f Cavern Island, and the caves as well, for poor Short and Long.
Reporters had accompanied the expedition; but they rather made fun of
the crowd of police searching so diligently for one small boy. It was
suggested in the news stories that the efforts of the officers might
better be aimed at finding the burglars themselves instead of chasing a
frightened youngster who was supposed to have helped the real criminals.

The only thing the police succeeded in doing was to pick up two men who
were fighting. These were Tony Allegretto, who had a concession at the
amusement park, and another Italian.

The fight might have been a serious matter had not the police came upon
the men when they did. Tony had already drawn a knife. The papers
reported that Tony and his monkey were shut up together in the park
calaboose waiting for court to sit the next morning. The other Italian
had been sent off the island and warned to keep away.

But no trace of Short and Long was found during the police search. Mr.
Norman, the boat builder, raised the sunken rowboat Billy had borrowed,
however, and brought it back to his landing.

The Lockwood twins chanced to be passing Mr. Norman's place when the old
boat arrived, and they walked down the long dock to look at it.

"No sign of anything wrong having happened to little Billy," said Mr.
Norman. "He tied this old craft, and she filled after a time and sank,
breaking the painter, which was a long one. That's all that happened. I
don't care about the boat a mite; I only wish I knew what has become of
the poor little chap."

"They've just chased him away from home," said Dorothy. "Billy Long
never helped those burglars."

"Of course he didn't," said Mr. Norman. "That's what _I_ say. Only folks
who don't know the boy will say they believe the police."

"And don't you believe Billy is over there on the island?" asked Dora.

"No. He's got away. He's a sharp boy, Billy is, and next thing you'll
hear of him, he'll be off working somewhere and sending his folks home a
part of his wages, believe me! I know Billy Long," said the
boat-builder.

The Longs lived not far from the Lockwood cottage, and the twins went
around through their street. This was on one of those rare days when
Alice Long, the oldest sister and the "mother" of the Long family,
stayed at home from the box factory to "catch up" in her housework.

Until Mrs. Long died, two years before, Alice had gone to Central High,
too, and she w