“And we didn’t find out until this morning,” said Spike, “why they were after us.  It wasn’t for taking this boat at all.  We sailed around on the Bay all night,—­we didn’t dare land.  We stood watch-and-watch,—­I’d sleep while Spook took the wheel, and then I sailed her while he had a nap.  This morning we were off this island about seven o’clock and we met a lobsterman in his boat.  We bought some lobsters of him and he gave us this paper.”

Spike pulled it out from under a seat and handed it to me.  I still have that paper.  It was the “Lanesport Herald” of the evening before,—­Wednesday evening.  There was an article on the front page headed “Capture Marauders!” Underneath, it went on:  “Good Detective Work—­Flanders Holds Crooks—­Daring Escape.”  Then I read the article aloud: 

“A clever piece of detective work on the part of Constable Eben Flanders of Bailey’s Harbor resulted in landing in jail the gang of miscreants who have been making a series of breaks on Little Duck Island and vicinity and terrorizing the neighborhood Tuesday night.  The miscreants who are believed to be well-known crooks and are the same who perpetrated the breaks at the residence of Mrs. Sarah B. Ellis last Saturday night and at the residence of Dr. Horace Bigelow the well-known physician Monday night were apprehended in the act of pillaging the summer residence of T. Parker Littlefield, the prominent attorney of Boston.

“Constable Flanders was notified by Moses Silloway of Bailey’s Harbor that he had observed some parties acting suspiciously in the vicinity of his residence and that these parties were walking stealthily in the direction of the Littlefield residence.  With his usual promptness Constable Flanders gathered a posse and seized the miscreants in the act.  In a very short time the miscreants were all lodged in the new jail at Bailey’s Harbor to await the action of the Court in the morning when they would have an opportunity of explaining their actions to His Honor Judge Treddick but when Deputy Constable Justin Coker opened the jail this morning he found that the parties had all vanished and that they could not be found.  Considerable mystery surrounds the escape of the miscreants and it is believed that they received assistance from outside and that some dastard or dastards gaining access to the jail liberated the parties.

“An important clue is held by Constable Flanders as it is known that the parties came to Bailey’s Harbor in a yacht named Hoppergrass and a search is being made for that yacht, Constable Flanders promising the yacht a warm reception if he finds her in the vicinity of Bailey’s Harbor with the miscreants on board.”

“W-Well, he k-k-k-kept that p-p-p-promise, all r-right!” remarked Spook.

“Only you see,” said Spike, “the miscreants weren’t on board.”

“That wouldn’t have made any difference to Eb,” I told him, “he’d have run you in just as quick.”

“Now you s-see why we’re a l-l-little sh-shy of going anywhere!  W-With F-Father at B-Big D-Duck, p-p-p-probably, n-n-n-gnashing his t-t-teeth, w-we have only g-got the ch-choice b-between being s-s-strung up for pup-pup-pirates at L-L-Lanesport or j-j-jugged f-for b-b-b-burglars at B-B-Bailey’s Harbor.”