"A piano! Oh, Tom!" cried Nellie. "How nice! It must be a regular little palace!" "I haven't seen the boat yet. Uncle Randolph said there was a piano on board." "And I've got a guitar," came from Songbird Powell. "With which he will sing to the moon on dark nights," came from Tom. "I haf got some musics py mine drunk in too," said Hans. "What have you got, Hansy?" asked Sam--"a tin whistle?" "No, a music pox vot mine fadder brought from Chermany. He vos a fine pox, too, I can told you." "That's splendid, Hans," said Dora. "I love a good music box." So the talk ran on until there was a knock at the door and Aleck appeared. The look on his black face showed that he was excited. "Say, Massah Dick, I would like to see yo' in private a minute," he said. "Certainly," replied Dick. "Excuse me," he added, to the others, and went out into the hall with the colored man. "I didn't want fo' to alarm de ladies," explained Aleck. "But I wanted to tell you as soon as I could." "Tell me what, Aleck?" "Dat I dun seen dat rascal, Dan Baxter, less dan half an hour ago," was the answer. CHAPTER XVII A QUEER CAPTAIN "You saw Dan Baxter, here in Pittsburg?" ejaculated Dick. "Dat's it." "You are sure you were not mistaken, Aleck? I thought that rascal was miles and miles away." "Dat's jess wot I dun been thinkin' too. But it was Dan Baxter, suah. I knows him too well to make any mistake about his ugly face." "Where was he?" "Dat's de alarmin' part ob it, Massah Dick. Yo' know yo' tole me to find de houseboat." "Yes." "Well, I found de boat wid dat dar Cap'n Starr on board, an' we made all dem 'rangements wot you spoke about. Den I started to leave de boat. Dar was an eleckric light on de dock an' a man standing near it, a-watchin' de houseboat. I almost run into him, an' den I discobered it was dat good-fo'-nuffin Dan Baxter." "He was watching the houseboat?" "Dat's it." "Did he recognize you, Aleck?" "Not till I spoke to him. I said, `Wot yo' doin' heah, Dan Baxter?' When he heard dat he 'most jumped a foot. Den he mutters sumthing wot I couldn't make out an' runs away." "Did you go after him?" "Yes, but I couldn't cotch him nohow. Dar was big piles ob boxes an' barrels on de dock and he got away befo' I know wot I was at. I hunted an' hunted, but I couldn't git on his track." "This is certainly unpleasant, to say the least," mused Dick, biting his lip. "If he is watching us he is doing it for no good purpose." "Dat's de way. I reasoned. But I didn't want de ladies to heah. Mrs. Stanhope am a powerfully narvous woman." "Yes, Aleck, you were wise in keeping them in ignorance. But I'll have to tell Tom and Sam and the other fellows, and we'll have to keep our eyes open." "Is you' goin' to report dis to de police?" "I may. I'll think it over first. Now, how about the houseboat? Has Captain Starr done as directed?" "Yes, sah." "What kind of a man does he seem to he?" "All right, Massah Dick, only--"