All agreed, and soon they were in a secluded part of the sheet of water. Big Cove, as it was locally called, was a sort of bay, almost out of sight from the main part of the lake. To reach it the boys had to row around a point, which extended for quite a distance out into the water. On this point was a boathouse, which was part of the property on which stood an old and what at one time had been a handsome residence. This was on a bluff, overlooking the lake, and was known as the Stockton mansion. As the rowboat turned this point the boys were surprised to see a small motor craft shoot out from the boathouse. "Look at that!" exclaimed Bert. "I didn't know there was one of those gasolene jiggers on the lake." "Me either," added Tom. "Must be a new one. Wonder who's in it?" "Must be somebody from the Stockton house," said Vincent; "though I didn't know anybody was living there now." "Yes, there's somebody in it," added John Boll, "but I never knew they had a boat." "Look out!" suddenly exclaimed Bert. "It's coming right for us!" Sure enough the motor boat was headed straight for the rowing craft, and it was coming on at top speed. No one could be seen in it, though the engine could be heard puffing. "It's running away!" cried Tom. "Let's catch it!" "Let's get out of the way, you mean," called Bert. "Do you want to be sunk in the deepest part of the lake? Pull on your left oar, Tom! Pull! Pull!" The motor boat was now almost upon the other craft. CHAPTER IX A NARROW ESCAPE "Give a yell!" suggested Vincent. "What for?" panted Bert, as he struggled with the oars, trying to swing the boat out of danger. "There's nobody aboard to steer the boat out of the way." But Vincent yelled anyhow, and, to the surprise of the boys, a figure suddenly showed itself in the motor boat. It was that of a man, and he had been lying down in the craft, adjusting some of the machinery while the engine was running. His sudden exclamation, as he sat up on hearing Vincent's yell, showed that he was not aware how close he was to a collision. He jumped to his feet, leaped forward to the wheel, and with a few quick turns sent his boat to one side. And it was only just in time, for the freeboard of his craft grazed the extended oars that Tom and Bert had thrust out to dip in the water, in order to further swing their boat around. "I didn't see you!" exclaimed the man, as his boat rushed past. "I was fixing my engine. I'm sorry!" "Whose boat is that?" asked Bert. But the man returned no answer, and in a few seconds he was too far off to enable the boys to repeat the question. "Do any of you fellows know him?" asked Bert of his chums. "Seems to me I saw him in the village the other day," replied Tom. "He was buying some stuff in the drug store. He's a stranger in town." "Wonder what he's doing around here?" asked Vincent. "It's a good thing I hollered when I did, or he'd have punched a hole in us."