e other
persons in the boat, and I am sure one was the grocer and one his boy. I
had no way of following them, so I came straight back."

Just then the door-bell rang. Their hostess announced two men to see
Captain Hardy. And the two detectives entered.

"Too late," groaned Captain Hardy. "The birds have flown. And we do not
know where they have gone."

CHAPTER XIX

THE ENEMY ESCAPES

Evidently the detectives were little interested in the case. They
asked a few perfunctory questions and went away without making any
effort to intercept the fleeing motor-boat.

"They remind me of those state police at the Elk City reservoir," said
Roy indignantly, "They don't take any interest in anything they don't
do themselves. Or maybe they think the matter isn't worth bothering
with because we're only boys."

"No, Roy," explained Captain Hardy, "I think it must be because we're
working with the secret service. The police and the secret service are
as jealous of each other as two cats; and the police don't want to do
anything that will bring any credit to the secret service. They might
have been able to do something to intercept that motor-boat. But I
don't know what we can do. What was the boat like, anyway?"

Lew was able to give a good description of it; but evidently all
distinguishing marks had been removed from it. It was a craft of
perhaps thirty-five feet, slender, of light draft, and quite certainly
built for speed. There was no name at either bow or stern, and the
boat was painted a muddy gray that made it almost invisible at a little
distance, so well did the color harmonize with the color of the harbor
waters. Lew had watched it until it was almost out of sight; and all
he knew was that it had started straight out through the Narrows, as
though bound for the ocean.

"It looks at first glance," said Captain Hardy, "as though they were
going to sea; but they couldn't go far in that craft. Perhaps there is
some larger vessel there that they hope to reach."

He turned the idea over in his mind for a time. "I think it more
likely that they are heading for some point on land," he said. "They
are so clever at deception that that is most likely to be the case; and
if it is, they may not even be going in the direction they are headed
for. It will soon be dark. Then they could double back unseen. It's
my idea that Newark ought to be a good refuge for them. It's a pretty
big place, and it's ful