found himself was increasing. Many of his
necessary articles and much of his clothing that he would require on
the trip were contained in the missing bag. He was unable to see the
sly wink which John gave Fred when the latter looked questioningly at
him.

So insistent was Grant that the Black Growler was stopped at
Schenectady to enable him to send a telegram to the hotel at which the
Go Ahead boys had stopped the preceding night at Albany.

No one had offered to assist him in his task and the boy alone carried
the bag which he believed had been given him in place of his own to the
express office. There, in accordance with the word which he had already
sent the hotel, he shipped the bag to Albany.

When he returned to the motor-boat so engrossed was he with his own
troubles that he failed to discover the grin which appeared on the
faces of two of the Go Ahead boys.

"You might have offered to go back to get my bag," suggested Grant
sharply when he resumed his seat on board.

"Yes, we might," said Fred. "We might have offered to buy a new one for
you and fit it out with all the things you need, but we thought we
wouldn't. You need the lesson, Soc. You have been telling all the world
how to do it so long that it is time for you to begin to find out some
things for yourself."

Grant made no reply and indeed he had little to say until the boat
stopped at an attractive village where the boys obtained their luncheon.

When the voyage was resumed, Grant's confidence that his own missing
bag would be found when they arrived at Utica in a measure served to
restore his good nature and throughout the afternoon he took an active
part in the bantering in which the boys engaged.

Occasionally Fred relinquished his task at the wheel and permitted his
friends to take turns in steering the boat. The banks of the canal were
free from rocks and even if the swift little motor-boat was turned from
her course no great amount of damage could follow.

There were other boats they were informed that had preceded them and
among them the references to the swift Varmint II were frequent.

On such occasions Fred's passengers at once resumed their task of
informing their captain how small his chances of winning the race were
becoming. Apparently the Varmint had everything her own way.

Fred did his utmost to appear indifferent to the words of his
companions, but in spite of it all it became plain to the other boys
that he was seriously