“Perhaps; but you can’t buy a houseboat for two dollars and twenty cents, nor charter one either.”

“We won’t buy one or charter one,” was Dan Baxter’s crafty answer.

“Eh?”

“We’ll borrow that one.  She’s a fairy and will just suit us, Flapp.”

“I don’t quite understand.  You’re not fool enough to think the Rovers will let you have their houseboat.”

“Of course not.  But if I take possession while they are away—­”

“How do you know they will be away—­I mean all of them at one time?”

“I’ll fix it so they are.  We must watch our chance.  I can send them a decoy message, or something like that.”

“You’ll have to be pretty shrewd to get the best of the Rovers.”

“Pooh!  They are not so wise as you think.  They put on a big front, but that is all there is to it,” went on Dan Baxter, loftily.

“Well, go ahead; I don’t care what you do.”

“You’ll help me; won’t you?”

“Certainly,—­if the risk isn’t too great.  We don’t want to get caught and tried for stealing.”

“Leave it all to me, Flapp.”

As we know, fortune for once favored Dan Baxter.  From the stable he and Flapp saw the party depart for the stock farm, leaving nobody but Captain Starr in charge.  They also saw the steam tug move away, to get a new supply of coal in her bunkers.

“Everything is coming our way,” chuckled Dan Baxter, with a wicked grin on his scarred face.  “Flapp, the coast is almost clear.”

“Almost, but not quite.  That captain is still on board.”

“Oh, that chap is a dough-head.  We can easily make him do what we want.”

“Don’t be too sure.  He might watch ’his chance and knock us both overboard.”

“Well, I know how to fix him.  I’ll send him a message to come here—­that Dick Rover wants him.  When he comes we can bind him fast with this old harness and leave him here.  Then we will have the houseboat all to ourselves.”

“And after that, what?”

“We’ll drop down the river a way.  Then we can paint a new name on the boat, get a steam tug, and make off for the Mississippi,—­and the Rovers and their friends can go to grass.”

This programme looked inviting to Flapp, and when Dan Baxter wrote a note to the captain of the Dora he volunteered to deliver it.  He found Captain Starr on the front deck of the houseboat smoking his corncob as usual.

The captain had one of his peculiar moods on him, and it took a minute or two for Flapp to make him understand about the note.  But he fell into the trap with ease and readily consented to follow the young rascal to the stable.

As he entered the open doorway, Dan Baxter came at him from behind, hitting him in the head with a stout stick.  The captain went down half stunned.

“See—­see here,” he gasped.  “Wha—­what does this—­”

“Shut up!” cried Baxter.  “We won’t hurt you if you’ll keep still.  But if you don’t—­”