" continued the man, "that it is quite likely we shall soon
part company."

Mike affected to be surprised.

"Doesn't the Captain pay ye 'nough wages?"

"I have no fault to find on that score."

"I'm glad to larn that. If he requires ye to do too much dooty, I'll hilp
ye out, the bist I can."

"I promise to call upon you if necessary, Mike, but I hope I shall not be
obliged to do so."

"I have been wondering since we started," said Alvin over his shoulder,
"whether by any possibility the _Water Witch_ kept on up the river ahead
of us instead of running into some bay or inlet to the south."

"It is possible, but not probable. You know we had an extended view of
this stream, or rather of Montsweag Bay, and she could not have gone far
enough in the short time to pass out of sight."

"Ye forgits how anxious the Captain was not to overtake her," reminded
Mike. "I once read of a farmer who chased a big black bear that had been
staaling his sheep fur two days and nights and then quit. Can ye guess
why?"

"I should say that after so long a chase he would have given up
disgusted," replied the detective.

"It was not that; it was 'cause he found the tracks were becooming too
fresh."

"I don't think, Mike, that you are in danger of being accused of that,"
ventured Chester, "because you are always fresh--you are never _becoming_
so."

"But the same is becooming to me, as Jim Flannery said whin he walked
into church wid two black eyes and his head bent out of shape from the
shindy he had with his twin brither over the quistion of aiting maat on
Friday."

"You seem quite sure that these three whom we saw in the launch are mixed
up in these post office robberies?" asked Alvin.

"It has that look. No matter how certain I may feel, nothing can be
accomplished until legal proof is obtained. You know the rule that every
man must be presumed to be innocent until proved guilty."

"It shtrikes me that the most important quistion of all has been
sittled."

"What's that?"

"These two young gintlemen are the spalpeens that tried to hold ye up,
Captain, the ither night on yer way home. That fur outweighs the taking
of a few postage stamps from some country offices."

"The puzzling feature of that business," said Alvin, "is that when you
meet those two fellows again, you will not have Mr. Calvert along to
protect you."

Mike stared as if he failed to catch the meaning of this astounding
remark.

"Plaise say that agin,