There
was no question now as to their loss. Every member of their party was
present and yet only one boat was to be seen.
Certain of their supplies also were missing and the discovery served to
increase the feeling of dismay.
"Do you suppose that boat got loose?" inquired Fred, who was the first to
speak.
"I don't 'suppose it got loose,'" retorted Grant somewhat gruffly.
"Do you think somebody took it?" again Fred asked.
"If it didn't get loose, please tell me why it's gone? There's only one
way the boat could get into the river. One was for it to get loose and the
other for somebody to work it loose."
"Then the question is," said George, "who took it?"
"And there isn't much question about that," said Fred confidently.
"Do you think those two men stole the boat? I mean the two that were in
our camp last night?"
"I don't know who else could take it," said John. "And it's my fault too,
isn't it?"
"In a way it is your fault, all right," said Grant. "You started those men
on the trail. If you had kept still no one would have known anything about
it."
"That's right," said John, closing his eyes and doing his utmost to assume
the expression of a martyr.
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