And where it was to take them neither of the boys dreamed at that moment, but they were on the eve of one of the most adventurous incidents of their lives.
Captain Andrews burst into the hotel a short time later like a bombshell, scattering bell-boys and guests in his mad rush to reach Jack and Tom, who were awaiting him in a corner of the lobby.
“If you want to catch those fellows you must come with me right away,” he exclaimed pantingly; “they’ve gone to sea in Cap. Flinders’ motor boat. They started half an hour ago; but if we hurry I’ll go after them in mine, and there’s a chance we can overhaul them, or at least keep track of them.”
Of course the reference to Captain Flinders’ motor boat was so much Greek to Jack, but the captain would not explain any more just then.
“Don’t waste time talking,” he exclaimed; “I’ll tell you about it as we go along. Shiver my topsails, but they’ll get away yet if we don’t hurry.”
It was evident enough, from all this, that there was not a minute to be lost, and Jack and Tom, who had their hats on, followed the energetic seaman out of the hotel without an instant’s hesitation. Outside was a row of taxicabs. Jack engaged one of these, and they started off for the “T” wharf at a rattling speed.
As they spun along the captain explained how he had got upon the track of the gang of rascals.
“This Captain Flinders is a regular shark,” he declared; “he’ll do anything for money, and has a mighty bad reputation along the water front. Well, as I was standing on the end of the Buttermilk Wharf where he keeps his boat—the _Tarpon_, and a clipper she is, too—I saw him meet four precious seedy-looking chaps. One looked like an old cab-driver and the rest were as bad.
“‘What’s in the wind now?’ I thought, and as they came toward me I slipped in behind a pile of bales, for I didn’t want Flinders to see me, and was curious to know what he was doing with that outfit of ragamuffins. Well, as luck would have it, they stopped just the other side of the pile of bales, and I could hear some of what they said. I heard enough to convince me that they were the chaps you were after, in disguise, and then I jumped for a telephone.”
The boys fairly gasped in their eagerness to hear more.