dy to jump on board when I come up alongside," called Dory.

"Are you going off to leave us, now that you have got us into this
scrape?" demanded Captain Vesey, springing to his feet; for he had
evidently been asleep on the quarter-deck.

"I am going to get a steamer to drag you off this shoal," replied Pearl.
"I will come back in a couple of hours or so."

"You may forget to come," added Mr. Button, the engineer. "I think you
had better pay me the five dollars you owe me before we part company."

"And five dollars you owe me," added Captain Vesey.

"I don't owe you any five dollars, either of you," replied Pearl
blandly, as he was about to leap on board of the Goldwing. "I was to
give you five dollars apiece if you put me on board of this boat, and
you haven't done it."

"We should have done it if we hadn't let you do the piloting," replied
Captain Vesey. "You owe us the money, and you must pay it."

"I think not," added Pearl, as he sprang on the forward deck of the
schooner. "You haven't done what I agreed to pay you for."

"Hold on!" shouted Button angrily. "If you don't pay me, I will take it
out of your hide."

"You will catch me first, won't you?" jeered Pearl, as he leaped down
into the standing-room of the boat.

"Don't carry him off, Dory," added Captain Vesey. "He is the biggest
rascal that ever floated on Lake Champlain."

"Keep off, Dory, if you know when you are well off!" said Pearl in
threatening tones.

But Dory was anxious to perform his part in the drama; and he filled
away on the starboard tack, pointing the head of the boat towards
Plattsburgh. His fellow-voyagers did not give Pearl a good character,
but this was not a surprise to the skipper. He knew what Pearl was
before he had seen him in the daylight.

"Here we are, Dory," said the villain, as he seated himself in the
standing-room. "You have dodged me times enough yesterday and to-day,
and I am glad to be alone on board of this craft with you."

The skipper did not express his satisfaction that they were not alone,
but he felt it just the same. Pearl was ugly, and Dory did not like the
looks of him. The new passenger gazed about him, and seemed to be
examining the boat for some time. He looked under the seats in the
standing-room, and opened a couple of lockers. Then he raised the
floor-boards, and looked at the ballast.

When he had done this, he seated himself again. He looked at Dory, and
then he glanced up at the sails. He