ones, mind
you!"

The attacking party, their leader ahead, had now reached the low sand
heap marking the grave of the former wreck, but a dozen yards away--the
sand had entombed it the year before.

"You fellers think yer durned smart, don't ye?" yelled Mr. William
Mulligan, surnamed "Scootsy" from his pronounced fleetness of foot.
"We're goin' to run ye out o' that Tub. 'Tain't yourn, it's ourn--ain't
it, fellers?"

A shout went up in answer from the group on the hillock.

"You can come as friends, but not as enemies," cried Archie
grandiloquently. "The man who sets foot on this ship without permission
dies like a dog. We sail under the blood-red flag!" and Archie struck
an attitude and pointed to the fragment of mother Fogarty's own nailed
to a lath and hanging limp over the rail.

"Hi! hi! hi!" yelled the gang in reply. "Oh, ain't he a beauty! Look at
de cotton waddin' on his head!" (Archie's cropped curls.) "Say, sissy,
does yer mother know ye're out? Throw that ladder down; we're comin' up
there--don't make no diff'rence whether we got yer permish or not--and
we'll knock the stuffin' out o' ye if ye put up any job on us. H'ist
out that ladder!"

"Death and no quarter!" shouted back Archie, opening the big blade of
Captain Holt's pocket knife and grasping it firmly in his wee hand.
"We'll defend this ship with the last drop of our blood!"

"Ye will, will ye!" retorted Scootsy. "Come on, fellers--go for 'em!
I'll show 'em," and he dodged under the sloop's bow and sprang for the
overhanging chains.

Tod had now clambered up from the hold. Under his arm were two stout
hickory saplings. One he gave to Archie, the other he kept himself.

"Give them the shells first," commanded Archie, dodging a beach pebble;
"and when their hands come up over the rail let them have this," and he
waved the sapling over his head. "Run, Tod,--they're trying to climb up
behind. I'll take the bow. Avast there, ye lubbers!"

With this Archie dropped to his knees and crouched close to the heel of
the rotting bowsprit, out of the way of the flying missiles--each boy's
pockets were loaded--and looking cautiously over the side of the hulk,
waited until Scootsy's dirty fingers--he was climbing the chain hand
over hand, his feet resting on a boy below him--came into view.

"Off there, or I'll crack your fingers!"

"Crack and be--"

Bang! went Archie's hickory and down dropped the braggart, his oath
lost in his cries.

"He smashed