ndian was lying in the bottom of the boat tied
beyond all possibility of escape, and the boys were triumphantly
heading for camp.

"We've got the Indian!" yelled Larry to the little group on shore as the
launch neared the landing in front of the Tramp Club's camp.

"We've been watching for you," called Harriet. "We saw you when you were
away up the lake. Have you really got him?"

"Indeed we have, and tied so that he'd have hard work getting away,"
laughed Gordon.

"What shall we do with him?" asked Larry as they bore the Indian ashore
in triumph.

"Stand him up against that tree for the present," ordered George, then
grimly wound coil after coil of rope around the half-breed, securing him
with many a hard knot. At last George stood back to survey his work with
admiration.

"I'd like to see even an Indian get out of that harness," Baker remarked
complacently.

Harriet and Jane walked over to the tree and looked searchingly at the
captive. Both recognized him as the man they had seen while the "Red
Rover" lay hidden in the creek.

"Larry and I are going up to the village at once to notify the
authorities," announced George. "We want to get rid of this fellow as
soon as possible."

"And I am going with you," announced Miss Elting firmly, "to hunt up Mr.
Dee Dickinson. He knows all about this man and the time has arrived for
him to tell me the truth."

* * * * *

Dickinson at first refused flatly to give Miss Elting any satisfaction
concerning the Indian.

"Then I shall have you arrested as a suspicious character, also,"
declared Miss Elting sternly. "Unless you give me a full explanation of
this whole affair I shall have you taken in custody by the authorities.
Understand you are to tell me everything."

Dickinson, however, seeing that Miss Elting would admit of no trifling,
decided that it would be better to make a clean breast of the matter.

"The Indian's name is Charlie Lavaille," he began sullenly, "though he's
commonly called French Charlie. He makes a sort of living at fishing,
and he hired the houseboat from me."

"Then you rented the boat to some one else, and afterwards turned it
over to us without letting us know?" asked Miss Elting.

"He rented the houseboat after a fashion," Dickinson explained lamely,
"though he didn't pay any rent down, and hasn't paid a penny since. He
was going to pay me, he said, at the end of the season. Now, of course,
when you came