The detective had seen, at the first glance, that the launch occupied by the three forbidding-looking men was superior to his own in the case with which it could be manipulated. It was narrower in the beam, and the engine was more powerful. Besides, it answered to its helm more smoothly and promptly than his own. Nevertheless, as Nick Carter, in that short instant, managed to get a full view of the faces of the men, he recognized them all. Also, he saw that they knew his two handcuffed passengers. Further proof of this came at once, when, as Nick swung his launch clear, the man at the wheel of the other boat, with a snarl, twisted his wheel and again brought the two launches against each other, parallel, with a crash. “Look out, Chick! Hold the gunwale of that other boat!” shouted Nick Carter. “Don’t let them get away!” “I should say not!” was Chick’s response. “Don’t you see who they are?” “Of course I do!” shouted back Nick Carter. “That fellow at the wheel is Larry Dugan.” The detective had seen that three of the worst ruffians in New York--men who could be hired to beat, or even kill, a man, for pay--were in the launch, and he could not keep a horrible suspicion out of his mind which implicated Don Solado and Prince Miguel, his two handcuffed prisoners. It was Nick Carter’s determination now to catch the three thugs. He had little doubt that they had been hired by Solado and Miguel to make away with a man they wanted to keep out of sight, for a time at least. The man’s name was Prince Marcos. In this supposition he was right. But he did not give the rascals credit for quite so much audacity as they possessed. As Nick reached over the sides of the two launches which were rubbing against each other, and grabbed the man nearest to him, who happened to be Pet Carlin, there was a loud shout from Chick. “Look out, chief! They’re getting our men!” The launches sprang violently apart, and Nick was obliged to let go of Pet to save himself from going overboard. With his throttle wide open, sending the boat along at full speed, Nick swung around in pursuit of the other craft. He had special reason to do this now, for, as Chick had warned him, the trio of ruffians had actually snatched away Don Solado and Prince Miguel, his handcuffed prisoners, under his very nose. Only the fact that Nick had been hampered by his position at the wheel and the levers of the engine had enabled the rascals to be successful. It was impossible for the detectives to move quickly--even if it had been safe to leave the launch to its own devices. He was obliged to keep his hand on the steering wheel, and to see that the engine was not running wild. Larry Dugan, Foxey, and Pet all understood this, and they had taken instant advantage of the odds in their favor.