Page:Castlemon--Joe Wayring at Home.djvu/271

 he turned around he thought he saw a moving object in the creek a short distance away. He looked again, and a thrill of exultation and excitement ran all through him.

"Joe," said he, in a scarcely audible whisper, "there's your canvas canoe, as sure as I'm a foot high."

"Where?" exclaimed Joe and Roy, turning quickly about on their seats.

In reply Arthur pointed silently up the creek. His companions looked, and then they too became excited. There was a canoe in advance of them sure enough, and dark as it was, they instantly recognized it as the one Matt Coyle had stolen from Joe Wayring.

There was somebody in it, and he was plying his double paddle as if he were in a great hurry He did not appear to know that there was any one besides himself in the creek, for he never once looked behind him.

"It isn't big enough for Matt, and so it must be one of his boys," whispered Roy.

"Boy or man, he shall not go much further with that canoe." said Joe in a resolute tone.