estants--for he had rightly judged they
were in high dispute--were two small black pigs which had looted a bag
of oatmeal from under the flap of the store tent and were busily
engaged in fighting over their spoils.

"Get out, you brutes! Scat!" shouted the boy, bringing down a
long-handled spoon he carried over the backs of the disputants.

The spoon, being almost red-hot, the clamor of the porkers redoubled,
and with indignant squeals and grumblings they dashed off into the
dense growth of scrub oak and pine that covered the island in its
interior. At the same moment the captain, who had been taking a snooze
under some small bushes, awoke with a start.

"Eh--eh--eh! What's all that?" he exclaimed, hearing the yells. "Why,
it's that plagued Betsy and Jane, my two young sows," he cried the next
moment. "Consarn and keelhaul the critters, they're breakin' out all
the time. I reckon they're headed fer home now," he added, when Hiram
related how he had scared them.

"I'm glad that they were nothing but pigs, captain," said Hiram, going
back with flushed cheeks to his cookery. "I was afraid for a minute
they were I hardly know what. We'll have to fix that store tent more
snugly in future."

"And I'll have ter take a double reef in my pig Pen," chuckled the
captain.

CHAPTER XV

THE CHUMS IN PERIL

Even the epicurean Tubby Hopkins voted dinner that day a great success,
and Hiram, with becoming modesty, took his congratulations blushingly.
In mid-afternoon, after seeing that the camp was in good working order,
the scout masters started for the home shore in Captain Hudgins's boat,
which was also to bring back some additional supplies for the next day.

After dinner Rob had assigned Merritt and Tubby to form a "fishing
squad," to range seaward in the Flying Fish and "halt and detain" all
the bluefish they could apprehend. The others were given the afternoon
to range the island and practice up their woodcraft and landmark work,
while Rob busied himself in his tent, which was equipped with a small
folding camp table, in filling out his pink blank reports which were to
be forwarded to Commodore Wingate and dispatched by him to the
headquarters of the Boy Scouts in New York.

Merritt and Tubby were both ardent fishermen, and in response to
Hiram's pleadings, they allowed him to accompany them on their
expedition. The fish were running well, and the boys cast and pulled
in some time without particularly