drove the canoe out into the open river, but only just for a
look up its expanse.

There was no motor-boat in sight or hearing--not even the distant lights
of one. The current was so strong that the Cameron twins went back among
the islands where the water was smoother. Besides, it was much more
romantic, Helen said wickedly, among the islands, and Chess and Ruth were
more likely to remain in the tortuous passages.

The two laid a pretty direct course, however, for the Kingdom of Pipes.
As they spied it, and drew nearer, Tom suddenly stopped paddling and held
up his hand.

"What's the matter?" demanded his sister, likewise raising her paddle out
of the water.

"Listen," warned Tom.

Faintly there came the noise of a motor-boat to their straining ears.

"Here they are!" shrilled Helen.

"Will you be still?" demanded her brother. "That's not Copley's boat.
It's a deal bigger craft. She's on the other side of the island."

Helen leaned forward and caught at his sleeve. "Look there!" she
whispered. "There is the _Lauriette_."

She had been the first to see the outline of the Copley launch moored
close to the shore of the island at its upper end.

"They've gone ashore," said Tom. "Where can they be? If that other boat
is approaching this island----"

"Oh, Tom! The pirates!"

"Oh, fudge!"

"The smugglers, then. Chess said he believed there were smugglers here."

"What do they smuggle?" demanded Tom with some scorn.

"I don't know. He did not seem very clear about it."

"Just the same," Tom observed, sinking his paddle again in the water,
"there may be trouble in the air."

"Trouble on the river, I guess you mean," giggled Helen.

But she giggled because she was excited and nervous. She was quite as
alarmed as Tom was over the possibility that Chess and Ruth had got into
some difficulty on the King of the Pipes' island.

CHAPTER XXIII

TROUBLE ENOUGH

Returning to Ruth Fielding in the cavern: Although her heart beat rapidly
and she really was fearful, she showed little perturbation in her
countenance and manner after she had talked with Charley Pond, if that
was the real name of the King of the Pipes.

Just how mentally disturbed the old man was it was difficult for the girl
to judge. But she feared that he had, after all his claims, absolutely no
influence with the Chinamen.

She believed that the leader of the Orientals was the heavy-set Chinaman
who had struck Chessleigh Copley down wit