“That’s the ticket!” burst out Boxy. “Give me my skates without delay. It’s ten to one they went off this morning, and so they can’t be very far away.” “I have an idea,” said Jack. “Supposing two of us skate up the river, and two down, on the lookout? We’ll go, say three or four miles, and if we don’t see anything we can return here.” “All right,” returned Harry. “We can’t afford to let anybody run off with the _Icicle_.” While the boys were talking over this plan in an excited way, and getting out their skates and putting them on, the well-known figure of Pickles Johnsing appeared in sight. The colored youth was running as fast as his short, fat legs would permit. “Mos’ dun missed yo’!” he gasped. “An’ I made up my mind to see yo’ off, suah!” “We’re not off just yet, Pickles,” said Jack. “No? I t’ought yo’ wuz gwine soon as de sun shone up?” “Our iceboat has been stolen. We just found it out,” said Boxy. “Do you know anything about it?” “Wot? De _Isticle_ gone?” ejaculated the colored youth, with his big eyes rolling in wonder. “Yo’ don’t say! Who dun tuk her?” “That’s what we want to know,” said Andy. Pickles began to blink his eyes, as if in deep thought. Then suddenly he slapped his thigh with his broad hand. “By de boots! I fink I know who dun tuk de _Isticle_!” he roared. “You do?” came in concert from the members of the Zero Club. “Yes, sah!” “Who?” “Sully, Dixon and dat low-down Len Spencer!” The boys started. “What makes you think so?” asked Jack, catching the colored youth by the arm. “I heered dem a-talkin’ ’bout it las’ night on de toboggan-slide. Sully said he would like ter break up yo’r gwine away, and Dixon said de _Isticle_ was tied up down heah, an’ da could git hold ob it easy enought an’ put yo’ in de hole.” “That settles it!” cried Harry, angrily. “Our old enemies are at work against us. They took the iceboat just to break up our tour.” “But they sha’n’t break it up!” cried Boxy. “I’ll go on foot first!” “So will I,” joined in Andy. “If we only knew where they had taken the _Icicle_ we might go after them,” said Jack. “I don’t believe in letting them have their own way.” “Nor I--after working so hard on the iceboat,” added Boxy. “Pickles, did they say anything about where they might go?” “No, da didn’t,” replied the colored youth, slowly. “But, hol’ on--Len Spencer said he was gwine down to Lumberton to-day fo’ his father----” “Then that’s where they have gone!” put in Jack, hurriedly. “Of course, they wouldn’t dare go up the river, knowing we were bound that way. I’ll bet a dollar they are on the way to Lumberton this minute!” “I believe you,” said Harry. “Shall we go after them?” “Of course!” “Certainly!” “Can we catch them?” “We ought to be able to do so on our skates. The wind is almost full against them, so they will have to do a bit of tacking, while we can skate straight ahead.”