deal with you here. They run much more chance of
being caught in New York than up here. It seems--"

He stopped and looked curiously at Matthews. The latter was
staring intently out upon the water. Without taking his eyes from
the object that engaged his rapt attention, he said tensely:

"Someone give me the binoculars, quick!"

Norah handed him the glasses. He carefully focused them and looked
long and earnestly out upon the water. The three men and the young
woman followed his gaze and saw only the usual scattered craft on
the surface of the lake.

Matthews with a muttered exclamation, put down the glasses,
snatched an automatic from a drawer in a table and raced toward
the little wharf, throwing over his shoulder:

"Be back soon."

The others followed him to the lake slowly. They saw him get into
the sea sled to which the outboard motor was attached, start it
and go roaring off in the direction toward which he had had his
glasses focused. The anxious groups watched intently.

They saw one of the bobbing craft turn and go racing toward the
opposite shore in a north-westerly direction, with Matthews in
pursuit.

The watchers stood there with bated breath, being quite certain
that this impromptu pursuit had something to do with Tommy's
disappearance. Their sea sled was fast and Matthews was adept at
handling it. To their dismay they saw the distance between
Matthews and the other boat widening. The pace of Matthews' boat
slowed; it stopped altogether. They saw Matthews tinkering with
the motor. Then they saw him take up the oar and begin paddling
back laboriously.

He hailed a passing launch which towed him back to their wharf.
Matthews' face was grim drawn as he reached his friends. They
looked their mute inquiry.

Matthews unscrewed the motor from its place and carried it up
above the water line. Then he turned to face them.

"Somebody was watching us from that boat with a pair of glasses. I
caught the flash of the sun on his lenses. There was one man in
the boat. I couldn't get a good look at him, he wore a floppy,
big-brimmed straw hat well over his face.

"My gas gave out when I went after him. This wasn't an accident or
carelessness on my part either. I filled the tank yesterday
afternoon. Someone punctured the tank during the night. The puppy
barked during the night but he barks a lot at nothing. See!"

He turned the motor over and pointed to a place near the bottom of
the tank, where they saw