There was no mistaking the sincerity of Andy.  He was not a skilful deceiver, and Tom, looking into his squint-eyes, which were opened unusually wide, could not but help believing the fellow.

“We haven’t seen it since the day we had the collision,” added Andy, and his chums confirmed this statement.

“We went off on a little cruise,” continued the red-haired bully, “and broke down several times.  We had bad luck.  Just as we were nearing home something went wrong with the engine again.  I never saw such a poor motor.  But we never took your boat, Tom Swift, and we can prove it.”

Tom was in despair.  He had been so sure that Andy was the thief, that to believe otherwise was difficult.  Yet he felt that he must.  He looked at the disabled motor of the red streak and viewed it with the interested and expert eye of a machinist, no matter if the owner of it was his enemy.  Then suddenly a brilliant idea came into Tom’s head.

CHAPTER XVI

STILL ON THE SEARCH

“You seem to have lots of trouble with your boat, Andy,” said Tom after a few moments of rather embarrassed silence.

“I do,” admitted the owner of the red streak.  “I’ve had bad luck ever since I got it, but usually I’ve been able to fix it by looking in the book.  This time I can’t find out what the trouble is, nor can any of the fellows.  It stopped when we were out in the middle of the lake and we had to row.  I’m sick of motor boating.”

“Suppose I fix it for you?” went on Tom.

“If you do, I’ll pay you well.”

“I wouldn’t do it for pay—­not the kind you mean,” continued the young inventor.

“What do you mean then?” and Andy’s face, that had lighted up, became glum again.

“Well, if I fix your boat for you, will you let me run it a little while?”

“You mean show me how to run it?”

“No, I mean take it myself.  Look here, Andy, my boat’s been stolen, and I thought you took it to get even with me.  You say you didn’t—­”

“And I didn’t touch it,” interposed the squint-eyed lad quickly.

“All right, I believe you.  But somebody stole it, and I think I know who.”

“Who?” asked Sam Snedecker.

“Well, you wouldn’t know if I told you, but I suspect some men with whom I had trouble before,” and Tom referred to Happy Harry and his gang.  “I think they have my boat on this lake, and I’d like to get another speedy craft to cruise about it and make a further search.  How about it, Andy?  If I fix your boat, will you let me take it to look for my boat?”

“Sure thing!” agreed the bully quickly, and his voice for once was friendly toward Tom.  “Fix the engine so it will run, and you can use the red streak as long as you like.”

“Oh, I probably wouldn’t want it very long.  I could cover the lake in about three days, and I hope by that time I could locate the thieves.  Is it a bargain?”