“Larry, what have you to say about that?” demanded George Baker.

“Absolutely nothing.”

“They went away during your watch.”

“You can’t blame him,” answered Sam.  “Anybody would have been fooled under the circumstances.”

“Don’t try to make lame excuses,” jeered Billy.  “Be a man and own up.  They outwitted you, and that’s all there is about it.  Now, what are we going to do?”

“Get out the launch and go on a hunt for them,” declared George.  “Any one got a better plan?”

No one had.  They had no plans at all, but were too dazed by this last trick that had been played on them to be able to think at all clearly.  They reached the shore and George stepped out.  His foot had no more than touched the ground before that same wailing cry rang in their ears again.

“I tell you it’s a banshee,” cried Larry, his shock of red hair fairly standing on end.

“We will attend to the ghosts after we have found the ’Red Rover’,” answered George.  His face had paled slightly at the sound, and he admitted to himself that he felt creepy.  He was glad that they were going away from their camp for a time.  It was evident that whatever the noise might be, it was intended to express disapproval of their presence on the island.  George remembered what Harriet Burrell had said about ghosts on the previous evening.  He had laughed at it at the time.  He did not laugh now.  He was thinking and thinking seriously.

No further cries were heard that morning.  The boys put out their campfire and set the camp to rights, Billy in the meantime being engaged in cleaning and oiling his motor preparatory to the morning run around the island and along the shore of the mainland.

It was not exactly a joyous party that set out in the launch half an hour later.  They were chagrined at losing the contest and disgusted that they should have fallen such easy victims to the ingenious schemes of the girls.

“Do you know, I have been thinking,” spoke up Larry after they had started.

“That’s something new,” jeered Sam.

“I have been wondering if all the strange things that have occurred to the girls haven’t been part of a plan to keep us stirred up.”

“Larry, I’m ashamed of you,” exclaimed George indignantly.  “Those girls may be full of mischief, but they don’t tell lies.  They told us the truth, about their mysterious enemy, and I don’t want to hear any boy intimate that they haven’t.  He and I will have a falling out right on the spot, if he does.”

“I apologize.  I—­I guess I didn’t mean it that way,” stammered Larry.

“They are too clever for us, that’s all there is to it,” added George.  “Run into that cove, please, Billy.  There is something that looks like a red boat in there.”

The something proved to be a small boathouse painted red.  It did resemble the “Red Rover” somewhat.  They headed out of the cove, saying little, but keeping up a lively thinking.  The launch was run up the shore of the mainland for several miles.