"Right straight ahead," went on Mrs. Bobbsey. "Something black is
looming up in the fog. Maybe it's the balloon!"
"We can't be anywhere near the island yet," said the captain. "That is
unless I'm away off my course. But we'll soon find out what it is."
They could all see the black object now, though it looked dim and
uncertain, for a fog was settling down over the lake and the mist and
vapor, together with the rain, made it hard to see more than a few feet
ahead.
"It's a boat!" suddenly cried Mr. Bobbsey. "A large boat."
And that is what it was.
"Ahoy there!" called Captain Craig in his deep voice. "Ahoy there!"
"Ahoy!" answered the men in the boat.
"Have you seen anything of a runaway balloon?" asked Mr. Trench. "Mine
got away from the Bolton County Fair, and it had two little children in
the balloon basket. Have you seen them?"
Mr. and Mrs. Bobbsey and all in the motor boat waited anxiously for the
answer. Captain Craig had shut off his engine so its noise would not
drown the words of those in the other boat.
"We saw something big and black sailing through the air over our heads
about an hour ago," was the answer. "We thought it was the aeroplane
from the fair grounds."
"That was my balloon!" declared Mr. Trench.
"Did you see anything of my children?" Mrs. Bobbsey begged to know.
"No. But we couldn't see very well on account of the fog and because the
balloon--if that's what it was--kept up pretty high," came the answer.
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