"Let us run down the road a bit, fellows," suggested Shep.

"Will ye come back?" asked the farmer, anxiously. "I---er---I won't say nuthin' about them apples."

"Yes, we'll be back," answered Snap.

The boys spent the best part of an hour on the road, hunting up and down for some trace of the negro, but without success. They knew he was short and stocky and wore a light, checked suit, but that was all.

When they returned to the farmhouse they heard Mrs. Lundy's story in detail. She had been on the point of sweeping the sitting-room when the negro had appeared and asked for Mr. Lundy. She had told him her husband was out, and then the colored man had wanted something to eat. She had refused to give him anything, and then, seeing the watch on the mantelpiece, he had s.n.a.t.c.hed the timepiece and run. She had screamed for a.s.sistance and then fainted from excitement.

"Was the watch a valuable one?" asked Snap.

"Yes, it was," answered Simon Lundy. "It was gold and given to me by my father years ago. I wouldn't take a hundred dollars fer it nohow. I was mighty careless to leave it on the mantelpiece, but I didn't want to carry it around in the orchard when I picked apples."

"What will you do about it?" asked Shep.

"I dunno. Go tew teown an' tell the constable, I guess. Be yeou goin' to town?"

"No; we are off on a hunting trip," answered Giant. "And, by the way, we had better be getting back to the boat," he added to his chums.

"Mr. Lundy, we'll give you a quarter for those apples," said Shep.

"All right, as ye please," said the old farmer. He was so upset over the loss of his watch he could think of nothing else.

The boys pa.s.sed over the money---that is, Shep did, for he had been appointed treasurer of the expedition. Then, after a few words more, the young hunters hurried back through the orchard to where they had left their rowboat among the bushes.

"Gosh! what a mean man!" was Whopper's comment. "To take that money after what we did to catch that negro."

"It isn't likely that he'll get his gold watch back," said Giant.

"That n.i.g.g.e.r will shake the dust of this locality from his feet as fast as he can."

"More than likely he belongs in some big city," was Whopper's comment. "That is the way those chaps do---go to a lonely farmhouse and make sure the men are away and then take what they can lay hands on. If he hadn't heard Pop Lundy and us coming he would most likely have ransacked the house from end to end."

They were soon at the river bank and forcing their way through the bushes. Then Snap looked around in perplexity.

"Isn't this the spot where we left the boat?" he questioned, gravely.

"I think so," answered Shep.

"Well, I don't see it."

"Don't see it!" exclaimed Whopper, who was in the rear. "Why, it must be here."

All came out on the edge of the river and gazed up and down the sh.o.r.e in alarm. Not a sight of the boat was to be seen anywhere.

"Wonder if she floated off?" suggested Giant.

"She couldn't," answered Shep. "I tied her up, and did it good, too. There is the exact spot," and he pointed out a stout bush.

In the dirt of the bank was the mark of the rowboat's sharp bow.

"Look there!" e.j.a.c.u.l.a.t.ed Whopper. "See the size of those footprints---as big as ca.n.a.l-boats. Do you know what I think?" he almost shouted.

"That n.i.g.g.e.r ran off with our boat!" came in a chorus from the others.

"That's it. See, there is where he came along the sh.o.r.e. He meant to hide here, when he came across the boat. He saw it was well filled with things and jumped in, and I suppose he rowed off as fast as he could," added Whopper, bitterly. "Oh, wouldn't I like to catch him! I'd make mince-meat of him, I would!"

Whopper stopped short, and all of the boys looked at each other blankly. For some seconds n.o.body spoke, but each was busy with his thoughts.

"If we can't find the boat-----" began Snap.

"We'll have to return home and give up the trip," finished Giant.

"Oh, I don't want to do that!"

"Nor I!" came from the others.

"We must find our boat, that is all there is to it," said Snap.

"I don't believe he went up the river, consequently he must have gone down."

"Then let us get another boat and follow him."

"That's the talk!"

But where to get another boat was a question.

Snap ran back to the farmhouse and met Pop Lundy at the door.

"Thought you boys was a-goin' down the river," said the farmer, suspiciously.

"We have learned what became of that n.i.g.g.e.r."

"What?"

"He took our boat and ran off with it."

"Well, I vow! Ain't he the pesky rascal, though! Wot be yeou boys a-goin' tew do neow?"

"We want to get another boat, if possible, and follow him. Do you know where a boat can be had?"

"Yes; Ike Welby has a boat. His farm is the next one down from mine. I'll go along. I want to catch him ez much as yeou do."

In a few minutes they were off in a body, all of the boys accompanying the farmer to the next farm. Ike Welby was not at home, but his wife said they could have the boat and welcome, and procured for them two pairs of oars from the barn.

"I am glad that negro didn't come here," she declared. "I should have fainted dead away, too, and he would have gotten everything in the house. I trust you catch the rascal."

"We be a-goin' to try mighty hard," answered Simon Lundy.

There was a small boathouse at the end of the grounds and here was a good round-bottomed boat built for speed as well as pleasure, for in his younger days Ike Welby had been quite an oarsman and had won more than one race. They ran the rowboat into the river, and all jumped in. Then Snap shoved off, and all of the boys got at the oars.

"Now, then, to make things hum!" said Shep. "We must try to spot that n.i.g.g.e.r before he thinks of going ash.o.r.e."