"You jest trust me," came from Martin Harris, "I know my business, and there won't be any accidents." "The other yacht is making for the Jersey shore," cried Sam, a little later. "If we don't look out we'll lose her. There she goes behind a big ferryboat." "She's going to try to bother us," grumbled Martin Harris, as he received a warning whistle from the ferryboat and threw the yacht over on the opposite tack. "The fellow who is sailing that boat knows his business." "It's that Bill Goss, I suppose," said Tom. "There they go behind another ferryboat." "It won't matter, so long as we keep her in sight," said Harris. "We are bound to run her down sooner or later." Inside of half an hour the two boats had passed the Statue of Liberty. The course of the _Flyaway_ was now straight down the bay, and the Rover boys began to wonder where Dan Baxter and his crowd might be bound. "They must have Dora a close prisoner," mused Dick, with a sad shake of his head. "That is if they didn't leave her in New York," he added suddenly. "Do you suppose they did that?" asked Sam. "Perhaps--there is no guessing what they did." "We missed it by not telegraphing back to the authorities at Cedarville to arrest Josiah Crabtree," said Tom. "I think we can prove that he is in this game before the curtain falls on the last act." "We'll telegraph when we get back," answered Dick, never thinking of all that was to happen ere they should see the metropolis again. Gradually the lights of the city faded from view and they found themselves traveling down the bay at a rate of five to six knots an hour. "We don't seem to be gaining," remarked 'Tom, after a long silence. "I can just about make her out and that's all." "But we are gaining, and you'll find it so pretty soon," answered Martin Harris. "They had the advantage in dodging among those other boats, but now we've got a clear stretch before us." On and on went the two yachts, until the _Flyaway_ was not over five hundred feet ahead of the _Searchlight_. "What did I tell you?" said Harris. "We'll overtake her in less than quarter of an hour." "This is a regular yacht race," smiled Dick grimly. "But it's for more than the American Cup." "Keep off!" came suddenly from ahead. "Keep off, or it will be the worse for you!" It was Dan Baxter who was shouting at them. The former bully of Putnam Hall stood at the stern rail of the _Flyaway_ and was using his hands like a trumpet. "You had better give up the race, Baxter!" called Dick in return. "You can't get away from us, no matter how hard you try." "Keep off," repeated Baxter. "We won't stand any nonsense." "We are not here for nonsense," put in Tom. "What have you done with Dora Stanhope?" "Don't know anything about Dora Stanhope," came back from Mumps. "You have her on board of your boat." "It's a falsehood." "Then you left her somewhere in New York."