Page:Dave Porter and his Classmates.djvu/267

Rh "Who were some of those boys?" asked Doctor Clay.

Dave remembered that one of the boats had contained Roger, Ben, Sam Day, and Messmer, and remained silent.

"Don't any of you remember who were in the other boats?" asked the doctor, and his voice was sharper than ever.

"Nat Poole and Link Merwell were out in the motor boat," answered Phil.

"Yes, I know that, but both declare they were not near the island."

"Roger Morr, Sam Day, and a lot of others were out, but they were near the boathouse, and I don't think any of them went near Bush Island," answered Gus Plum.

"Well, somebody was there, and took our boat," said Doctor Clay. "If I find out who was guilty of the trick I shall punish him severely." He knew that many of the boys would laugh behind his back, and he hated to be the butt of such a joke.

After being questioned for quarter of an hour the boys were told they could go, and returned to their dormitory. Hardly had they left the office when Siller, the boatman, came in.

"The boat you had is at the dock," he announced. "It was tied up around a corner, where I didn't see it before."