was doing and presently held them under complete
control.

Then our hero staggered out of the bushes with his hand on his neck, where
a big lump was rising.

"Where are they?"

"Gone! Did they rob you, Jerry?"

"No."

"Then you are in luck."

"What do you mean, Harry?"

"Crosby took my gold watch and chain."

"Never!"

"He did. Jerry, those two chaps have turned nothing but common thieves,"
went on Harry, bitterly.

"It certainly looks so, Harry. What shall we do now?"

"Jump in and we'll go after them."

Jerry was soon beside Harry, and they turned up the side road taken by the
fugitives. The moon was out full, making the way as light as day, yet
nothing was to be seen of the rascally pair.

This was not to be wondered at, for after running along the road but a few
hundred feet, Si Peters and Wash Crosby had taken to an open field.
Crossing this, they came out upon a railroad track. A freight train was
coming along slowly, around the bend of the lake, and they had had small
trouble in boarding this. Inside of an hour they were many miles away from
the vicinity.

Jerry and Harry searched for the pair until midnight, and then gave up the
hunt and returned to Lakeview. Once again the authorities were notified,
and the detectives started on a fresh hunt for the evil-doers. Yet it was
destined to be a long time before Si Peters and Wash Crosby were heard of
again.

About this time the Lakeview boat club was organizing another series of
rowing races, and both Harry and Jerry were easily persuaded to enter a
contest, which was to take place between a number of local oarsmen.

A prize of a fine bicycle had been put up, also several other articles of
more or less value, and Jerry and Harry immediately went into training,
with a firm determination to win.

There were seven entries, all by young fellows of Jerry's age, and as the
youth looked at his opponents he felt that the race would be no easy one.

Saturday afternoon, the time appointed for the contest, came, bright and
clear, and it found the lake front crowded to its utmost capacity. Many
came over from Rockpoint, but it was noticed that those who had belonged
to Si Peters' crowd were absent.

The race was to be two miles long, up the lake and back again. The boats
were all drawn up in a line, and everything was made ready for a start.
Jerry was at one end of the line, with Harry at the other, and the
remaining five contestants between them.

Ba