Two hours passed and they saw no other craft. They had passed several settlements of more or less importance, but not a sign of the missing houseboat appeared. "Here comes something!" cried Tom, presently, as they heard a distant puff-puff. "Steer in the direction of that sound," said Dick, to Captain Carson, and this was done. Out of the mist appeared the light of a long launch, having on board several officers of the law. "Steam tug, ahoy!" was the cry. "Ahoy!" shouted back Captain Carson. "Seen anything of another launch around here?" "No." "See anything of a small sailboat?" "No." "Confound the luck!" came in another voice from the launch. "What's the matter?" asked Paul Livingstone. "Hullo, Mr. Livingstone, is that you?" called out one of the officers of the law on the launch. "It is, Captain Dixon. What's the trouble?" "We are looking for those two horse thieves, Pick Loring and Hamp Gouch. I suppose you know they escaped." "So I heard. Well, I hope you get them," answered the owner of the stock farm. "They took four of my horses once." "So I understand. What are you doing out here this time of night?" "We are looking for a houseboat that was stolen. Seen anything of such a craft?" "Certainly we did." "You did!" burst from Dick and several of the others. "Where?" "Down the river four or five miles. The fellows on board told us that they had seen a sailboat with two men in it beating up the river, and from the description we took the men to be Loring and Gouch." "How did the houseboat look?" asked Tom. One of the officers of the law gave a brief description of the _Dora_ and told what he could of Baxter and Flapp. "It's our houseboat beyond a doubt," said Sam. "And those two fellows were Flapp and Baxter." "Did you see anybody else on the houseboat?" questioned Dick. "Not a soul. So the houseboat was stolen?" went on the police officer, curiously. "Yes, and, worse than that, two girls have been abducted." "Creation! That's serious." "It will be serious for those rascals if we catch them!" muttered Tom. "Where did the houseboat go to?" "It was heading straight down the river when we saw it last." "Then come!" cried Dick. "Let us go after the craft and lose no time." A moment later the steam tug parted company with the launch, and the chase after the _Dora_ was resumed. CHAPTER XXVII CAUGHT ONCE MORE The two girls hardly dared to breathe as they stood at the rear of the houseboat, trying to untie the small rowboat which lay on the deck. "Oh, Dora, supposing they find us out?" gasped Nellie. "I don't think we'll be any worse off than we were," answered her cousin. "Do you think we can launch the rowboat and get into it without upsetting?" "We can try."