lined the wharves. And, at seven o'clock they had
to acknowledge defeat. The _Follow Me_ was most surely not in Gloucester
Harbour. Nor, for that matter, was there a cabin-cruiser that resembled
her in any way. It was the latter fact that puzzled them, for they had
somehow become convinced that the darkened craft that had led them past
the breakwater last night was, if not the _Follow Me_, at least a boat
of her size. "And," said Harry Corwin, "we know that that boat did come
in here, for we saw her light disappear behind the breakwater. Let's
look around again."

"If she came in for gasoline," said Phil, "we might find out whether she
got it. There can't be many places where she could fill her tanks." The
_Adventurer_ was slowly rounding a point that lay between the cove from
which she had just emerged and Western Harbour, and Wink Wheeler, who
was sitting on the rail on the starboard side of the deck, gave
utterance to an exclamation of surprise and pointed ahead to where a
drab-coloured power-boat had suddenly emerged into sight nearly a
half-mile away.

"Look at that!" he cried.

"That's not the _Follow Me_, you idiot," said Joe.

"No, but where'd she come from?" demanded Wink.

For a moment the boys stared and then Steve leaned quickly over the
chart. "By Jiminy!" he muttered. "There's a way out there. Look,
fellows! See where it says 'Drawbridge'? Evidently you can get through
there into the Squam River, and the river takes you out into Ipswich
Bay! It's dollars to doughnuts that's where they took the _Follow Me_!"
Steve drew down the throttle and the cruiser lunged forward in response.
"We'll have a look, anyway," he said. "It was stupid of me not to have
noticed that on the chart, but it's hardly big enough to be seen."

Straight for the beach at the curve of the wide cove sped the
_Adventurer_, her nose set for the drawbridge that showed against the
blue sky. As they got closer an outlet showed clear, a narrow space
between the bridge masonry, with a strong current coming through from
the further side.

"Gee, it doesn't look very big," said Joe. "And how about head-room,
Steve?"

"Room enough," was the answer, as the _Adventurer_ slowed down. "They'll
raise the draw if we whistle, I suppose, but we don't need to."

"We'll scrape our funnel, as sure as shooting!" cried Perry as the
cruiser neared the bridge.

"We'll miss by two feet," answered Steve untroubledly.

They held their breaths and watche