“Look at that!” he cried.

“That’s not the Follow Me, you idiot,” said Joe.

“No, but where’d she come from?” demanded Wink.

For a moment the boys stared and then Steve leaned quickly over the chart.  “By Jiminy!” he muttered.  “There’s a way out there.  Look, fellows!  See where it says ‘Drawbridge’?  Evidently you can get through there into the Squam River, and the river takes you out into Ipswich Bay!  It’s dollars to doughnuts that’s where they took the Follow Me!” Steve drew down the throttle and the cruiser lunged forward in response.  “We’ll have a look, anyway,” he said.  “It was stupid of me not to have noticed that on the chart, but it’s hardly big enough to be seen.”

Straight for the beach at the curve of the wide cove sped the Adventurer, her nose set for the drawbridge that showed against the blue sky.  As they got closer an outlet showed clear, a narrow space between the bridge masonry, with a strong current coming through from the further side.

“Gee, it doesn’t look very big,” said Joe.  “And how about head-room, Steve?”

“Room enough,” was the answer, as the Adventurer slowed down.  “They’ll raise the draw if we whistle, I suppose, but we don’t need to.”

“We’ll scrape our funnel, as sure as shooting!” cried Perry as the cruiser neared the bridge.

“We’ll miss by two feet,” answered Steve untroubledly.

They held their breaths and watched nervously as the shadow of the bridge fell across the boat.  Then, with the sound of the engine and exhaust echoing loudly, the cruiser dug her nose into the out-running tide and shot safely through to emerge into a narrow canal that stretched straight ahead before them until it joined the river.  They breathed easier as the bridge was left behind.  Once in the river it was necessary to go cautiously and watch the channel buoys, for the chart showed a depth of only four feet at low tide for the first mile and a half.  If they had not all been so absorbed in the fate and recovery of the Follow Me they would have enjoyed that journey down the Squam River immensely, for it was a beautiful stream, quiet and tranquil in the morning sunlight.  Summer camps and cottages dotted the shores and green hills hemmed it in.  They had breakfast on the way, eating it for the most part on deck.  Now and then the Adventurer paused while they examined a motor-boat moored in some cove.

“There’s one thing certain,” said Steve.  “Those folks couldn’t have brought the Follow Me through here in the dark.  If they did come through that cut last night they anchored and waited for light.  Keep a watch for gasoline stations, fellows.”

They found the first one at Annisquam, near where the yacht club pier stuck out into the channel.  Steve sidled the Adventurer up to a landing and, while Han held her with the hook, made inquiry of a grizzled man in faded blue jumpers.