"No; and we were called at three o'clock this morning, and came to Westport. Our fellows were all as mad as hops when they did not find the schooner there. It was a horrible storm in the night, and I suppose that was the reason she was not there. A young fellow in a handsome little steamer came near the shore where we were waiting, and I hailed her. After some teasing, he consented to take us down the lake. When we saw the La Motte, we asked him to put us ashore on that point, which he did." "How did you know it was the La Motte when you saw her?" asked Dory. "By that signal," replied Ripples, pointing to what looked like a red handkerchief in the main rigging. "Angy told me that would be his signal." "Did you tell the young fellow in the small steamer that you were looking for the La Motte?" "For some reason, which he did not explain in his letter, Angy told us not to mention the name of the vessel, or to say any thing about her," replied Ripples. "We told the young man, who appeared to be in command of the steamer,--I believe she was called the Marian,--that we were going to camp out on Camp-Meeting Point; for we had all studied the charts of the lake." "Did all the members of the club pay fifty dollars?" inquired Dory. "No, indeed! Not more than four of them did it; and Angy wrote me, a week ago, that the money was all gone." "Did he ask for more?" "He did not. He said he would raise the money; though I could not see where he was to get it, for his father is a poor man now. But all the fellows that came up with me have from fifty to a hundred dollars apiece. Angy must be short of cash by this time." "I think he has made some money since he reached the lake," added the skipper quietly. "How could he make any money?" demanded Ripples, surprised at the idea. "By breaking open safes; and he did a job of that kind last night." "Angy!" exclaimed Ripples, with a start. "Angy and Mack did it together, while Chuck took care of the boat, and the other two fellows remained on board of the La Motte." "You don't mean so! Angy and Mack broke open a safe!" "Blowed it open." "All I have to say about it is, that I had nothing to do with the robbery, and did not have any suspicion that Angy meant to do such a thing," protested Ripples very warmly. "And the fellows that came with me are as innocent as I am." "Angy got over two thousand dollars from a safe last night, though the money was taken from him after he was captured. He is in the lock-up by this time, and the rest of these fellows will soon be there; that is, the five that were in the schooner last night." "What is that steamer?" asked Ripples, as the Sylph came near the La Motte. "Probably there are officers on board of her, who will take charge of Mack and the rest of the five. My uncle owns her; and I will tell him about you," added Dory, as he brought the schooner to, at a signal from the pilot-house of the Sylph.