he old man savagely.

"You change her course," said Vince firmly.

"You go and sit down while you're safe," growled the old man, with his
face twitching.

"You had orders from the commander of the cutter to take us ashore.
Change the boat's course directly."

"Will you go and sit down, both of you?" cried the old man again, more
fiercely, but his voice was lower and deeper.

"No," said Mike; "and if you won't steer for the Crag, I will."

"This here's my boat, and I'll steer how I like, and nobody else shan't
touch her."

"Your orders from the King's officer were to take us home. Will you do
it?"

"No!" roared the old man. "Go and sit down, 'fore I do you a mischief."

Vince did not even look behind to see if he was going to be supported,
for he felt full of that desperate courage which comes to an
Anglo-Saxon-descended lad in an emergency like that. He saw the
savagely murderous look in the old man's eyes, and that he had quickly
seized the conger bat with one hand, after passing the sheet into that
which held the oar.

With one spring Vince was upon him, seizing the heavy wooden club, which
he strove to tear from his grasp, just as the old man too sprang up, and
Mike snatched the sheet from his hand with a jerk which sent the oar,
loose now in the old man's grasp, gliding overboard.

Mike made a dash to save it, but was flung down into the bottom of the
boat as the old man thrust a foot forward and seized Vince in his
tremendous grip.

The boy struggled bravely, but his fresh young muscles were as nothing
to the gnarled, time-hardened flesh and sinew of the old savage, who
lifted him by main force, after a short struggle which made the boat
rock as if it would go over, and Vince realised what was to follow.

"Mike! do something," he cried in his agony to the boy, who was
struggling up, half stunned, from where he lay between the thwarts; and
in his desperation Mike did do something, for, as Daygo put out all his
strength, tore Vince's clinging hands from his jersey, and hurled him
right out from the boat, Mike seized the old man fiercely by one leg.

It was not much to do, but it did much, for it threw Daygo off his
balance in the rocking boat; and Vince had hardly plunged down into the
clear water before his enemy followed, with a tremendous splash,
thrusting the boat away, and going head first deeply down.

Vince was the first to rise, shake his head, and begin to swim for the
boat. But Daygo