t minute Bill Bender came walking round
the corner as fast as if he were coming from somewhere in a great
hurry, and was hastening home. He told me he had been to a birthday
party at his aunt's."

"At his aunt's," echoed Mr. Blake. "Well, that's an important point,
for I happen to know that his aunt, Mrs. Graves, is out of town. She
visited the bank yesterday morning and drew some money for her
traveling expenses. She informed me that she expected to be gone a
week or more."

"I knew it, I knew it!" shouted Rob. "That fellow ought to be in jail.
He'll land there yet."

"Softly, softly, my boy," said Mr. Blake. "This is a grave affair, and
we cannot jump at conclusions."

"I'd jump him," declared Rob, "if I only knew for certain that he was
the thief!"

"I will inform the police myself and have an investigation made," Mr.
Blake promised. "We will leave no stone unturned to find out who has
been guilty of such an outrage."

"And in the meantime the Eagle Patrol will carry on an investigation of
its own," declared Rob sturdily. "What do you say, boys?"

"I'll bet every boy in the corps is with you on that," rejoined Merritt
heartily.

"Same here," chimed in Hiram.

"The first step is to take a run to Topsail Island and see if all the
queer things that happened last night have not some connecting link
between them," suggested Mr. Blake. "I am inclined, after what you
boys have told me, to think that they have."

"I am sure of it," echoed Rob.

CHAPTER IX

THE HYDROPLANE QUEERLY RECOVERED

Seldom had the Flying Fish been urged to greater speed than she was a
short time after the discovery of the looting of the scouts' armory.
She fairly flew across the smooth waters of the inlet and out on to the
Atlantic swells, leaving a clean, sweeping bow-wave as she cut her way
along. Her four young occupants, for Tubby had been called on and
notified of the occurrences of the night, were, however, wrapped in
slickers borrowed from the yacht club, so that the showers of spray
which fell about them had little effect on them.

The run to Topsail Island was made in record time, and as they drew
near the little hummock of tree and shrub-covered land the boys could
perceive that something unusual had happened. A figure which even at a
distance they recognized as that of Captain job Hudgins was down on the
little wharf, and had apparently been on the lookout there for some
time. A closer view revealed t