“Yes, there’s the Government boats,” decided the merchant, “but the Government boats are as easy to keep track of as a white elephant would be in our main street. The river rats wait until Uncle Sam’s boats get out of sight before they attempt any mischief.”
During this conversation, the boys had been listening for more pistol shots from the direction in which the _Rambler_ lay. They had little doubt that Clay and Jule were in trouble. They knew, too, that the _Rambler_ was virtually helpless, so the boys had no chance whatever of escaping from any hostile boat. Directly Alex turned to the merchant and asked:
The merchant turned to his friend and indulged in a long, slow, insulting wink.
“So,” he said significantly, “you boys have a motor boat up the river?”
“Yes,” Case replied, “but the motors are out of order.”
“Is that where the shootin’ is?” asked the merchant.
“There was no shooting when we left,” Alex answered.
“Come, come, now!” the merchant advised. “You boys may as well tell me the truth. Was it one of them pirate boats that sent you here after motor supplies?”
“We have a motor boat of our own,” Alex answered angrily. “She is lying in an eddy on the other side of the bend, and we don’t dare to drift her down stream.”
“That’s too bad!” said the suspicious merchant with another long and insulting wink. “What is it you want in the way of supplies?”
“Well,” said the merchant, “extending a bony finger and poking Alex on the chest, “I keep a few spark plugs because there are a good many motor boats passing along the river.”
“Yes,” laughed the man who stood with him on the platform, “you keep spark plugs, but you take pretty good care not to sell them to men who will put them to unlawful use.”
“Will you sell us some?” asked Case indignantly.
“I might,” was the reply, “after a time. Just now, you see,” he went on, regarding his companion knowingly, “just now, we think we’d better hold you boys until we find out what all that shooting is about.”
“Hold us?” repeated Alex and Case in a breath.
“It’s just this way,” the merchant went on, “this man here is constable in this township. It was him I was giving the dig to a little while ago about the officers not being ready to take action.”
