"Oh, they must have been paid off and landed somewhere," was the
answer. "There would be no sense in detaining the thieves on the ship
until now. It would only mean paying them and having them to feed;
besides one does not care to make two rascals members of a house
party."

"You think they have escaped us then."

"If by escaping you mean getting to the city yes," nodded Mr.
Crowninshield. "But I do not feel at all sure with Dacie and Lyman on
their track that they will be entirely safe and unmolested in town.
Those detectives are like bloodhounds and will run them down no matter
where they may be hiding. The mere fact that they have got to New York
or Boston will not be much protection."

"You intend to get them then as well as to recover Lola."

"I certainly do," retorted Mr. Crowninshield with emphasis. "I am
going to recover my property, jail the thieves, and bring the people
who received the stolen goods to justice."

"They have a week's start of us," Bob observed doubtfully.

"But we have not been idle all that time, man, Dacie and Lyman have
been working; O'Connel has been using his eyes and ears--I hope; and
we have this wireless set up."

"Yes, we have certainly accomplished something," admitted Bob.

"Accomplished something! I should say we had! Besides, this is not the
sort of case one need hurry on. Nothing is going to be done suddenly,"
explained the financier. "Having got the dog the people on the yacht
will move at their leisure. They do not fear that any one is at their
heels chasing them up. Furthermore the sea offers unending
concealment for their crime should they be pursued and trapped. It is
the thieves themselves who are the scapegoats and the ones in danger,
according to their reckoning."

"I suppose so," agreed Bob. "Still, I cannot help wishing we might
have got after them without even these few days intervening."

"You forget, my son, that our wireless is going to cover space so
quickly that hereafter we shall have our information very quickly and
shall be exactly as well off as most detectives used to be in double
the time."

"Yes, that is so."

"Once we are in touch with O'Connel we can know every thought they
think aboard the _Siren_ as soon as they have thought it."

The uncertainties that clouded the younger man's face vanished.

"That's right," smiled he. "From now on we should be able to checkmate
them pretty neatly."

Mr. Crowninshield put his finger to his lips s