he boat."

The boys shrank back, so that old Daygo should not see them, while the
lieutenant stepped up to the side and bullied the old man, who protested
humbly that he did not understand the signal.

"Well, quick! Here are two passengers to take ashore. Now, my lads--
sharp!"

Vince and Mike shook hands with the officer, while a sailor at the
gangway held on to the painter of Daygo's boat, which was gliding pretty
fast through the water, the course of the cutter not having been quite
stopped; then the lads jumped lightly in, the painter was thrown after
them, there was a slight touch of the helm, and the cutter heeled over
and dashed away, leaving Vince and Mike looking the old man full in the
face, while he stared back with his jaw dropped down almost to his
chest.

"Then you arn't dead, young gen'lemen?"

"No, we're not dead," said Vince sharply. "Now then, hoist that sail
and run us home."

The boys sat there watching the cutter, the lugger and the schooner all
sailing rapidly away. Then suddenly it occurred to both the lads that
the old man was very slow over the business of hoisting that sail; that
he was then the greatest enemy they had, and that it would be very
awkward for them if he were to suddenly take it into his head to do them
some mischief.

"He's a big, strong man," thought Vince; "he knows that we can ruin him
if we like to speak, and--I wonder what Ladle is thinking about?"

"Ladle" was thinking the same.

CHAPTER THIRTY NINE.

DAYGO MEETS HIS MATCH.

It seemed to take a long time to hoist that sail, but at last it was
well up, the yard creaking against the mast; and standing on their
dignity now, and keeping the old man at a distance, the boys made no
offer to take the sheet or steer, but let Daygo pass them as they sat
amidships, one on each side, and he seated himself, hauled in the sheet,
and thrust an oar over the stern to steer.

There was a nice breeze now, they were only about a mile from the shore,
and as the boat danced merrily through the little waves a feeling of joy
and exultation, to which the boys had long been strangers, filled their
breasts. They took long, hungry looks at the shore, and then at the
cutter racing along towards the great gull rock, at the schooner
careening over as she ran on under all the canvas she could bear; and
then back at the lugger, which by comparison seemed to limp along, with
a scrub of a spar hoisted as a jury mast, far astern, in