to leave that boat without somebody stayin' on board,"
asserted Sam positively, when he was aware that the Go Ahead boys were
all planning to accompany him.

"What are you afraid of?" inquired George. "There's some one around
here all the time and no one could do any damage without being seen."

"It doesn't make any difference," asserted Sam. "A man might drop sand
into the bearings or grease cups or do some other mean trick and nobody
ever see him."

"All right, then," laughed George, "I'll be the goat. I'll stay here
while you're gone. I guess I shan't be lonesome," he added with a laugh
as he glanced at the increasing assembly which already had been drawn
to the dock to gaze at the beautiful little motor-boat.

Soon after the departure of his friends, George seated himself in the
stern of the boat and did his utmost to appear indifferent to the
admiring glances and words of approval which now were coming from the
spectators.

He had secured a copy of the morning paper and was pretending to be
interested in the news he was reading.

Suddenly he partly dropped the paper as in the crowd he discovered the
canal-man, who had demanded their bond at Cape Vincent. For some reason
which George was unable to understand he did not advance to the boat,
preferring to remain on the outskirts of the little assembly. The fact,
however, that the man was there was in itself somewhat startling.

Still pretending to be interested in his paper, George did his utmost
to follow the actions of the man whom he had discovered, but not many
minutes had elapsed before he departed from the dock.

When his friends returned the strange man had not come back.

"Did anything happen?" inquired Fred eagerly as he stepped on board.

"What did you think was going to happen?" answered George somewhat
evasively.

"I didn't think anything was," laughed Fred. "Sam is the only one who
is worried."

"Well, he has some right to be worried, I guess," said George slowly.

"Why, what's wrong? What happened?" demanded Fred excitedly.

"Are you ready to explain what you did with that bond that belongs to
the Go Ahead boys?" asked George slowly.

"No, sir, I'm not."

"Then you'll not be interested in the fact that the man who wanted it
came down here to the dock while you were gone."

"He did? He did?" exclaimed Fred so eagerly that his friends all
laughed. "What did he want?"

"That, sir, I can't explain to you at this time," answered George,