Because when a fellow once gets on the trail, he's a goner.

Oh, bibbie, that was going to be some meeting! Pretty soon Westy came running back down the hill.
"Did you get it ?" I asked him, but, of course, I knew he did.

He was so much out of breath that he couldn't answer and even after he stopped he had to pant it out, kind of.
"It wasn't there," he said.
"Wasn't there!" I said; "you're crazy.

Sure it was there.

Where did you look ?" "I looked just where you said," Westy panted, "and all around besides.
First, I felt all around with my hand and I lifted the oar-lock and it wasn't underneath it." "Maybe you got the wrong oar-lock," I said, all excited; "there are two of them." "The other one was hanging up," he said; "I found your flashlight on the duffel-bag and poked the light all around and I saw the other oar-lock hanging up.