled for the wharf. Bobtail ran the yacht up to the landing-steps, and Mr. Brooks hastened on sh.o.r.e, so that Ben c.h.i.n.ks should not recognize him.
"Say, Bob, where"d ye get this boat?" asked Ben, stepping upon the deck of the Skylark.
"She don"t belong to me," replied Bobtail.
"Don"t you know the boat?" inquired Mr. Hines.
"Don"t I know her?" repeated Ben.
"That"s the question I asked."
"I cal"late I"ve seen her before; because she came into Bar Harbor about ten days ago," replied Ben, cautiously.
"Exactly so," added the custom-house detective; "she was sold, and your uncle or father bought her."
"Who told you all that?" asked Ben; and he did not seem to know whether or not to admit the truth of the statement.
The detective whistled and looked about him as though he did not care whether Captain c.h.i.n.ks bought her or not.
"Your uncle bought her dog cheap, too. I think Captain c.h.i.n.ks is a smart man," added Mr. Hines.
"He"s some," grinned Ben.
"But you and he drank a little too much of that liquor."
[Ill.u.s.tration]
"What liquor? I don"t drink liquor."
"You might as well own up. Captain c.h.i.n.ks and you were a little boozy that day."
"What day?"
"Why, that day you sailed this boat up the bay."
"I didn"t drink a drop," protested Ben, warmly.
"Then your uncle drank enough for both of you."
"No, he didn"t, nuther. I didn"t see him drink anything."
"Ah, it"s no use to deny it," laughed Mr. Hines, as though he was only indulging in a pleasantry.
"I wouldn"t deny it if it was true; but it ain"t."
"How did the boat get adrift, then?" queried Mr. Hines. "Both of you must have been a little set up."
"Not a bit."
"The boat wouldn"t have got adrift if you had either of you been all right."