"Good! You make me feel better already, Jack!" exclaimed George.

"But hold on!" cried Herb; "you noticed that he said 'not yet,' didn't you, boys? Don't you see what that means? The boats are in danger; ain't that so, Jack?"

"I've pretty good reason to believe so," replied the owner of the den; and then he whipped out the crumpled telegraph blank. "Here, read that, fellows, and tell me what you think. It fell from the pocket of Clarence Macklin not half an hour ago. And I understand that he sent off a message along these lines, after he had changed the wording a little."

Eagerly four heads were cl.u.s.tered above the yellow paper which he had smoothed out on the chess table. Clarence wrote a plain hand, so that there was no trouble in making out every word.

"Well, wouldn't that knock you?" gasped Nick, who had as yet failed to entirely recover his wind after his quick pa.s.sage on his wheel to Jack's home, followed by the climb up two lights of stairs to the attic den.

"Jack, you're right; he means our boats!" e.j.a.c.u.l.a.t.ed Herb, with a trace of indignation and horror in his voice.

"Oh! the miserable skunk, what wouldn't I give for the fun of punching his head for him. Just wait, the chance will come some fine day. Let them dare do anything to my bully little _Wireless_! Why, Jack, they could be sent to prison for a long term if they destroyed the boats."

Of course that was Skipper George, whose father being a lawyer, visions of the stern hand of justice were always cropping up in the boy's mind.

"The way I look at it is this," Josh went on, deliberately; "Clarence has a crony in Clayton, some fellow he knows by the name of Jared Fullerton. Seems to me I've heard him mention that name, too, though I don't remember anything about him. But he's meaning to hire this chap to do something worth an even hundred. Fellows, we can give a quick guess that something has to do with our three boats, which by now must be lying on the steamboat dock there, waiting for us to arrive."

"You hit the nail on the head that time, Josh," declared Jack. "And I've asked you all to come here so we could talk the matter over, and decide what ought to be done."

An animated discussion followed. Some suggested one thing, which was debated _pro_ and _con_; then another new idea would crop up, which they eagerly seized upon, being deeply concerned about the safety of the precious craft.

"Whatever do you suppose that sneak of a Fullerton could do, to put our craft out of the running?" asked Nick, finally.

"Well, he might accidentally drop a lighted match under the tarpaulin cover of one. You know it would flame up pretty quick, and might set the whole bunch going like a pack of fire-crackers," Josh observed.

"Well, I hardly think any one would take such chances at that," Jack remarked; "because, you see, they are lying on a public dock, and if a big fire resulted it would mean the penitentiary for Jared. But no matter, if a fellow only happened to be mean enough he could find lots of ways to injure boats like ours. And for one, I don't propose to take the chances."

"Tell us your plan, Jack; we'll stand by you," cried Buster.

"All right," said the other, quickly; "then listen. I propose that George and myself go and see his father, and ask his advice. You fellows make yourselves at home here; and after we've got things going we'll come back to report. How does that strike you?"

"I say yes!" Josh hastened to cry.

As the others were of the same mind, Jack and George hurried away. It being Sat.u.r.day morning, George knew that his father would not be very busy at his law office and could easily spare them a little time.

They found Judge Rollins without any client, which Jack considered lucky, since haste was an element in their calculations just now. And after he had heard the whole story, scanned the incriminating telegraph blank, and asked numerous questions, the lawyer smiled, and said he was ready to give his advice.

"Here is the address of a party I know in Clayton, and whose name just came to me while you were talking, Jack," he observed. "Try and get him on the long distance phone, and explain the circ.u.mstances to him as you have to me. I feel sure that if you can reach Amos Spofford everything will be all right."

Accordingly the two lads immediately hustled around to the central station of the telephone company, where they could use the long distance phone to better advantage than in a drug-store.

Having the local number of the party to whom the judge had referred them, Jack, who had taken it upon himself to do the talking, because George was apt to get excited, and splutter in a way that might interfere with the carrying of his message to such a long distance, asked to be connected with the Clayton office.

Of course, there was more or less delay, as usual, and the two boys became quite nervous before there finally came a faint call.

When Jack learned that it was really Mr. Spofford who was at the other end of the wire, he started to explain that it was Judge Rollins who had told the boys to get in touch with the Clayton man.

Then as briefly as possible, for time was valuable, he told about the trouble, and what they feared might happen. Happily, the man to whom he was talking seemed capable of seizing on facts, and building a plan of campaign instantly.

"Telegraph the agent of the steamboat Company to let me have the boats.

I happen to know him very well-his name is James Matthews. Then forget all about the matter, boys. Depend on me! Your boats will be guarded, day and night, every minute of the time until you arrive. That is all.

Goodbye!"

"Hurrah for Amos!" exclaimed George when his chum had related what the man in Clayton had said. "He's all to the good! That was a bright thought of yours, Jack, when you suggested going to ask my father's advice!"

"But let's get back to the others," laughed Jack, as they paid the bill and left the telephone office; "for they'll be burning up with anxiety to know what's going on."

"Yes," grinned George, now as happy and light-hearted as he had previously been gloomy, and oppressed with fears. "By now poor Buster will have lost a pound or two in weight. He's the greatest fellow ever to fret over things."

At that Jack fairly shouted.

"I know another of the same breed, George, and you can't deny it," he said.

"Oh! well, what's the use?" admitted the other. "I know I do see mountains often, that turn out to be ant hills when you get up close.

But I'm feeling particularly jolly right now. Bully for Amos. Won't we shake him by the hand till he yells out for mercy. His name will be emblazoned on the annals of our St. Lawrence cruise as the best friend the motor boat club had, barring none."

Of course, they were set upon as soon as they entered the den in the top story of the Stormways home, and made to tell what had happened. When the balance of the club learned how neatly a spoke had been put in the wheel of Clarence, they voted thanks to Mr. Edison for all he had done in the interests of modern science.

And it can be set down as positive that those lads spent a much more healthy Sunday than would have been the case had their minds still wrestled with the problem of what the mysterious message sent by Clarence stood for.

Then came the final morning when they were scheduled to leave the home town, headed for the far distant Clayton, to begin their summer vacation.

A score and more of boys were at the station to see them depart, besides those persons who const.i.tuted the various families of the club members.

Their baggage was properly seen to, and then the last goodbyes said.

Clarence and his crony, Joe Brinker, came sauntering along, and stood watching the pa.s.sing of the expedition.

"He can't just help grinning all the time," Buster said aside to Herb, as they were waiting at the car steps for Jack and George, still talking with a group of friends.

"Sure he is," replied George, looking out of the corner of his eye, "and every little while he says something to Bully Joe that tickles him to beat the band. But we can afford to keep quiet, because we happen to know how the game is going. I'm putting my faith in Amos right along; he's going to make good."

"But why ain't Clarence and Joe starting, too?" demanded Nick at this juncture.

"Oh! they're too sly for that, you see," George replied, knowingly, his lawyer blood standing him in good stead. "Like as not they've got through tickets right through Chicago, while we stop over in Milwaukee.

And even if they slip away this afternoon they could get to Clayton as soon as we do."

"There's the conductor calling 'all aboard!' We're off, fellows!" cried Buster, as he started to climb up the steps of the car, an operation that required more labor on his part than in the case of more agile lads.

The entire bunch grouped on the last platform of the parlor car at the end of the train, and as they pulled out, waved their hats in salute to the cheering of the crowd at the station.

Faster went the train, and presently a turn hid the home town from the sight of the six vacationists. If any of them felt badly over parting from loved ones they succeeded in concealing the fact as they pa.s.sed inside to take their seats, and while looking from the windows at new scenes, lay delightful plans concerning the glorious time they antic.i.p.ated would be their portion when they got fully started on their St. Lawrence river cruise.

CHAPTER V-THE GUARDIAN OF THE FLEET

"Well, here's the steamboat dock, all right; but I don't see anything of our boats!" exclaimed George, as he and his five chums came to a full stop close to the local office of the lake line running to Buffalo, Milwaukee and Chicago.